Posted on 03/05/2014 5:32:18 PM PST by BenLurkin
We’ll put our unabashed bias as a lover of the night sky right up front: we loathe Daylight Saving Time. And it’s not just because of the biannual hunt through our home for the dozen-odd non-networked clocks that it instigates twice a year. For astronomers, the shift to DST means that true darkness falls much later in the evening, marking the abrupt end of the school star party season not long after March. You don’t have to go far north to about latitude 45 degrees to find areas where it doesn’t get dark until about 11PM local towards mid-summer. And sure, we gain back an extra hour of morning darkness, albeit that too soon dwindles towards summer as well.
The primary rational behind DST use is to cut energy consumption. Studies done by the U.S. Department of Transportation during the adoption of DST during the 1970’s OPEC Oil Embargo and the energy crisis showed a small but measurable net savings during the implementation of DST, as well as a small decrease in the crime rate. On the down side, many find it difficult to adjust their body clocks to the shift, with many morning commuters now confronted with darkness.
...
But there are some rumblings of change. This year, Idaho is pushing to scrap DST altogether. And, as is the norm in the often curious state of Florida, lawmakers have proposed to swing even further in the other direction, with a bill dubbed the “Sunshine Protection Act” looking to put the entire state on permanent DST year round in hopes of increasing tourism.
And just last year, a failed White House petition brought up the issue of ending DST.
(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...
No, I'm certainly not joking. Let us say that the sun sets at eight p.m. If I finish work at, say, five o'clock, like most people, and get home at six, there are two hours in which I can enjoy sunshine--two hours to work in the garden, cut the grass, have dinner on the terrace, take the dogs for a run, ride a horse, whatever. If, however, DST is in operation and the clock is adjusted so that the sun sets at nine o'clock, I am still getting off work at five and taking an hour to get home, but now I have three hours after work in which to enjoy the outdoors.
IT would make no difference if work schedules shifted along with the clock, but for most of us they don't.
Now, you may say, "Do those things in the morning, before work." But this is not a practical suggestion. You can't have dinner before work. You can't run the lawnmower at 5:30 a.m. I certainly can't get up early enough to do something time-consuming and filthy, like riding a horse, and still be cleaned up, non-stinky, and ready to leave for work at 8 a.m.
No, like most people I treasure those long summer twilights with the kids running around until 9 or 9:30. DST gives families more time together before dark, and it's a beautiful idea.
Sheesh...don’t you guys ever hop on a plane and fly 1, 2 or 3 time zones away? It’s no different than DST. Maybe it’s time for your cocoa and onesies.
**************************************
Exactly! Flying from CA back to TX every Friday for 7 months meant leaving in daylight and getting to bed about midnight. I was up at 7amCDT, mowing and trimming my 1/2 acre lot..until dark each Saturday. Left each Sunday at 4pm to return to CA and got sleepy before dark for a day or so.
This carping about DST and how bad it is is BS! It’s ONLY one hour. ....If folks are worried about that one hour change twice a year, they can go to bed either an hour earlier or later than usual, depending on the season.
I don’t know why Texas does it. You’d think during the long hot summer everybody would want the sun to go down sooner.
******************
Boating, fishing, yardwork after working all day. When I worked, we had a company golf league that played 9 holes every week after work and would finish before dark. Nice!
Apparently, no one ever has to get up an hour earlier than usual.
Jesus said to love our enemies. He overwhelms us with love. He is really Indescribable. Well, He is God so that isn't too hard to fathom.
But, then I wouldn’t have anything to complain about. Where’s the fun in that, I ask you.
Farm animals aren't on DST time either. Feeding/milking time is expected to always be the same.
A giant waste. That being said I like how many portions of my schedule work better during DST, sports start earlier, my Thursday conference call doesn’t interfere with lunch. But in the end it’s still just a display of government power.
Some things just aren't worth figuring out <^..^>
The Newfoundland Time Zone is a geographic region that keeps time by subtracting 3½ hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) during standard time, resulting in UTC−03:30; or subtracting 2½ hours during daylight saving time.[1] The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the meridian 52 degrees and 30 arcminutes west of the Greenwich Observatory.
;)
You may want to go into the Settings screen of your cow’s iPhones bad adjust the clock to update automatically for DST.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.