Monday, October 29, 2007
Daylight Savings Alert
If you have a PDA, Blackberry or a car that automatically updates the time when there's a change, then you may have been a tad befuddled yesterday as all the devices thought that daylight savings time was yesterday. Normally, it would have been, but recent legislation changed the date from the last Sunday in October to the first Sunday in November. So heads up, it's this coming Sunday.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has issued a reminder that daylight saving time will end at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 4, one week later than in recent years. When daylight saving time ends, clocks will be set back one hour, providing an additional hour of daylight in the morning. Federal law does not require any area to observe daylight saving time. But if a state chooses to observe daylight saving time, it must follow the starting and ending dates set by the law.
In those parts of the country that do not observe daylight time, no resetting of clocks is required. Those states and territories include Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas. Daylight saving time is a change in the standard time of each time zone. Time zones were first used in the United States in 1883 by the railroads to standardize their schedules. In 1918, Congress made the railroad zones official under federal law and assigned the responsibility for any changes that might be needed to the Interstate Commerce Commission. In the Uniform Time Act of 1966, Congress established uniform dates for daylight saving time and transferred responsibility for the time laws to the U.S. Department of Transportation. For more information, visit www.dot.gov.
Labels: daylight saving time
link | posted at 5:53 AM
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Monday, October 22, 2007
Passport Requirements
The times, they are a-changing. If you don't have a current, up-to-date passport, you might seriously start to think about getting one now, as the requirements are set to change in 2008.
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) once fully implemented will require all travelers entering or reentering the United States to be in the possession of a valid passport.
Anticipated Implementation
October 1, 2007 - The departments of State and Homeland Security reestablished the valid passport requirements for air travel. Valid passports are required for air travel to/from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.
US lawful permanent residents will continue to be able to use their Alien Registration Card (Form I-551) issued by the Department of Homeland Security or other valid evidence of permanent residence status to apply for entry to the United States.
As early as Summer 2008 - A valid passport will be required for all sea and air travel. And subject to US Government amendment, US and Canadian citizens 15 or younger with their parents consent may cross the US/Canadian border by land or sea with a certified copy of their birth certificate.
Until that time
Sea Travel Only
For domestic travel which includes: the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico, a passport (valid or expired) is highly recommended.
In the absence of a passport, a birth certificate (original or certified copy), plus laminated picture ID card issued by a federal, state, or local government agency is required. Note: Baptismal papers and hospital certificates of birth (except for new borns) are not acceptable.
For US Naturalized citizens, in the absence of a passport, Naturalization papers (either original or notarized copy) plus a picture ID card issued by a federal, state, or local government agency is required.
A voter registration card or Social Security Card are not considered to be proof of citizenship.
Children under 16 years of age do not require a picture ID.
International Travel
A valid passport is required; visas are required where they apply. This includes Europe, Asia, Central and South America.
Labels: passport requirements
link | posted at 7:52 AM
