Apparently, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is too Anglo-centric and is vestigial of England’s glory days as a colonial power. In light of this, a new call has been put forth:
Muslim scientists and clerics have called for the adoption of Mecca time to replace GMT, arguing that the Saudi city is the true centre of the Earth.
Sound far-fetched? With the Islamification of Europe (and we Americans thought our immigration issues were problematic!) and increasing social pressure to institute Islamic cultural icons into the public square (Sharia Law, the Lunar Calendar, etc.), such issues are not going to just go away.
The meeting also reviewed what has been described as a Mecca watch, the brainchild of a French Muslim.
The watch is said to rotate anti-clockwise and is supposed to help Muslims determine the direction of Mecca from any point on Earth.
So if clocks start rotating anti-clockwise, wouldn’t anti-clockwise be clockwise and clockwise be anti-clockwise? Textbook writers rejoice!
7 Comments(+Add)
That’s just great!! Now, as a HAM radio nerd (KH6AME), I’m going to have to change the GMT designations on all my QSL cards!
Oh wow – I didn’t realize there were that many HAMmers left. My old boss at Radio Shack was a huge HAM guy. (He also had a Heathkit computer that took up half a room and 30 minutes to boot up).
When we moved out to the country, we bought his old HAM tower from him for our TV antenna (which worked wonderfully). It also was nice, because it was something sturdy you could climb to get in/out of your second floor window. (Not that I ever did – just a theoretical exercise…)
Chris L said: “Oh wow – I didn’t realize there were that many HAMmers left”
Yep, I admit it, I’m one of the dinosaurs left. Actually, the hobby is still gaining more members even thought we have to battle constantly with the FCC as they try to sell off our band allotments. There’s money to be made!
Here in Florida it’s very active during hurricane season. Don’t live far from NASA and I’m beginning to think that just about every body in NASA has a HAM ticket. Also the suppliers for NASA such as Harris and Rockwell Collins and the like.
I will admit that the internet has dampened a lot of the enthusiasm that there once was for the hobby.
I worked(slang for talking) King Hussien of Egypt once as he was flying one of his many airplanes. He was a VERY active HAM operator. Simple thing to talk to many in the mideast on the low bands. Florida being surrounded by all this salt waters makes for good conditions.
The hobby is still VERY active overseas.
I also find it ironic that we’re talking about HAM in a thread that deals with Islam (which already has a bacon pic with it)…
…oh the “apostasy”…
I was given a tour of Greenwich by a friend who grew up in London. We stood on the very line, the zero degree line… so I asked him “Who decided that zero would be here?” He answered; “We invented it, so we decided.”
Makes sense to me.
Scotty,
Technically I hold a ticket as well. I say “technically” because I have no gear and I’ve never taken the time to get into it…
My father was a very active HAM for decades; he worked parades and weather, all sorts of nets, etc… To this day if I hear the voice recording at the USNO I’m immediately back home in his shack. When he became a silent key I got my ticket and applied for his call sign as a vanity call… just to keep it in the family.
Neil
Wow – I don’t feel nearly so old anymore