Posted on 04/23/2005 2:59:18 PM PDT by La Enchiladita
Saturday, April 23, 2005 - Cranky schoolchildren, electronic chaos and increased sales of double espressos -- those are just some of the effects that would ripple through Americans' lives under a plan moving through Congress to extend daylight-saving time by two months a year.
Under the plan that was approved by the House of Representatives and sent to the Senate, California and other states would "spring forward" in March rather than April and "fall back" in November rather than October.
"It's gonna be chaos, man," said Viken Fermanian, owner of Salco Services, an electronics repair shop in Granada Hills, predicting there would be no easy fix to the daylight-saving time change hard-wired into everything from wristwatches to VCRs.
While computer software can be reprogrammed to accommodate different dates, hardware presents a trickier problem.
"The worst thing that'll happen is (the device will) change the time for you, but it'll be the wrong time. If Congress changes the date, you'll get every electronics manufacturer scrambling to change their processors," he said.
But supporters of the plan -- tucked into a sweeping federal energy bill approved by the House this week -- note that any drawbacks would be outweighed by the energy savings provided by maximizing daylight hours.
"It's the most painless way to save any energy at all, and it has some other advantages: It reduces crime and traffic accidents," said Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks.
Sherman and other supporters cite Department of Transportation studies from the mid-1970s that found such a move could save the equivalent of 100,000 barrels of oil each day that daylight-saving time is extended.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailynews.com ...
look...if you're not nice,
we're going to get you into your jammies
and drop you off at michael jackson's house for the night!
sorry!
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