Sheila C. Johnson, 1/27/12

Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Filmmaker

My most cherished takeaway from Sundance this year is something I hadn't anticipated. I was joined at the festival by my 22 year-old son Brett, a designer who works in New York. Seeing Sundance through his eyes gave new meaning to the experience for me.

Evan Shapiro, 1/27/12

President, IFC

Each year, there are a few great films that get Park City buzz, only to disappear into a sea of megaplexes and blockbusters. I submit that many of these would have fared better on TV.

Seth Shostak, 1/27/12

Senior Astronomer, SETI Institute

In a movie it's important to have aliens whose gestures and facial expressions can be "read" by humans. But come on! Are two eyes, four appendages and an upright posture really essential?

Christian Josi, 1/27/12

Recording artist, activist, and occasional columnist

Meet Caitlin Doughty of Los Angeles, California -- a feisty 27-year-old Mortician and, thanks primarily to Jezebel, rapidly-rising Internet sensation.

Lorraine Devon Wilke, 1/27/12

Writer; Photographer; Rock & Roll Vet

Unlike a 13-episode arc that can be mercifully cancelled when the audience clicks away, we are obligated to suffer through the soap opera plot twists and nefarious characterizations of the characters all the way up to that seemingly ever-distant date in November.

Lisa Belkin, 1/27/12

Senior Columnist on Life/Work/Family, Huffington Post

It's the things you do for them that they will never remember, and therefore can not ever thank you for, that are some of the richest moments of parenting. Some of the messiest, too.

Mark B. Salomon, 1/27/12

New York University law student

The courage to act, even when the world remains silent, is a powerful lesson. Sugihara was not alone; others acted to save lives, often at great personal risk or suffering the ultimate penalty of death.

Richard (RJ) Eskow, 1/27/12

Consultant, Writer and Senior Fellow, Campaign for America's Future

The GOP presidential candidates continue to play their parts in an implausible story of a world that could never exist, acting out nonexistent conflicts while delivering dialog that insults the intelligence. That's not because they're stupid. It's because they think you are.

Courtney Garcia, 1/27/12

San Francisco-based freelance writer

Representation of the collective diaspora has always been thwarted by our need to classify films according to races other than white. Still, while labels can be debilitating, they can also be manipulated.

Margaret Weinberg, 1/25/12

17-year-old high school senior in Vermont

Throughout my childhood social studies classes, I was told that we study history so we can learn from our mistakes and successes. To not pursue space exploration is to spit in the face of this lesson.

Diana Nyad, 1/27/12

Long Distance Swimmer, Journalist, Broadcaster

Tim Tebow is admirably inspired by his strong faith. But when he wears a uniform, he owes that team the respect of making his faith more private expression, less public spectacle.

Jim Harris, 1/27/12

Management consultant; Bestselling author

"Severe income disparity" is the most likely risk facing business and political leaders according to the World Economic Forum's Global Risk 2012 Report. This finding really caught me by surprise. So while the Occupy movement isn't anywhere on the agenda, here at Davos, its impact has been very much felt.

Wray Herbert, 1/27/12

Author, 'On Second Thought: Outsmarting Your Mind's Hard-Wired Habits'

We need to put the awe back in awesome. Psychological scientists think so, too, and indeed there has been burgeoning interest in this powerful but neglected emotion.

Dennis Santiago, 1/27/12

CEO of Institutional Risk Analytics

The general pattern of the FDIC closing banks with weak operating characteristics and deepening asset quality troubles continues. The FDIC shuttered four additional banks today bringing the 2012 count to seven.

Michael Bialas, 1/27/12

Entertainment and Sports Journalist

One of America's finest and hardest-working alternative rock/country acts is back on the road this month, resuming their tour in support of their Grammy-nominated 2011 album, The Whole Love.

Francine Shapiro, Ph.D., 1/27/12

Director, EMDR Institute; Senior Research Fellow, Mental Research Institute; Founder, EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Programs

Now, a new generation comes home from wars that have gone on for a decade, often with no clear sense of victory. For those who have managed to return physically unscathed, how many carry memories of pain that also leave them feeling alienated and unable to communicate?

Wendy Kopp, 1/27/12

Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Teach For All, USA; Social Entrepreneur, Schwab Fellow of the World Economic Forum

If the world's leaders are serious about improving collective well-being, we'd better get serious about prioritizing education, in our nations and in our global discussion.

Lorelei Kelly, 1/27/12

Director, New Strategic Security Initiative

The Internet blackout was an innovation for sure, but it still belongs in the category of advocacy politics that I'll called "Surround and Punish." What is missing is something the military calls "situational awareness."

Rex Pickett, 1/27/12

Author of "Sideways"

In this post I will be specifically addressing what happened Sideways in the publishing world. My story, especially for aspiring authors, is not for the faint of heart.

John Tirman, 1/27/12

Executive Director, MIT Center for International Studies

What is striking about the Republican candidates' rote denunciations of the "illegals" and the federal government is how completely fact-free the campaign rhetoric has become.

Daisy Khan, 1/27/12

Executive Director, American Society for Muslim Advancement

Commissioner Kelly's own actions have proven that he is deeply committed to reaching out to Muslims, and I know that the NYPD is capable of turning the tide from animosity and suspicion to respect and cooperation.

Dan Glickman, 1/27/12

Executive Director Congressional Programs, Aspen Institute; Senior Fellow, Bipartisan Policy Center.

Super PACs only serve to enrich broadcasters and worse, relentlessly assault Americans with negativity and the ugly side of politics.

Marshall Fine, 1/27/12

Author and film critic, hollywoodandfine.com

The Grey is gruesome at times, but it's also involving emotionally, as the puny mortals reveal themselves to each other in the face of something as insurmountable as the frigid Alaskan outback.

Allen Frances, 1/27/12

Professor Emeritus, Duke University

Grief is the normal and absolutely unavoidable price we must pay for having the capacity to love -- it is most certainly not a disease.