>From the U.S. side of the Pond, the nationalism of the metric martyrs is pretty obvious. Might they be moved by nostalgia for an 11th century Saxon dynasty?
From: Pat Naughtin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 09:13:59 +1000 To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Cc: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Subject: [USMA:40998] Re: Metric Martyr trial set for next January On 2008/05/28, at 11:22 PM, Tom Wade wrote: > >> East End grocer put on trial for refusing to submit to metric system > > The same old lies are still being peddled. If this crops up in any forum you > frequent, make sure to point out: > >> Mrs Devers has been hailed as the latest "Metric Martyr" to challenge >> regulations originally from the >> EU which were aimed at outlawing the use of Imperial measurements in the UK. > > UK law does *not* outlaw the use of Imperial measurements. Mrs Devers is > quite entitled to have prices per pound (weight) on signs if she wishes. What > she is not allowed to do is to omit the signs bearing the official units of > the realm. She is even entitled to use weighing scales that can measure pound > weight (again, as long as they also are capable of displaying the official > units). Dear Tom, I believe that you are right in that the media are peddling the same tired old lies in these anti-metric stories. I also believe that there is an underlying nationalism in all of this. Te nationalism seems to be based on the idea that the metric system is somehow foreign (French or European) to the people of the UK and especially to the people of England. As you know this is simply not true. The basis of the metric system was developed in England as a method of 'universal measure' around the middle of the 1660s. It was then fully described in 1668 by John Wilkins in, AN ESSAY Towards a REAL CHARACTER, And a PHILOSOPHICAL LANGUAGE.(1668)' These three references should provide full details. http://www.metricationmatters.com/docs/WilkinsTranslationShort.pdf http://www.metricationmatters.com/docs/Wilkins_translation_2007-07-14.pdf http://www.metricationmatters.com/docs/CommentaryOnWilkinsOfMeasure.pdf I doubt that Mrs Devers is even aware that she is in opposition to an English system of measurement at the same time as she passionately supports the Roman methods (pondo) imported by the French (avoirdupois) with William the Conqueror in 1066. Cheers, Pat Naughtin PO Box 305 Belmont 3216, Geelong, Australia Phone: 61 3 5241 2008 Metric system consultant, writer, and speaker, Pat Naughtin, has helped thousands of people and hundreds of companies upgrade to the modern metric system smoothly, quickly, and so economically that they now save thousands each year when buying, processing, or selling for their businesses. Pat provides services and resources for many different trades, crafts, and professions for commercial, industrial and government metrication leaders in Asia, Europe, and in the USA. Pat's clients include the Australian Government, Google, NASA, NIST, and the metric associations of Canada, the UK, and the USA. See http://www.metricationmatters.com/ <http://www.metricationmatters.com/> for more metrication information, contact Pat at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or to get the free 'Metrication matters' newsletter go to: http://www.metricationmatters.com/newsletter/ to subscribe.
