Quotidian | Vol. 1 No. 9

Vol. 1 No. 9
April 11, 2005

In the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Congress adjusted daylight saving time so it starts three weeks earlier (second Sunday in March) and ends one week later (first Sunday in November). This change is set to occur March 11, 2007.

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WELL I'LL BE!
THE ANSWER TO ANOTHER QUESTION YOU NEVER ASKED

Why do we observe daylight saving time?

The idea of daylight saving time (not savings time, since this is grammatically incorrect) comes from a 1907 pamphlet entitled The Waste of Daylight by British entrepreneur William Willett. Willett proposed that clocks be advanced by a certain amount of time in the spring to save on energy costs. The idea was adopted by the British government in 1916 to save on coal consumption during World War I.

The United States also adopted DST for a while during World War I, but it proved enormously unpopular—especially among farmers—and was repealed until World War II came around. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 created nationwide DST beginning on the last Sunday of April and ending on the last Sunday of October. The act was subsequently amended in 1986, so DST now begins on the first Sunday of April and ends on the last Sunday of October.

The rationale behind DST is that it saves resources and conserves energy. This is because during the summer months, an hour of daylight is shifted from the morning (when people are usually sleeping) to the evening (when people are usually more active), so less artificial light is required. Statistics tend to show that energy is conserved during the summer days, although the

widespread popularity of air conditioning has been eating up some of these gains. Another argument in favor of DST is that it cuts down on traffic accidents when people drive home in the evening (although there is some evidence that traffic accidents are higher than normal on the first Monday of April, due to sleepy drivers).

Opponents of DST argue that the changing time results in disruption of sleep patterns and lost productivity. Farmers are especially opposed to DST, since they wake up with the sun regardless of what time it is.

Although DST is established by federal law, individual states can choose to exempt themselves from DST by passing a state law which covers the entire state. The three states that do not observe DST are Arizona, Indiana, and Hawaii.

Source: http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/index.html.

LITERARY GENIUS

John Paul II wrote an unbelievable amount during his lifetime, especially during his pontificate. A full collection of his works can be found at www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/index.htm. The following is the last Urbi et Orbi message he gave to the crowd before St. Peter’s Basilica on Easter Sunday of this year.

URBI ET ORBI
Pope John Paul II

Mane nobiscum, Domine!
Stay with us, Lord!
With these words, the disciples on the road to Emmaus
invited the mysterious Wayfarer
to stay with them, as the sun was setting
on that first day of the week
when the incredible had occurred.
According to his promise, Christ had risen;
but they did not yet know this.
Nevertheless, the words spoken by the Wayfarer along the road
made their hearts burn within them.
So they said to him: “Stay with us.”
Seated around the supper table,
they recognized him in the “breaking of bread”
—and suddenly he vanished.
There remained in front of them the broken bread,
There echoed in their hearts the gentle sound of his words.


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