pete_link

I have been using Mastodon for over 2 years (and Lemmy since August 2024).

I'm still a bit mystified about the use of Favorites.
Personally, I use them thusly:

1. If I think a post is good in some way, but that my followers probably wouldn't want to read it (if it's in another language, or if it's personal, etc.) So Favorite only, no boost.

2. If I like a post, and I want to give it extra traction beyond the boost I am also giving it. (I use this a lot.)

The second use is based on the statement on the mastodon.social instance Explore page: "These posts from across the fediverse are gaining traction today. Newer posts with more boosts and favorites are ranked higher." (emphasis added)

But I notice that most posts with many boosts don't also have many Favorites, so clearly I am out of step with most Mastodon users.

So could people enlighten me on this? Thanks.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/27991220

Lorenzo Tondo in Jerusalem, Malak A Tantesh in Gaza and Julian Borger
Tue 1 Apr 2025 14.17 EDT

"Dr Ahmed al-Farra, a senior doctor at the Nasser medical complex in Khan Younis, witnessed the arrival of some of the remains.

“I was able to see three bodies when they were transferred to the Nasser hospital. They had bullets in their chest and head. They were executed. They had their hands tied,’’ Farra said. “They tied them so they were unable to move and then they killed them.”"

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/27991220

Lorenzo Tondo in Jerusalem, Malak A Tantesh in Gaza and Julian Borger
Tue 1 Apr 2025 14.17 EDT

"Dr Ahmed al-Farra, a senior doctor at the Nasser medical complex in Khan Younis, witnessed the arrival of some of the remains.

“I was able to see three bodies when they were transferred to the Nasser hospital. They had bullets in their chest and head. They were executed. They had their hands tied,’’ Farra said. “They tied them so they were unable to move and then they killed them.”"

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/27991220

Lorenzo Tondo in Jerusalem, Malak A Tantesh in Gaza and Julian Borger
Tue 1 Apr 2025 14.17 EDT

"Dr Ahmed al-Farra, a senior doctor at the Nasser medical complex in Khan Younis, witnessed the arrival of some of the remains.

“I was able to see three bodies when they were transferred to the Nasser hospital. They had bullets in their chest and head. They were executed. They had their hands tied,’’ Farra said. “They tied them so they were unable to move and then they killed them.”"

Lorenzo Tondo in Jerusalem, Malak A Tantesh in Gaza and Julian Borger
Tue 1 Apr 2025 14.17 EDT

"Dr Ahmed al-Farra, a senior doctor at the Nasser medical complex in Khan Younis, witnessed the arrival of some of the remains.

“I was able to see three bodies when they were transferred to the Nasser hospital. They had bullets in their chest and head. They were executed. They had their hands tied,’’ Farra said. “They tied them so they were unable to move and then they killed them.”"

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/27962568

Ryan Grim and Sarah Hay Mar 20, 2025

[a very chilling article on how Trump and his underlings are trampling on any semblance of legality]

"The family only discovered that their loved one, Jerce Reyes Barrios, had been renditioned to #ElSalvador when they saw him in viral videos posted by the #Trump administration, in which it celebrated what it said was the mass deportation of violent members of the #Venezuelan gang #TrenDeAragua. "

Ryan Grim and Sarah Hay Mar 20, 2025

[a very chilling article on how Trump and his underlings are trampling on any semblance of legality]

"The family only discovered that their loved one, Jerce Reyes Barrios, had been renditioned to #ElSalvador when they saw him in viral videos posted by the #Trump administration, in which it celebrated what it said was the mass deportation of violent members of the #Venezuelan gang #TrenDeAragua. "

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/27946846

Jeremy Scahill Mar 31, 2025

[article contains some details on recent negotiations]

"Hamas’s chief negotiator, Dr. Khalil al-Hayya, announced that Hamas had accepted a deal on Saturday put forward by Qatar and Egypt, the two main regional mediators. “We do not want anything new. We want to respect what was signed, what the guarantors guaranteed, and what the international community approved,” al-Hayya said. “Out of our concern for our people and our families, we dealt with all offers responsibly and positively, with the aim of achieving our goals of stopping the war.” "

Jeremy Scahill Mar 31, 2025

[article contains some details on recent negotiations]

"Hamas’s chief negotiator, Dr. Khalil al-Hayya, announced that Hamas had accepted a deal on Saturday put forward by Qatar and Egypt, the two main regional mediators. “We do not want anything new. We want to respect what was signed, what the guarantors guaranteed, and what the international community approved,” al-Hayya said. “Out of our concern for our people and our families, we dealt with all offers responsibly and positively, with the aim of achieving our goals of stopping the war.” "

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/27946021

from Drop Site News [you may get a request to sign up for free subscription]

Sharif Abdel Kouddous Mar 31, 2025

"The day after the assassination of Palestinian journalist Hossam Shabat, the Israeli military openly celebrated his killing. A correspondent for Al Jazeera Mubasher and a contributor to Drop Site News, Shabat was killed on March 24 when the Israeli military targeted him as he was driving in his car in Beit Lahia. He was 23 years old. Earlier that day, journalist Mohamed Mansour of Palestine Today was killed, along with his wife and son, in an Israeli airstrike on his home in Khan Younis.

On its official X account the following day, the Israeli military confirmed it had “eliminated” Shabat, claiming they had “exposed” his role within Hamas six months earlier, and the statement concluded with the haunting words: “Don’t let the press vest confuse you, Hossam was a terrorist.”"

from Drop Site News [you may get a request to sign up for free subscription]

Sharif Abdel Kouddous Mar 31, 2025

"The day after the assassination of Palestinian journalist Hossam Shabat, the Israeli military openly celebrated his killing. A correspondent for Al Jazeera Mubasher and a contributor to Drop Site News, Shabat was killed on March 24 when the Israeli military targeted him as he was driving in his car in Beit Lahia. He was 23 years old. Earlier that day, journalist Mohamed Mansour of Palestine Today was killed, along with his wife and son, in an Israeli airstrike on his home in Khan Younis.

On its official X account the following day, the Israeli military confirmed it had “eliminated” Shabat, claiming they had “exposed” his role within Hamas six months earlier, and the statement concluded with the haunting words: “Don’t let the press vest confuse you, Hossam was a terrorist.”"

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/27943543

Lorenzo Tondo in Jerusalem, Malak A Tantesh in Gaza, and Julian Borger
Mon 31 Mar 2025 10.24 EDT

"Fifteen Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers, including at least one United Nations employee, were killed by Israeli forces “one by one” and buried in a mass grave eight days ago in southern Gaza, the UN has said.

According to the UN humanitarian affairs office (Ocha), the Palestinian Red Crescent (PRCS) and civil defence workers were on a mission to rescue colleagues who had been shot at earlier in the day, when their clearly marked vehicles came under heavy Israeli fire in Rafah city’s Tel al-Sultan district. A Red Crescent official in Gaza said that there was evidence of at least one person being detained and killed, as the body of one of the dead had been found with his hands tied."