* “This is not ‘Rocky IV.'”–Secretary of State John Kerry, saying Western concern for Ukraine’s sovereignty is not a return to the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
* “Today’s Russia, brutalized by Communism and then taken over by oligarchs and grifters, is not a traditional society in any meaningful sense of the term, and the only thing it has in common with many of its potential developing world allies is a contempt for democratic norms.”–Ross Douthat, New York Times.
* “Create a democratic noose around Putin’s Russia.”–Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
* “Nobody wants to end up owning all the problems that Ukraine faces. The country is bankrupt, it has a terrible, broken system of government and insane levels of corruption.”–Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
* “To the American people, give them my best wishes and my gratitude. To the U.S. government, give them my anger, my extreme anger.”–Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
* “The United States is basically the Wild West of privacy.”–Barry Steinhardt, founder of Friends of Privacy USA.
* “The Kepler space telescope has discovered 715 new planets. Either that or somebody sneezed on the lens.”–Late-night, talk-show comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
* “Tune out the naysayers who say if the deck is stacked against you, you might as well just give up or settle into the stereotype.”–President Barack Obama, appearing with teenagers involved in the ‘Becoming a Man’ program for at-risk boys in Chicago.
* “The federal government requires us to educate all children, whether they are illegal or legally in the state. And yet, after they go through our public schools, we somehow pretend they are no longer Floridians.”–House Speaker Will Weatherford, addressing the issue of in-state tuition rates for the children of immigrants living in the country illegally.
* “This is ironic, to say the least. Now, Florida’s request for an extension and increase in Medicaid LIP (Low Income Pool) funds will undergo great scrutiny and skepticism due to the incongruity of Florida’s Medicaid policy.”–U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa.
* “When you ask consumers if they want consumer choice in energy, they say, ‘Yes.’ I believe the people will support a change in energy policy to support energy independence and consumer choice.”–State Rep. Dwight Dudley, St. Petersburg Democrat and solar power advocate.
* “We don’t know the long-term effect of inhaling that (e-cigarette) nicotine solution, all day, every day, for years. So we don’t know if they’re safer than tobacco. The research hasn’t been done.”–Thomas Brandon, director of the Tobacco Research and Intervention Program at Moffitt Cancer Center.
* “Tampa is becoming as popular as South Florida with foreign investors, and many of the same retailers and companies in both markets.”–David Sobelman, managing partner of commercial real estate brokerage Calkain Cos.
* “Everyone gives Silicon Valley the credit for high-tech jobs. We’re bringing Silicon Valley here to Florida.”–Arnie Bellini, CEO of the Tampa-based IT company ConnectWise, which recently announced plans to add 112 jobs by 2016.
* “There’s a curse and a blessing to having your own hospital. On the whole, I think partnering with a hospital in this day and age is preferable to owning one.”–Dr. Charles Lockwood, newly named dean of USF’s Morsani School of Medicine.
* “We are vital and valuable institutions. The bigger picture here … is the lack of government support of cultural institutions in Florida.”–Wit Ostrenko, president of the Museum of Science and Industry.
* “I don’t think they could have found a better person. Clearly, she is a top-notch manager. She proved it as mayor.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn, on the hiring of Pam Iorio as CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.
* “It is our most expensive source. We’re running it right now for the dry season, and we’ll turn it off during the summer rains when we don’t need it. We rotate it in as needed for the dry season.”–Brandon Moore, spokesman for Tampa Bay Water, the region’s main water supplier, on the role of its desalination plant.
* “I love it down here. I love owning the team, and it seems like I’m buying more real estate than I’m selling, so I guess I’m committed.–Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik.