Author: Ronnie Cohen

Rio 2016, a showcase for the metric system

As 2016 draws to a close, we look at one of the institutions that benefits from an international and universal measurement system – the Olympic Games.

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Imperial on the surface, metric beneath

Following on from his article about the far-reaching influence of the measurement units used on road traffic signs, Ronnie Cohen now takes a look at the signs themselves and the roads they complement.

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The influence of traffic signs goes way beyond transport

During the past few weeks, there have been many news stories about the removal or modification of certain metric traffic signs by an elderly gent from Huntingdon and his friends. Their inability to see beyond the narrow remit they have set themselves has become very clear. In this article, Ronnie Cohen puts forward a contrary view.

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Isolationist thinking behind Trump and Vote Leave

UKMA did not takes sides in the EU referendum campaign – the UK would have to do business with a world that is predominantly metric whatever the outcome. However, one of our regular contributors, Ronnie Cohen, detects a theme of isolationism in pronouncements by both Trump and Vote Leave. Here is his personal viewpoint.

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Quirks of US Customary Units

Some would argue that the decline of manufacturing industry in the USA contributed to Mr Trump’s surprising victory in the Presidential election*. Others might say that manufacturing’s decline was due in part to the tardy adoption of the international system of measures. Here we look at some of the quirks of ‘English measures’, a throw back to the USA’s colonial past and still widely used in America today.

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Metric euromyths peddled by British national newspapers

Ronnie Cohen takes a look at eight myths involving the EU and the metric system.

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Continued use of medieval units damages UK’s image abroad

Following the Brexit vote, leading ministers have used a number of buzzwords and phrases to try to promote the UK in a positive light as they talk about new trade deals, free trade, investment, lower taxes and lighter regulation. Can they be serious?

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150 Years of Legal Metric Usage in the USA

UKMA is nothing if not internationalist in its outlook. So today, 28 July 2016, we celebrate a significant anniversary for the use of the metric system in the USA. It marks 150 years of legal metric usage in the USA.

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