"...next to the shining new city which Rafiq Hariri rebuilt from the ruins of Beirut..." Excuse me? What did you just say? Abed, are you there to set the record straight here? Hariri "rebuilt"? Are you kidding me. The city was rebuilt by 1) poor (severely) abused and exploited Syrian workers; 2) the money of future Lebanese generations. Hariri only made money off the deal; that is all. And his banks loaned the money. (thanks Marc)