[TopQuark]

Venezuela's left-wing soldier president, Hugo Chavez, tried his hand at teaching on Monday, helping poor students learn to read and write in a two-hour class broadcast live to the nation from the presidential palace.

Lenin used to do similar tricks. All dictators try to soften their image by appearing in public with kids. Saddam Hussein did that too --- right between murdering the parents and lunch.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

***Orta, who graduated in 1976 from Havana University as a middle school English teacher, acknowledges that many people learned to read and write under the Cuban literacy drive. "The teachings of the spelling book, which had 15 lessons, ended with a letter which read, 'Now you can read and write. Thank you, Fidel.' People would read it and weep. It was all a show."*** Source