THIS JUST IN >>>

A member of an elite Army helicopter unit was killed and two crew members suffered injuries when their aircraft slammed into the ground as they tried to land at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, a military spokesman said today.

Read the full story here.

"As I report to you, air attacks are underway against military targets in Iraq. We are determined to knock out Saddam Hussein's nuclear bomb potential. We will also destroy his chemical weapons facilities. Much of Saddam's artillery and tanks will be destroyed. Our operations are designed to best protect the lives of all the coalition forces by targeting Saddam's vast military arsenal. Initial reports from General Schwarzkopf are that our operations are proceeding according to plan. ..."

Peace, love, unity, having fun and knowledge may not be the first characteristics the general population find synonymous with hip-hop, but just to raise eyebrows - the aforementioned are in fact the founding principles of hip-hop, as established by Afrika Bambaataa and the Universal Zulu Nation in 1973. These are principles that are much needed in The 25360 (Tacoma/Olympia) area. Thankfully, the Z53 Zulu formed in Tacoma.

Z53 focuses on the greater Tacoma/Pierce County area code and, as a provisional chapter in the Universal Zulu Nation - an international organization representing the best of hip-hop culture - the group commits to engage and improve its community, such as sponsoring and promoting this Saturday's All Elements Jam.

The All Elements Jam will showcase all, er, elements of hip-hop - B-Boy/Girl, MC, DJ, graffiti and knowledge - at The D.A.S.H. Center.

Come and witness true hip-hop.

ALL ELEMENTS ZULU JAM, 7-11 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 18, all ages, The D.A.S.H. Center, 1102 A St., Tacoma, $5 with proceeds benefitting The D.A.S.H. Center's youth programs

Here is what we know about the National Guard:

The National Guard was formed in the 17th century as the militia of the colonists in North America.

National Guard soldiers have fought in every U.S. war since 1637.

Other reserve groups have no affiliation with the National Guard, such as the Army Reserve.

Each U.S. state and Washington D.C. has its own National Guard.

The National Guard takes an oath to perform state or federal missions and can be deployed for either. A governor can call up troops to assist in national disasters or the president can order troops to foreign nations on federal missions.

In times of peace, the National Guard trains one weekend a month and two weeks during the year.

The National Guard, well at least the Washington National Guard, are huge Seahawks fans, and are not shy, according to another batch of photos out of Camp Murray.

(If the Seahawks beat the 49ers Sunday, we suspect the Washington National Guard will send us 49 photos of them cheering on the Hawks. These people are crazy fans.)

GRAB A CUP & AND READ THE MORINING REPORT FOR 1.17.14 >>>

Obama has presided over a huge surge in special operations, vastly out-pacing Bush.

The US Senate passed a government-wide spending measure that would give the Pentagon nearly $600 billion to buy new weapons, address readiness problems and fight America's wars. The final vote tally was 72-26.

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel huddled with his top military and civilian leaders as the Defense Department puts the finishing touches on its 2015 budget proposal.

President Obama will announce today a major overhaul of a controversial National Security Agency program that collects vast amounts of basic telephone call data on foreigners and Americans.

Its Senate sponsors describe it as a "diplomatic insurance policy" that will help President Obama cut a better nuclear deal with Iran. The White House condemns it as a deal-killer that could put the United States on a path to war.

South Korea rejected North Korean warnings to call off scheduled joint military exercises with the United States and vowed "severe" retaliation to any provocation from Pyongyang.

Members of al-Qaida's branch in Iraq handed out pamphlets urging those in Fallujah to take up arms and back the militants in their weekslong fight against government troops as clashes raged on around the city.

As the U.S. economy gets back on track - unemployment recently fell below 7 percent for the first time in five years - the Pentagon's recruiting commands are bracing for potential challenges.

With the Army drawdown the question arises - what a smaller Army can do and what it can't?

The US Air Force's Total Force Task Force (TF2) is now the Total Force Continuum (TFC), to guide integration of Air National Guard and Reserve units.

Rock mysteriously appears in front of the Mars Opportunity rover.

R.I.P. Professor, Reuben Kincaid and one of the last surviving Munchkins.

The 5 most ridiculous ways studios spoiled their own movies.

Here is your soundtrack today, thanks to Henry Rollins.

Why are today's teens watching so much bad '90s television.

Mr. Potato Head Homer: Let's Play D'oh.

Enjoy Vladimir Putin playing the piano and singing "Blueberry Hill."

FRIDAY, JAN. 17 2014 >>>

1. Betty Friedan, Anne Moody, Helen Reddy, National Organization for Women and ... Gloria Steinem. Having spent many fervent hours of our childhood reading the words and following the actions of these women and listening to Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, and Cilla Black the Weekly Volcano will be in familiar territory at the Tacoma Musical Playhouse when the theater company stages Shout! The Mod Musical at 7 p.m. Shout! will chronicle the liberation of women through the '60s and '70s through the unforgettable music of the time.

2. Bates Technical College will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at its annual celebration 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the college's Downtown Tacoma Campus Auditorium. The community is invited to reflect on Dr. King's memorable march and historic "I Have a Dream" speech with the city's Mayor Marilyn Strickland, Dr. Dexter Gordon, and local musical guest, Jerusalem's Gate. For more MLK Day events, click here.

3. Clifford Odets' Tony award-winning play Awake and Sing! continues the Broadway Center's Free For All yearlong celebration at 7:30 p.m. in the Center's Studio II. The drama, first produced in 1935, is set in Depression-era Bronx and tells of the Berger family's struggle to survive in abject poverty. The free performance features eight area actors reading nine characters in this very tightly crafted and instantly engrossing three-act family drama.

4. The Hub in Gig Harbor hosts another winter concert under its event tent at 7:30 p.m. Tonight features the awesome talent of Stephanie Anne Johnson and Steve Stefanowicz.

5. Said in the growliest voice ever: "METALTOPIA 2014 IS ABOUT TO MELT YOUR FACE OFF." Yes, it's true boys and girls, five of the northwest's most badass metal bands are converging in one place - the magical Track House in Olympia, where bands play, beers flow and miracles happen. Black metal, doom metal, experimental metal - you name it - is covered in one night of metal mayhem, beginning at 8 p.m.

LINK: Friday, Jan. 17 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Weekly Volcano art critic Alec Clayton's review of Carla Paine's portraits and still-lifes has sparked a debate on Facebook. Clayton praises her talent, and recommends readers see the show at Olyphant Art Supply in Olympia.

That said, Clayton questions why the paintings were created.

The paintings are impressive, but they make me wonder why. Why would a 21st century painter make pictures that look like they came out of an Italian Renaissance studio? It has all been done before, and just as well if not better. Van Eyck did marvelous things compositionally, and he pictured every day reality in an honest if staged manner. Paine's paintings are definitely staged, warm and comforting, but beyond technical showmanship and nostalgia for a time she could never have known I question the reason for these paintings.

Is Clayton spot on or out of his gourd? If you have thoughts on Clayton's criticism, visit his Facebook and chime in.

Every Tuesday, and sometimes on Friday, "Check This Out" recommends movies available at your friendly local library. So you can satisfy your next film fix at the place with the books.

If Hollywood in the '60s needed an "issues film," Stanley Kramer was usually the man for the job. As director he observed the complexities of intermarriage in 1967's Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, and in 1961 looked at the Holocaust from behind a witness stand in Judgment at Nuremberg. Kramer made Inherit the Wind just a year before Nuremberg, and also finds drama in a compelling court case, this time the Scopes trial of 1925.

No surprise, but for a while the film didn't seem like the ideal choice for Saturday night entertainment. First you have Dick York (remember him from Bewitched on Nick At Nite?) as Bertram Cates, a teacher imprisoned in a small fundamentalist town for discussing evolution to his students. A brave act, but curiously the screenplay decides early on that his character doesn't need much depth, so York has not a whole lot to do besides looking glum behind bars and in court.

Then you have the arrival of E. K. Hornbeck, sarcastic newspaperman played by song and dance man Gene Kelly (which, for a guy who's only seen Kelly sing in the rain, seems an odd casting choice). Hornbeck the enlightened northerner has travelled South to see for himself this unjust imprisonment, packing with him plenty of smug quips and prejudices of his own about this backward Bible Belt community. Like Cates, this 1-D character fails to generate much sympathy or interest.

So what - or who - gets Wind blowing in the right direction? Hang in there for the first 20 dull minutes of this film, Stalwart Viewer, and things improve once the lawyers come to town. Matthew Harrison Brady, the bald firebrand beloved of the townsfolk, represents the prosecution, while Henry Drummond has taken on the challenge of defending Cates. Respected actors Fredric March and Spencer Tracy give it their all to produce some pretty spectacular courtroom fireworks. These battles of faith versus scientific inquiry, sprinkled with wit and logic, give this otherwise unfocused film a much-needed jolt of energy.

Bandolier is one of those working bands that does so well at being consistently strong and reliable that they sometimes are in danger of flying under the radar. Recently, I was lucky enough to catch a typically energetic performance of theirs at a Christmas show, when they tore through an absolutely delightful indie pop rendition of Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You." It was a healthy reminder that Bandolier is at its absolute best when experienced in a live setting. They're a band of mods, seemingly always shadowed by the good folks of the Fuck Yeah Scooter Club, performing indie rock that leans heavily on overdriven keys and jangly guitars.

Bandolier are AM gold and paisley pop at its finest and most goofily catchy.

BANDOLIER, w/ Cloud Person, Death By Stars, 9 p.m., The New Frontier Lounge, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, $5, 253.572.4020

Last week Weekly Volcano art critic Alec Clayton reviewed the "Global Perspectives" show at The Gallery at Tacoma Community College. Clayton wrote:

The latest show at The Gallery at Tacoma Community College is outstanding. It provides a look into the art and cultures - and most particularly the lives of working class people throughout the world as seen through the eyes of local artists. Included are paintings, drawings, sculpture and photography by regional artists who are also world travelers, and in some instances art from other cultures collected by these regional artists.

You may read the full review here.

TCC released the list of "gallery talks" associated with the exhibit:

• Bill Colby, Jan. 23, 1:30 - 2 p.m.
• William Mitchell, Jan. 28, 11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
• Fuminko Kimura, Jan. 30, 1:30 - 2 p.m.
• Sarah Waldo, Feb. 6, 1:30 - 2 p.m.
• Becky Frehse, Feb. 11, 11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
• Lavonne Hoikik, March 4, 11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

Plan accordingly.

"GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES," noon to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, through March 21, reception Jan. 13, 4-7 p.m., panel discussion Jan. 22, 4-5:30 p.m., The Gallery at Tacoma Community College, Building 5A, entrance off South 12th Street between Pearl and Mildred, Tacoma, 253.566.5000