OT WE 17 JUN 26 ~ M. C. Escher
Submitted by QMS on Wed, 06/17/2026 - 2:32am
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A master of impossible constructions.
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Born on this day in 1898 in the Netherlands, Maurits was fascinated by geometric patterns and unusual perspectives.
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Otherwise, the world grinds on. The earth turns on a wobbly axis. Media spins perception to suit the PTB agenda,
billionaires become trillionaires, and money is worth less every day for us commoners. It has become a real
challenge to find good in our species and institutions. Have you tried your 5 minutes of compassion today?
This is an open thread, so fill in the blanks on any topic of interest. The peoples' reporting is least-wise as
important as anything else out there.
Comments
Heya, good morning
.
Carousing the headlines this morning it appears the vaunted
MOA is spread too far apart in certain sticking points to become
a assignable document on Friday in Geneva. Too many curve balls.
And trumpet wants to be in on the action in Hormuz, of course.
Also, the US is proving to be "exceptionally" obtuse on customs and
visa restrictions for the soccer teams (and fans) participating in the
World Cup games. Riding the elevator down ever faster.
Zionism is a social disease
Interesting G7 right now
Ukraine has taken the place of Russia. Sitting in their place around the table. Europe has made new promises of air defence and permissions to build things like flamingo cruise missiles. Trump suggested Putin should seek to make a deal, sooner rather than later. Zelinskis has been maneuvering for Putin to be the one refusing to make peace, to strengthen Ukraine's negotiating position and also Ukraine probably has plans that don't include stopping things where they are and losing 20% of their country.
In Russia itself there is widespread gas rationing, from the sounds of it in all of western Russia but it varies depending on which brand of gas station you are going to. Everything from 20 liters to 100 liters. Crimea is only with coupons printed by the authorities, and the situation with roads and bridges is if anything even worse. Fuel, ammunition, food.
The big refinery they hit in Moscow earlier this week is still mostly out of commission. Airports restricting the sale of all types of fuel to the private sector. Refineries can be repaired, but it takes less time to burn them.
It's hard to separate out conjecture from fact. Russia has adapted before. Ukraine's drone superiority could end. Russia could come up with an alternative to Starlink. Some good reporting from Russia's own mil bloggers verifying what can be learned via geolocation.
The Rus just recently started jamming starlink. Except for
all the pure Ukranian people being used as cannon fodder, this has been mostly a NATO and EU war on the Rus, and each time the Rus overcome the latest flood of tech gadgetry and wonder-weapon supply, Ukraine takes another hit. The "just around the corner" Ukraine victory appears to have to make it around yet another corner.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Good morning...
The people walking in different planes is one of my favorite Escher drawings. I also like the constant waterfall...
...among his many drawings.
Interesting how our lives change, but here's a 100 year old Schooner and it's life changes.
100-Years of Schooner Hindu
(19 min) No boat survives a century without dedicated people willing to go through hell and high water to save her. Provincetown's wooden schooner Hindu is part of the summer backdrop on Cape Cod Bay's horizon every year. In this compelling documentary-short, her captains tell a captivating story about what it takes to love a boat.
Thought of you when I watched this. Thanks for the OT!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
A very touching story
.
Have seen the vessel dockside and underway. Always a sight
to behold. P'town has extensive roots on the cape. It is a natural
provisioning stop from RI to Maine. An artistic community with a
unique culture. A ferry runs across from Boston bringing-in tourists
and supplies during the season. A worthwhile destination if ever in
New England. Thanks for sharing this!
Zionism is a social disease
Valparaiso, Chile
had had a major fire and probably development since I was there, but the sensation wandering through some of the older hillside neighborhoods there was very much like being in an Escher print...
There's a scene in Motorcycle Diaries where Guevara and his friend are riding one of the city's funicular 'ascensores'...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valpara%C3%ADso_funiculars
Escher is very timely
in my case- my whole visual mechanism is well and truly upheaval'ed with this stroke.
I’ve had two hyperbaric chamber rides now since the event, and I’ve started to get some glimmerings around the edges of the visual field. So the process of recovery is underway. Last time out, it took ~10 rides and ~3 weeks to get back to what I considered acceptable vision. I’m hoping that this will follow the same general course. It takes time for the occluded artery to remodel around the clot, which is where the rubber meets the road- so we’ll see if previous experience applies here.
It is interesting: when I hit ~1.5bar on the descent in the chamber, I get fireworks/sparklies in that eye, as the additional O2 perfuses into the retina. It is the visual equivalent of the pins and needles sensation that you get when a limb “goes to sleep” because of restricted blood flow. The fact that I get fireworks is extremely encouraging, because it indicates that the retina is still alive, albeit in deep shock. If the blockage had been complete, the retina would be necrotic, and I’d get nothin’ but black. So now it is all about reestablishing the proper blood flow ASAP, and gently coaxing those tissues out of shock.
This would be terrifying, if I hadn’t experienced it before on that partial blockage a couple of years ago. At least I have a proven-to-me roadmap. It still boggles my mind that the neurological community hasn’t embraced HBOT more fully: IMNSHO, they’d be able to help a lot of stroke and TIA victims recover a lot more quickly (or recover at all!) if they’d just pull their heads out of their overly-conservative bungholes.
Needless to say, I’m not much of a fan of neurologists at this point. The one I’ve been going to can’t fit me in until the 26th, because it is his opinion that there’s now no hurry, what I’ve lost will stay lost, and I’m just throwing money away by trying to fix it. Thanks a lot, dude- I want to be well on the way towards being done with this by then.
Biggest problems right now: no depth perception, disorientation, balance issues, daylight dazzle, eye strain. When I had this before, losing only one quadrant didn’t kill off my binocular vision- I still had depth perception. This time, not so much. And I suspect that even as it comes back, there’ll be a need for adaptation- because however well it comes back, it won’t come back exactly the same. There were some remnants of the insult that hung on last time (reduced resolution, a couple new blind spots), and I’m sure that there will be this time as well. But I’ll take whatever I can get, with two high-flying birds on full display to the skeptical neuros of the world.
The next discussion will be with the cardiologist and hematologist: why the hell am I still pitching clots, when they have me anticoagulated into haemophilia? Having those floating around in my arterial blood flow is no bueno- that’s a great way to wake up dead. The beat goes on...
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
Can see how this would be a challenge
.
Have not been impressed by the neurologists I have visited.
Not sure exactly what they teach these practitioners, but
it does seem to leave something to be desired.
Good luck!
Zionism is a social disease
Thanks for the kind thoughts!
It doesn't help, of course, that my current neurologist is ~30 years younger than I am. I just want to pick him up by the lapels and shake him. Just a little, mind you, and according to Hoyle; but it occurs to me that his whole profession could use a little disturbance now and again.
That transition from always having doctors that are older that you, to having doctors that all look like freakin' Doogie Howitzer, is still really jarring. I should have gotten over it years ago, but it still gets me every time...
Is it wrong of me to fantasize about bringing lollipops to my medical appointments? Asking for a friend. (;-)
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
Lollypops are better than bon-bons
once you have lowered your expectations of
'health care' providers, it is not a leap to self
diagnose and figure out what is needed. Here
lately, I find educating the docs is a part of the
treatment. Some listen. Others, not so much.
Zionism is a social disease
Good morning Cap'n Q. Thanks for the OT and the Escher,
really like Escher's works, have since I was a kid. Also. thanks for a wonderful fit or my typical cynical malicious humor. You asked:Have you tried your 5 minutes of compassion today?, which I assumed was compassion for others and sarcastically thought yeah, great idea, I'll go lie down and feel sorry for myself for a bit; heh. Then, thinking that this might be a thing or movement, I googled it and found: A 5-minute self-compassion break is a proven way to soothe stress and quiet negative self-talk. ; shit, I was almost right.
The ai bot then said:
Following along (or playing along as the case may be) I went back through it reflexively substituting:
1) Acknowledge: Damn! I ache all over, What the hell did I do yesterday? Christ I'm getting old.
2) Recognize shared humanity: Hey man, a lot of folks have it way worse, you're not in the hospital or homeless or anything like that, What did Buddha say; "All Life Is Suffering"; fuck yeah, I guess so.
3) Offer yourself the exact words you might use to comfort a friend who is hurting. Riiiight. So whine about it why don't you. This is just karma giving you some pay-back. Buck up chump. Get your ass up and start doing shit and it'll either get better or it won't, but, as Ned Kelly said on the gallows "Such is life" and you've got shit to do.
I detect a modicum of compassion deficiency, am I a sociopath? Do I give a shit right now? Nah, time to get moving
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Actually, it was meant as the 1984 line
.
"5 minutes of hate" with a positive alteration.
Thought I just made it up. Figures it's a thing.
Like your take -
"I'll go lie down and feel sorry for myself for a bit; heh."
5 minutes isn't too long for important stuff.
Zionism is a social disease
The worlds going to hell in a hand basket
How do I get off this ride?
Speaking of Escher
MAGA
Morons
Are
Governing
America
good one
best way to solve the crazy carousel is to jump.
Take your chances with the landing.
Zionism is a social disease
Glenn Diesen put out a good one today
.
With Richard Wolff.
About one hour.
.
Regarding the fall of the western empire.
Zionism is a social disease
Good evening, Cap'n!
What was supposed to be a quiet, slow office day wound up being absolutely crazy. Haven't read news, nothing much to add, except I was an industrial draftsman for a decade, and Escher makes my brain scramble!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981