Jerome Karabel, 10/02/12

Professor of Sociology, University of California at Berkeley

The United States now finds itself at a crossroads: still fervently committed to the American dream, but unwilling to adopt policies that would promote its realization. Put simply, Republicans and Democrats alike want something they cannot have.

Howard Fineman, 10/02/12

Editorial Director, Huffington Post Media Group

If you want hope and change in politics, mayors offer tons of it. The key to success in their jobs, they say, is to avoid -- as indeed they do -- partisan bickering and focus on What Works.

Arianna Huffington, 10/01/12

With 36 days until the presidential election, I'm delighted to introduce Firsthand, a project that uses all the tools at our disposal to expand the conversation, puts the spotlight on what really matters most in people's lives and allows you to share the ideas and images that tell the story of our country during this campaign season, as you see it.

Patricia Cornwell, 10/02/12

If President Obama is reelected, and I hope he is, maybe he should take a close look at those his administration appoints to serve the public objectively and without conflict or unseemly allegiances. And maybe it's time to hold financial institutions accountable for their greed and questionable practices.

Jim Wallis, 10/02/12

Christian leader for social change

Tomorrow night is the first presidential debate. It will undoubtedly be an important moment in the campaign for the highest office in the land. But whose lives will it be important to?

Rashard Mendenhall, 10/02/12

Running back, Pittsburgh Steelers

I think our pride becomes a problem because our natural tendency is to side with people that think like us, act like us and agree with us. At the same time we push away people who disagree with us, challenge us, question what we believe, or just don't see things the way that we do.

Evan Shapiro, 10/02/12

President, Participant Television

News Flash: People are wasting a lot of time online. No, really, it's true. While this may not be news to some of you (especially anyone with a "FarmVille" account), the sheer magnitude of the amount of wasted time may surprise even the most jaded among you.

Leda Natkin Nelis, 10/02/12

Freelance writer

These labels -- Asperger's, ADD, Dyslexic, Dyspraxic -- do not define or restrict our children, but they can help others to understand our childrens' unique challenges as well as their special gifts. This heightened understanding can bring our children support, respect and empathy.

Vicki Larson, 10/02/12

Journalist, mother, thinker

Most of us marry with the best of intentions. Sometimes that just doesn't work out. We shouldn't slap a #fail label on people who divorce. Let's have faith that they'll do things better the next time -- or maybe the time after that.

Doug Kendall, 10/02/12

Founder and President, Constitutional Accountability Center

Will moderator Jim Lehrer or either of the candidates acknowledge the 800-pound gorilla lurking in the background of "Role of Government" discussion?

Bernard-Henri Lévy, 10/02/12

French philosopher and writer

Would it be impertinent, then, to demand a few political conditions before validating this investment? Not, of course, the miraculous transformation of Qatar into a democracy which, as everyone knows, cannot be built in a day.

Ann Brenoff, 10/01/12

Senior Writer, The Huffington Post

Be grateful. There is an Irish saying: "This is a day in our lives, and it will not come again." Live every day with this in mind.

Warren K. Zola, 10/02/12

Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs, Carroll School of Management at Boston College

Darwinian principles have taken control of college athletics, further dividing institutions in the power conferences from everyone else. Just as Icarus followed his unchecked ambition and flew towards the sun, so too is college athletics chasing excess towards disaster.

Erin Ruberry, 10/02/12

Deputy blog editor, The Huffington Post

The British import, which premiered in the U.S. on PBS Sunday night, transplants Downton's formula for success (British period drama with plenty of plot twists) from the English countryside in the early 1920's to a working class neighborhood in 1950's London.

AC Newman, 10/02/12

Musician

Maybe you know me from The New Pornographers. Or you may ask yourself "Who the hell are the New Pornographers?" All that aside, this album is all about birth, death, happiness and sadness, chronicling a time in my life when all those things had to learn to coexist side by side.

Zeeshan Aleem, 10/02/12

Journalist, essayist

Alongside observing patterns in the flight of birds, daily horoscopes and tarot cards, I find watching coverage of the presidential election initially amusing, occasionally intriguing, a hypnotic waste of time, and ultimately an unforgivable assault upon rational society.

John R. Talbott, 10/02/12

Author, "Survival Investing: How to Prosper Amid Thieving Banks and Corrupt Governments"

I have a great response to what will certainly be Mitt's big argument in the presidential debates, that because of his business background he is better qualified to manage the economy than Barack.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich, 10/02/12

U.S. Representative from Ohio's 10th District

The war in Afghanistan continues. New wars have been propagated in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia pursuant to the never-ending "War on Terror." This mindset puts us at the edge of war against Iran.

Graham Milne, 10/01/12

Writer and blogger, grahamscrackers.com

There are a few things that could be adjusted to make the trip moderately more enjoyable, and none of them require the airline doing a blessed thing. It's just a question of some additional personal responsibility.

Hillary Clinton, 10/01/12

U.S. Secretary of State

We want our progress to be transparent and want our partners to ask us hard questions. They can expect that we will do the same.

Chris C. Anderson, 10/02/12

Senior Editor, Huffington Post

Just how busy does the Port of Hong Kong and Victoria Harbor get? In 2010 I shot a timelapse video from the Hong Kong Ritz Carlton, the highest hotel in the world.

Andy Kroll, 10/02/12

Staff writer, Mother Jones magazine

California's public higher education system is dying a slow death. The promise of a cheap, quality education is slipping away. And don't think the slow rot of public education is unique to California: that state's woes are the nation's.

Michael Winship, 10/02/12

Senior writer, Moyers & Company; Senior writing fellow, Demos; President, Writers Guild, East

Even after Election Day has passed, pressure has to continue on Congress, the IRS, the FCC and the Federal Elections Commission -- despite its current, weakened and feckless status. Dark money has to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the light.

Michael Hogan and Christopher Rosen, 10/01/12

Hey, Mike: Another week, another favorite? "Life of Pi" premiered at the New York Film Festival on Friday and thrust itself into the Oscar conversation with the force of a Bengal tiger attacking a villainous hyena