Just filtering a couple things that need to be saved for posterity.

I'm inordinately fond of Paraguay. No particular reason, except it's kind of like Belgium, for any joke that can be made about the country, based on its national quirks, you can find an actual event similar to the joke, only funnier because it actually happened. For example, (read this as, why I pulled this out of my email archive) I figured the main reason the coach for the Paraguay national team was selected, was that he was the guy who looked best in military dress and epaulets. And really, when you look at their coach, he could do it. S'anyway, about six months back I went looking for "paraguay dictator" on google. I got this site back.

As much fun as I like to make of Paraguay, this history of the country manages to make it even funnier because at some point someone managed to do a find-replace Argentina into Paraguay, creating such intriguing phrases as:

"Fearing that Paraguay might fall prey to stronger Paraguay, Francia dictated a policy of national isolation."

That's how you know your dictator is REALLY paranoid...

and

"In 1878 President Rutherford B. Hayes of the United States was arbiter in the settlement of boundaries between Paraguay and Paraguay."

and:

"Paraguay joined Paraguay, Brazil, and Uruguay in creating the Southern Cone Common Market (Spanish acronym MERCOSUR) in 1995."

and:

"In 1776 Spain created the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, which comprised present-day Paraguay, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia."

Which begins to sound like a Monty Python sketch at that point.