Jason Linkins, 11/29/11

Editor, Eat the Press

Having read Alec MacGillis' take on the "peculiar anger of Mitt Romney" in the New Republic, I can't help but note that the most peculiar thing about it is that there don't seem to be compelling examples of either "anger" or "peculiarity."

Lorelei Kelly, 11/29/11

Director, New Strategic Security Initiative

In January, 1995, Newt Gingrich pushed through a bill that wiped out the shared system of expert knowledge and analysis inside Congress. The bill made Congress dumb -- on purpose. And now, today, we're feeling the effects more than ever.

Princess Haya Al Hussein, 11/29/11

UN Messenger of Peace

If in the last few years you got out your checkbook or credit card and donated to help rebuild Haiti, rescue Pakistanis from floods or fund a school in Tanzania, your contribution did not make its way into global aid figures.

Robert Pozen, 11/29/11

Chairman emeritus, MFS Investment Management; senior lecturer, Harvard Business School; senior fellow, Brookings Institution

You can't have it both ways: you cannot allow individuals to take on more risk while retaining the absolute safety net of Social Security.

Jessica Pearce Rotondi, 11/29/11

Instead of feeling down on yourself the next time Grandma asks you when you are going to meet a nice boy and give her grandkids, focus on why it's sweet to be single over the holidays.

Cheryl Forberg, RD, 11/29/11

Award-winning chef, Nutritionist for "The Biggest Loser"

Overdo the holiday? Don't wait until January 1 to get back on track -- climb back on the wagon today! It's so easy to let one holiday derail you with a huge meal, a long weekend and not enough exercise.

Oneika Raymond, 11/29/11

Traveller. Teacher. Thrill-Seeker.

I love who I am and how I look, and evidently, other people do, too. I say this since, as a black female who travels, I get A LOT of attention in certain places I visit. I can honestly say that my looks have stopped traffic. But my question is, should I be mad?

Govindini Murty, 11/29/11

Co-Editor of Libertas Film Magazine

Theron's Mavis is the classic narcissist: cut off from objective reality, lacking any concern for other people, insecure in private but willing in public to ride roughshod over anyone and everything in order to gratify her whims.

Andrew Brandt, 11/29/11

President, The National Football Post

More than the continued excellence of the Packers, more than the nail-biter between the Dolphins and Cowboys, and more than the Harbaugh family reunion, it is Ndamukong Suh's stomp -- unfortunately for the NFL -- that is the signature moment of the day.

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, 11/28/11

Rabbi and writer

I have watched with mild amusement as the debate surrounding the beliefs of Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman have gained steam. Aren't the Mormons weird fanatics? Should we trust people with such strange beliefs with high office?

Andy Ostroy, 11/29/11

Political & pop culture analyst

There's only one thing that can actually make Newt Gingrich's history of marital infidelity seem trite, and its name is Herman Cain. The man who gave us bad pizza and an even cheesier tax overhaul plan is once again at the center of a new sex scandal.

Svetlana Feller, 11/29/11

Founder, Spray di Sole; Celebrity Stylist

The winter months are upon us, and so now's the time to think differently about the way you care for your skin. You can easily beat the cold-weather doldrums by taking control of your skin care -- and you'll look better, too!

Elisabeth Joy LaMotte, LICSW, 11/29/11

Psychotherapist; Author, 'Overcoming Your Parents’ Divorce: 5 Steps to a Happy Relationship'

There are many myths and misconceptions about infidelity. The biggest one is that if an affair happens, the marriage is doomed.

Nidhal Guessoum, 11/29/11

Professor of Physics and Astronomy at American University of Sharjah, UAE

Muslims are becoming more aware of the diversity within their tradition and can now shape their opinions in a more informed way. This democratization of the Islamic opinions, however, has turned into a "fragmentation" ...

Ed and Deb Shapiro, 11/29/11

Authors, 'Be the Change' and 'Your Body Speaks Your Mind'; Hosts: Going Out of Your Mind

We believe that the role of the mind and emotions in our state of health is a vital one and that by understanding this relationship we can claim a greater role in our own well-being.

John Feffer, 11/29/11

Co-director, Foreign Policy In Focus

When Foreign Affairs puts inequality on its cover -- and hosts a debate on the topic -- the Occupy Wall Street movement has achieved a major victory. It's also a sign that a profound anxiety gnaws at the foreign policy elite in this country.

James Peron, 11/28/11

President, Moorfield Storey Institute

Considering the emphasis religious-right groups put on same-sex marriage, I thought it useful to check birth rates in nations at the time they instituted marriage equality and compare them to today. Has there been a difference in trends already in place?

Samantha Parent Walravens, 11/28/11

Author, 'Torn: True Stories of Kids, Career and the Conflict of Modern Motherhood'

I discovered something that did surprise me -- women's waning career ambitions are not a result of the conflicting demands of work and family life. So what do women want more than money?

Allena Tapia, 11/29/11

Writer, Editor, Translator and Owner of GardenWall Publications

Last night I sat in a large PTO meeting. I giggled through agenda items with a table full of my friends from the old group, compared notes in stage whispers, and texted friends across the room.

Robert Reich, 11/28/11

Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy, University of California at Berkeley; Author, 'Aftershock'

Corporate profits are up right now largely because pay is down and companies aren't hiring. This is a losing game even for corporations over the long term. Without enough American consumers, their profitable days are numbered.

Tom Doctoroff, 11/28/11

CEO, JWT North Asia

China will not easily capture hearts and minds. They will be an economic superpower only. The Chinese are ethnocentric and in large ways and small, an instinct to narrowly defend interests can be off putting.

David Borgenicht, 11/29/11

President, Quirk Books

I would say there are seven life lessons I learned from "Star Trek" that I take with me to this day. These are lessons I hope to pass along to my own children someday--but for now, I will share them with the interweb.

Murray Rosenbaum, 11/28/11

14-year-old student in New York

TED's motto, "Ideas worth spreading," tells their mission. They gather people who have original and inspirational ideas and give them 15 minutes to tell the audience about them.

Noel Gallagher, 11/29/11

Singer/Songwriter; Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Actually managed to get to say hello to Paul before the show!!! What a treat. I'm like a small boy when things like that happens. And he's a true gentleman. The fu**in' daddy!