Thursday Instahoglets

By Libby

Virgotex wonders how and exactly when it became acceptable to ignore the rule of law. I wonder that myself. [via Avedon, who has many more links worth reading]

Spocko offers one answer to that question with an amusing illustration on how to rebrand spitting on people.

Keeping to that theme, our own Kenneth Anderson examines how the media redefined the narrative about the conflict in the Congo, reducing the blame to "ethnic tensions" when in fact it has much more to do with mineral exploitation by western interests.

Time's Person of the Year was so predictable it didn't generate much buzz, but Michael Stickings has some thoughts on runner-up Zhang Yimou for all you cinephiles.

And it's that time of year when the retrospectives start rolling out. At Kiko's House, Shaun Mullen looks back on his greatest hits -- and misses -- of 2008. Also, The Boston Globe has a very nice 2008 roundup at its Big Picture blog.

Meanwhile Mikevotes has a couple of quotes from interesting stories. I had no idea NASCAR was dying.

And finally, I like to end linky posts with something non-political, so check out Dial-A-Stranger, a sort of performance art by cell phone.