Ladda Tammy Duckworth (born 1968) is the Democratic nominee in Illinois's 8th congressional district for the United States House of Representatives. In 2006, Duckworth was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives seat for another district, Illinois's 6th congressional district, losing to her opponent Peter Roskam by 2% of the vote. Previously she was the Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. Duckworth is an Iraq War veteran and former U.S. Army helicopter pilot whose severe combat wounds cost her both of her legs and damaged her right arm. She continues to serve as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Illinois Army National Guard along with her husband, Major Bryan W. Bowlsbey, a signal officer and fellow Iraq War veteran.

A supporter of the presidential election campaign of Barack Obama, Duckworth was given a prime-time speaking slot on the third night of the 2008 Democratic National Convention. She served as the Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs from 2009 to 2011. In March 2012, Duckworth defeated Raja Krishnamoorthi to win the Democratic nomination in Illinois's 8th congressional district and will face incumbent Republican Congressman Joe Walsh in the general election on November 6, 2012.

Barack Hussein Obama II (ⁱ/bəˈrɑːk huːˈseɪn oʊˈbɑːmə/; born August 4, 1961) is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. In January 2005, Obama was sworn in as a U.S. Senator in the state of Illinois. He would hold this office until November 2008, when he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was the president of the Harvard Law Review. He was a community organizer in Chicago before earning his law degree. He worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. He served three terms representing the 13th District in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004.

Following an unsuccessful bid against the Democratic incumbent for a seat in the United States House of Representatives in 2000, Obama ran for the United States Senate in 2004. Several events brought him to national attention during the campaign, including his victory in the March 2004 Illinois Democratic primary for the Senate election and his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004. He won election to the U.S. Senate in Illinois in November 2004. His presidential campaign began in February 2007, and after a close campaign in the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries against Hillary Rodham Clinton, he won his party's nomination. In the 2008 presidential election, he defeated Republican nominee John McCain, and was inaugurated as president on January 20, 2009. Nine months later, Obama was named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In April 2011, he announced that he would be running for re-election in 2012.

Anna Song Canzano is an American broadcast journalist who works at KATU-Television in Portland, Oregon. She previously worked at Los Angeles' ABC NewsOne and held an internship at KABC-TV in Los Angeles.

Canzano has won numerous awards in her career, including the 2007 Edward R. Murrow Award in Investigative Reporting. She won for her piece on Jordaan Clarke, who after undergoing successful heart surgery at Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) hospital as an infant, suffered prolonged oxygen deprivation causing permanent and profound brain damage. Canzano's report revealed that OHSU benefits from rare and unusual protection from the state that caps malpractice damages at $200,000 per incident, a luxury not widely available to other entities in the state of Oregon, according to documents obtained by the reporter.

Canzano, a 14-time regional Emmy Award nominee, won an Emmy Award in 2008 for her piece on the struggle of a homeless high school student. In 2003, Canzano's in-depth coverage of the murder of two Oregon City teenagers, Miranda Gaddis and Ashley Pond, and the investigation into their deaths helped earn KATU an Edward R. Murrow Award for Continuing Coverage. "Casualties of War," a documentary she co-produced and wrote in 2005, was honored with a 1st place Associated Press (AP) award for news writing. Canzano also won 1st place in the 2009 and 2008 Associated Press Awards in the Best Hard News Coverage categories, as well as the 2007, 2006, and 2005 Best Writing category. She has also won 1st place awards in Best Investigative Reporting, documentary and feature categories from the AP.

Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands: the James Gang, Barnstorm, and the Eagles. He has also experienced success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B. King and Dan Fogelberg.

A native of Wichita, Kansas, Walsh and his family lived in Columbus, Ohio for a number of years. His mother was a classically trained pianist. When Walsh was twelve years old the family moved to New York City. Later, Walsh moved to Montclair, New Jersey and attended Montclair High School there. While attending Kent State University, he spent time in various bands playing around the Cleveland area, including The Measles. Walsh began a lifelong hobby of amateur ("ham") radio with the callsign WB6ACU while living in New York City.

In January 1968 he replaced Glen Schwartz as lead guitarist for the James Gang, an American power trio. Walsh proved to be the band's star attraction, noted for his innovative rhythm playing and creative guitar riffs. In particular he was known for hot-wiring the pickups on his electric guitars to create his trademark "attack" sound. The James Gang had several minor hits and became an early album-oriented rock staple for the next two years, including James Gang Live at Carnegie Hall. In November, 1971 Walsh left the group and formed the group Barnstorm, although their albums credited Walsh as a solo artist. Walsh and Barnstorm released their debut, the eponymous Barnstorm in 1972. The album was a critical success, but had only moderate sales. The follow-up The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get (1973) was titled under his own name (although officially a Barnstorm album) and was Walsh's commercial breakthrough. The first single "Rocky Mountain Way" received heavy airplay and reached #23 on the US Top 40 chart. In 1974 Barnstorm disbanded and Walsh continued as a solo artist.

Braulio Castillo Cintrón (b. March 30, 1933, Bayamon, Puerto Rico) was a telenovela actor in Latin America. His two sons, Braulio Castillo, Jr. and Jorge Castillo, are also actors.

Castillo played in the Orquesta Mandolina in Puerto Rico, before working as an actor. He graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a concentration the performing arts. He had roles in Puerto Rican television soap operas, during the 1950s; he worked at Telemundo Puerto Rico productions.

Castillo later relocated to Peru, where he performed the leading role in the telenovela, "Simplemente María" ("Simply Mary"), with Peruvian actress Saby Kamalich. There, Castillo was the first MC of the international children's puppet show based on the Italian fictional character of Topo Gigio.

He then moved to Mexico during the 1960s, and performed in Mexican films such as "El Cielo y Tu" ("Heaven and You"), among others, and working in several Televisa productions.

In 1970 Castillo was hit in the head by a rock, while filming a scene for a movie. He survived, but retired from the entertainment business. He still occasionally makes appearances on television.