Is petrol sold by the gallon or by the litre in Ireland? When we purchase something by certain units or work with out hands in certain units, we develop a feel for those units. The Irish media may continue to speak in FFU, but that does not often translate into an understanding of those units. Some people may claim to understand those units based entirely on being comfortable with the word but not having a clue as to the size of the unit.
As products become more and more available only in metric units, the feel for the units will take precedence over imperial even if the unit names don't. This is what the BWMA is really fighting. They know that people's feelings toward FFU is the strongest when the commodities they deal with everyday are also produced and available only in FFU. The more the metric the weaker one's perceptions of FFU becomes. The BWMA always points to metrickery when products are resized to rounded metric, even if FFU remains on the label. They "tolerate" supermarket scales in metric (even though they would prefer FFU only), to a point, as long as the FFU is visible and large and the consumer is under the impression he/she can buy totally oblivious to metric being there. When you go to Ireland, do you go as the educator, using metric by example or do you insist Ireland is FFU and you need to use FFU when there? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Han Maenen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, 2004-05-15 09:40 Subject: [USMA:29801] Gallon not yet gone in Ireland > The Imperial Gallon is still alive in Ireland. See below. > > 400,000 septic tanks a 'threat to groundwater' > Frank McDonald > > Rural housing: Ireland now has an estimated 400,000 septic tanks dealing > with 50 million gallons of effluent every day and these represent a "huge > threat to groundwater", according to a director of the Environmental > Protection Agency (EPA). > Mr Larry Stapleton was speaking at a press conference yesterday on the > publication of an EPA review of the state of Ireland's environment, which > stresses the need for septic tanks to be properly installed and maintained. > "Providing that guidance on both single house treatment systems and > groundwater protection is followed, the EPA is satisfied that septic tanks > and their associated percolation areas will provide adequate protection to > groundwater," the review states. > But with one-off houses in the countryside now accounting for nearly 40 per > cent of the record annual output of 68,500 new homes, the review highlights > other downsides in terms of increased transport costs and lower > accessibility to services. > The proliferation of housing in rural areas also had a negative impact on > the urban fabric of towns and could lead to degradation of the landscape, > habitat fragmentation and overall negative impacts on Ireland's > biodiversity, it says. > The review notes the publication in March by the Minister for the > Environment, Mr Cullen, of new guidelines on rural housing, which are > expected to usher in a more liberal regime favouring people with "local > links" for planning permission. > Asked at yesterday's press conference whether Ireland's current pattern of > housing development was inherently unsustainable, the EPA's director > general, Dr Mary Kelly, said this was "a planning issue and I don't want to > stray into the planning area". > > � The Irish Times > > Han > Historian of Dutch Metrication, Nijmegen, The Netherlands > >
