Oprah Winfrey, 12/04/12

Chairman and CEO, Oprah Winfrey Network

At the end of each school year in South Africa -- which is right now -- I teach a class to the 12th graders at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. It's my last chance before they move out into the world of college and beyond to try and cram everything I wish someone had told me into a week's curriculum.

Will Bunch, 12/04/12

Author, 'The Backlash'

So if Barack Obama and Mitt Romney were afraid to talk about guns (and they were), no wonder America was so shocked when Bob Costas spoke Sunday night, shocked that a man in his position didn't know the right time to talk about guns in this great nation.

Arianna Huffington, 12/03/12

Whether or not we go over the fiscal cliff, around the fiscal curve, or down the fiscal slope remains to be seen, but one thing is already certain: Our political debate has already gone over the cliff.

Tom Engelhardt, 12/04/12

Editor, TomDispatch.com

Dear President Obama, Don't these "accomplishments" of yours sometimes amaze you? Don't you ever wake up in the middle of the night wondering just who you are?

Mike Ryan, 12/04/12

Senior Entertainment Writer, The Huffington Post

Yes, there's a new Hobbit movie coming out soon. (The first of three Hobbit movies, actually.) But, most of the buzz -- both good and bad -- stems from the fact that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be shown on a special kind of film with a rate of 48 frames per second. Truth be told, I had no idea what this meant when it was first announced.

Marlo Thomas, 12/04/12

Award-winning actress, author and activist

As the holidays approach I can already taste the fabulous holiday meals. But then anxiety rushes in when I think of all the weight I can gain from them -- and after trying so hard all year not to pack it on!

Jared Bernstein, 12/04/12

Fmr. Obama administration economist; CNBC and MSNBC contributor

The Center for American Progress has a smart, simple, progressive, and politically plausible new fiscal plan out and it's worth a close look. It's actually pretty Clintonesque.

Debra Macleod, 12/04/12

Relationship expert and couples’ mediator

As often as not, men withdraw from their wives for non-sexual reasons. Check out these eight Do's and Don'ts to see whether any of them might help reignite his spark for you.

Woody Roseland, 12/04/12

22-year-old motivational speaker, TED Talker, stand-up comedian

I'm a firm believer that things happen, and then you give them a reason. So every time I spit blood it reminds me to give today a reason, every time I learn of another friend passing it reminds me to give today a reason.

Maz Jobrani, 12/04/12

Actor; Founding member, Axis of Evil Comedy Tour

I myself had the privilege of dying at Chuck's hands once in a movie (I know, you're jealous!) Later I was cast as a terrorist again on the TV show 24 though on this occasion my character changed his mind halfway through the mission. I called him the "ambivalent terrorist."

Rachel Hollis, 12/03/12

Founder, Chic Events

There's only one kind of sex you need to look for, and you don't need to have suffered through bad sex to know it's good when you find it.

Blake Page, 12/03/12

Cadet, United States Military Academy at West Point

I am five months from graduation. Choosing to resign at this point also carries significant risk. What could possibly compel me to pass over this incredible opportunity in exchange for such harsh penalties?

Robert Reich, 12/03/12

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

Democrats, here are eight principles to guide you in the coming showdown over the fiscal cliff.

Alice E. Vincent, 12/03/12

Editorial assistant for the Huffington Post UK blogs team

Fertility rights are hugely important. But what's happening in (nee) Middleton's middle shouldn't be up for public discussion. It's fantastic that another royal is on the way but it would be even better if the press could stop the speculation on how it's gestating for the next half year.

Matthew Dowd, 12/04/12

Political strategist

Don't act like children and let us go over the fiscal cliff for spite's sake. Come to the table as adults and compromise and make whatever deal there is long term. Give us some certainty.

Jonathan Rettinger, 12/04/12

President, TechnoBuffalo.com

The downside to the growing obsession with gadgets is that the holiday season is getting a lot more expensive. So how can you still buy the tech gifts you know your friend or loved one wants, without breaking your budget?

Tracey Stewart, 12/04/12

Creator, Moomah the Magazine

Parenting has given me so many gifts. The gift of never being certain that there is one right way to do anything has been a profound one.

Richard (RJ) Eskow, 12/04/12

Writer; host, 'The Breakdown'; Senior Fellow, Campaign for America's Future

The GOP "counter-offer" to the president's fiscal-cliff proposal isn't really an offer at all: It's a rehash of the tired and extremist right-wing economic warfare which the American people soundly rejected last month.

Michael Brenner, 12/04/12

Senior Fellow, the Center for Transatlantic Relations; Professor of International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh

For Barack Obama there is no shortage of issues that demand attention, especially in the greater Middle East. What are the tell-tales we should keep on our eyes on to anticipate a tacking away from the current course? Here are five worthy of attention.

Michael Hogan and Christopher Rosen, 12/04/12

After weeks of speculating, the first official Academy Awards 2013 precursor has arrived: The New York Film Critics Circle spent five hours handing out awards on Monday, a time-sucking act of futility that rivals the actual Oscar telecast.

Chris Lopinto, 12/04/12

President and co-founder, ExpertFlyer.com

How do you put yourself in a position to gain that premium seat -- without the additional stress of racing to the airport or knocking down fellow passengers for the sake of an upgrade?

Michelangelo Signorile, 12/04/12

Editor-at-large, HuffPost Gay Voices

Those who are anti-gay have been railing against the use of the word "homophobia" by journalists and others for years and are cheering the AP for banning it. This comes at a critical juncture in the gay rights movement, when anti-gay forces appear to be losing ground.

Dr. Patricia Fitzgerald, 12/04/12

Wellness Editor, The Huffington Post; Doctor of acupuncture and Oriental medicine; Nutritionist; Author

The abundance of nutritional research available certainly gives us food for thought when making decisions regarding diet and nutritional supplementation. It can also lead to confusion due to misleading headlines and questionable interpretations of studies.

Dan Treadway, 12/04/12

Associate blog editor, The Huffington Post

They can shatter bones and end lives, but their importance to our culture makes any critical conversation about the obvious dangers they pose taboo.

Larry Magid, 12/04/12

Technology journalist

One of the biggest obstacles to online shopping is the fear of fraud or a security scam. Although longtime Internet users may already know how to protect themselves, we're seeing a lot of new people shopping online. And most of us are new to shopping from mobile devices. They too have security risks.

Dan Glickman, 12/04/12

Dan Glickman is Vice President of the Aspen Institute and Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center

Now is the time for the president to call the American people to action. This could be President Obama's moment, like President Kennedy's in 1961, to say, "ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country."

Emma Jenner, 12/04/12

Child development and behavioral specialist

The English are truly great at bringing up resilient, well-mannered, brave, and kind children. Too many parents -- in our own country and across the Western world -- have lost sight of what we've always done right.

Don Tapscott, 12/04/12

Advisor to government and business leaders; Author, 'Macrowikinomics'

Letting an obscure "one vote per country" UN technical agency decide who does what next in the Internet's development is the antithesis of what the Internet has achieved.

George Lakoff, 12/03/12

Author, 'The Political Mind,' 'Moral Politics' and 'Don't Think of an Elephant!'

Writers on economics have been talking since the election about why the "fiscal cliff" metaphor is misleading. But none of the alternatives has stuck, nor has the fiscal cliff metaphor been abandoned. Why?