Reflections / John Nash

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Reflections / John Nash

August 9, 2026
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“Non-Cooperative Games” 1951 | John Nash

Brian Keating: Cosmology, Astrophysics, Aliens & Losing the Nobel Prize

 

Evensong “The Water is Wide”

August 9, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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“All my longings lie open before you, Lord;
my sighing is not hidden from you.”

— Psalm 38:9

“The Water Is Wide” is a traditional folk song with deep roots in the British Isles, particularly Scotland and England, before it became a beloved American folk song. Its origins are complex, as it evolved through oral tradition, with variations in lyrics, melody, and title across regions and centuries. Below is a detailed explanation of its origins and journey to becoming a classic American folk song with summer associations.1. British Isles Origins (17th–18th Century)

  • Earliest Roots: The song likely derives from a Scottish or English folk ballad dating back to at least the 17th century. It is closely related to ballads like “Waly, Waly” (sometimes spelled “Wally, Wally”), a lament about love and loss. The earliest known versions appear in Scottish oral traditions, with references to broadsides (printed song sheets) from the 1600s.
  • Melody and Structure: The melody associated with “The Water Is Wide” is a modal, haunting tune typical of Celtic folk music. It shares similarities with other traditional songs like “O Waly, Waly,” which was collected in Cecil Sharp’s English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians (1917). The song’s structure, with its simple, repetitive stanzas, made it adaptable for oral transmission.
  • Lyrics and Themes: Early versions focused on themes of unrequited or lost love, with the “wide water” symbolizing an insurmountable barrier between lovers. For example, a common early stanza is:
    “The water is wide, I cannot get o’er / And neither have I wings to fly / Give me a boat that will carry two / And both shall row, my love and I.”
    This imagery of rivers and separation resonated in pastoral settings, often evoking summer landscapes.

 

2. Transmission to America

  • Colonial Migration: The song crossed the Atlantic with British and Scottish immigrants, particularly during the 17th and 18th centuries, settling in regions like the Appalachian Mountains, where it became part of the American folk tradition. Scots-Irish settlers, in particular, brought ballads like “The Water Is Wide” to the American South, where they were adapted to local contexts.
  • Appalachian Influence: In the Appalachians, the song’s lyrics and melody were shaped by oral tradition, with variations emerging in different communities. It retained its melancholic tone but often incorporated local imagery, such as American rivers or landscapes, which tied it to summer’s reflective, open-air mood.
  • African American Influence: Some scholars suggest that African American spirituals influenced the song’s evolution in America, as its themes of longing and crossing water paralleled spirituals like “Deep River.” This blending enriched its emotional depth and melodic variations.

3. Documentation and Revival

  • Early Collections: The song was first formally documented in the 19th century, with variants appearing in folk song collections. By the early 20th century, collectors like Cecil Sharp and Francis James Child (known for the Child Ballads) noted versions of “Waly, Waly” and related songs in both Britain and America.
  • Folk Revival (20th Century): “The Water Is Wide” gained prominence during the American folk revival of the 1950s and 1960s. Artists like Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and The Kingston Trio popularized it, often performing it at summer folk festivals. Seeger’s version, in particular, standardized the modern American melody and lyrics, emphasizing its gentle, summery river imagery.
  • Adaptations: The song was adapted into various forms, including gospel, pop, and classical arrangements. Its inclusion in school songbooks and campfires further cemented its place in American folk culture, with its river imagery evoking lazy summer days.


6. Historical Significance

  • Oral Tradition: The song’s survival through oral tradition highlights its adaptability and emotional resonance, key traits of folk music.
  • Cross-Cultural Exchange: Its journey from Scotland/England to America, with influences from African American traditions, exemplifies the blending of cultures in American folk music.
  • Modern Legacy: Today, “The Water Is Wide” remains a staple in folk repertoires, performed by artists across genres and taught in music education, often evoking summer’s reflective mood.

America is running out of teenagers

August 9, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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“By 2039, the US is set to have 650,000 fewer 18 year olds than it does today. For universities, that demographic cliff poses an existential challenge. Fewer teenagers means fewer college applicants. Fewer applicants means fewer enrolled students. And fewer students means that some universities may not make enough money to keep their doors open.

Katty Kay talks with Nathan Grawe, a Professor of Economics at Carleton College, about how difficult it will be for colleges to ride out this demographic drop — and what they will need to do to survive it.”

Related:

ALLIED TUBE & CONDUIT CORP. v. INDIAN HEAD, INC.

August 8, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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A technical standard may look like a collection of measurements, materials and engineering rules, but behind every requirement lies a process of persuasion, voting and institutional judgment. Allied Tube & Conduit Corp. v. Indian Head, Inc. exposed what can happen when commercial interests discover that influencing the standards process may be more effective than competing in the marketplace.

The case remains important because voluntary consensus standards frequently become something more: governments adopt them, inspectors enforce them and entire industries organize around them. With that influence comes responsibility. Participation must remain open, voting procedures credible and technical arguments distinguishable from economic self-interest.

The lesson extends far beyond electrical conduit or the National Electrical Code. Standards development depends upon confidence that competing interests can meet under rules strong enough to withstand disagreement. In that sense, the integrity of the process is itself one of the most important standards we maintain.

ANSI Essential Requirements for Due Process

“Allegory of Peace and Justice” | Giaquinto, Corrado (1753)

486 U.S. 492 (1988)

ALLIED TUBE & CONDUIT CORP.
v.
INDIAN HEAD, INC.

No. 87-157.
Supreme Court of United States.
Argued February 24, 1988 | Decided June 13, 1988
 

CLICK HERE

 

Bibliography & Discussion:

ANSI: Significant Federal Laws and Policies

Federal Trade Commission: Antitrust Issues in Standard-Setting

https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/486/492/

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/486/492.html

https://www.quimbee.com/cases/allied-tube-conduit-corp-v-indian-head-inc

Allegory of Justice and Peace

“Allegory of Justice and Peace” | Jodocus a Winghe, Flemish, 1544 – 1603 | Princeton University Art Museum

Seed the Future

August 7, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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Agriculture

Ædificare & Utilization

August 6, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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New Construction Release Schedule: https://www.census.gov/construction/c30/release.html

Reports are usually released at 10 AM EST the first day of every month except this month. (May 2026)


There’s been a significant redesign of the look and feel of the monthly Census Bureau reports construction activity. Today we sort through the rather more granular statistics that inform our recommendations for facility spend.

 


December 1, 2025

It has been 20 years since we began tracking educational settlement facility spend.  Starting this month we will examine federal government data together with the best available data about space utilization to enlighten our response to the perfectly reasonable question: “Are we over-building or under-building or building ineffectively”.  Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

United States: Schools of Architecture

The Society for College and University Planning (Ann Arbor, Michigan)

National Center for Education Statistics

The Financial Impact of Architectural Design: Balancing Aesthetics and Budget in Modern Construction

 

Homeschooling

2022 International Existing Building Code 

  • University College London

As reported by the US Department of Commerce Census Bureau the value of construction put in place by August 2025 by the US education industry proceeded at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $137.604 billionThis number does not include renovation for projects under 50,000 square feet and new construction in university-affiliated health care delivery enterprises.   Reports are released two months after calendar month.  The complete report is available at the link below:

MONTHLY CONSTRUCTION SPENDING August 2025 (released two months after calendar month)

 


 


This spend makes the US education facilities industry (which includes colleges, universities, technical/vocational and K-12 schools, most university-affiliated medical research and healthcare delivery enterprises, etc.) the largest non-residential building construction market in the United States after commercial property; and fairly close.  For perspective consider total public + private construction ranked according to the tabulation most recently released:

$137.604 billion| Education Facilities

$155.728 billion | Power

$69.625 billion | Healthcare

Keep in mind that inflation figures into the elevated dollar figures.  Overall — including construction, energy, custodial services, furnishings, security. etc., — the non-instructional spend plus the construction spend of the US education facilities is running at a rate of about $300 – $500 billion per year.

LIVE: A selection of construction cameras at  US schools, colleges and universities

Architectural Billings

We typically pick through the new data set; looking for clues relevant to real asset spend decisions.  Finally, we encourage the education facilities industry to contribute to the accuracy of these monthly reports by responding the US Census Bureau’s data gathering contractors.

Reconstruction of Ancient Agora

 

As surely as people are born, grow wealthy and die with extra cash,

there will be a home for that cash to sustain their memory and to steer

the cultural heritage of the next generation in beautiful settings.

More

National Center for Educational Statistics

AIA: Billings Index shows but remains strong May 2022

National Center for Education Statistics

Sightlines: Capital Investment College Facilities

OxBlue: Time-Lapse Construction Cameras for Education

Architectural Billing Index

IBISWorld Education Sector

US Census Bureau Form F-33 Survey of School System Finances

American School & University

New Report from Occuspace Finds U.S. Campuses Face Significant Underutilization

Global Consistency in Presenting Construction & Life Cycle Costs

Carnegie Classifications

Why You Need Standards

August 6, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com

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Department of Justice Antitrust Case Filings

When we talk about standards in our personal lives, we might think about the quality we expect in things such as restaurants and first dates. But the standards that exist in science and technology have an even greater impact on our lives. Technical standards keep us safe, enable technology to advance, and help businesses succeed. They quietly make the modern world tick and prevent technological problems that you might not realize could even happen…”

Technical Requirements for Weighing & Measuring Devices

Bulletin Board

August 6, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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“Labor omnia vicit improbus” (trans. ‘Steady, unyielding labor conquered all things’)

Georgics, Book I — Publius Vergilius Maro

Standards exist to sustain the ordinary rhythms of civilization.  Behind every meal, classroom, laboratory, concert, hospital, farm, playing field and family home stands a network of standards that quietly enables daily life. Our work is to understand, improve and explain those standards in service to the educational settlements they support.  

NIST | USPTO | ANSI | IEEE | ICC | ASTM | ASHRAE | UL | TIA | ASME | ASCE | AGA

Michigan Standards Developers : NSF | ACI | NETA | ASABE | HL7 | RIA | JCSEE | BIFMA | PJRFSI | SAE

Global: SA | BSA | NSAI | CSA | CEN & CENELEC | ISO & IEC*


 

APPA was founded at the University of Michigan| See our ABOUT

 

 


* ISO and IEC have opted out of the X-social media platforms.  FYI: X is 13 times the size of BlueSky in terms of scale and reach.

Fountain of the Four Seasons

August 6, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com

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Standards Iowa | Art School | Art on Campus

The Four Maidens are four seated limestone sculptures by Danish-American artist Christian Petersen, installed in 1941 as part of the Fountain of the Four Seasons outside Iowa State University’s Memorial Union. These iconic figures, depicting Native American women inspired by an Osage tribe chant of thanksgiving, represent the annual cycle of corn agriculture and family life: Spring (planting corn, east), Summer (sheltering a young plant, south), Fall (holding the harvest, west), and Winter (nursing a child, north). They symbolize renewal, growth, harvest, and sustenance. Recently replicated in durable Bedford limestone after erosion, they remain a beloved campus landmark.

https://www.museums.iastate.edu/visit/art-on-campus-collection/fountain/where-maidens-now

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