The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day

MxPx, "Major Tom (Coming Home)" from On the Cover II (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: The original version of "Major Tom (Coming Home)" by Peter Schilling serves as the theme song to the new television series Deutschland 83—which, if I had my druthers, would be titled Deutschland '83, since the numeral in the title is clearly a reference to 1983, the year in which the show is set. I've only seen one episode of Deutschland 83, the second episode of the series; the third debuts tomorrow night. So far so good. I especially enjoy that the show is subtitled in English, retaining the original German dialogue. My initial fears were that the show would be dubbed into English for American television. Cold War espionage? Don't mind if I do.

Also of interest, the original German title of "Major Tom (Coming Home)" is "Major Tom (völlig losgelöst)", which would be more accurately translated as "Major Tom (Totally Disconnected)."

The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day

Great Big Sea, "General Taylor" from Play (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: "Well, General Taylor he gained the day…"

Sonntag, 28 Juni
Edvard Grieg, "In the Hall of the Mountain King" via iTunes (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: Much like Nirvana's "Breed" or Dropkick Murphys' "(F)lanigan's Ball," "In the Hall of the Mountain King" should be played only at high (if not maximum) volume.

Samstag, 27 Juni
The O.C. Supertones, "Caught Inside" from Supertones Strike Back (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: "Caught Inside" is from my playlist "Surf" & wonderfully combines elements of surf rack & ska. 'Tis one of those songs I can set to repeat & listen to happily for hours on end.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day

They Mights Be Giants, "Electric Car" from Here Comes Science (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: The appeal of "Electric Car" is neither the music nor the lyrics, but the timbre of Mrs. Robin Goldwasser's voice. This becomes especially apparent in the last half minute of the song, when the same lyrics are sung solely by her husband, Mr. John Flansburgh. It is a curiosity of Here Comes Science that Mrs. Goldwasser's considerable contribution is not cited, whereas two other songs are listed as "I Am a Paleontologist (featuring Danny Weinkauf)" & "Speed and Velocity (featuring Marty Beller)."

The Rebel Black Dot Science Song of the Day

They Might Be Giants, "For Science" from Then: The Earlier Years (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: "For Science" is more Jim Kirk's brand of science than Mr. Spock's.

"I will date the girl from Venus,
Flowers die and so will I,
Yes, I will kiss the girl from Venus,
For science!…"

The Queue

I enjoy The Adventures of Tintin. In Hergé's place, I'd have made many different creative choices, but of what artistic work can that not be said? Were I George Lucas—before he sold his soul to the House of Mouse—I'd have done some things differently in A New Hope. Of course, I'd never have created Star Wars in the first place, nor the adventures of Tintin, Snowy, Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus, Thomson & Thompson, Signora Castafiore, & the whole gang, so the point is quite moot. I recommend The Adventures of Tintin to anyone looking for good adventures yarns, light & easy to digest; they make excellent summer reading.

Now back to the "apostolic exhortation" with which I've so struggled. My goal is to finish Evangelii Gaudium by my birthday, when I anticipate receiving as a gift Laudato si', His Holiness's second encyclical.

Recently
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 5 (contains Land of Black Gold, Destination Moon, & Explorers on the Moon)
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 1 (contains Tintin in America, Cigars of the Pharaoh, & The Blue Lotus)
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 2 (contains The Broken Ear, The Black Island, & King Ottokar's Spectre)
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 3 (contains The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Shooting Star, & The Secret of the Unicorn)
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 4 (contains Red Rackham's Treasure, The Seven Crystal Balls, & Prisoners of the Sun)
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 6 (contains The Calculus Affair, The Red Sea Sharks, & Tintin in Tibet)
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 7 (contains The Castafiore Emerald, Flight 714 to Sydney, & Tintin and the Picaros)

Currently
Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel)

Presently
Pope Francis, The Church of Mercy: A Vision for the Church
Rice Broocks, God's Not Dead: Evidence for God in an Age of Uncertainty
Richard Price, Clockers
Sir Richard Francis Burton, translator, "Sinbad the Sailor" from The Arabian Nights
Sir Ernest Shackleton, South: A Memoir of the Endurance Voyage
Norman Davies, Vanished Kingdoms: The Rise and Fall of States and Nations

Project GLOWWORM | Kith & Kin
This afternoon, I had the odd experience of cutting my father's hair. My father is s slovenly bloke, getting a haircut only every three of four months & only then when badgered by my mother before some of other social event. Such an event is coming up this weekend. When my father ventured out of doors this afternoon, he discovered hsi barber on vacation this week; so, he turned to me & my nearly eighteen years' experience with cutting my own hair with electric clippers. I showed him the various-length attachments available & recommended № 4, the longest length, but he selected № 2. Afterward, he opined that he should perhaps have selected № 3, but I consoled him that his hair will grow back to a more preferable length.

And then I found five dollars.

The Rebel Black Dot Science Song of the Day

The Phenomenauts, "Science and Honor" from For All Mankind (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: Sing the Phenomenauts:

"Science is the search for truth,
It only find facts, it has no agenda…"

I counter that there is a distinction 'twixt "facts" & "truth," succinctly stated by Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones Junior:

"Archaeology is the search for fact—not truth. If it's truth you're interested in, Dr. Tyree's philosophy class is right down the hall."

Of course, in large part the Phenomenauts are singing not of science, the method of study involving observation & experimentation, but "science," the quasi-religious philosophy expounded by many who are paradoxically possessed of a curious disdain for the scientific method, preferring militant orthodoxy to the objective search for fact.

That said, I still like "Science and Honor," lest it would not have been selected as the R.B.D.S.O.T.D.

"Honor is integrity,
Fairness and honesty in beliefs and action…"

The Rebel Black Dot Science Song of the Day

They Might be Giants, "Put It to the Test" from Here Comes Science (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary:

"If there's a question bothering your brain
That you think you know how to explain,
You need a test.
Yeah! Think up a test.

"If it's possible to prove it wrong
You're going to want to know before too long,
You'll need a test…"

The Rebel Black Dot Science Song of the Day

Thomas Dolby, "She Blinded Me with Science" via iTunes (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: Vacation Bible school started today. This year's theme is "SonSpark Labs." I act as the master of ceremonies, playing a mad scientist named Professor Peter Petri. (Last year's theme was "SonTreasure Island" I played a ill-defined character vaguely like the Skipper from Gilligan's Island.) O.K., as the script describes him, Prof. Petri is more of an absent-minded professor, but A) I prefer a mad scientist motiff, having long said, "Mad science is the best science!," & B) the costume I was given includes a wig described on the packaging as a "Mad Scientist Wig" that I sport along with a white lab coat & safety goggles. I'm happy as a clam playacting the mad scientist. That I speak to the children about God's love for them is just a bonus.

The best part of "She Blinded Me with Science" is Magnus Pyke's interjections of, "Science!" Also, "Good heavens, Miss Sakamoto! You're beautiful!"

The Explorers' Club, № CDXLIV

Operation AXIOM: The World War—The Second Battle of Ypres, Part II
22 April-5 May 1015: The Battles of Kitcheners' Wood (22-25 April) & St. Julien (24 April-5 May)—the Germans advance behind clouds of poison gas; the Canadians counterattack successfully but at great cost, some units suffering eighty-plus per cent casualties (>80%).











Lest we forget.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Curtis Mayfield, "Superfly" via iTunes (T.L.A.M.)

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day

Ben Folds, "Effington" from Way to Normal (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: The town in Illinois that inspired "Effington" is actually named Effingham. Intones Mr. Folds at the beginning of "Effington":

"If there's a God, He is laughing at us, & our football team…"

Probably inadvertently so, but he's not all that wide of the mark. Quoth the Scriptures, Psalm 2, verse 4:

"The one enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord derides them…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day

Ben Folds, "Annie Waits" from Rockin' the Suburbs (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary:

"Annie waits for the last time,
Just the same as the last time…"

Project GLOWWORM

I trimmed my whiskers (the beard) earlier this week. They were overdue for a taming. 'Tis a tricky balance to strike, 'twixt having a real, rich beard & going full-on Grizzly Adams. It seemed to me when I was done that I'd probably rimmed too rigorously, cutting the hairs a little shorter than the ideal, but that this was right & necessary; this way, the whiskers can grow into the ideal, rather than overgrowing that mark almost from the start. It also occurred to me that, dumb as this way be, even after all these bewhiskered years I've never established a schedule for beard maintenance. It remains a haphazard undertaking. How can I have let this happen? Careful observations are not being taken toward establishing baseline growth patterns from which a grooming schedule can be derived. What a preposterous oversight on my part!

Poetry Smackdown
As a matter of course, I do not dream of the East. I cringe at the thought of the heat & the humidity, the bugs & the fevers. Yet "Mandalay" enchants me, tempts me with visions of a world that never was quite so & certainly never shall be again. Why prattle on? Kipling's words are superior.

"Mandalay"
by Rudyard Kipling

By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' eastward to the sea,
There's a Burma girl a-settin', and I know she thinks o' me;
For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say:
'Come you back, you British soldier; come you back to Mandalay!'

Come you back to Mandalay,
Where the old Flotilla lay:
Can't you 'ear the paddles chuckin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!

'Er petticoat was yaller an' 'er little cap was green,
An' 'er name was Supi-yaw-lat—jes' the same as Theebaw's Queen,
An' I seed her first a-smokin' of a whackin' white cheroot,
An' a-wastin' Christian kisses on an 'eathen idol's foot:

Bloomin' idol made o' mud—
What they call the Great Gawd Budd—
Plucky lot she cared for idols when I kissed 'er where she stud!
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!

When the mist was on the rice-fields an' the sun was droppin' slow,
She'd git 'er little banjo an' she'd sing 'Kula-lo-lo!'
With 'er arm upon my shoulder an' 'er cheek agin my cheek
We useter watch the steamers an' the hathis pilin' teak.

Elephints a-pilin' teak
In the sludgy, squdgy creek,
Where the silence 'ung that 'eavy you was 'arf afraid to speak!
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!

But that's all shove be'ind me—long ago an' far away,
An' there ain't no 'busses runnin' from the Bank to Mandalay;
An' I'm learn' 'ere in London what a ten-year soldier tells:
'If you've 'eard the East a-callin', you won't never 'eed naught else.'

No! you won't 'eed nothin' else
But them spicy garlic smells,
An' the sunshine an' the pal-trees an' the tinkly temple-bells;
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!

I am sick o' wastin' leather on these gritty pavin'-stones,
An' the blasted Henglish drizzle wakes the fever in my bones;
Tho' I walks with fifty 'ousemaids outer Chelsea to the Strand,
An' they talks a lot o' lovin', but wot do they understand?

Beefy face an' grubby 'and—
Law! wot do they understand?
I've a neater, sweeter maiden in a cleaner, greener land!
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!

Ship me somewheres east of Suez, where the best is like the worst,
Where there aren't no Ten Commandments an' a man can raise a thirst;
For the temple-bells are callin', and it's there that I would be—
By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin lazy at the sea;

On the road to Mandalay,
Where the old Flotilla lay,
With our sick beneath the awnings when we went to Mandalay!
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!

The Explorers' Club, № CDXLIII

Operation AXIOM: The World War
9 May-18 June 1915: The Second Battle of Artois—a Franco-British offensive that coincided with the German offensive in the Second Battle of Ypres; including the Battles of Aubers Ridge & Festubert.







French casualties: approximately 102,500, including 35,000 killed;
British casualties: approximately 27,800;
German casualties: approximately 72,000.

Lest we forget.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day

Ben Folds featuring Regina Spektor, "You Don't Know Me" from Way to Normal (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: Way to Normal was given to me by a kinsman who is a much more ardent fan of Ben Folds's music than is yours truly. I deleted most of the album from my digital music library, but retained five songs, including, as you may have guessed, "You Don't Know Me."

"I want to ask you, Do you every sit and wonder,
It's so strange that we could be together for so long
And never know, never care what goes on in the other one's head (head),
Things I felt that I never said (said),
You said things that I never said,
So I'll say something that I should have said long ago:

"(You don't know me,)
You don't know me at all,
(You don't know me,)
You don't know me at all (at all)…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day

Ben E. King, "Stand By Me" via iTunes (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: One of the all-time great songs. Requiescat in pace, Ben E. King (1938-2015): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day

They Might Be Giants, "Destination Moon" from John Henry (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: Lyrics need not be entirely sensical to be pleasing & memorable.

"By rocket to the moon,
By airplane to the rocket,
By taxi to the airport,
By front door to the taxi…"

The Queue: All Tintin All the Time

There are many two-part Tintin stories, but The Seven Crystal Balls & Prisoners of the Sun (methinks the original French title would more accruately translate as Temple of the Sun) in that The Seven Crystal Balls is not even remotely a self-contained story. There is a significant shift in setting 'twixt the two albums, but the first volume has no whiff of a conclusion. Explorers on the Moon follows directly from Destination Moon & The Blue Lotus follows directly from Cigars of the Pharaoh, but each of those first installments stands alone. Left on its own, The Seven Crystal Balls doesn't so much end as it does simply run out of pages.

Recently
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 5 (contains Land of Black Gold, Destination Moon, & Explorers on the Moon)
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 1 (contains Tintin in America, Cigars of the Pharaoh, & The Blue Lotus)
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 2 (contains The Broken Ear, The Black Island, & King Ottokar's Spectre)
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 3 (contains The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Shooting Star, & The Secret of the Unicorn)
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 4 (contains Red Rackham's Treasure, The Seven Crystal Balls, & Prisoners of the Sun)

Currently
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 6 (contains The Calculus Affair, The Red Sea Sharks, & Tintin in Tibet)

Presently
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 7 (contains The Castafiore Emerald, Flight 714 to Sydney, & Tintin and the Picaros)

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day

Republica, "Ready to Go" via iTunes (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: I'm not promoting "Ready to Go" as a good song, I'm acknowledging it as a catchy song.

24 Heures du Mans | +03:46:00

The 24 Hours of Le Mans was so fun, I want to do it all over again! A proper response will follow once I've caught forty winks, so for the nonce allow me simply to express my congratulations to the victors: In L.M.P.1, the № 19 works Porsche, which is the third car added only for Le Mans, not running the whole W.E.C. calendar; in L.M.P.2, the № 47 Oreca (Nissan) of K.C.M.G.; in G.T.E. Pro, the № 64 works Corvette; & in G.T.E. Am, the № 72 Ferrari of S.M.P. Racing. The overall victory was Porsche's record-extending seventeeth, while Corvette were class victors for the eighth time out of sixteen attempts. Today's were the maiden Le Mans victories for K.C.M.G. & S.M.P. Racing. Congratulations & well done to all.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of Flag Day

John Philip Sousa, "Stars and Stripes Forever" via iTunes (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: 'Tis a happy coincidence that today is Flag Day; the R.B.D.S.O.T.D. was chosen in honor of Corvette Racing's victory in-class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray! Hip hip! Hooray!

24 Heures du Mans | 03:02:00

Lunchtime in Le Mans, time to break the fast in Michigan. I can feel a fog lifting from my brain as the sky grows lighter, a parallel to the "happy hour" at Le Mans I described earlier. I'm exhausted, depleted, lethargic, but I wouldn't miss it for the world.

The № 19 Porsche, the non-full W.E.C. season car driven by F1 pilot Nico Hülkenberg of Force India (Mercedes), Earl Bamber, & Nick Tandy, continues to lead, with Mark Webber's № 17 in second. Audis cling precariously to third & fourth. There is still so much time left that, truly, anything could happen; that an atmosphere of inevitability hangs over the proceedings is all the more evidence that the apple cart is about to be overturned.

In G.T.E. Pro, the № 51 Ferrari, last year's class-winning car, continues to lead the № 64 Corvette, though the 'Vette is making up ground, slowly but surely.

24 Heures du Mans | 03:56:00

"It always rains at Le Mans." So intones Jason Statham at the beginning of, at the end of, & throughout the Audi propaganda film Truth in 2004. Except that's not always true. The tragedy-marred '13 race had plenty of drizzle, but the '14 race was bone-dry. Moments ago, the Race Director came across every car's radio to declare the track wet, though no one can quite say where the rain is. Puzzling, that. Who will stop for rain tires? Who will stay out o slicks? Will any rain actually fall?

Porsche leads Audi in L.M.P.1. Corvette leads Ferrari in G.T.E. Pro. K.C.M.G. leads everybody in L.M.P.2. Who knows what madness reigns in G.T.E. Am.

24 Heures du Mans | 05:50:00

The № 64 Corvette has just passed the № 51 Ferrari to assume the lead in G.T.E. Pro. I don't really need to keep calling it the "№ 64," since the sister № 63 wrecked on Thursday & didn't even take the start, but it seems inadequate to call her simply, "the Corvette." Almost six hour to go, the two lead cars in class running nose to tail, this is the glory of Le Mans!



Let's go, Corvette!

Commentary: I don't own the hat pictured above, but I do own two Corvette Racing T-shirts. I make no pretense of being anything other than a partisan.

24 Heures du Mans | 07:46:00

Below, the trio of differentiated Porsche 919s. I still detest the ugly, pompous "Porsche Intelligent Performance" livery, but it is far less galling in its red & black iterations than in the original white. As of this writing, the red № 17, driven by multiple grands prix winner Mark Webber, late of Red Bull (Renault), leads both the L.M.P.1 class & the overall race.



The G-Drive Racing Ligier JS P2 (Nissan) featured below does not currently lead L.M.P.2, but it is prettier than the leading Oreca 05 (Nissan) of K.C.M.G.



Le Mans Prototypes are earthbound starships, man. I never weary of their beauty.

24 Heures du Mans | 08:11:00

The sun isn't shining over the Circuit de la Sarthe, but only because of the cloud cover. This is always a weird part of the Le Mans 24 Hours, the dead of night here in sacred Michigan even as a new day dawns in France. "Happy hour" is one of the many splendid facets of this greatest of all motor races: after the long night, the rising of the Accursed Sun is greeted with joy & renewed vigor, as the boundless potential of a new day creates the impression that the long task is nearly complete. Spirits are then crushed anew when everyone realizes that there are eight or nine hours left—a longer duration than the entire of any other round of the W.E.C. So close & yet so far!

My body tells me it is time to sleep, even as my mind says that there are many hours left to race. I didn't always remain awake for the whole of the 24 Heures, neither of the first two years I watched Le Mans, & on both occasions I regretted missing any of the action. I've stayed awake since. It's a challenge, it isn't always pleasant, but it is always worthwhile.

In the last few hours, my praise of Fox Sports Go's performance (check the FaceSpace, it's there) has been rewarded with decreased reliability, increased malfunction, & a complete lack of rhyme & reason as to why it sometimes works & sometimes does not. This circumstance is not as ideal as in years past when the whole race was on television, but it is better than listening to the brilliant commentary on Radio Le Mans without access to live video of the cars on circuit. There's some old saw about beggars not being choosers, but for the moment it escapes me.

The great race barrels on, inexorably. Fortitudine vincimus, By endurance we conquer.

24 Heures du Mans | 10:37:00

Pit reporter-turned-booth commentator Jamie Howe has nicknamed Tommy Milner, driver of the № 64 Corvette, the "Nightmaster," based on his prowess (read: crazy speed) in the cool of the night. Personally, methinks Herr Milner (who is American) would be better served by rendering Nightmaster into German: Tommy Milner, Der Nachtmeister!

24 Heures du Mans | 10:50:00

Speaking of Patrick Dempsey (yes, like the man himself I'm fully prepared to exploit his celebrity to promote endurance racing), he is soon to begin penning a column for Racer magazine: "A Racing Journey"-link. Also, I greatly enjoyed the four-part documentary of Dempsey's 2013-2014 racing ventures, Patrick Dempsey: Racing Le Mans.

(Note to self: Investigate whether that series is available on D.V.D.)

24 Heures du Mans | 11:32:00

Tempus fugit—Time flies!

More than halfway through the race, once around the twice-around-the-clock test of endurance, the running order in P.1 for the overall victory is:

1st: № 9 Audi (Filipe Albuquerque, Marco Bonanomi, & René Rast)
2nd: № 19 Porsche (Nico Hülkenberg, Earl Bamber, & Nick Tandy)
3rd: № 7 Audi (Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer, & Benoît Tréluyer)
4th: № 17 Porsche (Mark Webber, Timo Bernhard, & Brendon Hartley)
5th: № 8 Audi (Lucas di Grassi, Loïc Duval, & Oliver Jarvis)
6th: № 18 Porsche (Romain Dumas, Neel Jani, & Marc Lieb)
7th: № 2 Toyota (Alexander Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin, & Mike Conway)
8th: № 1 Toyota (Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi, & Kazuki Nakajima)

The № 64 Corvette is consistently training the G.T.E. Pro lead with the № 99 Aston Martin, swapping back & forth as they have for hours now. Glorious!

In G.T.E. Am, Patrick Dempsey, co-driving with Porsche factory hotshoes Patrick Long & Marco Seefried, is running fourth in class, in definite contention for the podium. After years of running the both the A.L.M.S. & the Grand-Am Series (since merged as the worst-of-both-worlds United SportsCar Championship), this year Mr. Dempsey is taking on the challenge of the full World Endurance Championship calendar. I wish him well as he follows in the footsteps of actor/racers Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, & James Garner.



Also, I've learned that Le Mans is on Central European Summer Time (C.E.S.T.). I had no idea Europe observed daylight saving time.

Project GLOWWORM
Earlier today, I had to take a few moments away from the Circuit de la Sarthe to cut my hair. I'd meant to do so on Thursday & then again on Friday, & finally enough was enough. I've long maintained that every now & again 'tis necessary to trim my hair with the shorter № 1 trimmer instead of the longer № 2. Of late, though, № 1 has been the length of choice & I've finally recognized this as the new normal. At present, I prefer the shorter looks & feel. I've long said that ease of maintenance was the principal objective of my hairstyle, & a № 1 trim is even easier to maintain than a № 2 trim. In my electronic calendar, a № 1 trim is denoted as "WILDFIRE." For the time being, WILDFIRE is standard operating procedure.

24 Heures du Mans | 14:04:00

The world feed (French television, & that's as specific as I can be) is this year featuring expanded coverage under darkness. In years past, views during the night, which comprises approximately one third of a race, was confined to views of the well-lit pit lane, onboard shots from the cars, & a few static shots of headlights piercing through the darkness. This year, there are more cameras still operating around the circuit & the action looks incredible. Hot brake discs glowing, flames shooting out of exhausts, darkness everywhere not illuminated by headlights—I love night running! I love Le Mans!

24 Heures du Mans | 18:01:00

In L.M.P.1, which earlier in the week I described on the FaceSpace to a neophyte as "the big-boy manufacturer class," Porsche have amended their previously awful livery. Whereas before all two or three 919s were in identical white-with-black-lettering liveries, only one is so liveried now; the other two Porsches are in black with white lettering & red with white lettering. The white-with-black livery is also not distinguishable enough from for predominantly white Audi livery; now, all three cars are easily distinguished from one another & the red & black cars are instantly identifiable. Porsche & Audi are dicing at the sharp end, for the overall lead of the race; Toyota is running behind, but steadily so; Nissan, which missed the opening two rounds of the W.E.C. at Silverstone & Spa, are out to sea, hopelessly outmatched, exactly as expected. The red № 17 Porsche, currently driven by former F1 ace Mark Webber, currently leads.

In G.T.E. Pro, the № 63 Corvette was lost in a qualifying crash on Thursday (drat!), but the № 64 is running strongly, much more competitively than would have been guessed from their pace in practice & qualifying. The № 64 has been dicing with the № 99 Aston Martin for the class lead, & currently runs second. One of the factory Porsche 911s (yes, it is a little confusing that Porsche runs similar-liveried factory teams in both L.M.P.1 & G.T.E. Pro, as well as customer cars in G.T.E. Am) caught fire in the first hour, while the other currently runs fourth. The quasi-factory A.F. Corsa Ferraris were slow in qualifying, ever slower than the Corvettes, but are hanging around in the race.

L.M.P.2 & G.T.E. receive less coverage & boast hoards of cars, so things are crazy there, part & parcel of the glorious madness of Le Mans. Le Mans! Le Mans! Le Mans!

24 Heures du Mans | 18:43:00

There's good news & there's bad news. A couple weeks hence, a brother Knight said to me, "There's good news & there's bad news," & to his obvious surprise I said, tersely, "Bad news first." As then, so now.

Fox Sports is, much like Mos Eisley, a wretched hive of scum & villainy. Their claim that the entire twenty-four hours of the 24 Heures du Mans would be available through the Fox Sports Go "app" on mobile devices is a damned lie. There is a very little coverage on Fox Sports 1 & very little on Fox Sports 2, a channel no one receives anyway. So, only five hours of the race will be on American television. This is an outrage, nothing less than an outrage. I will not watch any program on the FOX broadcast network until they make amends & restore television coverage of Le Mans. I am especially surprised that they are heaping such abuse & disrespect on the 24 Heures du Mans, given that this year Fox Sports & the A.C.O./F.I.A. have inked a new deal for television coverage of the World Endurance Championship (W.E.C.), of which Le Mans is the centerpiece. All six hours of the 6 Hours of Silverstone were broadcast on Fox Sports 1 & as well as five of the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (the remaining hour was broadcast on the invisible Fox Sports 2).

Fox Sports Go came alive, suddenly, at 12:30 P.M. E.D.T. (6:30 P.M. French time), three & a half hours into the race. I spent the first three & a half of the twenty-four hours (9:00 A.M.-12:30 P.M. local, 3:00-6:30 P.M. there) listening to the race on Radio Le Mans.com (radio-link) while watching an onboard feed from the № 64 Corvette. This was better than nothing, absolutely better than nothing, but an unacceptable way to revel in the "Grand Prix of Endurance." There is no coverage scheduled for Fox Sports 1—good old-fashioned cable television—'til 7:00 P.M., which is the middle of the night in France, so I suspect that hour-long broadcast will be largely a summary the preceding ten hours' racing. I have no idea how long this will last & I am trying to bear in mind that the online coverage might go away as suddenly as it appeared. I'm trying to be zen; I succeed only so long as everything precedes perfectly in line with my expectations. All's well that ends well, so let us hope current conditions persist.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Next 24 Hours

Michel Legrand, "Le Mans: The Race, First Laps" via iTunes (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: And so it begins.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day

The B-52s, "Rock Lobster" from the Rhine Hi-Five: The B-52s E.P. (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: "There goes a narwhal!"

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day

The Proclaimers, "Whole Wide World" (live) from Notes & Rhymes (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: 'Tis not my lot ever to have a wife, but I still love love songs.

"When I was a young boy
My mama said to me,
'There's only one girl in the world for you,
But she probably lives in Tahiti.'

"I'd go the whole wide world,
I'd go the whole wide world just to find her.

"Or maybe she's in the Bahamas,
Where the Caribbean Sea is blue,
Weeping in a tropical moonlit night
Because nobody's told her about you…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day

The Spinners, "The Rubberband Man" via iTunes (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: Inspired by last night's MERCATOR activities (see: below), "The Rubberband Man" from Stripes beat out "Sixteen Tons" from Joe Versus the Volcano.

Project MERCATOR
Last night, I enjoyed Taco Tuesday & Family Fun Movie Night with Brother Nacho, Mrs. Brother Nacho, & their Kinder. Last night's theme was "work sucks," tales of men & women trapped by fear & inertia in soul-killing jobs, afraid truly to live. To that end, we watched Joe Versus the Volcano, Office Space, &, in a late addition to the program, Stripes. Work is good, work is right, but life is short & if you hate your job, if it's making your life a misery, quit & find a job that you hate less, & continue repeating that process until you find what you love doing, until you find not just a job but a vocation.

The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day

Fountains of Wayne, "Richie and Ruben" from Sky Full of Holes (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: "Richie and Ruben don't know what they're doin'…"

Montag, 8 Juni
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, "Somewhere over the Rainbow" via iTunes (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: A worthy song in its own right & a welcome reminder of the splendor that once was the television series Scrubs.

The Queue: All Tintin Edition

I am making swift work of The Adventures of Tintin since they are, after all, comics. This is all very good for the continuing work on Project TROIKA, currently undergoing Tier 3 revisions, & Project TRIANGLE, work on Tier 1 of which has resumed in earnest.

Recently
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 5 (contains Land of Black Gold, Destination Moon, & Explorers on the Moon)
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 1 (contains Tintin in America, Cigars of the Pharaoh, & The Blue Lotus)
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 2 (contains The Broken Ear, The Black Island, & King Ottokar's Spectre)

Currently
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 3 (contains The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Shooting Star, & The Secret of the Unicorn)

Presently
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 4 (contains Red Rackham's Treasure, The Seven Crystal Balls, & Prisoners of the Sun)
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 6 (contains The Calculus Affair, The Red Sea Sharks, & Tintin in Tibet)
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 7 (contains The Castafiore Emerald, Flight 714 to Sydney, & Tintin and the Picaros)

A Thousand Words
Apropos of nothing, the Vickers VC10 (here in B.O.A.C. livery).



I suspect my fondness for this aeroplane is grounded at least in part in its design for the then-already-dissolving British Empire's "hot & high" aerodromes, such as Nairobi, Kenya; Harare, Zimbabwe (in the period: Salisbury, Rhodesia); & Kampala, Uganda. "Apropos of nothing" is hogwash, since the VC10 is of a piece with The Adventures of Tintin, beloved artifacts of the Twentieth Century. The years 1901-2000 were the bloodiest cataclysm in the violent history of Man & yet fueled by nostalgia for my youth & the mythical "way things used to be" I will always hold a fondness for the Twentieth Century that I will never feel for the Twenty-first. I know well the confusion & nihilism that ran rampant through those decades, & yet the stubborn tendency to idealize the past will always insist, contrary to all the evidence, that life "made sense" back then, as if the madness was held at bay until the stroke of midnight 'twixt 31 December 2000 & 1 January 2001 (or, though it is inaccurate, perhaps it would be more fitting to use the 31 December 1999/1 January 2000 divide, invoking the quaint "Y2K" panic).

Anywho, the Vickers VC10, oddly beautiful & beautifully odd.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day

Jim Gaffigan, "Almost Heaven" from King Baby (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: "My wife is very Catholic. If you've never been to a Catholic Mass, it's still going on. It never really ends. They just loop it around.

"I can never get my wife to leave when church is over. She's always like, 'Why don't we stay & talk to the weirdest people here?'

"She doesn't consider me a real Catholic, because I don't go to church or follow any of the Church teachings…"

It's hard to get your humble narrator to leave when church is over. I stay either to talk to the weirdest people there or, as the weirdest person there, to give some kindly soul such as Mrs. Gaffigan the chance to talk to me.

Project BLACK MAMBA

Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi): Feast-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings
The Book of Exodus, chapter twenty-four, verses three thru eight;
Psalm One Hundred Sixteen, verses twelve & thirteen, fifteen thru eighteen;
The Letter to the Hebrews, chapter nine, verses eleven thru fifteen;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter fourteen, verses twelve thru sixteen, twenty-two thru twenty-six.

Mass Journal: Week 22
Sunday, 24 May 2015
Reflection by Matthew Kelly of the Dynamic Catholic Institute

When making a decision, th Native American people used to ask themselves how their decision today would affect their people seven generations from now. One hundred years from now, none of us will be here. Let us always remember that in the whole scheme of things, the Church is on loan to us for a very brief time. And yet in that brief time we determine the Church our children & grandchildren will inherit. In this way, God has appointed us to take care of the vineyard—the Church. This is a responsibility we should take seriously. In Matthew's Gospel (Mt., 21:33-41) we are given a vision of what happens when servants are overcome with pride & arrogance.

Project BLACK MAMBA

5 June was the Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop & Martyr, O.S.B. (c. 675-754): Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Quoth the bulletin:

He is the patron saint of Germany, the first archbishop of Mainz & the "Apostle to the Germans." He became such a well-known teacher that students circulated notes from his classes. Patron of brewers; Fulda, Germany; World Youth Day.

Scripture of the Day (Friday)
Mass Readings
The Book of Tobit, chapter eleven, verses five thru seventeen;
Psalm One Hundred Forty-six, verses one(B) thru two, six(C) thru ten;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter twelve, verses thirty-five thru thirty-seven.

* * * * *

Today is the optional memorial of Saint Norbert, Bishop (c. 1080-1134), founder of the Premonstratensians or Norbertines, formally the Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Norbertines.

Commentary: Quoth the bulletin:

A sudden flash of lightning split the dark & his horse buckled, throwing Norbert to the ground. When he awoke his first words were, "Lord, what do You want me to do?"

God's response, "Turn away from evil & do good. Seek peace & pursue it."

Scripture of the Day (Saturday)
Mass Readings
The Book of Tobit, chapter twelve, verse one, five thru fifteen, twenty;
The Book of Tobit, chapter thirteen, verses two, six(E,F,G,H), seven & eight;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter twelve, verses thirty-eight thru forty-four.

* * * * *

Mass Journal: Week 21
Sunday, 17 May 2015
Reflection by Matthew Kelly of the Dynamic Catholic Institute

In every age, there are a small number of men & women who are prepared to turn their backs on popular culture & personal gain to embrace heroically the life Jesus outlines in the Gospels. These people fashion Catholicism into a lifestyle, they listen attentively to the voice of God in their lives, & they passionately pursue their personal adventure of salvation. As a result, they capture the attention & the imagination of everyone who crosses their path.

The Queue

I greatly prefer those early Tintin stories that have been redrawn in the later, more polished style.

Recently
Edgar Rice Burroughs, John Carter of Mars
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 5 (contains Land of Black Gold, Destination Moon, & Explorers on the Moon)
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 1 (contains Tintin in America, Cigars of the Pharaoh, & The Blue Lotus)

Currently
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 2 (contains The Broken Ear, The Black Island, & King Ottokar's Spectre)
Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel)

Presently
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 3 (contains The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Shooting Star, & The Secret of the Unicorn)
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 4 (contains Red Rackham's Treasure, The Seven Crystal Balls, & Prisoners of the Sun)
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 6 (contains The Calculus Affair, The Red Sea Sharks, & Tintin in Tibet)
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 7 (contains The Castafiore Emerald, Flight 714 to Sydney, & Tintin and the Picaros)
Pope Francis, The Church of Mercy: A Vision for the Church

Eventually
Rice Broocks, God's Not Dead: Evidence for God in an Age of Uncertainty
Richard Price, Clockers
Sir Richard Francis Burton, translator, "Sinbad the Sailor" from The Arabian Nights
Sir Ernest Shackleton, South: A Memoir of the Endurance Voyage
Norman Davies, Vanished Kingdoms: The Rise and Fall of States and Nations
Norman Stone, The Atlantic and Its Enemies: A Personal History of the Cold War
Ted Morgan, Valley of Death: The Tragedy at Dien Bien Phu That Led America into the Vietnam War
Samantha Power, "A Problem from Hell:" America and the Age of Genocide

Aspirationally
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, or The Matter, Forme, & Power of a Common-wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civill
Edmund Burke, The Evils of Revolution
F. J. Sheed, Theology for Beginners
Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day

John Williams, "Welcome to Jurassic Park" from Jurassic Park (T.L.A.M.)

Project BLACK MAMBA

3 June was the Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga & Companions, Martyrs (d. 1886), martyred under King Mwanga II: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, Martyrs-link Companions, Wikipedia-link Charlie Lima, & Wikipedia-link Companions.

Commentary: Quoth the bulletin:

One of twenty-two Ugandan martyrs, Charles Lwanga is the patron of youth & Catholic action in most of tropic Africa. He protected his fellow pages (aged thirteen to thirty) from the homosexual demands of the Bagandan ruler. When missionaries returned after King Mwanga's death, they found five hundred Christians & one thousand catechumens waiting for them (without priests or educators). The twenty-two Catholic martyrs of the Uganda persecution were canonized.

Scripture of the Day (Wednesday)
Mass Readings
The Book of Tobit, chapter three, verses one thru eleven(A), sixteen thru seventeen(A);
Psalm Twenty-five, verses two thru five(A,B), six & seven(B,C), eight & nine;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter twelve, verses eighteen thru twenty-seven.

* * * * *

On 4 June we remembered Saint Francis Caracciolo (1563-1608), co-founder of the Adorno Fathers, formally the Clerics Regular Minor: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link Foxtrot Charlie; Wikipedia-link C.R.M..

Scripture of the Day (Thursday)
Mass Readings
The Book of Tobit, chapter six, verses ten & eleven; chapter seven, verses one(B,C,D,E) & nine thru seventeen; chapter eight, verses four thru nine(A);
Psalm One Hundred Twenty-eight, verses one thru five;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter twelve, verses twenty-eight thru thirty-four.

Commentary: A bonus of these long, narrative readings from Tobit is that our Protestant brethren, in their slavish devotion to the Christ-denying Pharisees of the first century, do not even acknowledge the Book of Tobit as canonical.

* * * * *

Mass Journal: Week 20
Sunday, 10 May 2015
Reflection by Matthew Kelly of the Dynamic Catholic Institute

In every age, the Church experiences problems & difficulties. Our time is no different. The solution to the problems that plague our lives & the Church is unchanging & singular. The problems are many; the solution is solitary. Personal holiness is the answer to every problem. In every situation in my life, in every problem, in every difficulty, I know that if I allow the values & principles of the Gospel to guide me, it will turn out for the best.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day

Spike Jones & His City Slickers, "The Sheik of Araby" from The Spike Jones Anthology (T.L.A.M.)

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day

Jim Gaffigan, "Catholic" from Beyond the Pale (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: "My wife, my wife's really Catholic. She's like a Shiite Catholic…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day!

The Aquabats!, "Hey Hommies!" from Hi-Five Soup! (Captain Thumbs Up!)

The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day

Mark Ronson featuring the Daptone Horns, "God Put a Smile On Your Face" via iTunes (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: The Wikipedia informs me that "God Put a Smile On Your Face" is a cover of a Coldplay song. I had no idea. I've heard little of Coldplay's music, but what I have heard is utter dreck. The Ronson/Daptones version must be superior.

Montag, 1 Juni
John Williams, "Journey to the Island" from Jurassic Park (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: I listened to a lot of music yesterday, but none of it was satisfying, 'til "Journey to the Island." I like everything else I heard, but none of it was right for that particular moment.

Autobahn | Liberty & Union
This afternoon, I espied a blue Saturn Sky sporting the vanity license plate BLEUSKY. Misreading BLEUSKY as a name, "Bleusky," I immediately thought of fictional fratboy John "Bluto" Blutarsky, played by John Belushi in Animal House. Only then did it dawn on me, "Mike, it's a blue Sky; BLEUSKY, bleu Sky.

Last week, I found the Lumi, the Distaff Son of the Mousemobile in the drive-thru lane at McDonald's. Ahead of her was a Fisker Karma. I found this a poignant commentary on the essential egalitarianism of American life, which endures despite the recent ongoing tizzy about "growing inequality." Whether you drive a creaky, leaking twenty-year-old rust bucket (the Lumi) or a gleaming luxury plug-in hybrid with solar panels in the roof (the Karma), we all meet at the McDonald's drive-thru. God bless America.

Project BLACK MAMBA

1 June was the Memorial of Saint Justin, Martyr (100-165), martyred under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: St. Justin is known almost ubiquitously as "Justin Martyr," his title treated as a name, in much the same way the Lord is known as Jesus Christ. My old debate coach, the M.A.P., though not a believer, is a great admirer of Justin Martyr's rhetoric.

Quoth the bulletin:

Justin traveled to Greece, Egypt, & Italy, gaining many to Christ. At Rome he sealed his testimony with blood, surrounded by his disciples. "Do you think," the prefect said to Justin, "that by dying you will enter heaven, & be rewarded by God?"

"I do not think," was Justin's answer; "I know."

Scripture of the Day (Monday)
Mass Readings
The Book of Tobit, chapter one, verse three & chapter two, verses one(A) thru eight;
Psalm One Hundred Twelve, verses one(B) thru two, three(B) thru six;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter twelve, verses one thru twelve.

* * * * *

Today is the optional memorial of Saints Marcellinus & Peter (d. 304), martyred under the Emperor Diocletian: Martyrs-link, Martyr-link Mike, Martyr-link Papa, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Quoth the bulletin:

Litle is known about the two martyrs' lives. Marcellinus, a priest, & a Peter, an exorcist, died in the year 304, during the Diocletianic Persecution. Pope Damasus I claimed that he heard the story of these two martyrs from their executioner, who became a Christian after their deaths. Damasus's account is the oldest source concerning these two martyrs.

Scripture of the Day (Tuesday)
Mass Readings
The Book of Tobit, chapter two, verses nine thru fourteen;
Psalm One Hundred Twelve, verses one & two, seven thru nine;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter twelve, verses thirteen thru seventeen.