BernieBaby could well beat last year’s Ruth Bader Ginsberg. pic.twitter.com/mCbbZVrprQ
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) October 31, 2015
Undoubtedly someone will point out that the ‘science’ is pretty dubious, but here’s an argument for everybody here who hates early sunsets, from the Washington Post:
Making daylight saving time permanent — by never “falling back” again — could save the country billions a year in social costs by reducing rapes and robberies that take place in the evening hours, according to a forthcoming paper by researchers at the Brookings Institution and Cornell University.
In 2007, Congress increased the period of daylight saving time (DST henceforth) by four weeks, adding three weeks in the spring and one in the fall. “This produced a useful natural experiment for our paper,” authors Jennifer Doleac and Nicholas Sanders write at Brookings, “which helped us isolate the effect of daylight from other seasonal factors that might affect crime.” They found that “when DST begins in the spring, robbery rates for the entire day fall an average of 7 percent, with a much larger 27 percent drop during the evening hour that gained some extra sunlight.”
The mechanism that might cause this drop is fairly simple: “Most street crime occurs in the evening around common commuting hours of 5 to 8 PM,” the authors write, “and more ambient light during typical high-crime hours makes it easier for victims and passers-by to see potential threats and later identify wrongdoers.”
Moreover, according to the paper, the drop in crime during evening hours wasn’t accompanied by a rise in crime during the morning hours. Criminals aren’t morning people, as it turns out….
Apart from stumbling around in the early dark, what’s on the agenda for the remainder of the weekend?
NFL Open Thread
redshirt
This is a compelling argument and I hope it outweighs the opinion of the 2124 farmers left in America.
Mnemosyne (tablet)
If we’re doing adorable pictures of babies as politicians, I present to you a toddler dressed up as Alexander Hamilton standing in front of the actual Hamilton home (which is apparently now a historical park in Harlem):
https://mobile.twitter.com/theaterppl/status/660450909923733504/photo/1
If you look for yesterday’s Ham4Ham on YouTube, you will see Daisy make a guest appearance with her dad.
Baud
Need to get more Baudbabies.
Mnemosyne (tablet)
Also, too, I’m getting ready to head down to the fiber festival in Torrance. I’m going to try not to go nuts (especially after I went nuts at Yarnosphere) but those are always famous last words when it comes to yarn and yarn accessories.
Amir Khalid
Here’s this video I found on the proper way to cut a cake. When you cut it the conventional way, you see, the cake dries out a bit at the cut.
beltane
The only problem I’d have with permanent DST is that it would be pitch black out when my kids get on the school bus during the winter months. I would hope that school districts adjust by beginning the school day an hour later. What we really need are more hours of daylight during the cold half of the year.
Brachiator
Benjamin Franklin was in favor of Daylight Saving Time. That’s good enough for me.
The thing about criminals not being morning people makes some sense. I used to notice some hardened types at an all night diner late in the evening, probably getting a bite as they finished their work shifts.
This also confirms why Batman works at night.
schrodinger's cat
The thing I hate most about winters is the short days and lack of sunlight. I don’t think turning back clocks really achieves much of anything.
dr. luba
@redshirt: What difference would it make to farmers? I am being serious. As a farmer, you set your own hours, so to speak. You work around the habits of your livestock, no? And they work around the hours of daylight? Does it matter what the clock says?
Germy Shoemangler
FlyingToaster
For anyone north of Hawaii and Key West, you’ll have increased deaths of kids going to school in the morning because drivers are too preoccupied to notice kids at bus stops and crosswalks in the dark.
So it’s a trade-off. As a current parent and former young, single adult, I’m willing to let the grownups take their chances. Not the kids.
Insanely bad idea.
Suzanne
The vast majority of AZ doesn’t do DST, so no clock-setting for us. I just have to remind everyone, “Half the year, we’re on Pacific, and half the year we’re on Mountain.”
Spawn the Younger had a great time trick-or-treating. One of our neighbors made an awesome Bernie pumpkin. This is the same neighbor that gave us an Obama yard sign in 2012. Our new neighbor three doors down introduced himself to us, assured us that he works from home and watches the street a lot, and then talked about how he is very armed. Here is one thing I don’t get about ammosexuals: WHY WHY WHY do you think that’s appropriate conversation material the first time you meet someone? For God’s sake.
I just don’t get it. Regardless of whether or not guns are legal, I don’t want to live in a gun society. Our houses back on an elementary school, fer chrissakes.
I have things I should be doing and yet I don’t think I will move from this couch today. Holy snot.
redshirt
@dr. luba: That’s what I’m saying. Somehow DST is justified because of farmers, but I don’t see it at all. Sure, for those folks who have to work early regardless, the darkness sucks. But it’s going to be dark regardless. Why not share that hour with the vast majority of folks who’d appreciate it in the evening?
Iowa Old Lady
@Amir Khalid: I’m trying to imagine a rubber band that would hold the cake together but not cut into it. Also, your cake halves need to slide pretty well. I’d hesitate to put my palms on frosting like that and push.
Now I want cake.
Jay Noble
DST must Die!
Among the many things that don’t get mentioned about DST:
There is a rise in morinng car/pedestrian accidents in the spring forward phase. Many of those pedestrians are children. I think lives rate more than rapes and robberies.
Statistically, there are no energy savings from DST. The difference in the study for the 2007 change was 0.1% savings but several things were left out of that study that were acknowledge as pushing the balance the other way.
The “fall back” date was moved for pretty much one reason – the Candy lobby felt they would benefit from that extra hour of daylight. Yes there is a Candy lobby.
beltane
@FlyingToaster: We’ve been going out with flashlights the past couple of weeks. I really hate kids being out in the darkness like this.
dmsilev
@Amir Khalid: That method is all well and good assuming that you have a cake that can handle having an elastic stretched around its perimeter. A cake dome is a more general solution.
redshirt
@FlyingToaster: Move school hours up.
Another Holocene Human
@beltane: Ya, like that’ll happen.
Speaking of rapes, what about those 13 year olds who got snatched and raped at the school bus stop in Philly in the early 90s?
Perma DST is no DST, it’s just a government program at that point to change office hours for white collar workers. They’ve known for years that their school arrival times for high school students are a joke but the vast majority of school systems refuse to do anything about it.
Well, guess what, whenever the white collars show up, the blue collars have to get there earlier than that. I hate Daylight Savings Time. I’m very skeptical of this research but even if true, they’re looking at one factor in isolation without considering other harms.
Baud
@Amir Khalid:
Not gonna happen.
schrodinger's cat
@dmsilev: Do you have a good recipe for a chocolate cake that is not too difficult to make and does not have elebenty billion calories.
dmsilev
@Iowa Old Lady: You need a cake with a hard-shell outer coating, fondant or something similar. And it really is a method only suitable for a person eating a cake all alone (over several days). Can you imagine a dinner party where you bring out the cake, cut out the first chunk, push the halves together with your bare hands, and then look around at your guests and ask “so, who else wants a slice?”?
Debbie
@beltane:
Not to mention that the sun won’t be directly overhead at noon like it’s supposed to be.
dmsilev
@schrodinger’s cat: Here’s a family favorite, and it’s even seasonal:
Another Holocene Human
@Jay Noble: Car accidents are a major killer in the US. Thankfully, the traffic engineering industry has been focused on reducing crashes for many years now so the picture looks a lot better than it used to. However, in terms of public awareness, traffic crashes, rather than being looked at as a preventable scourge, are just seen as the cost of doing business in the modern world, while much rarer risks are looked upon with horror.
I wouldn’t dismiss the trauma of rape, though — early AM dark o’clock seems like a popular time for stranger rape (the rarest, but most vigorously prosecuted, species). There were several young women jumped walking to work in the dark here in Gainesville until they started the buses earlier. There was also a white female jogger who go jumped in a frou frou ‘hood. Nobody could ID the guy and it turned out from DNA match later he lived in Georgia and just made a rape pit stop in Gainesville on his way home.
Botsplainer
Ten years ago…
I never get tired of remembering that proud moment in conservatism….the release of a comic book with talk radio superheroes.
Jay Noble
Humans are still just as attuned to the solar cycles as the livestock. We just have artificial lighting. Which by the way messes with nature too – grow lights??
Who adjusts to DST faster, you or your pets? ;-)
schrodinger's cat
@dmsilev: Thanks so much. One more question, can I substitute butternut squash for pumpkin? I has elebenty, a gift from our neighbor.
Peale
We could get crime rates down to zero if we just randomized the movements of the official time to adjust the length of the day. Some days the day would be 22 hours. Others 30. Some days would just stay at 9:00am for a few hours, then back to 8.
FlyingToaster
I remember the uproar over kids at bus stops getting hit when they did this experiment under Carter (I was in HS). There were several near-misses along the access road to my (teenaged) neighborhood; HS kids waiting for the bus at 7:30 and JHS kids at 8 would come in with scrapes from jumping into the rocky ditch, as drivers came out of their lane on the curve going 50.
If it were left to me — and not the candy lobby — we’d switch the last weekend in March and the first weekend in October.
Oddly enough, I don’t see our local Masshole drivers being nearly as inattentive at 4pm as they are at 7 am.
Another Holocene Human
Speaking of their rape stats, most rapes happen between people who know each other, so where are they getting their figures? Rapes reported to police (that they actually took the report on)? Rapes prosecuted? What sorry little subset of rapes are we considering here? How would Daylight Savings Time affect date rape? How would it affect partner rape?
And considering stranger rape, were they aware that some women have to report to work at 7am, 6:30am, 6:00am, 5:30am, 5:00am, 4:45am for the morning shift and must walk 20, 30, 45, 60, 90 minutes or 2 hours to get to work? Plenty of rapes happen at 3, 4, 5 AM. That’s a minimum wage worker’s morning commute.
beltane
@Another Holocene Human: Permanent DST would mean most people spending their first few waking hours in complete darkness, which is something that is disorienting for many. The “up all night” crowd will still be up, the morning people will feel like they haven’t gotten any sleep.
dmsilev
@schrodinger’s cat: Yes, certainly; I’ve made the recipe with things like yams instead of canned pumpkin. You’ll want to cook the squash first so it has a soft texture, but that’s about it.
Edit: You want basically a paste texture, so cut the squash into reasonable-sized cubes, boil until soft, cool, and mash with a fork or whatever.
shell
@Iowa Old Lady: Now youve done it. There are two slices of New York style cheesecake left in the fridge and one of them i s calling my name.
schrodinger's cat
@Peale: In the traditional Hindu calendar, the length of the day is not fixed. Length of the day is the time difference between two consecutive sunrises. It averages to 24 hours but can be slightly more or less than 24 hours depending on the season.
redshirt
@FlyingToaster:
And cars/driving was far more dangerous in the 70’s than now.
Germy Shoemangler
@FlyingToaster: The machines have taken over our streets. The history of “jaywalking”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AFn7MiJz_s
And now it seems so… normal.
In my neighborhood we have the “walk” “don’t walk” street lights; the little white man icon. We get about five seconds to hurry across a busy intersection before the machines gun their engines.
Jay Noble
@Another Holocene Human: Not to diminish the seriousnesses of rape, but I still rate the lives of children higher. And your point that rapes happen in the early dark hours too, just shows that DST isn’t the fix or the problem.
Baud
@beltane:
Some of us spend our entire lives that way.
Iowa Old Lady
@shell: I have to settle for Halloween candy. I blame Obama.
beltane
@FlyingToaster: The darkest hour really is just before dawn. The human body resists waking up in the pitch black darkness. I’ve noticed everyone around me dragging ass these past few weeks of extended DST.
rikyrah
Bush team bracing for cash crunch
Top campaign officials are seeking to reassure staff that now is not the time to panic.
By Eli Stokols
10/30/15 09:49 PM EDT
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/jeb-bush-cash-crunch-215412#ixzz3qGpI3qar
RSA
@dmsilev:
Not to mention that the so-called “perfect” way of slicing the cake ignores the aesthetics of the wedge. (Which I like, to be honest! I don’t cut my round pizza into rectangular slices, either.)
Francis Galton, you were quite a flawed genius…
gene108
@Debbie:
Blame that on the train companies wanting to standardize time keeping.
Every town should have its own timezone, set to when noon is for that town.
We’ve destroyed local rights in time keeping all for the sake of 19th century train schedules.
*************************
I personally love DST.
I hate winter.
I hate it when it gets dark at 5;00 pm.
The only thing to look forward to is knowing Spring and summer will be here eventually.
schrodinger's cat
@Baud: You mean literally or metaphorically?
gene108
@Debbie:
That’s the fault of the 19th century train lobby.
Bastards.
*************************
I like DST.
I like 9:00 pm sunsets.
I hate winter.
I hate it getting dark at 5:00 pm.
Spring can’t get here fast enough.
shell
Cause theres plenty of time to panic down the road.
rikyrah
they can’t gussy it up, and the MSM needs to stop trying to find ‘reasons’ that Trump ‘appeals’ to people. He’s talking to White folks who want the delusional world of Mad Men back.
……………………………………………………….
Seeking America’s ‘lost’ greatness and finding Trump most appealing
By Marc Fisher October 31 at 5:54 PM
The way Joe McCoy sees it, the last time America was great was when Ronald Reagan was president, when people played by the rules. No, it was in the ’70s, Holly Martin says, when you could depend on Americans to work hard. No, to find true American greatness, Steve Trivett contends, you need to go back to before the Vietnam War, “when you could still own a home and have a good job even if you didn’t have a college education.”
Even if they don’t have “Make America Great Again” campaign caps, Donald Trump’s supporters easily recite the signature slogan of the real estate developer’s insurgent presidential bid. And even if they don’t agree on exactly why the country lost its way, they do accept — give or take a few degrees of hyperbole — Trump’s contention that the United States has become, as he has put it, “an economic wasteland” that is “committing cultural suicide.”
The premise behind “Make America Great Again” is that the country is no longer great. It can be great again, and the campaign has a certain can-do billionaire in mind as the guy to make that happen, but at the moment, the leading contender for the nomination of the party that regularly touts the notion of American exceptionalism is arguing that the country ain’t what it used to be.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/seeking-americas-lost-greatness-and-finding-trump-most-appealing/2015/10/31/2435e06e-7c12-11e5-b575-d8dcfedb4ea1_story.html
beltane
@Baud: Yes, and most of those people vote Republican.
Elmo
@Mnemosyne (tablet): I am continually amazed at the degree to which fiber is a thing. My stepdaughter is a fiber artist. When she started doing that, I was bemusedly indulgent. Imagine my surprise when she tells me about this whole community of likeminded string enthusiasts.
MattF
@Amir Khalid: No one has yet suggested the obvious solution, which is to eat the whole cake on the first day. And if you want more, buy another one on the second day.
Baud
@rikyrah:
???
dmsilev
@rikyrah: I have to say, watching The Twilight of the Jeb has been one of the more amusing aspects of the last few months.
bago
F DST. F Timezones. It’s all about the swatch beat, metric global time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swatch_Internet_Time
Bill E Pilgrim
This video does a nice job of giving all the history and background of moving the clocks around. Most of the world doesn’t do it.
The part starting at 3:50 about multiple changing time differences in a stretch of three weeks hit home for me. Forget meetings, just trying to keep in touch with family in other countries it can make you a little dizzy.
dmsilev
@rikyrah: I have to say, watching The Twilight of the Jeb has been one of the more amusing aspects of the last few months.
Bill E Pilgrim
This video does a nice job of giving all the history and background of moving the clocks around. Most of the world doesn’t do it.
The part starting at 3:50 about multiple changing time differences in a stretch of three weeks hit home for me. Forget meetings, just trying to keep in touch with family in other countries it can make you a little dizzy.
dmsilev
@rikyrah: I have to say, watching The Twilight of the Jeb has been one of the more amusing aspects of the last few months.
Elmo
@Mnemosyne (tablet): I am continually amazed at the degree to which fiber is a thing. My stepdaughter is a fiber artist. When she started doing that, I was bemusedly indulgent. Imagine my surprise when she tells me about this whole community of likeminded string enthusiasts.
redshirt
What time do you think the majority of people wake up? 7 AM?
If true, what does it matter if the sun rises at 7 or 8AM?
MattF
@Amir Khalid: No one has yet suggested the obvious solution, which is to eat the whole cake on the first day. And if you want more, buy another one on the second day.
PurpleGirl
@Mnemosyne (tablet): Yes, the Hamilton Grange is a beautiful park surrounding the house. I believe there are tours of the house.
MattF
@Amir Khalid: No one has yet suggested the obvious solution, which is to eat the whole cake on the first day. And if you want more, buy another one on the second day.
PurpleGirl
@Mnemosyne (tablet): Yes, the Hamilton Grange is a beautiful park surrounding the house. I believe there are tours of the house.
redshirt
What time do you think the majority of people wake up? 7 AM?
If true, what does it matter if the sun rises at 7 or 8AM?
raven
@beltane: Shit, my human body wakes up way before dawn.
raven
@beltane: Shit, my human body wakes up way before dawn.
NotMax
@schrodinger’s cat
Butternut squash for recipes when it has to be mashed cooks easily in the microwave. Halve the squash, remove seeds, and place cut side up on plate. (If a large squash, cut into quarters.). Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for ~8 minutes.
When it has cooled enough to handle, the skin easily peels off.
Also, as you like Indian-type cuisine, Red curry butternut squash.
Another Holocene Human
@FlyingToaster: This is totally anecdotal, but most people on that AM commute before dawn aren’t very awake. That said, in terms of industry I think 3-5 is like the worst time for accidents. Trucker’s been driving all day and that mid afternoon slump hits. Nappy nappy whether you want to or not.
Actually, I’m sure if you called up your local state university transportation engineering department they could direct you to research on this. A lot of intense interest in fatigue and crashes right now.
Another Holocene Human
@FlyingToaster: This is totally anecdotal, but most people on that AM commute before dawn aren’t very awake. That said, in terms of industry I think 3-5 is like the worst time for accidents. Trucker’s been driving all day and that mid afternoon slump hits. Nappy nappy whether you want to or not.
Actually, I’m sure if you called up your local state university transportation engineering department they could direct you to research on this. A lot of intense interest in fatigue and crashes right now.
PurpleGirl
@Mnemosyne (tablet): Yes, the Hamilton Grange is a beautiful park surrounding the house. I believe there are tours of the house.
Roger Moore
@Amir Khalid:
That’s a great way to cut a cake if you’re an anti-social person who eats it all yourself one slice per day over a long period. The traditional wedge cut is better for social people who care about making sure everyone gets an equal share and a proportionate amount of frosting. If you’re worried about the cake drying out, you’d be better off getting a nice, sealing cake carrier that will protect the cut surfaces from low humidity.
Iowa Old Lady
The last slices would have a ton of frosting, which is always nice.
PurpleGirl
@Mnemosyne (tablet): Yes, the Hamilton Grange is national historic site, the house set on beautiful parkland. I believe there are tours of the house for its period architecture and furniture.
NotMax
@schrodinger’s cat
Butternut squash for recipes when it has to be mashed cooks easily in the microwave. Halve the squash, remove seeds, and place cut side up on plate. (If a large squash, cut into quarters.). Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for ~8 minutes.
When it has cooled enough to handle, the skin easily peels off.
Also, as you like Indian-type cuisine, Red curry butternut squash.
Another Holocene Human
@schrodinger’s cat: Have you tried black beans and cocoa? It’s gluten free, tastes sweet because of the beans, looks very dark because of the beans, and the higher fiber should make it better for you (and more filling so you don’t overindulge. Oh, and it’s moist (because of the beans).
Roger Moore
@Amir Khalid:
That’s a great way to cut a cake if you’re an anti-social person who eats it all yourself one slice per day over a long period. The traditional wedge cut is better for social people who care about making sure everyone gets an equal share and a proportionate amount of frosting. If you’re worried about the cake drying out, you’d be better off getting a nice, sealing cake carrier that will protect the cut surfaces from low humidity.
Matt McIrvin
Farmers were never the constituency for DST, and I don’t think they’re the advocates for it today. It’s a myth.
Matt McIrvin
Farmers were never the constituency for DST, and I don’t think they’re the advocates for it today. It’s a myth.
Matt McIrvin
Farmers were never the constituency for DST, and I don’t think they’re the advocates for it today. It’s a myth.
Matt McIrvin
Farmers were never the constituency for DST, and I don’t think they’re the advocates for it today. It’s a myth.
gene108
@Debbie:
That’s the fault of the 19th century train lobby.
Bastards.
*************************
I like DST.
I like 9:00 pm sunsets.
I hate winter.
I hate it getting dark at 5:00 pm.
Spring can’t get here fast enough.
Matt McIrvin
Farmers were never the constituency for DST, and I don’t think they’re the advocates for it today. It’s a myth.
PurpleGirl
@Mnemosyne (tablet): If you’re still here, I hope you have fun. I was unable to go to the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival and I missed the NYC Yarn Crawl, too.
I’ve been trying to get a comment posted about the Hamilton Grange. The house is set in parkland and I believe the house is open for tours.
Shlemazel
If one hour is good why wouldn’t 2 hours be better? Just as dark in the AM but2 extra hours at night. This coming from the frozen tundra where it is dark by 4 p.m. on xmas
Tom
I just finished making some garlic sautéed broccoli, tossed with pasta and some grated parmesan. It makes a great side dish and I just box up the extra for later in the week.
I’m also considering roasting some sprouts since they also make good leftovers. (We’ve got plenty of fish, chicken and beef. The challenge is putting together veggie sides that aren’t steam-in-a-bag.)
I also need to get some paid work done, but this course I’m developing is kicking my butt.
Shana
Here’s my mom’s chocolate cake recipe, and it’s dairy free.
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups flour
1 egg
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 cup hot water
2 squares unsweetened chocolate – or 6 T cocoa and 2 T vegetable oil
pinch salt
1 t. vanilla
Mix all ingredients and pour into a greased 8″ square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 34-40 minutes. Cool completely and frost.
PurpleGirl
@gene108: Were you having trouble trying to post your comment? I was trying to post an answer to Mnemosyne and it just would not go through. I finally deleted what I was trying to post and began a second comment, which did go through.
henqiguai
@Amir Khalid (#5):
That’s why we invented impermeable plastic / cling wrap.
mdblanche
@rikyrah: “Remain calm, all is well. All is well!”
schrodinger's cat
@NotMax: Seems more Thai, than Indian, but don’t worry I like that too. Thanks for the recipe.
henqiguai
Well, looks like the site is kerborked…
henqiguai
Really?! Why wasn’t I warned about this?
Balloon Juice is undergoing a major, major upgrade. New design from the ground up, responsive mobile layout, and additional functionality. Best of all a state-of-the-art commenting system! We’ll be back online by 12 AM EST on Monday (11/2/15)
Chopper
i like the new site with all the duplicate posts. nice.
Chopper
@henqiguai:
that’s why we invented ‘eating the whole goddamn cake in one sitting’. God bless america!
Percysowner
@redshirt: The farmers have NOTHING to do with DST. They have to get up the same time every day because the cows/sheep/horses/animals don’t have clocks and don’t care about DST. It’s a myth that “the farmers are the reason for DST”. DST started during WWI to save resources because we used energy and lighting totally differently from how we do today.
Brandon
I didn’t realize people were so passionate about this issue. Just goes to show that it is really more about values than science. Personally, for my lifestyle, I would value more afternoon light. Because as it is it is dark when I get to work, I then work a 10 hour day in a window-less office, and then it is dark when I leave work. The morning darkness won’t change, so I would value a twinkle of twilight as I am heading home.
Jack the Second
The earliest I ever get home is 7:30, so unless y’all are cool with sunrise happening at 11, I’m never getting evening daylight in the winter. At least leave me the mornings.