Beginning in 2007, most of the
United States begins Daylight Saving Time at 2:00 a.m. on the
second Sunday in March and reverts to standard time on the first
Sunday in November. In the U.S., each time zone switches at a
different time.
In the European Union,
Summer Time begins and ends at 1:00 a.m. Universal Time (Greenwich
Mean Time). It begins the last Sunday in March and ends the last
Sunday in October. In the EU, all time zones change at the same
moment.
During DST, clocks are turned
forward an hour, effectively moving an hour of daylight from the
morning to the evening
United States
European
Union
Year
DST Begins
at 2 a.m.
DST Ends
at 2 a.m.
Summertime
period begins
at 1 a.m. UT
Summertime
period ends
at 1 a.m. UT
2003
April 6
October 26
March 30
October 26
2004
April 4
October 31
March 28
October 31
2005
April 3
October 30
March 27
October 30
2006
April 2
October 29
March 26
October 29
2007
March 11
November 4
March 25
October 28
2008
March 9
November 2
March 30
October 26
2009
March 8
November 1
March 29
October 25
March 14
November 7
March 28
October 31
Date change in 2007
On August 8, 2005, President
George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
This Act changed the time change dates for Daylight Saving
Time in the U.S. Beginning in 2007, DST will begin on the
second Sunday in March and end the first Sunday in November.
The Secretary of Energy will report the impact of this
change to Congress. Congress retains the right to resume the
2005 Daylight Saving Time schedule once the Department of
Energy study is complete.
Spelling and grammar
The official spelling is
Daylight Saving Time, not Daylight SavingS
Time.
Saving is used
here as a verbal adjective (a participle). It modifies
time and tells us more about its nature; namely, that it
is characterized by the activity of saving daylight. It is a
saving daylight kind of time. Similar examples would
be a mind expanding book or a man eating tiger.
Saving is used in the same way as saving a ball game,
rather than as a savings account.
Nevertheless, many people
feel the word savings (with an 's') flows more
mellifluously off the tongue. Daylight Savings Time
is also in common usage, and can be found in dictionaries.
Adding to the confusion
is that the phrase Daylight Saving Time is
inaccurate, since no daylight is actually saved.
Daylight Shifting Time would be better, but it is not
as politically desirable.
When in the morning?
In the U.S., clocks
change at 2:00 a.m. local time. In spring, clocks spring
forward from 1:59 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.; in fall, clocks fall
back from 1:59 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. In the EU, clocks change at
1:00 a.m. Universal Time. In spring, clocks spring forward
from 12:59 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.; in fall, clocks fall back from
1:59 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.
In the U.S., restaurants
and bars have various closing policies. In many states,
liquor cannot be served after 2:00 a.m. But at 2:00 a.m. in
the fall, the time switches back one hour. So, can they
serve alcohol for that additional hour in October? The
official answer is that the bars do not stop serving liquor
at 2:00 a.m., but actually at 1:59 a.m. So, they have
already stopped serving when the time changes from Daylight
Saving Time into Standard Time. In practice, however, many
establishments stay open an extra hour in the fall.
In the U.S., 2:00 a.m. was
originally chosen as the changeover time because it was
practical and minimized disruption. Most people were at home
and this was the time when the fewest trains were running.
It is late enough to minimally affect bars and restaurants,
and it prevents the day from switching to yesterday, which
would be confusing. It is early enough that the entire
continental U.S. switches by daybreak, and the changeover
occurs before most early shift workers and early churchgoers
are affected.
Some U.S. areas
For the U.S. and its
territories, Daylight Saving Time is NOT
observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the
Virgin Islands, and Arizona.
The Navajo Nation participates in the Daylight Saving Time
policy, even in Arizona, due to its large size and location
in three states.
A safety reminder
Many fire departments
encourage people to change the batteries in their smoke
detectors when they change their clocks because Daylight
Saving Time provides a convenient reminder. "A working smoke
detector more than doubles a person's chances of surviving a
home fire," says William McNabb of the Troy Fire Department
in Michigan. More than 90 percent of homes in the United
States have smoke detectors, but one-third are estimated to
have dead or missing batteries.
March 13, 2007
District Board Meeting
At 7:00 am, the District Board
will come to order at the USDA Service Center, 909 E. Avenue A in
Cimarron. These are public meetings and the public are
encouraged to attend. The election of officers will take place
at this Board Meeting, with a new member signing his Oath for a 3
year term. Jon Goossen of Montezuma is replacing Kevin Redger,
Board Chairperson, Montezuma.
AGENDA
March 17,
2007 St. Patrick's Day History
St
Patrick
is known as the patron saint of Ireland. True, he was not a born Irish.
But he has become an integral part of the Irish heritage, mostly through his
service across Ireland of the 5th century.
Patrick was born in the later half of the 4th century AD. There are
differing views about the exact year and place of his birth.
According to one school of opinion, he was born about 390 A.D., while the
other school says it is about 373 AD. Again, his birth place is said to be
in either
Scotland
or Roman England. His real name was probably Maewyn Succat.
Though Patricius was his Romanicized name, he was later came to be familiar
as Patrick.
Patrick was the son of Calpurnius, a
Roman-British army officer. He was growing up as naturally as other
kids in Britain. However, one day a band of pirates landed in south Wales
and kidnapped this boy along with many others. Then they sold him into
slavery in Ireland. The was there for 6 years, mostly imprisoned.
This was when changes came to him. He dreamed of having seen God.
Legend says, he was then dictated by God to escape with a
getaway
ship.
Finally, he did escape and went to Britain. And then to France. There
he joined a monastery and studied under St. Germain,
the bishop of Auxerre. He spent around 12 years in training. And when
he became a bishop he dreamed that the Irish were calling him back to
Ireland to tell them about God. The Confessio, Patrick's spiritual
autobiography, is the most important
document regarding this. It tells of a dream after his return to Britain, in
which one Victoricus delivered him a letter headed "The Voice of the Irish."
So he set out for Ireland with the Pope's
blessings. There he converted the Gaelic Irish, who were then mostly
Pagans,
to Christianity. He was confident in the Lord, he journeyed far and wide,
baptizing and confirming with untiring zeal. And, in a diplomatic fashion he
brought gifts to a kinglet here and a lawgiver there, but accepted none from
any.
Indeed, Patrick was quite successful at winning converts. Through
active preaching, he made important converts even
among the royal families. And this fact upset the
Celtic
Druids. Patrick was arrested several times, but escaped each time.
For 20 years he had traveled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries
across the country. He also set up schools and churches which would
aid him in his conversion. He developed a native clergy, fostered the
growth of monasticism,
established dioceses, and held church councils.
Patrick's doctrine is considered orthodox and has been interpreted as anti-Pelagian.
Although he is not particularly noted as a man of learning, a few of his
writings remain extant: his Confession, a reply to his detractors, and
several letters.
The Lorica ("Breastplate"), a famous
hymn
attributed to Patrick, may date to a later period.
By the end of the 7th century Patrick had become a legendary figure, and the
legends have continued to grow since then.
There are many legends associated with St Patrick. It is said that he
used the three-leafed shamrockto explain the concept of the Trinity; which refers to the
combination of Father, Son, and the
Holy
Spirit.
Hence its strong association with his day and name.
Legend also has that, Saint Patrick had put the curse of God on venomous
snakes in Ireland. And he drove all the snakes into the sea where they
drowned.
True, these are mostly legends. But,
after some 1500 years, these legends have been inseparably combined with the
facts.
And together they have helped us know much about the Saint and the
spirit
behind celebration of the day.
Patrick's mission in
Ireland
lasted for over 20 years. He died on March 17, AD 461. That day
has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day ever since. The day's spirit is
to celebrate the universal baptization of Ireland. Though originally a
Catholic holy day, St. Patrick's Day has evolved into more of a secular
holiday.
Or, rather, 'be an Irish Day '. And the Irish has borne it as part of
their national tradition in everywhere they populated and prospered. The
Catholic
feast day for this most loved of Irish saints has become a holiday in
celebration of the Irish and Irish culture. The
leprechaun, a
Celtic fairy, has become entrenched as a chief symbol for
this holiday, as is the
shamrock, an ancient symbol for the triple
goddess Brigit.
It is fitting that this holiday should fall at the time of the year when the
return of spring begins to seem at hand.
But why the icons like the green color, the tri-leafed shamrock, the
leprechaun, or the pot of gold and Blarney's
stone-
all came to be associated with the celebration of this Day?
March 21, 2007 First Day
of Spring
The Sun in the sky during the Spring and Fall Equinox in the Northern
hemisphere.
The Sun is at its lowest path in the sky on the Winter Solstice. After that
day the Sun follows a higher and higher path through the sky each day until
it is in the sky for exactly 12 hours. On the Spring Equinox the Sun rises
exactly in the east travels through the sky for 12 hours and sets exactly in
the west. On the Equinox this is the motion of the Sun through the sky for
everyone on earth. Every place on earth experiences a 12 hours day twice a
year on the Spring and Fall Equinox.
After the Spring Equinox, the Sun still continues to follow a higher and
higher path through the sky, with the days growing longer and longer, until
it reaches it highest point in the sky on the
Summer Solstice.
Gray County
