Time zone rules change

[Paul Eggert]

Jesper Norgaard Welen <jnorgard at prodigy.net.mx> writes:

> it would be even nicer if the international community would recognize that
> there should be an "ombudsman" (or office) of timezone issues, to which each
> country must inform about their plans for time changes, or else ...

If memory serves there was vague talk of proposing that to
the U.N., but nothing ever came of it.  The U.N. is kinda
busy doing more-important things I guess.

Somehow this reminds me of the following story:

Brian Biggs, "Bush Proposes Universal Time Zone", BBspot (2003-05-20)
<http://www.bbspot.com/News/2003/05/universal_time_zone.html>.

Two sample quotes:

  At the United Nations today President George W. Bush
  announced a proposal to unify all the world's time zones
  into a single Universal Time Zone (UTZ), formerly known as
  the Eastern Time Zone.

  ...

  Britain immediately supported the US plan. "If it means
  sleeping in broad daylight then we'll stick with our
  allies," said Tony Blair, "Of course there's never broad
  daylight in the UK, so it's not much of an issue."
  


> in the US the presents are received on Christmas Day.

That's the most popular tradition here, popularized by Henry
Livingston, Jr.'s famous poem "A Visit from St. Nicolas"
(a poem often incorrectly attributed to Clement Clark Moore).

However, lots of people here exchange presents on Christmas
Eve.  I grew up in a family that did that.  I expect it
mainly depends on how close one's family is to its European
roots.

I don't know of any UTC offset change that has ever occurred
on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, though December 23 has
seen them (Cancun and Merida in 1981, according to our
database).