I haven't participated in these exchanges (arguments?) within the USMA email list. However, I had never became conversant with the terms just mentioned such as "fifth" even though I am now age 73. I guess it meant a fifth of a gallon.
Anyway I just checked three cold bottles of wine in our refrigerator and find that two are 750 ml and one is 1.5 L. There is absolutely no reference to any fluid ounces, gallons, quarts, or any obsolete measures from Imperial (so-called English) or equally antiquated U.S. Customary volume. Norman Werling ----- Original Message ----- From: Jeremiah MacGregor To: U.S. Metric Association Sent: Friday, March 06, 2009 10:58 PM Subject: [USMA:43395] RE: Mistaken blather from a correspondent on another list Sorry, I didn't think about the wine and spirits. Yet even though they come in metric sizes I have never heard an average Joe refer to them by their metric size. It wouldn't surprise me if the vast majority of Americans who consume alcohol are totally unaware that the sizes are metric. The standard 750 mL bottle is always referred to as a fifth. So as far as the consumer is concerned, the metric is hidden. Has anyone ever heard or seen the metric size used by someone they encountered? As far as consumables are concerned I believe I am correct when I say that even though there is metric on the packaging, it is usually in the 2-nd position and oblivious to the consumer. It would be an interesting test to go into a super market and conduct a survey of different shoppers. Hand them a package of any dual marked product and ask them to read the contents stated on the label. Chances are very high that they will read off only the English measures and ignore the metric as if it was not there. Even with the long existence of the 2 liter soda bottle it is highly likely the average consumer has no idea that the liter is a unit of volume and in their mind it is a description of the bottle shape. The use of metric units by the federal government does not affect consumers. Most people are unaware that the government operates in metric and might even consider it un-patriotic if they found it to be true. A Pilot's job is not consumer related. But consumers do fly in the planes and never on a domestic flight have I ever heard the use of metric units by the flight crew when addressing the passengers. I have on an occasion heard the pilot stutter when giving temperatures figuring that he was quickly trying to convert the metric to English. I don't think anyone else figured that out. When the government adopts metric it is with the belief that the general public is not ever to know. Even with the American automobile industry fully metric, how many Americans do you think actually know this and accept this? Jerry ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: John M. Steele <jmsteele9...@sbcglobal.net> To: U.S. Metric Association <usma@colostate.edu>; jeremiahmacgre...@rocketmail.com Sent: Friday, March 6, 2009 10:15:56 PM Subject: Re: [USMA:43389] RE: Mistaken blather from a correspondent on another list Well, *The government forces the wine and spirit industries to use metric sized bottles *The government forces all foods and "consumables" to be dual labelled in Customary and metric *The government supposedly procures its supplies in metric and requires construction of Federal buildings to be metric (I believe there are significant loopholes that somewhat dilute this.) *The government forces the airlines to accept a mixed mess of units in the aviation weather product known as METAR. The temperature and dewpoint are degrees C, but everything else is Customary. On the other hand, they don't do much to finish the job, or ensure children get an adequate metric education, and other government agencies (EIA) refuse to supply information (energy usage) in metric units to industries that have already voluntarily converted (automotive). --- On Fri, 3/6/09, Jeremiah MacGregor <jeremiahmacgre...@rocketmail.com> wrote: > From: Jeremiah MacGregor <jeremiahmacgre...@rocketmail.com> > Subject: [USMA:43389] RE: Mistaken blather from a correspondent on another list > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <usma@colostate.edu> > Date: Friday, March 6, 2009, 9:03 PM > But so far the government hasn't really become involved > to a point that affects consumers. Whatever metric we > encounter comes from the free choice of people. For > example, did the government force any industry to go > metric? Yet, there are those who have freely chosen to do > so.
