“American” as the Global Standard Language

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“American” as the Global Standard Language

April 16, 2026
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Energy 400

April 16, 2026
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Climate Psychosis | Other Ways of Knowing Climate Change

“The Conquest of Energy” / José Chávez Morado / Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

We began last year breaking down our coverage of education settlement energy codes and standards into the tranches listed below:

Energy 200: Codes and standards for building premise energy systems.  (Electrical, heating and cooling of the building envelope)

Energy 300: Codes and standards that support the energy systems required for information and communication technology

21 March 2024

Energy 400: Codes and standards for energy systems between campus buildings.  (District energy systems including interdependence with electrical and water supply)

ASHRAE Proposal for a District Cooling Standard

A different “flavor of money” runs through each of these domains and this condition is reflected in best practice discovery and promulgation.  Energy 200 is less informed by tax-free (bonded) money than Energy 400 titles.

Some titles cover safety and sustainability in both interior and exterior energy domains so we simply list them below:

ASME A13.1 – 20XX, Scheme for the Identification of Piping Systems | Consultation closes 6/20/2023

ASME Boiler Pressure Vessel Code

ASME BPVC Codes & Standards Errata and Notices

ASHRAE International 90.1 — Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings

Data Center Operations & Maintenance

2018 International Green Construction Code® Powered by Standard 189.1-2017

NFPA 90 Building Energy Code

NFPA 855 Standard for the Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems

IEEE Electrical energy technical literature

ASTM Energy & Utilities Overview

Underwriters Laboratories Energy and Utilities

There are other ad hoc and open-source consortia that occupy at least a niche in this domain.  All of the fifty United States and the Washington DC-based US Federal Government throw off public consultations routinely and, of course, a great deal of faculty interest lies in research funding.

Please join our daily colloquia using the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

References: Energy 400

More

United States Department of Energy

International Energy Agency World Energy Outlook 2022

International Standardization Organization

ISO/TC 192 Gas Turbines

Energy and heat transfer engineering in general

Economics of Energy, Volume: 4.9 Article: 48 , James L. Sweeney, Stanford University

Global Warming: Scam, Fraud, or Hoax?, Douglas Allchin, The American Biology Teacher (2015) 77 (4): 309–313.

Helmholtz and the Conservation of Energy, By Kenneth L. Caneva, MIT Press

International District Energy Association Campus Energy 2023 Conference: February 29-March 2 (Grapevine Texas)

NRG Provides Strategic Update and Announces New Capital Allocation Framework at 2023 Investor Day

Evaluation of European District Heating Systems for Application to Army Installations in the United States

Gallery: Other Ways of Knowing Climate Change

Allston District Energy

Campus Bulk Electrical Distribution

Interdependent Water & Electricity Networks

Interoperability of Inverter-Based Resources

Gallery: Campus Steam Tunnels

Electrical Resource Adequacy

 

From our video archive:


 

LSU

Gulf Coast Energy Outlook 2026

April 16, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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bucolia

LSU supports U.S. energy security through its renowned Craft & Hawkins Department of Petroleum Engineering, one of the nation’s top programs. Established decades ago, it trains engineers in drilling, production, reservoir management, and enhanced oil recovery, supplying skilled talent to the petroleum industry that underpins domestic oil and gas output.

Deep ties to Louisiana’s petroleum sector, including industry partnerships and research via the Center for Energy Studies, enhance production in a state central to Gulf Coast operations. Proximity to Henry Hub—the benchmark pricing point for U.S. natural gas in Erath, Louisiana—amplifies LSU’s role: the university’s expertise aids the stable supply, pricing transparency, and infrastructure that powers LNG exports and national energy reliability.

Louisiana

Kansas City Jackson County Missouri 816

April 16, 2026
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Missouri

Teacher Pensions

April 15, 2026
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Teacher pension funds, typically defined-benefit plans, were designed decades ago for stable, lifelong careers in one state or district. They fail to prepare for modern 50+ year careers (spanning multiple jobs, states, or even professions) due to structural flaws.  They also buy the bonds that finance the construction of buildings where the teachers work.

Benefits are heavily backloaded: little value accrues early in a career, with most wealth spiking only after 20–30 years tied to final average salary and service years. Teachers leaving before vesting (often 5–10 years) get back only their contributions, sometimes with minimal interest — no employer match.

Portability is poor; pensions rarely transfer across state lines, penalizing mobility. Many teachers never reach full benefits, as turnover is high — over half leave before qualifying for meaningful payouts, while plans assume only a minority stay long-term.

Early retirement incentives (often after 25–30 years) encourage exiting in one’s 50s, not sustaining decades-long work. Unfunded liabilities divert contributions to debt rather than future benefits. Overall, these systems reward narrow, traditional paths but leave flexible, long careers underprepared, forcing reliance on personal savings or Social Security where available.

The Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association (TIAA) was founded in 1918 by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie through the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. In 1905, Carnegie had established a free pension system for college professors, but it proved unsustainable as higher education expanded rapidly. To create a permanent, portable solution, the Foundation launched TIAA as a nonprofit life insurance company, with Carnegie Corporation providing a $1 million endowment.

TIAA offered contributory, fully funded annuities where both employers and employees shared costs, ensuring secure retirement income for educators—predating Social Security. In 1952, it added CREF (College Retirement Equities Fund), the first variable annuity, to combat inflation. This innovative model focused on lifetime income for those serving academia.

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Fidelity does not offer a traditional “teacher pension plan.” Instead, it provides 403(b) retirement savings plans, which are the most common supplemental retirement option for K-12 teachers and higher-education employees across the USA.A 403(b) plan allows educators to contribute a portion of their salary on a pre-tax basis (or Roth after-tax), reducing current taxable income while building retirement savings. Contributions grow tax-deferred, and investments can include mutual funds, target-date funds, and other options managed through Fidelity.

Unlike state teacher pensions (defined benefit), Fidelity’s 403(b) is a defined contribution plan — the final amount depends on contributions and investment performance. It supplements a teacher’s primary state pension and Social Security.

Fidelity is one of the largest and most respected 403(b) providers, known for low-cost investment options and strong online tools. Availability depends on whether your school district has selected Fidelity as an approved vendor.

Structural Standards for Steel Antenna Towers and Antenna Supporting Structures

April 15, 2026
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NEC & NESC Crosswalk

April 14, 2026
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Eggs Benedict & Cowboy Coffee

April 14, 2026
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Standards Wyoming | Kitchen Standards

“A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste” — Pierre Bourdieu, Harvard University Press 1984

Cowboy Coffee | Appetite for Knowledge

Vicki Hayman, University of Wyoming Extension Nutrition Educator, explains how to put together an English muffin, poached egg, Canadian bacon, and a homemade hollandaise sauce named after Lemuel Benedict, a Wall Street banker who, in 1894, ordered a hangover remedy at the Waldorf Hotel in New York. He requested buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon, and hollandaise sauce.

The hotel’s maître d’hôtel, Oscar Tschirky, was impressed and adapted the dish for the menu, swapping bacon for ham and toast for an English muffin, naming it Eggs Benedict in his honor. Another claim links it to Commodore E.C. Benedict, but the Lemuel story is more widely accepted. The dish’s luxurious combination of poached eggs, ham, English muffin, and hollandaise sauce cemented its fame as a breakfast classic.

 

Anglosphere colleges have not always been settings for the Ideological Gatekeepers that persist in lording over higher education; despite recent federal legislation chipping away at their hegemony.  Until the 1960’s  far more colleges were conservative or traditionalist in their political and cultural leanings for much of their history; though exceptions were satirized in Jonathan Swift’s ‘Gulliver’s Travels’.

Historical Context in the UK

  • Oxford and Cambridge (founded in the Middle Ages) were long seen as bastions of tradition, Anglicanism, and Tory/conservative values. In the 19th century, Oxford undergraduates were predominantly Tory. They emphasized classical education, hierarchy, and continuity with British institutions.
  • They produced many Conservative leaders and maintained strong ties to the establishment.

United States

  • Early colonial colleges (Harvard 1636, Yale, Princeton, etc.) were founded with Protestant religious missions to train clergy and gentlemen, instilling traditional moral and classical values. They were socially and culturally conservative by design.
  • Into the early–mid 20th century, many elite universities maintained conservative social norms. Faculty surveys from the 1950s showed more balance (or moderate lean) compared to today.
  • The 1950s–early 1960s featured active conservative student groups even on liberal campuses. The broad institutional culture was more aligned with tradition before the 1960s “counterculture” (which doesn’t mean there wasn’t religious and racial discrimination).

Canada, Australia, and Broader Anglosphere

Canadian and Australian universities historically reflected British traditions and were not uniformly left-leaning. Overall, universities across the Anglosphere were shaped by religious foundations, elite reproduction, and classical education traditions that prioritized stability, hierarchy, and Western heritage.

Summa: Anglosphere colleges were frequently “conservative” (traditionalist, establishment-oriented) for centuries. The perception — and the fact of them — as inherently left-wing is largely a post-1960s phenomenon; elevated from the large central government aspirations of  Democrat and 36th US President Lyndon B. Johnson, himself a school teacher, through his signature legislation (Higher Education Act of 1965).  It has been an uphill battle ever since for families seeking to convey loyalty to traditions of personal responsibility, religious tolerance, limited government, and fiscal conservatism to the next generation.

Impossible Brunch Pie

April 13, 2026
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Welcome | Extension | Standards North Dakota | Campus Master Plan

Click Image for Recipe

North Dakota State University | Fargo County

❤️ Homophily North Dakota ❤️

The Liberals are Coming and They’re Bringing Fancy Coffee | Kristin B. Tate

North Dakota has a strong rural, conservative identity* that many residents value, and concerns about preserving that amid population shifts are common. While discouraging specific groups based on politics could veer into unethical or illegal territory, here are some legal, community-focused strategies citizens might use to emphasize the state’s unique character and potentially make it less appealing to those seeking urban amenities or progressive policies that destroyed the cities they flee.

  • Advocate for policies that reinforce rural priorities
    Residents can lobby for state laws that prioritize agriculture, energy production (like oil and coal), and low-density development. For example, supporting zoning restrictions that limit high-rise buildings or large-scale urban sprawl could maintain the open spaces and small-town feel.
  • Promote cultural and lifestyle differences publicly
    Through social media, local newspapers, or community forums, highlight the realities of North Dakota life—harsh winters, limited public transit, fewer entertainment options, and a focus on self-reliance. Sharing stories or campaigns about why urban transplants might struggle can naturally filter out those expecting city conveniences.
  • Strengthen local conservative networks
    Organize or join groups like the North Dakota Republican Party, farm bureaus, or hunting/fishing clubs to amplify voices on issues like Second Amendment rights, low taxes, and minimal government intervention. Hosting events that celebrate these values might signal to potential movers that the political climate leans heavily one way.
  • Support economic incentives tied to traditional industries
    Push for tax breaks or programs that favor farming, ranching, and fossil fuels over tech or service sectors that attract urban professionals. This could slow the influx of people seeking remote work opportunities in “progressive” fields.
  • Engage in voter initiatives and education
    Citizens can campaign for ballot measures that protect against perceived urban influences, such as limits on property taxes or environmental regulations. Educating newcomers on local customs and expectations through welcome packets or town halls could also subtly encourage those who don’t align to reconsider.

Keep in mind that migration is often driven by jobs, family, or quality of life, and North Dakota has seen growth from various sources. If the goal is preservation rather than exclusion, focusing on positive community building might be more effective than deterrence.
*Personal responsibility, limited government, fiscal parsimony

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