Unless you've been living in a cave for the last year you can't help but have noticed that the world is changing in many ways, most significantly the fact that the leadership of possibly the most powerful country on the planet has changed. Prior to George W Bush being the US president there never seemed to be (or, at least, I don't recall) there being so much interest in the effect that the change will have on the rest of the world.

There is, for instance, the argument that being the only significant country that still insists on shunning metric measurements in industry is costing them a lot of money through lost business, conversion costs and conversion errors. Forcing the country to switch to metric may, even in the short term, be of some help to the economy.

There is then the argument that much of the process of metrication will require manpower for the conversion of signs, documents and contracts as well as the education of the general public. This manpower requirement could provide employment for some during and after any conversion process.

Then there is evidence that a change to metric will save the education system a lot of money - as well as helping improve math grades across the nation.

You could make much the same arguments here in the UK... the experiences of Ireland, Australia and New Zealand for instance show that the cost of conversion  is probably not anywhere as high as those opposed to the switch seem to want you and I to believe. Much evidence actually exists to show that money has been saved!

There is, of course, the small fact that if the USA were to announce that it was going fully metric that one of the arguments against doing so here would immediately disapear.

Interestingly though, it doesn't just seem to be Americans who seem to be warming to the idea of full metrication, over the last year or so I've seen more evidence in letters to newspapers, comments on BBC's "Have Your Say" and on radio interviews, etc. that many Brits are also fed up with the continuing delays in completion of metrication... unfortunatly there are some sectors in the UK who seem to be ignorant to that fact.

Cadbury is probably a good example of a company who seem to be moving backwards. Last year I wrote about changes to their Cadbury's Dairy Milk range - changing from rounded metric values (such as 400g) to very odd values (such as 224g). Well... this week I've seen that again, this time in their "Cadbury Chocolate Break" drinks range. I currently have 2 jars of this in my kitchen... one is 400g, the other is, wait for it, 224g. The latter of these two seems to want to make a big thing about it having a yellow band around the top of the jar with "224g" plastered all around the jar for all to see. Why this particular figure continues to have any significance I really don't know... except that it clearly gives somebody somewhere a nice warm feeling knowing that they can buy ½lb of this stuff. The jar in question is currently on special offer in Asda at just £1.00 which compares to £2.69 for the 400g jar... the former being 44.6p per 100g, the latter being 67p per 100g. You can see where this is leading, the price will soon go up on the 224g jar and the rounded metric sizes will disapear. Basically, de-metrication by stealth in my view.

Compare this with Heinz... who I noticed seem to have gone the other way. I have a 600ml squeezy bottle of Heinz Salad Creme in my fridge which proudly says "30% extra free, 600ml for the price of 460ml". It just so happens that 460ml is just a little over 16oz... so could it be that Heinz is trying to re-size it's range into more rational metric amounts? I suppose only time will tell.

The real problem is that with the recent changes in planned EU legislation that companies such as Cadbury are free if they wish to put lb and oz on packaging along size metric measures, but I sure hope they don't go that far. It's long been my hope that other large companies such as McCain who still insist on putting imperial measures on their packages might have actully been working towards changing their packaging in readiness for the change that was originally planned. Again, only time will tell.

One bright light did shine out from the mess this week though, an article on the BBC news website entitled "Why do some people never get fat?". The article itself talks several times of how people put on weight and does so exclusively in kg... unfortunatly of all who have commented on the article one (at the time of writing) has spoken of putting on "pounds" and another of "stones" and none so far in kg. Perhaps a comment about my own weight gain may be in order!!!