quote/unquote ...

"Where progress has been made, wherever any kind of injustice has been overturned, it's been because people acted as citizens, and not as politicians. They didn't just moan. They worked, they acted, they organised, they rioted if necessary to bring their situation to the attention of people in power. And that's what we have to do today."
-- Howard Zinn, “The People’s History of the United States” author who died recently

"We have what it takes -- and an obligation to do a good job. A concentration of power is not healthy for the internet industry."
-- Qi Lu, new boss of Bing, the Microsoft challenge to Google

Two blasts from the past:

"The Empire State (building) was not densely populated in those days, and Burck discovered, to his delight, that one lonesome proletarian had the job of going, hour after hour, day after day, over the empty floors with the sole task of flushing the toilets. Gil thought it was to keep mosquitos from breeding in the stagnant pools."
--John Kenneth Galbraith, in his memoirs, recalling moving his office into the Empire State building in the 1940s, when it wasn’t crowded

"To change the mood a little, i'll be posing down the pub,
i'm seeing my reflection, i'm looking slightly rough
i'll fancy this, i'll fancy that, i'll want to be so flash,
i'll give a little muscle and spend a little cash
but all i get is bitter and a nasty little rash
and by the time i'm sober i've forgotten what i had
and everybody tells me it's cool to be a cat, cool for cats."
-------- "Cool for Cats" by Squeeze

(Editor's note: quote/unquote is compiled in St. Louis by Wilson)