| Welcome to the age of overreaction
The Transportation Security Administration continues to shake down little old ladies in wheelchairs, lest able-bodied Arab men be offended at being subjected to added scrutiny. And in Boston last week, police hyper-reacted to a bomb actually a flashing circuit board that only a deluded Lost in Space junkie would believe to be a bomb.
Now two young advertising staffers for Turner Broadcasting face felony charges. Welcome to the age of thoughtless bureaucratic overreaction, in which earnest people insist upon following Draconian procedure when common sense shouts otherwise.
The Turner stunt, in this post-9/11 era, certainly was tasteless and maybe a little stupid. But to stir a major emergency in a major city over a blinking circuit board a high-tech version of a Lite Bright design requires a special kind of unthinking, bureaucratic stupidity.
Green Acres funds E. Greenwich park
EAST GREENWICH TWP. A new park, complete with walking trails, rolling hills and a creek, is under construction behind the Shady Lane Nursing Home on a 132.5-acre parcel acquired by the county through the state Green Acres program. The park land is currently open to the public, but construction of all planned amenities is incomplete. Construction began last summer, as the Gloucester County Improvement Authority and a team of summer camp children moved through the site, clearing some underbrush and working on handicapped-accessible walking trails. "We are constructing walking trails on the grounds that we purchased with the Green Acres dollars," said George Strachan, assistant administrator of the GCIA. Strachan described a gently rolling landscape and a creek with wild turkeys and deer walking about.
Del Piero In United Admission
United will discover whether or not Bayern Munich will allow Owen Hargreaves to join the club on Thursday, according to The Sun. Various tabloids claim that 21-year-old winger Chris Eagles will leave Old Trafford, with Sheffield United his most likely destination. Edwin van der Sar admits that Sunday's defeat to Arsenal will test United's mental resolve, and hopes that Chelsea aren't lifted by the result. Meanwhile, newly-appointed Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson admits he has already taken advice from Sir Alex, but insists he will be his own man. .
New group to deliver gift of home repair
A new Genesee County nonprofit plans to bring Christmas in April to area low-income and handicapped senior citizens by providing free home repairs. Formed in January, Christmas in Action of Genesee County is an affiliate of a nationwide nonprofit that has helped repair more than 7,000 homes since it was founded in 1973. The group's formula is to seek help from local businesses and volunteers in an effort that culminates with the repairs on the last Saturday in April each year. And with almost 20 percent of seniors unable to afford basic necessities after paying for housing costs, according to the group, the need is definitely there. "We're the original 'Extreme Makeover' - we've been doing it for more than 30 years," said Norma Okonski, president of the Oakland County affiliate, who is advising the new group.
ACTCOSS seeks new office location
The organisation that looks after Canberra's homeless people is itself looking for a new home. The ACT Council of Social Services (ACTCOSS) has to leave its office at Jamieson House in Reid by the end of March because building owners Anglicare need the space. ACTCOSS director Ara Cresswell says the organisation was thinking about a move but the decision has forced their hand. "We haven't found anywhere yet and that's a bit difficult, we do need it to be accessible," she said. "We need to make sure that wheelchairs can get in there and there is an accessible toilet. "We need to make sure there's a meeting room for community organisations who all use our premises." .
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