The Eisenthal Report

Daylight Savings Blues

In the wee hours of this morning, most of the United States moved to Daylight Savings Time (DST).

For a number of years, DST began the first Sunday in April. This year, Congress approved an earlier start date for DST - the second Sunday in March. The rationale for this was that the extended daylight in the early evening would reduce energy costs and improve automobile safety.

For a majority of Americans, the change will likely have precisely that effect. Morning commutes and other routines will not be greatly affected, but evening commutes and routines will be enhanced by the extended daylight hours.

However, for a portion of the country, the change may not have a completely positive net effect on energy and safety. Those are the parts of the country that are located in the eastern portions of their time zones.

Time zones were originally created in the nineteenth century to provide some uniformity to railroad schedules. They were grounded in the system of longitude based at Greenwich, England. As there are 360 degrees of longitude in total, and 24 hours in the day, each time zone would encompass about 15 degrees of longitude. The time zones would be centered - roughly - on the longitudes evenly divisible by 15; in the United States, these "center meridians" would be 75, 90, 105, and 120 degrees west of Greenwich.

As time zones actually evolved in the United States, and population grew, the effective centers of the time zones moved west. Only 11 states - with less than 20 percent of the nation's population - are either mostly or entirely east of the "center meridians": the six states of New England, New Jersey, Illinois, Wisconsin, Alabama, and Nevada. In these places, the sun rises and sets earlier than in the rest of their time zones.

The effect of the earlier switch to DST in these states is that the early morning, which had been seeing daylight, will go dark again for another month. In Boston, the sun rose yesterday, at 6:08 AM EST. Today, it rose at 7:06 AM EDT. In Chicago, the sun rose yesterday at 6:14 AM CST. Today, it rose at 7:12 AM CDT.

In metropolitan areas like Boston and Chicago, there are many people who rise early and arrive home late. The later sunrise might actually mean increased energy use for such people. It will be interesting to see the effect on energy usage in such places.

Return of the Sun

A few hours ago, something happened in Barrow, Alaska for the first time in several weeks - the Sun rose.

At 1:12 PM Alaska Standard Time (some four and a half hours ago at this writing), the Sun rose on Barrow, which is the northernmost settlement on the North American continent at 71.3 degrees north - well above the Arctic Circle. The Sun last set on Barrow a little before 1:30 PM on November 19.

Daylight did not last long today in Barrow; the Sun set at 2:07 PM AST.

The flip side of the winter darkness is, of course, the summer light - as anyone who has seen Insomnia can attest. In Barrow, the Sun will rise on May 10 at 2:47 AM Alaska Daylight Time - and will not set again until 1:54 AM ADT on August 2.

(Here is the source for the the times and dates.)

Seasonal Affects

In these latitudes, at this time of year, there isn't really such a thing as midday.

We seem to go directly from early morning to late afternoon - or early evening - with no transition in between. Today, December 1, the Sun rose here in West Brookfield just before 7am and set just after 4:15pm - just 9 1/4 hours of daylight. The day doesn't get much shorter than this - on December 21, the shortest day of the year, we will have just over 9 hours of daylight.

It makes sense that noon really doesn't feel like noon at this time of year. Today, the Sun was directly overhead at latitude 21 degrees, 43 minutes south. (At this longitude, 21 degrees, 43 minutes south, is in the southeastern Pacific Ocean about 120 miles west of the coast of northern Chile.) At astronomical noon in West Brookfield, which today was at 11:38am EST, the Sun was only a little more than 26 degrees above the horizon.

On the longest day of the year, June 21, the Sun is 26 degrees above the horizon between 8am and 9am (daylight savings time) and again between 5pm and 6pm. Thus, a December noon is like a June early morning or late afternoon. One way to begin to understand the phenomenon of seasonal affective disorder is to think in these terms.

Of course, people in these latitudes shouldn't complain too much. In Barrow, Alaska, well above the Arctic Circle, the Sun set on November 19 and will not rise again until January 23 (though Barrow has at least three hours of twilight every day during these two months.)

Colossal Gall in History - The Armenian Genocide

Peter Balakian, a professor of the humanities at Colgate University, wrote The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and the American Response.

This book, which was published in 2003, goes into great detail describing the horrors of the genocide and the efforts of many Americans and others to provide protection and relief to the Armenians. The book was praised by such luminaries as Paul Fussell, Sir Martin Gilbert, James Carroll, Deborah Lipstadt, and Robert Jay Lifton.

One incident described in the book stands out for sheer colossal gall. In 1916, after much of the killing had taken place, Talaat Bey, the Turkish Interior Minister, met with Henry Morgenthau, the United States Ambassador to Turkey. Balakian describes the exchange -

Knowing that many Armenians with American ties had life insurance policies with the New York Life Insurance Company and the Equitable Life of New York, Talaat said to the ambassador: "I wish that you would get the American life insurance companies to send us a complete list of their Armenian policyholders. They are practically all dead now and have left no heirs to collect the money. It of course all escheats to the State. The Government is the beneficiary now. Will you do so?"

Morgenthau stormed out of that meeting in an understandable rage. (The source of this account was Morgenthau's own book, Ambassador Morgenthau's Story.)

What is Western Massachusetts, Anyway?

Recently, the Mayor of Chicopee, Massachusetts, Michael Bissonette, criticized the administration of Governor Deval Patrick for including Worcester County in its definition of "Western Massachusetts" for the purpose of siting a potential "destination resort casino."

Mayor Bissonette reportedly said that "Western Massachusetts" includes only the four western counties - Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire. In the Mayor's view, Worcester County is really in Central Massachusetts.

The Mayor is not alone in this view. Wikipedia's article on Western Massachusetts also defines the region in this way.

As someone who spends a lot of time in both Central and Western Massachusetts, this observer has thought a great deal on this question.

To begin with, defining Western Massachusetts as the four western counties is arbitrary at best. This would mean that Palmer, where the Mohegans would site their "western" casino, is in the region, but Warren, where the Mashantuckets would site theirs, is not.

This observer can come up with four other defensible definitions of what makes up Western Massachusetts.

A modest variation of the "four county" definition is the "413" definition - everything within the 413 area code is in western Massachusetts - everything outside of it is not. This means that the Worcester County towns of Warren and Hardwick are in Western Massachusetts, but the Franklin County towns of Orange, Warwick, and New Salem are not. This also seems to be a mostly arbitrary definition.

Thinking as broadly as possible, one defensible definition of Western Massachusetts would include all of Worcester County. Springfield and Chicopee have as much in common with Worcester and Fitchburg as they do with Pittsfield and North Adams - and arguably more. (Ask someone from Pittsfield whether Springfield is in Western Massachusetts.)

All of these communities have traditionally been underfunded and underrespected by the powers that be in the state government in Boston. In fact, an artificial political separation of western and central Massachusetts benefits only those who have an interest in a "divide and conquer" approach to the allocation of political and financial power.

From a geographic perspective, all five counties are part of the Appalachian highlands that run from Maine to Georgia - a dramatically different landscape from the coastal region of eastern Massachusetts.

Another narrower definition of Western Massachusetts - but still broader than the typical definition - would place the dividing line at the eastern boundary of the Connecticut River basin. This would place the boundary on a line running roughly from Gardner through Spencer to Sturbridge. Much of western Worcester County - the areas drained by the Quaboag, Swift, Ware, and Millers Rivers - would be considered to be part of Western Massachusetts under this definition.

From a personal psychological perspective, this is a satisfying definition. As one drives west along Route 9 in Spencer - less than ten miles west of Worcester - there is a place just east of the center of town where the landscape opens to a rather long and broad vista. This vista is the beginning of the Quaboag Valley. From a personal perspective, this is where western Massachusetts begins.

An even narrower definition of Western Massachusetts would place the dividing line at the eastern edge of the plain that runs east of the Connecticut River. This line would run from Montague to Amherst to Wilbraham. By this definition, the hills to the east of the line are really part of the Central Massachusetts highlands. Palmer and Shrewsbury share more in common in this regard than Palmer and Chicopee. Driving south on Interstate 91 in Holyoke near the Soldiers Home on a clear day, if one looks slightly to the left, one sees the broad openness of the Connecticut River valley with some substantial hills in the background. These hills are in Monson, Palmer, and Belchertown. By this definition, these hills are where Central Massachusetts begins.

All of the above are what I would consider defensible definitions. Another more elusive definition - one in keeping with a recent TER piece - would define Western Massachusetts as being that part of the state that is not part of Red Sox Nation. This is a less frivolous or trivial definition than it might first appear. Allegiance to the Red Sox is an example of Boston's cultural influence. Where the Red Sox fade, so too does Boston. Unfortunately, this is a harder definition to fix with precision. For the most part, Western Massachusetts would be confined according to this definition to the area west of the Connecticut River.

What is Western Massachusetts, anyway? I guess it depends, but trying to think carefully about definitions is the beginning of clear thinking.

Is Northampton the Baghdad of Red Sox Nation?

In this Major League Baseball post-season, with the Red Sox leading the World Series two games to none, there has been greater consciousness of something called Red Sox Nation.

Red Sox Nation is as much a state of mind as a geographic region. It can be defined either as the universe of Red Sox fans, which goes well beyond New England, or the geographic region where Red Sox fans are predominant in relation to fans of other teams - or no team.

One who has tried to define Red Sox nation geographically is Commonwealth Magazine Managing Editor Robert David Sullivan. Sullivan's blog, Beyond Red & Blue, is a marvelous compendium of information and statistics on matters of politics, public policy, and culture. In a recent posting, Sullivan discussed the bounds of Red Sox Nation. Sullivan and commenter "GreenmanTim" had some interesting ideas, but this observer commented about Red Sox Nation that

1) Going west, it ends at the Connecticut River. While there are significant numbers of Red Sox fans in places like Hartford and Northampton, there are enough Yankees and Mets fans there to put those places outside the Nation.

2) Montreal is not a baseball town - it does not belong in Red Sox Nation or any other baseball nation. La belle ville is the capital of Canadiens Nation.

3) I've heard that the Maritime Provinces of Canada - New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island - have many Red Sox fans - perhaps enough to be part of the Nation.

Having thought about that comment, and having spoken with some residents of the Pioneer Valley, I would revise the comment slightly. Northampton is a border city belonging to Red Sox Nation even though it is on the far shore of the Connecticut River.

Northampton seems to have significant cadres of Red Sox, Yankees, and Mets fans. To some extent, the split between Boston and New York fans seems to follow the "Hamp/Noho" split among residents of Northampton. "Hamp" refers to long-time residents of Northampton who tend to be working class or middle class - and are more or less resentful of "Noho." "Hamp" roots for the Red Sox. "Noho" refers to first-generation residents, many of whom have relocated from the New York, who tend to be more affluent and academic. "Noho" is less interested in baseball than "Hamp," but it also includes a respectable number of Yankee and Mets fans. (Arguably, the "Hamp/Noho" split exists more or less in the entire Pioneer Valley north of Mount Tom. People from outside the region are often surprised at how many transplanted New Yorkers there are in places like Greenfield, Hatfield, Hadley, and Amherst.)

One might think of Northampton as almost being the Baghdad of Red Sox Nation. As Baghdad has traditionally been home to large communities of both Sunni and Shiite Muslims, Northampton is home to large communities of Sox and Pinstripe believers.

What is the significance of this? For one thing, it brings home for this observer how comforting it is to live in a part of the world where clashes of identity can be channeled in such benign ways - no one is going to become a suicide bomber if the Red Sox lose the World Series.

The Developing Arctic Cold War

In December, TER carried a piece referencing a story in Truth & Progress about the possibility that the United States Navy might create an Arctic Fleet.

With global warming opening the Arctic Ocean to regular shipping for at least part of the year, the Arctic nations - Russia, Norway, Denmark, Canada, and the United States - are likely to become more active economically in the region - and in asserting territorial claims. The following is a map from the BBC showing the potential Arctic territorial claims.

Recently, the potential has begun to become the actual in the Arctic. Within the past few weeks, Russia planted its flag on the Arctic seabed at the North Pole - 14,000 feet below the surface - to support its claims that its territory runs to 90 degrees north. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in response to Russia's actions, announced plans to build two military bases in Canada's far north. Danish researchers will shortly sail into the Arctic to see if the Lomonosov Ridge, which runs along the seabed to the North Pole, is connected to Greenland, which is a territory of Denmark. Russia supports its territorial claims to the North Pole, in part, based on the Lomonosov Ridge, as well.

Will the United States be far behind in joining this Arctic race? With all of the other demands on this country's national security - and other - resources, one might think that this would be a low priority. Nevertheless, there is the prospect of a greater American military and economic commitment to the region. Perhaps, within the next decade, Barrow, Alaska will be on the way to becoming as big a Navy town as Norfolk or San Diego.

Worcester Magazine Quotes TER

Worcester Magazine, the alternative weekly newsmagazine that serves Worcester, Massachusetts and environs, quoted TER in its "Blog Log" for this week. The quote came from a piece that I wrote following the New(s) England Revolution conference last week in Lowell. The piece discussed the New England Commons panel headlined by journalist Neal Peirce. The quote in Worcester Magazine is as follows -

There are many obstacles to regional thinking — a government structure containing six states and more than 1,000 local governments, a tradition of local focus, and a transportation infrastructure designed in the most myopic fashion (Exhibit A: the fact that the Massachusetts Turnpike does not pass through either Worcester or Springfield). In yesterday's panel discussion, Neal Peirce compared New England to a group of talented people blindfolded in a dark room and not talking to each other.

The "Blog Log" also quoted a piece by Marry in Massachusetts done earlier this week called Massachusetts Rolls Over.

Geography Blogs - The Effects of a 100 Meter Rise in Sea Level

I have recently discovered two geography blogs that are related to Google products - Google Maps Mania and Google Earth Blog. The latter blog had a very interesting piece about a member of the "Google Earth Community" named bzoltan who created a template showing the effects of a 100 meter rise in sea level from global warming. This is along the same lines as lori's piece, 15 inches, at Truth & Progress. bzoltan's template can be accessed here. (You need to load Google Earth in order to view this.)

For those of us in Massachusetts, the results of a 100 meter rise in sea level are stunning. Virtually every place within Interstate 495 - as well as Cape Cod and all of southeastern Massachusetts - disappears. Marlborough and Hopkinton become seaside communities. The Pioneer Valley becomes a fjord as far north as Greenfield. Stunning stuff.