Blackout Fun!

This looks fun!

Syria has had a summer of power failures and electricity shortages... The power failures have occurred in one of the warmest summers in recent memory. In Damascus, which has had daily blackouts lasting as long as five hours, the roar of gas generators is drowning out the city’s notoriously loud traffic. In some suburbs, the lights are on for only six hours a day.

Why is Syria, usually an energy exporter to Lebanon and Iraq, experiencing shortages? The government blames American and French sanctions. Government critics blame a lack of planning and incompetence. But everyone can agree that the two million Iraqi refugees are adding a strain. (NYT)