Todd Hartley, 2/3/12

Columnist, screenwriter, playwright, lyricist, novelist, blogger and stand-up comedian

Canterbury, known to some as Obi-Wan Canternobi, must have witnessed some sort of horrible crime at a Toys "R" Us store, because he did what any honorable Jedi would do and acted to stop it -- unsheathing both of his deadly lightsabers and attacking three would-be perpetrators.

Erika Christakis, 2/3/12

Educator, public health advocate, and Harvard College administrator

Pornography is a fact of life, and parental controls and moralizing spoilsports won't make a dent in its exponential growth. But the bar needs raising. Maybe Fair Trade porn could reconnect us to a better relationship with the human body.

Pamela Redmond Satran, 2/3/12

Developer of nameberry.com

When a name like Talula Does The Hula from Hawaii gets banned, it makes big news. But there are lots of other names that, now and since the beginning of recorded name time, have quietly been relegated to the forbidden list.

Ben Hellwarth, 2/2/12

Author and Journalist

Back in the 1960s, it looked as though the space race might be matched by a race in the opposite direction.

David K. Saltzman, 2/1/12

Attorney

My client is Beezow Doo-doo Zopittybop-bop-bop; you might have heard of him. Beezow has had a rough journey to Internet notoriety. And although he is certainly not typical, the story of how his case moved through the system is.

Todd Hartley, 2/3/12

Columnist, screenwriter, playwright, lyricist, novelist, blogger and stand-up comedian

Canterbury, known to some as Obi-Wan Canternobi, must have witnessed some sort of horrible crime at a Toys "R" Us store, because he did what any honorable Jedi would do and acted to stop it -- unsheathing both of his deadly lightsabers and attacking three would-be perpetrators.

Craig K. Comstock, 2/1/12

TV Host, Author, Book Creation Coach

What is the optimal use of psychedelics, not only to cure human maladies but also to enhance human capabilities?

Malcolm Kushner, 1/30/12

“America’s Favorite Humor Consultant”

You'd think that in a town as politically correct as Santa Cruz, the city council would have removed a lot of other bulls before bullfrogs. How about bullets? Or bullfighting? Or bullying? So why did it choose to ban bullfrogs?

Karl Rotstan, 1/30/12

Observer of weird news for more than 30 years

From all four corners of the Earth, the first month of 2012 has provided us with shining examples of offensive cluelessness from all levels of our social order.

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.

Christian Josi, 1/27/12

Recording artist, activist, and occasional columnist

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

Corey Hutchins, 1/26/12

Corey Hutchins is a reporter for the Columbia Free Times.

"We must have certainty in South Carolina that zombies aren't voting," Rep. Alan Clemmons has testified at a hearing into claims that more than 950 people who voted in the recent elections could actually be dead.

Marc Hartzman, 1/26/12

Author, Found on eBay, American Sideshow, God Made Me Do It, and The Anti-Social Network

Miles Darden's typical breakfast included one dozen eggs, 30 buttered biscuits, a gallon of water and two quarts of coffee.

Alejandro Rojas, 1/31/12

UFO and paranormal researcher and journalist

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) program has not gone unscathed from the recent economic turmoil. In fact, in April of last year, their flagship radar field went dark.

Dr. Franklin Ruehl, Ph.D., 1/24/12

Host, 'Mysteries From Beyond the Other Dominion'

With a potentially hot new film, Man On A Ledge, on the verge of being released, it is appropriate to review four intriguing similarly themed entries from the 1950s.

Pete Earley, 1/23/12

Best-selling author; former reporter

In the 1980s, David Gore murdered six women in the scenic shore community of Vero Beach. Unlike many serial killers, Gore "hunted" -- his word -- local women, including two mothers and four teenagers, instead of prostitutes.

Dr. Philip Stone, 1/22/12

Dark Tourism Expert

What seems to be making the sinking of the Costa Concordia such a compelling narrative and the ship such an attraction is parallels with the Titanic disaster 100 years ago.