Extended daylight-saving time

[Mattie]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- An agreement was reached Thursday to extend daylight-saving time in an effort to conserve energy, but not to the extent the House approved in April.

House and Senate negotiators on an energy bill agreed to begin daylight-saving time three weeks earlier, on the second Sunday in March, and extend it by one week to the first Sunday in November. The House bill would have added a month in the spring and another in the fall.

According to some senators, farmers complained that a two-month extension could adversely affect livestock, and airline officials said it would have complicated scheduling of international flights.

"We ought to take a hard look at this before we jump into it," said Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, who questioned how much oil savings the extension would produce.

Reps. Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts, and Fred Upton, R-Michigan, agreed to scale back their original proposal, and Senate negotiators accepted the new version, along with a call for a study on how much daylight-saving time actually affects oil consumption.

"The beauty of daylight-saving time is that it just makes everyone feel sunnier," said Markey.

Upton noted that the extension means daylight-saving time will continue through Halloween, adding to safety. "Kids across the nation will soon rejoice," said Upton, because they'll have another hour of daylight trick-or-treating.

Lawmakers said they hoped to complete the energy legislation next week.

www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/07/22/congress.daylighttime.ap/index.html (http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/07/22/congress.daylighttime.ap/index.html)

[Clementine Kruczynski]

Extending it doesn't get rid of the problem. Now that we have electicity and lightbulbs, daylight savings is no longer necessary. Get rid of the damn thing!!

[Mattie]

They extended it so people would use their electricity less. They are hoping to lower energy costs by a ton.

[Brian]

golfergirl,
Extending it doesn't get rid of the problem. Now that we have electicity and lightbulbs, daylight savings is no longer necessary. Get rid of the damn thing!!
Amen! Damn right! Absolutely! Yeah, what you said! Did I leave anything out? It's the stupidest idea I've heard of in a long time and that's saying something given our gov'ment! Hell, there are already states (Arizona?) that don't abide by it so what's the use? I say get rid of it altogether. It's more a nuisance than anything else.

DST is a concept that's outlived it's usefullness, really. It was implemented during, what, WWII in an attempt to conserve gas and resources during the war. It really needs to go away IMHO.

BTW - Sorry to be nitpicky but, it's Daylight Saving Time, not Savings. Savings are what you put in the bank. Daylight Saving Time, while mythical, is what we ill-fatedly do to conserve energy. Again, I apologize for being nitpicky, it's kind of a pet peeve of mine! :)

[Mattie]

I kinda like them extending it. More daylight is always nice, right? And it will inevitably save billions in energy I guess. An extra month of the entire country using their electricity less must bring costs down a lot.

Then again I don't know all the issues and what the down sides are, I only heard the good side on the news. There must be a downside to this right?

[Brian]

There must be a downside to this right?
Yeah, like it being even darker outside when I have to wake up for work! :) Hell, it's hard enough getting up as it is. Daylight is a good thing, it reminds you that you're probably late for work! :lol

The other downside is, DST doesn't really mean squat in the overall scheme of things anymore. Like I said earlier, it's a concept that's outlived its usefullness. We're not living in the '40's anymore. I mean, this is the 21st century for cryin' out loud. Manipulating clocks an hour one way or the other isn't going to change anything.

We're still going to use the same amount of gas and resources regardless of whether it's an hour ahead or behind here or there. It's ridiculous, really. I understand why it was implemented when it was, and at that time it might have made a difference, but in today's society, it's more of a nuisance than anything else. It all smells of an ill-fated attempt to appease environmentalists IMHO. Sorry if I piss anyone off with that comment, but think about it rationally. So what if you move an hour here or an hour there one way or the other. We're creatures of nature and we'll just adjust to fit the control. The outcome will still be the same.

So I have to get up an hour earlier to go to work. Am I using any less gas to make that trip because the clock's been manipulated? No! Is my electricity usage changing because the clock's been manipulated? No! It's still hot whether it's 7pm or 8pm or 6pm. It's hot! The weather doesn't care what your clock says. Weather is weather and driving to work is driving to work regardless of the hour.

Just my .02.

[Mattie]

But when it's daylight less people will have to turn on their house lights to see inside of rooms. If it's daylight maybe some people will stay outside longer and stay off of their computers, watch less TV, etc. One hour doesn't make much of a different individually but an entire country I would think it would lower the cost some for sure.

[Brian]

KF2,
But when it's daylight less people will have to turn on their house lights to see inside of rooms.
Come on Matt; you're smarter than that! :) So I have to wake up an hour earlier. It's still dark outside and I still have to turn on the lights in my house to see. (Granted, yes, I can find my way around my house blindfolded.) I understand your argument, but it's a non-issue given our current society. IMHO, it's not really going to make that much of a difference overall.
If it's daylight maybe some people will stay outside longer and stay off of their computers, watch less TV, etc.
Think so? Would the position of the sun make any difference in how much time you spend outside or on your computer? I didn't think so. It certainly wouldn't make a difference to me, and probably not to most. "Watch less TV?" Come on, we're a TV driven society at this point in time. Who in hell could watch less TV than I do? You know what I watch, what interests me, and that takes up all of about 8 hours weekly to be conservative. Americans aren't going to watch any less TV regardless of the clock. Change the clock all you want, I'm still going to watch LOST on Wednesday evenings etc. Daylight has nothing to do with it.
One hour doesn't make much of a different individually but an entire country I would think it would lower the cost some for sure.
Yeah, I'll give you that. But, (there's always a "but" isn't there?) I go back to the time differential between when DST began and today. They're completley different societies. In today's society, it doesn't make a difference. We're creatures of comfort and we're able to adapt to change. Change the clock? So what! We adapt to the new "norm".

The problem lies deeper than changing the clock. Granted, it may help in a small part, but the overall problem lies far beyond changing our time stamp, so to speak. We need to become a society less dependent on fossil fuels and the like. There are other methods out there. It's getting our gov'ment to allow us access to those methods that's the problem.

Just my .02.

[the_real_ptb]

I have a good friend at work who also thinks daylight-saving time is an outdated idea and that we should get rid of it, but he never really had a good argument why. His arguement centers around the amount of enery saved and that kind of political BS. I'm not sure if it really helps save energy or any of that crap, but I do know that this year it added 210 hours of sunlight to my late spring/summer/early fall and that is why I like it. I also look forward to changing the clocks in the spring because it really gets you in the summer mindset and makes it feel like summers right around the corner. I don't mind setting them back again in the fall either because it kind of mentally gets you ready for the winter season.

In mid-summer it is already daylight by 5:00 a.m. Without DST that would be 4:00 a.m. IMO any sunlight before 5:00 a.m. is just plain wasted. There are alot of things that I can do with that extra hour at night like get in a few more innings of ball in that back yard, stay at the park a little longer, extend that walk, etc. . .

The only real argument I have ever heard against DST (other than the potitical bickering type stuff) is that it is inconvienient to switch the clocks twice a year. I am more than willing to take the 20 minutes out of my year to change the clocks if it gives me an extra 210 hours of fun in the sun every summer. What can I say, I'm a big fan of sunshine.

[CncksGirl]

In mid-summer it is already daylight by 5:00 a.m. Without DST that would be 4:00 a.m. IMO any sunlight before 5:00 a.m. is just plain wasted. There are alot of things that I can do with that extra hour at night like get in a few more innings of ball in that back yard, stay at the park a little longer, extend that walk, etc. . .

That was one of the best arguments I'd heard in favour of DST. DST gives us an EXTRA hour of evening sunshine in the summer. If we did away with DST the sun would set at 8:30pm in the summer instead of 9:30. We'd actually lose an hour of summer sun.

It's been interesting watching the controversy over this. I'm Canadian and everyone here is just kind of sitting back waiting to see how it goes down there. If it's a success I can bet our government will be jumping on the bandwagon. Personally I don't think it will make much difference to the average person.

[Mattie]

^ If it does lower energy costs, great. If it doesn't, still great! LOL. I like that extra hour of sun no matter if it's saving energy or not.

[the_real_ptb]

amen

[feigenbaum]

We had something like this going on recentley in Scotland in which they wanted to put our time an hour ahead of England so that it would be 9 o clock in the south and ten o clock here and thats when the sun would set or something.

I dont really get why they want to do that.

This makes sense compared to that confusion.

[sawyerhasbestlines]

Being one of those people who gets depressed when the sun's not out, I really am happy about daylight's saving time. I also work outside part of the year, and it means it would extend my potential work hours and income.

Also for urbanites, you feel safer walking around in daylight - something that doesn't happen when it gets dark at 4:30 in the afternoon. And you don't want your kids traveling after school in the dark.

[Clementine Kruczynski]

That's all fine and good for summer, but it goes the other way in the winter, when we all could use a little more sunshine. I know this is when we set our clocks back to "normal" but after all this screwing around with time what is normal? What I say is just leave the clocks forwad and leave it that way the whole year.

[Lostaboutlost]

man i have to go to my busstop at 6:20, when it's already plenty dark, now its gonna be almost dangerous. i wonder if parents are gonna complain... i am doing this time change in the right direction, right?

[AndThePickles]

Maybe a little OT, but since you've mentioned conserving energy, I was watching HGTV last night, and they had these solar panels that looked like shingles on the roof instead of thoes reaaally big ugly panels. I thought it was interesting, the family was used to paying almost or over 100 dollars a month just for their electricity bills, and now with these new solar shingles they were only paying 25 dollars. pretty awesome.

[Lostaboutlost]

oh god dont get me started on conservation... as some of you know i went to a conservation camp. methane digestors, rooftop gardens, energy star lightbulbs (which you really should get, last 20x longer than normal ones), I could lecture you for hours. but i won't :D

[sawyerhasbestlines]

went to a conservation camp. methane digestors, rooftop gardens, energy star lightbulbs

Good point. My neighbor fuels his entire annual energy bill (2 story family of 5) by the solar panels on his roof. Our building is considering getting them to pay for the community space electric bill - would save us $250 a month. And we are also in the beginnings of getting a green roof installed.

---

Golfergirl... you'd be able to golf longer hours with daylight savings time extended, right?

[Suil Liath]

There are some states, like Arizona, which do not do the daylight savings time thing. This makes it very strange.

You're driving through Arizona from California during the Summer.

It is the same time in CA as in AZ.

However when you hit the Navajo Nation it's an hour ahead because they DO recognize Daylight savings.

So by the time you reach Utah you have NO IDEA what time it is.

And yes, it screws up farm animals. They could care less what the clock says -- they're only interested in actual daylight.

That said, I am interested in actual daylight myself and if this gives me MORE I"m good with that.

In the '70's we had daylight savings forEVER during the gas thing -- at least in California. It was very very weird in the dead of winter, let me tell you.

[Lostaboutlost]

yah, even though it may help with energy consumption and everything, it kind of freaks me out. i mean we're like messing with nature almost. its kinda creepy if you really think about it...

[SpidermanHouston]

yah, even though it may help with energy consumption and everything, it kind of freaks me out. i mean we're like messing with nature almost. its kinda creepy if you really think about it...

Shooting things at meteors just to examine the dust is messing with nature.
Like KF2 mentioned, with daylight savings time you end up turning lights on in the house at a much later time. It saves electricity. With so many people having the AC at full blast during the daylight savings period, you want to save wherever you can. Multiply one hour by 30 days and you have saved 30 hours of unneccessary electricity.

[Lostaboutlost]

i know, i know, it's just... we could do that in other ways... oh don't listen to me, nevermind!

['Stoon]

i heard congress was actually voting on this...

or its actually happening...i dunno...dont shoot me

[Lost In His Eyes]

*slow clap*

[CENSORED]

I want for the clock to turn back each time....them we get more sleep, are less grumpy and are younger then we look. EH? EHH?

[aggiesean]

Considering I have 9 AM Mass Sunday morning, I can't wait to see how many people forget (or didn't hear) about the moved-up daylight savings time.

With our luck everyone will remember except the priest.

:Cowdance:

['Stoon]

LMFAO @ aggie's sig

[Tater]

Don't forget to change your clocks tonight!!!!

Except if you're like me and live in Hawai'i... or like Lab and live in Arizona... cause we don't do daylight stupid time :D


I like the summer hours better... right now I am 5 hours behind EST... tomorrow I will be 6 hours behind... it makes me feel an hour further away lol

[scotpgot]

Oooh...I like it when the clocks change back. Right now I'm an hour later. Tomorrow I'll be synced up with the East Coast. :yayconfet

[IwannaBlost]

I hate the time change. An hour less to talk to people I love :sadwalk:

[Bekka]

Oooh...I like it when the clocks change back. Right now I'm an hour later. Tomorrow I'll be synced up with the East Coast. :yayconfet

Um...They didn't change back. They changed forward.

*hopes Scot didn't have plans for this morning* LOL!

p.s. MY DST thread is in the archives so I couldn't bump it. :( (Gah I'm easily annoyed lately...Must be an unwanted ghost from my past popping up... :rolleyez:)

[scotpgot]

LOL

Ah...language. I meant "change back" as to change and revert to a previous state. :nanabobo:

[Tater]

scot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you don't do DST(Daylight Stupid Time) either!!!!!!!!!

:highfive3: for da island boys :D

[Bekka]

:rolleyez:

[Maestra]

I'm not a fan of DST either, considering I don't observe it. :p

[Bekka]

LOL!

I'm thrilled about it. Broad daylight when I get off work = makes they day seem longer.

[Maestra]

Mebbe you guys should just stay forward then... But then that makes me 3 hours apart from my east coast friends year-round. :( Nevermind.

[Bekka]

Yeah. Time differences are bizarro & annoying. :boggled:

[Maestra]

They most definitely are annoying. :grrr:

[Bekka]

Do we really have this much interest in DST?




Or are we just postwhoring?









:rotfl:

[Maestra]

:innocent:

[Bekka]

:o

[Leia Amos]

:cool:

[Bekka]

:Hippy:

[Leia Amos]

:bullwhip:

[Bekka]

:Hugglepounce:

[Leia Amos]

:cheers2:

[Bekka]

:rolleyes4

[Leia Amos]

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/vemque27/Love/smiley_lovefrog.gif

[Bekka]

:xmas_evil:

[Leia Amos]

:boxedin:

[Bekka]

:Booky:

[Leia Amos]

:rockon:

[Bekka]

:toke: :drinky: :Headbang: :music: :bunny: :yayconfet


annnnnnnnnnnnnd :curlers:

:p

[Leia Amos]

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/Squeeze_Bang/cat.gif :cocktail::terminator::grouphug: :surfing::iloveusig

Psst, I think you won. :p

[Bekka]

:hammersel

[Leia Amos]

:overkill: :rotfl:

[Bekka]

:banghead:

[IwannaBlost]

I HATE IT!! I HATE IT!! I HATE IT!!

[Bekka]

(I love it; you caught us mid-emote war) :D

[IwannaBlost]

I like emote wars....HATE DST

[Bekka]

Threadjacker!





























:rotfl:

[IwannaBlost]

Pot
















Kettle :p

[Leia Amos]

Mmm, home in daylight? Perfection.

[Bekka]

I know, right???

[Leia Amos]

I love punctuation. ?!@#$%&(){}[]></.,\|~`'":;

;;;