* “We believe that nuclear weapons must be eliminated. We don’t want to build atomic weapons. But if we didn’t believe so and intended to possess nuclear weapons, no power could stop us.”–Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
* “With the election of John Paul, with the election of Benedict, one wonders if the former boundaries seem not to have any more credibility.”–New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, discussing papal successor scenarios.
* “What is the status of an ex-pope? We have no rules about that at all. What is his title? What are his powers? Does he lose infallibility?”–Ken Pennington, professor of ecclesiastical and legal history at the Catholic University of America.
* “In the House, the sitting President’s party has gained seats only twice in midterms since 1938. The GOP should be very worried about 2016, but for 2014 things look pretty good.”–Mike Murphy, Time magazine.
* “In 1982, banks were lending out 80 cents for investments for every $1 they were lending for consumption. By 2011, they lent only 30 cents to fund investments for every $1 of consumption.”–David Brooks, New York Times.
* “Not only do these (credit rating) companies still hold sway in securities markets, they’ve also hung on to their lush profits from the glory days of mortgage origination. During 2005 and 2006, for example, Moody’s made $238 million by rating complex mortgage instruments. Investors who trusted those ratings lost billions.”–Gretchen Morgenson, New York Times.
* “The 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15.”–President Barack Obama.
* “The government can’t change the weather. We’re a country–not a planet.”–Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
* “The greatest news that has happened since the commercialization of the Internet is that the United States has the potential in the very near term to become the largest producer of oil and gas in the world.”–Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
* “Assemble your top tier team. Target venture capital firms in Boston, Research Triangle and San Francisco. Your return on that effort will probably be pretty good.”–Advice of Bob Ingram, Hateras Venture Partners of Durham, N.C., to improve Tampa Bay’s chances for successfully courting venture capital.
* “This is the most watched corner in all of Tampa. It is the gateway to airport arrivals. That’s literally tens of millions of people every year.”–Real estate attorney Ron Weaver’s description of the southwest corner of Spruce Street and West Shore Boulevard, across from International Plaza.
* “New businesses are growing here, so it’s a very vibrant city.”–Gary Prosterman, owner and principal of Memphis-based Development Services Group, the lead company in the team developing Tampa’s vacant federal courthouse into a 130-room, Le Meridien boutique hotel.
* “If it were up to me, the state bird would be the tower crane.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn.