Quotable & Notable

“We did 30 minutes comparing naturally grown tomatoes to unnaturally grown tomatoes.”

-- Jim Lehrer of Public Broadcasting’s “The News Hour” saying that he is against “spicing up” news with entertainment and partisan commentary. “You want to be entertained? Go to the circus,” he said.

“Don Imus was born again. ... I hope this time around, he’s potty-trained.”

-- Alfred P. Doblin, editorial page editor of the The Record of northern New Jersey in response to shock jock Don Imus getting an early morning radio show on WABC-AM in New York starting Dec. 3

“When I was growing up, denominations were a big deal. I don’t see that today. In our church, we have Baptists, Methodists, Jewish people, all kinds of people. ... Those walls have come down.”

-- Houston megachurch pastor Joel Osteen

“The people who have gotten to know us. ... They’re completely accepting. It couldn’t be more positive, actually.”

-- Matt Riley, a second-year student at Yale Divinity School and cofounder of The Left Behind, a club for atheists and agnostics at the divinity school, on how the club is received on campus. The club has about 10 full members and 20 “allies.”

National Catholic Reporter, November 16, 2007