<MSGID_1=3A387=2F22_5266ff11@fidonet.org>
From: alexander koryagin <koryagin@erec.ru>

Hi, Roy Witt!
I read your message from 22.10.2013 17:31


  RW> They also don't use decimals the same as we do.  When they quote  a
  RW> Euro or Dollar amount,  they use a comma  in  place  of  a  decimal
  RW> point.  i.e.  $5,00 is actually $5.00 in American decimal language.
  RW> Not to mention that  they  write  dates  backwards.  11-12-2013  is
  RW> actually December 11,  2013  in  Euro  speak,  while  it  would  be
  RW> November 12,  2013 in American.  They also don't  use  the  decimal
  RW> equivalent of the same speak in English.  i.e.  $12 million dollars
  RW> is referred to as $12 milliard in  Euro  English.

To be more exact - 12 American billions are equal to 12 European milliards.

  RW> Then  they  brag
  RW> about being heads up 'metric' over us,  who still  use  the  King's
  RW> English measure as a rule, but are taught in two different systems,
  RW> Metric and English measure. Who has the upper hand, again?

Suppose that some President can say to the Americans - we need to go the 
metric system because we have difficulties in selling our goods. Our 
spare parts are incompatible with ones from the metric world, even a 
puny screw. So, we have two possibilities: to close our car production 
and fire workers, or to accept the metric system and sell more goods in 
the metric world.

BTW, a funny story happened in the USSR in 1930s. The famous aircraft 
designer Tupolev (do you remember his TU-104, TU-144?) was given a lot 
of money and sent to the US to buy full licenses to produce some 
American aircrafts in the USSR. He indeed had bought some crafts with 
the complete documentation, but it had appeared that the USSR cannot 
produce them -- everything was different! We had plants to produce 
alluminum sheets, bars etc, but we could do it in the metric system 
only. It meant, that the crafts should have been completely redesigned, 
or they would have been out of balance. It cost so much, that Tupolev 
was declared a saboteur and put in prison. It was one of the first 
victims of the American system in the USSR. ;=)

Bye, Roy!
Alexander Koryagin
fido7.english-tutor 2013
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