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Asif Ali Zardari made history on September 8, 2013 by becoming the first elected civilian president of the country to complete his constitutional tenure and to be replaced by an elected individual.
On September 8, 2013, Asif Ali Zardari became the country's first president to complete his constitutional term and hand over duties to another democratically elected president, Mamnoon Hussain — no small achievement for a man occasionally referred to as the 'accidental president'.
But what will come to define his presidency: Rising militancy and a plummeting economy; a voluntary (and much-lauded) cession of his own presidential powers or perhaps those record 93 trips abroad? Or will this upcoming transfer of power, unprecedented in Pakistan, go down in the annals of history as Zardari's greatest feat?
The 18th Amendment
President Asif Ali Zardari will stand out in history as the first president who strengthened the federation and stabilised democracy in Pakistan. Through the 18th Amendment, the parliamentary form of government was restored and several packages for the regions, including Fata reforms, Aghaz-e-Huqooq-e-Balochistan, and the National Finance Commission Award, and the Gilgit Baltistan autonomy, will be remembered as mechanisms to strengthen the federation.
No elected government ever finished its term in Pakistan's history except the last one. Despite several economic and security challenges, the parliament was strengthened, many laws were passed, especially rights-based laws strengthening fundamental rights in the country, providing for an independent judiciary and independent election commission.
During his time, a new political culture free from horsetrading or victimisation emerged, which, it is hoped, will close doors for any military intervention in the future.
The president's policy of reconciliation kept the minority government together for five years through coalition building and keeping all parties in the loop on issues of national security, marked by consensus building at every step. Perhaps these legacies explain why he is the only president to have addressed the parliament five times.
**Nafisa Shah* is a member of the National Assembly and a senior member of the Pakistan Peoples Party*
The grin and the cap
General Zia had a wide smile, not ear-to-ear but pretty close. Remarkably, only his lips used to smile, never his eyes. And there was a laugh to go with the eyes, a hollow, sardonic cackle. Asif Ali Zardari has a wider grin, denture pearls all showing and the laugh creasing up to the eyes. Anyone not knowing him well would perhaps be taken in but anyone with even a remote knowledge of his CV would think twice before putting the grin down to simplicity or innocence.
What will remain, after his presidency, the most etched image in people's minds? Countless trips to China, unannounced trips to Dubai, jaunts in London, stories of pirs and slaughtered black bakras (no joke) to ward off the evil eye? Above all these things will linger, I think, the memory of the grin as if he couldn't believe his luck, that he was where he was, even earning, incredible as it may sound now, a reputation for political genius.
There was some truth to this; not, of course, of genius but of a good deal of cleverness. No comparisons with Bhutto in any other respect but he was a better politician, in a narrow sense of the word, than his vaunted father-in-law. Bhutto had a knack for making enemies.
Zardari gave ample proof of turning even enemies into friends, or, at least, allies.
Given his expertise in what can only be called high finance, he, perhaps, operated on the principle that every man has his price.
The second thing bound to be noted in any gallery of photographs is the cap he occasionally wore on his visits to Central Asia; almost a monkey cap with ear flaps pulled down. Nothing like the headgear worn, say, in Moscow or Ulan Bator; nothing like your simple karakul cap but a choice, with earflaps, all his own.
**Ayaz Amir* is a former parliamentarian and a columnist for The News*
Keeping the party alive
When Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, the Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) heartland in rural Sindh was essentially robbed of a protector and guardian. This view is derided and sneered at in constituencies such as Karachi's NA-250, and Lahore's NA-126, but the contemptuous urban bias against the PPP is exactly part of the sustenance of Sindh's love affair with the Bhuttos and the PPP.
President Zardari was never supposed to be a national leader, and his accidental presidency will forever be tainted by this mere fact. But for all the criticism he has and will endure,
His legacy will likely be defined by how he kept Pakistan's oldest and most robust political party alive and kicking in the wake of BB's funeral.
Pakistan's political history is essentially a story of political parties repeatedly brutalised and demonised so as to create the enduring myth of the military's capabilities to govern. Every other electorally viable party has seen births, rebirths and even more re-rebirths, because the military establishment has successfully cracked open these parties over and over again to serve the dictator of the day. Not the PPP.
The PPP survived General Zia's execution of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his exceptionally spirited attempts to eliminate "traces of Bhutto" altogether. Yet, despite terminating Bhutto and the significant divide between BB and her brother Murtaza Bhutto, Zia failed. BB's enduring legacy is the sustenance of the PPP. Benazir loyalists are repulsed by the comparison, but it is undeniable that Zardari did for the PPP from 2007 to 2013, what she did for it from 1977 to 1988 — he kept it alive.
When they killed BB, Pakistan was supposed to implode into an ethnic free-for-all, from Karachi to Khyber. The PPP was supposed to fold under the pressure of being essentially Bhutto-less, and the political process was supposed to have been terminated.
System-wide resilience can never be attributed to individuals, but if there are two men that deserve credit for the resilience of Pakistani politics in the wake of BB's assassination, they are Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari. Sharif is constructing his legacy as we speak, but Zardari has already written his. He has bequeathed a living, breathing party to senior leaders and the next generation. What they do with it now, will be their responsibility.
**Mosharraf Zaidi* is an analyst and a current-affairs commentator*
Alamdar road, Quetta
Usually short and shiny, the idea of 'defining moments' has its critics. But as with T20s, tweets and fast food, they suit the times we live in. The troubles with this presidency are plain: there are too many of them. Five years of ugliness makes for some compelling press.
There's the snapshot of how it all began: Asif Ali Zardari, formerly in jail, taking oath of office in pinstripes — a luxury afforded to a man whose job history begins and ends with First Husband. Invited to the occasion is Hamid Karzai, a sign of five years of American largesse to come our way, via Raymonds and Salalas and drones strikes. There's the visual of Zulfiqar Mirza, Quran on head, hand over heart, pink from flooding Karachi with weapon licenses, ensuring the streets bled for years. After reducing Lyari to a pile of ash, the president's home minister reminds those 'bhookay nangay' Muhajirs how they had sought out Sindh. And while the coalition partners smile at each other in Islamabad, Karachi becomes a whirl of ethnic bloodletting.
But in the five years of arresting images, it will take a lifetime to forget Alamdar Road, Quetta. Then, as with the floods of 2010, as with the funerals of the shaheeds that fight terror so that we may live oblivious, it was defined by a president just not there. For the Hazaras. For the mothers that refused to bury their dead. For common human dignity.
As the federation tore itself apart, the symbol of the federation, of being whole, was nowhere to be found.
He stayed inside, in whichever fortress of the week, sending along sock puppet Raja Pervez Ashraf instead. A premier that stood out as awful in a line of awful premiers, Mr Ashraf sat among ashen-faced relations numb in the face. When they wept for redress, the information minister gently reminded them, "This isn't a dialogue".
But yes, the 18th Amendment.
**Asad Rahim Khan* is a lawyer and a columnist for the Express Tribune*
Farewell speech on August 26, 2013
Asif Ali Zardari, the most vilified, criticised, unpopular and defamed politician in the history of Pakistan, and the first president to have addressed joint meetings of the parliament five times without interruption, saw an elected parliament completing its term; welcomed a new parliament constituted as a result of general elections; administered an oath to his political rival as the prime minister; witnessed his hand-picked prime minister disqualified by the Supreme Court for not writing a letter to reopen cases against him in the Swiss courts; ignored his second prime minister in bowing to the Supreme Court and dispatching the letter to the Swiss authorities after dragging court proceedings for four years; received a letter from the Swiss authorities expressing inability to reopen the cases; took credit for reconciliation in politics enabling the parliament to make significant amendments in the Constitution, and experienced an active, independent and aggressive media and a popularly restored judiciary. Seldom seen outside the walls of the Presidency; yet, the most talked about and criticised citizen of Pakistan. Probably relishing the agony of those predicting his ouster and arrest for four years. He witnessed the elections of his successor in office without offering himself as a candidate. None were his defining moments.
The defining moment, however, was his first farewell speech on August 26, 2013, in which he declared he would be leaving the office of the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan satisfied.
The most vilified, criticised and unpopular citizen will become the first President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in the past 66 years to have completed his constitutional term; he will hand over the mantle to an elected successor and leave the Presidency with, according to him, a clear conscience. It will end the debate on immunity but his portrait will forever hang on the walls of the Presidency, along with others as an elected President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
**Athar Minallah* is a Supreme Court advocate*
September 8, 2013
Whilst Zardari was president, economic growth slumped to below three per cent per annum. Inflation broke the back of the salaried and wage earning class, and money lost purchasing power. Social services declined, raising health and other costs for the marginalised; security deteriorated to the point that there has been a flight of capital and educated manpower from Pakistan. It can be gathered from this analysis that under President Zardari's tenure, the country went downhill.
But is that the full story? Zardari turned out to be a very smart president, indeed. Lest it is forgotten that before becoming president, he not only suffered imprisonment and torture but also lost his wife, Benazir Bhutto, due to state negligence. Despite all these drawbacks, he and his allies made some remarkable achievements that any political party or alliance will be unable to match for a long time to come. In my view, his outstanding contributions to the nation include the passage of the 18th Amendment that devolved power from a very centralised and ethnically dominated central government to the provinces. He and Raza Rabbani were unmatched in this. The passage of the seventh NFC award transferred more funds to the provinces than was ever thought possible. Here, the contributions of his finance minister, Shaukat Tarin, were outstanding. He lasted through the institutional crisis created by the Memogate maneuver and later the Tahirul Qadri drama; yet, his policy of nonchalance prevented a tussle with the military and saved it from a crisis after the Bin Laden raid.
To my mind, his greatest contribution was to nurture the system of governance and to take it unharmed, for the first time in our history, from one election to the next. No Pakistani leader has ever done this before, nor is this feat likely to be repeated. To my mind, Asif Ali Zardari will rank as one of our most remarkable and astute presidents ever despite all the contradictions of character he displayed. He will encapsulate all this when he hands over the baton to his successor on September 8. It is no mean achievement indeed.
**Khalid Aziz* is a retired bureaucrat*
Text by Herald
Videos produced and edited by Kurt Menezes, Asif Umar, Shameen Khan and M.Umar / Dawn.com
Interviews by Shameen Khan and Qurat ul ain Siddiqui / Dawn.com
Illustrations by Shameen Khan
Project manager Shameen Khan /Dawn.com
Executive Producer: Musadiq Sanwal/Dawn.com
Photo Courtesy: Dawn Archives
Outgoing President Asif Ali Zardari is the 11th head of state of Pakistan and is also the former co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party. During his tenure at the presidency Pakistan achieved many 'firsts' and the PPP led coalition government became Pakistan's first democratically elected government to complete its tenure.
Subsequently under Mr. Zardari's presidency Pakistan also saw the first smooth transfer of power from one elected government to another.
Moreover no executions were carried out during the past five years after a presidential order was issued in 2008 imposing a moratorium on the death penalty.
Ascent to presidency
The murder of the two-time prime minister Benazir Bhutto in Dec 2007, who was also the chairperson of the PPP, meant that mantle of the PPP's leadership fell on her widower Asif Ali Zardari till their son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari came of age.
The PPP, Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) and Awami National Party (ANP) announced the formation of a coalition government after the Feb 2008 elections in which the Mr. Zardari-led PPP had won a simple majority in the Sindh Assembly besides coming second in Punjab, the NWFP and Balochistan assemblies after the PML-N, ANP and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), respectively.
A coalition between the parties which were in the opposition during the predecessing government, under the military rule of dictator Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf, was announced on Feb 21 and Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani was sworn in as prime minister in March 2008 amid issues about the independence of judiciary, including the reinstatement of about 60 judges of superior courts deposed after the Nov 2007 emergency, and the political future of the then president Musharraf.
On Aug 16 the ruling coalition prepared impeachment charges against the military strongman on violation of the constitution and misconduct. As a result Musharraf announced his resignation two days later.
Asif Ali Zardari emerged as the most prospective contender for the post of the president of Pakistan after receiving the backing of his own party and some PPP-allies in the government.
The PML-N announced its exit from the ruling coalition, five months after it was formed, citing difference over the issues of reinstatement of the deposed judges and unilateral nomination of Mr. Zardari as a presidential candidate.
Finally on Sept 9 2008 Asif Ali Zardari was sworn in as the 11th President of Pakistan.
Highlights of term
President Zardari imposed governor's rule in Punjab on Feb 25 2009 and Governor Salman Taseer became the head of the provincial set up after the Supreme Court issued a verdict disqualifying the Sharif brothers.
The government on March 17, 2009 officially announced the restoration of the judiciary, which was sacked by former ruler Musharraf
The government also initiated the Aghaz-i-Huqooq-i-Balochistan package which promised of probes into political murders, halting the construction of new cantonments as well as more local control on resources for the Baloch.
The government also managed to forge a consensus for the seventh National Finance Corporation (NFC) award whereas Mr. Zardari also surrendered the president's power to dissolve Parliament under the 18th Amendment.
Meanwhile the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Dec 16 2009 declared that the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) as never to have existed and against the Constitution by reviving all cases and reversing acquittals of its beneficiaries which included President Asif Ali Zardari among other politicians.
Shortly before handing over of his powers under the 18th Amendment President Zardari on Mar 10, 2010 signed the Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Bill, 2010, which was aimed at providing a safe working environment for women in Pakistan.
The 18th amendment also renamed North West Frontier Province to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It went through the Senate on April 15, 2010 and became an act of parliament after being signed by President Asif Ali Zardari the same month.
In August 2010, President Zardari visited Sindh's areas affected by one of the worst flood disasters to have struck the country.
In Jan 2011, Governor Punjab Salman Taseer was gunned down in Islamabad by one of his security guards, Mumtaz Qadri, of the Punjab Elite Force.
Qadri later said he had killed Taseer because of what he said was the governor's criticism of the blasphemy law.
The president had asked Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and MNA Faryal Talpur to attend Taseer's funeral on his behalf. The funeral was also attended by then Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.
Moreover Pakistan's government minister for religious minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti, was also killed by gunmen on Mar 2 2011in the Federal capital city of Islamabad.
The murder was claimed by Al Qaeda and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan militants.
During Zardari's presidency tenure another aide of the president and the bodyguard of his slain wife were also targeted by unknown militants.
In May 2011, PML-Q joined the PPP-led coalition government at the centre after coalition ally MQM stepped out of the government.
The entry of PML-Q managed to add to the governement's achievements and the portfolio of the first ever deputy prime minister was given to Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.
The year 2011 also witnessed the lowest ebb in ties between the United States and Pakistan which included the Raymond Davis episode, the Osama Bin Laden raid in Abbottabad, and the attack by US forces on a Pakistani security checkpost in Salala.
Pakistan decided to shut down the Nato supply route in reaction to the incident. In July 2012, however the route was reopened, after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she was sorry for the loss of life in a botched air raid.
In Nov 2011, Mansoor Ijaz, a controversial Pakistani-American businessman, named Husain Haqqani, the then Pakistani ambassador to the US, as the source to a memo sent to the then American military chief days after the May 2 US raid on Osama bin Laden's compound, seeking his help to avert a possible military coup in Pakistan.
Haqqani denied the allegation and resigned from his position on Novermber 22nd saying he was "happy to face an inquiry" into the affair.
After a few weeks of intense drama, the controversy mysteriously disappeared as quickly as it had surfaced.
The Supreme Court on June 19 2012 declared Yousuf Raza Gilani disqualified from holding a seat in the parliament from the date of his conviction on April 26, 2012 by a seven-member bench for contempt of court over the governments inaction to write to the Swiss authorities to open graft cases against President Zardari.
Gilani was convicted for contempt over not implementing the Supreme Court's earlier ruling on the NRO.
Following Gilani's dismissal another PPP candidate Raja Pervaiz Asharaf was elected as the 25th Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on June 22, 2012
Besides the government of Balochistan was dismissed in Jan 2013 and governor's rule was imposed in the province. The measure was taken days after the bombings in Quetta that killed over 100 people, most of them Hazaras.
Moreover President Zardari was also the subject of a petition seeking contempt of court proceedings against him for not complying with a Lahore High Court ruling declaring political activities by the president unconstitutional as he was co-chairman of the PPP as well as the President of the republic.
As a result, he relinquished his post of PPP co-chairman and made Bilawal the party's patron-in-chief.
Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf stepped down from his post and a caretaker set-up was installed in the coming days as President Zardai oversaw the May 2013 elections in which the PML-N came into power and apart from the MQM most parties in the earlier coalition government suffered defeats.
Finally on Sept 8 this week President Zardari became the first democratically elected president to complete his term and leave office without creating a crisis in the country's checked history.
The day Mamnoon Hussain was elected as Pakistan's next president, talk show hosts and their guests were having a field day. Some were aghast that a political nobody was set to enter the presidency, others were making snide remarks about the president-elect's culinary talents whereas a few saw his election as a welcome continuation of the democratic process. There was also a class dimension to all that — a common man beating the system. However, the one serious underlying point in the media circus was that a docile or – harshly put – a 'dummy' president was being installed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. We all know that a 'dummy' president is a bad president, or is he?
Pakistan's early years and the first two presidential tenures, in particular, need to be looked at in some detail to understand the historical context that has shaped the lens with which we view the office of the president today. India and Pakistan both inherited the office of the Governor General from their colonial masters, and for the first nine years of Pakistan's existence, the country did not have the office of the president. It was only when the 1956 Constitution was promulgated that the last Governor General, Iskander Mirza, became the first president.
Under the 1956 Constitution, the executive authority of the federation was to be vested in the president who was to act in accordance with the advice of the cabinet, "except in those matters in which he was empowered to act at his discretion". The discretion was generally limited to making administrative appointments but its most significant part was to appoint a prime minister from amongst the members of the National Assembly — a task performed by the Crown in the United Kingdom. The president could impose an emergency or remove the prime minister if, in his opinion, the prime minister had lost the confidence of the assembly. That may seem to give undue power to the president but, to give it some context, the presidential office was after all a metamorphosis of the Governor General's position which combined the powers of the head of state and the head of government.
The 1956 position was bang in the middle of extremes that we were to see starting from General Ayub Khan right up to Hussain.
After kicking out Iskander Mirza, Ayub Khan abrogated the constitution and became Pakistan's first chief martial law administrator. Soon, he installed himself as the president without any election. Without a trace of irony, he introduced a system of local government named Basic Democracy in 1959. The elected Basic Democrats were to also act as an electoral college in a referendum to legitimise his assumption of the office of the president and give him the mandate to make a constitution. In 1960, these Basic Democrats were required to vote by a secret ballot on a brief yet slickly phrased question: "Have you confidence in President Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan, Hilal-i-Jurat?"
This process undid the system of electing the president as given in the 1956 Constitution, and also reintroduced limited voting rights instead of universal suffrage. In hindsight, Basic Democracy, the allowance to make a new constitution and the referendum question were indicative of the time warp we are in. Basic Democracy systems would keep coming back with different names, and both General Ziaul Haq and General (retd) Pervez Musharraf would have recourse to Ayub Khan's toolkit of constitutional changes and referendum.
The 1962 Constitution, framed under Ayub Khan's 'guidance', completely altered the scheme of the previous constitution, introducing a presidential form of government. Ayub Khan's presidency was certainly the high point of presidential power in our history. The president was elected independently of the legislature and exercised all executive power. Ayub Khan remarked about this new scheme by saying, "We have adopted the presidential system as it is simpler to work, more akin to our genius and history, and less liable to lead to instability, a luxury that a developing country like ours cannot afford."
Simple over complex, stability over debate — again, the precedent set by Ayub Khan was to be used in the future to deny the unaffordable luxury of complexity and debate to the country. Ayub Khan's bid to get re-elected in 1965 saw probably the most controversial, farcical presidential election in our history. He went head-to-head with Fatima Jinnah, with the electoral college being the newly-elected, controlled Basic Democrats. Ayub Khan won the election through methods "akin to our genius and history", using force and bribes in turns to woo the Basic Democrats to his side. His eventual decline through a popular revolt led another army chief – General Yahya Khan – to become the president without an election.
Yahya Khan was followed by Zufikar Ali Bhutto as president, for a brief period of time, until the 1973 Constitution was adopted. The new constitution, once again, upended the previous constitutional scheme as far as the office of the president is concerned. The all-powerful president was now not even a shadow of himself — nothing but a figurehead, a rubberstamp and, perhaps, a dummy. Chaudhry Fazal Elahi became the first president under the 1973 Constitution. He was a seasoned politician but hardly a stalwart, much like Hussain. Jokes of his helplessness and obedience to the prime minister still echo in the political annals. The presidency – apart from the comic literature that arose from it – was without event.
In 1977, when General Ziaul Haq took over power, he retained Elahi as the president. The constitutionally elected president was happy to be a prisoner in his own palace, and it was only the prospect of signing Bhutto's death warrant that prompted him to resign — he was not loyal enough to resign when his party leader was arrested but was not disloyal enough to sign his death warrant. This led Haq to appoint himself the president, initially unelected but later endorsed in a sham referendum.
The details of Haq's rule are not the subject here. He, however, did transform the office of the president for many years to come. He did so by inserting the Eighth Amendment in the 1973 Constitution, more specifically, Article 58 (2)(b), which allowed the president to dissolve the National Assembly when, in his opinion, the constitutional machinery of the country had broken down. Haq hardly needed any constitutional provision to allow him to do that (although he did use that article when removing Mohammed Khan Junejo's government), but the presidents following him, namely Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Farooq Leghari, did. After Haq's exit, the president was largely irrelevant in the everyday running of the state but with Article 58 (2)(b) still a part of the constitution, he had an ultimate and fatal power to inflict a deathblow on the elected governments.
The presidential tenures of Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Leghari were steeped in the stories of intrigue, like the rest of the country at the time. They both used Article 58 (2)(b) as a final act in their showdowns with the elected prime ministers. The irony is that the Supreme Court upheld all their government dismissals and parliament dissolutions, except one. In 1993, in the sole exception to the usual course, both the president, Ghulam Ishaq Khan, and then prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, had to go home, even after the court had restored the assemblies and the government.
Justice Rafiq Tarar – like Elahi before him, and like Hussain after him – was a gentleman, and to paraphrase P G Wodehouse, once you had said that about him, you had said all that could possibly be said. Tarar's election as the president had a troubled start when his nomination papers were rejected by the acting chief election commissioner on the grounds that he had made remarks in the past which brought the "judiciary into ridicule". The Lahore High Court later suspended the order of the acting chief election commissioner, allowing the election to go ahead. (The more things change, the more they remain the same, or maybe they do not change at all. Consider the judiciary's intervention in the latest presidential election.)
Musharraf, not bothering about constitutional niceties, appointed himself as Chief Executive of Pakistan, as if the country was a private limited company. Like Haq, he did not remove Tarar, and like Elahi, Tarar watched his party chief get arrested, sent to prison and, later, to exile before his own removal which allowed Musharraf to become the president (initially without so much as even a mention of an election but, later, endorsed through a Zia-esque referendum). His later election, while he was still the army chief, was uniquely scandalous and shameful, even by our basement standards. Musharraf, however, did not use Article 58 (2) (b) even when it was present on the statute books during his regime. It was later scrapped by the 18th constitutional amendment. When Asif Ali Zardari became the president, Article 58 (2)(b) was still valid, and that may explain why he chose to become the president rather than the prime minister — a president bent on mischief could have used that article against his party's government, to dismiss it before the expiry of its constitutional term.
Now comes Mamnoon Hussain, all set to replace Tarar as the harmless loyalist. His election journey got off on the wrong foot. The Supreme Court was petitioned by a member of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz to have the election date changed because the originally scheduled date was falling on the 27th of Ramzan, when members of the electoral college would be busy with spiritual obligations. In an unprecedented move, the Supreme Court accepted the petition on the same day and changed the date of the election without hearing the opposition candidates.
Prima facie violations of natural justice aside, the Supreme Court practically made the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) defunct. Only the ECP is constitutionally empowered to decide or change the presidential election schedule. As a first casualty of such trespassing of the ECP's powers, Fakhruddin G Ebrahim, the chief election commissioner, resigned. The larger implication of the court's intervention, however, is that it has dented the credibility of the election process as well as that of the office of the president and the Supreme Court itself. And it was unnecessary. Hussain would have won, in any case.
The purpose of this not-so-brief history is to understand wherefrom the office of the president derives its power. If one generalises, three broad categories of presidents can be made — the powerful: Ayub Khan, Haq and Musharraf; the dummies: Elahi, Tarar, and now, Hussain; and finally, the intriguers: Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Leghari.
These categories do not include all presidents but they do illustrate a basic point: The powerful presidents have had their source of strength outside of the electoral process and inside the barracks and the General Headquarters (GHQ). Zardari could, arguably, make it into the powerful category, his power being primarily derived from an external source — his position as the co-chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party. The dummies were appointed by the heads of their political parties, and perhaps, deliberately chosen because they were cut off from an independent political powerbase. The intriguers were, basically, like the dummies but enjoyed the powers of Article 58 (2) (b), and perhaps, the GHQ's helping hand.
With the source of strength not being the office of the president itself, does the electoral process for the president become unimportant? Historically, it has not been terribly important in power play. Now, however, we find ourselves in a unique situation. For the first time in Pakistan's history, there was a president and a 'president-elect'. No overthrows, no intrigues — one president departing as another is elected. And that makes the Supreme Court's decision all the more damaging and depressing. Even if Zardari falls in the category of powerful presidents, his political credibility emanated from the electoral process that had installed him in the presidency.
Unlike the men in khaki, he had a stake in the democratic process. Even if for self-interest, Zardari was history's agent for a democratic transformation. These are baby steps, perhaps, but certainly in the right direction. Now all of this risks being undone by the Supreme Court judgment. Hussain was never going to be De Gaulle, yet, he necessarily needed not be Elahi or Tarar, which he will be now. Dummies have been better than strongmen hands down, yet that is not saying all that much.
Both the dummies of the past did not put up a fight at all (or even resign) when military adventurers took over. The docile tend to be docile even when their core values are attacked. Nonetheless, while constitutionally elected Elahi and Tarar are ridiculed as dummies, Ayub Khan's portrait adorns many a truck plying on G T Road and his 'decade of prosperity' is still eulogised in textbooks, never mind his usurpation of power.
Malcolm Gladwell in his book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, identifies the "Warren Harding Error" of how Harding, probably the worst and the most ill-informed president of the United States, made it to the White House because he looked "presidential" — handsome, vague, simple and having a wonderful voice. We persist with the error. Commandos and field marshals still look 'presidential' to us. Hussain's election was an opportunity to set out (or perhaps continue) on the very long journey to rectify it, and it stands squandered.
The president still has an extremely important role as the head of state, particularly with regard to the federation, and particularly in a federation as fragile and divided as ours. Formal constitutional powers have little importance in such a state of affairs but the perception of relative neutrality and political credibility is what matters. That perception of a neutral president elected through a credible electoral process has, perhaps, been irredeemably damaged by the Supreme Court order, even before it could have been built.


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The Last Trapper is a docu-drama about Norman Winther, a Yukon trapper who lived in the bush outside of Dawson with his wife. Together, they lived off the land and endured many hardships. Meet the subject and star Norm Winther, who played himself in the film. He's our special guest this Monday on My Yukon Life Internet radio.
To hear the live broadcast of this episode on June 13 from 5:30pm-6pm Pacific/8:30pm-9pm Eastern, go to: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/myyukonlife/2011/06/14/my-yukon-life. After the live show, you can listen to the podcast anytime at http://184.108.40.206/~yukoner.

subset: commoncrawl


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Results 1 to 16 of 16
Thread: Terrebonne Parish Rifle Range
August 25th, 2011, 08:47 AM #1
Terrebonne Parish Rifle Range
So I have the day off work tomorrow and I was planning on spending some time at the range, but it looks like my Southern Shooting Center is closed for repairs right now
Does anyone frequent the Terrebonne Parish Rifle Range? I'm looking for info about hours, fees, rules, etc., as well as how nice it tends to be and how welcoming they are to civilians. I can't find anything online other than the fact that it exists. I've never been there, but I know where it is.
August 25th, 2011, 09:05 AM #2
Lafourche Parish Sheriffs Range on 182 is the place to go... it's well built (not the cleanest), but it's much better and bigger than the Terrebonne range... $10 to shoot on the weekends only..
August 25th, 2011, 09:12 AM #3
August 25th, 2011, 11:28 AM #4
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- Oct 2009
- Location
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- 237
The only time I will ever go to the Terrebonne range is either on Mondays or Tuesdays, when the range officer is not there. The range officer is a dick IMO. After I finished building my AR I went there one weekend to sight it in. I shot 3 rounds and he told me to go pick it up because the range is not for assult rifles it is for sighting in hunting rifles. Maybe it's because I like shooting and I'm young (24), but every time I go he always gives me crap.
There are no fees at the Terrebonne range. You have to sign a paper saying that you read and understand the range's rules and they give you a card. Hours are 8am -3:30/4pm everyday.
August 25th, 2011, 11:57 AM #5
August 25th, 2011, 06:28 PM #6
I havn't been there in about 2 years and went there Monday. There was a really nice lady working there I will have to spend more time there._________________
"Life is tough ..... It's even tougher if you're stupid." John Wayne
August 25th, 2011, 06:36 PM #7
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- Jan 2011
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- Lockport
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That's where I've been going. Haven't had any problems there. They've been very helpful. Can't beat the price.
August 26th, 2011, 06:08 AM #8
I called the Lafourche Parish range yesterday, and they confirmed that they are in fact open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. I'll be heading that way this morning
September 7th, 2011, 12:32 PM #9
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- Houma
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Here's another vote for the Lafourche Parish range. I've been going there for years. Nice RSO's and ranges...
September 8th, 2011, 12:42 PM #10
he told me to go pick it up because the range is not for assult rifles it is for sighting in hunting rifles..... and why not call the dispatch or the supv. on shift and make a formal complaint for harassment !!!!!
September 10th, 2011, 11:06 AM #11
lafourche range has $100 1 year memberships as well as family plans i shoot for free as a fire fighter
November 11th, 2011, 08:20 PM #12
Anyone know if the range in Terrebonne allows shotgun? Lafourche doesnt currently have any shotgun range setup. Or at least the didnt two saturdays ago.
November 12th, 2011, 07:57 AM #13
Give them a call._________________
"Life is tough ..... It's even tougher if you're stupid." John Wayne
November 12th, 2011, 11:17 AM #14
also, the Lafourche range is open Wed-Sun for civilians now
Last edited by
Russo; November 12th, 2011 at 11:19 AM.
November 12th, 2011, 12:32 PM #15
November 13th, 2011, 08:40 AM #16
Shot at Terrebonne yesterday. They were kind enough to let me do shotgun drills on the pistol range so long as i didnt destroy the targets, which was fine as i just used the burm to the side.
Both times ive been there, they've been outstanding to deal with.


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Author & Former VP Candidate Sarah Palin for ABC's THE VIEW?
As BWW recently reported, ABC's The View has experienced a major shake-up involving hosts Jenny McCarthy and Sherri Shepherd, both of whom will be leaving the long-running morning talk show.
Since the news was announced, a flurry of speculation has began as to who will take over the now vacant hosting chairs. Everyone from Broadway's Idina Menzel, Bernadette Peters, Rosie O'Donnell and Mario Cantone are rumored to be in the running.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, author and former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin even threw her name in the ring, commenting, "I hear everyone recently got canned from The View, maybe a show like that needs a punch of reality and a voice of reason from America's heartland to knock some humble sense into their scripts. You know, someone willing to go rogue."
Read the interview in full here!
Who would you like to see takeover as host of THE VIEW?


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A press release from the UK Green Party says:
A survey carried out by the Green Party shows overwhelming opposition to Government nuclear plans
Energy Survey shows 87% of public opposed to new nuclear power stations
89% agree 'the Government had already decided what they wanted to do about nuclear power stations before this debate started'
66% will take part in mass protests against nuclear power, if new stations are approved
So far so good, except…
The data reported covers a survey of 524 people interviewed between 01 February and 18th April 2006. Fieldwork was split between 324 people taking part at the Greenenergyworks website and 190 interviewed via self completion questionnaires distributed public meetings and street stalls held by local Green Party groups across England and Wales. Quality systems were included such that no respondent could complete the survey more than once.
They did not survey a random sample of the population so the survey is worthless as a measure of what the public thinks. I suspect that people who visit Green Party street stalls or web sites are more likely to oppose nuclear power than the general population.
Unfortunately the bogus survey made it into the Independent:
The Green Party published the results of a survey of 500 members of the public, which it said "dramatically" highlighted public opposition to a new generation of nuclear power stations.
Almost nine out of 10 people rejected the nuclear option, while 98% backed greater investment in renewable energy and 99% said more should be done to promote energy-saving measures in the home.
"This puts paid to any suggestion that nuclear power is accepted as a necessary evil by the UK," said party spokesman Keith Taylor.
"Despite the Government's ceaseless attempts to frame the debate as one of 'nuclear, or the lights go out', the British public are not convinced."
References to the poll appear in a Google News Search in the Guardian and the Telegraph, but not in the linked stories.
Renewables alone cannot fill energy gap, says Darling
Guardian Unlimited, UK – Jul 11, 2006
… The Green party published the results of a survey of 500 members of the public, which, it said … Almost nine out of 10 people rejected the nuclear option …
Key energy review backs nuclear power
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom – Jul 11, 2006
… In an opinion poll commissioned for the party, almost nine out of 10 people rejected the nuclear option, while 98 per cent backed greater investment in …
It looks like those two papers realized that the poll was worthless and corrected their stories but the original version was still in Google's cache.
Many thanks to Naadir Jeewa who sent me the press release from the Green Party and found the disappearing Guardian reference.


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On this week's episode of My Yukon Life podcast radio, I take you to a remote camp reachable only by dog team or ski-doo in winter or by boat in summer. It was a stopover for the old mail run between Atlin, British Columbia and Carcross. The mail was delivered by dog team between those two locations, over frozen lakes and through a snowy mountain pass.
There's lots of history in that area, and I'm going to share some of what I learned when I traveled there recently by ski-doo from my cabin in Tagish. If you've ever wanted to mush dogs or ice fish in absolute wilderness, you won't want to miss this week's episode.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:23 — 17.4MB) | Embed


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I am learning to listen. Yes, I am forty years old, but I am just now understanding what it means to listen. As I was growing up, I thought I knew what it meant to listen. I could listen to my parents in order to stay out of trouble. I could listen to my teachers in order to pass tests. But, I'm just now learning to truly listen.
What I mean is this: I am finally learning what it means to listen to someone in order to understand them. This is different (I am learning) from listening to someone in order to refute them or argue with them. Instead, I am learning to listen to what someone is saying so that I can better understand and know that person.
A news article that has helped me in this is one that I read on Yahoo called "Christians and atheists start a calmer dialogue" (don't stop at the first few paragraphs – you must read past those first paragraphs to get to the real story). Consider this paragraph toward the end of the article:
Pastor Wyman has been reaching out to non-Christians in Salem, and particularly to the large neopagan community here (attracted, no doubt, by Salem's identification with witchcraft in Colonial times). His stereotypes about witches were often wrong, he says. Having formed respectful relationships, he's now being asked to come to pagan events to speak about Christian perspectives.
Notice that Phil Wyman has developed "respectful relationships" with unbelievers, and now those same unbelievers are asked him to speak at their conferences. It sounds like Mr. Wyman has learned to listen.


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Waterford, Michigan, couldn't be more aptly named. This small community located northwest of Detroit is filled with lakes, rivers and ponds. Virtually every house comes with a section of beachfront or easy access to one of the many waterways.
Residents enjoy a variety of watersports year round. During the summer, the larger lakes fill with speedboats towing water skiers and tubers, while the smaller lakes accommodate more tranquil activities like fishing and kayaking. Once the lakes freeze over in the winter, many ice skaters head out on the lake to practice figure of eights or take part in a friendly neighborhood game of hockey. Ice shanties can also be seen dotting the surface of the ice, providing some shelter to ice fisherman out braving the cold.
Waterford provides an ideal setting for residents who love to participate in outdoor activities and enjoy watersports of all kinds. Most people live and play in this largely residential community and commute to other suburbs of Detroit for work.
Rent Trends
As of September 2017, the average apartment rent in Waterford, MI is $2,246 for a studio, $749 for one bedroom, $915 for two bedrooms, and $1,164 for three bedrooms. Apartment rent in Waterford has increased by 5.7% in the past year.
Waterford hosts an eclectic selection of restaurants. Visitors can always grab a quick sandwich at Firehouse Subs before heading to the lake for the day, but for some fine dinning with an Asian flare, head over to Hot Pepper Thai Restaurant. Every dish can be cooked to order, allowing diners to choose just how spicy they want their pad thai. The restaurant serves up a long list of noodle dishes and house specials that all come with fresh vegetables and your choice of chicken, beef or seafood. Try the Pla Lard Prik for a taste of local catfish dressed in garlic ginger and sour chili sauce.
La Marsa serves ups classic Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food. Try the lamb shawarma with a heaping side of freshly made hummus and pita bread. The owners take pride not only in creating delicious food but also in providing healthy, nutrient rich fare to their customers. Don't hesitate to ask them more about the food philosophy. They will be more than happy to discuss the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet.
The local nightlife mainly consists of pulling up a stool at one of the many bars along the lakes or stopping by the Shark Club to play some a few games of pool. This bar and pool hall provides a great place for locals to hangout and socialize.
To celebrate special events with a big night on the town, residents head to the nearby Detroit area where they can catch a professional baseball or football game, eat at some of the award winning restaurants, catch a show at the Detroit Opera House or Fox Theater and do some gambling at one of several area casinos.
Up until the early 1800s, Waterford was mainly populated by a local Indian tribes. The Hurons, Iriquois, Ottawas, Sashabaws and many others called this area home and were able to thrive by living off the plentiful supply of fish and game. However, European settlers eventually pushed these tribes further west and by 1819, families where beginning to build homesteads and sawmills. Over the ensuing decades, more people began to move to the area to enjoy the natural setting and close proximity to Detroit.
Waterford has an active historical society that holds annual events to celebrate the early history of this area. Every March, the Fashion Show and Luncheon serves up delectable treats and highlights how fashion has changed over the centuries. The Log Cabin Days Festival held every June, also draws big crowds with food, entertainment and historical exhibits and re-enactments.
Drivers can easily get around Waterford by using M-59, which cuts east and west through the city or hopping north or south on M-24, although parking can be a little tricky. However, if residents don't have a car, commuting can be difficult. This small town does not offer any regular public transportation, and the narrow streets that wind between lakes don't always leave enough room for sidewalks or bike lanes. The more heavily populated subdivisions tend to be more pedestrian friendly, but with so many rivers and lakes, large areas and open land are at a premium. In a pinch, residents can call for a cab or find a ride using Uber.
The cost of living in Waterford runs on par with many of Detroit's outlying suburbs. A one-bedroom apartment rents for about $594 per month. Residents can fill up their gas tanks for prices that trend about 9 percent below national averages. Grab a drink at one of the local bars, and pay just $3 for a bottle of domestic beer.
While Waterford does play host to some of the bigger retail chains like Home Depot, the city does not have a central shopping district or even a downtown area. Business are strewn along M-59, but these tend to be doctors' offices, car repair shops and dry cleaners. For a larger variety of stores and shopping options, residents head north on M-24 to the Great Lakes Mall in Auburn Hills, which offers dozens of outlet stores and great bargains. Visit high-end stores like Sax Fifth Avenue or stop at the Gap for that favorite pair of jeans.
One unique aspect of Waterford is the abundance of thrift stores and consignment shops. Residents can spend the day searching for hidden treasures and antiques at one of these speciality stores. Visit the sprawling Digs Consignment Shop to explore a large array of furniture and knickknacks to decorate your home.
Sax 59 specializes in selling gently used clothing. Parents from around the community head there to stock up on children's clothing and toys although the store has plenty for adults to choose from as well. Shoppers can also bring in their own clothes to sell for a little extra cash.
Residents visit Meijer for all their grocery and household needs and head to the Oakland County Farmer's Market on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays throughout the year to shop for local produce, crafts and all sorts of artisan wares.
The Waterford Oaks County Park provides residents with the perfect place to enjoy a variety of outdoor activities. This 185-acre park has 3 miles of hiking trails, lit tennis courts, a community greenhouse and a waterpark that opens during the summer. Residents can use most of the amenities free of charge, although the public pool does charge a small fee.
During the winter families flock to the sledding hill for a day of fun in the snow and dogs are welcome in most areas of the park as long as they are kept on a leash.
Every October, the city hosts the Harvest Happening for families to enjoy hayrides, games, a petting zoo and much more. Residents also gather for the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
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Country Fried Chicken
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There's nothing better than good-old fashioned country-style cooking! Prepare and marinade this chicken just like Mom used to with a delicious, homemade tomato and garlic marinade!
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GREENSBORO (North Carolina), Aug 19: Spain's Sergio Garcia fired a four-under-par 66 to take the lead after the third round of the Wyndham Championship on Saturday and fuel his bid to play in a sixth Ryder Cup.
Garcia missed the cut at the US PGA Championship last week to fall outside the automatic qualification zone for the Ryder Cup, but he has bounced back in North Carolina to take a one shot lead on 14-under 196 at the Sedgefield Country Club.
The 32-year-old is one clear of American youngster Bud Cauley, who matched Garcia's 66 on Saturday, and South African Tim Clark who shot a 67 to also end the day on 197.
A first win on the PGA Tour in four years would guarantee Garcia's inclusion in the European side when the team is chosen in just over a week's time for the Sept 28-30 matches.
World No 9 Jason Dufner fired the round of the day, a 63, to rocket up into a tie for fourth at 198 alongside fellow American Harris English (68) and former champion Carl Pettersson (68) of Sweden.
American Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III (66) is among three players in a tie for seventh at 199 while defending champion Webb Simpson is still in the mix at 10-under despite poor putting leading to a disappointing one-over 71.—Reuters


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Whether you're an occasional century rider or a seasoned criterium racer, a good cycling coach can help you to take your cycling to the next level when it may be hard to do so on your own. But in order to reap all of the benefits, you'll have to find the right coach—and one that fits all of your individual needs.
A coach wears many hats: He or she will be an assessor, a workout provider, a motivator, a psychologist and a teacher. But there are other qualities that you'll need to consider before you can find the perfect coach for you. Is he or she a good personality fit? Is he flexible with your schedule, and invested in your success?
Look for these key attributes that every good coach should have before you decide to sign up.
More: 3 Drills to Improve Pedaling Technique
1. Partnership: Training and event success must be a team goal. Cyclists must own the process and outcome of their achievements. However, a coach has to invest in each of their athlete's success. Both parties must work together and trust each other so that the plan setting and execution will ultimately lead to the best outcome possible.
2. Experience and track record: Ideally a coach will have multiple athletes that can provide testimony to the success they have had working together. It takes a significant amount of time for a coach to build an applied body of knowledge that is tried and true. Without a history, a successful partnership will be risky.
3. Willingness to listen and adjust: A plan is only the first step. Life happens and requires constant adjustments and accommodations. Illness, injury, fatigue and unexpected events all can work to derail the path toward success. An athlete must communicate with the coach while experiencing these scenarios so that the coach can make the necessary adjustments. A good coach must be flexible enough to accommodate unexpected circumstances.
More: Do You Need a Cycling Coach?
4. Understanding of physiology: Coaches must have an operating knowledge of an athlete's response (adaptation) to exercise, and this must be personalized. Each person is unique and will handle the mix of volume and intensity differently. Coaches need to monitor their athletes regularly to determine how to adjust or increase training volume to reach long-term success. Volume though, is not the only consideration. Response to heat, life or work stress, and other stimuli that affect the ability to perform at one's best must be considered in creating the plan.
5. Building a network: A coach should be able to provide an athlete with all of the products and services required to be successful. If a coach doesn't directly provide a service, he or she should have a trusted resource available for an athlete to rely on. This includes a bike-fit specialist, performance testing, nutrition planning, bike maintenance, massage and physical therapy and other well-known health professionals. Having a network of people available is vital to an athlete's preparation toward race day.
6. Locality: Coaching certainly can be done remotely (and very successfully), but there is no substitute for a brick-and-mortar operation that allows an athlete to come in for a face-to-face meeting. Selecting a coach in your area provides opportunity to ride together and assess areas or skills of your ability that need improvement. Pedaling technique, standing on climbs and positioning in the wind, etc. are all examples of specific ways a local coach can watch and recommend changes to improve your performance.
More: 8 Cycling Hand Signals for Your Next Group Ride
7. Communication: A good coach will ask for regular feedback from the athlete so that they can monitor and adjust the plan. While unlimited access to a coach may be overkill, regular communication and discussion are vital to goal achievement. Limiting the frequency of communication may help lower the cost, but consider the ramifications of only being able to convey problems that arise on a sporadic basis.
8. Intangibles: There are subtle tasks that a coach may be willing to help with that improve the experience such as downloading data, not charging for every minute spent together, etc. Coaches should be agreeable (within reason) to do those things that help their athlete's succeed. Teaching and sharing his or her knowledge that's been accumulated over the years should fall into this category as well.
Though this is not an exhaustive list, these are some of the key considerations when looking to partner with a coach. Remember that your success is paramount and selecting someone that will invest in you can enable you to grow in ways you could not accomplish on your own.
More: 12 Cycling Tips to Become an Expert Climber
Ready to ride? Search for a cycling event.


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The Return of Subprime Scamming
This seems like a brilliant idea from the folks who brought you the financial crisis:
After years as the lending market's undesirables, aspiring home buyers with less-than-stellar credit are being offered home loans again—with some of the same conditions and catches critics say tripped up subprime borrowers five years ago.
According to analysts, a handful of private investment firms have started making home loans to borrowers who fail to meet banks' requirements, which got tighter post-crash and have largely stayed that way. And for now they are holding them on their books, which is novel. At least two, Athas Capital Group, of California, and New Penn Financial, which is owned by Shellpoint Partners, of New York, are also making jumbo loans, or loans in most parts of the country that exceed $417,000, as the federal government appears to be scaling its support of that market.
The loans are designed to include borrowers with credit scores deemed low by banks' standards; they also have more-flexible requirements for proof of income. Banks have been too slow to extend credit to such people, the firms say, leaving otherwise responsible borrowers out in the cold—and potential profits on the table. "It's often a minor detail, why banks won't approve them," says Brian O'Shaughnessy, chief executive at Athas Capital.
The good news is that so few people are buying homes right now that there are less of these loans in circulation. But that's just for now. Mortgage brokers are finding that the "sucker born every minute" philosophy propounded by P.T. Barnum is actually what keeps their industry afloat. The cash for these loans is coming from private investment firms rather than the big banks, which cannot securitize the loans as easily as during the bubble, because that market is practically frozen.
Still, you can see these loans to borrowers with low credit schools as gateway drugs. It won't be long before more credit-worthy borrowers will be given the same terms, option ARMs with exploding rates after two years and the like. This scam worked for many years before nearly taking the financial industry down. There's no reason why the mortgage industry won't think it'll work again, at least to goose short-term profits.
These loans reportedly require a higher down payment, and actually require some documentation, as opposed to the no-doc or liar's loans of the past. And to be sure, Dodd-Frank made some of the worst practices of the industry illegal. But many of the practices were illegal before. It didn't stop anyone.
And keep in mind that this is happening while the servicing industry is still abusing its clients, foreclosing without proper documentation and ripping off borrowers with fee pyramiding. Not to mention that the industry feels there is an imperative to speed up foreclosures. What does that mean for people who take out these loans if and when they get behind?
I could see a lot of liberals who value homeownership as a means of wealth creation agreeing with Athas Capital Group and New Penn Financial and other private investment firms who are letting some borrowers shut out of the system to gain access to credit. They are providing a ladder to the middle class, they would say. I see it as nothing more than a ladder to financial ruin.
…I should add that this is why we need a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to end this kind of abuse of the borrower. But the Obama executive order on "look-back" regulatory reform will tie up agencies like CFPB with needless pruning of old regulations, when the looming crises demand new ideas. It's just a waste of time and effort.


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Researchers at the University of West Florida's Institute for Human and Machine Cognition in Pensacola are developing a symbol-based, flight-deck display that is capable of providing an instantaneous presentation of an aircraft's flight situation to the pilot. Named Oz, the surprisingly intuitive concept is seen as applicable to all fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, large and small, civil and military.
The Institute's research team, headed by David Still, a former U.S. Navy commander with two doctorates in vision science–and also a private pilot currently building a Rutan Long-Eze–developed the Oz concept with $1.2 million in grants from NASA and the Navy's Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory. (The Oz name came from the need, during early experiments, to have a rear projector operator behind a curtain, reminiscent of the 1939 movie.)
Still claimed that trained pilots typically spend half a second–and often longer–per instrument during a conventional instrument scan. They then must integrate these readings with those from engine instruments and other system indicators–most of which use different units, scales and values–to derive an overall understanding of the current flight environment, which they finally compare to the optimum aerodynamic flight profile. Oz is aimed at eliminating this process.
Instantaneous Situational Awareness
In addition to providing airspeed, attitude, altitude, heading and vertical speed in symbolic form, Oz also graphically portrays the configuration of power settings, lift/drag cues, gear, flaps, trim, navaids, airports and a variety of other data. All information is tailored via software to the specific aircraft's characteristics, with certain display elements altering smoothly under differing aerodynamic conditions. For example, flap deployment lowers the symbolic stall speed limit, while increased weight and bank angle increase it. Other than heading, which is permanently displayed on an upper horizontal bar, all other numerical target values, such as airspeed, altitude and vertical velocity are initially selected by the pilot to set the graphical display and, once set, can be removed or minimized. From then on, the display provides a complete and instantaneous symbolic picture of the total flight regime.
Oz also replaces the traditional blue/ brown, sky/earth ADI background with a "star field" that moves outward from the center of the screen–somewhat like the opening shots of a "Star Trek" TV serial–to provide powerful attitude and angular heading cues, even when viewed peripherally, to use a word frowned on by vision scientists.
Try It for Yourself
The system's extensive graphics repertoire includes vertical airspeed bars, which move inward to stall speed and outward to Vne, and also show power available, while the cranked "wings" represent the individual aircraft's lift/drag ratio curve across its speed range, and kinked at the maximum lift-over-drag point. In more advanced aircraft, the kink is flattened to indicate the best climb rate (Vy) and best climb angle (Vx). Rolling to align an outer wing section with the horizon establishes a standard-rate turn, appropriate to type and airspeed, while setting the lower or upper edge of the center steering circle on the horizon respectively establishes a preset climb or descent rate. And there are many other features, too numerous to describe here.
Still told AIN that military and airline pilots have been impressed by Oz. The system is now ready for flight tests, and Still is shopping around at NASA and elsewhere for an appropriate aircraft. He noted that Oz is compatible with later versions of Microsoft's Flight Simulator and he can provide interested pilots with data to allow them to test fly the system on their home computers. For more information, contact Still at email@example.com.


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This indenture made this sixteenth day of January in the year of our Lord, one thousand Eight hundred and two, between John C. Hamilton of the county of Sumner and state of Tennessee of the one part, and Josiah Perry of the state and county aforesaid of the other part, witnessed that I the said J. C. Hamilton for and in consideration of the sum of five hundred dollars in hand paid by the said Josiah Perry, hath bargained and sold a certain tract of land, lying and being in the county of Sumner and Davidson on the North side of Cumberland River on Manskers Creek in the state of Tennessee, containing by estimation two hundred and thirteen acres and one third, be the same more or less, begins and runs as follows, (to wit) Beginning at a Hickory and two white oaks running thence West along Moore's line two hundred and sixty four poles to a Black Gum and Beach, thence North one hundred and thirty four poles to a sugar tree & Beach near Thomas Harrison's improvement, thence East two hundred and sixty four poles to a Hickory and ash, thence South one hundred and thirty four poles to the beginning, with all the privileges advantages and appurtenances thereunto belonging, and I the said John C. Hamilton for me, my heirs executors and administrators do warrant secure and forever defend the right and title of the before recited premises to him the said Josiah Perry his heirs executors and administrators or assigns forever against all lawful claim or claims of any person or persons whatsoever. In witness where of I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and date above written. John C. Hamilton (Seal)
signed sealed and delivered in the presence
Isaac Walton
Acknowledged in open court.
Registered and Examined May the 28th 1803. David Wilson, Reg.
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A king dined with his sister, his friend and his friends wife.
All of them are greedy and the only way to stop them from fighting is to
give them an equal share of food.
During dessert, the cook came out with only 3 pies,
how do you divide it equally to save them from strife.
P.S. no more pies can be baked


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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with the forum of nine leading ministers Monday night to discuss the Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire that would end Operation Pillar of Defense against terrorists in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Al-Arabiya reported earlier Monday evening that that a ceasefire may go into effect within 24 hours.
There was no official Israeli statement released.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)


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COPENHAGEN (Jan. 10)
Israel's oldest friend in the Danish Parliament, Axel Larsen, died today at 74, leaving a gap in the ranks of left-wing parliamentarians supporting Israel's position in the Middle East. Mr. Larsen, who represented the Social Folk Party, always backed Israel and the Jewish people, especially Danish Jews.
During World War II he was a member of the Danish underground. Caught by the Nazis and deemed too important to be killed, he was sent to Neugamme concentration camp, where he stayed until war's end in 1945. After the liberation Mr. Larsen was a Cabinet minister in Denmark's first national coalition government. He visited Israel several times and made contact with its leading left-wing faction, Mapam, as well as with Histadrut, the labor federation. The Israeli Embassy here sent an official letter of condolence to Mr. Larsen's family and party today.


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HONOLULU — President Barack Obama doesn't seem to shy away from the divisive social and cultural topics that Americans are debating in their living rooms, gyms and workplaces.
He has spoken out about the responsibility of fathers to raise their children, has condemned the arrest of a prominent black Harvard professor who said he was the victim of racial profiling, was heard chastising Kanye West for the rapper's rude behavior at the MTV Video Music Awards, and recently said his views on gay marriage were "evolving" from his previous opposition.
On Monday, the buzz was about how the president had weighed in on the redemption of Michael Vick. Obama phoned the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles to praise the team for giving a second chance to the quarterback, who is again an NFL star 19 months after leaving prison for his role in a dogfighting ring that killed pit bulls by electrocution, hanging and drowning.
Obama has not spoken publicly about the call, though aides acknowledged that it took place. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie told Peter King of Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports that during their conversation Obama was passionate about Vick's comeback.
"He said, 'So many people who serve time never get a fair second chance,' " said Lurie, who did not say when the call occurred. "He said, 'It's never a level playing field for prisoners when they get out of jail.' And he was happy that we did something on such a national stage that showed our faith in giving someone a second chance after such a major downfall."
Bill Burton, a White House spokesman, said Obama "of course condemns the crimes that Michael Vick was convicted of, but, as he's said previously, he does think that individuals who have paid for their crimes should have an opportunity to contribute to society again."
Burton said Obama called Lurie in part to discuss plans for the use of alternative energy at Lincoln Financial Field, where the Eagles play.
Vick, whom endorsers shunned after the dogfighting controversy, is now the pitchman for a Nissan dealer in Woodbury, N.J., outside Philadelphia. But the general manager of the dealership acknowledged in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer that he had taken criticism for embracing the quarterback.
Fans in Philadelphia and elsewhere have generally stopped bringing anti-Vick signs to games as they did last year, but Vick's emergence as one of the league's top players has revived debate about whether he should be so enthusiastically embraced less than two years after he left prison.
Vick pleaded guilty in 2007 to the dogfighting charges and served a 19-month sentence.


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I am hoping to find a recipe for sugar cookies like the ones sold at grocery stores, I think a 10 pack for like $3. They always sell them at the bakery section (Target and Walmart Super Stores) with different color icing and sprinkles ... depending the time of the year. The cookie is very soft and quite good, don't care much for the icing.
Anyway, my son loves them and I want to try to make them for him. It is very different from NFSC.
Thanks soooooo much! My 6 year old wil be forever grateful
Here is a pic:
I know JUST what you're talking about (picture wouldn't load for me). They are my favorite. I thought they only had the regular flavored ones.. but during 4th of july I found key lime and lemon ones. Yum.
I wish I could help you but I can't But, I too would LOVE recipe for a fluffy, soft, flavorful sugar cookie.
I don't know the cookies you're talking about, but I love soft cookies!
I found a recipe that says it's the original Lofthouse sugar cookie recipe...I know sometimes the packages will say Lofthouse, or they did before Walmart started making their own.
It was posted in another forum and there's no instructions just the lists of ingredients.
Lofthouse Cookies:
2 eggs
2 C. sugar
2 C. cream
2/3 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 C. shortening (Lard)
Vanilla to taste
Enough flour to form a soft ball (She told me that the key to making soft, fluffy cookies is to add a lot of flour. But she didn't tell me how much. )
I assume that you just mix all of the ingredients together because there are no special directions listed. Bake at 350º (again no specified time) and the cookies need to stay white.
1 pkg. powdered sugar
1 egg
1 can condensed milk (for spreading)
1 tsp shortening
1 tsp butter
The icing recipe looks weird to me but the cookie one might be right. I haven't tried it because I can't stand those cookies anymore...my husband bought probably six packages when I broke my leg and he was trying to cheer me up and I'm never eating them again
Thanks!! I have seen that recipe before and it is on my "to try" recipe list in my quest for the Lofthouse recipe. I think the ones at Walmart and Target are still Lofthouse but they pay to have them packaged under their names ... or so I was told.
Thanks so mucn for the recipe, I do appreciate it!
Ooooh I can't WAIT to try these! I might jsut do it tonight..
You think one package of powdered sugar is the 4cup/1lb pound bag or the 2lb bag? I guess i'll figure it out once I see the consistency..
Pls do tell us how they turn out. I love those cookies too. If that recipe works i'll be making them pronto.
Did you google Lofthouse Cookies Recipe? There's boatload of stuff there.
Did you google Lofthouse Cookies Recipe? There's boatload of stuff there.
Did you google Lofthouse Cookies Recipe? There's boatload of stuff there.
Yes I did, I also read all the reviews and some say that even though it makes a tasty cookie, it's not quite like the lofthouse.
By tasting the cookies, it seems to me that they use PS instead of regular sugar ... I'll try the recipe out and report back
Hmm.. these seem to yield good results too based on the reviews:
I will try them this weekend. If you look at the pictures, many of them have that nice fluffy appearance to them much like are loved grocery store ones!
here is another one, which due to the large amount of eggs.. makes me think they will be cake like..
Ok I tried the above recipe I posted, the one from all recipes. In my opinion, the texture, fluffiness, softness was there. I beat the sugar/fat combo for a good 10 minutes to ensure air was incorporated. I didn't have vanilla so I feel like I can't comment on the taste. I used butter vanilla by ML and some Almond emulsion. They tasted great but a little sweeter (imo) than the store bought ones.
I say they are worth trying!
Ok I tried the above recipe I posted, the one from all recipes. In my opinion, the texture, fluffiness, softness was there. I beat the sugar/fat combo for a good 10 minutes to ensure air was incorporated. I didn't have vanilla so I feel like I can't comment on the taste. I used butter vanilla by ML and some Almond emulsion. They tasted great but a little sweeter (imo) than the store bought ones.
I say they are worth trying!
Does looking at the ingredients list on the label help? The 10X sugar sounds like it would work well for the very soft consistency those cookies have. Some older recipes I've seen with 10X and/or sour cream sound very soft, but they require rolling and cutting. That would for sure take the fun out of re-creating them!
Tons of orders this week, so PLEASE -someone try it and let us know!
I too am a fan of those store cookies but I can't stand the icing. Thanks for creating this thread! I'm going to keep my eye out for recipes and comments and when one seems right I'll definitely post.
Hi! I have a cheater recipe off a box of cake mix for "cake cookies" that taste better to me than the ones from Walmart. Here it is, if you want to try it:
1 (18.9 oz) box cake mix
1/3 C oil
2 eggs
Combine ingredients, stir until thoroughly moistened. Shape into 1" balls (or as big as you want ) Place 2" apart and flatten to 1/4" thickness. Bake at 375* for about 8-10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool a minute before removing from sheet. Frost.
They bake up soft and fluffy, I like that I can make any flavor & quickly. Normally I'm a "from scratch" girl, but these are fast and good- HTH
Mmm. I love cake mix cookies, but I think they are MUCH different than the lofthouse ones. I make lemon cakemix cookies all the time and sprinkle them w/ powdered sugar. Yum yum yum.
The allrecipe's one I posted a few posts up seriously is just like the lofthouse cookies. They have been sitting out a few days and are STILL soft w/ that perfect consistancy.. not too soft.. not too hard, nice and fluffy. Mmmmmm.
What frosting recipe would you use to replicate the Lofthouse Cookie Frosting?


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Sensational Nigerian artiste and reported father of one, Ayodeji Balogun, who is well known as Wizkid, has been signed for a multi million naira Pepsi deal.
The brand endorsement came just days after fellow singer, Tiwa Savage was signed by the kola drink giant, Pepsi.
According to what we reliably scooped to be the worth of the deal, the endorsement added about $350,000 more into Wizkid's bank account.
We could not authoritatively confirm the duration of the signed endorsement agreement but a source disclosed that the deal runs for more than 12 months.
Some weeks ago, Tiwa Savage was also signed by the beverage giant. Both Tiwa Savage and Wizkid have already started shoots for commercials for Pepsi.


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The Intensively Monitored Watershed (IMW) project is a joint effort of the Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife and Ecology, NOAA Fisheries, EPA, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and Weyerhaeuser Company and is financially supported by the Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board. The premise of the IMW project is that the complex relationships controlling salmon response to habitat conditions can best be understood by concentrating monitoring and research efforts at a few locations. Focusing efforts on a few locations allows enough data on physical and biological attributes of systems to be collected to allow the detection of the effects of restoration treatments on salmon production. The IMW cooperators have begun collecting water quantity, water quality, habitat, summer juvenile fish abundance, and smolt production data and are identifying specific restoration actions for each IMW treatment watershed. IMWs are an efficient method of achieving the sampling intensity necessary to detect the response of salmon to a set of restoration actions.
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The IMW project compares changes in salmon production among experimental treatment (restoration) and control (no restoration) watersheds. The IMW watersheds were selected to provide meaningful comparison. There are three IMW watershed complexes (sets of control and treatment watersheds) that differ in physical characteristics, land use patterns, climate and salmon relative abundance. Differences among watershed complexes enhances our ability to generalize results to other watersheds. Differences among watersheds and complexes also provide opportunities to address a range of factors that contribute to habitat degradation. The IMWs in western Washington focus on coho salmon, and steelhead and cutthroat trout.
Three IMW programs are conducted in freshwater habitat. These are the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Hood Canal, and the Lower Columbia. The Strait of Juan de Fuca complex consists of three watersheds: West Twin River, East Twin River, and Deep Creek. The Hood Canal complex consists of four watersheds: Stavis Creek, Big Beef Creek, Seabeck Creek, and Little Anderson Creek. The Lower Columbia complex consists of three watersheds: Mill Creek, Abernathy Creek, and Germany Creek. A fourth IMW program in estuary habitat is conducted in Skagit River estuary by the Skagit River Systems Cooperative and National Marine Fisheries Service.
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