If you measure the distance between point A and point B as the crow flies, an idiom for the shortest distance between two points on a map, you disregard the vagaries of intervening terrain - the geodesic distance. You could be tempted or even mistaken to believe that this gets you to your destination more quickly and indeed more successfully. Consider the great-circle distance between the cities of Key West and Pensacola, at either end of the US state of Florida where the direct 'as the crow flies' transit path is 524 miles, but the shortest route by road is actually 792 miles. So why should a straight line 'crow flies' reduction in grant funding for all authorities make any more sense?
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