There appears to be a cycle of implausible projects in the works that, if realized, would provide jobs and wealth for many Dominicans. The recent series of articles that have been appearing in El Caribe tell of a supposed group of patrons that will convert the central mountain area into a paradise, providing just one example. In 1982, Jose Francisco Pena Gomez announced that Spain and France would create an artificial beach area along 2.5 kilometers of ocean front in Santo Domingo. In 1988, the famous designer Pierre Cardin and millionaire Elie Rothschild attempted to lease the island of Catalina for 99 years. The list goes on: Arabs who were going to invest US$400 million in the Port of Manzanillo; a Cuban who was going to invest US$2 billion to clean up the Ozama River, railroads, wind-powered generators and an oil refinery only comprise part of the fantastical proposals throughout the years. In 1996, a plan to build 2,000 miles of railroad was announced, but Haiti apparently got 1,500 miles and Puerto Rico 500. No railroad was built. President Hipolito Mejia announced that Ukranian investors would erect a factory to build airplanes and explore for gas. ?Jebel Ali from Dubai? was supposed to build a mega-port facility in Montecristi, for which Mejia even attended the ?first shovel? ceremony. In 1999, then-President Leonel Fernandez said that a US$270-million investment in Samana would make the peninsula the tourist model for the DR. Absolutely none of these projects has gone beyond the printed letter. El Caribe seems to say: ?Oh well, there is always next year.?