November 9, 2009

Sports Roundup

Total People in Discussion: 0

     OK, after a tough sports week, I’m ready to offer a few comments and solicit your reactions.

     Let’s start with college football.

     I’ll begin by explaining that my primary allegiances in college football are to Lehigh University, Penn State, Ohio State and Tennessee, in that order. They’re my undergraduate alma mater, my home state college, my graduate school alma mater and my native state university, respectively.

    Lehigh has hit rock bottom and needs a coaching change. End of story there.

    Penn State-Ohio State always is a tough decision for me, but I confess I find myself pulling for the Nittany Lions, probably because The Morning Call helps me follow them more closely and because there often are local kids on the team.

   Saturday's game confirmed my opinion that people need to stop suggesting that Daryll Clark is a Heisman candidate or any other kind of big-time quarterback. He isn’t. He’s a better than average player who hasn’t risen to the occasion in any of the team’s really tough challenges in his career, including the Ohio State game.

    Granted, the offensive line did a lousy job of protecting him, which also was a problem in the Iowa game earlier this year. If you’re good enough, you find ways to overcome that and make things happen. He didn’t.

    If I were a great high school quarterback, Penn State is the last place I would go. Great as their coaching is in other areas, they’re hell on talented quarterbacks, mostly turning out inaccurate mechanical men.

    Now I just hope Ohio State whips Iowa and gets to the Rose Bowl, although the PAC-10 is so good this year, I suspect the Buckeyes will lose there again.

    As for the Phillies:

November 6, 2009

Movie Quotes

Total People in Discussion: 25

    I have a humdinger of a Movie Quotes quiz today, featuring one major theme and two minor ones. See if you can figure them out.

    I suspect some of my fellow Phillies fans out there are wondering why I haven’t commented on the World Series defeat. I’ve decided to absorb it all for a few days, decompress from pressurized baseball immersion and come back next week with my brilliant formula for 2010.

    In the meantime, let’s review the rules. If you intend to answer in the Comments, don’t look these quotes or movies up. This is a test of your memory.

    Also, even if you’re a savant and dying to demonstrate it, don’t respond with answers for more than a couple of these, at least until a day or two have passed. It’s more fun to give everyone a chance to participate. I’ll be glad for your help by Sunday if the group is stumped and I’m resorting to clues.

    OK, here are the quotes:

November 5, 2009

Riddle Time

Total People in Discussion: 16

    There’s a great scene that overlaps two books from Stephen King’s “Dark Tower” series — “The Waste Lands” and “Wizard and Glass,” specifically — in which the insane but highly intelligent, computerized monorail called Blaine threatens to derail itself with the protagonists aboard unless they can defeat it in a riddle contest.

    They pepper Blaine with riddles, all of which it answers easily. Here’s an example:

    “What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, has a head but never weeps?”

     I'll give you the answer shortly, in case you wanted to think about it.

     I won’t tell you how the riddle contest comes out, on the off chance that you might care to read these books sometime. If there are any “Dark Tower” fans out there, perhaps you’ll want to offer testimonials to encourage some new readers. I read the entire series and thought it was terrific, although my interest flagged a bit near the end.

     Meanwhile, I will offer five riddles for your consideration today. One of my regulars sent them to me.

     Here are the rules, much like with Movie Quotes. Don't look these up on the Internet, which would be cheating. If you know one of the answers, offer it in the Comments. Answer only one riddle, which will give more people a chance to participate. If I stump everyone, which seems unlikely, I’ll step in eventually and provide the answers, just so you won’t be tortured. Luckily, there’s no derailment at stake.

     By the way, the answer to that earlier riddle was: a river.

     Here we go:

November 4, 2009

Oh What a Night

Total People in Discussion: 0

    I’m writing about Tuesday’s election for my column Wednesday, so I don’t want to steal my own thunder, but I do have a few thoughts to share today.

    First, I’ll report on the three write-in races I spotlighted here last Friday.

    I actually approached the election thinking the most interesting race in Northampton County was the Williams Township write-in campaign of George Washburn, attempting to upset the secretive, taxpayer-be-damned approach of the three-person board of supervisors.

    Sure enough, turnouts were huge in Williams, and Washburn won, which I think bodes well for the township’s future. “I’m elated and exhausted,” one of my regular Williams Township correspondents wrote me this morning. I love happy endings.

     I also mentioned that North Whitehall supervisor candidate Jerry Joseph was being challenged by write-in Brian Brinker. Joseph’s goal has been to overturn the good ol’ boy “working supervisor" environment in North Whitehall, and his primary election defeat of incumbent Terry Stoudt seemed to ensure that, like Washburn, he would add a more taxpayer-oriented outsider to the two holdovers. Brinker, who said he wanted to be a working supervisor just like Stoudt, represented a return to the status quo.

     Joseph won with more than 83 percent of the votes, reinforcing the idea that people there want a change.

     The third write-in I focused on was in Easton, where Dennis Lieb decided at the last minute to challenge former councilman Michael Fleck for one of the district seats. I’ve always been impressed with Lieb’s passion and knowledge about Easton’s neighborhoods. He even got the Republican endorsement, which admittedly doesn’t mean much in Easton.

    Fleck beat him, part of the usual Easton Democratic sweep. Hey, you can’t win ‘em all.

November 3, 2009

Golden Eagle Saturday

Total People in Discussion: 9

    This will be a hodge-podge, but I’ll conclude with some information about what a great month this is at Hawk Mountain, so stay tuned for that.

    I was discouraged today, as I always am on Election Day, to see that the first choice in the voting booth was a straight ticket ballot. I’ve decided that this has reached the top 10 of things that tick me off about politics in this state.

   Why would we encourage voters to make brainless straight-party decisions? We should be discouraging that.

    The toughest decisions were the state judge races, where I followed a combination of Pennsylvania Bar Association ratings (Here they are) and their responses to the League of Women Voters. One highly rated judge lost my vote because she blew the League off. Bad form.

    I voted No on the two state judge retentions, as I always do on general principle. As far as I'm concerned, one term is plenty for those people.

    By the way, I’m feeling proud of myself because I cast my first write-in vote ever. It’s really easy on the electronic machines.

    It’s a wonder I still was around to vote this morning after Monday night’s Phillies game, which nearly incapacitated me. Between Charlie Manuel’s dumb strategic decisions and the Yankees’ tough lineup — especially that little SOB Johnny Damon — they nearly blew it. Thank heavens for Chase Utley.

     If it’s me, I start J.A. Happ in Game 7 (I’m an optimist), keep Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton in the bullpen and have Cliff Lee ready to either close the game or come in at some other crucial point. All hands on deck. I just hope Shane Victorino is OK.

    Any thoughts from you Phillies fans out there about Game 7? You want to give Cole one more shot?

    Now here’s the scoop on Hawk Mountain, as provided by sanctuary spokeswoman Mary Linkevich:

November 2, 2009

Best Prison Movies

Total People in Discussion: 13

    I never had really given much thought to all the great prison-related movies there have been over the years, until I started compiling a list.

    To make it extra tough on myself, I decided to include not just traditional movies about prisons, but also those about prisoners of war, galley slaves and other characters locked up for political reasons or other offenses. That top 10 starts looking like a Best Movies Ever list.

    Before we get to it, I’ll make my usual pitch for voter turnout today. Municipal/school board elections are incredibly important, as taxpayers have learned in many embattled communities. For many of us, a school board election can have more direct impact than the much higher-profile national races, including the presidency.

     If you need a little help, here’s The Morning Call’s online voter guide. Check it out and then get out to your polling place. Even where actual races are sparse, it makes a statement about what’s important to us as U.S. citizens.

    OK, now here’s my list. Feel free to add your favorites — some great movies were left out — or disparage my choices.

October 30, 2009

Three Write-Ins to Watch

Total People in Discussion: 4

    Fridays ordinarily are my days for Movie Quote quizzes and movie lists. In fact, I have an excellent list of the Best Prison Movies ready to go. I’ll run it Monday.

    But with the election coming up next week, and The Morning Call’s restrictions on writing about the races in the last few days before an election, I decided to use today’s blog to comment on three write-in efforts to watch.

    One thing before I get to that. If you happen to be out and about the Bethlehem area this Halloween weekend, be sure to check out the intersection of North Boulevard and Lafayette Avenue in Bethlehem, between Linden Street and Easton Avenue. 

     I have resisted writing about Halloween displays over the years — my annual Christmas project just about kills me, and I don’t want the autumn equivalent — but the home at 2150 North is so spectacular that I’ll make a brief exception. I saw it again the other night and was blown away.

     Here’s one detail shot, sent by a reader. The entire corner property is covered with stuff like this.

 
      
    OK, now on to politics and three write-ins. I don’t do endorsements, but I suspect my sentiments will be clear:

October 29, 2009

Lou Hershman

Total People in Discussion: 15

        I was out of town for several days, and one of the things I missed was a Lehigh Valley Ramblings slugfest involving my former colleague and good friend Daryl Nerl.

     It started out as a discussion about the merits of Allentown City Council candidate Louis Hershman before the thread ran off the rails and careened into the forest, despite blogger Bernie O'Hare's best efforts to steer it back in a productive direction. But with the election looming, I thought I would weigh in on the original subject.

    Allentown voters have notoriously bad judgment when it comes to electing councilpeople. The Republicans offered up a terrific slate of four candidates four years ago, including the best Allentown councilman I’ve ever seen, Tom Burke. They all lost as the voters opted for the usual Democratic suspects, including two of the rubber-stampers who had helped Mayor Roy Afflerbach lead the city to the point of fiscal disaster.

    One of those incumbents was Julio Guridy, who is running again this year. If any voters are reading this, they might want to keep that in mind, because he spent the next four years the same way he had spent the previous four years, providing no check and balance at all.

    Guridy also played a part in one of the discussion points in the Lehigh Valley Ramblings thread, which was whether Hershman deserved any responsibility for the city’s police pension disaster under Afflerbach. To refresh everyone’s memories, here’s what reporter Scott Kraus — who always did an excellent job of covering the city — wrote about it. I’ll put his story in italics, then weigh in again at the end:

October 28, 2009

Harry the K

Total People in Discussion: 2

      Phillies fever has proved rewarding — and expensive — for Ed McKendry.

      McKendry, lead guitar and vocalist for the terrific Air Products corporate band The Difference, grew up in Philadelphia and has been a Phillies fan all his life. As the team prepared for another playoff run, he got the idea of writing a song asking the late legendary broadcaster Harry Kalas for a little divine intervention.

     The result was “Harry the K, Waddya Say,” which he recorded himself. He even put a video together, which you can see below. “It’s harmless fun,” he told me.

October 22, 2009

The Agony of Defeat

Total People in Discussion: 1

    I promised to report the results of Tuesday night’s “Celebrity Scholastic Scrimmage” at the Da Vinci Science Center in Allentown.

    I think the best thing about an event like this, besides the money it raised for the Da Vinci Center and Communities in Schools, is that it gets people in the doors to see what a wonderful place the Da Vinci Center is.

      If you haven’t been there, with or without kids, I encourage you to check it out. Science education is one of the keys to our future success as a nation, and they do a great job.

     As for Scholastic Scrimmage, I’ll offer some background in case you missed my earlier column and blog post. I was part of the Bethlehem team, one of four four-person teams competing. Others were Allentown, Easton and the Suburbs.

     Other members of my team were Dr. Arthur Scott, president of Northampton Community College; Pat Simon, president and CEO of PBS 39; and Jim Charnley, senior vice president for the Caruso Benefits Group.

     Simon, the only one on our team who had participated in one of these contests before, informed me that the Bethlehem team had won the previous two years. This added an extra element of pressure. Were Scott, Charnley and I as smart as the championship team members we replaced?

    We would find out.

October 21, 2009

Camera Shy

Total People in Discussion: 2

     Blogger Bernie O’Hare sat a few rows in front of me at Monday’s Northampton County Council budget hearing — and spent much of the meeting videotaping the proceedings on his small flipcam.

     This kind of coverage serves two purposes for him, both giving readers of his Lehigh Valley Ramblings blog an occasional opportunity to see firsthand what happens at meetings, debates and press conferences — in this case, some pretty entertaining carrying on — and giving him accurate quotes for his posts. If you visit the site, you’ll find a lot of video.

     I’m very much in favor of that. Morning Call reporters increasingly are being encouraged to take their own video, when possible, at events they cover, and it has become the norm for Morning Call photographers. I’ve been involved in some of these productions myself.

    You should know, though, that some public officials don’t like seeing themselves on video or recorded in any way. This isn’t a new concern; I remember writing almost 20 years ago about shy officials, including the Palmer Township solicitor who wouldn’t allow tape-recording of township meetings. More recently, Bethlehem Township zoners — advised by solicitor Larry Fox, whose loose interpretation of the Sunshine Act as Freemansburg solicitor I wrote about a couple of times — ordered the cameras off at a meeting, and Allentown Councilman Julio Guridy demanded that O’Hare turn his video camera off during a candidate forum.

     I know O’Hare isn’t particularly popular in some political circles, but when a candidate doesn’t want people to see him on video, even when he’s just talking about his candidacy, it speaks volumes. In fairness to Guridy, if I had his record as a toothless watchdog of the executive branch, I might be camera-shy, too.

     The state Sunshine Act is very clear about recording public meetings, although it doesn’t apply to candidate forums. “Except as provided in subsection (b) [which involves the state Senate and House], a person attending a meeting of an agency shall have the right to use recording devices to record all the proceedings.”

     Pennsylvania Newspaper Association media law counsel Melissa Melewsky told me she regularly gets questions about officials who don't want their meetings recorded.

     “We have anecdotal evidence of agencies that are allowing people to use voice recording but not video,” she said. “That’s not consistent with the act.”

     The Bethlehem Township zoning board deliberations, as reporter Michael Duck pointed out on the Valley610 blog earlier this month, are a quasi-judicial proceeding, which complicates the issue a bit. Melewsky noted that quasi-judificial boards are entitled to deliberate in private, but that when they choose to meet in public, the public has a right to record those proceedings.

     The problem with legally challenging the opinion of someone like Fox is that if the zoners lose, it might drive their deliberations behind closed doors, where they not only can’t be recorded but can’t be heard by the public at all, although their decisions have to be announced in public. So it’s something of a Catch 22.

    But even where the violation is clear, the Sunshine Act not only needs someone to challenge, but lacks the teeth to compel compliance with much conviction. Sunshine violators routinely are permitted a public do-over instead of being punished in a way that might have a chilling effect on future illegal secretiveness.

    The real key, therefore, is to elect and appoint officials who understand that their business is the public’s business. If that philosophy prevails, these bodies not only should welcome videotaping by reporters, bloggers and anyone else, but should be taping the meetings themselves and making them available on their Web sites.

    Emmaus does it. Go the borough’s Web site and you’ll find a Webcast of council’s most recent meeting.

    Northampton County is moving in that direction, too, if discussion at that budget meeting this week is any indication. If some Lehigh commissioners have their way, they’ll get there, too, although Commissioner David Jones argued during a debate on the subject this summer: “My biggest concern is what that camera will do in terms of the integrity of our proceedings and I don't have the confidence that we will conduct ourselves in a way that's unbiased by the camera.”

    Hogwash. Politicians don't need a videocamera to convince them to start grandstanding. It comes naturally.

    Mind you, it’s safe to say that people won’t throng to watch three-hour budget hearings. But it doesn't matter. The presence of those videos at a community/school district’s official site delivers a powerful message:

   We have no secrets from you, the people who pay the bills.

October 20, 2009

Premature Burial

Total People in Discussion: 10

    I’m rushed today, and my blog post turned into a column, so I’ll just throw out a few things.

    First, I’m among the “celebrities,” believe it or not, at the Celebrity Scholastic Scrimmage tonight at the Da Vinci Science Center, Allentown. I’m on the Bethlehem team.

    The event runs 5:30-9 and will feature dessert, drinks and a silent auction, in addition to the battle of wits between four teams. It’s a fund-raiser for the Da Vinci Center and Communities in Schools. Tickets are $95. Call (610) 969-2611 if you want to attend.

    Second, if you’re a Phillies fan, I’m sure you’re ecstatic, as I am, about Monday night's game. So here are two items for your viewing and listening pleasure. The first actually appeared for a couple of minutes before TBS realized it had been a bit premature.

October 19, 2009

It Could Be Worse

Total People in Discussion: 9

    Obviously, I'm ecstatic about the Phillies. But I wouldn't be a Philadelphia fan if I didn't accentuate the negative, so let's talk about the Eagles instead.   

   When the Eagles lucked into the playoffs last year and played well, national commentators ripped Philadelphia fans and media for being so hard on Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb.

    They pointed to the duo’s record of success together and wondered how anyone in his/her right mind could complain.

    There were logical answers to that, although the parachuting-in national experts didn’t want to hear them.

October 16, 2009

Movie Quotes

Total People in Discussion: 24

     Today’s Movie Quotes quiz features two major themes, along with a random selection of other quotes. If you can discover the themes, it will make some of these quotes easier to identify.

     Let’s run through the rules, lest some newcomers wander through. You are NOT to look these quotes up on the Internet, unless you’re sitting the quiz out. Cheaters will be shunned like the loathsome curs they are.

     Likewise, nobody likes a pig, so answer only a couple and then give someone else a chance. Invariably, readers are stumped by one or two quotes, so you can always return over the weekend to provide the remaining answers.

     I will provide one clue by noting that these quotes include one movie from the ‘30s, one from the ‘50s, one that’s quite new, and lots in between. Also, I miscounted when I was compiling the list, so you got a bonus quote over the usual 16. Let’s go:

October 15, 2009

American Hero Skip Eckhart

Total People in Discussion: 20

    I shouldn’t be surprised at this point by anything involving Almost Heaven dog kennel owner Derbe “Skip” Eckhart, but it happened anyway this week.

    Eckhart, who pleaded guilty last month to animal cruelty and other charges, wants to rescind his plea and go to trial.

    In court papers filed Sept. 28, Eckhart lawyer Jeffrey Conrad argued that his client only pleaded guilty because he was “compelled by the pressure” of a prosecution deadline on the eve of a hearing. The number of counts was reduced in exchange for his guilty plea.

    Conrad wrote, “Defendant is actually innocent because the neglect that was discussed with the Court does not rise to the level of criminal culpability because Defendant was attempting to save dogs that would otherwise have been destroyed and failed to cease and desist kennel operation because of a mistake made by prior counsel in perfecting his appeal.”

     Wow, I may have to rethink all my conceptions about Almost Heaven. Maybe it wasn't inaptly named after all.

     Skip wasn’t exploiting the dogs by subjecting them to filthy, crowded, inhumane conditions. He was saving them.

     It’s … heroic.

October 14, 2009

Teacher Strike

Total People in Discussion: 8

    I drove over to Hellertown around 10:30 this morning to see what was happening with the Saucon Valley school strike.

    The teachers were walking up and down the sidewalk across from the school complex, but by the time I got there, there wasn’t a lot of traffic around the area. The real action was up at Main and Walnut streets, where a few parents and a bunch of kids of different ages were carrying homemade signs.

    There’s a lot of traffic on Main Street at that time of day, and as I looked at the signs and talked to one of the parents, the motorist reaction I saw was very positive. How could they resist? One little boy had a sign that said, “$ Is More Important Than Me.”

    LeAnna Reifinger of Hellertown, whose child and some nieces and nephews were out there, said they’d been getting lots of honks, along with a couple of thumbs down.

   “We’re just trying to get our point across that education is more important than money,” she said. “These kids want to be in school.”

   The Don Fisher photo above also appears at today's news story on the strike.

October 13, 2009

A game -- and a quote -- for the ages

Total People in Discussion: 13

     Soft-spoken giant Ryan Howard seems an unlikely source of a memorable sports quote, but he produced a gem during Monday night’s classic Phillies-Rockies playoff clincher.

     The Phils had blown a 2-1 lead and were trailing 4-2 going into their last at-bat.

     “Just get me to the plate, boys,” said Howard, who was scheduled to bat fifth in the inning.

    You may not believe it, but I had a feeling about this game, and I voiced it to my wife that night as we watched. If they could get Chase Utley to the plate, I was convinced, he would get on base somehow and Howard would wallop a game-winning home run.

    I was a little off, as it turned out, but not much. Howard hit a bases-clearing double instead.

October 8, 2009

Best College Movies

Total People in Discussion: 15

    Today’s movie list features the Best College Movies.

    I’m filing it Thursday evening instead of the usual Movie Friday because I’m going to be out of the office.

    As I surveyed such lists elsewhere, I found movies that were set in prep schools or that dealt with life after graduation, most notably “Dead Poet’s Society” and “The Graduate,” respectively. I chose to stick with films that really were set in or around college.

    You may well conclude that my tastes are sophomoric, which will be no surprise to anyone who knows me or reads my stuff regularly. At this point, there’s little hope that I’ll grow up, but I did modulate myself and try to include a few serious movies.

    Please feel free to use the Comments to denigrate my choices or weigh in with your own, as long as they don’t include “Love Story":

October 8, 2009

Let's hear from the rap fans

Total People in Discussion: 12

     Trying to seem cool is risky for someone my age. Before you know it, your back is going out or your hairpiece is slipping.

     So I mostly make no secret of the fact that I’m a nerd. In a recent column, for example, I confessed to singing showtunes with my sister while we did the dishes.

   Then I mentioned Tony Bennett, another source of material for our songfests. I wrote, “My Bennett speciality was ‘If I Ruled the World’ — no relation to the pretty good Nas rap song of the same name — which brings me to today's column ...”

    I’m no fan of rap, although my daughter listens to it all the time and has indoctrinated me somewhat. The problem was that when I did a Google search for the lyrics to “If I Ruled the World,” Nas came up first. I watched the video, thought it was pretty good, and mentioned it so younger readers, if any, wouldn’t be confused.

    Unfortunately, this led to the following e-mail:

October 7, 2009

Grammar Police, revisited

Total People in Discussion: 5

         I’ve been writing about readers' pet peeves regarding what people say and write, and I finally exhausted my supply last Saturday.

     As popular and entertaining as this subject has been, it always opens me up to people who: 1. disagree with the peevish readers and don’t think I should have run their rantings without contradiction 2. Catch me indulging in redundancies or other errors 3. Don’t get my jokes.

    Since I don’t intend to bring the Grammar Police back anytime soon in my column, I figured I would share some of those pet peeve reactions today. I have one from each of the three categories I mentioned.

October 2, 2009

Movie Quotes

Total People in Discussion: 29

     Today’s Movie Quotes quiz begins with 10 quotes from movies featuring — sometimes in relatively small parts — one of two actors. Once you know who they are, see if you can figure out what they have in common.

     The last five quotes are random.

     Don’t look these up on the Internet if you intend to answer. This is supposed to be a test of movie knowledge. Also, don’t hog the action by answering more than a couple, at least for the first day. If we get to Saturday-Sunday and it looks like everyone is stumped, you can return to save the day.

September 30, 2009

Skip Vs. Vick

Total People in Discussion: 4

     I wasn’t surprised to hear from some readers who felt my hang-‘em-high attitude toward Almost Heaven kennel owner Derbe “Skip” Eckhart was inconsistent with my sentiments that football player Michael Vick deserved a second chance.

     I, of course, think I’ve been very consistent. I’ll explain.

September 29, 2009

Dog Found

Total People in Discussion: 1

    Since I ran a video about this last Friday, I figured I should let you know that Daphne the English bull terrier has been found.

    I wouldn’t want any readers driving around New Jersey looking for her.

    Here’s the e-mail that dog owner Jane Killion sent around:

September 28, 2009

Wasting Your Money

Total People in Discussion: 12

     Hey, did you know there’s a state Senate election Tuesday?

     I just thought I’d mention it in case you wonder that day why there are poll workers’ cars parked outside your church or fire hall. The crickets chirping inside will be another clue.

     I’m guessing that the turnout will be sub-abysmal for the special election to replace Rob Wonderling as the senator representing the wackily gerrymandered 24th District, which was drawn up to elect a Republican. This low turnout is how state Republican Party bosses wanted it, which is why they didn’t schedule the special election to coincide with … well, Election Day.

    Having it in September will cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, and hardly anybody will show up. Perfect.

September 25, 2009

Movie Quotes

Total People in Discussion: 19

     Today’s Movie Quote quiz is entirely devoted to one theme, and I’ll even tell you what it is for a change.

     All these movies feature actors or actresses who were cast members of “Saturday Night Live.”

     I briefly considered adding movies starring the two most frequent guest hosts, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, but I decided there were too many real SNL movies and I would save those guys for another time.

    Before I get to the ground rules and the quotes, I’ve yielded to my soft-hearted dog lover instincts and agreed to post a video about a missing dog. Please don’t assume this means my blog will become the repository for everyone’s lost dog notices. I’m doing it here because the request was made by someone I correspond with from time to time; the woman with the missing dog is Jane Killion, an author of dog training books (“When Pigs Fly Training - Successes with Impossible Dogs”); I’m on a dog high this week because of Derbe “Skip” Eckhart’s guilty plea; and the missing dog is an English bull terrier, a breed I love.

     Since Killian lives in Blairstown, N.J., you might ask why I would bother publicizing this among my readers, mostly from the Lehigh Valley. The woman who made the request explained, “I thought that if some of your readers who live in the Allentown / Easton area also work in NJ they could be of some help by being on the lookout in their travels.

    “If someone has stolen Daphne with the thought of reselling her, that person most likely would not stay in the Blairstown area, and my thought is the Allentown/Easton area is an easy shot when traveling west.”

    Daphne, a white female bull terrier, disappeared Sept. 22. There's a big reward for her return. Here’s the video request:

     

    OK, now on to quotes. Do NOT look these up on the Internet and then post your ill-gotten answers in the Comments, unless you are a natural-born cheater and can’t help yourself. Stick to the ones you think you recognize unaided. Also, do NOT pig out and post answers for more than a couple of them, at least until they’ve been out there for a day or so. Give other people a chance.

    I confess some of these might be tough. I stripped out the most obvious ones — favorite movies I routinely include, such as “Caddyshack” and “Christmas Vacation” — and dug a little deeper, including some actors you may not recall as “Saturday Night Live” cast members. I’m confident you’ll get them all, though.

    OK, let’s go: