Daylight Saving Time Anecdotes Selected

8/3/2019 Daylight Saving Time Anecdotes Selected

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DAYLIGHT

SAVING TIME

Fill in gaps 1 to 12 w ith a suitable word from the box below. There are threewords that you do not need to use

SHIFTS, ERROR-PRONE, PRACTISE, PRAISED, OCCASIONALLY, DIFFER,PRACTICE, TIED, GOAL, LESS, FORMERLY, PARADOXICALLY, BACKWARD,TEMP ORARILY, VARIES

Daylight saving time (DST)also summer time in several countries including in BritishEnglish is the practice of (1)____________ advancing clocks during the summertime so thatafternoons have more daylight and mornings have less. Typically clocks are adjusted forwardone hour near the start of spring and are adjusted (2)____________ in autumn. Modern DSTwas first proposed in 1895 by George Vernon Hudson, and many countries have used it sincethen; details vary by location and change (3)____________.

The (4)____________ has been both (5)____________ and criticized. Adding daylight toafternoons benefits retailing, sports, and other activities that exploit sunlight after working hours,but causes problems for farming, evening entertainment and other occupations(6)____________ to the sun. Its effect on health and crime is (7)____________ clear. Although

an early (8)____________ of DST was to reduce evening usage of incandescent lighting,(9)____________ a primary use of electricity, modern heating and cooling usage patterns(10)____________ greatly, and research about how DST currently affects energy use is limitedor contradictory.

DST clock (11)____________ present other challenges. They complicate timekeeping, and candisrupt meetings, travel, billing, recordkeeping, medical devices, heavy equipment, and sleeppatterns. Software can often adjust computer clocks automatically, but this can be limited and(12)____________, particularly when DST protocols are changed.

Incidents and Anecdotes

Throughout its long and fascinating history, daylight saving time has had a

remarkable impact on a wide variety of unexpected areas. Match headings A-I to

paragraphs 1-7. There are two headings you do not need to use.

A. MORE MUGGI NGS

B. RESCHEDULING

C. ATTACK THWARTED

D. M ANSLAUGHTER CHARGES

E. GATHERING CANDY

F. CIVI L DISOBEDIENCE

G. SAVED BY THE BELL

H. WHI CH SIBLIN G IS OLDER?

I. VOTER TURNOUT


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1.

A man, born just after 12:00 a.m. DST, circumvented the

Vietnam War draft by using a daylight saving time

loophole. When drafted, he argued that standard time, not

DST, was the official time for recording births in his state of

Delaware in the year of his birth. Thus, under official

standard time he was actually born on the previous day--

and that day had a much higher draft lottery number,

allowing him to avoid the draft.

2.

In September 1999, the West Bank was on Daylight Saving Time while Israel had

just switched back to standard time. West Bank terrorists prepared time bombs and

smuggled them to their Israeli counterparts, who misunderstood the time on the

bombs. As the bombs were being planted, they exploded--one hour too early--killing

three terrorists instead of the intended victims--two busloads of people.

3.

Through 2006, Daylight Saving Time in the U.S. ended a

few days before Halloween (October 31). Childrenspedestrian deaths are four times higher on Halloween than

on any other night of the year. A new law to extend DST to

the first Sunday in November took effect in 2007, with the

purpose of providing trick-or-treaters more light and

therefore more safety from traffic accidents. For decades,

sweet manufacturers lobbied for a Daylight Saving Time

extension to Halloween, as many of the young trick-or-treaters collecting sweets are

not allowed out after dark, and thus an added hour of light means a big holiday treatfor the sweet industry. Anecdotally, the 2007 switch may not have had much effect,

as it appeared that children simply waited until dark to go trick-or-treating.

4.

Patrons of bars that stay open past 2:00 a.m. lose one hour of drinking time on the

day when Daylight Saving Time springs forward one hour. This has led to annual

problems in numerous locations, and sometimes even to riots. For example, at a

"time disturbance" in Athens, Ohio, site of Ohio University, over 1,000 students and


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other late night partiers chanted "Freedom," as they threw liquor bottles at the police

attempting to control the riot.

5.

To keep to their published timetables, trains cannot leave astation before the time they are due to. So, when the

clocks fall back one hour in October, all Amtrak trains in the

U.S. that are running on time stop at 2:00 a.m. and wait

one hour before resuming. Overnight passengers are often

surprised to find their train at a dead stop and their travel

time an hour longer than expected. At the spring Daylight

Saving Time change, trains instantaneously become an

hour behind at 2:00 a.m., but they just keep going and do their best to make up thetime.

6.

A study by the U.S. Law Enforcement Assistance Administration found that crime was

consistently less during periods of Daylight Saving Time than during comparable

standard time periods. Data showed violent crime down 10 to 13 percent. It is clear

that for most crimes where darkness is a factor there are many more incidents after

dusk than before dawn, so light in the evening is most welcome.

7.

While twins born at 11:55 p.m. and 12:05 a.m. may have different birthdays,

Daylight Saving Time can change birth order -- on paper, anyway. During the time

change in the fall, one baby could be born at 1:55 a.m. and its twin brother or sister

born ten minutes later, at 1:05 a.m. In the spring, there is a gap when no babies are

born at all: from 2:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.

In November 2007, Laura Cirioli of North Carolina gave birth to Peter at 1:32 a.m.

and, 34 minutes later, to Allison. However, because Daylight Saving Time reverted to

Standard Time at 2:00 a.m., Allison was born at 1:06 a.m.


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Listening comprehension.

Listen to a sleep researcher in this podcast from Scientific American(http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=waking-in-the-dark-daylight-saving-09-03-06) about the effects of Daylight Saving Timein our bodies and answer the questions below.

1. Two years ago DST ____________________________ early so as to save energy.

2. DST means more ______________ for people likely to suffer from winter

depression.

3. Michael Terman is a ______________________________ at Columbia University.

4. Light gets us ready to wake up and alerts our brain to increase

___________________

5. When were forced to wake in darkness, we feel like its _____________

________________ and thats why were __________________

6. According to Terman there is more depression on the

___________________________ of time zones.

7. The simplest way to avoid these negative effects of DST is to use a

__________________ to create gradual light.

OVER TO YOU

- What do you think about DST?

- How does it affect you personally?

- What are the pros and cons of this measure? Think of all the areas it can have an impact

on.


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KEY KEY KEY

Ticking clock indeed. Already its time to turn clocks forward one hour this Sunday morning,

March 8th.

Two years ago Congress ordered Daylight Saving Time to launch three weeks early, in an effort

to save energy. More evening light may mean less electricity used.

But it also means more blues for those prone to winter depression. The change sets us back to

mid-January in terms of morning light, according to Michael Terman, a biological rhythms expert

at Columbia University.

Light is what preps us for waking, alerting the brain to increase body temperature and cortisol,

and decrease melatonin. When were forced to wake in darkness, we feel like its the middle of

the night, and from our bodys perspective it is, and were tired.

Termans recent research shows there is more depression on the western edges of time zones in

the U.S., where the sun rises later.

Simplest way to combat this, says David Avery, professor of psychiatry at the University of

Washington, is to use a dawn simulator, a device that creates gradual light, or program your

bedside lamp to turn on about 20 minutes before you wake up.

Day light sav ing time (DST)a lso summe r time in several countries including in British

English is the p rac tic e of tem porarily ad vanc ing clocks during the summ ertime so tha t

a fternoo ns have more daylight and mornings ha ve less. Typ ica lly c loc ks a re a d justed

forwa rd o ne hour near the sta rt of spring a nd a re a d justed backward in autumn. Mod ern

DST was first p roposed in 1895 by Ge orge Vernon Hud son, and many c ountries ha ve

used it since then; details vary by location and c hang e oc c asiona lly.

The practice has been both praised and criticized. Adding daylight to afternoons benefitsretailing, sports, and other activities that exploit sunlight after working hours, but causesproblems for farming, evening entertainment and other occupations tied to the sun. Itseffect on health and crime is less clear. Although an early goal of DST was to reduceevening usage of incandescent lighting, formerly a primary use of electricity, modernheating and cooling usage patterns differ greatly, and research about how DST currentlyaffects energy use is limited or contradictory.

DST clock shifts present other challenges. They complicate timekeeping, and can disrupt

meetings, travel, billing, recordkeeping, medical devices, heavy equipment, and sleep patterns.

Software can often adjust computer clocks automatically, but this can be limited and error-prone,

particularly when DST protocols are changed.

Daylight Saving Time Anecdotes Selected

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