Ikea in Europe withdraws wiener sausages due to horsemeat

Recently Ikea in Europe withdrew its stock of Swedish meatballs, after tests found horsemeat content. Now it seems their wiener sausages are also suspect.

Digital Journal reported recently on the horsemeat scandal and Ikea's meatballs, which had to be withdrawn from sale.

After Czech Republic food inspectors found traces of horsemeat in the Swedish-made meatballs, the company withdrew them from stores in 21 European countries and in Hong Kong, Thailand and the Dominican Republic.

Now it seems that you can't eat a hot dog safely at an Ikea store in some countries in Europe either, as they were apparently coming from the same supplier.

After testing in Britain, France, Spain, Ireland and Portugal tests have confirmed "a few indications of horsemeat", yet another popular food item at the Ikea cafeteria bites the dust.

According to company spokeswoman, Ylva Magnusson, other stores were getting sausages from different suppliers. 

Magnusson confirmed that some of the meatballs, despite their labeling, didn't just contain beef and pork. She said, "Based on some hundred test results that we have received so far, there are a few indications of horse meat."

"Together with the Swedish supplier in question we have decided to withdraw from sales also the wiener sausages ... from that supplier."  

The wieners are supposed to be made of ground pork and beef and while she is not 100% sure if the wieners tested positive for horsemeat, Magnusson did say, "but I know that at least some of the meatballs have shown traces of DNA from horse."

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/344454

Shooting incident at factory in Menznau, Switzerland claims lives

A shooting incident at a factory in Menznau, Switzerland has claimed three lives and injured several people, according to local police.

As RTE reports, the Kronoswiss factory belongs to Kronospan, a wood processing company, based in Menznau, close to the city of Lucerne in Switzerland, according to police.Reportedly the incident started in the canteen at around 09:00 (08:00 GMT) on Wednesday morning.

According to the BBC, Swiss police said emergency services are currently at the scene and three helicopters had arrived. They also said an emergency telephone line has been set up for families of the factory's employees.  

RTS has reported that at least three people have died, including the gunman, and that another seven have been wounded.  

Prosecutor's spokesman, Simon Kopp told the Swiss Blick newspaper, "There were three dead and seven injured, some of them seriously injured," adding that the assailant is among the dead.

The rescue helicopter service REGA has reportedly flown four seriously wounded people to hospital. 

According to police, the 42-year-old unnamed suspect, had worked at the factory for a decade and had always been considered “very calm” and “somebody you would not notice.”  However, it seems the man did not fire at random, but picked off specific colleagues with a handgun. It is unclear as yet how the suspect himself died. 

Mauro Caprozzo, chief executive of the wood processing company Kronoswiss, denied rumours that job cuts were due to be announced at the factory today.

He said the killer was a quiet, unassuming character.  "One almost didn't see or notice him," Caprozzo said.

As ABC reports, Switzerland is known to have one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the world. That said, there is relatively little gun crime in the country.

There is no real gun register in Switzerland. However a shooting incident in the regional parliament of Zug in 2001, which caused 14 deaths, did prompt calls to tighten laws. However, the majority of Swiss citizens rejected the proposal for additional measures, which would include the creation of local arsenals for military weapons outside of service periods.

Read more http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/344437

Video: Going back in time with the 'Best Picture' Oscar winners

As the Oscars are announced once again for another year, an enterprising video-maker has put together clips from all the "Best Picture" winners going back to the year "dot" in Oscar history. Sit back, relax and remember.

Digital Journal reported on the latest winners in the glitzy award ceremony held on Sunday night, with the Best Picture award going to "Argo."

There have been many excellent films in the past to win this prestigious award, and digital film maker/producer and editor Nelson Carvajal decided to put together a 4 minute video with clips from every single Best Picture Oscar winner since the start of the Oscars.

The first to hear those precious words "And the Best Picture Award goes to..." was William A. Wellman's "Wings" in 1927. The video ends with Michel Hazanavicius' "The Artist" from the award ceremony held last year.

Sit back and enjoy a brief introduction to all the "Best Pictures" in history. Apparently the music backing the video is "November" by Max Richter. How many of these wonderful films can you name?

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/344270

Horsemeat scandal romps along as Ikea's meatballs test positive

While initially found in Ikea's meatballs in the Czech Republic, IKEA withdrew sales of meatballs in 14 European countries after tests found traces of horsemeat in a batch made in Sweden. Then there was the pasta and more "beef" burgers. 

Meatballs are a traditional part of Swedish cuisine, and are consumed in large quantities by customers in Ikea’s in-store cafeterias with mashed potato and cranberry sauce. They are also offered on sale frozen in Ikea’s in-store food shops for customers to take home.

Although the problem was initially found in the Czech Republic Ikea stores, it seems that meatballs from the same batch were sold in several European countries, including the UK, France and Portugal, according to a spokesperson for the company.

The announcement came on Monday after the Czech State Veterinary Administration found horsemeat in 1kg (2.2lb) packs of meatballs which were manufactured in Sweden and then shipped to Ikea stores in the Czech Republic.

In total, 760kg (1,675lb) of the affected meatballs were intercepted and stopped from reaching the Czech stores.

Ikea posted a message on its Swedish Facebook page to the effect that it was halting all sales of meatballs at its stores in that country. A later announcement advised that meatballs from the same, affected batch had also been sent to Ikea stores in Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Hungary, Netherlands, Portugal, the Republic of Ireland, Slovakia, Spain and the UK.

Reportedly Ikea insists that in-house tests run two weeks ago had found no horsemeat, but they did say that new tests will now be carried out.

"We do not tolerate any other ingredients than the ones stipulated in our recipes or specifications, secured through set standards, certifications and product analysis by accredited laboratories," a statement said.

Meanwhile the Czech State Veterinary Administration has said that horsemeat has also been found in beef burgers imported from Poland. The scandal further continues as the Swiss company, Nestlé has advised that it had found horse DNA in meat from the Spanish supplier, Servocar.

On Monday, the Spanish agriculture ministry announced that traces of horsemeat had been found in beef pasta meals produced by Nestlé brands. According to a statement on Nestlé's company website, the Swiss company is withdrawing six "La Cocinera" products and one "Buitoni" product from shops in Spain. The company has also halted all deliveries from the meat supplier, Servocar.

These further discoveries of horsemeat and horse DNA come as EU agriculture ministers are holding talks which are expected to focus on the growing horsemeat scandal.

According to Nestlé, they are testing their products across the board, just a week after announcing that they are withdrawing two types of beef pasta meals from supermarkets in Italy and Spain, supplied by a company in Germany, H J Schypke.

A Nestlé spokesman has apparently told the BBC that this is not an indication that the problem is widespread across the company, but that "we are testing like mad".

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/344292

'23F Citizen's Wave': Major anti-austerity protests in Spain

Tens of thousands of people from all walks of life hit the streets of Spain on Saturday in a "Citizen's Wave" anti-austerity demonstration.

As part of the ongoing and neverending protests all over Spain against austerity measures and budget cuts in the country, the latest event saw tens of thousands of people in the streets of Spain, carrying banners, banging drums, blowing whistles and hooters and generally making their anger known.

One woman carried a flag depicting Argentinian-born Cuban revolution hero Che Guevara. Others carried posters just saying a simple message, "No" or "No dictatorship." A firefighter carried a placard reading, "If there is no justice for the people, there will be no peace for the government."

The people of Spain have had enough of the hardship brought on by the financial crisis in the country, along with what they call the corruption of the government, referring to the recent scandal involving Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and slush fund payments.

While thousands marched countrywide, possibly the biggest demonstration was in the capital, Madrid, as thousands marched on the Spanish parliament, targeting the "coup of the financial markets."

Many have been badly affected by public sector cuts and tax hikes introduced by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s conservative government, launched to tackle the country's debt problem. According to Rajoy, these measures have been imposed to cut a "path for the future", but the Spanish public disagrees.

The people say that the "pressure of the financial markets" along with government corruption have led to the current situation and that because of this, the people are being punished, not those actually responsible for the crisis. Unemployment continues to soar at 26%, with 50% and more among the youth. 

The protest has been dubbed "Citizens' Wave 23F" and includes workers from virtually every field including professors, teachers and students, doctors and nurses, miners, political activists, firefighters and environmentalists.

The current protest marks the 32nd anniversary of a failed attempt by right-wing officers to overthrow Spain's new democracy and restore military rule. 

 

Millions in Spain are now at risk of poverty, with ROAR Magazine saying that Oxfam projects that some 18 million Spaniards (almost 40 percent of the population) could face a life of destitution by 2022.  

On Friday, Spain badly missed the 6.3 percent of GDP target for 2012 with a result of 10.2 percent, so things can only get worse for the people.

Luis Mora, a construction worker in Madrid told AFP, "We have come because of it all - unemployment, corrupt politicians, the young people who have no future - it's a combination of everything." 

 

RT and photographer Erwin Sarkisov have some impressive photos of the event.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/344189

Women protest mini-skirt ban in Windhoek, Namibia (video)

Namibian women were out in the streets of Windhoek in their hundreds, protesting over police intentions to arrest women wearing mini-skirts for "indecency." 

Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, saw over 300 women protesting in Windhoek's Zoo Park, carrying banners reading, "Arrest rapists and not fashionists" and "How dare you minimize my freedom of choice."

Organized by the Women in Solidarity organization, the protest happened after 40 girls were arrested for wearing mini-skirts in December 2012 in Rundu, around 700 kms north of Windhoek.

Top law enforcer in the city, Police Inspector General Sebastian Ndeitunga, insists that if women are found outside to be dressed indecently, they will be arrested. He claims that alluring dress provokes rape, adding that those who wear mini-skirts should "cover the essentials."

He told the local media on Tuesday, "At least put on something, even if it's short it should cover the essentials. You can't walk in town while people can see your buttocks. I don't want to prescribe how people should wear, even if it's new fashion style, it should be within our tradition."

"Those who are behaving outside the normal tradition of an African will be dealt with. At Rundu, both traditional and political leaders were happy and supported our actions," he added. Ndeitunga also blamed media reports for causing public outrage over his alleged threat to arrest any woman found wearing "short and revealing" mini-skirts, as he claimed his words were misquoted.

"I did not say we will arrest those in mini-skirts. I was talking about indecent dressing,” he stressed.

While younger women and human rights activists do not take well to the initiative, some elder Namibian citizens apparently praised the police for acting on mini-skirts.

However, Rachel Coomer of the Legal Assistance Center argued against Ndeitunga's remarks saying, "A person who has been raped should not be blamed for the rape. This includes what they were wearing at the time the rape occurred."

Vice Chairperson of the National Council of Namibia Margaret Mensa-Williams, agreed that the wearing of mini-skirts does not cause women to be raped. "That is absolutely nonsense in my eyes. Babies and children are raped. What revealing clothes do they wear? How does a six-month-old or a one-year-old entice and encourage these so-called rapists," she said.

Despite arguments on both sides, Namibia does have one of the highest levels of violence against women, with 38 women killed during sexual assault related crimes in 2012.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/344142

Athens flooded after torrential rainfall and thunderstorm

Several hours of torrential rain and a thunderstorm have left the Greek capital, Athens, under water.  Roads and homes are flooded, and there are traffic jams and disruption to the train and tram network.

   

Basements have been flooded by the deluge and authorities have been forced to close a central subway station and underpasses on Friday morning.

According to the fire department, they have received at least 600 calls to drain water from homes and businesses, while many of the city's streets are at least ankle-deep in water.

Sotiris Georgakopoulos told NET state TV that,  "It was one of the worst thunderstorms we have ever had in the greater Athens area [since 1961]." 



He said that at one point the rainfall was so intense and heavy, parked cars were swept away by the rising waters.

According to a senior traffic police officer,  Dimitris Papanagiotou, "There are cars immobilised on several Athens highways and we have dispatched tow trucks to clear the roads."
 
Parts of the city reportedly experienced short power cuts as key electricity substations were flooded.

Fortunately no injuries have been reported and fire chiefs have around 60 crews tackling the floods throughout Friday and they hope the water will recede.  The Greek National Weather Service estimates that the adverse weather phenomenon will gradually recede by Saturday.

IDF 'hitman/assassin' posts disturbing pictures on FB, Instagram

IDF is yet again on the defensive over its troops’ use of social media, after an elite regiment soldier posted pictures of himself half-naked, and smoking drugs on his Instagram, and boasted about killing an Arab on Twitter.

The pro-Palestinian news resource Electronic Intifada mined publicly available images and comments of Osher Maman, a 20 year-old private in the Golani Brigade, who recently moved from the US to Israel on a special military recruitment program.

Maman, who calls himself a “hitman/assassin” in one of his public posts says he joined the elite unit “to beat up terrorists and sh*t”.

In one tweet from January last year, he boasts “Just took an Arab out… Whataa a feeling.”

His Instagram feed features a mock-up of a popular WWII poster that says “Keep Calm and Take Over Gaza” and a map of the territory, which the Israeli Defense Force left in 2005, with the Hebrew inscription “Soon to be a giant theme park.”

The soldier has since been reprimanded by his superiors, and all the social media accounts have been taken down.

“This is a grave incident, which do not represent the IDF,” said Capt. Eytan Buchman, a military spokesman, who noted that an investigation into the private’s behavior is ongoing.

Maman’s feed also contained pictures, apparently taken by others with access to the armory, of the soldier naked, covering his genitals with the barrel of a gun, and rifles arranged into a Star of David.

Another set shows Maman smoking what appears to be a joint in his hand (an Army offense) and showing off a clump of marijuana in his palm.

The controversy comes only days after another 20 year-old soldier was investigated for posting a picture of what appears to be an Arab boy in the crosshairs of a rifle. The soldier, Mor Ostrovski, said he found the picture on the internet.

The same explanation is unlikely to wash for Maman’s highly-personalized photo collection.

To the source: http://www.rt.com/news/idf-instagram-weed-guns-naked-240/

Russian meteorite fragment sent for testing

RT is reporting that a fragment of the meteorite that fell in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region in the Urals a week ago was delivered on Friday to Moscow’s Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry. 

The stone will be researched, and an application to include it into an international catalogue will be prepared. The main part of the meteorite fell on February 15 into Chebarkul Lake, and fragments were found nearby. Scientists confirmed their extra-terrestrial origin.

According to Chemical and Engineering News, the meteor that exploded over the Che­lyabinsk region of Russia on Feb. 15 was an ordinary chondrite, with a stony composition common to most of the meteorites that land on Earth, according to an initial chemical analysis by Russian scientists.

Viktor Grokhovsky, a professor at Ural Federal University and member of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Committee on Meteorites, led an expedition to retrieve remnants of the meteor that survived the plunge through Earth’s atmosphere. Grokhovsky says that the fragments his group analyzed at the university contain magnesium-rich chrysolite and sulfite, and are about 10% iron/nickel alloy. His group plans further analyses to fully characterize the meteorites.

The 10,000-ton meteor was 55 feet across and is the largest reported since the 1908 Tunguska meteor strike in Siberia. The recent meteor’s fall to Earth was captured by numerous car dashboard video cameras. Broken windows and debris from its plunge to Earth injured about 1,000 people.

Read more about the meteorite and view videos

‘A very unfortunate decision’: French President gets UNESCO peace prize

As French president Francois Hollande is set to receive UNESCO’s peace prize for ‘peace and stability’ in Africa, Abayomi Azikiwe, editor for Pan-African News Wire says it is an ill choice in the light of French involvement in conflict-torn Mali.

“Having assessed the dangers and the repercussions of the situation on Africa, and on Mali in particular, the jury appreciated the solidarity shown by France to the peoples of Africa,” the Jury of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize said in a statement on Thursday.

 France started a military operation in Mali on January 11, 2013, with the aim of the mission being the prevention of extremists from taking control of the northern part of the African country.

However, Abayomi Azikiwe believes the mission is not humanitarian, but fueled by economic and political interests of France, as well as other NATO member states.

RT: Some critics are saying that Hollande is a strange choice for peace award, as he is currently engaged in a military conflict. Do you think he deserves the award?

Abayomi Azikiwe: I think it’s a very unfortunate decision on the part of UNESCO to award this Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize to Francois Hollande. The fact that he hasn’t been in office long, his political career since being in office as president of France has been marred by this intervention in Mali. Something that was done unilaterally; was totally unjustified. There have been reports of gross human rights violations that have taken place since the French intervention in Mali.

They’ve admitted, the Defense Ministry in Paris, that they’ve killed hundreds of people, and the operation overall is not turning out the way that France had initially planned. There’s been intense fighting in the city of Gao over the last two weeks. There were reports of one of the groups that has been targeted in northern Mali, the movement of Oneness and Jihad in West Africa has broken through the defense lines that were set up outside the city, and was inside the city, engaging both Malian and French military forces. There’s also been bombing in the mountainous areas in the north-east of Mali. These developments don’t bode well for someone who has been offered such a prestigious award for peace.

RT: But don’t those developments bode well then for the necessity of troops to be there in the first place?

AA: Not at all. We’ve found out that many of the allegations that were made in the regard to the developments in Mali turned out to be not accurate. For example, there were reports that the Ahmed Baba institute which exists in Timbuktu, and houses tens of thousands of ancient historical documents going back to the 13th century in Mali, had been burnt down by the Islamists, which turned out to be totally inaccurate. It was not burnt to the ground, the manuscripts were not destroyed - many of them were moved to another location. Also, reports that the Islamists would have overrun the country if France hadn’t intervened, that still is unsubstantiated.

The problem with intervention by France is that it is not the intervention that is going to gain the support of people inside of Mali and also people throughout the entire region, of West Africa as well as North Africa.

RT: Why then do we hear these voices in Mali, “Yes, we are happy that France is here”, “Yes, we want them here”, “Yes, they are bringing stability”?
 
AA: It depends on who you’re speaking with. There are many people there who have given interviews to the international media despite the news blackout that’s been imposed by France in the Malian government. Many people there are saying that there are violations to fundamental human and civil rights that are taking place inside the country that is actually are being fostered by the military and the government in Paris.

And of course, this is being fueled by the economic crisis that exists in France. They have the highest unemployment rate that they’ve had for many years that almost 11 per cent; they have a huge deficit which they’re trying to deal with. Hollande went to Greece just two days ago on a state visit, and he was met by a general strike. People in Greece are off the job because of the austerity that’s being imposed and throughout the entire southern and western European regions. So this intervention is not a humanitarian one, it’s based upon the economic and political interests of France, as well as other countries in NATO, and also including the US as well because the US is actually transporting troops to Mali.

To the source: http://www.rt.com/op-edge/hollande-unesco-peace-prize-267/

104-year-old woman too old for Facebook, had to lie about age

While some ladies have been known to lie about their age, Marguerite Joseph is nothing but proud of her 104 years. Only one problem, Facebook's settings say she is too old and automatically makes her 20 years younger. 

 Joseph loves using Facebook to keep in touch with family and friends. She was four-years-old when the Titanic sank, she lived through several wars and even witnessed the Great Depression. She has seen the introduction of every new method of communication known to mankind, including Facebook. All good stuff for a long-lived and interesting lady who wanted to sign up on Facebook.

 

Joseph has an extensive family, with five children, 12 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren, so Facebook is the ideal place to keep in touch with everyone. Only one problem, when she signed up, she was 102-years-old. 

 

When her granddaughter, Gail Marlow, tried to state her actual year of birth, 1908, it kept changing to 1928. Apparently there is a clause regarding age policies on Facebook that implies that people over 99 cannot be registered on the social network.

 

In a status update in January, Joseph wrote, "I'm annoyed by facebook because I can't add my actualy [sic] birth year. When I originally opened my account I could only enter myself as being 99 years old, eventhough [sic] I was 102...now I'm 104 almost 105 and still can't enter in my correct DOB. And I think I'm the oldest facebook member...I've written fb but they don't seem to fix it! Any suggestions???"

 

Marguerite Joseph is legally blind and can’t hear, but her granddaughter reads and responds to all messages the elderly woman gets and generally keeps her up to date. “All of our family members always asked how grandma was doing on my Facebook page,” Gail Marlow said. “So I decided I would set up a page of her own so she could stay connected to her family in Canada.”

 

"Every time I tried to change the settings to the right year, Facebook came back with an unknown error message and would send us right back to a year she wasn’t born in,” Marlow said. “I would love to see her real age on Facebook. I mean, in April she’s going to be 105. It’s special.”

 

Marlow told the local TV station WDIV-TV that she "would love to see" her grandmother’s age displayed, and regretted her own inability to fix "a glitch in the system."

 

Marlow even contacted Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, but he never responded to her query. Reportedly Facebook is apologizing for the problem with spokesman Andrew Noyes telling AP the company is "trying to deal with the issue."

 

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/343984

Police use Facebook message to contact mother about son's death

Clayton County, Ga police officers were having trouble contacting Anna Lamb-Creasey to tell her of the death of her son in a traffic accident, so they sent her a message through Facebook, which ended up in the notorious "Other" folder for 20 days.

Anna Lamb-Creasey had been worried for weeks, as she had been unable to contact her 30-year-old son, Rickie Lamb. She had contacted hospitals and jails. She left messages for him on his Facebook page, saying, "Rickie where are you? Love mom." 

As the weeks went by, she worried more and more, until finally, and purely by chance, she found a message in the "Other" folder of her private messages on Facebook, after her daughter found something similar on her account.

We have probably all come across that notorious folder. If someone who is not a Facebook friend tries to contact you, the message goes straight in there, and unless you think to go searching, you may never find it. Under Facebook's new money-making schemes, if people pay $1 their message will go direct to you, but not everyone thinks of doing that, and they may never know that their message did not reach you.

This was the case here. Now Lamb-Creasey is furious with the police for using this method of contacting her. 

It turns out that Lamb-Creasey's son, Rickie, was struck and killed by a car on January 25. While the driver was not charged, the police say that they had exhausted all avenues before trying to contact Lamb-Creasey through Facebook.

Rather strangely, they used the private Facebook account of one of their employees, named "Misty Hancock". In the message she identified herself as Lt. Shindler and left a number where they could be reached. As "Misty Hancock" had a profile photo of herself posing with Atlanta rapper T.I., who has served prison time in the past, at first Lamb-Creasey didn't take the message seriously.

"Misty Hancock, and I'm like who is a Misty Hancock? That sounds like a stripper’s name or something," she said. However, when she did phone the number, she was told that her son was dead and the circumstances surrounding his death.

Lamb-Creasey told Atlanta's News Channel 2, "They told me that they did the best that they can do, but I'm not sure about that. They can track a criminal down, they couldn't track me down? They could have done better."

"I've been on my job 13 years. They could have found me."

If the police had used more traditional methods of contacting her, or if Facebook stopped holding its members ransom for their private messages, possibly Lamb-Creasey would have known sooner, and Rickie's body would not have waited in the county morgue for 20 days.

Chief Greg Porter of the Clayton County police told Channel 2 that he was unhappy with the way the incident had been handled and that he is now making changes: "I've since instructed my staff to create a Facebook page to try to eliminate issues such as this," Porter said.

However, if the messages they send from this new page also end up in the "Other" folder, is this going to help?  

Also, to add insult to injury, Lamb-Creasey has to cover the high cost of her son being stored in the morgue for 20 days!

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/343933

Norway TV broadcasting will warm up your feet

For those feeling chilly this winter, Norway is broadcasting a 12-hour prime-time show on local TV of a burning fireplace. Tune in, zone out and put your feet up to get warm. 

Apparently the show will not only feature a burning fire, however, but will also be accompanied by commentary by "firewood specialists" along with cultural news and expert advice, according to Reuters.

Rune Moeklebust, a producer for state broadcaster NRK, told the media, "We'll talk about the very nerdy subjects like burning, slicing and stacking the wood, but we'll also have cultural segments with music and poems."

"It will be very slow but noble television," he added. Apparently this is not the first time that NRK has actually set a world record for broadcasting the longest, continuous TV program. 

Two years ago they apparently broadcast 134 hours of a cruise ship sailing up the Norwegian coast on its way to the Arctic. It was so popular, that apparently at one stage 60% of the population was watching the show. It seems that long calming sequences of images has become the network's trademark and Norwegians like it.

Another hit was an eight-hour train journey across Norway, which the locals liked so much, it was actually repeated.

The latest show idea was apparently inspired by the success of a book, written by firewood celebrity Lars Mytting. The book is titled "Hel Ved", meaning "strong character" in English. However, "ved" apparently also means "firewood". Reportedly the book has sold approximately 130,000 copies in its first year after publication, which is not bad going, considering Norway's population of only 5 million people.

Getting back to the show, Moeklebust said, "People in Norway have a spiritual relationship with fire. Fire is the reason we're here, if there was no firewood, we couldn't live in Norway, we'd freeze." 

Asked how he thought the show might do in the TV ratings, Moeklebust said, "More people will tune in than on a normal Friday night." 

Gawker had something funny, and somehow appropriate, to say about the whole idea:

Staring at fire was originally developed as an entertainment property by cavemen, and had an impressive, multi-millennia run as the number-one method of entertainment during primetime hours across several demographics before being superseded by television.

What do you think? Could you sit in a stupor watching a burning fireplace on the little screen for hours on end?

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/343923

Police & Firefighters protest in Fuengirola, Spain (video)

It seems that Tuesday is turning into a day for protest by local police and firefighters in Fuengirola, as for the second week in a row, whistles and noise filled the town centre.

Digital Journal reported on the protest last week by members of UPLBA Andalucía, the union for local police officers and firefighters in Fuengirola.

It sort of reminds this writer of the movie "If its Tuesday, it must be Belgium", but now changed to "If its Tuesday, its time for the cops and firemen to make a noise again." And noise, and lots of smoke, they made indeed.

One can hardly blame them, of course, due to the fact that, as reported last week, they have lost 25% of their salary, while the people running the town have increased theirs by anything up to 68%, as can be seen in this video.

The noise was definitely louder this week, as the protesters included sirens and fire crackers in their repertoire, along with ear-piercing whistles and those colourful paint bombs.

"Don't play with security. No more cuts! Officials are not the problem."

In the video, you will see them gradually creeping closer to the front door of the Town Hall (Ayuntamiento de Fuengirola), and you will see the, er, non-protesting police officers keeping guard there and discussing what they are viewing, safely through the glass. 

At one stage, some more serious-looking police officers did approach the demonstrators, but on zooming in, it seems they wanted to know what kind of fireworks were being used. Some national police officers passed by, and a tiny little grin was possibly caught on camera as they walked on.

The writer's new pal, the police officer who tried to take her camera way back in June 2011, was happily banging on a drum today. The writer likes to think that maybe she inspired him a little in his protesting. 

And rather ironically, after the fireworks were spent, another friendly officer pointed out that they cleaned up after themselves right away. However it is important to note, of course, that when 15m members protest in Fuengirola, they also pick up all their mess, but they don't make quite as much chaos and noise. Okay, we won't mention the noise that we all make in Málaga, as that doesn't count here - those are much bigger protests!

This week they also had some snazzy new t-shirts: 
 

"Citizens and public employees are not responsible for the waste"

And a very impressive sign with the ubiquitous pocketful of money, made famous by the Partido Popular and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy recently:

Rough translation: "Full for Oña (Mayoress) and the scavenger civil servants."

The writer might sound a little facetious, and it may sound like she is making a joke of this protest, but seriously it is impressive that these workers are sticking up for their rights. It just takes a bit of adjustment to get a protester's mind around seeing those who abused in the past, joining the ranks of the "indignados." 

See more photos at: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/343883

Worst butt dial ever as Sri Lankan prisoner hides cell phone in rectum

A prisoner at the high-security Welikada jail in Colombo, Sri Lanka tried to hide a cell phone in his rectum, during a search by the guards. All would have been fine, but the darn thing decided to ring.

According to AFP, the 58-year-old convict had hidden both the phone and also a hands-free headset in his rectum during the search of the cells by guards. However, it seems he forgot to turn it off.

 

He was caught out when the guards heard a suspicious ringing tone, coming from, well, you know where.

 

An unidentified guard told AFP, "Guards knew he had a phone at the wrong end." The prisoner was taken to the national hospital in Colombo where an X-ray revealed the phone and handset in their full glory.

 

Apparently the doctors later retrieved the cell phone from the prisoner's rectum, but there is no mention of how.

 

A Register apparently "caused quite a rumpus" when they published a report in 2001 on a 20-year-old Taiwanese women, who needed surgical intervention to extract a Nokia 8850 from her back passage, so possibly this gentleman had to experience the same.

 

The prisoner is serving a 10-year term for theft and apparently wanted to keep in touch with friends. Seems Wekilada is famous for it cell phones, as Reuters reports that in November 2012, at least 27 people were killed during a prison riot as guards searched for illegal phones and drugs.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/343258

Thousands march in support of New York bus drivers (Video)

On Sunday, thousands rallied at Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn and then marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to support New York's striking school bus drivers. 

Digital Journal reported on January 16 that more than 8,000 bus drivers and aides went on strike in New York City that day. As a result, some 152,000 parents struggled to find their children transportation to school. 

Due to the fact that the union is blaming New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg for refusing to negotiate, the strike is still ongoing, nearly four weeks later. As part of an ongoing strike for job protections, school bus drivers, matrons, mechanics and supporters got together in New York on Sunday afternoon to march across Brooklyn Bridge. This was followed by more than 1,000 members of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) rallying near City Hall.

Reportedly, city officials say it is illegal to offer job protections in contracts. The strikers are calling Mayor Michael Bloomberg “heartless” as the city prepares to open competitive bidding for new contracts. Bloomberg wishes to strip the drivers of job protections that have existed in the city for nearly half a century.

A Staten Island driver, John Scotto said, “We’re not asking for one benefit, or 10 cents. It’s simply for the right to come back to work in September.”

One of the protesters was Noah Gotbaum, a Manhattan widower raising three children with special needs, one of whom was being bused to public school. The other two take public transportation. Gotbaum said that the city is “trying to cut costs and the workers are saying, `If you want to squeeze the profits of the bus companies, that’s fine. But stop trying to lower the bids on the backs of the workers.’"

Gotbaum stressed that guaranteeing job security would lead to attracting and keeping workers with more experience. “I need and count on these folks every single day,” he said. “They’re as important to me as the teachers.” 

The event was called only two days earlier. Sponsors of the march included the ATU, New York Communities for Change, and Parents to Improve School Transportation.

The video was made and uploaded to YouTube by Occupy TVNY.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/343250

5 killed in routine safety drill on cruise ship in Canary Islands

A Thomson Cruises liner had arrived in La Palma in the Canary Islands for a stopover en route to Funchal in Madeira. 3 hours later, an emergency exercise killed 5 and injured 3 as a lifeboat fell more than 20 meters down into the water. 

The ship had docked shortly before in the port of La Palma in the Spanish Canary Islands. The ship, operated by UK-based Thomson Cruises, then ran a routine safety drill. Shortly afterwards, the island's Emergency and Security Coordination Center said that rescue personnel had been called to the dockside at 12:05 GMT (7:05 a.m. EST) after "a lifeboat with occupants had fallen overboard from a cruise ship docked at the pier of Santa Cruz port in La Palma."

 

In what appears to be a failure of the winch, the lifeboat fell from the upper deck, over 20m down into the sea, trapping its occupants.

 

A British passenger, Jim McArthur, took a photo showing that a cable had broken. He said that he was settling down for lunch after a walk ashore when "there was a sudden thud and I joked to the wife that someone had run into us". "Then people started going to the windows and when we looked down you could see the boat in the water upside down. "It's a very sad day, there's five lives been lost," he told the BBC.

The drill apparently began at 10:30 am by lowering a lifeboat with crew members aboard. Around an hour later, when the lifeboat was hoisted back up to the deck, a cable holding the boat snapped. A hook holding the lifeboat on a second cable then gave way, sending the lifeboat plunging down into the water, upside down. After this an alarm was sounded and the port authorities alerted. The cruise ship's captain called for divers, who then attempted to rescue the crew members.

 

While no names have been released, the persons killed were all crew members, and included three Indonesians, a Filipino and a Ghanaian. Three other crew members were injured in the incident but were rescued.

 

The ship, the MS Thomson Majesty, was reportedly carrying around 2,000 people including passengers and crew, but no passengers were involved in the incident. Thomson Cruises said in a statement it is "aware of an incident involving the ship's crew on board Thomson Majesty, in La Palma, Canary Islands this afternoon".

 

The statement continued: "We are working closely with the ship owners and managers, Louis Cruises, to determine exactly what has happened and provide assistance to those affected by the incident." According to the UK Foreign Office, they are aware of the incident and are "urgently investigating".

 

This incident comes just 13 months after the Costa Concordia tragedy, in which 32 people were killed. The MS Thomson Majesty is based in Santa Cruz and runs regular tours for mainly British holidaymakers around Spain's Canary Islands and the Portugal island of Madeira.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/343221

Gangnam 'Gaza Style' goes viral to make a point, or two

Just in case you thought it was all over, Gangham Style parodies are still a hot item on YouTube, and this one is a tongue-in-cheek version all the way from the Gaza Strip. Fun, but with a serious message too.

Five Palestinian men and one child got together, with a friend holding a mobile phone, along with an excellent sense of humor, to put together this latest "Gangnam Style" parody video. 

While it was fun to make, the Palestinians did also want to get a message across by showcasing some of the problems being experienced in the area. One of the dancers has a handwritten sign taped to his back, reading "Unemployment" in both Arabic and English.

As the group travels around in their car, they run out of gas, which means they have to push it, all the while continuing their "Gangnam Style" dance. 

Next stop is the service station, where a "no fuel" sign awaits them at the gas pump. Nothing for it, the group then have to ride donkeys "Gangnam Style." 

Then the group gets together, hoping to play a game of soccer with the kids, only to find that their playground is a disaster area.

The leader of the group was Muhamnad Barakat, who said that all they needed to make the video was a mobile phone. There was no fancy editing or directing used in the production and the Internet was there and available to get their message out to the world.

“A group of Palestinian young men are making this Gangnam Style video clip to highlight the hardship in Gaza. No one’s done this before. We’re hoping to focus on Gaza issues through this simple means,” Barakat said. “Our instruments are simple ones…thank God we can send a message to the world through our mobile phones,” he added.

Another member of the group, Walid Afaghani, told Reuters, “The message is about our suffering, prisoners, unemployment, and lack of electricity that causes us problems.”

Italian freelance journalist, Shantal, actually watched the group perform during a visit to Gaza. “It is funny, so you enjoy while you see it, but at the same time it gives a strong message,” she said.

While it was simple to make, this video shows they they did have a bit of rehearsal first before making the main event. According to the UN, Gaza's unemployment is currently at over 40%, while local economists say it is more likely to be 60%. With the restrictions imposed on Gaza by Tel Aviv, the Palestinian Authority – especially the Gaza Strip – is facing a severe financial crisis. The area has to rely heavily on money from donor countries, and is deeply in debt to both banks and the private sector. 

Economist Mohsen Abu Ramadan told Press TV, “The Palestinian Authority is in deep financial trouble and the economy has been taking a nosedive in recent years because of the lack of a clear economic policy and the restriction imposed by Israel on Palestinian imports and exports.”

In the unlikely event that readers don't recognize the soundtrack of the video, the music is a cover of Psy's "Gangnam Style" which became the first video to reach 1 billion hits on the Internet, mainly on YouTube.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/343036