An absolute bombshell of a story has dropped in the world of IndyCar. For the uninitiated, let me break down what exactly happened.

IndyCar race cars are equipped with a system called Push to Pass (or P2P for short). This allows the drivers at the push of a button to boost the car's engine output by around 50 horsepower for up to 20 second intervals. The drivers have a pool of time that P2P can be activated for, usually 150-200 seconds depending on the race.

For the initial start of the race, as well as any restarts following periods of full-course caution, P2P is disabled until the completion of the first green-flag lap, at which time drivers are free to start pressing the P2P button again and using up their allotted pool of time.

So then, to Sunday, March 10 2024: the date of IndyCar's season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. The checkered flag falls at the end of the race on Team Penske's Josef Newgarden after an absolutely dominant day. Finishing third is teammate Scott McLaughlin, and Will Power ends up finishing fourth.

Fast-forward 45 days to April 24th. It comes out that all three Penske cars had software that bypassed IndyCar's restriction on P2P for starts and restarts, meaning they had access to that extra horsepower almost a full lap before the rest of the field.

How this was caught is an interesting story on its own. Generally, IndyCar's race control enables unrestricted P2P for the entire field during practices and pre-race warmup to give teams a chance to test if it works and how the cars react to it. However, due to chasing technical issues during pre-race warmup for IndyCar's second race in Long Beach, California, P2P was not enabled for the field for the first 10 minutes of the 30 minute practice session. This made it very interesting when the three Penske cars, and only the Penske cars, were using P2P during that period when they shouldn't have had access to it.

This triggered a review of the previous race at St. Pete, where it was determined that Newgarden and McLaughlin did indeed use P2P a lap early during the race. Power, despite also having early access to the button, did not actually press it.

As a result, over a month after the conclusion of the race, Newgarden and McLaughlin were both disqualified from the race. Power, despite not actually using his advantage, was still docked 10 championship points for having the cheat installed, and all three cars received monetary fines, as well as the forfeit of their prize money from the race.

Team Penske's claim is that software that was used during testing was accidentally not removed from the cars. The excuse falls apart immediately. Newgarden and McLaughlin are experienced IndyCar drivers who are almost certainly aware that the P2P button does nothing until the conclusion of their first lap. And yet, both of them went to the button anyway. The only reason they would have done this is if they knew P2P would be active. It's extremely clear that this was no accident; it was completely willful cheating.

That isn't really the main concern. The bigger issue is the conflict of interest that has existed in IndyCar for the past four years, back when Roger Penske purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the IndyCar series.

In case you still weren't sure, yes, he is also the owner of Team Penske.

IndyCar race cars send a lot of live telemetry back to the car's pit box, the team that fields the car, the manufacturers of the engines, and to IndyCar race control themselves. In fact, it was this very live telemetry that tipped IndyCar off to the potential issue and lead them to take a second look at the previous race at St. Pete. So then, how did the P2P usage slip through the cracks back then and only get noticed over a month later?

I've seen people praising IndyCar for coming down hard on Penske with the pretty heavy-handed penalties, and that's definitely something to be applauded. That said, IndyCar also didn't really have a choice. If they tried to sweep things under the rug it would only have made things infinitely worse when the truth inevitably came to light down the road. This isn't IndyCar having integrity by not giving their owner special treatment. This is IndyCar having no choice but to penalize and penalize hard.

All in all, this is a very bad look for Team Penske, Roger Penske himself, and the IndyCar series. The case is closed and there's really nothing more that can be or should be done, but, as a big fan of IndyCar, I can only hope that there isn't any additional fallout from everything that's happened and the IndyCar series can continue to grow and thrive.

I’ve been responding to the universe’s guidance and trying things that it presents to me. Apparently, acting is one of them.

This turned out to be such a healing and empowering opportunity. I am so delighted that the director Destiny found me and trusted me with the role.

What a privilege to be part of the collective energies of fellow artists and dreamers. I loved every moment.

I’m ready, universe. I want more new experiences. Bring them to me!

———

Short film Speech Therapist by Destiny Jaimes Carachure

Produced by Leaphea Sambath

Co-cast: Jenna Aranda

BTS photos by Diego Salvacion

Thank you to the entire team at CSULB

———

#healing #love #updates

#001670 – 01 de Abril de 2024

Escuto com alguma frequência desabafos de ateus que dizem ter inveja de quem acredita. Nunca entendi muito bem isso. Mas imagino ser quase homóloga esta sensação: tenho uma profunda inveja de quem consegue abstrair-se da política. Ignorar as tropelias de quem governa, as mentiras, o mau teatro, a corrupção, a retórica de má qualidade, as notícias, muitas vezes também elas fracas, de todo este espectáculo. A política não é coisa bonita nem excitante. É necessária. E não querer saber de quem governa, é garantir que nos governam, não queremos saber do poder é assegurar que não o teremos, ignorar os nossos direitos é abdicar de sermos cidadãos. Os assuntos que têm a ver com os nossos interesses colectivos são confusos e difíceis. Mas pouca coisa terá tanta importância. Ainda assim, tenho alguma inveja da leveza, da alegre leviandade que imagino nos outros e que não consigo ter. Sofro de ansiedade democrática.

A few people asked if I had any epiphanies on this trip. I was hoping there would be one… a big movie-worthy moment of clarity where the sky suddenly parted and provided a solution to everything that’s been grieving me. In reality, it was a bunch of observations that confirmed truths I already knew. The drive was an opportunity to pursue my pleasures and learn how to experience small joys, and I struggled. This isn’t something I was taught to do and sometimes it feels like my neurons are already too crusty to adapt. So to answer the question, I don’t think I’m epiphany-ready or whether I’ll ever experience something like that, but I had many moments of everyday joy and that seems to be what I needed. Heading back to Durham on Saturday.

---

Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art in Roswell – maybe my fav art museum in recent memory and totally free!

Roswell/Alpine again/Fredericksburg

ATX

💖

#nahzhluhlog

#001669 – 31 de Março de de 2024

Em Portugal, liberdade ainda é palavra bela. A direita populista portuguesa não conseguiu, como nos EUA os trumpistas, apropriar-se da palavra. Liberdade, mesmo quando usada para referir liberdade de expressão, não é atributo de um lado da trincheira, virtude de broncos que se julgam rebeldes heroicos numa guerra cultura. Liberdade, inclusive a de expressão, é um direito humano, um direito de todos os seres humanos. O 25 de Abril terá este ano talvez contra-demonstrações dos que gostam pouco que a liberdade seja assim, universal. Mas estamos prontos para defender Abril, para nos unirmos em solidariedade.

#001668 – 30 de Março de 2024

Amanhã o 25 de Abril faz 50 anos e estou atrasado cerca de um mês na minha escrita diária. Tão nua estrutura, sem títulos nem imagens, sem timestamp, apenas uma data e um cardinal, obriga-me a uma rotina que desleixo, às vezes, como agora, abundantemente. Virá a data que não poderei aqui assinalar de forma síncrona e direta.

#001667 – 29 de Março de 2024

Escuto a entrevista de Maria João Avillez a Pedro Passos Coelho. De certa forma, com amargura, apercebo-me que tenho saudades deste homem. É quase uma versão portuguesa da Margaret Thatcher. Não esconde o que é, não tem grandes sofisticações retóricas. É um adversário político transparente, tão transparente como pode ser um político. Para conhecer o seu pensamento, pasme-se, basta escutá-lo a falar de si próprio e das suas ideias. A política actual da direita conservadora e ultra-conservadora é manhosa, hipócrita, militantemente mentirosa. Escutar Passos Coelho é uma lufada de ar quase fresco. O passado recente é tão distante.

En lisant l'article Non criminellement responsables à répétition d'Améli Pineda et Stéphanie Vallet, un article qui amène à se demander si la Commission d’examen des troubles mentaux (CETM) fait bien son travail, je me suis dit qu'il vaudrait la peine que je porte un regard plus global sur la santé mentale au Québec.

#SanteMentale #Societe

D'abord, précisons que la santé mentale est un sujet complexe, d'autant plus qu'elle est l'objet de plusieurs idées reçues et mythes.

Une importante distinction à faire, c'est celle entre santé mentale et troubles mentaux.

La santé mentale renvoie à la présence d’émotions positives (bien-être émotionnel) et au niveau de fonctionnement psychosocial (bien-être psychologique et bien-être social). Les troubles mentaux, quant à eux, renvoient à une symptomatologie cliniquement observable. Caroline Braën-Boucher et Marie-Claude Roberge, Santé mentale et troubles mentaux courants en contexte de pandémie de la COVID-19 : état des lieux. Institut national de santé publique du Québec. 11 janvier 2024.

Comme on pouvait sans douter, une augmentation des symptômes anxieux ou dépressifs, ainsi qu'une détérioration du niveau de santé mentale a été observée tout au long de la pandémie.

Par contre, si j'ai bien compris, on porterait beaucoup plus attention aux divers troubles mentaux qu'à la santé mentale. C'est comme si on prenait pour acquis qu'il y a d'une part du monde en santé et d'autre part du monde affecté par la maladie mentale, alors que la santé mentale est plus que l'absence de maladie mentale ou de troubles mentaux : elle constitue une forme de bien-être complet et interpelle notre capacité à jouir de la vie et à faire face aux défis auxquels nous sommes confrontés.

Selon un rapport de Statistique Canada sorti en septembre dernier, la santé générale des Canadiens s’améliore, mais pas leur état mental, avec notamment comme conséquence que le recours aux antidépresseurs est à la hausse.

Au-delà de la pandémie, le manque d’accès à la psychothérapie et aux autres ressources expliquerait cette hausse du recours aux antidépresseurs, toujours selon Statistique Canada.

Dans une note publiée en octobre 2023, Eve-Lyne Couturier de l'Institut de recherche et d’informations socioéconomiques de Montréal (IRIS) écrivait pour sa part que «la santé mentale n’est pas en haut de la liste de priorités du gouvernement du Québec, puisqu’elle ne bénéficie pas du réinvestissement massif dont elle aurait besoin.»

Pour Eve-Lyne Couturier, le gouvernement québécois peut faire plus, autant dans le curatif que dans le préventif.

Il peut d’abord offrir une véritable couverture universelle des soins de psychothérapie, accompagnée d’un encadrement du marché privé afin d’orienter les ressources vers les besoins prioritaires. Il peut ensuite investir en prévention en révisant les normes du travail, en garantissant un revenu viable à toute la population, en réglant la crise du logement et en renforçant le filet de protection sociale de la société québécoise.

Quelques mois plus tôt, Nathalie Plaat, psychologue clinicienne, autrice et enseignante à la maîtrise au CERC de l’Université de Sherbrooke, s'en prenait à la définition de l’Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS), selon laquelle la santé mentale est un « état de bien-être qui permet à chacun de réaliser son potentiel, de faire face aux difficultés normales de la vie, de travailler avec succès et de manière productive, et d’être en mesure d’apporter une contribution à la communauté».

Nathalie Plaat reprochait à cette définition d'être «tellement enchâssée dans la logique néolibérale qu’elle en oublie son imposture».

Dur de se montrer plus aveugle, en effet, à ce qui, précisément, sous-tend la majorité des souffrances psychologiques contemporaines, soit la réduction d’états humains à leurs seules dimensions de productivité, de fonctionnalité et de normalité. La définir ainsi revient possiblement à lui faire la violence dont ses symptômes cherchent précisément à s’extirper. Nathalie Plaat. La santé mentale, ça n’existe pas! Le Devoir. 8 mai 2023.

La santé mentale est affectée par plusieurs éléments: environnement, pauvreté, injustices, inégalités sociales, urbanisme, éducation, économie, spiritualité, services sociaux, etc.

C'est bientôt la Semaine de la santé mentale, mais comme l'écrivait Nathalie Plaat en lien justement avec celle de l’an passé, la santé mentale devrait «traverser les autres thèmes qu’on fixe dans des calendriers».

Pour les personnes souffrant de troubles mentaux, la biochimie peut s’avérer d'un grand recours, mais pour ce qui est de la santé mentale, ce sont nos choix de société qui peuvent l'améliorer ou au contraire la détériorer.

Hélas, nous semblons plutôt faire des choix qui vont dans le sens de la détérioration.

— — — — — En complément, mes billets Quand le mental vieillit Parlons de violence nutritionnelle Système de santé et clientèles marginales, deux mondes éloignés?

Source de l’image: https://pixabay.com/fr/illustrations/sant%C3%A9-mentale-cerveau-en-pensant-2313430/

Beautiful sentimental music from I Belong to the Zoo. This song starts slow and builds up to a wonderful finish. It's one of those songs you want to listen from start to finish.

The word “Sana” roughly translates to “Should have”. The gist of the chorus/song is something like:

You should have told me (you had someone else), so I wouldn't have expected us to end up together in the end. You should have told me (you had someone else), I would have let you go anyway, so you could be happy.

#IBelongToTheZoo

Chaque bourgeon ressemble à une grenade Le vent du désert pour toute immigration Pollution lumineuse sous mélancolie d'avril LED comme une ville Des diodes jusqu'à l'impasse Rwanda terminus & ce sky coupé à l'agent orange Tangue stop Dopamine tristesse Des télés ignorées Reconverties En panneaux publicitaires Des passants qui clignotent Des bières éventées Des corps éventrés Des réductions Sur l'abonnement sans fil Sans filet dead shot Vision nocturne Plus verte que l'Orient Plus verdâtre Que toutes leurs plantes Artificielles Cul sec jusqu'à la moelle

#image

Came across this Arabic comix magazine on my shelf and realized I have yet to post about it, and it is certainly worthy of a post, not just because I happen to be featured in it but because its format/approach isn't one I think I've come across before.

Featuring critical essays, extensive interviews and complete short comix, the inaugural issue of [+] Magazine is a hefty 154-page package, inaugurated by editor extraordinaire Jad Khoury. Each issue has an over-arching theme (though I'm not sure if any issues have been produced since its inaugural Nov. 2022 issue), this one being “Arab Revolts and Comix Strips”. Under the umbrella of this theme are 5 critical essays and 5 complete short comix, and one graphic novel excerpt, each accompanied by an in-depth interview with its creator.

Here are a few photos from my interview:

And here's a link to my featured comix, a crop of which made the cover.

#coverage #work

Aisha Malik – TechCrunch “President Biden has signed a bill that would ban TikTok if its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, fails to sell it within a year. The bill, which includes aid for Ukraine and Israel, was passed by the U.S. Senate in a 79-18 vote late Tuesday after the House passed it with overwhelming majority over the weekend. The bill gives ByteDance nine months to divest TikTok, with a 90-day extension available to complete a deal. If ByteDance doesn’t sell TikTok, it would become illegal for app stores to distribute the app in the U.S.”

M.G. Siegler – Spyglass.org “The Chilling of TikTok Of course it won't play out this way. First and foremost, there will be lawsuits. Second, a change of control in Washington may happen before a change of control of TikTok. Third, none of this may matter anyway. By passing this bill, Congress has draped the service in a scarlet letter. And damned it to be bogged down in bureaucracy for its remaining days. Regardless of the merits of this action – I happen to agree with the sale/ban, not because of the fear of data or overt propaganda, but the more subtle subversion where what is simply omitted from feeds sways the masses – I don't believe it will ultimately matter what happens in the end. TikTok's model is predicated around advertising and again, this mark and even just the uncertainty is going to make that a very big challenge going forward. The audience is massive and the demographic is key, but how is, say, McDonalds going to feel about advertising on a platform that the government has effectively deemed an enemy of the state? […] But again, this feels like the end of TikTok regardless. Unless a white knight comes riding in quickly – and it sure doesn't sound like China is going to allow that to happen – the die is cast. The sale or ban may ultimately be put on ice. The chilling effect will linger.”

I have expressed my opinion on the ban here Update: TikTok: It's 'a weapon of war' and here TikTok: It's 'a weapon of war'.

I feel bad for the folks who have built their livelihood on TikTok The hard lesson that TikTok creators may have to learn.

After grabbing a number plate and a T-shirt:

— Hey, one last thing. Where should I put my drop bag?

— Umm, you can leave it right here, — says the volunteer, pointing at the corner of the registration tent, — but I can’t guarantee it will get to the aid station. So, if there’s something you really need, you better take it with you.

That’s a USAC-sanctioned event where, in addition to a registration fee, you actually need a license to participate. Hillarious, right? Well, not even close to how I was about to ruin the day for myself.

Well, now I have to make a decision: either I’m carrying all my drink mixes with me (2L in the bottles and 2L more in the vest), or I ditch the vest and grab some water and gels from the aid station. Given how reliable the aid station situation was, I went for a mule mode. Now that I don’t have to stop anywhere, it buys me some time, which I could now spend enjoying a smooth downhill into the wrong turn and a 15-minute-long grind back up. All for the better — more bike riding for me and two dudes who followed me blindly! Good times.

But all that is still far ahead. First, I need to dress up and toe the start line. I knew very well what the weather was gonna be like, so I came prepared: arm and knee warmers, torso base layer, wind stopper, even a skull cap. F**K! Gloves!

For a few minutes, I was determined to commit suicide out of negligence: start with naked hands and see what happens. But right after the anthem and a few seconds before the gun went off, I shoved the dignity deeply up my bibs and asked one of the volunteers if he had a spare pair of gloves. He and another gentleman kindly offered me their gloves with no hesitation whatsoever. I was insanely grateful at that moment, but only later in the day, I realized that I still wasn’t grateful enough. Even with insulated gloves, my pinkies felt frozen to death. At some point, I had to take my gloves off to check my fingers visually. I couldn’t really tell if they were still there or not. Fortunately, I had an opportunity to return the gloves to their owner at the finish line. We had a good chat, and I did my best to express how big of a difference his kindness made to me. DNFing would’ve been absolutely inevitable otherwise.

Go time

To be perfectly candid (I can’t get that phrase out of my head because Brooklyn 99 is so good), there’s not much to report here. I went pretty hard from the start, and somehow, the legs were there with me until the end of the ride. So, I just kept pushing all the way. Obviously, there were spots where I had to back off a little bit to recover, but I never felt like I was done.

The course is gorgeous. For the most part. County roads 48.8 and 29.1 are tough enough even when dry, but with all that Spring mud and what seems to be zero maintenance — it’s certainly a point where you can make up quite some time if you have what it takes. I rode that part more in the survival mode and even lost two spots to stronger riders (pretty sure I took those back soon after). In hindsight — it was the right approach, given how strong I felt for the remaining part of the race (still 40 miles to go, with some punchy climbs along the way). But besides that 10km (6 miles) stretch — the roads were silky smooth and dry. My fast-rolling tires felt right on the money.

Up until the 5-hour mark, the temperatures were still around 1°C (34°F). Only then, around 1 o’clock, did the sun come out to raise our spirits. And soon after we finished, the clouds came back, this time with some pouring rain. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but kudos to race organizers for an early-morning start that kept us out of trouble!

Conclusion

Often, after the race, I keep thinking that I could’ve done better (or just differently) here and there. Somehow, not this time. I feel like I’ve executed a nearly perfect race, and I don’t see what could I possibly improve besides keeping up the hard work. And for that wrong turn we took — I’ll blame the lack of course marking. That won’t hurt the race crew’s karma, given how kind they were to me that day.

PS: I dig that sweet number plate with the rider's first name on it.