Broke Girls Guide, 12/20/12

Co-founders Erin Bunch and Michelle Vick

We're squeezing out one more weekend of fun before family obligations hit hard next week. Sure, that means our fair share of Christmas events, but we're also dipping into a couple of once-in-a-millenium parties to usher in the so-called End of the World.

David Callahan, 12/21/12

Senior Fellow, Demos

The debate on taxes seemingly defies the logic of pluralist politics. Why? Because many of the Republican House members most vehemently opposed to hiking taxes on the rich hail from districts with virtually no rich people.

Mark Ridley-Thomas, 12/21/12

Supervisor for the Second District in Los Angeles County

It is clear the NRA is entrenched and refuses to join the nation in reassessing our relationship with firearms. So the rest of us must do so. Those little children and the brave educators in Newtown deserve better. We, as Americans, deserve better.

Glenn Close, 12/20/12

Emmy, Golden Globe and Tony Award winning actress

A tragedy like Sandy Hook can tend to solidify people's fears and prejudices about mental illness. So it is of vital importance that we, as a community, re-dedicate ourselves to eliminating the stigma that affects 1 in 4 people in our country.

Shaman Durek, 12/21/12

shaman

Connecting through the use of drugs and medicines is like sneaking into Source's backdoor and seeking the answers to questions without having the knowledge and understanding of how the spirit world works.

Mike Feuer, 12/19/12

Candidate for Los Angeles City Attorney

The Sandy Hook shootings have struck such a deep chord because all parents can imagine the horror of losing a child. This same anguish is experienced all too often by parents in communities throughout Los Angeles.

Rebecca Joseph, 12/20/12

Associate Professor, California State University, Los Angeles

If students want to transfer, there are things they must do to maximize their chances of success in transferring and ideally finding happiness at their current college.

Jason Mannino, 12/19/12

Organizational effectiveness/talent consultant and career coach

GMCLA's holiday program had organically and gloriously become a memorial to those children. Simultaneously, the music particularly reminded adults present that the holidays are a time to become reacquainted with the joy of the child that resides in all of us.

Richard Barrington, 12/19/12

CFA, MoneyRates.com

If you just received a year-end bonus, congratulations. With money tight and the economy uncertain, those extra dollars can be hard to come by. Now, how do you use that hard-earned bonus wisely? Here are eight suggestions.

Vitamin Daily, 12/20/12

You've been to Santa Monica Pier and dodged the characters on Venice Beach, but if you want to see L.A. without bumping into another tourist, put these not-exactly-hot spots on your must-see list.

Michelle Rico, 12/21/12

Founder, Miventi Wristlets

If diamonds are a girl's best friend, then shoes are her close bffs. And like finding your bffs in real life, you have to find one that is a perfect fit. But how can one decide when there are so many to choose from?

Pat Gallagher, 12/19/12

Freelance Writer

These post 50 celebrities show wisdom doesn't necessary come with age. Sometimes midlife can present some situations that stir up the pot, leading to lapses in judgment that would make even Lindsay Lohan (on a good day) gasp.

Kevin Hart, 12/21/12

Comedian

By now, you've heard the buzz that I'm hosting this huge -- and I do mean ginormous -- Block Party in LA for New Year's. If you're anything like me, you're probably wondering, what's a little guy like Kevin doing hosting such a ginormous event?

The 420 Times, 12/21/12

Medical marijuana and natural healing magazine, the420times.com

With adults in Colorado and Washington now legally able to possess an ounce or less of marijuana for any reason, it's important to stop for a moment and take stock of the landscape when it comes to marijuana law reform.

Jed Kolko, 12/20/12

Chief Economist, Trulia

Rising prices encourage new construction, and rising prices encourage some homeowners to sell. The big question for 2013 is whether today's price gains will continue strongly enough to encourage builders to build and homeowners to sell.

Edward Goldman, 12/19/12

Art Critic, KCRW 89.9 FM

Gaige Clark, 12/20/12

Founder/Creative Director of Spruce. Writer.

There is a state between and beyond the human and superhuman that simultaneously holds the construction of an idea and the deconstruction of a belief. It is during these times that true genius is accessible to us. Multidisciplinary artist Rafa Esparza is an architect of these moments.