Bonus! Song o' New Year's Eve

Reel Big Fish, "Auld Lang Syne" from the Happy Skalidays E.P. (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

30 Years of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2023)

Episode of the Day
"'Til Death Do Us Part" (season seven, episode eighteen; 12 April 1999): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Holy Family o' J.M.J.

The Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, & Joseph
Daniel Schmit, "Joseph's Song" from Christmas Hope (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

30 Years of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2023)

Episode of the Day
"Penumbra" (season seven, episode seventeen; 5 April 1999): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Thus begins the final story arc of the Dominion War, of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. At the end of its seven seasons, Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994) was tired, was a spent force. That's why only one of the four Next Generation motion pictures really worked. But D.S.9 still had vim, still had stories to tell. It could have gone on for another season or two, possibly three. Alas!

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the 6th Day o' Christmas

The Sixth Day within in the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord
Matt Maher, "Gabriel's Message" from The Advent of Christmas (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"The angel Gabriel from heaven came,
His wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame;
'All hail,' said he, 'thou lowly maiden, Mary,
Most highly-favored lady." Gloria!…"

30 Years of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2023)

Episode of the Day
"Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges" (season seven, episode sixteen; 1 March 1999): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the 5th Day o' Christmas

The Fifth Day within in the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord
Tara Philip, "What Child Is This?" from Christmas Hope (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"This, this is Christ the King;
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary…"

The Explorers' Club, № MI

Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—The 50th Anniversary of Skylab 4, Part IV
28 December 1973: Carr, Gibson, & Pogue did not respond to hails from mission control for about ninety minutes, due to a misunderstanding amongst the trio as to whom was supposed to monitor the radio; in 1976, The New Yorker magazine fabricated the story of a deliberate "strike" (or "mutiny"), defaming the crew by misapplying quotes about the post-E.V.A. rest days on 26 & 30 December.

Commentary: The Skylab "strike" is a fiction, a fantasy for which there is no evidence. Yet in 2014 The New York Times libeled Skylab 4 astronaut Bill Pogue by mentioning the "strike" in his obituary, as if it was fact instead of fiction. For shame!

Commander Jerry Carr had already requested a discussion with the ground about the tensions & scheduling issues that were hampering Skylab 4. The problem, in brief, is that Mission Control had expected the Skylab 4 crew to be, from the jump, as super productive as the Skylab 3 crew (Bean, Garriott, & Lousma) had been at the end of their mission, not as productive as Skylab 3 had been at the start of their mission. Skylab 4 fell behind that unrealistic schedule & Houston, to get the mission back on track, started micromanaging every task. The situation soon resulted in a negative feedback loop. After the "sensitivity session" on 30 December, all non-time-dependent tasks were placed on a "shopping list," from which the astronauts could choose what to do & when, restoring much of the astronauts' agency. The Skylab 4 crew's productivity skyrocketed, surpassing that of Skylab 3.

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: Skylab 4
Michael Giacchino, "End of the First Leg" from Speed Racer: Original Motion Picture Score (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

Semper exploro.

30 Years of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2023)

Episode of the Day
"Badda-Bing Badda-Bang" (season seven, episode fifteen; 22 February 1999): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the 4th Day o' Christmas

The Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs
Sufjan Stevens featuring Marla Hansen, "Coventry Carol" from Silver & Gold (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Herod the king, in his raging,
Chargèd he hath this day
His men of might in his own sight
All young children to slay…"

30 Years of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2023)

Episode of the Day
"Chimera" (season seven, episode fourteen; 15 February 1999): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the 3rd Day o' Christmas

The Feast of Saint John, Apostle & Evangelist
Duvall, "O Come, All Ye Faithful" from O Holy Night (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!…

30 Years of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2023)

Episode of the Day
"Field of Fire" (season seven, episode thirteen; 8 February 1999): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the 2nd Day o' Christmas

The Feast of Saint Stephen, the First Martyr
The Irish Rovers, "Good King Wenceslas" from An Irish Christmas (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Good King Wenceslas looked out on the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even,
Brightly shone the Moon that night, though the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight, gathering winter fuel…"

30 Years of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2023)

Episode of the Day
"The Emperor's New Cloak" (season seven, episode twelve; 1 February 1999): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Christmas Day

The Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord
The Klezmonauts, "Joy to the World" from Oy to the World: A Klezmer Christmas (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: This is an instrumental rendition of "Joy to the World." Nevertheless:

"Joy to the world! The Lord has come;
Let Earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room…"

Bonus! Song o' Christmas Eve

The Puppini Sisters, "O Holy Night" from Christmas with The Puppini Sisters (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Fall on your knees! O hear the angels' voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born,
O night divine, O night, I night divine!…

"Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever!
His power and glory ever more proclaim,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

Bonus! Moonshot Songs o' the Day: Apollo 8

Operation AXIOM: Destination Moon—The 55th Anniversary of Apollo 8
Public Service Broadcasting, "The Other Side" from The Race for Space (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

&

National Aeronautics & Space Administration, "Apollo 8 Excerpt 9" from The Apollo Missions (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

Commentary:

"And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a merry Christmas, & God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth."

30 Years of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2023)

Episode of the Day
"Prodigal Daughter" (season seven, episode eleven; 4 January 1999): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the IV Sunday o' Advent

Fourth Sunday of Advent
The Civil Wars, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" from Tracks in the Snow (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: We have a tight publishing window today due to the publication of an episode of "The Explorers' Club" last night, which means no new posts until 3:00 P.M. the following day, & Christmas beginning at 4:00 P.M. with vigil Masses.

Saints + Scripture: IV Sunday of Advent

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

'Tis the Fourth Sunday of Advent: Advent-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Week
Mass Readings—Fourth Sunday of Advent
The Second Book of Samuel, chapter seven, verses one thru five, eight(b) thru twelve, fourteen(a), & sixteen;
Psalm Eighty-nine (R/. two[a]), verses two & three, four & five, & twenty-seven & twenty-nine;
The Letter to the Romans, chapter sixteen, verses twenty-five, twenty-six, & twenty-seven;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter one, verses twenty-six thru thirty-eight.

Commentary: Sunday Readings.

Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):

Friends, in today’s Gospel, the angel Gabriel reveals to Mary that she will bear a Son who will reign from David’s throne.

As background, note that God had promised that David’s throne would last forever, but his line had apparently been broken in 587 BC. Six hundred years later, Gabriel appeared to Mary, who was betrothed to a man named Joseph of the house of David.

Greeting her as “full of grace,” the angel announced that she will conceive in her womb and bear a Son. “He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High.” Then comes the kicker that would have taken the breath away from any first-century Jew listening to the story: “And the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”

What seemed to have come to an end had in fact just gone underground and was now ready to appear fully in the light. The kingly line of David was in fact unsevered, and now the full meaning of God’s promise would be revealed.

Video reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire): Sunday Sermon.

Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M. (U.S.C.C.B.): Advent Reflection.

Video reflection by Doctor Tim Gray (Augustine Institute/Formed.org): Advent Reflection.

Audio reflection by Scott Hahn, Ph.D. (St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology): Breaking the Bread.

Mass Readings—The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas): Vigil Mass
The Book of Isaiah, chapter sixty-two, verses one thru five;
Psalm Eighty-nine (R/. two[a]), verses four & five, sixteen & seventeen, & twenty-seven & twenty-nine;
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter thirteen, verses sixteen, seventeen, & twenty-two thru twenty-five;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter one, verses one thru twenty-five
(or, the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter one, verses eighteen thru twenty-five).

Commentary: Vigil Readings.

The Explorers' Club, № M

Operation AXIOM
23 December 1823: The poem "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" (A.K.A. "The Night before Christmas") was published anonymously in the Troy Sentinel newspaper; written by seminary professor Clement Clarke Moore, the poem massively influenced Americans' celebration of Christmas, focusing on gift-giving to children rather than the birth of the Christ, & named & numbered Santa Claus's reindeer.

Commentary: Thank you for joining us for these first one thousand episodes of "The Explorers' Club."

"Happy Christmas to all, & to all a good night!"

Bonus! Christmas Song o' the Day
Bob Dylan, "Must Be Santa" from Christmas in the Heart (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Semper exploro.

30 Years of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2023)

Episode of the Day
"It's Only a Paper Moon" (season seven, episode ten; 28 December 1998): Wikipedia-link.

Saints + Scripture: Adventus

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

'Tis the Saturday of the Third Week of Advent: Advent-link & Wikipedia-link.

Saints of the Day
'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint John of Kanty, Priest (1390-1473, also spelt John Cantius).

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song o' the Day

The Pogues, "Fairytale of New York" from The Best of The Pogues (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: In memoriam Shane MacGowan (25 December 1957-30 November 2023). Requiescat in pace.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: Festivus

The Best Week Ever, "I'm Not One for Complaining… But " from the The Best of The Best Week Ever E.P. (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Quoth Frank Costanza from "The Strike" (Seinfeld, season nine, episode ten):

"I got a lot of problems with you people, & now you're going to hear about it!"

30 Years of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2023)

Episode of the Day
"Covenant" (season seven, episode nine; 23 November 1998): Wikipedia-link.

Saints + Scripture: Adventus

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

'Tis the Friday of the Third Week of Advent: Advent-link & Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song o' the Day

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, "This Time of Year" from Medium Rare (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"It gets me, and never lets me
Act like I don't care,
This time of year, is my favorite time of year
'Cause all of us are here together…"

30 Years of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2023)

Episode of the Day
"The Siege of AR-558" (season seven, episode eight; 16 November 1998): Wikipedia-link.

Saints + Scripture: Adventus

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

'Tis the Thursday of the Third Week of Advent: Advent-link & Wikipedia-link.

Saints of the Day
'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Canisius, Priest & Doctor of the Church, S.J. (1521-1597, the "Hammer of the Protestants" & "Second Apostle of Germany").

Commentary: Wayback Machine '20 & Wayback Machine '18.

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song o' the Day

The Bird and the Bee, "Carol of the Bells" from the Stockings by the Fire compilation (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Song o' the First Day o' Winter

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

Sufjan Stevens, "The Winter Solstice" from Songs for Christmas (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Advent Edition

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 357.0 lbs.
This weigh-in: 355.6 lbs.
Difference: -1.4 lbs.

Bonus! Lied von ÖSTERREICH
Darius Rucker, "Candy Cane Christmas" from the Candy Cane Christmas single (Mike Papa Whipped Cream)

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song o' the Day

José Feliciano, "Feliz Navidad" from Feliz Navidad (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart!…"

Saints + Scripture: Adventus

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

'Tis the Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent: Advent-link & Wikipedia-link.

The Explorers' Club, № CMXCIX

Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—The 50th Anniversary of Soyuz 13
18-26 December 1973: Soyuz 13 lifted off from the Kazakh S.S.R.'s Baikonur Cosmodrome, with CDR Pyotr Klimuk & F.E. Valentin Lebedev aboard a Soyuz 7K-T capsule atop a Soyuz rocket; call sign Kavkaz ("Caucasus"); Lebedev used the Orion 2 telescope to take ultraviolet spectrograms of stars, nebulæ, & Comet Kohoutek; the duo landed amidst a heavy snowstorm in the Kazakh S.S.R.

Commentary: Soyuz 13 flew during Skylab 4, the first time American & Soviet crews had been in space simultaneously.

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: Soyuz 13
James Horner, "Battle in the Mutara Nebula" from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Semper exploro.