| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"stoney" |
| Date: |
15 Jul 2007 12:40:00 PM |
| Object: |
Swimmer rises to Arctic challenge |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/6899612.stm
Sunday, 15 July 2007, 14:20 GMT 15:20 UK
Swimmer rises to Arctic challenge
An endurance swimmer has completed a 1km swim at the North Pole to
highlight the effects of climate change.
Lewis Gordon Pugh, 37, swam for 18 minutes and 50 seconds in
temperatures of -1.8C (28.7F), the coldest waters a human has swum in.
The City lawyer said the swim was a triumph but it was "a tragedy that
it's possible to swim at the North Pole".
"I hope my swim will inspire world leaders to take climate change
seriously," he said.
'Excruciating pain'
The challenge was conducted in accordance with Channel Swimming
Association Rules with Pugh wearing a pair of Speedos, a cap and
goggles.
He took the plunge at 0200 BST on Sunday and swam along a crack in the
ice to the geographic North Pole.
Describing the moment he jumped in, he said: "The water was absolutely
black. It was like jumping into a dark black hole. It was frightening.
"The pain was immediate and felt like my body was on fire. I was in
excruciating pain from beginning to end and I nearly quit on a few
occasions."
Pugh said he hoped it would influence the decisions made by world
leaders over the next few years to determine the biodiversity of our
world.
--
Atheist n A person to be pitied in that he is
unable to believe things for which there is
no evidence, and who has thus deprived himself of
a convenient means of feeling superior to others.
—Chaz Bufe, The American Heretic’s Dictionary
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