David katz

The influenza pandemic of 1918 may well be the greatest scourge ever to afflict humanity, exacting a death toll greater than all the wars of the 20th Century combined. The virus that wreaked this havoc apparently developed in birds, and then jumped to people. In other words, it was avian flu.

Perhaps men not motivated to quit smoking for fear of heart attack or lung cancer will be motivated by this. It may be difficult to quit smoking, but it almost invariably proves far more difficult to live with the consequences of not doing so.

We think the recent sell-off has created some tremendous opportunities in the money center banks and the brokers, ... We'd be putting money into J.P. Morgan, which has had some lending to many of these companies that have had [accounting] problems. Citibank, we think, is going to do quite well and Morgan Dean Witter. So play off this negativity, buy some of these very good companies at very good prices.

I want a city government that doesn't embarrass us.

In terms of our ultimate success, it's too early to tell.