- Dismantle Big Banks, Not 'Coddle' Them: Fed's Fisher
- Wall Street Hiring Again, but Top Talent Hard to Find
- Dell Shares Smacked as Earnings, Sales Miss Forecasts
- The 'Real' Jobless Rate: 17.5% Are Out of Work
- Oprah to Leave Syndication in 2011
- High-Roller Sues Harrah's After Losing Millions at Casino
- The Art of the High-End Comic Strip
- In a Tough Market, Luxury Condos Are Going to Auction
- Four Questions to Ask About the $6,500 Home Tax Credit
- Drugs, Booze and Vegas
- Expect a 5-10% Market Pullback: Stock Picker
- Dell Has Some Explaining to Do
- 3 Stock Picks for This Volatile Environment: Portfolio Manager
- Tamminen: California Is At It Again
- Iverson Wasn't A Popular "Answer"
- Nov. 19: Unusual Volume Leaders
- 3 Financial Stocks May Lead Final Rally: Market Researcher
- My Top 10 Marketing Ideas For Winless Nets
MOST SHARED
- Drugs, Booze and Vegas
- The 'Real' Jobless Rate: 17.5% Of Workers Are Unemployed
- If You Like Dividends, You May Love These 9 Stocks
- Mad Mail: Buy RIMM or Apple?
- Applied Materials CEO on Economy
- Oprah to Leave Syndication in 2011
- I Have to Leggo My Eggo
- Consumers, Retail & Internet Search
- JAL Reportedly Facing $1.1 Billion Derivatives Charge
- Mortgage Rates Fall, With 30-Year Fixed at 4.83%
Text Size 
Leftist President Hugo Chavez called on Venezuelans on Wednesday to stop singing in the shower and to wash in three minutes because the oil-exporting nation is having problems supplying water and electricity.
Venezuela has suffered several serious blackouts in the past year because of rapidly growing demand and under-investment, which has been aggravated by a drop in water levels in hydroelectric dams that provide most of its energy.
Chavez announced energy-saving measures and said he would create a ministry to deal with the electricity shortages, which have affected the image of his socialist revolution before legislative elections due in 2010.
 |
AP Hugo Chavez |
Calling for water conservation, he said low rainfall caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon meant water levels were critically low in the El Guri reservoir, one of the world's largest dams.
"Some people sing in the shower, in the shower half an hour. No kids, three minutes is more than enough. I've counted, three minutes, and I don't stink," he said during a televised Cabinet meeting.
"If you are going to lie back, in the bath, with the soap and you turn on the, what's it called, the Jacuzzi ... imagine that, what kind of communism is that? We're not in times of Jacuzzi," he said, to laughter from his ministers.
He mentioned using airplanes to try to force rain from clouds and said the government would soon publish a decree prohibiting imports of low-efficiency electrical appliances.
He called on ministries and state-run companies to cut energy consumption by 20 percent immediately.
- Alternative energy's hot spot is making a comeback after some dark days in the past year.
- Athena Health is offering an electronic records and billing system to boost cash flow and simplify payments.
- The world’s two largest carbon emitters — the US and China — may have put a nail in the coffin of a global carbon reduction agreement.
- Every investor knows the connection between stocks and the dollar. But is there any method to the market's madness?
- NBA’s New Jersey Nets have yet to win a game this year. How can they get people to see them play?
- CNBC contributor David Pogue looks at a wireless speaker system designed to play music throughout your home.
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes