text:
After the demolition in Wadi al-Jouz, the army came to our neighborhood with loudspeakers. They said that they would destroy our neighborhood like they destroyed Wadi al-Jouz and Masha` al-Arb`een should a single bullet be fired from here.
¾A woman who observed the destruction of the Wadi al-Jouz neighborhood from an adjacent neighborhood.
Since July 2012, Syrian authorities have deliberately demolished thousands of residential buildings, in some cases entire neighborhoods, using explosives and bulldozers, in Damascus and Hama, two of Syria's largest cities. Government officials and pro-government media outlets have claimed that the demolitions were part of urban planning efforts or removal of illegally constructed buildings. However, the demolitions were supervised by military forces and often followed fighting in the areas between government and opposition forces. These circumstances, as well as witness statements and more candid statements by government officials reported in the media indicate that the demolitions were related to the armed conflict and in violation of international humanitarian law, or the laws of war.
Human Rights Watch concluded that seven cases of large-scale demolitions documented in this report violated the laws of war either because they served no necessary military purpose and appeared intended to punish the civilian population, or because they caused disproportionate harm to civilians. Those responsible for the wanton destruction of civilian property or for imposing collective punishment have committed war crimes and should be investigated and held to account.
The first incident of large-scale demolitions documented by Human Rights Watch took place in July 2012. Satellite imagery analyzed by Human Rights Watch shows that since then, the Syrian authorities have demolished a total of at least 145 hectares—an area equivalent to about 200 soccer fields—of mostly residential buildings in seven neighborhoods in Hama and Damascus. Many of the demolished buildings were apartment blocks several stories high, some as many as eight. Thousands of families have lost their homes as a result of these demolitions.
All of the documented demolitions took place in areas widely considered by the authorities and by witnesses interviewed by Human Rights Watch to be opposition strongholds. As far as Human Rights Watch knows, there have been no similar demolitions in areas that generally support the government, although many houses in those areas were also allegedly built without the necessary permits.
Some of the demolitions took place after heavy fighting between government and opposition forces. In Damascus, for example, government authorities demolished residential buildings in the Tadamoun and Qaboun neighborhoods immediately after government forces pushed back an opposition military offensive in the capital in mid-July 2012. Two neighborhoods in Hama that government forces destroyed in September-October 2012 and April-May 2013, had allegedly been used by opposition fighters to move in and out of the city.
Some of the demolitions took place around government military or strategic objectives that opposition forces had attacked, such as the Mezzeh military airport, the Damascus international airport, and the Tishreen military hospital in the Barzeh neighborhood. While the authorities might have been justified in taking measures to protect these military or strategic objectives, the destruction of hundreds of residential buildings, in some cases kilometers from these objectives, appears to have been disproportionate and in violation of international law.
Some government and military officials have been more forthcoming about the real reason for the demolitions. The governor of the Damascus countryside, Hussein Makhlouf, explicitly stated in a media interview in October 2012 that the demolitions were essential to drive out opposition fighters. After the demolition of the Wadi al-Jouz neighborhood in Hama city in May 2013, the military warned residents in other neighborhoods that their houses would also be demolished if opposition fighters attacked government forces from these neighborhoods, according to a witness in an adjacent neighborhood.
Local residents told Human Rights Watch that government forces gave little or no warning of the demolitions, making it impossible for them to remove most of their belongings. Owners interviewed by Human Rights Watch also said that they had received no compensation. Several house owners claimed that contrary to the government's stated pretext for the demolitions, they had all the necessary permits and documents for their houses, but their homes were nevertheless destroyed. Human Rights Watch has not been able to verify this claim. Human Rights Watch has not documented that anybody was injured or killed in the process of these demolitions.
Under the laws of war, parties to a conflict may only attack military objectives. The intentional or wanton destruction of civilian property is unlawful unless the property is being used for a military purpose, such as for the deployment of opposing forces. However, civilian property may be destroyed if future use by opposing forces, for example to stage an attack, is expected and imminent and only so long as the expected harm caused to civilians and civilian property is proportionate to the anticipated military advantage. Destroying property merely to punish the population is always prohibited.
In areas that have not been under the control of or face no immediate threat by opposition armed groups, a warring party might lawfully seek to demolish civilian property for longer term security reasons. This would concern, for instance, civilian structures very close to military bases or airports. The laws of war place an obligation on parties to a conflict, to the extent feasible, to remove civilians and civilian objects from the vicinity of military objectives. In accordance with international human rights law, such demolitions would need to be carried out with adequate notice, consultation, and compensation to those affected.
This report is based on detailed analysis of 15 commercial satellite images and interviews with 16 witnesses to the demolitions and owners whose houses were demolished. In addition, Human Rights Watch reviewed media reports, government decrees, and videos of the destruction and its aftermath posted on YouTube.
Human Rights Watch calls on the Syrian government to immediately end demolitions that are in violation of international law and provide compensation and alternative housing to the victims. Human Rights Watch calls on the United Nations Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court.
To the Syrian Government
- Immediately halt demolitions of houses in violation of laws-of-war prohibitions against deliberate or disproportionate attacks on civilian objects, wanton destruction of property, and collective punishment. Urban planning decrees should not be selectively implemented to circumvent laws of war and international human rights law protections;
- Ensure access to humanitarian assistance, including housing, to all civilians who have lost homes because of demolitions, whether or not lawful;
- Provide adequate compensation or alternative housing to residents whose homes have been unlawfully demolished;
- End demolitions of homes for security reasons in areas not threatened by opposition forces without advance notice, consultation, and adequate compensation in accordance with international human rights law;
- Maintain accurate statistics on property damaged and make that information publicly accessible in a timely fashion;
- Provide immediate and unhindered access and cooperation to independent observers, journalists, and human rights monitors, including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Human Rights Council Commission of Inquiry on Syria.
To the UN Security Council
- Refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC);
- Adopt targeted sanctions on Syrian officials credibly shown to be implicated in human rights violations;
- Require states to suspend all military sales and assistance, including technical training and services, to the Syrian government until Syria ends unlawful attacks against civilians, given the real risk that the weapons and technology will be used in the commission of serious human rights violations;
- Demand that Syria cooperate fully with the UN Human Rights Council Commission of Inquiry on Syria.
To All Countries
Given the failure of the Security Council to take measures intended to press the Syrian government to end the unlawful killing of civilians and destruction of civilian property, concerned governments should act, individually and collectively, to:
- Publicly condemn unlawful demolitions that violate international humanitarian law;
- Implement embargoes on the sale and supply of arms, ammunition and materiel to the Syrian government;
- Increase pressure on Russia and China to stop hampering effective UN Security Council action on Syria.
This report is based on detailed analysis of 15 very-high resolution commercial satellite images recorded between July 16, 2012 and November 20, 2013.[1] Satellite imagery covering the entire urban extent of Damascus and Hama was used to locate demolition sites, evaluate eyewitness testimonies, as well as to measure the area, pace, and timing of the demolitions. Further, the imagery was used to identify the probable methods of demolition employed by government forces and evaluate the local security context immediately preceding, during, and following the demolitions by identifying the number of heavy military vehicles in the immediate area.
Human Rights Watch also interviewed 16 people who either witnessed demolitions or owned houses that were demolished. Identification and interviewing of witnesses have been challenging because fighting and subsequent demolitions permanently displaced many of the witnesses. Interviews were conducted by phone and in person in Syria's neighboring countries. Most interviews were conducted in Arabic by Arabic speaking researchers. Some interviews were conducted through Arabic-English interpretation. Because of the real possibility of reprisals we have withheld the names of the victims and witnesses we interviewed, using instead pseudonyms to identify the sources of information.
Human Rights Watch also reviewed more than 85 videos posted on YouTube and analyzed government decrees and statements, as well as media reports. To verify the time, location, and circumstances of the videos, Human Rights Watch contacted and interviewed the people who filmed the videos whenever possible. In several cases, Human Rights Watch extracted individual frames from the videos, sometimes creating photo mosaics from the frames, and compared visible landmarks in the videos with satellite imagery to confirm the location.
Area measurements in the report refer to the building surface destroyed, not the total area of the neighborhoods that were demolished. The total area of destroyed buildings was calculated from measurements of the affected areas directly from the satellite imagery.
The instances of demolitions included in this report are those for which Human Rights Watch obtained both statements from witnesses or owners, and a time-series of satellite imagery of high enough quality to allow for detailed analysis.
I. Demolition of Masha` al-Arb`een neighborhood, Hama
Date of demolition: September 27-October 13, 2012
Estimated area of destruction: 40 hectares
September 28, 2012
October 13, 2012
According to satellite imagery reviewed by Human Rights Watch, virtually all buildings in the Masha` al-Arb`een neighborhood on the northern edge of Hama city were completely destroyed between September 27 and October 13, 2012.
Located adjacent to the Hama-Aleppo highway, the Masha` al-Arb`een neighborhood largely consisted of poorly constructed houses that were built illegally before the Syrian conflict broke out, according to local residents. News articles about the demolition of the neighborhood cited government officials, including the governor of Hama, saying that the authorities were removing illegally built structures to develop the area and improve the living conditions of its inhabitants.[2]
But the context and circumstances of the demolition of the neighborhood indicate that it was mainly driven by ongoing military operations against opposition fighters in the area.
Government forces had clashed with opposition fighters in the neighborhood at various times in the months leading up to the demolition, according to six local residents interviewed by Human Rights Watch. One resident said: "Army soldiers used to break in to our homes searching for opposition fighters. If they suspected that opposition fighters were in the house they would kill or arrest the owner."[3] Two other witnesses also claimed that government forces had committed extrajudicial executions.[4]
Residents told Human Rights Watch that because government forces controlled the main entrances to Hama, opposition fighters often used the narrow roads in the densely populated al-Arb`een neighborhood to move in and out of the city. Residents also said that some people from the neighborhood had joined the FSA, but that they stayed in only a couple of houses in the neighborhood.
In September 2012, shortly after the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, government forces launched a major offensive against the neighborhood, shelling the area with artillery and mortars before entering, according to those interviewed by Human Rights Watch. After several days of fighting, opposition fighters retreated from the neighborhood, the witnesses said.[5] News articles cited unnamed government sources claiming that government forces had killed several opposition fighters and seized weapons depots in the neighborhood.[6]
Shortly after opposition fighters retreated, bulldozers directed by government military forces started demolishing the neighborhood, destroying thousands of buildings, according to residents. Umm Oday, who had left the neighborhood a month before the demolition out of fear for her safety, told Human Rights Watch that her neighbor called her one day to tell her that her house was about to be demolished. When she went to her house she saw that the Syrian army had blocked the entrance to her street with tanks and other vehicles. She said:
I yelled, screamed and cried for them to let me pass to see what is going on with my house. When they allowed me and other women to pass, the bulldozer was already demolishing houses while their owners stood outside watching. I begged the soldier to let me in to collect my belongings. He let me, but I had only a few minutes. After I left, the bulldozer demolished my house. Nothing was left of it, not even the walls.[7]
A second owner whose house was also demolished told Human Rights Watch:
We saw bulldozers approaching our neighborhood, but we stayed in our house because we never thought that they would destroy all the houses. After two days, our turn came. We left our things. We were afraid to stay one second longer because our house was shaking while bulldozers destroyed the houses close by. When the bulldozers approached our house, my husband went outside to talk with the army soldiers. My husband was begging them to spare our house but they shouted: 'We want to destroy, we want to destroy.' They didn't explain to us what was happening.[8]
A man who witnessed the destruction from his house across the street from the neighborhood told Human Rights Watch:
It was a disaster and a tragedy. There are no houses left in the neighborhood except one house that was used as a mosque. But of course nobody goes there now because everybody has left.[9]
The two owners of the demolished houses interviewed by Human Rights said that they received no official explanation, warning, or compensation.
The first sign of demolition is visible in satellite imagery taken in the morning of September 28, 2012.[10] While the September 28 imagery shows the presence of over seventy heavy construction and utility vehicles in the neighborhood, only four armored vehicles are visible, supporting witnesses' claims that the fighting was already over and the neighborhood was under government control by the time of the demolition.[11] Satellite imagery from October 13 showed that by that date virtually all buildings in the neighborhood, a building surface area of over 40 hectares, had been demolished.[12]
II. Demolition of Wadi al-Jouz neighborhood, Hama
Dates of demolition: April 30-May 15, 2013
Estimated area demolished: 10 hectares
April 30, 2013
May 29, 2013
Between April 30 and May 15, 2013, government forces demolished the entire Wadi al-Jouz neighborhood (a total building surface area of 10 hectares), located on the northwestern edge of Hama city, according to satellite imagery and two witnesses interviewed by Human Rights Watch.
As in the case of the Masha` al-Arb`een neighborhood, pro-government media claimed the authorities were removing "urban irregularities" that had made the neighborhood ugly and impeded traffic.[13] Other news articles, however, described the operations in the neighborhood as restoring peace and security, killing terrorists, and seizing weapons and ammunition.[14]
Human Rights Watch interviewed two local residents who witnessed the demolition of the neighborhood. They told Human Rights Watch that, just as with the al-Arb`een neighborhood, opposition fighters had used the Wadi al-Jouz neighborhood to enter and leave Hama city because of its location on the edge of the city. At the end of April, government forces shelled the neighborhood for two days, causing many of the local residents to flee, according to the two witnesses.[15]
In the course of the following week, government forces used bulldozers to destroy all the buildings in the neighborhood according to the two witnesses. One woman, who observed the destruction of Wadi al-Jouz from her house across the highway, told Human Rights Watch:
I could see the neighborhood from my balcony. First I saw big trucks, accompanied by the military, taking things from the houses in the neighborhood. Then bulldozers started destroying the houses. The government said that a lot of rebels were hiding in Wadi al-Jouz.[16]
According to the other witness, the Syrian army used megaphones and told the residents they had one hour to pack their things.[17]
Satellite imagery recorded on April 30 and May 29, 2013, confirm the total demolition of 10 hectares of buildings, also showing heavy construction machinery such as bulldozers and excavators in the area.[18]
While local residents admitted that many buildings in the Wadi al-Jouz neighborhood had been built without the appropriate permissions, the army's behavior after the demolition of the neighborhood indicates that it had little to do with permissions. A woman who lived in a neighboring district told Human Rights Watch:
After the demolition, the army came to our neighborhood, saying through loudspeakers that they would destroy our neighborhood like they destroyed Wadi al-Jouz and Masha` al-Arb`een should a single bullet be fired from here.[19]
III.Demolitions in Qaboun neighborhood, Damascus
Dates of demolitions: July 21-October, 2012; June-July, 2013 (approximate)[20]
Estimated area demolished: 18 hectares
July 16, 2012
August 4, 2012
Satellite imagery reviewed by Human Rights Watch show that buildings covering an area measuring 18 hectares were demolished in the Qaboun neighborhood in northern Damascus in two waves. The satellite photographs indicate that the first wave of demolitions took place between July 16 and October 3, 2012, the second between July 1 and November 20, 2013.[21]
The first wave appears to have been directly related to intensive clashes between government and opposition forces in mid-July, 2012. On July 15, clashes, described as the "fiercest fighting yet" in the capital, were reported in the southern districts of Tadamoun, Midan, and Kafr Souseh, and shortly thereafter in the northern districts of Barzeh and Qaboun.[22]
Government forces gradually forced the opposition to retreat. Walid, a local resident and activist, told Human Rights Watch that government forces launched a major offensive against the district, using helicopters, artillery, and tank fire around July 16, 2012. After several days of fighting, government forces accompanied by shabeeha, pro-government militias, entered the district, according to him, and started to loot houses and shops. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on July 19, 2012 that the Syrian army had stormed the Qaboun district with "a large number of tanks."[23] By July 23, government officials and opposition activists said that government forces had largely regained control in Damascus.[24]
After opposition forces retreated from Qaboun, government forces started demolishing houses and shops in the neighborhood. Human Rights Watch interviewed two local residents who witnessed the demolitions. One local restaurant owner told Human Rights Watch:
Around 9:30 a.m. one morning, Syrian security forces arrived in our neighborhood and asked us to leave the premises immediately. I saw three bulldozers with them. They did not give us any prior warning. They just showed up unannounced. When I asked why, the soldier said 'no more questions' or else I would be detained. I asked him if I could remove the things in the restaurant, but he said no. I had a motorcycle but they didn't allow me to take it and forced me to leave on foot. As I was walking I looked back and I saw the bulldozer demolishing my shop. The shop was opened by my grandfather many years ago. I personally managed the restaurant for eight years. Before my eyes, all of my family's hard work was destroyed in one second.[25]
Walid told Human Rights Watch that the army started demolishing buildings on July 21, 2012 and that the operation lasted for about 50 days. He told Human Rights Watch:
The army demolished 1,250 shops and 650 homes. Eighteen-hundred families had to evacuate. There were two or three families in every house. The Syrian army gave the shop owners 24 hours to empty their shops. Homeowners were given only three hours to pack their stuff and leave. It was not enough time. People barely took anything with them.[26]
Several videos posted on YouTube show demolitions in Qaboun in progress or the aftermath. In one video posted in July, an excavator demolishes houses while being guarded by what appears to be a single main battle tank.[27] Several similar videos posted in September show that the demolition operation continued at that time.[28]
Walid told Human Rights Watch that the areas demolished were the ones where the heaviest fighting took place. He told Human Rights Watch:
The frontline [between the government and opposition forces] extended from the B`ali and `Ardyet neighborhoods, reaching the industrial area. Now both neighborhoods are completely destroyed and exposed enough for the government forces to spot any opposition attack.[29]
Human Rights Watch has not been able to find any government statement or decree explaining the reason for the demolitions in Qaboun. Human Rights Watch was also not able to identify any witnesses to the second wave of demolitions, which took place at some point between July 1 and November 20, 2013, according to satellite imagery.
IV. Demolitions in Tadamoun neighborhood, Damascus
Dates of demolitions: September 8-November 29, 2012; February 4-July 1, 2013;
Estimated area demolished: 15.5 hectares
July 16, 2012
November 29, 2012
Satellite imagery analyzed by Human Rights Watch show that buildings in an area measuring 15.5 hectares in the Tadamoun neighborhood in southern Damascus were demolished in two waves: the vast majority of demolition occurred at some point between September 8 and November 29, 2012, followed by more limited demolition at some point between February 4 and July 1, 2013.[30]
Local residents, media reports, and government and opposition statements indicate that the first wave of the demolitions in the Tadamoun district in Damascus followed the same pattern as the demolitions in the Qaboun district (see above). As one of the districts in Damascus under opposition control, Tadamoun saw some of the most intensive clashes of the battle for the capital that took place in July 2012. The neighborhood was described as the opposition's "last stronghold" as government troops forced opposition fighters to retreat after heavy fighting.[31] Local residents interviewed by Human Rights Watch described fierce shelling of the neighborhood by government forces starting from July 15.[32] Satellite imagery shows active fire and a dense smoke plume on the rooftop of a six-story residential apartment building in the morning of July 16.[33]
According to two local residents interviewed by Human Rights Watch, the July 2012 fighting caused many residents to leave, and by early August, opposition fighters who had remained in the neighborhood also left, allegedly because they ran out of ammunition.[34] The claim that opposition fighters retreated in early August is consistent with official statements. On August 4, 2012 several media outlets quoted a military spokesperson saying that the army had "cleansed" several areas in Damascus, including Tadamoun, and that the situation was "excellent and stable."[35]
The two local residents told Human Rights Watch that government forces started demolishing houses in Tadamoun using explosives and bulldozers in September 2012.[36] The first signs of demolition are visible in satellite imagery recorded on September 8.[37] The satellite imagery, showing relatively neat piles of rubble where there were once houses, indicates that the demolition was carried out in a controlled and professional manner.
According to Ahmad who witnessed the destruction, residents received very short warning. He said:
Owners were given one hour to evacuate their homes. I saw people throwing their belongings from the windows. I wanted to help but I was afraid because the Syrian army was there.[38]
The demolitions were also reported by an international journalist who visited Tadamoun in mid-October 2012 when demolitions were still taking place.[39]
Satellite imagery and videos posted on YouTube show that government forces also demolished 12 high-rise residential apartment buildings by controlled explosions in the neighborhoods of al-Zahirat and al-Zohour (al-Qazzaz), adjacent to Tadamoun, between September 22 and November 29, 2012.[40]
Human Rights Watch was not able to identify any witnesses to the second wave of demolitions between February and July 2013 or find any official government statement or decree about the demolitions in Tadamoun.
V. Demolitions in Barzeh neighborhood, Damascus
Dates of demolitions: October 2012; February-July, 2013 (approximate)[41]
Estimated area demolished: 5.3 hectares
August 4, 2012
November 29, 2012
In the Barzeh neighborhood in northern Damascus, government forces demolished a total of 5.3 hectares of buildings in two waves: in October 2012 and at some point between February and late July 2013.[42]
According to Bassam, whose house was demolished, government officials justified the demolitions by referring to a decades-old 1960s decree authorizing the widening of the street as part of an urban planning effort.[43] "Everybody knew about this decree," he told Human Rights Watch. "So when my brother and I decided to buy a piece of land in that area, we made sure that the property was located more than 20 meters from the street in case the government would decide to implement it."[44] Human Rights Watch has not been able to obtain a copy of the decree.
But according to Bassam, when government forces demolished houses along the Tishreen Hospital Street during two weeks in October 2012, they also demolished his house, which he claimed was located more than 20 meters from the road.[45] Satellite imagery confirming both waves of demolition, shows that all houses within approximately 45 meters on either side of the road, and not 20 meters as the decree allegedly authorizes, were demolished.[46]
Bassam told Human Rights Watch that he tried to complain to the authorities, but that it had been useless:
My cousin and I went to the governor's office in Damascus and asked for compensation. Of course, they said no. They told us that the demolition was ordered by this decree and we should have known about this before we bought the land. When we explained that our house is not within the 20 meter zone they told us to leave.[47]
Bassam told Human Rights Watch that he had both a document confirming his ownership of the land and a construction permit for his house.[48] Human Rights Watch has not been able to verify this claim.
However, the location and context of the demolitions in the Barzeh neighborhood indicate that the demolitions were related to the ongoing conflict. Both the demolished areas were located in the immediate vicinity of the Tishreen Military Hospital, one of the main hospitals receiving and treating wounded government soldiers.[49] The area is also located at the very edge of Damascus and opposition fighters regularly used the road to move from fields outside the city where they hid, to the area around the Abu Barzeh mosque, where they staged protests, according to Bassam.
The October demolitions removed all buildings within 45 meters of the road to the south of the hospital. The second stage of demolitions destroyed more than 50 buildings just to the south and east of the hospital compound.
Media reports indicate that government and opposition forces clashed several times in the area in the weeks leading up to the demolitions. Media also reported several attacks on and explosions at government checkpoints and police-stations.
One international journalist who visited the hospital noted in an article in December 2012 that buildings on both sides of the road for 90 meters (100 yards) had been flattened by bulldozers to make sniping and ambushes more difficult and cited the director of the hospital saying that six doctor and four ambulance drivers had been killed in a year, possibly when trying to get to the hospital, although this is not specified in the article.[50]
According to Bassam, snipers appeared on top of several buildings including the Tishreen Hospital and the public education center after the demolitions. Because of the demolitions, the snipers were able to monitor a significant area along the road. Bassam told Human Rights Watch that the opposition fighters moved to another area in Barzeh after the demolitions and the protests stopped because the snipers made it too dangerous for protesters to gather.[51]
While there are some reports of clashes in the area at the time of the demolitions, a video posted on YouTube on October 6 shows an excavator tearing down a house while people in civilian clothes are standing in the street and what appear to be civilian cars passing by.[52]
While opposition attacks on the hospital or medical personnel might have justified protective measures by the authorities, the demolition of dozens of houses appears disproportionate. The authorities do not appear to have offered any compensation to owners, according to the one owner that Human Rights Watch interviewed.
VI. Demolitions around Mezzeh airport, Damascus
Dates of demolitions: August, 2012; December, 2012-March, 2013
Estimated area demolished: 41.6 hectares
July 14, 2013
Satellite imagery reviewed by Human Rights Watch shows that a total of 41.6 hectares of buildings was demolished around Mezzeh military airport, a military base in the southern Damascus suburbs, which is base of the Air Force Intelligence Service, one of Syria's four main security services. According to the imagery, the demolitions took place mainly at some point between December 2012 and July 2013.[53] Limited demolitions took place also earlier, in August 2012.
When interviewed about demolitions in Damascus Hussein Makhlouf, the governor of the Damascus countryside to which the demolished areas around the Mezzeh airport belong, referred to decree 66, which was issued by President Bashar al-Assad on September 18, 2012. [54] The decree stipulates the development of two areas with illegally constructed houses, one of which seems to be the south-eastern side of the Mezzeh airport that was demolished. [55] Makhlouf said that demolitions would soon be carried out in Daraya, Harasta and Yalda. Although the decree refers to illegally built houses, Makhlouf in the interview said that the demolitions were essential to drive out rebels, according to the article.
The Mezzeh military airport and the adjacent demolished area link Damascus city and Daraya and Moadamiya, two towns in the Damascus countryside known for being opposition strongholds. Initial peaceful protests eventually turned into armed opposition and a significant number of armed opposition fighters used the town to stage attacks on government targets, including the airport. In August 2012, government forces launched a massive offensive against the two towns, described as one of the deadliest government assaults in the Syrian conflict up until that point.[56]
Satellite imagery shows that a small number of buildings just north-east of the Mezzeh airport were demolished in the same period as the August offensive, between August 22 and 26.[57] According to Yasser, a local resident interviewed by Human Rights Watch, the demolished houses were located near military barracks, which had come under attack by opposition fighters during the August clashes. Human Rights Watch has not been able to interview witnesses to these demolitions and more investigation is needed to determine whether this limited wave of demolitions was a violation of international law.
The second, more significant, wave of demolitions started in December 2012. According to Yasser, this phase followed an opposition attack on a government checkpoint at a key intersection on November 25 and killed all the soldiers there.[58] Yasser told Human Rights Watch that government forces easily resumed control of the residential area immediately adjacent to the airport called Khaleej.[59]
Yasser said that his father and grandfather who were living in the Khaleej at the time fled the area on November 25 as soon as they heard about the attack, fearing government retaliation against the civilian population.[60] Yasser told Human Rights Watch that he believed that around 3,000 buildings might have been demolished in total around the Mezzeh airport.[61] Satellite imagery shows that all buildings in a triangle between the airport and two roads to the south and east of the airport have been demolished. Although it is difficult to establish the exact number, satellite imagery indicates that several thousand buildings were demolished.[62]
Compared to the demolitions in the Tadamoun neighborhood, for example, at least some of those around the Mezzah airport appear to have been much less controlled and professional. Videos posted on YouTube in February, 2013, show several buildings being demolished by large uncontrolled explosions, throwing large pieces of building material hundreds of meters into the air.[63]
While opposition attacks on the Mezzeh military airport might have justified the government taking certain measures, the demolition of hundreds of residential buildings appears to have been disproportionate.
VII. Demolitions in Harran Al-`Awamid Neighborhood, Damascus
Date of demolitions: February-April, 2013 (approximate)
Estimated area of destruction: 14.3 hectares
August 28, 2012
May 23, 2013
In Harran al-`Awamid, a town of about 12,000 people three kilometers north-east of the Damascus International Airport, government forces demolished a total of 14.3 hectares of buildings in early 2013.
According to media reports around February 12, 2013, the Syrian authorities had issued a decree to expropriate land in several areas around the international airport, including Harran al-`Awamid, to build power lines.[64]
However the circumstances of the demolitions, witness and government statements indicate, that the operation was related to the armed conflict. On January 28, just two weeks before media reports about the expropriation decree, opposition fighters in Harran al-`Awamid attacked the only government checkpoint in the town, forcing government troops to abandon it, according to activists and Tarik, a local resident interviewed by Human Rights Watch.[65] In response, government forces launched artillery, rocket and aerial attacks on the town, which caused the majority of the population to leave.[66] Satellite imagery shows damage consistent with the allegations of shelling in the period between August 28, 2012 and May 23, 2013, the two dates for which imagery was available to Human Rights Watch.[67]
In addition to the attack on the government checkpoint, opposition forces, some of whom were likely based in Harran al-`Awamid, had been conducting attacks on the airport in the months before the demolitions, which likely also factored into the government's decision to attack and destroy the town.[68] Government statements and pro-government media reports about Harran al-`Awamid before, during, and after the demolitions focused on the clashes between government and opposition forces. In December, pro-government media reported that government forces had killed several "terrorists" in Harran al-`Awamid and confiscated weapons and ammunition in their possession.[69] SANA, Syria's state-run news agency, published a similar statement in February.[70] And on April 7, SANA announced that Harran al-`Awamid, among other places, had been cleaned of "terrorists."[71]
Satellite imagery confirms that about 14.3 hectares of buildings were destroyed between August 28, 2012 and May 23, 2013, the dates of the imagery analyzed by Human Rights Watch.[72] Limited satellite coverage over this area prevented a more accurate determination of the time frame from satellite imagery alone, but in a posting on its Facebook page on February 17, the Coordination Council of Greater Damascus wrote that bulldozers had been demolishing houses in the town for ten days, indicating that the demolitions in Harran Al `Awamid started around February 7.[73]
Tarik, a local resident who witnessed the demolitions, told Human Rights Watch that he believed the authorities had demolished about 500 houses, half of all the houses in in Harran Al `Awamid.[74] This is consistent with the damage visible on the May satellite imagery, which shows that the majority of houses in the center were demolished. There are also multiple areas of extensive building demolition within several kilometers of the center of town radiating in most directions. According to Tarik, people dressed in civilian clothes looted furniture from people's houses before they were demolished by explosives and heavy construction machinery.
Tarik also said that local residents had received no warning or compensation and no formal explanation about the demolitions.[75]
While opposition attacks on the airport might have justified the government taking protective measures, the demolition of hundreds of houses, many kilometers away from the airport, appears to have been disproportionate.
VIII. Legal Framework
International humanitarian law, the laws of war, governs fighting between Syrian government forces and opposition armed groups. This law binds all parties to an armed conflict, whether they are states or non-state armed groups.[76]
The Syrian government has sought to justify the destruction of property in various locations in Syria referring to illegal construction and urban planning efforts. But the circumstances of the demolitions, as detailed in this report, indicate that the demolitions were related to the ongoing armed conflict. While Syrian government forces have destroyed property for legitimate military reasons in some cases, Human Rights Watch found that the large-scale destruction of property in the cases detailed in this report violated Syria's international legal obligations.
The laws of war governing the methods and means of warfare are primarily found in the Hague Regulations of 1907 and the First Additional Protocol of 1977 to the Geneva Conventions (Protocol I).[77] Although neither treaty formally applies to the internal armed conflict in Syria, most of the provisions of both are considered reflective of customary law.[78] Also applicable is article 3 common to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 (Common Article 3), which concerns the treatment of civilians and combatants who are no longer taking part in the fighting.[79]
Central to the law regulating conduct of hostilities is the principle of distinction, which requires parties to a conflict to distinguish at all times between combatants and civilians. Operations may be directed only against combatants and other military objectives; civilians and civilian objects may not be the target of attack.[80]
Civilian objects have been defined as all objects that are not military objectives.Military objectives are those objects which "by their nature, location, purpose or use make an effective contribution to military action and whose total or partial destruction, capture or neutralization, in the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a definite military advantage" [emphasis added].[81] In cases of doubt there is a presumption that objects normally dedicated to civilian purposes, for example houses and other dwellings, schools, places of worship, and hospitals, are not subject to attack.[82] Civilian objects remain protected from attack, unless and only for such time that they become military objectives. Once a civilian object that is a military objective, such as a house used as a military headquarters, ceases being used to further the military aims of the adversary, it is no longer subject to attack.[83]
Deliberate, indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks against civilians and civilian objects are prohibited. Attacks are indiscriminate when they are not directed at a specific military objective or employ a method or means of warfare that cannot be directed at a military objective or whose effects cannot be limited.[84] A disproportionate attack is one in which the expected incidental loss of civilian life and damage to civilian objects would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated.[85]
In the conduct of military operations, parties to a conflict must take constant care to spare the civilian population and civilian objects from the effects of hostilities.[86] Parties are required to take precautionary measures with a view to avoiding, and in any event minimizing, incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, and damage to civilian objects.[87]
Before conducting an attack, parties to a conflict must do everything feasible to verify that the persons or objects to be attacked are military objectives and not civilians or civilian objects.[88] In its Commentary to Protocol I, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) explains that the requirement to take all "feasible" precautions means, among other things, that those conducting an attack are required to take the steps needed to identify the target as a legitimate military objective "in good time to spare the population as far as possible."[89] The United Kingdom military manual illustrates the rule as follows:
If, for example, it is suspected that a schoolhouse situated in a commanding tactical position is being used by an adverse party as an observation post and gun emplacement, this suspicion, unsupported by evidence, is not enough to justify an attack on the schoolhouse.[90]
The Hague Regulations forbid during hostilities the unnecessary destruction of the enemy's property. [91] The Geneva Conventions prohibit, as a grave breach during international armed conflicts, the "extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly." [92] The prohibition on "wanton destruction" is a longstanding rule of customary international law, dating back at least to the US Lieber Code of 1863, the first modern codification of the laws of war. [93]
The rule of military necessity was defined in the Lieber Code, and later adopted by the ICRC, as "the necessity of those measures which are indispensable for securing the ends of the war, and which are lawful according to the modern law and usages of war."[94] In other words, military necessity cannot be used as an excuse to violate explicit law-of-war provisions, because the requirements of military necessity have already been incorporated into law-of-war rules.[95] Military necessity incorporates the fundamental legal obligation to avoid damage to civilian property by distinguishing military objectives from civilian objects, only permitting attacks on the former, and prohibiting such destruction if the expected civilian harm is disproportionate to the direct military advantage anticipated.
The concept of military necessity thus rejects measures that are viewed as a means to justify an otherwise unlawful attack, are not intended to defeat the enemy or that violate the laws of war by excessively damaging civilian objects in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated from the attack. While the rule of military necessity grants military planners considerable autonomy about the appropriate tactics for carrying out a military operation, this autonomy remains subservient to the laws and customs of war. [96]
Human Rights Watch found that in the incidents investigated in this report, the destroyed properties were not military objectives as the term is widely understood. Thus, even where the Syrian government asserted a military rationale for the destruction of the property, the objects still did not meet the requirements for a military objective and thus were not subject to attack or destruction.
Human Rights Watch distinguishes these cases from those in which civilian property is a military objective, such as when combatants use residential houses for planning, staging of attacks, and storage of weapons and ammunition.
As noted, a civilian object becomes subject to attack as a military objective when it makes an effective contribution to military action and its destruction in the circumstances ruling at the time provides a definite military advantage. These criteria are critical for determining whether the destruction of property is lawful. Thus, according to the US army field manual's regulations for destruction in the context of hostilities, there must be a "reasonably close connection between the destruction of property and the overcoming of the enemy's army."[97]
In some instances detailed above, it appeared that the Syrian government forces destroyed property either because of its past use as a military objective, that is for possible punitive reasons, or because of its predicted future use as a military objective, that is for anticipatory reasons. International humanitarian law prohibits the punitive destruction of property and places sharp limits on what constitutes a military objective's future use.
Destruction of property that is no longer or was previously used as a military objective is not permitted. With regard to recently captured areas, the UK military manual states:
[O]nce the defended locality has surrendered or been captured, only such further damage is permitted as is demanded by the exigencies of war, for example removal of fortifications, demolition of military structures, destruction of military stores, or measures for the defence of the locality. It is not permissible to destroy a public building or private house because it was defended.[98]
One respected academic commentator has likewise criticized as a matter of law the destruction of houses for punitive purposes:
Destruction of houses as a (legitimate) integral part of military operations must be distinguished from demolitions of residential buildings carried out as a post-combat punitive measure.… [I]t is wrong to believe that, once used for combat purposes, a civilian object (like a residential building) is tainted permanently as a military objective. As long as combat is in progress, the destruction of property . . . is permissible, if rendered necessary by military operations. Yet, subsequent to the military operations, destruction of property is no longer compatible with modern [law of international armed conflict].[99]
A civilian object can be a military objective if the concrete advantage it provides at the time is of an anticipatory nature. Thus, amilitary unit can destroy a house that would block fields of fire during an expected and imminent enemy attack. Nonetheless, the presumption that a civilian object is not a military objective remains. Thus, acting on the basis of possible enemy intentions is an insufficient basis for attacking a civilian object. The above commentator writes that "field intelligence revealing that the enemy intends to use a particular school as a munitions depot does not justify an attack against the school as long as the munitions have not been moved in." He adds: "Purpose is predicated on intentions known to guide the adversary, and not on those figured out hypothetically in contingency plans based on a 'worst case scenario.'"[100]
As the ICRC's authoritative Commentary on Protocol I states, "it is not legitimate to launch an attack which only offers potential or indeterminate advantages."[101]Likewise, the authors of the New Rules for Victims of Armed Conflicts note that the military advantage must be "concrete and perceptible" and not "hypothetical and speculative."[102]
The Eritrea Ethiopia Claims Commission, commenting on the destruction of civilian property by Ethiopian forces retreating from Eritrean territory, stated: "The Commission does not agree that denial of potential future use of properties like these, which are not directly usable for military operations, as are, for example, bridges or railways, could ever be justified under Article 53 [on the destruction of property]."[103]
According to the above commentator, "Certain objects are normally (by nature) dedicated to civilian purposes and, as long as they fulfill their essential function, they must not be treated as military targets."[104] Objects such as civilian dwellings and schools may be military objectives when they are making an "effective contribution to military action…. The dominant consideration ought to be 'the circumstances ruling at the time.'"[105]
Other academic commentators explain that the criterion that civilian objects be considered as offering a definite military advantage in the circumstances ruling at the time "is crucial":
Without this limitation to the actual situation at hand, the principle of distinction would be meaningless, as every object could, in abstracto and under possible future developments, become a military objective. It would suffice that in future enemy troops could occupy a building and transform it into a military objective.[106]
Where destruction is permitted as a matter of imperative military necessity, it must not be disproportionate. That is, as noted above, it cannot be expected to cause damage to civilian objects that would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated. As the ICRC Commentary to the Fourth Geneva Convention states, "whenever it is felt essential to resort to destruction, the occupying authorities must try to keep a sense of proportion in comparing the military advantage gained with the damage done." [107]
Lastly, in civilian areas that have not been under control by opposition forces, or where there is no imminent threat of such military use, a party to a conflict may have valid security reasons for destroying civilian property. Parties have an obligation, to the extent feasible, to remove civilian objects under their control from the vicinity of military objectives.[108] This could include destroying civilian structures near to army bases, airports and other military objectives. It is unlawful for such destruction to cause disproportionate civilian harm.
The eviction of the population and the destruction of homes may be subject to international human rights law, particularly the right to housing under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.[109] Those evicted outside of active hostilities are entitled to adequate notice, genuine consultation, and adequate compensation or alternative housing.[110]
With respect to individual responsibility, serious violations of international humanitarian law committed with criminal intent are war crimes. During non-international armed conflicts, war crimes include "[d]estroying or seizing the property of an adversary unless such destruction or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of the conflict,"[111] and collective punishments.[112]
Criminal intent has been defined as violations committed intentionally or recklessly.[113] Individuals may also be held criminally liable for attempting to commit a war crime, as well as assisting in, facilitating, aiding, or abetting a war crime. Responsibility may also fall on persons planning or instigating the commission of a war crime.[114] Commanders and civilian leaders may be prosecuted for war crimes as a matter of command responsibility when they knew or should have known about the commission of war crimes and took insufficient measures to prevent them or punish those responsible.[115]
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court includes wanton destruction as a war crime.[116] The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) concluded that the elements of the war crime of wanton destruction are met where: (i) the destruction of property occurs on a large scale; (ii) is not justified by military necessity; and (iii) the perpetrator acted with the intent to destroy the property or in reckless disregard of its likely destruction.[117] The ICTY elaborated that "the devastation of property is prohibited except where it may be justified by military necessity. So as to be punishable, the devastation must have been perpetrated intentionally or have been the foreseeable consequence of the acts of the accused."[118]
Under international humanitarian law, states have a duty to investigate war crimes allegedly committed by members of their armed forces and other persons within their jurisdiction. Those found to be responsible should be prosecuted before courts that meet international fair trial standards or transferred to another jurisdiction to be fairly prosecuted.[119]
The laws of war also provide for a state to make full reparations, including directly to individuals, for the loss caused by violations of the laws of war.[120]
This report was researched by Ole Solvang, senior emergencies researcher, Anna Neistat, associate director for program, Lama Fakih, Syria and Lebanon researcher, and Diana Seeman, research assistant. Josh Lyons, satellite imagery analyst at Human Rights Watch, analysed the satellite imagery and video materials. Ole Solvang wrote the report, and Anna Neistat contributed to the writing.
The report was edited by Lama Fakih, Nadim Houry, deputy director in the Middle East and North Africa Division, Clive Baldwin, senior legal advisor, and Tom Porteous, deputy program director. Tamara Alrifai, Advocacy and Communications Director, Middle East and North Africa Division, also reviewed the report.
Production and coordination were provided by Kyle Hunter, associate in the Emergencies Division. Additional research assistance was provided by an intern with the Middle East and North Africa Division.
Grace Choi, publications director, managed the production of imagery and graphics. Amanda Bailly, multimedia coordinator, and Pierre Bairin, multimedia director, managed the production of video content. Kathy Mills, publications specialist, and Fitzroy Hepkins, administrative manager, prepared the report for publication.
We especially wish to thank Syrian victims and witnesses who shared their stories with us, as well as the Syrians who helped us in our research, often at great personal risk.


text:
Model #TCR-72184R
|List Price:
|Our Price:
|$1328.00 New
General Description
We're committed to exceeding your expectations:
- Found it for less? We'll match the price
- 25-Year or Limited Lifetime Warranty
Our customers come first — we guarantee it!
If you have lots of students singing in harmony, these four-level choir risers will make them look fabulous. The back rail ensures maximum safety.
Your choir will look fabulous standing on Transport Folding Choral Risers from National Public Seating. The portable multi-level choir risers will ensure that every student will stand out and be seen.
You won't have to compromise on stability or mobility with Transport Folding Choral Risers. Locking mechanism on the legs ensures that they stay in place, while five-step folding action and sturdy side-handle make them easy to transport.
Carpeted plywood platforms prevents slipping and reduces noise, while maintaining a professional look and feel. With a ganging device on the sides for easy attachment, these choir risers are perfect for a choir of any size.
- Manufacturer:
National Public Seating
National Public Seating manufactures a wide range of portable furniture including folding chairs and tables for a variety of purposes, moveable risers and stages for musical performances and solutions for furniture transport.
- Width:
- 72 in.
- Depth:
- 70 in.
- Height:
- 74.25 in.
- Weight:
- 267 lbs.
- Capacity:
- 20-26 Using Floor Level
- Deck Surface Material:
- Carpet
- Green
- MAS Certified LEED & CHPS
- Level Depth:
- 18"
- Number of Levels:
- 4
- Riser Type:
- Standing
- Warranty:
- Limited Lifetime
- Weight Capacity:
- 266 Lbs. Per Square Ft.
- Certified Green
- Safety First: Guard rail supports students who are standing on the highest platform. The guard rail can be easily attached or removed with Ganging devices.
- Foldable: Flips open or closed in five easy steps. Height of the unit when folded is 23". Back rail and fourth level do not fold; they must be removed before folding.
- Sturdy Design: Locking mechanism on heavy-duty 14-gauge steel legs keeps these risers in place. Platforms are constructed from .75"-thick plywood.
- Super Strong: Platforms can support up to 266 pound per square-foot.
- Professional Look: Gray carpeted surfaces match gray frame.
- Multiple Levels: Tiered construction ensures that every member of your choir can be seen.
- Easy Attachment: Connecting devices on the side make these choral risers easy to attach to other units to accommodate a choir of any size.
- Transportable: These choral risers are easy to transport with wheels on the bottom of the middle platform, and sturdy side handles.
- Lightweight: Aluminum frames reduce weight without compromising strength.
- Note: These 18-inch, deep risers are not suitable for use with chairs. For seated choral risers see 36-inch deep risers. For band risers see all risers with 48-inch, deep levels. Tapered risers and straight risers cannot be connected to each other.
- Lifetime Coverage: Our Limited Lifetime Warranty guarantees many years of use and enjoyment.
Flips open in five easy steps!
Product ships from factory within 3 business days or less.
MAS Certified Green (compliant with LEED and CHPS for Schools)
We're committed to exceeding your expectations:
- Found it for less? We'll match the price
- 15-Year or Limited Lifetime Warranty
Our customers come first — we guarantee it!
Shipping & Assembly
- Ships Via:
- Common Carrier
- Leaves Factory In:
- Approximately 2-3 days
- Assembly:
- Minimal
- Average Assembly Time:
- 5-10 minutes
Trans-Port 4-Level Straight Folding Choir Riser w/Back Rail
|List Price:
|Our Price:
Product Family
This product is a part of Transport Folding Choral Risers
There are 6 products in the family

subset: commoncrawl


text:
From LinuxMIPSJump to navigationJump to search
General Information
The RBTX4927 and RBTX4937 boarda are based off the TMPR4927 and TMPR4937 processors respectively. These boards have 32-bit PCI slot, Fast Ethernet interface, Two Serial ports (16550 compatible) and 128 MB memory. They can operate in either BE or LE mode.
Currently, RBTX4927 is supported in Linux 2.4 and 2.6 as well, RBTX4937 is supported only in 2.6.
Booting Information
Prepare an srec image of the kernel. On the PMON prompt of the board, type load. For example:
PMON> load
Downloading from ethernet, ^C to abort Entry address is 80297018
At this point, from the host, do the following using tftp:
# tftp 10.0.12.182 tftp> bi tftp> put vmlinux.srec Sent 8052180 bytes in 183.1 seconds
And at this point, you should see something similar to the following on the target:
total = 0x28f461 bytes PMON>
At this point, type "g" and you should be able to get the kernel up and running.


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Page 5 of 11
Network connectivity is provided by two Marvell 88E1116 PHY, each MAC of the chipsets are utilized. Additional a VIA VT6308S firewire controller is integrated. Very odd for an ASUS highend board, this one comes with an Realtek ALC888 instead of an Analog Devices ADI1988B.
The panel-connectors are not colour-coded, but ASUS provides Q-connectors. You can assemble all cables to the Q-connectors and put them later into the board.
While other SLI boards needs a PCIe switch card, ASUs does not, because it has two chipsets, means that the x16 from 650i and 570i do the SLI without any performance loses. nVidia is using Hypertransport to connect its chipset and of course any board manufacture can combine any chipset with Hypertransport they want.
The configuration of the slots is not perfect, using a SLI configuration you will loose the only PCI slot.
The heatpipe-construction can barely keep the temperature of the 650i SLI low. It also covers only three of the eight phases. ASUS did use heat-pads instead of a better thermal compound. There is no chipset fan inclucded, so good case-cooling is paramount.


text: Tens of millions of people around the globe have been forcibly displaced by conflict, natural disaster, or persecution, seeking refuge either within or beyond the borders of their country. Humanitarian protection, whether for refugees, asylum seekers, or internally displaced persons (IDPs), represents a key policy area for many major immigrant-receiving countries as well as nations bordering locations where war, political upheaval, or natural disaster have disrupted daily life. The research offered here relates to the law and practice of protecting refugees and IDPs in areas of conflict as well as in industrialized nations, with a focus on secure solutions and effective institutional arrangements for comprehensive protection.


text:
The top 10 Zen pleasures of Advent
Some Christian communities spend the four weeks before Christmas in the "Advent Zone" — others do not. Advent is derived from the Latin word for "arrival," a period of preparation ahead of the celebration of the birth of Jesus on Dec. 25.
I rise to speak in favor of Advent's splendors and pleasures. The feel of Advent is spiritual, ecumenical, interreligious, even meta-religious. It is the ultimate holiday frenzy disruptor. It's time to put the Zen back in AdZent. Here's a top ten of what Advent soul practice has to offer.
10. Contrariness. Advent is full-bore counter-cultural, as you'll see below. It's not brought to you by the three Draft Kings, or anybody; it's a full on gift of conscious time.
9. Quiet. You are owed a certain amount of quiet, and Advent is full of opportunities. Sit with a book, or just a sentence, even a word or sound. BREATHE, listen to the rhythm of your heartbeat. Take time to read anything by Thich Nhat Hanh, a great peacemaking Buddhist monk, who strums the Advent themes in his many books and columns. Walk alone, paying attention to what you've missed on your journey so far. Be grateful for what you see.
8. Enoughness. Advent is time to decide how much is enough for you. Do you have enough money, friends, security? Do you have too much, too many? Things, pain, fears, gears, shoes, personality tests and types, bothersome burdens? Facebook or Twitter time? Guns? Is it time to start letting go of some of it? Much, most of it?


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On Nov. 1, 1933, Mrs. Bruce Reid recorded seeing both a male and female ivory-billed woodpecker in Texas. And on May 28, 1938, Oscar McKinley Bryans observed a ruby-throated hummingbird in Michigan, noting that the birds were most common when apple trees were blooming.
That is -- once the cards are transcribed and put into a scientific database.
And that's where citizens across the country come in - the program needs help from birders and others across the nation to transcribe those cards into usable scientific information.
"These cards, once transcribed, will provide over 90 years of data, an unprecedented amount of information describing bird distributions, migration timing, and migration pathways and how they are changing," said Zelt. "There is no other program that has the same historical depth of information that can help us understand the effect that global climate change has on bird populations across the country. When combined with current information, scientists will better understand how birds are responding to climate change and how to develop tools to help manage that change, especially for at-risk species."
The millions of hand-scribbled cards sit in row upon row of federal green filing cabinets of ancient vintage in a modest and fittingly old office dating from before WWII. The cards contain almost all of what was known of bird distribution and natural history from the Second World War back to the later part of the 19th century, said USGS senior scientist Chan Robbins, who kept track of the cards' whereabouts in attics and basements during the intervening years.
"When I go through the files, it is just amazing some of the stories that are recorded there," said Jessica Zelt, who is an avid birder herself. "For example, one of our online participants recently wrote to tell me she had transcribed a migration card on purple martins by American ornithologist Margaret Morse Nice from 1926. It is exciting to see people today being linked to a piece of birding history."
Participants recorded their name, locality and year, along with arrival and departure dates, date of abundance, and whether it was a species common in that area. Personal observations on the cards often caught the enthusiastic joy of a birder sighting a rare bird.
The collection, said Zelt, includes information on about 900 species, including some sightings of rare, extinct, or nearly extinct birds, such as the giant albatross, ivory-billed woodpecker and Carolina parakeet, birds whose very names make the hearts of avid birders go pitter-patter.
The BPP is joining efforts with the USA National Phenology Network, which has just kicked off a national program to recruit citizen scientists and professional researchers to monitor plant and animal life cycles, or phenology. The two efforts will complement each other flawlessly, with the BPP combining its expertise on historical bird data with the USA-NPN's ongoing work to document changes in flowering, fruiting, migrations, reproduction, hibernation, and other plant and animal phenological events.
The BPP was started in 1880 by Wells W. Cooke, who wanted to broaden knowledge and understanding of migration. Eventually, famed scientist C. Hart Merriam expanded the volunteer network to include the entire United States, Canada and part of the West Indies. By the late 1880s the program had 3000 volunteers. Although the program was actively maintained by the federal government, in 1970 the program closed, until it re-opened again last year.
This program relies heavily on the participation of citizen scientists, said Zelt. "We currently house 6 million cards, which need to be scanned onto our website and then converted, solely by volunteers, into our database. Birders who want to concentrate on one particular group of birds can select that group or even a particular species. And if you live in the Baltimore-Washington area and would like to help the volunteer crew work with the historic files, you are welcome to do so."
To date, dedicated volunteers have scanned about 184,000 cards on hooded orioles, barred owls, spotted owls, scarlet tanagers, American redstarts, rose-breasted grosbeak and many other species. That leaves about 5,816,000 cards to go. So if you would like to get involved with this program, please go to "Become a Participant" at the USGS North American Bird Phenology Program Web site.
USGS provides science for a changing world. For more information, visit www.usgs.gov.
Subscribe to USGS News Releases via our electronic mailing list or RSS feed.
**** www.usgs.gov ****
Links and contacts within this release are valid at the time of publication.


text:
New York, May 14, 2013--Azerbaijani parliament's approval to extend criminal defamation laws to include Internet speech is a serious setback for press freedom in a country that severely curtails free expression already, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. CPJ calls on President Ilham Aliyev to veto the bill.
The local press reported that members of parliament voted to amend the criminal code to extend punishment for slander and insult--articles 147 and 148 of the code respectively--to the Internet. Those found guilty of slander can be sentenced to a fine of up to 500 Azeri manat (US$637); corrective labor of up to one year; or jail time of up to six months. Insult charges carry a fine of up to 1,000 Azeri manat (about US$1275); one year of corrective labor; or imprisonment of up to six months, the Baku-based news agency APA reported.
The amendments, which were passed ahead of the October presidential elections, could hamper public debate and cement self-censorship at a time when plurality of views and coverage are crucial. European institutions and international press freedom and human rights groups including CPJ have repeatedly urged Azerbaijan to decriminalize defamation. But Ziyafat Asgarov, the vice speaker of parliament, told lawmakers that Azerbaijan has no obligation before the Council of Europe to decriminalize defamation, and said that society "is not ready for it," the APA reported.
"Azerbaijani authorities should be decriminalizing defamation, not extending it to the Internet," said CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova. "If signed into law, this bill would rob the public of online news, which has become vital in a society where traditional media is already severely restricted. We urge President Aliyev to veto this legislation."
Emin Huseynov, director of the Baku-based Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety, condemned the vote and said in a statement that it was "a blatant political move and a shabby attempt to hijack online freedoms amid mounting pre-election crackdown."
Azerbaijan's press freedom record has significantly deteriorated over the past year, CPJ research shows. Authorities imprisoned at least seven independent journalists in retaliation for their work; failed to bring to justice those responsible for physical attacks and intimidation of critical reporters; and adopted legislation aimed at restricting funding for local non-governmental organizations.
- For more data on Azerbaijan, visit CPJ's Attacks on the Press.


text:
Azlv necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 260 diseños de 73 diseñadores freelance.
Oak Bay Dental Clinic (TM) (Dr. Adam Pite, Inc)
A well-dressed, progressive modern young dentist striving for excellence with extensive post-graduate training in smile design, dental surgical implant placement, sedation and hospital dentistry. Have spent time in East Africa, Cambodia and Vietnam for mission work as a dentist. I love outdoors - scuba diving, snowboarding, hiking in the mountains. I will be seeing cancer patients from the regional cancer hospital as a small part of my practice. I love people and the relationships that I build with patients through my work. I am trying to get across that I am friendly, welcoming, very knowledgable, and most importantly professional; and offer unique services in smile design/cosmetics, dental implant surgery, and sedation. I want people to recognize me as someone who cares and can give high quality specialized dentistry care. I am not looking for any cheesy teeth with smiles as a logo
Front window advertisement of clinic, letterhead and web content logo. People looking for a highly skilled, professional dentist who they will stay with long term and trust. Want to target adults, educated, upper middle class retirees and young professionals - especially women in the age group of 35-55.
Front window advertisement of clinic, letterhead and web content logo. Want it to be professional - no cheesy teeth with smiles and tacky toothbrushes. I don't really want an obvious full tooth to dominate the design.
My last name starts with a P (Dr. Adam W. Pite), so if you are looking to design with a letter involved (other than the letters of Oak Bay Dental clinic)
Things associated with the:
local area - oak leaf/leaves, snow capped mountains, ocean, British Columbia flag (sunrise)... there is a lot of elderly/retired people in the area. also looking to capitalize on young families nearby.
practice - smile design/cosmetics, implant, IV sedation, professional, friendly/easy to talk to/interested in patients, cancer patients
I don't want it to be too complex with all sorts of minute detail. I want it to be easily recognizable
The attached files are a few logos I found that I like... there is no need to stick to anything like these, but they might be of some help. There is also an example of a dental clinic logo that caught my attention. Finally, there is a picture of the front of my office. The green colour around the windows unfortunately cannot easily be changed
I think I like darker/medium red and silver, red and gold, blue/green, blue/silver, something that would stand out from a building but looks professional and doesn't look tacky... and conveys trust
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


text:
News Archives - 2011
A long Augsburg history
You could say that the Daniels family has a long history with Augsburg. If you're a visual learner, it might help to grab a pencil and paper and draw a picture as you read.
Sally Daniels graduated from Augsburg College in 1979. Sally's daughter Kristin graduated from Augsburg in 2009. Sally's other daughter Maren is a junior at Augsburg.
Kristin and Maren's paternal grandmother graduated from Augsburg. So did three of her four children: Paul (Kristin and Maren's dad) as well as his sister and brother. Paul's brother also met his wife here.
The story continues:
Sally went to work in the office of admissions just months after her graduation and continued to work in that department for 26 years. She currently is director of parent and family relations in the office of institutional advancement. This week, she celebrates 32 years of service to the College as an employee. And this year in June, Kristin became the newest member of the staff in Augsburg's office of undergraduate admissions.
Sally speculates that a "love of this place" is what makes the Daniels family's connection to Augsburg so strong.
Kristin remembers hearing her mother's stories from the admissions office and visiting campus when she was younger. "I liked to hear about the different types of students coming to Augsburg," she said. "I was always proud that she worked here."
Before she joined Augsburg's staff, Kristin worked in admissions for a cosmetology school, but she worked from home and had very few opportunities to reconnect with students after they were admitted. While she enjoyed her work, she promised herself that she would apply if a position opened at Augsburg.
Now, Kristin says she enjoys getting to know students and their families during the admissions process. "As a graduate of Augsburg, I feel like I have an advantage because I know about what my mom does [in her current position] and I know what questions parents are going to ask her," Kristin said.
Sally also feels that her many roles—Augsburg graduate, parent of Auggies, and long-time staff member—give her an advantage when working with parents and families today. "I feel like having worn these hats has helped me serve the college well, and when parents talk to me, I can say, 'I get it.'"
So far, Sally hasn't given much advice to Kristin about working in admissions, other than what to expect from life on the road when the traveling and recruiting season begins. "Things are different now, five years later," Kristin said.
We can only speculate about the next chapter of the Daniels family Augsburg story. Will Sally's future grandchildren be Auggies? Will the Daniels give a gift to build Augsburg's next residence hall? Will Maren or Kristin be Augsburg's first female president? We will have to wait a while to know.


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NJIT math professor calls Rangers and Brewers solid favorites for championships
The Major League Baseball Division Series is underway and NJIT math professor Bruce Bukiet has once again analyzed the probability of each team advancing to the World Series. "Now that the Texas Rangers have won the opening game against the Detroit Tigers, the probability of this team winning the American League Pennant has jumped from 64 to 76 percent," he said. "In the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers have upped their chances of clinching the National League pennant from 51 to 68 percent."
Performing the analysis this post-season has posed more problems for Bukiet than usual with the regular season going down to the final day to determine two of the post-season teams and then the League Division series going to the fifth game in three of those four series. This has left little time between the determination of the contenders and the start of the following series.
At the season's start, Bukiet used his mathematical model to project the number of wins each team should earn (see: http://m.njit.edu/~bukiet/baseball/2011_season_predictions.htm). While Bukiet's model picked only five of the eight post-season teams last April, he said that his performance was still good enough to come in first in the competition at www.baseballphd.net and better still than most experts. Bukiet updates the probabilities of each team taking their series throughout the Major League Baseball post-season at http://m.njit.edu/~bukiet/baseball/playoffs11.htm
On Bukiet's website, he provides the likelihood of each team taking the series in a given number of games. At this point, the most likely outcome (27.2 percent) is for the Texas Rangers to win in six games. In the National League, the most likely outcome (24.9 percent) is for the Brewers to win in six games.
This is Bukiet's 11th year using his model to determine whether it is worthwhile to wager on games each day during the baseball season. His picks (posted on www.egrandslam.com) have led to (slightly) more positive results for 7 of the 11 years (counting 2011's worst-ever results). He has also used the model to predict how teams should perform during a baseball season and these results have compared favorably with experts, including 2011. This year, Bukiet has even expressed surprise that his daily picks performed so poorly while his overall picks did so well.
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"This book presents a lucid explanation of the workings of thorium-based reactors. It is must reading for anyone interested in our energy future."
"As our energy future is essential I can strongly recommend the book for everybody interested in this most significant topic."
translated into German by Simon Aegerter
translated into Portuguese by Sergius Tunes
Amazon readers' reviews (50+)
The economic environmental solution


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5785 Peachtree Ind Blvd.
Directions Atlanta, GA 30341
Sorry, no items matching your request were found.
Finding a vehicle that's stylish, comfortable, and fun as well as affordable is no issue at all when you come to shop with us here at Jim Ellis Hyundai Atlanta! We welcome all Roswell, Duluth, Marietta, Alpharetta, and Atlanta, GA drivers to make our dealership the next stop on the road to a better driving experience. With so many Hyundai models to choose from, you'll be head over heels from the moment you arrive.
With popular and highly-demanded Hyundai models to peruse, you'll find the vehicles on your must-have list like the Accent, Elantra, Santa Fe, Sonata, and Tucson. Take your time perusing the available selection and filter your search by model, trim, price, and more. Once you've found the Hyundai vehicle that calls your name, make our Atlanta, GA dealership your next stop and see your chosen ride up close.
After you've discovered the ride of a lifetime, make our finance center your next stop and allow our professionals to assist you in securing a Hyundai loan or Hyundai lease. Further down the road, when you find it's time for repairs or maintenance, you can always schedule an appointment with our service center and get the automotive attention your vehicle deserves. We hope you drop by soon.


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which basically calls delete on the new that is created in the function my %mat
function wraps(not shown). I was told by someone at cffi-devel that
" You use sb-sys:system-area-pointer as type, and this will tie you to
SBCL. There is no reason for that.
How would I change the sb-sys:system-area-pointer type in the below code to make it
compatible with all implementations. I could use a concrete example based on the
below code since I'm still kind of new to this part of CFFI.Thanks in advance for
any help on this
Code: Select all
(defstruct (cvmatrix (:constructor %make-cvmatrix))
(sap (%mat) :type sb-sys:system-area-pointer :read-only t))
(defun make-cvmatrix (&optional enable-finalizer)
(let* ((matrix (%make-cvmatrix))
(sap (cvmatrix-sap matrix)))
(when enable-finalizer
(tg:finalize matrix (lambda () (del-mat sap))))


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Reviews | Write a Review
The PNY CS2030 M.2 PCIe (Gen 3x4) NVMe solid state drive (SSD) is the extreme performance line of PNY SSDs. It is an ideal choice for extreme performance upgrade form a hard disk drive (HDD). The PNY CS2030 was designed to be an easy and quick replacement for your existing PC system, helping to realize faster boot times, quicker application launch and better overall system performance
Sequential read and write data transfer rates based on PNY internal testing; performance may vary depending upon drive capacity, host device, OS and application.
"If you are in the market for a new mainstream NVMe SSD, you can confidently add this drive to your comparison list. We award the PNY CS2030 our Silver Seal."
4 out of 5 Stars - Silver Seal Award - The SSD Review
After a very long history with PNY, I didn't worry about the company's reputation. I went and purchased two 480 GB capacities of this bad boy into two of my business laptops. Installation from and SSD to an this device took about 3 minutes and waited for me most of the time. I used Adobe's latest Masters CC Programs extensively. Speed both write and read as usual with PNY's additional SSDs are even above their own ranking PNY as much as 3% of the CS1311 2.5'' SATA III 960GB and a solid 5% above and beyond this drive.
Fuel Efficiency: Extends both my identical laptops to a solid 12 hours of usage with ZERO heat gain from the 10 hours previously with a temp of 40C under full load to under 29C.
Final Thoughts: This type of technology frees up the SATA III 6/GB port to add an additional SSD into that gives you twice the square acreage without heat, vibration, accidental drops, data corruption, and consumption.


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Did no one at the UN think that a meeting in Doha might bring up unfavorable comparisons to Homer Simpson's favorite exclamation? Both John and I have raked this farce over the coals, but it's always worth doing more. Benny Peiser of the Global Warming Policy Foundation rounds up the dour media conclusions. Like Reuters:
[Headline] Despair after climate conference, but U.N. still offers hope
At the end of another lavishly-funded U.N. conference that yielded no progress on curbing greenhouse emissions, many of those most concerned about climate change are close to despair.
As thousands of delegates checked out of their air-conditioned hotel rooms in Doha to board their jets for home, some asked whether the U.N. system even made matters worse by providing cover for leaders to take no meaningful action.
Doha Climate Summit Ends With No New CO2 Cuts or Funding
DOHA, Qatar, Dic 10 (IPS) – The United Nations climate talks in Doha went a full extra 24 hours and ended without increased cuts in fossil fuel emissions and without financial commitments between 2013 and 2015.
"This an incredibly weak deal," said Samantha Smith representing the Climate Action Network, a coalition of more than 700 civil society organisations.
"Governments came here with no mandate for action," Smith said in a press scrum moments after the meeting known as COP 18 ended and the 195 parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) approved a complex package called "The Doha Climate Gateway".
No, wait–they didn't actually call it the "Doha Climate Gateway," did they? Cue the tape! Here's what I wrote here on Power Line a year ago after the last such circus:
As Nature puts it, "In the search for a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, we now have the Durban Platform, which comes on the heels of the Bali Road Map and the Copenhagen Accord." In future years I expect we can look forward to the Frankfurt Farce, the Rio Reneg, the Tokyo Two-Step, the Melbourne Mumble, and the Marrakesh One-Two.
D'oh! I overlooked the potential of the Doha Gateway. Anyway, if you're into Schadenfreude, there's more at Benny's fine website.
Walter Russell Mead beats down as well as anyone:
The Kyoto protocol, the ineffectual walking dead climate treaty, will lurch on for a few more years, toothless and brain dead. The rich countries yet again remain vague about what for most developing countries is the only real point of the whole thing, substituting vague pledges of good well for the annual $100 billion in green gold demand by the third world countries whose clueless militancy turned the General Assembly into a pointless sideshow decades ago.
The inexorable decline of the climate movement from its Pickett's Charge at the Copenhagen summit continues. The global green lobby is more flummoxed than ever. These people and these methods couldn't make a ham sandwich, much less save Planet Earth.
Walter leaves out just one word: Losers.


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From the series: Designing Mixed-Signal Systems using MATLAB and Simulink
Mike Woodward, MathWorks
SERDES design is complex and challenging. In this webinar, you will see how the design process can be shortened through reducing simulation time. This is done using top down design with MATLAB & Simulink.
You will learn how top-down SERDES design works in practice and see examples of this method in use for commercial SERDES design. You will see several different SERDES examples, including:
About the Presenter:
Mike Woodward is the communications and semiconductor industry marketing manager at MathWorks. He has degrees in Semiconductor and Microwave Physics and has been active in the communications and semiconductor industry for many years. Mike worked on the transmission infrastructure for the UK's commercial DAB transmission network, a project that was awarded the British Computer Society's IT Award for Excellence in 2000. He has also worked on audio processing and has several audio processing patents. Over the last few years, he has been working on mixed-signal design at MathWorks and has written a number of articles on system-level mixed-signal design.
Recorded: 1 May 2013


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Pratt & Whitney Unveils Higher Thrust PurePower® Engine
Pratt & Whitney today launched the newest addition to the PurePower engine family, the PW1135G-JM engine, a 35,000 thrust class engine for the Airbus A321neo aircraft. The engine's higher thrust makes it the most powerful engine on the A321neo allowing A321neo operators, fitted with Geared Turbofan™ engine technology, to fly routes of greater distance while carrying more passengers or larger payloads when operating out of high-altitude airports. Pratt & Whitney is a division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).
"At Pratt & Whitney, we're always working to stay one step ahead with our technology while providing our customers value. The PurePower PW1135G-JM engine is yet another example of this approach," said David Brantner, president, Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines. "With the PW1135G-JM engine, we offer incremental value by opening up new routes without compromising fuel burn, emissions and environmental performance."
The higher thrust offered by the PW1135G-JM engine allows an A321neo operator to benefit from increased range when operating out of high altitude airports, such as Mexico City and Bogota.
Compared with an A320ceo without Sharklets, the A320neo powered by PW1100G-JM engine technology will provide customers with up to a 15 percent reduction in fuel-burn with a corresponding reduction in CO2 emissions. The PW1100G-JM engine also provides up to 75 percent reduction in the A320neo noise footprint, which is also environmentally friendly and allows longer hours of operation at airports that operate under curfew.
To date the PurePower engine family has completed more than 9,000 hours of testing, including more than 1,200 hours of flight test hours. Pratt & Whitney has more than 5,500 PurePower engine orders and commitments, including options.
Airbus is the world's leading commercial aircraft manufacturer whose customer focus, commercial know-how, technological leadership and manufacturing efficiency have set the standard for the aviation industry. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is owned by the Airbus Group, a global leader in aerospace, defense and related services. In addition to Airbus' commercial aircraft activities, this group is comprised of the Airbus Helicopters and Airbus Defense and Space business units and maintains a presence on every continent.
Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, auxiliary and ground power units, and small turbojet propulsion products. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Connecticut, is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the building and aerospace industries. To learn more about UTC, visit its website at www.utc.com, or follow the company on Twitter: @UTC.
This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning future business opportunities. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to changes in levels of demand in the aerospace industry, in levels of air travel, and in the number of aircraft to be built; challenges in the design, development, production and support of advanced technologies; as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in the companies' Securities and Exchange Commission filings.


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Actress Amanda Bynes made a brief court appearance Tuesday stemming from her arrest for allegedly tossing a bong from the window of her 36th floor Midtown apartment.
Bynes is charged with reckless endangerment and attempted tampering with physical evidence. She showed up to court Tuesday wearing a blonde wig with blue streaks, sunglasses, a black tank top, black sweatpants and sneakers.
In the appearance, which lasted about a minute, the judge set a new court date for Sept. 26.
U.S. & World
She was arrested in May after building officials called police to complain she was rolling a joint and smoking pot in the lobby. Officers went to her apartment where they saw heavy smoke and a bong sitting on the kitchen counter. Prosecutors say she tossed the bong out the window in front of them.
Bynes rose to fame starring in Nickelodeon's "All That." She's also starred in 2010's "Easy A." But she has been in the news more recently because of several scrapes with the law and bizarre public behavior.


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this may have been asked before, but my search turned up nothing...
I have just purchased a Mac and would like to know if there is a Mac equivalent of 1-click DVD to iPod that is a windows-only program.
I want something simple and easy to use, that literally does what it says.
Also - is DVD43 compatible with Mac, or is there something similar?


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First Lady Michelle Obama dished on Jay Leno's NBC show Friday about her husband's most annoying habits, sarcastically quipping hubby Barack is "perfect" before she spilled the beans about how he angers her the most.
Leno asked Michelle on-air Friday what irritated her the most about her presidential partner, igniting Michelle's dry sense of humor -- she deadpanned that he was "perfect," then revealed it's his top-notch tennis game that drives her crazy.
"He beats me quite often," Obama answered. "It gets to be pretty annoying."
U.S. & World
Michelle continued to riff on Barack, saying there "wasn't enough time" to talk about his bad habits.
The first lady also opened up about what she whispers to the president after his signature speeches, telling Leno she doesn't offer top-secret foreign policy advice or congratulations -- but something a little more domestic.
"I usually ask him, did he take out the garbage?" she said with a laugh.
She answered Leno's question about whether Obama would prefer world peace or the Chicago White Sox' World Series bid diplomatically, saying her hubby would likely choose "world peace" but that he "wouldn't mind" his Sox getting a bid to the big game.
Barack wasn't the only family member getting ripped by the first lady -- she cracked a joke about First Grandma Marian Robinson, 72. Leno asked who disciplined daughters Sasha and Malia the most, and Michelle didn't hesitate to point the finger at her own mother.
"I can tell you who disciplines them the least, and that would be Grandma. She is worthless!" Obama said. "Cookies, TV, whatever they want."
Michelle also spoke to Leno about the first dog Bo, saying the Obama family celebrated his first birthday with a dog house made out of veal and "party hats." Daughters Sasha and Malia also came up in the conversation, but Michelle wouldn't answer Leno's question about what the first daughters plan to wear on Halloween.
"You need security clearance for that," she said.
Obama was filed via satellite from the White House in a bit filmed before Leno's show aired Friday.


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Still Flyin' are back with Travelin' Man the second single taken from their forthcoming album On a Bedroom Wall, out May 18. On 'Travelin' Man', the San Francisco troupe have slipped it up a gear from the breezy sing-a-longs of recent party jam 'Cleat Talking' and, in the process, discovered their inner Cure and New Order fan.
While soaring choral harmonies root 'Travelin Man' in Still Flyins soirée-soaked past, the songwriting and production evolve from 2010s Neu Ideas releases, layering 80s pop synths with longing and melancholy so profound its sure to send shivers up your spine. The song speaks of the fraught dichotomy between wanderlust and domesticity a regular experience for most touring musicians, but a sentiment beautifully stated here. The track was recorded and mixed by Haima Marriott of Architecture in Helsinki fame.
The singles b-side, 'Plastic Heart' is a jilted love song, packed with 80s noir bass grooves and darkly catchy guitar riffs so pitch perfect they could have blared out of Sonny Crocketts Ferrari cruising around Miami..


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EA hasn't made it official yet, but odds are pretty damn good that there's going to be a Dead Space 3. And the above video may represent our first scant look what the next Dead Space will be.
The source of that possible proof of Dead Space 3's existence—in logo and concept art form—comes from Israel's channel 10, via IGN. Amid footage and character art from Dead Space 2 is what appears to be a peek at new 3D character models, one familiar looking logo and some sketches of future Necromorphs.
So don't get too excited, unless you were thinking that another Dead Space game might not happen. You should, though, since Dead Space 2 has "sold in over two million units" as of July, according to EA.
EA's response to the apparent leak was typical "no comment" stuff, saying it didn't "have any news" about another Dead Space game.
Dead Space 3 Confirmed? [IGN]
You can contact Michael McWhertor, the author of this post, at email@example.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.


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Produced in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.