Oil Slick

I cannot say that I was surprised when I awoke this morning to find that there was no electricity. It is too common an event here to warrant more than a resigned sigh. I learned later that an oil shortage has necessitated gasoline rationing and power outages from 7 AM to 2 PM daily.

Nicaragua receives its oil through a treaty with Venezuela, but something appears to be amiss. The explanation that I am hearing comes from too many independent sources to ignore and alleges that a tanker of Venezuelan oil has gone missing, its contents sold in El Salvador and the enormous profit pocketed by none other than president Daniel Ortega. Unfortunately, this too warrants no more than a resigned sigh.