This morning Samoans and inhabitants of neighbouring island Tokelau, woke up into the new year one day earlier than they had previously done as their governments decided to realign their time zone to the eastern timeline as opposed to the western one.
The two islands, which together host around 200,000 inhabitants, are located near the dateline that zigzags vertically across the pacific. Because of their increased trading partnership with New Zealand and Australia, as well as other Asian countries, they decided it made more sense to align their timezone with such countries as opposed to the USA which used to be its main trading partner and which had persuaded them to switch to the western side in 1892.
Demonstrating that conventions can actually be modified quite dramatically (at least in smaller countries) Samoa had also switched to left-hand driving back in 2009 for pretty much the same reason.
The fact remains that all the inhabitants of these two islands have suddenly become one-day older, but to make this matter more agreeable to the population their governments have decided to pay for the lost day of work nonetheless.
So here's the question of the day? Would you be prepared to lose one day of your life in exchange for one day's pay?
HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE URBANBITE TEAM
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