Majikthise

Real-life jail cam may be shut down

The Anderson County Tennessee Sheriff's Department has been streaming its real-life jail cam live on the internet for six years.

DISCLAIMER
This is a real life transmission of the Anderson County Sheriff's Department. Instances of violence or sexually inappropriate behavior by detainees during the booking process may occur. Viewer discretion is advised. This is a Jail, not a simulation. The persons in this transmission are either employees of the Anderson County Sheriff's Department or arrestees.

Now, the AP is reporting that the jail cam may go dark because of security concerns. Apparently, web viewers have been calling the Sheriff's Department to sexually harass female prison guards at work. Others have been using the webcam to facilitate the smuggling of contraband into the jail.

There's a part of me that says, "No fucking kidding! What kind of idiot installs a live webcam in a jail?"

Yet, there's another part of me that wants the jail-cam to continue because it's just such a weird and fascinating anomaly. Again, what kind of idiot installs a live webcam in a jail?

Accident at Smith and Union

Accident at Smith and Union, originally uploaded by Lindsay Beyerstein.

The aftermath of the accident on Smith Street. Firefighters hose down the street to get rid of the broken glass after a drunk driver flipped his car.

Cuffed on the Car

Cuffed on the Car, originally uploaded by Lindsay Beyerstein.

Don't drink and drive this holiday season.

Car Contents

Car Contents, originally uploaded by Lindsay Beyerstein.

A drunk driver skidded out of control at the corner of Smith and President, hit a parked car, and flipped over on the opposite side of the street.

The windows of the car shattered and the force of the impact expelled the car's contents onto the street.

The driver also appeared to have squashed a huge rat on his trajectory towards the curb (out of frame).

Flipped Car

Flipped Car, originally uploaded by Lindsay Beyerstein.

A drunk driver skidded out of control at the corner of Smith and President, hit a parked car, and flipped over on the opposite side of the street.

In this shot, EMS and bystanders survey the damage.

The Right to Remain Silent

The Right to Remain Silent, originally uploaded by Lindsay Beyerstein.

The drunk driver who flipped his car on Smith Street tonight is taken away in handcuffs.

Arrested

So Busted, originally uploaded by Lindsay Beyerstein.

A little after 11, a drunk flipped his car on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. The vehicle skidded out of control at the corner of Smith and President, sideswiped a parked van, and ricocheted off to the other side of the street. As you can see, it flipped over somewhere in that process.

Amazingly, no one was seriously injured.

The cops arrested the driver as soon as he managed to wriggle out the drivers' side window.

Body armor review: What the well-dressed photojournalist is wearing this conflict

Ducan Falconer discusses the finer points of body armor for photojournalists.

Murdered Litvinenko accused Putin of killing Politkovskaya (Video)

Last month, Alexander Litvinenko accused Vladimir Putin of personally ordering the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya. (Video clip, Full panel discussion on the death of Politkovskaya). In the clip, Litvinenko states that he was a friend of Politkovskaya and that she sought his advice about her personal safety before her death. He says only Vladimir Putin himself could have authorized a hit on a journalist or dissident of her political stature. Litvinenko went to the police after Politkoskaya's death, a few days later, the police arrested him and seized all the relevant evidence from his home.

Litvinenko, a former colonel in the Federal Security Service (the successor to the KGB) was living as a political exile in Britain at the time of his death. He died of radiation poisoning. On his deathbed, he accused Putin of orchestrating his murder.

Smithfield walkout redux

Facing South discusses the impact of the walk-out at the Smithfield meatpacking plant in Tar Heel, North Carolina.

The job action is over and the workers won some key concessions. Smithfield promised to rehire the workers it had dismissed over their immigration status, pending the resolution of these disputes. The company also agreed not to retaliate against any of the 1,000 workers who participated in the walkout.

According to a statement issued by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Smithfield has agreed to the following:

1. Smithfield has agreed to increase the time allowed for employees to respond to "no match" letters from the Social Security Administration.

2. Employees who have been laid off for failure to resolve Social Security issues may return to work while they sort out these issues.

3. Smithfield's Human Resources Department will designate a staff member to help process "no match" Social Security issues and respond to questions.

4. Smithfield has agreed that if mistakes have been made, they will be addressed.

5. No disciplinary actions of any kind will be taken against those employees who participated in the walkout.

6. Tar Heel plant manager Larry Johnson will meet again with a group of Smithfield employees on Tuesday, November 21.

The Militant has a good article bout the strike, which includes interviews with several Smithfield workers.

Here's Katrina Vanden Hueval's editorial on the significance of the Smithfield walkout.