John was correct to mention this and the matter is gathering pace. See this from a UK broadsheet that even sees a recent Archbishop of Canterbury and now the Vatican as well as established BBC presenters up in arms.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/8808388/Vatican-attacks-BBCs-senseless-hypocrisy.html This silly notation is even now really only established to any degree in North America – though why I do not know. For some 30 years I was a referee for the Institute of Physics on a minor aspect of mass spectrometry instrumentation, one aspect of which many will know is connected with instruments for conducting radiocarbon dating. One memorable paper that I received for review quoted dates resulting from the stated research which were clearly in error from those expected, by about 2000 years. On careful reading the author turned out to have used the terms BCE and CE to refer to ‘Current Era’ (meaning today’s dates) rather than ‘Common Era’ meaning those of AD and BC. At the time of that paper there was no common understanding outside the US of the terms BCE and CE and there is still confusion today. It really is a nonsense which amounts, to quote Jane Austen’s excellent turn of phrase, to a ‘needless precipitance’ to use such terms in science. Patrick From: Tony Finch Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 10:43 AM To: John Carmichael Cc: sundial@uni-koeln.de Subject: Re: BBC bans The B.C. and A.D. John Carmichael <jlcarmich...@comcast.net> wrote: > > Britain's BBC has banned the use of B.C and A.D. when refering to dates! Please don't propagate tabloid lies. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2011/sep/26/1 Tony. -- f.anthony.n.finch <d...@dotat.at> http://dotat.at/ Forties, Cromarty, Forth, Tyne, Dogger: South 4 or 5. Slight or moderate. Mainly fair. Good, occasionally poor. --------------------------------------------------- https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial
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