united Red Carpet Club dulles airport

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There are three united airlines Red Carpet Club in the Washington, D.C. Dulles Airport:

Midfield Terminal, Concourse C,
near gate C7

Midfield Terminal, Concourse C,
near gate C17

Midfield Terminal, Concourse D,
near gate D8

1-866-825-3016
(for conference room
reservation only)

Hours:
Daily
6:00 am - 10:00 pm

Amenities:
• Complimentary Wi-Fi access
• Complimentary breakfast and afternoon snacks
• Complimentary soft drinks, juices, coffee, tea and cappuccino
• Complimentary selection of beer, wine and spirits
• Premium alcohols available for purchase

VS flying club gold tier benefits

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Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is Virgin Atlantic’s frequent flyer program. The lowest level of membership is Flying Club Red, then Silver, and Gold membership is the highest tier within the flying club.

On all Virgin Atlantic flights, regardless of your class of travel, you'll enjoy Upper Class Check In, and with priority boarding you can enjoy a totally relaxing airport experience.
Fast track through immigration and security at London Heathrow.
Allowed 1 extra piece of baggage free of charge.
Access to Virgin Atlantic’s Clubhouses on departure.
Individual access to Virgin Atlantic’s Revivals Lounge when flying into LHR on a VS prefix ticket.
You have access to the bmi business lounge at London Heathrow, International Gate 14 (Terminal 1), when you are flying with them internationally, regardless of ticket type.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold members travelling on First/Business Class cabins on Singapore Airlines operated flights will be entitled to use SilverKris Lounges in Terminals 2 and 3. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold members travelling in Economy class cabin on Singapore Airlines operated flights will be entitled to use KrisFlyer Gold Lounge or SATS Premier Lounge in Terminals 2 or 3.

You'll receive 5 complimentary First Class upgrades for both, the Heathrow Express and Gatwick Express trains in your membership pack, so you can travel to the airport in style. You must buy your ticket before boarding the train and handover your upgrade card to the onboard staff.

You automatically can bump a family member over 18 years of age to Silver Status.
When you renew your Gold Status, you’ll receive a free companion ticket. You just need to travel together with that person in the same class.
You’re guaranteed an economy seat on any Virgin Atlantic full fare flight that’s booked at least 3 days before departing.

Flying Club Silver membership changes

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Virgin Atlantic Silver Flying Club membership will be even more rewarding.

We’ve made a few changes to help you earn tier points and Flying Club miles. So now you can reach your goals - and your dream destinations - even faster.

From June, your Silver tier bonus will increase from 25% to 50% of base flown miles, meaning you can reach rewards even quicker. If you choose Premium Economy in booking classes W or S, you’ll also earn an extra tier point (it’s gone up from 3 tier points to 4).

Plus you’ll earn an extra tier point when you book Upper Class in booking classes J or D, (6 instead of 5).

Silver renewal tier points are also changing, from 1 September 2011 you will be required to earn 15 tier points in your next membership year to maintain your status. If your current membership year ends 31 August 2011, you will require 10 tier points to renew your account. The subsequent membership year, commencing 01 September 2011, requires 15 tier points to retain Silver membership.

And once you become a Gold member, we’ll double the bonus miles you’ll earn on base flown miles from 50% to 100%!

Blue Mountains accommodation package

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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA In a bid to encourage international and domestic guests to discover the famous and iconic Blue Mountains region, Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa, the internationally-recognised luxury conservation-based resort, has released a year- round accommodation and transport package that includes a tour through the scenic area.

Discover the unique Blue Mountains region in New South Wales on a private tour and enjoy three nightsall-inclusive accommodation at the luxurious Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa starting from A$2,890* per person on a twin sharing basis.

The Blue Mountains Experience package includes three nightsaccommodation in a luxurious double Heritage Suite or Wollemi Suite with private indoor outdoor swimming pool, gourmet breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, all non-alcoholic and selected alcoholic beverages with lunch and dinner, wireless internet, two on site nature-based experiences per person each day, and private touring return transfers from Sydney to Wolgan Valley.

Private touring transfers from Sydney to Wolgan Valley include Katoomba and the Three Sisters and from Wolgan Valley to Sydney include the Bells Line of Road (or vice versa- as directed by guests on booking).

To book please contact the Wolgan Valley Reservations team on 02 9290 9733 or email reservations@wolganvalley.com

*Subject to availability at time of booking. Minimum three-night stay applies. Valid for travel until 31 March 2013. Extra nights can also be booked from A$780 per person twin share. Private touring transfers can be operated in the reverse order if preferred. Hotel pick up times confirmed at time of booking. Airport pick-up and departure times based on applicable flight times.

Touring transfer: Sydney to Wolgan Valley via Katoomba and the Three Sisters
Duration: 4.5hrs

Guests are met by an experienced guide at their Sydney hotel or on arrival at Sydney Airport for their private transfer to Wolgan Valley in a luxury 4WD vehicle. Travelling from the city, the drive takes guests through the lower Blue Mountains and on to the township of Katoomba, with a stop to view the famous Three Sisters rock formation. The guide will speak of Aboriginal Dreamtime and interpret their unique and complex culture.

Remote sightseeing locations are accessed along the way to ensure guests can enjoy the stunning views the Blue Mountains World Heritage listed region has to offer. A beautifully prepared morning tea is provided before continuing on to Mount Victoria and the quaint township of Lithgow. Heading east, the road descends into the Wolgan Valley with its sheer rock escarpments and rugged geography.

EK new First Class Lounge at Dubai airport T3

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Emirates has opened its second First Class Lounge at Terminal 3 - Dubai International Airport, making it the fourth dedicated premium Emirates Lounge in Dubai. Passengers now have an additional choice and can access a lounge more conveniently located to their departure gates.

The new Emirates Lounge, located at Concourse 1 in front of the Business Class Lounge, will facilitate easy and seamless travel for First Class passengers who may be departing from any of the 14 gates located in Concourse 1.The lounge design is modern and in keeping with Emiratesmulti-award winning First Class Lounge in Concourse 2, embodying the airline’s dedication to providing its passengers with superior service and quality.

The 1058 sq.mt. Emirates lounge boasts a wide array of passenger amenities including a quiet zone with eight recliners, two 55 and 65 inch LED TVs, plush leather armchairs, a choice of formal or relaxed seating, two dining areas, shower facilities, a business centre with four individual work stations, wireless LAN connectivity within the lounge, a water feature, contemporary artwork, a smoking area and the hallmark courteous service from dedicated lounge staff that completes the distinctive experience.
The new lounge facilities are available to all EmiratesFirst Class passengers and features Italian marble flooring, high-quality leather sourced from Europe, and gold-plated Rolex wall clocks from Geneva. The lounge also offers a custom-made Braille/tactile signage for the visually-impaired.

the opening of the new Emirates First Class Lounge allows us to provide our customers with a consistent, high-quality Emirates experience both on the ground and in the air, starting from their exclusive chauffeur drive airport transfer and dedicated airport check-in counters, to luxurious lounge facilities and then our award-winning service onboard,said Mohammed H. Mattar, Divisional Senior Vice President, Emirates Airport Services. lounges are an integral part of the Emirates experience, and reaffirm our dedication to offering the very best to our customers.
Passengers can enjoy an a-la-carte service from an extensive menu of complimentary hot and cold gourmet dishes having the choice of formal or informal seating in the dining area, accompanied by a full bar service including premium beverages.

Jumping Wake Turbulence

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Position: Taxiway Hotel... KSLC
Groundspeed: 30 knots
Equipment: 319
Pax-on-board: 123

Max forward taxi speed limitation on the 319 is 30 knots. I taxi at 30 knots when I can do so safely. Dry surfaces, light winds with smooth concrete joints are required, and of course, no one ahead blocking the way.

The heavy loads of Christmas and New Years are behind us, as is 2011. In my six... Another year on the Line... Poof! Gone.


We are on the last leg of a four day trip... Been short-hopping across the southwest in a 319 today. My kind of flying! The right seat is a retread captain, now a co-pilot, from two bankrupt airlines who is glad to have a flying job... An aspect of this career that is very unpleasant. If you lose your job at Divided Airlines and are lucky enough to get another job at Oceanic Air, guess where you start?

You say you have 12,567 hours in the B-757? Too bad... Seniority #7124, and, oh, by the way... One year of probation. One more thing, you don't know squat about the 757, so don't get cocky. We are going to teach you the correct way to fly.

There is a lot of silver hair and weathered skin in this cockpit. The lead flight attendant has been harassing us most of the day about a geriatric flightdeck. Should I check on you two every 15 minutes to make sure you're awake? Boys, call me when you want your Ensure. Are you two going to need extra lav breaks? And on it goes... Poking the old lions with a stick through the cage bars.

Is this sexual harassment? Shattering our fragile egos? Damaging on our self-esteem? I'll call an assistant Chief Pilot later and check on this matter.

The co-pilot and I are and have been in the operational groove. We are moving metal and hauling pax with minimum delays. It's nice to fly with someone who speaks the language of my era. A Holley double-pumper has nothing to do with pornography and a Rolls-Royce Merlin is not the latest project from Pimp My Ride. We announce proudly to anyone who asks that we do not have a clue what a tweet is, nor do we want to know.

Salt Lake tower asks, You guys ready? We have just finished the before take-off checklist and the co-pilot alerts the cabin. The co-pilot and I are giddy with last leg euphoria. Home to momma leg.

You ready boss?

Is the Pope Catholic?

The tower releases us for take-off, 16 Left, while we are still on Hotel. We have to make two 90 degree turns to the right... On my last checkride I got dinged for taxiing too fast in turns (again). Ten knots is max for 90 degree turns, although she will do 12-14 knots comfortably. Ten knots it is... These 319s require a lot of braking to keep them below limitation speeds.

All lights ON... Check flaps, trim, and fuel one more time.

On the center line with the nosewheel straight, I hand the aircraft over to the right seat with Your aircraft, I have the radios.

The engines roll past the critical harmonic zone quickly in the -5 C outside air temperature. Professor Energy's invisible force mashes us back into our seats as the engines spool up to a reduced thrust setting. We do not need max thrust in this cold air. I check the engine instruments for excessive vibration and temperature. Both running cool and very strong...

Yikes! We are blowing through 80 knots. I am supposed to call that out... Eighty, uh... ninety, hundred knots. Wow-ee! This baby is getting with it! Not an approved call out, but...

The gap between 80 knots and V1 is covered in two, maybe three heart beats; she is ready to fly. I call out vee one rotate five knots before V1. When the last syllable is out of my mouth, we are 20 knots past V2. The Electric Jet leaves a rolling vortex of runway dust as she leaps into the cool night sky.

Positive rate and the landing gear green lights change to red as the gear doors open.

We reach our KSLC departure altitude limit of 14,000 feet very quickly. Altitude capture happens at 12,700 feet to level at 14,000 feet. The controller points out a heavy freighter at 15,000 feet crossing in our 12 o'clock.

Uh, yeah we got him... Red, green, and white strobes ahead. It's a Mad Dog-11. Big boy!


Roger, maintain visual with the MD11, continue climb to 21,000 feet... Caution wake turbulence...


The freighter is disappearing in our two o'clock, but the wake is still in front of us and slowly descending toward our altitude. The flight attendants are up and working in the galleys. I look at the co-pilot and before I say anything, he asks You want to jump this wake? He is reading my mind, which, admittedly is not hard. Yes, no broken flight attendant ankles, please.


Fi-Fi responds to the co-pilot's commands and soars high over the wake turbulence with minimum effort. The twinkling lights of the freighter are in our three o'clock low now. We crossed 1500 feet or better above the wake trail.

Salt Lake City is falling away rapidly us as we ascend into dark and thin air. It has been a long day, but we are pumped up about off-duty time in our twelve o'clock. Less than an hour to the nest.

Life on the Line continues... 2012. Unreal...

Ten West of COFAX

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Position: 200 nautical miles west of Philly (KPHL)
Altitude: 35,000 feet
Groundspeed: 570 knots (655 mph)
Equipment: A321 Enhanced... New metal
Pax-on-Board: 183 plus 3 jumpers

Airborne... No twilight yet. Winter tailwinds have put us one hour ahead of sched arriving into Philly this morning; my dispatcher has assured me Philly ops knows we are about to come out of warp for the descent.

The cockpit jumper is an FAA pilot inspector... A GA (general aviation) type going to a meeting. We do not see many GA inspectors in our cockpits, but I am always glad to have them. It is interesting to hear what is happening on the other side of Orville and Wilbur's grand adventure.

Ten this side of COFAX...

ATC has issued us a descent clearance to cross 10 miles this side of COFAX intersection at 25,000 feet. The co-pilot has ten years experience in the Boeing 737 and 757... Two weeks in Fi-Fi, or third trip. Overall, things are going as well as can be expected with the ink barely dry on his new type-rating.

He is trying to build a virtual crossing waypoint and put it in the flight plan, but Fi-Fi is not cooperating. She can be frustrating to a new pilot. We are doing better than 10 miles p/min and past the top-of-descent. The 135 knot wind on the tail is adding to his problem with descent planning.

I hate to say anything, but... Uh, how about lets start down and I'll help you with that on the way. 


Altitude hold OFF and the engines slowly roll back to idle thrust as the nose drops below the horizon. She will use gravity to maintain the flight management computer's requested Mach number as I show the co-pilot a quick-and-dirty method of building a virtual waypoint that Fi-Fi will accept in the flight plan every time.

He sequences the new waypoint on this side of COFAX and then re-engages VNAV (vertical navigation). In a few seconds a small VNAV indicator appears in our primary flight displays showing where the vertical path is located relative to the airframe. In our case, it is 400 feet above us... Fi-Fi slows the descent rate, adds chemical energy to maintain airspeed and merges with the digital VNAV path from beneath.

The shiny new 321 punches the center of the virtual waypoint at 25,000 feet and 320 knots indicated airspeed; after a frequency change we are cleared direct to BUNTS intersection. 


"Good Morning Folks..."


I use the mythical captain's voice to wake up the pax and welcome them to Philly airspace, give them a quick weather report (calm winds, clear skies, thirty degrees Fahrenheit, and viz better than ten miles), and thank them for flying with us. Seat belt signs to ON.

BUNTS intersection... 8,000 feet


Approach- Fly heading one-one-zero for vectors visual two seven right. Uh... Keep it moving for me. I got one coming up from the south. Maintain six thousand.


Me- Roger, one-one-zero two seven right, go fast and down to six thousand.


The co-pilot has 250 knots selected, as requested by the controller; groundspeed is 320 knots. He is getting tunnel vision about the approach. I can see it coming... He dials 6,000 in the auto-pilot altitude window, pushes the VNAV descend button and nothing happens... And he does not notice.

I see this all the time with new Sparky pilots. There is no VNAV when you are flying a raw-data compass heading. Why? Because she does not know where you are going. You have left the room; are off her nav grid.

Me- Uhhh.... We are not descending. 


CP- Oh *%#@, sorry about that...


He releases altitude hold and we leave 8,000 feet; 250 knots IAS. The houses are moving into our six very fast. About here, we are leaving 250 knot CLASS B airspace. The new speed limit is 200 knots indicated.

Me- Better slow down... You are beneath CLASS B.


CP- Yeah, I forgot... Sorry.


The two V2500 A5 engines roll back, barely above idle, as the co-pilot selects 200 knots. Groundspeed is 270 knots. Things are starting to happen fast for him.

The approach controller asks You see the airport? It's about, uh... About three o'clock and ten miles.


I ask the co-pilot if he sees the airport. He glances out his side window... Yeah, I got it out there.


Me- Yes sir, we have the airport.


Approach- Roger, you are cleared for the visual two seven right. One eighty or greater until seven mile final. Tower at JALTO... 


Piece-o-cake for an experienced Electric Jet pilot. But, for a newbie, it is trouble with a capital T.

JALTO...


The crossing altitude at JALTO is 2,100 feet. If I was flying, I would have this beautiful aluminum bird in the Super Cub mode... Stick and rudder, thrust levers back to the idle stops, wing spoilers fully extended, flaps/slats to TWO. One eighty indicated or greater (certainly greater...) on the airspeed indicator. Cross JALTO at 2,100 feet and then add a few layers of digital magic for an extra safety margin. It is totally dark and we have been flying all night against the body clock.

But, I am not flying... I am squirming in my seat as I watch the co-pilot struggle with the new and strange (to him) automation. It is how he was taught in the School House. I disagree with this training approach, but they do not care what I think and have told me as much... It is the New Age of Aviation Training and you better get used to it. After all, we know more than you do. Don't you have an airplane to fly somewhere? Quit bothering us...


Well, OK, I guess...

Still, we are going to be fast and high because the co-pilot is unsure of how to integrate the automation with the flight path.

Me- You see the runway, right? At two o'clock? Probably ought to get the landing gear out...


All gear doors open as the main hydraulics unlock and extend the gear into the slipstream. It is still doable if he would be aggressive, but he is not... He is hanging on to the tail wondering why he can't make this incarnation of the Dark Side obey his automation commands.

We cross JALTO too fast and too high, landing gear down, flaps/slats partially extended, but going to fast to extend more flaps.

Me- We're kind of high and fast here... 


Auto-pilot OFF...


Too late, though. He raises the nose to slow down and get more flaps/slats out, which flattens the descent rate, aggravating the situation. At 1,000 feet above the water... 40 knots too fast with the glideslope full scale deflection below us. Obviously, this is not going to work.

Me- Ok, this is not a stable approach. Let's go around and try it again. 


He says something that makes me laugh... Now?


Me- Yes, now... Go around.

TOGA thrust... (take-off go around)


The "stretch" jet responds to thrust levers all the way forward vigorously. The nose pitches to 18 degrees as the co-pilot, finally, gets with the program. He comes back to the cockpit after hanging on to the tail for the last five minutes. There is no question that he knows how to fly big jet aircraft, but this New Order of Smoke and Mirrors will take a few months to grasp. It took me more than a year to finally see the light, but, admittedly, I am not the sharpest pencil in the box.

Flaps to go-around setting... Positive rate/ landing gear UP... Fly runway compass heading...

I tell the tower we were too high and fast on that one, gonna try it again...


Tower- Roger, you will be number one for the runway... Re-enter downwind and stay with me... you are cleared to land runway two seven right.


Me- Roger that... cleared to land two seven right... again.


The first hints of twilight in the east as the co-pilot maneuvers back to a downwind leg for 27Right.

"Folks, this is the captain..."


The "Voice", an octave lower, explains that we just did not like the way that approach was looking, so, to err on the side of safety, we are going to do it again. Have you all on the ground in a few minutes, still arriving early. Thank you... 

CP- Hey boss, I really screwed that up. Sorry 'bout that. 


Me- Ahh, you are doing fine. Nice go-around, too. Stay with it and I'll work on the nav for you.


He flies a nice, tight downwind leg at 1,500 feet above the water, calls for gear and flaps turning base leg. I re-sequence the magic for him so that he has good information on his nav display. The localizer and glide-slope are centered as he rolls onto final approach with the flight director, also, in the center of the little airplane symbol. He has it wired this time. What a concept! Fly the aircraft first. Use the automation to reduce the workload, but always fly the aircraft first.

Over the fence at 145 knots, I remind him that we are in a 321... Watch the tail. Her tail is a long ways behind the cockpit.

Touchdown is a thing of beauty; could not have done better myself. We easily make the first high speed turn-off, raise the flaps/slats, landing lights OFF, stow the spoilers and are about to call ground control, but tower tells us taxi to the gate with me. 


Eight emergency slides disarmed...


Door 1-Left opens... I can hear engine number one spooling down as the lead flight attendant greets the gate agent. The FAA inspector unbuckles his seatbelt and pats the co-pilot on the left shoulder... Good job young man. That's what we want to see. 


CP- I am so sorry. That was embarrassing.


Me (laughing)- Nah, it was OK. Better to be safe than sorry. We are still early with plenty of fuel. Let me tell you about one night in Anchorage a few years ago with yours truly flying...  


Life on the Line continues...

Frost Rings

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Position: OVR (Omaha VOR)
Altitude: 32,000 feet
Groundspeed: 398 knots (457 mph)
Equipment: A320 V2500 A5 engines
Pax-on-Board: 136
 

Airborne... Two hours fifty-seven minutes since selecting landing gear UP.

Ahead of us... Snow covered fields of Nebraska stretching to the horizon. Even though the sun is in my eight o'clock low, reflected sunlight is intense on these old pilot eyes. I have my Revos on which helps, but still... Another reason I prefer night flight.

The kid in the right seat does not seem to be bothered by the high-altitude light storm. I have flown with him four or five times and have no complaints... He is an intelligent young man and is the flying pilot this morning. I am the radio man, administrative assistant and flight attendant liaison officer.

A position check over Omaha shows us 100 pounds ahead on fuel and three minutes behind the flight plan. I ask the co-pilot why we are three minutes late over Omaha and remind him that captains are always on time or ahead of schedule (even if they are not). He says he is striving for perfection. Good answer... I like this kid.

I fill out a digital position report that includes information on turbulence, icing, cloud layers, outside air temp, wind direction/speed and then push the SEND button... Mother will receive it within seconds and add the data to the Big Picture.

Prophylactic de-icing...


A surface air temperature of - 3 C had me wondering about frost this morning. I sent the co-pilot to Starbucks while I pre-flighted the A320. Warm brakes and warm engines... It had recently arrived from the west coast. The baggage conveyor belt was up against the rear cargo compartment providing a good viewing platform for the back of the wing and flaps. I found two small rings of early morning frost on the trailing edge flaps, each about two inches in diameter. The remainder of the wing was clean.

There might have been more on the tail, but it was too far above the ground to view. Technically, it is illegal to take-off with any contamination on the top surface of the wing or tail. I know a lot of pilots who would deem this tiny amount of frost as inconsequential and blast off. I thought about it while I continued the pre-flight. It would take at least fifteen minutes (extra) to cya de-ice and cost the company thousands of dollars.

If I do not de-ice, a pax with an iPhone will make a video of the tiny frost circles and post it on the Internet, send it to the FAA, the company, USA Today, and CNN.

Airline captain endangered passengers while flying an ice laden airplane... FAA investigating


Passengers say they were terrified... Children crying in First Class


I decided to de-ice before I finished the pre-flight.

100 nautical miles east of Denver...


The groundspeed has decreased to 335 knots with winds in excess of 120 knots on the nose. The flight plan shows forecast winds of 110 knots. The winds are 30 knots less at 26,000 feet; 30 knots more at 36,000 feet. I have been running wind scenarios in the fuel paranoia section of my brain and comparing the results with "what-if" entries in the nav computers. It is a wash... We will stay at 32,000 feet.

The lead flight attendant calls the flight-deck checking on us and tells me that three of the pax complained about the de-icing event. They told her that they could see no reason for it and that I had wasted their time.

Of course...  It's the Wiki effect of the nouveau experten. Take a deep breath and think of Acapulco beaches for a minute.

Ah, that's better... I tell the lead f/a to thank them for bringing it to my attention.

100 nautical miles south of Salt Lake City...


Groundspeed has increased to 400 knots; the nav computers are showing a five minute late touchdown on runway 28-Right, KSFO. Using my #2 pencil and hand calculator, I come up with the same result. Probably nine minutes late at the gate. Finger nails on a chalkboard in my world... All because of two little frost circles.

Life on the Line continues... South of KSLC... 32,000 feet

Old Dog Training

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Position: The School House

It's that time of year again... The best and brightest of the Training Department/Flight Standards are trying to teach this Old Dog new tricks. Some of the classroom/simulator instructors are compadres of mine from the earlier days of political incorrectness. The days when Line pilots were really, really bad... Not just sort of bad, like today.

Probably should change the subject...

High altitude stalls...


Kansas stretches before us with little puffy cumulus clouds far beneath. Visibility is unlimited as the sun sets in our six. This is the most amazing simulator I have ever seen... Enhanced A320. It looks and feels like the real thing. The co-pilot is a thirty something ex-US Army rotor head. I have flown with him on the Line three times. He is one of the best pilots at the airline, especially under pressure. Of course, I would never tell him that... Goes against the grain; might harm my reputation.

The sim instructor says,"OK captain, show me a power-off stall, straight ahead, minimum altitude loss during recovery and no secondary stalls."

Stalling an airliner at 37,000 feet... Does it get any better than this? I think not; I love this stuff!

Auto-pilot OFF/ flight directors OFF/ auto-thrust OFF/ normal flight control laws OFF... Watch this!

Thrust levers back to the idle stops and Fi-Fi starts slowing from Mach .79... My heart rate increases from the realism of the simulator. I tell myself it's a sim.


Ease the stick back to maintain altitude... The airspeed pointer passes into the cautionary low energy zone. Down it goes into the solid red danger zone. She is still flying but not much longer; stick is almost against the rear stop.

The wings start to rumble at 180 knots indicated as the ultra-thin air begins to shear away from the top surface, and then the whole airframe buffets... Here we go!

Fi-Fi's digital voice is frantic, scared, "Stall, stall, stall, stall!" It gets your attention.

The aircraft starts to fall toward Kansas dirt, nose oscillating a few degrees above and below the horizon, wings still level. I push the stick forward and force the nose sharply down to break the stalled condition. The terrified digital voice goes quiet as the speed trend arrow shoots toward the top of the instrument case. I can feel the wings load up; we are flying again. Ease the thrust levers forward and watch the fuel flows increase... Not too much thrust or the low slung engines will force the nose up and a secondary stall will be entered. Got to get a lot of airspeed here before I can relax.

Out of the red-your-dead zone and quickly thru the low energy yellow into the green. Set thrust levers at 75%, four degrees pitch on the Star Trek artificial horizon (for level flight) and we are back in business. What a great stick and rudder aircraft! Altitude loss: 2,000 feet... Yeah Baby!

Not bad for an Old Dog.

"That was very nice captain. OK, right seat... Your turn."

Life on the Line (simulated) continues...

Approved for Line Operations

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Position: Over Springfield, Colorado
Altitude: 35,000 feet
Groundspeed: 600 kts (690 mph)
Equipment: A321 Enhanced- New Metal
Pax-on-Board: 183 plus 2 jumpers

Airborne...

Out of the school house and back on the airways with the mark of the Training Department on my forehead: AfLO (Approved for Line Operations)

And, once again, my fantasy of being hired away from the airline by Airbus Industries as a 320 demo pilot was dashed. Not a single talent scout attended my sim training. The wife-of-my-youth assures me that I am a pilot of renown and that Airbus Industries will show up any day with the job offer and a satchel full of cash.

We will live in Monte Carlo and I will demonstrate the A320 to prospective buyers while my wife suns her cute little hiney on the French Riviera.

I am still waiting... Maybe next time.

Back to reality... Compass heading 091 degrees


The ride is silky smooth tonight in our new A321. Good Lord, what a beautiful aircraft! She is long, sleek, smooth skinned, and shiny. The upgraded nav computers are running the latest software; lots of  new digital magic coming from the Star Trek bay underneath the flight deck.

I remember when I was apprehensive about flying the 321 for the first time because I was terrified of dragging the tail on take-off or landing. Would not do for captain Dave to be the first Company pilot to drag the tail of a new 321... Not only would I have to go into the Spanking Machine for re-training on how to take-off and land, but my low-life buddies would never, ever let me forget it.

I laugh about it now... For I am disappointed when it is not a 321 at the gate. The tail dragging fear was greatly exaggerated by flight line rumor.

Right seat blues...


The young man in the right seat is a University of North Dakota grad who has had a meteoric rise in the pilot business. A twenty-eight year old future major airline captain in training with all the right stuff. He keeps referring to me as Sir, although I have told him several times my name is Dave, not Sir... I like this kid.

Today, he has had two landings and both have been... Uh, interesting. He is a junior reserve co-pilot who, admittedly, does not get to fly much as he waits for the slow march of seniority to pull him out of reserve status.

His first landing was a hard touchdown as a result of letting the aircraft get too slow in the flare and he ran out of elevator authority... Ooops! This is usually a result of Fi-Fi being heavier than the flight management computers calculate, thus the approach/landing speed is too low by a few knots. The pilot can actually feel this coming when he/she gets more experience in seat. The aircraft feels sluggish on final approach and the nose is one or two degrees higher than normal.

Corrective action: add a couple knots of indicated airspeed. Be proactive... Don't sit there and let it happen. Easy for me to say after thousands of Fi-Fi hours in the left seat.

The insidious thing about this type of hard landing is that everything looks normal except for the small nose pitch difference and the nagging feeling that something is out of kilter. A (young) junior reserve co-pilot does not have the tools to detect it yet.

I gave him a pep talk at the gate after the senior Sky Goddess in the rear galley called the flight deck and asked Whose piece of work was that landing? He was mortified.


I told him It wasn't that bad. A Navy guy would be proud of it. Happens to all of us occasionally. Don't worry about it. 


His second landing was a smooth touchdown in a strong right crosswind. He had auto-braking selected ON... Not a bad idea for a low time Electric Jet pilot. He should have held more stick into the wind after touchdown, because a gust lifted the right wing and main landing gear off the runway just before the spoilers rose and exactly when the auto-brakes activated. Yikes!

The auto-brake computer could not handle one main gear on the runway and the other still airborne, so it said see ya later boys, and, by the way, I am taking number four brake with me.


Yellow caution lights illuminated the flight deck with a warning bell from the aircraft monitoring system... AUTO-BRK FAULT and BRK RELEASED.

I calmly told the kid to Use max reverse thrust and max manual brakes; don't pump them. Number four brake is gone.


He kept his wits and stayed on the center line while applying all the available stopping power. The usual runway turn-off went by us at about sixty knots, a sobering reminder of the importance of that missing brake. He slowed to taxi speed and made the third turn-off; 3,000 feet of runway remaining.


Taxiing to the gate... After a couple minutes of silence, he asked me What did I do wrong? 


You didn't do anything wrong. We will talk about it at the gate. Nice job staying on the center line!


Under the jetway, with the brake fans howling as they wicked the heat away from the hot carbon-fiber pucks, I met the night shaman from Line maintenance that handles the landing gear/brake computer re-sets. The heat plumes blowing out of the wheel assemblies felt good in the chill as I explained what happened to the number four brake. A few minutes later, with several computers reset and tested, we are good to go.

ICT (Wichita)...


As Wichita slips beneath the radome I tell the co-pilot, One time I landed a 737 on the wrong runway at Salt Lake and the captain chewed my butt all the way to the hotel for embarrassing him. I had to take my pants in a few inches afterwards.


Really?


Oh, yeah! And...  Long Beach, late night, 737, I made a hard landing that caused some of the overheads to pop open spilling luggage on passengers. It was a quiet ride to the hotel that night. The captain didn't say a word to me and I was still in my probation year.


The co-pilot finally laughs a little bit.

That's better... Life on the Line continues a few miles east of ICT.

Misinformation on Twitter

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With over 200 million Twitter contributors*, misinformation is bound to happen.

It would be pretty interesting if there was a study to determine the frequency of misinformation created by authors in the world of Web 2.0. Maybe there is such a study. I should look.

Regardless, misinformation is regularly created in the form of rumors, honest mistakes and malinformation (intentionally misleading facts and opinions).  Tweets are a good example.

UK's The Guardian has collected seven rumors that attracted a following on Twitter, spread and then died out. These include: 'Rioters attack London zoo and release animals,' 'Rioters cook their own food in McDonalds' and 'Army deployed in Bank.' Here's the complete list and an interactive app to explore the rumors and their trajectories.

All of the rumors are what you could classify as 'breaking news.' Twitter became famous as a source of breaking news during events such as the US Airways flight that ended in the Hudson River. Twitter often scoops other news sources because of eyewitnesses who tweet what they happen to see. Sometimes the stories turn out to be true. Other times they don't.

How do you tell the difference between a 'truth' and a 'rumor?' This would be a great conversation to have with middle school, high school and college students. What can you do not to fall prey to rumors?



* FYI -- Finding the current number of Twitter users makes a pretty good search challenge.

News without all the Facts

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Today my daily Google Alert on Medical Breakthroughs brought this article to my attention:

Medical Breakthrough Bringing New Hope To MS Patients

Drug Showing Promising Results

I'm interested in this topic since a friend's daughter suffers from MS. But the article is light on facts. In particular, what may be the most important fact is missing. What is the name of the drug?

This article surely is a retelling of the original release about the drug, so hopefully a quick fact-check query will turn up the missing facts. This turns out to be the case.

Fact-checking, about which I've blogged numerous times, starts by taking a fact or two from a derivative article and follows it to its source.

My query was: Gabriel Pardo OMRF drug. Two of these are the preferred type of fact-checking keywords: proper nouns; both were taken from the koco.com article cited above. In case there were a lot of articles about Pardo and OMRF I added the less powerful term 'drug' since that's the word I'm hoping to replace with another proper noun.

This is a good search to demonstrate how ideal queries proceed from less to more specific.

Let's hope the new drug continues to show promising results.

Resolutions for Information Fluency

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If becoming more fluent in digital information is one of your goals for 2012, I have a few suggestions. Readers are welcome to add to the list!

1. Think before you search. What exactly am I looking for?  You may have only a vague idea what you need, but be as clear about what you know as you can be. Choose the clearest keywords for your queries.  Two to five keywords is a good rule of thumb.
2. Think before you search. Who would know the answer I am looking for? Where would that person or organization keep its information? If your goal is to find trustworthy information, seek out recognized experts.
3. Look carefully at your search results. Better keywords are often hidden in the results. There's a good chance you will strengthen your vocabulary in the process.
4. Fact check your findings. It takes only seconds to pull strong keywords out of posts or articles to see if facts hold up.
5. Don't take the first answer you find. Taking the fastest route possible should not be confused with characteristics of fluency. Fast answers may also be wrong answers.

That's a reasonable start.

If it's not a hoax, what is it?

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Dennis O'Connor and I are running a "Model Lesson" workshop tomorrow at the Midwest Educational Technology Conference in St. Charles, MO.

As part of the session, we're offering up four different challenges that demonstrate search and evaluation techniques. For this, we're using a spin-off of the RYT Hospital site: genochoice.com.

While students may not be able easily to detect the fictive nature of the site, the site is loaded with Red Flags.

What is not easily understood by seasoned investigators--and I expect most of the participants in tomorrow's session--is whether the site is a hoax or not. There is sufficient evidence to suggest it is not a hoax, contrary to numerous .edu sites that include genochoice on their hoax lists. The hoax theory starts to unravel the more you tug at it.

But if it isn't a hoax, what is it?

That's the challenge.

And it's a pretty good (i.e., deep) one. I'd like to hear readers' opinions on it. Why does this site exist?

By the way, the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus is another site that is likely in this shadowy category. Sure, it's bogus. But what is the purpose of the site?  Why would someone go to the trouble of keeping it fresh and perpetuating the fiction of a tree octopus? If you've never asked your students to figure that out, they've missed a real investigative challenge.

Google's Really Advanced Search

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You've know doubt heard of Advanced Search. How about Really Advanced Search?

I spotted this at the bottom of a Google Search Results page today and had to take a look.

Among the search features, including the usual ones, are:

• words almost, but not quite entirely unlike:
• rhyming slang for:
• this exact word or phrase, whose sum of unicode code points is a mersenne prime:
• subtext or innuendo for:

and this:

• the words , but not , unless they contain either the intersection of phrases , , and or a gerund in which case the disjunction of and will also be taken into account (on Tuesdays). 

At the bottom of the page are also several links:

You can also... Tickle a unicorn Download our ranking code so you can run Google at home Search by odor Some of the features of really advanced search might make a good coding project. They might also be a challenge to explain. But they really make a better April Fools Joke.

House Oversight Committee Holds Attorney General Eric Holder in Contempt of Congress

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Michelle updates to her entry from this morning: "House panel votes 23-17 to place Holder in contempt."

And check Michelle on Twitter for all the action.

Michelle links to this piece at Congressional Quarterly, "Contempt Citation Would Carry Limited Legal Consequences."

And at LAT, "House panel votes to find attorney general in contempt":

WASHINGTON -- The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform voted to find Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. in contempt of Congress for failing to provide subpoenaed documents in the flawed Fast and Furious gun-tracking case, just hours after President Obama asserted executive privilege and backed the attorney general’s refusal to release the material.

The vote for contempt and the White House insertion into the growing Southwest border “gun-walking” scandal set up a significant constitutional clash between the two branches of the federal government, one that ultimately may not be resolved until it reaches the courts.

The Republican-led committee, headed by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista), voted strictly along party lines in finding Holder in contempt. It now sends the matter to the full House for a floor vote to ask the U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., or a special prosecutor to force the Obama administration to provide the documents.

“The committee has uncovered serious wrongdoing by the Justice department,” Issa said of his investigation into Fast and Furious, in which several thousand illegally purchased firearms were circulated on both sides of the Southwest border and many wound up with Mexican drug cartels. “That wrongdoing has cost lives on both sides of the border.”

But Rep. Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland, the top Democrat on the panel, said the Republicans caused the standoff by demanding the release of internal Department of Justice records. “The administration was forced into this position by the committee’s unreasonable insistence on pressing forward, “ he said.

Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), put it on a more personal level and said she was “extremely disgusted” that her committee had come to this. “I am horrified you are going through with this contempt charge,” she said. “This shouldn’t be a witch hunt.”

All 23 Republicans on the panel voted for contempt, and all 17 Democrats against the contempt resolution.

A "witch hunt."

The family of Brian Terry begs to differ: "Family of murdered Border Agent lashes out at President Obama."

Update on Ali Akbar and Bloggers Against #BrettKimberlin

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I hadn't planned on writing about this again so soon, but then again, I wasn't expecting the aggressive push back against the post.

But before I get into the details, let me stipulate a few important things.

First, it's not my intention to keep spinning out these internecine battles on the right. This is about clarification and truth. It turns out the statement that Paul Lemmen had been advised to STFU generated a good bit of controversy, and while folks kept it cool overall, I thought Ali Akbar came out of the gate like lightning and was getting too hot to handle. Now, to repeat, I'm not judging Ali. This isn't my fight. Again, this isn't my fight. In fact, I've blogged numerous times in his support throughout the last month. But Ali suggested I was posting lies at the blog --- and linking to liars. Moreover, he wasn't just aggressive in trying to contain any fallout, but also came off highly defensive even though unprovoked. Ali doesn't follow me and I didn't tweet the post to him, but he quickly DM'd me and asked that I call him. I couldn't send back a DM so just kept tweeting, to @Ali and @Vermontaigne mostly. Interestingly and unprompted, as seen below, Ali denied he's been "going to each blogger" who's blogged about him. No problem. I wouldn't want to come off looking like Brett Kimberlin either:

@AmPowerBlog And just FYI. I'm not going to each blogger. You post though came up in an email from a victim who was concerned. @vermontaigne
— Ali A. Akbar (@ali) June 20, 2012

Second, I'm interested in the truth. I wouldn't be writing if folks hadn't questioned the veracity of my statements. And I especially wouldn't be writing if folks hadn't questioned my veracity and then mocked me at the same time:

If you're going to link a post, please read it folks. Lord, have mercy.
— Ali A. Akbar (@ali) June 20, 2012

Actually, I did read the Da Tech Guy's post, which is the one Ali's referencing at that tweet. But my information was at odds with the statements there. For the record, I was told that both Ali and Stranahan advised Paul to stand down. So, I'm just out to set the record straight. Please don't impugn my integrity people. And don't bullshit me or lie to me --- or, as Robert Stacy McCain might say, don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining. Damn straight. I take my conservatism seriously. I value honestly and integrity and standing up for what's right. That doesn't seem to be happening among a lot of folks out here, and in fact, it looks like we've got a swarm of weasels trying to piss all over some decent folks just trying to get a place at the table. That's not right and most of all that's why I'm posting this update.

Third, I doubt folks appreciate being pushed around by self-appointed "bosses" of the conservative 'sphere. As I said last night, all of us have a job to do, and that's to provide backup to those who are under fire. For me, that was Aaron Worthing from the get go, and then later Robert after he went underground to continue his reporting without being either served or shot. And let me tell you: I love that guy. Robert's one of the most interesting bloggers going and I'm glad he's my friend. I'd go to hell and back with him at this point, he means that much to me. And I think Robert would be the first to say that's it's a community out here. We carry each other. All this infighting is only making bad blood and is certainly not helping the larger battles. And I've been fighting those battles, so folks can hold off on the pissing matches. I'm talking to you Scott Jacobs! When the California Attorney General investigates you like she has me, you'll know what I'm talking about. It takes guts to stay in the fight when the left puts a target on your back. I know what it's like. So when I read Aaron's initial 28,000 word post I knew the stakes. So let's keep some perspective. I want to beat the left --- I want to pound those f-kers. I want to see these criminals face justice. And for that to happen, folks engaged need to stand up and stop with the lies. "Don't tell me that today, if you know what's good for you you'll get out of may way, 'cause, I'm crazy and I'm hurt..."


And if it's not lies, or allegations of lies, it's at least cross-talk and missed signals, and while that may be the case, I'm still substantiating what I was told for the record. For example, during last night's Twitter exchange Paul commented at the blog:

Thank you Don. I have no words beyond there that will be believable by those who found it necessary to repeat their blacklist of me from March. I get it, okay? "STFU and go away" is the order of the day. They want and need the intel I have gotten but can't be seen putting me in any positive light.

That's okay with me, the fight is not about me but about Brett Kimberlin and his associates. That is what should be remembered instead of the rhetoric about me.

I didn't notice that Paul had commented until I signed off for the night, and by that time I'd promised folks an update. So, I sent Paul an email to get a statement on the record. I asked him if indeed there were crossed signals or mixed messages, and he wrote back:

lemmen 9:53 AM (9 hours ago)

to me

It wasn't mixed at all. Lee Stranahan: "Leave Ali alone, don't pay attention to him, just blog about something else, leave the Ali situation alone." Ali: "Who are you? I hadn't even heard of you two weeks ago." And the attached tweet that is the heart of it.


Paul

I also reached out to Zilla, who's been viciously thrown under the bus during the latest iterations of this mess. I asked her what she knew of Paul's statements, and so forth. She wrote back:

I saw with my own eyes in Ali's twitter feed where he attacked Paul and others on Saturday night, and if he hasn't deleted them then they should still be there. He implied that Paul Lemmen was working with Brett Kimberlin, he made nasty remarks about Paul's criminal record (as if he himself doesn't have one) and he implied that Paul's criticism of the NBC (which is legitimate criticism regardless of the source) was motivated by racism.


The National Blogger's club, long before any of this stuff started with BK and the gang, touted itself as an organization to help bloggers to be less marginalized; they gave out press credentials, and appeared on its surface to be a force for good in the dextrosphere, but there was never any discernible way for bloggers to request membership, there was no website or contact information made publicly available and they only had a basically blank facebook "like" page. I repeatedly asked people who said they were members how an interested blogger might apply for membership and they all said that they didn't know. Apparently, nobody knows, so it looks as if the NBC simply hand-selects whoever they deem fit for whatever reason to join their esteemed ranks. I suppose it's their prerogative to do so, but you can't claim to be an organization representing the conservative blogging community at large while at the same time deliberately excluding the majority of bloggers. There are many legitimate questions about the NBC that people should not be afraid to ask, or attacked for asking.

Finally, I contacted Ladd Ehlinger as well, especially with regard to his essay, "Good Luck National Bloggers Club." I told him that Ali had called him a liar on Twitter and asked I for clarification. He wrote back:

Hey Donald,

Super-busy at the moment, which is why I haven't written a follow up post from my last, but I did want to say this, which you can quote me on.

1) I firmly believe that Lee Stranahan did not pressure Lemmen to be silent. Just the opposite. Lee's been quite consistent with the notion that everyone should assist and unite in the effort to go against Kimberlin, and from what I gather from Lee, that includes Lemmen and Akbar both. Lee wants to reduce the infighting, and I believe whatever calls he made to Lemmen came from this motivation.

2) Unless there's something I don't know, I don't think that Ann Barnhardt wrote her piece (nor do I believe that Big Fur Hat posted it) in order to deflect attention away from Akbar's past crimes. The timing was based merely on Lemmen's high-profile involvement in the Kimberlin story. Both Ann and BFH have had a long history with Lemmen, and I believe they were motivated purely by that. They wanted to warn everyone about Lemmen's history as a con-man, which they honestly believe continues to this day. Lemmen disputes their characterizations of his recent behavior, but I think even he would agree that he still has a long road to walk before some will even consider looking at the details.

3) Like Ann and BFH, I have a history of observing the machinations of Akbar. If he were truly honorable and "all about the cause," he would've stepped down from the NBC when his crimes were revealed by the bad guys, and handed the reigns of it and its legal defense fund over to someone else by now, rather than dragging this out, and doing things like trolling for Lemmen's attorney via Twitter. A lot of good people are being asked to play the role of Madeline Albright in a game of "not a single time" or "the rap sheet isn't really as bad as it looks." I understand that Akbar claims he submitted his resignation twice to the board of the NBC and twice he was refused. Is it really that hard to step down? Really?

I would like to know why the following questions have never been directly answered:

1) How much money was raised by NBC in its Kimberlin effort?
2) How much money has been spent by the NBC from the legal defense fund, and on what? I'm told that money has been dispersed to victims, and that's a good thing - depending upon the whole entirety (i.e., how much has been raised, how much spent on overhead, etc.)
3) How does the NBC determine who is a Team Kimberlin victim, and who is not?
4) By what criteria does NBC decide who gets to be an NBC member, and who doesn't? Are such decisions made on the whims of a convicted felon who paints himself as a top blogger (who doesn't seem to blog), or is there a more up-front process? You know - a voting process. With by-laws. I know there are no fees to join. Other than that, how?
5) Why has there never been a website for NBC? Is it a serious organization or was it a throwaway thought, a branch-off publicity effort for Akbar's for-profit company?
6) Is it true that NBC shared its private email list of bloggers with Akbar's political clients?
7) Is it true that Akbar charged his political clients for introducing them to high-profile bloggers at events like CPAC? If yes, did any of that money make its way to the bloggers themselves?

I know a lot of people think this is an unnecessary distraction from the Kimberlin story.

I agree.

Ladd

So there you go. That's the record. People can sift through themselves. I wasn't posting lies last night, despite the allegations. And while there may still be some concerns about cross-talk and mixed messages, at least people can get this information straight from the principals involved.

And to close this out, see Paul's post, "A Simple Request."

Holder's Many Privileges

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The lead editorial, at the Wall Street Journal:

The Attorney General is supposed to protect a President from legal and political snares, a part of his job description that Eric Holder seems to have missed. He's now succeeded in drawing President Obama into a brawl with Congress by invoking "executive privilege" to withhold documents.

For weeks, Mr. Holder has resisted Congress's subpoena for documents investigating the botched drug-war operation Fast and Furious. But he expressly stopped short of claiming executive privilege, a power invoked only 24 times since the Reagan era that typically protects communications directly with the President or his senior aides. Mr. Holder instead claimed "deliberative privilege" within a Cabinet Department, a vague and much weaker claim that neither courts nor Congress have honored.

But suddenly on Wednesday, facing the threat of a criminal contempt vote in the House, Mr. Holder asked the President to invoke executive privilege after all. This is no small claim, and it raises a few new questions. Such as:

Did White House officials know and approve Fast and Furious before it went awry, and did they advise the Justice Department on how to respond to Congress's investigation into the operation's failure?

How can the President invoke a privilege to protect documents he and the White House are supposed to have had nothing to do with?

And what is so damaging or embarrassing in those documents that Mr. Obama is now willing to invest his own political capital to protect it from disclosure—at least until after the election?

Keep in mind that this uproar began over an obscure 2009 operation of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) to let some 2,000 illegal weapons get into the hands of a Mexican drug cartel in an effort to track the guns to other traffickers and kingpins. In December 2010, Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was killed during a gunfight, and two of the operation's illegal weapons were linked to the crime.

Congress decided to investigate, and in a February 4, 2011 letter to Congress, the Justice Department flatly denied that the operation existed. Ten months later it admitted that wasn't true and retracted the letter.

Since that modified, limited mea culpa, Mr. Holder has acknowledged that the program was fatally flawed and said he was the one who ended it. But rather than cooperate fully with the investigation, Mr. Holder's department began an epic stonewall to block Congressional attempts to find out what really transpired.

Yeah, keep in mind.

More at the link.

Progressives Cry 'Witch Hunt' After House Committee Holds Eric Holder in Contempt

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See the roundup at Twitchy, "#DarrellIssainThreeWords: Unhinges vicious liberals."


And more, at Huffington Post, "Nancy Pelosi Slams Contempt Vote: 'I Could Have Arrested Karl Rove ... But We Didn't'." (Via Memeorandum.)

Plus:

* Angry Black Lady, "Fast and Furious Hurts Both Sides

* Balloon Juice, "We’re Playing Different Games."

* Charles Pierce, "What the Gobshites Are Saying: Fast & Spurious Edition."

* Firedoglake, "Regardless of Fast and Furious Witch Hunt, Executive Privilege Claims Deserve Scrutiny."

* The Impolitic, "Contemptible Congress."

* Little Green Footballs, "Breaking: Republican ‘Fast and Furious’ Inquisition Finds Eric Holder in Contempt."

* Mahablog, "Impeachment by Proxy."

* Moderate Voice, "Pure Politics."

* No More Mister Nice Blog, "EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE: IT'S BEEN CLAIMED FOR NON-PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS AND ON BEHALF OF PREVIOUS PRESIDENTS."

* RADAMISTO, "THE F&F 'SCANDAL'."

* Think Progress, "FACT CHECK: Executive Privilege Does Not Apply Exclusively To Presidential Communications."

* Washington Monthly, "FastnFuror."

Actually, I think some of the progressives are actually digging this. It's all a joke. Nothing to see here, move along. And Obama's president --- so the laws don't apply anyway.

A Nuclear-Armed Iran May Be the Best Path to Stability to the Middle East

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According to the eminent political scientist Kenneth Waltz, at USA Today, "Iranian nukes? No worries":

The past several months have witnessed a heated debate over the best way for America and Israel to respond to Iran's nuclear activities. Although the U.S., the European Union and Iran have recently returned to the negotiating table, a palpable sense of crisis still looms.

It should not. In fact, a nuclear-armed Iran would probably be the best possible result of the standoff and the one most likely to restore stability to the Middle East.

The crisis over Iran's nuclear program could end in three ways. First, diplomacy coupled with sanctions could persuade Iran to abandon pursuit of a nuclear weapon. But that's unlikely: The historical record indicates that a country bent on acquiring nuclear weapons can rarely be dissuaded. Take North Korea, which succeeded in building its weapons despite countless rounds of sanctions and U.N. Security Council resolutions. If Tehran decides that its security depends on possessing nuclear weapons, sanctions are unlikely to change its mind.

The second possible outcome is that Iran stops short of testing a nuclear weapon but develops a breakout capability, the capacity to build and test one quite quickly. Such a capability might satisfy the domestic political needs of Iran's rulers by assuring hard-liners that they can enjoy all the benefits of having a bomb (such as greater security) without the downsides (such as international isolation and condemnation).

Reconsider Israel

Israel, however, has made it clear that it views a significant Iranian enrichment capacity alone as an unacceptable threat. It would likely continue its risky efforts at subverting Iran's nuclear program through sabotage and assassination— which could lead Iran to conclude that a breakout capability is an insufficient deterrent, after all, and that only weaponization can provide it with the security it seeks.

The third possible outcome of the standoff is that Iran continues its course and publicly goes nuclear by testing a weapon. U.S. and Israeli officials have declared that outcome unacceptable, arguing that a nuclear Iran is an existential threat to Israel. Such language is typical of major powers, which have historically gotten riled up whenever another country begins to develop a nuclear weapon. Yet every time another country has managed to shoulder its way into the nuclear club, the other members have always changed tack and decided to live with it. In fact, by reducing imbalances in military power, new nuclear states generally produce more regional and international stability, not less.

Continue reading.

Professor Waltz is the father of "structural realism," and the appearance of his piece has set off a little flurry of awe around the web. (Note that Harvard's Stephen Walt was a student of Professor Waltz at UC Berkeley back in the day. At one point these "neorealist" scholars were the envy of international relations theory. Now, not so much, not least because such systemic theories are wildly out of vogue, but from my perspective, because such abstract theorizing has been fodder for the most literally diabolical attacks on the Jewish state, the only democracy in the Middle East.)

Jonathan Neumann at Commentary has a bit on Waltz, for example, "The Reality of Structural Realism." And this is good:

The problem with structural realism – its limited analytic value notwithstanding – (as with all structural theories) is that it largely evacuates notions of ideas and agency from world affairs: facts such as Israel’s democratic politics as compared with Iranian theocracy, or the caprices of dictators, or domestic politics, and so forth, do not drastically change a state’s aspirations and behavior. Yet these facts are so critical to any reasonable observer – and, in the case of the Middle East, that includes all the Arab regimes, who have never shown the sort of alarm toward Israel’s supposed nuclear capability that they have toward Iran’s. This reality fatally undermines Waltz’s thesis.

Incidentally, the case of Israel has also undermined the approach of another structural realist, John Mearsheimer. Though his perspective differs slightly from Waltz’s, his obsession with the power of the ‘‘Israel lobby’’ in the United States is inconsistent with his theory that domestic politics are largely irrelevant to the actions of states.

Exactly.

And also at Commentary, from Rich Richman, "Do Iranians Read “Foreign Affairs”?"

And following the links takes us to Waltz's full-length version of his Iran argument at Foreign Affairs, "Why Iran Should Get the Bomb: Nuclear Balancing Would Mean Stability."

I prefer to read the full essay in hard copy, but mine hasn't arrived yet. More on that later. The contents to the new edition is here.

Meanwhile, an earlier version of Waltz's beneficial proliferation thesis is here: "The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: More May Better."

Just Tell Me What Time It Is, Please

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As I was walking down the street one day, a man came up to me and asked me what the time was that was on my watch, and I said, "Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care? If so I can't imagine why. We've all got time enough to cry." -- Chicago

I must have played that song hundreds of times during my disc jockey years, but I never gave a thought to the lyrics until I heard it in my car yesterday and realized that the guy singing it is a complete jerk. I ask you what time it is and you give me that response? You can't imagine why I want to know what time it is? How about because I have to be somewhere at a certain time and I want to make sure I'm not late, that's why.

I'll grant you that 1970, when Robert Lamm wrote the song, was a different era, with some young Americans so unattached from the divisive world they lived in that time and place seemed irrelevant. But I was in junior high school at the time, and if my watch stopped, I might not be on time for Little League practice, which was extremely relevant to me!

Final Table #176: Mike Sexton, Linda Johnson, Marco Valerio

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Today on the Final Table, we continue our coverage of the 2012 World Series Of Poker from the Rio in Las Vegas. Our guests include:

• Mike Sexton, Poker Hall Of Famer best known for his work on World Poker Tour telecasts, who cashed in two events he played simultaneously at this WSOP;
• Linda Johnson, another Poker Hall Of Famer, who helped change a policy regarding bathroom access for female players at the Rio;
• Marco Valerio, the man behind QuadJacks.com's live updates from the WSOP and the new database he's put online that helps players learn more about their tournament opponents.

Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!

We do The Final Table show every Tuesday 3pm to 4pm CT on 590 KFNS radio.

Tom Lehrer in Copenhagen

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Tom Lehrer may have been the wittiest song parodist in our history. He only wrote 37 songs in his years on the scene in the 1950s and 1960s, and performed live a mere 109 times, but his material has lived on thanks to his records and, now, online video (Lehrer lives on, too -- he's 84 as I write this).

Here he is performing in a Student Association hall in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1967. My wife, as much a longtime fan of Lehrer as I, knows every lyric to every song on his "That Was The Year That Was" album, but had never seen his face until we watched this last night. You'll notice three things, I'm sure: some of the students smoking cigarettes and pipes, their rhythmic clapping after each song, and how Lehrer combined clever lyrics with so many different musical styles, from Gilbert & Sullivan to ragtime to a march to showtunes.

[thanks to Meredith Selkirk for tipping me to this]

In Case You Missed It

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From my Twitter feed...

• How seeing Saturn via telescope when he was 5 made my friend Phil Plait want to be a scientist -- and how to get kids to feel that joy today.
• Ten examples of movie stars who bombed on TV, from Jimmy Stewart to Bette Midler to Robert Mitchum to Jonah Hill.
• Matthew Weiner discusses the "Mad Men" finale and says Peggy Olson will be back next season, for awhile anyway.