They could not be American, and the history of 9/11 and the events that followed are not covered in nearly as much depth in other countries as I imagine it is in the US. As such, it's purely thanks to my extensive use of the internet that I was aware what the twin beams of light represented. That and having been reminded about it through having recently watched The Walk.

Saying that something "takes the cake" has been a fairly common saying in English speaking countries for longer than I've been alive.

It never made sense not to live for moral conundrums

Not to mention that anyone who takes up a scientific profession does learn metric. They're called SI units for a reason.
Namely because they used the French term for 'international system.'

And objects such as beds, at least during construction, are generally measured in millimetres, ten times as precise as centimetres. Pretty much any construction is measured down to millimetres.

...apart from those times that failure to switch between them properly results in the destruction of millions of dollars worth of equipment...

With my freeze ray I will find the time to find the words to
Tell you how...

They are still capable of hearing, I think through vibrations in their jaws?

Oi oi *sniff* oi!

Or the Araragi family.

MUUUURRPH!

Especially considering the potential... efficiency of modern warfare.

I think it might be a secretary bird, which can be 1.4 metres (4.5 feet) tall, live in sub-Saharan Africa, and both kill and eat snakes.