Fall Back: Daylight Saving Time Ends Sunday at 2 AM

November 1, 2014 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

It’s fairly simple: turn your watches and clocks back one hour before you go to sleep tonight as Daylight Savings Time ends early tomorrow morning, Sunday, Nov. 2.

If you want to do it properly, stay up until 2 a.m. when DST officials ends and clocks are pushed backward one hour to 1 a.m. local standard time.

For most younger residents, smart phones and computers have been programed for the change. But if you grew up in a jewelers or watch repair family (me), changing hundred of clocks and watches was something of a drudgery.

Here’s a little history of Daylight Saving Time from the The Old Farmer’s Almanac:

Credit for Daylight Saving Time belongs to Benjamin Franklin, who first suggested the idea in 1784. The idea was revived in 1907, when William Willett, an Englishman, proposed a similar system in the pamphlet The Waste of Daylight.

The Germans were the first to officially adopt the light-extending system in 1915 as a fuel-saving measure during World War I. The British switched one year later, and the United States followed in 1918, when Congress passed the Standard Time Act, which established our time zones. This experiment lasted only until 1920, when the law was repealed due to opposition from dairy farmers (cows don’t pay attention to clocks).

During World War II, Daylight Saving Time was imposed once again (this time year-round) to save fuel. Since then, Daylight Saving Time has been used on and off, with different start and end dates. Currently, Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of March and ends at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November.

Sports: Belmont Football Surge To 35- 20 Win Over Medford, First of Season

November 1, 2014 By Franklin B. Tucker 1 Comment

After a season in which his team was blown out, were competitive but gave up big plays and struggled against more-established programs, Belmont High School’s first-year Head Coach Yann Kumin was able Friday night, Oct. 31, to look at the big scoreboard at Medford’s Hormel Field announcing that his Belmont High School Football team was now a winner on the field.

After falling behind at the half, 14-7 – “We had some serious hiccups early,” Kumin said – the Marauders (1-7) demonstrated a season’s worth of persistence and effort as they surged for 28 unanswered points to win its first game in nearly two years, 35-20, over Medford High (1-7).

“This is the most amazing feeling in the world. I’m so happy to experience this with these guys, to do it in Belmont. It’s the first of many more to come,” said Kumin after the Halloween night game.

Led by sophomore quarterback Cal Christofori, Belmont rode a stellar night from senior running back and co-captain Max Jones who rushed for three touchdowns as the defense owned the second half, giving up its only touchdown with a minute left in the game.

“We got down in the first half but at the half we said to each other, ‘This is the one. We are not losing this one’,” said Christofori after the game.

“For us who have been here this entire time, and waiting this long, it’s an incredible experience,” Christofori said.

“We got this first win, and now we are rolling,” he said.

As the clock ran down to zero, the joy of accomplishing their first program win resulted in an explosion of emotions. While rarely at a loss for words – always encouraging his team to believe in the coaching and their teammates – “Coach Q” could only hug his assistant coaches (Dave Pereira, Brendan Bonn, Brian Shea, Hakeem Barge, Dick Quigley and Leo Harrington) and players who continuously bellowed their praise for their teammates.

When his assistant coaches presented Kumin the game ball for what is his first win as a high school coach, the 30-year-old had tears in his eyes as his team surrounded him in a boisterous celebration.

“It’s a tribute to these guys,” he said, waving his arm to the players still on the field enjoying the victory. “We are a family in the truest sense of the word. We live and breathe and work and practice for each other.”

“Coming to practice with the adversity that’s facing them and just keep working to get better. I said it a couple of weeks ago; I’m not sure I would have been able to do that in high school. I’m crying right now with absolute pride for this team,” he said.

As the Marauders gathered to leave, the Belmont supporters – mostly parents – stormed the field to greet the coaches and team.
It was only as Kumin was steps from the buses to take the team home did a few players decided to give their coach the traditional “Gatorade shower.”

“I’m a little moist,” said Coach Q, as the players cheered.