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Life is simple by Jerry Crownover
Thirty-five years ago, while I was still in high school, I had to learn
how to convert English measurements into metric measurements and vice
versa, because "by the time you're an adult the entire world will
standardize to the metric system." Or so my astute teacher informed me.
Well, I'm an adult now and I'm still waiting - and I'm still as frustrated
as I was back then.
When I called my local vet medicine supplier last week to order pour-on
worker, he informed me that he had my favorite product, on sale, in the
convenient 10-liter size. "How many gallons is that?" I asked.
"I don't know," he answered.
"Well, how do I know whether $599.95 is a bargain if I don't know how
much of this liquid gold is in the 10-liter bottle?"
"I can tell you it's five times as big as a big bottle of soda pop," he
compromised.
That was a start, but I'm still aggravated because the de-wormer is
made in America, by Americans. I don't know how much of the medicinal
product is sold in Europe or Australia or Spain, but my guess is very
little, so why cater to these markets when farmers and ranchers want to
know gallons, quarts and pints.
Pardon me for getting on a little high horse here, but I'm fed up with
having to own two tool sets and possess two methods of thinking for
something that I didn't think would ever happen when I was learning it in
high school and have become even more convinced as an "adult" that there
is no need for.
I don't want to know whether my diesel truck is a 5-liter, 6-liter or
7-liter engine, dang it! I want to know how many cubic inches the pistons
displace so I can figure out how much power potential it has compared to
the 327s, 383s and 454s of my youth.
When I go to a doctor's office, I don't want to be told that my weight
of 99 kilograms is too heavy for my 1 meter, 33.45 centimeter frame. If
I'm fat, tell me pounds, feet and inches.
When I purchase new farm equipment, I'm really not interested in how
many hectares of alfalfa I can cut in one hour. I don't even know what a
hectare is. If the manufacturers cannot convert the measurements over to
acres, they shouldn't be allowed to market the product in the United
States.
Come on, we sell beef by the pound, milk by the the hundred weight,
grain by the bushel, farms by the acre and timber by the board foot. We
buy gas by the gallon, milk by the gallon, feed by the pound or ton (and
notice I didn't spell it "tonne"), lumber by the foot, carpeting by the
square yard and gold by the ounce. We shouldn't have to buy wormer by the
liter and tools sized by the millimeter.
If I ever pull up stakes and move to Argentina to raise beef cattle or
New Zealand to raise sheep or Europe to raise ..... do they actually raise
anything in Europe?..... I will be happy to carry along my old math tables
and convert to their system. In the meantime, please answer my questions
in pounds, feet, gallons and cubic inches and pass me the crescent wrench
so I can make it fit this 11.053619 mm bolt on my American made truck.
Life
is simple
Thirty-five years ago, while I was still in high school, I
had to learn how to convert English measurements into metric
measurements and vice versa, because "by the time you're an adult the
entire world will standardize to the metric system." Or so my astute
teacher informed me. Well, I'm an adult now and I'm still waiting - and
I'm still as frustrated as I was back then.
Your
Letters: Thanks for filling holes
I would like to thank the Gainesville Highway Department for
filling the potholes on CR 117 that turns off Highway 5 north. Sure wish
they could fill the two holes that are a handspan off of Y
Highway.
Your
Letters: Takes issue with Emerson's 'economic theory'
It's scary to think someone with such a, to put it
charitable, confused understanding of economic theory is actually
involved in writing legislation which will dramatically affect our
economy. I'm talking about Congresswoman Emerson and her latest For the
Record, where she touts legislations she is cosponsoring making the Bush
tax cuts permanent.
Time
After Time
50 years ago
May 6, 1954
Reader's
Corner
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