Of course you mean conversations like this:
[USMA:48029] Re: Celsius weather app icon? John Frewen-Lord Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:38:06 -0700Been back in the UK a couple of days. Been a heatwave here, and today temperatures are in the upper 20s. Went for a haircut, local barbershop, old building in centre of Grimsby. Three girls doing hair, all likely on minimum wage (this is NOT an upmarket establishment!), none of them likely to be confused with a university professor.... It was VERY hot in the barbershp, no A/C. While I was having my haircut, the three girl hairdressers talked among themselves about which club they were going to this evening, what they were going to wear etc. Then the conversation went like this: Girl 1: It's way too hot in here - must be over 30 (I estimated it to be around 32 - 34 deg C). Girl 2 : We need to get a thermometer - isn't there a maximum temperature you're allowed to work in? Girl 1: Yeah - I think it's 45. Girl 3: No, it's 43. Girl 1: What's body temperature? [I was about to jump in here, but Girl 3 beat me to it.] Girl 3: I think it's 37 [which I confirmed]. Girl 1: Well, it should be illegal to work in a temperature hotter than you are. Young male customer in next chair: And you babe are pretty hot already..... Girl 1: Cheeky sod! Etc etc And who said Britan was not metric! John F-L Trying to imply that people don't speak metric is somewhat disproved by the above reported conversation. As I said recently, no one can know what units others use as you can not hear everyone speaking. People will speak the units they see and hear in their surroundings. The more metric people are exposed to metric in work, the media, shopping, travel, etc. the more common those units become. Using metric on the job or seeing metric on the deli scales gets people exposed to metric to the point they speak it and probably don't even know they are using metric until someone outwardly resisting metric usage brings up the issue. Maybe someone needs to get out and listen to more people speak and stop pretending that what he does everyone else does the same as well as badgering people who do use metric. From: Stephen Humphreys <[email protected]> To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Sent: Thu, July 8, 2010 1:54:29 PM Subject: [USMA:48104] Re: S.Leone goes metric after 49 years <!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px;padding:0px;} body.hmmessage { font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;} --> That's exactly what I mean Carleton! Controversially I would suggest that there are no countries on the edges of that barometer. They're all somewhere in the middle to the sides. I would also suggest that even if a govt is metric then mass usage of measures one way or another must be a good identifier for that. What people say in life must have some say over roads, booze and cheese :-) I would not put America that far at the non-metric end and similarly I would place the UK not that far from the US (on the inner side, of course). Many attributes make up a country - it would be like saying that the US is a socialist country because Obama wants an NHS (after all, every single one of you voted for him eh?) ________________________________ Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2010 16:36:06 +0000 From: [email protected] CC: [email protected] Subject: [USMA:48099] Re: S.Leone goes metric after 49 years To: [email protected] In other words, how fully metric a country is, from completely metric with no old units ever used by anyone, to essentially old units only with only a bit of metric used. The indication would be useful if it sensed what the average person does and says in conversation, as it is assumed that scientists and others behind the scenes use metric. In that regard the USA would be quite to one side. Carleton ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stephen Humphreys" <[email protected]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, July 8, 2010 9:44:40 AM Subject: [USMA:48092] Re: S.Leone goes metric after 49 years I've never given credit to the 3-country "thing". Like - what metric country would have miles and yards written all over the main way of moving about? I prefer to see a 'merticonometer' (or make you're own name up) with a gauge showing places like Germany, China, etc on one side - US, UK, caribbean etc near the other side and various at various levels in between like Canada, Australia etc. A barometer approach. > Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2010 09:23:00 -0400 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: [USMA:48091] Re: S.Leone goes metric after 49 years > > Hmm I always thought there were three non metric countries, now that Sierra >Leone has gone metric, its back to three or is it? How many others are out >there >that are not metric that we don't know about. > > -- > > "Go for a Metric America" > Howard Ressel > Project Design Engineer, Region 4 > (585) 272-3372 > > > >>> On 7/7/2010 at 12:56 PM, in message > <[email protected]>, "Anthony O'conner" > <[email protected]> wrote: > > I don't know if anyone came across this, but it seems like another country > > is > > giving up on British imperial. It seems people in Sierra Leone > > associate imperial measurements with cheating. > > > > I wonder Sierra Leone's move will encourage Liberia to do the same. > > > > Does anyone know when Sierra Leone will begin to convert things like petrol > > > > pumps and grocery store scales, Weather reporting, etc? > > > > > > Does anyone know what is already metric in Sierra Leone? > > > > > > http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100611/wl_africa_afp/sleonelawparliamentmeasur > > > > ement_20100611174708 > > > > > > > > S.Leone goes metric after 49 years > > > > > > Friday, 2010-06-11, 13:47 ET > > > > > > FREETOWN (AFP) * Sierra Leone's parliament has passed a law adopting the > > metric > > system of measurement after 49 years using the British imperial system, > > Trade > > and Industry Minister David Carew told reporters Friday. > > > > "The law modifies the weight and measures act of 1961 under which the > > imperial > > unit of measurement had been used and now adopts the universally accepted > > metric system," he said. > > > > "The law will enable us to get the correct measurement of foodstuffs and > > other > > commodities since measurement terminologies like pound and mile have been > > replaced with kilometres and kilograms." > > > > Many housewives, like Hawanatu Silla, welcomed the new law. > > "It will help to reduce cheating by market women and butchers who had used > > the > > pound measurement to defraud customers buying meat, cups of rice and other > > consumables." > > The law stipulated fines ranging from 300 to 6,000 dollars for defaulters > > including trade inspectors who cheat while using the metric system. > > > > Sierra Leone is the sole member of the three-nation economic organisation, > > the > > Mano River Union (MRU) which comprises Guinea and Liberia, that maintained > > the > > use of the imperial system of measurement, officials said. > > > > The metric system is the world's most common method of measuring units > > although > > is still not fully used by some countries, notably the United States. > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ Get a new e-mail account with Hotmail - Free. 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