I've just received the following from one of the members of my new
UKMA mailing list:
>Chris,
>
>Thanks for putting the list together - it's nice to see the beginnings
>of a more widespread metric advocacy campaign starting.
>
>I was walking to my local newsagent on Sunday morning, when I passed three
>girls about 16 or so discussing a restaurant that one of them ate at the night
> before. She had said her father managed to eat a 20 ounce steak.
>Another of the girls then asked "how big is that then?" The third girl then said
>"about 500 grams". To which the second girl said "that's not so big!"
>
>I think it illustrates perfectly what the problem is in the UK. Younger people
>are obviously more comfortable with metric measures, while many older people
>either aren't willing to learn or actively ignoring them. It seems like the
>current strategy is to wait until the last person that prefers imperial units
>to die before going metric only.
>
>To which I say it's time for a pro-metric campaign along the lines of "let's
>finish the job". There's too many instances of dual measurements being used for
>too long a period of time. My favourite illustration of this is the weather.
>Canada took three months to go to Celsius only weather reports. What is it now here?
>20 years? 30 years?! I'd love to see at least one newspaper here give me the high
>and low in degrees Celsius, rather than just the high in degrees Celsius and
>Fahrenheit.
>
>The choice is between two systems and one. The one won't be Imperial.
>
>Thanks, Jeff Gross
>
>PS - My local Tesco has gone back to posting prices for loose goods and deli items
>by the 100 g and kg more prominently than by the 1/4 lb and lb. They even have a sign
>at the deli counter that says "we measure metric". I believe their Imperial reversion
>lasted all of two months.
>
>I think they figured out either that a) they'll lose the legal battle or that b) the
>price
>per 100 g is lower than the price per 1/4 lb.
--
Chris KEENAN
UK Metrication: http://www.metric.org.uk/
UK Correspondent, US Metric Association
