Really, the US and Canada get on very well; just ignore any posturing by politicians.
The population ratios cause a bit of a David/Goliath situation, and Canada feels the need to assert its cultural independence on some things. However cross-border cooperation on important things is remarkably good, I think, to the great benefit of both countries. ________________________________ From: Stephen Humphreys <[email protected]> To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Sent: Wed, April 7, 2010 4:50:38 AM Subject: [USMA:47068] RE: The "Europeanization" of the U.S.? --was Re: BBC debate about road signs I think it's more important to get on and be friendly with your neighbours than looking for a prime minister that will be antagonistic towards your neighbour just to use measures as 'pseudo-weapon'. I can understand the sentiment - sort of - however it's vital in the current age (with new such different threats to our security and well-being) to get on with as many countries as possible and have a real 'internationalist' approach. Sometimes it's worth standing back a little and looking at the greater good. There are other ways to further metrication and the best way of all is to let it succeed on it's own merits (with some good marketing). It's not really a measurement thing - but cross country co-operation and friendliness is so much more important these days. IMHO. ________________________________ From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: [USMA:47065] RE: The "Europeanization" of the U.S.? --was Re: BBC debate about road signs Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2010 18:43:33 +0100 Perhaps I can add how Canada's metrication was promoted, at least initially, back in the early/mid 1970s. There was (and to some extent still is) a great antipathy towards the USA, especially in the area of what was called the USA's "cultural imperialism", something that Canada's prime minister of the day, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was passionate about. Going metric was one of the ways that Canada was able to express its own identity - something that is very hard to do when your next door neighbour is 10 times bigger than you, is your biggest trading partner and is the most powerful country on earth. Over the years, there has been some softening in Canada's stance towards the USA, and that has almost exactly coincided with Canada's partial regression towards imperial measures. Maybe we need another Trudeau..... John F-L ----- Original Message ----- >From: Martin Vlietstra >To: U.S. Metric Association >Sent: Monday, April 05, 2010 8:52 PM >Subject: [USMA:47049] RE: The "Europeanization" of the U.S.? --was Re: BBC >debate about road signs > > >By 1979 the metrication program in the UK had slowed down into bottom gear. >In that year Mrs Thatcher became prime minister and one of the things on the >agenda was the harmonization of units of measure across the EU. Mrs >Thatcher’s antipathy towards the EU was well known and she used the failure to >complete the metrication program as a symbol of defiance towards EU >regulations. Intricate details of how VAT was collected meant nothing to the >man in the street, but changing of everyday things like miles and pints were >highly visible. > >When I compare this to South Africa – the bulk of the South African >metrication program was complete by 1975 – South Africa had been a republic >for over a decade and metrication was seen as being a step in the direction of >the country asserting its independence – in particular South Africa did not >have to wait for the British lead in everything. Pat might be able to mention >whether or not there was a similar mood in Australia. > > ________________________________ >From:[email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of >Paul Trusten >Sent: 05 April 2010 17:13 >To: U.S. Metric Association >Subject: [USMA:47048] The "Europeanization" of the U.S.? --was Re: BBC debate >about road signs > >This is a 2006 program, hence the discussion of 2010 and supplementary >indications. > >Perhaps the U.K. citizens can enlighten me on this point, but in that country >and in mine (the U.S.), metrication seems to me to have become a political >issue, not a technical one, when it is more technical than it is political. >Right now, in the U.S., there is a great deal of complaining about President >Obama seeking to "Europeanize" America with his political agenda. and I hate >to see this argument spill over into the metrication discussion, as it seems >to be doing in the UK . My counter to this is that the SI metric system does >not belong to Europe alone. Far from it. It belongs to North America, South >America, Asia, Africa, the Pacific states--- it is global. > >If we take into account the U.S. Metric Act of 1866, the Metre Convention of >1875, and the Metric Conversion Act of 1975, SI is the entire world's system >of measurement, and its avoidance by a few countries should be seen a form of >deprivation, not a form of exceptionalism, for those countries' citizens. The >lad who asked what a pint was is part of our future. In the government >publication Metrication In Australia, the Australian government stated >its wish to be part of the future, not the past, when it launched metrication >in the 1970s. As it was in Ireland in 2005, Metrication of road signs in the >UK would be forward-looking, and for the long term. > > >Paul Trusten,R.Ph. >Public Relations Director >U.S. Metric Association, Inc. >www.metric.org > >----- Original Message ----- >From: Pat Naughtin >>To: U.S. Metric Association >>Sent: 05 April, 2010 02:27 >>Subject: [USMA:47044] BBC debate about road signs >> >>Dear All, >> >>I have just watched this completely bizarre BBC program called, 'Question >>Time' at http://www.youtube.com/user/UKMetric >> >>I say completely bizarre because we, in Australia, changed all of the road >>signs in this very large country in a single day (Sunday 1974 July 1). We did >>this with with minimum cost by simply applying stick on signs over all the >>old signs. Some approximations were made (1/4 mile became 400 metres for >>instance) and all the the signs were replaced and perhaps moved slightly in >>the normal order of maintenance plans. >> >>This completely bizarre BBC program illustrates clearly that the UK >>government has no plans to learn from others about how to go about the road >>sign change. Instead they appear to want to extend the discussion well beyond >>the 45 years (1965 to 2010) it has already taken so far – and there is no end >>in sight. >> >>I have said before and I will repeat here, 'A well planned and carried out >>metrication upgrade can be completed in a single day – a poorly planned >>attempt at metric conversion can take more than 100 years. In both cases the >>change to the metric system is inevitable'. >> Cheers, >>Pat Naughtin >>Author of the ebook, Metrication Leaders Guide, that you can obtain >>from http://metricationmatters.com/MetricationLeadersGuideInfo.html >>PO Box 305Belmont3216, >>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/ to subscribe. >> ________________________________ Get a new e-mail account with Hotmail – Free. Sign-up now.
