Perspectives

"I am going to ask him to walk on the channel, and he'll do it."
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, wisecracking about Europe's Obamamania, after being irked by media reports that the U.S. leader had wowed onlookers at the recent G20 conference

"There's a little dispute on some of the numbers, but we're working on it."
Elizabeth Warren, chief watchdog for the United States' $700 billion TARP fund, on the controversy over how and whether banks are spending the money

"I think Woody Allen overestimates the value of his images."
Stuart Slotnick, lawyer for the American Apparel clothing company, which Allen is suing for $10 million over using his picture without permission. The company claims it can't have damaged Allen's reputation, since the film director himself has already ruined it.

"This is harder than it looks."
Tatsunori Kobayashi, a former janitor at Tokyo Disney Resort, who is taking part in a new Japanese stimulus program to retrain young workers as country farmers

"Establish leadership from day one."
"Dog Whisperer" Cesar Milan, when asked for his advice to the Obama family on how to handle their spirited new puppy, Bo

"If these snakes ever turn up on one of our aircraft, they will be very much dead snakes."
David Epstein, corporate manager for Qantas airlines, who allowed 12 baby pythons to be put aboard an Australian flight, but had to ground and fumigate the plane when four of the reptiles disappeared en route

Quotation sources: L'Express, Daily Show with Jon Stewart, New York Daily News, New York Times, Baltimore Sun, Times of London

© 2009