It's not fun writing books and running a website with a focus on living in and traveling to Nicaragua when politics make Nicaragua a less attractive place to invest in or visit. But we have never made any pretense about Nicaragua - there are risks, challenges, and rewards, and our books focus on helping you navigate through the facts and make informed decisions. That remains our duty and our pleasure, even when the news is bad, like today.

Have a look at the Miami Herald this week for a disappointing article by Tim Rogers, Latin America correspondent. Land ownership, good/bad governance, and careful nurturing of a budding private sector economy remain Nicaragua's unflagging challenges in the post-Sandinista era, and the signs are not all good. Writes Tim:

President Daniel Ortega's promises to respect private property and provide investor security are being put to the test following claims that a high-ranking official in his Sandinista government attempted to extort millions from a property development on the Pacific coast. Nicaraguan developer Armel Gonzáez, of the luxury ocean-front housing development Arenas Bay, claims that former Sandinista lawmaker Gerardo Miranda offered to ''resolve'' the investor's long-standing property dispute with a Sandinista agricultural cooperative for $4 million. Instead of paying, Gonzáez secretly recorded the conversation on his cellphone and went to the news media. Miranda has denied it's his voice on the recording. The alleged extortion scandal first broke in late May on the popular weekly TV news program Esta Semana, anchored by journalist Carlos Fernando Chamorro, son of former President Violeta Chamorro and Pedro Joaquín Chamorro, the legendary former newspaper publisher who was gunned down in 1978 for criticizing the Somoza dictatorship. Now it's the son whose investigative journalism has come under attack by the government.

Read more at the Miami Herald.