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At least in the United Kingdom we can quote the law -
technically metric units MUST be used for "commercial, public health,
public administration or public safety purposes". This means that if
anybody who requires your height or weight is obliged to accept it in metric
units.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2006 3:32
AM
Subject: [USMA:35565] Re: height and
weight
Anytime I do something like that it ends up disastrous. I can't
give my weight in kilograms at the blood bank; they make me do the
calculations to change the weight on the form to 'normal units'.
I would possibly make them take my weight in kilograms except for the
fact that the donor machine they hook you up to requires them to
enter the patients height and weight; they either can't or don't know how
to enter metric units into the machine.
Just recently I had to be fingerprinted and have a background check done
for a training programme I'm entering. They needed to know my weight, I
gave them kilograms. The problem was that they enter all this
information into a computer and they don't have a way to put kilograms in the
computer; once again it was up to me to convert it to pounds before we could
go any further.
Until we're able to actually give our weight in the unit of our choice I
don't see how we can get other people to become metric minded. As it
currently is I have to know how to convert kilograms to pounds mentally for
anyone to take the information! The people I give the information to
also have a tendency to act as though I'm purposely trying to be weird, odd
and just plain trying to give them a hard time.
Richard
In a message dated 2006-01-04 15:11:32 Eastern Standard Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
This
morning, while I was filling out the forms for my first visit to an
oral
surgeon, I had to give my height and weight. The two blanks were
not
labeled as to units, but I would have crossed out the WOMBAT labels
if they
were there. I gleefully wrote in 1.73 m and 74 kg. Everyone was
much too
busy to comment, but this is the first time I have had an
opportunity to
quote my dimensions in SI units. We'll see if they
notice.
Paul Trusten, R.Ph.
3609 Caldera Boulevard, Apt.
122
Midland TX 79707-2872 USA
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Editor, "Metric
Today"
U.S. Metric Association,
Inc.
www.metric.org
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- [USMA:35566] Re: height and weight Martin Vlietstra
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