The Explorers Club
№ CCL - Giorgio Perlasca (1910-1992), Righteous among the Nations.







This series of "The Explorers Club," concentrating on the Righteous among the Nations, has highlighted the heroism of a Japanese, a Portuguese, a Swede, & an Italian. It was the duty of all Mankind to oppose the Holocaust, & many different nationalities & creeds answered the call. I cannot think of a prouder way to commemorate "The Explorers Club's" two hundred fiftieth episode.

I aspire for The Secret Base to be more than just a repeater station, but that doesn't mean I mind in the least passing on particularly fascinating items of interest. To wit: The African Queen.

This Week in Motorsport
Formula One returned this weekend after the August recess. The story? Vettel über alles! The talk over the four weeks since the Magyar Nagydíj (Hungarian Grand Prix) was of the ascent of McLaren (Mercedes) & Ferrari, & the demise of Red Bull (Renault). Even the great Murray Walker had succumbed to this dubious conventional wisdom. The Red Bulls responded with a one-two finish, a maximum points haul, reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel in first & the indomitable Mark Webber in second. Not only that, but both RB7s managed to pass McLaren MP4-26s & Ferrari 150° Italias on track, flying past as if their rivals were standing still. Bwa ha ha ha ha! Vettel started from the pole, the twelfth pole for Red Bull out of twelve grands prix. So far in 2011, Vettel has won seven grands prix while the rest of the field have collectively won five (Ferrari's Fernando Alsono, a double World Champion in '05 & '06, has one win, while the McLaren drivers, '08 World Champion Lewis Hamilton & '09 World Champion Jenson Button, have two wins apiece). But the goods news didn't end there. Hamilton, who had been sitting third in the Drivers' Championship standings, crashed out of the race (he's uninjured, thank Providence), & dropped down to fifth. Button, who had been fifth, passed Alonso, formerly fourth, in the closing laps to claim the third spot on the podium; Alonso is now third, more distant from second-place Webber than he would have been had he managed to fend off Button, now in fourth. Everything's coming up Red Bull!

Sebastian Vettel has 259 points in the drivers' standings, with seven grands prix remaining. He won last year's World Drivers' Championship with a grand total of 256 points. Vettel über alles, indeed.

Also, the results aside, the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is just breathtaking; part of me wishes F1 raced there at least twice a year. Spa is one of only four tracks still in use that appeared on the first F1 calender in 1950. The track has been shortened from nine miles-long to four and a half, still far & away the longest F1 track of the year. The awesome Eau Rouge corner truly separates the men from the boys, demanding a level of commitment that borders on derangement. The sweeping corners through the thick forest & looming fog of the Ardennes Forest provide a backdrop with beauty beyond compare. Spa-Francorchamps is everything a circuit should be, & more.

To be continued…

The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day
Vampire Weekend, "California English" from Contra (T.L.A.M.)

Sonntag, 28 August
Avril Lavigne, "What the Hell" from Goodbye Lullaby (T.L.A.M.)