Few weeks ago I sent the following message to the forecaster of KABC: (I included a small ruler from usma. No answer so far)
ABC7 Broadcast Center Attn: Garth Kemp 500 Circle Seven Drive Glendale, CA 91201 Tuesday, December 18, 2012 Dear Garth, I am one of your viewers for years. I love to watch the channel 7 team between 6:00 and 7:00 am. You, Phillip, and Leslie are a great team. Your contribution to the community is awesome, especially adopt-a-pet, and Spark of Love. I do not see you only as reporters, but also as educators. Within the scope of that mission, I am contacting you because you can make a difference. As you probably know, the USA is the last large industrial country to join the world at large in terms of measurements. We are still attached to an archaic customary system that we inherited from the British (who are today metric.) The government voted for the conversion to metric, but stalled the initiative. We should not forget that Los Angeles hosts many people coming from metric countries. We need them to feel welcome at least in addressing the measurement barrier. I do not know your position about the metrication of the USA, but here is how your educational role comes into play: The idea popped out when for one time only channel 9 posted the atmospheric pressure in kilopascal. So, here is how you may start: . Use millimeter for the rain gauge in parentheses after the inches for several months. Make sure to show the inches part in fraction as they should not be written as decimals in order to point out the simplicity of the metric system. Then you switch it and put the inches in parentheses. . For the pressure, you can do the same in introducing kPa. . As you may do the same for the temperature, I suggest adding a similar but better graphic in degrees Celsius. celsius.png For more information please go to http://www.metric.org Students are so lost learning customary units in math and metric in science. Together, let's make a change and move the USA forward. Thank you, John Altounji Physics Adjunct Assistant Professor Los Angeles Valley College -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Anthony Fletcher Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2013 2:34 PM To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:52159] Re: moving forward Admonishment taken :-) So, on topic, how do we actually move the US forwards towards conversion? Even if the Whitehouse responds favourably I doubt anything will happen unless a major political party decides to push for it. Having lived through metrication in the UK I know that there was a lot of resistance to converting to units lots of people didn't understand. Can we pick one particular measure and push for that to change? say temperatures in weather reporting on TV and websites. Maybe we can lobby NOAA to make http://forecast.weather.gov show more that just one temperature in Celsius and make the metric link more obvious and in fact actually work correctly. Anthony. On 12 Jan 2013 at 07:41:09, Paul Trusten wrote: > I wish to join in requesting that participants on the USMA Listserver > confine their discussions to topics and issues related to the metric > system of measurement. We must especially avoid subjects that tend to > excite personal animosities. There is ample room across the Internet > for discussion of these other issues. > > Thank you very much for your effort in keeping us focused and unified. > > SIncerely, > > Paul R. Trusten > Registered Pharmacist > Vice President and Public Relations Director U.S. Metric Association, > Inc. > www.metric.org > [email protected] > +1(432)528-7724 > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "James Frysinger" > <[email protected]> > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> > Sent: 2013-01-11 14:59 > Subject: [USMA:52149] Stay on topic > > > >I, for one, would appreciate it if those who post here would remain > >on topic. Especially they should avoid topics that might encourage > >fractious debate not relating to the metric system. > > > >Surely there are other forums in which participants can express their > >feelings, pro or con, about the PP-ACA and other political landmines. > > > >Jim > > > >-- > >James R. Frysinger > >632 Stony Point Mountain Road > >Doyle, TN 38559-3030 > > > >(C) 931.212.0267 > >(H) 931.657.3107 > >(F) 931.657.3108 > > > > > > >
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