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Poutine
Health Canada: Food safety standards and guidelines
University of Vermont: Poutine: From Rags to Riches
Dalhousie University researcher Sylvain Charlebois, known as “the food professor,” enjoys a poutine at a restaurant in Brisbane, Australia.
‘Girls tell about their time at Canadian College of English Language’https://t.co/SKYf5gNZLXhttps://t.co/fsQaxC1L69 pic.twitter.com/FBywkbB1BY
— Standards Michigan (@StandardsMich) July 1, 2024
Evensong “The Water is Wide”
“All my longings lie open before you, Lord;
my sighing is not hidden from you.”
“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.
The water is wide, I cannot cross 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.A ship there is, and she sails the sea,
She’s loaded deep, as deep can be;
But not so deep as the love I’m in,
And I know not how I… pic.twitter.com/kEyJAAJRfG— Tar-Eämon (@SerAemond) September 25, 2025
Incorporation by Reference
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“A Square with Imaginary Buildings” | Hendrik van Steenwijck (1614)
A partial list of the standards developers who produce consensus documents that are referenced in education facility design guidelines and construction contracts is shown below:
In other words, apart from open-source and consortia-developed standards, the safety and sustainability of the education facility industry is almost entirely dependent upon intellectual property that must be available free of charge to the public if local and state governments incorporate them by reference to meet their pubic safety assurance obligation.
While ANSI has managed a reconciliation on the issue generically called “incorporation by reference” there a few fine points that are noteworthy. These are usually discussed during World Standards Week and summarized periodically at the link below:
ANSI GOVERNMENT OUTREACH ACTIVITIES
We refresh our understanding of this topic several times a year; typically during our Incorporation by Reference colloquium during which time we also examine state-level activity
Issue: [Various]
Category: Administration & Management, Public Policy, US Department of Commerce
Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Christine Fischer, Jack Janveja, Richard Robben
Meals-Ready-to-Eat
“An Army marches on its stomach”
— Napoleon Bonaparte
Compact, flameless heater allows for pre-packaged hot dinners
“Whether it’s chili with beans, barbecued beef or meatballs in marinara sauce, members of the United States military are served up a rotating menu of entrees through meals, ready to eat rations. Packed in individual pouches, these self-contained meals can be eaten during combat operations, humanitarian missions or field trainings, providing nourishment on the go. Yet while MREs were first piloted for U.S. military members during the Vietnam War, it wasn’t until the 1990s that it’s been possible for these meals to be served hot…
…We can thank a University of Cincinatti Professor of Mechanical Engineering for that.” (And transforming the civilian emergency food industry, to boot)
Related:
Defense Acquisition University: Specifications and Standards
Food and Water in an Emergency
Federal Emergency Management Agency: Food Safety: A Recipe for National Preparedness
Bed Time Shower Temperature
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Occupancy Classification and Use
The Code Council partnered with @ConstructReach, a construction industry workforce development initiative and consultancy, to host “I built this!”, a work-based learning event at the #ICCAC24 expo. pic.twitter.com/o7KTAaV1xh
— IntlCodeCouncil (@IntlCodeCouncil) October 22, 2024
Libraries are multi-functional spaces and at the physical, and the heart, of any school, college or university. We take special interest in this discussion. Leaving the evolution toward “media centers” aside, the relevant passage in the current International Building Code that applies to library occupancy classification and use is linked below:
Chapter 3 Occupancy Classification and Use
Welcome to math class!
Year 16, woot woot! pic.twitter.com/5IIuQ3Tomc— Ashley (@PlanterAsh) November 6, 2025
The original University of Michigan advocacy enterprise may have raised the level of debate on structural engineering three cycles ago. Without any specific interest from attendees we will review our proposals in previous revision cycles:
- Education facilities as storm shelters
- Enhanced classroom acoustics
- Carbon monoxide detection in Group E occupancies
- Locking arrangements in educational occupancies
- Interior lighting power allowances for classrooms
- Occupancy sensors for classrooms
- Automatic control of receptacle power in classrooms and laboratories
- Expansion of voltage drop requirements into customer-owned service conductors
This is about as much as we can sort through this week. We will host another focus teleconference next week. See our CALENDAR for the date.
Finally, we persist in encouraging education industry facility managers (especially those with operations and maintenance data) to participate in the ICC code development process. You may do so by CLICKING HERE.
Real asset managers for school districts, colleges, universities and technical schools in the Albuquerque region should take advantage of the opportunity to observe the ICC code-development process. The Group B Hearings are usually webcast — and we will signal the link to the 10-day webcast when it becomes available — but the experience of seeing how building codes are determined is enlightening when you can watch it live and on site.
Issue: [16-169]
Category: Architectural, Facility Asset Management, Space Planning
Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jack Janveja, Richard Robben
#StandardsNewMexico
LEARN MORE:
ICC Group B Code Development Schedule
Plan now to participate in the International Code Council's 2019 Committee Action Hearings in Albuquerque, April 28 – May 8. Your expertise & participation in this year's code hearings are vital. Register for FREE now! https://t.co/kuLDyCiOH6 #CodeHeroes #BuildingSafety365 pic.twitter.com/SpZuehOmd8
— IntlCodeCouncil (@IntlCodeCouncil) March 6, 2019
Little Big Horn College
Every month we direct our colleagues in the education industry to the US Census Department’s monthly construction report to make a point: at an average annual clip of about $75 billion, the education industry is the largest non-residential building construction market in the United States. A large part of that construction involves infrastructure upgrades of existing buildings that contribute to sustainability goals but may not make flashy architectural statements for philanthropists.
EDUCATION INDUSTRY CONSTRUCTION SPEND
The International Existing Building Code (IEBC) is a model code in the International Code Council family of codes intended to provide requirements for repair and alternative approaches for alterations and additions to existing buildings (LEARN MORE). A large number of existing buildings and structures do not comply with the current building code requirements for new construction. Although many of these buildings are potentially salvageable, rehabilitation is often cost-prohibitive because compliance with all the new requirements for new construction could require extensive changes that go well beyond the value of building or the original scope of the alteration.
Education facility planners, architects and managers: Sound familiar?
ICC administered workgroups have been convening with considerable frequency over the past several months to pull together a number of relevant concepts for the next (2019 Group B) revision. For the purpose of providing some perspective on the complexity and subtlety of the issues in play, a partial overview of working group activity is available in the links below. Keep in mind that there are many other proposals being developed by our ICC working group and others.
IEBC Healthcare for BCAC December 11 2018
16-169 IEBC BCC Worksheet October 2-3 2018
There are other many other issues we have been tracking. The foregoing simply presents the level of detail and subtlety that is noteworthy.
On Tuesday the ICC has released its the complete monograph for use at the Group B Committee Action Hearings, April 28-May 8 at the Albuquerque Convention Center:
It is a large document — 2919 pages — so keep that in mind when accessing it. There are many issues affecting #TotalCostofOwnership of the education facility industry so we will get cracking on it again next week. See our CALENDAR for the next online teleconference. Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.
Finally, we persist in encouraging education industry facility managers (especially those with operations and maintenance data) to participate in the ICC code development process. You may do so by CLICKING HERE. Real asset managers for school districts, colleges, universities and technical schools in the Albuquerque region should take advantage of the opportunity to observe the ICC code-development process. The Group B Hearings are usually webcast — and we will signal the link to the 10-day webcast when it becomes available — but the experience of seeing how building codes are determined is enlightening when you can watch it live and on site.
Issue: [16-169]
Category: Architectural, Facility Asset Management, Space Planning
Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jack Janveja, Richard Robben
#StandardsNewMexico
LEARN MORE:
ICC Group B Code Development Schedule
Plan now to participate in the International Code Council's 2019 Committee Action Hearings in Albuquerque, April 28 – May 8. Your expertise & participation in this year's code hearings are vital. Register for FREE now! https://t.co/kuLDyCiOH6 #CodeHeroes #BuildingSafety365 pic.twitter.com/SpZuehOmd8
— IntlCodeCouncil (@IntlCodeCouncil) March 6, 2019
Little Big Horn College
Well Water Quality
Michigan Central | Water 330 | 2021 Michigan Plumbing Code
Protect the water quality of your water well
One of the first activities upon waking is interacting with water. Approximately 25% of households in the state of Michigan rely on private well water as their primary drinking water source. This figure comes from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), which estimates nearly 1.12 million households use private wells out of a total of roughly 4.1–4.6 million households statewide (based on U.S. Census data and population estimates of about 10 million residents, with an average household size of 2.5).
Other sources, such as Michigan State University Extension and the Michigan Water Stewardship Program, report slightly higher figures of 44–45% for overall groundwater reliance (including public systems drawing from aquifers), but the specific share for private household wells aligns with the 25% estimate from EGLE. Rural and southeastern areas of the state have the highest concentrations.
Sunday Brunch Menu | 10:30 – 1:30 AM Heritage Room
Michigan State was recently named a “dream school” in the nation, a university that’s not focused on prestige, but on value, access and outcomes. pic.twitter.com/ZMnO5szPMd
— MSU (@michiganstateu) November 7, 2025
Michigan State University Alumni Chapel
Michigan State University | Ingham County
Most non-Midwesterners have no idea how violent and deadly the Great Lakes get 🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/25coVuUjaM
— G-PA INDY (@GPAIndiana) November 8, 2025
New update alert! The 2022 update to the Trademark Assignment Dataset is now available online. Find 1.29 million trademark assignments, involving 2.28 million unique trademark properties issued by the USPTO between March 1952 and January 2023: https://t.co/njrDAbSpwB pic.twitter.com/GkAXrHoQ9T
— USPTO (@uspto) July 13, 2023
Standards Michigan Group, LLC
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