Archives
THE 11TH HOUR: A dire warning about the demise of planet Earth, presented in a deadening format of talking heads and what often looks like stock nature footage. The doc has a lot of valuable information, but fails to convey it in an effective, involving way. Rent Al Gore’s “An
News Front
Remotely-controlled weapons systems have drastically reduced the number of soldiers needed for perimeter security at an expeditionary base camp here. "Every soldier I have assigned to securing the perimeter is one I don't have that can execute support missions," said Lt. Col. Raphael Heflin, commander, 142nd Combat Service Support Battalion, or
Attractions
Little Creek Casino Resort in Shelton, a 25-minute drive from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, is home to some of the finest spas, lodging and Las Vegas-style gaming. But a signature attraction it holds above all other Washington state casino resorts are its nationally televised boxing events held in the Skookum Creek
Outdoors
Most of the time we spend our lives rushing between points A and B - running errands, getting to and from work, hurrying between appointments and friends and obligations. How often do you just stop and look at what's around you? Chances are you don't. And, really, not just anywhere
Reviews
Stink Cheese and Meat, with its signature sandwiches, has been satisfying the lunch crowds in downtown Tacoma since it opened its doors in 2011. Since that time, Stink has added an attached wine bar to ensure success with the after-work crowds as well. El Tufo, Spanish for stink, is of
Music
In musical jargon, a fantasia is a freestyle composition, arrived at by improvising. We know it better as the title of Walt Disney's 1940s collection of animated classical music videos. Disney's mesmerizing cartoon, recorded in and presented via way-ahead-of-its-time multitrack sound, was nevertheless a financial failure till 1969. (Audiences of
Music
Certain bands and artists come along that blow one's little, wannabe music-loving mind. Tom Waits did it for me when my dad showed me Big Time; St. Vincent threw me for a loop when I saw her video for "Marrow;" Prince challenged my sexuality the first time I heard "Darling
Arts
If I were allowed 6,000 words instead of 600, I probably still couldn't do this exhibition justice. The amazing thing about it is that it was locally curated, by Tacoma Art Museum's Rock Hushka with co-curator Jonathan David Katz from the University at Buffalo (New York). The exhibition is organized
Stage
We know you don't give a tinker's toss about ballet. You're sitting there, sipping your latte, looking ahead to a series of beer flights and bearded folkie shows this weekend. That's fine. We like that stuff, too. What you may not know about Swan Lake, though, is this: it's a
Stage
At the end of 2014, Theater Artists Olympia produced a musical comedy called The Head That Wouldn't Die! which was probably the biggest hit of the season if not the biggest hit of TAO's entire history. In my Dec. 9, 2014 review I wrote: Theater Artists Olympia's original musical The Head That
South Sound Cinema
This year marks the 10th anniversary of what has now become the definitive film event in Tacoma: the Tacoma Film Festival. Since its humble beginnings a decade ago, the Tacoma Film Festival has grown into a globetrotting roundup of the best and the brightest in film, as well as stubbornly
Attractions
Here's a "thanks for your service" with a buzz to it. Saturday, Oct. 10, there will be free admission for military families for a night of car racing at the Evergreen Speedway. They're calling it military appreciation night. Whether you're active-duty, retired or in the Reserves, admission is free for a military
Military Life
What could be better than a spine-tingling murder mystery? And who doesn't enjoy an expertly prepared buffet dinner? What if there were a way to solve a whodunnit while enjoying a delicious buffet dinner at the same time? Saturday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m., the Club at McChord Field will provide
Archives
“We thought, let’s do something at the very beginning that’s going to bring us all together … and from there we would reflect the entire community event by event,” says David Fischer, executive director at Tacoma’s Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, which launches its most ambitious season ever with
Archives
Eastern Promises David Cronenberg’s “Eastern Promises” opens with a throat-slashing and a young woman collapsing in blood in a drugstore, and connects these events with a descent into an underground of Russians who have immigrated to London and brought their crime family with them. Like the Corleone family but with a
News Front
A soldier tossed a smoke grenade into a shallow hole. There was a pop, a fizz, and then whitish grey smoke. A moment later, another soldier moving carefully down a trail, detected the noise and smoke. Within seconds dense, yellow smoke engulfed him. The soldier reacted to the simulated chemical attack. Not
News
There's a project afoot in Tacoma that brings to mind the saying, "it takes a village," a proverb that usually refers to a community of individuals pitching in to help raise a child. In the case of the as-yet-unnamed housing project proposed for veterans and their families struggling with homelessness,
News Front
When asked how important Ombudsmen really are to the Navy, NBK Ombudsman Coordinator Yasmeen Sabir quickly and emphatically replies, "They are imperative. Before the Ombudsman Program was created, there were so many terrible problems within Navy families. Families had no one to go to for help with marital issues, financial
Attractions
You expect certain things from a naval museum. History. War stories. And ships; of course, you expect to see drawings of ships, models of ships, and facts and figures about ships. You get all this when you go to a certain museum in Bremerton, but you get so much more.
Military Life
Countless treasures are what one can expect to find while browsing the plethora of quaint shops in Historical Downtown Puyallup's Antique District. Whether lining shelves or lying in wait behind glass display cabinets, objects beckon for patron appreciation; each item has a story to tell. There are six shops