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Eliot Higgins-Matthew VanDyke FULL MESSAGES Exchange

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  1. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 9:16pm UTC+02
  2. Hey man, hope you are doing okay and staying safe, just wondering if you recognise this American who appears to be fighting with the opposition? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2ajc_kQ1ac&feature=player_embedded
  3.  
  4. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 10:35pm UTC+02
  5. He appears to be posing with some random rebels who are amused by him. He is probably one of the many who email me almost every week asking for me to lead them into battle in Syria.
  6.  
  7. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 10:36pm UTC+02
  8. my sources on the ground in Syria, serious actual revolutionaries, are not happy about this video and this war tourist playing around there
  9.  
  10. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 10:40pm UTC+02
  11. he won't be the last. I get an alarming number of emails from guys like this, I have for many months now. I could have enough to form an international brigade if I wanted, but I always turn them away. They want to do what I did in Libya, but they cannot, because they don't have the years of experience in the region, the friends on the ground that makes it personal, or the educational background and experience.
  12.  
  13. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 10:54pm UTC+02
  14. (As you may know, it was a very unique set of circumstances and experiences that occurred over years that led to my participation in Libya as an armed combatant and to the work (I don't mean the film) that I am doing in Syria now)
  15.  
  16. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:05pm UTC+02
  17. A few katibas tried to recruit me when I was in Syria, once they heard about my combat experience in Libya and saw a photo of my National Liberation Army of Libya military ID. One asked me to use the DShK to fire at regime helicopters. But I refused all their requests simply because I had made a public commitment not to engage in combat while making my film in Syria, and I always keep my commitments and my word. Despite the lies told about me by Joel Simon and others, I always do things the honest and right way, and me turning down recruitment into the FSA while filming was just the most recent example of how I conduct myself.
  18.  
  19. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:06pm UTC+02
  20. Thanks for the information, hopefully this guy will stay out of trouble and not risk his life and those of the people he's around.
  21.  
  22. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:06pm UTC+02
  23. but that commitment was just while making that one film, and when I return to Syria in a few months, I'm free to do as I please :)
  24.  
  25. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:07pm UTC+02
  26. the guy is a Chris Jeon joke, don't worry about him
  27.  
  28. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:07pm UTC+02
  29. and he isn't the only one in Syria right now doing this, by the way
  30.  
  31. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:08pm UTC+02
  32. Yes, I've had a few journalists tell me about other encounters with this sort of people.
  33.  
  34. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:08pm UTC+02
  35. there are some other Americans there too, ones who had tried repeatedly to get my help and advice (and I advised them to stay out of Syria)
  36.  
  37. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:08pm UTC+02
  38. Hopefully Kevin Dawes is safely locked away in a hospital on strong medication, last I heard of him he was going crazy in a Turkish hotel and accused me of being a CIA agent
  39.  
  40. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:09pm UTC+02
  41. I have gotten at least 20, maybe 30 or so, emails from people who want me to lead them into battle in Syria. There are so many I lost count. It might be more. Most are ex-military.
  42.  
  43. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:09pm UTC+02
  44. They'd probably be more help educating people about UXO than running around playing soldier
  45.  
  46. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:09pm UTC+02
  47. some send resumes and photos from their military service to prove it
  48.  
  49. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:10pm UTC+02
  50. and some are European/Australian military, etc.
  51.  
  52. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:10pm UTC+02
  53. The new grad cluster munitions are particularly nasty, hearing more reports about injuries and deaths from them than the various RBK cluster bombs
  54.  
  55. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:12pm UTC+02
  56. why don't you come over to Syria? I have a team on the ground that will take care of everything you need, really good people. Your work is honestly the most well-researched and straight-shooting documentation of this conflict that exists, real labor intensive thinking man stuff that many in the press wouldn't put in the time for :)
  57.  
  58. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:13pm UTC+02
  59. (to do themselves, I meant. I know they use you as a source now, as they should)
  60.  
  61. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:13pm UTC+02
  62. If they Syrian army didn't kill me my wife would
  63.  
  64. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:13pm UTC+02
  65. She's warned me off going to war zones
  66.  
  67. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:14pm UTC+02
  68. I'm trying to get some full time employment with a NGO, currently I'm doing part time consultancy work for HRW on cluster munitions
  69.  
  70. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:15pm UTC+02
  71. I've been making a database of cluster bomb videos, and they'll use that data for various projects. I think they plan to go to some UN conference with it
  72.  
  73. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:16pm UTC+02
  74. ah ok, that is good. I'm glad things are going well.
  75.  
  76. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:16pm UTC+02
  77. UNMAS has been talking to me about mapping these so they know where do go and clean them up after the conflict, so hopefully it'll save some limbs and lives.
  78.  
  79. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:17pm UTC+02
  80. well, I can see where Kevin Dawes is suspicious, you have a lot of knowledge yet I don't think anybody knows anything really about you. And you blog/tweet under an assumed name ;)
  81.  
  82. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:17pm UTC+02
  83. yes, uxo is going to be a major problem, especially since this war still might have years to go
  84.  
  85. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:18pm UTC+02
  86. Thing is, I just started the blog as a hobby after my newly arrived daughter destroyed the time I had for previous hobbies. I tend to take my hobbies a bit too far.
  87.  
  88. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:18pm UTC+02
  89. Yes, I really think Syria could go on for a long time, it's very complex with a lot of factors that are hard to predict and control
  90.  
  91. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:19pm UTC+02
  92. The war after the war will be the real problem here.
  93.  
  94. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:20pm UTC+02
  95. Yes, I think that could have more consequences in neighbouring countries than the current conflict. I have a lot of concerns of what groups like Jabhat al-Nusra will get up to, and the situation in the Kurdish areas.
  96.  
  97. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:22pm UTC+02
  98. Unless there's a diplomatic miracle things look extremely bad going forwards. Even a clean coup doesn't deal with the growing Jihadist issue. Maybe 6 months ago, but not now.
  99.  
  100. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:26pm UTC+02
  101. yes, I agree. I foresaw this exact development and wrote about it in an article back in May (that Huffington Post declined so I put it on my own blog in June instead). Entirely predictable, and now irreversible.
  102.  
  103. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:27pm UTC+02
  104. and unfortunately, mujahideen will spread out of Syria after this war like they spread out of Afghanistan, and many will stay to fight the war after the war.
  105.  
  106. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:27pm UTC+02
  107. The shortsightedness over at the 3-letter agencies in DC is at times appalling.
  108.  
  109. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:28pm UTC+02
  110. (and in Congress and the White House)
  111.  
  112. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:31pm UTC+02
  113. I really just don't see any positive outcomes that can be reasonably expected to happen, it's not like Iran and Russia are going to convince Assad to leave any time soon, and the longer it goes on the more established and well armed the Jihadist groups will become. They've already got tanks and heavy artillery, and I'm sure those rocket pods they've captured are going to end up on the back of trucks.
  114.  
  115. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:31pm UTC+02
  116. Not such a problem when they are firing them at military bases, but when the fighting reaches towns and cities it'll be a much bigger problem.
  117.  
  118. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:33pm UTC+02
  119. The whole country is going to become a graveyard
  120.  
  121. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:34pm UTC+02
  122. yes probably a minimum of 200,000-250,000 dead before democratic government takes power over all the country.
  123.  
  124. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:36pm UTC+02
  125. Well, back to cataloging cluster bombs for me, any ETA on your film?
  126.  
  127. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:40pm UTC+02
  128. I have spent almost $15,000 of my own money on my film (my fundraisers didn't follow through for me) so I might try a little longer to find a way to cover my costs with a network deal, etc. (on the condition that the film is still also released free on the internet, as I said it would be when I started out, it must be free on the internet even if it is also shown on television, etc.). So although I am trying for February, it might not be until March/April depending on the circumstances now.
  129.  
  130. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:42pm UTC+02
  131. I'd help out but the journalists I know are generally print and internet rather than TV
  132.  
  133. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at 12:06am UTC+02
  134. Thanks. It'll all work out, things always do.
  135.  
  136. Eliot Higgins Friday, January 25, 2013 at 12:44pm UTC+02
  137. Hey man, hope everything is going well with your film. I’ve recently been contacted by ITN’s new online news department, “Truthloader”, who I’ll be doing a couple of interviews with about the weapons used in Syria, and they’ve ask me if I know anyone who has an interesting perspective on the conflict, and obviously I thought of you. If you like I can send them your contact email, and get their producer to contact you directly, let me know if you are interested.
  138.  
  139. Matthew VanDyke Friday, January 25, 2013 at 5:21pm UTC+02
  140. Sure, thank you for thinking of me and offering to refer them to me. I really appreciate it.
  141.  
  142. Eliot Higgins Friday, January 25, 2013 at 5:22pm UTC+02
  143. I'll send them your contact email if you want.
  144.  
  145. Matthew VanDyke Friday, January 25, 2013 at 5:22pm UTC+02
  146. thank you, matthew@matthewVanDyke .com, 443-831-4424
  147.  
  148. Eliot Higgins Friday, January 25, 2013 at 5:24pm UTC+02
  149. I've sent it over, I'll let you know when the confirm receipt
  150.  
  151. Matthew VanDyke Friday, January 25, 2013 at 5:25pm UTC+02
  152. great, thanks
  153.  
  154. Eliot Higgins Friday, January 25, 2013 at 5:25pm UTC+02
  155. They just replied to say they got it, hopefully they'll contact you directly shortly.
  156.  
  157. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 9:24pm UTC+02
  158. I've got a journalists from Kashmir asking for some advice about reaching Aleppo and various other questions, would you be able to help her out?
  159.  
  160. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 9:25pm UTC+02
  161. yes, of course
  162.  
  163. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 9:36pm UTC+02
  164. I am in contact with people in Aleppo almost daily and am very well-connected there now. I'm sure I can help her out a lot and save her a lot of frustration and expense there.
  165.  
  166. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 9:47pm UTC+02
  167. Okay, mind if I forward you the email she sent me?
  168.  
  169. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 9:50pm UTC+02
  170. yes, sure. matthew@matthewVanDyke.com
  171.  
  172. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 9:50pm UTC+02
  173. by the way I got an email from ITN yesterday, they are setting up an interview, thank you.
  174.  
  175. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 9:51pm UTC+02
  176. Great, I did mine on Monday, they are editing it down at the moment, quite a bit to edit as I spoke pretty much non-stop for 45 minutes
  177.  
  178. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 9:53pm UTC+02
  179. They said they'll send me the final edit for approval as well, which is decent of them.
  180.  
  181. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:35pm UTC+02
  182. Great
  183.  
  184. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:38pm UTC+02
  185. Saw your reply to her email, sound like you just saved her a lot of trouble, thanks for helping out.
  186.  
  187. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:45pm UTC+02
  188. Yes, she seems fairly naive, I hope she understands the email and contacts me again. I don't want her to walk into trouble over there. Even experienced journalists aren't thinking enough steps ahead and are getting themselves into trouble.
  189.  
  190. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:46pm UTC+02
  191. Yes, some of them do seem to not quite understand what's happening over there, and still have their tickets booked
  192.  
  193. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:50pm UTC+02
  194. you wouldn't believe the amount of scheming and double-crossing that goes on in Aleppo, constantly, the internal dynamics of the place are like something out of a spy novel and it is a bitch to keep up with it all. It is unfortunate that Peter dislikes me so much personally and keeps me off Vulture Club because Aleppo really is the kind of situation where I can without a doubt save some journalists from getting themselves into a lot of trouble. But that's his problem if he wants to put his personal feelings over their safety. Thanks for forwarding me her email and if you see anything else on the Vulture Club like this let me know and I'll still see what I can do for them from over here in exile :D
  195.  
  196. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:51pm UTC+02
  197. Oh, she got me on Twitter, I only noticed she was asking on the vulture club as I was talking to you, that was going to be my other suggestion for her.
  198.  
  199. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:51pm UTC+02
  200. That's why she thinks I'm "Mr.Moses", haha
  201.  
  202. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:52pm UTC+02
  203. ah ok yes that makes sense now
  204.  
  205. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:52pm UTC+02
  206. I should tell her it's not my real picture on Twitter either, haha
  207.  
  208. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:52pm UTC+02
  209. On another subject, did you spot any RPG-22s while you were in Syria?
  210.  
  211. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:53pm UTC+02
  212. Yeah
  213.  
  214. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:53pm UTC+02
  215. yeah to changing your twitter pic I meant
  216.  
  217. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:54pm UTC+02
  218. no, to the RPG-22s
  219.  
  220. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:55pm UTC+02
  221. I'm trying to figure out this thing with all these foreign weapons turning up in Daraa, seems they had some incoming RPG-22s before the rest.
  222.  
  223. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:55pm UTC+02
  224. or rather, not changing your Twitter pic, I meant yeah to telling her the Twitter pic isn't your real pic :)
  225.  
  226. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:55pm UTC+02
  227. haha, okay
  228.  
  229. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:56pm UTC+02
  230. the Twitter pic is appropriately mysterious for using a fake Twitter name LD
  231.  
  232. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:56pm UTC+02
  233. :D
  234.  
  235. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:56pm UTC+02
  236. my typing sucks, I need to stop multitasking so much
  237.  
  238. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:56pm UTC+02
  239. LD=:D
  240.  
  241. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:56pm UTC+02
  242. I think it would just confuse people if I changed my twitter name and profile picture, it's kinda like my brand now
  243.  
  244. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:57pm UTC+02
  245. It's just an old name and avatar I've been using for about 10 years on the internet, didn't think anyone would read the blog so I didnt think too much about the name.
  246.  
  247. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:57pm UTC+02
  248. its a good name
  249.  
  250. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:58pm UTC+02
  251. as for the RPG-22s, I don't know where they would be coming from. Maybe someone in Jordan is looking the other way while a few get slipped out of Jordanian bases. Does Jordan have RPG-22s?
  252.  
  253. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:59pm UTC+02
  254. No, but I think they are floating about on the black market
  255.  
  256. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:59pm UTC+02
  257. I really think all four of the weapons I've spotted are coming from Croatia. I've been trying to figure out which groups are getting them, and if they are part of a command structure in Daraa.
  258.  
  259. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:59pm UTC+02
  260. That might suggest organised distribution of the weapons to the opposition in that region.
  261.  
  262. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:59pm UTC+02
  263. what I did see were RPG grenades wrapped in plastic wrap because they think that defeats a magentic field around newer Russian tanks (ridiculous)
  264.  
  265. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 11:00pm UTC+02
  266. Did you see the video of the RPG round with two bags of petrol tied to it?
  267.  
  268. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 11:00pm UTC+02
  269. no, I haven't
  270.  
  271. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 11:00pm UTC+02
  272. what was the logic behind that?
  273.  
  274. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 11:00pm UTC+02
  275. make it incendiary?
  276.  
  277. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 11:00pm UTC+02
  278. I assume so, I'm guessing it wasn't a decision fueled by alcohol
  279.  
  280. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 11:01pm UTC+02
  281. Here we go http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3GIMH7dMhc
  282.  
  283. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 11:01pm UTC+02
  284. and they actually fired it without setting themselves on fire http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mVCsYf6oNo
  285.  
  286. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 11:03pm UTC+02
  287. I see, haha
  288.  
  289. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 11:03pm UTC+02
  290. well it is good they are thinking, but all they probably did was throw off the aerodynamics of the rocket and make it less accurate. And at several hundred dollars each, I don't know why they would risk doing that.
  291.  
  292. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 11:04pm UTC+02
  293. Did you see those DIY shotgun grenade launchers that seem to be catching on?
  294.  
  295. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 11:05pm UTC+02
  296. no
  297.  
  298. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 11:05pm UTC+02
  299. But I did film Sham II before the press got access to it, I think
  300.  
  301. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 11:06pm UTC+02
  302. Here's the video of one, seems it's caught on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hatq2Z58b8k&feature=youtu.be
  303.  
  304. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 11:06pm UTC+02
  305. The DIY armoured car? It looked like a giant bullseye on wheels to me.
  306.  
  307. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 11:07pm UTC+02
  308. The shotgun grenade is interesting, but I wouldn't fire one myself :)
  309.  
  310. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 11:07pm UTC+02
  311. Its kind of a ghetto version of the rifle grenade I filmed in Libya: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuLxFfO5mJQ
  312.  
  313. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 11:09pm UTC+02
  314. I've seen DIY rifle grenades being manufactured in Syria, did you come across many of them? Seems the DIY rockets and pipe bombs are the most popular DIY weapons.
  315.  
  316. Matthew VanDyke Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 12:36am UTC+02
  317. sorry, had a phone call, pre-interview for a tv interview Friday
  318.  
  319. Eliot Higgins Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 12:36am UTC+02
  320. Ah nice, lots of publicity for you this week then
  321.  
  322. Matthew VanDyke Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 12:37am UTC+02
  323. I prefer to think of it as publicity for the revolution and the film, but yes, CBC and Orient TV interviews Friday (taped, not sure when they will air)
  324.  
  325. Matthew VanDyke Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 12:37am UTC+02
  326. about the grenades, yes, I saw them
  327.  
  328. Matthew VanDyke Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 12:37am UTC+02
  329. and homemade mortars
  330.  
  331. Eliot Higgins Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 12:37am UTC+02
  332. I always find it annoying when I do a massive interview they decide to use one line from
  333.  
  334. Matthew VanDyke Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 12:37am UTC+02
  335. yeah, it happens
  336.  
  337. Eliot Higgins Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 12:37am UTC+02
  338. Yeah, I saw they seem to be making a lot of those homemade mortars now
  339.  
  340. Matthew VanDyke Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 12:38am UTC+02
  341. my Orient TV appearance is 45 minutes as a guest on a show though, so I think I'll have an opportunity to get it all in
  342.  
  343. Eliot Higgins Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 12:38am UTC+02
  344. Ah, that's good, I find it tricky to do TV and radio because of work and family commitments
  345.  
  346. Matthew VanDyke Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 12:38am UTC+02
  347. and I'm getting Nour into the interview by Skype, so hopefully no technical difficulties with her internet in Syria
  348.  
  349. Eliot Higgins Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 12:39am UTC+02
  350. I've had to miss out on live spots on Al Jazeera and the BBC because of work and family stuff
  351.  
  352. Eliot Higgins Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 12:39am UTC+02
  353. Although I probably would have been barely able to speak through nervousness
  354.  
  355. Matthew VanDyke Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 12:40am UTC+02
  356. you should really try to make the time or get the networks to adjust to your schedule, it is good exposure for you and for the message you want to get out there
  357.  
  358. Matthew VanDyke Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 12:41am UTC+02
  359. The nervousness goes away after a few interviews. It is natural for me now.
  360.  
  361. Eliot Higgins Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 12:41am UTC+02
  362. Yeah, it's getting easier, the NPR interview helped alot
  363.  
  364. Eliot Higgins Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 12:42am UTC+02
  365. Right, off to bed for me, hope things go well with all the interviews.
  366.  
  367. Matthew VanDyke Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 12:43am UTC+02
  368. thank you, talk to you later
  369.  
  370. Eliot Higgins Monday, February 4, 2013 at 9:37pm UTC+02
  371. Did you record your segment yet for Truthloader?
  372.  
  373. Matthew VanDyke Monday, February 4, 2013 at 9:38pm UTC+02
  374. no, not yet
  375.  
  376. Eliot Higgins Monday, February 4, 2013 at 9:39pm UTC+02
  377. Send me a link when you do, I'll be interested in watching it
  378.  
  379. Matthew VanDyke Monday, February 4, 2013 at 9:44pm UTC+02
  380. Sure, thank you
  381.  
  382. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 8:51pm UTC+02
  383. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdbFCOA0LQQ
  384.  
  385. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 9:17pm UTC+02
  386. Interesting DIY weapon, not seen S-5s fired like that before. New Youtube channel for my collection as well, thanks.
  387.  
  388. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 9:20pm UTC+02
  389. one of my Syrian contacts just sent it to me
  390.  
  391. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 9:20pm UTC+02
  392. thought you might be interested
  393.  
  394. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 9:21pm UTC+02
  395. Thanks for all the mentions as well.
  396.  
  397. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 9:21pm UTC+02
  398. It's the first time I've seen one fired like that
  399.  
  400. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 9:21pm UTC+02
  401. no problem
  402.  
  403. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:19pm UTC+02
  404. did you say on Twitter that you thought that was me in the video?
  405.  
  406. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:20pm UTC+02
  407. No, I was saying it wasn't
  408.  
  409. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:20pm UTC+02
  410. But some people seemed sure, even though they were obviously wrong
  411.  
  412. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:20pm UTC+02
  413. I think you mistyped, @GoaTranceNET @PolishSoldier1 @bjoernen_dk @troublejee Pretty sure it's @Matt_VanDyke
  414.  
  415. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:20pm UTC+02
  416. that was your tweet from 20 hours ago :)
  417.  
  418. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:20pm UTC+02
  419. Oops, I meant "it's not"
  420.  
  421. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:20pm UTC+02
  422. Had my daughter jumping on my lap at the time, haha
  423.  
  424. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:21pm UTC+02
  425. Probably what got everyone confused
  426.  
  427. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:21pm UTC+02
  428. could you delete it then? This is kind of a PR problem for me with people thinking the idiot using foul language in that video is me :/
  429.  
  430. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:21pm UTC+02
  431. 4
  432.  
  433. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:22pm UTC+02
  434. and people listen to you, I don't want to risk anyone taking that mistaken tweet as confirmation that it is me
  435.  
  436. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:22pm UTC+02
  437. yeah, just looking for it
  438.  
  439. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:22pm UTC+02
  440. just got my daughter trying to join in while I look
  441.  
  442. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:22pm UTC+02
  443. hence the "4"
  444.  
  445. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:23pm UTC+02
  446. I said it wasn't you here https://twitter.com/Brown_Moses/status/301432610410868736
  447.  
  448. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:23pm UTC+02
  449. You got a link to the incorrect tweet?
  450.  
  451. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:24pm UTC+02
  452. found it
  453.  
  454. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:24pm UTC+02
  455. deleted
  456.  
  457. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:25pm UTC+02
  458. Thanks
  459.  
  460. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:26pm UTC+02
  461. np
  462.  
  463. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:26pm UTC+02
  464. I'm sure that your Tweet didn't cause me any problems, no big deal. I just want to keep things accurate when I can since there is already so much wrong information about me out there, and try to reduce potential problems for myself. Thank you for deleting the Tweet, I appreciate it.
  465.  
  466. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:29pm UTC+02
  467. The guy is doing a Chris Jeon war tourist thing it looks like, he isn't ever fighting. He is just making stupid statements to the camera and trying to get himself internet famous. He's ridiculous.
  468.  
  469. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:29pm UTC+02
  470. anyway, my ITN interview is being recorded tomorrow. Thanks again for the referral.
  471.  
  472. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:30pm UTC+02
  473. Ah great, hope it goes well, I got an interesting offer off the back of that, so it was really worth it
  474.  
  475. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:30pm UTC+02
  476. cool, what?
  477.  
  478. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:31pm UTC+02
  479. A counter-terrorism company has invited me over to discuss opportunities in relation to open source intelligence gathering, might include sponsorship or even a job
  480.  
  481. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:31pm UTC+02
  482. that is great
  483.  
  484. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:32pm UTC+02
  485. like a Stratfor type company?
  486.  
  487. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:32pm UTC+02
  488. Allen Vanguard, they manufacture EOD gear and bomb detection stuff, as well as produce intelligence reports
  489.  
  490. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:32pm UTC+02
  491. lots of government contracts, stuff like that
  492.  
  493. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:33pm UTC+02
  494. I recently wrote a few pages report for a risk advisory company about my time in Aleppo. They paid $1,000 for it.
  495.  
  496. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:33pm UTC+02
  497. it can be good money
  498.  
  499. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:33pm UTC+02
  500. I hope it goes well for you
  501.  
  502. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:33pm UTC+02
  503. Yeah, the pay for that stuff is really great
  504.  
  505. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:34pm UTC+02
  506. time for my daughter to eat, speak later
  507.  
  508. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:36pm UTC+02
  509. ok, bye
  510.  
  511. Matthew VanDyke Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 10:32pm UTC+02
  512. I had to postpone ITN, my webcam did not arrive by FedEx in time (nobody was here to sign for the first delivery attempt, etc.)
  513.  
  514. Eliot Higgins Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 10:33pm UTC+02
  515. Ah, nightmare, hate it when that happens
  516.  
  517. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 8:31pm UTC+02
  518. I suggested you to Nick Valencia from CNN
  519.  
  520. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 8:31pm UTC+02
  521. you should be getting a friend request from him soon
  522.  
  523. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 8:31pm UTC+02
  524. HRW gave you a consultant contract, right?
  525.  
  526. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 8:33pm UTC+02
  527. Tell him about yourself and what you're doing, it could lead to some CNN appearances :)
  528.  
  529. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 8:33pm UTC+02
  530. Thanks, just added him
  531.  
  532. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 8:33pm UTC+02
  533. Yeah, I'm a consultant for HRW
  534.  
  535. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 8:34pm UTC+02
  536. Nick asked me today about the Saudis sending the Croatian weapons, I told him that you're tracking the stuff closely through YouTube videos
  537.  
  538. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 8:34pm UTC+02
  539. and that you are working on a contractual basis for HRW now, and that you are starting to get media appearances
  540.  
  541. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 8:35pm UTC+02
  542. I think i'm making a big impact on the Croatian press at the moment, haha
  543.  
  544. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 8:35pm UTC+02
  545. actually I said that you are starting to get quoted in the media lately
  546.  
  547. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 8:35pm UTC+02
  548. anyway, hopefully it will lead to something good for you. Talk to you later.
  549.  
  550. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 8:37pm UTC+02
  551. Thanks, cya
  552.  
  553. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 4:04am UTC+02
  554. I think I might know who that American war tourist in the videos is.
  555.  
  556. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 11:27am UTC+02
  557. Really?
  558.  
  559. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 3:45pm UTC+02
  560. Yes, I think it is one of the guys who emailed me before seeking my help to go. I have compared his photo to screengrabs from the videos, I think it is the same guy.
  561.  
  562. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 5:38pm UTC+02
  563. Would be worth knowing, might be a news piece in it.
  564.  
  565. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 5:41pm UTC+02
  566. These guys don't need any press coverage, it will only encourage them and others like them.
  567.  
  568. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 5:42pm UTC+02
  569. Hopefully his stupidity would be the theme of the piece
  570.  
  571. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 5:42pm UTC+02
  572. Yes, but then they tend to mention my name at the end of the piece as someone who actually does fight, etc. and its a guilt by association thing
  573.  
  574. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 5:43pm UTC+02
  575. Oh yes, good point. Still be interesting to see who he is.
  576.  
  577. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 5:44pm UTC+02
  578. I'm sure it will come out. He is there to seek attention and try to get famous. When he's done, he'll reveal himself.
  579.  
  580. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 5:44pm UTC+02
  581. Or when he gets killed
  582.  
  583. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 5:44pm UTC+02
  584. If it is the same guy I think it is, he even compared himself to Chris Jeon in his message to me
  585.  
  586. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 5:45pm UTC+02
  587. If it is him, I tried to convince him not to go. My conscience is clean. If he gets himself killed, not my problem. I warn these guys not to go and sometimes tell them about the multitude of dangers they will face.
  588.  
  589. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 5:46pm UTC+02
  590. Yeah, comparing himself to Chris Jeon isn't reassuring
  591.  
  592. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 5:47pm UTC+02
  593. I just did the ITN interview a few minutes ago, but they made the interview about me, not about analysis/commentary like I had thought it would be about :/
  594.  
  595. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 5:49pm UTC+02
  596. Hopefully it'll be a good edit at least, my one got me a good job offer, so hopefully you'll get the same
  597.  
  598. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 5:52pm UTC+02
  599. I'm not sure I will, nobody can figure out what exactly it is that I do :)
  600.  
  601. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 5:53pm UTC+02
  602. It is part of the problem with charting new territory, they cannot figure me out or how to use me.
  603.  
  604. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 5:53pm UTC+02
  605. I sort of had the same problem with the journalism side of things
  606.  
  607. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 5:53pm UTC+02
  608. Glad this OSINT job came along
  609.  
  610. Matthew VanDyke Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:34pm UTC+03
  611. Let me know when you get your fundraising up, and I'll try to promote you to my thousands of Facebook and Twitter followers. It will hopefully help you out some.
  612.  
  613. Matthew VanDyke Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:35pm UTC+03
  614. I hope that you will be able to continue your work on the weapons issues
  615.  
  616. Eliot Higgins Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:35pm UTC+03
  617. That'll be great, putting something together at the moment, been gathering quotes from the great and the good for it.
  618.  
  619. Matthew VanDyke Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:35pm UTC+03
  620. maybe someplace like Stratfor will give you a paying job doing it
  621.  
  622. Eliot Higgins Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:36pm UTC+03
  623. I was offered an OSINT job, but the pay wasn't that much more than I earn normally, and they wanted me to stop blogging
  624.  
  625. Eliot Higgins Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:36pm UTC+03
  626. I'm working on getting Hugh Grant to endorse my Kickstarter, he's friends with Tom Watson, whose friends with me.
  627.  
  628. Eliot Higgins Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:37pm UTC+03
  629. Aside from Syria I've got a big following for Hackgate related stuff too
  630.  
  631. Matthew VanDyke Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:38pm UTC+03
  632. great
  633.  
  634. Matthew VanDyke Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:39pm UTC+03
  635. I hope it all works out well
  636.  
  637. Eliot Higgins Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:39pm UTC+03
  638. I'm thinking of one aim of the Kickstarter will be that I'll start producing video blogs as well, do you have any software you could recommend for editing?
  639.  
  640. Matthew VanDyke Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:40pm UTC+03
  641. I have Adobe Premiere
  642.  
  643. Matthew VanDyke Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:40pm UTC+03
  644. but I often just use Windows Movie Maker because it is fast and easy. But Adobe Premiere is very good.
  645.  
  646. Matthew VanDyke Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:40pm UTC+03
  647. I use an academic version because my girlfriend is a teacher
  648.  
  649. Matthew VanDyke Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:40pm UTC+03
  650. and it saves a ton of money
  651.  
  652. Eliot Higgins Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:41pm UTC+03
  653. Ah, just downloading the trial version of at the moment, going to put together a video for the Kickstarter.
  654.  
  655. Matthew VanDyke Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:42pm UTC+03
  656. there is some learning curve
  657.  
  658. Eliot Higgins Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:42pm UTC+03
  659. I've got some past experience with that sort of stuff, so hopefully I'll pick it up quickly
  660.  
  661. Matthew VanDyke Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:42pm UTC+03
  662. if you're in a hurry, and you're using windows, windows movie maker is good enough perhaps for Kickstarter
  663.  
  664. Matthew VanDyke Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:42pm UTC+03
  665. ah ok
  666.  
  667. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:38pm UTC+03
  668. I read your piece on chemical weapons
  669.  
  670. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:38pm UTC+03
  671. good analysis
  672.  
  673. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:39pm UTC+03
  674. Thanks, not being able to get an exact ID is driving me (and a lot of other people) mad
  675.  
  676. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:39pm UTC+03
  677. it could be homemade
  678.  
  679. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:40pm UTC+03
  680. it looks like pvc pipe to me
  681.  
  682. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:40pm UTC+03
  683. I didn't look too closely, but it could be some industrial part they brought in from Turkey
  684.  
  685. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:40pm UTC+03
  686. or from the chlorine facility you mentioned
  687.  
  688. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:40pm UTC+03
  689. There's other similar looking gas grenades with the same PVC look, but I get the feeling it could be made in Syria or Iran
  690.  
  691. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:40pm UTC+03
  692. don't rule out the possibility that the rebels do have a small quantity of chemical weapons
  693.  
  694. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:41pm UTC+03
  695. I've had information for a few months on this
  696.  
  697. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:41pm UTC+03
  698. Did you see my last post about JaN having one of those grenades?
  699.  
  700. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:41pm UTC+03
  701. This is OFF THE RECORD
  702.  
  703. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:41pm UTC+03
  704. I am just telling you since you've done so much good work in this field, you have a right to know about the likelihood
  705.  
  706. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:41pm UTC+03
  707. I'll keep it off the record
  708.  
  709. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:41pm UTC+03
  710. I think it was your last post that I just read
  711.  
  712. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:42pm UTC+03
  713. I have a source that has been reliable in the past, who gave me information about the rebels having acquired a small quantity a few months ago, and I know what building they came out of.
  714.  
  715. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:42pm UTC+03
  716. and I know some things about the building, having been to the site, that give the information some additional credibility
  717.  
  718. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:43pm UTC+03
  719. Did they mention what type?
  720.  
  721. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:43pm UTC+03
  722. The Syrian regime was openly contemplating the idea of letting inspectors into the Aleppo case for a reason
  723.  
  724. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:44pm UTC+03
  725. I do not know what type they were
  726.  
  727. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:44pm UTC+03
  728. The rebels hauling the stuff out of the building might not have even known what type they had captured
  729.  
  730. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:45pm UTC+03
  731. You know if it was artillery shells, mortars, etc?
  732.  
  733. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:45pm UTC+03
  734. I do not know
  735.  
  736. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:46pm UTC+03
  737. I think it was a small quantity, judging by where they were stored
  738.  
  739. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:46pm UTC+03
  740. but by small quantity, I mean possibly hundreds of shells of some type. I do not know.
  741.  
  742. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:46pm UTC+03
  743. The source didn't have that level of detail.
  744.  
  745. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:47pm UTC+03
  746. I'm just telling you so that you'll keep an open mind about these incidents and not have anything come totally unexpected to you in the future about chemical weapons use in Syria
  747.  
  748. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:48pm UTC+03
  749. I'll keep an eye out then
  750.  
  751. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:49pm UTC+03
  752. You did not hear any of this from me
  753.  
  754. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:49pm UTC+03
  755. Okay, understood
  756.  
  757. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:52pm UTC+03
  758. I mean privately you can discuss it with other journalists I suppose and tell them that I told you, since I did post something about it on The NVC awhile back, but what I posted on The NVC was more vague than what I just told you, and even what I told you is more vague than the level of details I actually know.
  759.  
  760. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:53pm UTC+03
  761. I just don't want to be quoted in any articles about it. I'm just telling journalists so they're prepared for the possibility of gas exposure if they work in the Aleppo area.
  762.  
  763. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:53pm UTC+03
  764. as a safety issue
  765.  
  766. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:54pm UTC+03
  767. Yeah, not a problem
  768.  
  769. Matthew VanDyke Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 5:20pm UTC+03
  770. did you put up your fundraiser yet?
  771.  
  772. Eliot Higgins Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 6:00pm UTC+03
  773. Yeah, here it is http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-brown-moses-blog/x/2853084
  774.  
  775. Matthew VanDyke Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 6:04pm UTC+03
  776. cool, great
  777.  
  778. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 9:30pm UTC+03
  779. I am sorry I cannot afford to contribute more, I am really broke. I owe my girlfriend several thousand dollars in rent money for the past several months, in addition to me having spent over $15,000 on the Syria film, and I haven't had much income in 2011, 2012, or so far in 2013.
  780.  
  781. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 9:31pm UTC+03
  782. It looks like you will reach your goal though, congratulations.
  783.  
  784. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 10:11pm UTC+03
  785. That's no problem, I'm thankful for your donation, hopefully I won't have any trouble reaching my final target now.
  786.  
  787. Matthew VanDyke Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 5:28pm UTC+03
  788. is what I wrote just now ok?
  789.  
  790. Matthew VanDyke Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 5:29pm UTC+03
  791. anything you want me to include or not include in it?
  792.  
  793. Matthew VanDyke Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 5:29pm UTC+03
  794. https://www.facebook.com/VanDyke .matthew/activity/10200448107539022?og_perm_src=OPEN_GRAPH_SINGLE_STORY
  795.  
  796. Eliot Higgins Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 5:32pm UTC+03
  797. That's really great, thanks very much
  798.  
  799. Matthew VanDyke Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 5:42pm UTC+03
  800. no problem at all, I'm glad to help
  801.  
  802. Matthew VanDyke Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 5:54pm UTC+03
  803. I also posted it on Google+, the Matthew VanDyke Facebook Page, and The NVC. I tweeted also and will tweet again later today. I hope you exceed your goal, I think you will. Most donations to these campaigns come in the last 24 hours.
  804.  
  805. Eliot Higgins Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 5:55pm UTC+03
  806. Yes, I'm going to really push hard tomorrow, pretty close already, so fingers crossed, and thanks for your help.
  807.  
  808. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 5:04pm UTC+03
  809. hey, how's it going?
  810.  
  811. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 5:13pm UTC+03
  812. It occurred to me this morning that when you start doing the IndieGoGo rewards with the dedication of a blog post, could you let me know what blog post you might want to put my name on first? Only because I realized that if it is a blog post that isn't favorable to the rebels in some way, then it could cause me problems having my name on it when I go back to Syria :)
  813.  
  814. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 5:41pm UTC+03
  815. Sorry, was just doing an interview. I'll your name on something good :)
  816.  
  817. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 5:43pm UTC+03
  818. Thanks
  819.  
  820. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 5:43pm UTC+03
  821. I hope the interview went well
  822.  
  823. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 5:44pm UTC+03
  824. Yeah, I've been trying to make time to sort out the Indieogogo rewards but I've been run off my feet today.
  825.  
  826. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 5:48pm UTC+03
  827. no hurry, people can wait. Don't worry about that.
  828.  
  829. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 5:48pm UTC+03
  830. Everyone is just happy to support you. I don't think anyone did it for the rewards.
  831.  
  832. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 5:49pm UTC+03
  833. I'm glad I can do this for 6 months without my wife freaking out, that last minute surge really helped.
  834.  
  835. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 6:00pm UTC+03
  836. yes, I am very glad it worked out and that you are able to continue
  837.  
  838. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 6:01pm UTC+03
  839. Thanks :)
  840.  
  841. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, May 29, 2013 at 7:31pm UTC+03
  842. Where are you going in the US?
  843.  
  844. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, May 29, 2013 at 7:50pm UTC+03
  845. Washington DC for a couple of days, off to meeting Google Ideas and the Council on Foreign Relations. I would have liked to have stayed longer, but I've got to be in Milan for an activism camp right after the meeting.
  846.  
  847. Matthew VanDyke Sunday, June 2, 2013 at 8:14pm UTC+03
  848. Cool. I live in the area, what days are you in DC?
  849.  
  850. Eliot Higgins Sunday, June 2, 2013 at 8:25pm UTC+03
  851. From 3pm on the 19th to 6pm on the 21st
  852.  
  853. Matthew VanDyke Sunday, June 2, 2013 at 8:38pm UTC+03
  854. On June 20 at 3:15pm my film is showing at a major US film festival, AFI Docs. I'll be taking the DC metro subway from DC to where the film is showing that day in Silver Spring, MD. If you want to go, I'll save you one of the tickets they gave me. Otherwise, we can get a beer on the 19th or 20th in DC if you're available.
  855.  
  856. Matthew VanDyke Sunday, June 2, 2013 at 8:39pm UTC+03
  857. One of the main supporters of your IndieGoGo campaign also lives in the area.
  858.  
  859. Matthew VanDyke Sunday, June 2, 2013 at 8:39pm UTC+03
  860. He might want to join us. He's a good guy. He has also supported my work.
  861.  
  862. Eliot Higgins Sunday, June 2, 2013 at 9:51pm UTC+03
  863. That might be possible actually, the meeting I'm attending is meant to end at 2pm, and it's on F-Street, so I should be able to make it to the Metro, assuming it doesn't over run.
  864.  
  865. Matthew VanDyke Sunday, June 2, 2013 at 10:35pm UTC+03
  866. Ok, great. My number in the US is 443-831-4424, so you can call me when you're in town and we'll figure it out.
  867.  
  868. Eliot Higgins Sunday, June 2, 2013 at 10:43pm UTC+03
  869. Cool, I'll let you know once I'm there.
  870.  
  871. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 6:14pm UTC+03
  872. You mentioned our mutual benfactor before, did you mean Anthony Salvo?
  873.  
  874. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 6:42pm UTC+03
  875. No
  876.  
  877. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 6:42pm UTC+03
  878. Ah right, who did you mean?
  879.  
  880. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 6:45pm UTC+03
  881. I see he donated anonymously, let me ask him first if I can tell you.
  882.  
  883. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 6:45pm UTC+03
  884. okay
  885.  
  886. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 6:47pm UTC+03
  887. Sorry to be weird about it, but he likes to keep a low profile with these things, I just want to check first because he's been really supportive of my work and I don't want to cause him any problems or upset him.
  888.  
  889. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 6:48pm UTC+03
  890. yes, I understand, I have a few people like that as well
  891.  
  892. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 6:49pm UTC+03
  893. I am supposed to meet with Congressmen on Capitol Hill as part of AFI on the 20, so if you still want to see the film I can probably meet you in DC after that and then take the metro.
  894.  
  895. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 6:50pm UTC+03
  896. They're setting up policy meetings on some of the subjects in the films
  897.  
  898. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 6:50pm UTC+03
  899. Well my meeting should end at 2pm, and that's on F-Street so I'm assuming it shouldn't be hard to get to somewhere on the metro from there
  900.  
  901. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 6:51pm UTC+03
  902. ok, cool. Yes, it would require leaving around that time, so that should work.
  903.  
  904. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 6:52pm UTC+03
  905. Okay, if you can figure out the best place to meet I'll figure out how to get there. I'm getting a new phone, maybe a new number too, so I'll give you that once it arrives.
  906.  
  907. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 6:55pm UTC+03
  908. Ok, great. I'll just meet you where you will be, because the time is kind of tight and I don't want to risk you having any difficulties getting somewhere.
  909.  
  910. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 6:56pm UTC+03
  911. like the corner of F and whatever street
  912.  
  913. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 6:56pm UTC+03
  914. Yeah, the address is Council on Foreign Relations' Washington, DC office (1777 F Street, NW)
  915.  
  916. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 6:57pm UTC+03
  917. ok, got it
  918.  
  919. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 6:57pm UTC+03
  920. American street layouts are soooo much easier to navigate than the ones in the UK
  921.  
  922. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 7:06pm UTC+03
  923. Yeah, I bet. Well, we made many of them after you guys so we could learn from your mistakes :)
  924.  
  925. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 8:28pm UTC+03
  926. He is Nathan, nathanjp@yahoo.com. He was one of your Diamond tier supporters.
  927.  
  928. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 8:28pm UTC+03
  929. "Diamond Moses" tier supporters
  930.  
  931. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 8:29pm UTC+03
  932. Ah, okay got it
  933.  
  934. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 8:30pm UTC+03
  935. is he in washington?
  936.  
  937. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 8:30pm UTC+03
  938. He also said "ask him to send me an e-mail from his personal account and we can follow up."
  939.  
  940. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 8:30pm UTC+03
  941. Yes, in the DC area. In Virginia, near DC.
  942.  
  943. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 8:30pm UTC+03
  944. Cool, okay, I'll email him
  945.  
  946. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 8:32pm UTC+03
  947. Who is doing your translations for you?
  948.  
  949. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 8:32pm UTC+03
  950. a guy in Syria
  951.  
  952. Matthew VanDyke Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 8:34pm UTC+03
  953. he translates all those videos?
  954.  
  955. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 8:35pm UTC+03
  956. Yep
  957.  
  958. Eliot Higgins Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 8:35pm UTC+03
  959. Wish I had more money to hire more people to translate more videos
  960.  
  961. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at 12:29pm UTC+03
  962. Got my mobile working, the number is +44 (0)7582777143 if you need it.
  963.  
  964. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at 7:30pm UTC+03
  965. Great, I'll save it to my phone now
  966.  
  967. Eliot Higgins Thursday, June 20, 2013 at 2:48pm UTC+03
  968. Hey, just confirming we're still on for today, the meeting is scheduled to end at 2pm, at 1777 F Street NW
  969.  
  970. Matthew VanDyke Thursday, June 20, 2013 at 3:33pm UTC+03
  971. Yes, I'll be there at 2pm
  972.  
  973. Eliot Higgins Friday, June 21, 2013 at 12:41am UTC+03
  974. Sorry about earlier, it didn't finish until 3pm, then everyone wanted to talk to me. I was looking forward to meeting you and seeing the film as well.
  975.  
  976. Matthew VanDyke Friday, June 21, 2013 at 7:39am UTC+03
  977. No problem. I sent a message and later called, I was in DC until 9:30 or 10:00pm.
  978.  
  979. Matthew VanDyke Friday, June 21, 2013 at 7:40am UTC+03
  980. I'll probably be in town again on Friday for the festival if you have any free time then.
  981.  
  982. Eliot Higgins Friday, June 21, 2013 at 3:31pm UTC+03
  983. It's frustrating I've not been able to meet you, shame I'm having such a flying visit (especially considering the amount I spent on plane tickets). I've been invited to New York in October, so maybe if you are around there we could try again.
  984.  
  985. Matthew VanDyke Friday, June 21, 2013 at 6:35pm UTC+03
  986. Sure, no problem. If I'm not in Syria I'll probably be living in NY then actually (my girlfriend is applying for jobs so we can relocate back to NY)
  987.  
  988. Matthew VanDyke Friday, June 28, 2013 at 1:36am UTC+03
  989. Hey, did anyone at the Council of Foreign Relations know you were supposed to meet me? Did you mention me to anyone?
  990.  
  991. Eliot Higgins Friday, June 28, 2013 at 1:38am UTC+03
  992. Yeah, I said I had to go meet you afterwards to someone whose name escapes me
  993.  
  994. Matthew VanDyke Friday, June 28, 2013 at 1:38am UTC+03
  995. what was their reaction?
  996.  
  997. Eliot Higgins Friday, June 28, 2013 at 1:38am UTC+03
  998. Nothing of note
  999.  
  1000. Matthew VanDyke Friday, June 28, 2013 at 1:39am UTC+03
  1001. Did they discourage you from meeting me or anything like that?
  1002.  
  1003. Eliot Higgins Friday, June 28, 2013 at 1:39am UTC+03
  1004. Not at all
  1005.  
  1006. Matthew VanDyke Friday, June 28, 2013 at 2:27am UTC+03
  1007. Ok, good. I'm just paranoid since I read that they're connected to foreign policy magazine. I think a couple editors there have something against me.
  1008.  
  1009. Matthew VanDyke Thursday, July 25, 2013 at 9:12pm UTC+03
  1010. I am hesitant to say this because I can't be certain because it was so long ago, but I think that this part of what they wrote on Defence IQ "Eliot Higgins writes one of the most important blogs related to the conflict in Syria, and his research and articles have attracted a lot of major news coverage around the world in the past few months." very closely resembles what I think I wrote to them when I nominated your blog through their site :)
  1011.  
  1012. Eliot Higgins Friday, July 26, 2013 at 12:49pm UTC+03
  1013. Nice one thanks
  1014.  
  1015. Matthew VanDyke Saturday, July 27, 2013 at 12:23am UTC+03
  1016. You're probably going to win many awards from various places. You've really taken blogging to a whole other level, what you've done and accomplished over the past several months is outstanding.
  1017.  
  1018. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 9:59pm UTC+03
  1019. Hey Eliot, how are you?
  1020.  
  1021. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 9:59pm UTC+03
  1022. Not bad, been a busy week
  1023.  
  1024. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 10:02pm UTC+03
  1025. Yeah, I saw.
  1026.  
  1027. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 10:03pm UTC+03
  1028. Would it be possible for you to put me in touch with some of the producers you have contact with? I'm not getting the amount of media appearances I should be because I don't have the connections, and its critical right now especially that I have those connections.
  1029.  
  1030. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 10:03pm UTC+03
  1031. I can get your name out there, see who is interested
  1032.  
  1033. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 10:03pm UTC+03
  1034. thank you
  1035.  
  1036. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 10:04pm UTC+03
  1037. Send me your contact detailsw
  1038.  
  1039. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 10:04pm UTC+03
  1040. I'm burning 535 DVDs of my film right now to send to every member of Congress before they vote. I already had a Congressional staffer email me requesting one.
  1041.  
  1042. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 10:04pm UTC+03
  1043. that might be an angle to mention to the producers
  1044.  
  1045. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 10:05pm UTC+03
  1046. Yeah, I saw your post, I'll mention that
  1047.  
  1048. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 10:05pm UTC+03
  1049. matthew@matthewvandyke.com, 1-443-831-4424, www.matthewvandyke.com, www.syrianrevolutionfilm.com, and vandyke.matthew on Skype.
  1050.  
  1051. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 10:05pm UTC+03
  1052. Thank you, I really appreciate it.
  1053.  
  1054. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 10:05pm UTC+03
  1055. Thanks, I'll see what I can do
  1056.  
  1057. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 10:06pm UTC+03
  1058. battery dying, gotta go
  1059.  
  1060. Matthew VanDyke Monday, October 21, 2013 at 4:27pm UTC+03
  1061. Hey I live in NY, want to meet up while you're here?
  1062.  
  1063. Eliot Higgins Tuesday, October 22, 2013 at 12:15am UTC+03
  1064. I wish I could, but I've literally no spare time while I'm here, I'm not even able to do a bit of sight seeing and I'm on Manhattan
  1065.  
  1066. Matthew VanDyke Tuesday, October 22, 2013 at 5:31am UTC+03
  1067. ok
  1068.  
  1069. ---
  1070.  
  1071. ︻┳テ=一꙳
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