Attention The Guy! Attention C.! Attention everybody! Round Four of Who Used To Own It? was posted on Friday. Scroll down to play!

The Explorers Club
No. LXX - The curious case of the H.M.A.S. Sydney and the German commerce raider Kormoran, from the fateful battle and mutual demise on 19 November 1941 to the very recent discovery of the hitherto lost wrecks on 16-17 March 2008.





The wreck of the Kormoran.

The wreck of the Sydney.



The mysterious disappearance of the Sydney and the Kormoran was already sitting in the queue for "The Explorers Club" when, to my astonishment, both wrecks were located just over a week ago. Wow! I was sorely tempted to be up-to-the-minute and run this story as last week's episode, but I was loathe to interrupt "Finland Imperiled," a subject near and dear to my heart. Still, by the standards of "The Explorers Club," this episode is breaking news.

Say a prayer for the brave souls who went to their eternal rest in the deep, so many years ago.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Real Can of Yams, "A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama" from Good or Suck! (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: Lyrics by M. Wilson.

"All I know is digging all day,
Digging this canal for the U.S.A.
All day long I dig, dig, dig,
This thing we're digging is really big!
We all have yellow fever, we're sick,
But we keep digging, our boss is a dick.
For some big jobs we use dynamite.
It's awful loud, but it's quite a sight!

A man, a plan, a canal, Panama,
I miss my home and my dear old ma.
I like my job, but I miss my bed.
I think a spider laid eggs in my head!
A man, a plan, a canal, Panama,
'I sure am proud of you, son,' wrote my ma.

There's no place to go, but my money's all spent,
Then we get a visit from the president.
Teddy Roosevelt charged up San Juan Hill,
He was the man the Spaniards could not kill.
Now he tells us to dig this canal,
He always says 'Bully!' I wish he was my pal.
Golly, I'm so happy digging all day!
Digging this canal for the U.S.A.!

A man, a plan, a canal, Panama,
I miss my home and my dear old ma.
I like my job, but I miss my bed.
I think a spider laid eggs in my head!
A man, a plan, a canal, Panama,
'I sure am proud of you, son,' wrote my ma."

More joyful splendor from the Land of the Rising Sun: politelink. I really am so terribly fond of the Japanese. You wonderful, madcap lunatics!