RENEE MONTAGNE, Host:
Good morning, I'm Renee Montagne. This year, the countdown to 2009 should start at 11...
STEVE INSKEEP, Host:
11, 10, 9, 8...
MONTAGNE: That's because the world's timekeepers are adding a leap second to atomic clocks. Because the earth is slowing down in its daily rotation, an extra second will be snuck in on New Year's Eve between 6:59:59 and 7 p.m. What with the election and the economic crisis, 2008 may feel like a very long year, but it's going to be even longer. It's Morning Edition. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.