Buzz Bin

by Inlander Staff & r & & r & Stirred and Shaken & r & Some people -- like the ones who are really, really irritated that actor Daniel Craig has been selected as the new James Bond -- need new hobbies and less disposable time. Anyway, when asked during a TV interview what he thought about those who pooh-poohed him, Craig replied, "Screw them" -- not a terribly well-advised response in P.R. terms, but perhaps we could just move on?


No, we can't, because Hell hath no fury like that of a Bondie scorned -- which became abundantly clear when we received a mass e-mail, part of a coordinated effort to undermine Craig's cinematic debut as the suave spy this November.


"Any feeling I had about Mr. Craig or about boycotting his first turn as James Bond are now doubly strong," read the missive, "and I am that much more committed to the grassroots efforts to see that Casino Royale is a box office failure." Well, all right, then. Bond fans have become the inverse of the famous martini: not simply stirred up but shaken to the core.





Diamond in the Palouse & r & UCLA geography professor Jared Diamond has changed the way we think about historical European dominance (it's because of Guns, Germs and Steel, as his book put it) and, more recently, the fall of civilizations (it's because they consume too much, as detailed in Collapse). Here's a rare chance to see the man in person, as he presents "How Societies Choose to Succeed or Fail" at the University of Idaho's SUB Ballroom on Wednesday, March 29, at 7 pm.





Beer O'Clock & r & Hop-heads and malt-hounds: Northern Lights brewmaster Mark Irvin just put the tap on a brand-new beer he's calling Solar Wind, but it's going fast. He says he only made 50 kegs of the stuff and they're just going to sell it -- at Rock City Bar and Grill, Downriver Grill, Picabu Bistro, Max at Mirabeau and at the brewery -- "until it runs out." The spring seasonal ale tastes a little like a pilsner, with a pretty mellow flavor and a nice crisp, hoppy finish. Home brewers: Irvin used only hop -- the German Perl -- for bittering and dry-hopping, so this beer gives you a clear, unadulterated taste of what Perl can do for your beer. The rest of you: It's just plain good drinkin'.





2010: A Musical Odyssey & r & Eckart Preu has signed a three-year contract extension through mid-2010, ensuring that he will be the Spokane Symphony's music director for the first three years of the orchestra's performances in the Fox Theater. For the next two seasons (through early 2008), Preu will continue as music director of Connecticut's Stamford Symphony -- and Morihiko Nakahara will continue as associate conductor here in Spokane.