Mr. Mankenberg, Mr. Lawrence,
don't get angry with Mr. Khodabandeh. From the spelling of his surname I assume that he lives in India, Pakistan, Indonesia or some other Far East country other than Japan.
For you Americans is easy to look at any code, standard etc. published in the USA. For us, citizens of third world, underdeveloped countries, is not that easy, and sometimes is almost impossible.
First of all, American publications must be bought in US dollars. There was a time here in Brazil, and it wasn't so long ago, that you had to fill a form justifying why you wanted to buy a book in a foreign country. After the requirement was approved by some Government bureaucrat, you went to the bank and made a money order, for which the bank charged a commission that was equal to the order amount. In other words, the book price was twice the regular price, plus, of course, the postage expenses.
Thanks God, it's different now and you can buy a book charging it on your credit card.
Speaking always of Brazil, and particularly of Sao Paulo, the most developed city in the country from an industrial point of view, you can count on the tip of your fingers the libraries, either public or private, (i.e. that belong to some company), that have, not all, but at least the most importants American Codes and standards, and usually of an old edition.
Considering that Sao Paulo is a city of 18 million people and measures 40 kilometers from north to south and 60 kilometers from east to west, you'll understand why I said that sometimes is impossible to look at the standards.
Giovanni S. Crisi
Sao Paulo - Brazil
