Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Mar 11, 2011

Set yer clocks AHEAD an hour:

Couple of facts about DST: It's Saving Time, not Savings Time. Nevertheless, many people feel the word savings (with an 's') flows better, and "Daylight Savings Time" is also in common usage, and can be found in dictionaries. In the European Union, everybody sets their clocks ahead a couple of weeks from now on Mar 27. This can be a real pain if you're traveling, by the way, and get caught in between. Happened to me one year.

Setting your clocks:

There's a few sites which you can depend on for accurate time:
   --The US Naval Observatory website
   --US Clock Website (www.time.gov)
   --World Clock
   --FYI: World Clock also has a list of countries which do not turn their clocks back HERE.

The whole concept of Daylight Saving Time is thought to have begun with BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, who wrote a letter to a French journal in 1874, noting that Parisians could save thousands of francs a years by waking up earlier during the summer because it would prevent them from having to buy so many candles to light the evening hours. Aha!
   However, in the U-S, it really didn't start until WWI, when Congress decided to give the idea a try in 1918 in an effort to save energy. They passed the law in the same act that created standard time zones, but it wasn't very popular and was repealed the following year.
   Then, in 1942, during the next big war, President FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT (that would be FDR) tried out a concept he called "War Time," which set the clocks permanently an hour earlier all-year 'round to save energy. After the war ended in 1945, most of the states adopted a summer-only time change.

Daylight Saving Time is:

not observed: in Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, and most of the state of Arizona (although not the Navajo Indian Reservation, which does observe). The Navajo Nation participates in the Daylight Saving Time policy due to its large size and location in three states.
   Overseas, about 70 countries observe Daylight Saving Time; most of Europe sets their clocks ahead Sun, Mar 27. China and Japan are two countries which do not.

Many fire departments encourage people to change the battery in your smoke detector when you change their clocks. A startling statistic: more than 90 percent of homes in the United States have smoke detectors, but one-third are estimated to have worn-out or missing batteries.

Factoid:

50% or more of insomnia cases are related to anxiety, psychological stress or depression. (Source: Sleep Disorders Journal)

Guilty Pleasures:

No winner in Tuesday night's drawing for the Mega Millions Lottery. That means tonight's drawing is valued at $151 million ($94.3 million cash value). Mega Millions is played in 42 states and Washington DC. Chances of winning the big prize are 1 in 175.7 million.

Watercooler:

St. Patrick's Day is shaping up to be quite a party. Some 52% of Americans plan to celebrate the March 17 holiday --a big jump from 45% last year, and the highest level since the National Retail Federation began tracking eight years ago.
   This doesn't translate into a bonanza for retailers, however. Per-person spending is expected to rise less than a buck to $34. Total spending is expected to reach $4.14 billion.
   BIGResearch's survey of more than 8,000 adults, found that 102 million people (83%) plan to honor the shamrock by wearing something green; 31% say they'll go to a party at a bar or restaurant --also a record. Probably helps that the holiday falls on a Thursday this year.
   A healthy 41 million (34%) will make a special dinner, 31 million people (25%) will decorate their home or office and 23 million (19%) will attend a private party.
   People in the West are most likely to wear green, at 86% while those in the Northeast are least likely to do so, at 79%. Men are slightly more likely to get in the spirit of the day, with 54% participating and 51% of women plan to (green is such an unforgiving color! --Kaye)