GRAB A CUP AN DREAD THE MORNING REPORT FOR 2.13.14 >>>

Series of prison breakouts across Iraq have freed hundreds of militants who have joined radical Sunni groups operating in neighboring Syria and in Iraq itself.

Afghanistan released 65 detainees despite evidence that they killed or wounded Afghan and coalition troops, the U.S. military command there announced.

Senior US officials and lawmakers are sending new signals that a fledgling cadre of military spies is a done deal, despite no real substantive public debate.

The top commander in Afghanistan is being asked to explain why his staff attempted to diminish the findings of the government watchdog overseeing billions in construction projects there.

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James shared her observations from her visit with airmen across the ICBM community following revelations of a proficiency-test cheating scandal at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont.

Google's robot army will live in a military hangar.

Odierno pushed back against the idea of downsizing the military because the wars of the past decade were ending, saying it's hard to predict future conflicts.

The federal government may have shut its doors due to weather conditions - but the guards tasked to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier aren't so quick to abandon their posts.

Video of crashed drone hit with rocks by Afghan villagers.

Can you spot the sniper hiding with camouflage in this picture?

Nuclear fusion breakthrough: More energy out than in.

The new movie Mirage Men‘s subtitle is: "How the US government created a myth that took over the world."

The final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars will debut on Netflix.

Speaking of ... Star Wars dresses.

Watch the trailer for Melissa McCarthy's new movie, Tammy.

America's best dine-in movie theaters

Aaaahhhhh...

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 2.5.14 >>>

Footage has emerged showing the Syrian regime using explosive "barrel bombs" on civilian neighborhoods, killing hundreds, while its representatives attended peace talks at Geneva.

Pakistan's government reportedly made the request as it pursues peace talks with the Taliban.

President Obama called his commander in Afghanistan and the nation's top military leaders to the White House to hear planning options.

DOD lacks plan for collecting and validating Afghan security forces capability assessments.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and her colleagues criticized Army and company officials for failing to previously spot an alleged National Guard recruiting scam that may have cost taxpayers some $50 million.

The effort to repeal the $6 billion cut to military pensions advanced on numerous fronts on Tuesday, although the central problem in Congress with passing one of the measures - how to pay for it - has yet to be resolved.

Lockheed Martin is planning to offer a civilian version of the C-130J Super Hercules, an aircraft designed for Special Operations Command.

Negotiations over the multibillion dollar deal to sell 126 Dassault Rafale jets to India have stalled.

The White House's nomination of Robert Work to be the U.S. deputy defense secretary is said to be imminent.

The 25th Combat Aviation Brigade added a different twist to the primary joint training exercise Koa Kai 14-1 around the islands of Kauai and Ni'ihau: integrating the rotary wing aircraft aboard the naval ships.

Among those in the hunt for precious metal in the mountains of Russia will be a squad of military athletes competing in the downhill speed sports of bobsled and luge.

The Olympic torch arrived in Sochi, Russia, today, and most Americans aren't too thrilled - with that country, its anti-gay laws or its President Vladimir Putin.

Area 51 spy plane and other aviation tales.

Who would win if it was actual broncos and actual seahawks?

This simple invention seals gunshot wounds in 15 seconds.

America is preparing to land a robot on the moon for the first time in four decades.

Though-provoking photos of Israeli soldiers' bedrooms and the guns they keep in them.

A great piece on Salon: "Too Poor for Pop Culture."

Magnolia Pictures will release the Roger Ebert documentary this summer.

Will Ferrell did a Q&A on Reddit.

This whatchamacallit is made out of parts from a scooter and from roller blades.

Instagram, Atari style

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 29 21014 >>>

1. Evergreen State College photography alumni Erica Keeling and Paul Elliott have a show this winter in the college's Galerie Fotoland (Daniel J. Evans Library Lobby, 1st floor). Though both working with the traditional tools of color film and medium-format cameras, they follow different paths in concept and in subject choices. Keeling's days are filled with antiquated glamour, boundless curiosity and quiet humor. Elliott captures moments that are telling of character - mostly during the summer months following his graduation.

2. Photographer Gregg M. Erickson spent two years visiting some of the most remote spots in the American west in search of perfect conditions for photographing the Milky Way galaxy. In addition to capturing the Milky Way and the night sky details city dwellers normally can't see, his photos demonstrate how ambient "light pollution" from cities and towns reach even the most remote locations. Check out his work at the Tacoma Community College Gig Harbor Campus during an artist reception from 4-6 p.m.

3. Before you and your child end up in the hospital after your school science fair project goes awry, considering attending the Pierce County Library's Science Fair Success lecture at 7 p.m. in the University Place Pierce County Library. The event offers tips and tricks for making a top-notch science fair project, provides library resources, and demonstrates a few successful experiments.

4. Landon Wordswell, Tim Hoke and Mostafa, and C-LeGz will be traveling back to Olympia at 7 p.m. for an all-ages hip-hop show at Northern.

5. Lyon Pride continues its Hempfest Tryouts Wednesday night series at Jazzbones with bands Shade Of Memories, Digital Chemistry, Fallen Kings and Riot In Rhythm at 7:30 p.m.

LINK: Wednesday, Jan. 29 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

GRAB A CUP & READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 1.27.14 >>>

The U.S. military launched an airstrike in Somalia on Sunday against a militant leader who was linked to al Qaeda and al Shabaab, and was considered a successful operation. 

Officials say a suicide bomber has killed four Iraqi troops west of Baghdad while attacks elsewhere in the country killed four people.

The Senate Armed Services Committee will dive into the most controversial part of last month's budget deal this week when it holds a hearing on the $6 billion cut to military pensions.

Raytheon is challenging Boeing to build the so-called Family of Advanced Beyond-Line-of-Site Terminals, or FAB-T.

The Army's chief of staff said contrary to what many people may think, the Army has been doing anything but slowing down and becoming stagnant, despite cash flow and end-strength issues.

The Global Hawk UAV looks to be a big winner in the US Air Force's fiscal 2015 budget submission, an impressive turn of events for a program the service has spent years attempting to kill.

Starting in April, female soldiers will be eligible to serve in about 33,000 positions previously off-limits to them because of a now-canceled policy designed to keep women out of combat.

The 36th and 86th Aerial Port Squadrons are seeking some high-speed, motivated airmen to offer a helping hand out on the flightline as air transportation specialists - Air Force Specialty Code 2T2X1.

Military watchers are hoping the president's State of the Union speech Tuesday will feature lengthy passages about the war in Afghanistan, the recent reductions in military retirement pay or the veterans claims backlog.

Dr. Phil Gibson, supervisory physical scientist with the Molecular Sciences Engineering Team at Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, helped Burton Snowboards pick a fabric for uniforms that the U.S. Olympic Snowboarding Team will wear at next month's 2014 Winter Games.

Advising and assisting their Afghan National Security Forces counterparts remains the primary objective of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment "Warrior," for the remainder of their deployment. ?

Retired Air Force Col. Robert Freniere unintentionally became the public face for homeless veterans after a Philadelphia newspaper wrote about his struggle to find work.

The Grammy Awards celebrated outcasts and outsiders, lionizing a couple of French robots, white rappers and a country gal espousing gay rights, and a Goth teenager who's clearly uncomfortable with the current themes in pop music.

Tegan and Sara weren't at The Grammys - but their commentary was easily a highlight of the night.

Led Zeppelin won a Grammy.

A star "just" went supernova in a nearby galaxy.

BBC shares timeline of likely events through next one hundred quintillion years.

Huh, there really is a biological explanation for why women have colder hands than men.

How to make the world's most expensive cup of coffee.

Finally, someone put together a cool compilation of the best wingsuit flight videos.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is leading the push to get Democrats to support sanctions on Iran, putting him at sharp odds with the White House on one of President Obama's top foreign policy priorities.

Fighting between security forces and al-Qaida-linked militants in Iraq's Sunni-dominated Anbar province has killed at least 60 people over the past two weeks.

The U.S. military secretly deployed a small number of trainers and advisers to Somalia in October, the first time regular troops have been stationed in the war-ravaged country since1993, when two helicopters were shot down and 18 Americans killed in the "Black Hawk Down" disaster.

Read more...

GRAB A CUP & READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 1.4.14 >>>

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Israel and the Palestinians are making progress towards reaching a framework peace agreement but they are not there yet.

The Army and Army Reserve recruiting missions for the coming year have been sharply reduced from previous levels as the service braces for a drawdown of nearly 40,000 soldiers in two years.

Defense Department announced some spots on the planet are not as scary anymore and will withdraw imminent danger pay.

An inside look at the 446th Air Force Medical Service Corps at McChord Field.

The Egyptian government's crackdown on suspected Islamists has come to this: a terrorism probe focused on a puppet.

The year 2013 ended with the most Iraqi civilian deaths and injuries in five years.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed to eliminate "all terrorist groups" in Iraq's Anbar province, where militants have seized all of one city and parts of another.

The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is the premier high school football event in the country, and it goes down today.

Relive the harrowing hour when the doomed Apollo 13 moon mission turned into a quest for survival. 

People in white lab coats say dogs choose the direction they poop based on our planet's magnetic field.

Angry Birds on wheels.

Let's hope she's not at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl ...

FRIDAY, DEC. 6 2013 >>>

1. Dan Navarro, whose songs have been covered by Pat Benatar ("We Belong"), Dionne Warwick, Dave Edmunds, the Bangles and a host of others, was one-half of the very successful songwriting/performing team of Lowen and Navarro for 29 years, although as far as performances go he's had to go it alone in 2009 since Eric Lowen's diagnosis with ALS. At 8 p.m. in Gig Harbor's Morso Wine Bar, Navarro will take a break from yelling at lawmakers over intellectual property, performer and songwriter issues, to tease his album, Shed My Skin, which will be released early next year.

2. As you know, Comet ISON is "passing through" our earthly neighborhood. ISON is a giant ball of ice and rock discovered last fall by two Russian scientists using the 16-inch reflecting telescope of the International Scientific Optical Network (ISON). The comet is hurtling toward the sun from the outer solar system, and as it passes the sun, its fate is unpredictable. The warmth from the sun could break it up into disappearing pieces or cause it to shine bright enough to be seen during the day. Learn about Comet ISON and other celestial bad asses at 5 p.m. in the Pierce College Science Dome.

3. CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER: Mushrooms and mycelium are an element of natural systems that can take your gardening and food production to another level. Protein, medicine and myoremediation are just the tips of the iceberg of how mycology can be of benefit to our ecosystem and ourselves. Ja Schindler of Fungi For the People will discuss traditional and modern reasons and methods for working with mushrooms for food, medicine, and mycoremediation at 7 p.m. in King's Books.

4. The "War on Christmas" decried by Sarah Palin and Bill O'Reilly isn't evident in South Sound theater, which is producing a rich variety of appropriately jolly and family-friendly shows for the holiday season. Weekly Volcano theater critics Joann Varnell and Christian Carvajal chime in with their thoughts on four local productions here.

5. It's the first Friday of the month and that means only one thing: Dance Oly Dance. Head on over to TCTV Studio A on Olympia's Westside and dance to local music – on TV! Sadly, this will be the last Dance Oly Dance. Don't miss this last historic taping at 8 p.m.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Friday, Dec. 6 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Giving thanks to Odin the All-Father, this is Nerd Alert, the Weekly Volcano's recurring events calendar devoted to all things nerdy. I myself am a Star Wars fan, mathlete and spelling bee champion of long standing, so trust me: I grok whereof I speak.

The rumor mill this week is abuzz with putatively inside scoops about the upcoming Star Wars sequels. Screenwriter Michael Arndt moved on to other projects, leaving room for Lawrence Kasdan - the veteran scribe who penned The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark. So yeah, total nostalgia boner. Also, with auteur J. J. Abrams busy in a galaxy far, far away, Paramount's on the hunt for a Star Trek 3 director - and the lead candidate might be Joe Cornish, the guy who made the incredibly awesome Attack the Block. Haven't seen that? Look it up. And you're welcome.

THURSDAY, NOV. 7

This is the first of two overstuffed autumn weekends for area theater enthusiasts; the second starts after Thanksgiving. Thursday marks the opening of American Roulette, a Theater Artists Olympia/Animal Fire coproduction that uses emotional monologues to tell the story of a school shooting. Friday brings Driving Miss Daisy from Dukesbay Productions, starring Syra Beth Puett as the titular passenger and Malcolm West as the implied driver. Then there's Lakewood Productions' impassioned take on Pride and Prejudice; I'm hearing good things. And don't forget The Weir, a round of spooky Irish ghost stories at Tacoma Little Theatre. Not for nothin', folks, but have you thought about staggering these out?

FRIDAY, NOV. 8

In the trailer for Thor: The Dark World, Anthony Hopkins's Odin warns of a malevolent darkness. He's referring to the Dark Elves, an army of angry nihilists in the service of somebody called Malekith the Accursed. If that intro strikes you as, well, loopy, Thor and his family of Norwegian demigods may not be your cup of comic-book tea. The plot gets even weirder from there. But after its U.K. release Oct. 30, the sequel managed a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating in the mid-80s, so folks are apparently still rolling with the Shirtless Wonder. Also, it'll be nice to give my wife some pectoral eye candy of her own this week after subjecting her to three "sexpositional" seasons of Game of Thrones. That Chris Hemsworth fellow must live in the gym - and hey, better him than me.

Speaking of pectorals, our stage-struttin' sisters will be in Seattle this weekend for BurlyCon, a four-day celebration by and for burlesque dancers. The event features more than a hundred classes, with topics from costuming to makeup to something called "Google-Fu." You're damn right there are a prom, and a pajama-clad movie screening to boot. So yeah, if you're a member of any of our dazzling local troupes, it's a safe bet your wig and tassels are already packed and ready to roll.

BURLYCON 2013, Nov. 7-10, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Seattle Airport, 18740 International Blvd., Seattle, $275-$375, 206.246.8600

Or, if you'd rather just think about inconsequential matters like the birth and death of the cosmos, consider checking out a one-hour presentation at the Pierce College Science Dome. It's our very own plane'arium, people! That show culminates in a high-tech documentary about black holes, narrated by none other than Liam "Qui-Gon" Neeson (not in person, I'm sorry to report). Take a handful of stellar masses, squish 'em into a couple of cubic yards, and buddy, you have yourself a good old-fashioned collapsar. Now feel free to make a cheeseball live-action movie about it, with trash-can-shaped robots that talk like Roddy McDowall and Slim Pickman. Hey, y'know what? I'm dating myself. Moving on.

BLACK HOLES: THE OTHER SIDE OF INFINITY, 7 p.m., Pierce College Science Dome, 9401 Farwest Dr. SW, Lakewood, $3, 253.246.8600

Until next week, may the Force be with you, may the odds be ever in your favor, and may your fellow astrophysicists look like Kat Dennings and Natalie Portman.

Good luck with that.

AMERICAN ROULETTE, 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, through Nov. 24, Capital Playhouse, 612 E. Fourth Ave., Olympia, $12, 360.296.5714

DRIVING MISS DAISY, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, through Nov. 23, Dukesbay Theater, 508 Sixth Ave. #10, Tacoma, $15, 253.267.0869

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, through Dec. 1, Lakewood Playhouse, 5729 Lakewood Towne Center Blvd., Lakewood, $19-$25, 253.588.0042

THE WEIR, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, through Nov. 17, Tacoma Little Theatre, 210 N. I St., Tacoma, $12, 253.272.2281

LINK: Nerd Alert! archives

TUESDAY, OCT. 29 2013 >>>

1. It's no surprise that Rufus Wainwright should find himself years later to be a consummate showman. The son of folkies Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, Wainwright grew up in a house of music, joining his mother's band at the age of 13. Even his sister, Martha, has a respectable music career in her own right. Wainwright was destined for the stage, though he veered off early on from the folk music legacy of his family. Wainwright takes the Washington Center stage at 7:30 p.m. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's interview with Rufus Wainwright in the Music and Culture section.

2. Red Obsession is David Roach and Warwick Ross' directorial debut. This engaging documentary from the "Land Down Under" takes audiences on a journey into the fascinating world of winemaking by going right to the source. No, not California, (apologies to Paul Masson fans), but rather to France and China, the two largest vintners in the modern world. The film screens at 2 and 6:45 p.m. at The Grand Cinema.

3. James Clarkson spent a career as an Olympia police sergeant interviewing crime victims, collecting evidence from crime scenes, auto wrecks and autopsies - and then met respected, no-nonsense June Crain who could prove she worked in secret laboratories at Wright Patterson Air Force Base and who told him about UFO crashes, alien bodies, and how the cover-up works. Clarkson penned Tell My Story - June Crain, the Air Force & UFOs. Upon retiring, he joined the Mutual UFO Network in 1986 and is now the Washington state director. Clarkson will discuss his research at 7 p.m. in the Lakewood Library. 

4. Comedians Daniel Clarkson and Jeff Turner send up all seven Harry Potter novels and stage a live match of Quidditch in only 70 hysterical minutes in Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry experience in the Rialto Theater. We're talking 300 characters, many female, with a variety of accents from Beauxbatons in France to the highlands of Scotland. Oh, and what the hell, let's throw in a fire-breathing dragon - live on stage. The show opens at 7:30 p.m. for a week's run.

5. The 1230 Room probably has you at "free taco bar," but you also may be interested in the downtown Olympia club's new Tuesday deep, tech and progressive house night "The Deep End." It launches at 9 p.m. with drink specials, no cover and resident DJs Alex Bosi, Evan Mould and Chris Paro.

LINK: Tuesday, Oct. 29 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Shockingly, the Weekly Volcano's Nerd Alert column didn't mention the upcoming CFI Skeptics Summit conference. Seriously? The event crams critical thinkers, humanists and skeptics into one of Hotel Murano's conference rooms to debate and collaborate. Not even Bill Nye's appearance nudged a mention.

Also overlooked in this week's nerd column is the Tacoma appearance of comedian Ian Harris.

Harris has undoubtedly been invited to attend the CFI Skeptics Summit for his ability to "skewer commonly held beliefs, taking aim at such topics as Religion, Ghosts, The Paranormal, Comforting Notions, Astrology, Pop-Mysticism, Alternative Medicine, Racism and Apocalyptic Claims," as his hype reads.

But Harris's humor isn't just for nerds, it's a bit punk rock, edgy and irreverent - a cocktail of comedy just right for the Grit City Comedy Club, where he will bust out jokes such as, "I saw a book in the bookstore the other day called Christianity for Dummies and I thought, ‘Oh the irony.'"

Harris is on a promotional tour for his first hour-long television special, Ian Harris: Critical & Thinking, which airs in Jan 2014. The special is already being called "the most original and brilliant comedy special in years," according to those who hype specials.

As part of his tour, Harris will be performing for three nights in Tacoma - as part of the CSICON (CFI Skeptic's Summit) Thursday, Oct 24 and then at Grit City Comedy Friday and Saturday.

I guess the Nerd Alert boys can redeem themselves in next week's column.

IAN HARRIS, 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, Grit City Comedy Club, 100 S, Ninth St., Tacoma, $15, 253.961.4262