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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
How Daylight Saving Time works
By
Marshall Brain
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
Every spring and every fall we go through a funny little dance as a society. It's called Daylight Saving Time, or DST, and it has all of us setting our clocks forward and backward. Some people like DST, some people hate it, but we all get to participate in the dance.
This year the dance is a little different. A law called the Energy Policy Act of 2005 has changed the dates for DST to start and end. This change is adding a bit of extra intrigue to a process that is already something of a nuisance.
Therefore, you might be wondering - why do we do this? Where did the idea of Daylight Saving Time come from?
Let's start by going back to the 1800s. There really wasn't any sort of national time standard in the United States. Each town or city used some local landmark to set its local time. For example, a church in the center of town might have a tall steeple clock that rang a bell every day at noon. Everyone in town would set their watches by that clock. That clock would set its time based on the sun - when the sun reached its highest point during the day, that would be noon.
This system of local time all changed in the 1883. The railroads needed a standard way to think about train schedules across the United States. So they created the first time zones as well as a standard time system. The worldwide system of time zones, with Greenwich Mean Time as the zero hour, came into play in 1884. Cities and towns all aligned themselves with the train's time system because, if they did not, people would miss the train.
The move toward Daylight Saving Time started as early as Benjamin Franklin, but did not become a national law in the United States until World War I. In 1918, congress passed the law that created DST. Why? The whole system was designed as a way to save energy.
Here's what happened. If you think about how the days lengthen in the spring, you realize that the sun is coming up earlier and earlier. Eventually, if you don't have a DST program in place, the sun is coming up at 5 a.m. or earlier. Most people do not wake up at 5 a.m., so that hour or two of morning sunlight is "wasted" on people who are asleep in bed.
The idea behind DST is to move an hour of "wasted" sunlight to the other end of the day, when people are actually awake. Because of the extra hour of sunlight in the evening, people don't have to turn their lights on, and that saves electricity. The savings are not gigantic - maybe only 1 percent or 2 percent of a country's total electrical consumption is saved. But in a country as big as the United States, a 1 percent reduction in electricity consumption is a lot of electricity.
For the last several decades, DST has started on the first Sunday in April. The Energy Policy act of 2005 changes the start date to the second Sunday in March. The goal is to save a little more electricity, although the jury is still out on whether the new law will have much of an effect.
The bigger question is, how disruptive will the new DST dates be? If it weren't for computers, this change would not really be disruptive at all. People would simply set their clocks by hand and it wouldn't matter. Many computers, however, were programmed with the thought that DST would always start on the first Sunday in April. Now that things are changing, the code for these computers has to change. On older systems (and older pieces of equipment like VCRs), change may not be possible. Adjusting things by hand will be the only option.
So, is DST worth all of this hassle? Perhaps. The energy savings are measurable and undeniable. But it is also the case that people seem to like the DST system. When pollsters do surveys, Americans tend to agree with the idea of long, late summer evenings, rather than having the sun in their eyes while lying in bed at 5 a.m. That, agreement, ultimately, may be the thing that gives DST its appeal.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment by clicking here.
Previously:
How a cruise missile works
How snow making works
© 2007, How Stuff Works Inc. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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