The Explorers' Club Special

Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—The 60th Anniversary of Gemini 3
23 March 1965: Gemini 3 lifted off from Florida's Cape Kennedy Air Force Station, carrying Command Pilot Virgil "Gus" Grissom & Pilot John Young aboard the Gemini spacecraft Molly Brown atop a Titan II G.L.V. rocket; during three orbits, they were the first crew to maneuver their spacecraft in orbit & ate a contraband corned beef sandwich smuggled by Young; they were recovered by the U.S.S. Intrepid.

Wayback Machine: № DCCCXXXIX, "The Space Race—The 55th Anniversary of Gemini 3"

Commentary: The two-man Gemini capsule was affectionately known as the "Gusmobile" because Grissom—the shortest member of the "Mercury Seven," Astronaut Group 1—had played a role in its development & its dimensions well suited his small stature. Project Gemini began development long after the Apollo Program, when it was realized that the limits of the Mercury capsule had been met & that new flight techniques & mission control methods needed to be developed in order for Apollo to achieve its lofty goals. Gemini is very much the forgogtten middle child between the pioneering Mercury & the historic Apollo, but Gemini on its own merits is also when the United States took over the lead of the Space Race from the Soviet Union, achieving new endurance records & perfecting orbital rendezvous & docking.

At the time, March 2020, "The Explorers' Club" was in the midst of the fiftieth anniversaries of the Apollo Moon landings, plus catching up on the fifty-somethingth anniversaries of the pre-Moon landing Apollo missions. We'd missed the fiftieth anniversaries of Project Gemini (2015-2016, when the Great War all but wholly consumed "The Explorers' Club") & I was unwilling to wait for the sixtieth anniversaries tocome around (right now-2026); so, we settled in the fifty-fifth anniverary compromise. I'm looking forward to revisiting the ten Gemini missions over this year & next, & I hope you'll join me.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the III Sunday o' Lent

The Third Sunday of Lent (Quadragesima)
Sam Cooke, "Jesus Gave Me Water" from the Portrait of a Legend: 1951-1964 compilation (Penitent Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: At my parish, there is a catechuman preparing to enter the Church at the Easter Vigil; so, we read the "Scrutiny Readings," the Cycle A readings instead of the standard Cycle C readings. The Gospel pericope was our Blessed Savior's conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: Go Blue!

Project OSPREY: Team 108
N.C.A.A. Tournament, Second Round
(№ 5) Michigan v. Texas A&M (№ 4)
27-9, B1G 14-6

Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, "Get Out of Denver" from the Bonus E.P. (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: The epithetless Aggies are another nightmare matchup for the valiant Wolverines, a club whose strengths corresponds to our weaknesses. Texas A&M are the best defensive team in the country & excellent offensive rebounders. Survive & advance is the name of the game at this point.

Go Blue!

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

The Littlest Man Band, "Better Man" from Better Book Ends (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Today is the Ignite Catholic Men's Conference; this was formerly the diocesan men's conference, but it is now a joint venture between the Diocese of Lansing & the Archdiocese of Detroit (& the Knights of Columbus). I'm running on fumes after four consecutive weekends of the Knights of Columbus Bowling Tournament, the Lenten Fish Fry, & last weekend's Anchor Catholic Middle School Conference in Grand Rapids, in addition to the rest of an already busy life. I hope this event will be spiritually uplifting & revitalizing, because I really need it to be.

"I'm just trying to be a better man…"

Bonus! Fish Fry Song o' the Day

"Weird Al" Yankovic, "King of Suede" from "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D (Mike Papa Whitefish)

Commentary: Every Lent, I become temporarily a small business owner—a very small business, one that is only open seven days a year, & only six this year. Never in my life have I wanted to be a small business owner; I was perfectly content when I was just the French fry guy. I never wanted authority, I had authority thrust upon me.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Reel Big Fish, "She's Not the End of the World" from Candy Coated Fury (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"But how can I eat?
How can I breathe?
How can I sleep if she's not with me?
Oh, she feels like the end of the world!…"

Bonus! Song o' the Day: Go Blue!

Project OSPREY: Team 108
N.C.A.A. Tournament, First Round
(№ 5) Michigan v. U.C. San Diego (№ 12)
26-9, B1G 14-6

Suburban Legends, "Under the Sea" from Day Job (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: The epithetless Tritons of the University of California, San Diego are a nightmare matchup for the valiant Wolverines: U.C. San Diego turn their opponents over on twenty per cent (20%) of possessions & Michigan is a veritable turnover factory, averaging a B1G worst fourteen per game. However, not all is lost: in two of their three B1G Tournament games, the valiant Wolverines turned the ball over significantly below their average.

The seeding in this N.C.A.A. Tournament is a scandal. The valiant Wolverines finished the regular season tied for second in the B1G, ahead of Wisconsin & Purdue; yet, Michigan is a five seed (№ 5), Purdue is a four seed (№ 4), & Wisconsin is a preposterous three seed (№ 3). Michigan beat Wisconsin on the road in the regular season & split with Purdue, each club winning at home. Michigan then defeated both Purdue & Wisconsin in the B1G Tournament. Why on both Wisconsin & Purdue seeded ahead of Michigan? I call shenanigans!

Go Blue!

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the First Day o' Spring

"The cruel, hot summer
led into the long, hard fall,
becoming the dark, killing winter
until spring replenished us all."
—Bill Willingham, Fables

The Vernal Equinox
Suburban Legends, "Bright Spring Morning" from Rump Shaker (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Song o' the Day

MxPx, "Biting the Bullet (Is Bad for Business)" from Secret Weapon (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"She's so calm, yet so confused,
She don't know she's being used,
She tries so hard, but it makes no difference,
'Cause biting the bullet is bad for business…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Saint Joseph's Day

The Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Daniel Schmit, "Joseph's Song" from Christmas Hope (Penitent Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Explorers' Club, № MLXXVIII

Operation AXIOM: Between the Wars
18 March 1925: The Great Tri-State Tornado—A massive tornado perdured for almost four hours & traversed 219 miles, carving a path of destruction across Missouri, Illinois, & Indiana; 695 souls were lost; the tornado, an E.F.5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, was described as an "amorphous rolling fog," the funnel obscured by heavy rain & debris, catching many weather-wise farmers off guard.

Lest we forget.

Bonus! Song o' the Day after Saint Patrick's Day

Flogging Molly, "Drunken Lullabies" from Drunken Lullabies (Mike Papa Irish Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Less Than Jake, "Surrender" from Anthem (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: I prefer L.T.J.'s cover of "Surrender" to Cheap Trick's original version.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Saint Patrick's Day

The Optional Memorial of Saint Patrick, Bishop
Dropkick Murphys, "(F)lannigan's Ball" from The Meanest of Times (Mike Papa Irish Whiskey)

Commentary: Based on the Irish folk song "Lanigan's Ball."

Bonus! Song o' the Day: Go Blue!

Project OSPREY: Team 108
B1G Tournament Champions
(№ 3) Michigan 59-53 Wisconsin (№ 5)
26-9, B1G 14-6

The University of Michigan Marching Band, "The Victors" from Forever Valiant (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: Cards on the table, I did not expect the valiant Wolverines of Team 108 to win a single game in the B1G Tournament, much less the three games in three days to win the B1G Tournament championship. I am enjoying being wrong. I have not been blogging about Michigan Men's Basketball, but then again I haven't been blogging about much of anything. I watched most of the games after football season ended; so, I am allowed to enjoy this.

Go Blue!

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the II Sunday o' Lent

The Second Sunday of Lent (Quadragesima)
Sufjan Stevens, "The Trasnfiguration (Home Demo Version)" from Sufjan Stevens Invites You To: Come On, Feel the Illinoise (A.K.A. Illinois) (Penitent Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Song o' the Day

King Apparatus, "Hold Me Down" from King Apparatus (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Well, you tried, but you won't be satisfied,
Until you hold me down.
You can hold but not control me, girl,
You can't hold me down.
Come on, try and try, but you gonna find
You can't hold me down,
Because better than you have tried and failed
To hold me down, I'm leaving town!

"You can't hold me,
You can't hold me,
You can't hold me down…"

The Rebel Black Song o' the Ides o' March

Operation AXIOM: The 2,069th Anniversary of the Assassination of Julius Caesar
Goldfinger, "Put the Knife Away" from The Knife (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Reel Big Fish, "Take On Me" from BASEketball: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: I heard the original on the radio today & my thoughts immediately went to the far superior cover by the Reel Big Fish.

Bonus! Fish Fry Song o' the Day

Wally Dogger, "I.T. Is for Rockstars" from I Surrender, When Do I Start? (Mike Papa Whelk)

Commentary: Typically, my co-chairman misses approximately one-third of a season's fish fries. These days are especially stressful because I have to do most of his job in addition to all of my regular responsibilities. I called him because our online payment app wasn't loading & the tablet wasn't re-starting as instructed. (The eventually successful re-start solved the issue.) He answered the phone by asking, "What did you break?" He was trying to lighten things up, but I wasn't in the mood for it.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Barenaked Ladies, "Maybe Katie" from Everything to Everyone (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"What's so maybe about,
What's so maybe about,
What's so maybe about Katie?…"

The Explorers' Club Special: March 1915

Operation AXIOM: The World War
After a one-episode break from the grimness of 1914-1918, March 2015 was exclusively devoted to the Great War. Episodes focused on the Western Front, the Eastern Front, the final end of Germany's Asian colonies, & the beginning of the Gallipolli Campaign.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the World War: March 1915
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXXXIV: The Battle of Neuve Chapelle (10-13 March 1915)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXXXV: The Battle of Más a Tierra (14 March 1915)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXXXVI: The Battle of 18 March 1915 (The Gallipolli Campaign, Part I)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXXXVII: The Siege of Przemyśl (24 September 1914-22 March 1915)

Lest we forget.

Bonus! Fish Fry Song o' the Day

Thin Lizzy, "The Boys Are Back in Town" from Jailbreak (Mike Papa Walleye)

Commentary: This is the season-opening fish fry, because the traditional pre-Ash Wednesday "warm up" was deep-sixed by the fundraising dinner/auction of a local independent Catholic school. The dinner/auction was Saturday night; so, why they needed to do all their set up on Friday, precluding our use of the hall, is beyond me.

The Explorers' Club, № MLXXVII

Operation AXIOM: The Space Age—The 40th Anniversary of the Space Shuttle Atlantis
6 March 1985: The Space Shuttle Atlantis OV-104 rolled out of the North American Rockwell factory in Palmdale, California; she flew thirty-three missions from 1985-2011, launching the Magellan (to Venus) & Galileo (to Jupiter) interplanetary probes, launching the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory & servicing the Hubble Space Telescope, & flying the final flight of the Space Shuttle, S.T.S.-135.

Commentary: The Atlantis was the last Orbiter of the original Space Shuttle fleet; the sixth & final Orbiter, the Endeavour, was not commissioned until 1991, six years later. The Atlantis has been on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex since the retirement of the fleet in 2011.

Bonus! Space Age Song o' the Day: The Space Shuttle Atlantis
Super Boat Warp, "Farewell Atlantis" from the Fire All Weapons! E.P. (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Semper exploro.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Half Past Two, "Smile Like You Mean It" from the Camp Slushtone E.P. (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Ash Wednesday

The Proclaimers, ""Wages of Sin" from Notes & Rhymes (Penitent Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Remember that you are dust, & to dust you shall return.

"So I hope (Hope, hope, hope and pray),
And I pray (Hope, hope, hope and pray),
That the wages of sin
Aren't paid today…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Fat Tuesday

"Weird Al" Yankovic, "Eat It" from "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: The photo above is from the Battle of the Oranges, the centerpiece of the Carnival in Ivrea, Piedmont, Italy. The Battle of the Oranges was the subject of episode № CCLXIII of "The Explorers' Club," way back in 2011, wherein we also created a retrospective on the first five years of "The Explorers' Club": Wayback Machine.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Carnival

Oreskaband, "Carnival" from the Carry On! E.P. (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: As with most Japanese bands with which I am familiar, Oreskaband sing primarily in Japanese, with just a smattering of English; so, I really don't know what "Carnival" is about.

The Explorers' Club, № MLXXVI

Operation AXIOM: Between the Wars
3 March 1925: The Helium of Act of 1925 was signed into law by President Coolidge, forbidding the export of helium, on which the United States had nearly a monopoly; 1920 legislation had already reserved all helium in natural gas on federal lands to federal use; foreign airships designed for helium gas thus had to use flammable hydrogen gas for lift, contributing to the 1937 Hindenburg diasaster.

Lest we forget.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Carnival

The Cardigans, "Carnival" from Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery—Original Soundtrack (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Lent is almost three weeks later this year than it was last year (14 February 2024 versus 5 March 2025), & almost as late as Ash Wednesday can be (10 March is the latest possible), but nevertheless Lent is nigh upon us, meaning now is Carnival time!

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Reel Big Fish, "Everything Sucks" from Turn the Radio Off (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"I'm giving up because—

I know everything sucks, yeah,
I know everything sucks, whoa-oh-oh,
I know everything sucks, yeah,
And this is gonna be the last time you hear me complain…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Allister, "Fraggle Rock" from Dead Ends and Girlfriends (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Dance your cares away,
Worries for another day,
Let the music play,
Down in Fraggle Rock!

"Work your cares away,
Dancing for another day,
Let the Fraggles play,
Down in Fraggle Rock!…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Blink-182, "Reckless Abandon" from Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Bite Me Bambi, "Bad Boyfriend" from Eat This (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: "Bad Boyfriend" is the subject of this week's episode of the Chris DeMakes a Podcast songwriting podcast. After years of releasing singles & one extended play (E.P.), this very month Bite Me Bambi finally released an album, though with only eight songs Eat This is almost an extended E.P.

It's easy to imagine "Bad Boyfriend" as a future Anti-Valentine's R.B.D.S.O.T.D.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the War

Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, "Minstrel Boy" from Black Hawk Down: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Operation AXIOM: The 3rd Anniversary of the Russian Re-invasion of Ukraine
Three years ago to the day, 24 February 2022, ground, air, & naval forces of the Russian Federation crossed the frontiers of both Russia & Belarus into Ukraine, a thrust aimed at capturing Kyiv & decapitating the Ukrainian government. The Kremlin's aim has been clearly stated, to erase the Ukrainian national identity & re-absorb the country into their sphere of influence, the Russkiy mir ("Russian world" & "Russian peace," mir being a multivalent word).

The war is not our fault, the war is the fault of Russian strongman Vladimir Putin & his personalist authoritarian regime. But we failed to deter Putin & we are to blame for our fecklessness. Putin, as prime minister under President Boris Yeltsin, cemented his legitimacy by re-invading Chechnya in 1999, returing the breakaway region to Moscow's control; we did nothing, despite the brutality of the Russian invasion. In 2008, Putin's Russia (at the time, he was prime minister under President Dmitri Medvedev) invaded Georgia, establishing a permanent military presence inside Georgia within the breakaway republics of Abkhazia & South Ossetia; we did nothing. In 2014 (when Joe Biden was vice president of the United States), Putin's Russia invaded Ukraine, illegally annexing the Crimean Peninsula & beginning an insurrgency in the Donbas; we did nothing. In the run-up to 2022's re-invasion of Ukraine, President Biden spent more time ruling out potential American responses than threatening an effective American response; that this utterly failed to deter the invasion became lamentably undeniable on 24 February two years hence.

Russia invaded the Ukraine, again, three years ago today, 24 February 2022.

The Explorers' Club, № MLXXV

The Space Race—Astronaut Group 3 (the "Fourteen"), Part XIV
Roger Bruce Chaffee (15 February 1935-27 January 1967), Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy—He was scheduled to fly AS-204 (1967, redesignated Apollo 1), but died with Gus Grissom & Ed White in a fire during a ground test of their Apollo capsule; Chaffee replaced Donn Eisele, who injured his shoulder in training; Chaffee was one of four Purdue alumni astronauts to attend the 1967 Rose Bowl.

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: The Fourteen—Roger Chaffee
Public Service Broadcasting, "Fire in the Cockpit" from The Race for Space (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

The Wayback Machine Tour of Roger Chaffee
"The Stars My Destination:" The Apollo 1 Disaster
"The Explorers' Club," No. XXXV

Requiescat in pace.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the VII Sunday in O.T.

The Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Meredith Andrews, "The Gospel Changes Everything" from the Behold the Savior E.P. (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, "Everybody's Better" from A Jackknife to a Swan (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Everybody's better than I am,
I think everybody's better than me,
And everybody's swell, I guess,
They're doing well, more or less,
And everybody's better than I am, I think.

"You know, to be king you don't need a castle,
To row back to shore can sure be a hassle.
(Why you walk around with your head low down?)

"Everybody's acting like I don't matter,
Everybody's into the act,
Too many of them to avoid,
It could be that I'm paranoid,
I matter as a matter of fact!

"You know, to be king you don't need a castle,
To row back to shore can sure be a hassle.

"Why you walk around with your head low down?
The true king rules without a crown.
If your boat's afloat after the typhoon,
Row it safely back to the lagoon,
And never mind the green grass you won't mow,
Or what it is you have or don't to show,
Or what it is you can or can't afford,
The good are good without reward…"