Links I liked

This week’s top tweets – I’m realizing that the only things that get picked up on twitter are generally visuals. I guess it’s not cut out for the written word (apart from haikus). Click to expand the smaller ones (hard to squeeze them all in).

Gaza (what else?)

I’m just going to look at the media war being played out nightly on our TVs, but if you want to take action, here’s what OxfamGB is suggesting, and here’s a powerful first hand account of working and observing Ramadan under siege from Oxfam’s Arwa Mhana.

How Israeli spokespeople “craft” answers to difficult questions [h/t James Bays]

‘Using a prototype Truth Rectification Processor, the words of Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev have been filtered through a complex algorithm that strips away lies.’ Brilliant idea – could we do this for all official spin doctors? [h/t Tan Gandhara]

I know it’s intrusive, but it’s very moving too (and shows not all official media reps are robotic). UN spokesperson Christopher Gunness breaks down during Al Jazeera interview on the death of 15 children.

Let’s talk money

Last week 65 words caused Argentina’s $29bn default (helped by one eccentric US judge and a flock of hungry vultures)

Our best killer fact in years now in cartoon form – you will be seeing it a lot over the coming months [h/t Robert Went]

But why not just write on a dollar bill? Spreading political messages on currency and coins [h/t Makarand]

The State of the State

Is this as good and important as I think it is? ‘The End of the Arab State‘ by former US ambassador to Iraq Chris Hill

I learned a new word: ‘anocracy‘: Political change in Africa 1985-2012: from autocracy to something better [h/t Nicholas Thompson]

On a lighter note

Dilbert explores management’s warm embrace of innovation and complexity