News comes of the latest setback for the new Bond star, Daniel Craig. Not being content with losing his front teeth in early filming after failing to demonstrate the ability to fight, he has now come up with another problem; he is unable to drive a stick-shift:

James Bond star Daniel Craig has stunned movie bosses on the set of the new 007 movie, by revealing he can't drive the secret agent's hi-tech car.

Craig - who was signed to replace former Bond Pierce Brosnan last October - is only qualified to drive an automatic transmission vehicle, so was useless behind the wheel of Bond's manual Aston Martin DB5.

According to sources, filming has been halted while the actor learns to drive the car, which had been specially shipped to the Bahamas set.

One would think that if you were in serious contention for tough-guy movie roles, then learning advanced driving, fighting, skydiving, motorcycling and other such pastimes would be high on the priority list.

This reminds me of Jeff Cooper's article on a suitable skill set to help a young man through life:

Before a young man leaves home, there are certain things he should know and certain skills at which he should be adept. We used to kick this around on watch and we covered a lot of ground. What should a young male of 21 know and what should he be able to do? There are no conclusive answers to those questions, but they are certainly worth asking. We agreed upon "civics" or what was called American government. A young man should know how this country is run and how it got that way. He should know the Federalist Papers and de Tocqueville, and he should know recent world history. If he does not know what has been tried in the past, he cannot very well avoid those pitfalls as they come up in the future.

Superficialities, of course, are rife. A young man should be computer literate, and moreover should know Hemingway from James Joyce. He should know how to drive a car well - such as is not covered in "Driver Ed." He should know how to fly a light airplane. He should know how to shoot well. He should know elementary geography, both worldwide and local. He should have a cursory knowledge of both zoology and botany. He should know the fundamentals of agriculture and corporate economy. He should be well qualified in armed combat, boxing, wrestling, judo, or the equivalent. He should know how to manage a motorcycle. He should be comfortable in at least one foreign language, and more if appropriate to his background. He should be familiar with remedial medicine.

And that list is for all young men, not James Bond wanabees.