GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 6.7.14 >>>

GOP to Obama: Fix VA.

Ukraine's new president Petro Poroshenko said his country would never give up Crimea and would not compromise on its path towards closer ties with Europe, using his inaugural speech to send a defiant message to Russia.

Gunmen take hundreds of students hostage on Iraq university campus.

The Bergdahl boomerang: GOP lawmakers who long urged a rescue now sour on the idea.

Bergdahl's father said one of his son's Taliban captors lost his son in a U.S. drone strike.

Vet unemployment drops, beating nation's unemployment rate.

A handy guide to the potential candidates to be the next VA secretary.

Inside the liberal take-over of U.S. national security.

The five most powerful navies on the planet.

The most important disruptive technology systems and ideas that DARPA is working on.

Scientists at University of Akron claim they've cracked the code, so to speak, by creating a super-tough screen out of transparent electrodes.

A cocktail glass designed to work in zero gravity.

Mystery solved: This is the monster that ate a great white shark.

The definitive reason why you should delete your Facebook account.

The game has really stood the test of time: Tetris' 30th anniversary.

The BoJack Horseman trailer for the animated Netflix series, which debuts in August.

Orange in the New Cat ...

LINK: Original photo by Petty officer 2nd Class Jacob Dillon

SATURDAY, JUNE 7 2014 >>>

1. Deep Creep is a band that unites at the populated intersection of the Murder City Devils, Pretty Girls Make Graves, the Cave Singers and Cute Lepers. Deep Creep favor the stompy rock of the '70s, while also branching out into unique areas of their own devising.  Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Deep Creep in the Music & Culture section, then catch the band with Young Evils and Show & Tell at 8 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge.

2. Nothing says good times like family fun and a whole crapload of pirate references. By the look of things, that's exactly what's in store for those headed to the 2014 Maritime Gig Festival in Gig Harbor. Expect wholesome treats such as a 8 a.m. Kiwanis pancake feed, 9 a.m. fun run, a "Yo Ho Harbor Grande Parade," Steve Stefanowicz and other musicians, and what's billed as the "Round Rock Contest." We have no idea what a "Round Rock Contest" is, but it sounds AWESOME! The festival stretches all weekend in downtown Gig Harbor, along Harborview Drive, between Pioneer and Rosedale, and along the waterfront near Jerisich Dock and Skansie Brother's Park.

3. Frank Janzen makes prints using smoke, Dionne Haroutounian combines print media and collage in ways that are almost indefinable, and Janet Marcavage creates sparkling optical prints using traditional media. These are but a few of the new and exciting works by Northwest printmakers to be seen in the new exhibition "Ink This! - Print Arts in the Northwest" at Tacoma Art Museum. Read Alec Clayton full preview of "INK THIS" in the Music & Culture section, then check out the show, which opens today at 10 a.m.

4. Like your furniture to be eco-friendly, stylish, and full of character? Moss + Mineral - the downtown Tacoma design store with a mid-century modern vibe - present clean-lined, eco-inspired furnishings and other works as part of "Natural Spectacle: Art + Eco-Furnishings," a group show opening from 1-6 p.m. According to pre-show hype, "Carlos Taylor-Swanson, head of the famed Madera woodworking studio, breaks out with a new vision of green furnishings; while birdloft designers Jeff Libby and Adrienne Wicks innovate with new, streamlined architectural designs. Holly Senn pays nature homage with her fascinating wasp nest forms sculpted from the pages of discarded books." Also include in the show are works by photographer Harriet McNamara and ceramics artist Claudia Riedener.

5. Logan, 16, took his life in December 2013. The tragedy of his death was, as you can imagine, devastating for his family and friends. Logan's mother, Amy, created the Logan Foundation, to promote active involvement in the lives of youth in the community and to raise awareness and provide connection to prevent the epidemic tide of teen suicide. A benefit concert for the foundation will kick off at 7 p.m. in the Rock N Roll Lodge in Tacoma. Hip-hop artists Stupid Juice Crew, Pooji Tran, Q Dot, A King and others will bring it for a $5 cover. Worthy on so many levels.

LINK: Saturday, June 7 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

B Sharp Coffee House Tacoma - Downtown. Ty Elwin. All Ages. 8 pm.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Coolio, The Staxx Brothers, Xperience, Mr. Von. 8 pm. $15.

• Tonight, you might want to "slide, slide, slippity slide" to Sixth Avenue as hip-hop luminary Coolio makes the party go sideways. "New booties" will call him a one-hit wonder, which is false and, as Chris Rock would say, "IGNINT." Coolio's hip-hop heritage is rooted in authentic LA hip-hop with the likes of Low Profile, WC & The Maad Circle and many others who respected him during the era of "County Line" and "Mama I'm In Love With A Gangsta" and, of course, the WC & The Maad Circle classic, "You Don't Work, You Don't Eat." These are his credits prior to the "Fantastic Voyage" and "Gangsta's Paradise." Thirty million records sold later ... Coolio is OG as they come and his talent on the microphone and charts speaks for itself. - Jose Gutierrez
  

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Darkmysticwoods, Gunslinger, Incanus. All Ages. 7 pm. Chastity Belt, Broken Water, Judson Claiborne. 9 pm.

• Taking a smoke break with my co-worker in the alley behind the bar, we de-stressed from our shift and speculated the amount of tips we may have made. Just as we were about to go back in and finish our busy Olympia Arts Walk shift, we caught a sound barreling down Fourth Avenue and into our ear holes. It was a Judas Priest cover being rocked to a T. "Hell Patrol" was executed with the precision of skilled guitarists and grounded by the hands of a pure bassist. Momentum was driven with pounding drums and it was all topped with vocals that are well tuned, one where you can tell the singer belts it out in the shower, car and every chance they get because it's what her loves. We continued to listen. The rest of their set rocked originals in the same vein of classic metal. "Wow, that was awesome," said my co-worker. "Yeah, that's Gunslinger, my brother-in-law's band," I said. "They totally rule." - Nikki McCoy
  

• No Regerts, the recent (and hilariously titled) album from Chastity Belt, is a quietly brilliant and important document of feminism and sexual insight, disguised as remarkably surefooted indie rock. With lyrics that vacillate from the winking to the serious - though always trenchantly well-observed - Chastity Belt build solid, simple punk-leaning songs that serves the ideas on the table, without the music or the words ever coming into conflict. Musically, no boundaries are necessarily being pushed, but everything comes across energetic and effortless. Their most thrilling moment comes in "James Dean," with its bracing stop-start dynamics, and wailing proclamations like, "You're a slut! I'm a whore! We've fucked everyone before!" There's a real effort, all through No Regerts, to call hypocrites out on their bullshit, and to hopefully move toward a more even playing field. - Rev. Adam McKinney
  

Louie G's Pizza Fife. Jar Of Flies (Alice In Chains tribute), Outshined (Soundgarden tribute). All Ages. 5 pm.

Maxwell's Restaurant + Lounge Tacoma - Downtown. The Kareem Kandi Band. 8 pm. NC.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Young Evils, Deep Creep, Show & Tell. 9 pm. $5.

Rock & Roll Lodge and Steakhouse Tacoma - Eastside. The Logan Foundation Benefit Show featuring Stupid Juice Crew, Pooji Tran, Q Dot, A King and others. All Ages. 7 pm. $5.

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. The Groovetramps. 8 pm.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Magical Strings. All Ages. 8 pm. $10-$15.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Uncle Sam's Epic Two-Day Metal Show. 7 pm.

LINK: More live music Saturday, June 7 in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, JUNE 8 2014 >>>

1. You mooned Bus #37 outside Oakbrook Elementary School in 1978. You depantsed Sid at Lakes High School in 1981. You streaked down Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma in 1983. You skinny-dipped at Owen Beach in 1985. You went to law school in 1988. You have had a life-full of truth or dare games. May we suggest the Stand-up Truth or Dare game at 8 p.m. in the Tacoma Comedy Club. Jubal Flagg hosts five comedians who will perform stand-up, then spin the Wheel of Terror to find out their fate. The other comedians get to come up with questions and challenges, and the audience gets to decide what they have to do. It should be old school for you.

2. The huge Maritime Gig Festival in Gig Harbor continues. Today's activities include the traditional Blessing of the Fleet at 1 p.m. and the popular Wheel's on the Water Car Show from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Gig Harbor Farmers Market will also be featured at the Gig from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

3. Two worthy stage shows wrap it up this afternoon. Olympia Family Theater continues to make amazingly high quality family theater with 3 Tales with 8 Tails, a phenomenally fun show that has the actors singing, dancing and puppeteering. Catch its last show at 1 p.m. Tacoma Musical Playhouse presents its last La Cage aux Folles at 2 p.m.

4. Tacoma is a working-class town and the only success weekly music showcases in this town center around working-class music - blues. Today, Tacoma's blues musicians go to work. The Northwest's "Swampabilly" blues band Junkyard Jane play B Sharp Coffee House's 2 p.m. blues show. Tim Hall and his crew hosts the weekly Sunday night blues jam at 8 p.m. in Dawson's Bar and Grill. Legendary guitarist Jerry Miller is tonight's Sunday night blues concert series performer at 7 p.m. in The Spar in Old Town Tacoma. Across town in Spanaway, Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill hosts its Sunday Blues Jam at 7 p.m.

5. The popular Jazz LIVE at Marine View concert series wraps up today, taking the summer months off. Oh, but it is going out strong. The Mel Brown B3 Organ Group out of Portland will go off at 5 p.m. inside the Marine View Church. Mel Brown has been described as the "quintessential jazz drummer" of the day. Louis Pain is Portland's Boss of the B3.

LINK: Sunday, June 8 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 6.9.14 >>>

Pakistani Taliban Attacks Karachi Airport: Militants armed with grenades and assault weapons dressed as security guards, killing 18 people in a retaliatory siege that lasted more than five hours.

Top 10 conclusions about the VA crisis.

U.S. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has told people treating him at an American military medical facility in Germany that he was tortured, beaten and held in a cage by his Taliban captors in Afghanistan after he tried to escape.

Hillary Clinton says she gave "very direct instructions" to security experts during the 2012 Benghazi attack in an effort to secure the U.S. mission.

U.S. sends stealth bombers to Europe.

House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) said acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Sloan Gibson is "doing a great job."

Supporting the troops does not start when they return from war.

Army continues the rapid development of the cutting-edge boost-glide Advanced Hypersonic Weapon (AHW) missile program.

The Chinese engineer who helped Tehran develop its ballistic missiles is one of America's most wanted, with a $5 million reward on his head.

Why no female Blue Angels pilots?

Unmanned intel app could keep small units informed.

A computer has successfully managed to fool a bunch of researchers into thinking that it was a 13-year-old boy named Eugene Goostman.

Amazon has a new best-selling author list that's updated hourly.

Another day, another Ant-Man director ...

List: Best '90s soundtrack albums

List: Twenty-one Things You Might Not Know About Gremlins

Watch Sir Mix-A-Lot perform Baby Got Back with the Seattle symphony.

George Strait has broken the Rolling Stones' record for concert attendance.

Nice: The drummer for Weezercaught a Frisbee during a show - and never stopped playing!

Teen invents footwear that will charge your phone as you walk.

In our thoughts ...

Astronaut Jones by djgreenuts

LINK: Original photo by Spc. Ryan DeBooy

MONDAY, JUNE 9 2014 >>>

1. If you've ridden a motorcycle, you may be interested in the Marymount Motorcycle Week, which launches at 9 a.m. and runs through Sunday at the Marymount Event Center. The LeMay Family Collection Foundation, VME, PNW Museum of Motorcycling and the Tacoma Motorcycle Club offer an up-close-and-personal look at vintage and specialty street bikes, dirt bikes, sport bikes, cruisers, scooters, race bikes - more than 200 motorcycles including the heavy-hitter all-stars of motorcycle history such as BMW, BSA, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Triumph, Yamaha. An AHRMA-sanctioned vintage trials course will happen Saturday.

2. Today looks like an awesome day for a noon, free guided bird walk at the Adriana Hess Wetland Park. No experience necessary; binoculars are available to borrow. No RSVP required. 

3. James Coates performs original tunes and classic rock hits at 7 p.m. in the Steilacoom Pub & Grill. 

4. The Joe Mailhot Jazz Unit hits the Rhythm and Rye stage at 8 p.m. Featuring the music of composer/guitarist Joe Mailhot, with Scott Reed on tenor sax, bassist Eric Hahn, and new addition Dylan Johnson on drums, The JMJU draws from styles ranging among modern jazz, funk, soul, free and psychedelic.         

5. A new comedy open mic launches at 9 p.m. at The New Frontier Lounge. "Monday Madness Comedy Night With Puddin" offers you a stage for your best jokes, which can be recorded.

LINK: Monday, June 9 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 6.10.2014 >>>

Five American Special Operations service members were killed in southern Afghanistan.

More violence erupts near Pakistan's busiest airport, Taliban vows full-out war.

Islamic militants overran parts of Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, today, driving security forces from their posts and seizing the provincial government headquarters, security bases and other key buildings.

A Navy ship with Marines aboard became a rescue craft in the Mediterranean, coming to the aid of passengers aboard a sinking boat.

The Veterans Affairs Department's inspector general is investigating 69 medical facilities for manipulation of appointment wait times and has contacted the Justice Department in cases where staff has found evidence of potential criminal or civil wrongdoing.

Developments over the past couple of weeks have led analysts to expect "a wave of attacks" by the Pakistani Taliban, of which the assault on the airport in Karachi from Sunday night into Monday appears to be the first.

The House Armed Services Committee will investigate the Obama administration's swap of an American prisoner held for five years for five Taliban leaders that caused a political firestorm over the lack of congressional notification and fears the high-level Taliban could return to the Afghanistan battlefield.

NATO launched one of its largest military maneuvers in the Baltic states since tensions spiked with neighboring Russia over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.

America's ultimate strategy in a clash with China.

Chinese weapons that worry the Pentagon.

Army kicks off first-of-many 239th birthday events.

Army-licensed action figures, minus the firepower, target preschoolers.

The interior of the VG-22 Osprey could have been used in Aliens.

Guy jumps from speeding truck into 328-foot-deep gorge.

The masterful 360-degree long shot in Sunday's Game of Thrones.

Watch the trailer for Jeffrey Brown's new book, Goodnight Darth Vader.

Watch Arcade Fire cover Echo and the Bunnymen's The Cutter - with Ian McCulloch.

What?: Will The Kinks reunite?

Hear Morrissey perform a new song.

List: Movies that were shelved for years before they were released.

Finally: Ghostbusters infographic.

Getting excited for the World Cup? The whole world is! So much so that they're doing ridiculous things like playing soccer with flaming coconuts that basically shoot out flames whenever they kick it around. Oh and they're doing all that kicking barefoot.

LINK: Original photo by Spc. Joshua Edwards

TUESDAY, JUNE 10 2014 >>>

1. More than 20 years have passed since Anita Hill testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas' workplace sexual harassment. Conservatives then set up a smear campaign to discredit her testimony, but the national dialogue about harassment had changed. The television broadcasts sent shock waves through every office in America, bringing the issue of harassment into the open and ending the Mad Men era forever. Freida Mock documentary Anita: Speaking Truth to Power, is compelling for its first hour, as she recounts the high drama of Thomas' confirmation hearings. The second half shows Hill being applauded at lecterns. So strange to think there are now generations who don't know the name Anita Hill or understand her importance in history, which makes the documentary important. Catch it at 2:10 and 6:45 p.m. at The Grand Cinema.

2. Westside Olympia is happening, but that's not news to those who live up on the hill. If you want proof, drop by the Tuesday West Olympia Farmers Market from 4-7 p.m. In addition to an awesome selection of local vendors, this season features live music, raffles and special events. Drop by for fresh produce, baked goods, pastured poultry and meats, flowers, veggie starts and crafts.

3. Commencement Bay Haiku will meet at King's Books to read haiku or one page of haibun (prose with haiku), as well as discuss various aspects of haiku, haibun, or haiga (a painting, sketch or photo with haiku). It's not easy to convert the innards of your soul into scrawled words on paper and then wax rhapsodic as judging eyes stare at you. You have our permission to use this haiku at King's: "At the tractor pull / We shared super nachos, Coors / Belched each others' names."

4. The Pierce College Concert Band presents "A Little Bit of Americana" spring concert including students Aaron Petit on "Rhapsody in Blue" and trumpeter Tyler Rasmussen on "Danse Napolitaine" at 7:30 p.m. at the Pierce College Puyallup campus.

5. Teeph, Joseph, Enumclaw, Mad Mardigan and Amigos On Speed will rock Half Pint Pizza Pub at 8 p.m.

LINK: Tuesday, June 10 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

On Flag Day the Olympia VFW Post 318 will host a fundraising dinner and also offer a patriotic service to the surrounding community.

The dinner will start at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 14 and conclude around 7 p.m. The menu that afternoon will feature steamer clams and spaghetti, not to mention oyster stew and oysters on the half shell for just $13 per person. There will be bottled non-alcoholic beverages available for purchase and a full cash bar will also be open.

All of the proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward building repairs at the post and then any additional funds will be part of the veteran service organization's monthly donations to the USO.

In honor of Flag Day, Post 318 will also be taking in any damaged flags, which are considered no longer fit to serve as a symbol of the country, so that they can be properly disposed by burning in a dignified ceremony.

Read more...

A couple of weeks ago, nerds stormed the Internet to report their outrage over a fictional character's film debut losing its director. Edgar Wright left the Ant-Man film, citing creative differences, which nerds everywhere took to mean, "Edgar wants it to be awesome! Why won't Marvel let him make his awesome movie?!"

With Ant-Man's fate hanging in the balance, a nation's nerds were left to ponder who could possibly come in and make this lame superhero's movie as awesome as Edgar Wright would have. Well, ponder no more, because your fears have been assuaged. Ant-Man will be shepherded to the silver screen by none other than Peyton Reed!

I said, Peyton Reed! What, you don't know who that is? Well, he's none other than the director of Jim Carrey's Yes Man. And The Break-Up. And Bring it On. Is that not doing it for you?

Look, I understand that it's less than exciting news to learn that Ant-Man is now being directed by a guy mostly known for lame romantic and teen comedies, but it's not all bad news. Reed also directed the stylish, underrated Down With Love, as well as several episodes of Mr. Show with Bob and David. It could be worse; Adam McKay was in talks to direct, so now we don't have to worry about Ant-Man being a series of medium shots of two people standing around riffing. So, there's that.

THE X-FILES FILES

In other news, a podcast recently hit the Interwebs. Comedian Kumail Nanjiani (of Silicon Valley and his own video game podcast, The Indoor Kids) is the host of a podcast that will cover the entirety of the beloved, influential TV show, The X-Files. Calling his show The X-Files Files, Nanjiani will critically dissect the '90s show that, among other notable achievements, gave birth to the modern fandom (including the dubious distinction of empowering a certain section of viewers known as "shippers") and helped to usher in a new golden age of television.

There are certainly other podcasts dedicated to critical discussion of TV, including the Saved by the Bell podcast, Go Bayside! However, as a television show, The X-Files lends itself to richer analysis. We'll have nine seasons of podcasts to really get into the relationship between Mulder and Scully, cavalcades of conspiracy theories, and finally a real discussion of why the writers thought to make Mulder a porn addict.

SUNDAY, JUNE 15: GAME OF THRONES FINALE VIEWING PARTY

Speaking of the golden age of television, Game of Thrones was recently declared HBO's most successful show since The Sopranos. For those who've been keeping up on that show's impossibly labyrinthine plot you are being rewarded with the opportunity to watch the season 4 finale in an honest-to-goodness castle in Lakewood.

For a mere $80, you can nerd out with your fellow Game of Thrones fanatics. Westeros-themed food and drink are included, and costumes are gently encouraged (mostly by me). I won't be there, sadly, but do feel free to corner me in a bar and try in vain to list all of the characters to me, and tell me what they do, and tell me why I should invest 40 hours of my life to trying to understand it. Thornewood Castle, 5 p.m., 8601 N. Thornewood Lane, Lakewood, $80, 206.402.3042