What Caught My Eye Today - Pope, Daylight Savings

Pope - Habemus Papam! ("We Have a Pope!"). Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, from Argentina was elected as the Catholic Church's new pope. He chose the name Pope Francis. No pope has ever taken the name of Saint Francis of Assisi, the 13th century reformer who lived in poverty.  So what's in a name, you might ask? Apparently, a wagering opportunity. An Irish bookmaker had Leo as the top pick for the next pope. The name has a progressive ring because the last to choose it, Leo XIII, helped adapt the Church to modern thinking about the industrial age during his papacy from 1878 to 1903. Pius was the second most popular choice, and would have suggested that the new pope was a staunch conservative.. The new pope will replace Benedict XVI, whose surprise resignation last month prompted the 115 Roman Catholic cardinals to initiate a conclave, a Latin phrase meaning "with a key," to pick a new leader for the world's almost 2 billion Catholics. Bergoglio will become the first pope from Latin America, a region of the world with 480 million Catholics. Based on the newsflashes I read, initial reaction to the announcement went something like this, "Who's this guy?" He won the necessary two-thirds vote after only two days of the conclave. Several other candidates were considered front runners, including Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, who would have become the first African pope in modern times. Despite the fact that I am self professed disenfranchised Catholic, I'm pretty sure I will do the same most Catholic tonight and say a pray for the new pontiff in hopes that he will have the strength and conviction to address the many issues confronting the Catholic church.

Daylight Savings Time - Who besides me thinks that Daylight Savings Time has outlasted its usefulness; I mean besides the guy who wrote this article? The idea of daylight saving time has always been about conserving energy. But these days, when turning the lights on at night isn’t nearly as wasteful as it once was, any benefit from energy conservation is far outweighed by the economic drawbacks of a time switch. Here are several reasons why daylight saving time should be put out to pasture:

1. It wastes air conditioning. In the fall, we’re essentially getting an extra hour of sunlight in the evening. But in warmer climates, that means more energy is used on air conditioning.
Seriously, if you are buried under a 12 foot snow bank or suffering through water rationing due to severe drought are you really going to pay that much attention to turning your clocks forward by an hour?
2. It increases pollution. One extra hour of daylight means more time to run around doing errands and enjoy the long summer evenings. But that leads to increased pollution emissions.
I think we can all agree that we're creating enough extra pollution without needing any additional incentive.
3. It messes with your body. Earlier waking times and sleep deprivation, not to mention a disruption in your sleeping patterns, can be hard on the body. A 2008 study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed a significant increase in heart attacks in the first three weekdays after the transition to daylight saving time in the spring.
How about some love for parents? I'm certain they are well versed in early wake up calls and sleep deprivation. Why the need to pile on?
4. It brings more drowsy drivers. Sleep deprivation can be deadly on the road. The National Road Safety Foundation is warning drivers this week to be extra careful as they adjust to waking up an hour earlier.
As if we were distracted enough already.
5. It hurts the economy. Studies suggest that moving the clock ahead each spring causes some $434 million in total losses to the U.S. economy. Because we're all so tired, there are higher chances for workplace injury and loafing around on the job as we wait for the coffee to kick in.
True dat. Although for me, it's a bit the opposite. I'm pretty good from about 7:00am to 2:00pm. You mess with my sleep and you'll be lucky if I'm conscious until lunchtime.
6. It's annoying. Adjusting all the clocks and waking up earlier is just plain irritating.
I don't know about you, but the settings on my sprinkler system make now sense at all.

Not everyone hates daylight saving time. Retailers love it because more shoppers head into stores. Golf companies adore it, and told Congress in 1986 that one month of daylight saving translated into $400 million a year in extra sales and fees. Just what we needed. More pandering to the whims of people who already have...you guessed it...too much bloody money!