XPost: soc.culture.cuba, soc.culture.spain, soc.culture.venezuela   
   From: nowhere@none   
      
   Somewhere down in the Caribbean lies a beautiful island that is surrounded   
   by azure seas...where, the whispering waves roll in gently to the shore,   
   with smooth white sandy beaches that tempt one to shed clothes and wade into   
   these lovely waters; the sun shines on this tropical wonderland, and plants,   
   fruits and trees of all kinds flourish in the rich soil; the balmy breezes   
   blow gently in the evening, and the sounds of beautiful rhythmic music drift   
   o'er the land...calling us to dance through the night.   
   .   
   On this lovely island are found a gentle and kindly people, who live idyllic   
   lives in a land of plenty, and all day long the odors of fine family cooking   
   drift from each house as you walk down the street and tempt the stranger to   
   knock upon the door just that he may have a sight of these delicious foods,   
   prepared from the recipes discovered by ....   
      
   There no one is poor nor is anyone less poor nor more wealthy than his   
   neighbor, there brotherly love and harmony reign, and strangers stop to   
   speak kind words to a beautiful child, or to ask directions of the courteous   
   Islanders. There, there is to be found no class nor race distinction nor is   
   anyone treated less well than another, and neither education nor medical   
   assistance is denied to a single inhabitant. There the words freedom,   
   justice and equality have a special significance and on that island every   
   citizen honors and respects that special word: Equality. Equality. Equality.   
   It beats in the heart of every man, woman and child on that island. It is on   
   the tongue and carried by the wind, Equality. Equality. And there, while   
   freedom of every type is gifted to every inhabitant, because happiness   
   prevails within the heart, it is seldom ever in t heir minds.   
      
   HOSPITALITY AGENTS   
   On every block in the cities is an appointed a Hospitality Agent, a person   
   who graciously greets both local visitors and strangers to make them feel   
   welcome in this Island paradise, and who then proceeds to make all the   
   necessary arrangements for their comfort and well-being. These Hospitality   
   Agents take notes on visitors and neighbors preferences so that the   
   government can be more fully informed about their needs, sort of like a poll   
   taken on a daily basis. Response is almost always immediately forthcoming, a   
   most rewarding experience for both these agents and those who dwell   
      
   rigid examinations designed to find the ones with the best manners and   
   personalities are selected for these exalted positions. Then they are most   
   carefully trained so that they can help to bring harmony to the areas in   
   which they perform their duties.   
      
   THE JOYS OF EDUCATION   
   It is in this paradise where the scholarly and the educated thrive, where no   
   jealousies are found and teachers and students share a desire for learning   
   and team together to see that no child is left behind.   
      
   "It takes a village to raise a child, no, it takes the State to raise a   
   child!" is the motto for the ultimate in educational systems in this   
   Paradise on Earth.   
      
   Every child is owned by the State, and as the guardian of the children it   
   provides for their care in all aspects. The children, in turn, often   
   volunteer to help out their guardian parent by doing work in the fields,   
   such as cutting sugar cane, and sing joyfully as they perform this labor.   
   This, they do freely, without payment; they consider this as their sacred   
   duty and obligation.   
      
   He sees to it that his people are well fed, and as a father or mother would,   
   he often demonstrates how to use the Island's cookware, instructs them on   
   home maintenance, sees to it that the stores are well stocked with modern   
   conveniences for their homes, urges the farmers to bring to market nothing   
   but the best from their little acreage provided by the government, and he   
   personally follows through upon any complaint that someone does not have a   
   proper dwelling, or lacks the basic necessities, or lacks health care. He   
   supervises the building of new clinics in the most remote of villages,   
   staffed by highly competent technicians, gleaming instruments in spotless   
   modern facilities.   
      
   HUMANITARIAN IDEALS SET EXAMPLE FOR WORLD IN PRISON SYSTEM   
   Even the prisons are said to house inmates under the most orderly, sanitary   
   and humane conditions to be found anywhere in the world today. solid and   
   upstanding citizens, using the most modern forms of treatment in all areas   
   of discipline.   
   The prisoners themselves gently enforce upon each other an attitude of   
   respect for their guards, so as not to disturb the sanguine atmosphere that   
   pervades their surroundings, and they often refer to this period in their   
   lives as their University Years. They are so popular on the Island that the   
   plans call for a continualconstruction program over the next ten years in   
   order to satisfy the demands of the citizens in different locales. The   
   Island's Librarians even take their sabbaticals in some of these prisons, in   
   order to understand the criminal mind better, so that they can assist in   
   their reformation.   
      
   The present leader is working diligently on other problems as well, most of   
   them left behind by his predecessor, such as deteriorating buildings,   
   sewerage system, and neglected streets.   
      
   Also, there on that island lives the aged and bearded ruler, the noted   
   genius who has led his people to this state of eternal paradise and through   
   loving talks has taught them how to live in harmony with nature and with   
   each other. As a loving father or grandfather would, he speaks to them   
   almost daily over the lone TV Channel on that Island, for why would want   
   anyone to interfere with this careful guidance from one who is blessed with   
   such divine wisdom? It is a tribute to his wisdom that his people have   
   unanimously demanded that he and no other lead them, and they have kept him   
   in office for almost fifty years, a tribute to the quality of the man and   
   his ability to set goals, to achieve results and to resolve all problems as   
   no other leader has ever done.   
      
   He is the one who is also known as the La Cucaracha Grande, the father of   
   all the children living there, a wise old man who is noted world-wide for   
   his benevolence, and for the kindness and generosity that he bestows upon   
   his people, like one of the great kings in ancient times who ruled with a   
   gentle and loving hand over their kingdoms. His peaceful ways, his skills at   
   diplomacy, and his wisdom are admired from from the top-most way across   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)