Venezuela to conserve energy with daytime football

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Posted: Thursday October 29, 2009 1:42AM; Updated: Thursday October 29, 2009 1:42AM
Venezuela to conserve energy with daytime football

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Prompted by President Hugo Chavez's call to conserve energy, the Venezuelan Premier Division will switch to daytime games.

The Venezuelan Football Federation said on Wednesday its teams will begin playing matches at 3 p.m. rather than 6 p.m. to avoid having to use stadium lights.

Chavez has been urging Venezuelans to conserve energy as the country struggles with a monthslong drought that has left water levels in dams at record lows and caused frequent power blackouts. Hydroelectric power provides about 75 percent of the electricity Venezuela consumes.

Critics say Chavez is partly to blame because his government failed to upgrade Venezuela's power grid.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/soccer/10/29/venezuela.daytime.ap/index.html#ixzz0VJ6StW23

[OffWithTheirHeads]

1. When I was in Costa Rica a few years ago, They shut off power

every Saturday to the entire West Coast to save energy. It started at EXACTLY 8:00 A.M and ended at EXACTLY 8:00 P.M. Everyone knew it was going to happen and everyone prepared for it. Beer vendors had their beer on ice, restaurants worked their Menues around it, it was just a part of life that everyone had adapted to that also saved energy. Would it rally be that hard to do something like this in the United States?

I swear, we are less conscious than most third world countries

[Vidar]

2. No doubt. They can't afford to take it for granted.

[WriteDown]

3. Depends....

Would you want to do that in Chicago in the middle of summer or how about Boston in the middle of winter?