Word: aquila
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ROME, Italy—Tomorrow, the G8 summit will convene in L’Aquila, the Italian city in the Abruzzo region that was destroyed by a horrific earthquake on April 6—a disaster that claimed 299 lives. Since April, the city has experienced at least half a dozen tremors (some of them quite significant), including three early this Monday morning and one Monday afternoon. Only two days later, the eight most powerful leaders in the world will meet there for two days. Almost everyone in Italy is asking him/herself the exact same question: Why? Why would...
...originally going to be held in Sardinia on the island of Maddalena, in a beautiful seaside resort town. On April 23, less than three weeks after the earthquake that left tens of thousands homeless, Prime Minister Berlusconi announced that the meeting would be moved to L’Aquila. He said the purpose of the change was to divert funds away from preparing the lavish accommodations in Sardinia and towards the relief effort, as well as to bring international attention to the tragedy. Berlusconi’s critics suggested that the real reason for the move was that the convention...
...basketball court where our very own president, Barack H. Obama, could shoot hoops after a long, stressful day of trying to solve the world’s problems. Each country sent a delegation to make sure the accommodations were up to safety standards and L’Aquila passed each and every test...
...Then, right before 11 p.m. on Monday June 22, L’Aquila had another earthquake. On Friday July 3, it happened again. And then—guess what?—early Monday morning there were four significant tremors. That afternoon there was another. Don’t worry, though, officials insisted, everything would be just fine for the G8 (which was scheduled to begin in just 48 hours). And then again on Tuesday: four more quakes...
...certainly won’t help Italy’s credibility if the ground starts shaking in L’Aquila just as Air Force One touches down. Berlusconi knows that; Italy’s prime minister is a lot of things, but a dummy he ain’t. He must genuinely think that nothing will happen—a shocking case of hubris. Sure, politicians often believe they are invincible, that the laws of man don’t apply to them. Berlusconi is no exception, but this arrogance is a different kind of beast. It appears that...