Just in: A 50-year-old from Shelby County, Ala. was arrested for allegedly making and sharing child s—x abuse content of a victim younger than 12.
Blake Miller Barakat has been charged with 10 counts of production of p—rnography with minors, 10 counts of dissemination of chld… pic.twitter.com/aBn8KGLCMa
Nasreddin's ass passes at lunch
A madrasa for something to munch.
"Lo, this beast has no shame!
Claims the taste is the same
For one sad little grape or a bunch."
"Hey, shaddup already! Who ya gonna believe, kids, me or my lying donkey? Candy for everybody! New books all around! Who's yer daddy?"
#6
Sorry. A contemptible piece of punch-pulling, too, picking on the poor beloved Hodja when it's perfectly obvious who I really had in mind. I blame... Chabon! Finally reading YPU, just about frantic because I can't share it with my spooky uncle.
[Garowe] An elite officer attached to the Special Forces team of the Somali police was killed on Sunday under unclear circumstances in the capital, Mogadishu, officials said, adding that investigations have been opened to establish the motive of the murder.
Hanad Ahmed Muse, an officer attached to the Ottoman Turkish-trained Haramcad Police Unit was found dead in his home in the Moalim Noor neighbourhood in Dharkenley District, Mogadishu where he was staying until his death.
Neighbours and eyewitnesses said the officer was shot by government soldiers, though the motive behind the killing remains unclear. The government’s security agencies have not released an official statement regarding the incident.
Cases of coppers and their counterparts from the army killing each other are common in Somalia, but the government has intensified its crackdown on those found culpable of misuse of firearms.
Cases of coppers and their counterparts from the army killing each other are common in Somalia, but the government has intensified its crackdown on those found culpable of misuse of firearms. Many officers have been convicted of the offence.
Due to strict actions taken against those misusing firearms, there has been a substantial decrease in cases involving government forces not only in Mogadishu but also across the country. The military has been sentencing offenders.
However,
we can't all be heroes. Somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by... this latest incident has raised concerns about internal security within the government ranks. The government of Somalia is trying to realign its security sectors to meet the basic international standards as recommended by the United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... Elsewhere, residents of Mogadishu reported hearing several explosions on Sunday, initially thought to be blasts; however, they were later identified as tests of heavy weapons conducted by the National Intelligence and Security Agency.
The country received a cache of weapons from Egypt which will be used in the fight against al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... krazed killers. Egypt is set to take over the management of the new mission dubbed the African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) from January 2025.
[Breitbart] The once strong partnership between Microsoft and OpenAI, hailed as the “best bromance in tech,” is beginning to show cracks as financial pressures and differing priorities strain the relationship between the two companies.
The New York Times reports that the partnership between Microsoft and OpenAI, the maker of the popular ChatGPT AI chatbot, has long been considered one of the most significant collaborations in the tech industry. However, recent developments suggest that the relationship between the two companies is not as rock-solid as it once appeared.
According to interviews with 19 people familiar with the relationship between Microsoft and OpenAI, the partnership has been strained by financial pressure on OpenAI, concern about its stability, and disagreements between employees of the two companies. The tension is particularly notable given the fact that Microsoft has invested heavily in OpenAI, pumping $13 billion into the start-up over the past five years.
One of the key points of contention between the two companies revolves around OpenAI’s need for more computing power and financial support. Last fall, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman asked Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella if the tech giant would invest billions more in the start-up. While Nadella was initially willing to continue supporting OpenAI, he reconsidered after Altman was briefly ousted by OpenAI’s board of directors in November.
As OpenAI continued to request more money and computing power from Microsoft, the tech giant remained hesitant to increase its investment. This reluctance has put OpenAI in a difficult position, as the company expects to lose $5 billion this year and relies heavily on Microsoft’s cloud computing systems to develop its AI technologies.
In response to Microsoft’s hesitancy, OpenAI has sought to renegotiate its deal with the tech giant, pushing for lower costs and the ability to purchase computing power from other companies. In June, Microsoft agreed to an exception in the contract, allowing OpenAI to sign a roughly $10 billion computing deal with Oracle. OpenAI has also sought to broaden its investor base, securing strategic investments from companies like Nvidia and MGX, a tech investment firm controlled by the United Arab Emirates.
[NY Post] House of Mouse better get their sh*t in order. Quit the DEI and LGBTQ+
The Walt Disney Company said it aims to pick a successor to CEO Bob Iger by early 2026 as it named former Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman its next chairman of the board.
Disney said finding a CEO to succeed Iger is a "top priority" for Gorman, who joined the board earlier this year and is currently the head of its succession committee. In a Monday statement it said Gorman will succeed Mark Parker, a former CEO of Nike, as chairman on Jan. 2.
The Mouse House’s initial aim was for Disney to pick a successor to Iger sometime in 2025, but the company decided to push back the date in order to do its due diligence in vetting candidates, according to reports.
Gorman, who drew widespread praise for his handling of his own succession at Morgan Stanley, joined Disney’s board less than a year ago and was picked to head the succession planning committee in August. He will step down as executive chairman of Morgan Stanley on Dec. 31.
Morgan Stanley saw an orderly transition from Gorman to current boss Ted Pick. Since the start of the year, the company’s stock has gained nearly 30%.
"The Disney board has benefited tremendously from James Gorman’s expertise and guidance, and we are lucky to have him as our next chairman — particularly as the board continues to move forward with the succession process," Iger said in a statement.
Disney’s history with succession planning for Iger has been chaotic at best. The longtime CEO had reportedly positioned at least three possible executives to take the reins, only to extend his own contract. Finally, he tapped Bob Chapek in early 2020, just prior to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Chapek’s tenure was marred by brutal corporate infighting — much of it stemming from Iger undermining him, according to reports. He was fired by Disney’s board in November 2022.
Parker, who is also executive chairman of apparel giant Nike, will step down after a nine-year stint on the board "to focus on other areas" of his work, according to a statement from Disney.
He is expected to devote more of his time to matters related to Nike, which recently tapped Elliott Hill to take over as CEO in place of John Donahoe.
"I’m extremely grateful to Mark Parker for his many years of board service and leadership, which have been so valuable to this company and its shareholders, and to me as CEO," Iger said.
Disney said its board discussed succession planning at each of its regularly scheduled meetings in fiscal 2024 and continues to review internal candidates and external candidates.
Topping the list of internal candidates is Disney Entertainment co-Chairman Dana Walden, a creative TV executive in the mold of Iger with a string of commercial and critical successes and strong talent relationships.
Others include Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’ Amaro — an executive with Iger-like charisma whose portfolio includes the company’s most significant revenue engine, its theme parks — and ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro, the likable executive who is guiding the sports network’s digital transition.
Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman, a Disney veteran who oversees film production and streaming, also may be in the running.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
... the personification of Somali state failure...
