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Anthem “Seven Nation Army”

Nearly 1 Billion YouTube views. Astronomical.

After moonlighting in several underground Detroit bands as a drummer, Jack White founded the White Stripes with fellow Detroit native and then-wife Meg White in 1997.  He graduated from Cass Tech High School and attended Wayne State University as a dramatic arts student; thereafter receiving an honorary degree; and since awarded eight Grammy Awards, among them, for his work on the soundtrack of “Cold Mountain”.

Detroit’s Wayne State University introduces world to Dr. Jack White

Rolling Stone: Jack White Saves Detroit Masonic Temple from Foreclosure

“Seven Nation Army”  is one of the most iconic and popular songs of the early 21st century and is routinely performed at athletic events at all levels in the United States.   Its view count on YouTube is closing in on 1 billion.  Several factors contributed to the song’s popularity:

Memorable Guitar Riff: The song is instantly recognizable for its distinctive and powerful guitar riff played by Jack White. The riff, created using a semi-acoustic guitar and an octave pedal, became an anthem for many music enthusiasts.

Catchy Chorus: The song features a catchy and memorable chorus with the repeated lyrics, “I’m gonna fight ’em off, a seven nation army couldn’t hold me back.” This repetition and simplicity added to its appeal and made it easy for listeners to sing along.

Sports and Pop Culture: “Seven Nation Army” transcended the music scene and found its way into various aspects of popular culture. The song became a favorite at sports events around the world, particularly in stadiums and arenas. Its use in sports contexts, such as football chants, contributed to its widespread recognition.

Critical Acclaim: The song received critical acclaim for its raw energy, innovative sound, and Jack White’s distinctive vocals. It won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 2004 and became a defining track for The White Stripes.

Cover Versions and Remixes: The song’s popularity was further fueled by numerous cover versions and remixes by various artists across different genres. This contributed to its longevity and continued relevance in diverse musical contexts.

As a result of these factors, “Seven Nation Army” has endured as a cultural phenomenon, maintaining its popularity long after its initial release.

I’m gonna fight ’em off
A seven nation army couldn’t hold me back
They’re gonna rip it off
Taking their time right behind my back
And I’m talking to myself at night
Because I can’t forget
Back and forth through my mind
Behind a cigarette

And the message coming from my eyes
Says “Leave it alone”

Don’t want to hear about it
Every single one’s got a story to tell
Everyone knows about it
From the Queen of England to the Hounds of Hell
And if I catch it coming back my way
I’m gonna serve it to you
And that ain’t what you want to hear
But that’s what I’ll do

And the feeling coming from my bones
Says “Find a home”

I’m going to Wichita
Far from this opera forevermore
I’m gonna work the straw
Make the sweat drip out of every pore
And I’m bleeding, and I’m bleeding, and I’m bleeding
Right before the Lord
All the words are gonna bleed from me
And I will sing no more

And the stains coming from my blood
Tell me “Go back home”

High Tea Wichita

🌻 Standards Kansas 🌻

Newman University hosts its Heritage Month in February to celebrates the English heritage of the university’s namesake, St. John Henry Newman. It typically takes place in the Dugan-Gorges Conference Center following the St. Newman Mass and features meticulously prepared finger foods, English breakfast or Earl Grey tea, and elegant tea sets, fostering a sense of community among students, alumni, faculty, and staff.

Why and How High Tea Originated as a Working-Class Custom: High tea, despite its modern association with elegance and afternoon tea, began as a practical, working-class custom in 19th-century Britain. Its origins lie in the Industrial Revolution, when factory workers, miners, and laborers, typically from the lower classes, returned home after long, physically demanding shifts. Unlike the leisurely afternoon tea enjoyed by the upper classes, high tea was a hearty, substantial meal served around 5–7 p.m., designed to sustain workers after a grueling day.

Why It Was Working-Class:Timing and Necessity: Workers couldn’t afford mid-afternoon breaks for tea, as their schedules revolved around factory or manual labor. High tea was served after work hours, replacing or supplementing dinner with affordable, filling foods like meat pies, bread, cheese, and tea, which provided energy and comfort.

Economic Constraints: The working class lacked the resources for the delicate sandwiches and pastries of upper-class afternoon tea. High tea used simple, inexpensive ingredients, reflecting the economic realities of laborers.
Cultural Context: Tea was a cheap, widely available beverage by the 19th century, thanks to Britain’s colonial trade. It became a staple for workers, offering warmth and stimulation, while the meal addressed their hunger.

How It Developed: High tea was served at a high dining table (unlike the low tables of aristocratic tea settings), where families gathered for a practical meal. The term “high” referred to the table height, distinguishing it from the refined “low tea” of the elite.
Food and Function:

The meal included robust dishes like stews, cold meats, or potatoes, paired with strong tea. It was less about social ritual and more about nourishment, often the main meal of the day for working families.
Social Evolution:

As tea became a British cultural staple, high tea spread across classes, but its working-class roots remained evident in its heartier fare and evening timing, contrasting with the lighter, earlier afternoon tea of the wealthy.

By the late 19th century, high tea’s association with the working class faded as middle and upper classes adopted and refined it, leading to its modern, more elegant connotations.

Hot chocolate vs. hot cocoa

Michigan Central  

2026 General Fund Revenue & Expenditures: $1.738B $ Integrated Facilities and Land Use

MSU receives record-breaking $401 million commitment

Why Does The Modern World Make No Sense?

“…Hot cocoa and hot chocolate are terms that we often used interchangeably. Technically, hot cocoa and hot chocolate are as different as milk chocolate and bittersweet chocolate. Hot cocoa is made with cocoa powder, the way my mother made it when I was a kid. Hot chocolate is made from melting chocolate bars into cream…”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plant science at your dinner table: Hot chocolate vs. hot cocoa

 

How to make the chemically perfect hot chocolate

Milk

 

Snow Management

“A Morning Snow–Hudson River” 1910 George Wesley Bellows | Smithsonian American Art Museum

This time of year in the Northern Hemisphere we keep an eye on snow management  standards; among them titles developed by the Accredited Snow Contractors Association.  The barriers to entry into this domain are relatively low and, arguably undisciplined; hence the need for standards setting.  Even when only partially adopted, use of ANSI accredited standards reduces the “wheel reinvention” that is common to the business side of the education industry when new initiatives, or continuous improvement programs are undertaken without consideration of already existing leading practice discovery by ANSI-accredited technical committees.  Start here:

ASCA Standards Home Page

The parent title for the emergent ASCA bibliography is System Requirements for Snow and Ice Management Services; free to ASCA members.  The current version is dated 2014 and will likely be updated and/or re-affirmed.  The circumstances of the pandemic has slowed the work of many standards setting committees.  The safety and sustainability concepts remain intact, however.  Among them:

  • If snow can be removed from a lot or hard surface and appropriate room exists, always push the snow as far back as possible beyond the curb or lot edge to make room for additional snow.
  • If snow cannot be removed from a lot or hard surface, always place snow piles on a predetermined spot approved by the client and marked on the snow contractor’s preseason site report.  
  • Do not pile snow in a handicap parking space.
  • Do not bury or plow snow onto a fire hydrant, post indicator valve, or fire hookup along the building wall.
  • Avoid placement of snow piles where thaw/melt off can run across the parking lot surface. Try to place piles near drain grates to avoid icy situations during thaw-and-refreeze periods.
  • Do not push snow against a building.
  • Do not block building doorways or emergency exits.
  • Do not block pedestrian walks or paths with snow piles.
  • Do not push snow onto motor vehicles.
  • Do not plow snow in front of or bury trash containers. Sidewalk labor must shovel inside trash container enclosure for access to the doors. If the container is not in an enclosure, create a clear path to the access doors or panels.

"Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth" - (Letter to James Madison, March 2, 1788)“The cold was our pride, the snow was our beauty.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald ('Wiinter Dreams' 1922)

ASCA has more recently released another title — Standard Practice for Procuring and Planning Snow & Ice Management Services — that seems (by its title alone) to be a companion consensus product.  From its prospectus:

This standard of practice covers essential procuring and planning for snow and ice management services. Standards for procuring and planning are essential for business continuity and to improve safety for patrons, tenants, employees, and others in the general public. Knowing how to describe service requirements in a snow and ice management request for proposal (RFP) is an important component to providing effective services, particularly where winter weather is a variable. This standard practice provides guidance on the snow and ice management procurement and planning process to aid in the creation of RFPs, contracts, agreements, and monitoring procedures. This standard will not be submitted for consideration as an ISO, IEC, or ISO/IEC JTC-1 standard.

Apart from these titles, we do not see any recent happening in the ASCA standards setting enterprise.  We will pass information along as it becomes available.  Alternatively, you may communicate directly with ASCA, 5811 Canal Road  Valley View, OH 44125, Ph: (800) 456-0707.  Most education communities employ a combination of permanent and contract staff for these services.

We maintain the ASCA bibliography on our Snow & Ice colloquia  See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.

Issue: [13-104]

Category:  Grounds and Landscaping, Exterior, Public Safety, Risk Management

Colleagues: John Lawter, Richard Robben

More>>

ARCHIVE / Snow & Ice

 

Electrical heat tracing: international harmonization-now and in the future

 

Electrical heat tracing: international harmonization-now and in the future

C. Sandberg

Tyco Thermal Controls

N.R. Rafferty – M. Kleinehanding – J.J. Hernandez

E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company, Inc 

 

Abstract:  In the past, electrical heat tracing has been thought of as a minor addition to plant utilities. Today, it is recognized as a critical subsystem to be monitored and controlled. A marriage between process, mechanical, and electrical engineers must take place to ensure that optimum economic results are produced. The Internet, expert systems, and falling costs of instrumentation will all contribute to more reliable control systems and improved monitoring systems. There is a harmonization between Europe and North America that should facilitate design and installation using common components. The future holds many opportunities to optimize the design.

CLICK HERE to order complete paper

 

Heat Tracing Installation

Industrial electroheating and electromagnetic processing

Pipe Heating

Heat Tracing

Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code

“Mechanic and Steam Pump” | Lewis W. Hine (1921)

 

The heating and cooling requirements of K-12 schools, college and university educational, medical research and healthcare delivery campuses are a large market for boiler pressure vessel manufacturers, installers, maintenance personnel and inspectors.  The demand for building new, and upgrading existing boilers — either single building boilers, regional boilers or central district energy boilers — presents a large market for professional engineering firms also.  A large research university, for example, will have dozens, if not well over 100 boilers that heat and cool square footage in all climates throughout the year.  The same boilers provide heating and cooling for data centers, laundry operations, kitchen steam tables in hospitals and dormitories.

The safety rules for these large, complex and frankly, fearsome systems, have been developed by many generations of mechanical engineering professionals in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC).   From the BPVC scope statement:

“…The International Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code establishes rules of safety — relating only to pressure integrity — governing the design, fabrication, and inspection of boilers and pressure vessels, and nuclear power plant components during construction. The objective of the rules is to provide a margin for deterioration in service. Advancements in design and material and the evidence of experience are constantly being added…”

Many state and local governments incorporate the BPVC by reference into public safety regulations and have established boiler safety agencies.  Boiler explosions are fairly common, as a simple internet search on the term “school boiler explosion” will reveal.  We linked one such incident at the bottom of this page.

University of Michigan Central Heating Plant

The 2023 Edition of the BPVC is the current edition; though the document is divided into many sections that change quickly.

ASME Codes & Standards Electronic Tools

ASME Proposals Available For Public Review

ASME Section IV: Rules for the Construction of Heating Boilers (2019)

Public consultation on changes to the BPVC standard for power boilers closes February 3rd.   

This is a fairly stable domain at the moment.  We direct you elsewhere to emergent topics:

Ghost kitchens gaining steam on college campuses

College: the Next Big Frontier for Ghost Kitchens

Illinois Admin. Code tit. 77, § 890.1220 – Hot Water Supply and Distribution

Design Considerations for Hot Water Plumbing

FREE ACCESS: 2019 ASME Boiler and Pressure Code (Section VI) 

Plumbing

 

 

Two characteristics of the ASME standards development process are noteworthy:

  • Only the proposed changes to the BPVC are published.   The context surrounding a given change may be lost or not seen unless access to previous version is available.  Knowledgeable experts who contribute to the development of the BPVC usually have a previous version, however.  Newcomers to the process may not.
  • The BPVC has several breakout committees; owing to its longer history in the US standards system and the gathering pace of complexity in this technology.

We unpack the ASME bibliography primarily during our Mechanical, Plumbing and Energy colloquia; and also during our coverage of large central laundry and food preparation (Kitchens 100) colloquia.  See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting, open to everyone.

Issue: [12-33] [15-4] [15-161] [16-77] [18-4] [19-157]

Category: District Energy, Energy, Mechanical, Kitchens, Hot Water

Contact: Eric Albert, Richard Robben, Larry Spielvogel

More:

Standards Michigan BPVC Archive

ASME BPVC Resources

Big Ten & Friends Energy Conference 2023

Standards Michigan Workspace (Requires access credentials from bella@standardsmichigan.com).

School Boiler Maintenance Programs: How Safe Are The Children? 

Boiler Explodes at Indiana High School

Create a Winter Bird Haven

Illinois

Also from the University of Illinois:

Why so much slip and fall attorney advertisements after SCOTUS Bates v. State Bar of Arizona (1977)

Du froid

“Weather is fate”

— Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu

“Road to Versailles at Louveciennes” 1869 Camille Pissarro

Heat tracing is a process used to maintain or raise the temperature of pipes and vessels in order to prevent freezing, maintain process temperature, or ensure that products remain fluid and flow through the system properly.  Without electric heat tracing; much of the earth would be uninhabitable.

Heat tracing works by using an electric heating cable or tape that is wrapped around the pipe or vessel, and then insulated to help retain the heat. The heating cable is connected to a power source and temperature control system that maintains the desired temperature by regulating the amount of heat output from the cable. Heat tracing is commonly used in industrial applications where temperature control is critical, such as in chemical plants, refineries, and oil and gas facilities.

There are several types of heat tracing, including electric heat tracing, steam tracing, and hot water tracing, each of which have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. The selection of the appropriate type of heat tracing depends on the specific application and the required temperature range, as well as factors such as cost, maintenance, and safety considerations.

Heat Tracing for Piping Specification | NECA Standards (N.B. Link unstable)

2026 NEC CMP-17 Public Input Report | 2026 NEC CMP-17 Second Draft Report

Northern Michigan University | Marquette County

Today we review the literature for snow and ice management (and enjoyment) produced by these standards-setting organizations:

Accredited Snow Contractors Association

American Society of Civil Engineers

American Society of Mechanical Engineers

ASTM International

FM Global

Destructive Deep Freeze Strikes Cold and Hot Regions Alike

Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers

Electrical Heat Tracing: International Harmonization — Now and in the Future

International Code Council

International Building Code: Chapter 15 Roof Assemblies and Rooftop Structures

National Electrical Contractors Association

National Fire Protection Association

Winter is Coming: Is Your Facility Protected? (Holly Burgess, November 2022)

National Electrical Code: Articles 426-427

National Floor Safety Institute

Snow and Ice Management Association

Underwriters Laboratories

Manufacturers:

Chromalox Electrical Heat Tracing Systems Design Guide


It is a surprisingly large domain with market-makers in every dimension of safety and sustainability; all of whom are bound by state and federal regulations.

Join us at 16:00 UTC with the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.


There have been several recent innovations that have made it possible for construction activity to continue through cold winter months. Some of the most notable ones include:

  1. Heated Job Site Trailers: These trailers are equipped with heating systems that keep workers warm and comfortable while they take breaks or work on plans. This helps to keep morale up and prevent cold-related health issues.
  2. Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs): ICFs are prefabricated blocks made of foam insulation that are stacked together to form the walls of a building. The foam insulation provides an extra layer of insulation to keep the building warm during cold winter months.
  3. Warm-Mix Asphalt (WMA): WMA is a type of asphalt that is designed to be used in colder temperatures than traditional hot-mix asphalt. This allows road construction crews to work through the winter months without having to worry about the asphalt cooling and becoming unusable.
  4. Pneumatic Heaters: These heaters are used to warm up the ground before concrete is poured. This helps to prevent the concrete from freezing and becoming damaged during the winter months.
  5. Electrically Heated Mats: These mats are placed on the ground to prevent snow and ice from accumulating. This helps to make the job site safer and easier to work on during the winter months.

Overall, these innovations have made it possible for construction crews to work through the winter months more comfortably and safely, which has helped to keep projects on schedule and minimize delays.

Somewhat related:

Why so much slip and fall attorney advertisements after SCOTUS Bates v. State Bar of Arizona (1977)

Electrical heat tracing: international harmonization-now and in the future

 

 

 

Pipe Heating

Capital Construction and Planning

Standards Colorado

Steve and Amy Van Andel Graduate School of Government

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