"The Royal Mile, could well vanish in a puff of bureaucracy only to be replaced by the Royal 1.609344km."
"The issue of distances and travelling suddenly takes on a whole new light. For a start it would no longer be 46 miles to travel from Edinburgh to Glasgow, it would be 74.029824 kilometres, while London would suddenly become a distant 650.174976 kilometres, instead of 404 miles." "And the speed limit signs would also have to change - but what to? There's no easy conversion - 30mph becomes 48.28032kmph, 70mph turns into a scarily fast sounding 112.65408kmph." Erm.....excuse me a moment, would you? YYAAAAAAAWWWWWWNNNNNNN!! That's better. Ho - Hum!! Just how many times are they going to use this ever-so-boring technique of not sensibly rounding up to the nearest ten? One of the most fundamental lessons of mathematics? If this is all the anti-metric brigade have in their armoury, then I think we can sleep fairly soundly in our beds for some time to come. Regards, Steve. [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Han Maenen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2004 6:58 PM Subject: [USMA:30725] Re: Weigh up the pros of metric > If you want to read articles form the Archive from this newspaper you have > to subscribe, but it is free. > > http://news.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=804942004 > > > Down is the entire nonsencical article: Gag away!: > Who would really be so extreme as to want to 'metricate' something like the > Royal Mile of Edinburgh? Is this guy really that stupid or is he just > pretending? > A housing estate at the village of Beuningen, about 2 km west of Nijmegen is > called Viermorgen. That means 4 Acres, it was the name of an old townland in > that area. > And in Deventer to the north, you can buy Ellekoek; it has the name of the > old unit ell and also its length. > > Han > > If the world went metric > > > > Craig Brown > > > > IMAGINE waking up one morning to find that the whole world had changed > completely: it would no longer be possible to order a pint of beer and, if > giving directions, telling someone it "is just a couple of miles up the > road" would result in a blank look. > > > > Well, if it was up to the United Kingdom Metric Association, this could > happen sooner rather than later as it has just launched a campaign to force > Britain's population to make the full transition from imperial measures to > metric. > > > > Lord Howe of Aberavon, the former Tory Chancellor who is the patron of the > association, led the charge yesterday when he claimed it was time to end > what he described as "a very British mess" of a half metric, half imperial > system. In the association's new pamphlet, he writes: "British weights and > measures are in a mess. Litres for petrol and fizzy drinks, pints for beer > and milk, metres and kilometres for athletics, miles per gallon for cars. > > > > "And this muddle does matter. It increases costs, confuses shoppers, leads > to serious misunderstandings, causes accidents, wastes our children's > education and, quite bluntly, puts us all to shame." > > > > But if the country was to convert suddenly and irreversibly to the metric > system, with no quarter given to existing traditions and standards, what > would change? And how would we cope? > > > > Well, for a start, overnight Edinburgh's central tourism area, The Royal > Mile, could well vanish in a puff of bureaucracy only to be replaced by the > Royal 1.609344km. > > > > How many people know their exact weight and height in kilogrammes and metres > or can envision what a kilogramme looks like, or how long it takes to travel > a kilometre? > > > > The issue of distances and travelling suddenly takes on a whole new light. > For a start it would no longer be 46 miles to travel from Edinburgh to > Glasgow, it would be 74.029824 kilometres, while London would suddenly > become a distant 650.174976 kilometres, instead of 404 miles. > > > > Of course, the conversion would mean that there would have to be a > countrywide re-signing project to make sure that every road sign showed > distances in kilometres. > > > > And the speed limit signs would also have to change - but what to? There's > no easy conversion - 30mph becomes 48.28032kmph, 70mph turns into a scarily > fast sounding 112.65408kmph. > > > > Bert Morris, deputy director of the AA Motoring Trust, says: "If it was to > happen overnight, then obviously it would be a nightmare. As far as the > speed limits go, we just don't know what would happen. In mainland Europe > they are set at 50km, which is just over 31mph. > > > > "If we were to change the road signs to metric, the ones that would be > affected would be direction, width and height, and it would be beneficial to > motorists if they had the imperial and metric signs together to start off > with. > > > > "There is a good case to argue that road signs should be changed from > imperial to metric but there is no sound economic sense or any road safety > benefits. > > > > "The idea of changing road signs to metric was first thought of back in the > 1970s and children have been taught in metric rather than imperial for the > last 30 years. > > > > "Also, four million British motorists travel to mainland Europe each year > and are used to seeing metric road signs when they drive on their roads. > > > > "It can be confusing for a generation of drivers who have been taught metric > at school and then when they begin driving every sign on the road is in > imperial." > > > > AND it's not just drivers who would find themselves trying to cope with a > new set of references - certain sports would find their own special > terminology outlawed. > > > > For instance, in horse racing, distances would no longer be measured in > furlongs but in multiples of 0.01168km. And to measure a horse, it would no > longer the number of hands, but multiples of 0.1016 metres. > > > > In theory, the UK made the move to abandon imperial measures and join the > rest of Europe more than 150 years ago, when in 1862 a Commons committee > recommended the adoption of the metric system. However, it took more than a > century for any government to act on this advice. Metric measures began to > be introduced in 1965, but in 1979 the then Conservative government decided > to go slow on the process. If our world did become metric overnight, there > is one part that wouldn't change - as it has already been forcibly turned > metric. > > > > Four years ago, the European Parliament passed legislation demanding that > grocers work only in metric measurements. > > > > Traders across the country rebelled against such a demand, resulting in many > being prosecuted by trading standards officers. > > > > The British Weights and Measures Association, which is still fighting this > legislation, claims the changeover has been used to "round" the amount > contained in packaging down by between ten and 15 per cent while maintaining > original prices. > > > > For Davie Shaw, who owns Edinburgh fruit and vegetable shop Tattie Shaw on > Leith Walk, the issue of metrification is one that won't go away. > "Basically, when it really kicked in two years ago, I asked my customers how > they felt about it, and I can say that 98 per cent of the people who come in > here said that they didn't understand it and didn't want it; I would say > that 80 per cent still don't. > > > > "People just don't think in metric when it comes to vegetables. I can say > that when customers come in here, even if they've been brought up on the > metric system, they still ask for a pound of potatoes." > > > > But Shaw believes the prospect of a metric-only Britain is not as far away > as people imagine. > > > > "Now that the EU has won its case against those people who were fighting to > retain imperial, I have had visits from local officials, telling me to use > dual scaling. But come 2010, all references to pounds and ounces will > disappear, and this will affect those people over a certain age, the > 35-upwards age group, who tend to think in imperial." > > > > There is also the great British tradition of the pint of beer; overnight, > hundreds of thirsty customers would find themselves unsure of what to ask > for at bars. > > > > Paul Waterson, chief executive of The Scottish Licensed Trade Association, > says: "It would certainly be a major loss to Scottish culture and tradition, > that's for sure. I think one of the possible problems could come from the > fact that people have learned to gauge their drinking through pints; they > know how many they can take. I think the introduction of litres and > half-litres in their place could pose problems in this sense, as people > could find themselves drinking them without a sense of the quantity." > > > > Strangely enough, though, there is at least one everyday item that will > retain its imperial heritage: that of the McDonalds' Quarter Pounder. > According to a McDonalds spokeswoman, it has actually trademarked the weight > measurement, so metric or not, you would still be able to ask for one, even > if you had no idea of what the name actually meant. Even aspects of our > lives which are not quite so, er, measurable could change. For instance, > would The Proclaimers' famous I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) becomes I'm Gonna Be > (804.672 Kilometres)? In years to come, could the twins be singing: > > > > "And I would walk 804.672 kilometres, > > > > And I would walk 804.672 more, > > > > Just to be the man who walked a 1609.344 kilometres, > > > > To fall down at your door." > > > > At the moment, though, there are no immediate plans to turn the country > upside down. A spokesman for the Department of Transport says: "We are not > going to change the roads. We looked at it 18 months ago, but we decided > there are too many people who have been educated in miles to consider it. > > > > "Also, there are massive cost implications for changing the signs, which > would have to be dual anyway." > > > > The Department of Trade and Industry took a slightly more forthright view on > metrification in business. > > > > A spokesman says: "As far as we are concerned, we don't think there is a > 'metric mess', as Lord Howe said. The UK is almost completely metric except > for a few cases, for instance buying a pint in a bar." > > > > But a final word of comfort for those living on the Royal Mile concerned > that centuries of tradition may disappear at the stroke of a pen. When an > Edinburgh City Council spokesman was asked about the potential for > conversion, he replied: "I think that's highly unlikely." > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Thursday, 2004-08-12 18:37 > Subject: [USMA:30722] Weigh up the pros of metric > > > > Weigh up the pros of metric > > > > http://news.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=804942004 > > > > > > AS a northern lass who was lucky enough to grow up in Australia, it was > embarrassing to read in the Evening News the ludicrous article by Craig > Brown ("If the world went metric", News, July 9). > > > > What an insult to the intelligence of us all! When signs and weights > change to metric, as happened in all our Commonwealth nations and now even > Ireland, there are no such things as 112.65418km/h speed limits. > > > > Signs are rounded up or down to the nearest sensible amount, as we all see > when driving abroad, like Australia's national limit of 110km/h. London will > be just a round figure 650km away (not 650.174976km away). Furthermore, > there is no issue with companies rounding DOWN sizes either. > > > > Most companies rounded the old pound (454g) to 500g amounts and advertised > the "no extra charge" accordingly. The pint never disappeared in Australia, > either. It is still called a pint, but rounded up to 600ml from the little > English one of 568ml. > > > > You'd enjoy it a lot more if we were allowed the litre! > > > > Please don't be silly, Mr Brown. You merely play into the hands of > nasty-minded "Little Englander" types who would have us back in shillings, > groats, bushels and hogsheads and perpetually at war with our good > neighbours! > > > > Riane Martin, Campden Houses, Peel St, London > > > > >
