A shocking image of Syria's brutal war – a war that will continue regardless | Jonathan Jones

Even the most horrific photos are not able to prevent wars happening, they remain decoration for our conscienceThis week the Guardian published the kind of picture that deserves to change the world. The front page of Thursday's print edition was dominated by an epic scene of human suffering, reproduced above. In a canyon between grey shattered precipices of bomb-ravaged buildings, an uncountable number of people wait for food. The faces in the front of the vast desperate crowd are anxious, stoical, subdued; beyond is a sea of heads whose expressions are unreadable but guessably similar.This is a great photograph – and it wants the world to act. It was released by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and shows what happened when aid workers tried to give out food parcels at Yarmouk refugee camp on the edge of Damascus. The picture illuminates the mind-boggling devastation of the war in Syria: tottering jumbles of concrete and plaster gaping with voids and caverns, are all that is left of this cityscape. Above all, it captures the sheer scale of human suffering with this horribly mesmerising sea of faces.But will it make a difference? It is intended as a campaigning picture, not a work of art. Here are the facts from one small part of Syria; here is the fate of part of the Palestinian people.When I look at photographs that try to move the world to compassionate action I am haunted by Jurgen Stroop. In the 1940s, Stroop, the SS General who led the final attack on the... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]

Other Publishing stories related to: 'A shocking image of Syria's brutal war – a war that will continue regardless | Jonathan Jones'


With Russia at war, fascism has taken hold of its young people, Canadian researcher finds

While his assessment has its detractors, Canadian author and Russia expert Ian Garner believes fascist views now permeate Russia's young people to such a degree that the chances of a lasting peace following the war in Ukraine are remote. ... Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-05-15 08:00:00 UTC ]
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This Dark Children’s Book Is a Shocking Campaign to Protest Gun Violence

On May 10, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark stood on the floor of the House of Representatives and read aloud from a children's book to members of Congress. "The end of the day was also my own," she read. "Bled out on the floor and never got home." These chilling words tell the story of Joaquin... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2023-05-15 06:00:00 UTC ]
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What happened to all the war vet novelists? They've moved on, and so have we

Kevin Powers was among the best in a wave of novelists on Iraq and Afghanistan. His new thriller, "A Line in the Sand," signals their slow fade from relevance. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-05-12 13:00:10 UTC ]
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One Year After Removing Its Paywall, Quartz’s Traffic Continues to Drop

Last April, the business news publisher Quartz stunned the media industry by removing its three-year-old paywall, a move designed to expand its general readership at the potential expense of its paid membership business. One year later, the pivot serves as a valuable, if limited, case study in... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2023-05-04 06:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC releases first images of Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson in Doctor Who

Pair who play Doctor and companion don 60s-style outfits in photos from upcoming seriesThe first images of Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson travelling back to the 1960s in Doctor Who have been released by the BBC.Gatwa, a star of Sex Education, will play the Doctor, with Gibson, a Coronation Street... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-20 17:52:11 UTC ]
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London Book Fair 2023: Brian Murray, the Ukrainian First Lady, and a Shocking Arrest Start the Show

On Day One in London, HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray said the publisher may still try to buy Simon & Schuster, Ukrainian first lady Olena Zolenska addressed the fair over video, and the floor was aflutter over the arrest of the foreign rights manager at French publisher Éditions La Fabrique... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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'Star Wars: Visions' Volume 2 trailer teases Aardman's take on Wookiees

Did you ever want to see how the creators of Wallace and Grommit would handle the Star Wars universe? You're about to get your chance. Disney has released a trailer for Star Wars: Visions Volume 2, and it includes a peek at Aardman's short film "I Am Your Mother." To no one's surprise, it... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-04-10 15:13:55 UTC ]
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The Internet Archive’s Literary Civil War

The beloved online athenaeum just lost a big court case. Librarians fear it’ll make ebooks less accessible. So why are some writers cheering? Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2023-03-31 13:00:00 UTC ]
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ALA Reports Shocking Increase in Attempted Book Bans in 2022

With book banning and legislative attacks on the freedom to read continuing to surge across the country, the American Library Association tracked a stunning 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, nearly double the record-shattering 729 challenges recorded in 2021. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Culture Wars Are Energizing Feminist Bookstores

As book banning efforts, assaults upon women’s autonomy, and more intensify, both old-school feminist bookstores and new intersectional feminist shops are drawing customers seeking a safe space and solace in books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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AI-generated images from text can't be copyrighted, US government rules

Any images that are produced by giving a text prompt to current generative AI models, such as Midjourney or Stable Diffusion, cannot be copyrighted in the US. That's according to the US Copyright Office (USCO), which has equated such prompts to a buyer giving directions to a commissioned artist.... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-03-16 17:42:43 UTC ]
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Warsick: Testimonial Plays Share Ukrainians’ Experience of War, by Oleksandra Wallo & Anna Halas

Warsick: Testimonial Plays Share Ukrainians’ Experience of War, by Oleksandra Wallo & Anna Halas Essay [email protected] Wed, 03/08/2023 - 14:54 Scene from Performance Survivor’s Syndrome, based on a work by Andriy Bondarenko, Harmyder... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2023-03-08 20:54:52 UTC ]
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Steve Jobs, Jef Raskin, and the first great war for your thumbs

The author of the forthcoming book ‘Shift Happens’ looks at some brilliant, idiosyncratic—and often ill-fated—gambits to transform computer input. We all know the story of the Thumb Wars of the 2000s: the skirmish between BlackBerry, iPhone, and Android over the control of the newest and most... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-03-06 09:00:00 UTC ]
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Image Comics Union Ratifies First Contract

Union members of comics publisher Image Comics voted overwhelmingly in favor of its first-ever contract. The staffers are members of Comic Book Workers United, a new affiliate of the Communications Workers of America. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘Essex Dogs,’ by Dan Jones

“Essex Dogs,” the first novel in a projected trilogy by the historian Dan Jones, imagines a hard-bitten band of mercenaries hired to invade France on behalf of their English king. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-02-03 10:00:06 UTC ]
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'Star Wars: Visions' Volume 2 debuts May 4th with an Aardman short

Star Wars: Visions is returning for a second 'season,' this time with a more international scope — including a studio you might not have expected. Disney has announced that Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 will premiere May 4th (aka Star Wars Day) with shorts from nine countries, including one from... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-02-02 15:41:49 UTC ]
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How to add custom screensaver images to your Kobo e-reader

Unlike Kindles, Kobo e-readers don’t have generic screensavers appear on screen when in standby mode. Not by default. Even on more premium models like the Kobo Libra 2 and Kobo Sage, your only options are your current book’s cover or a blank screen that says “Sleeping.”  Fortunately, if... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2023-01-27 17:00:00 UTC ]
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Twitter is reportedly struggling to break even as advertisers continue to flee

Twitter’s ad business is reeling, with its daily revenue reportedly falling by 40 percent from a year ago. According to The Information, over 500 of the company’s top advertisers have paused spending on the platform since Elon Musk’s October takeover. Despite that, Twitter is still attracting... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-01-18 18:54:25 UTC ]
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Jonathan Raban, travel writer and novelist, dies aged 80

The British author, who lived in the US, blended memoir and travelogue in books that were often inspired by the seaJonathan Raban, the British travel writer, critic and novelist known for his candid accounts of travelling the world in books such as Passage to Juneau and Coasting, has died aged... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-18 08:53:25 UTC ]
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Turns out the Russian soldier who fled to France and sold his war memoir might be full of shit.

Back in August I wrote about Pavel Filatyev, an active-duty Russian soldier who posted online his 141-page account of the lead up to and taking of Kherson by Russian forces. With the help of Vladimir Osechkin, who runs Gulagu.net (an anti-corruption website whose name translates as “No to the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-12-08 15:42:53 UTC ]
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