GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 4.29.14 >>>

A pair of back-to-back bombs ripped through an outdoor market northeast of Baghdad today, killing at least 17 people and wounding 42.

Negotiators from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have arrived in Ukraine to try and win the release of an international observer team that has been held hostage by separatist forces in the town of Slavyansk in the eastern Ukraine since April 25.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu assured Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel during a phone call yesterday that Russian forces would not invade Ukraine, according to the Pentagon. 

The U.S. will focus on economic sanctions against Russia and put Ukraine's pleas for U.S. weaponry on the backburner.

North Korea conducted live-fire artillery drills near its disputed western sea boundary today.

How will the Ukraine crisis affect the defense budget? The more US Reps. Mac Thornberry of Texas and Rick Larsen of Washington state spoke yesterday, the more clear it became just how far apart the former's Republican Party and the latter's Democratic Party stand on national security issues.

While Obama scored points with skeptical Asian allies simply by showing up, not everything followed the White House plan. 

Foreign Policy: From bad to none.

U.S. Special Operations Command issued a formal request for "Advancement of Technologies in Equipment for Use by U.S. Special Operations Forces."

The mystery jets that were spotted over Amarillo, Texas, and Wichita, Kan. earlier this year are in fact Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bombers on a training sortie.

Army increases in-flight situational awareness for rapid response forces.

Marine dirt bike "gangs" of Afghanistan.

The U.S. Navy announced a record $17.645 billion contract to build 10 new SSN 774 Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines.

Defense Department CIO Teri Takai is set to step down in the coming days.

Report backs The New York Times op-ed piece linking vets to hate groups.

Amazing timelapse of massive 7-ft long Lego Serenity spaceship.

This bastard kills more humans than all the deadliest animals combines.

A 3,500-year-old NYC monument is being cleaned with freaking lasers.

Craig Ferguson is leaving The Late Late Show.

The Daily Show just hired a new correspondent.

Showtime put the premiere of its new monster-themed series, Penny Dreadful, on YouTube.

If Jedis from Star Wars fought wizards from Harry Potter, who wins?

Finally: Check out a comprehensive list of all of Don Draper's clients on Mad Men.

It's a looking glass into the past...

LINK: Original photo by Spc. Mike MacLeod

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 4.25.14 >>>

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk accused Russia of wanting to start a third world war. 

President Obama encountered setbacks to two of his most cherished foreign-policy projects on Thursday, as he failed to achieve a trade deal that undergirds his strategic pivot to Asia and the Middle East peace process suffered a potentially irreparable breakdown.

Be Afaird: China can't control North Korea.

North Korea represents a threat not just to Asia but to the United States, Pres. Obama said today, as he and South Korea's President Park Geun-hye warned they would respond firmly to any "provocations".

Rates of suicide in the military were slightly worse during the war years than what the Pentagon previously reported, according to new calculations released by Defense Department officials today.

Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas) said the former watchdog at the Department of Homeland Security should be fired and possibly prosecuted if allegations over his misconduct are true

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) called on Congress to pass the Military Justice Improvement Act to address military sexual assaults.

U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command's effort to grasp morale problems and outline steps to improve the nuclear community is moving beyond missileers to bomber crews.

The Navy will conduct a battle exercise off the West Coast next month that could help determine whether another 22 more EA-18G Growler aircraft will be built.

Group links military to cyber, robotics innovators.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel got a first-hand look at a life-size robot Tuesday that resembles Hollywood's "Terminator," the latest experiment by the Pentagon's hi-tech researchers.

Boeing has worked to offer the Navy an escape hatch from the costly Joint Strike Fighter program.

Many retirees and active duty families may stop shopping on base if DoD is allowed to slash commissary budgets.

The Army has taken a step toward officially acknowledging "humanists" among other faiths and belief systems, ending years of resistance to the idea.

Probe of Army general calls insular military culture into question.

Video: The science of tsunamis.

Time unveiled its annual "Influential People" feature.

Three digital images produced by Andy Warhol have been recovered on floppy discs.

Awesome: Giant robot sound effect slippers make your cyborg fantasies come true.

Take a journey into Homer's brain and push the boundaries of animation.

Ronald McDonald has gone a (still-creepy) wardrobe change.

Finally: What if Forrest Gump were a Wes Anderson film?

Keep your chin up ...

Original photo by Sgt. 1st Class Roger Dey

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 4.24.14 >>>

Ukrainian forces killed up to five pro-Moscow separatists in the east of the country, the Interior Ministry said. 

Russia insists that Kiev pull back its troops from eastern Ukraine.

Paratroopers from the 173rd Infantry Brigade are now in Poland.

Afghanistan is not a country known for its aeronautical industry, but at least Gen. Mark Welsh, U.S. Air Force chief of staff, believes that could change.

Welsh also defended the service's plan to retire the A-10 attack plane, even as lawmakers continue to voice opposition to the idea.

And ... Welsh says the Air Force is simplifying the way it grades nuclear-missile officers on their monthly exams.

The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) is beginning Operation Agile Eagle II, designed to localize and implement the larger Department of the Army-directed Brigade Combat Team 2020 initiative.

The U.S. Air Force needs to do more for its overworked drone pilots, a specialized force that has little time to train and suffers from low morale, according to a recent report by a government watchdog.

The next step toward autopilot in combat.

The Pentagon wants a cheap cruise missile that can strike anywhere in the world without risking American soldiers or aircraft. It's a great idea. As long as it doesn't inadvertently start a destabilizing arms race.

At least 40 U.S. veterans died waiting for appointments at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care system, many of whom were placed on a secret waiting list.

The military is looking to roboticize the most exhausting aspects of flying jets.

A White House petition calling for the president to order the Army to reconsider its new grooming regulation fell short of its goal.

First lady announces one-stop job site for vets.

Ten of the most exotic and weird calculators on the Internet.

Finally: The coolest visualization of Pi

Awesome chemical reactions that look like impossible sorcery.

The new Star Wars movie will have the biggest budget of all the Star Wars movies.

Hear Seth Meyers interviewed on Fresh Air.

Sad: The drama surrounding the Gregg Allman biopic.

Super Dad!

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 4.23.14 >>>

U.S. President Barack Obama said engagement with Beijing would not come at the expense of its Asian allies.

Why Obama's Asia tour is bad news for China.

The Pentagon has laid out plans for how it would cut $66 billion in procurement and research-and-development projects between 2016 and 2019 should U.S. defense spending caps remain in place.

Ukraine's president ordered the country's forces to renew a military operation against pro-Russian militants in East Ukraine after the killing of two men and a shooting at a plane.

Four Army units heading to Eastern Europe.

Germany helped prep Russia for war.

Commercial satellite imagery shows increased activity at North Korea's nuclear test site.

Report: U.S. may leave fewer troops in Afghanaistan.

New recruits in the U.S. military are getting slightly older.

U.S. Army denies it will lay off 3,000 officers to meet force reduction goals.

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program personnel demonstrated five technologies under development to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

Defense officials agree that the military must change the way it buys satellites and space services. They just can't settle on exactly how it should be done.

Buying in bulk is key to lowering the cost of the F-35 joint strike fighter, the Pentagon's most expensive weapons program.

Rising jet production lifted Boeing's profit above Wall Street estimates, and the company notched up its full-year forecast.

As the Department of Veterans Affairs nears officially ending vet homelessness in 2015, job training, sustainment is critical.

Watch where 26 asteroids recently slammed into Earth.

The simplest explanation of climate change you'll ever see.

You'll Watch the Whole Thing: The formation of the United States of America in one cool animated map.

Future: We got the doors from Star Trek. The ones that go swooooosh - and that's about it.

Putt like Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Finally: Tiny desktop-sized version of Jupiter.

Researchers from the University of Colorado Denver have been looking into the most common unfriendings on the social network.

See what Stephen Colbert had to say to Dave Letterman last night.

Read GQ's new interview with Louis C.K.

Listen: New Pixies record is streaming at NPR.

Finally: An oral history of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

In case you missed it yesterday ...

TUESDAY, APRIL 22 2014 >>>

1. "Let every individual and institution now think and act as a responsible trustee of Earth, seeking choices in ecology, economics and ethics that will provide a sustainable future, eliminate pollution, poverty and violence, awaken the wonder of life and foster peaceful progress in the human adventure." So states John McConnell's original Earth Day proclamation. Begun in 1970 during the March Equinox (March 20, 21), Earth Day is a worldwide yearly celebration and call to action in order to sustain the natural beauty and viability of our world. Once again, in celebration of Earth Day, admission is free at all Washington state parks - meaning the Discover Pass is not required to visit a state park on designated free days. Do your part by ceasing all bathing activity beginning today. For more information, visit www.discoverpass.wa.gov.

2. Local breweries are getting their Earth Day on with a human powered beer delivery parade followed by a bunch of beer drinking.

3. A panel of academics in the early stages of their science careers will share their experiences as science scholars of color at a forum and panel discussion from 5-7 p.m. UW Tacoma's William W. Philip Hall.

4. Kimya Dawson and hip-hop artist Ian Bavitz (aka Aesop Rock) are The Uncluded and will perform music from their debut album, Hokey Fright, at 8:30 p.m. in the Olympia Timberland Library.

5. The "Month of Murray" at The Swiss Restaurant and Pub with a 9 p.m. screening of Rushmore on the projector. Expect food and drink discounts.

LINK: Tuesday, April 22 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 4.22.14 >>>

The Obama administration is sending nearly $10 billion in new 'security assistance' to Ukraine as that country stares down Russian force,

Russia displays a new military prowess in Ukraine's East.

Moscow's aggressive push into Ukraine has forced Pentagon leaders to rethink the push to redistribute resources to the Pacific.

Militants wearing military uniforms carried out an overnight attack against a balloting center in a remote area of Iraq's north and killed 10 guards.

Forget the A-10. The Air Force needs a mix of aircraft and capabilities for the 2023 fight.

U.S. combat air forces are ill equipped to fight a technologically empowered enemy, and it could be years or decades before the Pentagon deploys more advanced weapons.

As Army shrinks, young officers are being pushed out.

What we left behind in Iraq.

U.S. Special Operations Command's plan to build an Iron Man suit may only be possible in big-screen sci-fi movies.

Would Jeb Bush's defense policy look more like his father's or brother's?

Petition: Tan beret only for the Ranger regiment.

Dozens denied Navy base access due to past crimes.

Listen: Jack White's new single.

Wow: HBO renewed Silicon Valley.

An interesting map of the most famous brands from every state.

Finally: R2-D2 measuring cups.

Too Much Free Time: Dude is trying to collect every VHS copy of Speed that still exists.

77-year-old man narrowly escapes being hit by a train.

Everybody's favorite Dear Leader likes it and, therefore, so do you. ...

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 4.21.14 >>>

An agreement reached last week to avert wider conflict in Ukraine was faltering as the new week began, with pro-Moscow separatist gunmen showing no sign of surrendering government buildings they have seized.

At least 30 suspected al Qaeda militants were killed in air strikes on Sunday in Yemen.

Obama's Asia pivot: A work in progress.

DoD reshapes Research and Development, betting on future technology.

United States is considering deploying about 150 soldiers for military exercises to begin in Poland and Estonia in the next few weeks.

Why Putin isn't worried about sanctions.

Japan bolstered its military surveillance capabilities in the southern island region of Okinawa over the weekend as territorial tensions with China simmer.

In shift to Africa, U.S. troops find complicated relationships.

Climate change is already destabilizing nations and leading to wars.

Divided in the wake of Fort Hood shooting.

U.S. Air Force pilot Capt. Joshua Wilson sidelined after criticizing F-22 system.

Pat Tillman's death discussed by former Army Ranger Steven Alliott.

10 years on, Pat Tillman's widow at peace with past.

Army to build military's largest solar array in Arizona.

The U.S. Army fired the first of a new fifth-generation tank cartridge, the M829E4, from an Abrams tank at Aberdeen Proving Ground, as part of a series of critical trials preceding the cartridge's entry into the Army's inventory.

Areo case will shape TV's future.

Nine of the coolest prefab houses in history.

This robot can teach you how to play golf and find that perfect swing.

The endless push and pull of Lindsay Lohan's reality show.

Explore the world of Game of Thrones as if it were on Google Maps.

Finally: photo gallery of bitchin' cosplayers.

Safety can be beautiful...

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 4.19.14 >>>

U.S. ground troops to be sent to Poland and Estonia.

The U.S. Army plans to retire 798 aircraft and transfer AH-64 Apaches from the Guard to active duty units.

How the U.S. made its problem with Putin worse.

The U.S. Senate's top Republican said America should send weapons to the Ukrainian military as that country teeters on the brink of war with Russia.

How to navigate the East China Sea dispute between Japan and China.

Marine to receive Navy Cross for heroism in Afghanistan.

Air Force Wounded Warrior program officials announced the names of the athletes to represent the Air Force during the 2014 Warrior Games and the Invictus Games.

SOCOM lists Iron Man suit collaborators.

One of the most advance undersea drones contracted by the U.S. Navy is getting the workout of its robotic life this week as it plunges ever deeper into the Indian Ocean in search of missing Malaysian Airline's flight MH370's locator.

Navy destroyer USS Zumwalt christened at Bath Iron Works.

Oh good: Lab is missing 2,000 vials of the deadly SARS virus.

MIT scientists have invented a new invisible mirror that can show reflections but also be see through like a window.

Eric Wareheim, Aziz Ansari and Jason Woliner mix humor and food with their new web series Food Club.

The PBS show Pioneers of Television is back for another season, and the premiere is about standup comedians who transitioned to TV, including Jerry Seinfeld, Roseanne Barr, Bob Newhart and others.

Here it is: The new Orange is the New Black trailer.

Game of Thrones season four is officially the season of Jaime Lannister GIFs.

Men climb real life version Games of Thrones' northern ice wall.

Finally: The fastest way to take off your T-shirt.

Be sure to get a workout in today ...

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 4.18.14 >>>

U.S., EU, Ukraine and Russia have agreed to talks.

Supreme Allied Commander Europe and four-star chief of US European Comman, Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove says armed attackers in Ukraine are Russian troops in disguise.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel pledged more non-lethal U.S. aid to Ukraine's military.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff will try to persuade senators they risk a crisis if they don't slow growth in military compensation.

Pentagon moves to block Russian spy plane in American skies.

Anger and dismay at stalled Guantanamo 9/11 trial.

Soldiers have options to explore before Army restructure.

Air Force researchers test Google Glass for battlefield use.

Navy report could clear way for Marines' move from Okinawa to Guam.

A fourth member of the Navy has been charged with conspiracy to commit bribery in a multimillion-dollar scheme involving a Singapore-based defense contractor accused of providing cash, vacations, electronics and prostitutes in exchange for classified information.

Why there will be a robot uprising.

The price tag for the Lockheed Martin F-35 joint strike fighter, the Pentagon's most expensive weapons program, increased $7.4 billion in 2013.

Methane hydrate, colloquially known as Fire Ice, is being discussed as the energy of the future.

Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic talk about their one-night-only reunion at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony (and afterward).

Turntable snowboard brings the party to the slopes.

Watch the latest Louie promo.

Spend the night in a treehouse.

List: Star Wars facts you may not already know.

Finally: 16 Delicious Facts About Peeps.

Bring High Tide Harry's to the South Sound now!

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 4.17.14 >>>

President Vladimir Putin accused the authorities in Kiev of plunging the country into an "abyss".

Obama says Russia realizes U.S. military is "significantly superior."

The Obama administration has removed all operational combat tanks from Europe and key strike aircraft, limiting the options for a show of force to bolster eastern NATO allies as Russia contemplates invading Ukraine.

Stronger U.S. economic sanctions urged against Russia.

Poland's defense minister is calling for a larger U.S. and NATO military presence in his country to deter the type of Russian aggression occurring in eastern Ukraine.

DoD quietly expanding U.S. Africa Command missions.

The U.S. Navy is about to transform almost everything.

The U.S. electric power grid is vulnerable to cyber and physical attacks.

For the first time since 1995, a team representing the 25th Infantry Division took home top honors at the David E. Grange Jr. Best Ranger Competition.

Army lab teams up with Boston Marathon to prevent heat injury.

Pentagon is working on advanced, speedy, stealthy, next-gen drones.

Scientists learn how to generate solar power in the dark.

Fox network has removed all traces of the military-themed comedy Enlisted from its spring schedule.

If you spend enough time on the Internet you'll eventually encounter a conspiracy theory.

Google X's Rapid Evaluation Team looked into building a space elevator.

Dude builds Spider-Man's webslinger using an electromagnetic launcher.

The most haunted place in the world is for sale.

Jon Hamm sniffs condescendingly at your Megan Draper/Sharon Tate rumors, so time to put your theories to rest. Or is it?

How South Korea promotes a TV show ...