Received today from S.D., London, regarding measurements in Sri Lanka, and reproduced verbatim:

"...in English language newspapers, all heights in the personal columns are in feet and inches and most property areas are given in (beliive it or not) perches! There are frequent mentions of miles, feet etc. on adverts and the hotel I was staying at in 2002 has the swimming pool depths *only* in feet and inches."

News from Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon
August 27 2004 at 9:53 PM Tony Bennett

TB:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Received today from S.D., London, regarding measurements in Sri Lanka, and reproduced verbatim:

"...in English language newspapers, all heights in the personal columns are in feet and inches and most property areas are given in (beliive it or not) perches! There are frequent mentions of miles, feet etc. on adverts and the hotel I was staying at in 2002 has the swimming pool depths *only* in feet and inches."

metre:
World shattering news indeed, except for people who know that we are creatures of habit.

Metre's number one get-out argument when confronted with the "Harsh Reality": "We are creatures of habit".

When the collective influences of France, Germany, Russia and China result in many other nations turning metric, it is because metric is undeniably the most brilliant system ever. But when the influence of the US (and formerly UK) results in nations going English, then it is a matter of Imperialism. Funny how that works in metre's mind.

Exempli gratia:

Sweden goes metric. It obviously isn't anything to do with the political scene at all as aren't those Swedes so nice.

Various nations adopt knots, nautical miles and feet. This is obviously a matter of the US inflicting its units on the world out of cruelty because it hates everyone because, let us face it, is *IS* America afterall.

Damn, I'm going to have to type this first bit rather than cut'n'paste.

Lonely Planet website just states "Weights & Measures: Metric" but their actual Guidebook states:

"Sri Lanka now uses the metric system, but people commonly refer to the old imperial measures. There are still some roads with markers in miles rather than kilometres"

"Land is often measured in its crop potential, one amuna of paddy field (producing six bushels) is about one hectare near Columbo but 0.8 hectares near Kandy"

At Negombo fish market, they were using ancient steelyards to weigh the fish, but I didn't see what they were calibrated in - I suspect they were imperial though. Cargill's - the main supermarket chain - used electronic metric counter machines.

Beer was served in 680ml(?) bottles. Spirits were all served by metric (100ml of gin was standard measure in one beachfront restaurant!)

We travelled mainly by train for longer journeys. The timetable gives the distance in kilometres from Maradana station in Columbo to every other station in the country. The same information was given on kilometer posts by the track. I think that the tunnel lengths were still marked in yards though

For short journeys, we used a tuk-tuk (auto-rickshaw). Drivers would usually say how long a journey would take rather than refer to distance.

Saw a few old mileposts, but majority on main roads were yellow 0.1km markers (again showing distance to somewhere in Columbo)

People did refer to your height in feet, however (I don't think I met one Sri Lankan taller than me!) and when actually asking how far away somewhere was, it was about 50/50 metric/imperial.

I mainly swam in the sea, so didn't see any pool depth markings.

Going slightly off topic, they used to work to a clock made up of 60 hours of 24 minutes!

Finally, (totally off-topic) Don't go unless you love hot curry (I do!)

re (Beranger): "Sri Lanka now uses the metric system, but people commonly refer to the old imperial measures..."

REPLY: A bit like Britain, really. The officials use metric because someone has told thmn to, while the people carry on using customary meausures. In Sri Lanka's case, these seem to be a combination of colonial and pre-colonial weights and measures.

Interesting and informative post, though - thanks

Don't really want to nit-pick, but the quote referred to above was from my guide-book, not by me.

The next few paragraphs describe what I saw myself. Agree with the original post that imperial has not disappeared, but the vast majority of measurements I saw were in metric.

Most of them were in bars though!!!

Re: News from Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon August 30 2004, 8:13 AM

Bryan:
Metre's number one get-out argument when confronted with the "Harsh Reality": "We are creatures of habit".

metre:
Solid evidence posted on the other thread shows that imperial is cumbersome and hopelessly outdated. Since we know that metric is superior, the only reason for people to hang on to obsolete units must be familiarity and an innate resistance to change. That is why we are classified as CREATURES OF HABIT.
You are very welcome to bring contrary and soundly based evidence that imperial is as easy and simple to use as metric. So far you nor anyone else on your side, has not done so.

Officials -v- People August 30 2004, 9:21 PM

TB:
re (Beranger): "Sri Lanka now uses the metric system, but people commonly refer to the old imperial measures..."

REPLY: A bit like Britain, really. The officials use metric because someone has told thmn to, while the people carry on using customary meausures. In Sri Lanka's case, these seem to be a combination of colonial and pre-colonial weights and measures.

Interesting and informative post, though - thanks

metre:
I wonder how they ever got used to imperial measures in the first place? Let me have a guess.
Every transaction taking place beween colonialiser and indigenous people happened in imperial. The master spoke, the servant obeyed. Go on from there to school and civil service....
Or do you really think that the Ceylonese thought imperial was better than their hodgepodge?

...id est... August 30 2004, 8:20 AM


When the collective influences of France, Germany, Russia and China result in many other nations turning metric, it is because metric is undeniably the most brilliant system ever. But when the influence of the US (and formerly UK) results in nations going English, then it is a matter of Imperialism. Funny how that works in metre's mind.

Exempli gratia:

Sweden goes metric. It obviously isn't anything to do with the political scene at all as aren't those Swedes so nice.

metre:
It must be truly galling to admit that metric leaves imperial for dead. Countries went simply metric because it is a better and simpler system, full stop. Nothing to do with influence of other nations.
As to everything else read my answer to Tony's mirror piece of yours, and then come back with solid refutations.

Bryan:
Various nations adopt knots, nautical miles and feet. This is obviously a matter of the US inflicting its units on the world out of cruelty because it hates everyone because, let us face it, is *IS* America afterall.

metre;
One really should not respond to childish answers like this, but this would leave you ignorant for the rest of your life.
Yes, America forced the metric world to fly in USC. Yes, America argued for 4 years with the Europeans to adopt their 1/2" (12.7 mm)calibre rifle ammunition as NATO standard. Yes America tried to force the UN to use USC as official measurements.
Now, before coming back again with a childish answer, bring solid evidence that everything I said is fabricated.

<<Metre's number one get-out argument when confronted with the "Harsh Reality": "We are creatures of habit".>>>

ROTFL!!
Nice one Bryan!

Berenger: A lot of those books talk about places being metric. I have to say that they tend not to reflect reality - like the underwater submarine trip in Barbados which the guide publishes in metric but on getting there all the blurb about it (and the event itself) is solely in feet.

Or perhaps that's my "selective vision" again!! ;-)

(Still trying to envisage all those British planes being recalibrated to use US feet instead of UK feet, btw - LOL)

Metre, your three posts directed at me here completely miss the point of my posts. Perhaps you are too blind to see. Reread them, and then come back with something that isn't absolute gibberish.

I've "done a Bud" and written a predictable eric response.

I just want to see how close his 'real' one is first.

(Damn! I hate copying and pasting everything!!)

A brief search of 'Google' using the key words 'Sri Lanka Perch Perches' reveals dozens of websites all advertising land in perches, with acres occasionally mentioned as well. Not a plot to be seen anywhere in hectares, ares or squirms - in 'metric' Sri Lanka

To be fair on Lonely Planet, the website is quite concise compared with the book. The book just about gets it right - a mixture of both units appears in real life.

Above response is about Steve's "Books are often wrong" post about 5 posts above

Did the obvoius & checked Tony's theory

"Sri Lanka Hectare Land Sale" - 8510 Google results

"Sri Lanka Perch Land Sale" - 1580 Google results

Not a metric measure in sight then?

A nice try, Beranger, but you didn't input the word 'Acre' or 'Acres'.

Put 'acres' into 'Sri Lanka Land Sales' on Google.co.uk and there are 8,210 acres against 7,340 hectares.

Similarly, with 'Sri Lanka House Sales', the preponderance of acres is still more striking: acres - 8,960, but hectares only 3,730.

More than a hectare or two in sight, clearly, but hardly enough to justify the claim that Sri Lanka has 'gone completely metric' or 'is a metric country'.

Maybe they're reverting to perches, just as high class London estate agents Knight Frank recently announced they were completely abandoning the square metre and replacing it by the square foot with no squirms in brackets, at the same time stating - ironically with what we now know about Sri Lanka - that "the square metre is going the same way as the rod, pole or perch"

OK Tony

Point taken. You win that one!

I didn't bother searching on "are" 'cos I didn't think it was worthwhile & it would bring up false figures due to spelling similarities.

Figures I got from Google made your case look even better. Try "sale" instead of "sales"

I haven't claimed anywhere that Sri Lanka is fully metric though. I had hoped to cut'n'paste from Lonely Planet's website but less info there (which I agree is incorrect) than in the book. That is the only mention from me.

"The author of weights and measures, an innovation that changed the world of innocent and noble simplicity in which people had hitherto lived without such systems into one forever filled with dishonesty" was, he informs us, "Cain".

metre:
You obviously have no idea what you are posting, so why bother?

TB:
REPLY: A bit like Britain, really. The officials use metric because someone has told thmn to, while the people carry on using customary meausures. In Sri Lanka's case, these seem to be a combination of colonial and pre-colonial weights and measures.

metre:
My answer to that one must have gone straight into Tony's TOO HARD BASKET.

So here's Berenger and Tony having a too-and-fro about hectares and squirmy feet and then here comes metre (eric) wandering from side to side like a drunk hooligan butts into the conversation and with spittle flying everywhere quotes something completely non-sensical from a completely unrelated discussion somewhere else!

Sometimes the old man makes me laugh - but he'd never quite understand why!

(there he goes, look, stumbling his way back in to the "great debate" room to shout about inch rulers and harsh reality to Bud whilst trying not to say "yank" or "uncle sam").