Russia is considering changing some of their time zones to help manage business, communication, and other affairs. It is difficult to manage these things when certain parts of Russia are nine hours ahead of other parts. Russia has 11 time zones that stretch from the Polish border to near Alaska. The time zones were initially set up by the Soviets to showcase how big the country is, and the many time zones has been a source of national pride. The government now views the large number of time zones as a nuisance and a liability, and is now considering shedding some. Some see scaling back the time zones as a good step towards modernizing Russia's economy. One Russian politician said, "If the time differences were less, then Russia would be perceived by people as a more compact, more manageable place. It could reduce inefficiencies and minimize estrangement between parts of Russia.
The article gave the example of a man who owns a fish processing factory on the Kamchatka Peninsula (nine hours ahead of Moscow) and his office is in Vladivostok (seven hours ahead of Moscow). His business often depends on regulation and banking decisions made in the capital. He explained, "It's extremely inconvenient getting anything done through Moscow. For any activity, we often have to wait a day, wasting a whole 24 hours."
There have already been some complaints about the current time zones. One Russian in the article said he believed that the Far East (of Russia) was already two hours off "the correct biological time" -- meaning the time more appropriate for the human body's internal clock. Others say the time zones don't make much sense. For example, while it is noon in Vladivostok, it is 10:00 AM just over the border in China, and 11:00 am in Tokyo -- even though Tokyo is further east than Vladivostok.
Though not everyone is in favor of the proposal to change the time zones. Some are worried that shifting the time closer to Moscow might help with business and government but would hurt people's well-being because they would have to spend more of their waking hours in the dark. Furthermore, this proposal is being met by some suspicion, especially from those in the Far East and Siberia. People from these regions have long resented Moscow and do not trust them. Resident often complain about the lack of federal support in their region. Some residents of the Far East feel that this time zone modification is just for show. As one resident said, "They can say, 'Oh we are doing this to help the economy out there. But the reality is that if they really want to help us, there are a lot of other, more significant things they can do."
Interestingly, the article mentioned that while Russia has 11 times zones, at the other extreme is China. After Mao and the Communists seized power in 1949, they instituted one countrywide time zone as a way to control the country. Everyone in China is supposed to live on Beijing time -- even though the country is wide enough to have four or five time zones. Russia is not considering one time zone like China, they're just looking into scaling back the number of time zones. The Russian government has not made a decision on this yet; they're just considering ideas. (Full Story)
The researchers found that children living on military bases tended to report fewer difficulties than children who lived off the base. The head researcher argued that one explanation could be that those on the base are more connected to support services. 70% of military children do not live on a military base.
They also reported that many families experienced difficulties adjusting to the deployed parent returning home -- a period known as reintegration. This was especially the case among those families where the non-deployed parent/caregiver worked. The head researcher said that one possibility for this is that the stress of reintegration is compounded by the stress on the family of the non-deployed parent's job. However, she added, being employed is generally considered helpful for the mental health of a caregiver during deployment.
The study also found that female children tend to have more problems than male children during reintegration. Moreover, older children had more problems during and after deployment than younger children. The researchers speculated that one reason for the difference is that there is more pressure on girls and older children to assume household responsibilities.
The researchers suggested, in light of the study, that the military should consider directing services to families during the later stage of deployment, which is when more families report problems.
The study was based on interviews of 1,500 children from ages 11 to 17, and their primary caregivers. 95% of the families had a parent deployed in the last three years. The researchers say that one potential shortcoming of the study is that the participants were selected from applicants to a free camp sponsored by the National Military Family Association -- it is possible that these families were not representative of the "average" military family. (Full Story)
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