The Explorers' Club, № MXXXVII

Operation AXIOM: The 10th Anniversary of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17
17 July 2014: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam, The Netherlands to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was shot down by Russian-controlled terrorists operating in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, using a Buk surface-to-air missile that came from Russia & the launcher of which returned to Russia; two hundred ninety-eight souls were lost; three Russian agents were convicted in absentia.

Semper exploro.

Saints + Scripture

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

'Tis the Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

Operation ÖSTERREICH

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

The Rebel Black Dot Finally! Song o' the Day!

The Aquabats!, "No Rewind!" from Finally! (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Commentary: After more than a decade as a quintet, for Finally! The Aquabats! are once again a band of eight (or nine) men, with the return of founding member Catboy!; Chainsaw, the Prince of Karate! (who gave me my Aqua-Cadet code name, Captain Thumbs Up!); & Professor Morty Corndog!; & the addition of new member Gorney! The music video mixes, matches, & juxtaposes footage from back in the day, especially the iconic music video for "Super Rad!," with footage from The Aquabats! Super Show! & photographs from throughout the band's thirty-plus-year history: YouTube-link.

"Me don't need no rewind,
'Cause right now this is our time,
All them mountains that we gonna climb,
'Cause we don't need no rewind!…"

Bonus: "No Rewind!" is a ska song! Ska! Ska! Ska!

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Today

Dientag, 16. Juli
Gary Portnoy, "Where Everybody Knows Your Name (Theme from Cheers)" from Keeper (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Sometimes you wanna go—

"Where everybody knows your name
And they're always glad you came,
You want to be where you can see
Troubles are all the same,
You want to be where everybody knows your name…

"Be glad there's one place in the world—

"Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came,
You want to go where people know
People are all the same,
You want to go where everybody knows your name…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Yesterday

Montag, 15. Juli
"Weird Al" Yankovic, "I'll Be Mellow When I'm Dead" from "Weird Al" Yankovic (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Saints + Scripture

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

The Popish Plot
"Bonus: Father God"

Saints of the Day
'Tis the Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, associated with & venerated through the Brown Scapular, formally the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

Saint Quote o' the Day

"Men do not fear a powerful hostile army as the powers of Hell fear the name & protection of Mary."
—Saint Bonaventure,O.F.M. (1221-1274, feast: 15 July)

'Tis the Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

Saints + Scripture

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

Saints of the Day
'Tis the Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop & Doctor of the Church, O.F.M. (1221-1274, the Doctor Seraphicus ["Seraphic Doctor"]; A.K.A. Giovanni di Fidanza, of Bagnorea), Cardinal-Bishop of Albano & seventh (VII) Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, who attended the Second Council of Lyons (1272-1274, the fourteenth ecumenical council).

Commentary: Wayback Machine '21 & Wayback Machine '19.

Saint Quote o' the Day

"The best perfection of a religious man is to do common things in a perfect manner. A constant fidelity in small things is a great & heroic virtue."
—Saint Bonaventure, O.F.M. (1221-1274, feast: 15 July)

'Tis the Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

The Explorers' Club, № MXXXVI

Operation AXIOM: Between the Wars
February-July 1924: The Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold (Black, Red, Gold Banner of the Reich), primarily affiliated with the Social Democratic Party of Germany, & the Roter Frontkämpferbund (Red Front Fighters' League), affiliated with the Communist Party of Germany, were formed, paramilitary organizations to defend party activities against the Nazi Party's Sturmabteilung, & each other.

Lest we forget.

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

The Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matt Maher, "Turn Around" from The Love In Between (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Girl Trouble Song o' the Day

Reel Big Fish, "She's Not the End of the World" from Candy Coated Fury (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Punch me in the face,
Gash out my eyes,
Twist off my arm
And make me realize that
She's not the end of the world!

"Throw me down the stairs,
Hit me with a pipe,
Stomp out my brains
And make me realize that
She's not the end of the world!

"But how can I eat?
How can I breathe?
How can I sleep if she's not with me?
Oh, she feels like the end of the world!

"She's makin' a list
And checkin' it twice,
If I'm not on it then what's your advice?
Tell me she's not the end of the world!

"It's happened before
And it's happenin' again,
So slit my throat if you're really my friend,
Tell me she's not the end of the world!

"But why do I think?
Why do I try?
What if I drink myself til I die?
Oh, she feels like the end of the world!…

"And it's startin' all over again,
So if you're really my friend,
You'll put a rope around my neck
And you'll hang me right overhead!
She feels like the end,
She must be the end,
Oh, she is the end of the world!…

Saints + Scripture

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

'Tis the Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

Saints of the Day
'Tis the festival of Saints Louis Martin & Zélie Martin (1823-1894 & 1831-1877, A.K.A. Marie-Azélie Guérin).

Commentary: Husband & wife, parents of the Doctor of the Church St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus & the Holy Face, A.K.A. of Lisieux, the "Little Flower of Jesus" [1 October] & the Servants of God Agnès of Jesus, Françoise-Thérèse Martin, & Geneviève of the Holy Face.

Saint Quote o' the Day

"I want to become a saint; it will not be easy at all. I have a lot of wood to chop, & it is as hard as stone. I should have started sooner, while it was not so difficult; but, in any case; 'Better late than never.'"
—Saint Zélie Martin (1831-1877, feast: 12 July)

The Rebel Black Dot Girl Trouble Song o' the Day

Reel Big Fish, "Somebody Loved Me" from Cheer Up! (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"I think somebody loved me once,
I think somebody loved me once,
I think somebody loved me once,
But I cannot remember why…"

Autobahn: 100,000 & Counting…

The Shuttlecraft Odysseus has reached 100,000 miles! I did not watch the odometer tick over to 100,000 miles—it would have been dangerous & irresponsible to drive with my eyes fixed on the odometer instead of on the road—but I did glance at the odometer at 099,999 miles & then again at 100,000 miles. I was on my way to a Eucharistic procession & holy hour of adoration, & I cannot think of a more fitting journey on which to cross the 100,000 miles threshold.

I look forward to another 100,000 miles, if I act as a good steward of the Shuttlecraft Odysseus. 200,000 miles, here we come!

Saints + Scripture

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

Saints of the Day
'Tis the Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot, O.S.B. (circa 480-547, of Nursia), founder of the Abbey of Saint Scholastica (A.K.A. Subiaco Abbey) & the Abbey of Monte Cassino, & author of the Rule of Saint Benedict.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Brother of St. Scholastica [10 January].

Saint Quote o' the Day

"What, dear brothers, is more delightful than the voice of the Lord calling to us?"
—Saint Benedict of Nursia, O.S.B. (480-547, feast: 11 July)

'Tis the Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

The Explorers' Club Special: June-July 1914

Operation AXIOM: The World War
As the centenary of the World War (the Weltkrieg to German speakers, the Great War to English speakers) approached in 2014, I decided that "The Explorers' Club" would make a "real time" study of what was happening in the course of the war, one century earlier:

For the next five years, we here at "The Explorers' Club" will be remembering the First World War, dedicating a minimum of one episode per month to the centenary of an event during the Great War, on or about the date it happened in 1914-1919. This may tinge "The Explorers' Club" with sepia tones of tragedy, but 'tis necessary, tis essential that we remember "the war to end all wars," lest the glorious dead died in vain, lest Western civilization again marches enthusiastically toward Tophet. As Rudyard Kipling, who lost his boy Jack to the war, wrote, "Lest we forget." Lest we forget.

This dedication of "a minimum of one episode per month to the centenary" quickly became all consuming. It truly was a World War & there was so much more happening than one episode per week could possibly track. The decision was taken to come up for a breath of fresh air, dedicating a minimum of one episode per month to any subject other than the centenary of the "War to End All Wars," but more often than not that hope failed.

"The Explorers' Club" as we know it today came of age in the crucible of the Great War centenary. The Sunday publishing schedule was more & more conformed to the actual anniversary of events, a tendency that continues today in our study of spaceflight anniversaries. More & more information was included in each episode, culminating in the four-line maximum that still prevails today.

Studying the World War is a grim but necessary business. The tragedy of 1914-1919 could happen to us again, & will happen to us again if we don't learn the lessons of the past. 2022 saw the return of major, high-intensity warfare to Europe for the first time since 1945, the end of the Second World War. The isolationist retreat of the United States under Presidents Obama, Trump, & Biden has reignited great-power competition for the first time since 1991, the end of the Cold War. In terms of economic power, the People's Republic of China is much more of a peer competitor than the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ever was. I invite you, dear readers, to join me again as we explore the triumph & the tragedy of the First World War.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the World War: June-July 1914
"The Explorers' Club," № CCCXCIX: The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
"The Explorers' Club," № CD: The "July Crisis"
"The Explorers' Club," № CDI: The Triple Alliance
"The Explorers' Club," № CDII: The Triple Entente
"The Explorers' Club," № CDIII: The "July Ultimatum"

Lest we forget.

The Rebel Black Dot Girl Trouble Song o' the Day

Reel Big Fish, "I Dare You to Break My Heart" from Candy Coated Fury (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"The most important thing,
That I have ever learnt,
Is if you're not doing the hurting,
You're the one who's getting hurt…"

Saints + Scripture

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

'Tis the Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

Operation ÖSTERREICH

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

The Rebel Black Dot Girl Trouble Song o' the Day

Half Past Two, "At least Be Decent" from the Camp Slushtone E.P. (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Cheerful and pretty, but you’re dark inside,
Leaning on a demon that you fight to hide,
An eye for an eye doesn’t keep you kind,
And because you’re hurt, you aim to make things worse.

"Mismanaged secrets and your lowered self-esteem,
You think you’re witty, but you come off mean.

"We’re all fighting for the same dream,
At least be decent when you see me.
We’re all fighting for the same dream,
At least be decent when you see me…"

Bonus! Girl Trouble Song o' the Day

Reel Big Fish, "Nothin'" from Turn the Radio Off (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"I know it's really not your fault,
I'm going to blame you anyway,
You say you're sorry,
But I know it won't do no good,
I give up, I give in,
Know I'm never gonna win, 'cause—

"Every time I try so hard I get nothin', nothin'!
They say, 'Try and you won't fail;' get nothin', nothin'!
I did all that I could, I got nothin', nothin'!
"Tried so hard for nothin', nothin'!…"

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

Episode o' the Day
"Shattered Mirror" (season four, episode twenty; 22 April 1996): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: "Shattered Mirror" is a direct sequel to season three's Mirror Universe episode, "Through the Looking Glass." In "Through the Looking Glass," our Benjamin Sisko impersonated Mirror Benjamin Sisko to win over Mirror Jennifer Sisko to the side of the Terran rebels; in "Shattered Mirror," Mirror Jennifer lures Jake Sisko over to the Mirror Universe to induce our Sisko to cross over to help Smiley (Mirror O'Brien) finish a Mirror Defiant in time to defeat a fleet led by Mirror Worf, the Regent of the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. All the campy fun is here, including Mirror Kira murdering Mirror Nog to continue the tradition of killing off one Mirror Universe Ferengi per episode, & it's a hoot to see Michael Dorn get in on the fun as Mirror Worf.

The relationship between the Siskos has real poignancy, with Jake treating Mirror Jennifer as if she is his own mother returned from the dead, Mirror Jennifer lamenting that she & Mirror Benjamin never had a Jake of their own, & Benjamin confessing a deep fondness for Mirror Jennifer, despite her endangering Jake as part of her plan. Benjamin & Jake mourn the death of Mirror Jennifer, not quite the same as they had ealier mourned the death of Benjamin's wife & Jake's mother, but not quite so different, either.

Saints + Scripture

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

The Popish Plot
"Bad Evangelization: Cherry-picking the Bible"

Saints of the Day
'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest, & Companions, Martyrs (died 1648-1930, A.K.A. the one hundred twenty Martyr Saints of China), martyred under the Qing dynasty, various warlords, & the Republic of China.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

'Tis also the festival of Saint Nicolaas Pieck, Priest (O.F.M.), & Companions, Martyrs (died 1572, A.K.A. the nineteen Martyrs of Gorkum), martyred by Calvinist heretics.

'Tis the Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Girl Trouble Song o' Today

Dientag, 9. Juli
Avril Lavigne, "Too Much to Ask" from Let Go (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Yesterday

Montag, 8. Juli
Shirley Walker, "Superman: The Animated Series (Main Title)" from the Superman: The Animated Series (Main and End Titles) E.P. (Mike Papa Whiskey

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

Episode o' the Day
"Hard Time" (season four, episode nineteen; 15 April 1996): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: "Hard Time" is one of the finest hours of Star Trek ever produced. It is the most extreme example of the "O'Brien must suffer" ethos, & references the events of several other "O'Brien must suffer" episodes (T.N.G.'s "The Wounded" & D.S.9's "Whispers" & "Tribunal"). It is also a sober examination of post-traumatic stress disorder & suicidal ideation. I highly recommend "Hard Time" to all, even those poor benighted souls who don't otherwise enjoy Star Trek.

Saints + Scripture

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

'Tis the Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine '21 & Wayback Machine '19.

The Explorers' Club, № MXXXV

Operation AXIOM: The Submarines of 1968, Epilogue
July-August 1974: Project AZORIAN—The C.I.A. used the purpose-built drillship Hughes Glomar Explorer to recover the sunken Soviet ballistic missle submarine K-129 from 16,000+ feet of water; the wreck was lifted from the sea floor before the mechanical claw Clementine partially failed; the recovered hull section contained nuclear torpedos, code books, & the corpses of six submariners.

Commentary: Eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes was involved in Project AZORIAN only as the C.I.A.'s cover story, claiming in public that Global Marine Development (Glomar) was building the Hughes Glomar Explorer to mine manganese nodules from the seabed.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the Submarines of 1968
"The Explorers' Club," № CMXXVIII: The Wreck of the I.N.S. Dakar (77-צ)
"The Explorers' Club," № CMXXIX: The Wreck of the Minerve (S647)
"The Explorers' Club," № CMXXXVI: The Wreck of the K-129 (722)
"The Explorers' Club," № CMLI: The Wreck of the U.S.S. Scorpion SSN-589

Semper exploro.

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

Episode o' the Day
"Rules of Engagement" (season four, episode seventeen; 8 April 1996): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: "Rules of Engagement" presents the Klingons as they truly are: brutal, underhanded, & thoroughly dishonorable. To gain sympathy from galactic public sentiment, sympathy they would press to gain further advantage against the Federation, the Klingons set up the crew of the Defiant to destroy an empty starliner & claim that hundreds of innocent Klingon civilians were massacred. The plot is undone when Constable Odo uncovers that the Klingon civilians had actually died three months earlier in a crash landing on a remote planet, but only after the Klingon lawyer, Ch'Pok, had expertly manipulated the Starfleet extradition hearing, his "battlefield." Ch'Pok openly states that Klingons take pride in slaughtering unarmed children—any & all victories are honorable—but would happily denounced the Federation for a "massacre" of children & other civilians. This is who the Klingons truly are: bloodthirsty & despicable.

Saints + Scripture: XIV Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

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

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

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

The Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
For King & Country, "Middle of Your Heart" from Crave (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

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

Episode o' the Day
"Accession" (season four, episode seventeen; 26 February 1996): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: The series premiere of Deep Space Nine is titled, "Emissary" (not to be confused with "The Emissary," The Next Generation season two, episode twenty), but it is not until "Accession" that Captain Sisko fully embraces his role as the Emissary of the Prophets. The secular humanist Federation is uncomfortable with the Bajorans' perception of Sisko as a religious figure & he, as a Starfleet officer, shares that discomfort. (See: June's "Section 31" review of "Starship Down": Wayback Machine.) When the Bajoran poet Akorem Laan, who disappeared two centuries earlier, emerges from the Wormhole (the Celestial Temple) claiming to be the Emissary, Sisko is only too eager to relinquish the title.

Akorem quickly begins to flex his muscle as the Emissary in ways that Sisko never did, calling for the restoration of the Bajoran caste system that disappeared during the Cardassian occupation. When Sisko points out that caste-based discrimination will void Bajor's application to join the Federation, but Akorem plows ahead with the support of Kai Winn. Why? Because Akorem believes he is following the will of the Prophets. Sisko's problem flows from not following his vocation, not following the path set out for him by the Prophets. Sisko desires to reclaim the title of Emissary, but Akorem is not willing to give it up. The two Emissaries journey to the Celestial Temple (the Wormhole) & encounter the Prophets. The Prophets reveal that they are "of Bajor" & "The Sisko" is "of Bajor." Akorem's role was not to be the Emissary, but to provoke Sisko into embracing his role as the Emissary.

Saints + Scripture

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

Saints of the Day
'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Maria Goretti, Virgin & Martyr (1890-1902), martyred by her attempted rapist, Alessandro Serenelli, who repented & testified at her cause for canonization.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

'Tis also the Optional Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

'Tis the First Saturday o' the month: Wikipedia-link First Saturdays.

'Tis the Saturday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Reel Big Fish, "Everything Sucks" from Turn the Radio Off (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: I had planned to choose a fourth & final "U.S.A. Song o' the Day" to cap off a week that included Canada Day, Eh & Independence Day, but "Everything Sucks" got me moving this morning & we here at The Secret Base strive always to obey the muses, however mysterious they may be.

"There's a ska band on my street,
A little ska band,
Everybody thinks that they're so fuckin' neat,
There was nothin' on the radio,
Gonna make my own band, play my own show,
But that don't work
So I'm givin' up again!

"She said she loved me 'cause I played guitar,
That's okay, I didn't love her at all and I say,
'I'm givin' up,' because—

"I know everything sucks, yeah,
I know everything sucks, whoa,
I know everything sucks, yeah,
And this is gonna be the last time you hear me complain…"

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

Episode o' the Day
"Bar Association" (season four, episode sixteen; 19 February 1996): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: "Bar Association" is one of the worst episodes of the entire series, a non-comedic Ferengi episode that unironically quotes The Communist Manifesto.

Lasting developments from the episode include the first hint of Rom & Leeta's romance, which will eventually culminate in their marriage &, as seen on Star Trek: Lower Decks, leadership of the Ferengi Alliance. The first hint of Jadzia & Worf's romance was seen in the previous episode, "Sons of Mogh," when they flirted as they sparred in the holosuites; that flirtation continues here, with Dax pursuing Worf. This will culminate in their marriage, too. None of the main cast on The Next Generation married; the only prominant wedding was of recurring character Chief O'Brien to Keiko, who was first introduced in the wedding episode, "Data's Day" (season four, episode eleven). The O'Briens' marriage is much further developed during Deep Space Nine, far & away the most family-oriented Star Trek series.