No 30 December 2011 for Samoa

efb · 30-12-2011 03:04AM #1

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16351377

Tokelau is set to join Samoa in taking a dateline leap on 29 December
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Samoa and Tokelau are set to skip a day and jump across the international dateline to align with trade partners.

When the clock strikes midnight (10:00 GMT Friday) as 29 December ends, Samoa and Tokelau will fast-forward to 31 December, missing out on 30 December.

Samoa announced the decision in May in a bid to improve ties with major trade partners Australia and New Zealand.

Neighbouring Tokelau decided to follow suit in October.

The change comes 119 years after Samoa moved in the opposite direction. Then, it transferred to the same side of the international date line as the United States, in an effort to aid trade.

But New Zealand and Australia have become increasingly valuable trade partners for the country.

"In doing business with New Zealand and Australia, we're losing out on two working days a week," Samoan Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sailele Malielegaoi previously said.

"While it's Friday here, it's Saturday in New Zealand, and when we're at church on Sunday, they're already conducting business in Sydney and Brisbane."

He added that Samoa also does a lot of business with China and Singapore and the dateline change will make commerce with the region "far, far easier".

Samoa is located approximately halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii and has a population of 180,000 people. Local time up to now has been 21 hours behind Sydney. From 31 December it will be three hours ahead.

Tokelau is a tiny New Zealand-administered territory of three islands. It lies to the north of Fiji, approximately half-way between Hawaii and the Australian coast. Local time is currently 23 hours behind Wellington time.

Rebecca Black is said to be very confused and disappointed with the decision.

ColeTrain · 30-12-2011 03:08AM

Expect the Irish government to follow suit and do away with a week, cut backs.

efb · 30-12-2011 03:09AM

ColeTrain wrote: »

Expect the Irish government to follow suit and do away with a week, cut backs.

I think we should adopt CET

Wertz · 30-12-2011 03:22AM

Anyone being paid holidays will get an extra one day paid for and banks will pay the extra day's interest on any savings but not charge on any loans, according to a piece on this on radio last night.
Definitely none of that happening here.

As for CET, no thanks chuckles.

Killer Pigeon · 30-12-2011 03:25AM

Aww, some people who were born on the 30th December aren't going to have a good birthday this year. Now they'll feel like those who were born on the 29th February.

flutterflye · 30-12-2011 03:35AM

It's my birthday.
It's already crap enough that you get joined xmas and birthday gifts, and that no one wants to go out for your birthday because new years eve is the next day, never mind that it's the day Saddam Hussein was executed, but now this??
Ffs

efb · 30-12-2011 03:37AM

Do you live in Samoa???

flutterflye · 30-12-2011 03:38AM

efb wrote: »

Do you live in Samoa???

Yes.

efb · 30-12-2011 03:38AM

flutterflye wrote: »

Yes.

Ha ha!

30-12-2011 03:46AM

Didn't one of the other Pacific islands jump the dateline just to be the first to celebrate the new millennium?

CardBordWindow · 30-12-2011 03:49AM

Less nights out between Stephens and New Years. It's a holiday for the liver so!!

Stinicker · 30-12-2011 03:54AM

The Samoans recently changed from driving on the right to the left so they could import Aus/Nz 2nd hand cars cheaper rather than having to ship in LHD cars from the US to their tiny islands in the middle of the pacific. Their PM wants to change the countries flag also!

LightningBolt · 30-12-2011 04:11AM

flutterflye wrote: »

It's my birthday.
It's already crap enough that you get joined xmas and birthday gifts, and that no one wants to go out for your birthday because new years eve is the next day, never mind that it's the day Saddam Hussein was executed, but now this??
Ffs

Your birthday was yesterday, quit moaning.;)

Hank_Jones · 30-12-2011 04:17AM

flutterflye wrote: »

It's my birthday.
It's already crap enough that you get joined xmas and birthday gifts, and that no one wants to go out for your birthday because new years eve is the next day, never mind that it's the day Saddam Hussein was executed, but now this??
Ffs

Happy Birthday.

People are very self involved, surprised it has got this far past your post without anyone wishing you well.

mike65 · 30-12-2011 11:06AM

They got bored of being a day behind their main trading partners and have jumped across the international date line!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16351377

Samoa and Tokelau have skipped a day - and jumped westwards across the international dateline - to align with trade partners.

As the clock struck midnight (10:00 GMT Friday) as 29 December ended, Samoa and Tokelau fast-forwarded to 31 December, missing out on 30 December entirely.

Samoa announced the decision in May in a bid to improve ties with major trade partners Australia and New Zealand.

Neighbouring Tokelau decided to follow suit in October.

The change comes 119 years after Samoa moved in the opposite direction. Then, it transferred to the same side of the international date line as the United States, in an effort to aid trade.

I like this idea only I'd like to see us move the clocks back to 2001 and not join the euro.

Dravokivich · 30-12-2011 11:07AM

yeah, read about it yesterday. Handy thing is they still get paid for the Friday that gets skipped today.

bastids! :pac:

44leto · 30-12-2011 11:12AM

There is another thread about it

I wonder what this will do for the Samoans zodiac sign.

There are some Samoans who are going to wake up with a radically different personality.