Bonus! Song o' the Day: Go Blue!

Michigan 13-10 Ohio State (№ 2)
The University of Michigan Marching Band, "The Victors" from Forever Valiant (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: Season redeemed! Coach Sherrone Moore is now 2-0 against the hated Buckeyes. The valiant Wolverines now have a four-game winning streak against that team down south, having only been favored in a single one of those contests.

Go Blue!

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

Team 145, Game 12: Michigan @ Ohio State
Real Can of Yams featuring J. Coliadis, "We Had a Chance" from the Nothing Can Kill the Grimace E.P. (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: This has been a season to forget, a severe disappointment after Team 144's National Championship, but if these valiant Wolverines can pull off the impossible this afternoon, can pull off the upset, they will write their names into Michigan Football history.

"When all is said and done,
What will we be remembered for?
When all is said and done,
Is this what we'll be remembered for?

"This is not what we planned,
This ship is lost and unmanned,
When will we take a stand?
Just you, just me, while we still can…"

Go Blue!

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

John Williams, "Duel of the Fates" from Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Explorers' Club, № MLIX

Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—The 60th Anniversary of Mariner-Mars 1964, Part II
28 November 1964: Mariner 4 lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station atop an Atlas-Agena rocket, bound for a Mars flyby; the probe was identical to Mariner 3, but the rocket featured a new, all-metal payload fairing, after a fairing failure doomed Mariner 3; separation was successful & the solar panels deployed; instruments included a television camera & several radiation detectors.

Semper exploro.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Thanksgiving Day

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, "A Reason to Toast" from Medium Rare (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: I'm thankful to the Lord God Almighty & to all of you, for never giving upon me, not even when I've given upon myself.

"I'd like to open up by making a suggestion,
One that I suggest you're open to,
And then I'll open up the floor and take a question,
After that it's time to tilt a few,
To you and you and you.

"A reason to toast!
A reason to cheer!
A reason to celebrate
It's nice being here!

"You might be wondering just why I called this meeting,
Can't let another moment pass,
Before we move on, please, let's rearrange the seating,
After that its time to raise a glass.

"I'll raise my glass up high to all the friendly faces,
Here and wherever they may be,
I don't know why I never thought till now to say this,
But you mean the world to me…"

Bonus! Song o' the Day

Matt Maher, "Alive Again" from Alive Again (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Hoorah for the Sacrament of Penance!

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 Blues Brothers, "Turn On Your Love Light" from Blues Brothers 2000: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Today

Dientag, 26. November
Dance Hall Crashers, "Will Tomorrow Ever Come" from Honey, I'm Homely! (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"I just wanna know,
Will I be happy tomorrow?
Will I be happy tomorrow?
Will I be happy tomorrow?…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Yesterday

Montag, 25. November
The Loiusiana Gator Boys, "How Blue Can You Get" from Blues Brothers 2000: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: B.B. King brings it home:

"I gave you a brand-new Ford,
But you said, 'I'd like a Cadillac.'
I bought you a ten-dollar dinner,
You said, 'Thanks for the snack.'
I let you live in my penthouse,
You said it was just a shack.
I gave you seven children,
And now you want to give 'em back!

"I been downhearted, baby,
Every since the day we met,
Our love is nothing but the blues,
Baby, how blue can you get?"

The Explorers' Club, № MLVIII

The Space Race—Astronaut Group 3 (the "Fourteen"), Part XI
Alan LaVern Bean (15 March 1932-26 May 2018), Captain, U.S. Navy—He flew Apollo 12 (Yankee Clipper & Intrepid, 1969) & commanded Skylab 3 (1973); he was the last member of Astronaut Group 3 to fly & the fourth of the twelve Moonwalkers; he was assigned to Apollo 12 after C.C. Williams died in a plane crash; he was a painter, the only artistic Moonwalker, & mixed Moon dust into his paints.

Commentary: I am steward of a copy of Captain Bean's book, with Andrew Chaikin, Apollo: An Eyewitness Account by an Astronaut/Explorer Artist/Moonwalker, which includes reproductions of many of his paintings, alas, without any Moon dust.

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: The Fourteen—Al Bean
J.J. Heller, "Painted Red" from Painted Red (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Wayback Machine Tour of Al Bean
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCXVII: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 12, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCXIX: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 12, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCXX: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 12, Part III
"The Explorers' Club," № CMLXVII: The 50th Anniversary of Skylab 3, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № CMLXX: The 50th Anniversary of Skylab 3, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № CMLXXIII: The 50th Anniversary of Skylab 3, Part III
"The Explorers' Club," № CMLXXXI: The 50th Anniversary of Skylab 3, Part IV

Commentary: The above picture is titled The Fantasy. It depicts Bean's fantasy of Apollo 12 C.M.P. Dick Gordon joining him & CDR Pete Conrad on the Moon. After Apollo 12, Conrad & Bean both transferred to the Skylab program, eventually commanding Skylabs 2 & 3. Gordon stayed in the Apollo program, hoping to walk on the Moon; he was slated to command Apollo 18, the last Moon landing to be cancelled by budget cuts.

Requiescat in pace.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Christ the King

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Rend Collective, "Build Your Kingdom Here" from Homemade Worship by Handmade People (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Build Your Kingdom here,
Let the darkness fear,
Show Your might hand,
Heal our streets and land,
Set Your Church on fire,
Win this nation back,
Change the atmosphere,
Build Your Kingdom here, we pray!"

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

Team 145, Game 11: Michigan v. Northwestern
Blues Brothers Band & Friends, "Sweet Home Chicago" from Live from Chicago's House of Blues (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: If the valiant Wolverines prevail, they will be 6-5 & thus bowl eligible. What a pathetic shambles!

Go Blue!

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day!

The Aquabats!, "Sequence Erase!" from The Aquabats! vs. The Floating Eye of Death! and Other Amazing Adventures, Vol. 1 (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Commentary!:

"No one will laugh will laugh when it strikes,
This diabolic plan to break up all order,
And who holds the key to stop
The countdown of the global secret combination?

"These heroes changing,
Recognize we've been so undermined,
Danger, waking blind,
But those hands on the clock
Give no room, no thought,
No words (No words!),
No mind (No mind!),
No age (No age!),
Sequence erase—No time!…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

The Defiant, "Where Were You?" from If We're Really Being Honest (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Where were you when it all went down?
When I needed someone, you weren't around.
Why was it that you were nowhere to be found,
When I needed you most? Tell me where it was that you were…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Magic!, "How Do You Want to Be Remembered?" from Don't Kill the Magic (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"How do you want to be remembered,
As a sinner or a saint?
As a hero or a villain?
Think about the steps you take.
How do you want to be remembered,
When they're standing at your grave?
On your tombstone, what is written?
Think about the steps you take…

"How do you want to be remembered,
As a sinner or a saint?
As a hero or a villain?
Think about the steps you take.
How do you want to be remembered,
When your children come to aid?
When they need some inspiration?
Think about the steps you take.

"Do I reach for love (Do I reach for love),
Only when she says she's leaving? (Only when she says goodbye?)
Do I pray above (Do I pray above),
Only when I feel I'm needing?…"

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, № MLVII

Operation AXIOM: The Space Age—The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-51-A, Part II
11-16 November 1984: Allen & Gardner conducted two E.V.A., with Fisher operating the Canadarm, to recover two satellites, Palapa B2 & Westar VI, originally deployed during February's S.T.S.-41-B; S.T.S.-51-A was the last mission to use the M.M.U. jetpack; after 127 orbits, the Discovery landed back at K.S.C.'s Shuttle Landing Facility, as highlighted in the IMAX film The Dream Is Alive (1985).

Bonus! Space Age Song o' the Day: S.T.S.-51-A
The Planet Smashers, "Repo Man" from Attack of the Planet Smashers (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Semper exploro.

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

Team 145, Bye Week 2
The Ataris, "San Dimas High School Football Rules" from Blue Skies, Broken Hearts… Next 12 Exits (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. Hey, at least the valiant Wolverines are guaranteed not to lose a winable game today.

Go Blue!

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 Special: November 1914

Operation AXIOM: The World War
November 2014 is when this project became all-consuming of "The Explorers' Club": five of the six episodes published that month were focused on the Great War. Four are presented here; the fifth belongs to December.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the World War: November 1914
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXVI: The Battle of Coronel (1 November 1914)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXVIII: The Siege of Tsingtao (31 October-7 November 1914)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXIX: The Battles of Tanga & Kilimanjaro (3-5 November 1914)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXX: The First Battle of Ypres (19 October-22 November 1914)

Lest we forget.

Bonus! Song o' the Edmund Fitzgerald

Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" from Summertime Dream (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Operation AXIOM
Forty-nine years ago to the day, 10 November 1975, twenty-nine souls were lost when the lake freighter S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald sank amidst a severe storm—"the Witch of November"—on Lake Superior, a freshwater sea of monstrous proportions. The captain's last radio message, transmitted while the Edmund Fitzgerald battled against thirty-five-foot waves, was, "We are holding our own." The Edmund Fitzgerald was a legend in her own time, setting six seasonal haul records in a seventeen-year career, yet her doomed crew & tragic wreck would be all but forgotten today if not for this date's annual R.B.D.S.O.T.D., the popular 1976 ballad, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, to whom our collective memory owes a great debt.

Twenty-nine men perished when the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald sank on 10 November 1975, forty-nine years ago today.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Edmund Fitzgerald '23 + Edmund Fitzgerald '22 + Edmund Fitzgerald '21 + Edmund Fitzgerald '20

Edmund Fitzgerald '18 + Edmund Fitzgerald '17 + Edmund Fitzgerald '16 + Edmund Fitzgerald '15

Edmund Fitzgerald '14 + Edmund Fitzgerald '11 + Edmund Fitzgerald '10

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

Team 145, Game 10: Michigan @ Indiana
Ronnie Howard, Shirley Jones, & Pert Kelton, "Gary, Indiana (Reprise)" from The Music Man: Original Soundtrack (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: Curt Cignetti is a genuinely terrible person & I cannot wait until someone, probably not the valiant Wolverines, puts that sack of excrement in his place.

Go Blue!

The Explorers' Club, № MLVI

Operation AXIOM: The Space Age—The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-51-A (№ 14), Part I
8-10 November 1984: The Space Shuttle Discovery OV-103 lifted off from Florida's K.S.C. with CDR Rick Hauck, Pilot Dave Walker, M.S.1 Joe Allen, M.S.2 Anna Fisher, & M.S.3 Dale Gardner; the quintet deployed two satellites, Anik D2 & Symcom IV-1 (Leasat F1); the Discovery also carried a polymer experiment for 3M & a radiation monitoring experiment; Fisher was the first mother in space.

Commentary: S.T.S.-51-A was the second flight of the Discovery OV-103. Confusingly, the Discovery would also fly S.T.S.-51, in 1993.

Bonus! Space Age Song o' the Day: S.T.S.-51-A
Fountains of Wayne, "Stacy's Mom" from Welcome Interstate Managers (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Semper exploro.

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, № MLV

Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—The 60th Anniversary of Mariner-Mars 1964, Part I
5 November 1964: Mariner 3 lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station atop an Atlas-Agena rocket, bound for a Mars flyby; unlike the Ranger-based Mariner 1 & 2 probes, Mariner 3 was based on an all-new bus; the solar panels did not deploy, due to a separation failure of the payload fairing; eight hours after launch, the batteries were exhausted & contact was lost with Mariner 3.

Semper exploro.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Election Day

The Defiant, "Where Did Lady Liberty Go?" from If We're Really Being Honest (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: At my polling place in the township, the polls are scheduled to be open from 7:00 A.M.-8:00 P.M. Pray for our bitterly divided nation to be healed, for us to recover a sense of our common patriotism. We are supposed to be political opponents, not enemies.

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

Team 145, Game 9: Michigan v. Oregon
"Weird Al" Yankovic, "I Want a New Duck" from Dare to Be Stupid (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: This is the second contest this season the valiant Wolverines have against a team ranked № 1 at the kickoff, after September's defeat by the epithetless Longhorns of Texas (№ 6 as of this writing). It must also be noted that the epithetless Ducks of Oregon are the worst-dressed team in college football, bar none.

Go Blue!

Bonus! Song o' All Souls' Day

The Commemeration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls' Day)
Audrey Assad, "Death, Be Not Proud" from the Death, Be Not Proud E.P. (Penitent Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' All Saints' Day

The Solemnity of All Saints
The Dixieland All Stars, "When the Saints Go Marching In" from The Dixieland All Stars: The Greatest Band in the World (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)