"It is the duty of every officer of His Majesty's Navy, to discharge powder and shot in the general direction of the enemy."

The trouble is, the system was designed to keep a record of who was where, when.

It is better not to have a rule at all, than to have one which is not taken seriously, because disregarding the rules grows habitual.

Brazil serves as an object lesson in how government incompetence - not greed, not really bribery even, certainly not totalitarianism, just simple incompetence - can make life difficult on an otherwise free and vibrant economy.

Our commencement essay.