A recent posting by NIST (the National Institute of Standards and Technology) has prompted this question: Are American labelling requirements now illegal under WTO rules?
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Tory spokesman supports centilitres of alcohol
In a commendable outbreak of common sense, Conservative health spokesman, Andrew Lansley, has proposed that, in order to clarify the amount of alcohol being consumed, bottles and cans should be labelled with the quantity of pure alcohol in centilitres rather than in so called “units”. But will this lead to a wider realisation that draught beer should also be measured in litres?
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Metrication progress in Malaysia
Metric use in Malaysia in 2010 may give a foretaste of the situation in the UK in 2020 …or 2030 …or 2040. Our correspondent reports on a recent visit.
Why do nautical miles linger on?
I recently had an exchange of correspondence with an acquaintance (a former RAF pilot) who tried to explain to me why most of the world of aviation still uses nautical miles and knots rather than kilometres and km/h. The explanation went like this.
NHS risking patients’ lives with imperial scales
Six months after an official report warned of systemic negligence in medical weighing practice within the NHS, the Department of Health has failed to issue the necessary safety alert to hospital trusts to ensure that the report’s recommendations are implemented.
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Big Bang vs “voluntary gradualism”
A correspondent asks whether countries that carried out their metrication programme quickly fared better or worse than countries that have tried to do the job gradually and voluntarily.
Electric cars – an opportunity for SI, or a threat?
The arrival of electric cars on our streets will draw attention to measures for comparing performance.
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Milk pricing – is there method in the supermarket muddle?
The pricing of milk should be simple and clear, for milk is a staple item in every household. In reality, confusion often reigns.
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Virgin London Marathon 2010
Martin Vlietstra, a frequent contributor to MetricViews, passes on some misgivings about on the 2010 London Marathon.
BIS sticks with pints of beer (but only on draught)
As expected the Business Department has refused to permit sales of draught beer and cider in convenient metric measures – but its reasoning is bizarre.
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Metric Views 