Daylight savings won't save energy?

Part of the justification for extending Daylight Saving Time (DST) in the United States was a reduction in energy costs by adding more daylight in the evening hours when citizens are home watching TV and otherwise being sloth-like and inactive (sorry, a little anti-TV prejudice eeking out). The legislation foresaw energy savings as much as 1% (a large number when averaged over all households and businesses in the country).

However, a recent study by two doctoral students at the University of California Energy Institute suggests that energy savings may be at best overstated and at worst nonexistent. Examining a DST-extension that took place surrounding the Olympics in Australia, the two students found that most models of energy savings vastly overstated the actual changes in energy use.

While DST extensions might not save energy, I'm definitely enjoying my "extra" hour of daylight in the evenings. Sunset today: 7:16pm!

The newest front in the War on Drugs

A study in Australia has revealed that prohibiting the use of certain antibiotics in animals helps lower antibiotic resistance in human diseases. Since more vulnerable germs means easier-to-treat disease and shorter treatment times, this is a big deal.

Since many American food producers simply use drugs prophylactically to avoid disease in their animals (that are frequently kept in filthy and densely-packed buildings), perhaps following the Australian model might pay off in terms of easier-to-treat disease.

The good news is that we're already on the way. Last year, the FDA banned the use of cipro-class antibiotics in poultry. Now, how about the cows?