On 9/10/2013 10:30 AM, Callomon,Paul wrote:
> The European system - day, month, year (smallest to largest) makes
> sense. The Japanese/Chinese system – Year, month day (largest to
> smallest) makes sense too. The US system (medium/smallest/largest) makes
> no sense whatsoever. This is, let us remember, one of three countries
> that still has not officially adopted the metric system. The others are
> Burma and Liberia.

* the most important thing is either spell the month with letters, or
use the Roman numeral for it. From the dictionary -
http://pinicola.ca/devildic.pdf -

Arabic months: 39% confusion. Those so burdened by the cares of life,
writing for such a wide diversity of languages, or so bound by an
antique Quaker refusal to name months from pagan divinities, that they
must write the month as a number, invariably represent the month with a
Roman numeral if they are among those who hope to be understood.  A
corollary of this comprehensibility is that the century is invariably
written in 4-digit Arabic notation (03/04/05, revised 06/02/07 - fws).

“Oh why to Kay?” young Arthur cried
His Merlin jumped in fright
“That future’s wrong,” to me he sighed
“A.D. two-thousand’s right.” -- Walter Onceand Kelly

(these strictures do not apply to expiry or "best before" dates, where
the designer's goal is to conceal both the date the numbers represent,
and especially the fact that they represent a date: "08 JA 20 2")

fred.
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          Frederick W. Schueler & Aleta Karstad
Bishops Mills Natural History Centre - http://pinicola.ca/bmnhc.htm
Mudpuppy Night in Oxford Mills - http://pinicola.ca/mudpup1.htm
Daily Paintings - http://karstaddailypaintings.blogspot.com/
          RR#2 Bishops Mills, Ontario, Canada K0G 1T0
   on the Smiths Falls Limestone Plain 44* 52'N 75* 42'W
    (613)258-3107 <bckcdb at istar.ca> http://pinicola.ca/
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