Sunshine, My only Sunshine

If you plan to visit Venezuela beginning in 2008, you'll have to adjust to the new local time.

President Hugo Chavez has announced that Venezuela's official time will be put ahead by half an hour starting January 1, and its first-ever offshore oil rig will start pumping before the year is out.

"Its about the metabolic effect, where the human brain is conditioned by sunlight," Chavez said in a rambling, seven hour discussion on his radio show "Alo, Presidente" with Science and Technology Minister Hector Navarro.

Specifically, Chavez said the Law of Metereology will be changed to reflect Venezuela's new time grid on the map showing it to be three-and-a-half hours behind GMT instead of the current four hours.

Minister Navarro said the longer day would benefit "all Venezuelans in their jobs and studies."

If you take a half hour(or hour away as we do here in the US for Daylight Savings Time), how does that increase sunshine? We're just transferring it from one end of the day to the other. I've always thought the effect was miniscule, except for my sister-in-law liking the day clocks fall back. See she likes to sleep.

Dr. Taylor at Poliblog makes some observations-

It seems a tad creepy for the chief executive to be worrying about the metabolic effects of sunlight on the brain of the citizens of his country…

Of course, one has to wonder about the ego of any officeholder who engages in seven-hour long radio shows.

Maybe Hugo is spending too much time in the sun. Get that man an umbrella!

Linked to- Pirate's Cove, Right Wing Nation, Yankee Sailor,