You wrote: > You may know that the United States was the first nation to introduce > decimal currency. Would you like to return to the "human touch" of > the old British system of (this may not be right) 20 pence to the > shilling and 12 shillings to the pound, the system discarded by the > British in 1971 in favor of our own decimal system? >
Wrong way round!! It was actually 12 pence to the shilling and twenty shillings to the pound! Regards, Steve. [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael-O" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, June 15, 2003 12:12 AM Subject: [USMA:26089] Re: In for a penny, in for a ... kilogram--your recent column - Appendix > What I forgot! > > I truly believe that the modern metric system *is* in the interest of > America's way of life > > It is all about the freedom to measure, it is about that you can solve every > measurement problem where others fail. > > > Freedom for life - Freedom to measure! > > > Paul Trusten, R.Ph. wrote: > > Dear Mr. Lewis, > > > > I read with great interest your online column "In for a penny, in for > > a...kilogram" (May 29, 2003), and have spent the interim preparing my > > response. Since my parents did not raise me to speak and write vulgar > > slang, I waited two weeks so I could calm down before writing this. > > > > Your article asks why the United States, after 28 years of considering > > conversion to the metric system, is still "pounding and inching > > along". One of the primary reasons for this, I believe, is because > > people such as yourself have newspaper columns, and singlehandedly, > > are in a position to publish opinions and information as prejudiced, > > as narrow, and as fractured as the material you put into the > > above-mentioned column. The prevalence of such dim views of a subject > > make me yearn to have a newspaper column of my own so that I could at > > least back up my widely disseminated opinions with facts. Does your > > paper have an opening for a new writer? > > > > I start by saying that I am an American, native born and lifelong, > > who is proud of the United States and what it has done for its people > > and for the people of the world. I wholeheartedly support President > > Bush in his effort to protect the United States from terrorism. And > > accordingly, I condemn the French for their barbed opposition to our > > efforts to eliminate a great threat from Iraq. But there is one thing > > that I will always thank the French for, and that is their invention > > of the metric system. > > > > > > You say that the metric system is "boring and sterile", and "suitable > > only for mathematicians and other colorless folk". I've never before > > heard someone compare units of measurement for their entertainment > > value, and I do not measure things to be entertained. I measure > > things to accomplish some task, such as framing pictures, cutting > > paper, or judging how much space I need for a carpet. Sometimes I > > need to expand these measurements into larger units or reduce them to > > smaller units. The American plan of measurement, using 12 inches to a > > foot, etc., is so cumbersome and so silly compared to a decimal > > system that I would equate it to being sterile of thought. I long to > > use a measurement system in which all the units are decimally > > related. That, this inch-weary American feels, would be a most > > exciting and fertile change in our society. I yearn for what you > > call, almost with approval, "the all-too-even 10". No, the "Way Of > > Measuring Badly in America Today" (I use the acronym WOMBAT to > > describe our "system" of measurement, which is unsystematic) is not, > > as you say, "just fine". It is bad for the individual user, and, as > > you shall shortly read, bad for America. > > > > You were partially correct when you observed that the United States > > is one of only three nations not officially using the metric system. > > However, the Congress declared in 1988 that the metric system is the > > "preferred system of measurement for trade" in the United States. > > Congress has long known what the American people have been reluctant > > to recognize: that being alone in the world with our measurements is > > a major hindrance to our global competitiveness as a people, both in > > academics and in trade. American producers must produce one set of > > goods with US units for domestic sale and one set of goods with > > metric units for export, and this has to be a major incumbrance to > > our economy. So, I must disagree with your statement that our > > metrological kinship with Liberia and Myanmar is "a good thing". I > > think it is a very bad thing, since much of the world looks to the > > United States for wisdom, not backwardness. > > > > Of all the provocative statements you made in your column, the one > > notion which irks me above all the others is your using that > > ignorance-perpetuating old ruse about metric units, making hard > > conversions of US units to metric and using them in a statement to > > show how supposedly cumbersome metric is, e.g., that Newville was > > 17.7028 kilometers from Carlisle. Please tell your readers that, in a > > metric America, one will say that Newville is about 18 kilometers > > from Carlisle, period. Once the US converts to metric, there will be > > no more frequent converting. There will only be metric units being > > used. Please stop spreading that kind of prejudicial venom, which I > > believe is a hindrance, not just to metric conversion, but to much of > > human progress. > > > > You may know that the United States was the first nation to introduce > > decimal currency. Would you like to return to the "human touch" of > > the old British system of (this may not be right) 20 pence to the > > shilling and 12 shillings to the pound, the system discarded by the > > British in 1971 in favor of our own decimal system? > > > > I'm not a mathematician, but I would not describe mathematicians as > > colorless folk. On the contrary, I sense that their craft brought > > much color into the world, including the color pictures of all types > > we now see from around the world on our web browsers. These people > > are actually the color of the world, and a few of them, a couple of > > hundred years ago in France, gave the world an easy and convenient > > way of measuring things. Both as a patriotic American, and as someone > > who just has to measure stuff from time to time, I want to join that > > world. But I can't join it if American columnists like you persist in > > attempting to rob America of the measurement system it deserves. > > > > Please reconsider what you have written. > > > > > > Sincerely, > > > > > > Paul Trusten > > 3609 Caldera Boulevard, Apartment 122 > > Midland TX 79707-2872 USA > > 432-694-6208 > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > "There are two cardinal sins, from > > which all the others spring: impatience > > and laziness." > > ---Franz Kafka >
