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At his first tournament since his infidelities became public, Tiger Woods gets a warm reception at the Masters in Augusta, Ga.
SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2010
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) announces his resignation after enduring harsh criticism for voting in favor of health-care reform.
After a quake, reclaiming their city
W
by Laura Benedetti
hat is a city without its cen- ter? That’s the sort of ques- tion an earthquake forces you to ask. Rebuilding a
city means more than just new houses and shops; it also means re-creating the invisible ties that hold people together. Cities need outside help during an emer- gency, but the real reconstruction falls to the people who live there. Every time I hear about another dis- aster — whether the devastating quakes in Haiti and Chile or the more recent ones in Mexico and Indonesia — I think of my home town, L’Aquila, which was struck in April 2009 by the deadliest earthquake Italy had seen in three dec- ades.
What is L’Aquila without its center? I
asked myself this question many times last summer as I camped in a tent in a friend’s garden, just outside her dam- aged house. The city lay at my feet, no more than a mile away, still hugged by its wall, its main monuments still recogniz- able. But the center was filled with rub- ble, the promise of rebuilding emptier every day. After the disaster, the government’s re-
sponse, led by Prime Minister Silvio Ber- lusconi, was fast and feverish. The out- skirts of L’Aquila were turned into con- struction sites to build temporary homes for thousands of displaced people. Ital- ian flags were wrapped around the balco- nies, and dazed families moved into the new housing — featuring amenities from ironing boards to linens to food baskets with local specialties — to find a note of welcome from Berlusconi.
But the building frenzy had its down-
sides. Privately owned land was requisi- tioned, and the landscape surrounding L’Aquila, which had largely been pre- served for generations, metamorphosed into urban sprawl. The hastily built apartment complexes scattered what used to be a close-knit community over a vast territory, with inadequate infra- structure and no social venues. In the meantime, the medieval downtown, which used to be home to 16,000 people and more than 1,000 restaurants, shops and offices, remained eerily quiet and in- accessible. I returned to L’Aquila in January, to a
city still without its center. A few streets had been reopened, but that only in- creased the sense of displacement. The barred stores and the scaffolding created the impression of a ghost town. Peeking beyond the barriers, one could see piles
of debris and an occasional stray dog. When would the city be rebuilt? Some
estimates were optimistic: in 20 years. Some grim: never. Most Aquilani seemed to have accept- ed their new lives with resignation. They were struggling to meet their basic needs, forced to relocate and not even al- lowed to actively participate in putting their city back together. They seemed to have no energy to fight. But in February, something changed.
An investigation turned up a recorded phone conversation between two entre- preneurs. One of them, rejoicing at the opportunity to profit from the rebuilding process, recalled laughing about the news of the earthquake.
That recording — broadcast on televi- sion and posted online — seemed to show that the response to the emergency did not have the best interest of residents in mind. A few days after the recording was made public, a group of Aquilani con- fronted the police who blocked the city center. After a brief altercation, they knocked down the barriers and gained access to Piazza Palazzo, a square they had not been allowed to see for more than 10 months. Standing on a pile of rubble, a man improvised a speech, punctuated by the refrain “On April 6, I was not laughing,” while many looked in disbelief at their town, still piles of stone and rubble almost a year after the earth-
quake.
A woman asked where her fellow citi- zens were: “Eight centuries of history are watching us. These ruins are crying. We are crying. Why are so few of us out here?” As if answering her call, the fol- lowing Sunday, thousands of people showed up with shovels and wheelbar- rows to clear rubble from the piazza. They made a human chain, passing pails from hand to hand to remove the debris. These meetings have now become as reg- ular as evening strolls on the main street once were, and the ranks of the “people of the wheelbarrows” — as they have been named — are growing. With the anniversary of the earth- quake, a new urgency has brought to-
ROBERTO SALOMONE/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
On April 6, 2009, L’Aquila, Italy, was struck by a devastating earthquake. A year later, after little official action, residents are clearing debris themselves.
gether people of all ages, social status, and political and religious beliefs. They claim the city center as necessary to their identity and sense of belonging, and they ask to be an active part of the reconstruc- tion. On Easter Sunday, the Aquilani pre- pared their traditional meal of bread, sa- lami, hard-boiled eggs and wine. This year, though, they did not eat it at home. They brought it to the main square and shared it with other families in their town. For the “people of the wheelbarrows,” resurrection can no longer wait.
immotamanet99@gmail.com
Laura Benedetti is the chair of the Italian department at Georgetown University.
January
“There are many health and
economic benefi ts from dried plums,” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger decreed when
establishing California Dried Plum Digestive Health Month in
2009. He urged Californians to eat prunes, ahem, regularly.
Not a fan of Confederate History? Try Scooter Awareness Month.
Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) of Virginia was shamed into apologizing last week after declaring April Confederate History Month in his state, with no mention of slavery in the proclamation — a “major omission,” he acknowledged. But critics of Confederate celebrations should remember that all it takes is a willing legislature, mayor, governor or governator to have any given month offi cially or unoffi cially devoted to causes real or imagined, worthy or frivolous. Here’s a sampling of some
lesser-known mensal festivals that will keep you celebrating, appreciating and aware all year long.
moyerj@washpost.com
February
Tornadoes aren’t the only things
airborne in Kansas: In a bid to keep aircraft industry jobs in his state, Gov. Mark Parkinson declared February Aviation Appreciation Month this year.
April
Boston always was a Catholic
town: In 1993, then-Mayor Ray Flynn declared April “Nunsense” Appreciation Month to honor that city’s longest-running musical. The show, which featured dancing nuns and spawned a sequel and a TV adaptation, has since closed, though a Boston version helmed by Sally Struthers could be seen as recently as 2008.
March
Though better known for snow-
capped vistas and challenging double-black-diamond ski slopes, Colorado ranked 12th in cars stolen per capita in 2004, prompting then-Gov. Bill Owens to declare March 2005 Motor
Vehicle Theft Awareness Month.
May
A bill is pending in Alaska to permanently set aside May as
Motorcycle and Motor Scooter Awareness Month. “Alaskans
ride their motorcycles as much as people in other states, even during weather that most of their Lower 48 counterparts wouldn’t even think of riding in,” said state Rep. Wes Keller (R-Wasilla) who introduced the legislation. (While governor, Sarah Palin devoted May to choppers in 2007, 2008 and 2009.)
August
Ahead of recent studies affi rming
the public health benefi ts of breastfeeding, Schwarzenegger proclaimed August Breastfeeding Awareness Month for California in 2004. He called the practice “the lasting foundation for physical, emotional and nutritional benefi ts.”
June
A state dependent on agribusiness is no place for weeds. North Dakota proclaimed June Noxious
Weed Awareness Month
in 2004; Nebraska followed in 2005. (South Dakota, for its part, is aware of weeds in May.)
September
“So whether you’re a winemaker
or a responsible connoisseur, I extend my best wishes for a wonderful, month- long celebration of
July
In Michigan, you get more than a $4 Metro reimbursement for jury service — July is Juror Appreciation Month.
California’s wine heritage,” Schwarzenegger — yes, him again — said when declaring September
California Wine Month
in 2007. Meanwhile, the California Legislature made September Pain
Awareness Month in
2009, and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell did the same for his state.
October
In 2008, Mayor Frank Guinta of
Manchester, N.H., made October
Accessible Parking Awareness
Month. “Increased awareness of how to use accessible parking spaces and how important they are will make the accessible parking system much more successful,” said city Parking Manager Brandy
Stanley in a news release.
November
In a nod to the 1
million hunters who bring $4.6 billion to his state’s economy every year, Texas Gov. Rick Perry declared November Hunter
Appreciation
Month in 2009.
December
Texas may have set aside November
to honor the hunting of woodland creatures, but December is about saving lives. To promote the medical benefi ts of preserving the cord blood of newborns, Perry declared
the month Cord Blood Awareness
Month in 2008.
BIGSTOCK PHOTO; KRISTIN LENZ, THE WASHINGTON POST
outlook@washpost.com.
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