nomadwilly wrote:
It's common knoledge on both sides of the border that the metric system is better.
I can remember back when I was in grade school that the US decided to make the switch to metric.* I believe it was actually an official government decree, and I recall making a start in whatever grade I was in to learn the metric system.* But the idea lasted about 15 minutes.* I don't remember how long the change was actually in effect, but it must not have been very long because our studying of the metric system quietly faded away never to be revived.
I agree, Eric, the metric system is the more logical and sensible.* Our military realized that a long time ago.* Pity the folks in the UK, however, who have to live with both.* A surprising number of people don't seem to realize that England was not metric until relatively recently.* My 1973 Land Rover, for example, is all regular fasteners, SAE is it?* There are a few Whitworth bits, but the vehicle is all 1/2", 5/16". etc.* But our Range Rover is all metric except for the really big fasteners, like the bolts in the suspension system, which are still SAE.
In the UK, petrol and diesel fuel is sold by the litre.* A lot of people still use the weight measurement, "stone," (equal to 14 pounds).* Despite the official adapatation of the metric system, beer MUST be sold in the UK by the pint, road signs MUST be in miles, yards or feet, road speed limits MUST be posted in miles per hour, and the railroads still officially measure everthing in yards, feet, inches, and chains.* Must be fun.....