* “One of the things we’ve learned is that we can’t deliver fundamental social and cultural transformation to this part of the world. Our ability to influence the position or status of women in the Arab or Muslim world is limited.”–Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations.
* “It’s not Mecca. It’s Mecca-hattan.”–Sami Angawi, architect and hajj researcher, on the development that dominates the minarets and entries to the Kaaba at Mecca.
* “The conflict between Israel and Palestine can only be solved with a two-state solution, negotiated in accordance with international law. … Sweden will therefore recognize the state of Palestine.”–Stefan Lofven, prime minister of Sweden.
* “To say Iran doesn’t practice terrorism is like saying Derek Jeter never played shortstop for the New York Yankees.”–Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
* “The Secret Service let an armed ex-convict ride on the same elevator as President Obama. No word yet on which NFL player it was.”–Conan O’Brien.
* “Yes, I think he wants to be president.”–George W. Bush, on brother Jeb’s interest in running for president in 2016.
* “These ceilings I’m describing don’t just keep down women, they hold back entire economies and countries, because no country can truly thrive by denying the contributions of half of its people.”–Hillary Clinton.
* “Eyewitness identification can be a powerful tool. However, the malleable nature of human visual perception, memory and confidence; the imperfect ability to recognize individuals; and policies governing law enforcement procedures can result in mistaken identifications with significant consequences.”–National Academy of Sciences report.
* “Teaching biology without evolution would be like teaching chemistry without molocules, or physics without mass and energy.”–David P. Barash, author and evolutionary biologist at the University of Washington.
* “Ultimately, I think we’ll crack the age code and we’ll hack aging. And if we do, not only will health care be transformed, but humanity. At that point we’ll have unlocked human capacity.”–Radiologist-investor Joon Yan.
* “The real war on coal is natural gas. Because of new technologies, we are now extracting at a rate that is unbelievable.”–President Barack Obama.
* “Judicial campaign cash is burning a hole in the Constitution. You cannot pour millions of dollars into our courtrooms without having an effect.”–Bert Brandenburg, executive director of Justice at Stake, a research and advocacy group that promotes judicial independence.
* “The story here is that these guys have been spending a ton of money. But the only guy who’s seeing any movement here is Charlie Crist.”–Scott Tranter, an analyst for Optimus, a Washington-based, Republican data-analysis firm.
* “What we have is a dog fight, with an incumbent governor who is stuck in the polls after out-spending his opponent 2:1, the same governor who won in 2010 in perfect storm conditions that do not apply to this year.”–Charlie Crist adviser Steve Schale.
* “We are not just building a building. We are building an entire district. This is something the rest of the country will take notice of, and it will attract new people here.”–Jac Sperling, Jeff Vinik’s top development executive, on Vinik’s vision to remake a neighborhood.
* “We believe that a major medical school in the heart of downtown would be a great positive for the Tampa Bay community and the University of South Florida.”–Jim Shimberg, chief operating officer of Vinik’s Strategic Property Partners.
* “The message we are looking to send to the Rays and Major League Baseball is that Hillsborough County is ready.”–Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan, on his proposal to designate the Tampa Sports Authority as the lead agency to deal with the Rays in the event that the city of St. Petersburg allows the team to look outside Pinellas County for a new home.
* “There’s a direct correlation between this referendum and the economic health of our outer regions. We have to do a better job of explaining to residents that they themselves might not use these new routes but the products and those who visit will.”–Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe on the implications of a county transportation referendum in 2016.
* “There’s been a cultural and political shift.”–Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner, on the commission unanimously approving an expanded human rights ordinance and voting to set a public hearing on a proposed domestic partnership registry.
* “The first year of the new assessment (Florida Standards Assessment) must be a true baseline year. That means holding students harmless from adverse consequences of test performance and using the results to field test the system and improve the assessments.”–MaryEllen Elia, superintendent of Hillsborough County public schools.
* “Tampa has become our home, and we’re thrilled that our commitment to the growth of the LabTech product and our commitment to the local economy can go hand-in-hand.”–Matt Nachtrab, CEO of the Tampa-based IT company, on the announcement that LabTech is adding 100 jobs at its Tampa corporate headquarters.
* “I think it sort of raises the profile of solar. If a utility is willing to invest in solar, then obviously the numbers work, both on a municipal scale and on a commercial scale.”–Solar Energy Management CEO Scott McIntyre, on TIA and TECO teaming up to build the largest solar energy installation in the Tampa Bay region.