a (metric) unit | Antimoon Forum

>>On what should it be based? Metric is the Olympic and world standard. <<

Whatever one likes. It doesn't really matter either way as the numbers are relative e.g. 15 is half of 30. The Americans continue to use lbs in powerlifting (different competition to the Olympics), though both units are usually indicated.

In the UK practically the whole of industry, commerce, science or any commercial organisation that deals in measures....be it volume, weight or physical size length, width and breadth......uses the metric system. Our mate Adam may argue to the contrary but that's the way that guy operates in the wind up business :-) That's the fact of the matter.

OK a few small back street setups may still conduct their business in the old fashioned imperials but they will find it increasingly inconvenient when they find themselves competing in the wider market.

That link report I posted about market stall traders in the UK....the guys'n'girls selling bananas and spuds and anything else sold by weight per £/p Sterling.....was a little inaccurate as they are required by law to weigh by the Kg or portions thereof. They may well chalk up the price as per pound weight in large figures and the equivalent price per Kg in teeny weeny figures underneath, but legally they must weigh and sell by the metric measure. Little old ladies may well get confused, and think they are still paying pound cash per pound weight, but they;re not in reality. The poor dears are being metricated without realising it.

I "home" this afternoon after doing an asignment so have had time to raid the store cupboards, fridge and freezer here at random and here are a few of the items that immediately came to hand:

Bertolli olive oil spread 1kg
Carton soya milk 1 litre
Cans of cloudy real lemonade 330ml
Jar apple sauce 280g
Bottles Perthshire mountain spring water 500ml (I've just GOT to have these wherever I am even away from Scotland)
Walls sage and onion flavoured pork sausages (50% extra free!) 681g
Taylors of Harrogate decaf ground coffee 227g
McLelland Seriously Strong full flavour Cheddar Cheese 250g
Jar Blueberry and Blackcurrant preserve 340g
Tesco reduced fat smooth Peanut Butter 340g
Jar of Marmite 500g
Mediterranean Garlic and herb Couscous 250g
Jar Nutella 200g
Hellman's reduced fat Mayo 600g

So it seems a lot of items are sold by metric measure (as per the law) but in quantities still based on the imperial equivalents, which is weird.

Everybody is wound up by airport security now. Adam.....when you last checked in your luggage at the check in desks didn't you notice that all weight regulations are dealt with in Kgs? Just thought I'd mention that one.

Cheers.

The metric system is something very creative, and it was invented to complete our numbering system. Anyone who is against it, it is just laziness behind that.

I remember when a chief taught me the right why to chop things - especially anions. It took me sometime to learn it, but once my hands got used to it, it’s brilliant. Till this day, whenever I see someone chopping things in a “wrong” way, I try to teach him/her the correct way. But what do I get from that? Nothing except that they keep calling this way “the stupid way” and very few who gave it more than few seconds to at least to try it, thinking of them that this “stupid” way is supposed to be for professionals, not for ordinary people.

I know this looks a silly example, but it sounds to me the stubborn people who prefer to have tears when they chop anions rather than putting some effort to learn more creative things, are just like those who are against the metric system and prefer to use the awkward imperial one.

For the same reason that made the Latin numbers demolish against the Indian numbers (only occasionally is still used), the imperial system will fade out gradually against the metric system…it’s just a mater of time.

As I feared my sentence was misinterpreted. When I wrote "... perhaps full metrication would be best ... hay it works in Australia ... almost." I didn't mean that full metrication almost works ... which admittedly is what I may have seemed to have been saying. What I mean is that we've almost fully metricated. Were we to fully metricate things would go so much more smoothly. It's these imperial measures absurdly rounded of to the nearest 5 ml, 10 g or what-have-you which are the problem.

French or otherwise metric is hardly stupid. It is so simple & easy to use. Imperial is such a headache and at times just defies reason. How many pounds to a stone? Fourteen. How many yards to a perch? Five and a half. What's the use of such numbers?

"Australia was never ruled by Napoleon ..." no, and guess what, Napoleon didn't invent the metric system. I don't care for this nationalistic nonsense. Rather than holding its Frenchness against the metric system I say the invention of the metric system is a great achievement that the French can be proud of.

The imperial system is just as much Roman as it is "good old Anglo-Saxon" but, yeah it "will completely work" ... it'll just give me a few headaches in the process. Which is heavier an ounce of water, an ounce of methanol, an ounce of mercury, an ounce of lead or an ounce of gold?

<
The only reason why Britain, Canada and America have problems with metricating is their politicians cowardice. They are frightened to lose votes and office if they do it properly like New Zealand S. Africa and Australia. As UKMA rightly points out, everybody is a loser with piecemeal metrication.>

WOW SO THERE'S A POLITICAL REASON BEHIND? INTERESTING LOL.

WELL HERE IN NEW ZEALAND WE HAVE FULLY ADOPTED THE METRIC SYSTEM SINCE THE 1960'S (INCLUDING THE STANDARDISATION OF OUR CURRENTLY AND ALSO THE DROPPING OF THE NEW ZEALAND POUND FOR THE DOLLAR)

IT'S QUITE THE NORM TO HAVE SAY MY PARENTS REFER TO THEIR WEIGHT IN POUNDS OR DISTANCE IN MILES. BUT IT ISN'T A BIGGIE HERE. I THINK IT WOULD BE BETTER IF A COUNTRY EITHER ADOPT THE INTERNATIONAL STANDARD (IN THIS CASE THE METRIC SYSTEM) OR ADOPT THEIR SYSTEM OF CHOICE IN FULL. I NOTICED THOUGHT THE AMERICANS SAY USE GALLONS TO FILL THEIR GAS, THEY QUICKLY RUN INTO THE STORE FOR A LITRE OF MILK - WHY TWO SYSTEMS ISN'T THERE CONFUSION AT TIMES?

Guest

<<<WOW SO THERE'S A POLITICAL REASON BEHIND? INTERESTING LOL. >>>

No, it's not a political reason, it is COWARDICE, full stop! And in America whoever can buy more influence with party donations.

Yes, Yanks do use US gallons, different to the UK one, but still buy their milk in quarts and if you are not American in quartz. :-)
Australia seems to be ahead of you, people use kg for weight.

mike
<<<<The metric system is something very creative, and it was invented to complete our numbering system. Anyone who is against it, it is just laziness behind that.>>>>

Interesting, how can you prevent crying cutting onions?

Don't forget habit it is a very powerful force. As the saying goes, it is much more difficult to unlearn something than learning something new.
That is why metrication is so difficult.

Jim, are you worried that your posts are not noticed? LOL

Yeah, nobody listens to me anymore.

No, the computer was playing up. I tried posting it once. It didn't work. I tried a second time. No luck. After the third try I gave up. It's only now that I find I've posted the same thing three times.

<Yes, Yanks do use US gallons, different to the UK one, but still buy their milk in quarts and if you are not American in quartz. :-)
Australia seems to be ahead of you, people use kg for weight.>

Well from exprience visiting our beloved neighbours the Australians I have found that it's pretty the same situation there as in New Zealand. I myself born after the 1960's (Australia also during this period dropped the old system for the metric system - a year earlier before New Zealand I think) use metric measurements to describe weight, volume, etc.

>>Interesting, how can you prevent crying cutting onions?<<

Its all about how you grape the knife and the anions in your hands and how you do the chopping.

You will have to wait until I start a cooking show on TV. I will demonstrate that in my first episode ;-)

Guest
<<<Well from exprience visiting our beloved neighbours the Australians I have found that it's pretty the same situation there as in New Zealand.>>>

Yes, most Australians still give their height in feet, grandmothers can't get used to Babies in gram/kg despite buying everything in these units, but weight and distances longer than a few feet are almost always given in kg and metres.
One can see habit and language at work in recently converted countries. Of course US TV does help either. Not to worry, it took Europeans almost 200 years to digest their metres.

Mike
>>>>Its all about how you grape the knife and the anions in your hands and how you do the chopping.<<<<

Well, do it soon otherwise, I can't stop crying.
You meant "hold the knife and onions", didn't you Mike? May I ask where you live? No need to answer if you don't want?