Daylight Savings Time (DST)

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Daylight Savings Time (DST)

***** Location: Worldwide
***** Season: Spring
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

DST Daylight Savings Time, Summer Time

In Europe, I suspect that Daylight Saving Time refers (if at all) to Summer Time rather than Winter Time. In winter, we are following the "natural" time for this part of the earth -- the UK and Ireland reverting to Greenwich Mean Time, and Central Europe situated at one hour ahead of GMT. It is in summer that we save daylight by altering time, such as to have unnaturally (and beautifully!) long evenings...

In Europe (25 countries of the EU plus several additional countries), the start of Summer Time is the last Sunday of March, while the end of Summer Time / start of Winter Time is the last Sunday of October.

In the 80s, the changeover to Winter Time was at the end of September in most of Europe, with only Ireland and the UK changing at the end of October -- making October the month of the year when I used to ring people at particularly unsuitable times... ! Meanwhile, it has seemed somehow tempting to make Summer last for an extra month – and so October was co-opted into summer. Historically, the beginning of these time changes was in the 70s, if I remember well.

But there was an antecedent in the Daylight Saving Time of World War II in the UK. Iam rather vague here though...

Isabelle Prondzynski

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http://media.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/i/photos/sunflower.jpg

Just as sunflowers turn their heads to catch every sunbeam, so too have we discovered a simple way to get more from our sun.
We've learned to save energy and enjoy sunny summer evenings by switching our clocks an hour forward in the summer.

Here is a link to learn more about the DST.
From Benjamin Franklin to the Present.
http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/
http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/c.html

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Worldwide use

USA

In America this refers to the moving of the clocks back one hour on the final sunday morning of october. the days have been shortening, with later dawns and earlier sunsets. This shift backward of one hour allows for more 'daylight' when people are up and about. although i find it personally wrenching, as i follow the seasons closely, it does make for greater safety for kids walking to school and waiting for the schoolbuses, as passing cars have a chance to see the children!
the way we remember 'daylight savings time' and its counterpart 'standard time' is the saying 'spring forward, fall back'. this is a jokey way to remember which way to move your clock hands.

Susan Delaney

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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

daylight savings
the windshield bugs
early

susan delphine delaney

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Sommerzeit, ade.
Heut verlängere ich denTag
mit Kerzenlicht.

Summertime gone
Today I prolong my day
With candle light
(Tr. Gabi Greve)

Elke Jagst
http://home.t-online.de/home/elke.jagst/haiku-herbst.html

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Related words

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