Saturday, March 28, 2009

"Interfaith... East-West... Peace," or, "Picking up the slack for the US Government."

Fed up with U.S. partisan politics? NGOs (non-government organizations) can make a difference. Here is an example:

From: http://www.jordantimes.com/index.php?news=15251

King briefs leading CEOs on reforms



Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania on
Sunday pose for a photo with members of the Society of International Business
Fellows (Photo by Yousef Allan)



AMMAN (JT) - Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania
received on Sunday a delegation from the Society of International Business
Fellows currently on a visit to the Kingdom.

At the meeting, King Abdullah briefed the delegates on the performance and
competitiveness of the Jordanian economy, highlighting the economic reforms the
country has embarked on over the past few years as well as its efforts to
attract projects and investments.

The Monarch also noted the steps Jordan has taken to mitigate the effects
of the global economic crisis on the strength of its economy.

Created in the US city of Atlanta in 1981, the society is a not-for-profit
entity that comprises about 450 directors and CEOs from around the world.

On politics, the King underlined the need to exert all possible efforts to
bring about peace in the region based on the two-state solution, which, he said,
is the sole solution to end the conflict in the region.

The two-state solution, the King said, is the key to addressing the
problems the Middle East faces.

Referring to the Common Word Initiative, which has become the leading
project for interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims, King Abdullah
emphasised the need to build bridges of communication and understanding between
followers of different religions.

In response to a question, Queen Rania said Jordan will continue to invest
in education and provide the best possible environment for educating Jordanians
and enhancing teachers’ effectiveness.

In this regard, the Queen referred to the Madrasati initiative she launched
in April 2008 which aims to make education a social responsibility and improve
the conditions of public schools across the Kingdom.

Queen Rania also stressed the importance of enhancing concord and
humanitarian cooperation in addressing misunderstandings and misconceptions.

23 March 2009

Monday, March 23, 2009

"Sustainable Building Solutions," or, "One Button for Pee-pee and One Button for Poo-poo"

More later, but wow!

I was out of the loop for a few weeks, and I just learned my sister Rebecca Bryant and associates have started a Sustainable Building Solutions green architectural consulting firm.

I may have mentioned, I used to think my big sister was a big meanie until I realized she was a genius (see related links below). While studying at CU Boulder in the early 1990's, she somehow saw the future and was hammering on me and family about all the green stuff that everyone is talking about today. 20 years ahead of mainstream America [little brother aside: I saw the future the same way for the internet, but that's another story].

Now that I have lived in California for some time, experienced "running out of electricity," (rolling blackouts), and water rationing, I have a great respect for Green Design and Green Consulting. If you take a second to think about it (or two gulf wars), it really just makes sense.

I have to admit, when I visit Rebecca and hang around her home on the coast near Mobile, AL, there's a sense that something is just right about the way her green home just fits right into the lush, forest-like surroundings. There is a sense of peace about it. I guess that's what Sustainability and Green Building are all about.

Almost forgot... the company is http://www.watershed.pro/.



Related links:

Sunday, March 22, 2009

"a weekend of record breakers!" or, "Better Wang Parameters!"

One of the simple joys of being an IT professional is watching the spam/counter-spam wars, specifically, the metaphors, synonyms, and other methods used by the snake-oil sales-people to slip through the spam filters.

Just two days after announcing Crock-Town's new, most awesomest t-shirt, I am pleased to announce the following.

After almost two years, the #1 silliest spam subject, "your penis make shadow like tree," http://crockettdunn.blogspot.com/2007/09/penis-make-shadow-like-tree.html, is being bumped to #2.

Our new winner?

Based on pushing the limits of ambiguity and slang while still retaining comprehensibility:

"Better wang parameters!"

The subject of an email I received minutes ago.

[If only we could harness the power of these wordsmiths for good.]

Friday, March 20, 2009

newest most awesomest t-shirt

Sometimes...



It's the simple things that get me through the day.

With that, I present you with the official new favorite shirt of Crock-Town: