ACCORDING TO THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC, Daylight Saving Time Ends on Sunday, November 3, 2019.
For most people today, moving the clock’s hour hand back in the fall (ergo: “Fall Back”) and moving it forward in the spring (hence: “Spring Forward”) is a pain in the posterior. (This is a “G” rated blog, after all.)
The Almanac (ibid.) notes that Credit for Daylight Saving Time belongs to Benjamin Franklin, who first suggested the idea in 1784. The idea was revived in 1907, when William Willett, an Englishman, proposed a similar system in the pamphlet “The Waste of Daylight.” The Germans were the first to officially adopt the light-extending system in 1915 as a fuel-saving measure during World War I. The British switched one year later, and the United States followed in 1918, when Congress passed the Standard Time Act, which established our time zones. This experiment lasted only until 1920, when the law was repealed due to opposition from dairy farmers (cows don’t pay attention to clocks). During World War II, Daylight Saving Time was imposed once again (this time year-round) to save fuel. Since then, Daylight Saving Time has been used on and off, with different start and end dates. Currently, Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 A.M. on the second Sunday of March and ends at 2:00 A.M. on the first Sunday in November.
In some countries, notably Israel, the clock changes until recently were debatable. According to Wikipedia1, Until 2005, the start and end of IDT each year was established in an ad hoc fashion as the result of haggling between political parties representing various sectors of Israeli society. Parties representing religious groups wanted the start delayed till after Passover and the end to precede Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, while the secular parties would argue for starting it earlier and ending it later. Thus, there was no established rule that could guarantee a predictable changeover in either direction. The debates about a fixed rule for determining the dates of IDT went on for years, and resulted in a suggestion that IDT will start on the 2nd day of Passover and end on the weekend between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This suggestion was rejected as it stipulated an annual IDT period of only 5 months, and yet it served as the basis of the final compromise.
On July 8, 2013, the Israeli Knesset approved the bill to extend IDT. According to the bill, IDT will begin on the Friday before the last Sunday of March, and end on the last Sunday of October.
WHY BOTHER
If the purpose of the clock change is to accommodate farmers, as The Old Farmer’s Almanac (ibid.) noted, cows can’t tell time. Farmers and ranchers traditionally worked from first light to dusk (and then do the required paperwork far into the night).
Folks with 8-to-5 office jobs either (a) go to work in the dark or (b) come home in the dark.
Same with kiddies heading off to school.
Rather than change the clock, change the schedule.
School vacation days are adjusted to compensate for weather “events” that prevent the students from attending; the government mandates a minimum number of days students are supposed to be in school — learning is not mandated — snow days, bomb threats, and similar occasions can cut down on vacations days.
During my working years I worked all manner of hours. Some day shifts, some night shifts, and some that overlapped. As a reporter, I worked “as necessary.” The same was true when I was in the military: “The needs of the service come first.”
In most cases, I managed to adapt to my hours, whatever they might be.
I may be more fortunate than some others who cannot adjust.
Daylight Savings Time (DST) does not put more hours in a day. It does not shorten or lengthen a shift.
My personal take on DST is “who needs it?”
Shades and blinds keep out the light for people who sleep during the day.
Lights can be switched on when darkness falls.
Sources
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Summer_Time
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