Just a quick heads up if you're a fan of both roller derby and Instagram - darth_saydious of the JBLM Bettie Brigade posts the latest action from the flat track.

Side note: The JBLM Bettie Brigade's Belle Ringer Bootcamp is designed to help you prepare for the WFTDA skills test and get ready to try out to be a Bettie for the 2014 season. No skating experience required. You do need to be associated with the military and carry personal medical insurance. For $80, you'll receive 20 hours of on-skates instruction. An orientation and introduction will commence at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 25 at the Lacey Derby Center, 5700 Lacey Blvd. The two-hour Sunday sessions begin at noon Jan. 26. For details, visit bettiebrigade.com.

GRAB A CUP & READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 1.24.14 >>>

Explosions apparently targeting Egypt's police force - including its headquarters in Cairo - kill five people and wound around 90.

The White House has given the Defense Department budget guidance through 2019 that calls for more money after 2015 than congressional budget caps allow. 

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called for a wholesale review of the U.S. nuclear forces in the wake of a series of scandals involving nuclear officers.

The Syrian government delegation threatened to leave on Saturday unless "serious" talks began immediately.

Russia: Snowden can stay.

U.S. officials are developing plans to use a small number of U.S. special operations forces in Jordan to train Iraqi troops as part of a broader effort to help Iraq fight the growing al-Qaida threat within its borders.

A newly released Defense Department inspector general report found that the Pentagon's chief historian engaged in unprofessional conduct, misused government resources and used her public office for personal gain.

The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command is warning the greater Army community about a new phishing scam where criminals are targeting U.S. Government Travel Card holders.

Military test of blimp-like craft for radar system raises privacy fears.

Army sticks to plan to cut Guard helo fleet.

The U.S. Army is nearing completion on a project to eliminate its dependency on foreign countries for a critical energetic component in artillery and mortar ammunition.

Women leaders serve as role models in the military, whether they realize it or not.

"Wiseguys." "Goodfellas." That's what the federal government called five reputed mobsters indicted yesterday. The alleged heist they got busted for served as inspiration for a famous movie that came out in 1990 - "Goodfellas," directed by Martin Scorsese.

Real lava - 1,000 to 2,000 degrees hot - vs. cans of Coke. Cool!

U2 will make its new single available for free on the day of the Super Bowl.

Gal Gadot, the Israeli actress who was recently cast as Wonder Woman, has signed a three-picture deal with Warner Bros.

If you missed last night's Greatest Event in Television History, it's on adultswim.com.

Read Vanity Fair's new profile of Jimmy Fallon.

TSA screened 638,705,790 passengers in 2013, and as we learned last year, if you look deeply within the possessions of that many people, you're gonna find some weird stuff.

British street artist has made cool GIFs.

MoonPie flavored moonshine on its way.

Enter your pass code, then press #

FRIDAY, JAN. 24 2014 >>>

1. "It's a hundred and six miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark ... and we're wearing sunglasses." If this quote rings a bell, you've probably seen The Blues Brothers (1980). As original cast members of Saturday Night Live, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi created the characters of Jake and Elwood Blues, leading to a successful live album, the film and two more albums before Belushi's untimely death in 1982. The Official Blues Brother Revue captures the original spirit of the film and those first albums, with Wayne Catania and Kieron Lafferty inhabiting the immortal Jake and Elwood, and backed by their eight-piece Intercontinental Rhythm & Blues Revue Band. Catch it at 7:30 p.m. at the Pantages Theater.

2. The Hands On Children's Museum has something new on tap from 6-9 p.m.: beer. No, really. The museum is launching Adult Swim, a quarterly adults-only night, with a beer-tasting event. True to the museum's mission, though, the idea isn't that museumgoers will simply guzzle beverages from eight craft breweries and one meadery. Rather, the party includes crafts and science experiments. Read Molly Gilmore's full story on Adult Swim here.

3. Rockwell Powers, Xperience and DJ Save1 will fill Tacoma's Bleach store with hip-hop beginning at 7 p.m.

4. Those of you who actually read your high school literature assignments should remember that Atticus Finch is the dignified Southern lawyer who defends a black man wrongly accused of rape in Harper Lee's Pulitzer prize-winning 1969 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Set in 1935 Alabama, three children face the life lessons of good and evil and the power of convictions when small-town attorney Atticus Finch agrees to defend a black man charged with attacking a white teen-ager. Tacoma Little Theatre brings the literary classic to life, opening the stage version at 7:30 p.m. for a two-week run.

5. Professor Barry Goldstein and his bandmate Gen Obata are The Unassuming Beekeepers, an American roots band with shades of bluegrass, country, swing and rockabilly. They sing, strum guitars and know their way around a mandolin.  Catch the band at 8:30 p.m. in the Oppenheimer Café on the University of Puget Sound campus. Oh, bring your fiddles, guitars, banjos and that thing the goes "boing!" when plucked in your mouth as a bluegrass jam will follow The Unassuming Beekeepers.

LINK: Friday, Jan. 24 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THIS JUST IN >>>

The Fort Hood senior commander has authorized the closure of Fort Hood due to the current weather conditions. Only mission essential report for the duty.

Rangers from the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, are conducting a military training exercise at Fort Hunter Liggett and neighboring Camp Roberts, of the California National Guard. The exercise runs through Feb. 5, and includes units from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, from Fort Campbell, Ky., and Air Force Special Operations Command from Hurlburt Field, Fla.

For the full scoop, click here.

Yesterday the Winter X Games kicked off in Aspen, Colo. For alternative sports, this is the Olympics, if the Olympics featured guys on snowmobiles doing massive backflips. Snowmobile Freestyle competitor Colten Moore collected his second X Games gold medal yesterday, with an emotional win that he dedicated to his older brother, Caleb, who died from injuries sustained in last year's competition, the only death in the 20-year history of the X Games.

Want to try snowmobiling?

The Northwest Adventure Center at Joint Base Lewis-Mcchord has a trip planned through the Cascades Mountains Saturday, Feb 1. You won't be flying through the air upside down with one hand on the handlebars, unless something goes terribly wrong.

According to NAC, transportation, snowmobile, helmet, boots, gloves and snowsuit are provided. NAC would like you to dress in layers. And you must be 16 and older to join the fun.

If you like to get in on the trip, give them a buzz before Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 253.967.6263

It's Friday. And what a perfect Friday it is! The sun is shining, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord isn't shutdown due to snow (whimpy Fort Hood!).

But Friday is Friday, which means you all ready have one leg into Saturday. That stack of papers can wait. Let's watch some videos!

You're welcome.

Staff Sgt. Justin Kuhl has filed the latest Field Report, which includes the visit by former NFL players to Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Sgt. Bryan Spradlin of the 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment created a Fort Lewis' Historic Gateway video focusing on the construction of the Camp Lewis gateway in 1918 and how it has survived as a piece of JBLM history to the present day.

On a more serious note, Sgt. Ashland Ferguson posted another video in the Duty to Intervene: Voices of the Victims series showing 7th Infantry Division soldiers intervening as a part of their duty to stop sexual assault, harassment or suicide.

Last, here's "No Sugar Tonight" starring a couple wacky kids. Enjoy.

GRAB A CUP & READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 1.25.14 >>>

More than 30 Reserve Airmen from the 446th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron are scheduled to deploy over the weekend in support of operations overseas.    

With no perceptible opposition from the Obama administration, Congress has quietly downscaled Washington's ambitions for the final year of the Afghan war, substantially curtailing development aid and military assistance plans ahead of the U.S. troop pullout.

The French defense minister warned during a visit to the Pentagon Friday that there was a concentration of terrorist groups in southern Libya, and that "there could be an explosion of violence" in the country. 

The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency leader on Friday said he hopes to unveil new steps in a long-stalled investigation into Iran's nuclear program in March.

Dozens of young men are now missing from what is considered Russia's most dangerous region.

U.S. will help with Olympics security if needed, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says.

Deborah Lee James, the 23rd secretary of the Air Force, was ceremoniously sworn in by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel at the Pentagon Jan 24.

Staff sergeant earns Silver Star; six comrades also honored for heroism.

The U.S. Air Force is planning to host an industry day to address the growing need for new technologies in the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) sector, according to the service's top ISR general.

Two Airmen with the 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, have both been turning wrenches on jet engines longer than most people in the Air Force have been alive.

Is it a bird? A bug? Or is it a plane? There's more to these cool-looking creatures than meets the eye, as the Earth Unplugged team found out.

Video: Is the world better now than 25 years ago? Bill Gates certainly thinks so

Instead of the Grammys, the Logo cable channel is hyping "The Grannies," a marathon of The Golden Girls' best musical episodes.

Built to Spill cover Bob Dylan's Jokerman, which appears on the upcoming Bob Dylan in the 80s compilation (out March 25).

Ready for a vine compilation?

SATURDAY, JAN. 25 2014 >>>

1. In the early ‘80s, Donald Glaude filled Lakes High School house parties with Funkadelic, Commodores and underground hip-hop. While the dudes played REAL quarters the women flocked around Glaude. His musical knowledge, good looks and outgoing personality made him king of Lakes High School. From there, he emerged himself in the Seattle house and rave music scene before becoming one of the most traveled international DJs of our time. Always a smile, and women on both side of his decks, Glaude still commands the worldwide house music scene, in front of the turntables and behind the studio mixing board. Glaude returns home for a night at Jazzbones, with Skeemer and Mr. Clean opening, and the Northwest DJ roster before him. Respect.

2. The Proctor Art Gallery celebrates its fifth anniversary from 1-5 p.m. Drop by and chat with the artists, take advantage of sales, enjoy refreshments, entertainment and door prizes. 

3. In its 12th year and for the seventh straight year in Olympia, the community is invited to take part in an active weekend of highlighting the plagues of poverty, discrimination, inhumanity and homelessness while simultaneously celebrating the spirit of togetherness during the annual Hip-Hop 4 The Homeless benefit. For the cost of donated items such as food, clean clothing, hygiene items and cash, the 5 p.m. family friendly concert in The Olympia Ballroom features Afrok & The Movement, Speaker Minds (Portland), AKA & The Heart Hurt Goods, The Sharp Five and Real Life Click, plus the annual 25360 Awards celebration.

4. A few decades ago, the term "early music" (generally speaking, any music written before J.S. Bach) had the same cachet as brown rice or granola: esoteric stuff that was vaguely good for you, but none too tasty or easy to digest. And as for performing early music, only specialists need apply. Nowadays, performances of Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque music on period instruments - not to mention instrumentalists and vocalists versed in early performance styles as a matter of course in their studies - are the very enjoyable norm, and a lot of great, previously unknown music has become popular and beloved by audiences. At 7 p.m. in Tacoma's Trinity Lutheran Church, the Salish Sea Early Music Festival will focus on the musical styles during the reign of Louis XV, who became king in 1715 at the age of five upon the death of his grandfather Louis XIV.

Producing Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is like saddling a dragon. We caught struggles for lines, most adroitly concealed. The blocking isn't great for performance in the round. There are patrons who won't know what to make of all its profanity, carnality and perma-drunk savagery. What unnerves most, though, is the fact that this drama has no hero or heroine for us to cheer. There's no tragic downfall, as its characters bring misery on themselves. Yet the acting in this Lakewood Playhouse production, on all four counts but especially from Deane and Garman, is extraordinary, some of the best we'll see all year. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in the Music & Culture section, then catch the 8 p.m. show.

LINK: Saturday, Jan. 25 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

4th Ave Ale House Olympia - Downtown. Razors & Red Flags, Hollywood Kill Krew. 9 pm. $5.

Bob's Java Jive Tacoma - Central. Michelle From The Club, Sherman Family, Eternal Fair, guests, 8 pm. $5.

• Michelle from the Club recently found themselves opening up for Surfer Blood at a show at Pacific Lutheran University. That's a pretty potent feather in the cap for a band that values the power of steadfast guitar riffs as much as Michelle from the Club clearly does. While the anthemic roar of Surfer Blood is slightly outside of their purview, this Tacoma duo washes their songs with as much dissonant tone as their guitar-and-drum setup can allow. Having just had their debut EP funded by Kickstarter, this is a band that's getting ready to capitalize on their momentum. As for the music, Michelle from the Club does a fine job of combining the outbursts of guitar rock with more contemplative verses, ending up with the time-tested loud-quiet-loud structure that's served so many of their influences quite well. - Rev. Adam McKinney

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Young's Double Chocolate Music Night. 9 pm.

Louie G's Pizza Fife. Tin Man, Late September Dogs. All Ages. 8 pm.

• Most of the time, my music picks are of my own accord, bands I've loved for years, or maybe a hot new number a friend has turned me onto, or I found while bar hopping. This time, my pick comes from the boss, Pappi Swarner, who has a great ear and even better dance moves. (Ask him to show you his pop-in-lock next time you see him.) His recommendation is for Tin Man, a member of Maurice The Fish Record's growing family, and hot to release their sophomore album, Broke Wisdom. I have to agree with the boss, and MTFR, Tin Man has their singing and songwriting down. Initially reminding me of something in the Bonnie Raitt or Leonard Cohen vein, Tim Man has a little more twang, a little more pluck and a lot more Northwest feel. Hear for yourself this Saturday at Louie G's. - Nikki McCoy

McCoy's Tavern Olympia - Downtown. Full Moon Radio, Johny Las Vegas & The Melee'rs, Hot Cops. 9:30 pm.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Lozen, Hungry Ghost, Shore. 9 pm. $5.

• With its heavy blues riff and falsetto refrain, the opening moments of "Shame" instantly call to mind Led Zeppelin. Hints of Zeppelin are peppered throughout Hungry Ghost's eponymous LP, but the influences are more varied and far-flung than your typical Zeppelin-indebted bands. A supergroup of sorts, Hungry Ghost assembles the talents of members of Unwound, the Corin Tucker Band, the Irving Klaw Trio and the Drags - not to mention the producer of the album, Sam Coomes, who has worked with the likes of Quasi and Elliot Smith. Hungry Ghost are great at keeping you guessing, starting off the album with winsome guitar that takes a sudden right turn into head-banging heavy rock. This is the sound of some seriously music-loving people having internalized every bit of aural information and wrestling it into an unwieldy and intoxicating form. - Rev AM

O'Malley's Irish Pub Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Saturday Bloody Saturday with Black Pussy, December In Red, Sick Either Way. 9 pm. NC.

The Olympia Ballroom Olympia - Downtown. Hip-Hop 4 The Homeless benefit featuring Afrok & The Movement, Speaker Minds (Portland), AKA & The Heart Hurt Goods, The Sharp Five and Real Life Click, plus the annual 25360 Awards celebration 5 pm. Donations.

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. Tumblin' Dice (Rolling Stones tribute). 8 pm.

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Rob Rideout Trio. 9 pm.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Benefit for PFLAG, with The Righteous Mothers, Steve Schalchlin, Olympia Gay Men's Choir. All Ages. 5 and 8 pm. $30-$60 suggested donation.

Treos Tacoma - Central. Stan St. Louis. 7 pm. NC.

LINK: More live music Saturday, Jan. 25 in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area