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Until this moment I have been forced to listen while media and politicians alike have told me "what Canadians think". In all that time they never once asked.
This is just the voice of an ordinary Canadian yelling back at the radio -
"You don't speak for me."
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What’s 60Kph ? Is that fast ? I’m not on the EU’s metric system … Canada follows the EU … no?
great horse, great team. Thanks, Kate
Forty mph.
Incredible horse!
I’ve got to disagree with you on this one Kenji.
USA, standing tall along with Liberia and Myanmar, maintain a dead king’s foot length as the standard distance of measure.
I understand how difficult metric can be for those without 10 toes, but do try to keep up. 🙂
I like to look at it from the point of view that highway distances in imperial list the number of minutes you’ll be driving (at 60 miles per hour) while highway distances in metric measure the number of hours you’ll be driving (at 100 km per hour, move the decimal two places).
Sixteens then twelfths then thirds then twenth-seconds then 8ths (from bits of an inch through yards, chains, and miles) doesn’t seem that easy to remember to me, but you’re welcome to them. Well, in a free society you’re welcome to them. 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, etc. is easier for me to remember, so I will.
Nice analogy with minutes and hours. I’m going to use that.
The U.S., however, doesn’t use imperial, which complicates things even further. A U.S. gallon is smaller than an imperial gallon. So when you start talking about miles per gallon it can get even more confusing than just base 16, base 12 or base 8 mathematics.
A pretty amazing horse no matter how you measure it.
I accept your chastisement for my metric resistance. It is well deserved. And I DO understand the mathematical simplicity and logic for a base 10 system. I really have no serious argument with the metric system. However, there is simply something quite romantic about the Imperial system of measurement which is based on the human form. Yes, we have ten toes and fingers (if we are lucky enough to be “normal”) … however that’s the end of metric’s anthropomorphistic analogy.
So … now that I know this BEAUTIFUL animal can run at a (sustained) pace of 40mph … let me ask how many “hands” tall is the horse ? And how many “stones” does she weigh ?
I have to confess that I am going through a phase of extreme Anglophilia … perhaps because of the BREXIT … maybe because of watching The Crown, or Game of Thrones … but most likely because of my love for EPL soccer. In any case … I love the fact that the measurements of English commerce were made by the “average” human form. Of course it is a silly standard in our technological, scientific culture … but you cannot deny the romantic beauty of using the human form as standards of measurement. However … if it were up to me … breast size would also be measured in “hands” … as in how much my hand can … uh … well … er … you know. It’s another basic human standard of measure.
I’m stilled confused. Why doesn’t a tuppence and a thrupence equal a nickel? I was around for the change of money in Britain. Why did a shilling which is 12 pence become a 10 penny piece? Why can’t I buy a fifth of a gil of scotch anymore? What happened to buying a hogs head of ale? I am with you on the measuring of breast size using a “hand” formula. We don’t have a king anymore buy I think we should use Tom Jones hands as the true measure. Apparently the French use a champagne glass to measure the perfect breast. I lean more to the pint glass.
There are two types of countries in the world. The ones that use metric and the one that put a man on the moon. (Read on the internet somewhere)
Ouch ! That statement leaves a mark …
PS … and I also blame the metric system for the proliferation of roundabouts in my town. They just scream Euro-metricism. A perfect circle and whatnot. Again … not that there is anything WRONG with a roundabout … it is a totally logical method of traffic control. Problem is … our local drivers still STOP before entering (hey idiot! the sign says YIELD … not STOP) the roundabout … and usually STOP somewhere in the middle of their travel around the circle.
one foot or 12 inches is just as accurate as centimeters, meters, etc. Not being divisible by ten means nothing unless of course one is intellectually slower. I told a friend that America should move to metric because kilometers go faster than miles.
Hadn’t heard of Winx but I’m glad I now have.
Her jockey has a complete understanding of her. He must have ridden a lot of mares.
Could have stood a few fewer stupid questions from the reporter. “How much do you love her?” Huh?
That aside thanks for the postm
Interesting bit of trivia. As to why the U.S. is not on the metric system, you can thank or blame Pirates.
Pirates Are to Blame For Why The US Doesn’t Use The Metric System
In 1793, botanist and aristocrat Joseph Dombey set sail from Paris with two standards for the new “metric system”: a rod that measured exactly a metre, and a copper cylinder called a “grave” that weighed precisely one kilogram.
He was journeying all the way across the Atlantic to meet Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson – a fellow fan of base-ten systems who, Dombey hoped, would help persuade Congress to go metric.
Then a storm rolled in, knocking Dombey’s ship off course. The unlucky academic was washed into the Caribbean – and straight into the clutches of British pirates.