GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.29.14 >>>

U.S. veterans health probe confirms cover-up of care delays.

Angry House members accused Veterans Affairs officials of hiding subpoenaed documents and trying to cover up the depth of the veterans care delay scandal at an unusual evening hearing Wednesday, the latest bad news in a long day for the embattled department.

Roadside bombings across Afghanistan killed four people today as officials reported that a NATO soldier died in a helicopter crash in Kandahar the previous day.

The Obama administration estimates that keeping 9,800 troops in Afghanistan in 2015 would cost about $20 billion, but the Pentagon is still expected to request tens of billions of dollars more for additional security operations in the region.

Adm. James Winnefeld proposed deploying a THAAD missile defense system in South Korea.

CIA drone strike program in Pakistan winding down.

President Obama affirmed the U.S. will use military force when necessary, but "the threshold for military action must be higher" for crises that do not pose a direct threat to the U.S.

The House on Wednesday passed two bills that would provide veterans with support services for job training and sexual trauma.

The State Department recommended Americans leave Libya immediately and warned U.S. citizens against any travel to the North African country.

Parents of military suicide victims applaud proposed law.

Iraq may serve as cautionary tale for Afghanistan.

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James recommended to the secretary of defense elevating the Global Strike Command leadership to a four-star general.

The military is building brain chips to treat PTSD.

On the day that final bids were due for the U.S. Army's Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle program, one of the two expected bidders - General Dynamics Land Systems - pulled out of the competition, leaving BAE Systems and its Bradley variant as the sole contender.

Congress is unlikely to take up a sweeping cybersecurity bill this year if one is not moving in both chambers by August.

Apple just hired the two smartest music moguls of our time.

A simple blast of laser could help your teeth grow back.

Mask associated with Sasquatch legend returned to native tribe after 75 years.

Pitchfork is streaming Bob Mould's new record.

Dogs And sidecars: a match made in motorcycle heaven.

Bradford Cox, Eleanor Friedberger, Tom Verlaine to live score unseen Andy Warhol films.

NPR is streaming the new Clap Your Hands Say Yeah album.

How to pull off the perfect bank heist.

Turn every meal into monkey brains with the Indian Jones serving bowls.

Too Much Free Time: Man Spends 13 Years Transforming Hedge Into Massive Dragon.

What do you think of Google's self-driving car?

LINK: Original photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob Boyer

THURSDAY, MAY 29 2014 >>>

1. Jackie Kashian is funny, snarky, smart, Wisconsin-y, and, well a dork. Her podcast, The Dork Forest, is dense with her obsessions with video games, comic books and birdwatching. On The Dork Forest, Kashian interviews fellow comedians as well as non-celebrity guests, focusing the conversation around her guests' "dorkdoms" - special obsessions that may or may not fall within the bounds of traditional nerdiness. As a comedian, her act is sharp and warm, biting and personable. She talks about her Midwestern upbringing and salesman father; her marriage to a fellow dork and video game designer; and her current life in Los Angeles. All this comedic wonderfulness is going to be at the Tacoma Comedy Club at 8 p.m. 

2. The ParkWay Tavern hosts a Planned Parenthood fundraiser featuring Pike Brewing Company's Morning After Pale Ale beginning at 5 p.m. Expect a raffle. Expect a Randle.

3. Three Pacific Northwest writers - Sophia Pfaff-Shalmiyev, Cooper Lee Bombardier and Inga Muscio - will read from their works about gender, loss and racism at 7:30 p.m. in the Olympia Timberland Library.

4. Charley's Pub in Fircrest hosts "Real Chicago Blues Thursdays" featuring Richard Molina at 8 p.m.

5. Brewing a hot pot of shoegaze and Krautrock bubbled through a psych filter, Lorelle Meets The Obsolete knows how to ride the edge of groove and gently cut back to spacey atmospherics to superb effect. Catch the band with Billions & Billions at 9 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

LINK: Thursday, May 29 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Now, here is a story that has all kinds of politics behind it. We could be subjective and argue morals; we could be objective and newsy and look at all sides. But that's not where I'm going with it. What I want to do with this story is talk about the dancers.

I was first turned on to the story idea by Cally Baker, a woman who teaches pole dancing in Olympia. A message popped up on my Facebook, where she shared with me that she is now instructing dancers at Desire, Olympia's first strip club, which recently opened as an extension of a 20-year-old retail business.

After receiving the green light from my editor, I agreed to meet Baker at the club and hang out in the locker room to get to know the ladies, as well as club owner Levi Bussanich.

I let Baker know, and she was thrilled to help share the story.

"This is really challenging me in so many ways," she disclosed, "as a pole dancing instructor, as a woman, and a sex-positive feminist. There is an awesome story there (at Desire), and I've really gained some perspective and insight regarding the stripper/strip club culture."

So, let's dive into that culture, shall we? A walk into the club is what you might think. Hyper-sexual energy charged by naked women and electric lights. Customers, both male and female, drinking sodas or digging in their wallets. A caged area is reserved for lap dances.

A walk into the locker room is a different story, however. Girls fuss over shoes and compliment outfits. Some smoke cigarettes out the back door. Many are mothers, with one sometimes pumping and storing her breast milk in the company fridge. Bussanich, who was a martial artist for 20 years, shows one of the dancers safe stretching.

One woman, "Alice" comes off the floor, all pink bikini and bouncy hair, flushed from a recent dance.

"I totally rocked that guy's night - it was awesome," she says, rummaging through her locker.

Alice is new to stripping. Just last month, she was landscaping to pay the bills.

"I still have my sun hat and knee pads in the back of my truck," she laughed. "I've worked at call centers, too, and you just feel negative at the end of the day. Here, it fit everything I love. I love dancing - I feel super happy. It's just a positive, fun and creative environment."

Bussanich has hired more than 40 licensed dancers and strives to keep up the positive environment. A work in progress, he hopes to help with daycare and to organize medical and retirement for his employees.

DESIRE, 3200 Pacific Ave., Olympia, $20 cover, 360.352.0820

GRAB A COFFEE AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.30.14 >>>

At least 100 members of Congress have called for the resignation of Eric Shinseki, the secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, over mismanagement of veterans' health care, but so far the White House is unmoved.

Hagel says "indispensable" U.S. still not the world's police.

A House bill that passed will restore autonomy to a Gulf War illness board that had been stripped away by the Department of Veterans Affairs earlier this year.

U.S. House defense appropriators moved one step closer to approving $570.4 billion in base and war spending for the Pentagon, including funds for an 11th aircraft carrier and electronic-attack planes.

The move to bring all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan at the end of 2016 will mean major cuts in supplemental funding.

Senate Democratic leaders are planning a two-pronged legislative response to the scandal embroiling the Veterans Affairs Department, which has become an issue in several Senate races.

The gap between supply and demand for spy planes just got bigger.

The U.S. Marine Corps cannot meet its amphibious assault needs with its current stable of ship-to-shore connectors.

Problem solvers tackle Army complexity.

There have now been 12 successful coups over the past eight decades of Thailand's modern monarchy. But the latest, on May 22 did not follow the usual script, which runs: lock down Bangkok while the rest of the country watches.

The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff has rejected the notion that the U.S. is politically exhausted during his visit to the United Arab Emirates this week.

Lockheed Martin reached an agreement to purchase the Space Operations arm of Astrotech, a move that should help the largest defense company in the world grow its launch capabilities.

Virgin Galactic cleared by FAA.

Species of plants and animals are going extinct about 10 times faster than biologists had previously believed.

This terrifying Robo-Raptor will hunt you down at 29 mph.

Led Zeppelin vs. the Beattle: Whole Lotta Helter Skelter

Lukewarm review of Halt and Catch Fire, which premieres Sunday on AMC.

Nice: Dick Van Dyke is still a great dancer.

Cool: The Wonder Years cast has reunited!

The geekiest wedding ever.

List: best sequels of all time

Finally: A GWAR-themed bar.

Finally: Maps of where bars outnumber grocery stores.

Let's call it a day ...

LINK: Original photo by Lance Cpl. Unique Robert

FRIDAY, MAY 30 2014 >>>

1. Washington-bred filmmaker and wine aficionado Colin West has been hanging out with Allen Shoup, former CEO of Chateau St. Michelle and now the winemaker and the owner of Long Shadows Winery in Washington state. Yes, he's been drinking wine with Shoup, but more importantly, West has been filming the experience for his WINERAM travel film series. His WINERAM films create a new and approachable discourse on wine by integrating wine education, travel and adventure. According to West, you don't have to be a pretentious snob to be in the industry or enjoy wine. Last year, West traveled around Australia, visiting the top winemakers in every corner of the country, learning about the wine, their region, the local hot spots and also forcing the winemakers into extreme activities most would never dream of doing. At 6:30 p.m., the Olympia Film Society and Grand Vin Wine Merchants present WINERAM Australia as part of their Movies about Wine with Wine Series screening at the Capitol Theater. Yes, there will be wine beginning at 5 p.m.

2. With the rise of celebrity-scientists such as Bill Nye, and Neil DeGrasse Tyson - host of the fantastic Cosmos - a whole new generation has learned the awe and wonder to be found in nature and the universe stretched out above us. The Evergreen State College taps into that with its Science Carnival and Research Expo, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The carnival features some pretty cool topics and presentations this year, including how cola dissolve certain foods, how oxygen affects the appetite of crabs, how sea slugs convert light and a shellfish touch tank.

3. Actors and critics often claim David Mamet's truncated sentences and indirect ramblings mirror everyday speech patterns, but that's ridiculous. His dialogue is almost as stylized as Kushner's or Shakespeare's. Like both, it demands a particular skill from its actors: the ability to memorize, perform, and slightly overlap dialogue that packs a wallop without seeming to go anywhere in particular. The truth is it's a lot more fun to watch a Mamet play than read or perform one. Tacoma's Working Class Theatre NW presents A Life in the Theatre, at 8 p.m. in the old downtown Tacoma Post Office. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of A Life in the Theatre in the Music and Culture section.

4. The Olympia chapter of the Collective of Lady Arm Wrestlers, or Oly CLAW, will battle at 7 p.m. in the backroom at Le Voyeur. Characters such as Ivana KrushU, Cold As Isis, Vegan Villain and more will go head-to-head, or should we say arm-to-arm, in a full-out fight to raise money and awareness for Safeplace, an advocacy agency and confidential shelter for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Thurston County. Read Nikki McCoy's full story here.

5. Good news: the Music & Art in Wright Park festival will rock Tacoma, once again, with an Aug. 16 date in Wright Park. At 8 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge, a fundraiser will be held featuring a nifty raffle, and the musical stylings of Pioneers West, Oh Dear! And Coma Figura.

LINK: Friday, May 30 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Clover Park School District just send word that they employ two awesome AFJROTC instructors:

Clover Park High School's lieutenant colonel Gary Roberts and senior master sergeant Maureen Arroyo have been named Air Force Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AFJROTC) Outstanding Instructors of the Year for the 2013-14 school year. The award recognizes AFJROTC instructors who make a significant impact on their students, unit, school and within the community.

The announcement was made May 15 by AFJROTC headquarters.

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.31.14 >>>

Soldier dies in aircraft accident in Afghanistan.

The United States and China squared off at an Asian security forum, with the U.S. defense secretary accusing Beijing of destabilizing the region and a top Chinese general retorting that his comments were "threat and intimidation".

Ukraine's government vowed on Friday to press ahead with a military offensive against separatists.

Just three months after being named Veterans Affairs deputy secretary, Sloan Gibson is taking the helm - albeit temporarily - of an embattled Cabinet department.

For many in military, Shinseki remains an American hero.

More than 60 percent of Veterans Affairs health facilities surveyed in an audit directed by senior VA leadership were found to have toyed with appointment dates and, in some cases, schedulers were pressured to game wait times to make them appear more favorable.

It's one of the more disturbing revelations to arise from an investigation into fatal delays in care at Veterans Affairs medical centers: Employee bonuses appear to be one factor behind the manipulation of patient wait times in at least one hospital.    

The Associated Press reached out to veterans in Arizona and several other states to recount their experiences with VA care.

One U.S. cybersecurity expert is arguing that world nations should jointly pledge they will spare civil nuclear facilities from computer attacks for humanitarian reasons.

With no sign that the sequestration-imposed budget cuts are going away, the Air Force is going to have to change how it handles its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance architecture.

Land Power: A personal theory of power.

Man stuck in South Korea after his kid doodled all over his passport.

iOS8 Wish List: What we want (and what we'll get).

Skin Deep app points out harmful ingredients in the beauty products we use every day.

The story of the largest T-Rex fossil ever discovered is certainly worthy of the documentary treatment.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Flavor Creme Oreos go on sale June 9 nationwide.

You don’t see this everyday …

LINK: Original photo by Sgt. Aaron Rooks

SATURDAY, MAY 31 2014 >>>

1. The Family Curse describe themselves as "electro filth rock," and that definitely does a more succinct job of letting you know what they're all about than we could. To be more specific, the Family Curse sound positively caked with grime and some weird sticky substance that you don't even want to think about. Everything is unspeakably heavy and harsh, like a flaming freight train blazing down the tracks, catching seagulls and squirrels in its path. Catch the band with Survival Knife, Criminal Code, Wimps and the Kitchen at 8 p.m. in Bob's Java Jive.

2. Speed and survival skills will be the key combination at the first annual Association of the United States Army Zombie Apocalypse 5K at 10 a.m. at Fort Steilacoom Park in Lakewood.

3. Tacoma Art Museum welcomes the community to participate in its free, day-long celebration of the region's Native American heritage from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum will be alive with dancing, singing, and hands-on art activities for all ages, engaging participants in the 5th annual Northwest Native Community Celebration.

4. Dave Graham, 49, passed away May 17, 2014, after a courageous battle with cancer. Dave's good friend, John Kephart, paid tribute to Dave here. A potluck memorial will be from 6-9 p.m. in the library at Sanford & Son Auctions. Afterward, a tribute party featuring Dave's favorite bands - Deborah Page, masonapron and Bandolier - will be held at 9:30 p.m. at Stonegate Pizza, 5419 S. Tacoma Way.

5. New country rock group The Papillon Saints will play Doyle's Public House in Tacoma at 9:30 p.m. Expect Neil Young, CCR, Waylon Jennings, original Americana and more.

LINK: Saturday, May 31 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Beginning today, about 2,800 participants from across Washington state will compete in the 41st annual Washington Special Olympics at Joint Base Lewis McChord. The opening ceremony of the three-day event took place last night in JBLM's Hangar 1. Army Staff Sgt. Dayan Neely with the 20th Public Affairs Detachment was at the ceremony. JBLM has been hosting the Special Olympics for more than 40 years, with sports like swimming, soccer, track and field, powerlifting, and cycling. According to Neely, "Lt. Gen. Stephen R. Lanza, I Corps commander, was a keynote speaker at the ceremony. Quoting the Seattle Seahawks' head coach, Pete Carroll, Lanza said, ‘If you wanna win for the rest of your life, you've gotta compete.' This set the tone for the athletes and supporters throughout the rest of the ceremony, which ended in celebrational dance to music provided by the I Corps band."

Below are the scenes Neely captured:

A young athlete competing in the Washginton Special Olympics extends high-fives to the supporting crowd as he and more than 2,800 athletes are welcomed to this year's SOWA games, May 30, 2014. Photo credit: Army Staff Sgt. Dayan Neely, 20th Public Affairs Detachment

A Wenatchee athlete extends high-fives to the supporting crowd. Photo credit: Army Staff Sgt. Dayan Neely, 20th Public Affairs Detachment

A young Federal Way athlete extends high-fives. Photo credit: Army Staff Sgt. Dayan Neely, 20th Public Affairs Detachment

A young athlete rides her father's shoulders as the supporting crowd cheers them. Photo credit: Army Staff Sgt. Dayan Neely, 20th Public Affairs Detachment

A young athlete lights the ceremonial torch to start the games. Photo credit: Army Staff Sgt. Dayan Neely, 20th Public Affairs Detachment

The Vince Lombardi Trophy has always signified a city's - and a community's - worldly accomplishment, but it doesn't always represent an entire state like it did May 29 when the trophy came to Camp Murray as part of the Seattle Seahawks' "Heroes of 12" trophy tour.

"This was a well put together event to help build the morale of our service members as well as to strengthen our community outreach efforts with the Seahawks organization," said Assistant Adjutant General for the Washington National Guard, Brig. Gen. Wallace Turner. "It was a pleasure not only seeing the trophy, but also seeing hundreds of servicemembers and their families connecting with one another throughout the day."

The Super Bowl 48-winning team's Vince Lombardi Trophy took a two-day "Heroes of 12"trip May 28 and 29, first visiting active duty servicemembers on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, followed by a trip across the I-5 highway the following day to the Washington National Guard Headquarters on Camp Murray.

>>> The Vince Lombard Trophy appearance at the Washington National Guard's Arsenal Museum brought in hundreds of servicemembers, including family members, to pose with the trophy. Photo credit: Gary Lott

>>> Seagal Taylor adds her signature to the hundreds of other servicemember's signatures on the same 12th Man Flag that flew on the Camp Murray flagpole during the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl playoff run. Every servicemember that posed with the Vince Lombardi Trophy added their signature to the 12th Man Flag. Photo credit: Gary Lott

The Seahawks and the "12" community that so proudly supports it, whether here at home or in the camps in Afghanistan, Kuwait and Iraq, have a big impact on the service members that serve Washington state.

Those unfamiliar with the National Guard may not be familiar with the fact that these citizen-soldiers are exactly that: soldiers and citizens of Washington state. Many were born here, raised here and will most likely, one day be buried here.

Encountering servicemembers who weren't Seahawks fans may have been a surprise to some, but those who truly know the family bonds that these citizen-soldiers hold wouldn't find a single reason why another city's fan, a different state's fan even, would be at an event where family members, friends and fellow servicemembers joined together as a community to have a good time.

>>> The Washington National Guard's Assistant Adjutant General, Brig. Gen. Wallace Turner presents Seahawks Fan Development Assistant Director Armando Mejia and the Seahawks organization with a certificate of appreciation for their support of the Washington National Guard. Photo credit: Gary Lott

The Camp Murray trophy event even managed to raise more than $1,100 for the Minuteman Emergency Assistance Fund, the Washington National Guard Arsenal Museum and National Guard Association of Washington Education Scholarship, which most frequently benefits the families of service members serving Washington state.

Along with more than 450 people at the JBLM event the day prior, more than 500 people showed up to the Camp Murray event.

But this event wasn't just about the trophy: Seagals Christian and Taylor accompanied the trophy, posed with servicemembers and took time to mingle while enjoying the "tailgating" event area set up by the Joint Services Support Directorate outside of the Arsenal Museum.

The "tailgating" event was comprised of various games - supervised by the Washington National Guard's Recruiting & Retention Battalion - a hot dog lunch and a National Guard Association and American Lake Credit Union-conducted raffle, with the main draw item a Richard Sherman-signed football.

>>> Spec. Samson Anderson (Washington National Guard Recruiting & Retention Battalion takes a selfie with Seagal Christian during the Camp Murray Vince Lombardi Trophy Tailgate event. The tailgate event was set up outside of the Arsenal Museum, where servicemembers could pose with the Seahawks Super Bowl trophy. Photo credit: Gary Lott

>>> Lt. Col. Thomas Wargo, Deputy G3, Mobilization and Readiness, enjoys a game of Spike Ball with guard youth during the tailgating portion of the Camp Murray Vince Lombardi Trophy event at Camp Murray May 29. Photo credit: Gary Lott

"Today's ‘Heroes of 12' tour at Camp Murray provided another opportunity to rally soldiers, families and friends of the Washington National Guard team to celebrate the winning culture of the Seattle Seahawks championship team," said Joint Services Support Director Lt. Col. Don Brewer.

The Seahawks' winning culture is one that the Washington National Guard is continuously working hard to establish and maintain.

"The soldiers, airmen and families of the Washington National Guard benefit greatly from the generous contributions of our community partners, like the Seattle Seahawks," Brewer said. "The level of commitment and care that these partners hold for those who have served our State and Nation is something that will always astound me."

SEE ALSO

Washington National Guard played big role in Seahawks' Super Bowl Championship parade