I don’t have any stirring essays in me, so my small tribute to our armed forces is a small collection of images portraying the history of American military conflict.  Thank you all for your service!

The Battle of Trenton (December 26, 1776) was a turning point in the American Revolution, as General George Washington led his demoralized troops across the Delaware River and captured 1,000 Hessian soldiers.  Washington and his soldiers followed up the surprise attack with another victory a week later in Princeton.

War of 1812 - The fabled British Royal Navy suffered a stunning defeat at the hands of the much younger and smaller U.S. Navy on August 19, 1812 when the USS Constitution bested the HMS Guerrriere after a 35-minute battle.  A year later the American defense of Fort McHenry in Baltimore inspired lawyer Francis Scott Key to compose the poem that became the basis for the “Star-Spangled Banner”.

The Mexican-American War was a politically contentious issue, although it did vastly increase both the size of the U.S. Army and the United States itself.  The Battle of Monterrey (September 21-24, 1846) was fought effectively to a stalemate, although a two-month armistice agreement signed between General Pedro de Ampudia (Mexico) and General Zachary Taylor (U.S.) saw the Mexican Army surrender the city of Monterrey.

The Battle of Antietam (September 17, 1862) was the first major engagement of the Civil War to take place on Northern soil. Around 23,000 soldiers died that day, making it the single bloodiest day in American combat history. This photo shows President Abraham Lincoln visiting the battlefield on October 3.

The Spanish-American War lasted for just over 100 days (April-August 1898) and is remembered mainly for two things - the controversial destruction of the USS Maine (which became a pretext for the war) and the rise to fame of Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders.  Roosevelt wave of popularity carried him first to the governership of New York (elected 1898) and then the White House (elected as William McKinley’s Vice President in 1900).

Despite a declared policy of isolationism during World War I, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson could no longer ignore German aggression and Congress declared war on April 6, 1917.  The Germans were convinced that it would take at least 18 months before we could muster enough forces to make an impact, and hoped to win the war in the interim.  By the summer of 1918, 10,000 Americans were arriving in France daily.  The above image of American forces in the Argonne Forest was taken on September 26, 1918.

World War II - Our finest hour.  Not much else I can say about this that hasn’t been said by better.  Here, African-American troops of a field artillery battery set up a 155mm howitzer in France (June 28, 1944).

A Sherman tank fires on an enemy bunker - May 11, 1952.  It’s difficult to understand how a war that resulted in so many casualties was so easily forgotten, but that seems to be the case for the Korean War (June 1950-July 1953).  Although the Koreans and Chinese suffered the most casualties, it is still important to remember that more than 36,000 Americans died and nearly 100,000 were wounded.

Sadder still is that after all those deaths, the war is technically not even over.  North and South Korea have never signed a peace treaty, and have been under a cease fire agreement for more than half a century.

I’ve spent a lot of time learning about the background and conduct of the Vietnam War, as well as debating whether we should have fought it in the first place.  But for at least one day I will put that aside to remember the nearly 60,000 U.S. dead, 2,000 missing, and 300,000+ wounded (one of whom is shown in this 1965 photograph).

In many ways, the Gulf War (August 1990-February 1991) is still being fought, as many of the veterans from that war still suffer today.

Speaking of which…

Today the eyes of the nation are on our fighting men and women serving in the Middle East, specifically Iraq and Afghanistan.  However much our feelings and opinions on the ongoing wars may vary, I think we can all hope that ultimately our soldiers can return home safely.

Thank you, veterans!

While TO&FS is not nearly as engrossing or rewarding as The Company, it was fun and engaging nonetheless.  Without giving too much of the plot away, the basic story goes like this: A CIA operative named Wanamaker is running an operation (code name Stufftingle) that may or may not be officially sanctioned by the agency, but is confounded by a leak.  To find and stop the leak he brings in a retired and somewhat disgraced former Naval Intelligence officer, one Admiral J. Pepper Toothacher (yes, that’s the name they stick with) and his chauffeur/assistant/math whiz Huxstep.

The leak, as it turns out, is another CIA operative named Silas Sibley (aka The Weeder), who has personal and convuluted reasons for interfering with Wanamaker’s operation.  But he quickly gets in over his head when the Admiral and Huxstep close in on him.  The bulk of the novel details The Weeder’s attempts to save his own hide while still trying to put a stop to Stufftingle.

Had Littell just left it at that, TO&FS would have been a serviceable (albeit unremarkable) work of spy fiction.  But he adds a story device that I rather enjoyed, although some may find it hackneyed.  Sibley, as it happens, is also a Revolutionary War buff.  And not just the war, but one participant in particular, whom he refers to as “Nate.”  Sibley, who claims to be Nate’s descendant, is obsessed with Nate’s life and the circumstances leading to his early death.

As such, the novel alternates between the present and Sibley’s accounts of Nate’s activities during the war.  Nate turns out to be Nathan Hale, widely regarded as America’s first spy.  As the two stories progress, the similarities between Hale and Sibley become more obvious.  The only question is whether the similarities are truth, coincidence, or merely the figment of Sibley’s overactive imagination.

So in truth, TO&FS is as much a work of historical fiction as it is spy fiction.  And for a lot of the book, I was much more interested in Nate’s story than in Sibley’s.  Littell incorporates enough historical fact into Nate’s life to lend it credibility, so the more fanciful portions seem plausible.  The book seems a bit forced toward the end, but wraps up fairly nicely.

So I can recommend this book easily, and look forward to exploring more of Littell’s catalog.

Jones also stated that this new singer will not simply be a Plant sound-alike, in order to avoid seeming like a tribute band.  So the big question is: Who will be the one to step into Plant’s skin-tight bell bottoms?  While the safe choice would be someone with some strong pipes and a decent hard rock pedigree (but not necessarily a big name), a new contest by the good people at Popdose has given me inspiration to think outside the proverbial box.

So indulge me for a moment, while I spitball a few names that may provide just the jolt this new version of Zep needs to stay popular and relevant…

William Shatner - In addition to being the greatest living entertainer, Shatner is of course an accomplished vocalist.  I can just hear it now:  “And she’s…buying…a staiiiirway….to Heaven!”

Clay Aiken - Kinda gives a whole new meaning to “cock rock” doesn’t it?  (oh yes, I just went there.)

Rick Astley - “It’s been a long time since I’ve been Rickrolled…”

Jack White - OK, you may have picked up on the last few suggestions being somewhat less than serious, but I think White would actually be an interesting pick.  He’s got the vocal chops even though he’s not a prototypical hard rock frontman, and having a second guitarist playing Zeppelin would be pretty sweet.

Oh yeah, the trailer.  It looks even darker than the previous movies, which of course is to be expected, but the touch of humor at the end is most welcome.  What’s not welcome is the continuing de-evolution of Rupert Grint (aka Ron Weasley), whose face looks like it continues to suffer the ravages of the full moon.

But it happened for me when Ben Folds Five got together about a month ago for a one-off concert at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Memorial Hall to play the entirety of their criminally overlooked swan song, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner.  That’s right, the whole thing - Ben’s dad even came out to recreate his answering machine message as heard on “Your Most Valuable Possession.”  How fucking cool is that?

To me, the band sounds like they’ve never been apart.  The only giveaways are Ben hiding what appears to be a bit of Friar Tuck action going on with his hair, and Robert Sledge’s additional poundage (life’s been good I guess).

I wasn’t there to witness this amazing moment, sadly, but MySpace’s cameras were (it was part of their Front to Back concert series).  Yay!

So until the hopefully inevitable DVD concert release, I’ll have to get by with their video of the event.  And for your viewing pleasure I’ve included a few of the highlights here:

“Narcolepsy”
Click here to view the embedded video.

“Hospital Song”
Click here to view the embedded video.

“Army”
Click here to view the embedded video.

The performance is interlaced with interview clips featuring Folds, Sledge, drummer Darren Jessee, band producer Caleb Southern, and others (like Chris Walla from Death Cab for Cutie) talking about the band and the Reinhold Messner record.  Sadly, the video does not feature the encore songs:

“Jackson Cannery”
“Eddie Walker”
“Selfless, Cold & Composed”
“Battle of Who Could Care Less”
“Where’s Summer B.?”
“Julianne”
“Song for the Dumped”

Now I don’t remember getting any Cracker Jack in my bag when I went panhandling for goodies (aka ‘trick or treat’).  And even if I had I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have had the gall to stand there and eat it right there on the person’s front walk.  (Cracker Jack, 1954)

Witchcraft?  No, that’s just Procter & Gamble’s patented Flexinol system at work.  (Hidden Magic hair spray, 1965)

Here we see an early incarnation of what later became the iconic Sugar Bear mascot.  God I hope those dark things in the bowl are berries.  (Sugar Crisp cereal, 1955)

“Psst!  This is the house that has the Brach’s!  OK Jimmy, you cut the phone line.  Tommy, you pick the lock.  Susie, you make sure those neighbors don’t come nosin’ around.  And Ralph, you try not to suffocate yourself in that stupid goblin mask.  OK, let’s move people!”  (Brach’s Candy, 1959)

And speaking of stupid masks - if you grew up during my generation then you probably remember the ubiquitous and awesome mass-produced children’s costume combo sets.  Turns out they weren’t always quite so cheap.  (Sears Roebuck Christmas catalog, 1965)

By the late ’70s/early ’80s things had gotten much worse, and manufacturers such as Ben Cooper turned out those flimsy mask/smock costumes by the metric shit-ton.

Just what every dad wants this Hallowe’en season!  (Ballantine Ale, 1955)

And finally, here’s one of my personal favorites from a time when commercials didn’t (or couldn’t) rely on fancy computer technology to sell something.  Dammit, I want my McNugget puppets back!  (McDonald’s, c. 1980s)

Click here to view the embedded video.

This week’s featured album art is the 1976 Genesis classic, Wind & Wuthering.  And I think you can see why.

Beautiful, isn’t it?  Reminds me a lot of Fleetwood Mac’s Bare Trees actually, another album I really like.  It fits perfectly with the slightly chilly mood of the album, which turned out to be guitarist Steve Hackett’s last with Genesis (leaving the trio of Phil Collins, Tony Banks, and Mike Rutherford).

And surprise - this is another Hipgnosis effort!  Doesn’t look like one, does it?  Colin Elgie was responsible for this understated and pretty effort, for those keeping score at home.

The autumnal feel of the album cover extends to the back as well:

2. A Federation ship identified as the USS Kelvin takes a wrong turn and ends up somewhere over Camden, NJ.

3. Ain’t no party like a Federation party, ’cause a Federation party don’t stop!  (l to r.: Anton Yelchin as Chekov, Chris Pine as James T. Kirk, Simon Pegg as Lt. Montgomery Scott, Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy, John Cho as Sulu, and Zoe Saldana as Uhura)

4. Zachary “Sylar” Quinto shows some of that famous Vulcan even temper.  I can’t wait for him to flick his finger and cut a guy’s head open.

5. I hope Kirk saved the receipt for his GPS navigation system, because he looks pretty screwed here.  “Tom Toooooooooooooooom!”

6. And the money shot!  Apparently J.J. Abrams’ vision of the future involves lots of blue light and a ton of Plexiglas.

But I’m certain that soon enough the Roloffs will be back to their old ways, and so fans of the show can up their enjoyment with this handy drinking game.  And hey, even if you’re not a fan you can print this out, watch the show, and still have tons of fun!

In retrospect, it seems like such a simple concept that it’s hard to believe it hadn’t been fully explored before - a psychopath is on the loose in the town of Haddonfield, Illinois and strikes during the most sinister day of the year…Tax Day!  No, actually it’s Halloween.

Director and co-writer Carpenter took a $325,000 budget and spun a tale that relied as much on an atmosphere of dread and anticipation as on outright violence (and even that violence is tame compared to today’s standards).  Contributing to this atmosphere was Carpenter’s iconic score, played pretty much entirely on piano and synthesizer.

After a slow start at the box office, Halloween picked up steam and eventually grossed about $55 million worldwide, catapulting Carpenter and star Jamie Lee Curtis into the big time.  It - and its numerous sequels - also gave the inimitable Donald Pleasence steady work for the ensuing 15 or 16 years until his death.  The original film was reimagined by Rob Zombie in 2007, but I don’t want to talk about that.

Those familiar with the movie probably recognize this image - it’s the main promotional poster used in the U.S., and was designed by Bob Gleason (who went on to create the artwork for Halloween II and III.)

Pretty effective if you ask me, even with the rather prominent veins on the back of the hand.  Is that some kind of common trait with serial killers?

Ah!  Germans!

Seriously, leave it to our Teutonic friends to take a scary concept and make it even weirder.  I’m not sure if that’s supposed to be a jack o’ lantern or that weird mask thing from Super Mario Bros. 3.  Anyway, the subtitles translate to “The Night of Horrors” and “The night he came home.”  The knife is downsized from the American version and looks more like a switchblade here.

Here’s the French poster, in case you couldn’t tell.  Pretty much a straight lift from the American, other than the translation of the title to La Nuit des Masques, or The Night of Masks.  Ooh la la!

Forget what I said about that West German poster - the Japanese trump them for sheer weirdness.  Witness Michael Myers, who appears to have traded in his trademark William Shatner mask for a Dr. Zaius model.  Or maybe it’s supposed to be a simian Mr. Roboto motif.