For those residing in (or passing through) Sydney, it is well worth a visit to the NSW State Library for the World Press Photo exhibition before it closes on June 5. Entry is free and the exhibition displays a collection of award-winning photographs from around the globe. They are exceptional photos and viewing them should prove satisfying not only for those with an interest in photography but also for those who can appreciate the power of a single image.

It is a decidedly sombre collection which, I suppose, can be put down to the fact that our world is drowning more in sorrow than in joy. There are many memorable photographs, but I lingered at the Benazir Bhutto assassination photographs: you won’t see her after the attack, but the image of the dead — innocent onlookers, naked and charred from the explosion — will capture your attention like little else. It is incredibly moving.

Of course, the beauty of these photographs is that they are so educational without needing words and hours of reading time. It will remind you of how many varied stories there are to be heard, and just how fragile life is. From the 14-year-old victim of rape to the US soldier collapsing from exhaustion after a mission in Afghanistan. It’s easy to think, from a distance, that we understand what’s going on. Yet life is never so simple.

…an internal organisational structure to maintain morale, resist interrogation and recruit members to Islam.

Hmmm… Where have we heard that before?

Oh, yes. In the San Francisco Chronicle last year! The Chronicle reported that detainees of the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba had created…

…their own internal organizational structure to maintain morale, resist interrogation and recruit members…

Amazing. Not only did they both create “internal organizational structures” but they both have the exact same objectives listed in the exact same order. What are the chances of that?

The Sun-Herald continues:

The al-Qaeda training manual was first obtained by the CIA in 1996.

And in the San Francisco Chronicle last year:

The al Qaeda training manual, obtained by the CIA in 1996…

The Sun-Herald today:

It suggests a 10-position leadership structure for members held in prison.

And in the San Francisco Chronicle last year:

…suggests a 10-position leadership structure for members held in prison

The Sun-Herald today:

The structure includes “barracks chief and deputies”, “greeters to meet and instruct new arrivals”, “welfare attendant to organise equitable distribution of goods from families and aid organisations” and “clergy”, presumably to attend to spiritual needs as well as to recruit new adherents to their faith, according to the CIA report.

And, finally, in the San Francisco Chronicle last year:

It includes “barracks chief and deputies,” “greeters to meet and instruct new arrivals,” “welfare attendant to organize equitable distribution of goods from families and aid organizations,” “morale officer to organize leisure time” and “clergy, presumably to attend to spiritual needs as well as to recruit new adherents to their faith,” according to the report.