1. “I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can.” –Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs is taking a medical leave of absence from Apple. He hasn’t specified how long he’ll be out, raising speculation that he may never return. The news comes a week after Verizon announced it is weeks away from offering the iPhone 4.
2. “One of the primary goals I have is to get Google to be a big company that has the nimbleness and soul and passion and speed of a start-up.” –Larry Page
Google announced CEO Eric Schmidt will step down to be replaced by co-founder Larry Page, 38. Page’s appointment is seen as an attempt to recover the entrepreneurial spirit of a company now valued at $200 billion, with 24,400 employees.
3. “There is no denying that there are some differences and sensitive issues between us.” –President Hu Jintao
China’s Hu visited the White House and was lavished with a state dinner that included among its guests Presidents Carter and Clinton, three Secretaries of State, and business leaders. Both Obama and Hu for stronger relations between the two countries, and Obama raised the issue of human rights. The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo remains in prison on charges of “inciting subversion of state power.” Next week, President Obama will deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday night, setting the agenda for this year.
4. “She smiled and then she began to tear a little bit.” -Dr. Randall S. Friese
Friese described the reaction of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Democrat of Arizona, as she received a warm farewell from her hometown. Giffords, now upgraded to serious condition from critical, was transferred to a rehabilitation center in Houston. Earlier in the week, Giffords’ husband Martin Kelly told a doctor his wife smiled at him, which was an improvement on breathing without a ventilator and opening her eyes.
5. “I want to just advise people watching at home, playing that now popular drinking game whenever Republicans say something that’s now true. Please assign a designated driver.” –Rep. Anthony Weiner during the debate on repealing the health care law
Republicans in the House of Representatives, joined by three Democrats, voted to repeal the health care bill signed into law last March by President Obama. The Democratic majority in the Senate, Obama, and 43.5% of Americans, according to Talking Points Memo’s poll tracker, oppose repeal. 49.3% support it.
6. “The politics of President Kennedy … are still my politics, and they don’t fit neatly into today’s partisan political boxes any more either.” –Sen. Joe Lieberman
Lieberman and Sen. Kent Conrad (D-North Dakota) both announced they would not run for reelection in 2012. Conrad’s departure, in particular, leaves his seat vulnerable to a Republican gain in a red-leaning state. Lieberman became an independent after losing the Democratic primary in 2006.
7. “Sarge came to embody the idea of public service.” –President Obama
Sargent Shriver, 95, who helped establish the Peace Corps and lead President Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” died on Tuesday. A Kennedy in-law, Shriver was Sen. George McGovern’s running mate in the 1972 presidential election.
8. “You are welcome here” –Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker
With Illinois’ income tax rates up 67 percent, and the corporate tax rate up 30 percent, Walker invited Illinois businesses to move north. As a result of the increases, Illinois’ tax climate ranking will drop from 23rd to 36th, according to the Tax Foundation. Wisconsin is 40th. To quote the New York Times, “someone earning $10,000 or more gets taxed at least as much (in Wisconsin) as a resident of Illinois.”
9. “Will Tunisia be the first domino to fall?” –A headline in Al Jazeera
Will Tunisia’s Arab neighbors follow its example and overthrow their dictators? Violent protests drove Tunisia’s president out of the country, and the prime minister was forced to step down after illegally taking over the presidency. The speaker of parliament Fouad Mebazaa is temporarily filling in, with elections set to take place in the next two months.
10. “The result was the one that was expected.” –Sudanese politician Bona Malwal Madut
Preliminary reports show South Sudanese voted overwhelmingly in support of secession in the referendum held this month. Those results, as well as the turnout passing the 60 percent threshold needed for the referendum results to count, put South Sudan on course to becoming Africa’s 55th country.
