The first ever live broadcast from the summit of Mount Everest


9 May 2013 Last updated at 05:01 Help

British explorer Daniel Hughes has reached the summit of Mount Everest in an attempt to raise £1m for the charity Comic Relief.

Daniel spoke to the BBC from the top of the world’s highest mountain using his smartphone.

Everest has been used as both a dustbin and a dubious dudes’ ego-trip for years?  Well, that’s what some people think slumped in their armchairs making their way into a case of ‘tinnies’.  But do you know – I think those sorts of motivation (if you can call them that) probably run out of steam whilst you are humping your bags into the taxi on arrival at Kathmandu.

A colleague (‘proud to call him so) Dan Hughes was travelling in Bolivia on honeymoon and found something that simply wouldn’t go away. On his return the desire to help by doing something tough and selfless (he’s a Triathlete) he decided to try and raise a £1 Million by placing a Red Nose on top of Everest.

Why? It’s obvious isn’t it?  No one had done it before, and you can do an awful lot for those who desperately need it with Million pounds Sterling.  Dan is carrying an extra 7kgs of communications technology to enable him to broadcast his movement up the hill live across the Internet, most people keep their weight as low as possible as… It must be very, very hard work pushing your body to the limits of its endurance whilst whilst pushing for hours against an icy blast that chills to the core – all the way up, then down again.  The weather is notoriously changeable. Explorer? I don’t think that title quiet fits but can’t think of another without getting sentimental.

Dan needs to keep a tight hold on his fingers and toes as he is not only risking his career flying for British Airways, he is risking his life. This is no mean statement either, around 10% of those who attempt to summit Chomolungma do not return alive. 

The least we can do is pledge £1 to help him on his way. He is currently 80% of the way up that mountain and has raised 3% of the cash in his target window. Would you do this, would you breath cold oxygen that saps the heat from your core whilst every squeaky, snow laden step up burned each and every muscle in your cold, tortured legs? Or would you prefer to be there with him, be a part of it by making a small donation that will make it into the hands of someone who has little or nothing?

Go on, do it – you know you want to. 

Go on, watch it – it’s worth it’s 15 + million hits.

I must blow the dust off my bike one day – impressive huh?

Posted on Kontain.com – [Flight 1549] from David Martin on Vimeo.

I hope Matthew Stribe of GolfHotelWhiskey.com will forgive me for using his post source material; this is a wonderful clip showing the recovery of Chesley Sullenberger’s A320 from the Hudson. ‘Right place, right time’ for David Martin, his blog has some cracking images of the recovery which reveal the process stage by stage. Dramatic scoring and ingenuity makes for a memorable piece.

Thanks for the ‘eye on the scene’ work David, this is the kind of material that makes the web such an amazing tool and who knows, maybe points the way to the evolving nature of journalism. At the scene of every major event in the future there will be many cameras, both stills and video to catch the fleeting moments that cause us to ponder the nature of our existence.

Now there is a lovely way to say thank you.

“Hundreds of people are expected to attend Mr Allingham’s funeral in Brighton, which will be followed by a flypast of five replica WWI aircraft.”

BBC NEWS
One of Britain’s last World War I veterans will be buried later with military honours. Henry Allingham, who was in the Royal Naval Air Service in the war and later with the RAF, was the world’s oldest man when he died 12 days ago aged 113.

Since his death, the last WWI veteran in Britain, Harry Patch, has also died. Hundreds of people are expected to attend Mr Allingham’s funeral in Brighton, which will be followed by a flypast of five replica WWI aircraft.

Technorati Tags: RAF, The

We live in a cynical world where money seems to define our value to society. Where the amount you can swindle in the most outrageous fashion from your employer, the government or your customers applies a sheen of cleverness buffeted only by the tenacious press and their vain calls for an accounting.
What of the soldier? Recent conflicts have seen him reviled for carrying out the mission directed by his political masters, blamed for excesses metered out by the frightened or as is becoming increasingly apparent, the darkly directed.

When the fighting is over and the players on all sides quietly leave the stage, it is those who took part who are left to deal with their injuries, both visible and hidden. Mercifully time heals most, but certainly not all. In unguarded moments the wounds of the Somme could be seen written across the faces of those gallent centenarians as they talked to the camera, the last of whom has now rejoined his friends.

Sleep well after 113 years of life Henry Allingham, the last founder member of the Royal Air Force. The man who in realising his ability to make a statement that would echo around the World decided to ask that as a species we never again visit the misery on ourselves that he and his friends had to deal with.

What currency can possibly have value when a nation wants to honour the warrior and mark sacrifice?

Please visit www.portraits.co.uk, they have a remarkable collection well worth a ponder.

Technorati Tags: RAF, The

In a split second everything had changed. I remember talking to the instructor (Peter Goldstraw) when there was a tremendous bang, the plane jolted and it felt as if a missile had hit us. Eyewitnesses say they saw a ball of lightning streak across the sky and hit our glider.

Amendment – this was not a lightning strike but a fire on the ground during prep for flight.

Info courtecy of our readers. Thanks!

NTSB Report

[amended]A lightning strike generally makes a slap or a bang when it hits. …..[/amended]

For the Zoo vet.

This one has been reported all over the place as it is ‘little’ spectacular. I include it here just in case you missed it elsewhere.

Whatever your views on pilot fatigue, you must concede that these guys were wide awake when they eventually cleared the runway – so were their passengers.

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