"When they were little I used to say, 'Turn that blooming noise down.' But now they're pretty good." Gwenda Evans, mother of The Edge, on U2's highly anticipated new album. - The Irish Voice "Everybody knows about Patrick and Bridget but nobody's ever heard of St. Columbanus. After Patrick, he's the most important Irish saint." Fr. Matt Eyerman, pastor of Chicago's 100-year-old St. Columbanus parish, said as President-elect Barack Obama and his family handed out Thanksgiving dinners to the homeless the day before Thanksgiving in the church parking lot. - The Chicago Sun Times "If we go on this way for another 25 years, we won't have an affordable system of higher education." Patrick M. Callan, president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, which found that college tuition and fees increased 439 percent from 1982 to 2007. - The New York Times "The conduct would make Lincoln roll over in his grave." Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the United States attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, commenting on charges against Gov. Rod Blagojevich that he put up for sale his appointment of Barack Obama's successor in the U.S. Senate. - The New York Times "When people tell the story of Illinois politics, Patrick Fitzgerald will unquestionably have a major role. People talk about him as having a lot of guts in a tough job, and it's a job he seems to like." - Tim Samuelson, the City of Chicago's official cultural historian, quoted in a New York Times article about U.S. attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. "I assume [Caroline Kennedy] would be tough. She is obviously an intelligent woman with a good family name, but it's really down to what has she done, what her positions are, and is she really ready to fight for New York." -Long Island Congressman Peter King speaking to the Irish Voice, on his plan to run for the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton. "Obama will be great for America around the world." Bono of U2 at Club 55 in St. Tropez telling ex-pat George Sheinberg. - The New York Post