The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Today: America 250

Freitag, 13. November
The United States Semiquincentennial (1776-2026)
"Weird Al" Yankovic, "The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota" from U.H.F.: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Mike Patriot Whiskey)

Commentary:

"So we all just stared at the ball for awhile,
And my eyes got moist, but I said with a smile,
'Kids, this here's what America's all about'…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Yesterday: America 250

Donnerstag, 12. November
The United States Semiquincentennial (1776-2026)
John Linnell, "Maine" from State Songs (Mike Patriot Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Relaxing on my hands and knees,
Relaxing on my face,
Recling in the the bear trap
Of its tender, warm embrace.

"Blessed with coniferous green,
Blessed with excitement and dread,
Exhausted from oversleep,
Awake but still in bed.

"Shaving razor's rusty,
But the sting brings you exactly back to—

"Maine is the world that went south!
Maine is a punch in the mouth!
Maine at the top of the chart
Has crushed my evil heart!

"Maine is the devil you know!
Maine is the heaven below!
Maine at the top of the chart
Has crushed my evil heart!…

"Maine is the poison you love,
Maine is the hell from above,
Maine at the top of the chart
Has crushed my evil heart!"

The Explorers' Club Special: Gemini XII

Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—The 60th Anniversary of Gemini XII
11 November 1966: Gemini XII lifted off from Florida's Cape Kennedy Air Force Station, carrying Command Pilot Jim Lovell & Pilot "Buzz" Aldrin aboard a Gemini spacecraft atop a Titan II G.L.V. rocket; they rendezvoused & docked with their Agena Target Vehicle, but anomalies with its main engine precluded boosting into a higher altitude; they observed a total solar eclipse on 12 November.

15 November 1966: Aldrin conducted three E.V.A.s—two stand-ups & one two-hour excursion outside the capsule—without encountering the difficulties that had plagued previous E.V.A.s; the triumph was attributable to pre-flight neutral buoyancy (water) training, additional handholds & footholds, & scheduled rest periods; they splashed down in the Atlantic & were recovered by the U.S.S. Wasp.

Commentary: Project Gemini was conceived almost as an afterthought, but was a necessary bridge between the pioneering flights of Mercury & Apollo's conquest of the Moon. N.A.S.A. planned the first manned Apollo flight, AS-204, for 21 February 1967, but its doubtful Kennedy's goal could have been achieved without Gemini XII solving Extravehicular Activity, a puzzle that had bedeviled Gemini IX-A, Gemini X, & Gemini XI (& almost certainly would have bedeviled Gemini VIII if they hadn't been forced to make an emergency re-entry). The tools & techniques pioneered for Gemini XII—plenteous foot restraints & tethers, build-in rest periods, neutral-buoyancy training—are still staples of E.V.A. six decades later.

The Wayback Machine Tour of Gemini XII
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCL: The 55th Anniversary of Gemini XII, Part I
Space Race Song o' the Day
Space Race Song o' the Day
Space Race Song o' the Day
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCLI: The 55th Anniversary of Gemini XII, Part II

Semper exploro.

The Explorers' Club Special: November 1916

Operation AXIOM: The World War
November 1916: The Battle of the Somme came to an end, mostly due to the winter weather; the British planned to resume offensive operations in the spring. But the battle did not end before a German sniper killed the British writer Saki (1870-1916), who despite his social standing had served as a ordinary trooper since 1914. His last words were, "Put that cigarette out!"

The Wayback Machine Tour of the World War: November 1916
"The Explorers' Club," № DXXIII: The Battle of the Somme, Part VII: The Death of Hector Hugh Munro, "Saki" (14 November 1916)
"The Explorers' Club," № DXXIV: The Battle of The Somme, Part VIII: The Battle of the Ancre (13-18 November 1916)

Lest we forget.

Armistice Day

"Armistice Day has become Veterans' Day. Armistice Day was sacred. Veterans' Day is not."
—Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Breakfast of Champions

Operation AXIOM: The 108th Anniversary of the Armistice of Compiègne
One hundred eight years ago to the day, 11 November 1918, "at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month," the guns fell silent on the Western Front. The "War to End All Wars" was over. Tens of millions were dead. Empires lay in ruins. Revolution was in the air. The world that had existed before the summer of 1914 was shattered utterly, torn asunder by unfathomable bloodshed.

The world had never seen madness as red as the World War; pray to the Almighty that we shall not see madness so red in our own lifetime. A century later, only the ignorant &/or the foolish would say we do not live in a world yet scarred by 1914-1918, haunted by the ghost of a war most of us prefer to pretend never happened. Western civilization barely survived the suicide attempt of 1914-1918, & might yet succumb to the wound. It all ended—in triumph, in defeat, in exhaustion, in jubilation—on 11 November 1918, one hundred eight years ago today.

"The Peacemaker"
by Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)

Upon his will he binds a radiant chain,
For Freedom's sake he is no longer free.
It is his task, the slave of Liberty,
With his own blood to wipe away a stain.
That pain may cease, he yields his flesh to pain
To banish war, he must a warrior be.
He dwells in Night, eternal Dawn to see,
And gladly dies, abundant life to gain.


What matters Death, if Freedom be not dead?
No flags are fair, if Freedom's flag be furled.
Who fights for Freedom, goes with joyful tread
To meet the fires of Hell against him hurled,
And has for captain Him whose thorn-wreathed head
Smiles from the Cross upon a conquered world.

Commentary: Sergeant Alfred Joyce Kilmer was killed in action on 30 July 1918 (Wayback Machine).

"France"
by Cecil Chesterton (1879-1918)

Because or once the sword broke in her hand,
The words she spoke seemed perished for a space;
All wrong was brazen, and in every land
The tyrants walked abroad with naked face.

The waters turned to blood, as rose the Star
Of evil fate denying all release.
The rulers smote, the feeble crying "War!"
The usurers robbed, the naked crying "Peace!"

And her own feet were caught in nets of gold,
And her own soul profaned by sects that squirm,
And little men climbed her high seats and sold
Her honour to the vulture and the worm.

And she seemed broken and they thought her dead,
The Over-Men, so brave against the weak.
Has your last word of sophistry been said,
O cult of slaves? Then it is hers to speak.

Clear the slow mists from her half-darkened eyes,
As slow mists parted over Valmy fell,
And once again her hands in high surprise
Take hold upon the battlements of Hell.

Commentary: Private Cecil Chesterton died in a military hospital on 6 December 1918.

The Wayback Machine Tour of Armistice Day: Lest We Forget
Armistice Day '25 + Armistice Day '24 + Armistice Day '23

Armistice Day '22 + Armistice Day '21 + Armistice Day '20 + Armistice Day '18

Armistice Day '17 + Armistice Day '16 + Armistice Day '15 + Armistice Day '14

Armistice Day '13 + Armistice Day '12 + Armistice Day '11 + Armistice Day '10

Armistice Day '09 + Armistice Day '08 + Armistice Day '07 + Armistice Day '06

Armistice Day '05 + Armistice Day '04 + Armistice Day '03 + Armistice Day '02

"The Explorers' Club," № DCLVI: 11 November 1918—The Armistice
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCXVI: 11 November 1919—The First Armistice Day
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCLXXXIII: 11 November 1920—The Second Armistice Day
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCLVII: 11 November 1921—The Third Armistice Day

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Armistice Day
Walt Whitman & Kurt Weill, "Dirge for Two Veterans" from The Pity of War: Songs and Poems of Wartime Suffering (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: An 1865 poem by Walt Whitman (1819-1892) about the American Civil War set to music by Kurt Weill (1900-1950). I do not know the names of the singer nor the pianist on this recording.

Lest we forget.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Edmund Fitzgerald

Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" from Summertime Dream (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Operation AXIOM
Fifty-one years ago to the day, 10 November 1975, twenty-nine souls were lost when the lake freighter S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald sank amidst a severe storm—"the Witch of November"—on Lake Superior, a freshwater sea of monstrous proportions. The captain's last radio message, transmitted while the Edmund Fitzgerald battled against thirty-five-foot waves, was, "We are holding our own." The Edmund Fitzgerald was a legend in her own time, setting six seasonal haul records in a seventeen-year career, yet her doomed crew & tragic wreck would be all but forgotten today if not for this date's annual R.B.D.S.O.T.D., the popular 1976 ballad, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, to whom our collective memory owes a great debt.

Twenty-nine men perished when the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald sank on 10 November 1975, fifty-one years ago today.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Edmund Fitzgerald '25

Edmund Fitzgerald '24 + Edmund Fitzgerald '23 + Edmund Fitzgerald '22 + Edmund Fitzgerald '21

Edmund Fitzgerald '20 + Edmund Fitzgerald '18 + Edmund Fitzgerald '17 + Edmund Fitzgerald '16

Edmund Fitzgerald '15 + Edmund Fitzgerald '14 + Edmund Fitzgerald '11 + Edmund Fitzgerald '10

Requiscat in pace.

The Explorers' Club, № MCXCII

Destination Moon—Astronaut Group 5 (the "Original Nineteen"), Part X
Ronald Ellwin Evans Junior (10 November 1933-6 April 1990), Captain, U.S. Navy—He flew as Command Module Pilot on Apollo 17 (America & Challenger, 1972); he spent the most time orbiting the Moon (147:43:11, more than 6 days) & conducted the third & final deep-space E.V.A.; he smoked one last cigarette prior to launch while wearing his A7LB spacesuit, before his helmet was secured.

Commentary: Evans's Apollo 17 crewmates Gene Cernan & Jack Schmitt nicknamed him "Captain America." Evans served as back C.M.P. for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, which included learning the Russian language.

Bonus! Moonshot Song o' the Day: The Original Nineteen—Ron Evans
Less Than Jake, "One Last Cigarette" from Pezcore (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

Commentary: Cernan & Schmitt's hopes for Evans to quite cigarettes "cold turkey" during the fortnight of Apollo 17 were dashed, for as soon as the trio came aboard the recovery ship, U.S.S. Ticonderoga, Evans asked for a cigarette.

The Wayback Machine Tour of Ron Evans
"The Explorers' Club," № CMXXI: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 17, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № CMXXII: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 17, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № CMXXIII: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 17, Part III

The Wayback Machine Tour of the Moonflyers
"The Explorers' Club," № CMXLVIII: Frank Borman (Apollo 8)
"The Explorers' Club," № CMXLIX: Jim Lovell (Apollo 8 & Apollo 13)
"The Explorers' Club," № MXLVII: Bill Anders (Apollo 8)
"The Explorers' Club," № CMLXXI: Tom Stafford (Apollo 10)
"The Explorers' Club," № MXXV: Mike Collins (Apollo 11)
"The Explorers' Club," № MXXVII: Dick Gordon (Apollo 12)
"The Explorers' Club," № MCLIX: Jack Swigert (Apollo 13)
"The Explorers' Club," № MCLXI: Fred Haise (Apollo 13)
"The Explorers' Club," № MCLXIII: Stu Roosa (Apollo 14)
"The Explorers' Club," № MCLXX: Al Worden (Apollo 15)
"The Explorers' Club," № MCLXXXIII: Ken Mattingly (Apollo 16)

Commentary: For fifty-three years (December 1972-April 2026), these twelve men & the twelve Moonwalkers (Wayback Machine) were the only humans to have flown beyond low Earth orbit. Artemis II added four more names to that list; the twenty-four are now twenty-eight, with the promise of many more to come.

Requiescat in pace.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: America 250

The United States Semiquincentennial (1776-2026)
John Linnell, "Illinois" from State Songs (Mike Patriot Whiskey)

Commentary: A short (1:24) instumental piece.

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

The Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Temptations, "Get Ready" from the My Girl: The Very Best of the Temptations compilation (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Get ready, 'cause here I come…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: Go Blue!

Team 147, Game 9: Michigan v. Michigan Agricultural
They Might Be Giants, "Why Must I Be Sad?" from John Henry (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: Have I mentioned that I hate night games? Because I really hate night games.

It's a race to the bottom this week, as the valiant Wolverines & the dastardly Spartans content for the Paul Bunyan Trophy. Neither team is any good, & it is a genuine question whether either will make it to a bowl game. I'm not watching the game, because it is not on either bradcast television nor cable television; the game is streaming on Peacock. I am not willing to subscribe to Peacock.

Go Blue!

The Explorers' Club, № MCXCI

Operation AXIOM: Destination Moon—The 60th Anniversary of Lunar Orbiter 2
6 November 1966: The Lunar Orbiter 2 probe lifted off from Florida's Cape Kennedy Air Force Station aboard an Atlas-Agena rocket; Lunar Orbiter 2 transmitted 609 high-resolution photos & 208 medium-resolution photos from 18-25 November; 6 photos were lost due to an amplifier failure during data readout on 7 December 1966; Lunar Orbiter 2 crashed during its 2,346th orbit, on 11 October 1967.

Commentary: The later Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter located Lunar Orbiter 2's crash site in 2011.

Bonus! Destination Moon Song o' the Day: Lunar Orbiter 2
Smash Mouth, "Satellite" from Astro Lounge (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Ex Luna, scientia.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: America 250

The United States Semiquincentennial (1776-2026)
Sufjan Stevens, "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!" from Sufjan Stevens Invites You To: Come On, Feel the Illinoise (A.K.A. Illinois) (Mike Patriot Whiskey)

Commentary: "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!" is about (as far as I can decipher) the State of Illinois, not just the city of Chicago, but the flag of Chicago is cool. As far as the panoply of Anerican state flags go, Illinois's isn't the worst, & for our purposes here it does feature an eagle & a shield decorated with the colors of the Stars & Stripes.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: America 250

The United States Semiquincentennial (1776-2026)
John Linnell, "Montana" from State Songs (Mike Patriot Whiskey)

Commentary: My favorite part of "Montana" is not the song itself, though I remind readers that no unworthy song is chosen as an R.B.D.S.O.T.D. Some songs are embargoed & will never be chosen. No, my favorite part of "Montana" is the liner note:

It's only appropriate that a state as large as Montana (147,046 square miles) should sport two Official State Nicknames. They are: 'the Treasure State' and 'Big Sky Country.' Montanans can also choose between two Official gemstones: Sapphire and Agate. And owing to her vastness Montana requires two separate heads of state: the Governor, and his nemesis the anti-Governor.

The Explorers' Club, № MCXC

Operation AXIOM: Between the Wars
31 October 1926: Harry Houdini (the stage name of Erik Weisz, Americanized as Ehrich Weiss, born 24 March 1874), the famous escapologist & illusionist, died of peritonitis & appendicitis at Detroit's Grace Hospital; on 22 October, Houdini received heavy, surprise blows to the abdomen backstage at Montreal's Princess Theatre; his final performance was at Detroit's Garrick Theater on 24 October.

Commentary: It has never been proven, & almost certainly cannot be proven, that the punches "caused" Houdini's death, but whether or not he already had appendicitis that the punches greatly exacerbated, it seems intuitively obvious that the pummelling of his abdomen contributed to his death.

Lest we forget.

Operation ÖSTERREICH

Please Stand By | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 330.2 lbs. (12 June 2024)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: America 250

The United States Semiquincentennial (1776-2026)
John Linnell, "Michigan" from State Songs (Mike Patriot Whiskey)

Commentary:

"O Michigan, exemplar of unchecked replication,
O Michigan! O Michigan!
The tank the fishes are in!
Expansionist in spirit,
In latter borders obtained,
Don't hold us back, don't hold us back,
We must eat Michigan's brain!
Now grow back, Michigan,
We miss you again!"

60 Years of Star Trek (The Original Series, 1966-2026)

Operation AXIOM: Episode o' the Week
"Dagger of the Mind" (season one, episode nine; production code: 11; 3 November 1966): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: The Enterprise arrives at an isolated colony for the treatment of the criminally insane. The administrator has gone mad with power & is using a diabolical device to reduce to staff & inmates to emotionally numb puppets under his control; the administrator, Dr. Adams, is thwarted, though he is eventually killed by his own device. A similar colony for the criminally insane will be seen in "Whom Gods Destroy" (season three, episode fourteen), though on planet Elba II, not Tantalus V as in "Dagger of the Mind." Revisiting the colony on Tantalus V instead of inventing a new one on Elba II would have been a nice bit of continuity-building, though this was not realy a concern during The Original Series.

Beautiful woman of the week: Marianna Hill as ship's psychiatrist Dr. Helen Noel.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Election Day: America 250

The United States Semiquincentennial (1776-2026)
Rob Carriker, "Free America" from Over There!: Songs from America's Wars (Mike Patriot Whiskey)

Commentary: The polls in sacred Michigan are open from 7:00 A.M.-8:00 P.M., "8:00 P.M." meaning as long as it takes for everyone in line at 8:00 P.M. to cast their ballot.

20 Years of Psych (2006-2026)

Episode o' the Day
"In Plain Fright" (season five, episode eleven; 17 November 2010): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Shawn & Gus investigate a murder Shawn witnessed in an amusement park's haunted house ride.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' All Souls Day

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day)
Audrey Assad, "Death in His Grave" from the Death, Be Not Proud E.P. (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

20 Years of Psych (2006-2026)

Episode o' the Day
"Extradition II: The Actual Extradition Part" (season five, episode ten; 10 November 2010): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Master thief Pierre Despereaux (played by Cary Elwes) returns, effortlessly escaping from & returning to a penitentiary unnoticed by his jailors, yet being blind to the danger right in front of him.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' All Saints Day

The Solemnity of All Saints
The Dixieland All Stars, "When the Saints Go Marching In" from The Dixieland All Stars: The Greatest Band in the World (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

20 Years of Psych (2006-2026)

Episode o' the Day
"One, Maybe Two, Ways Out" (season five, episode nine; 8 September 2010): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Nestor Carbonell returns as Declan Rand, now out of the criminal profiler game but still dating Juliet, planning to take a romantic vacation to Italy's Amalfi Coast. The main plot involes guest star Frank Potente (Marie in The Bourne Identity &, briefly, The Bourne Supremacy), but as the title indicates, owes more to the film No Way Out. Shawn & Juliet share a passionate kiss.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: Go Blue!

Team 147, Game 8: Michigan @ Rutgers
Less Than Jake, "Never Going Back to New Jersey" from Losing Streak (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: I loathe the expansion of the B1G from fourteen universities (which was already four too many) to eighteen, including four school from the Ancient Enemy, the Pac-12 (now revived from the ashes, but that's a discussion for another time). One of the few positives from conference expansion was getting rid of the divisions, which means the University of Michigan no longer has to tilt against Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey every bloody year.

It's very clever marketing of the scurrilous Scarlet Knights to lean into their history as "the birthplace of college football," but they should have to defend it by playing a football game on 6 November of every year, regardless of the day of the week.

Go Blue!

Bonus! Song o' Hallowe'en!

The Aquabats!, "Dr. Space Mummy!" from Finally! (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Commentary: This is "Dr. Space Mummy!'s" debut as a Hallowe'en R.B.D.S.O.T.D.; I'm disappointed in myself because the song was available for both Hallowe'en '24 & Hallowe'en '25.

"From the ancient tombs of outer space,
Comes the med school grad with a bandaged face,
Now he's here on Earth to do a real bad thing,
'Cause he's the local leader of the Gargoyle Gang.

"A poison attack on the water supply!
Our civilization will be mummified!…

"His teeth are gnarly rotten, like his green moon tan,
He can't be killed with bullets, but he may just lend a hand.
Turning children into mummies is his evil plan,
He's a doctor from space and he's a mummy, man!

"He summons monsters with remote control!
His hideout's inside out and he has no soul!…"

20 Years of Psych (2006-2026)

Episode o' the Day
"Shawn 2.0" (season five, episode eight; 1 September 2010): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Nestor Carbonell, whom I always remember fondly as Batmanuel from The Tick (2001, live action), guest stars as criminal profiler Declan Rand, the eponymous Shawn 2.0. Like Shawn, Declan is a fraud: he isn't a trained criminal & all of his academic credentials are forgeries; like Shawn, Declan is just a very observant & intuitive investigator. Unlike Shawn, Declan is wealthy & decisive; Shawn hesitates & fumbles in asking Juliet out, Declan takes action & begins dating Juliet.

"Shawn 2.0" also marks the first guest appearance by musician Curt Smith, who performed a version of the theme song, "I Know You Know" & guest starred in the episode.

The Rebel Black Dot Hallowe'en Song o' the Day

Spinal Tap, "Stonehenge" from This Is Spinal Tap (Mike Papa Wyvern)

Commentary: This is "Stonehenge's" debut as a Hallowe'en R.B.D.S.O.T.D., which I found a little surprising. Better late than never!

"In ancient times,
Hundreds of years before the dawn of history,
Lived a strange race of people:
The Druids.

No one knows who they were,
Or what they were doing…"

20 Years of Psych (2006-2026)

Episode o' the Day
"Ferry Tale" (season five, episode seven; 25 August 2010): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Hallowe'en Song o' the Day

The Atomic Fireballs, "Man with the Hex" from Torch This Place (Mike Papa Witch Doctor)

Commentary: "Man with the Hex" debuted as a Hallowe'en R.B.D.S.O.T.D. in 2013.

"O wink 'em, tink 'em, nodimus rex,
Save us from the man with the hex,
Save us from his evil curse,
It's gonna get bad, it's gonna get worse.

"Ooo, hocus-pocus, alacazam,
Save us from that evil man,
With hairy legs and heavy feet
He cracks the pavement as he creeps…"

20 Years of Psych (2006-2026)

Episode o' the Day
"Viagra Falls" (season five, episode six; 18 August 2010): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: The late Carl Weathers & the still-with-us William Devane guest star as retired Santa Barbara Police detectives Boone & Peters, real characters whom Henry admires as the best cops from his rookie days, who help to solve the murder of their old police chief.

Operation ÖSTERREICH

Please Stand By | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 330.2 lbs. (12 June 2024)

The Rebel Black Dot Hallowe'en Song o' the Day

Creedence Clearwater Revival, "I Put a Spell on You" from the Chronicle: 20 Greatest Hits compilation (Mike Papa Wizard)

Commentary: "I Put a Spell on You" debuted as a Hallowe'en R.B.D.S.O.T.D. in 2016.

Do not put spells on people, it will not work & it is not polite. This does not apply to cats, because cats are not polite anyway.

60 Years of Star Trek (The Original Series, 1966-2026)

Operation AXIOM: Episode o' the Week
"Miri" (season one, episode eight; production code: 12; 27 October 1966): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: The Enterprise encounters the first of several duplicate Earths. A landing party beams down to investigate an automated distress signal & become infected with the disease that all but wiped out the native population. Our heroes race against time to devise a cure, unable to return to the Enterprise for fear of infecting the crew, & also confront the native survivors, long-lived children who are centuries old but still act childishly.

An underappreciated peril of Star Trek's style of space travel, involving numerous humanoid species who are able to interbreed (seemingly because of a common origin, courtesy of "The Chase" [Star Trek: The Next Generation, season six, episode twenty (1993)]), is infectious disease. Captain Kirk, Mister Spock, Doctor McCoy, Yeoman Rand, & two red shirts beam down & become infected immediately. No scan detected the disease before they beamed down, & using the transporter to screen out the infection was apparently not possible. This would seemingly happen all the time, & not every starship would have a chief medical officer as capable as Bones.

The Rebel Black Dot Hallowe'en Song o' the Day

Spike Jones & His City Slickers, "My Old Flame" from the The Spike Jones Anthology compilation (Mike Papa Wendigo)

Commentary: "My Old Flame" debuted as a Hallowe'en R.B.D.S.O.T.D. in 2012.

Two-thirds of "My Old Flame" is sung-spoken in the unsettling style of Peter Lorre, as a murderer with a collection of human heads & so forth.

"I've met so many who had fascinating ways,
A fascinating gaze in their eyes—
I saw the sigh! So I removed the other eye!
That eye that kept winking and blinking at other men!
It was making (indistinct mumbling)—
Some who took me up to the skies…"

The Rebel Black Dot Hallowe'en Song o' the Day

Snmnmnm, "Zombie Girlfriend" from Snmnmnm (Mike Papa Wight)

Commentary: "Zombie Girlfriend" debuted as a Hallowe'en R.B.D.S.O.T.D. in 2010, our first Hallowe'en series.

Hallowe'en is about fun, not fear; about make believe, not malevolence. Laugh in the face of the things that go bump in the night.

20 Years of Psych (2006-2026)

Episode o' the Day
"Shawn and Gus in Drag (Racing)" (season five, episode five; 11 February 2010): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: The street racing/The Fast and the Furious episode.

The Explorers' Club, № MCLXXXIX

Operation AXIOM: Between the Wars
23 October 1926: Leon Trotsky & Lev Kamenev were ousted from the Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union; during Vladimir Lenin's illness (1922-1923), Kamenev had formed a troika with Iosif Stalin & Grigory Zinoviev against Trotsky, then head of the Soviet armed forces; the troika broke up in April 1925 & Kamenev & Zinoviev formed the United Opposition with Trotsky in May 1926.

Lest we forget.