The cost of a Dunedin trial of ''sharrows'' - symbols painted on roads to tell motorists the roads are to be shared with cyclists - will be carried by the city council.

The five-month trial, which includes monitoring of how the sharrows are working, will begin next week, when contractors start painting the sharrows - symbols of bicycles with two chevrons above - on parts of George St and King Edward St.

Council transportation planning manager Sarah Connolly said the sharrows - part of a national trial the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) will consider before making them legal road markings - would cost the council $1684 to install and $12,000 to monitor during the five-month trial.

Monitoring involves video recordings, counters, surveys of road users and gathering feedback from businesses and residents.

If the trial was not successful and the sharrows needed to be removed, which she hoped would not be necessary, there would be an additional cost of $9000.

All the money was coming from existing transportation budgets, which are partly funded by the NZTA.

Councils applied to take part in the trial.

The sharrows would be painted in the lanes where vehicles would have to drive over them, as per guidance from Auckland Transport, which was also taking part in the trial, Ms Connolly said.

Auckland Transport had advised it was important vehicles travelled over the sharrows so their intended meaning, that the road was to be shared by motorists and cyclists, was realised.

''If drivers are able to drive past or around the sharrow, I don't think the intent of the marking rings true for drivers, and the markings stray into indicating a safe place for cyclists to ride, not that the road space is shared with drivers.''

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Council to carry cost of sharrows, monitoring

The crack on a steel girder on the underside of the westbound Interstate 70 bridge over the Patapsco River was so small that it wouldn't catch the eye of most.

But within a half-hour of a bridge cleaning-and-painting contractor spotting it, a structural engineer with the State Highway Administration was on scene, and the bridge was closed to traffic.

About 100,000 vehicles travel over the bridge daily, and all were detoured for two days earlier this month as repairs were made. SHA Administrator Melinda Peters said her agency is "very conservative" when it comes to assessing bridge safety, and was "erring on the side of caution."

The decision to immediately put contractors to work shoring up the bridge was also in line with the agency's evolving modus operandi, officials said, of using newly available resources to bring an ever-increasing number of bridges into good condition before small issues become major problems.

"We've really been able to kick that up," said Earle "Jock" Freedman, longtime director of the SHA's Office of Structures, including bridges.

Local concerns about deteriorating infrastructure have increased recently following the collapse of a large retaining wall in Charles Village and the recent closure of Interstate 495 in Wilmington after the discovery of serious damage to several bridge supports there. The brief closure of I-70, as a result, led to more questions than normal from the already concerned public, said Valerie Burnette Edgar, a SHA spokeswoman.

But in Maryland in recent years, cause for concern should actually be going down, SHA officials said, because significant progress has been made improving the condition of state-maintained bridges largely thanks to dramatic increases in annual bridge repair funding, including from the state.

"We've really been getting good funding," Freedman said. "We've gotta be looking at these bridges and finding potential [problems] rather than reacting to things that we didn't expect."

"If you don't take care of your house, you're going to have problems," said Rod Thornton, the SHA's division chief of bridge design and rehabilitation, on the agency's "preventative measures" approach.

According to SHA data, funding for "Bridge System Preservation" has jumped from $62.2 million in fiscal 2002 to $176.1 million in fiscal 2014. In the same period, the number of "structurally deficient" bridges in the state fell from 148 to 81 or about 3 percent of the 2,700 bridges the state is responsible for, Freedman said.

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State making progress on bridge upkeep with increased funding

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by Agence France-Presse Posted on 06/18/2014 2:53 PM |Updated 06/18/2014 3:32 PM

OUTRAGE. Netizens are angry over this commercial by Hong Leong bank for domestic helper insurance. The ad depicts a Filipina maid with orange skin named 'Maria'. Screenshot from YouTube

HONG KONG A "racist" insurance commercial depicting a male Chinese actor as a Filipina maid has drawn outrage on social media in Hong Kong, with groups representing the city's legions of domestic helpers calling for an apology.

Aimed at the employers of Hong Kong's 300,000 maids, who mainly hail from the Philippines and Indonesia, the domestic helper insurance advertisement for Malaysia's Hong Leong Bank shows the Chinese actor wearing dark orange make-up and a curly wig as he plays clumsy maid "Maria." (READ: Tortured maid, migrant workers and Hong Kong)

Hong Leong did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but the bank appeared to have removed the link to the advertisement from its website on Wednesday.

"I think they should make a public apology," Eni Lestari, spokeswoman for the Asian Migrants' Coordinating Body, told Agence France-Presse, describing the ad as "very racist". "You are making comedy out of someone, out of a community," she said. "For (Hong Kong residents) it's funny, but what they don't realise is what's funny is actually racist."

She questioned why the bank did not hire someone from Indonesia or the Philippines to play the maid.

Others took to Twitter and Facebook to blast the ad.

"You guys should really take down that ad and apologize for it... It's really not appropriate for a professional representation of your financial services," Kahlil Stultz wrote on the bank's Facebook page.

"Why do you have to solidify the omnipresent racial and cultural stereotypes that are hurting so many people?" added Marcin Rutecki.

Link:
Netizens outraged at 'racist' ad depicting Filipina maid

Cincinnati, OH (PRWEB) June 17, 2014

TruBlue Total House Care has expanded to include a new leader at the helm. The company has brought on Mark Cottle as TruBlues Chief Operating Officer.

TruBlue specializes in providing complete house care, including maid services, home improvement, repair services, lawn care and more. TruBlue also works with real estate professionals, general contractors and property managers to maintain homes and rental properties, improve curb appeal, make final preparations to sell homes and more.

Im excited to be part of the TruBlue team. The services this company provides really serve a huge cross section of the population and the concept is very strong. I bounced the services around with a few people while I was considering the opportunity and they all wanted to know how to get involved, Cottle said.

Prior to joining the TruBlue team, Cottle was the director of franchise operations for N-Hance Wood Renewal for close to six years. Before that, he worked with Devere International and Harris Research. In his most recent role, Cottle was responsible for leading the team that grew the brand to more than 320 independently owned franchises, built franchise network partnerships with companies like Home Depot, collaborated in the development of a suite of tools for franchisors and more. Cottle is relocating to Cincinnati with his wife Natalie and their three children.

TruBlue is part of the Strategic Franchising Systems family, which also includes Home Helpers, Direct Link, Fresh Coat Painters, Caring Transitions and The Growth Coach. TruBlue launched in 2011 and is the companys youngest franchise.

With TruBlue, Im coming in at the ground level to build the brand from the ground up. We have a few franchise owners around the country and this is our chance to create a solid foundation for future growth. Im hoping my experience can help us add some best practices to the TruBlue system and create a heightened level of business intelligence to the brand growth process, Cottle said.

Im looking to come in and work with the team to create a solid, turn-key operation thats profitable and easy for the franchisees to operate while providing a needed service for seniors and busy adults, he added.

Strategic Franchising Systems Executive Vice President Bernie Brozek is excited to have Cottle on the team of the budding brand.

I worked with Mark when I was COO of N-Hance and was lucky to bring such a talented young man to Strategic Franchising, he said. Mark brings the enthusiasm and background necessary to take this brand to the next level. He was the perfect choice to continue to make this brand profitable and stimulate a growth mode for the future.

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Mark Cottle to Lead TruBlue Franchise

Hong Leong Insurance's ad was deemed as a "racist" for using a male Chinese actor to play a Pinay maid.

HONG KONG - A "racist" insurance commercial depicting a male Chinese actor as a Filipina maid has drawn outrage on social media in Hong Kong, with groups representing the city's legions of domestic helpers calling for an apology.

Aimed at the employers of Hong Kong's 300,000 maids, who mainly hail from the Philippines and Indonesia, the domestic helper insurance advert for Malaysia's Hong Leong Bank shows the Chinese actor wearing dark orange make-up and a curly wig as he plays clumsy maid "Maria".

Hong Leong did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but the bank appeared to have removed the link to the advertisement from its website on Wednesday.

"I think they should make a public apology," Eni Lestari, spokeswoman for the Asian Migrants' Coordinating Body, told AFP, describing the ad as "very racist".

"You are making comedy out of someone, out of a community," she said. "For (Hong Kong residents) it's funny, but what they don't realize is what's funny is actually racist."

She questioned why the bank did not hire someone from Indonesia or the Philippines to play the maid.

Others took to Twitter and Facebook to blast the advert.

"You guys should really take down that ad and apologize for it... It's really not appropriate for a professional representation of your financial services," Kahlil Stultz wrote on the bank's Facebook page.

"Why do you have to solidify the omnipresent racial and cultural stereotypes that are hurting so many people?" added Marcin Rutecki.

More here:
'Racist' ad shows Chinese actor as Pinay maid in HK

A 4-year-old boy lost a leg to a lawnmower accident on Sunday, but doctors said they're hopeful that they can save Truett Shacklett's arm.

Investigators said Truett's father was mowing their lawn, in the 27500 block of West 83rd Street, late Sunday afternoon when the boy got behind the mower and became tangled in it.

He was flown to a hospital for treatment. Doctors said they had to amputate his right leg below the knee, but they hope that with more surgeries they won't need to also amputate his injured arm. Doctors said the fact that Truett is so young will probably give him an easier adjustment to a prosthetic leg.

The Rev. Brian Wright, of the Cedar Ridge Christian Church, said the family is leaning on God.

"I tell you, this family has what I call a fierce faith," Wright said. "Even in the family waiting room as we were talking with them, they're almost encouraging us."

The Shackletts are leaders at Wright's church. The church community is embracing them and helping out.

In the family's west Lenexa neighborhood, people were thinking about what happened while they worked in their own yards on Monday.

"It's something you really don't think about until it does happen, unfortunately, and so it's something that's looking forward (is a thing) to look out for," said neighbor Chad Harvey. "Watch out for your kids."

Neighbors said the family has only lived at the house for a couple of years. The family remodeled its home to accommodate their eight children.

Members of the Shacklett family passed along messages to thank the people who have reached out to them.

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Family of boy injured in lawnmower accident finds strength in faith

BAR HARBOR A surgeon at Mount Desert Island Hospital whose humanitarian work includes providing surgical services to disadvantaged, underserved South American populations, has been selected as this years Maine Hospital Association Caregiver of the Year.

Charlie Hendricks, MD, of Seal Harbor, chief of surgery at the hospital, exemplifies MDI Hospitals core values of compassion, community, improvement, integrity, respect and teamwork, according to the nomination sent in by Arthur Blank, the hospital CEO.

Dr. Hendricks received the award at a meeting in Rockport Wednesday evening.

Charlie Hendricks always finds time for needed consultations, procedures and surgeries, said Edward Gilmore, MD.

He frequently practices after hours and on weekends to provide timely, needed care for patients.

Dr. Hendricks established the Hancock County Medical Mission in 1989 to provide surgical services in South America. For the past 25 years, he has used personal time to travel there to perform surgery. His humanitarian work has inspired countless area medical professionals and others in the community to donate their time to his cause.

He also founded a scholarship program that funds the medical mission trip for high school students throughout Hancock County.

Link:
MDI physician is caregiver of year