Today is Day 1,228 of the conflict in Syria.

The week is young, and so far it's filled with horrible images.

The man who smuggled lots of photos out of Syria showing the dead bodies of torture victims, the famous "Caesar," (of the Caesar Report presented to the UN, detailing allegations of government-led torture) presented his story and photos to small press groups Monday and Tuesday. You can read about it here and here.

Meanwhile, new amateur videos and photos have appeared showing Islamic State fighters parading around with severed heads (this isn't the first time). The footage is from Raqqa. Turns out one of the guys featured holding the heads is Australian, so the Australian Federal Police promptly issued arrest warrants for him and another Australian citizen, also fighting for the Islamic State.

Monday evening, a BBC documentary entitled "Children of Syria" was aired in the UK. Reviews of it are available at The Guardian and The Telegraph, among other publications. The Telegraph isolates a telling quote from a pro-Assad soldier, regarding his son: “If it was a choice between sacrificing Jalal or sacrificing Syria, I’d sacrifice Jalal because he can be replaced.”

While granting that teenagers are notoriously difficult, let's all spare a moment for an internal "yikes." 

For a somewhat less jarring experience, head over to The Atlantic to read about young Syrians writing poetry as refugees.

The conflict continues.