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Clocks "fall back" one hour tonight to end Daylight Saving Time — though many Americans want to end the twice-yearly clock change, reports Axios.
But the U.S. Congress "remains deadlocked about how to make that happen."
The clocks are falling back despite a bipartisan House vote in July to make daylight saving time permanent and Trump's subsequent push for Senate action... While most Americans want to end the twice-yearly clock changes, they don't necessarily favor Trump's solution. Gallup found 48% of Americans support permanent standard time the entire year, compared with 24% who prefer permanent daylight saving time, as Trump wants... In 1974, the U.S. experimented with year-round daylight saving time but reversed course amid concerns about children going to school in the dark>.
Experts still debate whether permanent DST is good for people. Supporters argue that permanent daylight saving time would provide more afternoon and evening sunlight, encouraging outdoor activities. But sleep experts warn that darker mornings and lighter evenings can disrupt sleep cycles, while permanent daylight saving time could force millions of children to travel to school in the dark. The bottom line: The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says it prefers permanent standard time because it better aligns with natural sleep cycles.
"Hawaii and most of Arizona don't observe daylight saving time, so their clocks won't change," the article points out, adding that eliminating it for the rest of America "still faces opposition in the Senate and isn't expected to be considered by the end of the year.
But "the upcoming midterms could change the balance of power in Congress, potentially shifting the debate."
But the U.S. Congress "remains deadlocked about how to make that happen."
The clocks are falling back despite a bipartisan House vote in July to make daylight saving time permanent and Trump's subsequent push for Senate action... While most Americans want to end the twice-yearly clock changes, they don't necessarily favor Trump's solution. Gallup found 48% of Americans support permanent standard time the entire year, compared with 24% who prefer permanent daylight saving time, as Trump wants... In 1974, the U.S. experimented with year-round daylight saving time but reversed course amid concerns about children going to school in the dark>.
Experts still debate whether permanent DST is good for people. Supporters argue that permanent daylight saving time would provide more afternoon and evening sunlight, encouraging outdoor activities. But sleep experts warn that darker mornings and lighter evenings can disrupt sleep cycles, while permanent daylight saving time could force millions of children to travel to school in the dark. The bottom line: The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says it prefers permanent standard time because it better aligns with natural sleep cycles.
"Hawaii and most of Arizona don't observe daylight saving time, so their clocks won't change," the article points out, adding that eliminating it for the rest of America "still faces opposition in the Senate and isn't expected to be considered by the end of the year.
But "the upcoming midterms could change the balance of power in Congress, potentially shifting the debate."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Openreach has issued a stark reminder to customers that the legacy phone network is being officially switched off on January 31, and says the deadline will not be postponed. The infrastructure arm of BT Group, Britain’s biggest telecoms biz, circulated the warning this week in a letter to comms providers that use its network to deliver their services. It informs them that any customers still on legacy public switched telephone network (PSTN) connections are at risk of disruption when these are retired at the end of January, 2027. The switch-off could affect businesses and consumers alike. Beyond the plain old telephone, systems that rely on PSTN connectivity include point-of-sale terminals, fire and security alarms, and personal care alarms for elderly and vulnerable people. The move is part of a wider government scheme to get the UK onto all-digital high-speed networks running on fiber-optic infrastructure, and the legacy phone service - with its dependency on copper cabling - was standing in the way. Many households have now ditched landline handsets and instead use only mobile phones, yet for those who still want a landline, the changeover means plugging the phone into the back of a broadband router to access a Digital Voice service. Openreach has been planning this move for the best part of a decade. It has already pushed back the deadline at least once, after the government asked telecoms providers not to force vulnerable customers who use phone-network systems such as TeleCare to switch until fixes are in place. Nevertheless, public awareness seems low that analog phone services will soon be disconnected. "Openreach and all providers need to coordinate a much more cohesive campaign that reaches customers directly," said telecoms analyst Paolo Pescatore at PP Foresight. "TV, billboards and newspaper advertising should reinforce a consistent message, supported by targeted letters, calls and door-to-door support for older and vulnerable people who need extra help," he told The Register. "Customers need to understand what is changing, what action to take, and who will help them. Providers must take responsibility for ensuring people remain safely connected, especially those who rely on their landline or a care alarm." Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, agreed. "With only three months to go, the digital landline switchover is entering a critical final phase. Most people have moved over without major problems, but nobody who relies on their landline or TeleCare should be left behind," she told us. "Anyone with concerns should contact their provider, but the responsibility cannot rest with customers alone. Providers must not give up on people who have not responded. They need to keep trying to reach them and offer practical, individual support, recognizing that some may be unwell, living with dementia, worried about scams or without anyone nearby to help." Openreach has a webpage with information regarding the switch-off. This advises consumers to call their service provider as soon as possible to ensure service is not interrupted. The company previously told The Register that customers without a fiber connection will likely be switched to SOTAP for Analog (Single Order Transitional Access Product), where equipment is installed in the local telephone exchange to allow them to continue to use their old phone line as before. Openreach has warned that commercial customers delaying migration risk significant disruption and unnecessary costs - leaving it until the last minute could make it harder to secure the requisite engineering support before the deadline hits. "Businesses and organizations that delay action are making things harder for themselves," said James Lilley, Openreach Director of All-IP. "The straightforward migrations have largely been completed. What's left are the complex connections that underpin critical operations, requiring careful planning, supplier coordination, and thorough testing. We are urging businesses to act now, audit their remaining analog services, and work with their communications provider on a migration plan today." Earlier this year, the firm tried to drive home the message by announcing it was stepping up its charges to service providers and companies still operating legacy business lines, who will by now be paying double the rental cost compared to last year. ®
jspeter9191 has added a photo to the pool:
In the morning at Coalcliff South coast sunrise. NSW, Australia.
God loves you.
Het is drie uur ’s nachts en je staat alweer naast je bed. Op je veertigste sliep je door, nu ga je twee of drie keer per nacht. Daarin ben je lang niet de enige.
Meer dan de helft van de ouderen moet ’s nachts meer dan twee keer naar de wc, zegt uroloog Maxime Kummeling van het LUMC tegen NEMO Kennislink. Artsen noemen dat nycturie. Bij vrouwen komt het zelfs iets vaker voor dan bij mannen.
Eén of twee keer per nacht is normaal
“Eén of twee keer per nacht naar de wc is normaal”, zegt Kummeling. Ook Santé noemt één keer per nacht meestal geen reden tot zorg. Overdag is drie tot acht keer plassen gezond, schrijft het Belgische Gezondheid en Wetenschap.
Toch gaat het snel om meer. Volgens Kummeling ligt de oorzaak vaak ergens anders dan in de blaas of de prostaat.
Je nieren werken ’s nachts harder dan vroeger
Je lichaam maakt ’s nachts extra ADH aan, een hormoon dat de nieren afremt. Daardoor maak je normaal in de nacht weinig urine. Met de jaren raakt dat ritme verstoord: de nieren blijven doorwerken en je blaas loopt vol.
Daar komt bij dat de blaas minder soepel wordt. Je kunt de aandrang minder lang uitstellen, soms al voor de blaas echt vol is. Bij vrouwen in de overgang maakt minder oestrogeen de blaas en urinewegen gevoeliger.
Dikke enkels kunnen je ’s nachts wakker houden
Vocht dat zich overdag in je benen ophoopt, bijvoorbeeld door hartfalen, komt bij het liggen terug in de bloedbaan. Je nieren plassen het dan ’s nachts alsnog uit.
Ook slaapapneu speelt mee. De ademstops zetten de nieren aan tot meer urine. Bij mannen kan een vergrote prostaat in de blaas uitpuilen, waardoor die eerder een seintje geeft. Verder noemt Gezondheid en Wetenschap een overactieve blaas, diabetes en een slecht werkende schildklier.
Je plaspil of je avondthee kan de boosdoener zijn
Plaspillen werken niet bij iedereen even snel. Neem je ze laat op de dag, dan kun je er ’s nachts nog last van hebben. Overleg met je huisarts of apotheker of je ze eerder kunt innemen.
Leefstijl telt ook. Kummeling raadt aan na acht uur ’s avonds niet meer te drinken. Veel thee of zout eten in de avond maakt het erger, net als koffie en alcohol. Drink overdag wel genoeg; Gezondheid en Wetenschap houdt het op hooguit twee liter per dag.
En soms is het gewoonte: je wordt wakker en loopt naar de wc zonder echte aandrang.
Vaak verdwijnt het nachtelijk plassen vanzelf, zodra de slaapapneu wordt behandeld.
Waarom de nachtelijke wandeling niet onschuldig is
Slaperig door een donker huis lopen vergroot de kans op een val. Bij ouderen kan dat eindigen met een gebroken heup, waarschuwt Kummeling. Een nachtlampje in de gang helpt. Lees ook wat je kunt doen als je midden in de nacht klaarwakker bent en hoeveel slaap je nodig hebt als je ouder wordt.
Wanneer ga je naar de huisarts?
Maak een afspraak als:
- je elke nacht meerdere keren moet en daar overdag moe van bent;
- je ineens veel vaker moet dan eerst;
- plassen pijn doet of je bloed in je urine ziet;
- je dikke enkels hebt, of je partner merkt dat je adem ’s nachts stokt;
- de tips over drinken en zout na een paar weken niets uitmaken.
Houd een paar dagen een plasdagboek bij: hoe laat je drinkt, hoeveel en wanneer je plast. Daarmee ziet de huisarts snel of je nieren ’s nachts te veel aanmaken of dat je blaas te snel vol zit. “Heb je veel last? Ga dan naar de huisarts”, zegt Kummeling.
Meer weten?
Bronnen: Santé, NEMO Kennislink, Gezondheid en Wetenschap
SINGAPORE (ANP/BLOOMBERG) - Binance heeft de opnames van cryptomunten hervat, enkele dagen nadat hackers voor een recordbedrag van meer dan 6 miljard dollar aan crypto's hadden geroofd. 's Werelds grootste cryptobeurs legde de transacties vrijdagochtend in Azië stil, nadat de hack bekend was geworden. Zondag werd in Azië de opname van bitcoin weer opengesteld. Stapsgewijs volgen andere digitale munten.
"We pakken dit gefaseerd aan en geven daarbij voorrang aan tokens op basis van de vraag van gebruikers in de afgelopen week", heeft Binance laten weten. "Zo kan elk netwerk en elk activapaar zorgvuldig worden hersteld, waarbij de stabiliteits- en veiligheidscontroles zijn afgerond voordat de toegang weer wordt geopend."
De Amerikaanse FBI maakte zaterdag bekend dat Noord-Korea waarschijnlijk verantwoordelijk is voor de cryptoroof. De hack wordt toegeschreven aan TraderTraitor, een elitehackereenheid uit Noord-Korea die de FBI eerder de schuld gaf van een aanval op beurs Bybit in 2025.
SEPANG (ANP) - Motorcoureur Marc Márquez heeft zondag de Grote Prijs van Maleisië gewonnen. De Spanjaard van Ducati bleef zijn landgenoten Pedro Acosta en zijn jongere broer Álex Márquez voor op het circuit van Sepang. Daarmee heeft Márquez een grote stap gezet richting zijn negende wereldtitel.
Met nog drie races te gaan heeft de Spanjaard 399 punten. Jorge Martín staat nog tweede met 355 punten, maar zijn kansen lijken vervlogen door een polsbreuk. Martín probeerde met zijn gebroken pols mee te doen aan de GP van Maleisië, maar trok zich voor de kwalificatie toch terug met pijn. "Ik hoef niet meer aan het kampioenschap te denken", reageerde de Spanjaard zaterdag. De Italiaan Marco Bezzecchi staat derde met 332 punten.
DEN HAAG (ANP) - De Haagse wethouder Richard de Mos (Economie en Binnenstad) wil onderzoeken hoe personen die de voorbije dagen via sociale media hebben opgeroepen tot plunderingen en geweld financieel aansprakelijk kunnen worden gesteld voor de schade die Haagse ondernemers hierdoor hebben geleden. Dat heeft hij zondag laten weten.
Na oproepen via sociale media werd zaterdag rekening gehouden met hevige protesten in Den Haag. In de binnenstad besloten veel winkels uit voorzorg hun puien dicht te timmeren. Plunderingen bleven uiteindelijk uit, maar de economische schade lijkt toch aanzienlijk. Ondernemers in de binnenstad spreken van vele duizenden euro's, vooral omdat zij omzet misliepen door de gesloten winkels en het wegblijven van klandizie.
"Het is een enorme opluchting dat de gevreesde plunderingen zijn uitgebleven", aldus De Mos. "Maar daarmee is de kous niet af. Het is toch van de zotte dat hardwerkende ondernemers hun winkels moeten barricaderen omdat figuren op internet oproepen om de boel kort en klein te slaan?"
This blog post is based on a recent sermon I preached on Psalm 46, exploring God as our true refuge in an uncertain world.
I want you to imagine for a moment what you would do, or how you would respond personally, in times of trouble. How would you feel? It may not be the nicest thing to think about, but I want you to consider what your genuine gut reaction might be.
I would imagine that this looks very different depending on the person. As I was thinking about this, I came up with two types of people.
The first group may find it really difficult and want to take matters into their own hands. They are fixers who want to take control of the situation themselves, relying on their own strengths and abilities.
We put ourselves at the centre and expect that it all falls on us to fix. I would place myself in this group.
The second group may find it easier to manage challenging situations because they have past experience of dealing with them, or perhaps they don't fully understand the scale of the situation they are in. Either way, they remain relaxed and composed.
Regardless of how you respond to times of trouble and what you may feel, we can seek comfort in knowing that God is constant and unchanging.
The good news is that God's refuge in times of chaos is not conditioned on our feelings or our reaction to times of difficulty.
If you're a Christian, you can rest knowing that He is faithful to His people and won't allow you to be out of His reach.
As we look at the first few verses of this Psalm, we get to see a true picture of what life with God looks like and what it means to put your trust in Him.
Straight away, the psalmist makes this bold assertion. Who is our refuge? Verse 1 tells us:
"God is our refuge and strength."
There is no doubting that the psalmist is looking in the right direction.
But the tragic reality is that so many people go about living their lives by taking the word "God" out of that line and replacing it with something else, sometimes, unfortunately, including Christians.
They may say, "My career is my refuge and strength. My wealth is my refuge and strength. My spouse is my refuge and strength."
All of these things, even someone as loving and loyal as your spouse, cannot meet those demands. But God can.
And so the psalmist is essentially saying: Look, if you want to find true refuge and safety, look no further! Don't look at what the world has to offer; look to God! He will meet all your needs.
How do we know this? Looking a little further down verse 1, we see that He is "an ever-present help in trouble."
He is at work in our situation, whatever that situation may be, right now!
And because of this confidence in the Lord's unfailing love for His children, we have no reason to fear, even in the most extreme situations we may find ourselves in.
Look at verses 2 and 3. The psalmist paints this dramatic image of:
- The earth giving way.
- Mountains collapsing into the sea.
- Waters roaring and foaming.
- Mountains trembling.
I want you to imagine standing in front of a mountain for a moment. We have lots of them here in Wales. Imagine yourself doing the Welsh 3000s and seeing a mountain being picked up from the ground and thrown into the sea!
It sounds impossible, but the language here is intentional. In the ancient world, mountains represent permanence and stability. If even the mountains fall, then nothing in creation appears secure.
It's an incredible illustration, and it shows that even the most stable things in life, the things which can look indestructible and reliable, can be shaken. It's a harsh reality, but it's the truth. Let this be a massive wake-up call for all of us.
I wonder, what are the 'mountains' in your life? What are those things you cling to, thinking they will satisfy you? What feels permanent and secure?
Your health? Your job? Your finances? Your family?
This passage is a brutal yet loving reminder to us that even the good things in life can be shaken.
I mentioned at the start of this section how you might feel in times of trouble and what your response might be. I'm sure you don't need to imagine that, as this is something we have all had to deal with for real.
More often than not, life isn't easy. It can be a real challenge, filled with heartache, pain and despair, and the Psalms make that clear.
And yet, if you are a Christian, you can rest knowing that God's people do not need to fear because He stands firm as our unfailing refuge in times of trouble.
Notice the contrast in these verses. Creation is presented as unstable and unreliable, yet God is the complete opposite.
The reason why Christians have no reason to fear isn't because the world is safe, but because God remains the same even when the world changes.
Look at verse 2: "Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way."
We can say that with complete certainty.
Think of it like this. Even when the economy crashes. Even when I get my medical results back. Even when a global pandemic occurs. Even when the world seems to be falling apart. Even if the unthinkable happens…
How do we respond? Without fear!
And this is the broad message of the Bible, isn't it?
We have no reason to fear because, as Christians, we know that we have God's protection and strength. For He is with us always.
Een levensmissie noemt Patrick van Daalen het: kinderen helpen om sterker in het leven te staan. Samen met zijn vrouw Mariëlle bouwde hij zijn Rotterdamse vechtsportschool Unity ’99 uit tot een plek waar ze meer leren dan vechten. Nu Mariëlle ernstig ziek is, putten ze zelf kracht uit wat ze anderen bijbrengen.
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Barney Ronay’s Manchester United verdict is scathing.
Michael Carrick is miles away from being the actual story here. For the record, the United manager is now a little more pre-doomed, pre-sacked, pretty much already lounging around in one of those holiday adverts with Tony Pulis joshing about what’s for lunch. This defeat means United haven’t won a game since early September. At full time only the fact that Coventry and Sunderland would be playing each other later in the afternoon ruled out the prospect of an end-of-day bottom place.
Here was a moment to symbolise United’s decline under the Glazers and Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Martínez has had a lot to say about those above him recently, but this is a player who should have been sold along. United have too many in that category and it is hard to see a change of manager alone fixing the problem.
Continue reading...RPO/Petrenko
(Harmonia Mundi)
Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Philharmonic’s take on Strauss’s tone poem is full of darkness and light, with an impressionist’s eye for details
This is the third recording of Richard Strauss’s monumental tone poem to appear in the last year, and in some respects the most interesting. Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra adopt an expansive view, taking three minutes longer to clamber up and down the composer’s musical mountain than Edward Gardner or Nicholas Collon’s recent recordings. And yet nothing here seems to drag its feet.
The natural world through which the intrepid hikers pass may be the emphasis of the ascent, but it’s the mystic vision and elegy on the summit where the conductor’s focus lies – that and the uneasy darkness into which Strauss’s day of thrills and spills ultimately descends.
Continue reading...Leader is charting a course through troubled waters as a new survey finds trans people feel more pessimistic about social acceptance after combative decade
Transgender people fear social acceptance is going into reverse and some are retreating from public spaces, according to the first major analysis since last year’s supreme court ruling in the UK on the definition of a woman.
The Stonewall survey finds that while almost half of British LGBTQ+ people feel more accepted by society than a decade ago, 58% of trans+ people – and 75% of trans women – feel less so. Almost half of trans+ people now avoid certain bars and restaurants where they do not feel safe, 37% avoid single-sex spaces such as toilets and changing rooms, and 29% avoid exercise classes or sports teams. A striking 80% are pessimistic about the future of equality, in stark contrast to the net hope expressed when the same question was asked in 2017.
Continue reading...The late actor’s co-stars in Logan and Anthony and Cleopatra remember dog impressions, marching band-conducting and a fervent belief in fun
I had the unbelievable privilege of working with Patrick when I was 11 [in Logan]. He was a man of extraordinary warmth, wit and generosity. He possessed that increasingly rare ability to make everyone around him feel as though they were being let in on something wonderful. To work alongside him was to be reminded, every day, of what it means to love what you do, and to share that love with others. He imparted lessons in a way that was so wise, you didn’t even realise you were being taught.
Continue reading...UK children’s minister Josh MacAlister has travelled to Copenhagen to see what can be learned from Danish system
In a quiet suburb on the outskirts of Copenhagen sits a large white house, set back from the road behind a purple-leaved plum tree. It looks much like the rest of the buildings on the street and there is little outward sign this is Josephine Schneider’s House, considered one of the best children’s homes in the world.
Danish children’s homes are often cited as the gold standard of children’s residential care globally. They are now being studied by the British government as it tries to create a roadmap out of the crisis in which its own children’s home system has become mired.
Continue reading...