Tell them I hate them!

You'd be surprised what comes out when a politician doesn't realize that his mic is still on. CBC reports on a recent Senate hearing on Bill C-10, which contains a controversial amendment that would allow Heritage Canada to deny tax breaks to film and television productions it deems offensive, that produced this sound bite from committee chair Dave Angus:

"The minister agrees. She told me she hates the law."

When questioned on this gaffe, Angus denies everything, even saying he never spoke with the minister in question, that being Minister for Canadian Heritage Josee Verner. And who can blame her? Bill C-10 has generated an enormous amount of unwelcome press for what was supposed to be a routine tax bill, not to mention every artist's union in the country crying foul.

Things aren't much better in Montreal, where the Mayor ordered two fire stations in the city's east side to clean up "graffiti" after the firefighters painted the windows in the colours of local heroes the Montreal Canadiens. Perhaps we should send all the politicians to an art appreciation class and be done with it.

Another subject near and dear to the hearts of Canadians is beer, so speculation that climate change may threaten the production of the drink that makes everyone look better got my attention. The theory is that changes in the climate of places such as New Zealand would reduce the area available for the growing of malting barley, a key ingredient in beer. I agree with Caroline McCarthy's sentiment: Nooooooooooooooooo!