In this part of the U.S., like most of the country, all the power lines are above ground, strung between flimsy wooden poles, exactly as they were over 100 years ago.

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The colors beiges, grays, taupes are also characteristic of the designer's palette, and most of the furniture, such as a round wooden dining-room table and a lacquered black bookshelf, is influenced by the simple lines and textures of 1930s and '40s Italian architecture.

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Until they were pulled back from most of the squares and the street corners in the city centre a couple of days ago, there were long lines of riot police, revolutionary guards and 'basijis' - militia men mainly armed with thick wooden clubs.

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