Verbatim

'They love me ... They will die to protect me, my people.'

1. MUAMMAR GADDAFI, embattled Libyan dictator, denying the existence of protests against him

'There may have been abuses, but they were never a part of the policy of my father's administration ... Although there were individual abuses, I cannot see how his administration per se can be liable for that.'

2. FERDINAND MARCOS JR., son of the late Philippine dictator, commenting on the thousands of victims of Marcos' regime and their family members, who began to receive compensation checks

'I have a feeling my career's just peaked.'

3. COLIN FIRTH, star of The King's Speech, accepting the Oscar for Best Actor

'If you think about it, his perspective as growing up in Kenya with a Kenyan father and grandfather, their view of the Mau Mau revolution in Kenya is very different than ours.'

4. MIKE HUCKABEE, former Arkansas governor, stating incorrectly in a radio interview that President Obama grew up in Kenya; he later issued a statement saying he "misspoke" and "meant to say Indonesia," where the Hawaii-born Obama spent some childhood years

'I was not trying to hurt the owl. I did it to see if it would fly.'

5. LUIS MORENO, soccer player in Colombia, apologizing after kicking the mascot of a rival team when it flew onto the field in the middle of a match; the owl died, having reportedly gone into shock after it was taken in for treatment

Number of canines that households in parts of Shanghai will be restricted to owning under the city's new one-dog policy; those who already have multiple licensed dogs can keep them

$13,997

Price of a diamond-studded prom dress being sold by DressGoddess; a version of the silver gown sans diamonds sells for $398

1.33

Weight, in pounds, of Apple's iPad 2, unveiled March 2; it is 15% lighter and 33% thinner than the original

Number of eastern cougars remaining; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has declared the animal extinct. Although its existence has long been questioned, the cougar had been listed as endangered since 1973

Sources: ABC News; New York Times; AOL; The Steve Malzberg Show; AP