Are our GMT's in Danger???

[J. Alan]

I found this article in the local rag regarding the history and significance of the Greenwich Royal Observatory - the great mother of time known as GMT upon which the world time zones are based.

Although mostly about the history of the founding of the GRO, there is one paragraph that leaped from the article, quoted as follows:

"But for GMT itself, it's time for a change experts say. Atomic clocks are the ultimate arbiters of time these days. They coexist awkwardly with GMT, needing occasional adjustments in the form of "leap seconds". And so a group of scientists has proposed a fix: get rid of GMT as the world's timekeeping benchmark and just let the clocks run (Atomic clocks, I presume the author means). Their plan will be put to a vote in January by the International Telecommunication Union.

The response from U.K. officials has been negative - akin to horror. With a key piece of British heritage at stake, Science Minister David Willetts warned about dire consequences of making the change, due to the fact that the Earth's rotation is slowing: "Eventually our midnite would happen at noon."

If the proposed change is approved, the Paris - based International Bureau of Weights and Measures will become the new guardian of time."

OH, OH!!! Or should I say "C'est la vie!!"

J. Alan