Abba - Money, Money, Money

Monaco

Christchurch streetwear

Clint Eastwood goes gunning for PC killjoys.....

....by saying we should laugh at race-based jokes Clint Eastwood believes the rise of political correctness is no laughing matter.  He says the world would be a better place if we could still laugh at inoffensive jokes about different races. 

The Hollywood actor and director, 78, said we live in constant fear of being labelled racist for simply laughing about national stereotypes.'People have lost their sense of humour,' he told Germany's Der Spiegel magazine. 

Read more: here 

E-democracy

E-democracy (a combination of the words electronic and democracy) refers to the use of information technologies and communication technologies and strategies in political and governance processes. “e-democracy is concerned with the use of information and communication technologies to engage citizens, support the democratic decision- making processes and strengthen representative democracy."  Democratic actors and sectors in this context include governments, elected officials, the media, political organizations, and citizens/voters.E-democracy aims for broader and more active citizen participation enabled by the Internet, mobile communications, and other technologies in today's representative democracy, as well as through more participatory or direct forms of citizen involvement in addressing public challenges.
^{Read more here}

Wellington vs. Christchurch

9 Underground Economies - And Greece

By Justin Rohrlich Dec 22, 2011 10:10 am

From Somalia's "pirate stock exchange" to the flourishing illegal organ trade in Egypt, there are some making money hand-over-fist, under the table.

The fortunes of the world's legitimate economies may rise and fall, but the global black market is currently booming.

From Somalia's "pirate stock exchange" to the flourishing illegal organ trade in Egypt, there are some making money hand-over-fist, under the table.

We took a look at nine "alternative economies" -- and Greece -- to find out how people make do on the margins.

Hackers
According to Wired magazine, the Romanian city of Râmnicu Vâlcea is known “among law enforcement officials around the world” as Hackerville.

Reporter Yudhijit Bhattacharjee maintains that the term is “something of a misnomer; the town is indeed full of online crooks, but only a small percentage of them are actual hackers.”

Read more here

Power of the Swedish Armed Forces; model 2 for Canterbury

Direct democracy

Direct democracy (or pure democracy)^[1] is a form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives.^[2] Depending on the particular system in use, it might entail passing executive decisions, making laws, directly electing or dismissing officials and conducting trials. Two leading forms of direct democracy are Participatory democracy and Deliberative democracy.
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Safe Offshore Banking - Free Offshore Accounts, Company.........

Belize is recognized Worldwide as being one of the best tax havens for safe offshore banking, offshore accounts, IBC company formations and secure offshore Trusts. This gives you maximum privacy, international banking, asset protection, wealth building and tax-free investment in a financially solid and trustworthy country with Laws designed so that nobody can touch your assets or find out who owns them. 
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Model for Canterbury armed neutrality?

Generic BBC America Correspondent

Yes, Prime Minister - Nuclear deterrent

Yes Minister: The Complete Collection (2010)

Paul Eddington (Actor), Nigel Hawthorne (Actor) | Rated: NR | Format: DVD

4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews) | Like (52)

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West Coast mayors tell Aucklanders to back off - Business - NZ Herald News

West Coasters are in charge of their own destiny and won't be told what to do by Auckland business lobbyists, say two West coast mayors.
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Republics of Jamtland, Sweden

The United Republics of Jamtland, Herjeådalen and Ravund (often shortened to the Republic of Jamtland) is a part serious part humorous culture and marketing project, with regionalist and historical elements based in the Swedish County of Jämtland, located in the middle of Scandinavia.
Read more here and here

Conch Republic attacks US Coastguard

Global cities to watch