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An Evertonian Inspiration at last
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After enduring a dreadful Monday night at the JJB, my mood was desolate and I looked forward to the coming week with all the enthusiasm of a visit to the dentist for some root canal work.
Part of my current job involves helping organise educational conferences. At least fifteen months ago I came across a speaker on a site called TED talks that was both inspirational and entertaining (and yes he was talking about education!!). The guy concerned is called Sir Ken Robinson and works for the Getty Foundation in the US advising on the Arts and Education. As a result of hearing him, the organisation I work for decided to book him for our national conference this week.
He gave a keynote speech to around 2300 delegates that was simultaneously thought-provoking and hilarious. During the speech, he revealed that he originally came from Liverpool. The next day I was his host for a smaller presentation. As I escorted him to the conference room I asked what part of Merseyside he was from and he told me that he had spent the first fourteen years of his life on Spellow Lane. I suppose my next question was inevitable was he Blue or Red? To my relief he told me was a Blue. I told him of my life long support for the Blues and his next line totally surprised me:
?My brother used to play for Everton you know?
I took one look at him and realised his brother was Neil Robinson, the Everton full back of the mid- to late-1970s. I had a great conversation with him that was very much ?off message? as he talked about his brother, Gordon Lee and Bill Shankly and all things Evertonian. I was impressed with him before I met him after but after declaring his allegiance to the Blues and his family links to the clubs I was awestruck.
When I introduced him to an audience of the great and good I just could not help myself and called him a superstar of education but more importantly an Evertonian. I am not sure the CEO of the organisation appreciated it but it had to be done. ToffeeWeb ? get him on the list of celebrity Blues if he is not already on it!
After the debacle on Monday I suggest that anyone needing a good laugh access the TED talks site and listen to his speech on creativity. In fact, Moyes and Round should go and listen to inspire our laboured pedestrian football.
Ed Fitzgerald, Posted 29/11/2008 at 09:01:19
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Rules and Models destroy genius and Art! (William Hazlett)
Moyes out, Robbo in.
It’s all in the timing, another Scouse comedian lost, a natural.
It's very true that creativity is something you grow out of unfortunately, though obvious that it is the true artists who never have to remember or indeed forget, as they indulge in their creativity. Excellent.
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1 Posted 29/11/2008 at 15:12:57
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Clap them Hands
Halleluja!