RAINBOW NATION

Marlo Thomas, 05/17/12

Award-winning actress, author, and activist

I'm all plugged in at this point. And now I'm constantly discovering new apps, gadgets and gizmos that I just love.

Barbara Ehrenreich, 05/17/12

New York Times bestselling author

Lenders, including major credit companies as well as payday lenders, have taken over the traditional role of the street-corner loan shark, charging the poor insanely high rates of interest.

James Kwak, 05/17/12

Associate professor, University of Connecticut School of Law, and co-author, 'White House Burning'

It seems as if the Republicans are trying to turn the national debt back into a major political issue. Despite their abysmal record when it comes to fiscal responsibility, it could still turn out to be smart politics, for a few reasons.

Bob Cesca, 05/16/12

Host of The Bob & Chez Show, Media Producer

Yes, there's a double-standard. And until there's full equality and the long slow process of racial healing is completed, the double-standard has to remain.

Judith Walkowitz, 05/17/12

Professor of History

Despite its sleazy exoticism, London's Soho in the 1930s boasted one local institution that catered to middlebrow suburbia.

Cara Santa Maria, 05/15/12

Science correspondent, Huffington Post; editor, Talk Nerdy to Me

Giovanni Aldini may not be a household name, but his contributions to science cannot be ignored. Neither can his macabre demonstrations of the power of electricity on the human body.

Robert Scheer, 05/17/12

Editor, Truthdig.com; Author, 'The Great American Stickup'

Even after it was known that Jamie Dimon's bank blew more than $2 billion on the same suspect derivatives trading that has bankrupted the world's economy, Barack Obama still had praise for the intellect of his political backer and the integrity of the bank he heads.

James Franco, 05/16/12

Actor and author

Commencement speeches are the worst kind of speech, because you need to be enthusiastic and inspiring in your own voice. There is nothing cheesier than that.

Melissa T. Shultz, 05/17/12

Writer and Editor

I've met other kids like my son who, unlike my generation, can disconnect quicker -- and not just because their parents or teachers have taken their cellphones and laptops away. I think they genuinely know how to hang out and have a good time without them. Could it be a trend?

Mike Lux, 05/16/12

Partner, Democracy Partners

Bain Capital was Wall Street at its worst. But the Obama team, in the White House and in the campaign, in order to win on the Bain attack, needs to face -- and turn around -- the perception that the administration has been weak on Wall Street.

Ben Hellwarth, 05/17/12

Author and Journalist

I found a variety of new subsea suites that are on their way to opening their doors -- or hatches -- to vacationers who have deeper notions of what an ocean view should be.

Robert Reich, 05/16/12

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

Obama does have a choice. He can assail Romney's character but he can also take on the system that allows private-equity managers, as well as Wall Street's biggest banks, to continue to make huge profits at the expense of average Americans.

Stephen P. Williams, 05/17/12

Writer and blogger

Lenin Moreno, the vice president of Ecuador, never set out to win the Nobel Peace Prize. But sometimes the most deserving nominees find their life's work at the point of a gun - literally.

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, 05/17/12

Rabbi and Writer

In the same way we should avoid religious extremism and political extremism, perhaps we ought to avoid parenting extremes as well. Inappropriate helicopter parenting potentially snuffs out a child's initiative, individuality, and sense of self. Attachment parenting runs the same risk.

Sharan Burrow, 05/16/12

General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation

Anyone who has lived in an area with high unemployment knows how it erodes social bonds, lowers the resilience of the unemployed and their families, and damages the prospects of the next generation. No country can afford to lose a generation to unemployment.

Ruth Richardson, 05/17/12

Historian, Author

London, October, 2010. Local people trying to save an old building from demolition called upon me to help. I'm a historian, and years ago I'd written about a Victorian doctor who'd worked there.

Bill Moyers, 05/16/12

Managing Editor, Moyers & Company

"The fact that JPMorgan Chase lost so much money in a relatively benign moment compared to what we've seen in the past and what we're likely to see in the future suggests that we are absolutely on the path towards another financial crisis of the same order of magnitude as the last one."

Larry Magid, 05/16/12

Technology journalist

People worry about what they choose to share on Facebook but may not even think about what they're already sharing with corporations.

Ronan Farrow, 05/16/12

Lawyer, journalist, activist, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's adviser for Global Youth Issues

To make good on its promise, this generation will have to continue to stand up and participate -- not just in the moment of protest, but in the building of sustainable institutions for years to come.

Julie Zeilinger, 05/17/12

Ever feel like crap about the fact that if you hook up, you're a "slut," but if you don't, you're a "prude"? Feminists believe that girls should be able to express themselves without feeling shame.

June Carbone and Naomi Cahn, 05/16/12

The idea of marriage held by those who are financially secure no longer fits large numbers of working-class couples who conceive children together. That's because the foundation for their relationships has been destroyed by the very people who accuse Obama of a war on marriage.

Trey Ellis, 05/16/12

Novelist, Screenwriter, and Associate Professor at Columbia University

Either Romney doesn't understand the words coming out of his mouth, he's just pretending not to understand the words coming out of his mouth, or he's the worst businessman ever.

Lisa Belkin, 05/15/12

Senior Columnist on Life/Work/Family, Huffington Post

Can we look at a woman nursing and think "lunch"? We have learned to stop blushing at the sight of a pregnant woman. It's more than time to give nursing mothers the same break. 

Arianna Huffington, 05/15/12

To find the peace of mind that alone can replace aimless searching, which has led to an epidemic of stress, anxiety, and drugs, the Dalai Lama is looking to science to convince a skeptical society of the power of contemplation and compassion to change our lives and our world.