Robert Frogge', 2/17/12

Blogger; Humorist

On February 8, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Miller dropped his gavel and declared whales are not entitled to constitutional protection against slavery. This ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed last October by five orcas currently being "held in slavery and involuntary servitude" at SeaWorld.

Janice Harper, 2/17/12

Anthropologist

I had no idea how funny divorces could be until I worked for a divorce attorney.

Gary Arnold, 2/17/12

President, Little People of America

I expected her to address her fears as an opportunity to bridge the gap between her own misunderstanding of dwarfism and the reality. Rather than erase any distance, O'Donnell reinforced the gap.

Wray Herbert, 2/17/12

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

Willpower is the key to much that's good in life. So it's no wonder that psychological scientists have been studying willpower for decades, trying to figure out who is disciplined under what circumstances -- and why.

Paul Cuadros, 2/17/12

Author, A Home on the Field

For Latino youth, identity is a big issue because so many feel at odds in a country where they feel alienated. Wearing a mask and being a fighter for the people allows them to fully express themselves when they step into the ring.

Chris Rodda, 2/17/12

Senior Research Director, Military Religious Freedom Foundation; Author, 'Liars For Jesus'

Despite the Defense Department's insistence that a base in Afghanistan is named "Arian" with an "i," it's not. It is absolutely named "Aryan" with a "y," a name that had already raised concerns among some, but those concerns were just joked about and ultimately ignored.

John Robinson, 2/16/12

President, Our Ability, Author of "Get Off Your Knees," Advocate and Congenital Amputee

By now, you may know that Rosie O'Donnell just alienated all of the the little people in America. It's moments like this that continue to impress upon me the stupidity of television.

Abigail Washburn, 2/17/12

Clawhammer banjo player

When I first started playing the banjo, there was a period when I didn't go to China. It hurt. Like a pain in my gut. That pain you feel when you know it's time to connect with your parents or your God or your child or your past or your future... and you don't do it.

Tony Newman, 2/14/12

Director of Media Relations, Drug Policy Alliance

Seducing 18-year-olds to fall in love or pretending to be friends and then tricking them into procuring small amounts of marijuana so they can charge them with felonies is beyond slimy and diametrically opposed to the officers' charge to "serve and protect."

John Blumenthal, 2/17/12

Novelist, 'Three and a Half Virgins"; screenwriter, 'Blue Streak'; curmudgeon

You're Jewish now, Mitt. Mazel Tov! Welcome to the tribe. L'Chaim! Your new name is Morris Berkowitz and you're from Queens. Your mother-in-law lives in Florida. She doesn't like you because you're not a doctor. (She voted for Ron Paul because he is a doctor.)

Donna Flagg, 2/15/12

Author of 'Surviving Dreaded Conversations'; President of The Krysalis Group, Creator of Lastics

First consider how you would feel if you were unknowingly walking around offending the olfactory senses of those around you. Wouldn't you want to know? Wouldn't you want an opportunity to correct it? Well, the only way that can happen is if someone makes you aware of it.

Danny Woodburn, 2/16/12

Seinfeld's "Mickey Abbott"; TV, film, stage and comedy club performer

No Rosie, don't discuss this with other Little People (we're scary) or even a therapist, you've got Chelsea ("Did-you-do-one -- NO!") Handler in the house. Chelsea is at the forefront of small thinking. Well, we are a very funny group of people.

Cara Santa Maria, 2/15/12

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

Pilar Marrero, 2/16/12

Journalist

"When Herman Cain talked about electrifying fences or the "taco" Mayor of East Haven said what he said, we didn't hear this outrage."

Toby Lester, 2/16/12

Author

You know the picture. Everybody does. It's Leonardo da Vinci's iconic man in a circle and the square, the figure known as Vitruvian Man. But if everybody knows the picture, almost nobody knows anything about its story.

Dan Zevin, 2/15/12

Author, 'Dan Gets a Minivan: Life at the Intersection of Dude and Dad'

A must-have for chic dads like me who are recovering from medial meniscus surgery, this black adjustable knee brace looks just as good on the greens as it does on the commuter train.

Mike Bender and Doug Chernack, 2/10/12

Make awkward, not love.