GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 3.18.14 >>>

At the White House today, 24 people, three of them living, are receiving the Medal of Honor for their valor in wars of past decades.

President Vladimir V. Putin declared today his intention to make Crimea a part of the Russian Federation, defying the United States and Europe just hours after they imposed their first financial sanctions against Moscow since the crisis in Ukraine began.

Foreign policy analysts warn U.S.-Russian relations are heading into a deep freeze.

Don't just sanction Russia, deter it.

A detailed analysis of satellite imagery published Monday provides additional evidence that a Chinese rocket launch in May 2013 billed as a research mission was actually a test of a new anti-satellite weapon based on a road-mobile ballistic missile.

The Philippine government would allow U.S. forces to use its military bases as part of a new security deal expected to expand rotational deployments to the region.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and his Pentagon colleagues may be trying to mount their own political pressure to begin a BRAC process that could lead to approval by 2017 of a list of installations to be closed.

How women are reshaping the defense industry.

New sensor protects Army helicopters from small arms.

The most secretive flying squadron in the whole U.S. Air Force owns a bunch of small Cessnas and medium-size transports that look pretty much exactly like civilian aircraft.

Four restaurants, including three McDonald's outlets, will close within the next three weeks on Navy installations.

Harvard team has found the first direct evidence of cosmic inflation right after the Big Bang.

Hawking: We'll colonize the Moon within 50 years and Mars by 2100.

Welcome.... to Jurassic Moss!

Fred Schneider of the B-52's has made a PETA video encouraging people to let lobsters rock on.

List: the best cult TV shows of all time.

This video illustrates Wes Anderson's centered composition.

Good news: Anchorman 2 bloopers.

The way they filmed this car chase is absolutely genius.

Finally: Lego Movie-inspired Simpsons "couch gag."

Check out the trailer for the James Brown biopic.

May the tuna be with you. ...

Eighties rockers Def Leppard will perform with KISS June 29 at the White River Amphitheatre to try to recapture their glory and dominance of the '80s hair metal scene. Gone are the mullets and ripped jeans in lieu of a more contemporary look, but don't be fooled, this is still the same Def Leppard: Joe Elliot's trademark vocals, two wailing guitarists, a driving bass line, and a one-armed drummer.

The two bands decided to support our heroes and honor their dedicated fans in the armed services by partnering with numerous military organizations for the tour. Partnerships will include the USO, Hiring Our Heroes, Project Resiliency/The Raven Drum Foundation, August Warrior Project and the Wounded Warrior Project.

Read excerpts from the news release below. ...

Read more...

My clothes dryer is busted. It's the third one in a year that has gone kaput. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm cursed. Though this is bad news and highly inconvenient, there is a silver lining to the stormy cloud of having to visit the laundromat, the laundromat resides next to the West End Pub and Grill.

Well-known secret among its regulars and locals: West End happens to have the best steak in town that won't break your bank.

Read more...

For all of you health-conscious people out there who want to join in on all the St. Patrick's Day festivities without consuming so many calories - this is for you. Ranker.com, a platform loaded with crowdsourced answers to opinion-based questions, has collected the aggregated opinion of nearly 1,500 voters on "The Best Tasting Light Beers." Here is the top 10:

1. Sam Adams Light

2. Heineken Premium Light

3. Coors Light

4. Bud Light

5. Amstel Light

6. Miller Lite

7. Yuengling Light

8. Michelob Ultra

9. Kirin Light

10. Corona Light

If this list interests you, click here for the other beers on the list.

Read more...

It's great to be appreciated.

Hundreds of service members and their spouses turned out March 15 to enjoy a Him & Her Appreciation Day at the Marymount Event Center in Spanaway, hosted by The Ranger and Northwest Airlifter newspapers, and sponsored by USAA.

The center is home to part of the LeMay Classic Car Museum, and the event was held in the midst of priceless, classic automobiles.

"I came by for the free haircut," Spc. Jason Litschauer said with a grin as Rashawnada Rowley from the Olympia Barber School clipped away.

"I think it is so wonderful to be here and meet these soldiers," commented Rowley. 

Read more...

MONDAY, MARCH 17 2014 >>>

1. There are better ways to spend St. Patrick's Day than sitting at home in front of a big-ass bowl of Lucky Charms. Plan your Irish wake here.

2. Meet the creators of Use Your Noodle Doodle - a book based on a true story about a grandma and an overenthusiastic dog that takes readers on a journey from mishap to celebration, with many life lessons for the entire family - at 7 p.m. in the University Place Library.

3. MLKBallet Contemporary Master Class with Spectrum Dance Theater's Alex Crozier is an open class that will explore creative movement and improvisation with an emphasis on level changes, varying dynamics of movement and partner work. It's an intermediate level class, and Crozier has a lengthy list of awesomeness, so you won't be able to fake your way through it. It begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Urban Grace Church.

4. Weekly Volcano music critic Rev. Adam McKinney says there are vocal similarities between Kurt Lindsay and late cult singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley. The Rev. says, "Lindsay's voice, like Buckley's (though, of course, no one can truly touch Jeff Buckley, vocally), is simultaneously full of bravado and wounded timidity. It quivers with feeling, though it might be noted that Lindsay's voice often comes across as more lost, searching, which adds a nice element to what is largely music that errs toward modern rock, with some detours to friendly mixers like R&B and folk." See for yourself over a green beer or three at 8 p.m. when Lindsay performs at the Steilacoom Pub & Grill.

5. State to State's influences are as plain as day, but they earn points for never shying away from that. They'd be the first to tell you that U2, Radiohead and Jeff Buckley wrote their playbook. Still, State to State could only be judged for their idolatry if they were bad at impressions, which isn't the case. Their melancholy anthems, dramatic vocals, and chiming guitars all explicitly point at those classic artists, but it's an effective pastiche. Catch the band with Wonder and Roo at 9 p.m. inside Le Voyeur.

LINK: Monday, March 17 arts and entertainment in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 3.17.14 >>>

Hundreds of Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldiers are heading to Afghanistan this spring.

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Kidd and its crew are stepping up search efforts for the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 in the Indian Ocean with round-the-clock coverage.

Navy Seals take over oil tanker seized by Libyan rebels.

Ukraine's autonomous Crimea region has voted overwhelmingly to break from Ukraine and join Russia.

Defense attorneys said Sunday that an Army general has agreed to a plea deal that includes the dropping of sexual assault charges against him.

The Navy plans to beam down energy from space.

Republicans target civilian DoD personnel.

Air Force tested a mini-gunship last year.

Chuck Hagel seizes opportunity to chart new direction.

Sweden's government is examining a proposal to boost military spending to defend its own territories and the strategic Baltic Sea area in the face of renewed Russian aggression in Ukraine.

How al Qaeda escaped Afghanistan and lived to fight another day.

Navy launches plans on new amphib design.

After being separated for more than a year and a half, two brothers were reunited while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Despite an ongoing fight about retiring the A-10 and investigations into cheating scandals, perhaps the most contentious moment of a House committee hearing on the Air Force budget on Friday focused on religious freedom.

Earthquake: 4.4 quake strikes Los Angeles, no report of injuries.

Nasa-backed study says humanity is pretty much screwed.

Let the insanity begin: For college basketball fans, this time of year qualifies as a dose of heaven. Sixty-eight teams are ready to duke it out for round ball glory.

Newman lives!

You don't have to be a soccer fan to appreciate this goal-of-the-year candidate.

Nothing to see here. Just your everyday kitten wearing a green hat, while Irish music plays.

What did it sound and feel like in Tacoma during the Roaring '20s? The Lewis Community Spouses Club and guests discovered last night at The Mansion on Broadway. From flapper costumes to songs from Irving Berlin and Malvin Schonberger, the united organization of enlisted and officer's spouses at Joint Base Lewis-McChord went retro in a big way for its Wine & Cigar tasting event at the historic downtown Tacoma mansion.

It was a time the crowd wanted to return to, it seemed. Smiles and laughter filled the many rooms of the 130-year-old mansion, complete with breathtaking views of Puget Sound, Mt Rainier and the Tacoma skyline - at least from the cigar lounge on the Mansion's back deck.

Maybe the smiles were aim at the cause. The night was a benefit for the Lewis Community Spouses' Club's Welfare and the Fort Lewis Scholarship Fund. Weekend cabin stay at White Pass, golf outing at Chambers Bay, top shelf bourbon and cigar baskets, private dinner party hosted by the 2-75th Ranger Battalion and more were auctioned off as guests sipped wine from locals Stottle Winery, Madsen Family cellars and others.

Keep an eye out for future Lewis Community Spouses' Club soirees. The organization knows how to throw a party.

SUNDAY, MARCH 16 2014 >>>

1. Christian Mistress, Olympia's favorite metal sweethearts, are about to make their home stop on a wailing west coast tour. The bellowing harmonies of a front woman - who was clearly born from the ashes of a phoenix - the dueling guitars that create paths of thunderbolts in your mind, and the brilliant tempo of a drummer who gets in your spine, Christian Mistress is the real deal. Voted by Weekly Volcano readers as the Best Metal Band in the 2014 Best of Olympia issue, you should see this band live at 9 p.m. in The Brotherhood Lounge. On deck is Broken Water with punk rock/shoe gaze delights and Paralyzer with indie dance vibes.

2. Twelve chairs surround the table, and the audience surrounds the chairs. Lakewood Playhouse's 12 Angry Men's set design announces its intentions immediately and without mistake: as an audience, we are made to be conscientious observers, to judge these jurors as they judge a murder. It's an intriguing way to view this show, and it's one of the things that this production gets absolutely right. Read Rev. McKinney's full review of 12 Angry Men in the Music & Culture section, then catch the closing show at 2 p.m. 

3. Conductor Christophe Chagnard, the Northwest Sinfonietta, PLU Choral Union and five soloists perform J.S. Bach's sacred oratorio St. John Passion - a harrowing tale of power, betrayal, murder, love, compassion and hope at 2 p.m. at the Puyallup Pavilion.

4. Children are stubborn creatures. Molding them into the clean, safe-driving, classical-music-loving model citizens you dream of them being is just not as simple as it should be. It takes creativity and an ability to be extremely entertaining for long periods of time. You should share your burden. Take Junior and Junior Junior to Mini Maestros: Jungle Jams at 2:30 p.m. in Schneebeck Hall, where the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet will teach children how horns, trumpets, trombones and tubas can sound like animals - while you sit in the back and wonder how the musical and zoological worlds all collided without your noticing.

5. Little Bill Engelhart grew up on Hilltop Tacoma and learned rock 'n' roll by playing rhythm and blues with the black musicians' downtown, which was unusual for a young white kid at the time. He formed a band with some of his teenage friends and had a national hit when he was just 19 titled "I'm in Love with an Angel." Life after that seemed a bit anti-climactic. Once you've toured with the most famous musicians of your time, it's hard to come home and be an every day guy. Engelhart turns 75 tomorrow, but still works most days booking, promoting and playing music. At 5 p.m., Englehart will headline the Blues Vespers in the Immanuel Presbyterian Church. Wish him a happy birthday.

LINK: Sunday, March 16 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Charlie's Restaurant Puyallup. Elbow County Rough Riders. 9 pm. $5, Ladies NC.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Rusty Cleavers, Ethan Tucker Band. 8 pm. NC.

Eagle's Hall Olympia - Downtown. KOWA-FM "Ides Of March" Benefit, with Yogoman Burning Band, Fabulous Downey Brothers, Oh Rose, Old Growth Poetry Collective, DJ Selector Dub Narcotic. All Ages. 7 pm. $8-$20 sliding scale.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. St. Patrick's Weekend, with Grand Royale (Beastie Boys tribute), The Boomin Grannies, DJ Pedro, Joey Roxville. 9 pm. $7.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Ol Dirty Crackers. 9 pm.

Louie G's Pizza Fife. The Adarna, Van Eps, Amadon, Stolen Society. All Ages. 8 pm.

Maxwell's Restaurant + Lounge Tacoma - Downtown. The Kareem Kandi Band. Aall ages. 8-11 pm. NC.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Argonaut, Deadkill, Levels. 9 pm. $5.

• If the band name doesn't tip it off enough to you, I don't know what to say. They're called Deadkill. What do you think they play? Chillwave? (On a side note, I would love it if there was an explosion of dream-pop acts with misleadingly aggressive names. "Have you heard Satan Dick? Their latest opus is like laying in a sunbeam while a butterfly tickles your nose.") Deadkill make hardcore punk with little dashes of shredding metal - nothing fussy or complicated. Their objective is clear: whatever they can do to expedite the deterioration of your eardrums, they will do it. Even though fist-pumping punk is their business (and business is good), there's still more melodicism than you'd expect. Far from cranking up their guitars and calling it a day, Deadkill are subtly savvy as songwriters. - Rev. Adam McKinney
  

Northern Olympia - Downtown. White Gourd, Corum, Arrington De Dionyso, Danield Buscher, China Star. All Ages. 8 pm.

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. The Olsen Brothers. 8 pm.

Theatre on the Square Tacoma - Downtown. 9th Annual KRUNK Fusion Hip Hop Dance Showcase. All Ages. 7 pm. $15.

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

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Metal Nite, with Fueling The Heathen, Skinwalker, Zorokaser. 9 pm.

Westside Tavern Olympia - Westside. The Oly Mountain Boys. 9 pm.

LINK: More live music Saturday, March 15 in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area