* “All right, good night.”–Final words heard by air traffic controllers from the cockpit of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
* “There has been surprisingly little outcry against the proposed defense cuts, which would reduce the size of the U.S. Army to its lowest levels since 1940. That’s because people are no longer sure military might gets you very much.”–David Brooks, New York Times.
* “For (Vladimir Putin) Kiev’s movement toward the West is an affront to Russia in a zero-sum game for the loyalty of former territories of the empire. … For Putin, the Cold War ended ‘tragically.’ He will turn the clock back as far as intimidation through military power, economic leverage and Western inaction will allow.”—Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
* “Was the CIA too busy spying on the Senate to spy on Russia?”–Maureen Dowd, New York Times.
* “The way we communicate today is so inauthentic. People break up over texting.”–Judy Smith, crisis management consultant and a former adviser to President George H.W. Bush.
* “Remember, the right thing to do is also the politically right thing to do.”–The late Florida Gov. Reubin Askew.
* “Slot revenues–which account for the overwhelming majority of money casinos take in–are one-third to one-half funded by individuals with gambling disorders.”–Earl L. Grinols, Distinguished Professor of Economics at Baylor University and author of Gambling In America: Costs And Benefits.
* “The only way Rick Scott wins is if he convinces people that Charlie Crist is actually worse than him. And that’s going to be a tough sell because people like Charlie Crist and they don’t like Rick Scott.”–Former Republican state legislator Paula Dockery.
* “We’re not going to approach her until she has time to kind of assess her options. But I believe that if Alex Sink decides to run, she will win in November and we will do everything, and I mean everything, to support her.”–Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel.
* “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.
* “We want to keep the program because it works. Crashes are down, and so are citations. We are changing driving habits and ultimately making our roadways safer.”–Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor on Tampa retaining its red-light camera program.
* “The ad valorem property tax rebound usually lags a year to two behind. Most of the projects that are coming out of the ground now have not (received certificates of occupancy), so we’re not collecting taxes yet.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn, on why the 2015 budget will probably include a shortfall between $10 million and $15 million.
* “The fact that we need bigger libraries and that we need expanded services shows that we’re still as relevant today as 100 years ago.”–Margaret Rials, a chief librarian with the Hillsborough County Library Cooperative.
* “No one entity has overriding authority. We need to be working more collaboratively.”–Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe, on the county’s fragmented transportation agencies.
* “It’s 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.
* “We have been talking about modernizing transit for 30 years, and we are still not getting it done. … We are losing pace to every other metro area.”–Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch.