I have seen quite obvious "price rounding up" with the introduction of the Euro - I used to visit Dublin a lot and during transition noticed how much more expensive things became. I have an Italian friend who does not give a stuff about politics but is angry at how shops rounded up.
Even in Germany they renamed the euro "teuro" - which is a mocking of the word "costly" ---------------------------------------- > Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 21:28:53 -0500 > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To: [email protected] > Subject: [USMA:39789] Re: Burma still using English units, it seems > CC: [email protected] > > Package size reductions happen all the time, but BWMA, given their > nature, will only emphasize when something like that happens during a > metric switch. There will always be unethical companies that will > take advantage of confusion resulting from a unit switch, but that > will be a vast minority. If you look at a relatively recent event of > similar magnitude, the adoption of the Euro in a number of EU > countries, it was a smooth transition, with very little fraud. There > was a lot of upfront preparation and consumer education, which > ultimately made for a successful switch. If only we could accomplish > that with metric here. > > Remek > > On Nov 26, 2007 8:26 PM, Carleton MacDonald wrote: >> The BWMA claims that metrication will lead to package size reductions >> without a reduction in price; the ice cream makers seem to have done that >> nicely all by themselves with no attempt at changing the units of measure. >> >> Carleton >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf >> Of Remek Kocz >> Sent: Monday, November 26, 2007 20:06 >> To: U.S. Metric Association >> >> Cc: U.S. Metric Association >> Subject: [USMA:39787] Re: Burma still using English units, it seems >> >> I'd venture a guess that the US dairy industry is a major source of >> resistance to metrication. Outside the occasional attempts at 3 L >> milks, all sizes of milk and related products have stubbornly been >> sized in customary measures. The recent size reduction of ice-cream >> is a perfect example: from 2 quarts to 1.75 quarts. It could have >> just gone to a metric amount, like 1.6 or 1.5 L. >> >> BTW, from what I've seen in Canada, dairy is predominantly metric, >> with 1 L, 0.5 L, and 250 mL milk containers. >> >> Remek >> >> On Nov 26, 2007 4:30 PM, Paul Trusten wrote: >>> >>> But, have we "got metric milk?" I need to push more for quarts of milk >> in >>> the U.S. to be changed to liters, which, after all, are a bit larger--54 >> mL >>> larger, to be exact. Half-gallons could become 2-liter sizes. Anyone who >> has >>> ever bought 2 L of soft drink without incident shouldn't be miffed by 2 L >> of >>> milk. And, larger sizes? I guess 3 L and 4 L could be around the corner. >>> Attached is a picture from an Aldi grocery store near Sydney, Australia, >>> showing some milk sizes. >>> >>> >>> >>> Nat Hager III wrote: >>> >>> Same with me. In terms of liquid measure the US is pretty much >> metricated. >>> I buy 2-Liter soda, Liter-and-a-half of wine, 700 mL water, half-liter >>> mouthwash, 750 mL shampoo, 1.75 L OJ, 3-Liter detergent (never mind its >> only >>> 2.95L), 1.65 L ice cream (never mind its also labeled 1.75 Qt), etc, etc. >>> >>> Also toilets are 6L/flush, which I notice this morning they're reducing to >>> 5L (never mind the AP reports as 1.3 Gal) >>> >>> Nat >>> >>> >>> Countless experiments have shown that people tend to see what they are >>> looking for. Let's imagine tourists in Burma who are trying to fend for >>> their needs. They are going to be on the lookout for something that >>> seems familiar and that speaks to them in a language they understand. If >>> they are typical American tourists they can tell you of the many places >>> where they saw familiar units being used and that they don't recall any >>> other units. If they are tourists from almost any other country, they >>> will assure you that they saw zillions of metric indications and few, if >>> any, non-metric units. >>> >>> We see this often in the U.S. I've had folks swear up and down that they >>> never see metric units used anywhere and then I have them read the >>> contents indication on their can of pop or the nutrition information on >>> their snack package. Indeed, sometimes I've asked people to read me what >>> the label claims to be on the 500 mL bottle of water and they just read >>> me the number of pints and floozies shown in parentheses, skipping right >>> over the "500 mL" that appears first. Yes, they realize that those >>> "other" units are metric. However they didn't "see" them until then and >>> if they had seen them earlier it didn't register long enough to create a >>> memory of that. >>> >>> I've had beginning students in Physics who, during our first lab which >>> is on metric unit familiarization, would wave their rulers in the air >>> and proudly tell us that the college bookstore sells only "inch rulers". >>> I would ask them to tell me what's on the other edge of that ruler and >>> they are amazed at what suddenly appears there--namely centimeters. They >>> truly had not "noticed" the metric scale on those rulers. >>> >>> I'm on the lookout for metric usage, so I see it quite often in the U.S. >>> Pat Naughtin has seen them here quite often as well, but he's a "metric >>> tourist" over here, so his eye gravitates to units with which he's >>> familiar. Non-metric people who live here rarely "see" what we see. >>> Actually they do see those metric units, but they don't notice them and >>> the experience does not register. >>> >>> Jim >>> >>> Ezra Steinberg wrote: >>> >>> >>> Well, I would certainly take your direct observations as gold, Michael. >>> >>> I guess I don't undestand why the folks who posted replies to my query >>> on the Thorn Tree site would say otherwise. >>> Since it's a site for world travelers to help each other with questions >>> and issues, I assumed the posters were recent travelers to Burma, >>> themselves. >>> >>> Ah, well ... let the confusion begin! ;-) >>> >>> Cheers, >>> Ezra >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Payne" >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> To: "U.S. Metric Association" >>> Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2007 8:09 AM >>> Subject: [USMA:39765] Re: Burma still using English units, it seems >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> This contradicts my direct observation while I visited Burma in 1997, >>> speedometers in cars I drove in were km/h and speed limits were >>> (according to my driver) km/h but written in the local Burmese >>> numerical script which was undecipherable to me, I asked out driver >>> what the speed limit was, he told me the answer as ** km/h. I did see >>> a Gas (Petrol) station with very old pumps that displayed in Imperial >>> Gallons. The Burmese just seem to accept what's thrown at them, I >>> doubt they import vehicles exclusively from the US, we have sanctions, >>> so they come from neighboring countries which are exclusively metric, >>> would not do much good to have mph speed limits when every car in the >>> last 30 years has only km/h on the speedometer. If some piece of >>> equipment comes from the US despite sanctions, they'll probably accept >>> it as is. Fact is sanctions by the US against Burma are probably >>> leading to less US units being seen there on any equipment. >>> >>> Michael Payne >>> >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ezra Steinberg" >>> >>> To: "U.S. Metric Association" >>> Sent: Sunday, 25 November 2007 06:15 >>> Subject: [USMA:39764] Burma still using English units, it seems >>> >>> >>> USMA folks: >>> >>> I posted a couple of queries on a well-known travel site (Thorn Tree) >>> that seems to get a lot of traffic from Europeans. >>> I asked about the metric vs. Imperial situation in Burma (Myanmar) and >>> Liberia, the two countries often cited aside from the USA as still >>> using mostly Imperial. >>> >>> No replies about Liberia (and I may not get any), but I got several >>> quick replies about Burma. These confirm that on road signs and in the >>> street Imperial is used exclusively. >>> >>> Not earth-shattering news, to be sure, but at least it's up-to-date >>> first-hand information from recent visitors there. >>> >>> Ezra >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> > _________________________________________________________________ Feel like a local wherever you go. http://www.backofmyhand.com
