Bonus! Song o' New Year's Eve

Sufjan Stevens, "Auld Lang Syne" from the Silver & Gold: Songs for Christmas, Vols. 6-10 compilation (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup of kindness yet
For auld lang syne…"

Wishing you & yours a blessed Anno Domini 2026.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: Go Blue!

Team 146, Game 13: Michigan v. Texas | Citrus Bowl
The University of Michigan Marching Band, "Varsity" from Hurrah for the Yellow and Blue (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: If Sherrone Moore was still the head coach of the valiant Wolverines, (№ 18) Michigan would have no chance against (№ 13) Texas. In 2024, (№ 10) Michigan lost to (№ 3) Texas 12-31; Team 146's three losses in 2025 were to (№ 18) Oklahoma 13-24 (now, № 8), unranked U.S.C. 13-31 (now, № 16), & (№ 1) Ohio State 9-27 (now, № 2). To the limited extent that Moore was actually coaching the valiant Wolverines in their biggest games (he is now known to have texted his mistress during halftime of Michigan games), he coached from a place of profound, paralyzing fear. Now that he is gone, anything could happen.

Interim head coach "Sleeveless" Biff Poggi went on an epithetless Longhorns podcast last week & slagged the valiant Wolverines, saying Michigan has no chance against Texas & that the program has been in profound disarray for five years. (A five-year stretch, mind you, that includes a National Championship & three consecutive B1G Championships.) The sooner the contents of Poggi's office are boxed up & tossed to the curb & he is declared persona non grata in Ann Arbor, the better.

The Kyle Whittingham era begins in earnest as soon as the Citrus Bowl concludes. Now seems an auspicious moment to recall the immortal words of Bo Schembechler when he arrived on campus in 1969:

"Those who stay will be champions."

Go Blue!

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the 7th Day o' Christmas

The Seventh Day within the Octave of Christmas
MU330, "Angels We Have Heard on High" from Winter Wonderland (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Christmas | Please Stand By

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

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 330.2 lbs. (12 June 2024)

Bonus! Christmas Song o' Yesterday

Christmastide
Reel Big Fish, "Carol of the Beers" from the Happy Skalidays E.P. (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: We ordered pizza last night, the last night all the out-of-town kin would be in town. RECADTED & I went to pick it up. Before we left, knowing we only had a couple beers in the fridge, I asked how many wanted a beer with the pizza. Based on those replies, we stopped on the way to the pizza place for a six-pack of bottles. I went into the green grocer for the beer, REDACTED stayed in the Shuttlecraft Odysseus. As I left the van, he sang, "Carol of the Beers." Back home with the pizza & beer, the whole family sat down to enjoy Uncle Buck, followed by all seven mini-episodes of Two Loser Cops.

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

The Sixth Day within the Octave of Christmas
The Klezmonauts, "Joy to the World" from Oy to the World: A Klezmer Christmas (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: An instrumental rendition with a driving, madcap beat!

Rewatching Star Trek (The Original Series, 1966-1969)

Episode o' the Day
"The Naked Time" (season one, episode four; production code: 07; 29 September 1966): Wikipedia-link.

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

The Fifth Day within Octave of Christmas
The Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, "O Little Town of Bethlehem" from the Toys for Tots: 25 All-Time Christmas Favorites compilation (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: This is an instrumental rendition of "O Little Town of Bethlehem," but let us not forget the marquee lyrics:

"The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight…"

The Explorers' Club, № MCXXXI

Operation AXIOM: Between the Wars—The Locarno Pact, Part II
1 December 1925: The Locarno Treaties were signed in London; in Germany, the government of Hans Luther fell after narrow Reichstag approval of Locarno, when the right-wing German National People's Party withdrew from the governing coaltion; in Poland, the National Democratic government of Władysław Grabski fell in part over the betrayal of Locarno, weakening the Franco-Polish alliance.

Commentary: The photograph below has no direct relevance to the Locarno Pact; it came up during my image search for this episode, probably in response to the prompt "Franco-Polish alliance" (it describes itself as "vintage Poland during the 1920s"). Why include it? Because airships are cool.

Lest we forget.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Holy Family

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

Commentary: The Feast of the Holy Family is observed on the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas, this year superseding the Feast of the Holy Innocents (28 December). So, no haunting "Coventry Carol" this year.

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

The Feast of Saint John, Apostle & Evangelist
Bing Crosby, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/It Came upon a Midnight Clear" from the Christmas with Bing Crosby, Nate King Cole, [&] Dean Martin compilation (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Rewatching Star Trek (The Original Series, 1966-1969)

Episode o' the Day
"The Enemy Within" (season one, episode five; production code: 05; 6 October 1966): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Leonard Nimoy invented the Vulcan nerve pinch (A.K.A. the Famous Spock Nerve Pinch) for "The Enemy Within," because he thought it out of character for Spock to pistol whip the "evil" Kirk transporter duplicate with his phaser. The Vulcan nerve pinch debuted on-screen during "The Naked Time," which was filmed later but aired the week before "The Enemy Within."

"The Enemy Within" is the polar opposite of "Tuvix" (VGR; season two, episode twenty-four; 6 May 1996): Kirk is duplicated into two partial beings whereas Tuvok & Neelix were synthesized into one new being. The two Kirks cannot survive without each other; Spock encourages the tender Kirk to make a decision, to order the transporter reunion with the savage Kirk. Janeway straight-up murdered Tuvix to resurrect Tuvok & Neelix.

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

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

Commentary: "Good King Wenceslaus" needn't be performed by The Irish Rovers, but there really is no other choice for the R.B.D.S.O.T.D. on the Feast of Saint Stephen.

"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…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Christmas Day

The Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Mass during the Day)
Duvall, "Jesus Christ" from O Holy Night (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Jesus Christ was born today,
Jesus Christ was born,
Jesus Christ was born today,
Jesus Christ was born…"

Bonus! Song o' the Midnight Mass

The Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Mass during the Night)
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (featuring too many guest stars to name), "The Final Parade" from the The Final Parade single (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"The Church was hoping that the Midnight Mass
Was packed from the front to the back…"

Bonus! Moonshot Songs o' the Day: Apollo 8

Operation AXIOM: Destination Moon—The 57th 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."

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Advent | Please Stand By

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

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 330.2 lbs. (12 June 2024)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Christmas Eve

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

Commentary: The Puppini Sisters' rendition of "O Holy Night" has become a Christmas Eve tradition here at The Secret Base. Their harmonizing makes the song simply soar.

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

The Stars My Destination: Apollo-Soyuz

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (15-24 July 1975)
Apollo
Thomas Stafford, Commander
Vance Brand, Command Module Pilot
Donald "Deke" Slayton, Docking Module Pilot

Command Module: CSM-111

Soyuz 19
Alexei Leonov, Commander
Valery Kubasov, Flight Engineer

Capsule: Soyuz 7K-TM № 75

The Wayback Machine Tour of Apollo-Soyuz
"The Explorers' Club," № MXCIX: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo-Soyuz, Part I
Space Age Song o' the Day
Space Age Song o' the Day
"The Explorers' Club," № MC: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo-Soyuz, Part II
Space Age Song o' the Day
Space Age Song o' the Day
Space Age Song o' the Day
Space Age Song o' the Day
Space Age Song o' the Day
"The Explorers' Club," № MCI: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo-Soyuz, Part III

Commentary: I ought to have published this back in July, immediately after the fiftieth anniversary of Apollo-Soyuz, just as I did for the Apollo Moon missions in December 2022, hot on the heels of the fiftieth anniversary of Apollo 17. Instead, I tarried, as I did in recapping the Skylab missions. I regret this tarrying as I regretted that tarrying.

January is scheduled to be a busy month for Space Shuttle anniversaries, but sometime in America's Semiquincentennial year of 2026 seems like a good time to re-recap all fifteen Apollo flights.

Rewatching Star Trek (The Original Series, 1966-1969)

Episode o' the Day
"Mudd's Women" (season one, episode six; production code: 04; 13 October 1966): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: "Mudd's Women" is better than I remember it being. Bonus! Watching how the men aboard the Enterprise reacted to Mudd's women, I could not help but recall the ENT episode "Bound" (season four, episode seventeen; 15 April 2005).

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song o' the Day

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

Skammentary:

"The bells, the bows, and the flashing lights,
The mistletoes and the 'Silent Nights,'
It's all for show, and it's alright,
That's not why I love this time of year.

"It gets me and it 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!

"The stores are packed with stuff to buy,
The shelves are stacked a mile high,
But back to what it is that I
Truly love about this time of year:

"It gets me and it 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!…"

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song o' the Day

Brian d'Arcy James, "Michigan Christmas" from From Christmas Eve to Christmas Morn (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: My hometown of Grand Blanc is just north of Holly on the above map.

"And I want to be home with my family,
A Michigan Christmas is all I'm asking for, please…"

Rewatching Star Trek (The Original Series, 1966-1969)

Episode o' the Day
"The Corbomite Maneuver" (season one, episode ten; production code: 03; 10 November 1966): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: "The Corbomite Maneuver" is another banger, a tense character study with a peaceful resolution. The Original Series was great right out of the gate, in contrast to the series in the Golden Age, which typically took a few seasons to ripen. Sure, the continuity of the early episodes is a mess (Captain Kirk identifies the Enterprise as a "United Earth" ship & the adversary is an ambassador from the First Federation), but that's because episodic television of the 1960s was a whole different animal than the ultra-serialized, world-building television of today.

My D.V.D. boxsets have the original visual effects, though someday I really should acquire a set of the show with the remastered effects from the Aughts. Below is the remastered First Federation flagship, the Fesarius, which is described as a sphere more than a mile in diameter.

Bonus! Song o' the Last Day o' Hanukkah

Barenaked Ladies, "Hanukkah Blessings" from Barenaked for the Holidays (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Hanukkah ends at sunset, approximately 5:03 P.M. here in sacred Michigan.

The Explorers' Club, № MCXXX

Destination Moon—Astronaut Group 4 (the "Scientists"), Part II
Harrison Hagan "Jack" Schmitt (born 3 July 1935)—He flew Apollo 17 (America & Challenger, 1972); he was the first member of Astronaut Group 4 to fly & the twelfth of the twelve Moonwalkers; he was re-assigned from the cancelled Apollo 18 to Apollo 17 after intense lobbying by other lunar geologists, displacing Joe Engle; he was elected to the U.S. Senate from New Mexico, serving from 1977-1983.

Commentary: Schmitt worked for the U.S. Geological Survey, developing techniques for training astronauts to conduct field geology on the Moon, before his selection as an astronaut in 1965.

As of this publication, Senator Schmitt is still alive, age ninety.

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: The Scientists—Jack Schmitt
They Might Be Giants, "Here Comes Science" from Here Comes Science (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

Commentary:

"Ready or not, here comes science…"

The Wayback Machine Tour of Jack Schmitt
"The Explorers' Club," № CMXXI: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 17, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № CMXXII: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 17, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № CMXXIII: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 17, Part III

Ex Luna, Scientia.

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

The Winter Solstice
Sufjan Stevens, "The Winter Solstice" from the Sufjan Stevens Presents Songs for Christmas Singalong (In Stereo Hi-Fi) compilation (A.K.A. Songs for Christmas) (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: This is the longest night & the shortest day of the whole year. The long night was made all the darker in that last night was the New Moon, when all of the sunlight that reflects off the Moon reflected off the Far Side, the half of our planet's satellite that always faces away from us.

The "dark, killing winter" got off to a promising start, with morning temperatures in the single digits Fahrenheit, but the weather forecast is for temperatures in the forties & fifties by the Christmastide. Curses, foiled again!

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

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

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song o' the Day

The Klezmonauts, "Carol of the Bells" from Oy to the World: A Klezmer Christmas (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: An always haunting instrumental rendition.

Rewatching Star Trek (The Original Series, 1966-1969)

Episode o' the Day
"Where No Man Has Gone Before" (season one, episode three; production code: 02b; 22 September 1966): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Through the summer & the fall, I rewatched the first four seasons of Monk. I have four more seasons to go, but I wanted a change of pace. I ran a Twitter poll to help me decide between rewatching Star Trek (The Original Series) or Futurama. The vote was unanimous in favor of Star Trek; so, I decided to watch Futurama. However, after rewatching the first season of Futurama, I realized my real jones was for Those Old Scientists.

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" was the second pilot for Star Trek, after the original pilot, "The Cage" was rejected as too cerebral & lacking in action. It's counted as "season one, episode three" because it was the third episode broadcast; this rewatch will follow the production order, not the broadcast order.

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" is a really good episode, digging into wild science fiction ideas about humans with E.S.P. potential mutating into powerful beings with delusions of godhood.

Saints + Scripture: Adventus

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

The Popish Plot
"Catholic T-shirt Club Unboxing: A Year of Hope"

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

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—December 19*
The Book of Judges, chapter thirteen, verses two thru seven, twenty-four, & twenty-five(a);
Psalm Seventy-one (R/. cf. verse eight), verses three & four(a), five & six(a,b), & sixteen & seventeen;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter one, verses five thru twenty-five.

Commentary: U.S.C.C.B. & Word on Fire. *The readings for December 17-23, featuring the O Antiphons, are set by date, whether those dates fall in the third or the fourth week of Advent.

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

Friends, our Gospel today is from the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke, which is thoroughly drenched in Davidic themes from the Old Testament.

The first thing we hear about Zechariah is that he serves as priest in the Jerusalem temple; and David’s dream was to build the temple in which Zechariah serves. While in the sanctuary, Zechariah is visited by the angel Gabriel; and the temple locale and the announcement of the birth of a child against all expectations brings us back to Hannah’s pregnancy, which resulted in the birth of the forerunner to David. Indeed, Elizabeth’s words upon conceiving—“So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit to take away my disgrace before others”—powerfully evoke Hannah’s frame of mind when she, after many tears and much prayer, finally became pregnant.

What does this have to do with the life of Jesus? From beginning to end of his preaching career, Jesus’s central theme was the arrival of the kingdom of God, which was understood to mean the ingathering of the scattered tribes of Israel. And what becomes eminently clear in all of the Gospels is that this coming together would happen in and through Jesus himself, much as the knitting together of ancient Israel happened in the person of David. Jesus definitively fulfills what David himself left incomplete and unfinished.

Video reflection by Monsignor Robert Cannon (U.S.C.C.B.): Advent Reflection.

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song o' the Day

Matt Maher, "Jingle Bells" from The Advent of Christmas (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: This rendition of "Jingle Bells" is one of two, maybe three, secular Christmas songs on The Advent of Christmas.

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song o' the Day

Weezer, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" from the iTunes Holiday Sampler compilation (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Song o' the Wright Flyer

Beirut, "The Flying Club Cup" from The Flying Club Cup Mike Papa Whiskey)

Operation AXIOM
One hundred twenty-two years ago to the day, 17 December 1903, Wilbur & Orville Wright made the first four controlled, powered flights in the sand dunes near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The first flight, by Orville, covered a total distance of one hundred twenty feet, less than the wingspan of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet; the fourth flight, by Wilbur, covered eight hundred fifty-two feet, lasting nearly a minute. The Wright Flyer was damaged shortly after the fourth flight when overturned by a gust of wind, & would never fly again. The Wright brothers returned with the Wright Flyer II in 1904 & the much improved Wright Flyer III in 1905.

The Wright brothers made the first aeroplane flights, 17 December 1903, one hundred twenty-two years ago today.

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song o' the Day

The Puppini Sisters, "Here Comes Santa Claus" from Christmas with the Puppini Sisters (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus,
Right down Santa Claus Lane,
He doesn't care if you're rich or poor,
He loves you just the same.

"Santa knows that we're God's children,
That makes everything right,
Fill your hearts with the Christmas cheer,
'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight…"

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Advent | Please Stand By

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

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 330.2 lbs. (12 June 2024)

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song o' the Day

Burl Ives, "A Holly Jolly Christmas" from the The Very Best of Burl Ives Christmas compilation (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Burl Ives was a pro-Stalin Communist when he thought that advantaged him, but he later named names to H.U.A.C. to save his career. Christ came into the world to save us sinners, even soulless, Mammon-worshipping hypocrites like Ives.

The Explorers' Club Special

Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—The 60th Anniversary of Gemini VI-A
25 October 1965: Command Pilot Wally Schirra & Pilot Tom Stafford aimed to achieve rendezvous & docking with an Agena Target Vehicle; the Atlas-Agena rocket lifted off from Cape Kennedy Air Force Station, but the Agena exploded shortly after separation from the Atlas; the Gemini-Titan launch was scrubbed, the astronauts disembarked, & N.A.S.A. pondered how to salvage Gemini VI's mission.

12 December 1965: Schirra & Stafford boarded their Gemini capsule atop a Titan II G.L.V. for the second time, their revised mission to rendezvous with Gemini VII redesignated Gemini VI-A; the rockets fired, but cut off seconds later; launch abort mission rules called for the crew to use their ejection seats, a risky manuever, but the pilots knew they hadn't lifted off, stood by, & disembarked.

15-16 December 1965: Gemini VI-A lifted off from Florida's Cape Kennedy Air Force Station, with Command Pilot Wally Schirra & Pilot Tom Stafford aboard a Gemini spacecraft atop a Titan II G.L.V. rocket; they achieved the first rendezvous in space with Gemini VII, the two capsules maneuvering to within one foot; next day, they splashed down in the Atlantic & were recovered by the U.S.S. Wasp.

The Wayback Machine Tour of Gemini VI-A
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCLXXIX: The 55th Anniversary of Gemini VI, Prelude
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCLXXXVIII: The 55th Anniversary of Gemini VI-A, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCLXXXIX: The 55th Anniversary of Gemini VI-A, Part II
Space Race Song o' the Day

Commentary: Whereas Gemini VII was the last of the Gemini endurance missions, Gemini VI-A was the first of the Gemini rendezvous & docking missions. These shorter duration missions would typify the remainder of Project Gemini. The rendezvous of Gemini VI-A with Gemini VII was the first time two spacecraft rendezvoused on orbit & produced some of the most striking images from Gemini.

Trouble with the Agena Target Vehicle &/or the Atlas rocket would later plague Gemini IX-A.

Semper exploro.

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song o' the Day

She & Him, "Rockin' around the Christmas Tree" from A Very She & Him Christmas (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Curiously, I do not have the original version by Brenda Lee in my library.

The Explorers' Club, № MCXXIX

Operation AXIOM: Between the Wars
15 December 1925: Reza Khan took the imperial oath as Shah of Iran, inaugurating the Pahlavi dynasty; an army officer, he led the 1921 British-approved coup d'état against Ahmad Shah Qajar, becoming war minister & army chief in the new government; he did not declare Iran a republic as Atatürk had done in Turkey, but was elected Shah according to the Persian Constitution of 1906.

Lest we forget.