PUBLIC MARKS with search democracy

Show support for the people who fight for democracy at Iran, and change your Twitter avatar to have green overlay or green riboon (green is the official color of the movement).

All you need to do is click here to add green overlay or to click here to add a green ribbon and your avatar will be updated and a support Tweet will posted on your behalf ("Show support for #iranelection add green overlay to your Twitter avatar with 1-click - http://helpiranelection.com/").

Mute emerged in the post-punk era. It was a new era of pop democracy, and anyone could make a record. You didn't even need to know three chords, according to Mute founder Daniel Miller. All you needed, he said, was an idea. His 'idea' was to create a classic of DIY pop - a double A sided 7" single featuring the songs T.V.O.D. and Warm Leatherette. He called himself The Normal, designed a sleeve with Letraset, stuck the name Mute on it, and accidentally started a record label.

This is not about news, this is about information. This is not about just being “notified” of happenings, but about being informed to debate, create oneself a state of opinion and act. This is not about journalism, this is about government and democracy and freedom.

Apathy is Boring uses art and technology to educate youth about democracy.

The 5th Montreal Citizen Summit is a social forum open to all and is based on the concept “The City We Want”. This event will take place from June 5-7, 2009 at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and will be an opportunity for citizens and civil society practitioners to strengthen their ties in order to collectively organise social action initiatives. The Summit will also be the opportunity for citizens to learn and exchange on urban issues related to this year's themes: 1) Economy 2) Urban planning 3) Social justice, inclusion and citizenship 4) Environment 5) Democracy 6) Culture.

It’s like if I was to concede that a benevolent dictatorship is a far more effective model for a political system than a liberal democracy. The problems you hit in that context is when the dictatorship slides from benevolence (or effectiveness), or you need a new dictator in a hurry.

Philip Stephens notes that - despite Japan's still considerable role in the global economy - the country's politicians are the weaklings of global geopolitics. "Where is Japan?", he asks. "The question is one of psychology rather than geography. Japan is still the world's second most powerful economy. Politically, it is all but invisible" (see "Japan goes missing: invisible host at the summit", Financial Times, 4 July 2008).

This is not the wisdom of the crowd. This is the wisdom of the chaperones.