Putin ‘seems erratic’ and other quotes of the week

“He was always calculating and cold. But it’s different. It seems erratic. There is an increasingly deep and delusional interpretation of history, it was always a kind of victimology of what happened to them, but now it comes down to blaming Lenin for the founding of Kiev…in Ukraine. — Former Secretary of State and Russia specialist Condoleezza Rice (Sunday, FoxNews)

“It’s not that I want to talk to Putin. I have to talk to Putin. The world must talk to Putin. There is no other way to stop this war. — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a press conference in his Kyiv office, fortified with sandbags. (Thusday, The New York Times)

“In Ukraine they call their celebrities ‘brave’ because they are ready to fight to defend their country. In America, we call our celebrities “brave” because they lay on magazine covers, out of shape.” – Dallas comedian Paul Varghese, referring to Zelenskyy, a former actor and comedian. (Monday, Twitter)

“About a year ago I made a horrible mistake that caused deep hurt and pain to those I love most in the world. I had an affair, it was wrong, and it was the biggest failure of my life.” — Representative Van Taylor, R-Plano, ended his re-election campaign after a rival went public with Taylor’s affair with Tania Joya, a former jihadist and widow of a Plano man who joined the Islamic State. (Wednesday, The Dallas Morning News)

“As a mum, my first response is fear – these are powerful people attacking children. We are just ordinary people. I take my children to school. I go to church every Sunday. We have no hidden agenda. — Annaliese Cothron, parent of a transgender child in San Antonio, after Governor Greg Abbott asked state agencies to investigate families who provide gender-affirming treatment to their children. (Tuesday, The Washington Post)

“Just seeing that it was so much hate they had, not only for Ahmaud, but for other black people. It was a lot to take in. — Marcus Ransom, foreman and the only black male juror in the hate crime trial of the men who murdered Ahmaud Arbery. (Tuesday, The New York Times)

“The past two years have been the longest decade ever.” — Actor George Takei (Wednesday, Twitter)

“You see wage rates in food processing growing at an even faster rate than the overall economy. This is another sign that these food processors are struggling to find enough people to work, and these salaries are increased in response. — Jayson Lusk, head of agricultural economics at Purdue University, tries to make sense of the Frito shortage. Blah blah blah, stock up on the Fritos. (Friday, The Dallas Morning News)

“I was definitely excited, because it was new, but it doesn’t sound naturally appetizing. You imagine filthy potato water, which of course would be disgusting.” — Sarah Bentley, who runs a plant-based cooking school in London and has heard of a Swedish company making potato milk. So she and some of her fellow cooks tried making potato milk, but the result “wasn’t very delicious.” They are not discouraged; “I’m really keen on a rematch.” (Monday, The New York Times)

“We just stayed together. Mentally, we were there. We are growing.” — Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic after beating Golden State despite a bad call from the referee late in the game when the score was tied. In the past, the team might have “melted away,” coach Jason Kidd said. (Thusday, The Dallas Morning News)

“Another feather _ny_ _r _a_– Wheel of Fortune puzzle that asked contestants six guesses to solve. Spoiler alert: the last word is not a hat, trick or card, nor the letters G or D. (Tuesday, Today)