----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, March 20, 2004 10:01
AM
Subject: [USMA:29248] This morning's
CarTalk on NPR
A caller stated his
question. Then Tom and Ray asked him about his accent because
they couldn't figure it out. So they asked him, not with any
malice but just as they often do.
He replied that he was born and raised
in England, eventually lived and worked in Italy, then Australia whose
passport he carries. Eventually he married a woman from Nashville,
Tennessee where he has resided and worked for a number of
years.
Then one could recall a few of the
Aussie-isms along with some Southern-isms.
Anyway his question regarded the gallon. He
asked why the Imperial gallon is about four and a quarter liters whereas the
American gallon is about three and three quarters liters. We realize
that he used approximations but notice the importance he attached to the
common metric point of reference.
Tom and Ray didn't know why but said they would
find out and mention it on a later broadcast. They couldn't keep
themselves from a joke about British Imperial but at least they didn't joke on
the obvious common metric point of reference, at least not this
time.
Perhaps many of you may have heard the broadcast
which is on at 10:00 ET in Atlanta. If the program is live (they
give no disclaimer that it isn't), they often get calls from the Pacific
Time Zone (7:00) and even Alaska (6:00) and Hawaii (5:00) Time
Zones. If it is taped, the all bets are off as to when others may hear
it.
I hope any others who heard it will go to their
web site (CarTalk.com, I think) and improve their knowledge
base. For those who didn't, I am sure that my recollections are
accurate.
My wife and I must leave right now for a
celebration of her sister's 80th birthday party, so I will look up data later
and send my email.
Norm
