Time change?

Mother Mo · Post by **Mother Mo** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 9:45 pm

We all hate it, but here's the method behind the madness, if you're interested...

Most have no idea why we save daylight
April 3, 2005

BOSTON, Apr 03, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- A U.S. federal law says daylight saving time becomes effective at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of April -- but most Americans have no idea why.

Michael Downing, author of "Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time," says he never gave the time change much thought until it occurred to him he had no idea why he was changing the clock, the Boston Globe reported.

Most Americans think daylight-saving time benefits farmers or saves energy, but farmers have always hated having to get up earlier and energy savings have never been proven, according to Downing.

The idea seems to have originated with Benjamin Franklin, who noticed in Paris in 1784 that people slept while the sun was up in during summer mornings, but complained about the cost of candles used at night. He suggested U.S. church bells be rung at sunrise, and if that didn't rise people, a cannon be fired.

While the U.S. government followed Germany's example in changing the clocks during WWI and WWII, it was unpopular and repealed in peace time.

However, Downing says Wall Street preferred having fewer hours between the markets being open in New York and London and stores found they had more shoppers while it was still light, the Globe reported. The federal government made it official in 1966.

Of course, one negative result annually reported across the nation: the number of people who arrive late for work the Monday morning after the switch.

Standard time resumes in the United States at 2 a.m. the last Sunday in October.

Zeo · Post by **Zeo** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 4:01 pm

I hate daylight saving with a passion. It's just one hour, but it's still a bitch to adjust. It's Monday and I'm tired because it's hard for me to get to sleep an hour earlier than usual. I was up till 7:30 this morning instead of 6:30, and didn't get a full 8 hours of sleep. This will probably go on for a couple more days until I fully adjust.
I just think the concept is useless to the majority of Americans.
Especially in October when it starts getting dark earlier anyway... we set our clocks back...
and it starts getting dark at fucking 4:00 pm.
Bleh.
I think we should just leave the time as it is right now.

Coor · Post by **Coor** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 4:25 pm

Someone today at work told me that it was purposed in 1907 but it was widly rediculed...And in 66 Ca, AZ, and some other state didn't impose it...

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 4:32 pm

We gave up on using the Metric system, and that's like, 1/100th as gay as daylight savings.

It's arbitrary and ridiculous.

B_Ko · Post by **B_Ko** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 5:03 pm

Daylight savings time made me miss first period at school today.

Thank you, Franklin.

The Stormstress · Post by **The Stormstress** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 5:05 pm

Maykyr iz still wigged out by daylight savingz time (he grew up without it n Arizona) ...