158th Boat Race halted by protester in the Thames

Oxford and Cambridge were going neck and neck until suddenly the Cambridge boat stopped. They had spotted the head of a person swimming in the Thames right near Oxford's oars.

The Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge is one of the most historic events in the UK each year, with Oxford and Cambridge battling it out on the River Thames.

On April 7, 2012, at around 2½ miles into the 4½-mile race course, and seen by thousands of spectators on the banks of the river in southwest London, the race was halted by John Garrett, the race umpire.

As the boats were racing along, with the teams neck and neck at just past the Chiswick Eyot, suddenly the Cambridge boat was halted as they saw the swimmer's head in the water.

The swimmer ducked his head under the water, narrowly missing the Oxford crew's oars.... read full article.

Video: Children in jail - lost childhood in the U.S.A.

These days in the U.S.A., often children as young as 7 years old can be tried as adults and incarcerated in an adult prison. Even though these children are still not old enough to drink, vote or drive, they can still be tried and convicted as adults.

In the video, LaShon Beamon of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services says: “When you hold a youth accountable in the same manner and fashion in which you hold an adult, it's just not right and it's not fair.”

A further interview is with Michael Kemp, who was jailed for the first time at 12-years-old. He was incarcerated in Oak Hill Juvenile Correctional Faciity outside Washington D.C.

“Oak Hill it wasn't designed to rehabilitate you, it was designed for punishment. You know having barbed wires around the gate and it's just preparing you for more criminal-type lifestyle,” he says.... read full article.

Move over SOPA & PIPA: Here comes CISPA - internet censorship

In the wake of SOPA and PIPA, there is yet another terrifying bill on the table. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (or CISPA for short) which is currently being discussed by Congress.

In Washington, Congress is discussing the best way to avert the ongoing cyberattacks and some legislators have put forward a new act which, if it passes Congress, will allow the government access to personal correspondence of any person of their choosing.

Much like the Big Brother tactics in the United Kingdom recently, this bill will likely cause an outcry of condemnation and criticism, as happened with the deceased SOPA and PIPA bills.

The title of this controversial act is H.R. 3523 and it has been dubbed the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (or CISPA for short). It is feared that CISPA is far worse than SOPA and PIPA in its possible effects on the Internet.... read full article.

Video: TV host pelted with eggs & yoghurt for neo-Nazi interview

A Greek TV host decided to invite a member of the Greek neo-Nazi party to appear on his show the previous week. Leftist activists took revenge during his latest show on Friday.

Last week, Panagiotis Vourhas invited a spokesman of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party on to his show.

Members of the party have been accused of acts of hate crimes and violence against political opponents, ethnic minorities and also illegal immigrants in Greece. In recent polls, the party apparently has the support of more than 5% of voters.

On Friday this week on the private channel Epiros TV1 show, when interviewing a local politician he was attacked by a group of 17 activists, their faces hidden behind handkerchiefs. The intruders pelted the presenter with eggs and yoghurt and yelled their protest.... read full article

Research: most recent U.S. earthquakes are likely man-made

In the past decade there has been a remarkable increase in earthquake activity in the U.S.A. A U.S. Geological Survey research team says that these earthquakes are "almost certainly man-made."

Researchers for the U.S. Geological Survey have presented a study which states that natural gas and oil extraction activity has most likely provoked the series of recent earthquakes in the U.S.A, from Alabama through to the Northern Rocky Mountains.

They have not yet estimated a direct cause-effect relationship between gas and oil activity and earthquakes.... read full article.

SOPA 2 — Internet censorship bill rears its ugly head again?

The bad news is, not only are we to worry about the new CISPA act, but it appears that a renewed SOPA might be about try its luck in Congress yet again.

Digital Journal reported recently on the new threat to the free internet, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (or CISPA for short) which is currently being discussed by Congress.

Worrying enough as it is!

However, it seems that SOPA, which we thought was dead and buried, is now rearing its ugly head yet again.

Apparently, Chris Dodd - the head of the Hollywood Lobby - is now bragging that he's working on a new insider deal to push through legislation similar to SOPA.

In January this year, Dodd found his abilities were called into question when a massive online campaign supported by Google, Wikipedia, Reddit and many other online contenders shut down the MPAA-backed SOPA legislation, which was intended to toughen Internet privacy laws and to target copyright infringers overseas.

Dodd was apparently angry when the Obama issued a statement saying that the White House had "grave concerns" about the impact of this bill on Internet freedoms.... read full article.

Monsanto threatening to sue the state of Vermont on labeling GMOs

Vermont, U.S.A. wants to regulate labeling of foods which contain GMO products, but Monsanto has threatened to sue the entire state if they do so. Includes an informative video on the tactics of Monsanto.

Digital Journal recently reported on the "Label it Yourself" campaign, launched by critics of Monsanto's genetically modified food. The activists say that foods should be labeled to warn buyers of the possible health-damaging qualities of this food.

Now lawmakers in the state of Vermont are planning to regulate food labeling, so that consumers will know which products are made from the genetically modified crops.... read full article.

Poland imposes ban on Monsanto MON810 genetically modified maize

In Warsaw, Poland a ban has now officially been imposed on Monsanto's MON810 GMO maize. Recent protests by beekeepers and anti-GMO activists have a successful conclusion.

Digital Journal reported in late March on a protest by Beekeepers and Anti-GMO activists in Warsaw, Poland. The activists were demanding that the Minister of Agriculture, Marek Sawicki ban MON810 in the country.

The good news is that their protests have had a successful outcome.

Minister of Agriculture in the Polish Government, Marek Sawicki has set another international standard against Monsanto's controversial GMOs. Sawicki says that as well as being linked to range of health ailments, the pollen originating from this GM strain might actually be devastating to the already reduced bee population in the country....  read full article.

Travel: Nerja, Spain — Absolute charm, with a balcony overlooking the sea

Perched on the rocky coastline, east of Málaga city, is the "The Jewel of the Costa del Sol", a small town called Nerja.

When visiting the Costa del Sol, it is definitely worth travelling around 40 minutes by car from Málaga to visit this charming town. You can also catch a bus from the centre of Málaga.

Surrounded by the Sierra de Almijara mountains, with magnificent views over the sea, the town truly is "The Jewel of the Costa del Sol".  The following is a brief introduction to the major sights of Nerja.... read full article.

Russia plans moon visits & eventual manned lunar base after 2020

Plans are zooming ahead for Russian scientists to send 2 lunar rovers to the Moon. Even more exciting, they are planning landing stations there after 2020.

Digital Journal reported in March that Russia was planning to expand its space program with visits to the Moon and a Mars landing by 2030.

Plans are now being made to study the polar regions and to eventually create a permanent, manned base on the Moon after 2020.

According to RIA Novosti, emphasis is being placed on the poles due to a discovery of ice, quoting a leaked draft of a space research roadmap, which had been prepared by the Russian Academy of Sciences. They also wish to study the gas-dust exosphere of the Moon, take soil samples and establish the best area to build a lunar base.... read full article.

'Walking Gallery' — An artistic breath of fresh air in Spain

Spanish artists can now regularly be seen walking on the streets and beaches displaying their art. Why wait in a gallery for people to come and see your work, when you can take it to the people? No more walls!

Walking Gallery is run under the direction of Spanish artist José Puig, and presents another brand new route through the city of Barcelona, with a great number of participating artists displaying high quality work.

Other cities are also getting into the action, including Madrid, Bilbao, San Sebastian, Zaragoza and Vigo in Spain, and also Buenos Aires in Argentina.

Their mantra? "NO MORE WALLS!" ... Read full article

U.S. Marine faces dismissal over criticism of Obama on Facebook

U.S. Marine sergeant Gary Stein made the mistake of criticizing President Barack Obama on his Facebook page. That mistake may cause him to be dismissed in shame.

Stein superimposed images of President Obama's face on to a poster advertising the movie "Jackass". According to his lawyers, he had done nothing more than exercise his right to free speech.

Captain James Baehr, a defense lawyer representing Stein, said: "We are truly surprised and disappointed but it was an honor to fight for a hero like Sgt. Stein and every other marine's right to speak freely."

Baehr also stressed that Stein had, in fact, not broken any existing law.... Read full article

Coming soon to a city near you — Global revolution

2011 was a year or protest, from Egypt and the Arab Spring, to Spain, Greece, Italy, Portugal, the U.S.A. and many more countries, the people got out there in the streets to try and take back their basic rights.

Last year was a revolutionary one. People all over the world had had enough of government corruption, big corporations and bankers, losing their human rights one by one, and they went to the streets and squares of their cities to make a stand.

October 15, 2011 saw the very first coordinated global action, 15O. The people were United for Global change in more than 1,000 cities, in 82 countries, on every continent of the planet....
Read full article

UK Home Office web site attacked by Anonymous

With much talk about the extreme surveillance methods being planned in the United Kingdom, Anonymous took its revenge by taking down the Home Office web site.

Anonymous reported via Twitter that it had launched the attack on the web site yesterday due to the "draconian surveillance proposals."

Security agencies in the United Kingdom are pushing for a law to allow the police to monitor telephone calls, text messages and emails of British citizens. They want to further monitor Twitter and Facebook posts, web sites visited and even online chat.

It is estimated that this extreme surveillance would cost more than $3 billion in the first decade alone, and that the British taxpayer would be the one to fork out the price of being spied upon, should the bill be passed into law...  Read full article