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US Senate Votes to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent in 2023
The US Senate has passed legislation that will make daylight saving time permanent in 2023, abolishing the twice-yearly changing of the clocks in a move backed by advocates who want brighter afternoons and more economic activity.
The Sunshine Protection Act was approved overwhelmingly by voice vote in the US Senate.
The bill must now be passed by Congress, which will hold a committee hearing before the daylight saving time bill can be signed into law.
According to Reuters, a House Speaker spokesperson Nancy Pelosi declined to say if she supports the bill but was attentively analyzing it.
After discussion, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a daylight saving time bill’s sponsor, stated that the change would not take effect until November 2023.
“I know this isn’t the most pressing issue affecting America, but it’s one of those matters on which we can all agree,” Rubio added. “If we can pass this, we won’t have to do this stupidity any longer.”
“Pardon the pun,” he continued, “but this is an idea whose time has come.”
Resumption of daylight saving time
The National Association of Convenience Stores is opposed to the shift, warning Congress last month that “kids should not be going to school in the dark.”
Most of the United States resumed daylight saving time on Sunday, moving ahead one hour. In November, the United States will revert to standard time.
Since 2015, over 30 states have submitted legislation to abolish daylight saving time.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee convened a hearing last week, and the committee’s chairman, Representative Frank Pallone, stated, “The loss of just one hour of sleep appears to affect us for several days thereafter. It can also disrupt the sleeping routines of our children and pets.”
Pallone supports the elimination of clock-switching but has not decided whether daylight or standard time should be the permanent decision.
Beth Malow, head of the Vanderbilt Sleep Division, testified at the hearing that daylight savings time makes it more difficult to remain attentive in the morning, claiming it’s “like living in the incorrect time zone for almost eight months out of the year.”
Americans prefer not to change their Clocks
Pallone referenced a 2019 poll in which 71% of Americans said they would prefer not to change their clocks twice a year.
Supporters argue that the change could prevent a modest rise in car accidents that occurs around time changes, and they refer to studies that show a small increase in the rate of heart attacks and strokes shortly after the time shift.
They say that the policy might benefit businesses such as golf courses, which would benefit from increased evening daylight.
“It has substantial ramifications for our economy and daily life,” Senator Ed Markey, another key sponsor, stated.
After being tested in 1918, daylight saving time has been used in practically all of the United States since the 1960s. Year-round daylight savings time was utilized during WWII, and it was reinstated in 1973 to minimize energy consumption due to an oil embargo, only to be removed a year later.
The bill would allow Arizona and Hawaii, which do not observe daylight saving time, as well as American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands, to continue on standard time.
According to advocates, the shift would allow youngsters to play outside later and minimize seasonal depression.
The new head of the Army has stated that Britain must be prepared to fight a war within three years.
Gen Sir Roland Walker has issued a warning about a variety of risks in what he calls a “increasingly volatile” environment.
However, he stated that war was not inevitable and that the Army had “just enough time” to prepare to prevent conflict.
He stated that the Army’s fighting capacity would be doubled by 2027 and tripled by the end of the decade.
Gen Walker warned that the Britain was under threat from a “axis of upheaval” in his first speech as Prime Minister on Tuesday.
Among the primary concerns confronting the Britain in the next years, as noted by the general in a briefing, is an enraged Russia, which may seek vengeance on the West for helping Ukraine, regardless of who wins the war.
He stated: “It doesn’t matter how it finishes. I believe Russia will emerge from it weaker objectively – or completely – but still very, very dangerous and seeking some form of retaliation for what we have done to assist Ukraine.”
Britain’s Government Defence Review and Military Challenges
He also warned that China was determined to retake Taiwan, and Iran was likely to seek nuclear weapons.
He stated that the threats they posed may become particularly acute in the next three years, and that these countries had formed a “mutual transactional relationship” since the war in Ukraine, sharing weaponry and technology.
However, he stated that the path to conflict was not “inexorable” if the UK re-established credible land troops to assist its deterrent strategy for avoiding war.
In his speech, he described his force of slightly over 70,000 regular troops as a “medium-sized army” and made no direct call for additional resources or men.
However, he pushed the British Army to adapt swiftly, focussing on technology such as artificial intelligence and weaponry rather than numbers.
His ultimate goal is for the Army to be capable of destroying an opponent three times its size.
This would entail firing quicker and farther, he said, aided by lessons learnt from the Ukraine war.
The general’s speech at the Royal United Services Institute land warfare conference comes only one week after the government began a “root and branch” defence review to “take a fresh look” at the challenges facing the armed services.
Defence Secretary John Healey launched the assessment, describing the existing status of the armed forces as “hollowed-out” and stating that “procurement waste and neglected morale cannot continue”.
According to the most recent Ministry of Defence (MoD) numbers from April 2024, the Britain’s regular Army forces total 75,325 troops (excluding Gurkhas and volunteers).
That figure has been declining in recent years, as recruiting has failed to match retention. The previous Conservative administration lowered the planned headcount from 82,000 to 72,500 by 2025.
Members of the NATO military alliance have agreed to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence by 2024, but several countries are unlikely to fulfil this goal.
The Britain presently spends 2.3% of its GDP on defence. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously stated that the defence review will include a “roadmap” for increasing this to 2.5%, however he has yet to provide a date for this promise.
Source: BBC
News
Katie Ledecky Hopes For Clean Races At Paris Olympics In The Aftermath Of The Chinese Doping Scandal
PARIS — Katie Ledecky is looking for clean Olympic races. On Wednesday, Hope had pretty much reached her limit.
The American swimmer hopes to add to her six gold medals as she competes in the 400, 800, and 1,500 meters at the Paris Games. Her program starts with the heavy 400 on Saturday, featuring Ariarne Titmus and Summer McIntosh.
Katie Ledecky | ESPN Image
Katie Ledecky Hopes For Clean Races At Paris Olympics In The Aftermath Of The Chinese Doping Scandal
The 27-year-old Katie is competing in her fourth Summer Olympics, but the first since a doping scandal involving almost two dozen Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned chemical before the Tokyo Games — yet were permitted to compete with no consequences. The controversy has raised serious worries regarding the effectiveness of anti-doping initiatives.
Katie Ledecky | Vogue Image
“I hope everyone here is going to be competing clean this week,” Ledecky claimed. “But what truly counts is, were they training cleanly? Hopefully this has been the case. Hopefully, there has been worldwide testing.”
The International Olympic Committee has expressed concern over the ongoing US investigation into possible doping by Chinese swimmers. While awarding the 2034 Winter Olympics to Salt Lake City on Wednesday, the IOC urged Utah officials to do whatever they could to stop the FBI investigation.
“I think everyone’s heard what the athletes think,” Katie added. “They seek transparency. They want more answers to the remaining questions. At this point, we are here to race. We are going to race whoever is in the lane next to us.
“We are not paid to conduct the tests, so we trust those who follow their regulations. That applies both today and in the future.
Katie Ledecky | ESPN Image
Katie Ledecky Hopes For Clean Races At Paris Olympics In The Aftermath Of The Chinese Doping Scandal
SOURCE | AP
As the summer holidays begin, London may experience an official heatwave with temperatures reaching up to 29 degrees Celsius.
The Met Office predicts a long period of sunny and dry weather for London after a soggy spring and summer.
After a cloudy day on Saturday, temperatures are expected to reach 27C on Sunday, with lots of sunlight.
On Monday and Tuesday, temperatures are forecast to peak at 29 degrees Celsius. Monday is forecast to offer more sunlight, while Tuesday may see some gloomy weather.
Temperatures are expected to remain in the high 20s next week, with lows of approximately 18C.
According to the Met Office, a heatwave is “an extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year, which may be accompanied by high humidity.”
In the United Kingdom, a heatwave is proclaimed when daily temperatures meet or surpass a certain level for at least three consecutive days.
In London, the heatwave threshold is 28 degrees Celsius.
The Met Office reported that the UK is experiencing hotter and wetter weather on average due to climate change.
The UK experienced its warmest May and April on record this year, despite damp and dismal conditions in many areas.
According to the Met Office’s State Of The UK Climate 2023 report published on Thursday, the UK experienced historic levels of extreme weather last year.
In the United Kingdom, 2023 was the second warmest year on record, bringing storms, flooding, strong heatwaves, and rising sea levels; only 2022 was warmer.
It was 0.8°C higher than the average from 1991 to 2020, and 1.66°C higher than the 1961 to 1990 average.
However, 2023 will be a “cool year” in comparison to 2100, based on the planet’s warming trajectory.
The government’s plan to adapt to the hazards presented by climate change is currently being challenged in the High Court by campaigners who allege the Tory administration’s July 2023 National Adaptation Programme (NAP) fails to adequately address 61 concerns.
Source: The Standard
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