I wish we could "like" this short story ! Eric Daled Aalst (Belgium)
-----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- From: Frank King Sent: Friday, August 31, 2018 4:31 PM To: Steve Lelievre Cc: Sundial List Subject: Re: EU backs ending Daylight Saving Time
Dear Steve, Your subject line is ambiguous... EU backs ending Daylight Saving Time Does this mean: A: The EU wants to give up DST? or: B: The EU wants DST not to end? The report suggests the latter: Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said millions "believe that in future, summer time should be year-round, and that's what will happen". If you look at the Greenwich meridian you will see that it has a longer run through France than through the U.K. This suggests, to me(!), that both countries should be on GMT. As it happens, France was on GMT until the Germans inflicted Nazi time on them during the war and they have never switched back. In my book, France is already on Summer Time in Winter. It is on Double Summer Time in Summer. OK, here is an anecdote... I stayed on an extra day after the NASS conference and, at breakfast on the Monday, I had a fascinating exchange with the friendly waitress who had served me for the better part of a week: Waitress: were you with the Shengal Group? Me: Er, the what group? W: Ah, how do you pronounce it? The delegates who were in the Forbes Room? Me: Oh, that was the sundial group. W: Is that a branch of Scientology? Me: I know very little about Scientology but I don't think there were any Scientologists in the Sundial group. W: What did you discuss? Me: [Using knife as a gnomon and attempting to appear as unthreatening as possible!] You see this shadow on the table? Well you can watch it move round and deduce the time of day. W: Ah. It's to do with the SUN then? Me: Yes, you've got it! W: What do you think of Daylight Saving Time? Me: [I recounted the story of the Native American who said "Only a white man could believe that by cutting a foot off one end of a blanket and stitching it to the other end you get a longer blanket.] W: Gee. I like that. My husband is a pilot and he keeps telling everyone that Daylight Saving Time is a load of Bullshit. Me: You have an admirable husband. My guess is that, in the UK, about 60% of the population would feel they have come across the word "sundial" though most would think it was just a garden ornament: some kind of statue, or bird bath or even a garden gnomn! With this sample of one, I am minded to guess that the U.S. percentage is lower! We must all do our bit to educate the masses! Very best wishes Frank Frank H. King Cambridge, U.K. --------------------------------------------------- https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial --------------------------------------------------- https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial
