Demonstrators protest, simulating to plug electrical devices into a candle, against frequent blackouts in Caracas in front of the Venezuelan government’s National Electrical Corporation building, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. A record drought and years of poor planning have made blackouts and water shortages an increasingly frequent fact of life in much of oil-rich Venezuela, prompting protests that have President Hugo Chavez scrambling for answers. In the past week Chavez announced a contingency plan to save electricity and appointed a new Cabinet minister to oversee the electrical sector. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
