[LEAPSECS] Time is changing in Venezuela

[Magnus Danielson]

Hi!

I was quite supprised to hear the news from Venezuelas president Hugo Chavez
that he is to shift the Venezuela time from GMT+4 to GMT+4:30, and that on
Sunday. That gives the Venezuelans a half-a-week of notice to have their
computers aligned to the new time-zone. That ought to hurt!

One of many articles:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070919/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_venezuela_time

This particular passage from that article is interesting:

Chavez dismissed criticism that moving the time only a half hour was quirky,
questioning why the world had to follow a scheme of hourly divisions that he
said was dictated by the imperial United States.

Now, let's leave the politics of this matter totally to the side of things and
only discuss the implications and factor of motivation. I don't think the
hourly division can be fully blamed/cretidet to the USA. The offset being 4 or
4:30 is more a geographical matter in relation to Greenwich in UK. The USA time
would be centered through the USNO observatory in Washington DC if they where
truly that imperialistic, but the britts had beat them to it and even
succseeded in convincing the french in the end.

The hourly division is kind of coarse geographically speaking, so there is a
point there. Also, we already have several countries which is 15 or 30 min off,
so it is certainly possible. Weither it is wise is naturally an entierly
different matter. The swift shift is certainly not wise for buissnesses etc.
depending on computers. The average Venezuelan probably handles it well
thought.

Then again, why use GMT when there is UTC?

Cheers,
Magnus