[USMA:23947] Re: Pound-Force discussion on another list

[kilopascal]

2002-12-12   Even though the fellow from Toronto was originally from Los Angeles, his positive attitude about SI comes from living in a metric city and country.  His experience with driving on metric roads, buying gasoline by the litre, hearing weather forecasts in degrees Celsius, seeing food products in the stores mostly with metric only labelling , with pricing per 100 g,etc., has had a positive effect on his metric thinking.   Also, by living in Canada he has been exposed to a more "international" view point.  His mention of rail systems world-wide may be due to his living in Canada, whereas if he had stayed in the US, he would care only about US railroads.  How many people on that list who live in the USA have an interest in foreign rail systems?   This in some way is proof of how much just the right exposure to SI in the right places, more than anything else will bring the population around and in favour of a more regulated change.  A few weeks ago I wrote that certain elements could be changed first and almost at no cost, and have a very positive effect on more in depth metrication.    But, I guess this country just doesn't have what it takes to realise this.   So, we will continue to stumble along at a slow and costly pace until we are either forced to change by outside forces, or decay to the level of a third world country, where it won't make a difference.   John     ----- Original Message ----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: U.S. Metric Association Sent: Thursday, 2002-12-12 21:51 Subject: [USMA:23944] Pound-Force discussion on another list A few days ago I asked for help with tractive effort from locomotives, and buff strength of the ends of passenger rail cars, both being expressed in pounds.  I received some very helpful information about pound-force and newtons and wrote a reply to the railroad list to which I also subscribe.  This started a low-key but interesting dialogue, in which one person mentioned the "slug".  The discussion concluded with a fellow from Toronto (an expatriate from Los Angeles) writing: "I really think this list has heard enough about the discredited English Imperial units of measurement.  If All Aboard is to be taken seriously, it's long since time for everyone to go metric, as every country with a competent passenger rail system has already done." There is more support out there among the people than the politicans would have us think. Carleton