Declarations

Accountable Learning

“A system of no accountability is certainly not going to learn from its mistakes, and it perpetuates a cycle of the same unethical and problematic leaders repeating harmful history.”

—Jennifer Morlok, one of two former University of Oregon counseling center employees who filed a civil suit that charges they were threatened with dismissal and suffered other bad treatment after they blew the whistle on superiors who had seized a student’s therapy records.

Using E-Cards

“This new program will both improve efficacy and increase convenience for motorists across New York State.”

—New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Nov. 16 that GEICO is the first insurer in the state to complete the certification process through the Department of Motor Vehicles to allow customers to begin using e-cards, insurance ID cards that can be displayed on mobile devices.

Marijuana Concerns

“Based on the Court’s decision in 2014, I have not filed a legal challenge to the current amendment, but my concerns with it are the same.”

—Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, announcing she will not fight the proposed amendment to legalize medical marijuana. The Florida Supreme Court is currently reviewing the amendment ahead of next year’s elections.

A Game Changer

“To be honest, it is a game changer. It is advanced scientists with advanced computing power.”

—Greg Waller of the West Gulf River Forecast Center in Fort Worth comments on a turbo-charged flood forecasting system being developed by the National Weather Service and a team of academic researchers led by University of Texas professor David Maidment. Using supercomputers and high resolution imaging, the new system can be run every hour, forecasting 15 hours ahead of possible flooding.

Too Many Loopholes

“The federal standards for rail bridge safety leave far too many loopholes in deference to owners of railroad bridges.”

—Larissa Liebmann, an attorney with the Waterkeeper Alliance. The Alliance and another environmental group, ForestEthics, have questioned the safety of the nation’s railroad bridges. They say there is particular concern now because railroads hauled 492,126 tank cars of crude oil last year, up from 9,500 cars in 2008.