Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Where’s George Clooney when you need him?

This in yesterday from one of Italy’s main dailies. Some folks down in the Torre del Greco area (Naples), known also for its high-density concentration of Camorra members (one of the four mafias in Italy), literally went on a rampage and proceeded to destroy the local hospital there. Both staff members and patients were practically terrorised by a group of people who got into a major scuffle over futile matters. Police and Carabineri (Italian paramilitary police) were called in to subdue the rather ferocious crowd. I recall when years ago police were called to the reception area of the San Camillo hospital in Rome. Why? Because out of ten wickets, only two or three were open, and people there with broken legs and what not had to stand for hours in order to be visited (hospitals, especially in Rome, often lack sufficient chairs in reception areas). The police eventually had to be called in. Coming from Canada, I’ve always associated the police with more tragic events, such as accidents, robberies and what not. Rarely was the police called at the emergency ward of a Canadian hospital. As far as Torre del Greco is concerned, where’s George Clooney and his ER squad when you need him most?

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