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Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup
The pairing of grilled cheese and tomato soup became popular during the Great Depression. Grilled cheese sandwiches became feasible in the 1920s, with the invention of pre-sliced bread and the mass production of processed cheese, Schools and cafeterias serve the combination o provide a cost-effective, nutritious meal; with the soup contributing Vitamin C and the sandwich providing protein and carbs.
World Standards Week 2025
This year’s events will be held in person only to foster networking opportunities, increase engagement, and support collaborations that advance the standardization community’s shared goals. October 21-23, Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, Rockville Maryland.
Wood
Today at 15:00 UTC we review technical standards for the application of wood as a building construction material. Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.
National Design Specification for Wood Construction
The 2024 National Design Specification for Wood Construction was developed by AWC’s Wood Design Standards Committee and approved as a standard by the American National Standards Institute on October 16, 2023. The 2024 NDS is referenced in the 2024 International Building Code.
Quadrivium: Summer
Educational settlements are where many people come to feel at home in beautiful surroundings. The catalog that informs the safety and sustainability of these "cities-within-cities" changes 100 to 1000 times per day. Titles are unstable, time-sensitive, copyright protected and land in public law. We explore the action continuously; assign priorities, then schedule a separate teleconference to formulate responses to public consultations. Daily colloquia topics appear on our CALENDAR.
Interior Finishes & Wood
Committee Action Hearings on the 2025 Group B tranche of titles will be heard in Cleveland October 22-30. Our proposal for new performance electrical design concepts will also be on the agenda..
Researchers Make Wood Stronger than Steel
A new super-material — stronger, lighter and cheaper than steel — has emerged from scientists' labs at the University of Maryland. It's not a high-tech nano-polymer or some new alloy.
Current Issues and Recent Research
We examine the proposals for the 2028 National Electrical Safety Code; including our own. The 2026 National Electrical Code where sit on CMP-15 overseeing health care facility electrical issues should be released for public use any day now. We have one electrical proposal on the agenda of the International Code Council's Group B Committee Action Hearings in Cleveland in October.
Construction Technology Careers: Carpentry, HVAC, Plumbing
Nothing quite like being able to afford an apartment, a car, nice clothes and time to party right out of high school. Median wages for carpenters, sheet metal workers and plumbers run $25 to $30 per hour. Tradespeople these days are never unemployed very long and when they are there is enough money to start a side hustle or learn about French poststructuralists like Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida with their college-going friends.