Buzz Bin

by Michael Bowen & r & & r & The Bride's Tiny Waste & r & & r & Don't go white at your nuptials. Go green! Do you really think that those bridesmaids' dresses are going end up anywhere other than our landfills? Feel free to look good on your big day, sure, but go easy on those eco-unfriendly cosmetics, OK? "Try hydrosols or essential oils instead of chemically created parfums," advises Elizabeth Anderson, the guru-ette of "eco-chic weddings." She advises that you "go all out and top it off with carbon credits for your guests." Visit www.hatherleighpress.com.





So He Went


If Dickens World opened in a warehouse near London recently -- you can visit Scrooge's house, Newgate Prison and Fagin's Den -- it got us to thinking about what Vonnegut World would be like. There'd be a meat locker and slaughterhouse, of course, along with the Boko-Maru Room, in which people rub the naked soles of their feet together. And underpants. There would definitely be giant pairs of underpants. You could walk right through 'em. Kurt would've liked that.





The Power That Was


Another writer besides Vonnegut died last week: David Halberstam. Why are phrases like "the best and the brightest" and "the powers that be" almost always used now with a tone of mockery? Because of Halberstam's books. Plus we enjoyed Summer of '49 and October 1964, and we don't even like baseball. That's because Halberstam's sports books were never just about sports. He was a big-picture journalist, and he'll be missed.





Ever See Such a Thing?


From April 27-May 12, Ignite! Community Theater will present See How They Run, a farce in which a vicar's wife goes out with a male friend (who's disguised as a vicar, never mind why) and once the vicar gets jealous and the subplots are introduced, soon there's about three or four guys running around onstage like so many blind mice, get it? Just watch out for the lady with the carving knife. Performances (Thursdays-Sundays) at 1003 E. Trent Ave. Visit www.ignitetheatre.org or call 993-6540.





Walk To Feed


Just by strolling along the Centennial Trail last year, hundreds of folks helped raise $31,000 to fight hunger both locally (Second Harvest, Meals on Wheels) and internationally. Join the 29th annual CROP Hunger Walk on Saturday, April 29, at 1:30 pm, just south of Gonzaga's Martin Centre. Click on "Interfaith Ed" at www.interfaithnw.org or call 455-8554.





Dine Out For Life


You can dine out and help fight AIDS at the same time -- but only tonight, April 26, as 10 area restaurants have pledged to donate 20 percent of their sales to the Spokane AIDS Network. Splurge at Bennedito's, Bistango, Caf & eacute; Marron, Catacombs, Herbal Essence, Luigi's, Mizuna, Niko's and the restaurants of Northern Quest Casino, and be sure to thank them for their generosity. Visit www.diningoutforlife.com for details.