Russian President and junior assistant Tsar of all Russia Dmitry Medvedev (pictured above with Vladimir Putin) reduced the number of Russian time zones from 11 to nine in an effort to “make the giant nation more manageable to run and boost its economy”.
Reaction however fell short of Soviet-era universal acclaim:
But some people in the affected regions believe Medvedev should have been doing something else with his time.
An online petition opposing the Samara region’s change gathered nearly 13,000 signatures.
…
“In the winter, darkness will come almost at lunchtime, which isn’t convenient and is psychologically quite hard,” the petition said.
Immediately prior to ordering their relocation to the Siberian worker’s paradise of Gulaggrad, Medvedev rebuked the ungrateful kulaks of Samara for standing in the way of Russia’s 21st century global information infrastructure ambitions:
But Medvedev said the change would help some far-flung regions have more efficient communications with the central authorities, ease travel and even improve the country’s international position.
“It’s possible that this could also aid the strengthening of Russia’s position as a link in the global information infrastructure,” he said at a meeting this month with ministers and regional leaders.
And Medvedev, without explicitly mentioning the fact economic dynamo and fellow BRIC nation China has but one time zone, is considering further decisive action if increased agricultural production quotas are not met:
Medvedev has suggested that the number of Russia’s time zones could eventually be reduced to just five.
He has also told government experts to study whether to continue the practice of shifting summer to winter time and back every year.
Somewhere, Thomas Friedman is no doubt furiously scribbling yet another sequel to The World is Flat extolling geopolitical origami and the fourth dimension applications of Mad magazine fold-ins.
Pravda has nothing to say on the matter.
