Overheard

Courage under fire

'Speaking is difficult, but I need to say something important. Violence a big problem. Too many children are dying, too many children'

-- Gabrielle Giffords, a surprise witness at a U.S. Congress hearing on gun control. The former U.S. congresswoman was shot in the head in a 2011 mass shooting near Tuscon, Ariz. She is a gun owner.

And kudos to my team...

'I would also like to thank the members from Papineau (Justin Trudeau), from Ottawa South (David McGuinty) and Outremont (Tom Mulcair) for their contributions to my success, however inadvertent'

-- Newly-elected Conservative MP Joan Crockatt. The Conservatives appeared to be in danger of losing their stronghold of Calgary Centre until remarks by the three men surfaced that were seen as anti-Alberta.

Meow to that

'The fact is that your furry friend is actually a friendly neighbourhood serial killer'

-- New Zealand economist Gareth Morgan, who wants his island nation to eliminate cats entirely because of the toll they take on bird species.

Don't let Mugabe know

'Last week when we paid civil servants there was $217 (left) in government coffers'

Zimbabwe Finance Minister Tendai Biti. Since President Robert Mugabe began seizing white-owned farms more than a decade ago, the county has suffered hyper inflation of 231,000,000 per cent, according to Al Jazeera.

One cool dude

'Dude you didn't get a rush surfing that wave? Are you kidding me? I got a rush just looking at that'

-- Anderson Cooper, reacting to claim by Garrett McNamara that he didn't get a rush while surfing a record 30.5-metre wave off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal this week.

The antlers of the devil

'The trick of the devil is to kill, steal and destroy. That's what he comes to do. He comes to distract you from everything you're trying to do'

-- Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, reacting to allegations he used deer-antler spray containing banned substances while recovering from an injury. He was less forthcoming when asked about the double murder of Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar in 2000, for which he pled guilty to obstruction of justice.

The odd nature of things

'We have learned, via Dr. Suzuki's assistant, that although the Dr. does not like to have bodyguards per se, he does not mind having a couple of ladies (females) that would act as body guards in order that he may travel from one venue to another without being accosted too many times along the way'

-- Email sent by an official at John Abbott College in Montreal about some odd demands Suzuki made in regard to a visit to the campus.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 2, 2013 J12