'The bear away'

Both teams are now having to make what is known as a 'bear away' in order to cross the start line within the designated boundaries. Because you can't sail a boat directly into the wind, you have to tack or gybe, essentially zig-zagging your way from A to B. As you execute each turn you must bear away from the direction that the wind is coming from, but this can be destabilising if you try to make too sharp or too hasty a turn.

As you can make out from the second freeze-frame, New Zealand have been forced a little wider and are closer to the start line when they begin to bear away. That means the angle on their turn is significantly more acute.

Continue reading here:
The anatomy of a capsize: how did a multi-million dollar America's Cup boat end up in the drink? - Telegraph.co.uk

The Making the Grade segment produced for PBS by Education Week that aired May 16 dove into the murky waters of three-point, lap-shoulder restraint systems. If you have yet to watch it, visit stnonline.com/go/9r. If you have already seen it, take a another look, and read our account starting on page 30 of the June magazine issue.

No matter where you fall on the debate spectrum, it is hard to argue that the segment wasnt as nuanced and balanced as weve seen the mainstream media handle one of the most nuanced student transportation issues, and in just under 7 minutes no less. More on that in a bit.

Proponents were buoyed by the demonstration of crash test videos that show how lap-shoulder belts provide the most complete passenger protection in various crash scenarios. Opponents were encouraged by Education Week correspondent Lisa Stark, a veteran television journalist of ABC News fame, discussing the challenges of requiring students to wear the restraints and, more importantly, the indelible price tag to districts. Making that very point was Todd Watkins, director of transportation for Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland.

Watkins, a 21-year industry veteran with an additional dozen years of shuttle transportation and commercial vehicle safety experience with the University of Maryland, is as professional and knowledgeable as they come. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that he spoke from the heart when he told her that he cant justify the $1-million cost per year of adding seat belts to the districts school buses. And, yes, he added, that is an extremely tough sell to parents. But hes a true believer, as he should be, that school buses are the safest vehicle, bar none, and his budget is better spent on other areas of student safety.

As Stark reported, in all those years at Montgomery County Watkins and his team have never suffered a fatal school bus crash. By the grace of God, one might respond. True, none of us should ever be so self-confident to utter aloud the words, That would never happen to me, which can be a literal kiss of death for student transporters. But the truth of the matter is that student transporters make extremely difficult decisions every day when presented with limited funds and a laundry list of growing needs.

For all the reasons that the industry has volleyed back and forth for decades, one could argue that Making the Grade omitted very real fears about what effect occupant restraint systems might have on emergency evacuations or reduced passenger capacity. I asked Stark this very question.

Now remember, Stark and her team whittled down this extremely complex issue into a package about twice as long as an average television commercial break. You try that the next time your next door neighbor flags you down in the driveway. Youre right its hard to fit in everything, she responded. Our research seemed to show the capacity issue was a non-starter these days, given the new three-point belt technology and the ability use the belts and still put three younger students in the seats.

When was the last time you heard a mainstream reporter so succinctly explain 3-2 seating?

As for the evacuation issue, we found no definitive answers, she continued. The NTSB indicated that evacuation is enhanced with belts because students are more likely to stay conscious and self-evacuate. Those against belts argue there are no good studies to answer the evacuation question definitively, which is true.

So, given the time constraints and our reporting, we decided not to focus on those two issues. But we certainly considered them as we were crafting that story.

And as we know, there so many more issues to discuss that a two-hour feature documentary would be challenged to adequately cover them all. Thats where School Transportation News and the STN EXPO come in.

No, were not getting into the documentary gameyet, anywaybut next month in Reno well be fielding our latest panel of student transporters who will speak to how and why they moved toward three-point systems. Last year, Kris Hafezizadeh, the director of transportation for Austin ISD in Texas, sat on a similar panel to discuss lap-shoulder belts in his school buses, as he did with Stark for Making the Grade. Actual experience with three-point belts speaks volumes as do concerns from practitioners. I hope youll be in attendance to hear and contribute to the conversation.

Reprinted from the June 2017 issue of School Transportation News.

Read the original post:
First Take: The Anatomy of Media (Non) Bias - School Transportation News (blog)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (The Gazette) - After a day of four-wheeling, fishing or other frolicking in the mountains west of Colorado Springs, an unwelcome surprise awaits many motorists heading back to the big city.

A traffic jam.

A recent timing change to the signal at eastbound U.S. 24 and 31st Street at times produces a line of vehicles stretching west to the Manitou Springs exit.

"We realize it's causing a little backup," said Michelle Peulen, a spokeswoman with the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Morning and evening rush hours and weekends are the worst, when drivers can sit through several light cycles before being able to move through the intersection.

"Summer is just beginning, so I'm sure the complaints will heat up," said Crystal Maez, who works at The UPS Store in the nearby Red Rock Canyon Shopping Center. "It always gets busy."

It could be a while before the situation is remedied.

"We're pretty much stuck with what we've got," said Kathleen Krager, the city's senior traffic engineer.

Until needed improvements happen, that is.

Safety concerns led CDOT, which is responsible for the signal, and the city of Colorado Springs, which maintains the signal, to limit the left-turn arrow.

Previously, the arrow turned green, then flashed yellow, allowing motorists to continue turning left if there was no oncoming traffic.

But the intersection has been the site of at least two fatalities in recent years, said Peulen, along with other traffic problems.

For the left-turn movement only, 14 crashes with 21 injuries and two fatalities occurred from January 2011 to December 2015, she said. "We've seen a large number of crashes at that intersection."

Drivers' view of oncoming vehicles is blocked by a median, Krager said.

"The real improvement we're trying to make is to get the left turns to align with each other so you have an easier time seeing around the opposing lane," she said.

"It requires taking out the median, and there's an elevation change between the lanes, so it's not as easy as most projects will be."

The state's long-range plan calls for a longer left turn lane on U.S. 24, so cars don't pile up and block the through lane.

But, "It will be 2018 to 2019 before that project is underway," Peulen said.

The left-turn arrow is now 27 seconds long, up from 18 seconds of solid green and then flashing yellow.

"We've made it as long as we can make it," Krager said. "We still have to allow pedestrians to cross that street, too."

A flashing variable CDOT message board warns drivers that eastbound through traffic on U.S. 24 should stay in the right lane, to avoid getting stuck in traffic trying to turn left.

"It's an intermediate fix," Peulen said. "We're doing it to prevent crashes and any more potential fatalities."

The turn arrow likely won't ever go back to the way it was, she said.

Krager recommends patience. "We want people to be aware there could be backups in the through lane and choose alternative routes," she said.

The city traffic division is monitoring the intersection by camera.

"We view it every morning to look at the backups," Krager said. "We're keeping a close eye on it."

More vehicles than usual have been turning onto 31st Street from eastbound U.S. 24, trying to avoid the massive construction work at Interstate 25 and Cimarron Street and along West Colorado Avenue. The interstate work should be done later this year; the Colorado Avenue project could take three years to complete.

"We hope people will use the Cimarron interchange," Krager said. "It's not a bad choice," as construction winds down.

View post:
Anatomy of a frustrating Colorado Springs traffic jam: U.S. 24 and ... - KKTV 11 News

Courtesy of Mariane Ibrahim Gallery

1. This painting is largealmost 79 inches squaremaking the scale of the bodies larger than life.

2. Mwangi Hutter is a "double-gendered, multi-cultured personality entity" with studios in Berlin and Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Nairobi, Kenya. More conventionally known to be a husband-and-wife artist team, Mwangi Hutter is each of their surnames side by side. Through their work, they merge their bodies and creative efforts into one joint identity, a "collective being" exploring the aesthetics of interrelationship. They also have four children together.

3. Ingrid Mwangi was born in Nairobi to a German mother and a Kenyan father. She moved to Germany at the age of 15. The experience of being biracial"growing up in Kenya, I was a white person," she has said, and "coming to Germany, I realized very strongly that I was a black person"has given her the perspective of an insider/outsider in both of her cultures and instilled a lifelong interest in questioning the edges of identity.

4. Robert Hutter met Mwangi in art school in 1998. They started collaborating, and in 2005 began to produce work as Mwangi Hutter.

5. The title of this painting is Again fulfilling, and it's part of the Union Series, which portrays the artists in a series of embraces that embody all sorts of relationship dynamics. In some of the paintings, the figures are more distinct; in others, the bodies are almost completely merged into one form. The light and dark values of their skin tones are intentionally mixed together to show that there are no hard boundaries between them.

6. Even the space around the figures is allowed to penetrate their forms here and there.

7. Made with acrylic paint and black and white liquid chalk, the materials are applied to the canvas in big, expressive gestures that leave watery drips. Mwangi Hutter's work often involves physical performance, and in this case, they consider the act of painting its own kind of performance. Asked which of them specifically applied the paint and liquid chalk to the canvas, the artists replied, "Both."

8. Most of the Union Series works are new and this is the first time they have been exhibited. Mariane Ibrahim Gallery is located at 608 Second Avenue, 206-467-4927.

See more here:
Anatomy of a Painting: The Gorgeous Specifics and Backstory of Again fulfilling by Mwangi Hutter - TheStranger.com

Mohammed Salah to Liverpool was a done deal just a few days ago. Liverpool had made a 28M bid and though it had been rejected by Roma, they were expected to settle on a fee in the neighbourhood of 35 and, with Salah having already agreed personal terms with the club, to push it over the line in short order.

Then came whispers that a second offer wasnt coming, that Liverpool were considering Lazios Keita Balad, that Roma werent willing to budge at all on their 43M asking price. Today, Sporting Lisbon winger Gelson Martins has appeared out of nowhere as the next supposed winger transfer target in place of Salah.

Its perhaps easy to be uneasy, as a Liverpool fan, given how often the club have seemed to dither, to try to negotiate down to the last penny only to then lose a player they had seemed certain of signing. In this case, though, fans should probably take a deep breath. They should feel confident that, in the end, Salah will arrive.

Exhibit A in that is that Roma, put simply, need to sell. Things are looking bad for the Giallorossi on the FFP front for the current financial period, and they desperately need a major sale before the end of Junebefore the transfer window even officially opensto balance their books and avoid likely UEFA punishment.

Roma are a motivated seller, and depending on how the deal was structured, even Liverpools initial 28M offer could be enough to balance the books for them. If another high value player was set to be sold, or if Salah himself was in wide demand, it might change the equation. Right now, though, neither of those things are true.

Liverpools interest in Salah represents Romas bestand perhaps even onlychance of balancing the books. And were getting awfully late for another club to swoop in and offer Roma what they need, relieving the pressure on them to sellor giving them significantly more for Salah than Liverpool would be willing to.

That brings us to Exhibit B, a lack of other serious suitors. Salah, for all the goals he scored last season, wouldnt fit at either Manchester City or at Tottenham. He wouldnt be likely to consider a Chelsea return or a reunion with Jos Mourinho. Hes not at a level that would attract Bayern or Barcelona or Real Madrid.

That leaves Arsenal, potentially, as a reasonable alternative. A club big enough to just maybe change Salahs mind on where he wants to end up next season while having the financial wherewithal to pay Roma what they need and want. That, then, is a very, very short list. And as yet there has been no sign of any Arsenal interest.

Even if there wasand it wouldnt be surprising to hear rumours of interest out of Italy this week given they would be in Romas interestwith a relationship already established with the player, with Champions League football and Jrgen Klopp on offer, Liverpool would have to feel confident in winning the day.

Roma need to sell. Liverpool are the only serious suitor. It would be financially reckless in the circumstance for the English club to not push for a better deal. In the meantime, there will be leaks from the Liverpool end of interest in other playerssignals to Roma that they might miss out on their best chance to balance the books.

There may also, in the coming days, be rumours from the Roma end of Arsenal interestat least if Roma have done their homework; if they havent it will be rumours of City or Chelsea interest. And there will be papers in Portugal and perhaps elsewhere who sense the opportunity to feed their own stories into the mix.

In the end, though, no matter the rumours or the reports or the posturing, if Salah is currently Liverpools top wing targetand all signs still point to him being thathe will end up at Anfield. In the meantime, fans will just have to try to stay calm, knowing the club are doing the right thing pushing for the best deal.

Read more from the original source:
Anatomy of a Stalled Transfer: Mohamed Salah to Liverpool - The Liverpool Offside