Edith Piaf

Edith Piaf pioneered the way for tragic drug-addicted female singers everywhere. Raised for a time by her brothel-owning grandmother, she was later linked to the mob and accused of involvement in the murder of her manager.

Her time singing for German officers during WWII attracted some criticism, but she is believed to have helped at least one Jewish person escape Nazi persecution. She battled morphine addiction, but died of liver cancer on October 10, 1963.

Piaf quotes: "As far as I'm concerned, love means fighting, big fat lies, and a couple of slaps across the face."

"I'd like to see one person - just one - who would own up to having been a coward."

Burke vs Cundall - the smackdown

Former Channel 9 garden show TV host, Don Burke has bravely taken up a position with pulp mill developer, Gunns in Tasmania.

Burke will take on former ABC TV garden show host/pulp mill opponent and Communist Party of Australia Senate candidate, Peter Cundall. In contrast to Burke, whether or not Cundall is paid for his advocacy is never discussed.

Burkey speaks about the proposal here.

If Cundall succeeds in stopping the pulp mill he will also prevent:

* returning enough power (from biomass) to the national electricity grid to power Launceston

* saving the world 1.3 million tonnes of carbon emissions per year (normally spent transporting woodchips to Japan). This is the equivalent of taking more than 50,000 cars off the road

* the direct employment of, on average, more than 1600 Tasmanians over 30 years

* the injection of billions into the Tasmanian economy, growing it by 2.5 per cent, and adding $890 million to government revenue - money that can be spent, for example, on things like hospitals, national broadcasting services, the environment, and foreign aid to failed communist states.

Che

There are few things that exemplify the hypocrisy of the Left quite as neatly as Ernesto Guevera (pictured enjoying a round with Castro), who finally got some of his own medicine on October 9, 1967.

Guevera personally ordered the executions of hundreds of people, something you won't hear much about in movies like "The Motorcycle Diaries," and was a racist, homophobe and anti-semite.

Nelson Mandela said Guevera was "an inspiration for every human being who loves freedom" whereas Guevera himself said things like this...

Tehran PD on the case

If any TV types are reading this and end up making some awesome TV series about the women cops of Iran, then you owe the ShadowLands a credit, I reckon. Here 'tis.

Is Quentin the new Al?

Australia's new Governor General, Her Excellency, Quentin Bryce AC (pictured) took a well earned break from raising stocks of union poontang to visit western NSW. The visit apparently went some way to breaking the drought, which leads one to wonder if she may have some of the powers we have come to expect from Al Gore.

PS MM has concluded a spell of hiatusing and the ShadowLands is back in non-hiatus mode!

While we're away...

The ShadowLands will be taking a four day hiatus - which I think you will agree is far more classy than a "holiday" or a "break". Our regular links are at the bottom.

In the meantime, List of the Day is always fun - check out the mis-spelt tattoos and the talented beauty pageant contestant - and another treat for lovers of art.

Try this communal fridge magnet white board - asking questions is fun if they don't steal your letters.

Tell the chicken what to do or duck!

Try these puzzles and take on the killer broccoli

It's spirograph and bus of the week

Celebrate World Animal Day. Uh oh - we have your PIN.

Try the powder game or click on the brown and green blocks and bring the totem down safely (warning - addictive).

Draw a pig and check out the men who look like Kenny Rogers.

Check on whether or not the LHC has caused the end of the world and while you're at it, scan the Australian toilet map.

Now clean your computer screen.

Exaggerations highest in over a century

On ABC's Q&A this week, Peter Costello took Nicola Roxon to task on the mantra that the Howard Government left Australia with the highest inflation rate in 16 years.

On investigation, it turns out that this claim is simply untrue - and a clear breach of the Rudd Ministerial Code of Conduct. I expect that a journo will be taking Mr Rudd up on this subject any day now...

Sesame Street

No-one before or since has created a more entertaining way to learn to count and read:

The Ladybugs' Picnic

Pinball

The Baker (look out for the late, great Jim Henson in the finale)

Willamina and a psychedelic reflection on the letter "V" and my favourite - the emotional rollercoaster that is the story of the lower case "n"

another of my favourites, Grover the waiter,

and then there's the muslim version.

Exclusive: Govt responsible for SIEV-X

John Butler of the John Butler Trio takes a step back from his series on Capitalism and Freedom, to discuss asylum seekers.

If you move the time widget to about 54 minutes over here you will get a heated debate between Peter Costello and David Marr about the SIEVX - the boat full of approximately 350 asylum seekers that sank off Java in 2001.

This incident was not only a tragic loss of life, it dashed the hopes of those on board who had dreamed of the slushy machines and, ultimately, of suing the Australian government for mistreatment when they arrived.

The SIEV X has become a fixation for fruitloops who believe that the likes of John Howard and Peter Costello were responsible for its sinking.

To fully understand how absurd this is, you need to consult a map. No-one knows for sure where the SIEV-X sank, since no Australian was made aware of its position during its voyage, but the most extreme fruitloops maintain it sank in international waters about 70 kilometres from Java.

This means it sank at least 1500 kilometres from Australia. To compare - the Titanic sank only 600 kilometres from Newfoundland.

Shortly after the sinking of the SIEV X, the Government passed tough new laws against queue jumpers that effectively put an end to these perilous voyages.

So previous governments - and specifically those who passed lax laws allowing queue jumpers into Australia -really were responsible for the loss of life on the SIEV X.

So did we learn the lesson of history? Of course not.

And those who do not learn from history, are destined to repeat it.