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Evensong “Simple Gifts”
"Simple Gifts" is a Shaker song written and composed by Elder Joseph Brackett in 1848. The Shakers were a religious denomination that emerged in 18th century England; later settling in upstate New York. This song gained wider popularity in the 20th century when it was included in Aaron Copland's ballet "Appalachian Spring," and sung here by a choir from an independent day school in Baltimore County Maryland.
Stuffed Cabbage
A popular Eastern Europe dish made with readily available ingredients. It evolved as people migrated to North America; with different regions making their own variations with rice and meat fillings and cream sauces found in "America's Dairlyland". Link to Ukrainian hostess preparing authentic "Holubtsi"
Banished Words 2025 (And words that refuse to be banished)
"All language is an imperfect translation" - Franz Kafka
What is Happening to the Family, and Why?
"The family is nature's masterpiece" -- George Santayana
Quadrivium: Winter
Educational settlements should be magical places. The stack informing the beauty of these "cities-within-cities" changes 100 to 1000 times per day globally. Titles are time-sensitive, copyright protected and land in public law. We monitor the action continuously to formulate response to public consultations. Topics appear on our CALENDAR and explored every day at 16:00 UTC. Recommend refresh of this web page once or twice to see timeliest information.
International Student Cap
The province of Ontario is effectively cutting back on the number of new international students through reduced allocations of study permits and provincial attestation letters. This stems primarily from federal government caps on international study permits, which Ontario implements by distributing fewer spots to colleges and universities. The reductions have been ongoing since 2024 and continue into 2026.
Standards Curricula Program
Every year the National Institute of Standards and Technology issues grants to academic programs that introduce students to the necessary reciprocity of innovation and standardization in growing the U.S. economy. The University of Michigan is a past recipient of one such grant. We should see application specifics for the 2026 grant cycle fairly soon. We will post updates here.
2025-2026 Student Paper Competition
ANSI's Annual Student Paper Competition was paused last year; but now resumed with the topic ""Imagine a World Without Standards or Rules—What Would Happen?". Word limit ~2000. Receivable before June 5, 2026. Cash prizes are non-trivial and can involve a travel stipend attend ANSI's Annual Conference to receive the prize. Additional details -- including the papers to previous winning papers -- are linked herein.
Current Issues & Recent Research
We examine the proposals for the 2028 National Electrical Safety Code; including our own. Public comment on proposed changes will be received until March 24th. The 2026 National Electrical Code which has recently been released for public use (public input on the 2029 revision will be received until April 9, 2026).