The Explorers' Club, № MCXIII

30 St. Mary Axe (A.K.A. "The Gherkin")—A skyscraper in the City of London, opened in April 2004, built on the site of the Baltic Exchange, an architectural landmark damaged beyond repair in a 1992 terrorist bombing; designed by Foster + Partners & constructed by Skanska; during construction, the skeleton of a teenage girl from Roman London was discovered, & eventually reburied on the site.

Semper exploro.

Saints + Scripture

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

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

James Cromwell, "If I Had Words" from Babe: Original Soundtrack (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"If I had words to make a day for you,
I'd sing you a morning golden and true,
I would make this day last for all time,
Then fill the night deep in moonshine…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day, Eh

Barenaked Ladies, "Maybe Katie" from Everything to Everyone (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Saints + Scripture: Feast of the Holy Archangels

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

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

The Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
James Carter and the Prisoners, "Po Lazarus" from O Brother, Where Art Thou?: Music from a Film by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Saints + Scripture: XXVI Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

'Tis the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

The Explorers' Club, № MCXII

Operation AXIOM: Between the Wars
8 September 1925: Spanish & French colonial forces landed at Alhucemas (A.K.A. Al Hoceima), the first amphibious landing to include the use of tanks & seaborne aerial forces; the landings began the end of the Rif War, an ultimately unsuccessful rebellion against the Spanish protectorate in Morocco; Francisco Franco was promoted to brigadier general for his leadership of the Spanish Legion troops.

Commentary: The coordination of land, sea, & air forces at Alhucemas prefigured the larger combined operations amphibious landings of the Second World War, e.g., Normandy & Iwo Jima.

Lest we forget.

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

Team 146, 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. College football just keeps getting worse & worse.

Go Blue!

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Mustard Plug, "The Perfect Plan" from Can't Contain It (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: The plan was to see Mustard Plug tonight in Ferndale with King Tot & Golf Papa, the future Queen Tot—I saw Mustard Plug with them last Christmas in Detroit proper—but the danged show is sold out. Drat! I guess there are worse things than ska being popular enough for a show to sell out, but henceforth I shall always buy tickets in advance.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

The Hippos, "Don't Worry" from Forget the World (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Not a cover of "Don't Worry" by The Abruptors.

Operation ÖSTERREICH: 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 ot the Day: 40 Days for Life

Topol, Paul Whitsun-Jones, Maurice Lane, & Villagers, "To Life" from Fiddler on the Roof (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Pray to end abortion.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

The Abruptors, "Don't Worry" from the Buffalo Ska E.P. (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Not a cover of "Don't Worry" by The Hippos.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the First Day o' Autumn

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

The Puppini Sisters, "September Song" from Hollywood (Mike Papa Whiskey)

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

The Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Brothers Walker, "Rich Man" from the The Walker Bros. E.P. (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

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

Team 146, Game 4: Michigan @ Nebraska
The University of Michigan Marching Band, "El Victors Caliente" from Forever Valiant (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: Never forget 1997 & what Nebraska tried to take from us.

Go Blue!

Bonus! End o' Summer Song o' the Day

Potshot, "End of the Long Summer" from Potshot A Go Go (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot End o' Summer Song o' the Day

Spike Jones & His City Slickers, "By the Beautiful Sea" from The Spike Jones Anthology (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot End o' Summer Song o' the Day

Mustard Plug, "Summertime" from Skapocalypse Now! (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Operation ÖSTERREICH: 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 End o' Summer Song o' the Day

The Starting Line, "The Drama Summer" from Say It Like You Mean It (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Cross your fingers
And pray for winter…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Slow Gherkin, "Get Some More" from Shed Some Skin (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"I was new on the scene,
With one look we agreed,
In the past we'd been wrong,
We'd both been lonely for so long,
You ask me do I want to,
And I said yes I want to,
My hand in yours and off we go!

"I-I-I lie before you,
I-I-I lie just for you,
I-I-I lie for everyone.
My-y-y acts defy you,
My-y-y thoughts give lie to
My-y-y love for everyone…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Mustard Plug, "Mendoza" from Evildoers Beware! (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"She took a rusty stiletto and she slaughtered my heart,
Wrapped her finger 'round my mind, that was only the start,
Dumped cement in my stomach just to even the score,
And when she was done I only asked for more (More! More!),
'Cause you're too much woman for a man like me,
And my love grows faster than a growing weed,
Mendoza, Mendoza, why can't you see,
That you're the only girl, you're the girl for me?…"

The Explorers' Club, № MCXI

Operation AXIOM: Between the Wars
3 September 1925: The airship U.S.S. Shenandoah ZR-1 was destroyed by a squall line, crashing to earth in three main pieces near Caldwell, Ohio; fourteen souls were lost, but twenty-nine officers & crew survived; Lt. Cdr. Lansdowne, the captain, who perished, made the flight under protest due to the prevalence of storms in the area at that time of year, but he was overruled by his Navy superiors.

Commentary: The Shenandoah was the first rigid airship to use helium as the lifting gas instead of hydrogen.

The Space Shuttle Discovery landed on 3 September 1985 at the end of S.T.S.-51-I. With a few exceptions, "The Space Age" anniversaries (3 September 1985) will have priority over "Between the Wars" anniversaries (3 September 1925). We thank you for your understanding.

Semper exploro.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Exaltation of the Cross

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Mahlaia Jackson, "Onward, Christian Soldiers" from The Power and the Glory (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Onward, Christian soliders,
Marching as to war,
With the Cross of Jesus
Going on before…"

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

Team 146, Game 3: Michigan v. Central Michigan
The Chips, "Rubber Bicsuit" from the Doo Wop Classics, Vol. 3 compilation (Mike Papa Wolverine)

Commentary: Have I mentioned how much I hate night games? Because I really hate… wait, what? A noon kickoff, you say? Finally!

The valiant Wolverines of Team 146 have an exceedingly odd schedule; they do not have consecutive home games, & in fact only have six home games, paired with six road games. Team 144 played eight home games & only four road games in the regular season. Facing the epithetless Chippewas of Central Michigan should be a "get right" game after the fiasco against Oklahoma, but next week the valiant Wolverines are back on the road in a hostile environment to open B1G play. Central Michigan should be a "get right" game, provided Michigan doesn't take them lightly.

Go Blue!

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

The Proclaimers, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" from Sunshine of Leith (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Explorers' Club Special: September 1915

Operation AXIOM: The World War
The Russians' Great Retreat continued on the Eastern Front & the British started using poison gas on the Western Front.

Commentary: Most of September 2015's "Explorers' Club" episodes were dedicated to catching up on events I'd missed earlierin the year, filling in lots of gaps from throughout 1915.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the World War: September 1915
"The Explorers' Club," № CDLXIII: The Great Retreat, Part IV: The Capture of Vilnius (19 September 1915)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDLXIV: The Third Battle of Artois, Part I: The Battle of Loos (25 September-14 October 1915)

Lest we forget.

Operation AXIOM: 9/11

Twenty-four years ago to the day, 11 September 2001, nineteen jihadist terrorists from al-Qaeda murdered 2,977 innocents by hijacking four airliners, three of which were crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City & the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia; the fight back began with the passengers & crew of the fourth airliner, leading to that plane's crash in a Pennsylvania field, instead of into the suspected target, the Capitol in Washington, D.C. 'Twas due to the bravery of the passengers & crew of United Flight 93 that "Let's roll" became a battle cry.

On 11 September 2001, Afghanistan was ruled by the Taliban & was a sanctuary for al-Qaeda & associated jihadist terrorist groups. Today, Afghanistan is once again ruled by the Taliban & is once again a sanctuary for jihadist terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda & Daesh-Khorasan (I.S.I.S.-K.). The U.S. government betrayed our values as well as our self-interest, & all the Afghans who had partnered with us & cooperated with us through twenty long years of war, when we precipitously & ineptly abandoned Afghanistan in 2021.

There was a moment of ephemeral national unity after 9/11. Every president since the "day of fire" has campaigned as a uniter, a president for all Americans, yet the general feeling is that we are more divided than we have every been, that the United States is fraying, not just at the edges but at the very center. We can't even agree on common terms anymore, & everyone regards everyone else with suspicion & hostility. I don't know if that is the reality, but such is the Zeitgeist, the spirit of the age. At some point, we are going to have to ask ourselves if we are willing to live with each other, to forgive & tolerate each other. We are going to have to think back to 9/11 & that brief, grief- & shock-fueled moment of unity. Can we recover a sense of national solidarity minus the trauma of a massive national tragedy?

The official motto of the United States of America is:

In God we trust.

The traditional motto of the United States is:

"E pluribus unum" ("From many, one").

The only way we are going to be united is if we recommit ourselves to those founding priciples. We cannot cut ourselves off from the past; the concept of "Year Zero" can only ever lead to the Killing Fields of Cambodia. We are many; we are not bound by blood & soil. The only way we, as many, can ever be one, is in the One in Whom we trust. I'm not advocating, as the social media "integralists" do, for altar & throne; the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is not of this earth. Religious pluralism is foundational to the United States of America, for good or for ill. The Bill of Rights—Amendment I to the United States Constitution—enshrines the "free exercise of religion," not as the malevolent claim, "freedom from religion."

The malasise that plagues us now is the inevitable & predictable result of adopting atheism as our civic religion. The consequences of this are myriad & malefic. Politics has been elevated over discourse, partisanship is prized above principle, & freedom has been cheapened from freedom for excellence to simple license. In the words of the late Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., "We have become a society that permits everything, but forgives nothing." We have forgotten how unique & radical the Christian ideal of forgiveness is; the forgiveness of sins & the love of enemies was utterly alien to the pagan Greeks & Romans that the darkling "Age of Enlightenment" promoted as an alternative to now twenty-one centuries of Christian patrimony.

Four airliners were hijacked by jihdists & used as weapons to strike at the Pentagon, the World Trade Center, & likely the United States Captol. Almost three thousand innocents & the nineteen hijackers died. Those of us who are old enough to remember will never forget where were were when we first learned that the Twin Towers had fallen, 11 September 2001, twenty-four years ago today.

The Wayback Machine Tour of 9/11
Patriot Day '24
Patriot Day '23 / Patriot Day '22
Patriot Day '21 / Patriot Day '20
Patriot Day '19 / Patriot Day '18
Patriot Day '17 / Patriot Day '15
Patriot Day '13 / Patriot Day '11

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Patriot Day
Golem, "Citizen Boris" from Citizen Boris (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Never forget.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

"Weird Al" Yankovic, "My Own Eyes" from Mandatory Fun (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Operation ÖSTERREICH: 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 Explorers' Club, № MCX

Operation AXIOM: The Space Age—The 50th Anniversary of the Viking Program, Part II
9 September 1975: Viking 2 probe lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station atop a Titan IIIE (A.K.A. Titan III-Centaur) rocket, bound for Mars; Viking 2 consisted of an orbiter, to identify Martian landing sites & photograph the moon Deimos, & a lander, intended to reach the Utopia Planitia region; the Viking 2 orbiter & lander were essentially identical to the Viking 1 orbiter & lander.

Bonus! Space Age Song o' the Day!: Viking 2
The Aquabats!, "Martian Girl!" from The Return of the Aquabats! (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Semper exploro.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Seatbelts, "Tank!" from Cowboy Bebop: Original Soundtrack (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Hollywoodland: Star Trek (The Original Series)

Operation AXIOM: The 59th Anniversary of Star Trek
Fifty-nine years ago to the day, 8 September 1966, Star Trek (retroactively known as "The Original Series," T.O.S.) premiered on network television with the episode, "The Man Trap." Star Trek ran for three seasons, but only because the network did not know how to measure the ratings correctly; it was very popular among key demographics, which explains the decades of success the show enjoyed in re-runs & six feature films starring the original-series cast. Star Trek debuted the first of its seventy-nine episodes fifty-nine years ago today, 8 September 1966.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: Star Trek
The Firm, "Star Trekkin'" from Dr. Demento's Hits from Outer Space (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Spring Heeled Jack, "Beggin'" from Songs from Suburbia (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)