Some of you will note the popularity widget in use at the bottom of each post.
The top 10 list has now been moved to the top-10 page.
Looks like you have visited before, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks again
Some of the very best writing is to be found in poetry. It being Easter – here is an Easter poem by Keith Newman*. Reproduced by kind permission of the author.
FULL HOUSE
When Abraham was asked
If he would sacrifice his son
It wasn’t out on highway 61:On a stone cut without hands
foundation for an ancient temple
This sacred act of selflessness
Marks time like a sentinelA passion play
beyond Shakespeare’s pen:
The founder of 12 tribes,
under his father’s knife
In the shadow
of the ultimate sacrifice.
Waiting for the King of HeartsThe earth travailed
at Abel ’s last breath;
And when the prophets
were put to death;
And judges and kings
failed the loyalty testSo why choose this place?
Is this where Abraham
met Melchezedec face to face;
by the foundation stone
of the City of Peace?A plan mapped out
At the dawn of time
finally drags humanity
up the Way of Sorrows
to the crossroads of historyGolgotha
where all thoughts
are bought into submission
The place of the skull
overlooking Gehenna’s
waste disposal systemWhere wood, hay and stubble
give way to gold
and silver glistening;
The King of Hearts
must have wondered
if anyone was listening?A child with the government
on his shoulders
Brutally beaten by Roman soldiers
Betrayed by those he’d come to save
King of the Jews sent to the grave100 prophecies fulfilled
Perfect timing parts the veil
Again the earth travails
for sons and daughters
yet to be revealed.Cycles of time revisited
in the interests of salvation
As they say in real estate
it’s location, location;
Right here, right now
Forgiveness and restoration.The greatest gift
from the great I AM
Without spot or wrinkle
the Passover lamb
offering safe passage
to the Promised LandSo how long will we let him hang
between the trees of law and grace?
Will we look mercy in the face
and run with this great hope
Or continue gambling for his robe?It is finished. The price is paid
The stone’s been rolled away
Love fulfilled the law
The King of Hearts is at the doorThe Creator of the Universe
does not play dice
Three days after the cross
he had a full house.
- Keith Newman (Easter 2007)
*Wordworx is the domain of award winning journalist and poet, lyricist Keith Newman who is responsible for all content on the site. Wordworx re-publishes leading edge technology stories by Keith Newman who currently writes for a range of mainstream and trade media publications and offers his services as a freelance writer, editor, content developer, author and sub-editor.
Wordworx publishes on subjects ranging from the convergence of entertainment, computing, telecommunications, software and related industries to inspirational articles, poetry, humour and music industry comment and links.
The poetry section of Keiths site is found here.
Here is the short formula for those fast readers.
(F+S+A+H+P)*C=Artists/M², where F=Financial Resources, S=Spaces for Arts & Culture, A=Access & Awareness, H=Human Capital, P=Partnerships, and C=Culture of Appreciation.
The formula quote comes from an interview with Dr. Terry Rock who “is applying systems thinking and big picture ideas to put in place the strategic foundation, political stewardship, and pure enthusiasm that the city’s arts scene needs to thrive.”
He is President and CEO of Calgary Arts Development which is an arts development authority and possibly the only one in Canada. In his words “We have a rich history filled with mavericks and leaders who aspired to change the world.”
He also describes himself as a rogue intellect..and a generalist with a specialty in the application of complex, systemic thinking to collective human undertakings (possibly an “organization scientist,” but that’s way too narrow).
Great to hear of a place where art and business can meet. Just heard that WOMAD is on again in New Plymouth, so I know we have lots of talented artists here – even in the smaller cities but how much support do they really get.
Judging by this glowing and enthusiastic interview the city of Auckland and all cities for that matter could learn from the example of Calgary. This is a city that has exploded from 650,000 people in ’88 to just over 1m now. And they are clearly thinking and developing a city policy on the place of the arts in the city. Their policy supports passionate generalists as well as applied arts of every kind.
Its not that we don’t have some of this in NZ cities but I get a sense of high energy from the interview that boosted my day and I hope you like it too.
What specifically do you do? How would you describe your leadership style? I drink coffee and have lunch with really cool people. I read as much and as widely as possible (30-40 blogs a day, plus newspapers/magazines), and I enrich the local babysitters by attending 8-15 shows/openings/events a month. All of these things are important to enhance my “absorptive capacity.”
Sounds like a great job. I also checked with a friend of mine who lives in Calgary (after a year or two in Auckland) and “Buddy, Calgary is totally the place to be.” sounds alright!
I spend a fair amount of time in the company of 5 year olds* and I personally love the way they blast full tilt through all elements of learning and doing - almost regardless of what the subject is. Part of my personal mission is to retain that exuberance and belief in the possibilities just waiting to be realised. (*My daughter is 5 and wants to be a paleontologist, film maker/hairdresser – and she adds new interest points all the time.)
All of this comes from one of my most read blog sources called: the Creative Generalist which features lots of great interviews often with advertising industry people if that is not an oxymoron.
Creative Generalist is an outpost for curious divergent thinkers who appreciate new ideas from a wide mix of sources. Completely random and updated regularly, inspiration drawn from – and relevant to – the larger creative world.
Note: Go here for an Essay by John Ralston Saul on Calgary from March 8th, 2006.
Finally I have made the move from lists, email discussions, posts on other sites and more conventional web pages to something that is more dynamic and easier to manage.
I am using WordPress and I really like the different themes and functions now available. Finally is is possible for non-programmers to drop in the code functions that are needed by using widgets and plugins.
“The only difference between a problem and a solution is that people understand the solution.”- by Charles Kettering.
Update: 26 August 2007. By knowing the best questions we can ask about a topic we are part of the way towards an answer.
Various tests such as Myers- Briggs and others identify me on the visionary spectrum.
As this blog has developed various themes on the use of creativity and the future of industries and sectors have emerged. It has also become aparent that the cultural feedback loop is very important. Music, books, radio, video and other media all have their place online and as we discuss responses and ideas we can get closer to thinking more usefully about what happens next and whay we can do to make that a better outcome for ourselves, our friends and our communities.
Recent Comments