Re: measuring systems (was: Selenites)

In Colombia there has been a lot of non-regularized measures.  Now the
metric system is widely used but some of the old metrics remainds but
standarized into the metric system.  Some of them are:

1 cuarta = 20 cm (the distance between the little finger and the tumb in a
extended hand)
1 vara = 80 cm
1 cuadra = 80 m
1 fanegada = 6400 m^2 (note is not 2^6 x 10^2 from a binary-decimal system
but 80^2)
1 libra (pound) = 500 g = 1/2 kg

_Fanegada_ and _libra_ are very extended used, even if _hectarea_ (10000
square meters) and _kilo_ (kilogram) are becoming more and more common.
_Libra_ is widely use, manly in market places, and is 500 g (not the English
pound of 436 g).

When buying gasoline, we usually use gallons, and they are English gallons
of almost 4 litres.  (not standarized yet into 1 galsn = 4 litres, nor shift
to metric system.  And if we go to the gym, and weith is given in _libras_,
they are English pounds.

-- Carlos Th