NOT FOR PUBLICATION
Editor, Charleston Post and Courier
copy to: Elsa McDowell, Charleston Post and Courier
Jacki Renegar, Charleston Metro Chamber
Dear editor,
I sent a "heads up" email to you last week about Gov. Hodge's
proclamation of this State Metric Week and in that I issued a challenge
and an offer to the Post and Courier. Nothing appeared in the paper,
that I noticed, relating to the metric system except for a few Peanuts
comic strips.
Otherwise, the Charleston Post and Courier failed to inform the public:
- Monday's "Science" focus piece was on the hobby of
setting up and running a home aquarium, which
relates more to pets than to science.
- Tuesday's "Schools Plus" issue did not mention
anything about the teaching of the metric system in
our current curricula.
- Wednesday's "Food" section missed an opportunity to
comment on metric measurements in the marketplace
and the kitchen.
- Thursday's "Life" section focussed on hurricanes,
breastfeeding, and kids washing dishes but said
nothing about the rapidly growing presence of metric
measurements in our daily lives.
- Friday's "Fashion" section hawked the color purple
as the happening thing in men's fashions, missing an
opportunity to discuss clothing-size labels
Charlestonians might find when they travel abroad.
As I offered to do in that letter last week, I could have helped your
reporters find something of general public interest, relating to the
metric system, for each of those issues. Did you pass my offer to any of
these feature editors?
Perhaps that says it all about the interest you and your staff have in
this issue that affects our economy. Or perhaps it is because
journalists tend to be phobic about math and science and (erroneously)
see the metric system only as a "math and science" topic. Am I mistaken?
As the strong voice firmly ensconced in the best pulpit in town, the
Post and Courier has a responsibility to take a more pro-active interest
in this issue. Thomas Jefferson would have expected more from you in
educating the public this past week. I would be glad to discuss training
for your staff on the metric system being used in our daily lives and
certainly in our future. You might even find it worthwhile to run a
weekly column on the metric system, by way of providing public
education.
regards,
James R. Frysinger
also at: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.cofc.edu/~frysingj
--
Metric Methods(SM) "Don't be late to metricate!"
James R. Frysinger, CAMS http://www.metricmethods.com/
10 Captiva Row e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Charleston, SC 29407 phone/FAX: 843.225.6789
