Hugo Chavez gets at least one thing right: the time

[k4kyv]

Hugo Chavez may not have a lot of friends in the U.S. due to his international politics, but considering all this clock shifting nonsense we are forced to do twice a year in most parts of this country, he got one thing right when he made changes to the time zone in Venezuela.

According to an August, 2007 report, he was going to move the country's time zone to "offer a more equitable distribution of sunlight".

Venezuela will turn clocks back by 30 minutes as it switches time zones to boost the amount of natural light to residents, a government official said.

Venezuelan clocks will be set at Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) minus 4-1/2 hours, compared to the previous GMT minus four hours, Science and Technology Minister Hector Navarro told reporters at a news conference.

He said the measure sought "a more fair distribution of the sunrise," which would particularly help poor children who wake up before dawn to go to school.

"Very rigorous scientific studies have determined that ... the metabolic activity of living beings is synchronized with the sun's light," he said.

Something I have said for years.

Pity the politicians in the U.S. wouldn't do something so sensible - or better still, just  leave the clocks alone and stay on standard time year round.

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN2328980320070824

[WB3JOK]

Chavez does seem to suffer from craniorectal inversion. I won't fill up at a Citgo unless the alternative is a 10 mile hike carrying a gas can 

I also think we should change our clocks 30 min. and LEAVE THEM THERE!!!
(or just stay on DST).

[kb3nqd]

Chavez does seem to suffer from craniorectal inversion.

I personally prefer the term "anal glaucoma"

[k4kyv]

I also think we should change our clocks 30 min. and LEAVE THEM THERE!!!
(or just stay on DST).

Now, what would be gained by shifting all the time time zones one zone to the east (or half a zone?)  Just stay on standard time (the one that has the sun directly overhead at 12:00 noon).

The topic here has nothing to do with whether Chavez is a good guy or a bad one, and I don't see any point to the comments on that subject.

He is dead right concerning the time zones, and our politicians should listen to what he says on that subject:

...a more equitable distribution of sunlight, boost the amount of natural light to residents, a more fair distribution of the sunrise, which would particularly help poor children who wake up before dawn to go to school, Very rigorous scientific studies have determined that ... the metabolic activity of living beings is synchronized with the sun's light.

Chavez does seem to suffer from craniorectal inversion.

I personally prefer the term "anal glaucoma"

I suppose some will now say that Daylight Shifting Time the Amurrkan way of reading the clock, while standard time is a commie plot.  Geeez!

[WB3JOK]

Now, what would be gained by shifting all the time time zones one zone to the east (or half a zone?)  Just stay on standard time (the one that has the sun directly overhead at 12:00 noon).

How about... more daylight  Yes, I know it doesn't actually "make more" daylight, but I'd prefer a longer time in the evenings (after getting out of work) before dark.

don't know anything about commie plots.

[k4kyv]

If the majority of your co-workers agree with you, why not just see if the boss would be willing to move the starting time earlier in the day so you could all leave work earlier in the afternoon?  That would make more sense than this constant fiddling with the clocks.

Many of us would prefer that it not be almost bedtime as soon as it gets fully dark outside.

[WB3JOK]

See, this is exactly the problem... different schedules, different "likes"!
I go to bed around 2230-2330 local time, and get up 7.5-8 hrs later. Not everyone does the same, I realize.

I guess that under the current system everyone is equally unhappy for part of the year. Democracy in action 

[k4kyv]

That's why I set my clocks on GMT.

[W1RKW]

I say build a bunch of big-ass gyroscopes and place them at the equator and poles and adjust the tilt of the earths axis.

[k3zrf]

What you said, Frank.

I would prefer one time also. What a total body experience when the clocks go back or go ahead.

Doesn't really matter here as I go to work in the dark and come home in the dark

[Bacon, WA3WDR]

If school is too early, then they should just change the starting time!  Shifting the whole time zone so that the too-early school schedule works better with the sun strikes me as crazy.

The whole world should probably go onto GMT and stay there, and get used to appropriate scheduling and work with that.  But if we insist on having 'local' time zones, then it seems logical for 12 noon to be the moment were the sun is at the highest point for the day (in the middle of the time zone), and then get used to appropriate scheduling, and work with that.

Shifting the time zone... why?  Somebody scheduled school too early, and they'll do it again.  So should we keep shifting and shifting and shifting?  Nonsense.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

All time scales and numbers are rather arbitrary. To argue that one is better than another seems rather silly.

[k4kyv]

I remember Jack, W8AHB in Ann Arbor, MI used to complain about their "double daylight shifting time".  He said that before WW2 the state used to be on central time.  Then the whole country went on daylight shifting time during the War.  When the war was over and the rest of the country went back to standard time, some politicians in the state, who liked the idea of rising before the crack of dawn, managed to keep year-round DST by getting the time zone shifted to eastern time.  Then, sometime in the 60's the state started shifting further, to eastern DST over the summer.  So effectively, they now set their clocks one hour ahead in winter, and two hours ahead in summer.

There are a number of time zones in the world that are 1/2 hour off from the top of the hour, GMT.  I believe somewhere in eastern Canada is atlantic standard time + 1/2 , and I remember from my SWL'ing days that Ceylon used to be a half hour off, so Venezuela isn't unique in their time zone.

As for whether it was a good thing or not for them to shift the time zone to accommodate school children depends on how close their original time zone was to real sun time. 

When I was a student, and while I taught school for 22 years, I  never could understand why nearly everywhere, they insist on starting school so early in the morning, giving the kids hours of unsupervised time in the afternoon before parents get home from work.

In France, I recall that most schools started at about 9 AM.

[ab3al]

god bless Mel Gibson..... and dont forget Melbrooks

[W3LSN]

There are a number of time zones in the world that are 1/2 hour off from the top of the hour, GMT.  I believe somewhere in eastern Canada is atlantic standard time + 1/2 , and I remember from my SWL'ing days that Ceylon used to be a half hour off, so Venezuela isn't unique in their time zone.

Newfoundland in eastern Canada in 1/2 hour ahead of Eastern time.

73, Jim
WA2AJM/3

[W8EJO]

There are a number of time zones in the world that are 1/2 hour off from the top of the hour, GMT.  I believe somewhere in eastern Canada is atlantic standard time + 1/2 , and I remember from my SWL'ing days that Ceylon used to be a half hour off, so Venezuela isn't unique in their time zone.

Newfoundland in eastern Canada in 1/2 hour ahead of Eastern time.

73, Jim
WA2AJM/3

Then there's that strange liitle strip of land in SW Australia that does there own thing - Western Central Time Zone:

http://www.worldtimezone.com/time-australia.htm


Of course if the commie Chavez is doing it, we'd better follow suit. It would only be fitting considering the booming success of our gubmint's recent forays into this time tested philosophic approach.