Declarations

Common thread

“The common threat that brought us together is terrorism. That was our springboard.”

Jonathan Edmondson, operations manager of the British Red Cross, at a meeting in New York of government and American Red Cross disaster experts from New York, London and Madrid — three cities hit by terrorist attacks in recent years. The groups met to share experiences and improve response strategies.

Thick file

“It’s a given that by the time you leave the game you have a very thick medical file. You can’t play the game and not come away with problems.”

Dick Anderson, a 60-year-old NFL retiree who played in three Super Bowls with the Miami Dolphins. Anderson was among about 60 former players at medical screenings sponsored by the Living Heart Foundation, a Little Silver, N.J.-based organization that is studying health risks facing professional football players. The foundation has screened about 1,000 players and is compiling an in-depth study of NFL athletes’ health.

Video not enough

“You can get in trouble if all you do is sit them down and show a video and it stops there. That’s not adequate training.”

Ron Jester, an extension safety specialist with the University of Delaware and executive director of the Delmarva Safety Association, explaining why state officials are planning safety seminars for non-English speaking immigrants workers. Officials say that Delaware’s immigrant workers who once took jobs in the agriculture and poultry industries are now turning to home construction and landscaping.

Prime skiing

“We found a carrier that would work with us. It was a huge break. There was a lot of people who tried to come out and help us here.”

Al Endriunas, who co-owns Ragged Mountain Resort, the company that operates Blue Hills Ski Area in suburban Boston. The ski area had to shut down because it could not find liability coverage but Endriunas said Prime Insurance, of Utah, came through with a deal after he spent three days talking to insurers.

Healthy compensation

“I am going to call in the director and find out where they’re spending the money. We don’t want administrative costs to be too high. We want the money spent efficiently.”

Mass. House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi after The Boston Globe reported that more than half of the people working for the new state agency charged with providing health insurance for Massachusetts’ low-income residents make more than $100,000 a year — and six earn more than Gov. Deval Patrick. The executive director earns $225,000 annually; the deputy director receives $175,500. Twelve of the agency’s 22 employees make more than $100,000. Patrick makes $140,535 a year.