The Explorers Club
№ CCLXIII - Ivrea's annual Battle of the Oranges.









The Explorers Club | Operation AXIOM
Five years ago to the day, 27 November 2006, a new feature was added to The Secret Base, an educational series fancifully titled "The Explorers Club." Each of the hyperlinks below works, allowing any interested Club member (for our purposes, anyone reading these lines is a member of the Explorers Club) to peruse the five years of "Explorers Club" episodes without plumbing through The Secret Base's archives. I wish I'd been able to take more time to explore The Secret Base of years gone by, but with over two hundred sixty hyperlinks to construct & enable, there was precious little time for sightseeing. I hope you enjoy our retrospective, & more importantly that your appetite to learn is continually whetted by "The Explorers Club."

№ I - The Fairey Rotodyne.

№ II / № III / № IV / № V / № VI

№ VII / № VIII / № IX / № X / № XI

№ XII / № XIII / № XIV / № XV / № XVI

№ XVII / № XVIII / № XIX / № XX / № XXI

№ XXII / № XXIII / № XXIV / № XXV / № XXVI

№ XXVII / № XXVIII / № XXIX / № XXX / № XXXI

№ XXXII / № XXXIII / № XXXIV / № XXXV / № XXXVI

№ XXXVII / № XXXVIII / № XXXIX / № XL / № XLI

№ XLII / № XLIII / № XLIV / № XLV / № XLVI

№ XLVII / № XLVIII / № XLIX

№ L - The last will & testament of Cecil Rhodes.

№ LI / № LII / № LIII / № LIV / № LV

№ LVI / № LVII / № LVIII / № LIX / № LX

№ LXI / № LXII / № LXIII / № LXIV / № LXV

№ LXVI / № LXVII / № LXVIII / № LXIX / № LXX

№ LXXI / № LXXII / № LXXIII / № LXXIV / № LXXV

№ LXXVI / № LXXVII / № LXXVIII / № LXXIX / № LXXX

№ LXXXI / № LXXXII / № LXXXIII / № LXXXIV / № LXXXV

№ LXXXVI / № LXXXVII / № LXXXVIII / № LXXXIX / № XC

№ XCI / № XCII / № XCIII / № XCIV / № XCV

№ XCVI / № XCVII / № XCVIII / № XCIX

№ C - William Wilberforce (1759-1833).

№ CI / № CII / № CIII / № CIV / № CV

№ CVI / № CVII / № CVIII / № CIX / № CX

№ CXI / № CXII / № CXIII / № CXIV / № CXV

№ CXVI / № CXVII / № CXVIII / № CXIX / № CXX

№ CXXI / № CXXII / № CXXIII / № CXXIV / № CXXV

№ CXXVI / № CXXVII / № CXXVIII / № CXXIX

№ CXXX - The Falkirk Wheel.
The most popular episode of "The Explorers Club," bar none.

№ CXXXI / № CXXXII / № CXXXIII / № CXXXIV / № CXXXV

№ CXXXVI / № CXXXVII / № CXXXVIII / № CXXXIX / № CXL

№ CXLI / № CXLII / № CXLIII / № CXLIV / № CXLV

№ CXLVI / № CXLVII / № CXLVIII / № CXLIX

№ CL - The H-4 Hercules, a.k.a. the "Spruce Goose."

№ CLI / № CLII / № CLIII / № CLIV / № CLV

№ CLVI / № CLVII / № CLVIII / …

Unforgivable months of silence.

… / № CLIX / № CLX

№ CLXI / № CLXII / № CLXIII / № CLXIV / № CLXV

№ CLXVI / № CLXVII / № CLXVIII / № CLXIX / № CLXX

№ CLXXI / № CLXXII / № CLXXIII / № CLXXIV

№ CLXXV - The Shadow.
A birthday present from the author to himself.

№ CLXXVI / № CLXXVII / № CLXXVIII / № CLXXIX / № CLXXX

№ CLXXXI / № CLXXXII / № CLXXXIII / № CLXXXIV / № CLXXXV

№ CLXXXVI / № CLXXXVII / № CLXXXVIII / № CLXXXIX / № CXC

№ CXCI / № CXCII / № CXCIII / № CXCIV / № CXCV

№ CXCVI / № CXCVII / № CXCVIII / № CXCIX

№ CC - Neanderthal Man.

№ CCI / № CCII / № CCIII / № CCIV / № CCV

№ CCVI / № CCVII / № CCVIII / № CCIX / № CCX

№ CCXI / № CCXII / № CCXIII / № CCXIV / № CCXV

№ CCXVI / № CCXVII / № CCXVIII / № CCXIX / № CCXX

№ CCXXI / № CCXXII / № CCXXIII / № CCXXIV / № CCXXV

№ CCXXVI / № CCXXVII / № CCXXVIII / № CCXXIX / № CCXXX

№ CCXXXI / № CCXXXII / № CCXXXIII / № CCXXXIV / № CCXXXV

№ CCXXXVI / № CCXXXVII / № CCXXXVIII / № CCXXXIX / № CCXL

№ CCXLI / № CCXLII / № CCXLIII / № CCXLIV / № CCXLV

№ CCXLVI / № CCXLVII / № CCXLVIII / № CCXLIX

№ CCL - Giorgio Perlasca (1910-1992).

№ CCLI / № CCLII / № CCLIII / № CCLIV / № CCLV

№ CCLVI / № CCLVII / № CCLVIII / № CCLIX / № CCLX

№ CCLXI / № CCLXII

№ CCLXIII - Ivrea's annual Battle of the Oranges.



Whew! That took forever. Someone remind me never to do this again; or, rather, to find a more efficient way to commemorate future anniversaries of "The Explorers Club."

Urbi et Orbi
'Tis the first Sunday of Advent. The Nativity draws near. Soon all of Christendom celebrates the birth of the Christ. Rejoice! Make ready! The Christmastide approaches, the season not for consumerism & neo-pagan malarky about the Winter Solstice but for joyous reflection upon the Incarnation. Advent, adventus, "coming." The Christ is coming, all the almighty power of God & all the frailty of a man in a single being, a babe as given to drooling & burping as any other. Rejoice! The anniversary of something truly wonderful draws near.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
William Shatner, "Has Been" from Has Been (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: I'm not sure if I should divide the "spoken word" bits of "Has Been" into lines & stanzas like proper lyrics, but I've chosen to do so for clarity's sake.

"I've heard of you, the ready-made connecting with the ever-ready,
Yeah, 'Never was' talking about 'Still trying,'
I got it, 'Forever bitter' gossiping about 'Never say die.'
…
What are you afraid of, failure? So am I.
…
'Has been' implies failure. Not so.
'Has been's' history. 'Has been" was.
'Has been'… might again."