Mr. Rick Stengel, Managing Editor TIME Magazine Dear Mr. Stengel,
The U.S. Metric Association congratulates TIME for advancing the use of the metric system in the U.S.! According to a post at http://gawker.com/272475/time-switches-to-the-metric-system, you have issued a memo to your writers and editors that both metric and U.S. customary units be cited in values of distance, weight, volume, and temperature in the general text of your magazine. But, the purported memo goes on to state that the U.S. units be cited first, followed by the metric units. Such a preference is contrary to a 1988 amendment to the Metric Conversion Act of 1975, which declares the metric system to be the preferred system of measurement for U.S. trade and commerce. Isn't it "TIME" for American magazines to comply with this Congressional declaration? We urge you to place the metric units first, according to their legally preferred status in the U.S. Following U.S. law would also make cited measurements easier to follow for your international readers, almost all of whom use the metric system exclusively in their daily lives. Sincerely, Paul Trusten, R.Ph. Public Relations Director U.S. Metric Association, Inc. www.metric.org www.twitter.com/usmetric [email protected] +1(432)528-7724
