Literacy in Paraguay

According to Prensa Latina, out of every 100 children that begin first grade in Paraguay, only 30 make it to secondary school. The rest of those 70 go to work for their families or are simply unable to continue to study.

Among the plans the new president has is to start a literacy campaign to educate all Paraguayan children. The new minister of education is modeling her efforts after campaigns she has seen successful in Venezuela and Cuba. The goal she says, is to provide access to free education to all children and young people in Paraguay.

For more interesting statistics, take a look at this post.

Paraguay in the Olympics

You never know what to expect from Paraguay. In the 2004 Olympics, the Paraguayan soccer team got a silver after losing to Argentina. Paraguays soccer team finished the game with the minimum amount of players after receiving the maximum number of red cards without having to forfet the game.

For the the 2008 Olympics, Paraguay is the proud owner of Leryn Franco, dubbed one of the ¨hottest¨Olympians ever. And oh, by the way, she throws the javelin as a sport.

The China Daily reports that she models to support her love of the sport, you can earn good money doing that, Leryn says. As a model, she came in second in the 2006 Miss Paraguay pagent. As a javelinist she came in 42 over all in the 2004 Olympics.

She has not competed yet in these games, but she will today or tomorrow. She got a "gold" for her beauty, lets hope for a high score on her javelin throwing as well :)

More Birds

I just can't get enough of Parrots these days.

Recently I read that in 1994, a parrot was summoned to the witness stand in San Francisco to testify about the murder of its owner. The judge refused to hear the bird's testimony, even though animals had taken the stand in two other national court cases earlier that year. Proving that not everyone in San Francisco is as strange as the rest of the world thinks.

Anyway, reading that made me think of this clip. Enjoy :)

Taken from: Strange But True San Francisco, Lisa Montanarelli and Ann Harrison, PRC Publishing, 2005

Powdered Sugar Donuts

Don't laugh, but this is another one of my favorites. Along with sour dough bread and diet Dr Pepper, I need to have one of these when I land in the USA.

Its a wierd food to crave, I got hooked on these when I was pregnant and I still need them every now and then.

So if you eat one, think of me. :)

Bittersweet Moments

This is Paul doing what he loves best, playing the piano. And this is my sisters piano, she bought it when she was first married instead of a dining room table. 15 years later and they still don't have a "real" dining room table, but I doubt she regrets it.

When I was with Paul in Colorado I had one of those bitterweet moments that all of us moms love/hate. I bought him school clothes for the very last time. My "baby" is entering his Sr year in college and will never need me to buy him school clothes again.

Its great to see them grow up, and even better to see them grow into responsible adults. But its sad to have those "lasts". When he graduates you will hear the wailing all the way from Paraguay ;)

Paraguay's New President

Today, August 15, the new president of Paraguay, Fernando Lugo, ex catholic priest, gets sworn in. Lugo will serve as president of Paraguay for the next five years.

In an interview on Wednesday for ABC Newspaper, Lugo said he plans to change very little about his life when he becomes president. If he can, he would like to continue to sleep in his home in Lambare instead of the presidential home. He will also continue to use sandals when its hot and does not plan on wearing ties or suits.

Lugo wants to remain the same person he was before he became president. He wants people to see him and feel comfortable, because they identify with him and relate. He feels wearing a tie will produce negetive changes and alienate him from the people.

I don't buy it, but I want to see if he can pull it off. Either way, we will support the new president here in Paraguay and pray for the best as he takes office today.

Missions Trip

Remember these guys? They made a video about their trip. If you want to see it, click here.