Soldier who survived misfortune terrain injuries awarded MBE
L/Bdr Parkinson was also one of a group of injured veterans who took part in a
gruelling trek in Norway earlier this year.
The expedition, organised by the charity Pilgrim Bandits, retraced the
footsteps of the Second World War heroes of Telemark to mark the 70th
anniversary of the mission.
Along with other amputees and severely injured servicemen, L/Bdr Parkinson
travelled 65 miles across the Hardangervidda in winds of up to 80mph and
temperatures of minus 30C.
Speaking of the trek, which he completed on a custom-made sled, the soldier
joked: “Have you seen the adverts for beer with Jean-Claude Van Damme?
It was colder than that – Damme cold.”
Also recognised for bravery today was Royal Navy pilot Lieutenant Commander
Craig Sweeney, who received the Air Force Cross for leading the rescue of a
climber in Argyll in blizzard conditions, plummeting temperatures and pitch
darkness.
He said the mission to rescue Gareth Bradley on the 3,074ft Beinn Sgulaird
near Oban was one the most challenging he has ever undertaken.
“We didn’t have any time to reflect on what we were doing at the time. I
was completely in focus, just concentrating on the job in hand,” he
said. “I find this more nerve-wracking.”
The crew from HMS Gannet in Prestwick, Ayrshire, flew their Sea King
helicopter to the aid of Mr Bradley who had a broken ankle and might not
have survived the elements were it not for their rescue mission on December
18 2011.
Lt Cmdr Sweeney, 38, joined HMS Gannet in December 2010 and lives close to the
unit in Alloway with his wife and three children.
He said: “This is completely overwhelming. It’s very humbling, really. I
didn’t expect to receive it and there were three other crew members
involved, I hasten to add.
“Prince Charles said he was astounded by the bravery we’d shown and he
said he was going to ask his eldest son if he knew about the rescue but said
he hadn’t managed to yet.”
Also being honoured at the ceremony at Buckingham Palace will be former world
number one golfer Luke Donald who will be made an MBE for services to the
sport.
He will join other sports stars including Paralympians – double gold medal
winning wheelchair racer Hannah Cockroft and cycling gold medal winner Mark
Colbourne – who will also both be made an MBE.
Eventing legend Sir Mark Todd, who won a team bronze at the London Olympics 28
years after his first medal at the games, will be honoured for services to
equestrian sport.
The New Zealander will receive his knighthood as will Sir Kenneth Grange, who
as one of the UK’s leading designers is responsible for some of the most
recognisable products including Britain’s first parking meter and the London
taxi.
EA not building anything for Wii U
Electronic Arts is distancing itself from the struggling Wii U, the Battlefield and FIFA publisher has confirmed with Kotaku.
“We have no games in development for the Wii U currently,” company spokesperson Jeff Brown said, noting that this could change in the future.
As Kotaku points out, during Nintendo’s 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo media briefing, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata welcomed then-EA CEO John Riccitiello to speak, where he talked up the console.
“What Nintendo’s new console delivers speaks directly to the players of EA Sports and EA Games,” Riccitiello said at the time. “Nintendo’s new console will produce brilliant high-definition graphics and new gameplay opportunities. We look forward to seeing great EA content on this new platform.”
EA launched several titles for the Wii U early during the platform’s life cycle, including Mass Effect 3, Need for Speed Most Wanted, and new installments in the Madden and FIFA franchises. Brown told Kotaku that these offerings were indicative of EA making good on its E3 2011 partnership.
The original Wii saw steady support from EA, as the publisher launched 78 total titles for the platform, according to the company’s website. EA has released just four games for the Wii U.
The Wii U has officially sold 3.45 million units worldwide as of March 31. Nintendo has attributed the platform’s slow adoption rate to a lack of major titles and marketing failing to communicate the novelty of the system.
Nintendo plans to spark system sales by launching key first-party titles on a more regular basis moving forward, beginning with Pikmin 3 in August. The company also aims to reduce manufacturing costs to make the Wii U profitable.
Battlefield 3, Battlelog server outages caused by outmost attack
DICE’s Battlefield 3 and Battlelog servers suffered outages today following an external attack.
While the Battlefield 3 status site says console and PC servers for the game and Battlelog are currently up and running, this has yet to be confirmed on EA’s social media channels, where the problems were acknowledged just a few hours ago.
The current BF3 and Battelog outages are a result of activity that appears to be aimed at overwhelming our game servers.— Battlefield (@Battlefield) May 8, 2013
We will provide up to date information on our official channels, including the Battlefield Twitter account. Thanks for your patience!— Battlefield (@Battlefield) May 8, 2013
EA said last night that Battlefield 3′s Premium service, which grants members access to DLC expansions, has topped 3.5 million subscribers.
While it has yet to be officially announced, the Battlefield 4 release date is expected to be October 29.
For more on the upcoming shooter, check out this Battlefield 4 preview.
Battlefield 3, Battlelog server outages caused by outmost attack
DICE’s Battlefield 3 and Battlelog servers suffered outages today following an external attack.
While the Battlefield 3 status site says console and PC servers for the game and Battlelog are currently up and running, this has yet to be confirmed on EA’s social media channels, where the problems were acknowledged just a few hours ago.
The current BF3 and Battelog outages are a result of activity that appears to be aimed at overwhelming our game servers.— Battlefield (@Battlefield) May 8, 2013
We will provide up to date information on our official channels, including the Battlefield Twitter account. Thanks for your patience!— Battlefield (@Battlefield) May 8, 2013
EA said last night that Battlefield 3′s Premium service, which grants members access to DLC expansions, has topped 3.5 million subscribers.
While it has yet to be officially announced, the Battlefield 4 release date is expected to be October 29.
For more on the upcoming shooter, check out this Battlefield 4 preview.
Battlefield 3, Battlelog server outages caused by outmost attack
DICE’s Battlefield 3 and Battlelog servers suffered outages today following an external attack.
While the Battlefield 3 status site says console and PC servers for the game and Battlelog are currently up and running, this has yet to be confirmed on EA’s social media channels, where the problems were acknowledged just a few hours ago.
The current BF3 and Battelog outages are a result of activity that appears to be aimed at overwhelming our game servers.— Battlefield (@Battlefield) May 8, 2013
We will provide up to date information on our official channels, including the Battlefield Twitter account. Thanks for your patience!— Battlefield (@Battlefield) May 8, 2013
EA said last night that Battlefield 3′s Premium service, which grants members access to DLC expansions, has topped 3.5 million subscribers.
While it has yet to be officially announced, the Battlefield 4 release date is expected to be October 29.
For more on the upcoming shooter, check out this Battlefield 4 preview.
Massive Amazon PC diversion download sale discounts ‘Battlefield 3′ and most more
The Battlefield 3 Premium Edition is on sale for $24.99 at Amazon with the standard edition going for $9.99 and the Premium subscription at $14.99. This is a relatively cheap way to ensure entry into the Battlefield 4 beta that is coming later this fall.
Meanwhile, Telltale Games’ zombie adventure title, The Walking Dead, is discounted by $15 to just $9.99. This is an excellent adventure for those that are fans of The Walking Dead TV show, comics or just adventure games in general.
Double Fine Adventures The Cave also sees a steep discount all the way down to $4.99. This is another adventure titles from the mind of Ron Gilbert, one of the creators of the Monkey Island series and Day of the Tentacle.
Finally, Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete contains the main game and both of the major DLC releases for the Rockstar Games title. It’s been marked down to just $14.99.
This is but a few of the highlights that started off the Amazon Digital Games Mayhem sale. There is way too much to list here so head over to the retailer to catch the listings on everything from Saints Row: The Third to Sonic Generations.
Update: Aliens: Colonial Marines was added to the list and can be had at the greatly discounted price of $11.99 and the Season Pass is $7.49.
You can also pick up a three-pack of Firaxis games that includes XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Civilization V Gold Edition and Civilization IV Gold Edition for $19.99.
Amazon will be adding to these deals throughout the month of May including offers on XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Tomb Raider and many more.
Follow us on Facebook or Twitter for the latest news or you can subscribe to our RSS feed or email alerts.
Massive Amazon PC diversion download sale discounts ‘Battlefield 3′ and most more
The Battlefield 3 Premium Edition is on sale for $24.99 at Amazon with the standard edition going for $9.99 and the Premium subscription at $14.99. This is a relatively cheap way to ensure entry into the Battlefield 4 beta that is coming later this fall.
Meanwhile, Telltale Games’ zombie adventure title, The Walking Dead, is discounted by $15 to just $9.99. This is an excellent adventure for those that are fans of The Walking Dead TV show, comics or just adventure games in general.
Double Fine Adventures The Cave also sees a steep discount all the way down to $4.99. This is another adventure titles from the mind of Ron Gilbert, one of the creators of the Monkey Island series and Day of the Tentacle.
Finally, Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete contains the main game and both of the major DLC releases for the Rockstar Games title. It’s been marked down to just $14.99.
This is but a few of the highlights that started off the Amazon Digital Games Mayhem sale. There is way too much to list here so head over to the retailer to catch the listings on everything from Saints Row: The Third to Sonic Generations.
Update: Aliens: Colonial Marines was added to the list and can be had at the greatly discounted price of $11.99 and the Season Pass is $7.49.
You can also pick up a three-pack of Firaxis games that includes XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Civilization V Gold Edition and Civilization IV Gold Edition for $19.99.
Amazon will be adding to these deals throughout the month of May including offers on XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Tomb Raider and many more.
Follow us on Facebook or Twitter for the latest news or you can subscribe to our RSS feed or email alerts.
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