Today I'm writing a roundup of State of the Village addresses by American mayors, and I can't find a place to fit this quote, from Kenneth Maag, the mayor of Ottawa, Ohio:

"I want to take this time to thank the people who have unselfishly served on the various committees. You've already made a great difference in this community."

On my merry way toward putting together the next issue of Vital Speeches, I stumbled over this phrase, from a Jan. 4 speech by American Petroleum Institute chief Jack Gerrard:

So the way I see it, our policymakers are at a crossroads. They face two choices: One leads us forward and promotes jobs, investments, revenue and growth … or one that takes us backward, threatening the progress we’ve made and closing the door on future opportunities.

From one petroleum hog to another, Mr. Gerrard—you don't need a crossroads to go forward and backward.

You just need a road.

Informed that she wouldn't be going to school today and she could watch some movies during the day, an ear-achy Scout conceded, "It's a little fun being sick."