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President Barack Obama had some sharp language on Iran in his State of the Union address, but Tehran saw it mainly as tough talk for a domestic audience.

Yikes! North Korea appears to be expanding its main launch site to permit more advanced missiles, which may eventually be able to reach the United States.

Militants stormed a government office in eastern Baghdad today, killing at least two employees and triggering a firefight with police as security forces besieged the building official said.

The Pentagon plans to tout the capabilities of US-made weapons when Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and other senior defense officials meet with their counterparts in Poland today.

Senators vow COLA cap repeal, commissary grocery price hike eyed.

A coalition of companies that vowed in 2011 to hired 100,000 veterans within a decade has made its goal seven years early, announcing today that 117,439 former service members have since been provided jobs.

US aerospace giant Boeing reported a big jump in quarterly earnings, but signaled a leaner 2014 profit outlook after last year's boom.

The Defense Department is releasing a draft request for proposals, or RFP, to modernize the DOD electronic health records while also working to make it interoperable with Department of Veterans Affairs and private provider electronic medical records.

The Army launched an eight-week Sexual Harassment/Assault Prevention and Response Program schoolhouse pilot program at Fort Belvoir to better prepare sexual assault response coordinators, victim advocates and trainers.

The Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center rolled out the newest Humvee ambulance today.

The Army is having the most trouble with the simplest systems, the portable radios.

Courtney Love is launching a YouTube channel. And it looks like it's going to be everything we want it to be.

Watch The Daily Show's extended interview with Louis C.K.

These Portlandia videos about tailgating Prairie Home Companion are pretty funny.

Get ready for Dungeons & Dragons yoga.

eBay: A wonderfully weird side where hardcore movie fans can acquire props, both iconic and banal, that have been culled from a wide variety of film sets.

Wonder bathtub has built-in sink, speakers and digital controls.

We want a drone to follow us around like in this fun video.

Knock, Knock.

TUESDAY, JAN. 28 2014 >>>

1. God Loves Uganda is an advocacy doc through and through; unlike so many films that try to disguise their bias, this one has the grace and courtesy to announce it from the get-go. It's a powerful exploration of the evangelical campaign to change African culture with values imported from America's Christian Right. The film follows American and Ugandan religious leaders fighting "sexual immorality" and missionaries trying to convince Ugandans to follow Biblical law. Catch it at 2 and 6:45 p.m. at The Grand Cinema.

Read more...

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DoD test report warns of major cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

Last night, the Pentagon confirmed the ship assigned to destroy Syria's chemical weapons had left Virginia and was headed to the Italian port of Gioia Tauro.

An upcoming Anglo-French summit could breathe fresh life into a bilateral defense relationship seen as faded, with industry waiting to hear if there is progress on an anti-ship missile and a future combat drone for the two nations.

Read more...

Some biographers and experts have claimed Charles Dickens was the first pop-culture celebrity. Film critic Richard Roeper agrees. His review of The Invisible Woman in tomorrow's print version of the Weekly Volcano reaffirms his belief. Roeper writes:

Here's a cool thing about Dickens: He was a 19th-century rock star, and that suited him just fine. In addition to creating some of the most beloved, acclaimed and enduring novels and characters we've ever known, Dickens wrote plays, was an amateur actor, raised money for worthy causes, connected with the masses, read his own works to packed houses and even loved doing magic tricks. If today's technology existed back then, Dickens would have 10 million followers on Twitter and he'd be Instagramming selfies with "Copperheads" dressed as David Copperfield characters at Charles-Con.

According to Roeper, the film is a handsomely crafted but rather bloodless recounting of author Charles Dickens (played by Ralph Fiennes) and his secret romantic relationship with 18-year-old stage actress Nelly Ternan (Felicity Jones).

Enjoy the read tomorrow.

Well, we all knew it would come to this, didn't we? And you know what? You're ALL guilty! Years after making jokes about how the trend of sex-ifying monsters (a la the Twilight saga) would lead to sexy mummies and swamp things became so rote that they established themselves as unspoken truths, we now find ourselves gazing deeply into the abyss. And what stares back at us? None other than the grim visage of I, Frankenstein.

This time around, the object of our increasingly complicated monster fetish is not a hairless 20-something, but rather a ripped Aaron Eckhart, so, I mean, there's that I guess. Eckhart - oh once great Eckhart - will soon be sitting on talk show couches telling lots of stories about how fun and grueling it is to do your own stunts, while no doubt remaining tellingly silent about the rest of I, Frankenstein.

Before we get too deep into this, I just have to point out the fallacy of the film's title. As we'll recall, Frankenstein is not the name of the monster, but of the monster's creator. Aaron Eckhart does not play Dr. Frankenstein. I'm just saying: I, Frankenstein's Monster.

Anyhoo, there is precious little to talk about with regards to what actually happens on screen in this trailer. It appears that there are legions of Frankensteins set to conquer the world, along with some predictably cheap-looking gargoyles, and it's up to Eckhart to stop them. Turning the story of Frankenstein's monster on its head (read: this ain't your grandpa's Frankenstein), this time around the monster is no lumbering hulk, but a sleek, chiseled movie star who has super "strength, speed, and stamina," and who rocks the blazer-and-hoodie combo, natch.

To end on a happy note: there doesn't appear to be too much psychosexual interplay between a chaste teenage girl and her paranormal boyfriend, so that's something. Now, let's all take our cold showers and await the sexy Sasquatch movie.

TUESDAY, JAN. 21 2014 >>>

1. The Abigails are fixtures in the Southern California psych-rock garage scene. Thomas has been a member of bands like the Growlers and the Grand Elegance, and fellow Abigail Kyle Mullarky has been in the Starlite Desperation - all bands that occupy a sort of LSD haze. Additionally, the Abigails are members of Burger Records, the epicenter of SoCal psych-rock. Read Rev. Adam Mckinney's full feature on the Abigails in the Music & Culture section. Then, catch the band with MILK at 8 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge in Tacoma.

Read more...

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An assault by suicide bombers and gunmen against a NATO base in southern Afghanistan today killed one servicemember.

After a night of vicious streets battles, anti-government protesters and police clashed anew today in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

A coalition servicemember was killed today when insurgents dressed in military uniforms launched a complex attack on a military base in southern Afghanistan, employing a car bomb and multiple attackers with suicide vests.

The Obama administration announced last week that it had revised its arms sales policy, emphasizing "restraint" to ensure that arms don't fall into the wrong hands or aren't turned on civilians by governments.

The Taiwanese Air Force unveiled an air-to-ground stand-off weapon developed for the F-CK-1 Indigenous Defense Fighter.

A senior Marine officer whose career was stalled for two years amid a high-profile scandal involving scout snipers in his unit has finally been promoted and assigned to a top-level school.

The 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team is at the National Training Center. Let's look at photos.

The Seattle Seahawks are bringing their game-changing defense - and the "12th Man" - to the Big Apple for the Super Bowl.

Good News: Technology is not driving us apart after all.

According to Google, Washington state residents want "a say" in life.

Why strap a boring Rolex to your wrist when you could proudly wear a spacecraft?

Director J.J. Abrams said he has a completed script for the next Star Wars film and will begin shooting in May in England.

Now there's a rumor that the little Seinfeld reunion was for a Super Bowl commercial.

Gary Burghoff (Radar from MASH) is now on Twitter, with plenty of stories to tell.

You'd think that, by this point, people would start being a little more discerning with their passwords. You would be wrong.

LOB

SUNDAY, JAN. 19 2014 >>>

1. Nolan Garrett has been playing guitar since the age of 8. Not finding much interest in sports, his mother suggested he try music. His reluctant guitar lessons at Ted Brown Music and subsequent passion for music have not only transformed Garret into a guitar maniac, but also a soulful singer and excellent songwriter. At 6:30 p.m. Garret will perform with his full band Raymond Hayden, Paul Sawtelle, Eddie Mendoza and Joe Hendershot, each an accomplishes musician, as the headliner for an all-ages show at Louie G's Pizza in Fife.

2. Do you know the story of The Magic Flute? Mozart's famous 1791 opera tells the tale of four hopeless romantics who triumph over adversity - including giant serpents, a ruthless queen and evil sorcerers - to find true love. By Victorian standards, The Magic Flute was considered risqué because it candidly reveals male attitudes about love and sex - kind of like an 18th-century version of The Man Show. Sorry, guys, no jugs at this film. Yup, nope, just an immensely likeable score, jokes then transcend time and language and the Queen of the Night's big arias bringing down the house from the Salzburg Festival, August 2012. Catch the film at 2 p.m. in the Washington Center.

3. A Martin Luther King, Jr. Redeeming the Prophetic Vision interfaith service and event featuring a new theatrical creation from C. Rosalind Bell, spoken word, African drumming and group singing of civil rights-era songs will be held from 2:30-4 p.m. at Urban Grace Church in Tacoma.

4. You may have heard there's a big football game on the tube this afternoon. Any bar or lounge with a TV will have the Hawks game on. Click here for a list of South Sound bars.

5. Saxophonist Kareem Kandi's sound is virtually unrelated to the roomy traditions of soul saxes, honking saxes or deep-chested boudoir ballad saxes. It derives from the classic, free, often enthusiastic tradition of Joshua Redman as filtered through Dexter Gordon and Sonny Stitt, all of whose shadows can be traced-Redman in Kandi's funky organicism, Gordon in his dynamic harmonics, Stitt in the intensity that coats his every note with a Gritty City finish. The Kareem Kandi will be joined by bassist Osama Afifi and drummer Andre Thomas at 6 p.m. in the Cliff House Restaurant.

LINK: Sunday, Jan. 19 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

GRAB A CUP & READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 1.18.14 >>>

President Barack Obama Friday announced a series of reforms for a controversial National Security Agency data-collection program that he said would give Americans confidence their privacy is being protected and allow U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies to continue safeguarding the nation.

The Pentagon is considering sending U.S. troops back to the Middle East to help train Iraqi forces.

Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., this week introduced a wide-ranging package of veterans legislation, covering changes to the GI Bill, survivors' benefits, advanced appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs and fertility treatments for wounded veterans.

Barring investment from European allies, the Pentagon should abandon the goal of a nuclear-capable F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in favor of spending funds elsewhere, according to former US Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz.

European Union foreign ministers are expected to approve a military mission to protect civilians in the Central African Republic at their meeting in Brussels Monday.

Whoever runs the Marine Corps Special Operations Command's official Twitter handle got in trouble Friday for this tweet: "Don't be lone shooter #MLK weekend! make sure you've got security - stay safe! #MARSOC #Marines #shortbarrelforVBSS." 

The Defense Imagery Management Operations Center recently signed a $5 million agreement to digitize, store and provide access to hundreds of thousands of historical images.

At the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, experts in the emotional toll of disasters help the Defense Department, government agencies and first responders worldwide understand how best to help communities struck by terrorist attacks, mass casualties and natural disasters.

Dr. Bill LaPlante testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the time it takes to develop and field weapon systems, the importance of science and technology investment and how to speed up cyber acquisition.

The famed Japanese soldierwho spent 29 years hiding out after World War II ended, never realizing his country had surrendered under threat of continued nuclear bombardment, has died at age 91.

Emails from judges in 2008 reveal allegations of misconduct by judge in original case, and could potentially pave way for Roman Polanski's freedom.

Conan O'Brien hilariously grills and tortures his staff of interns.

It's amazing what a little rebranding did for these 10 celebs.

Lupita N'yongo's Critics' Choice Awards acceptance speech is a must see.

Check out this homemade mockumentary on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Bird steals egg with camera inside and films entire penguin colony.

Here's the weirdest videogame trailer ever.

Every Tuesday, and sometimes on Friday, "Check This Out" recommends movies available at your friendly local library. So you can satisfy your next film fix at the place with the books.

If Hollywood in the '60s needed an "issues film," Stanley Kramer was usually the man for the job. As director he observed the complexities of intermarriage in 1967's Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, and in 1961 looked at the Holocaust from behind a witness stand in Judgment at Nuremberg. Kramer made Inherit the Wind just a year before Nuremberg, and also finds drama in a compelling court case, this time the Scopes trial of 1925.

No surprise, but for a while the film didn't seem like the ideal choice for Saturday night entertainment. First you have Dick York (remember him from Bewitched on Nick At Nite?) as Bertram Cates, a teacher imprisoned in a small fundamentalist town for discussing evolution to his students. A brave act, but curiously the screenplay decides early on that his character doesn't need much depth, so York has not a whole lot to do besides looking glum behind bars and in court.

Then you have the arrival of E. K. Hornbeck, sarcastic newspaperman played by song and dance man Gene Kelly (which, for a guy who's only seen Kelly sing in the rain, seems an odd casting choice). Hornbeck the enlightened northerner has travelled South to see for himself this unjust imprisonment, packing with him plenty of smug quips and prejudices of his own about this backward Bible Belt community. Like Cates, this 1-D character fails to generate much sympathy or interest.

So what - or who - gets Wind blowing in the right direction? Hang in there for the first 20 dull minutes of this film, Stalwart Viewer, and things improve once the lawyers come to town. Matthew Harrison Brady, the bald firebrand beloved of the townsfolk, represents the prosecution, while Henry Drummond has taken on the challenge of defending Cates. Respected actors Fredric March and Spencer Tracy give it their all to produce some pretty spectacular courtroom fireworks. These battles of faith versus scientific inquiry, sprinkled with wit and logic, give this otherwise unfocused film a much-needed jolt of energy.