#i thought DST was abolished.

[frappe-the-peppermint]

holy shit im a believer was by the monkees... 2day has been enlightening

[andrandiriel]

Welp, I never thought I'd be excited for Daylight Savings Time, but I guess I was wrong, because I just got to work for the first of many overnight shifts and 8am is only 7 hours away (DST should still be abolished. Somewhere in every time zone, astronomical noon should be taking place at noon. But I will take advantage of this messed-up system just this once.)

[foxcoloredcat]

Thoughts on time zones?

I think they’re neat but DST should be abolished so that they actually match up the way they ought to

[avipopokii]

{did the us adopt daylight saving time? what happened when you stopped? is it still confusing?}

Daylight savings time was first thought of by Benjamin Franklin in 1784. In his essay, "An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light” he commented on how Parisians were able to save their candles by going to bed earlier and waking up later. His proposal was laughed at and nothing real came from if. During Ww1, Germany instituted DST in order to conserve fuel. The rest of Europe followed, but the US didn't incorporate it until "The Standard Time Act of March 19 " in 1918, but after the war it faced criticism and was abolished. Overriding President Wilsons veto. It was then instituted AGAIN but for year round during WW2. It wasn't called DST, but "War Time" . This lasted until the end of WW2, and then after that states could decide whether or not they wanted to participate in DST. This lasted until 1966.In 1966 the transportation system was facing extreme confusion over the times and pushed for federal action. The American government pushed for a nationwide DST, and in 1967 it was instituted across America. In 1967, Arizona and Michigan became the first states to exempt themselves from DST (Michigan would begin observing DST in 1972). In 1972, the act was amended (P.L. 92-267), allowing those states split between time zones to exempt either the entire state or that part of the state lying within a different time zone. Today though all the states except for Nevada and Arizona do DST. Personally? I think it's stupid. But there isn't a good reason for it to be //un// instituted

[theleaderdotinfo-blog]

Clocking Brexit has been published at http://www.theleader.info/2019/04/02/clocking-brexit/

New Post has been published on http://www.theleader.info/2019/04/02/clocking-brexit/

Clocking Brexit

Did you remember to put the clocks forward one hour? Sadly, I completely forgot to attend to this bi-annual nonsense this time, but thanks to my smartphone and watch it was done automatically, and so there was no need to be concerned. My laptop computer and other devices all managed to adjust to the new time too. It was only a few years ago when the first part of the day would be spent adjusting the time on clocks and watches. Do you remember those annoying car clocks? I never did bother to change mine and worked on the basis that they would be correct for at least six months of the year, so why bother? Visitors often ask whether the time in the Canary Islands is the same as in the UK. It is, but it is not the same as in Peninsula Spain, which is always one hour ahead. This is due to a number of reasons, which I covered in an earlier ‘Letter’, with the main one being the agreement between Spain’s General Franco and Adolf Hitler during the Second World War, when Spain agreed to follow the same time as Berlin. Fortunately, the tedious nonsense of changing time forwards or backwards twice a year, known as Daylight Summer Time (DST), is due to come to an end, because the European Parliament approved a measure by a massive majority in favour to abolish the twice-yearly time change. The change will take place in 2021and individual member states will decide whether they wish to live permanently either on summer time or winter time. Once the decision has been made, it will become permanent. Many of us will recall all the usual arguments about the need to switch time twice a year because of “Scottish farmers” or “children walking to school in the dark”, as well as many more, but I have always remained unconvinced. To me, the arguments put forward have always seemed to be both spurious and unconvincing. I am more convinced by a growing body of evidence, which shows that time changes are harmful to public health, as well as to the economy. The time change confuses the brain and leads to a reduction in productivity. There are also increased levels of health concerns, including more accidents at work reported during the immediate period following a time change. One of the more plausible and historical reasons given for sticking with DST was thought to be a saving on energy costs. Even this argument has been shown to be nonsense, since data now suggests that the policy results in even greater energy consumption. Sadly, I do now have to mention the dreaded ‘B’ word, since the EU’s decision may or may not have an impact upon the UK. If the UK does finally leave the EU it will be free to continue with DST as usual and to ignore the EU’s decision to abandon it. I suspect there will be a strong move from Brexiteers to ignore any suggestions from the EU and to rigidly stick with DST, and no doubt on the grounds of “national sovereignty”. This would, of course, be nonsense both economically and socially for the island of Ireland, since the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland could potentially be operating in two different time zones creating many unforeseen issues relating to cross border cooperation.  Now, there’s another thought to toss into the already steaming and putrid cauldron, commonly known as Brexit. If you enjoyed this article, take a look at my websites: http://barriemahoney.com and http://thecanaryislander.com or read my latest book, ‘Letters from the Canary Islands’ and Spain' (ISBN: 9780995602731). Available in paperback from Amazon, Waterstones and all good bookshops, as well as Kindle editions Join me on Facebook: @barrie.mahoney © Barrie Mahoney