another bit of context that I think is key to understanding assen 2015 is that like. okay a last corner is a last corner; it's not like valentino has ownership over it or whatever. but there is also something in-your-face bold about thinking you can beat valentino rossi at that chicane. sure we don't quite associate the gt chicane with one specific iconic rossi overtake the same way we do last corner jerez or the corkscrew, but thinking you can steal the win from valentino at the chicane is kind of in the same spirit. that's valentino's chicane. he has made countless overtakes there over the years. he loves that chicane he really does

take 2013, where assen was the first race vale won after his ducati dry spell. his overtake on marc in that race isn't at the chicane, but it's in turn one - right after marc had made a small mistake on the chicane and gets poor drive down the straight. which could be completely innocuous, but is also the kind of thing that happens when you're defending against somebody you know is very good at one specific bit of the track. which marc knew. of course he did. after the start, valentino made two other overtakes in that race: on bradl and dani (the latter of which marc had an excellent view for). guess where they both happen. guess where marc overtakes dani

and marc straight up said in the assen 2015 post-race presser that his move there was premeditated, that he'd repeatedly tested out and planned that move during practise. marc, who obviously knows valentino's record at that track, who has studied him so so closely. who knew full well that the fight for the victory was most likely going to come down to the two of them, and knew it could come down to the very last chicane. his plan to win that race was to barge valentino aside, ideally on the final lap, at quite possibly valentino's best series of corners on the entire calendar. no wonder marc was pissed when it didn't work

chicane as songs: 1/2 venus, yuri, mirae, diya

Life hack: eat hot chip w chopsticks

Source: TKart

When Williams Racing announced his name as official driver for the 2023 season, many reacted with a spontaneous, “And who is he?”. Not us at TKART, who turned to the person in karting who probably knew him best and is going to tell us us about him today: Ricky Flynn, the founder and owner of the Ricky Flynn Motorsport team. In fact, he won a World Championship with the young American, bringing the title back to the United States after 37 years. Here is his memory of that race.

It is the 27th of September 2015 and, on a hot Sunday reminiscent of the summer that just ended, the La Conca kart track hosts the most anticipated event of the season as far as Direct Drive categories are concerned: the CIK-FIA World Championship. The finals of the KFJ (the 125 cc Junior class, later replaced by the current OKJ) sees a young American from the Ricky Flynn Motorsport team in the pole position. His name is Logan Sargeant and everyone’s eyes are on him: “He was definitely among the five favorites to win, even before we got to the race”, Ricky Flynn, his team manager at the time, tells us. “Two weeks before that event, along with One Engines, our Danish engine specialist, we had carried out a three-day testing session to best prepare ourselves and deliver to him, as well as to all of our other drivers, an excellent package. Logan too, however, was as good as us. He had physically prepared himself and was also in an excellent mental condition, precisely because he knew he had been provided with a excellent package that could enable him to compete at the very top”. Sergeant shows a particular predisposition for the Italian track: “That year – says Lynn – Logan had been very fast everywhere, yet on that track he was able to provide multiple incredible performances, ever since he made his debut there in the MINI category. This, combined with his exceptional condition, allowed him to approach that World Championship with an even greater awareness”.

Hence, in Muro Leccese (the city where the circuit is located),the teenager born in 2000, proves to be decisive and effective right away. The competitiveness shown in the practice sessions is confirmed in Friday’s qualifying, with the pole position in his group and the second best time overall. But this is only the appetizer of a rich menu, because Sargeant’s performance in the following heats is even more convincing. Four wins and a fourth place in the five heats competed allow the young American to take the reins of the standings. “The other drivers just couldn’t keep up with him”, recalls Flynn. “Logan was so fast that once he was in the lead, he just had to focus on managing the race. In fact, as soon as we saw that the margin from the pursuer was sufficiently considerable, we gave him a signal to tell him to stop jumping on the rumble strip at the characteristic La Conca chicane (Editor’s note: which subjects chassis, engine and transmission to a considerable and potentially damaging mechanical stresses)”. Yet, it is precisely in these situations that Logan proves he can handle the role of favorite extremely well, thanks to his particular character traits. “He remained rather calm throughout the weekend and we did not have to take any action in this regard”, Flynn reveals. “This extreme balance was part of his character anyways, so he didn’t have to do anything different for the World Championship and he was simply the normal Logan we always saw”.

Logan Sargeant, aboard his FA Kart chassis powered by Vortex by One Engines, as he talks with his Ricky Flynn Motorsport team mechanic on the starting grid for the KFJ finals of the 2015 CIK-FIA World Championship.

Thanks to these assumptions, Sargeant proves himself as a lightening-speed driver in the Sunday morning prefinals too, winning it and ensuring that he would start from the pole position for the final race, the test that could have given him the most important title of his career up to that point. As much as he may believe in his own abilities and as much as he may feel the confidence of the entire team, however, even Sargeant finds himself dealing with some external pressure. Logan still has a bitter taste in his mouth for a disappointing European Championship, affected by some setbacks in a season that could have seen him as a star even in the contest for that title. Additionally, just before the green flag, the on-track speaker repeats the statistic that accompanied the Florida native throughout the weekend: “The last American driver to graduate as the World Karting Champion was Lake Speed in 1978. Will it be the super-favorite Logan Sargeant who will break the United States “fast”?”. And if that were not enough, alongside Sargeant on the starting grid is his teammate Sebastian Fernandez, who just like him has a kart on his hands that, in those days, demonstrates absolute superiority over the competition. In addition to having to focus on his performance, Logan also has to follow some recommendations from Ricky Flynn. “I told them to use their heads and recommended: ‘Let’s not crash on the first lap. Let’s give each other mutual respect and the proper space to race.

Logan jumps on the rumble strips of the Senna chicane of the Muro Leccese circuit.

Sargeant crosses the finish line of the KFJ finals.

Then the competition will run its course and whoever is faster, will win’”. But Flynn is well aware that at that moment it is Sergeant who has the wind in his sails, so just before the final he takes him aside and tells him: “Don’t change anything, because what you have done so far has allowed you to basically win all the heats. Just take it as any other race and I’m sure that, if everything goes according to plan, you’ll come out as the World Champion”. Prophetic words, as when the race lights go out, the bearer of Ricky Flynn Motorsport team number 127, gets off to an exemplary start and after a couple of laps he already gained a half-second lead over his immediate pursuer. The race continues and Sargeant seems to dance amongst the rumble strips of the La Conca track. The distance gap quickly goes from half a second to seven tenths, then rises to more than a second and finally reaches almost two seconds. Logan is uncatchable and flying around the track. After that performance, Logan is now the World Champion. “Every time you win a World Championship, the excitement is immense”, Flynn confesses. “The entire team was ecstatic and it was special for Logan to hear his national anthem from the top step of the podium, knowing that he was the first American to win a karting World Championship after so many years. His father was also present and it was a great moment for both of them”.

Sargeant on the top step of the podium of Muro Leccese at the end of the KFJ finals. From left to right: Ricky Flynn, Clément Novalak (second place), Logan Sargeant and Caio Collet (third place).

Sargeant speaks at the press conference after the victory of the world title.

The manager of the Ricky Flynn Motorsport Team is overjoyed with the success attained and proud of his protégé, but not as surprised by his performance: “It was his last year in the Junior series, he was one of the most mature drivers in his category and it didn’t surprise me because we obviously knew how good he was. He didn’t do anything wrong over the entire weekend, not a single mistake. It was simply a flawless performance from start to finish”. Ricky knows Sargeant’s potential and there are several elements that convince him to believe so strongly in the young Florida-native: “He was very committed and hard working. Obviously, he had talent and was supported by the necessary budget – there were all the perfect conditions in place to allow him to have a great season and an excellent career in motorsports. Logan was an exceptional driver and I understood that he would have gone very far in motorsports because he had great qualities, so dealing with him was very easy on and off the track”. There is one ingredient in Sargeant’s recipe that seems to especially delight Ricky more than all the others.

The video of the KFJ finals at the 2015 CIK-FIA World Championship in Muro Leccese.

It is probably one of those pure gifts that differentiate champions from good drivers: “His absolute, incredible speed. I can’t talk about his performance in the car, although you can see that he is very fast there too, but in karting he was really fast. And, if you are fast, you can win important races and titles. He has always had this gift, therefore I am not surprised that he made it to Formula 1. It was his dream, which he fulfilled, just as it was a dream of his to become World Champion in karting and he succeeded. That World Championship in La Conca undoubtedly remains the fondest memory I have with Logan (Editor’s note: he chuckles), although he has won many other races”.

TKART interview with Sargeant at the end of the finals.

written by Jena Jung / published on january 27th, 2024

After a year of group inactivity, WX entertainment releases the track list for Vanity’s 3rd full album, “7th Heaven”.

Despite the general public’s curiosity, WX has yet to release any of the producers or composers of the upcoming songs except Irene, a member of their rookie group, CHICANE. “How to Be a Heartbreaker” was released on January 27th and can be streamed here.

How did this article make you feel?

429 Comments

guest187

↳ wx finally pulling them out the basement… 2024 is looking like a good year!

[+1591 , -23]

sundaisy

↳ this company actually dgaf, why are they hiding the producers except IRENE??

[+573 , -97]

guest264

↳ I’m actually tired of shin dahye’s marketing tactics, we do NOT WANT CHICANE stop forcing them down our throats

[+496 , -239]

What are your thoughts on the Bard of Void ?

The Bard of Void [symbols: jester hat, shadow]

The Bard class has its basis in the classic trickster trope. An example would be the Shakespearean fool.

The Void aspect’s main theme is the unknown. You can find its official description here.

A Bard of Void is among those who alter knowing and perceiving. This is the “classpect group” they belong to. Members include: the Sylph, Maid, Bard, and Prince of Void/Light. These classes are all opposites or inverses of each other that alter the Void/Light dichotomy (knowing and perceiving). A description of classpect groupings can be found here.

The Bard of Void passively destroys the Void aspect. Passive classes are guided by others or act for the benefit of others. They are more likely to be kind, but less likely to stand up for themselves. Princes and Bards destroy their aspect and everything it symbolizes, while using that same aspect as a weapon. In doing so, they leave their opposite aspect in their wake. Due to their actions, they come across as their opposite aspect. Simplified, the Bard of Void is motivated by others to destroy the unknown. In personality, they start out as the Light aspect, seemingly defined by awareness.

On the subject of personality, the Bard of Void gets angry when things don't go their way and is very independent. Personality descriptions can be found here.

Their archetype is the Revolutionary Spy, defined by outrage and secrecy. Archetypes are explained here.

Their opposite is the Prince of Light, who actively destroys awareness.

Their inverse is the Maid of Light, who actively assists awareness.

A classpect or “god tier” is an individual’s best self. All classpects go through a journey from unrealized, to struggle, to realized. When a character is unrealized, they neutrally exist as their inverse. On their struggle, they will wildly flip back and forth between their inverse and true classpect. In their worst moments they will act as their inverse, in their best their true classpect. When realized, they will stabilize as their true classpect. They will still have room to grow, but will become happier, more successful people.

This means that the Bard of Void begins life motivated by themselves to assist awareness. When their struggle arrives and they are at their worst, they will continue this behavior in negative extremes. However, when at their best, they will find purpose in instead destroying the unknown for others. When realized, they will stabilize and continue to destroy the Void aspect passively, in a positive way.

They share their archetype with the Thief of Rage, the Spy Revolutionary.

The Bard of Void would quest on a planet similar to the Land of Light [Opposite Aspect] and Void [Aspect]. An example would be the Land of Surveillance and Blackouts. An explanation of planet naming conventions can be found here.

Two possible gods, or denizens, to reign over their planet would be Nyx (Goddess of Night) or Poseidon (God of the Sea). Other Void aspect denizens can be found here.

When the Bard of Void completes their planet quests and dies on their quest bed, they would rise to ascension on the wings of bats (symbols of night). A list of soul animals can be found here.

The characters that I have currently classpected as Bards of Void are: Oghren from Dragon Age, Ice King from Adventure Time, Harry Du Bois from Disco Elysium, Adam Stanheight from Saw, Deacon from Fallout 4, Edmund Chicane from The Adventure Zone: Amnesty, and Gollum from Lord of the Rings.

If any of the links not connected to my blog break, the content can be found on my Google Drive.

Official Aspect Descriptions Personality Descriptions Aspect Denizens

Mikel Arteta at Rangers and his title-clinching penalty: 'He pulled rank on everyone' - Jordan Campbell

As the go-karts whizzed around the chicane, each player was treated to the usual jeers and taunts from their Rangers team-mates waiting to race. Karting had become a regular team-building exercise for Rangers in the 1990s, but there was one unusual sight on this afternoon in 2002 that caused the rest of the squad to double-take.

“Mikel Arteta was driving one-handed. We couldn’t believe it,” laughs former Rangers full-back Maurice Ross.

“We gave him pelters at the time but, if we’re talking about coolness and being in control, then that was Mikel in a nutshell.”

His unassuming persona made an immediate impression, but fast forward to May 25 the following year and Arteta faces the most intense scrutiny of those qualities imaginable.

Heading into the final day of the 2002-03 season, Rangers and Celtic are neck and neck. Level on 94 points and inseparable on goal difference, the only column that differs is that Rangers have scored 95 and Celtic have scored 94.

It is a minor advantage, but with 92 minutes on the clock, Rangers 5-1 up at Ibrox against Dunfermline Athletic and Celtic 4-0 up at Rugby Park, that was still the only difference. A last-gasp goal for Celtic would see the helicopter carrying the trophy turn west to Kilmarnock.

Cue a 93rd-minute penalty to Rangers. All eyes are now on who would dare to be the hero.

Twenty-year-old Arteta. He casually strokes the ball into the bottom right corner, sending goalkeeper Derek Stillie the wrong way, and produces the most iconic of images with his celebration.

Shaking both of his hands wildly above his head, fingers splayed like a raptor, he sprinted towards the jubilant fans at the Copland Road end. He pulled down his shirt from the badge and threw a fist pump like an uppercut before being swarmed. Rangers were champions of Scotland for the 50th time.

“My brother-in-law gave me a picture of that moment and enlarged it. I’ve got it in a frame in my house. I can still hear the noise through it now,” his then-manager Alex McLeish tells The Athletic.

The mystery? How the baby-faced Spaniard, mostly seen and not heard, ended up with the ball in his arms.

He was in a team of big names including Lorenzo Amoruso, Arthur Numan, Barry Ferguson, Claudio Caniggia, Shota Arveladze, Ronald de Boer and Michael Mols. Only Caniggia and Mols were not on the pitch at that moment and even their replacements, 29-year-old Neil McCann and Scotland striker Steven Thompson, may have had cause to claim the ball.

Granted, Ferguson had missed two in one game against Dundee the month earlier, which saw Arteta take the third penalty and score, but under such pressure, it would have been natural to revert to authority.

“He pulled rank on everybody. Ronald must have said, ‘Let him take it, he’ll bury it’,” adds McLeish.

“Who, me?” asks De Boer. “No, he just took the ball. That says something about his personality.”

“No one argued. There was a confidence in him within our team. We had no doubt he was going to score,” adds Australian centre-back Craig Moore.

Within a year of joining from Barcelona, Arteta had earned the trust of his seniors and cemented his place in Rangers folklore.

How Rangers managed to lure him to Glasgow surprised even those who brokered the deal, but how his time in Scotland was limited to just two seasons — and a tale of two halves — is a source of frustration for some ex-team-mates.

(Second photo) Arteta (right) chats to Emerson (left), Nuno Capucho and Michael Mols in training (Photo: Alan Harvey/SNS Group via Getty Images)

His move only came about due to Rangers being drawn to face Paris Saint-Germain in the third round of the UEFA Cup in November 2001, which saw manager Dick Advocaat request a report from chief scout Ewan Chester. He went to watch PSG twice, away from home in freezing conditions, and returned with the message to look past the glamorous names. ‘Young Arteta is their most influential player’, his report read.

After two legs, in which Arteta delivered an outstanding performance at Ibrox, Rangers went through on penalties. It was a huge feat but when McLeish took over the next month, the talk was still about the boy with jet-black hair and blushed cheeks who had strolled around the pitch as if he owned it.

“He was so mature. You could immediately see he came from that Barcelona background. I thought, ‘Who is that guy?’,” De Boer tells The Athletic.

McLeish knew he had to use his finite resources wisely come the summer and so he sought counsel from two wise heads. His assistant Andy Watson provided a glowing review but McLeish sighed when he read his defined position was a holding midfielder.

“I knew right away that would be a problem as we had a phenomenal player of our own making in Barry Ferguson,” McLeish says.

“Could the two of them play together? Andy thought not. He said he was a nice footballer and never really got troubled in the game but it would probably be difficult for him in Scotland.

“So I got Ronald in the office and asked if he thought he could play in different positions. He said he could play anywhere and that he would be a tremendous signing.”

PSG had first refusal on him but Rangers splashed £6million on Arteta. They had finished the previous season strongly by winning both domestic cups, but Celtic had won back-to-back leagues.

There was not a huge influx of players to wrestle back the title, though. Kevin Muscat on a free was the only other signing. All the eggs had been placed in Arteta’s basket.

So when the Spaniard scored six minutes into his first Old Firm derby, a fixture that can define players good or bad, a few sighs will have been let out in the boardroom. “It’s as if you’re in a washing machine at a thousand miles per hour,” Arteta poetically described in 2019, after choosing it as the most ferocious derby he had played in.

(Third photo) McLeish (left) with Nuno Capucho and Arteta in training (Photo: Nick Ponty/SNS Group via Getty Images)

“I try to dictate play, but in that game, you can’t. Don’t even bother. It doesn’t stop. One touch, bam! Next touch, boof! Tackle, shot, corner, we go again! It’s nuts.”

McLeish’s assistant, Jan Wouters, had been a key figure in convincing Arteta he would fit in despite telling him to get ready for 90 minutes of being chased.

“He played his own game with one and two touches,” he says. “Sometimes, you don’t need words to see how important a player can be on the pitch. He took the lead by showing, ‘This is how we want to play, the combination play’.

“It’s a gift. You can learn but only if you have the talent for it. Players around him could see he was a fantastic player and that made it easy to accept if he said something.

“Players were physical with him but he could be mean if needed, too, don’t forget that. He would be tricky with it so no one noticed it.”

His own team-mates wanted to test his mettle and see if he was ready for the cauldron of Scottish football.

“He was quite slight, so in his first session I tried to go in and nick the ball from him,” says former full-back Maurice Ross.

“But he had this ability like a basketball player where they show it with one hand and then shift it to the other side of their body so you can’t see it or get round him. That was when you realised just how strong his legs were.

“It was normal to be roughed up. No one was given special treatment. Billy Dodds’ wife used to stay behind the training ground and one day she said, ‘What the hell was happening in training today with the noise?’. That was just Scotland boys vs the rest of the world. It was like a cup final most days, it was mental.”

Arteta’s ability won him respect instantly, but his team-mates speak of a player who appeared to be acutely aware of the hierarchy he had entered.

“He hardly spoke apart from the few he got close to as he was a quiet boy… but he had this stare,” says Ross.

“That can lead to people thinking, ‘Oh, he’s a bit mysterious, a bit deep, a bit aloof, maybe he doesn’t want to talk to us’. But he just didn’t get involved in the extra stuff and I admired him for that. It wasn’t bravado or forced, it was just this calm authority. He just knew he was the mustard.”

Arteta was friends with Argentinian winger Claudio Caniggia as they could speak in Spanish, and Georgian defender Zurab Khizanishvili says he and his wife often went for dinner with Arteta’s now-wife Lorena Bernal at popular Glasgow haunts O Sole Mio and Il Pavone.

They were both young and adjusting to the pressure and spotlight.

“At Rangers, you have to win every game. All I ever heard before a game in the dressing room was ‘three points’. Alex McLeish would say, ‘I don’t care how, I just need three points’, even if it was against Man United,” says Khizanishvili.

The person who got to know him best, though, was De Boer. Having spent a season at Barcelona in 1999 before joining Rangers, he felt duty-bound to make sure Arteta settled in Scotland.

“I had the father-son role,” says De Boer.

“Me and my wife took him everywhere with his girlfriend and got on really well, so I took him under my wing. He was a great son. Humble and always wanted to listen and learn.

“You saw some moments where you could see him maybe thinking, ‘What am I doing here?’. But there were other times I thought, ‘Jesus, he’s really stepping up now and doesn’t give in’.”

De Boer describes a little “shoulder rubbing” with Ferguson over who was seen as the main catalyst in possession, but Ross says their egos worked “silently in the background” to propel each other.

It was an interesting jigsaw as Ferguson was ‘Mr Rangers’, the heartbeat of the team who constantly demanded the ball incessantly and represented everything the club stood for in a city where symbolism is king.

“In the first season, we deployed Mikel on the left with the freedom to come inside and interact with Barry while supporting the front men,” says McLeish.

“It worked absolutely amazingly for us. Barry ran the show and Arteta was the playmaker coming in on his right foot. He was a revelation. If he had played central midfielder for us he would have been kicked all over the place.

(Fourth photo) Ferguson (second right) and Arteta learned to work together in midfield (Photo: Matthew Ashton/EMPICS via Getty Images)

“The game was tougher then — referees let you get away with a bit more. Celtic were a big strong team, so it may have been a bit too much in a defensive midfield role. We played him in the right position for that moment.”

Rangers won a domestic treble and Arteta played 35 times, scored five goals and looked every bit the superstar they were hoping he would be. But De Boer maintains that it still wasn’t the optimal solution.

“People said he couldn’t stand the physical part of the game, but I told people to give him time as I only learned what football really was at 20. He was a raw diamond, we just had to polish him,” says the Dutchman.

“In the beginning, it should have been 60 per cent Ferguson to demand the game and Mikel 40 per cent, but as his level progressed, by the end it should have been 60 per cent Mikel the playmaker as he had more skills.

“Barry was a tremendous player box to box but the real artistry was Mikel. They wanted to give Ferguson that role but that was a mistake in my eyes.”

Come the second season, that was a moot point. Arteta was now in a very different team.

It was widely appreciated that Rangers were looking to raise funds, but McLeish had half of his team gutted. Ferguson and Amoruso were sold to Blackburn Rovers, McCann moved to Southampton, Caniggia went to Qatar and Numan retired.

Half the senior starters exited and Rangers spent less than £1million on refreshing the squad as Sir David Murray attempted to cut the wage bill amid rising debts. Arteta even came out publicly to deny claims from Rangers executives that he had asked to go back to Spain.

“I was worried beforehand about the crowd’s reaction, but I love these fans,” Arteta said in August 2003 after a starring performance against Kilmarnock.

“I never said I would like to leave here in the first place. I only ever said that one day I would like to go back to Spain and it’s normal to want to return home sometime. But I am in no hurry. It would be impossible to leave now.”

He remained and took up the mantle from Ferguson at the heart of midfield, but Rangers were a shadow of the team from the previous season. They finished 17 points adrift of Celtic, losing all four league derbies, and failed to reach either of the domestic cup finals.

“This was his chance to play central midfield but I was playing a young cultured player who hadn’t been through the wars and learned to cope himself,” says McLeish.

“We put him to the forefront. Him and Stevie Hughes (a 22-year-old academy player) played in the middle of the park against Manchester United in the Champions League. They got a wee lesson that night against Roy Keane and Scholes but they were valuable.

“He was hugely respectful at all times. We gave him the perfect solution in the first season and a not-so-perfect one in the second season with a depleted squad. He didn’t quite have the shoulders to lean on.”

Arteta left for home at the end of his second season, moving to Real Sociedad for a fee below what Rangers paid for him. It was a crime that Rangers didn’t retain a player of his ability for longer — as De Boer believes they could have if the club had made him feel more important — or at least capitalise on that talent by making a profit.

The official line at the time was that he was homesick, but it was a curt goodbye for a young player who delivered the classiest of debut seasons. Had he stayed for longer, Arteta would have been held in the same esteem as many less talented foreign players are, but as Craig Moore knew after his first few sessions, this was a boy destined for the top.

This article is part of a series on Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta which will be published during the international break. The next feature is scheduled for Monday.

Artwork: Sam Richardson, using Getty Images

Mentioned: @d3caynluv Elliot & Zasha, @bluwavez Finn, @venusvity Chloe, @f1-chicane Venus, @overthebluemoon Jinri, @plasticflwrs Oliver, @fcble Mingeun.

On spirits of Shooting stars ending, I decided to do this. Sorry is short, I tried my best.

The video starts with a girl seating on something that could be very well a studio, with many posters on the wall from many groups and idols. She seems old enough to know to not get into fanwars, but there's a glint in her eyes that shows that she knows exactly what she's doing, and seems to be enjoying it.

“Shooting Stars is about to end, and as we know, mnet likes rigging their shows, so it's time to talk honestly about the show.” The girl stars talking to the camera, with a microphone partly hiding her face. “First things first, I'm gonna talk about my picks first, and why did I pick them, then of course I'll bash on the rest of the idols, but first let me tell you my picks, alright?”

The image quickly turns into black, with the logo of shooting stars in the middle and the words “my top seven, in no particular order” in green under the logo. A short video of Chloe on her performance of “teddy bear” appears for a few seconds before it fades to show once again the face of the girl.

Chloe is gonna be my first pick, shocker, I know, y'all were expecting my faves to be first, but she just needs to be there. Yes, I know she might have been too harsh with your faves, but if they can't handle it then why are they idols? That's part of the business, and she understood that well.

A second video was shown after the girl stopped talking, showing Elliot on the “She Devil” performance, but again, it faded back to the girl's face after a few seconds passed.

Elliot. I think him in the red suit should be reason enough, but if we need more reasons, we just need to see him on each episode, he gave his all for this, as he should. And, if you need more reasons, please go watch Deepdive's comebacks.

The third video shows Finn, also on his last performance for Shooting Stars, and just as the two other videos, it fades after a few seconds of being shown.

Finn. Finn knows about shows like this, this isn't his first rodeo, and as always, he's the best on it. He knows what to do to get on the top, and he's giving it all to be there. There was a reason he was first and became DeepDive's center, and there's a reason why he should be the first and center in this SuperM wannabe group.

Another video was shown, this time, it was Zasha, and just as the others, it was gone in a few seconds. But this time, after the video faded, the logos of DeepDive, Venus, and Pushing Daisies were shown in a small part of the video, on the lower left corner.

Zasha. Jinwha is the worst men to ever exist, but that asshole knew how to spot a talent, and Zasha is not the exception. Zasha was born to be on a stage, and I think she proved she deserves a spot on the group mnet is creating. Let's just hope they're not rigged, because they deserve to be in the group.

Finally getting out of her ults, a face never shown before in the channel appeared, with Venus performing Too Sassy!

Venus. This one was a surprise, if I have to be honest, I didn't expect her to be so good, I liked her vibe, and she proved to be better than I expected her to be. Not gonna lie, I'm gonna keep an eye on her after the show ends on her group... Chicane? I think? I'm not sure, but I'll keep tabs on her and the group.

Once again a video is shown, this time showing another new face, Jinri making the first appearance on the channel, and by the way the girl was about to speak, it might not be the last time she appears.

Jinri. Yes. There's no much more to say about her other than she knew what she had to do and she. did. it. She was iconic, she was mother, it was what we needed in between all that niceness... good girl thing going on.

Then, a familiar face is shown again, but instead of an ex Angelico idol, or an idol that still had to get out of the claws of Jinhwa, Poppy is on the video, performing in the last episode of Shooting Stars.

Poppy. We all know Gfriend, and it was sad to see them go, but Poppy still has a lot of potential that shouldn't go to waste. She would be a great leader, and if some... Less than good options... get in the group, they could learn what's a real idol thanks to her.

The logo of Shooting Stars is shown again as the first time, but this time, it can be read “Idols that did not make it” in red letters, and a voice in off.

Now, what everyone was waiting for, the ones I don't want on the group.

The video shows Oliver, but this video is from the practice for the first group challenge, where he was doing all kinds of cheerleader stunts in a room.

I would've voted for Oliver in the beginning, but now... he's not doing it for me. Chloe should've let him have his five minutes of fame with the cartwheels.

A new video was shown, this time it was Qiao, also practicing for the first group challenge, but she was shown with a microphone in hand.

If there's something SM entertainment knows how to do, that's to create big expectations. And once again, they delivered empty promises. Qiao was simply not... on the next level, and she showed us why she's only a pretty face as a backup dancer. Plus, her sunshine and rainbows attitude was a big no for me.

Lastly, Mingeun was shown on his last performance with the song “Strange world”

Mingeun was good, as expected of him, and I swear I would've love to say he's one of my picks, but he's sadly not, as there's only seven spots, and some were simply better. I hope he keeps being this good on his group, though!

There's no more videos shown, and the girl moves slightly from the microphone, to show her face a little better.

That's sadly all for now, of course there are others that I would like to see on the group, but sadly there are only seven spots, and there were other really good surprises, and horrible disappointments, so if y'all want a second part talking about them, leave comments and likes so I know you liked this. I have much more tea on this show, so I'll be glad to talk about it. But for now, this has been it, so I hope you enjoy it!

Need to know ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix

Need to know ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix By Balazs Szabo on 04 Jun 2023, 08:00 Following a nail-biting qualifying session that saw the rise of Max Verstappen and the fall of the likes of Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Sergio Perez, the field is getting ready to compete at today's Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. F1technical.net's Balázs Szabó reveals what to know ahead of Round 7 of the 2023 F1 season. Long history – The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is one of the longest serving venues on the Formula 1 calendar, having held the Spanish Grand Prix every year without interruption since it was opened in 1991. Today’s Spanish Grand Prix will mark the 53rd time that a Formula One race takes place in Spain. The event first appeared on the calendar in 1951, and has been held at five venues. The 1951 and 1954 races took place at Barcelona on the Pedralbes street circuit before the race moved to Madrid where the Circuito del Jarama hosted the race between 1968 and 1981. The third venue was Barcelona’s Montjuic Park, playing host to the event in 1969, 1971, 1973 and 1975. The Spanish Grand Prix had a short stint at Jerez between 1986 and 1990 before moving to the Circuit de Catalunya in the following year. Stewards – Garry Connelly, Felix Holter, Derek Warwick, and David Domingo will form the group of FIA stewards at today’s Spanish Grand Prix. The most successful team – Scuderia Ferrari is the most successful constructor at the Spanish Grand Prix with 12 victories. However, the Italian team recorded its most recent triumph long ago, back in 2013 when Fernando Alonso took a popular home win. McLaren is the second most successful outfit with eight victories with Mercedes being the third most successful thanks to their seven triumphs in the history of the Spanish Grand Prix. Average length – The Circuit de Bacelona-Catalunya features a layout that has a length of 4657m. The start line-finish line offset is 126m. Drivers will need to rack up a total of 66 laps at today’s Spanish Grand Prix, which is equivalent to 307.237km. Pit lane – Drivers will need to adhere to a speed limit of 80 km/h in the pit lane. Schumacher and Hamilton – The German and the Briton are the most successful drivers at the Spanish Grand Prix with six victories each. Schumacher first won in 1995 with Benetton, followed by five victories for Ferrari (1996, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004). Hamilton won here in 2014 for the first time, and was unstoppable in the years between 2017 and 2021. Two DRS zones – As in the previous years, two DRS zones will be in use. The first has a detection point 86m before Turn 9 and an activation point 40m after. The second detection point is at the Safety Car line, with activation 57m after Turn 16. Modifications – The track has been updated since the field last visited the venue last May. The most significant change is that the track reverts to the previous layout that results in the removal of the final chicane. Instead, cars will take the faster route, rushing through the extremely fast second-to-last corner. Two-stop strategy - For today’s 66-lap Barcelona round, Pirelli expects a two-stopper. This is down to the relatively high levels of tyre wear and degradation seen at the Barcelona circuit, with its abrasive asphalt and high-energy corners. Another reason is the fact that not so much time is lost in the pits, which makes a two-stopper much more viable, as well as the fact that the hard tyre is slower here. via F1Technical.net . Motorsport news https://www.f1technical.net/news/

Radio SunLounge Romania (March 22, 2023)

23:58 Pianochocolate - Morning Coffee 23:52 Eguana - Way To The House 23:46 Sweet Velvet - In My Dreams 23:46 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 23:40 Florzinho - Vem Conmigo (Euphonic Traveller Remix) 23:35 Shakes Seven - This Time 23:29 Dot Vegan - In Good Time 23:23 Esonic - Mellow Swing 23:19 Bevasso - A Night Like This (The Cure) 23:14 Roger Sanchez - Another Chance 23:10 Johannes Huppertz - Short Message Service 23:08 The Dining Rooms - Dreamy Smiles (Radio Version) 23:02 Re - Lounge - No Ordinary Love (Stephen Floyd Rework) 22:56 Jp - Juice - Cette Planete (Sushi Club Remix) 22:51 Mez - Fuck'n Jazz 22:48 Fancy Vienna - I'll Follow 22:44 Stephen Emmer - Under Your Spell Ft. Chaka Khan (Moods Remix) 22:39 Dave Jerome - The Future Is Love (Original Mix) 22:33 Hessismore - Yes Boss 22:28 Steen Thottrup - Heading For The Sunrise 22:27 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 22:22 Florian Fai - Rooftop Martini (Original Mix) 22:18 Loop Fruit Split - Rain Reason 22:14 Tycho - Into The Woods 22:11 Mozart - Burdened No More 22:10 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 22:03 Van - Life Journey 21:57 Briza - Reflections On The Highway 21:52 Messiah Project - Sadeness 21:46 Purple Avenue - Justify My Love 21:41 Heiko - Miles Away 21:33 Dimitris Manasidis - Love You For Life - Bobby Deep Sunset Mix 21:28 Lisa Shaw - I'm Ok 21:25 Deephouse 84 - A Night On The Beach 21:20 Sunyata Project - Inner Lights (Feat. Miyabi) 21:16 Bliss - Positive Reaction 21:11 Newton - New Beautiful Life 21:05 Marga Sol - Buddhanima 21:05 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 21:01 Amaraldo - Keep On 20:57 Jazzamor - Lovin' You 20:52 Pier-o Feat. Marga Sol - Air Of Love (Original Mix) 20:47 Roberto Sol & Florito - Love Finds You Feat. Martine (Original Mix) 20:42 Lazy Grooves - Walk With Me 20:36 Man In A Room - The Confidential 20:28 Eguana - Long Trip To Nowhere 20:23 Maskara - Feel The Nature (Original Mix) 20:19 The Nightfly - Hope And Glory 20:12 Christa Vi - Small Way Through (Cosmonaut Grechko Version) 20:06 Cafe Americaine - Infrajam (Loungebar Mix) 20:01 Aromabar - Simple Life 20:01 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 19:58 Emilie Simon - Desert 19:54 Miss B.t - Right Now (Sweet Lovin-' Edit) 19:49 Cafe Americaine - L Amour 19:43 Climatic - Left 19:39 Paul Hardcastle - Chillstep Echoes (Feat. Maxine Hardcastle) 19:34 Katun - Shout (Feat. Nattie) 19:32 Goson - Stop 19:26 Sunset Session Group - Soulsalicious 19:20 Placid Larry - Dew Drops 19:16 Amelie - Softwood 19:12 Living Room - Golden Ride 19:07 Beach Hoppers - Keep Dreaming (Eskadet Moonlight Version) 19:04 Kirsty Hawkshaw Mts. Tenisia - Reason To Forgive 19:00 Mr Vaud - Digital Inspiration 18:57 Hot City Walk (Original Mix) - Lasteden 18:53 Luke - Heaven-'s On Fire 18:47 Club Des Belugas - Phantastic Philadelphia 18:43 Pluto Project - Erophone 18:39 Cam - Romantic Love 18:34 Mandalay - It's Enough Now 18:34 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 18:30 Velvet Lounge Project - How Far, How Long 18:26 The Frost - Volna (Original Mix) 18:20 Double Wave - Psychedelic 18:16 Jakatta - It Will Be 18:15 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 18:11 Chillbirds - Breaking Out 18:06 Mirage Of Deep - More Than I Can Bear 18:02 Fused - Twisted (Reprise) 17:59 Aiemo - Dreaming Eyes (Vocal Mix) 17:59 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 17:54 Vargo - Speak To Me 17:48 Chicane - Looking Down (Drax & Goodings Room With A View Remix) 17:42 Christos Fourkis - Butterflies Everywhere (Original Mix) 17:35 Climatic - Hazy Days 17:30 Atb - Some Things Just Are The Way They Are 17:25 Cocogroove - Martini Royale (Kiss Me James Mix) 17:20 From P60 - You Take Me 17:14 D. Batistatos - Late Hours 17:09 Maritime (Caribic Flow Mix) - Cafe Americaine 17:04 Merge Of Equals - Clear Blue Sky 16:57 Dos Buratinos - Control U Inbox (Take Control Remix) 16:53 Basti M, Brockman Feat. Nic - Live Your Life (Free Your Mind) (Brockman & Basti M Sunset Mix) 16:48 Mind Into Mind - Ready To Fly (Instrumental) 16:43 Charly Mclion - Beachday 16:39 Living Room - Karma Ocean 16:35 Ganga, Sophie Tusnelda - Golden Lightfalls 16:29 Gold Lounge - Promised Land 16:24 Monique Bon - La Musique 16:19 Eddie Silverton - Coincidences 16:14 Sundance Girl - Open Your Arms (Falling To Pieces Mix) 16:10 Alien Cafe - Paris Depression 16:05 Beach Hoppers - Bit By Bit 15:58 Fresh Moods - Cocomilk 15:55 Marc Hartman - Goodvibes (Song For Thom & Susanne) 15:51 Mystic Diversions - Float On 15:46 Messiah Project - Sadeness 15:41 Idenline - Call Me (Original Mix) 15:36 Man In A Room - Night Mail (Feat. Civilian) 15:31 Wonderphazz - Memories (Chill Guide Mix) 15:25 Lazy Hammock - Tomorrow Is A New Day (Original Mix) 15:20 S.w. - Humans And Gods 15:13 Lemongrass - What You Believe 15:08 Chillwalker - A Dream Comes True (Red Horizon Mix) 15:03 Middle - Warm Sunset 15:00 Trillian Miles - Swamp Girl 14:58 Keanurhodes - Good Morning 14:53 Soundlift - Savage Islands (Original Mix) 14:47 Sunyata Project - Pi Lo Chun (Extended Mix) 14:41 Planet Funk - Under The Rain 14:37 Aloha Cafe - Night In Altamy 14:32 Puch - Playground 14:27 Phontaine - Node 14:22 Cocogroove - Puerto Azul (Blue Waves Mix) 14:17 Sofa Groovers - I Feel Love 14:14 Paul Hardcastle - Dancing Galaxies 14:09 Thievery Corporation - Web Of Deception 14:04 Sphere - Dreamer 13:59 Oscar Salguero - With You 13:55 Thievery Corporation - Free 13:51 Eduardo Arroya - Ring ...hello (Close Your Eyes) 13:46 Hacienda - Data Love 13:41 Gush Ibizen - Plans With You (Ibiza Guitar Girl Mix) 13:38 Mozambo - Hurt & Soul 13:34 Califonia Girl - Can See The Light (Beachside Mix) 13:29 Triangle Sun - Secret Desire 13:22 Miguel Migs - The Night (Rk's Vocal Mix) 13:22 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 13:17 Dj Rico Bonetti - Chill Solution 13:12 Papercut - End Of A Love Affair 13:08 Lemongrass - Frozen Boy 13:02 Future Loop Foundation - I Love Her More (Part 3) 12:56 Mariella Narvaez - All Night 12:51 Andreya Triana - Lost Where I Belong 12:47 El Petit Jardi - Clic Du Mer (Original Mix) 12:43 Ohm G - Island Dreams 12:35 Djibooti - Shadows And Voices (Tom Tom Mix) 12:29 Lazy Hammock - Summer Chill 12:23 Purple Avenue - Love & Sex & Magic 12:20 Electus - Pandora 12:16 Sky Sergeant - Hawaii Island Hoppers (Beachwave Cruiser Mix) 12:11 Asheni - Butterfly (Original Mix) 12:05 Trumpet Thing - The Kiss 12:03 Phlocalyst, Mr. Käfer - Luminous 11:59 Nor Elle Feat. Bella Wagner - Love True Dimension 11:54 Slackwax - Midnight 11:51 Minus Blue - Too Far To Speak (Original Mix) 11:47 Nasser Shibani - Time Chase (Original Mix) 11:42 Moca - Kleine Traumerei 11:35 Orange Music - Leave It All Behind (Vocal Mix) Feat. Mirjam 11:28 Twentyeight - Monday Night 11:23 Don Gorda Project - Cielo Terso 11:18 Cocogroove - Lagoon No. 7 (Guitar Mix) 11:13 Urban Phunk Society - Changing Spaces 11:08 York, Asheni - Mercury Rising (Chillout Mix) 11:04 Donna De Lory - The Unchanging (Atom Smith Chill Yoga Flow Remix) 11:00 Beanfield - Chosen (Feat. Ernesto) 10:55 Afterlife - Still 10:50 Merge Of Equals - Trees On The Moon 10:46 Hooverphonic - Mad About You (Llorca's Radio Shot) 10:40 Mind Conventions - Sweet Fever 10:36 Blank & Jones - Pure Shores 10:32 Atb - Break My Heart 10:26 York - Iceflowers 10:25 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 10:20 Cupsurfer - Finishing The Boat 10:17 Samsara Inc. - Endless Autumn 10:11 Vincent Vegas - Via Del Sol (Canyamel Mix) 10:05 Steen Thottrup, Denver Knoesen - Balearic Bliss 09:59 Koop - Relaxin' At Club F****n (Dorfmeister Vs. Madrid De Los Austrias) 09:56 Pnfa - Second Sunrise (Original Mix) 09:52 Weathertunes - Feel You (Original Mix) 09:48 Marga Sol - So Cruel 09:47 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 09:43 Guardner - Distant Link 09:38 Plastyc Buddha - Rhodes Royce 09:34 Atb Feat. Jansoon - Be Like You 09:28 Takt 3 - Slow Walker 09:28 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 09:25 Malia Feat. Erik Truffaz - Yellow Daffodils 09:19 D. Batistatos - Jet Lagged Nights 09:14 Tetris - Mystery 09:07 The Man Behind C. - Como Aire Cristalino (Latin Mix) 09:01 The Man Behind C. - What Can U Do 08:58 Castlebed - Lonely Ghost (Original Mix) 08:52 Neve - Supernatural (Ambient Mix) 08:47 Vargo - Goodbye Is A New Beginning 08:42 Amelie - Softwood 08:38 Madelin Zero - Anything Perfect 08:34 Soundset City - Come With Me (Deep Lounge Cut) 08:30 Vibrasphere Feat. K. Linder - Tierra Azul 08:24 Enrico Donner - Forget Me Not 08:18 Kieser Velten - Together 08:16 Dj Phixion - Hideout 08:12 Guenter Haas - First Floor Lobby 08:07 Jane Low - Night Theme (Original Mix) 08:02 Gary B - My Love 07:58 Eliane Elias - Running 07:55 Ross Couch - Music Is My Life 07:55 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 07:51 Worldbeat Feat. Miyabi - Sakura (Original Mix) 07:45 Jens Buchert - Dominion 07:41 Therr Maitz - Found U (Riesso Remix) 07:38 Kiwi Twist - Jazz Lady 07:34 Michael E - Don't Stop 07:28 Simon Bareilles - The Sound Of Silence - Guitar Lounge Mix 07:23 Chris Le Blanc, Pat Lawson - Beyond The Sunsets (Ibiza Late Night Mix) 07:18 Bessie Boni - Mystic Revelation (Feat. Gianna Partner) 07:14 Paolo - Turn Me On 07:09 Gushi & Raffunk - Sound Of You (Beat Ambasada Remix) 07:04 Stefan Reh, Kara - Unknown 06:59 Spinne - Saxophonecheck 06:54 Goloka - Compromise 06:50 Index - Noon Hour Blues 06:45 Pnfa - Temple Monkey 06:38 Sweet Velvet - La Plena Noche 06:35 Dj Antoine - I-'ll Never Let You Down (Soft Mix) 06:30 Velvet Dreamer - Footprints In The Sand 06:24 Cream Soda - Woman 06:20 The Diventa Project - Impossible Dream (Ibiza Chillout Mix) 06:19 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 06:15 Cantoma - Clear Coast (Feat. Brenda Ray) 06:11 Basti M, Brockman Feat. Nic - Live Your Life (Free Your Mind) (Brockman & Basti M Sunset Mix) 06:04 Cary August, Computer World - Tour De France (St. Tropez Chill) 06:00 El Rubello - And I Love Her 05:54 Jane Maximova - Morning Bird (Feat. Dmirty Raschepkin) 05:50 Monodeluxe - Steel Vibes (Original Mix) 05:45 Gabrielle Chiararo - Million Stars 05:41 Peter Pearson - A Walk In The Park 05:41 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 05:36 Groove Thievery - Killer (Bargrooves Mix) 05:33 Dreamhunter - Good Morning 05:28 Norman Doray - Chase The Sun (Musica Feliz Ibiza Beat Remix) 05:22 Krystian Shek - Samarkand (Feat. Nina Ramsby) 05:18 Dj Tiesto - The Tube (Domenico Cascarino & Luca Lombardi Acoustic Mix) 05:12 S.w. - Terokh Jeruth 05:07 Alien Cafe - Sacred Mountain 05:02 Groove Armada - Remember 04:57 Conjure One - Sleep 04:52 Everything But The Girl - Single (Brad Wood Memphis Remix) 04:48 Florence Di Milano - In A Silent Way (Original Mix) 04:45 Lasteden - Hot City Walk (Original Mix) 04:45 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 04:41 Liquid Motion - Silent Running 04:37 Weathertunes - Take Me Away 04:32 Sky Sergeant - Orion Trail (Eclipse Mix) (Eclipse Mix) 04:27 Jazzamor - Lullaby (Original Mix) 04:21 Lea Perry - Dubby Sunset Sky At Cafe Del Mar (Ibiza Beach Mix) 04:18 Beach Hoppers - Top Of The World 04:13 Jens Buchert - Fluffy Time 04:10 Marga Sol - Cafe Del Amor 04:04 Vargo - Speak To Me 03:56 Icehouse - Don-'t Believe Anymore (Ivan & Collins Cafe Latte Mix) 03:51 Dublex Inc. Feat. Alice Russel - Don't Make Me Want You 03:47 Florence - You Should Never Know - Baiha Del Mar Mix 03:43 Dab - You & Me 03:39 Florzinho, Euphonic Traveller - Staring At The Stars (Feat. Barbara Yaa Boahene) 03:35 Leo De La Rosa - Te Pienso (Marga Sol Balearic Remix) 03:29 Michael E - Rainy Thursday 03:24 Eskadet - La Repara 03:19 Santerna Feat. Vadim Kapustin - Feeling Like A River (Chillout Mix) 03:15 Tycho - No Stress (Feat. Saint Sinner) 03:10 Fourkis, Christos - If You Love Me 03:06 Marcel - Backseat Blues 03:02 Crystal Theory - Breathe 02:57 Castlebed - Groove Sense 02:52 Luisito Quintero - Our Love 02:48 Ikon - No Reason To Stay 02:42 Koru - Closer 02:37 Sangar - Love Again (Original Mix) 02:33 Frameworks - Breaks My Heart Ft. Kathrin Deboer 02:26 Aaron The Baron Feat Markus Puhl - A Tu Lado 02:20 Don Gorda Project - Serenidad 02:14 Random Rab - Rain On The World 02:08 Jazzy James Jr. - Twilight Trumpet (Open Doors Mix) 02:03 Area Code 51 - Chanchamayo 01:58 351 Lake Shore Drive - Ocean Blue 01:54 Weekend Players - Angel 01:50 Sunburn In Cyprus - Passage Of Time (Original Mix) 01:47 Anthony Hicks - I Don-'t Know 01:42 Audio Lotion - Eclipse 01:36 Darshan - Listen 01:33 Marga Sol - Imagine Me 01:33 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 01:28 Shakes Seven - Castles In The Sky 01:23 Jazzamor - Tonight 01:17 Steen Thottrup - If You Were Here Tonight 01:11 Honeyroot - Sunrise Sunset 01:08 Gary B - Song For Kaye 01:04 Luis Hermandez - Celebrate (Original Mix) 00:59 Florzinho - Maha - Amba 00:52 Amanaska - Tide (Electro Remix) 00:47 Paco Versailles - Two Feathers 00:42 Afterlife - Falling 00:38 Coolcomotion & Newton - Corazon (Black Diagram) 00:34 Stereomass - Modern Journey To Hawaii (Original Mix) 00:27 Man In The Moon Feat. Debora Vilchez - Another Way 00:23 Michael E - Dont Stop 00:20 Mahl-a - Scent Of You 00:16 Axel B - Dark Lights 00:16 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 00:10 Vinito - Cloud Cruise 00:06 Fous De La Mer - Time To Wake Up (Volver A Despertar) 00:01 Pier-O - Fermer Les Yeux

The Outstanding Women of UW - Women’s History Month 2023

by Lucía Estrada, Oral History Program student staff

Hello! I am a senior majoring in Philosophy and completing a certificate in Chican@ s and Latin@ s Studies. I am currently working on the Outstanding Women of Color Award Oral History Project with the UW Archives. The Outstanding Women of Color Award is an award given by the Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement, the DDEEA. This month the distinguished group of women welcomed the six newest members to the list of recipients. The award highlights women of color from the UW and Madison community that have contributed greatly in one or multiple of the following: social justice, activism, advocacy on behalf of disadvantaged & marginalized populations, community service, scholarly research, writing, speaking and teaching on race, ethnicity and indigeneity, and community building to create inclusive and respectful environments. As of March 2023, there are 107 recipients. The first recipient was Mercile J. Lee, and she was recognized in 1995 and is the founder of my scholarship program. Lee and these outstanding women still have a lasting impact today at UW. In the month of March for Women’s History Month, we will be celebrating and highlighting a few of these remarkable women by sharing some of their words of wisdom.

Editor's note: For more on this project & Lucia's work on it, read this.

untitled piece

soy un niño <<no sabo>>. i did not learn this phrase until i started using social media. before that i had to rely on the english “my mother never taught me.” but perhaps it is best to start at the beginning.

genesis.

i was born to a mexican immigrant mother and a white american father. they are fine people but that is beyond this. my memory of my youth is foggy, without definite shapes, times, or recordations. my mother tells me she could not teach me spanish, because i refused it as a baby; much how a graft does not take to a tree. as a very young child i did not understand the ramifications of being chicane. to be white but not entirely. an undefinite other. during a month long trip to mexico with my abuela (one of the few spanish words i knew), a trip which i do not entirely remember, i had eaten nothing but plain cheese quesadillas because i refused to try foods i was unfamiliar with. in school i had taken a great deal of pride in my chicanismo despite not knowing spanish. i also often conflated mexicanismo with nahua culture; i had often imagined mexico as simply a modern indigenous country where they had maintained the customs of the aztecs and other nations, my understanding of colonization would come much later. it is around this time that my mother tells me i refused to learn spanish, in english this time.

malinchismo.

when one becomes an adolescent, around ten or sometime later, one begins to form the identical foundation on which their character will be built. it was then i had become attached to the juvenile concept of cosmopolitanism, believing myself to be not a part of any grand culture group, regarding america not as a nation or ideology but simply a place in which i lived. to be american, i thought, was to just live in america. i had met other people like me, children born to dominican, puertorican, cuban, nicaraguan parents but who spoke broken or no spanish. but i had still not understood that we formed a part of the whole, perhaps out of my own lack of understanding or my internal shame of not actively participating in american latin culture. this pattern continued through the last years of high school.

exiting the cave.

my ideological development began in the last two years of schooling, i had come to understand that the current state of society would not allow for equality, and that those at the top of the societal pyramid were to blame. but i still found myself identifying as mexican american, not truly understanding what either of those words meant. when i began college, with access to more books than i could reasonably read, i was entranced. for one course or another, i checked out a number of books; the labyrinth of solitude being the principal of these. i only read the first few pages, where paz discusses the pachucos and their “in betweenness” being the basis of their identity, and i found some comfort in that, but also an intellectual hunger had begun to fester. i registered for spanish classes the next year.

impresent day.

“no hablo español, lo siento.” my spanish, even after a couple years of studying, is very stilted, my voice carries my uncertainty within it. i still struggle with accepting this. there is a terrible shame in being unable to read márquez, paz, azuela, magón, o sor juana in their tongue, there is an unspeakable embarrassment in having your fucking boyfriend translate the poetry of gloria anzaldúa or sandra cisneros. but i will get over it. my spanish will always be that of a twenty something who got started too late, but it’s okay. no es una cosa.

IMAGAZINE X CHICANE

Jeon Yuri, member of the K-pop group CHICANE, takes Imagazine’s December 2023 cover.

In honor of Latine Heritage Month I wanted to introduce folks who aren’t familiar to Culture Clash. They were a Chicano comedy group in the 1990s and they made some really great sketches and satires about Chicane culture, ranging from absurd to reflective. You can still find a few of their sketches on YouTube like this one!

Announcements In Australia

In which Juliette and Max journey to the 2023 Australian GP, Julia's first race of the season, and some big news is shared among their grid family.

The first thing Juliette registers when they get off their jet in Melbourne is how warm it is, she's been to Australia twice now, but she'll never quite get used to it. But, she's here with the love of her life, and a stunning ring on her finger. The proposal was just wonderful, by the fire of their ski chalet in Austria. She had no idea it was coming, but was so excited to say yes. Max has gifted her quite a bit of jewellery since they got together in 2020, but this one definitely takes the cake. As yet, only heir families know about their engagement. Max holds her hand as they enter the main airport, and get their visas checked, as well as getting their stuff checked. ''Nice ring, wedding bells on the horizon?'' The security man asks.

Max nods, beaming with excitement and pride. ''Yeah, we can't wait.'' Juliette says, nodding in agreement. ''We're so happy to be finally doing this, we've known each other for so long.''

They grab their bags, and head out to their rental car. Max opens Julia's door for her like the gentleman he has always been, she gets in and buckles up. Max hops in after her, and they drive off to the hotel together.

After unpacking in their suite, they grab lunch, and head down to the paddock. The race is in five days' time, and already everything is set up to perfection. They walk up to the McLaren garage, Lando instantly perks up to see them. ''Well, if it isn't the best couple on the grid. Wanna do a track walk with us and the Alpha Tauri guys?''

Max nods, and says. ''Yeah, of course.''

Juliette asks her fiance, fiddling with the ring, inspired by Princess Grace's ring. ''Shouldn't we wait for Checo though, amour?''

Daniel joins them, clapping Max on the shoulder, and kissing Julia's cheek like always. ''He doesn't get here until tonight.''

Oscar surfaces from talking to someone, he pegs the glimmering diamonds first. ''Oh, wow, what is that?''

Max decides to take this one himself, kissing Juliette on the head. ''Well, Juliette and I are getting married, we've been engaged since winter break.''

Yuki finally turns up. ''Our very own royal wedding, about time really.'' Juliette laughs. ''Yeah, our inner teenagers are probably jumping for joy right now.''

The group go for their track walk, Albert Park is one of the deceptive tracks, it looks so easy when you look at the track layout, no real inclines or chicanes. But, it's tight, and there are a few spots where things can get difficult. Juliette has went on track walks with Max ever since Hungary 2021, to calm her anxious mind after that God awful Silverstone crash. She'll never forget that day, the day when the world stopped spinning, the days she thought she'd lose him. ''So, no crashes this weekend?'' She anxiously asks.

Max puts his hand on her back, he knows her better than anyone on this Earth does. ''No, liefje, no crashes.'' Juliette nods, leaning into his side as they come back into the pit lane. ''Good, because I'm not marrying anyone else.''

As they return to the hospitality area for some dinner, George and Alex come to join them with Carmen and Lily. Lily clocks the ring, it's kind of hard not to really. ''Oh, my God, good eye for rings, Max.'' George adds. ''Charles just told us.'' Juliette rolls her eyes, of course her brother told them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Media day is on the thursday, so it's interviews, little games with Checo, and the press conference with Zhou, Charles, Oscar, and Fernando. After some questions about the upcoming race, a journalist from Nine News asks Charles and Max. ''For Charles and Max, how are you two feeling about becoming brothers soon? Do you think it'll affect how you race in the future?''

Max takes the question first. ''No, not really, I think we'll be family off track, and rivals on track still. But, yeah, I'm very excited to join the family.''

Charles laughs, agreeing with his future brother-in-law. ''Yeah, it's cool to be combining our families, and I am so happy for Max and Julia, no one deserves this like they do. But, we're still rivals.''

Someone from CNN asks Max. ''Max, just a question about you and Juliette. When did you know she was the one for you?'' Max takes a moment to think back in time, over all his memories of them as friends and as lovers. ''Probably sometime in 2016, I can't describe it, but when you know, you know, I guess. She's just... my everything, and has been for a long time.''

Press over for the day, they go to hang out in hospitality for a while before track review.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Free practice is on friday, the couple head down to the paddock for breakfast with the others, then go to Max's motorhome so he can get ready for practice. Juliette watches as her fiance changes into his fireproofs, and takes his racing suit from the hanger. So many people online poke fun at Max for his lack of fashion sense while she co-owns a design house. But, as far as she's concerned, this is the sexiest he ever looks. All geared up for the thing he is so good at. Max gets his boots on, and asks her. ''You okay, schatje?''

Juliette snaps from her little reverie. ''Y-yeah, I just got zoned out, that's all.'' Max raises an eyebrow at her, for them this can mean one of two things, so he asks. ''Good zoning out, or bad zoning out?'' Juliette runs her hands up his biceps, his hands locking together at the small of her back. ''Good zoning out.''

Max looks intrigued by that. ''Care to share, Julia?'' Juliette feels her face warming up. ''Just thinking about how hot you always look in your racing gear, that's all.''

Max's head tilts a slight, not taken aback, but surprised. ''Really? My racing gear of all things?''

Juliette flirts, tracing the Tag-Heuer logo on his chest with her index finger. ''Is there anything weird about that, amour?'' Max leans down to kiss her on the lips. ''Absolutely not.''

They head down to the garage, GP briefs Max on some strategy for saturday and sunday, and goes to the pit wall. Max grabs his balaclava and helmet, and kisses his lovely fiancee before heading out to Rocky. Juliette watches his laps on the TV screen, it never gets old, even since his days in Karting and F3, the sensation of watching her man doing what he does better than anyone else does. She turns her engagement ring on her finger, now fully used to the new weight on her left hand, her inner sixteen year old must feel like she fell asleep that sunday night in Barcelona, and all of this is some entirely too tempting dream. But, it's not, and there's so much more to come still. Juliette pulls her sketchbook and pencil case out, and begins designing her wedding dress, and his tuxedo. It's only right that Vita Luxuria dresses their wedding.

Max gets done with FP1, so they have some time between sessions. ''What are you drawing, liefje?''

Juliette smirks, putting her stuff away. ''Something for the wedding, I'll show you the sketches when they're done.''

FP2 is next, Juliette goes to grab something to eat and gets back on with her sketches in the Red Bull Lounge where it's quieter but she can still see the pit stop. After FP3, they head back to his room, and Max quickly showers and changes. They meet up with Checo, who gives Juliette a friendly kiss on the cheek. ''Good to see you, hermanita. Good to have you back.''

Juliette smiles, she's always gotten on really well with Max's team mates, from Carlos to Checo. ''Good to be back, ministro. How are the family?''

Checo says, smiling brightly. ''Good, they'll be with us for Miami.'' Juliette beams. ''Oh, good! I'll be there too! I'm going to: Miami, Monaco, Spain, Austria, Silverstone, and Spa this side of summer.''

Carlos jumps in, hugging Julia from behind. ''You always come to Montmelo, mariposa.''

Juliette says, smoothing down her dress again. ''Well, it is a very important race for us.''

Max says, an idea written across his handsome face. ''Why not rock up to Zandvoort married, schatje? We have almost a month between Spa and Zandvoort, plenty of time, right?'' Juliette nods, he's read her mind again. ''That's exactly what I was thinking! Have the wedding during summer break.''

Fernando says. ''Well, I suppose we're all clearing the schedules, eh?'' Oh, God, what have they unleashed upon the grid this time?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Max is to start on pole for Sunday, which is an afternoon race. Max and Juliette arrive for the drivers parade, then, it's down to real business. The race itself is chaos incarnate, though. Lance forcing Charles off the track during the formation lap, triggering a red flag and safety car. Juliette's heart aches for her big brother, he's been so down on himself lately, and she hates to see him trudging back to the Ferrari garage like that. ''Oh, Charlie.'' She sighs, turning her ring on her finger.

On lap seven, Alex spins out of control and crashes as well, causing another safety car while they clean up and assess Alex. First her brother, now Alex, who next? Max is in the lead by lap 18, when George's car catches fire, triggering a virtual safety car. ''Mon dieu, what is going on here?'' Juliette asks.

Callum, one of Max's pit crew, laughs as he says. ''The race is haunted, Julia.''

Juliette jokes back, she's always loved the atmosphere in the Red Bull paddock, Ferrari has always been just a bit too tense for her. ''That would explain it, Callum.''

Max gives her a brief scare when he goes onto the grass on lap 46. No matter how many years pass, even after a million race wins and 20 years of marriage, Copse will always linger in her head. Kevin's car breaking apart on him triggers yet another restart. Which goes pear shaped really quickly as both Alpines, Nyck, and Logan all crash out on turn one. And, another red flag is called. ''Come on, Max, I wanna finish designing your wedding suit.'' Juliette says, fiddling with her water bottle. The final lap begins under the safety car, which guides Max home to his first race win in Australia. Lewis takes silver, Fernando takes bronze. Juliette watches him take his place at the head of the podium, before trophies, he is briefly interviewed. He's asked. ''Now, Max, this is your first race with your lovely fiancee present, anything to say to her?''

Max beams, the crowd erupts into applause. ''Uhm, yeah. Julia, mijn schatje, thank you for saying 'yes' firstly. Uhm, I love you so much you have no idea, this would not be possible without you, and I cannot wait for summer already.'' He blows her a kiss, she places her left hand on her chest, blinking tears away. ''Ik houd van je, Juliette Leclerc.'' Juliette beams up at him while he receives his medal and trophy, he never fails to make her happy. She can only hope she's doing the same for him, she must be doing something right.

That night, they collapse into bed together, exhausted from the longest race day they've ever had together. Sometimes, the best celebration is relaxation. Max's eyes flutter closed, he looks so soft now, stripped of his racing finery, Juliette says, kissing him on the forehead. ''Je t'aime, mon vainqueur.'' He dozes off to sleep, Juliette curls into his side, the silver and gold plate forgotten on the sofa for now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They arrive back in Monaco on the tuesday, Max ready for some rest at home before Baku. Jimmy and Sassy rub up against their legs when they come through the door. Juliette bends down to pet their cats. ''Bonjour, notre anges.''

As if by cue, Julia's cavachon, her beloved Luna, runs into the foyer. Tail wagging like crazy to see her maman and papa home. ''We've missed you too, Luna.'' Max says, it took her ages to convince him to take Luna from her friend and co-worker Daphne after her Bichon and her husband's Cavalier King Charles Spaniel had a litter late last year. But, little Luna has been a much beloved addition to the family. ''We're home, guys.'' They ditch their bags, kick their shoes off, pick their pets up, and crash on the sofa with some Peaky Blinders. Baku won't be calling Max east until the 26th of April, so, they can relax for a few weeks. Juliette returns to work tomorrow, but that's also a labour of love for her, and always has been. Max and Julia steal a glance at each other, his blue eyes to her hazel, he lovingly kisses her on the lips. ''Ready to become Mrs Verstappen? In the summer?'' He asks.

The surname issue has been a no-brainer for her since she could put a name to why Max makes her feel what he does. ''Oh, yeah, I've been ready for a long time, amour.'' His sister has her husband's name, his mother kept hers. And, there will be four Mrs Leclercs running around someday, so, she wants to be Juliette Verstappen. ''Since Barcelona 2020.''

Some part of her will never quite get used to this, this being her real life and not something she dreamed up while with her ex. But, here they are. Australia down, Baku next.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi, guys!! Something a bit different, first F1 ficlet! So, be nice. Juliette is Charles' younger sister. Born in July 1999, so Arthur is just over a year younger. She is Co-CEO and Co-founder of an ethical, sustainable, body conscious, and affordable fashion line called 'Vita Luxuria', and has loved Max since 2016. She also is a huge Grace Kelly stan.

Assessment 3 Development Progress Update

Hello again! It’s week 10 already, and I’ve been focused on developing additional mechanics for Drift Arcade, which is my assessment 3 group project. Drift Arcade is originally Brandon’s game, a top down racing game where players compete for first place on the global leaderboards by drifting around corners to gain boost.

We chose this game as it immediately seemed the most enjoyable and accessible, as the controls were easy to understand or teach, competing for high scores kept the game competitive and engaging, and each game was only 30 seconds long, making it extremely easy to play on repeat. In The Game Design Workshop, Fullerton lists challenge, reaching goals, competition, personal growth, mastering skills and making interesting choices as the main ways to create fun games or experiences. Drift Arcade was already achieving many of these, but to further improve the fun of the game, we decided to add a medal system to further cater for players aiming to reach certain goals, as well as a skill system to allow players to make interesting and impactful choices. Along with this, we also decided to add car customisation, a title screen and menus, additional tracks and multiplayer if we have time. 

In order to add to the game, We decided Brandon would create a github repository and add comments to the code, While I made a Gannt chart outlining all of the planned additions to the game and when they needed to be finished. After this, Brandon made a car customisation menu and I made two new race tracks.

I had previously made Gannt charts in IGB181, so I didn’t gain any new insights from making another one, but making the tile maps for the race tracks was an interesting challenge. Designing race tracks that have a good balance of difficult turns which also work with the drifting mechanic required multiple attempts to get right for both new tracks. The main problem was that the tile set had no 45 degree walls, which would have been perfect in the chicane section on the final map as well as connecting multiple corners.

I’m pretty happy with the tracks now, but I don’t understand the UI buttons that Brandon has been using so I have been unable to make a map selection menu yet. Aside from that, the project has been going smoothly, and we have now merged our two branches on github, so that all of the changes are ready for next week’s playtesting!

Sources:

Fullerton, T. (2019). Game design workshop : a playcentric approach to creating innovative games. Crc Press.