Monday, October 28, 2013
Daylight savings time ends Saturday night in Israel
Israel will switch to standard time at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning, after daylight savings time was extended by 3 weeks. Clocks go back an hour at 2 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Instead of moving clocks back on October 6, Israel waited until the end of the month to do so after Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar agreed to extend daylight savings time by three weeks.
“I announced when I set up the committee that the objective was to find the best arrangement for the citizens of Israel,” Sa’ar said at a press conference. “After checking the committee’s work and its recommendations I decided to change the status quo.”
On October 6, Israelis who fought for years to have daylight savings time substantially extended found that their phones and computers ignored new state directives and sent their clocks an hour back overnight.
Many mobile phones were already programmed to expect the clock change to go ahead over last weekend and were not able to readjust for the later, October end to daylight savings. The bug affected some Google phones, iPhones, Android and iOS software, BlackBerrys and Symbian phones.
Local cellphone providers tried to preempt the problem by sending text messages to their users last week advising to set their phones to Athens time, which also has October 27 as the start of winter time.
The thorny issue of when and how to implement daylight saving time was the focus of a special committee appointed by Sa’ar (Likud) in April.
Headed by Shmuel Abuav, a former Construction Ministry director general and head of the Or Yarok (“Green Light” in Hebrew) road safety organization, the committee examined the current daylight saving time policy and its impact on road safety, energy consumption and the economy.
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Marcia Wallace, star on Newhart show and 'The Simpsons,' dies
(CNN) -- Marcia Wallace, whose four-decade television career included playing the receptionist on "The Bob Newhart Show" and Bart's fourth-grade teacher on "The Simpsons," has died, her agent said Saturday.
Wallace was 70, according to imdb.com. Her cause of death was not immediately confirmed.
Wallace starred for six seasons as Carol Kester on "The Bob Newhart Show" in the 1970s and reprised the role in the 1990s on "Murphy Brown."
But it was her Emmy-winning role as Edna Krabappel, Bart Simpson's teacher with the snarky laugh, that may have earned her the most fame in recent years. It was a part she held since the show's premiere in 1990.
"I was tremendously saddened to learn this morning of the passing of the brilliant and gracious Marcia Wallace," executive producer Al Jean of "The Simpsons" said in a statement. "She was beloved by all at 'The Simpsons' and we intend to retire her irreplaceable character."
Jean said rumors that the show had already planned to retire Wallace's character are not true, he added.
"Marcia's passing is unrelated and again, a terrible loss for all who had the pleasure of knowing her," Jean said.
Wallace was a regular guest star on a host of popular TV shows in the 1970s and 1980s, from "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island" to "Gimme a Break!", "ALF," "Night Court," "Charles in Charge" and "Magnum, P.I."
Air Force Academy cadets are no longer required to end honor Oath with "so help me God." The Right Wing to freak out about this in 3..2..1
Air Force Academy cadets are no longer required to say "so help me God" at the end of the Honor Oath, school officials said Friday.
The words were made optional after a complaint from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, an advocacy group, that they violated the constitutional concept of religious freedom.
Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson said the change was made to respect cadets' freedom of religion.
The oath states, "We will not lie, steal or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does. Furthermore, I resolve to do my duty and to live honorably, so help me God."
Cadets are required to take the oath once a year, academy spokesman Maj. Brus Vidal said.
It is not taken out completely, it is still there for those who want it. And as Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundations, points out in the article there still might be times when it may be included even if the cadet does not want it.
However this is yet another positive step forward in respecting the belief systems, or lack of belief systems, of individuals in these academies and that is a good thing for everybody.
Unless of course your religion relies on indoctrination, or bullying people into giving thanks to your God whether they believe in him or not that is. But seriously, whose religion would be THAT insidious?
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Blind girl from the Philippines sings "Wrecking Ball." And kills it!
You know it's actually a pretty good song. Too bad it will always be associated with this rather controversial Miley Cyrus video.
Oh, and by the way, this little girl is freaking AMAZING!
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