For those complaining they are short of time, they will get it. The National Time Service Center at CAS recently made an announcement that a second is to be inserted at the beginning of 1 January, 2009, to keep the clocks synchronized with the Earth's rotation.
The adjustment will be a coordinated action across the world according to International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service. A positive leap second will be added at the end of December 2008 as an additional second after 23:59:59 UTC (Universal Time Coordinated).
Leap seconds are necessary because time is measured using stable atomic clocks, whereas the rotation of Earth slows down continually, though at a slightly variable rate.
Since 1972, leap seconds have been added at intervals varying from six months to seven years, with the last being inserted on December 31, 2005.
