Something strange happening this year..

[astr0144]

Something strange happening this year..
In the past several years as far as I recall, there is usually a difference of just 2 weeks between the Clock change times
in the USA and UK in the Spring time...

This year, for some reason there is 3 weeks in between.

March 8th 2015 in the USA and March 29th 2015 in the UK.

I usually have observed this over the last 10 years or more..
But have not checked it as yet to compare say 15 or more years in the past to see if it may have occurred ever before.

So

I am wondering Why ? as I do not recall this happening before and find it rather strange..

and there is only a weeks difference when they changes again in the autumn ..

There is a Total Solar  Eclipse on the  20th March 2015 that is visible in the Northern UK..Mainly Islands above Scotland.

                       ---------------------------------

USA Clock Change dates and Times


8 Mar 2015 - Daylight Saving Time Started
When local standard time was about to reach
Sunday, 8 March 2015, 02:00:00 clocks were turned forward 1 hour to
Sunday, 8 March 2015, 03:00:00 local daylight time instead


1 Nov 2015 - Daylight Saving Time Ends
When local daylight time is about to reach
Sunday, 1 November 2015, 02:00:00 clocks are turned backward 1 hour to
Sunday, 1 November 2015, 01:00:00 local standard time instead

http://www.timeanddate.com/time/change/usa/new-york?year=2015


UK Clock Change dates and Times

29 Mar 2015 - Daylight Saving Time Starts
When local standard time is about to reach
Sunday, 29 March 2015, 01:00:00 clocks are turned forward 1 hour to
Sunday, 29 March 2015, 02:00:00 local daylight time instead


25 Oct 2015 - Daylight Saving Time Ends
When local daylight time is about to reach
Sunday, 25 October 2015, 02:00:00 clocks are turned backward 1 hour to
Sunday, 25 October 2015, 01:00:00 local standard time instead.


http://www.timeanddate.com/time/change/uk/london?year=2015

[Shasta56]

The difference is due to the government ignoring the wishes and common sense if the people in the US.  Personal opinion.

Shasta

[starwarp2000]

April 5th this year in Australia! Go figure?

[Pimander]

The whole thing is complete nonsense.  Leave the funking clock alone*.  Tampering with your biological clock is very bad for health.


*ETA: By that I mean no changes all year - ever, anywhere.

[space otter]

P
I agree it would be great if they would leave it alone..because I have dabbled in astrology I can tell you that it's a big mess..not everyone observes it. ..military bases don't they go by military time.. all the time.and then we have the time zones..
I have two very large books alone for the time changes and if I wanted to do any recent ( last a5 years) I would need two more books..that's how bloody often they mess with the time

here's some history.,. if anyone is interested





http://www.timeanddate.com/time/dst/history.html

History of Daylight Saving Time - DST


Today, Daylight Saving Time (DST) is used to save energy and make better use of daylight. The idea has been suggested in ancient times and later by famous scientists.


DST is a change in the standard time with the purpose of making better use of daylight and conserving energy.

Clocks are set ahead one hour when DST starts. This means that the sunrise and sunset will be one hour later, on the clock, than the day before.



Ancient Civilizations

Although DST has only been used for about 100 years, the idea was conceived many years before. Ancient civilizations are known to have engaged in a practice similar to modern DST where they would adjust their daily schedules to the Sun's schedule. For example, the Roman water clocks used different scales for different months of the Year.

Benjamin Franklin

American inventor and politician Benjamin Franklin wrote an essay called "An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light" to the editor of The Journal of Paris in 1784. In the essay, he suggested, although jokingly, that Parisians could economize candle usage by getting people out of bed earlier in the morning, making use of the natural morning light instead.

George Vernon Hudson

A major contributor to the invention of DST was New Zealand entomologist George Vernon Hudson. In 1895, Hudson presented a paper to the Wellington Philosophical Society, proposing a two-hour shift forward in October and a two-hour shift back in March.

Seasons are opposite in the Earth's two hemispheres ?

Hudson followed up his proposal with an article in 1898, and although there was interest in the idea, it was never followed through.

William Willett

Independently from Hudson, British builder William Willett proposed the introduction of DST in 1905. He suggested setting the clocks ahead 20 minutes on each of the four Sundays in April, and switching them back by the same amount on each of the four Sundays in September, a total of eight DST switches per year.

Willett's Daylight Saving plan caught the attention of Robert Pearce who introduced a bill to the House of Commons in February 1908. The first Daylight Saving Bill was drafted in 1909, presented to Parliament several times and examined by a select committee. However, the idea was opposed by many, especially farmers, and thus the bill was never made into a law. Willett died in 1915 without getting the chance to see his idea come to life.

DST first used in Europe

Germany was the first country to implement DST. Clocks there were first turned forward at 11:00 p.m. (23:00) on April 30, 1916.

DST history in Europe ?

The rationale was to minimize the use of artificial lighting in order to save fuel for the war effort during World War I. The idea was quickly followed by Britain and many other countries, including the United States. Many countries reverted back to standard time post-World War I. It wasn't until the next World War that DST made its return in many countries in order to save vital energy resources for the war.

History of DST in the United States

In the U.S., Daylight Saving Time – or "fast time", as it was called then – was first introduced in 1918 when President Woodrow Wilson signed it into law to support the war effort during World War I. The initiative was sparked by Robert Garland, a Pittsburgh industrialist who had encountered the idea in the United Kingdom. A passionate campainer for the use of DST in the United States, he is often called the "father of Daylight Saving".

Seasonal time change was repealed just seven months later. However, some cities – including Pittsburgh, Boston, and New York – continued to use it until President Franklin D. Roosevelt instituted year-round DST in the United States in 1942.

"War Time" in the U.S.

Year-round DST, also called "War Time", was in force during World War II, from February 9, 1942 to September 30, 1945. The change was implemented 40 days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and during this time, the U.S. time zones were called "Eastern War Time", "Central War Time", and "Pacific War Time". After the surrender of Japan in mid-August 1945, the time zones were relabeled "Peace Time".

Britain applied "Double Summer Time" during World War II by setting the clocks two hours ahead of GMT during the summer and one hour ahead of GMT during the winter.

Modern DST in the U.S.

In the United States, DST caused widespread confusion from 1945 to 1966 for trains, buses and the broadcasting industry because states and localities were free to choose when and if they would observe DST. Congress decided to end the confusion and establish the Uniform Time Act of 1966 that stated DST would begin on the last Sunday of April and end on the last Sunday of October. However, states still had the ability to be exempt from DST by passing a local ordinance.

The U.S. Congress extended DST to a period of ten months in 1974 and eight months in 1975, in hopes to save energy following the 1973 oil embargo. The trial period showed that DST saved the energy equivalent of 10,000 barrels of oil each day, but DST still proved to be controversial. Many complained that the dark winter mornings endangered the lives of children going to school. After the energy crisis was over in 1976, the U.S. changed their DST schedule again to begin on the last Sunday in April. DST was amended again to begin on the first Sunday in April in 1987. Further changes were made after the introduction of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Daylight Saving or Savings?

Daylight Saving Today

Daylight Saving Time (sometimes called Daylight Savings Time) is now in use in over 70 countries worldwide and affects over a billion people every year. The beginning and end dates vary from one country to another. The European Union adopted the "Summer Time" period that was used in the United Kingdom for many years, where DST begins on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October.
?DST changes in the U.S. (Washington DC)
?DST changes in the United Kingdom (London)
?DST changes in Europe (Paris)

The DST schedule in the U.S. was revised several times throughout the years. From 1987 to 2006, the country observed DST for about seven months each year. The current schedule was introduced in 2007 and follows the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which extended the period by about one month. Today, DST starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. Currently, most of the United States observes DST except for Hawaii and most of Arizona, as well as the U.S. insular areas of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam.




also      http://www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/c.html

[Pimander]

The whole thing is just dumb on so many levels.

It is supposed to get dark at the time it gets dark.  The whole point of a clock is to measure time.  It defeats the object to change it because it gets dark at an inconvenient time.

The only changes we make to the time should be the tiny ones that keep us synchronised with the movement of the spheres, especially the Earth's position relative to the Sun.

[zorgon]

Arizona doesn't mess with the clock  

[Pimander]

Arizona doesn't mess with the clock

Somewhere sane!  Does it take surviving in a desert to cause sanity?

It lives! 

I hope all sorted at home mate.  I'll leave the messenger thing on for a chat when we both have an hour or two.

[zorgon]

Somewhere sane!  Does it take surviving in a desert to cause sanity?

Yes  The wide open spaces, the clear air does tend to clear the mind. That was the main reason John maintained the Mine.. he wasn't actually mining in the later years  just a get away retreat at 4000 feet. You could see the CRITTERS easily with night vision googles

I don't think I could ever go back to the big city life LOL

[zorgon]

The desert explodes in color at this time of year but hundreds of square miles with no one around 







No snow all winter this year cept for the first week in March after storm THOR left us some

[zorgon]

[Pimander]

I like the idea of cycling, without rain, for 50 miles and only seeing the odd car.  It is deadly in the UK in winter with the crowded roads and wet.  It is a miracle I'm alive!

This was today near me.



A teenage cyclist was left covered in blood at the side of a road after a motorist drove off following a collision in Sheffield's early morning rush hour.

Now his angry mum has issued a photograph of the injured youngster in a bid to encourage witnesses to come forward.
Taron Stead Taron Stead

Taron Stead, aged 17, from Walkley, was cycling to work when he was involved in a collision with a silver Ford, possibly a Focus or Mondeo, on Crookes Valley Road, at its junction with Mushroom Lane, Crookesmoor.

The IT apprentice told police the driver of the car stopped initially and a woman passenger got out of the vehicle, told the teenager there were children in the car who were upset and that she did not want them to be late for school.
SOURCE: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/cyclist-left-covered-in-blood-after-collision-in-sheffield-1-7149791

[zorgon]

Friend of mine from Paris came to visit. He is the main attraction we were going to have for the theme park.

He is a true Celt from Burgundy and loves the Apache

He went out to Death Valley and I have a photo of him standing on a cliff  with miles and miles in front of him with no one in sight

He couldn't believe it was real LOL

Here is a typical highway out here  (obviously not the main interstate) but there are hundreds of roads like this



The Salt Flats   

[Pimander]

Looks like a good training run to me. 

[astr0144]

I assume that you have been to Death Valley also "Z"..

I visited it a few years ago, and it has the lowest point in the USA..and may be the hottest place in the USA...or one of the hottest on the planet.

Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the point of the lowest elevation in North America, at 282 feet (86 m) below sea level.



Furnace Creek inn was unusual with the view out to the surrounding valley.I think its like an oasis with the Palm Trees  and with a water spring..





Death Valley's Furnace Creek holds the record for the highest reliably reported air temperature in the world, 134 °F (56.7 °C) on July 10, 1913.

On the way to Dantes Peak, with the best view of the valley, I would think...It was the quietist place that I have ever experienced..I could hear my own heart beat..but no other sound what so ever..complete silence..No wind, birds , cars or people in
certain places.

It almost sent me insane   ..

Friend of mine from Paris came to visit. He is the main attraction we were going to have for the theme park.

He is a true Celt from Burgundy and loves the Apache

He went out to Death Valley and I have a photo of him standing on a cliff  with miles and miles in front of him with no one in sight

He couldn't believe it was real LOL

Here is a typical highway out here  (obviously not the main interstate) but there are hundreds of roads like this

Only for you fitness fanatics maybe.. .In the Summer the temperatures would be unbearable to the average person.

Looks like a good training run to me.