Both that argument and America's rules stopping local operators merging with long-distance operators look harder to justify given today's turmoil and the rapid pace of technological change.

ECONOMIST: How much longer can things go on getting worse?

Any proposals for merging local authorities would be subject to full scrutiny, he added.

BBC: First minister's questions

On the issue of merging local authorities, the first minister reassured AMs that his government had no intention of proposing widespread amalgamation.

BBC: First minister's questions

Supt O'Connor said that the move had been "tough", but argued that merging local services would not lead to a loss of accountability.

BBC: Police chief in council merger call

Continuing with the theme of merging technology with local New Orleans culture, CrawFinder helps people locate crawfish boils in and around New Orleans.

FORBES: New Orleans Sets Precedent On How Tech Should Be Integrated Into Future Super Bowls

School districts and local governments say they are already consolidating and merging, but that's not enough.

WSJ: Cuomo to strapped municipalities, schools: Merge

The new cabinet plans tax breaks for merging institutions and permission for foreigners to take over local banks.

CNN: Taiwan's Ticking Clock

That task grew more difficult in May, when news broke that federal prosecutors were looking into allegations that MCI, since 1994 and be-fore merging into WorldCom, had be-gun illegally disguising long-distance calls as local ones to avoid paying the Bells millions of dollars in access fees--and continues to do so.

FORBES: Screaming Match

In slashing state funding to local governments the governor of Ohio, John Kasich, suggested that those entities could become more efficient by merging services, by shrinking the layers of government we support with our tax dollars.

FORBES: Redesigning America By Social Boundaries