This is one of the more ridiculous incidents of security theatre that I have read. I know it is preaching to the converted to post such a link to Samizdata, and the increasingly farcical nature of the United States government surprises no one who reads here, but the post deserves to be spread far and wide. Reading Mike Masnick's account of how the knuckleheads providing "security" at the US C...

News of plunging enrolments at America's biggest for-profit college group sent shares diving across a sector that is already under pressure from growing regulatory scrutiny of high dropout and loan-default rates

The Obama administrations National Security Strategy 2010 has been released, and the discussion has already begun. I grabbed it off the White House website, but it may be available elsewhere. Look for plenty of political spin in the early reporting as the political talking heads give their opinion. I intend to read it over a few times and watch the discussion unfold before diving in too deep. I wi...

AUSTRALIAN prime minister Kevin Rudd has cautioned David Cameron not to dive in at the deep end in his new position.

With the FY2011 budget and QDR expected to be released next week, there is almost no point discussing the speculation beginning to pop up in draft versions the media has obtained. A good example is this Defense News article, which is certainly a topic worth diving into - if we weren't only a few days from seeing the real thing. I am one of those who believes this QDR will end up prompting mor...

I see that the swear-blogger with a nice turn of phrase, Obnoxio The Clown, has developed a love for Malta. Good observations he makes, not least about the lovely ladies of said island. Indeed - I am married to one of them. Anyway, in a week's time from today, yours truly will complete his scuba diving course - done with the PADI organisation - in the island of Gozo, just to the north of Malt...

At 0727 on 10th September an Intercity Express will depart from Gare du Midi, Brussels. Via Düsseldorf Airport I will end up later in the day in the 35ºC sunshine of Egypt, ready for a week of diving in Dahab. From there it’s to Berlin for the inline skate marathon, to London for 3 days

Alan Whitehead, MP for Southampton Test, will be out with volunteers today campaigning to save the Quays Swimming and Diving Complex from Tory privatisation plans. Dr Whitehead will be asking residents to sign a petition calling on the Conservatives to scrap their plans to privatise the award-winning and profit-making leisure centre. The Conservative-run City Council has already spent £250,0...

I thought Harriet Harman’s posturing could not be bettered, but Vladimir Putin’s annual Alexander Nevsky tribute act takes the biscuit. Each year he varies his macho stock in trade of hunting, shooting and fishing in the buff. Last year he invaded Georgia. And this year he played 20,000 leagues under the sea’s Captain Nemo, by manning a midget submarine and diving to the bottom o...

Listening to this thing. I'm wondering why it is happening (a) now and (b) at all. Seems to me that the consequences of this intervention at this time and in this way are at best uncertain. Damian McBride has just said that he aspires to get back into the civil service. I expect Andy Coulson has his number? Though I don't suppose than bin diving, phone tapping, secrets blagging wretch sh...