More Daylight savings time?

[Lazybones]

 http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N06634337.htm

If the US does it I am sure well will too.

[Mr. Analog]

 I say, move it 30 minutes back and keep it there forever!

Policies like this reinforce the idea in the American public's eye that there is a supposed "petrochemical energy crisis" on the horizon which would make invading / deposing hard to deal with Governments and helping install eaiser to "negotiate with" leadership in certain Mid-East nations more of a priority.

There is tons of oil to be had by all, you just have to pay a bit more for it.

[Darren Dirt]

 The story behind the story: why is it okay to sneak in certain sorta-related details into more complex legislation.

Fauxnews Phoney Fawner: "Mr. Senator, why did you sign this bill allowing the Federal government to use your constituents' homes as target practice for the new flaming-ball-of-tar launcher prototypes?"

Senator: "What? I thought it was minimum-wage legislation! Stupid fine print!"

[Shayne]

 Uhh...doesnt moving daylight effect the WHOLE WORLD?

[Bryan]

 Daylight savings time also saves on the environment. more daylight during work hours means less electricity used. not just oil to be saved.

ps this is one of the funniest moments in the family guy, love this avatar.

[Thorin]

more daylight during work hours means less electricity used

Hmm, at our work, all of the electrical gadgets such as lights and computers stay on all day, regardless of the amount of daylight getting in.

Come to think of it, how does moving when the day starts change the amount of oil used?  Businesses are heated around the clock when its cold out.  People drive the same distance to work.  Streetlights are still on for the same number of hours out of a 24 hour day.  The same amount of plastic goods are used and discarded.  Transport trucks and diesel-electric trains drive the same distances.  So where's this magical savings coming from?

[Shayne]

 ...ya.  Where? (nice analysis Thorin)

[Thorin]

 The magic of Daylight Savings Time, by the way, is not that we have more daylight during working hours.  In fact, we're setting our clock back, so that at 6AM when we get up to go to work, it is once again dark out.  Rather, Daylight Savings Time allows us to have more daylight *after* work, which makes hanging out on the deck while barbequing with friends and family more likely to happen.  Given that barbequing with guests over leads to an *increase* in the use of propane/natural gas, and that people are more likely to use plastic plates and cutlery, wouldn't extending DST equate to an increase in petroleum-based products?

[Mr. Analog]

 Well, we turn the sun off earlier see? It runs on oil, natural gas and kittens...

[Thorin]

 Poor kittens...

DST actually works on the idea of leaving the sun on longer.  Think about it; they're talking about saving oil consumption because there is *more* sunlight.

[Bryan]

 not everybody works inside and starts at 6am. you know 9-5. id say most people start at 7 or 8 am. Id think that more people are inclined to walk to and from work or ride a bike, but id say lots of people would be deterred from that if their venture to work or after is dark, more people than none would probably rather not drive if one of those trips is made in the dark. street lights or not.

[Bryan]

 or might be so people stay active outside and burn more fuel

[Thorin]

 

it would save about 10,000 barrels of oil a day because offices and stores would be open while it was still light outside and therefore use less energy

They're saying here the energy savings would occur due to people who work inside.

Also, many many Canadians commute to work by car or bus or train because of the distance between where they live and where they work.  This behaviour won't change just because it starts getting light out later in the morning (after all, that's what DST does for us - it makes you get up when there is less sunlight, so that there is more sunlight when you're done work).  Most people won't walk or bike to work no matter what the weather and the lighting because they are, like me, time-challenged.  Why spend 90 minutes biking 20km, if you can drive it in 30 minutes?  Going both ways, biking would incur an extra two hours of useless time in my day.

I think the "experts" being quoted just made up some numbers, as so frequently occurs.  I doubt very much the veracity of their claims, and don't trust whatever "science" they may have undertaken to back up said claims.

[Shayne]

 92.34% of statistics are made up

[Mr. Analog]

92.34% of statistics are made up

30% of all people know that!