>Generally too lazy :-)  All packages are now marked in metric with the lbs
>in parens.  There have been movements, but sort of stalled.  Many tools,
>and a great deal of medicine is now in metric.  Like any change, it will
>hurt :-)  but I think it is inevitable.

I am old enough to remember the changeover in Australia quite well,
and you are right, Pat - it did hurt, for a lot of people, especially
the older ones. My mother had a terrible time buying food in
kilograms instead of pounds, and the C temperature figures meant
nothing! It was easier for the younger ones and those of us used to
metric units in school, etc. Now my kids just laugh at me when I use
expressions like 'miles away' and 'in for a penny, in for a pound'!
And temperatures never reach the old 'ton' (100 F) now - 40 degrees
just doesn't have the same ring to it.

>  Metric taught in school quite
>thoroughly.  There are lots of sneaky ways it is being included.  Measuring
>cups  and spoons have both.  Temperatures frequently given in  both.
>Mileage guages on cars' speedometers have both.

I found that this actually didn't help. While both are always given,
no-one makes the effort to learn the new units. They just keep
reading the old ones and ignore the other figures. I seem to remember
that in Australia, the crunch only came when they dropped the old
ones altogether.

BTW, an Australian standard measuring cup is 250 mls.
******************************************************************
Joy Anderson B.Sc. Dip.Ed. Grad.Dip.Med.Tech. IBCLC
Nursing Mothers' Association of Australia Breastfeeding Counsellor
Perth, Western Australia.   mailto:[log in to unmask]
******************************************************************

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