Hijack This Thread

[sugar magnolia]

Feeling cranky now. Had to draw upon every stateman cell in my body to compose a polite response to the hospital emergency department requesting us to "honor"the staff we received care from when she fell a few weeks ago. Down South you can simply write "Well bless your heart", but up here you have to lay down a few more words to express displeasure without outright cursing. Ugh.

Why are you trying to be polite?

[bill_g]

Feeling cranky now. Had to draw upon every stateman cell in my body to compose a polite response to the hospital emergency department requesting us to "honor"the staff we received care from when she fell a few weeks ago. Down South you can simply write "Well bless your heart", but up here you have to lay down a few more words to express displeasure without outright cursing. Ugh.

Why are you trying to be polite?

To clearly express our displeasure in twenty words or less to someone who wasn't in the room that day. They don't deserve my bile.

[Estiveo]

This is kinda cool.

[bill_g]

Someone is very skilled with their joystick. Fascinating flight.

[neonzx]

Is it real or CGI cause the people don't look completely proper, imho?

[Maybenaut]

Feeling cranky now. Had to draw upon every stateman cell in my body to compose a polite response to the hospital emergency department requesting us to "honor"the staff we received care from when she fell a few weeks ago. Down South you can simply write "Well bless your heart", but up here you have to lay down a few more words to express displeasure without outright cursing. Ugh.

Why are you trying to be polite?

To clearly express our displeasure in twenty words or less to someone who wasn't in the room that day. They don't deserve my bile.

I had a similar experience. Went to the ER in full-on anaphylactic shock. Only one there to greet me was a kiosk. Scrolled thru several screens of symptoms, had to select "other" and typed in "severe allergic reaction". They came running right out. But still.

Then a few weeks later they sent me a survey, and I said something to the effect of, "Rather than being greeted by a kiosk, I would have preferred to be greeted by an actual human being displaying an appropriate balance of concern an professional competence." The hospital came back with something like, "Yeah, but how was the treatment you received."

[AndyinPA]

It's actually shocking to me that an ER would do that.

[tek]

The hospital came back with something like, "Yeah, but how was the treatment you received."

"fortunate"

[Flatpoint High]

Garland1..png (310.99 KiB) Viewed 4482 times

[pjhimself]

Last clock change ?

As Americans prepare to “spring forward” an hour into daylight saving time this weekend, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators is seeking to do away with the twice yearly clock changes altogether.

Under the “Sunshine Protection Act of 2021,” daylight saving time would be made permanent and the majority of the U.S. — Hawaii and parts of Arizona already don’t observe the time changes — would not have to “fall back” come again November.

The legislation was introduced Tuesday by Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Mississippi, Rick Scott, R-Florida, and Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts.

“The call to end the antiquated practice of clock changing is gaining momentum throughout the nation,” Rubio noted in a news release announcing the bipartisan effort.

So far, 15 states have seen similar laws, resolutions, or voter initiatives approved to make DST permanent, according to the release. Those states are: Arkansas, Alabama, California, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

In California, for example, voters back in 2018 overwhelmingly passed Proposition 7 in an effort to establish year-round daylight saving time. Since then, however, legislation seeking federal authorization to do so has stalled in the legislature.

And for the states trying to abolish time changes, therein lies the roadblock: the U.S. government. That’s because for the changes to take effect, a federal statute must first be changed — which is precisely what “The Sunshine Protection” seeks to accomplish.

The legislation would put an end to the practice of daylight saving time. It would apply to states that currently observe the approximately eight-month-long daylight saving time period. This year, it begins March 14 and ends Nov. 7.

RELATED CONTENT

California among dozens of states waiting for Congress to decide on permanent Daylight Saving Time
Entire West Coast Moves Closer to Making Daylight Saving Time Permanent
Daylight Saving Time Ends Sunday; Here’s How It Affects Health
“Springing forward and falling back year after year only creates unnecessary confusion while harming Americans’ health and our economy,” Wyden said in the release. “Making Daylight Saving permanent would give folks an hour back of sunshine during the winter months when we need it most.”

The U.S. originally enacted DST because of Germany’s effort to conserve fuel in 1916 during World War 1, according to a fact sheet released by Rubio’s office. In 2015, Congress extended the period of time it was observed, from six to eight months.

The country has also gone through periods where daylight saving time was permanent, including from 1942 to 1945, and 1974 to 1975, the fact sheet stated.

While many consider changing clocks and adjusting to the time change a nuisance, studies bear out that it can also have negative consequences on people’s health and well-being.

“Studies have found year-round Daylight Saving Time would improve public health, public safety, and mental health– especially important during this cold and dark COVID winter,” Markey said in the release.

Implementing year-round time change has been found to reduce cardiac issues, stroke, seasonal depression and childhood obesity, according to the release.

Other potential effects include a decrease in the number of car crashes, which see brief spikes at the start of DST, likely the result of people losing sleep with the loss of an hour, according to research.

Other studies have shown that daylight saving time benefits the economy, lessens energy usage and even reduces the number of robberies, according to the fact sheet.

“The public safety improvements, economic benefits, and the wellbeing of the American people are all excellent and credible reasons to embrace year-long Daylight Saving Time,” Hyde-Smith said in the release.

This isn’t the first time legislation has been introduced to do away with DST, however. Previous versions of the “Sunshine Protection Act” introduced by Rubio were referred to the Senate’s Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, but never received a hearing.

It’s unclear yet whether the Senate will take up the latest legislation.

https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/u-s-s ... e-changes/

[roadscholar]

On December 21st in Baltimore, the sun rises (now) at 7:23am. If DST were permanent, it would rise at 8:23am. So, a lot of commuting in pitch-dark. Great.

[MN-Skeptic]

On December 21st in Baltimore, the sun rises (now) at 7:23am. If DST were permanent, it would rise at 8:23am. So, a lot of commuting in pitch-dark. Great.

I know that much of the concern about permanent DST was the issue of children waiting in the dark for school buses.

Of course, all would be moot if you started school - or business hours - one hour later during the shortest days of the year. Sort of going back to standard time without the clock changes.

[zekeb]

The sun should be high overhead at noon, every 30 degrees longitude. Yes, if you want more play time in the evening, turn your starting time back an hour. The old idea that DST saves energy is bogus. With our present lifestyles, I suspect that DST causes us to consume more energy. I've always hated getting up in the dark. I don't care much for seeing the sun at 9:00 PM either.

[MN-Skeptic]

I don't like getting up in the dark either, but that's solved by never scheduling early appointments, i.e. anything before 11am. I love being retired! And, since I am an evening person, I love having the sun still up at 9PM.

[AndyinPA]

Interesting, but early days yet.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/m ... s-governor

Matthew McConaughey has announced he is “seriously considering” a run for Texas governor, a year before the state election.

The actor revealed his intention on a recent episode of Crime Stoppers of Houston’s The Balanced Voice podcast on Wednesday. He told the host, Rania Mankarious, that running for governor was a “true consideration”.

“I’m looking into now again, what is my leadership role?” he said. “Because I do think I have some things to teach and share, and what is my role? What’s my category in my next chapter of life that I’m going into?”

If McConaughey launches a gubernatorial campaign, he will face Greg Abbott, a Republican who is up for re-election.

[northland10]

When I lived in Western Michigan, it was dark in the am, even during EST. I moved to Eastern Illinois and now we have dark at 4:30pm during CST. While I am a morning person, I have never gotten used to it being dark at 4:30.

[Maybenaut]

When I lived in Alaska it never really got dark in summer and never really got light in winter. And I worked 3-on/3-off shifts that altered between day and night. I never knew what day it was and I never knew what time it was. This was before cellphones, so I always had a watch showing the day and date (and always carried a spare) plus a pocket calendar with me.

[zekeb]

The north and south ends of the calendar bite no matter how you set your clocks. Too much or too little. You can move way down south and alleviate some of the problem, but the earth tilts on its axis and we can't change that.

[noblepa]

On December 21st in Baltimore, the sun rises (now) at 7:23am. If DST were permanent, it would rise at 8:23am. So, a lot of commuting in pitch-dark. Great.

Didn't we try staying on DST all year, back in the seventies, when the fuel crisis first hit? I believe it was in the Nixon administration. The idea was supposed to save fuel, somehow.

They did not repeat the experiment because a lot of people complained that their young children had to wait in the cold and dark, for their school buses.

[roadscholar]

There's a lot about the seventies I don't remember.

[tek]

Congress ordered states to go on year-round Daylight Saving Time between January 1974 and April 1975

I remember that. Junior year of high school. We were on split schedules because of overcrowding, so my classes started at 7:05am.
We were into second period before the sun came up.

[MN-Skeptic]

I could have sworn it was later than this, but it was 1974 when the U.S. stayed on DST all year long. I was in college at that time so it didn't make a big impression on me other than noting it in the news.

[Lani]

We just have Hawaii Time here. I love it. I disliked clock changes twice a year on the mainland.

[AndyinPA]

Congress ordered states to go on year-round Daylight Saving Time between January 1974 and April 1975

I remember that. Junior year of high school. We were on split schedules because of overcrowding, so my classes started at 7:05am.
We were into second period before the sun came up.

I remember it being called Tricky Dicky time.

[MN-Skeptic]