Looks like they have already been taken to task for misuse of the word boiling. The lede sentence now read Northeasterners were bracing themselves for another day of searing temperatures, as the heat wave that has cooked the central and eastern parts of the country for days lingers on. The whole article is in units of measure that I stopped using in 1970.
_____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of John M. Steele Sent: 23 July 2011 11:16 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:50904] Re: Yet another Associated Press blunder You don't have to worry about them "correcting" it. They, as always, provide no link for anyone to comment on or report the blunder. I guess they assume they are always right because they are the AP. _____ From: Zach Rodriguez <[email protected]> To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Sent: Sat, July 23, 2011 5:57:14 AM Subject: [USMA:50903] Yet another Associated Press blunder Stumbled upon this link through a meteorologist friend on Facebook who also expressed his disapproval (his words: "This is why I have to tell our producers to never believe the AP 100% when it comes to weather stories. Seriously? Boiling Point???"). The AP's outdone themselves. <http://hosted2.ap.org/APDefault/Article/Article_2011-07-22/id-a00971d96daa4 bbb944745e208b5afb3/recordType-Spot%20Development> http://hosted2.ap.org/APDefault/Article/Article_2011-07-22/id-a00971d96daa4b bb944745e208b5afb3/recordType-Spot%20Development This isn't the run-of-the-mill unacceptable "kph" nonsense. This is actually quite sad. The article is only a few sentences long, and it disappoints on every single level. "Jul. 22, 2011 6:41 AM ET Northeast braces for temps near boiling point NEW YORK (AP) The extreme heat that's been roasting the eastern U.S. is only expected to get worse, and residents are bracing themselves for temperatures near and above boiling point. Weather service heat warnings and advisories have been issued Friday from Ohio to Maine. The high temperatures and smothering humidity will force up the heat indexes. Boston's 99 degrees on Friday could feel like 105 degrees; Philadelphia's 102 degrees like 114 degrees and Washington, D.C.'s 103 degrees may seem the same as a melting 116 degrees. Many cities have opened cooling centers." I could get after the fact that there's not even a conversion to degrees Celsius or that the temperatures in degrees Fahrenheit aren't labeled as such (just "degrees"), but, really, AP? Boiling point at 100 °F? This says a lot about the mess we're in and just keeps proving our point: those who are anti-metric or even indifferent about it don't even know the system they (think they) know, and SI is superior. This article would have never seen the light of day had the temperatures been in only degrees Celsius because they still wouldn't be close to the boiling point of water. Just wanted to get this out there before it's deleted or revised.
