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Thursday, June 20, 2013

20 June 2013

A few days ago, we posted about a fantastic documentary from Vice about the 'winning' of the Afghanistan War, and the subsequent formation of a piece-meal national army.

As for today's edition of Throwback Thursdays, we go back to the end of January, where we put up a very substantial post on the Syrian Civil War. It was another 3-part Vice documentary, but this one was far more provocative.
Some of the footage of this one left me shocked and disgusted. It's quite moving, and there are some pretty graphic images.

Spend a sobering hour on this doco, or just skip to some interesting bits. It's all quite moving, all of it.


21 January 2013

Recently, a coworker received the sudden and crippling news that her first cousin had been shot dead in war-torn Syria. Like a blood-soaked butterfly effect, this supposed civil war is hitting ever closer to home.

Today's Daily Quota is a consolidated collection of a six-part series titled Ground Zero Syria.

This series follows Vice Magazine videographer Robert King and he spends some time with Syrian civilians and rebels, camera in tow.
Those of you who have never heard of Vice are in for an enlightening treat. Their website, and particularly their YouTube Channel, is packed full of interesting stories, documentaries, how-to guides and general shit-talk. Each are bite-sized and very much empathetic towards the short attention spans of the internet proletariat.

I must warn everyone, many of these images are graphic and very distressing, even to my standards. King doesn't hold back on scenes of civilian casualties, especially women and children.

Each episode focuses on a different facet of the anti-Assad movement; ranging from the civilian-run hospitals, to the child victims, to interviews with representatives of the Free Syrian Army in Aleppo.

Readers must also be aware of the heavily anti-Assad position of the publication. There is a lot of conflicting information out there about the Syrian civil war. We must remember that Vice is an American publication targeted at contrarian American audiences.


Below is an episode guide. Each episode is only about 7 minutes long, but you can't stop at one.

part 1 : Assad's Child Victims VICE commissioned renowned photojournalist and videographer Robert King to embed on the front lines with the Free Syrian Army in Aleppo. War-zone chaos ensued. In this episode, Assad forces hit Al Qusayr with a rocket attack while Robert is filming - it was targeted directly.
part 2 : Burning of The Old Souk Amid a fierce battle between Assad's security forces and Free Syrian Army insurgents, fire swept through the old Souk of Aleppo, a historic covered market and World Heritage site. Rebel fighters and activists have reported that the blaze was sparked by the use of incendiary mortar rounds by Assad's forces. 
part 3 :The Atrocities Within Aleppo's Field Hospital  The atrocities and war crimes currently ripping Syria apart at the seams are evident inside a field hospital in Aleppo, the country's largest city. Inside the hospital exhausted doctors indescriminately treat civilians, members of the Free Syrian Army, and captured Syrian Army troops alike.
part 4 : Under Fire for Bread in Alepp Every day the men, women, and children of Aleppo, Syria, must risk their lives to stand in line and hope that they can buy a kilo of bread to survive another day. Many of the bread factories in Aleppo have been destroyed amidst fighting between the Free Syrian Army and Assad's troops. The few that remain are staffed by brave souls who risk their lives every day to ensure the local population has basic sustenance. 
part 5 : The Bombing of Aleppo's Dar al-Shifa Hospital On November 21, Aleppo's Dar al-Shifa Hospital was bombed and destroyed by the Syrian Army. This is the same makeshift hospital where, weeks ago, VICE and videographer Robert King reported on human rights abuses and war crimes against patients (including children) being treated inside. It was completely leveled by the rocket attack, and Robert was on the scene to document the fallout.
part 6 : The Free syrian Army During his time in Syria throughout much of 2012, videographer Robert King followed Aleppo's Al-Tawhid Brigade as he dodged bullets and rocket fire to learn more about the largest brigade of the Free Syrian Army. Somehow Robert managed to track down Haji-Mara, the Al-Tawhid Brigade's commander, for a rare interview, during which the former-businessman-turned-freedom-fighter espouses the many difficulties the rebels face against the alleged brutality of President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

WATCH IT HERE

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