GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 7.8.14 >>>

Officials are warning troops and DoD civilians in the state of Washington that indulging in pot could result in consequences.

The Israeli army, air force and navy launched a major operation today against the Islamist militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

An Afghan official says that at least 16 people, including four Czech soldiers, were killed today in a suicide attack near a clinic in eastern Afghanistan.

The top U.S. commander in Europe said he will probably need more troops to counter the renewed military threat from Russia that is roiling the far eastern region of Europe.

NATO leaders will push alliance members to adopt a readiness action designed to improve the speed European militaries can respond to crisis.

It's the tale of the two maritime exercises: In the Black Sea, the U.S. and its allies are starting up multinational training while Russian warships separately maneuver in a large-scale war game.

Report: Engine responsible for F-35 fire.

House Benghazi panel may cost $3 million this year.

U.S. Navy warns it can't meet 30-year funding needs.

Russia to revamp nuclear-missile force within decade.

An international pact on heightened security standards for nuclear materials got one step closer to being implemented when Japan signed on late last month.

The Minuteman has been updated over the years and remains ready for launch, but the items that support it have grown old.

Let's look at storm photos.

Let's watch cells grow.

Kickstarter potato salad guy rules.

MAC is launching Simpsons makeup line.

Pink Floyd has a new album on the way.

Cartoon jokes that went over most kids' heads.

From coal mountains, Walmart, China Buffet, Gus's Guns and PBR, Amanda Nicole demonstrates her hula hooping skills in the Midwest.         

Finally: Hip Hop Family Tree.

Who wants to swim in our pool?

LINK: Original photo by Spc. Philip Diab

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 7.7.14 >>>

Israeli air strikes killed seven Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip following the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli youths and a Palestinian teen.

Ukraine to lay siege to rebel-held regional centers.

Ukraine's richest man pleads for city's safety after rebels vow to make stand.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel concerned over U.S. spy claims. 

The U.S. Defense Department is set to roll out a new R&D strategy this week.

The F-35 Joint Program Office has begun carrying out a game-changing plan for sustainment on a global scale.

U.S. Navy's cruiser problem.

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy wants every sailor to have a tablet.

Opinion: deck stacked again women in experimental task force.

The Air Force says putting "juicy bars" off-limits has helped shut many involved with prostitution and human trafficking.

Army publishes SHARP campaign plan.

Installations to open SHARP Resource Centers.

Army moving education content to cloud for better access.

Natick investigates shelter lighting effects on soldier thinking, mood.

Veterans turning to American Legion in wake of VA scandal.

Fury, scheduled for release Nov. 14, is writer/director David Ayer's new movie about a U.S. Sherman tank mission behind German lines in April 1945.

A tantalizing brief glimpse inside Fabien Cousteau's underwater lab.

Scientists have located the brain's on/off switch for consciousness.

Neil deGrasse Tyson gives a detailed breakdown of NASCAR physics.

The science behind barbecuing.

The new Star Wars movie has picked two new actors from its open casting call.

See Kevin Smith talk about his visit to the Star Wars set.

A new book counts down Bruce Springsteen's 100 best songs.

Dude, you don't ban a kid from a restaurant for wearing a Ninja Turtles shirt.

Finally: Seinfeld breakups

No words can describe this ...

LINK: Original photo by Visual Information Specialist Markus Rauchenberger

GRAB A COFFEE AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 7.5.14 >>>

Taliban insurgents set fire to about 200 oil tanker trucks supplying fuel for NATO forces in an attack just outside the Afghan capital Kabul.

Government forces recaptured a flashpoint area of eastern Ukraine from pro-Russian rebels.

Why Putin turned against the U.S.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey: Iraqi military can't regain lost territory on its own.

The Navy and Air Force have grounded the entire fleet of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.

Crunch time for VA deal.

Quarantine the Middle East.

Faced with a newly aggressive Russia, NATO has been mulling how to react, but it is ruling out one option: rapid expansion.

Custody case highlights a dilemma of deployment.

Queen Elizabeth II smashed a bottle of whisky against Britain's biggest warship on Friday as she gave her name to the new aircraft carrier at a ceremony in Scotland.

The eight presidents with the most badass military records.

Drone captures beautiful film flying through fireworks.

An emoji-only social network: Ridiculous or brilliant?

Breaking ground on the world's largest shopping mall.

City of Wolfsburg - in Germany - is currently hosting the worst Star Wars exhibition ever.

Endless flood of people in Hong Kong is like real life World War Z.

Here's a Burger King video that makes us want to puke ...

LINK: Original photo by Airman 1st Class Gustavo Castillo

FIREWORKS DAY, JULY 4 2014 >>>

1. Meet the Beatles! Just one month after they exploded onto the U.S. scene with their Ed Sullivan Show appearance, John, Paul, George, and Ringo began working on a project that would bring their revolutionary talent to the big screen. The Fab Four romp and smirk and sing their way through Richard Lester's exuberant 1964 film, A Hard Day's Night. The Beatles play wily, exuberant versions of themselves, captured the astonishing moment when they officially became the singular, irreverent idols of their generation and changed music forever. The film has been restored for its 50th anniversary, and screens at 2 and 6:30 p.m. at The Grand Cinema and at 6:30 p.m. at The Capitol Theater.

2. Today is national Front Yard Barbecue day. Invite the neighbors over for a front yard barbecue. And those who don't have a front yard can still use any park, plaza or public space. Last year more than 30 front yard barbecues took place in the Tacoma area. For more details, go to http://frontyardbbq.org/.

3. What would a Fourth of July celebration be without fireworks? If you said lame, you’re absolutely correct. The Freedom Fair knows this, which is why, blessed with the perfect backdrop of a Commencement Bay sky, technicians will detonate what’s being toted as the biggest fireworks show in the Northwest. The fireworks are set to start at 10:10 p.m., and every color of the rainbow will be represented. The Tacoma Freedom Fair is promising the display will shake the waterfront, the city, and beyond. It will last about 21 minutes, and the display will be synchronized to a musical score that will be pumped through every speaker along the waterfront. The music will also be simulcast on Click 98.9 FM and KLAY AM 1180 for your enjoyment. Before the fireworks, Ruston way will be full of live entertainment will run all day on five stages, including the Back to Beale Street Blues Competition, air show, food and silliness.

4. The 2014 Joint Base Lewis-McChord Freedom Fest continues its annual tradition of delighting and entertaining families from all around the region. The general public is cordially invited to join the JBLM community from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. for an all-day, all-evening holiday celebration like no other. Held on base at Cowan and Memorial Stadiums, the festival will feature live entertainment, aerial demonstrations, military displays, carnival rides, a car show, food, games and a spectacular Fourth of July fireworks show starting about 10 p.m. to cap off the evening.

5. B-Lines are very much not in the mood for fancy-pants subgenre naval-gazing. No hifalutin descriptors; just "stupid punk" emblazoned on their page. One thing does pop up, though: they refer to one of their albums as "post-proto-hardcore," a designation so colossal in its meaninglessness that it approaches the sublime. There needn't be much attention paid to pitches and press kits with B-Lines, however, because the music speaks for itself in furious volumes. Their most recent 12", Opening Band, is a quick burst of nine songs, just barely passing the 15-minute mark. Along the way, B-Lines are steadfast in their desire to get in and out with as much tuneful efficiency as possible. Even their name - B-Lines - is evocative of the breakneck rush they're in to get from A to B, completely waving off the possibility of a C. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on the B-Lines in the Music & Culture section., then catch the band with No Body and Arc Ov Light at 8 p.m. in Olympia's all-ages club Northern.

LINK: Friday, July 4 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

It was one hero thanking another.

The Seattle Seahawks, winners of Super Bowl XLVIII and the heroes of the fans, came to say thanks to what they called the real heroes - the military and their families at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

"They're the real heroes," said Armando Mejia, assistant manager with the Seahawks community relations. "We want to thank them. That's what this is all about."

Hangar 9 on McChord Field, with a C-17 Globemaster III as the backdrop, was turned into a Seahawks shrine, complete with the Lombardi Trophy, which the Seahawks won for winning the Super Bowl. The Seahawks have paraded the trophy to five military bases in the Northwest, thanking the military for their service.

"We appreciate you guys a lot," said Seahawks wide receiver Bill Bates, one of three Seahawk players at the event. "Without your support we wouldn't be here today."

Other special guests besides the Lombardi Trophy, which fans stood by and got their pictures snapped, included Seahawks linebacker Korey Toomer and cornerback DeShawn Shead. Six members of the Blue Thunder and six members of the Sea Gals also came, entertaining the crowd of about 1,000 military families.

"My kids are very excited," said Erin Philippart, who brought her three children to the Seahawks event. "It's awesome."

With her husband in the Air Force, she appreciated the thank you from the Seahawks.

"It's so awesome," Philippart said. "They've come to say thanks to the troops. It's greatly appreciated."

Col. Pete Stavros, who was at the event with his wife and children, was impressed with the Seahawks coming to JBLM, allowing the base to be part of the celebration.

"The kids get to see the trophy, which is pretty cool," said Stavros, the commander of the Western Air Defense Sector. "We're celebrating an outstanding season."

While the fans' focus was on the Seahawks, the Seahawks' focus was on thanking the military.

"For them to come down on this day it's a great statement about the relationship between the Seahawks organization and the military," said Stavros, who did a flyby over the stadium prior to the Seahawks-Dallas game in the 2012 season. "It means a lot."

Capt. Tim Slater, holding two footballs to get autographed, was among the eager fans standing in long lines waiting to get an autograph.

"It's almost hard to put into words about them coming," said Slater, who didn't miss a Seahawks game on TV last season. "That's the Lombardi Trophy. How cool is that? The Seahawks came here. It's fun."

 Seahawk fans were hoping Russell Wilson, the Seahawks quarterback and team leader, would show up, but he wasn't among the Seahawks that came.

"Russell usually goes to the Children's Hospital on Tuesdays and Wednesdays," Slater said.

The Lombardi Trophy was a big attraction. There were also life-size standup posters of Seahawks Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor. There were also huge cutout mug shots of coach Pete Carrol, Wilson, Sherman and Marshawn Lynch. Kids would hold up the mugs and get their pictures taken.

"We want to thank the military and their families," Mejia said. "We understand that the Super Bowl trophy is cool, but here is where it counts."

After a 30-minute presentation that included the Blue Thunder playing and the Sea Gals dancing and Tony Ventrella, the Seahawks PR director and former local TV sports announcer, interviewing the three Seahawks, asking them questions, the players began signing autographs. Long lines more than 200 deep formed and the players began signing.

It was their way of saying thanks.    

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 6.28.14 >>>

A scathing review of the Department of Veterans Affairs released Friday calls for a complete overhaul and warns a "corrosive culture" led veterans to have to wait longer for care.

The Iraqi military and witnesses say government helicopter gunships have conducted air strikes in the northern city of Tikrit.

Institute for the Study of War: Iraq Situation Report

Why ISIS won't take Baghdad.

Iraqi parties pursue talks that could oust Maliki over insurgency.

U.N. experts trace recent seized arms to Iran, violating embargo.

The European Union signed an historic free-trade pact with Ukraine.

Senior congressional Republicans are vowing to closely scrub President Barack Obama's new war-funding request, with one saying it "cries out for oversight."

The Air Force's removal of a squadron commander has ignited fierce debate over commander-subordinate relations.

America's floating prisons

The swift, quiet rise of Lt. Gen. Joseph Votel to SOCOM chief.

The Army, along with its sister services, allies and first responders from across the country tested lines of communications during a month-long Joint Users Interoperability Communications Exercise, or JUICE.

Army watercraft, divers, sustainment troops participating in RIMPAC 2014.

RIMPAC 2014: The ins and outs.

Transforming the B-52 into a maritime patrol plane.

Actress Amy Adams gave up her first-class seat on a flight from Detroit to Los Angeles to a soldier she saw onboard.

How the Fukushima disaster is changing the future of robotics.

What a lightning storm looks like from space.

Scientists blow up 100 tons of TNT in the middle of nowhere not just for the fun of it.

What's in your wallet?

Beer may be as old as civilization itself, but modern molecular biology could teach craft brewers some new tricks.

Old Daily Show clips mocking camera phones and texting are hilarious.

Jerry Seinfeld's series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is back.

Check out new comedic Web series Thundershorts.

What happens when you mix William Shatner, a bottle of wine and a celebrity guest? Brown Bag Wine Tasting.

Finally: Ben & Jerry's new Saturday Night Live flavors.

Hope you have more fun today than this guy. ...

LINK: Original photo by Spc. Marilyn Lowry, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 6/27.14 >>>

The U.S. military began flying armed drones over Baghdad in the last 24 hours.

Orion, NASA's newest manned spaceship, is being prepared for its first mission in December. In future missions, it will journey into deep space - to Mars and beyond - farther than humans have ever gone before.

The treaty banning anti-personnel landmines was signed by 161 other nations, but not the U.S.

California Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier wants Congress to give millions in lost separation pay to service members dismissed from the military under the old "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Ukraine signed an historic free-trade agreement with the European Union that has been at the heart of months of violence and upheaval in the country. 

The U.S. will urge China to resume discussions on cyber security that were abruptly suspended after the Americans charged five Chinese military officers with hacking into U.S. companies to steal trade secrets.

Obama has requested $6 billion for new military aircraft, drones, vehicles and bombs as part of his $60 billion request to fund the war in Afghanistan and other contingency operations in 2015.

The White House is asking Congress for $500 million to train and equip vetted pro-Western Syrian opposition groups.

Sen. Bernie Sanders implored House lawmakers to pay for a Veterans Affairs overhaul bill through emergency spending, not budget cuts.

New Drone Report: Three misconceptions about drones.

Marines won't take the beaches head-on any more.

The U.S. Air Force awarded Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin a $1.3 billion contract for the Combat Rescue Helicopter program.

The Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps have halted all F-35 flights after a fire damaged an Air Force F-35A during takeoff at Eglin Air Force Base.

The stone fish is the most poisonous fish in the sea and one of the most dangerous in the world.

If you think about it, the battle for control over the lands of Westeros would totally still make sense if it were set in the 1980s.

Project Tango Hands-On: Computer vision is so much cooler than you think.

The largest movable machine in the world.

Johnny Depp is doing Chinese reality TV.

See video of Don Cheadle prepping to play Miles Davis.

Happy 25th anniversary to the B-52s' Cosmic Thing.

List: Best/worst acting performances by musicians in film.

It's Friday!

LINK: Original photo by Staff Sgt. Todd Christopherson

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 6.25.14 >>>

Sen. Tom Coburn: 1,000 vets may have died over VA misconduct.

Militants attacked one of Iraq's largest air bases and seized control of several small oilfields as U.S. military experts arrived to set up an operations centre to help Iraqi security forces counter a mounting Sunni insurgency.

In Iraq, former militia program eyed for new fight.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki rejected calls to create a new national unity government that the Obama administration has been pushing.   

Questions rebels use to tell Sunni from Shiite.

The White House will soon send the Pentagon's 2015 war spending request to the US Congress.

Air Force generals will face off over difficult budget, job cuts.

By not letting the Air Force retire the A-10 aircraft, however, Congress is going to instead force the retirement of bigger fleets of F-16 fighter and B-1 bomber aircraft.

The Air Force's B-2 Spirit is receiving a technological upgrade to allow the service's bat-winged, nuclear capable bomber keep flying through 2058.

The proliferation of armed drones could lower the threshold for conflict.

New leaders tapped for ISAF, SOCOM and NORAD.

North Korea calls new movie The Interview, which stars Seth Rogen and James Franco, an act of war.

10 hidden details in your city and what they mean.

Learn how OK Go made their new video.

The Knack's "My Sharona" is 35 years old.

Quiz: Can you match the cereal milk with the cereal?

Finally: Joan Jett is starring in a Lifetime movie.

New awesome tech trend ...

More Office Workers Switching To Fetal Position Desks

LINK: Original photo by Spc. Jacob Warren

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 6.24.14 >>>

The White House announced former Staff Sgt. Ryan Pitts will receive the Medal of Honor for his combat actions during an enemy engagement in Wanat in the Waygal Valley of northeastern Afghanistan, July 13, 2008.

Iraq: Residents of farming villages describe being gunned down by Sunni militants and fleeing their homes amid shelling.

The al Qaeda-splinter group, Islamic State of Iraq in the Levant, has bragged about its capture of Iraqi army equipment, including Humvees, blast-resistant trucks and tanks.

U.S. teams of special forces going into Iraq after a three-year gap will face an aggressive insurgency, a splintering military and a precarious political situation as they help Iraqi security forces improve their ability to battle Sunni militants.

Iraq has offered legal guarantees to shield U.S. special operations forces sent to the country as advisers to help its forces battle Sunni radicals who have seized tracts of territory.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that two-thirds of Americans oppose sending U.S. troops to Iraq.

Jordan has reinforced its border with Iraq after Sunni Arab militants overran a crossing with Syria.

The last consignment of declared chemical weapons has been handed over by the Syrian government.

The U.S. military is expected to significantly increase the number of troops, ships and watercraft rotating through Australia.

President Vladimir Putin asked Russia's upper house on Tuesday to revoke the right it had granted him to order a military intervention in Ukraine.

VA hid deaths, whistleblowers says.

Report: VA overlooked whistleblowers.

House lawmakers expressed displeasure that the VA has not been more transparent in its efforts to improve patient wait times and pressed the agency's senior leaders to move faster to solve the crisis.

A Scary Scenario: Fewer nukes, lots of missiles.

A U.S. Air Force F-35 Joint Strike Fighter caught fire when attempting to take off from a Florida Air Force base Monday morning.

GI Bill benefit unlikely to be cut, acting VA secretary says.

Army looking for new ways to provide training and education materials.

Too Much Free Time: The biggest companies from each state in the U.S.

Cooking eggs Benedict according to science.

This city from another world is right here on earth.

Video: Is this the most offensive red-carpet interview of all time?

Some early Talking Heads recordings have surfaced.

AMC has renewed Turn.

Mental Floss explains obscure references in classic rock songs.

Finally: Guided by Voices beer!

Finally: Every national anthem in the world mixed into one single song.

He's Batman ...

LINK: Original photo by Lance Cpl. Santiago G. Colon Jr.

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 6.20.14 >>>

The US House of Representatives on Thursday evening, during deliberation on the fiscal 2015 defense spending bill, voted to block the US Air Force's plan to cut the entire A-10 fleet.

The House late Thursday defeated an amendment from Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) that would prohibit the use of federal dollars toward combat operations in Iraq amid the country's growing unrest.

The House late Thursday gave voice vote approval to a proposal that would prevent a round of military base closures.

House voted 293-123 to block intel agencies from conducting warrantless searches.

The House adopted a proposal to ban transfers of detainees at the Guantánamo Bay prison to Yemen.

The Army is opening about 33,000 more jobs to women, according to a newly released memo signed by Army Secretary John McHugh.

Retired Marine Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter receives the Medal of Honor from President Obama on Thursday at the White House.

Iraqi forces are massing north of Baghdad today, aiming to strike back at Sunni Islamists whose drive toward the capital prompted the United States to send military advisers to stiffen government resistance.

President Obama's order to rush 300 Special Forces to Iraq is unlikely to heal the deep wounds festering inside most Iraqi units.

The Middle East is no longer stable and, barring a miracle of probably divine origin, it will not be for a long time to come

Today's Iraq Situation Report: Institute for the Study of War

President Obama announced he plans to send about 300 U.S. military advisers to Iraq to assist the government in its fight against extremists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Obama outlined a careful commitment of U.S. forces to Iraq, pledging to watch any "mission creep."

Most people in the United States oppose intervening in Iraq.

Fighting raged for a second successive day in the east of Ukraine today, a day after clashes in which Ukrainian government forces said about 300 separatists were killed.

Russia is again building up forces on the border with Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said, calling it a "very regrettable step backward."

In Africa counterterror pivot, a focus on ISR.

New research by Army scientists appears to confirm what has been long-recognized as an unfortunate consequence of combat deployment: that troops drink more after going to war.

The U.S. Navy is ordering more "Don't Tread on Me" flag patches eight months after it was reported that Navy Seals had stopped wearing them because the Tea Party used a similar flag.

Finally: Photos of L.A.'s most famous streets when they were dirt roads.

Guy wearing Mentos suit drops into Diet Coke tank and explodes.

10 beach-ready book and music pairings.

No one drinks wine like Cersei Lannister.

Wil Wheaton gets how hard it is to keep track of all of Westeros. Luckily, he gets by with a little help from the Bradys.

World leaders interacting awkwardly with soccer balls.

Meet Smudge

LINK: Original photo by Spc. Erika Montano