Banter Bites

Tick-Tock … Time To Change The Clock

Is "spring forward, fall back" just another way of saying, "one step forward, one step back?"

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: It's nice having more daylight at the end of the day, although the trade-off is it's darker in the mornings.

Not to mention you "lose" an hour's sleep. Of course, in six months the reverse will be true. You'll enjoy an extra hour's sleep, but it will get darker earlier, so the days seem shorter. Welcome to Daylight Saving Time. (Unless you live in one of the states or territories that doesn't participate in this practice.)

But what exactly is it and how did it begin? Red, being the straight-A student, was curious and she found her answers (and more) in a quick search on the computer. (It would be hard to picture Black reading anything in the Farmer's Almanac.) Red had to share with her sister that the concept went as far back as Benjamin Franklin but really took hold at the beginning of the 20th century, and finally came into its own at the start of World War II when President Franklin Roosevelt re-established Daylight Saving Time year-round, calling it "War Time."

Black, used to her sister's love of history, listened politely for a few minutes, and then asked Red if she knew why the change occurs at 2 a.m. and not midnight? And explained it was a political/business decision to minimize the inconvenience to railroad schedules. She then went on to discuss how it has become a political issue (hasn't everything?!).

Regardless of whether you think Daylight Saving Time is a great idea or should be rescinded, you need to remember it happens this weekend. For those of you tethered to digital gizmos, if you're awake in the very early hours on Sunday morning, you can watch as the time jumps from 1:59 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. Meanwhile, most of us will wake to find we have to run around re-setting kitchen appliances and old-fashioned clocks.

This is one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites in large part because of Black’s “corny” puns, but also because fresh corn is a summer staple – whether cooked on the grill or in the microwave, whether eaten on its own or as a primary ingredient in refreshing summer salads


This may be one of the corniest things you’ll ever read.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: It’s just a vegetable, so how can it possibly elicit such a strong reaction from Red, while, for Black, it’s more a source of amusement and even, it turns out, admiration?

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Think you can avoid artificial intelligence? Think again …

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Red already fights technology at every turn, preferring to keep her ostrich head in the sand, plus, she finds Artificial Intelligence (AI) scary; whereas Black knows ignoring reality merely postpones the inevitable, so she’s started playing with AI to understand it better …

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A man better known for his death than his life, although Red, the straight-A student and history lover, immediately thinks of the costly and controversial movie of his life. (Well, technically, it was the life of Cleopatra.) Black, of course, focuses on business – leadership lessons, including the power of words, although she surprises Red with some food trivia. But the fact July’s named after him is the perfect excuse to rerun one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites …

Quick! If someone says "Julius Caesar," what comes to mind?

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Almost everyone has heard of Julius Caesar, but how many of us really know much about him, or at least that's what Red starts to wonder when she receives the usual flippant, but still accurate, reply from her sister, after feeling very proud that she knew that July was named after the famous Roman.

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