The Invention of Everything Else
The News Review:
- The Invention of Everything Else
- Nelson: Sittin’ on top of the world – 15 Feb 2008 – NZ Herald:…
- AP Photo/Ed Widdis
The Invention of Everything Else
Washington Post – Feb 15, 2008
My shoulders lurch forward a bit just enough to notice the terrific solidity of the sidewalks thirty-three stories down. Like a gasp for air I pin my back into the cold stone of the window’s casing. A few pigeons startle and fly away out over Eighth Avenue across Manhattan. Catching my breath I watch them go. I watch them disregard gravity the ground and the distance between us. And though an old feeling one of wings haunts my shoulder blades I stay pinned to the window. I’ve learned that I cannot go with them… Then they don’t anymore and what was once clear becomes less so in the darkening sky. The bricks and stones of the surrounding buildings take on a deeper hue. A bird cuts across the periphery of my sight. I don’t allow myself to believe it might be her. “HooEEEhoo?” Don’t look I caution my heart. I take a look just the same.
Nelson: Sittin’ on top of the world – 15 Feb 2008 – NZ Herald:…
New Zealand Herald – Feb 15, 2008
An hour earlier the glee in Craig Fletcher’s voice was palpable as he strapped us into something resembling a four-seater couch and sent me and my family hurtling across the sky suspended on just one rope-thick wire. Some 150m below plump wood pigeons appear sparrow-size as they dip and dive on wind draughts over the canopy of dense native forest. This highest fastest longest flying fox ever built can be found more than 300m above sea-level on the road to Cable Bay 10 minutes north of Nelson. It’s officially known as the Skywire and proudly proclaims itself to be the only one of its kind in the world… The wire simply stretches for 1. 6km like a country clothesline bereft of its tree-branch pole. After the initial high-speed launch you get to slow down glide soundlessly take in the scenery and hear the native bird calls and your own nervous laughter mixed with appreciative wonder at what just happened. There’s no platform at the other end no steps and no people. “Now what do we do?” asks my seven-year-old then whoosh we’re flying backwards our hair parting on the backs of our heads and a view like re-wound film footage appearing before our eyes. n a cliff-top below we glimpse the word “HELP” written with big stones. Previous customers?Anderson pondered the idea of crossing the bush-clad valley on a wire for seven years before deciding to go ahead with the project.
AP Photo/Ed Widdis
ESPN – Feb 15, 2008
They were strongly advised to not try playing in the Deep South and even Spiller understood that was a wise move. However the Caucasians-only clause stayed on the books and access to the tour was still limited until 1961 when Spiller again made his voice heard. As a college graduate Spiller was a rare bird in the black world of his time especially among athletes. This background was in good part what made him an articulate challenger of the system. He earned a degree in education from Wiley College a traditional black school in Texas (currently featured in the film “The Great Debaters”). He was going to be a teacher but the best offer was a $60-a-month position at a black high school… He once clipped Joe Louis for $7000 (Bill Spiller Jr. says it was $20000) with which he bought the house the Spiller family grew up in. (Louis liked to play for big stakes and was a well-known sure-thing “pigeon” but he may have tanked a little in this case; Louis was a generous supporter of black golfers and the black tour. ) Frank Snow a disciple of Spiller assessed Spiller’s game as having moderate length off the tee very accurate through the bag a steady conservative golfer with an excellent touch around the greens. And of course he was also inspired to pursue his dream of making it as a big league golfer by the L. pen and Tam ‘Shanter tournaments where he had opportunities to mingle in a major-league arena.
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