But we promise no more papal pun pics after this one. Following the papal procession yesterday was another much-loved, feared and revered leader. We just didn't know ol' Darth Vader was into religion. Then again, may the force be with you sounds awfully familiar ...

Reds in the suburbs

FAR BE it from us to point out silly little mistakes in rival publications ... oh who are we kidding. We got a good chuckle when reading yesterday's edition of a small Sydney newspaper when we noticed (as did many other publications) a rather unusual graphic. In pointing out the locations of the lodgings used by different nationalities of pilgrims, cute little flags were put next to suburbs. And for a moment, it looked like a contingent of communists had converged on Sydney for the Catholic festival. Not so. It seems the North Korean flag was used, when we think the South Korean version was needed. We think.

Lucky Olympics meeting

IT IS an auspicious date for billions of Chinese, the date of the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games and hopefully a lucky day for punters at Thoroughbred Park. The Beijing race meeting will be held on the eighth day of the eighth month in 2008 and, in keeping with the Olympic theme, three-time Olympian Lisa Curry-Kenny will be the guest speaker at the official lunch. Curry-Kenny competed in Moscow in 1980, Los Angeles in 1984 and Barcelona in 1992, so we're sure she'll have a few war stories with which to entertain.

Curry-Kenny will be joined by pole-vaulting sensation Tatiana Grigorieva aka Gladiator Olympia.

It was at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney that she stepped into the spotlight and became a household name. On a night that Australians watched Cathy Freeman win gold, the bonus was seeing Grigorieva jump a personal best and win silver. The ensuing fame saw her take up a number of off-field commitments while continuing to train and compete internationally. NSW racehorse trainers Neale Lavis and Martin Bennetts, who were both successful in the equestrian events in previous Olympic Games, will be on hand for a yarn. Guests will be able to view medals and hear stories of triumphs. Television identity Daniel Gibson will host the day, which organisers are promising will be one of the ''outstanding events on the Canberra racing calendar''. Bookings can be made for the lunch, which is $85 a person and includes a three-course meal and beverages. Call 62413888 for more details.

Venetian technique

VISITORS to Canberra Glassworks, in Kingston, tomorrow between 10am and 1pm will be able to catch glassblower Tom Rowney in action as he prepares for an exhibition in Melbourne. Rowney is a master of the Venetian techniques, using canework, incalmo and reticello to make his exquisite miniature bowls. Telephone 62607005 for more details.

Tale of two fortunes

A TALE of two fortunes. An unnamed Dickson Tradies member, on the wrong end of a run of luck with a poker machine, was contemplating the bottom of his beer last night when things took a considerable turn for the better. Our luckless chap suddenly got seriously lucky by winning the badge draw and $100,000 in the process. It was the worst of times, it was the best of times.

Female-friendly footy

CLEARLY distancing themselves from the chauvinistic comments of their cross-code cousins, the boys of The Footy Show Fatty, Laurie, Matty and Chief made a bid for the hearts of female lovers of league last night in a special edition of the show. The show was presented in front of an all-female audience with guest stars Melbourne Storm and Queensland player Billy Slater and Bulldogs hero Sonny Bill Williams upping the eye-candy quotient. As well as giving away a spa package at the swanky Byron @ Byron Bay resort, the show included a female psychologist and a player's wife on the panel in a clear, and welcome, effort to bring a bit of oestrogen to the table. Call us cynical but we wonder if the ''special'' edition would have seen air time had former AFL Footy Show host Sam Newman not opened his big mouth about the pace of females in footy, sending network executives diving for cover.