Draw Your Own Parallels

I've tried to avoid linking to Salon since I let my subscription lapse. Whenever I get the nerve to look through the archives on this site, the links are always broken and I have no clue what I was talking about, and that pretty much defeats the purpose of this here blog. Plus there's the "watch this ad" thing, which is annoying to send people to, even if it is worthwhile.
However.
I've been falling steadily in love with Anthony Bourdain. No Reservations on the Travel Channel is just good television. And he just happened to be in Lebanon when the shit began to go down. I remember hearing a quote from him in the first few days, a flip comment about how great the Mojitos at his hotel were.
So while this article doesn't necessarily delve into the depths of the mechanism behind what's happening over there, it does a really good job of making one want to find out. It's a painful reminder of how quickly things can go to hell in a town on it's way back up.
It's worth the ad.