Verbatim

'We are at war with al-Qaeda.'

FRANÇOIS FILLON, Prime Minister of France, a day after news broke that French aid worker Michel Germaneau ( right ) had been murdered by the terrorist network's North African branch

'They're making more than the President.'

CORY CHRIST, a resident of the Los Angeles suburb Bell, where three top city officials resigned after they admitted to severely inflating their salaries; one of the trio was earning nearly $800,000--about one-fifteenth of the city's entire budget

'I can't sing forever.'

WYCLEF JEAN, the Haitian-born musician, cryptically responding to reports that he is planning to run for President of the earthquake-ravaged country in its Nov. 28 election

'It's an audacious blend of eccentricity, artistry and rebellion, changing the general perception of beer one stuffed animal at a time.'

JAMES WATT, a co-founder of BrewDog, a Scottish brewer that has created what it claims is the world's strongest beer, dubbed the End of History; each bottle comes inside a taxidermied animal

'Even if we have to eat stones, we would stop sending oil to the United States.'

HUGO CHAVEZ, Venezuelan President, threatening to cut oil supplies to the U.S. in the case of a military attack by Colombia, an American ally that Chávez broke diplomatic ties with on July 22; Venezuela gets more than 90% of its export income from oil sales, mostly to the U.S.

'I'm here to give this law some teeth.'

ERIN ANDREWS, ESPN reporter who was victimized by a stalker last year, supporting a new law that makes it easier to prosecute stalkers and increases the maximum jail sentence for offenders

'It is just wrong to say that Turkey can guard the camp but not be allowed to sit in the tent.'

DAVID CAMERON, British Prime Minister, arguing on a July 27 visit to Turkey that the country should be allowed into the European Union because, as a member of NATO, it has defended Europe and has a military presence in Afghanistan

TALKING HEADS

Lisa A. Goldstein

A deaf journalist, writing in USA Today on the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act:

"Though the ADA established rights, it has not reduced the need for advocacy. People with disabilities have always had difficulty finding jobs. In fact, there is a 42% employment gap that separates working-age people with and without disabilities ... Right now, a real problem is the gap in the ADA regarding the Internet. People with sensory loss are routinely being left out when it comes to online content ... It has been 20 years. Why are we still struggling?"

--7/26/10

Peter Lauria

On the Daily Beast, explaining why Shark Week has become so popular: