Ari Melber, 01/ 4/12

Correspondent, The Nation; Attorney

The Iowa results seem to suggest a close three-way race - 25-25-21. Yet among self-identified Republicans, the totals were actually 28-27-14, showing that Santorum and Romney lead the base, while independents and new voters propelled Paul.

Timothy Karr, 01/ 4/12

Campaign Director, Free Press and SavetheInternet.com

It's estimated that American television viewers will see political ads aired more than 200,000 times by the first week in November. What we're far less likely to see is any explanation of who really sponsors these ads.

James Moore, 01/ 4/12

Author, 'Adios Mofo: Why Rick Perry Will Make America Miss George W. Bush'

The worst governor in the history of Texas may have set a new standard for the worst presidential candidate. Money and profile and reputation are not sufficient in the race to the White House.

Lisa Borden, 01/ 4/12

Eco Advocate and Strategist, Owner of Borden Communications

It's at this time of year I stare at my thermostat, wanting to turn it up two or three more degrees, but knowing that I have to find other ways to stay warm. Wouldn't it be nice to melt away a little of your heating bill while keeping the world cooler? Think about the following suggestions to stay warmer this winter!

Evan Shapiro, 01/ 4/12

President, IFC

For more than half a century, TV Hipsters have had a profound effect on American culture. These characters taught many of us the importance of oddball tastes, wardrobe thrifting and (perhaps more importantly) the ever-lasting power of snark.

Vicki Larson, 01/ 4/12

Journalist, mother, thinker

Monogamy is failing men. Not only is it failing them, but it's a "socially compelled sexual incarceration" that can lead to a life of anger and contempt, or so says Eric Anderson, an American sociologist at England's University of Winchester.

Lanny Davis, 01/ 3/12

Lawyer, Lanny J. Davis and Associates LLC

It doesn't matter if Mitt Romney wins the Iowa caucuses tonight or not. He is about to experience a severe political hemorrhage.

Yen Lee, 01/ 4/12

Co-founder of UpTake.com

My colleagues and I have crawled Facebook's friend graph, analyzing the travel buzz in over 200 million comments. We've whittled all this analysis down to create one ultimate list of top travel destinations you shouldn't miss in 2012.

Michael Hais and Morley Winograd, 01/ 3/12

Co-authors, 'Millennial Momentum' and 'Millennial Makeover'; Fellows with NDN and the New Policy Institute

Among Republicans, the three-way split at the top of the GOP field in Iowa between candidates representing the business-oriented, Evangelical, and libertarian wings of the party suggests a desire for something both different and purer.

Michelle Chen, 01/ 4/12

Blogger, 'In These Times'

We created this piece that was just our, literally, pouring our hearts in there, and how we were feeling at the time.

Mitch Horowitz, 01/ 4/12

Editor-in-chief, Tarcher/Penguin

The ancient Mayan people maintained a complex system of calendars, which ended with this year, 2012. This anomaly has caused many to wonder whether the great calendar-makers foresaw an apocalypse in our era. The truth is more complex.

Daniel Marans, 01/ 4/12

Policy Director at Social Security Works.

If Santorum were really such a pro-family candidate, he would be a strident defender of Social Security, which helps keep families strong and encourages hard work. Santorum's record shows that he is anything but.

Nina Klein, 01/ 4/12

Weddings Division, Cory Martin Events

If something isn't working, don't be afraid to discuss it and make changes. The wedding planning process is your marriage experiment, take the time to establish your partnership system.

Carl Sferrazza Anthony, 01/ 4/12

First Ladies and Presidential Families Historian, Author & Screenwriter

If Mitt Romney proves to be the 2012 Republican presidential candidate, one element of his potential candidacy might prove a relief of at least one issue the Obama re-election campaign may find itself having to dispose of again: Religion.

Jeff Biggers, 01/ 3/12

Journalist and author, 'Reckoning at Eagle Creek' and 'In the Sierra Madre'

Today is Day 12,580 of the mountaintop removal mining disaster, the most egregious human rights and environmental violation in our country and perhaps one of the most discussed but shamefully ignored humanitarian crises in our nation.

Ayesha Mattu and Nura Maznavi, 01/ 3/12

Buried in the "controversy" over Bradley Cooper's selection as People's most recent Sexiest Man Alive is a little known fact: If you had polled American Muslim women the winner would have been -- wait for it -- Jon Stewart.

Matthew Dowd, 01/ 3/12

Political strategist

Romney is definitely the candidate to beat in this race, but let's let this process play out for a while. So far, we have seen more twists and turns in this race than in a California yoga class.

Paul Yeager, 01/ 3/12

Meteorologist and author of 'Weather Whys: Facts, Myths, and Oddities'

From a weather perspective, 2011 will be remembered as a year of extremes. This includes a record-breaking 12 billion-dollar-plus weather disaster.

Rozanne Gold, 01/ 3/12

Chef and author

For decades I have tracked trends, and created many of them. Some have lingered longer than most marriages, yet others still hover around or are merely a reflection of personal wishes. Some were so ahead of their time as to be forgotten or "invented" by someone else.

James Peron, 01/ 3/12

President, Moorfield Storey Institute

The moment someone tells me "marriage has always been" something or another, I know they are ignorant of the actual history of marriage. It has never "always" been anything. It has taken different forms, with different social rules attached.

Daphne Eviatar, 01/ 3/12

Senior Associate, Human Rights First's Law and Security Program

Back when he was a candidate, then-Senator Obama criticized President George W. Bush for his frequent reliance on signing statements to circumvent Congressional intent. What a difference executive power makes.

Daoud Kuttab, 01/ 3/12

Palestinian journalist

As the people of the region watch the comings and goings of negotiations to the Jordanian capital, what will happen inside the negotiating room will be nothing more than shadow boxing.

Scott Mendelson, 01/ 3/12

Film Critic at Mendelson's Memos, Valley Scene Magazine

While most critics make a point to try to seek out the allegedly best in cinema in any given year, not quite as much effort is made to track down every would-be stinker.

Paul Abrams, 01/ 3/12

Last person on Earth not on Facebook

Virginia Law sets the conditions for candidates to get on the Virginia primary ballot. Now come Gingrich, Santorum, Perry and Bachmann asking a judge to overrule the law and put them on the ballot. What kind of judge could possibly do that?