Daylight-saving time commences
this weekend, with
the usual encouragements
to make sure that when you move
your clocks ahead an hour _ the
change actually happens at 2 a.m.
Sunday _ you also change the batteries
in your smoke detectors.
This is good advice, in that while
more than 90 percent of homes in
the United States have smoke detectors,
a third of them are thought
to have dead or missing batteries.
But daylight-saving time _ which
begins in most of the country on
the second Sunday in March and
lasts until the first Sunday in
November _ can be pretty interesting.
We learned, for instance, that a
man who had been born just after
midnight during daylight-saving
time had a Vietnam-era draft
number based on his birth date
that would have sent him into the
service.
But he successfully argued that
since he was born in Delaware,
and that state used standard time
instead of daylight-saving time to
officially record births, his birthday
was actually the previous day.
That day, according to the webexhibits.
org website, allowed him to
avoid getting drafted.
Again, according to the website,
in September 1999, three Palestinian
terrorists planting bombs
designed to blow up two buses
carrying passengers in Israel were
themselves killed because their
bombs went off an hour early owing
to Israel having just switched
back to standard time.
U.S. Law Enforcement Assistance
Administration statistics
show violent crime is down 10 percent
to 13 percent during daylightsaving
time.
The U.S. Department of Transportation
says daylight-saving time
cuts the country’s electricity usage
by about 1 percent a day.
Daylight-saving time does cause
an occasional problem. In many
states, bars that stay open after 2
a.m. lose an hour of drinking time
when daylight-saving time begins.
That has led to disturbances in
several cities, none worse that
those in 1997 and 1998 at Ohio University
in Athens.
More than 1,000 students were
not happy about the bars closing,
rioted and threw liquor bottles at
the police, leading to 47 arrests in
’97 alone.
The time change is also troublesome
for Amtrak, which has a
policy stating that its trains cannot
leave a station before their scheduled
time. So, when standard time
kicks in, trains will stop in towns
at 2 a.m. and have to wait an hour
before getting going again. In the
spring, all of the Amtrak trains
automatically are an hour behind
schedule at 2 a.m.
So, there’s a lot more to the
whole process than just “spring
ahead, fall back.” By the way, the
first day of spring is next Saturday.
Enjoy the extra hour in the evening.
Editorials
Daylight-saving time involves more than ‘spring ahead’
- Editorials
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Cheers
To new school lunch standards, the All County Band Festival, and welcoming home Army Spec. Michael Dow.
Continued ... -
Have a heartfelt Valentine's Day
"I love you." "Be mine." "You're cute when you're spending money."
Continued ... -
Embargo no longer serves a purpose
Fifty years ago this week, President John F. Kennedy signed executive order 3447, banning trade with Cuba "in light of the subversive offensive of Sino-Soviet Communism." As this anniversary passes, it's worth asking whether this policy has had its desired effects and how much longer it should remain in place.
Continued ... -
Women must win fight for opportunity
The Pentagon announced Thursday that it will recommend that Congress officially allow women to serve in more jobs closer to the front lines.
Continued ... -
Center helps victims of child abuse and neglect
We learned some good news about some terrible news in a story by reporter Joe Mahoney in Tuesday's Daily Star.
Continued ... - Wednesday, February 8, 2012
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Chamber made excellent choices on service awards
A special committee selected by the Otsego County Chamber has made two excellent decisions regarding the organization's annual awards for service to our communities.
Continued ... - Tuesday, February 7, 2012
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Cheers
To Michael Shea, Terry Bliss, and the passage of the bill to allow Otsego's exit from MOSA.
Continued ... - Monday, February 6, 2012
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A sad tale may come to an end with arrests
People are almost always sad, and sometimes outraged, whenever something awful happens to a fellow human being.
Continued ... - Saturday, February 4, 2012
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Pill abuse should be a priority for police, pols
Sens. Charles Schumer of New York and Mark Pryor of Arkansas proposed a bill this week to help police combat a disturbing trend of increasing prescription drug abuse.
Continued ... - Friday, February 3, 2012
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More needs to be done to aid vets with PTSD
The recent story of Stamford grandmother Melody DiGregorio grieving the loss of her grandson, Air Force veteran Edward "Drew" Snyder, brings home the debilitating and often-unreported effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on our service men and women.
Continued ... - Thursday, February 2, 2012
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Area 'shocked' at underage drinking? That's shocking
It has been referenced so often that it has become a cliché.
Continued ... - Wednesday, February 1, 2012
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School's new lease on life a welcome development
It is a big place designed to echo with the sounds of young people in a healthy learning environment.
Continued ... - Tuesday, January 31, 2012
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Cheers
To the Central American Youth Ambassadors Program, to Ray Preston and to the NCOC building trades class and the Prattsville Fire Department.
Continued ... - Monday, January 30, 2012
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Mitt's not at fault for loopholes in tax code
As the longtime frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney has faced withering attacks from rivals seeking to upset him.
Continued ... - Saturday, January 28, 2012
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Rest in peace, Naples and Stalter
Our area recently lost two important and influential members of our community: Oneonta surgeon Dr. Kenneth D. Stalter and newly elected Sixth Ward Council Member Mike Naples.
Continued ... - Friday, January 27, 2012
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Case closed on 2 years of turmoil
"Case closed."
Continued ...
Oneonta Mayor Dick Miller was referring to possible criminal charges against fired police officer Michael Breen on Wednesday, but Miller just as easily could have been talking about the more than two years of turmoil the city has endured with its police department. - Thursday, January 26, 2012
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Obama played his cards right Tuesday
Despite a daunting economy and a challenging re-election campaign, on Tuesday night President Barack Obama displayed what Mark Twain called "the calm confidence of a Christian holding four aces" in his State of the Union address.
Continued ... - Wednesday, January 25, 2012
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Searching for votes instead of honor
Say what you will about John McCain, the Republican nominee for president in 2008 who inflicted an ignorant Sarah Palin upon an unsuspecting nation.
Continued ... - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
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Cheers
To MLK Jr. Day events, Diana Nicols, and Jordan Beers and Mariah Ruff.
Continued ... - Monday, January 23, 2012
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Dignity not enough to show in speech
After weeks of watching the often unseemly, if not downright humorous, antics of the Republican candidates for his job, President Barack Obama should have little trouble providing at least one thing Tuesday night in his State of the Union address. Dignity.
Continued ...
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Cheers
