News Front
Little actions matter, and may they grow to make a large difference. "Small things make a big difference," Gov. Jay Inslee said seconds after signing a Statement of Support for the Guard and Reserve Friday in the Capitol Building. "By working to make our citizen-soldiers' employment status secure when they are called
We Recommend
Jake Adam York, a poet relentlessly dedicated to the foot soldiers of the civil rights movement, wrote this poem titled "Grace": "The smoke from the grill/ is the smell of my father coming home/ from the furnace and the tang/ of vinegar and char is the smell of Birmingham, the
We Recommend
Anyone who has seen them - dance enthusiast or not - can tell you that Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is a feverish love poem to the human body. Ailey founded his company in 1958, with an emphasis on ballet lines in the lower body and modern movements in the
We Recommend
Do you love animals? How 'bout dark comedy? Do Sarah McLachlan ads for the ASPCA make you projectile weep? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then do we have the show for you. Elliot Weiner (pronounced "winer") is a playwright, actor, and director most recently seen in
We Recommend
The descriptor "New York Times Bestselling Author" isn't exactly what it used to be. James Patterson literally craps bestsellers. Then again, if becoming a bestselling author was easy we'd probably do it ... you know ... instead of pounding out sentences late into the night for little to no recognition
We Recommend
One of our favorite Far Side cartoons, by Gary Larson, depicts a pair of grizzled cowboys sitting around a campfire at dusk. One is handing the other a cup. The caption reads, "More cappuccino, Raoul?" Yes, times are changing. We have to co-exist with coyotes. How? Good news: The city
Military Resources
"We have generated $8 million in refunds for clients since Jan. 21," said Capt. Kezia B. Manese, the Judge Advocate officer in charge of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Main Tax Center. "We've exceeded what a smaller base will do all season." The Tax Center staff is comprised of 34 soldiers, two
People Rule
While under a surprise enemy attack in August 2013, Mark Colbert and Andrew Busic risked their lives during an intense, face-to-face skirmish in Afghanistan, saving the lives of fellow soldiers and civilians. In recognition of their heroic actions, Chief Warrant Officer Mark Colbert and Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Busic were awarded
Family
Military kid Caylee Taylor, in some respects, is a typical 8 year old. The Clarkmoor Elementary second-grader, who lives on Joint Base Lewis-McChord with her family, loves the same things as most other children her age do. Favorite school subjects include science, studying animals and art. She likes to have
Style
Health food doesn't have to be bland and boring. There is one delectable nibble that research has shown benefits the cardiovascular system, so it's no wonder that it is the go-to edible gift for Valentine's Day. Chocolate literally is good for the heart. My Grandmamma wasn't making up excuses to
Explore
Move over paintball, Airsoft is the new extreme sport that's attracting servicemembers and military enthusiasts on the weekends. The Fort Lewis-McChord Airsoft Group, formerly named the Praetorian Guard, is one of only a few such teams in the Pacific Northwest and the mission is to provide a safe and fun environment
Show And Tell
Our government stinks. A disconcerting number of our politicians are corrupt, scheming scoundrels obsessed with growing their own bank accounts and stock portfolios and totally unconcerned with the welfare of the common folk! Wait, that's not right; let me try again. A disturbing amount of our politicians are nefarious socialists
Critics' Picks
[SYNTH-ROCK] + SAT, FEB. 15 I've written several times before about People Under the Sun, but here's the deal for the uninitiated: Beyond being reliably catchy providers of psychedelic synth-rock, People Under the Sun are perhaps the Tacoma music scene's most committed aesthetes. Not content to simply call it a day
Arts
In the third-grade, the students in my class were instructed to get each and every classmate a Valentine's Day card - usually something with Batman and Robin or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on it, along with a little pun. Nothing too intense. After all of the cards were distributed
Features
In honor of our anti-Valentine's Day-themed issue, in which Volcano staff wrote bitterly about the woes of dating, love and relationships, I have decided to be anti-anti and write about the positivity of love. To be specific - to observe the random acts of love that surround us at any
Features
Sixth Avenue in Tacoma bustles with diners, and by diners I mean people who eat food. The street swells with happening restaurants and lounges, serving the late-night crowd to the foodnik lunch hour gang. Sixth's culinary cred will only demand more respect when Southern Exposure finally opens. Yes, I said
Stage
I am about to say something that many lovers of modern art will consider downright sacrilegious. Here it is: I do not care for Agnes Martin's paintings. Never have. To me they are boring, and the new show at Tacoma Art Museum has done nothing to change my mind. We
Music
The first time I saw Poppet, it was a complete surprise. All I knew about her was that the wonderful Tender Forever had chosen to share a stage with her at The New Frontier Lounge, and that was enough of a seal of approval for me. I headed down to
We Recommend
Olympia Family theater's production is charming, funny and quite adorable. It was difficult to tell who enjoyed the show more with laughter coming from the adults as well as the children in attendance. The main plot follows Pooh and the gang as they attempt to help their
Stage
There's not much better than sharing something you love from your childhood with the next generation of kids. There's not much worse than beloved literature being remade into something unrecognizable in the name of "modernization." The House at Pooh Corner currently at Olympia Family Theater allows you to revel in
