by Chris Covert Backend Mechanic
Purveyor/Curator of Russian news (Russia Desk)
On August 1st, I will purchase the first six month block for a new server. It will reside with a server provider I have used for more than 20 years. They are absolutely reliable, and this new setup will ensure instances of loss of service will be far less frequent and of less duration.
The new server will be the permanent home of Rantburg.com going forward. It will be hardened and sit atop a network, which helps mitigate DDOS attacks.
It will take about three weeks to set it up. I plan for it to be fully working by September 1st.
By August 8th: Internals installed and tested, including the database
By August 17th: Firewall installed and tested
By August 25th: Tests for all the scripts that mods and regulars use to post articles, including setting up database backups completed.
On August 28: The Rantburg.com name will begin to propagate to the new server. In that time -- using the rantburg.com name -- service will be non existent to spotty. I will have an alternate name set up -- newrantburg.1dogstar.net -- which will ensure continuation of the service until the rantburg.com name is fully propagated.
Fred deserves a lion's share of the credit for keeping Rantburg.com going on his dedicated box with a broadband set up, but as I learned years ago, the quality of service is far less than you should expect on a professionally managed network.
It’s time for a major upgrade, one that, despite its monthly cost, will relieve Fred of the financial burden of maintaining his home service. The new server per month costs a lot less than the current service does.
The server will be a FreeBSD server, a dedicated Unix software suite I have used for many years. The backup server I developed for Rantburg.com - rantburg.1dogstar.net - uses FreeBSD, and the service has been working flawlessly for a year.
But we do require your help. I will invest the first six months of the new service; thereafter net of my costs for the new server, the money will go to Fred.
This time for this bleg, however, all monies go to Fred.
Fred maintains a Paypal account — link on the right side bar. He also has a Zelle account. If you email him and ask real nice, he will give you an address, if you want to send a check.
I tried the PayPal button for the first time instead of mailing a check — I don’t want badanov to be out of pocket after he fronted the cost in addition to doing all that work for free. Such things are very exciting for me. ;-)
#3
How do you follow people on this site?
And how do you post memes and .gifs inline?
There is a button to post photos but it's bugged out. It just sprays a bunch of random text into my comment.
#4
We don’t have a following capability, sorry. But you can ask someone to meet you in the O Club chatroom — which is for everyone, not just whatever officers would be here — and exchange information there, if the other person is willing. Posts there age out and disappear instead of being archived like here in Rantburg proper.
About gifs and things, I don’t know, but tweets have Embed and YouTube has Share.
You can access the o-club here, but be advised between 15 mins. after and 35 mins after , odd hours time Zulu, the server is shut down to update the database (it also is the backup server). Loads of spam also is conveyed there, until a mod clears it out.
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/30/2025 12:06 Comments ||
Top||
#10
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This gibberish test is what happens when I press "foto" instead of the usual dialog box that lets you upload content. Like on every other social media site on the internet.
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/30/2025 12:46 Comments ||
Top||
#13
#12 How do I block other users? Like the jerk who said my comments are random text. I don't demand others be censored, I just don't want to see them.
#14
It just sprays a bunch of random text into my comment.
When I press Foto, I get a file browser window. Maybe you are not pressing the mouse right.
As for I thought those were your comments, I laffed.
I'm just a guest here, but as near as I can tell, the Three Commandments are:
1. Be insightful
2. Be snarky
3. Be both
#15
Rantburg’s code could use a bit of cleaning up, ‘tis true. Something badanov and Fred will look into after the current move is complete. When they’re ready we’ll put out a call for the list, and get it all done at once so that it all dovetails neatly instead of each fix cascading other problems.
At that point we’ll point out limitations deliberately built in to prevent spam and other malicious actors — because of the sandbox we play in, there are bad people out there who would do serious harm if it weren’t for the security precautions Fred has worked to improve upon since the early days of stopping script kiddie DDOS attacks on the Burg. Y’all remember the epically annoying temper tantrums of little JUSTICE from Saudi Arabia?
It occurs to me, Jairong+Scourge+of+the+Gepids2435, that some of your complaints may because you tripped one or some of those safeguards.
But we aren’t ever going to install Mean Girl flourishes here, no matter how popular TikTok and Facebook.
#32
That's why I needed a week to install and configure the internals.
FreeBSD is notoriously bad about RAID arrays, and I suspected something was up when they took longer than usual to get me provisioned.
When I got the server, I had to finish setting up the disk drives. Not that I mind.
The last time I had a RAID array in FreeBSD was on a badly used Dell box. I had to disable the RAID firmware before I could finish setting up the server -- in this instance, it was a simple internal backup server.
#33
I love the smell of fresh-baked servers in the morning. It smells like computation.
We appreciate you working on this, badanov. Along with the others working behind the curtain.
As for There is a button to post photos but it's bugged out. It just sprays a bunch of random text into my comment.
The "random text" is the code to display a file browser to select a photo. For some reason, your browser is not executing it. Could be a browser setting, a browser incompatibility, or bad code. Or sun spots. Or Climate Change(tm).
[DAILYMAIL.CO.UK] Two illegal migrants colonists who have been arrested for gang-raping a seven-year-old girl should not be spared from the death penalty if convicted, Florida's Attorney General has declared.
Josue David Mendez-Sales, 26, and Pablo Neftaly Cobon-Mendez, 23, were arrested in West Palm Beach and charged with sexual battery on the seven-year-old child.
Attorney General James Uthmeier stated that he expects the State Attorney for the 15th Judicial Circuit to seek the death penalty for the two suspects, both from Guatemala.
In a post on X, Uthmeier said: 'These allegations are beyond horrific. Anyone who can commit such heinous crimes must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.'
The harrowing details first emerged on July 30 when the maiden of tender years bravely confided in her babysitter, reporting that she had been inappropriately touched by Mendez-Sales and Cobon-Mendez, both individuals she knew, while in the Sunset Apartment Complex.
The Department of Children and Families was immediately alerted, launching an initial investigation before bringing in law enforcement.
In a follow-up interview, the child provided a chilling account, revealing that Cobon-Mendez molested her 'every day.'
Evidence of physical abuse was also present, with visible bruising on the child's body, which she attributed to Mendez-Sales hitting her with a belt.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2025 02:05 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[10 views]
Top|| File under: Migrants/Illegal Immigrants
A Somali American accused of a brutal m—rder of a Chinese woman in a Seattle-area Costco parking lot in January 2024 has finally been brought back to the U.S. after fleeing to his family's native East Africa. (His family claimed to be refugees, but like many Somalis after getting… pic.twitter.com/UPOmarpbSU
[ShabelleMedia] Airstrikes targeting al-Shabaab militants in Somalia’s central Hiiraan region have killed dozens, including senior leaders of the extremist group, local sources and officials said on Friday.
The strikes, which occurred late Thursday, hit areas around the town of Maxaas and the village of Abooreey. Security sources said the attacks targeted meeting points and defensive positions held by the group.
“A high-level meeting was underway when the strikes hit,” a regional security official told Radio Shabelle on condition of anonymity. “Several senior al-Shabaab leaders in Hiiraan, including a top commander, were killed on the spot.”
Preliminary reports suggest that more than 40 militants were killed in total. The airstrikes also destroyed several key defensive structures used by the group, sources added.
In Maxaas, a former al-Shabaab stronghold recently retaken by Somali government forces and allied clan fighters known as Macawiisley, strikes continued into the early hours of Friday. Casualties were also reported in these attacks, though details remain unclear.
The government has intensified operations in central Somalia in recent weeks, aiming to drive al-Shabaab from remaining areas under its control in Hiiraan and the neighboring Middle Shabelle region.
[Garowe] Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... defense forces captured two foreign ISIS bully boyz near the Kalabayr area in the Bari region, following a sweeping operation that dismantled a key terrorist stronghold during the recent Almiskaad offensive.
Security officials involved in the operation confirmed that the runaways were apprehended in the mountains surrounding Kalabayr, where they had fled after Puntland troops routed ISIS fighters in a decisive campaign started in December 2024.
The two suspects will be transferred to the central command of the Almiskaad operation in Bosaso, where they will undergo a full investigation before being handed over to the Puntland military court for prosecution, according to officials.
Puntland forces have maintained an aggressive security posture in the Bari region's Almiskaad hills, continuing operations aimed at stabilizing the area and neutralizing threats posed by murderous Moslem groups operating in northeastern Somalia.
[FoxNews] Mark Lorenzo Villanueva, 28, allegedly sent payments over the course of fve months to people who accessed the money overseas
Federal agents have arrested a man in California on allegations he sent a dozen payments to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), FBI Los Angeles announced on Friday.
Mark Lorenzo Villanueva, 28, is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, a felony offense that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars.
Villanueva, residing in Long Beach, is a lawful permanent resident of the Philippines, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.
"Mr. Villanueva is alleged to have financially supported and pledged his allegiance to a terror group that targets the United States and our interests around the world," Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, Patrick Grandy, said in a statement.
"Thanks to the proactive efforts by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the FBI and our partners safely arrested Mr. Villanueva today and prevented further support and spreading of ISIS ideology," he continued.
According to an affidavit, Villanueva used social media to speak with two people who self-identified as ISIS fighters. During their conversations, Villanueva discussed his desire to support ISIS and offered to send money to the terrorist group's fighters to support their activities.
Villanueva allegedly told one of the self-identified ISIS fighters that he wanted to fight for ISIS himself.
"It’s an honor to fight and die for our faith. It’s the best way to go to heaven," he allegedly said at one point.
"Someday soon, I’ll be joining," he also said.
Villanueva told the other fighter that he had a bomb and knives. The FBI recovered what appeared to be a bomb from Villanueva’s bedroom when he was arrested Friday morning.
In February, Villanueva offered to send money to one of the ISIS fighters and asked whether the money would "cover your equipment and your weapons." He also discussed sending the money through an intermediary.
According to Western Union records, Villanueva allegedly sent 12 payments totaling $1,615 over the course of five months to two intermediaries who accessed the money overseas.
"Supporting a terrorist group, whether at home or abroad, is a serious risk to our national security," Acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said. "We will aggressively hunt down and prosecute anyone who provides support or comfort to our enemies."
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Skidmark ||
08/02/2025 00:05 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[14 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
[IsraelTimes] Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense agency says 11 people were killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes today, including two who were waiting near an aid distribution site inside the Palestinian territory.
Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal tells AFP that five people were killed in a strike near the southern city of Khan Younis, and four more in a separate strike on a vehicle in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah.
The Israeli army tells AFP it could not confirm the strikes without specific coordinates.
Two other people were killed and more than 70 injured by Israeli fire while waiting for aid near a food distribution centre run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation between Khan Younis and the nearby city of Rafah, the civil defense says.
[IsraelTimes] No injuries reported; missile attack comes three days after last one on Tuesday
The Iran-backed Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... s in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... fired a ballistic missile at Israel on Friday night, causing sirens to sound in central Israel and the Jerusalem area.
The Israel Defense Forces said it successfully intercepted the missile. There were no reports of impacts or injuries.
Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... in the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip following the collapse of a ceasefire there, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 67 ballistic missiles and at least 18 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.
Friday’s attack was the first such incident since the Houthis fired a ballistic missile at Israel on Tuesday. That missile, too, was intercepted successfully.
Continued on Page 47
[AnNahar] A series of Israeli air strikes killed four people in south and east Leb ...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects.... , the health ministry said Friday, offering a toll for attacks that took place the day before.
The Israeli military said on Thursday that it had targeted Hezbollah "infrastructure that was used for producing and storing strategic weapons", including what the country's defense minister described as the group's "biggest precision missile manufacturing site".
In the Bekaa, the Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s had targeted the outskirts of the town of Brital in two waves and the peripheries of the town of Janta near Syria's border.
Israeli warplanes also carried out Thursday strikes on the heights of the al-Mahmoudiyeh and al-Jarmaq areas in south Lebanon’s Jezzine region.
Earlier, President Joseph Aoun had said that his country was determined to disarm Hezbollah, a step it has come under heavy U.S. pressure to take, despite the group's protests that doing so would serve Israeli goals.
Hezbollah and Israel fought a two-month war last year that left the holy warrior group badly weakened, though it retains part of its arsenal.
Continued on Page 47
[Rudaw] The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Wednesday captured two suspected Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) operatives in an operation in northeast Syria’s (Rojava) notorious al-Hol camp with support from the US-led coalition.
The SDF and the US-led anti-ISIS coalition "conducted a targeted operation inside al-Hol Camp. The operation successfully led to the capture of two ISIS operatives responsible for internal security operations within the camp," The People’s Protection Units (YPG) - the SDF’s backbone - said in a statement.
It said that both operatives had participated in the jihadists’ operations in Syria and neighboring Iraq, before moving to the notorious camp in an attempt to "maintain the group’s influence."
On Tuesday, an ISIS attack in the eastern Deir ez-Zor province killed an SDF fighter and injured two others.
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.