Denzel Washington says yes to science

People

Denzel Washington and his wife, Pauletta, who annually award scholarships to college students for neuroscience research, visited Mount Vernon High School in Westchester County, N.Y., Friday to remind students that scientists are more important than entertainers or pro athletes. Washington, 53, whose film "The Great Debaters" is based on the real-life victories of a black-college debating team in the 1930s, said that actors, rappers and NBA stars got more attention, but that a doctor was far more vital to people's lives.

No 007 for Winehouse

Producer Mark Ronson says he and Amy Winehouse have abandoned their efforts to do the theme for the latest James Bond film, "Quantum of Solace," because the singer is "not ready to record any music." He produced much of Winehouse's Grammy-winning "Back to Black." Ronson made the comments in an interview with Sky News on Friday. Winehouse's troubles with drugs, the police and her rocky romance with her jailed husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, have kept the singer in the spotlight.

Civil liberties

You're out, pipe puffers

There will be no indoor smoking at a large convention for pipe smokers in Illinois. A new state law bans smoking in public places. That's taken some of the steam out of this weekend's Chicagoland International Pipe & Tobacciana Show in St. Charles. The event draws 4,000 pipe collectors from more than 60 countries. A large smoking tent has been set up 15 feet away from the Pheasant Run convention center.

You name it

... And send him the bill

Steve Kreuscher wants a judge to allow him to legally change his name to "In God We Trust." Kreuscher, of Zion, Ill., says the new name would symbolize the help God gave him through tough times. The 57-year-old school-bus driver and amateur artist also says he's worried that atheists may succeed in removing the phrase "In God We Trust" from U.S. currency. He recalls that the phrase "God Reigns" was removed from the Zion city seal in 1992 after courts deemed it unconstitutional. Zion was founded as a theocracy — by a sect that believed the Earth was flat.

Today in History

1904: The United States took over construction of the Panama Canal.

1932: Mobster Al Capone, convicted of income-tax evasion, entered the federal penitentiary in Atlanta. (Capone was later transferred to Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay.)

1961: A group of "Freedom Riders" left Washington, D.C., for New Orleans to challenge racial segregation on interstate buses and in bus terminals.

1970: Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on anti-war protesters at Kent State University, killing four students and wounding nine others.

2007: A judge sentenced hotel heiress Paris Hilton to 45 days in the Los Angeles County jail for violating probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case by driving with a suspended license. (Hilton ended up serving three weeks.)

Today's Birthdays

Opera singer Roberta Peters, 78. Jazz musician Ron Carter, 71. Singer-songwriter Nick Ashford, 66. Singer Jackie Jackson (The Jacksons), 57. R&B singer Oleta Adams, 55. Country singer Randy Travis, 49. Actress Mary McDonough, 47. Comedian Ana Gasteyer, 41. Actor Will Arnett, 38. Singer Lance Bass ('N Sync), 29. Actor Alexander Gould, 14.

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