michael_martinez

michael_martinez, 7 hours ago to random

I'm debating whether I want to write a review for "She And Her Perfect Husband", which is a contemporary #cdrama set in Pujiang (just outside of Shanghai).

#Yangmi plays a lawyer who pretends to be married so she can advance her career with an elite law firm.

#Xukai plays the younger man whose picture she grabs off social media to create the illusion of her marriage.

I'm not really into the contemporary dramas but the 2 leads convinced me to watch it. And I'm glad I did at least because of all the inside jokes they slipped into the dialog about Yang Mi's most famous #cdrama, "Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms" (or "Eternal Love").

I think they also poked a little fun at Xu Kai's past work, too, but it wasn't as obvious to me.

Makes me wonder what other snarky lines they slipped in there as many of the cast have appeared in other #Cdramas, including #LiZeFeng who played Yang Mi's former fiance in this story.

If anyone can point out similar homages to other shows, I'd appreciate hearing from you. Don't worry about whether I've seen the shows (or movies).

michael_martinez, 11 days ago to SEO

Looks like it's now time to start blocking accounts that abuse the #seo hashtag on Mastodon.

What do I consider to be "abuse"?

Irrelevant content, frequent self-promotional advertisements for services, stuff like that.

michael_martinez, 15 days ago to Israel

It's a clear sign of the antisemitism at the United Nations that they didn't blast this change out to every major news agency in the world.

"According to data published May 6, of the 34,735 people who have died in Gaza, more than 9,500 were women and more than 14,500 were children. Two days later, the United Nations reduced those figures to 4,959 women and 7,797 children killed while maintaining that the overall number of more than 35,000 deaths in Gaza remains unchanged."

#un #unitednations #israel #gaza #hamas #waringaza

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2024/05/13/israel-thousands-flee-rafah/5461715634015/

michael_martinez, 22 days ago to Israel

The optics are simple: #Israel began moving civilians out of the way in Rafah and suddenly #Hamas caved on the #ceasefire agreement.

Hopefully they stop trying to kill each other for a while in #Gaza but the poor #Palestinians are still going to suffer.

Hamas did this. Everyone needs to keep reminding each other of that. This is all Hamas' fault.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/06/middleeast/hamas-agrees-ceasefire-proposal-israel-gaza-latam-intl/index.html

michael_martinez, 1 month ago to Palestine

Consider me skeptical. This would be contrary to their stated purpose for existence (which is to destroy Israel and kill all Jews everywhere). It would be like saying the fox could move into a corner of the henhouse and everyone else will stop chasing it. To "disarm" does not mean "to disband and give up our goals."

CNN: Hamas officials say group willing to disarm if Palestinian state is established

#hamas #gaza #palestine #israel #gazawar

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/25/middleeast/hamas-officials-say-group-willing-to-disarm-if-palestinian-state-is-established-mime-intl/index.html

michael_martinez, 1 month ago to USpolitics

This is too rich not to share.

"U.S. Congresswoman Suspected of Having 'Russian Handlers' After Transcarpathia Amendment"

FROM THE ARTICLE: "Political pundit ‘Jay in Kyiv’ responded: 'The amendment that Marjorie Taylor Greene just proposed to sabotage the Ukraine bill is something that is such a nuanced Russian disinfo narrative that it could have only come directly from her Russian handlers.'

'The notion that Hungarians are being persecuted in Ukraine is insane BUT it’s being pushed by both Orban (who was promised a piece of Ukraine by Putin) and Russian disinfo machine. For an American to suggest this really confirms she is being handled.'"

#uspolitics #ukraine #russia

https://2paragraphs.com/2024/04/u-s-congresswoman-suspected-of-having-russian-handlers-after-transcarpathia-amendment/

michael_martinez, 1 month ago to Israel

They should never have done this, but while this will only fuel more outrage toward #Israel, I stand by what I've said all along: if you don't condemn #Hamas for refusing to lay down arms and freeing all hostages, you are supporting #terrorism and #genocide

Hamas wants the war in #Gaza to continue. They know it feeds #antisemitism around the world and builds misguided sympathy for their cause - which is to destroy Israel and kill all Jews everywhere.

Ultimately, all of these deaths are Hamas' responsibility. This is what they wanted to happen.

And they've broken 5 previous "permanent" ceasefires. Anyone who thinks they would honor another one is a damned fool.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/03/israel-gaza-ai-database-hamas-airstrikes

michael_martinez, 1 month ago to Israel

All #Hamas need do to end this war in #Gaza is release all hostages and lay down their arms.

All anyone on social media need do to show their humanity is to say SOMETHING, ANYTHING about Hamas' culpability for the continued violence.

Complain about #israel methods all you wish - but if you say nothing about Hamas you're no better than the genocidal terrorists who have sworn to kill all Jews everywhere.

#Palestinians don't need more terrorist-supporting friends. They need to be freed from the oppression of the terrorists who, if allowed to go free, will start an even worse war in the future - leading to yet more innocent deaths.

#silenceisgenocide #silencesupportswar #silencesupportsterror

Yes, #netanyhusucks but the problem is Hamas' intransigence. Don't support it with one-sided condemnation.

michael_martinez, 1 month ago to SEO

There's nothing quite like being deep in thought on a project when the old email alert comes on to tell me that yet another genius #SEO expert has updated Wikipedia's PageRank article with a long section of text announcing to the world that they're the greatest thing since sliced bread, and here's a link to their Website.

No matter how quickly I click on the link, by the time I get to the article it's already been reverted by someone else.

I'm seriously tempted, though, to request semi-protected status for that page. It's not like there's a lot of breaking news about PageRank any more.

michael_martinez, 2 months ago to journalism

I suppose the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Web team are not (yet) in the Fediverse, but I hope they one day fix this problem. MSN has a similar issue. Or maybe it's a bug in the Mastodon software, but I see a lot of news story shares in the Fediverse that look like this.

#webdesign #journalism #mastodon #fediverse #ajc #msn

michael_martinez, 2 months ago to random

"Hamas urges end to Gaza aid airdrops after 18 deaths"

Gosh - maybe they shouldn't be hijacking the aid trucks that come through and then charging exorbitant prices for the food they've stolen.

Or - BETTER YET - maybe they could just lay down their arms and release all the remaining hostages and END THIS WAR.

michael_martinez, 2 months ago to Israel

"Opinion: Hamas weaponized sexual assault to deliver a message to its enemies"

Opinion by Paul Becker & Joel Poznansky, opinion contributors

From The Hill (via MSN).

"Finally, an important possibility is that, with these additional violations, Hamas planners were simply telegraphing explicit articles of their 1988 Hamas Covenant and Hamas Principles and Policies of May 2017, which express no interest in any negotiated settlement or two-state solution, but only in total victory over Israel or death. The atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists have effectively prevented any way back for either side to a peace negotiation. This certainly is a message that would serve Hamas’s Iranian backers and the mission of Hamas’s political manifesto.

"For Hamas’s own troops and active members, such a tactic serves Sun Tzu’s maxim: 'Throw your forces into positions whence there is no escape, and they will prefer death to flight.' For Hamas terrorists and leaders who actively planned or participated in the Oct. 7 attack — as with Germany’s Einsatzgruppen troops during World War II — their actions have placed them in a legal position where there can be no way back for them individually, no negotiated peace and no surrender.

"In time, and with the various investigations currently underway, it should be possible to determine for certain whether the new Hamas tactics were intentional. It will take longer to fully confirm the purpose behind them, although it is likely that, even now, Hamas leaders are claiming credit for the evil innovation and incorporating this into their terrorist playbook.

"For us in the West to misinterpret the extreme sexual violence, butchery and real-time social media sharing committed by Hamas terrorists as abhorrent but merely unplanned and mindless war crimes committed by individual terrorists, rather than as new tactics adopted by Hamas leaders with an underlying rationale, is to underestimate and misunderstand the enemy. To paraphrase Sun Tzu again, that would be a losing strategy."

#gaza #israel #hamas #palestine

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/opinion-hamas-weaponized-sexual-assault-to-deliver-a-message-to-its-enemies/ar-BB1jzl8i

michael_martinez, 2 months ago to random

Perhaps if all these angry, outraged protesters directed their message to #Hamas the terrorists still holding 100+ Israeli hostages - and still shooting at both Israel and the Palestinian people of #Gaza - would stop laughing in their tunnels, give up the hostages, and surrender (thus ending the conflict and giving the #Palestinian people a chance to rebuild).

But perhaps that's too much to ask of people who don't understand what is actually happening in #gaza

Netanyahu's policies are inhuman. He is a monster and Israel deserves better leadership.

Nonetheless, yelling at him from cities across the world won't bring an end to the conflict.

Hamas must stand down and release the hostages. Hamas must give up control over the Palestinians of Gaza so they can live in peace.

michael_martinez, 4 months ago to Russia

I don't see enough people asking why all these people who are outraged by Israel's bombing in #Gaza don't express similar anger toward #Russia over its indiscriminate bombing and shelling of Ukrainian civilians.

I don't agree with Netanyahu's policies or strategies. I don't support the indiscriminate killing of civilians, even in a zone like Gaza where #Hamas has built hundreds of tunnels under homes, schools, and hospitals and intentionally uses the civilian population as human shields to maximize casualties.

Nonetheless, if you're going to be outraged over civilian deaths, I think you should express similar outrage over the intentional deaths in Ukraine (and we might as well mention the intentional deaths of civilians occurring throughout Africa, where Al Qaeda/ISIS-linked militant groups continue to attack villages and small cities).

michael_martinez, 5 months ago to random

Those calling for #ceasefirenow are obviously ignoring the fact that #Hamas doesn't want a real cease fire.

There WAS a cease fire on October 6.

Hamas could end this war immediately by surrending and releasing all remaining hostages.

Hamas is NOT a "resistance". They are not freedom fighters.

They are a blood-thirsty, warmongering organization with only 1 objective: to destroy Israel.

Hamas kills #Palestinians who resist their oppression.

If you don't condemn Hamas and call for their immediate unconditional surrender, not only are you supporting a continued war, you are supporting #terrorism and #genocide

Refusal to place the blame for #Gaza's thousands of deaths on Hamas is compliance with Hamas' strategy and support for their war.

michael_martinez, 5 months ago to Tolkien

SF-Fandom.com is back online.

I can't promise it won't crash again.

#tolkien #middleearth #fantasy #scifi
😆

michael_martinez, 5 months ago to random

We need to promote healthy forests and jungles. Planting trees to fight climate change is a controversial practice but science shows that if we're going to plant things, we should think in terms of rebuilding ecosystems and not simply "planting trees".

https://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/fulltext/S0169-5347(23)00223-9

michael_martinez, 5 months ago to fantasy

Wrote a new #cdrama review for 2021's "Jun Jiu Ling". What an amazing show! Peng Xiao Ran is an incredible actress but she had a great director, screenwriter, and cast to work with.

#cdramas #fantasy #scifi

Michael's Take: Jun Jiu Ling

https://forums.sf-fandom.com/thread-37143.html

michael_martinez, 5 months ago to random

These photos illustrate why the #IDF has been forced to attack apartment buildings in #Gaza. #Hamas militants are firing on the Israelis from these "apartments" (the room in these photos is almost empty, except for armed men who were killed by an airstrike).

Notice how the Hamas militants are not wearing uniforms. The IDF must carefully evaluate any men who appear to be dressed in civilian clothing.

The pictures were recovered from bodycams on the slain militants.

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/syw9yskup

michael_martinez, 5 months ago to random

This will be my last comment on the Israel/Hamas situation for a while.

In my view, one of the worst, saddest ironies of this conflict is the difference between the way #Gaza #Palestinians view #Hamas and the way #Westbank Palestinians view Hamas.

This video has been shared on social media many times - but it's not the first time a Gazan has dared speak up against Hamas.

The people of Gaza KNOW who started this war: Hamas.

The people of Gaza HATE Hamas.

The people of Gaza have tried to tell the Arabic-speaking world the truth. Usually Al Jazeera's journalists have silenced them.

Meanwhile, in the West Bank, thanks to Netanyahu's settlements, young Palestinians are growing increasingly supportive of Hamas and want to revive Fatah's military wing - which if they did so would only result in similar conflict with Israel, and similar deadly consequences.

"Elderly Gazan woman accuses Hamas of stealing aid in rare criticism"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBjvYkNzuAA

michael_martinez, 5 months ago to random

Journalist (now academic) Ilene Prusher explains in an op-ed how she and other members of the media were deceived by #Hamas over the decades.

"Opinion: I reported on Hamas in Gaza for over a decade. Here are the questions I’m asking myself now"

One important paragraph that is relevant to current casualty claims by Hamas: "Hamas also played fast and loose with facts they gave us reporters. During the first major Israel-Hamas war in 2008 to 2009, known as Operation Cast Lead, Hamas said that fewer than 50 of the 1,400 dead in Gaza had been combatants. But more than a year later, Hamas’ interior minister acknowledged in an interview with the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper that between 600 and 700 of its militants were killed in that war. In that and in almost every war since, Hamas or other militant groups in Gaza launched rockets that fell unintentionally on their own citizens, but rarely if ever, owned up to the error, instead blaming Israel for the deaths."

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/07/opinions/israel-hamas-gaza-media-press-prusher/index.html

michael_martinez, 5 months ago to random

This is an older op-ed from October 19. It represents views reported by journalists over the past 2 months almost casually: that many #Gaza #Palestinians blame #Hamas for the conflict and their suffering - but they're afraid to speak out because Hamas will kill them, their families, or their friends.

"Yasmine Mohammed is the author of “Unveiled: How Western Liberals Empower Radical Islam.” She is also the president of the nonprofit organization Free Hearts Free Minds. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. Read more opinion on CNN. "

TITLE: Opinion: Many Palestinians in Gaza hate Hamas. My father certainly did

https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/16/opinions/israel-hamas-gaza-palestinians-oppose-terror-mohammed/index.html

michael_martinez, 5 months ago to random

#hamas has fired over 10,000 rockets into Israel - not aiming at military targets but at civilians.

That is a #warcrime

Anyone who refuses to acknowledge Hamas' #warcrimes while complaining about Israel's military operations (where they warn civilians to get out of the way) is supporting #terrorism and #genocide

I want to see the fighting in #Gaza end.

I want to see Israelis and Palestinians living in peace with each other.

But this is Hamas' war. This is what they wanted. And they wanted all these ignorant people to condemn Israel for defending its existence while remaining silent about Hamas' culpability.

Hamas bombed Palestinian caravans as they fled #Gazacity.

Hamas shot Palestinians who tried to flee from the hospitals.

Hamas did these things knowing that people would falsely blame Israel for them.

There is no hope for peace while Hamas exists. They only exist for the sake of carrying out war against Israel and all Jews.

michael_martinez, 6 months ago to scifi

I wrote a new #cdrama review for the SF-Fandom forums.

"Michael's Take: 'The Romance of Tiger and Rose'"

I was pleasantly surprised by the the complexity of the story.

#scifi #fantasy #cdramas

https://forums.sf-fandom.com/thread-37116.html

michael_martinez, 6 months ago to SEO

I expect there will soon be a flood of #SEO blog posts and social media posts declaring that some smoking gun has been found at last. Having read through the latest #Google antitrust trial disclosures, I don't see much new information in the mix. But it will be interesting to see who ties all the dots together and what kinds of pictures they construct.

I've already read @ajkohn's 2 blog posts on the trial.