It's misinformation to state that Burma and Liberia avoid the metric system.
They don't, they are predominately metric. The only reason they are on this
list of non-metric countries (CIA website) is that they don't have an
'Official Policy of Conversion'. Despite having no official policy, they
have both become predominantly metric, including metric speed limits, signs
with km/h and speedometers with km/h, fuel sold in liters, etc. I wish we
would not give out the misinformation that they are not metric when they
are.
I wrote an article on this for Metric Today about 10 years ago after
visiting both countries.
Michael Payne
----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Trusten" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, 05 November 2007 16:55
Subject: [USMA:39678] China and Japan beat U.S. back to the moon
Dear National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Officials,
Fifty years ago this year, the U.S. was reeling from the shock of a
technological coup from the Soviet Union, which launched the world's
first artificial earth satellite, Sputnik, on October 4, 1957. Back
then, an inspired U.S. responded by creating NASA and the Mercury,
Gemini, and Apollo projects that landed us on the moon first in 1969.
This morning, our country once again faces challenges,and from not just
one, but two competitors, China and Japan. Both countries claim
spacecraft currently orbiting the moon. See
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/5274045.html .
But,where is the United States on this? Can we again meet the challenge?
Do we still have what it takes to compete scientifically, as we did a
half-century ago?
But, our country does not use the same system of measurement as China
and Japan. We avoid the metric system along with only two other nations,
Myanmar (Burma) and Liberia, which are not known for their scientific
influence. Perhaps it is not the lack of the metric system alone that is
keeping us down, but our clinging to imperial units of measure is
symptomatic of the scientific malaise that threatens to kayo us from the
world stage of research.
Once more, I urge NCTM to consider teaching the metric system
exclusively in U.S. schools. That the metric system currently competes
with the units on street signs is a point we can no longer afford to use
as an excuse. Our students are being robbed of a necessary part of their
science "language." The world is going to pass us by, just as we once
bypassed the world with our scientific talent.
SI-ncerely,
--
Paul Trusten, R.Ph.
Public Relations Director
U.S. Metric Association (USMA), Inc.
www.metric.org
3609 Caldera Blvd., Apt. 122
Midland TX 79707-2872 USA
+1(432)528-7724
