[USMA:34296] RE: My head says yes, my heart says no...

[Daniel]

Title: Re: [USMA:34182] RE: My head says yes, my heart says no...

----- Original Message ----- From: Pat Naughtin To: U.S. Metric Association Sent: Tuesday, 2005-09-06 15:25 Subject: [USMA:34291] RE: My head says yes, my heart says no... Dear Stephen Gallagher, I have interspersed some remarks. on 2005-08-30 22.30, Stephen Gallagher at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Keep in mind the if Britain were to implement a full > conversion, it doesn't mean that people wouldn't be > able to go into pubs and ask for a "pint". This is what happens every day in British pubs. However, the word 'pint' is defined as 568 millilitres in UK law. It would be more accurate to describe the current 568 millilitre British 'pint' as a 'metric pint' as it is no longer the 'traditional pint' that many people believe it to be. It is a constant source of muddle and confusion when old pre-metric terms are defined in metric units as, in this case, the old pint has been made to be the legally equal to exactly 568 millilitres 'metric pint'. Imperialists define a pint as a certain number of ounces.  The 568 mL is not the definition they go by.  This is why they are afraid of the Australian situation, where a pint is de-legalized and allowed to become anything.  500 mL is not an acceptable redefintion of a pint because to those that ignore the metric definition, 500 mL is not the same as xxx ounces.  It's just > that the pub wouldn't be selling beer by the pint, > they'd be selling it by the mL. British pubs, mostly, sell beer in 568 millilitre containers that are mostly made from glass. There are a few that sell beer in glasses (less than 5 % I think) that are made to hold 568 millilitres of beer; obviously these glasses actually hold more than the 568 mL metric pint. To sell the same > amount you'd be getting, I believe 570 mL. Most drinkers (the other 95 %) in the UK do not receive a pint of beer when they ask for a pint of beer. They get as much beer as a 568 mL glass will hold. As I have calculated here before most UK beer drinkers, after allowing for the froth, receive close to 500 mL of beer and about 70 mL of froth. The imperialists don't accept your explanation.  They insist giving 500 mL of beer and 70 mL of froth is not legal, because you are not getting xxx ounces of beer.  As glasses > were replaced, those that said "pint" oh the outside > could be changed with markings that said 570 mL, or > perhaps newer 600 mL glasses would be introduced. A simpler approach would be to leave the glass sizes the same (568 mL) and to put a 500 mL mark on the side of each glass. Then every beer drinker could know that they were getting at least 500 mL of beer, which is the same as they are getting now but it would be an honest, simple, and transparent measure as opposed to the confusion and obfuscation incorporated in the present muddle. One advantage of this method is that by leaving glasses the same size, no changes need be made in glass handling machinery such as glass washers. > Legislation could even be introduced that when a bar > advertises a "pint" glass of anything, it must include > at least 570 mL.   This is the exact point that UK legislators have avoided. They have, in fact, legislated for the present dishonest method where a beer drinker asks for a pint, defined as 568 mL, and receives about 500 mL in a 568 mL glass. However, in UK law, I don't know if there is a minimum amount that must be served -- as long as it is served in a (568 mL) 'metric pint' glass. > Nobody is asking Britain to give up it's beloved pint > (and having been there I do realize that it truly is > part of the culture).   True, the word 'pint' is part of the culture but it is a long time sine UK beer drinkers have been routinely, and honestly, been served an actual pint of beer that is either an old pre-metric 'pint' or a modern 'metric pint'. Cheers, Pat Naughtin LCAMS Geelong, Australia 61 3 5241 2008 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.metricationmatters.com LCAMS means that Pat Naughtin has been recognised as a 'Lifetime Certified Advanced Metrication Specialist' with the United States Metric Association. This email and its attachments are for the sole use of the addressee and may contain information that is confidential and/or legally privileged. This email and its attachments are subject to copyright and should not be partly or wholly reproduced without the consent of the copyright owner. Any unauthorised use of disclosure of this email or its attachments is prohibited. If you receive this email in error, please immediately delete it from your system and notify the sender by return email. No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.10.18/90 - Release Date: 2005-09-05