Does anyone know anything about Paraguay?

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I just read an old piece by Isabel Hilton in which she talked to Alfredo Stroessner, the dictator until 1990 and it sparked my interest. I only know that he was overthrown in a military coup in 1989 and went into exile in Brazil. Does anyone know anything about him or much about the country?

― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Friday, 28 March 2003 02:20 (twenty-three years ago)

They have bidets in some of the bathrooms. Also, it is hip for the men of Paraguay to drive around with the windows rolled up. If you do this it makes it seem that you must have A/C in your car, which means you are worth $$$ and thus a better person. So some dudes without A/C will drive about with the windows up and carry a towel in their lap just so that they can look cool when in all actuality they are approaching heat death.

― Millar (Millar), Friday, 28 March 2003 02:26 (twenty-three years ago)

THat does sound like the worst place on earth.

― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Friday, 28 March 2003 02:29 (twenty-three years ago)

they had the most hard core war ever in the 19th century, when they took on Brazil, Argentina, and Uraguay. the population went from c. 3,000,000 to c. 300,000 , of whom only about 50,000 were adult men.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Friday, 28 March 2003 10:05 (twenty-three years ago)

They have an eccentric goalkeeper who will one day most likely be their president, and for the life of me I can't remember his name, you know, the one who takes free kicks and penalties, bit of a joker.

― chris (chris), Friday, 28 March 2003 10:11 (twenty-three years ago)

The only country in the world to have a two sided flag, ie one which is different on the flipside.

― Pete (Pete), Friday, 28 March 2003 10:15 (twenty-three years ago)

jose luis chilavert (he nearly went to liverpool!)

― gareth (gareth), Friday, 28 March 2003 10:26 (twenty-three years ago)

That's the feller, mad as a fish. Good keeper and a complete egomaniac. Would probably make a good president.

― chris (chris), Friday, 28 March 2003 10:29 (twenty-three years ago)

that goalkeeper - I remember a friend who likes football telling me about him. he sounded so brilliant that even I was impressed. doesn't he run the team, and don't they have some weird system that allows them to do better than their individual skills would warrant?

― DV (dirtyvicar), Friday, 28 March 2003 10:44 (twenty-three years ago)

don't they have some weird system that allows them to do better than their individual skills would warrant?

I'm not sure what's it in Spanish, but in English I think it's called "team work". ;-)

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Friday, 28 March 2003 12:44 (twenty-three years ago)

I've was briefly in Asunción many years back - seemed like your standard South American capitol city.

― fletrejet, Friday, 28 March 2003 13:09 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm not sure what's it in Spanish, but in English I think it's called "team work". ;-)

ha ha. yes, but my friend made it sound like it was beyond mere team work, and into weird tactics and stuff.

he had some great story about them playing eh, some other team, in some world cup, where the other team were expecting a walkover and only managed to flukily scrape a win. And in the end, the other team's goalie was so impressed that he ran across the pitch to shake hands with the Paraguayan goalie-genius.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Friday, 28 March 2003 13:15 (twenty-three years ago)

In Pico Iyer's "Falling off the map" (as recommended to me by Ms Laura) there's a whole chapter on Paraguay. The place is utterly corrupt and operates almost entirely around the black market. It's weirdly fascinating but I don't have any great desire to go there.

Mind you, I dreamt I was on holiday in Azerbajan last night so who knows?

― Tag (Tag), Friday, 28 March 2003 21:55 (twenty-three years ago)

"he had some great story about them playing eh, some other team, in some world cup, where the other team were expecting a walkover and only managed to flukily scrape a win. And in the end, the other team's goalie was so impressed that he ran across the pitch to shake hands with the Paraguayan goalie-genius."

Sounds like France's extra time victory in 1998. Chilavert was titanic that day (Barthez would have been the other keeper). Probably the best keeper in the world at the time. Unfortunately he seems to have, er, 'fallen into a comfort zone' somewhat, and was a shadow of his former etc last summer- overweight and butterfingered, and seemed to be more concerned with getting on the scoresheet than anything else.

He missed the first game of the 2002 Weltmeisterschaft, incidentally, for spitting in the face of Roberto Carlos, after allegedly recieving racial taunts from the Real Madrid man.

― Lord Byron Lived Here, Friday, 28 March 2003 22:02 (twenty-three years ago)

I have had the misfortune to go to Ciudad del Este, a gruesome town on the border with Brazil. It is like distilled essence of capitalism, with hawkers approaching you from all sides. I understand that there is now a limit on the amount of contraband you can take into Brazil, but when I was there it was rampacked with Brazilians buying up hi-fi and other hardware and taking endless bus journeys back across brazil to sell the gear on. Asuncion I found a rather gentler proposition. Chilavert by the way has scored stacks of goals in addition to being a top stopper! Amazing for a very fat-looking man.

― Daniel (dancity), Friday, 28 March 2003 23:37 (twenty-three years ago)

Was Roberto Carlos allegedly abusing him because he was Paraguayan?

― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Saturday, 29 March 2003 00:02 (twenty-three years ago)

five years pass...

Any opinion on the election coming up? Or on Fernando Lugo? If he does get in, its another staunch US ally in the region gone.

US presence is still pretty high in Paraguay? (under banner of "war on terror"?)

― laxalt, Friday, 11 April 2008 10:36 (eighteen years ago)

http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/1229/44/

Election tomorrow. Looking likely for Lugo to get in..how much change will be possible? The Colorado elite more entrenched there than similar elites in neighbouring states?

― laxalt, Saturday, 19 April 2008 12:54 (eighteen years ago)

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.paraguay21apr21,0,5715592.story

Well, he's in. Thoughts?

― laxalt, Monday, 21 April 2008 18:07 (eighteen years ago)

A shame, Colorado just missed their pension.

― Mr. Goodman, Monday, 21 April 2008 18:28 (eighteen years ago)

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