If you're transitioning from the military or are a veteran looking for work, then Sylvia Parker has an event especially for you.

The Hiring Heroes Career Fair is coming to Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Parker, a human resource specialist for the Department of Defense coordinating the job fair, said she has 62 employers coming.

"We're excited," she said.

There are career opportunities for wounded, ill, injured and transitioning servicemembers as well as veterans, military spouses and primary caregivers.

Read more...

GRAB THE COFFEE POT AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 8.1.14 >>>

The Senate overwhelmingly gave final approval to a $16.3 billion Veterans Affairs reform bill last night, sending the measure to the White House and giving Congress a legislative victory before the start of its summer break.

A wake up call to Washington on defense: Panel concludes U.S. military superiority not a given.

CIA did spy on Senate staffers: CIA Director John Brennan stood firm for months in his insistence that the CIA had little to be ashamed of after searching the computers of the Senate Intelligence Committee. His defiant posture quickly collapsed after a devastating report by his own inspector general sided against agency on each key point of the dispute with the Senate.

Pressure is building on CIA Director John Brennan to resign following the agency's admission Thursday that it spied on the computers of Senate staffers.

A Gaza cease-fire quickly unraveled today as violence erupted in and around the southern town of Rafah, with 35 Palestinians killed by Israeli shelling and the military saying one of its soldiers has been abducted.

The European Union's embargo on the import and export of arms and related material with Russia, which covers all items on the EU's common military list, will come into force today.

A German army general has for the first time been appointed chief of staff to work with the commander of U.S. ground forces in Europe, both countries' militaries.

Downsizing the war: Layoffs and yard sales in Afghanistan.

Spy satellites: House Intelligence Committee unanimously approved a new report suggesting ways the government could save billions of dollars in its purchases of intelligence satellites.  

Congress presses DoD for allotment system reform.

The U.S. Congress will leave town for five weeks without providing hundreds of millions of dollars requested by Israel to replenish its Iron Dome interceptor missiles.

The Rim of the Pacific, or RIMPAC, biennial maritime security exercise is a multinational training opportunity taking place in and around the Hawaiian Islands.

Air Force officials announced a series of sweeping changes to the Enlisted Evaluation System and Weighted Airman Promotion System July 31.

The navigator on the famous B-29 Superfortress that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II, died July 28 in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

Terry and Jan Blumberg used benefits and insurance money from their son Army Sgt. Trevor Blumberg's 2003 death in Iraq to help build the two-story home. Now in its third year, Blum's Landing serves as a retreat for veterans.

The new .45s are made by Colt, the first 1911 models they've provided to the U.S. since the end of World War II.

Skydivers land on lake and skid all the way to shore.

Lollapalooza live stream starts this afternoon.

IFC has posted a full episode of its new show Garfunkel and Oates before it premieres.

Katy Perry's new video employs Pee-wee Herman lookalikes.

Watch the trailer for the new SpongeBob SquarePants live-action movie.

List: "hidden celebrity cameos" in movies.

Finally: What New York City would look like submerged in a gigantic latte.

One day drones will cast the skies and we'll need this guy to fix it.

LINK: Original photo by Lance Cpl. Nathan Knapke

GRAB A COFFEE POT AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 7.31.14 >>>

The House overwhelmingly approved a landmark bill to help veterans avoid long waits for health care that have plagued the Veterans Affairs Department for years.

The European Union formally adopted sanctions today curbing arms sales to Russia and cutting off financing for targeted banks over Moscow's support for rebels in Ukraine.

Report: Colin Powell, others kept in dark about CIA techniques after 9/11.

To balance readiness today and modernization tomorrow, the Air Force's fiscal 2015 budget request is shrinking like today's defense budget thanks to Congress's own priorities and the approaching threat of sequestration in 2016.

The Secretary of the Air Force stood by her department's proposal to retire the A-10 fleet, arguing the United States has plenty of replacements available should the nation land in an armed conflict.

NATO: Number of Russian troops on Ukraine border rising.

Democratic senators joined their Republican colleagues in calling for some U.S. military aid to Ukraine after receiving a closed-door briefing from senior Obama administration officials.

Ukraine said it had suspended offensive operations in its military campaign in east Ukraine to help international experts reach the downed Malaysian airliner's crash site but separatists were continuing to attack its positions.

Iron Dome: The White House said it "strongly opposes" a Republican-crafted emergency spending bill, in part because it contains no funds for an Israeli missile defense system.

The United Nations in Gaza is struggling to withstand a flood of almost a quarter of a million refugees into shelters that have repeatedly come under Israeli fire. 

Two advocacy groups are suing the Veterans Affairs Department for what they say are the department's discriminatory practices regarding compensation claims related to service-connected sexual assault.

Despite ongoing restrictions on the fleet of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, the U.S. Air Force's top general warned against being "alarmist" when discussing the fifth-generation jet's engine.

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was released in a prisoner swap with the Taliban two months ago, will meet next week with Army Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl who is investigating the circumstances of his capture in Afghanistan.

Air Force: Stowaway triggers security review.

LCS alternative: For those of you with July 31 marked on your calendars as a red-letter day in the U.S. Navy's Small Surface Combatant program - hold that thought.

Servicemembers can soon expect faster forwarding times on mail sent through the U.S. Postal Service to APO addresses after moving.

11 of the most beautiful drone videos shot by you.

Sometimes you want a room with a view. Sometimes you want a bunker that's walled-off to the world. Why not have both?

Here's a funny compilation of terrible special effects in big-budget movies.

GQ ranks the best albums of this century.

This list from i09 rounds up the greatest sci-fi comedies.

Don't expect a Led Zeppelin reunion anytime soon.

Must watch: Cocoa farmers trying chocolate for the first time.

Oh, great. Who's going to clean up this mess?

LINK: Original photo by Spc. Lisa Vines, 382nd Public Affairs Detachment

WEDNESDAY, JULY 30 2014 >>>

1. There are times when our music picks write themselves, which is helpful as some of us drink. This is one of those welcome moments, because Jazzbones is having one stunner of a week. It began with crooners Color Me Badd Saturday - hell, yes, they still wanna sex you up! - followed Sunday by Georgia rapper Warren Anderson Mathis, better known as Bubba Sparxxx. Save room on your musical plate, though, for Igor & The Red Elvises, a mind-blowing rockabilly combo whose members hail from former Soviet states (or, in one case, the Minnesota gulag) but met in California, with Psycho 78 at 8 p.m.

2. The Swiss hosts Military Appreciation Day, a.k.a. Warrior Wednesday, a fundraiser for Pat Tillman Foundation (Official) with portions of every Jack Daniels sale going to charity. The downtown Tacoma restaurant will have $5 drink and food specials for those with military ID.

3. The Puget Sound Partnership's Science Panel will meet from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Commencement Bay conference room at the Center for Urban Waters. The panel includes some of the top scientists in the Northwest and advises the Partnership's efforts to develop a science-based comprehensive plan to restore Puget Sound. These meetings are open to the public and all are welcome to address questions or provide comment about the regional effort to restore and protect Puget Sound. We imagine the whole ordeal is like the montage scene in a Hollywood movie, in which a schlubby male is transformed into a veritable Renaissance man as the clock ticks from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. You arrive dehydrated from the night before and leave looking for a "green" Chardonnay and someone to discuss Xenobiotics in the Urban Water Cycle.

4. Thurston County Fair starts at 10 a.m. and provides five days of activities including musical entertainment, home arts demonstrations, 4-H and FFA events, rides for kids of all ages, and the always-fabulous fair food. A little history: The first Thurston County Fair was in 1871 and was located where the present day 4th Ave Tavern is. The event was a way to support agriculture and immigration in Thurston County. The fair has grown over the past 130 years and has jumped from location to location, including the now Tumwater Safeway and Lacey Post Office, before settling in to the present day fairgrounds in 1958. Bonus: The fabulous Artesian Rumble Arkestra headlines the grand opening ceremony at 5 p.m. tonight.

5. A couple of beer tastings are going down tonight. The Puyallup River Alehouse hosts Schooner Exact with beer, giveaways and prizes from 6-9 p.m. Jhon Gilroy with specialty beer importers Merchant du Vin will hang at 99 Bottles from 5-7 p.m. Pick his brain, drink his beers and enjoy a $2 happy hour.

LINK: Wednesday, July 30 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 7.30.14 >>>

Protective Edge vs. Cast Lead at Day 22: Fourfold hike in Israelis fatalities, slight drop in Palestinians killed, huge surge in Gaza-launched rockets, IDF artillery fire. ...

Congressional Republicans want to force Democrats into voting on a stand-alone measure to send $225 million in emergency funds to Israel for its Iron Dome missile defense system.

President Barack Obama escalated U.S. sanctions against Russia but dismissed suggestions the growing chill marked the start of a new Cold War. 

The Pentagon: Russia was supplying Ukraine air defense systems similar to the one that brought down Malaysian Airlines Flight 17. 

Veterans bill: A $17 billion bill to revamp the Veterans Affairs Department appears likely to clear both the House and Senate this week.

U.S. Pacific Command is hosting personnel from 31 nations as part of the proliferation security initiative Exercise Fortune Guard.

PACOM chief: U.S. not worried about Chinese intel ship off Hawaiian coast.

Aloha: Japan is practicing storming beaches with the U.S. at the world's largest maritime exercises.

A bitterly divided House panel voted to condemn Obama for the swap of five Taliban leaders for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.

Next Week: Investigators will look into if Bergdahl deserted his Army post in 2009.

Paying Ransom: Kidnapping Europeans for ransom has become a global business for Al Qaeda, bankrolling its operations across the globe.

In Iraq's Mosul, resistance rises from the rubble of destroyed shrines.

A longtime defense analyst and critic of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program says taxpayers next year will pay between $148 million and $337 million per jet, depending on the model.

Army Maritime Aviation: It's real.

Jesse Ventura vs. Chris Kyle: The former WWE wrestler got $1.8 million after he convinced a jury that Navy SEAL Kyle defamed him in American Sniper.

Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. just unveiled its new LC9s pistol, a striker-fired version of its compact, LC9 9mm pistol.

How Game of Thrones will predict the next bin Laden.

Don't watch this if you're going to freak out about your life choices.

How a desert cat uses its super ears to hunt birds in mid-flight.

Watch Beck's new music video.

Larry King interviewed "Weird Al" Yankovic.

London Batman is pretty entertaining.

Hmmmm, will this last?

LINK: Original photo by Tech. Sgt. Matt Hecht

GRAB A COFFEE POT AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 7.29.14 >>>

Israel's military pounded targets in the Gaza Strip after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country should prepare for a long conflict in the Palestinian enclave. 

Israel debuted a locally developed micro robot in its ongoing onslaught against the labyrinth of tunnels and concealed shafts supporting subterranean arms depots, command posts and cross-border attacks from Gaza.

Obama administration accused Russia of conducting tests in violation of a 1987 nuclear missile treaty, calling the breach "a very serious matter" and going public with allegations that have simmered for some time.

Interviews with American officials, diplomats in Kiev, and Russian military analysts paint a picture of a steady and ongoing flow of weapons from Russia into Ukraine.

Afghanistandstill: A specially trained and equipped Afghan Army quick reaction force is in danger of having its vehicles fall into disrepair, and its soldiers miss out on training due to an inability to supply much-need spare parts and training.

Caliphate in Iraq and Syria: It's richer, better armed, more durable - and dangerous - than ever before.

Dreaded national-security threat scenarios: A panel of experts discussed the specter of terrorists armed with nuclear, biological, chemical or other weapons of mass destruction during a panel discussion at the Aspen Security Forum.

House, Senate committee reaches compromise to reform the VA - a $17 billion deal sewn together from bills passed by both chambers.

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said a new Government Accountability Office report shows that thousands of Department of Defense employees and contractors owe the government more than $700 million in taxes.

In addition to running mobilization sites, First U.S. Army has been given the mission of focusing on pre-mobilization training of the National Guard and Army Reserve.

Gen. Daniel B. Allyn has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the next vice chief of staff of the Army.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced the Senate would vote on the confirmation of Robert McDonald to be Veterans Affairs Secretary at 2:45 p.m. today.

The surprise disclosure of a wiring flaw on the Air Force's new KC-46A refueling tanker made by Boeing Co. may not be the end of the program's development challenges.

Thank you for your service: How one company sues soldiers worldwide.

Servicemembers are increasingly reporting delays associated with the shipment of their cars between stateside and overseas.

Schools known for their flexible learning options are by far the most popular among both active-duty servicemembers using tuition assistance and veterans and their dependents using the Post-9/11 GI Bill, government data show.

Veteran Rock City: Kiss hired two military vets to work as roadies for their 2014 tour.

Two new mysterious giant holes found in Siberia, scientists puzzled.

A lot of work went into the incredible title sequence.

Insane boy leaps off a five-story building into a pool several feet away.

Karen O has released the first music video for a song off her solo album.

Watch the trailer for Horns, in which Daniel Radcliffe plays a man who wakes up and finds horns growing from his head.

Here's a great video about the music scene in Athens, Ga.

NPR has launched a new app

Here's a roundup of The Simpsons' best chalkboard gags.

Finally: Dunkin Donuts' Shark Week donut.

Hobbits!

LINK: Original photo by 1st Lt. Joseph Riedel, 2nd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment

Sure, there are spouses groups for Joint Base Lewis-McChord husbands and wives looking to integrate into the local community, make friends or learn more about how to navigate within the military world. There are resources galore, and yet sometimes spouses may want to connect and get together over a different topic than military resources. Spouses may simply want to get together and talk about shared interests - especially if those shared interests are something that maybe not everyone out there relates to.

For this exact reason, Monica Rice blazed a new trail and recently formed her own group - the JBLM Geeky/Nerdy Spouses, a Facebook group open to spouses of both genders so long as they identify as geeky and/or nerdy. After spending some time with the general spouse groups, she thought others out there might want to connect on all things geeky like she did.

"I'm still pretty new to the military lifestyle and haven't made many friends with spouses," says Rice. "Also, because of my passion in computers and programming, I don't have many lady friends with those same interests. I knew I couldn't have been the only woman with what I think are pretty niche hobbies, so I wanted to reach out while simultaneously forming a small network wherein all members could talk about their favorite passions without feeling like an oddity."

Read more...

GRAB THE COFFEE POT AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 7.28.14 >>>

House and Senate lawmakers will announce an agreement on veterans' legislation during a press conference today.

North Korea defies U.N. censure to fire missile into sea.

As fighting abates in the Gaza Strip for now, the road forward to a more durable ceasefire will be rocky at best. 

The Obama administration has quietly moved an additional 62 advisers to Iraq over the past three weeks.

Possibility for another volley exists: U.S., Iranian drones crowd Iraqi air space.

The U.S. Air Force will soon have new spy satellite capability that will provide oversight over other objects in space.

What a war in Europe really looks like: Headless body in the street, bombed summer cottages, gunmen at the morgue ...

U.S.-supplied weapons vulnerable after Afghanistan withdrawal.

The New York Times: It's putting its weight behind a bill that will be introduced in the Senate this week to rein in the National Security Agency.

Republican lawmakers are challenging Obama over a plan to expand the use of bases to house illegal immigrant children.

Rough ride for the F-35: Congress is still pouring money into a program that is intended to produce more than 2,400 F-35s for the Air Force, the Navy and the Marines through 2037.

The Marine Corps needs 38 amphibious assault ships for crisis-response missions, but will likely have to settle for 33.

The U.S. Air Force missileers to work with Navy in morale-improvement effort.

Court: U.S. must explain why it rejects foreign deals.

Defense bill amendment: Effort advances to add names of 74 sailors to Vietnam Memorial.

War and games: Ex-Army helicopter pilot heads Washington Redskins special teams.

This ATM that plays DOOM would make trips to the bank so much better.

Mark Hamill talks about returning to Star Wars.

Princess Leia is getting her own comic-book miniseries.

Watch the trailer for Kevin Smith's new film, Tusk.

Stephen Colbert hosted the Hobbit panel at Comic-Con in Hobbit costume.

The New York Times: Spider-Man punched a police officer in the face in Times Square over the weekend ...

It's been a while since we had a good dominoes toppling ...

LINK: Original photo by Spc. Jess Nemec

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 7.26.14 >>>

The United States evacuated its embassy in Libya today, driving its staff under heavy military guard across the border to Tunisia because of escalating clashes between rival militias in Tripoli.

As fires rage in two states in the Pacific Northwest, Defense Department fire-suppression efforts are underway with two Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System-capable C-130s.

Russia has accelerated its intervention, moving more of its own troops to its border with Ukraine.

The Pentagon said Russia is delivering heavier and more sophisticated missile launcher systems to separatists in Ukraine.

Short Gaza truce: Palestinians in the Gaza Strip poured into the streets to recover their dead and stock up on food supplies. 

The House passed a resolution requiring authorization from Congress for a sustained presence of combat troops in Iraq.

Predominant battleground for extremists: The number of foreign fighters in Syria now exceeds 12,000 and rising.

China's naval modernization program is moving at a rapid pace, the chief of U.S. naval operations said.

The Air Force's top officer gives his service top marks for personal behavior, saying he is "very happy with the ethical fabric of the United States Air Force," despite problems that include a cheating scandal at its nuclear missile sites and a general's drunken binge on an arms control mission.

Powerful forces in Congress are working to buy the U.S. Navy an extra amphibious ship, and lawmakers in both the House and Senate have added between $650 million and $800 million to the proposed 2015 shipbuilding budget to begin construction.

$1 billion-plus short: Amphibious add isn't enough, so Navy wants to repurpose it.

Boeing is taking a $272 million hit to its KC-46A tanker contract after discovering a wiring issue that will require fixing on a test aircraft.

Force-wide changes to the military's Tuition Assistance program may require troops to pay back their TA money if they perform poorly in class.

The Webb Space Telescope's sunshield is complete and it looks cool.

Here's Colbert's complete interview with multi-industry mad scientist Elon Musk.

The documentary about Tim Burton and Nicolas Cage's failed Superman movie has a trailer.

Bloopers!

LINK: Original photo by Staff Sgt. Chris Hubenthal

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 7.25.2014 >>>

Report: Russia has begun supplying military helicopters and fighter jets to Iraq.

Iraq Sunni militias pinched by jihadis, corruption.

Iraqi lawmakers elected a veteran Kurdish politician to replace long-serving Jalal Talabani as the country's new president. But a series of attacks killed dozens of people and Islamic militants destroyed a Muslim shrine traditionally said to be the burial place of the Prophet Jonah.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry pressed on for a Gaza ceasefire as the civilian death toll soared, threatening to spread Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed to the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem. 

U.S. says: Russia firing artillery at Ukraine military.

Senior leaders explain Army's drawdown plan.

Sen. Richard Shelby is uncertain if the Senate will pass the Pentagon 2015 defense bill.

The U.S. Army's vice chief of staff, Gen. John Campbell, was confirmed Wednesday as the next commander for NATO's International Security Assistance Force and US Forces in Afghanistan.

Malabar Exercise: The United States, India and Japan are set to kick off week-long war games in the Pacific, beefing up naval ties as they warily eye an increasingly assertive China and its military buildup.

The littoral combat ship USS Coronado will get a chance at an historic LCS first this fall when it launches a surface-to-surface missile in tests off Southern California.

MH-17 shoot down alters Air Force's space equation.

House narrowly defeats motion agreeing to Senate VA bill.

More than half of post-9/11 combat veterans say they have a mental health condition, but three-fourths report they are getting care, according to a new survey of young veterans conducted by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Guardsmen, reservists help battle western wildfires.

The U.S. Army has selected a new camouflage pattern, but the service doesn't feel the need to formally announce it.

Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, is now joining several other military bases, including Joint Base Lewis-McChord, as possible locations to house unaccompanied Central American minors, according to the state's governor's office.

The fastest cruise missile in the world launching underwater.

The coolest object disintegration we have ever seen.

What the far future of space mining could look like.

Cyclist films his own road accident, and lives.

Paste names the best Merge Records releases in honor of the label's 25th anniversary.

ThinkGeek has unveiled a Flux Capacitor car charger.

The country's best fast food burger

Supercut: 80s computer hacking.

Finally: Senior citizens recreating classic movie scenes.

We fell out of trees at age 6 ...

LINK: Original photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd class David Kolmel