Bang!, In God We Trust, -and- Brave New Schools

Bang! - cat-killer principal resigns, may be charged with felony
In God We Trust - British Airways prohibits woman from wearing cross
Brave New Schools - teachers pass "illiterate" boy

On this day in history: October 16, 1996 - 84 are killed and more than 180 injured in Guatemala City when 47,000 soccer fans attempt to squeeze into 36,000 seats at Mateo Flores Stadium.

Born on this day in history: October 16, 1856 - Oscar Wilde (1856 - 1900) playwright, novelist. He was noted for his flamboyant witty, sophisticated plays, e.g., "The Importance of Being Ernest," 1895.

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Friday evening, I watched "Inside Man." (Laura retired early in anticipation of an early appointment with her hair stylist.) [Dispatched to a crime scene where a bank robbery is in progress, police detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) hopes to apprehend the cunning thief (Clive Owen) so he can make his case for a promotion. But when a savvy negotiator (Jodie Foster) with questionable motives arrives on the scene, an already unstable situation threatens to implode. Spike Lee directs this tense action-drama co-starring Willem Dafoe and Christopher Plummer.] This movie was suspenseful and exciting, well-acted and well-scripted—to a point. The movie began to drag near the end, the ending was altogether too predictable, and the message seems to be that crime does pay and—additionally—a "little" police corruption is excusable. I do not recommend this movie.

Sunday afternoon, we watched "The Second Chance." [Christian pop artist Michael W. Smith stars in this inspirational story of two preachers who have nothing in common—except for their faith in God's awesome power. When Ethan Jenkins (Smith), a pastor at a colossal suburban church called The Rock, is called to work alongside street-smart African-American minister Jake Sanders (Jeff Obafemi Carr), both men are forced to reexamine their assumptions about spirituality and saving souls.] This is a wonderful movie with an inspiring story, excellent photography, good acting, and awesome soundtrack. We thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I highly recommend it.

We played a good deal of backgammon Sunday and were weary from the game-play when it became time to ponder dinner preparation. We had intended to slow-cook a beef roast and prepare burritos, but it was much too late in the day to consider this. We decided upon something we do very, very rarely: We ordered a pizza from Round Table—an extra-large Ulti-Meat pizza. It was wonderful, and more than half of it remained when we had become sated. Laura slithered off to work this morning with pizza in tow for her lunch. I enjoyed two cold slices and a Caffeine-free Diet Pepsi for breakfast.