Differences between Canadian and British people
Jul 7th 2014, 2:27 am
#241
BE Forum Addict
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 3,363
Re: Differences between Canadian and British people
Ideally people in Canada should be able to use both sets of measures equally and be able to do the translations in their heads but, if you have to master one system only, imperial is the one to have, no one is going to be able to offer you lumber or gardening supplies in metrograms.
I'm just happy plodding along with units of 10.
Jul 7th 2014, 2:42 am
#242
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 50
Re: Differences between Canadian and British people
I haven't got a clue what you are talking about. The lighter side of what? and what question did I ask?
answering a question you asked and pointing out an error as discussed before in the thread. This is my 3rd post in a thread of over a dozen pages. Hardly time to treat anyone as anything.
Jul 7th 2014, 2:51 am
#243
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2011
Location: Somewhere between Vancouver & St Johns
Posts: 19,847
Re: Differences between Canadian and British people
All I know is that minus 40 F and minus 40 C are the same on a thermometer which essentially means ITS ****ING COLD.
Jul 7th 2014, 3:07 am
#244
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 50
Re: Differences between Canadian and British people
You got that right kiddo! That's what I faced the morning I took my eldest daughter to school for the first time here in Canada. Don't tell me anyone can be endeared to a country with temps like that. I didn't go out for two months after that my Husband picked her up. I said "You wanted to come here, suck it up") I must admit here in Windsor is much milder than Toronto and over the years the winters have become somewhat milder.
Jul 7th 2014, 8:59 am
#245
Yo
Joined: Nov 2012
Location: UK
Posts: 24,474
Re: Differences between Canadian and British people
Welsh is quite a complex language and yes, it lacks vowels in may words and is quite difficult to pronounce for outsiders. Although I went to school in Newport Monmouthshire we were never taught Welsh either in primary-junior level or in High School. Monmouthshire is a county on the border of England and Wales and wasn't considered to be one or the other. However, English prevailed. I moved to the county of Glamorganshire which is the home of Cardiff the Capital of Wales. Porthcawl where I lived is a seaside resort and there Welsh is taught in schools but there was no bi-lingualism then. Not until the minority of die-hard Welsh speakers from West Wales started their ranting, but after all, Welsh is the language of the country of Wales so they really had every right to guard their language and heritage. I can read Welsh but for goodness sake don't ask me what I have just read as I took Welsh in school under sufferance. Over the last few years signs have now been erected in both languages but they have not gone as far as the obsessiveness of the French in Canada having it on every item of produce and piece of literature as the Government would not have that. No, Welsh is not spoken outside of Wales but there is actually a commune of Welsh speaking people in Patagonia- Argentina where a crowd of Welsh people went to for a new life in the 1800's when the coalmines were having such a hard time and it appeared Wales was going to be swallowed up by England which would have been a fate worse than death for the Welsh. There has always been animosity between the two countries especially when the Rugby International comes around.lol As for telephones, dial 1 for this and 2 for that there is only one answer - bring back the rotary 'phone.
I'm slightly puzzled as to why you have a bee in your bonnet about French when you speak Spanish and Italian fluently. Multilingual people are usually positive about other languages, and it would not be too difficult for you to learn a third Romance language. Perhaps Millie's little quip may have some truth in it?
P.S. That ain't no gorilla.
Jul 7th 2014, 11:01 am
#246
Stand-up Philosopher
Joined: Apr 2009
Location: Regina Saskatchewan
Posts: 16,344
Re: Differences between Canadian and British people
Lots of British measures are odd. The English clown car I had needed British Standard Whitworth nuts for the valve rack. Try finding that in Regina in the 70's.
Jul 7th 2014, 11:41 am
#248
Slob
Joined: Sep 2009
Location: Ottineau
Posts: 6,342
Re: Differences between Canadian and British people
If you think mastering a system that has units of 3 (3 feet = 1 yard), 12 (12 inches = 1 foot), 6 (6 feet = 1 fathom), 2240 (2240 lbs = 1 ton), 16 (16 ounces = 1lb) and has freezing and boiling points of 32 and 212, then more power to you...
I'm just happy plodding along with units of 10.
I'm just happy plodding along with units of 10.
I still use lb in my work at times because it's the standard unit for some things (although things are changing).
I know what my weight is in lb but not in kg. Most of my DIY work is done in Imperial because that is the standard, except for some imported stuff, but I think of distances in km rather than miles and I no longer understand temperatures that are not celsius.
Jul 7th 2014, 12:12 pm
#249
Assimilated Pauper
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ontario
Posts: 40,018
Re: Differences between Canadian and British people
And that would be fine if we were in a country where things were built in 10s. In
the UK it works because the UK is part of the EU and the EU is metric so most things are supplied in dimensions divisible by 10. Canada is economically part of the US so items are supplied in US measures, converting 8'x4', 1lb or 10 acres to some number with many decimal places just so you can tell the government you've metriculated is rather silly.
Fortunately the townships here are behind the times and accept planning applications in imperial, possibly also in metric but I haven't tried that. The numbers they gave us for setbacks and the numbers Ontario Hydro gave us for running power were in imperial. I suppose the original numbers were imperial, then at some point the government changed to metric and the laws are now in metric. The customer service representative must convert them to imperial whenever someone wants an estimate.
the UK it works because the UK is part of the EU and the EU is metric so most things are supplied in dimensions divisible by 10. Canada is economically part of the US so items are supplied in US measures, converting 8'x4', 1lb or 10 acres to some number with many decimal places just so you can tell the government you've metriculated is rather silly.
Fortunately the townships here are behind the times and accept planning applications in imperial, possibly also in metric but I haven't tried that. The numbers they gave us for setbacks and the numbers Ontario Hydro gave us for running power were in imperial. I suppose the original numbers were imperial, then at some point the government changed to metric and the laws are now in metric. The customer service representative must convert them to imperial whenever someone wants an estimate.
Last edited by dbd33; Jul 7th 2014 at 12:18 pm.
Jul 7th 2014, 12:19 pm
#250
Assimilated Pauper
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ontario
Posts: 40,018
Re: Differences between Canadian and British people
Jul 7th 2014, 1:17 pm
#252
Stand-up Philosopher
Joined: Apr 2009
Location: Regina Saskatchewan
Posts: 16,344
Re: Differences between Canadian and British people
British carp fishing accessories like banksticks, buzzbars, bite alarms, net handles are all 3/8 BSW and metric is just a little too loose. Machine shop supplier is too pricey but I bought a tap & die (Russian!) From China I think off ebay.
Jul 7th 2014, 1:37 pm
#253
Lowering the tone
Joined: Mar 2007
Location: Here and there
Posts: 7,347
Re: Differences between Canadian and British people
Tools come in metric or imperial? Fancy that!
I just have a hammer of unknown system, an adjustable wrench and a universal set of swear words.
I just have a hammer of unknown system, an adjustable wrench and a universal set of swear words.
Jul 7th 2014, 1:43 pm
#255
limey party pooper
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 9,982
Re: Differences between Canadian and British people
I have to measure the weight and height of patients, no one ever knows what the metric measurements mean. They are just surprised when they weigh 100 instead of 220.