Re: DST and My Computers

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"John" <noaddress@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:raednZZvgtIEAWjYnZ2dnUVZ_oupnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> "Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:W_GdnTtiRK5ZCmjYnZ2dnUVZ_qarnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxx
> > That's a psychological benefit, and a nice one, but the converse is that
a
> > lot of people get up and go to work in total darkness.  I found that
> > pretty
> > depressing during the years I did it.  "OH" Dark Thirty was the Army's
> > phrase for it.  Here's another interesting item I found that adds
another
> > dimension to the problem:
> >
> > "One other interesting point of opposition to the extension of DST comes
> > from fire chiefs. The (Chicago) Herald News points out:  For years, the
> > International Association of Fire Chiefs has framed a widespread public
> > information campaign around daylight-saving time, reminding people to
> > change
> > the batteries in their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when they
> > change
> > their clocks. The last weekend in November is too late for the reminder,
> > fire officials say."
> >
> > http://www.poynter.org/dg.lts/id.2/aid.85796/column.htm
> >
> > --
> > Bobby G.
> >
> The return to standard time is the FIRST weekend in November, not
> the last.

I think that article was written a while back and was referring to a
previous plan to extend DST for much longer than the 4 weeks that was
finally agreed upon.  I tried to check further but both links have gone
stale.  In some parts of the country, lots of heating systems will have
already been turned on by Nov. 7th.  We had at least one serious
near-blizzard in DC around that date.   Either way, the "too late for smoke
detector battery change" issue is one I never would have thought of had I
not come across it.  It's possible the fire chief's concerns had an effect
on shortening the proposed DST change from the last week to the first week
in November.

The reason for the difference is found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_time_in_the_United_States

" . . . the House had originally approved a motion that would have extended
DST even further from the first Sunday in March to the last Sunday in
November, but Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Pete Domenici (R-NM) agreed
to scale back the proposal in conference committee due to complaints from
farmers and the airline industry."

Let's hear it for New Mexico!

The Poynter article did lead to another interesting site:

http://policycouncil.nationaljournal.com/EN/Forums/Air+Transport+Association
+of+America/e4854ac8-15ad-4c86-9419-9fcff6ff3596.htm

They explained why DST changes affect airlines so profoundly, which was
another aspect of DST I had not considered.  Here's a excerpt:

"We recognize that, superficially, it is difficult to understand why
airlines would be opposed to this provision.  Understanding the problem
requires a few minutes of analysis and a brief bit of background in the
admittedly complex and arcane world of airline scheduling.   That process
must take into account issues, including not only time zones but also local
airport restrictions and curfews, facility availability, government
passenger processing capabilities, connecting flight timing and literally
hundreds of related issues to enable a worldwide industry to function on a
finely tuned schedule.  . . . European Union law and IATA Scheduling
Guidelines state that airlines can only maintain their established schedules
(or historic rights) by operating their flights at the same time each day
over a period of five consecutive weeks"

--
Bobby G.