# "Fall Back" In November next year? What gives?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 29, 2006, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321 "2006-10-29T11:35:04Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2006, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321/1 "2006-10-29T11:35:04Z")
Why are they moving the autumn clock adjustment to November? Are they moving the spring one as well?
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### Author:  [@charizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/charizard)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2006, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321/2 "2006-10-29T12:48:07Z")
Yes, in the US, anyway. The “Energy Policy Act” of 2005 says that, beginning in 2007, DST will be extended by 1 month: starting 3 weeks earlier, and ending 1 week later.
So next year we’ll spring forward on March 11th, and fall back on November 4th.
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### Author:  [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2006, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321/3 "2006-10-29T13:10:46Z")
And in Canada. We decided to follow you guys (I haven’t figured out why it was so important that we tag along, but our politicians seemed to think so).
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### Author:  [@Timchik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timchik)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2006, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321/4 "2006-10-29T13:51:07Z")
In a related question, can anyone explain why the start and end dates of Daylight Saving Time are not symmetrical around the equinoxes? March 11 is only 10 days before the vernal equinox on March 21, while November 4 is a whole 42 days after the autumnal equinox on September 23. What’s the logic here? Are dark mornings more tolerable in the fall somehow?
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### Author:  [@Chum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chum)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2006, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321/5 "2006-10-29T14:15:56Z")
Geez. If they’re going to take the time to officially change the dates, why don’t they just get rid of the whole thing altogether?
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### Author:  [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2006, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321/6 "2006-10-29T14:23:48Z")
[QUOTE=Chum]
Geez. If they’re going to take the time to officially change the dates, why don’t they just get rid of the whole thing altogether?
[/QUOTE]
Because a lot of people like it.
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### Author:  [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2006, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321/7 "2006-10-29T14:37:37Z")
[QUOTE=Canadjun]
And in Canada. We decided to follow you guys (I haven’t figured out why it was so important that we tag along, but our politicians seemed to think so).
[/QUOTE]
Ack! I hate it when we do that. Just because the USA does something, why does Canada have to tag along like a dorky younger brother? If the USA decided to jump off a bridge, would Harper head to the edge too?
Oh, I know, it would coordinate business and travel and the stock market and all that stuff, but it just bugs me.
I’d rather have it darker in the mornings, anyway, than have it ‘get’ dark earlier at night. Grumble, grumble. Besides, there are too many clocks in this house. Grumble.
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### Author:  [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2006, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321/8 "2006-10-29T15:09:18Z")
[Barbara, Night of the Living Dead]
“They should make the day the time changes the first day of summer.”
[/Barbara]
Eventually the dates will be pushed so far in each direction that they’ll meet at the back end of the following year, or something.
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### Author:  [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2006, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321/9 "2006-10-29T17:30:57Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Ack! I hate it when we do that. Just because the USA does something, why does Canada have to tag along like a dorky younger brother? If the USA decided to jump off a bridge, would Harper head to the edge too?
As Chuckie (from Rugrats) would say,
“Prob’ly” 🙂
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### Author:  [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321/10 "2006-10-29T18:53:06Z")
[QUOTE=Otto]
[Barbara, Night of the Living Dead]
“They should make the day the time changes the first day of summer.”
[/Barbara]
[/QUOTE]
“They’re coming to get you, Barbara.”
As a note of irritation, I saw that the clock on my car computer automatically adjusted the time this morning, as will most operating systems if they’re not autosychronizing the time using NTP. Now all that programming is going to be bollixed because a bunch of know-nothing imbeciles elected to change the system for [no especially good reason](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time#Criticism_of_DST). I’ve long had the sneaking suspicion that it’s all part of a global submissive behavior/mind control test to see who will obey and who won’t. You poor bastards in Indiana (well, some of you, anyway) are going to be the first up against the wall when _La Révolution_ comes.
Never has so much time been spent by so many over so pointless an issue as the arbitrary shift of time measurement.
Now, if we can talk about [Hex Time](http://www.intuitor.com/hex/hexclock.html)…
Stranger
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### Author:  [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2006, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321/11 "2006-10-29T20:53:23Z")
What follows is speculation, so shoot me for doing it GQ, but it makes sense to me. so what the heck.
Daylight savings time has been a source of continual joy to me, a working stiff. An extra hour of sunshine goodness after work. The changing of the clock marks the “real” beginning of summer for me.
So why not bump the hour up for the whole year…Well, 'cause lots of us are not morning folk. I have always, and more so as I age, found it difficult to get out of bed when it is darker and colder, and even more so if it is raining. So when the days become so short that you can’t do much of anything outdoors after work anyway, having an extra hour for things to warm up in the morning becomes a better idea.
So my specualtion is that it is hard for many folks to get moving before dawn. But when dawn comes early, then it is useful to shift so that you have more daylight at the end of the work day.
As for why not symetrical about the equinos? Speculation again, but many places have a late spring, and longish indian summer. Perhaps it is thermal inertia, that puts the temperature sync’d season out of phase with the equinoxes.
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### Author:  [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2006, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321/12 "2006-10-29T21:40:25Z")
[QUOTE=Kevbo]
What follows is speculation, so shoot me for doing it GQ, but it makes sense to me. so what the heck.
Daylight savings time has been a source of continual joy to me,…
[/QUOTE]
Minor Nit: Daylight SAVING time.
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### Author:  [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2006, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321/13 "2006-10-29T23:25:51Z")
The changeover date used to be different from Continental Europe here, but they quietly shifted the change to coincide a few years ago.
I have to get up at 06:20 each morning. I don’t see the house in daylight from October to February. I hate dark mornings, find it difficult to get up in them and permanent daylight saving time would ensure I got even more of them
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### Author:  [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2006, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321/14 "2006-10-29T23:30:10Z")
So this means that the day we don’t change our clocks in Saskatchewan will be different next year? I’ll have to make a note of that so I don’t forget not to change my clock in November next year instead of October.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [October 30, 2006, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321/15 "2006-10-30T04:18:25Z")
DST saves Millions of $$ in energy costs, which means we burn less oil, which means less $$ in the pockets of dudes who don’t like us.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [October 30, 2006, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321/16 "2006-10-30T04:20:01Z")
The Master speaks:
[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a910906.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a910906.html)
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### Author:  [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)
#### Post date: [October 30, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321/17 "2006-10-30T18:10:40Z")
[QUOTE=Kevbo]
Daylight savings time has been a source of continual joy to me, a working stiff. An extra hour of sunshine goodness after work.
[/QUOTE]
Me too. Today I get to drive home in the dark. Boo.
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### Author:  [@pudytat72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pudytat72)
#### Post date: [October 30, 2006, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321/18 "2006-10-30T18:41:52Z")
The “REAL” reason the “Fall Back” will be in November next year, is so the little Trick or Treaters will have more daylight to be out October 31. Probably should thank the candy manufacturer’s political action committee for that part of the switch.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [October 30, 2006, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321/19 "2006-10-30T19:21:39Z")
[QUOTE=pudytat72]
The “REAL” reason the “Fall Back” will be in November next year, is so the little Trick or Treaters will have more daylight to be out October 31. .
[/QUOTE]
Cite? :dubious:
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### Author:  [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)
#### Post date: [October 30, 2006, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-back-in-november-next-year-what-gives/378321/20 "2006-10-30T19:28:52Z")
Why the hell would you want daylight to last longer on Halloween night? You can’t go trick-or-treating until it’s dark, and then you’d have to wait longer, your kids would be up later…
😕
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