"Perhaps Venezuelan soldiers mistook Father Christmas' sleigh for a spy plane."

Colombian Defense Minister Gabriel Silva, on charges by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez that Colombia sent an unmanned U.S. spy plane into Venezuelan airspace in late December.

"Anyone who says he committed suicide is lying and should be afraid of God."

Ruhangiz Pourandarjani, mother of Ramin Pourandarjani, an Iranian physician found dead in the military clinic where he worked in November. Pourandarjani refused to sign death certificates at a Tehran prison to cover up the murder of arrested protesters. In the wake of ongoing protests and media attention of the 26-year-old's mysterious death, which officials at one point said was a suicide, Iran's national prosecutor told reporters last week the case was "under investigation."

"We may be the best-armed museum in the country."

Eli Paul of the World War I museum at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, after a donor gave the museum 1,700 items related to World War I machine guns, including a number of the guns themselves.

"The equivalent of being elected homecoming king."

Matthew Sanderson, a founder of Playoff PAC, which seeks to elect members of Congress who favor a playoff system for college football, on the significance of winning the current BCS national championship. The BCS system relies heavily on polls and computer rankings.

"I am communicating that in every way I know how."

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., on whether she's asked the Obama administration to put off cap-and-trade energy legislation until after the 2010 midterm elections.

"GPS almost did 'em in and GPS saved 'em."

Klamath County (Ore.) Sheriff Tim Evinger, on a couple that became lost in the snow for three days in Oregon after their GPS unit directed them down a remote road. They were rescued when they were able to send a signal from their GPS-enabled cell phone to a dispatcher.