There is something enigmatic about Beirut. It is the tension between old cultures and new ideas, the contrast between the chaos from an absence of government and the day-to-day freedom that results. Beirut has never had an adequate infrastructure or careful planning. Fifteen years of civil war did not help either. Yet things limp along--how, no one really knows. The country has tax laws but no effective collection system, yet all government workers get paid. Street signs and numbers are erratic. If you ask, "Where is the IBM shop?" you will hear something like this: "Find the old Swiss Pastry Shop...
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