"The United States has lost one-third of its hold
on the global economy somewhat because of not using metrics. That's the
guesstimate, and I've read it more than once," said Bruce Schooler, human
resources director for Hadady Corp., a Midwest diesel manufacturing
company.
Hadady has been making engine manifolds and other
parts since the 1970s, largely for American-based companies such as Caterpillar.
It did its business in standard measurements until two years ago when the "gold
standard" accreditation for contract bidding began demanding metrics.
Without metrics, Hadady couldn't even bid on jobs. The company hired Frysinger to teach its people how to adapt.
"Metrics faded out in the 1970s because it wasn't mandated by the marketplace. Now it's mandated by the marketplace," Schooler said.
Without metrics, Hadady couldn't even bid on jobs. The company hired Frysinger to teach its people how to adapt.
"Metrics faded out in the 1970s because it wasn't mandated by the marketplace. Now it's mandated by the marketplace," Schooler said.
Jim,
The above three paragraphs are very powerful,
especially the part about metric being mandated by the marketplace. I hope
you don't loose touch with this guy. Maybe he can be a catalyst with other
members of the media to start looking more into the metric issue from a
standpoint of it being a necessity for jobs and a prosperous middle class in
this country.
I don't think many in the media see the connection
between secure well paying jobs for the citizens and jobs being exported because
it is easier to have something made in metric in China then in the US. The
media needs to be the ones that approach metrication from a new angle. Not
the "it's easier to learn and use", but "that your future living standard
depends on it". The media needs to ask the population if it wants to be
prosperous or poor? Metric leads to prosperity and English units to
poverty.
Maybe more research needs to be done to prove to
the people via the media that metric can and will make our country prosperous
instead of in debt. Many of the posters here want to present metrication
without pressure. Well, here is a way. Don't let this guy slip out
of your grasp. He may not be 100 % convinced because his job isn't
directly dependent on measurements. His job can't be exported
to China for lack of using the right units.
Charleston can't be too far away from the BMW plant
in Spartanburg. Maybe Mr. Petersen and you need to take a visit there and
talk with the Engineers there about how important metric is for anyone wanting a
job there. If I remember right, they had a problem when they first opened
up and that was their workers couldn't read the metric
drawings. An engineer can report on how they overcame that
problem and how a metric functioning employee is a well paid asset.
You may also wish to point out to him the cost of us being half and half and the mistakes and
lives lost. From the Mars Orbital Lander to hospital dosage errors.
He may not be aware that the English System kills.
I hoped the ball isn't dropped and something very
positive comes out of this for the metric effort. Or do we all have to be
Wal-Mart associates before someone realizes then it is too late?
Dan
----- Original Message -----
From: "James R. Frysinger" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, 2005-09-09 22:18
Subject: [USMA:34395] Re: Post and Courier (Charleston,
SC)
>
> That interview was as interesting in the lead up to it as it was in the
> conduct. Bo Peterson had called me for some technical advice on sea breezes
> (a topic of my master's thesis). I had told him that I liked a lot of what he
> wrote and I asked him when he was going to write a piece for the paper on the
> metric system's inevitable adoption in the U.S. His immediate response was
> that he hoped it never would! We chatted for a bit and I apparently piqued
> his interest enough that he went to the editor for the go-ahead for this
> article.
>
> Bo entered the interview stating total lack of knowledge on and use of the
> metric system. I dispelled those errors in his self-appraisal during the hour
> that we chatted. His last question, wrapped in a pre-apology, was "Pardon me
> for asking this, but are you a nut?" That gave me the opening to review some
> points and to remind him that I was on the side of 96 % of the people in the
> world. And that if I were a nut, every "sane" American would then have to
> give up those many things we had talked about: electricity, medicine,
> nutrition, and so forth.
>
> In all, I was pleasantly surprised to see such a positively written article. I
> had feared that it would be one of those "you won't believe what some folks
> think!" articles. He even did further research to back up some of my
> assertions in that interview.
>
> I think Bo truly had an epiphany during that interview. Please treat him
> kindly! Yes, I did stress that we did not teach the metric system by use of
> conversions; that "quiz" was just an old "blankie" that he was not ready to
> let go of yet. Bo is just at the start of the learning curve on this. Most of
> us --- at least the older ones among us --- were at some time in the past.
>
> Jim
>
> On Friday 09 September 2005 19:29, Remek Kocz wrote:
>> As riddled with errors as this article is, I do appreciate that another
>> journalist is presenting SI as a rational, coherent, and
>> an easy-to-use measurement system. I'm also glad to see that financial
>> consequences of _not_ adopting the metric system have been brought up. It's
>> an argument that the pro-metric side must make time and time again. Like it
>> or not, money is the most persuasive argument for converting the US.
>> Politicians can translate it to jobs, and businesses can equate it to
>> revenue and profit. Voter and consumer can then vote with their ballot and
>> dollar.
>>
>> On 9/9/05, Nat Hager III <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> > Did Jim's interview here make it onto our list?
>> > Nat
>> > The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC)
>> > The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC)
>> > August 29, 2005 Monday FINAL Edition
>> > Correction Appended
>> > *SECTION:* LOCAL/ STATE; Pg. 1B
>> >
>> > *LENGTH:* 715 words
>> >
>> > *HEADLINE:* The pound takes a pounding AH: Is metric really the future
>> > for U.S.? Some predict so
>> >
>> > *BYLINE:* BO PETERSEN Of The Post and Courier Staff
>> >
>> > *BODY:*
>> > The jigger is up.
>> >
>> > In fact, so is the teaspoon, the pint, the foot, the yard and likely the
>> > mile. It's metricate or stay home. That's what Jim Frysinger thinks, and
>> > he's not alone.
>> >
>> > <snip>
>
> --
> James R. Frysinger
> Lifetime Certified Advanced Metrication Specialist
> Senior Member, IEEE
>
> http://www.cofc.edu/~frysingj
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> Office:
> Physics Lab Manager, Lecturer
> Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
> University/College of Charleston
> 66 George Street
> Charleston, SC 29424
> 843.953.7644 (phone)
> 843.953.4824 (FAX)
>
> Home:
> 10 Captiva Row
> Charleston, SC 29407
> 843.225.0805
>
>
>
> --
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
> Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.10.20/95 - Release Date: 2005-09-09
>
