The Stars My Destination: Theodore C. Freeman

Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—In Memoriam Ted Freeman
Sixty years ago to the day, 31 October 1964, Captain Theodore Cordy "Ted" Freeman, U.S.A.F., died after ejecting from his T-38 Talon, which crashed due to a bird strike; he was selected as part of N.A.S.A. Astronaut Group 3 in October 1963 & was the first member of the Astronaut Corps to perish in man's conquest of space.

The Wayback Machine Tour of Theodore C. Freeman
The Explorers' Club, № DCCLXXX

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: In Memoriam
The Phenomenauts, "Heroes" from For All Mankind (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Requiescat in pace.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Hallowe'en

"Weird Al" Yankovic, "Nature Trail to Hell" from In 3-D (Mike Papa Wyvern)

Commentary: Happy Hallowe'en, to one & all!

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

John Williams, et al., "Double Trouble" from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Mike Papa Warlock)

Commentary:

"…Something wicked this way comes!"

Operation ÖSTERREICH

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

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

The Explorers' Club, № MLIV

Operation AXIOM: Between the Wars
25 October 1924: The Zinoviev Letter—The Daily Mail newspaper reported a directive allegedly from Comintern chairman Grigory Zinoviev to the Communist Party of Great Britain, claiming the Labour government of Ramsey MacDonald had made the U.K. ripe for revolution; judged authentic at the time, despite denials by Zinoviev himself, today the letter is considered a forgery, forged by émigrés.

Lest we forget.

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

They Might Be Giants, "Homunculus" from the Cast Your Pod to the Wind compilation (Mike Papa Witch Doctor)

Commentary: "Homunculus" started running through my head as soon as I woke up this morning.

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

They Might Be Giants, "I Am Invisible" from Why? (Mike Papa Wizard)

Commentary: I am steward of an identical pair of goggles.

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

Team 145, Game 8: Michigan v. Michigan Agricultural
Chumbawamba, "Tubthumping" from Tubthumper (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: Team 145 is a savage disappointment, a return to the bad old days of Brady Hoke with the superlative efforts of the defense wasted by the pathetic ineptness of the offense & special teams play that is indistinguishable from deliberate sabotage. Sherrone Moore is drowning in his first season as a head coach, & the 4-3 record we are seeing is the fruit of the terrible mistakes he made in his first offseason. But we must bear in mind that was his very first offseason & it was abbreviated both by the national championship run & by the time Coach Harbaugh took before departing for the No Fun League. Hiring Moore was a mistake by Athletic Director Warde Manuel—a mistake I supported, it must be said—but it would be a further mistake to fire Moore now. Team 145's fate is sealed & failure is inevitable, with an eventual record between 7-5 & 5-7 seeming likely. The key will be the decisions Coach Moore makes in the offseason, which could begin as early as Sunday, 1 December if Michigan does not reach bowl eligibility. Moore badly failed his first test, but he must be given time to see if he can learn from his mistakes.

"He sings the songs that remind him of the good times,
He sings the songs that remind him of the better times…

"I get knocked down, but I get up again,
You're never gonna keep my down!
I get knocked down, but I get up again,
You're never gonna keep my down!
I get knocked down, but I get up again,
You're never gonna keep my down!
I get knocked down, but I get up again,
You're never gonna keep my down!…"

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

Go Blue!

Bonus! Hallowe'en Song o' the Day

Thurl Ravenscroft, "The Headless Horseman" from Walt Disney Records Archive Collection, Vol. 1 (Mike Papa Wraith)

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

Bobby "Boris" Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers, "Monster Mash" from The Original Monster Mash (Mike Papa Wendigo)

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

Tracy Morgan, "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah" from 30 Rock: Original Television Soundtrack (Mike Papa Werewolf)

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

The Aquabats!, "Skeleton Inside!" from Kooky Spooky… In Stereo! (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Commentary!: My only objection to "Skeleton Inside!" is the scientific inaccuracy, repeatedly referencing the human skeleton as "dead."

Operation ÖSTERREICH

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

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

The Explorers' Club, № MLIII

The Space Race—Astronaut Group 3 (the "Fourteen"), Part X
Russell Louis Schweickart (born 25 October 1935), Captain, U.S. Air Force—He flew Apollo 9 (Gumdrop & Spider, 1969); he experienced space adaptation sickness, yet completed an E.V.A. test of the Primary Life Support System backpack used by the Moonwalkers; he chaired the California Energy Commission & co-founded the Association of Space Explorers & the B612 Foundation.

Commentary: During Apollo 9, Schweickart & CDR Jim McDivitt conducted the first crewed test flight of an Apollo Lunar Module (LM-3, Spider), making them the first men to fly in a spacecraft not capable of atmospheric re-entry.

Schweickart's bout of space adaptation sickness led to him being a "guinea pig" for several months once back on the ground; he lost his spot in line for a Moon landing mission & was reassigned to Skylab. During the Space Shuttle era, & continuing unto the present day, N.A.S.A. learned that approximately half of all astronauts experience space adaptation sickness.

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: The "Fourteen"—Rusty Schweickart
Norman Greenbaum, "Spirit in the Sky" from Spirit in the Sky (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

The Wayback Machine Tour of Rusty Schweickart
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCXXXV: The 51st Anniversary of Apollo 9, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCXXXVI: The 51st Anniversary of Apollo 9, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCXXXVII: The 51st Anniversary of Apollo 9, Part III

Semper exploro.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

The Optional Memorial of Saint John Paul II, Pope
Dan Potthast, "Pope" from Sweets and Meats (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"…It was like a parade at forty miles an hour,
And the pope zipped past in his see-through car,
And we laughed and we waved and I think he smiled,
It all happened so fast, all the people were chanting:
'John Paul Two, we love you!'…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Operation AXIOM: The 14th Anniversary of My Loss on Jeopardy!
"Weird Al" Yankovic, "I Lost on Jeopardy!" from "Weird Al" Yankovic In 3-D (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Fourteen years ago today—Thursday, 21 October 2010—my episode of Jeopardy! aired on nationally syndicated television. I still wear that same watch.

Bonus! Song o' This Auspicious Day

Kemuri, "My Best Friend" from Freedomosh (Mike Papa Whiskey)

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

The Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Audrey Assad, "Humble" from Fortunate Fall (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

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

Team 145, Game 7: Michigan @ Illinois
Sufjan Stevens, "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!" from Sufjan Stevens Invites You to: Come On Feel the Illinoise (A.K.A. Illinois) (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: Go Blue!

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Toto, "Africa" from Toto IV (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Heard twice during the four-hour drive to Xanadu.

Section 31: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2024)

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

Episode o' the Day
"The Magnificent Ferengi" (season six, episode ten; 29 December 1997): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Potshot, "She Is Cute" from Potshot A Go Go (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Section 31: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2024)

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

Episode o' the Day
"Statistical Probabilities" (season six, episode nine; 24 November 1997): Wikipedia-link.

Operation ÖSTERREICH

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

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

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day!

The Aquabats!, "Karate Body!" from Kooky Spooky… In Stereo! (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Commentary:

"Stand back, man,
I don't wanna hurt you, too much…"

Section 31: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2024)

Episode o' the Day
"Resurrection" (season six, episode eight; 17 November 1997): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: "Resurrection" is a rarity, an episode I like better now than I did in the '90s. It is also an oddity, the most straight-laced of the Mirror Universe episodes. There was real pathos in "Through the Looking Glass" & "Shattered Mirror," as Benjamin & Jake Sisko deal with first encountering & then mourning Mirror Jennifer Sisko, but those episodes were still madcap Mirror Universe fun. "Resurrection" is a melodrama, as Kira encounter Mirror Bariel, the doppelganger of her deceased paramour, Vedek Bariel. Partially because of that earnestness, partially because it is set in the regular universe, "Resurrection" is the least successful of the Mirror Universe episodes.

One thing I appreciate now is the performance of Philip Anglim, who played Bariel. Vedek Bariel was a placid character, so placid as almost to be vacant. I'm sure that's what the directors & producers told Anglim to do, but it didn't do Bariel any favors as a character. The only time Vedek Bariel showed any life was in "Fascination" (season three, episode ten; inspired by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream), under the influence of Lwaxana Troi's projected emotions. In "Resurrection," Mirror Bariel evinces a greater range of emotions & a good bit of humor.

The tragedy of "Resurrection" is that it followed after the six-part epic of the Dominion occupation of Deep Space 9 & the Federation reconquest, & then the splendor of Jadzia & Worf's big fat Klingon wedding, a small, personal story like "Resurrection" felt out of place, even jarring. Look back lo these many years later, "Resurrection" isn't a great episode, but it never deserved the scorn I used to heap upon it.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day!

The Aquabats!, "The Best Day of My Life!" from the Radio Down! E.P. (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Commentary!:

"Today's gonna be the best day of my life, so far!
Today's gonna be the best day of my life, so far!
I've no particular reason why I think today's gonna be so nice,
But today's gonna be the best day of my life, so far!…"

Section 31: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2024)

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

Episode o' the Day
"You Are Cordially Invited" (season six, episode seven; 10 November 1997): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Columbus Day (observed)

Folgging Molly, "Salty Dog" from Swagger (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Explorers' Club, № MLII

Operation AXIOM: The Space Age—The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-41-G, Part II
6-13 October 1984: Sullivan & Leestma conducted an E.V.A. to test the Orbital Refueling System, for satellites; this was highlighted in the IMAX film The Dream Is Alive (1985); Earth observations were taken with the O.S.T.A.-3 experiments package, including the Shuttle Imaging Radar-B & the Large Format Camera; after 133 orbits, the Challenger landed back at K.S.C.'s Shuttle Landing Facility.

Bonus! Space Age Song o' the Day: S.T.S.-41-G
Less Than Jake, "The State of Florida" from GNV FLA (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Semper exploro.

Section 31: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2024)

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

Episode o' the Day
"Sacrifice of Angels" (Part II; season six, episode six; 3 November 1997): Wikipedia-link.

Section 31: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2024)

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

Episode o' the Day
"Favor the Bold" (Part I; season six, episode five; 27 October 1997): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: Bye Week

Team 145, Bye Week 1
"Weird Al" Yankovic, "Sports Song" from Mandatory Fun (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: Due to the way the Saturdays in September, October, & November line up, most clubs have two bye weeks this college football season. "Sports Song" has become our traditional bye week R.B.D.S.O.T.D., but I have not decided if it will recur during the valiant Wolverines' second bye week or if a new song will be selected. Watch this space.

Go Blue!

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Today

Freitag, 11. Oktober
The Skamotts featuring Kuro, "Put Your Records On" from Pleasure Isle (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"Girl, put your records on,
Tell me your favorite song…"

Section 31: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2024)

Episode o' the Day
"Behind the Lines" (season six, episode four; 20 October 1997): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Kira, shaken by the political suicide of a Bajoran vedek during "Rocks and Shoals," concluded she could not remain on the sidelines & wait for the Federation, which seems to be losing the war, to save Bajor from Dominion occupation & the Cardassians' revenge & launched a resistence cell with Odo, Rom, & Jake Sisko. In "Behind the Lines," we see their first operation, a bit of skullduggery that prompts a lethal brawl between some Cardassians & Jem'Hadar in Quark's. All is not well, however, as Odo is seduced into linking with the Female Changleling.

Elsewhere, Sisko is promoted to adjutant to Admiral Ross, a new recurring character, & Lieutenant Commander Dax takes over as captain of the Defiant. Dax leads the crew on a dangerous mission through a star cluster to destroy a Dominion sensor array. Alas, since space battles require expensive visual effects, we don't see the Defiant's mission after she departs from Starbase 375. Instead, we see Sisko in his new office, communicating with Worf—serving as first office aboard General Martok's Klingon flagship, the Rotarran—about the mission & breaking the news to his father, Joseph Sisko, that Jake stayed being on Deep Space 9 when the Federation withdrew. Those are good scenes, especially the conversation between the Siskos (always good to see the late Brock Peters, who played Joseph), but I like space battles, I like seeing the Defiant in action, & I will not apologive for that! Of course, given the space battles in the next couple episodes, I understand the budgetary need for a less visual-effects-laden episode.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Yesterday

Donnerstag, 10. Oktober
Leonard Rosenman, "Hospital Chase" from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home—Music from the Motion Picture (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Brilliant Catholic apologist Jimmy Akin has many wrongheaded opinions about Star Trek, but one that is absolutely correct is the stupidity of every new creator trying to beat Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan at its own game. Every new villain is compared to Khan, but none ever measure up. Akin asks, Why not emulate The Voyage Home instead, a film that doesn't even have a villain? Star Trek IV made the most money of any Original Series-cast movie at the box office & remains beloved. No, it's not as highly regarded as The Wrath of Khan, but it shows that there is more than one way to make great & profitable Star Trek.

The Explorers' Club Special: October 1914

Operation AXIOM: The World War
October saw the manuever warfare of the early war begin to give way to the trench warfare that would define the Great War. Heroic resistance kept approximately five per cent (5%) of Belgium free of German occupation, ground around Ypres that would be fought over all the way until November 1918.

Episode № CDXV on the Battle of the Yser illustrates the difficulty I had finding appropriate & period-specific images. The episode features an anachronistic photograph of German soldiers equipped with the Stahlhelm ("steel helmet"), a piece of kit that would not be issued until 1916. I grew as a blogger through the Weltkrieg centenary, refining my ability to locate suitable imagery & eventually expanding to the four-line description that has since become standard.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the World War: October 1914
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXIII: The "Race to the Sea" (17 September-12 October 1914)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXV: The Battle of the Yser (16-31 October 1914)

Lest we forget.

Section 31: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2024)

Episode o' the Day
"Sons and Daughters" (season six, episode three; 13 October 1997): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: The fatal flaw of Worf as a character is that he is a deadbeat dad, a product of the dying Gene Roddenberry's debased anti-family ideology during the creation of The Next Generation. Worf is the antithesis of Benjamin Sisko, a great father. "Sons and Daughters" is one of the only episode of Deep Space Nine to confront this flaw. Worf & his son, Alexander Rozhenko, achieve a degree of reconciliation, & Alexander is accepted into the House of Martok.

That's the son. The eponymous daughter is Tora Ziyal, the half-Bajoran daughter of Gul Dukat. Ziyal & her mother had been send to a neutral world in the last days of the Cardassian occupation of Bajor, but had fallen into the clutches of Breen pirates. Dukat & Kira, who was searching for a friend who had been on the same doomed liner, joined forces to free Ziyal, & Kira convinced Dukat not to murder her, which he was going to do to protect his social standing ("Indiscretion," season four, episode four). Ziyal stayed with her father after the loss of his social standing ("Return to Grace," season four, episode fourteen), but Kira convinced Dukat not to take his daughter with him as he embarked on his personal war against the Klingons, & Ziyal moved to Starbase Deep Space 9, under Kira's protection. Dukat disowned Ziyal when she refused to join him when he sold out Cardassian to the Dominion ("In Purgatory's Shgadow" & "By Inferno's Light," season five, episodes fourteen & fifteen), but in "Sons and Daughters" they reconcile. Ziyal is dear to both Kira & Dukat, but Kira cannot submit to spend social time with Dukat, the aspiring conqueror of the Federation & dictator of the Alpha Quadrant. Kira does not ask Ziyal to choose between them, because, as she says, "There is no choice. He's your father."

The Explorers' Club, № MLI

Operation AXIOM: Between the Wars
12-15 October 1924: The U.S.S. Los Angeles (ZR-3) flew from Germany to the United States & was delivered to the U.S. Navy; she was build by Luftschifbau Zeppelin as war reparations (works № LZ 126), the replacement for a wartime dirigible sabotaged in 1919; the Los Angeles was the only one of the Navy's rigid airships that did not meet a disastrous end, serving until broken up for scrap in 1939.

Commentary: The Los Angeles was caught in a gust of wind on 25 August 1927, resulting in the near vertical orientation seen above. There were no injuries & damage was minimal; flight operations resumed the next day.

Elsewhere in October 1924, the American-build U.S.S. Shenandoah (ZR-1) flew from New Jersey to California to Washington state, completing the first airship flight across North America.

Lest we forget.