Daylight Savings Time - Things we can do without

Daylight savings time (DSL) originated with a New Zealand naturalist by the name of George Vernon. He published a couple of papers on it in the late 1800s. His purpose was to extend the number of daylight hours but the general appeal has always been to save on energy. Europe, Russia and the U.S. began using it during WWI and again during WWII. Then in 1966 Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, the first nonwartime implementation. However states retain the right to decide for themselves, for example, Arizona does not follow DLS.
Opinion and fact however do not match up. A study in Indiana has shown that DSL actually uses more energry not less. And other studies have shown the switch to daylight savings may lead to more traffic accidents (sleep deprivation), depression (more suicides after the change), and may even increase the risk of heart attack (incidence spikes from 5 to 10 percent the first week after the clock shift forward). All in all it would seem best to leave the clocks alone.

source: Scientific American magazine

How to protect your home from a burglar

THINGS YOUR BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.
2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.
3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste ... And taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.
4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.
5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.
6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes it too easy.
7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom-and your jewelry. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.
8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door-understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off because of bad weather.
9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)
10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.
11. Here's a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.
12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.
13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it atfaketv.com..)
8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:
1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.
2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.
3. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was doing. It's human nature.
4. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?
5. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.
6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easier than you think to look up your address.
7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.
8.. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.
Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina , Oregon , California , and Kentucky ; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runscrimedoctor.com; and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job.

• Home Security That Aggravate Burglars (homesecuritysystems.net)

Twilight - a young 100 year old dates a 17 year old

I watched the movie Twilight on Showtime last night. But this is not my lame review of the flick (however, I did enjoy it, more or less). My question is about Bella (Kristin Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson). In the movie (and the book) she is supposed to be 17 and Edward is supposed to have the body of a 17 year old but in fact be about 100 years old. Now if a 17 year old girl were to date say a 40 year old man, never mind a centigenarian, people would go crazy. He'd be strung up by his soft parts. So what's up with Edward the vampire? Is it that if an older man could walk into a Youthinator machine, like a star-belly Sneetch, and come out the other end young, if that were possible, then society would be all right with the whole thing? Is society saying it's all only skin deep? I didn't think so. I thought it was creepy and abusive and generally considered a moral outrage. So why no eyebrows raised over Edward the vampire and his worldly wise 100 year old mind and soul? And, as if that weren't enough, how is it that he acts 17ish? He's 100 years old for the love of monkeys! In all the vampire movies and shows I've seen the vampire dude who's been around forever is always very sophisticated. This Edward guy must be stuck in some kind of Groundhog Day thing but in reverse. He remembers everything, all 100 years, but his mind never matures. Is that what they're trying to sell us? I know some 40 year olds who act like they're 20. Does that mean if they only looked 17 all would be forgiven? Oh I'm so disappointed - the hypocrisy, the deceit, the shallowness, the general lack of moral policing. What's this world coming to?