“How Can I Keep From Singing”

Loading
loading...

“How Can I Keep From Singing”

August 1, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
No Comments

Michigan West | Essential Works

Perseid

August 1, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com

No Comments

This content is accessible to paid subscribers. To view it please enter your password below or send mike@standardsmichigan.com a request for subscription details.

Colloquy (September)

August 1, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
No Comments

Open agenda; Not Too Organized. Whatever anyone wants to talk about.  We do meet once a month like this.  Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

Evensong “Last Rose of Summer”

Join us for lunch 11:45 AM – 1:15 PM every Third Wednesday at the Postma Golf Course

University of Michigan Business School Executive Dining Room (Under construction until sometime in 2027) | University of Michigan Golf Course Dining Room

If we were running that upgrade of the dining facility at the business school — instead of Sodexo — we would complete it in six months.  Alas, by some strange bureaucratic configuration, the project is taking 24 months.  Until then we meet at the Golf Course on the South Athletic Campus where, admittedly, parking is easier.

 

Retrodiction

Education & Healthcare Facility Electrotechnology Committee

 

 

Le café infusé à froid expliqué

August 1, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
, , , ,
No Comments

MONTREAL WEATHER

“An alleged scientific discovery has no merit

unless it can be explained to a barmaid.”

“Radio Transformations” 1906, Ernest Rutherford

Financial Statements 2023 | ($-14.834 M) Deficiency excess of revenue over expenses

Codes Canada

Art & Science of Cold Brew & Why



 

Frenglish

Danse de recherche sur le cancer

Backstage Tour

“The Stars and Stripes Forever” John Phillip Sousa 1896

August 1, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
,
No Comments

Michigan Central: Summer Fall

Net Position 2025: $24.9B

Best Coffee Spots Near Campus

 

A couple smiles, standing together on the field of the Big House with the jumbotron screen and goalpoast behind them.

In an era of pronounced Democratic dominance in U.S. academia—where faculty political affiliations skew heavily left—John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” occupies a revealing position. Republicans continue to champion the 1896 march unreservedly as vibrant proof of American exceptionalism, military heritage, and cultural confidence, hearing in its brass and piccolo the triumphant spirit of national unity.

Democrats, shaped by academic environments that often frame traditional patriotism as bordering on nationalism or cultural hegemony, tend toward a more qualified appreciation. Many academics contextualize the piece historically as a product of Gilded Age optimism or imperial-era bravado, emphasizing its role in constructing identity rather than celebrating it outright. While still performed at public events, the march may be taught with deconstructive lenses—highlighting how such symbols can marginalize dissenting voices or overlook America’s complexities—reflecting broader campus skepticism toward uncritical flag-waving.

University of Michigan leadership shows a strong Democratic tilt, consistent with broader patterns in U.S. higher education, and reflected in donations toward anything that moves like a Democrat in the ~95% range.  International students easily pick up on this bias.

Yet the music’s infectious energy resists full domestication. Even within left-leaning institutions, its enduring popularity at commencements and civic rites reveals a persistent, cross-partisan pull. Sousa’s masterpiece thus highlights academia’s influence: Democrats may intellectualize its patriotism, yet the piece quietly affirms a shared American heartbeat that theory struggles to silence.  Amidst the widely diagnosed “Trump Derangement Syndrome” this Sousa magnum opus holds forth on a small sport of cultural common ground.

* The politics of sleeping (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Iced Americano

August 1, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
, ,
No Comments

ANN ARBOR WEATHER

University of Michigan Net Position 2024: $22.335 billion

Michigan Central | Michigan West | Michigan Upper Peninsula | Michigan South East

Bert Askwith worked his way through college shuttling students to and from Detroit Metropolitan Airport until his graduation in 1931; when two semester tuition cost $300.  With no student debt he founded and grew Campus Coach Lines that still provides the same services at many other US campuses.  He donated part of his fortune to establish a cafe in the Undergraduate Library; which now serves an expanding and bewildering catalog of caffeine-based drinks found in educational settlements worldwide.


When new foreign national students arrive at U.S. colleges and universities, they often enter environments where a left-leaning worldview is prominent and pervasive. Many campuses today emphasize themes of social justice, equity, and systemic critique that align with a preference for larger, more interventionist government. Faculty and administrative messaging can reinforce these ideas, portraying government as the primary instrument for addressing inequality, redistributing resources, and regulating social behavior.

For many international students, this can be both eye-opening and disorienting. They may come from countries with different political traditions, including skepticism of state power due to experiences with corruption or authoritarianism. Yet, in the university setting, they encounter curricula and campus cultures that valorize activist government solutions while often criticizing markets, traditional institutions, or individual responsibility. Programs in the humanities and social sciences in particular tend to frame policy questions through a progressive lens that sees expansive government action as not just beneficial but morally necessary.

This immersion—some might call it a “marination”—shapes perspectives over time. Students adopt the language of social justice, climate policy, and identity politics, often without exposure to robust counterarguments. While this experience can broaden horizons and foster empathy for marginalized groups, it also risks narrowing intellectual diversity and suppressing debate about the limits and costs of government power. For international students, it can mean graduating with a worldview significantly more aligned with the American academic left than with the diverse political traditions of their home countries.

Kitchenettes

Watersport

August 1, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
, ,
No Comments

Athletic Competition Timing Standards

Today we update our understanding of best practice catalogs for outdoor and indoor watersport; primarily swimming and rowing.  Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

Summer Sport

 

Natatoriums 300: Advanced Topics

Sapienza – Università di Roma

USA Swimming and the National Collegiate Athletic Association Swimming are two distinct organizations that oversee different aspects of competitive swimming in the United States. USA Swimming governs competitive swimming in the United States across all age groups and skill levels, while NCAA Swimming specifically focuses on collegiate-level swimming and diving competitions within the NCAA framework. Both organizations play crucial roles in the development and promotion of swimming in the United States.

Governing Body:

USA Swimming is the national governing body for the sport of swimming in the United States. It is responsible for overseeing competitive swimming at all levels, from grassroots programs to elite national and international competitions.
NCAA Swimming: NCAA Swimming is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which governs intercollegiate sports in the United States. NCAA Swimming specifically deals with collegiate-level swimming competitions among universities and colleges.

Scope:

USA Swimming is responsible for organizing and regulating competitive swimming for all age groups and skill levels, from youth swimmers to Masters swimmers (adults). It oversees swim clubs, hosts competitions, and develops national teams for international events.
NCAA Swimming: NCAA Swimming focuses exclusively on college-level swimming and diving competitions. It sets the rules and guidelines for swimming and diving programs at NCAA member institutions.

Membership:

Individuals, swim clubs, and teams can become members of USA Swimming, allowing them to participate in USA Swimming-sanctioned events, access coaching resources, and benefit from the organization’s development programs.
NCAA Swimming: NCAA Swimming is composed of collegiate athletes who compete for their respective universities and colleges. Athletes are typically student-athletes who represent their schools in NCAA-sanctioned competitions.

Competition Format:

USA Swimming hosts a wide range of competitions, including local, regional, and national meets, as well as Olympic Trials and international events. Swimmers compete as individuals, representing their swim clubs or teams.
NCAA Swimming: NCAA Swimming primarily consists of dual meets, invitational meets, and conference championships at the collegiate level. Swimmers represent their respective universities or colleges, earning points for their teams in dual meets and competing for conference and national titles.

Scholarships:

USA Swimming itself does not offer scholarships. Scholarships for competitive swimmers are typically awarded by colleges and universities based on an athlete’s performance and potential.
NCAA Swimming: NCAA member institutions offer scholarships to talented student-athletes in various sports, including swimming. These scholarships can cover tuition, room, board, and other expenses, making NCAA swimming an avenue for athletes to receive financial support for their education.

 


 

Swimming, Water Polo and Diving Lighting

Beyond the Stopwatch

Computer-vision drowning detection

Earliest Coffee

August 1, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com

No Comments

ANN ARBOR WEATHER

Michigan Central | Active Construction Projects

The former Ulrich’s Bookstore* operates interstitially on Central Campus in the South University commercial district.

Opens 6 AM most days for the University Grounds Crews and construction contractors starting before the heat arrives.

Coffee


South University Commercial District

Construction Site Safety


* It happened slowly, then all at once…

The quiet eclipse of Washtenaw’s Swabian roots by the University’s borderless ambition

Layout mode
Predefined Skins
Custom Colors
Choose your skin color
Patterns Background
Images Background
Standards Michigan
error: Content is protected !!
Skip to content