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dreadfutures · 8 months

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to be clear, this is armchair punditry, but it's hard not to feel like these layoffs are, in addition to union busting, retaliation, and EA's whole "who actually likes single player games we don't believe you",

also because the change of leadership over the past ~3 years has been vocally pro union, anti crunch, and emphasizing how they want to take their time and make sure people get paid & credited.

like i'm not the kind of person (who i see all the time in my dash and instablock so please don't come into my post to do it too) who believes they're all lying and two-faced about this. it does seem like there had been a change in the leadership at bioware and things might be getting better, and as much as everyone on twit and tumblr was nagging and despairing about the timeline, i thought the extended development of the true da4 (post-return-to-single-player) was a really good sign, actually.

but that kinda makes this feel even more pointed and sucky. like it really sucks to see a big publisher say "fuck you, we don't care if you're a tiny little studio under our umbrella -- we won't tolerate any hint of a fair workplace, you do it this way, you get this game out, you make us money and you do it by using as few people working as hard as possible and getting paid as little as possible, and then we will dismantle you for parts."

A couple of people have been like "well look at x and y single player game under EA, it did so well! bioware games are among their top earners! EA is crazy to not fund it!" but honestly most of the time they're *partner* games, where EA assists with the distribution but the studio is otherwise not part of EA, the game wasn't developed with EA money, etc. So like. yeah it makes sense that EA wants a cash cow of FIFA, battlefront, etc, and live service games, and then to just put their name on (and probably take a % of profits from) indie developers for any other game type.

Honestly, fuck big umbrella monopoly type corps, and I hope every up and coming creative group never gets acquired, because there's no way it ends well.

#long post #rambling #bioware

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arpov-blog-blog · 2 years

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Could he be right again? Michael Moore has a big prediction for Democrats in the midterms - Raw Story - Celebrating 18 Years of Independent Journalism

I remember seeing Michael Moore deliver a grave warning in an MSNBC interview where he warned that the anger in Middle America would be a problem for HRC. His words gave me a sick sinking feeling...."Could he be right again? Michael Moore has a big prediction for Democrats in the midterms

Sophia A. McClennen, Salon

Fast forward to the 2022 midterms and we find ourselves in a similar scenario, but turned upside down. Now the media is basically repeating again and again that Democrats will lose in November, while Moore is suggesting the opposite. Moore isn't just echoing the widespread notion that Democrats could hold the Senate while losing the House. He is suggesting that voters "are going to descend upon the polls en masse — a literal overwhelming, unprecedented tsunami of voters — and nonviolently, legally, and without mercy remove every last stinking traitor to our Democracy."

To make his point, Moore is going beyond armchair punditry and sending out what he is calling a "tsunami of truth," where each day leading up to the election he offers more specific factual reason why he is right and why it makes sense to be optimistic.

If an 18-year-old high school student can beat a Republican incumbent in Boise, Idaho, Moore argues, something is happening that the media can't see.]

In his second installment, he covered the story of the recent election for the Boise Board of Education, in which Republican Steve Schmidt, an incumbent, was up for re-election. Considering that Trump won Idaho's capital city with 73 percent of the vote, it made sense to assume Schmidt would win again. But as Moore explains, Schmidt had been endorsed by a far-right extremist group, the Idaho Liberty Dogs, that led a campaign against the local library, calling their LGBTQ+ and sex ed materials "smut-filled pornography." According to Moore, they even showed up at local Extinction Rebellion climate strikes brandishing AR-15 assault rifles.

So in a surprising turn of events, the Idaho Statesman, Boise's daily news paper, chose not to endorse Schmidt because he refused to denounce the Idaho Liberty Dogs. Instead, the paper endorsed his opponent, an 18-year-old high school senior and progressive activist, Shiva Rajbhandari, who was also co-founder of the Boise chapter of Extinction Rebellion.

Rajbhandari won. A teenager beat a Republican incumbent in a traditionally red city in one of the reddest states. Moore's point is that if these kinds of seismic shifts are happening at the polls in Boise, there's reason to think that this election won't follow traditional patterns. Voters, he believes, have had enough of the power of right-wing extremists and the threat they pose to democratic values.

In his next "tsunami of truth," Moore reminded readers that despite all the ways that the media tends to make the American right seem massively powerful, they're really just a big bunch of losers. Republicans have lost the popular vote in seven of the eight last elections. As Moore explains it, "Only because of the slave states' demand for the Electoral College — and the Republicans' #1 job of gerrymandering and voter suppression — do we even have to still deal with their misogyny, their destruction of Planet Earth, their love of guns and greed, and their laser-focused mission to bury our Democracy."

That leads to the next installment: Republicans will lose because this time around they are "running the biggest batch of nutters nationwide in American electoral history." He then promises to offer a list of the top 10 "biggest whackadoodles on the Republican side of the ballot."

No. 10 on Moore's list is Mathew DePerno, Republican candidate for attorney general in Michigan. Like nine other candidates in the 30 state attorney general races this fall, DePerno is an election denier. But he's not just a common, garden-variety election denier; he was allegedly personally involved in a voting system breach. That's right: the Republican candidate who hopes to become Michigan's top law enforcement official is under investigation by the current attorney general for "unauthorized access to voting equipment."

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s-k-y-w-a-l-k-e-r · 5 years

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Did you watch the debates tonight?

I really should have, but I didn’t. I don’t have a lot of patience for those. When I was an undergrad, I had a prof who thought we would be able to glean something from them based on how many times people clapped for one candidate versus the other, and I realized how much armchair punditry just annoys me. So I generally avoid them, unless it’s my own boss debating. 😅

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mancitynoise · 5 years

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A mighty week that celebrated heart, principle and defiance

Jürgen Klopp grinning with all those mesmerising teeth. Mauricio Pochettino in bits and tie askew, like the father of the bride waving off his daughter on her wedding night. Glenn Hoddle dancing a jig in the studio while the nation feared for his ticker. Has there ever been a week like this one for England’s football clubs?

For people who had paid those very-hard-to-justify subscriptions to Sky and BT, or who found the right excuses for four consecutive nights in the pub, there has been a sustained injection of head-shaking, armchair-roaring miracle. How might you objectively measure such a week against all the weeks that have gone before? Careful linguistic analysis of punditry shows the word “unbelievable” was uttered more frequently, and in a greater variety of accents, than on any previous occasion. (Jordan Henderson, the lion-hearted Liverpool captain, managed a dozen utterances single-handedly to the TV interviewer, while his teammates sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone” back to the Kop.)

#TheGuardian #News

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walkonwalkonwithhopeinyourheart · 5 years

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Barcelona Analysis via /r/LiverpoolFC

Barcelona Analysis

Hi everyone, after a great result and performance yesterday I thought I'd try and shed a bit of light on the challenge awaiting the team during the week. I've watched just about every Barca match for the last decade or so but of course, my observations are not the absolute be all end all, so feel free to disagree or question anything that I say.

*disclaimer I am a Liverpool fan but this article will speak very highly of Barca*

At the very least I'm hoping to clarify a few things that may not be instantly obvious.

2018/19 Style

This season Barca have reverted back to their fabled 4-3-3, having had much success with a 4-4-2 last season.

Much has remained the same since the late 2000s, with fullbacks playing extremely high, offering width, centrebacks splitting in possession and playing a higher line, with a pivot often dropping between them.

From there, an asymmetric duo in midfield offers shorter and longer passing options.

The front players match the midfield's asymmetry, with a one narrow and one wide forward, coupled by a striker.

Possession is still key, they have the ball a lot! Often the idea is to create space between the opposition's defence and midfield. They are particularly effective at overloading the inside left before quickly switching it to the inside right (wonder who occupies that area). As such space then opens up wide right and wide left in the transition, making it difficult for opponents to recover effectively.

This team still loves to play out from the back, however their goalkeeper now is a lot more comfortable launching 40 or 50 yard passes to the flanks should the short passes be going nowhere. However they can still cause so much damage to poorly planned presses with 3 or 4 touches and a Busquets pirouette.

The midfield likes to string what i call 'test' passes together. In that they will pass into areas in which it makes opposition players consider coming out of position to claim the ball but also consider staying put, often they aren't sure and after the 3rd or 4th time they'll push up only to leave fatal space somewhere else. Aside from that though, the midfield won't do a whole lot of 'on-paper' damage, Rakitic aside this midfield isn't in double figures for goals and assists combined.

Their forwards do a lot of switching, from 30 yards and in, the name of the game is 1-2s and you'll normally see opponents squashed into an area smaller than their penalty box yet the net still bulges. The front 3 play close together but the space will either be vertical or horizontal i.e. one will run in behind when the others combine, or one will hug the touchline while the others combine. This is when a midfield linker such as Rakitic or Arthur seals the deal.

Personnel

Marc-Andre Ter Stegen is in my mind the best keeper in the world. He plays as a sweeper keeper behind Barca's high line and is very comfortable in possession. He is also one of the best in the business at dealing with one on one situations and in terms of reflex shot stopping (seriously - youtube some of the mental things he's done this year).

Gerard Pique is having an absolute second coming in defence, playing with his usual swagger on the ball, but also commanding and leading the entire backline. He has been unbelievable since the turn of year; his ability to block shots, deal with crosses and intercept passes into the striker have all improved markedly. Clement Lenglet has slotted in beautifully alongside Pique and his composure in possession is a hallmark of the way Barca want their defenders to play. He also boasts excellent recover pace but can be a bit rash with his last ditch tackles. Jordi Alba continues to be the only world class leftback not named Andy and whilst he rightly receives a lot of plaudits for his attacking dimension, defensively his positional sense and intelligence means he is rarely caught out. Nelson Semedo and Sergi Roberto have both been used as right backs, with the former offering more defensive solidity but more naivety and the latter able to continue attacks as an auxiliary midfielder, such is his versatility.

Sergio Busquets may not be the player of a few years ago but is still integral to how Barca play. Dictating the tempo and creating space out of nothing whilst also covering for his more attacking teammates. Ivan Rakitic has shown no signs of a world cup hangover, which would make sense as he has 5 lungs. He fills the space vacated by the marauding right back and some Argentine luxury player but is also capable of late bursts from midfield and has a mean right foot. Arthur Melo is experiencing a great debut season, with people claiming him to be the new Xavi. The playstyles are similar, but he lacks the Spaniards creativity and people often say he plays with fear, keeping things ticking along but never threatening.

Lionel Messi lol. Luis Suarez is playing a strange brand this season, alternating between perfect hattricks to Shane Long. He is, as we know, always a menace, and when his link up play is working well, him and Messi play football from another planet. Ousmane Dembele is still very raw, but his pace absolutely terrifies defenders, he's like bambi with NOS, but he also has two great feet and loves to sell a dummy.

Arturo Vidal, Philippe Coutinho, Samuel Umtiti, Malcom and Carles Alena all offer a threat coming off the bench.

Strengths

This Barca team plays with much more control off the ball than the other iterations. Their centrebacks are fantastic at defending crosses and cutbacks, with the midfield excellent at shielding from deep and forcing opponents wide or into a mistake.

Their frontline has pace to burn with Dembele and as such, offer fantastic counter attacking opportunities, plus has a certain fluidity to it in a similar way to Liverpool. Suarez may pop up on the right, Dembele through the middle and as such they are difficult to tie down.

Their midfield plays with more verticality, they will be wary of Liverpool's press and it is likely that they will be more direct with their movement and transitions so as to bypass any press.

Messi. Yep, him. With the way this Barca team plays, h is able to function on a greater level. He normally drops in to the inside right position (although he will normally start matches on the touchline) and from there it pretty much depends on him. Dembele and Suarez like to alternate between coming short for 1-2s or running in behind, whilst Alba always offers a long diagonal threat. But get too close and all you'll feel is his fart in the wind. He also offers a shooting threat from set pieces and from anywhere inside 25 yards.

Patience is a virtue with this team. Quite often they will not hit their flow in the first half of games, instead toying with their opponents, tiring them until the space between players is big enough to strike. This Barca team is extremely clinical (unless Suarez is wearing his second left boot again) and as such, any chances they create will most likely be high in quality.

Weaknesses

Their high defensive line is of course, susceptible to longer passes however these must be weighted perfectly to avoiding the onrushing Ter Stegen.

Either side of Busquets. Their transitional movement when losing the ball in midfield is poor. Often Arthur and Rakitic are offering pasisng options and as such, if the ball is given away in midfield the space either side of their pivot becomes a lot more glaring.

Lack of movement when Coutinho plays has also been a theme this season, as the playmaker often tries to do too much himself. Suarez and Messi have recently stopped making dynamic runs as often due to this and normally this threat will solely be the duty of each fullback.

Messi. Weird right? That's not to say the wee man himself is a weakness, but rather in times of need the other players tend to look like deer in headlights, of course it is often Messi who is driving the truck.

Where Liverpool Can Profit

It's a stick or twist scenario. Do Liverpool cheat and leave their frontmen high up the field and risk an overload? I feel Klopp will look to use more of a 4-4-2 in defence, with Mane and Wijnaldum/Milner filling in on the flanks. Subsequently a counter attack becomes more of a threat, but how can they get the ball to them?

BIG VIRG. Yes he's a mountain, a colossus, a unit, but he also possesses a hugely dangerous weapon. The long diagonal pass. If anyone would like to watch Barca's 4-4 thriller with Villarreal they'll see how their two frontmen both occupied the spaces where the Barca fullbacks would be meaning that there was no need to avoid whatever Barca press there was - instead they played the ball to their frontmen who could combine in those spaces - they found a lot of joy that evening, 4 joy to be exact.

Space in the midfield is normally a virtue when playing against Barca, but this Liverpool midfield is capable of playing some lovely one touch football, granted there won't be as much space as last night... a quick transition from winning the ball to attacking can bypass this Barca midfield if done correctly, and Liverpool are one of the best in the world at that.

Anfield. Barca's away form has been tentative for the last few years. That's not to say this team lacks belief, they simply play a more pragmatic role when away from home, accepting 0-0s as decent results. Normally they've gone back to the Camp Nou knowing what was expected of them, but that will not be the case in this tie. Anfield however, will be in the know.

Summary

Sorry for the long read, it doesn't feel nearly as informative as I had intended it to be but heyho, that's what armchair punditry does to people!

If there are any questions on this article or Barca team then give me a shout but hopefully some of you found this useful!

P.S they play Levante at 19:45 today but I don't expect their full team to play for more than 60 mins max.

Submitted April 27, 2019 at 06:07PM by AgentGoat via reddit http://bit.ly/2IM31CK

#IFTTT #reddit #liverpoolfc #liverpool fc #lfc #ynwa

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eugenekan · 7 years

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An (un)forgettable evening, depending on who you ask. I'll save my armchair punditry for behind closed doors. 😬😬😬

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gowhine · 7 years

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Armchair Punditry

This is my take on the politics of the day. People are so enamored with wealth that they are not paying attention to what extent they would do to rest in favor of their peers or their idol. Kaepernick, Hillary, Trump, and whom ever is granted 15 minutes are either already wealthy or powerful, profiting of off our attention. I am sure all of these character preceding or seceding are profiting from their names in the news for more than a cycle. No matter what the cause, at some point, they are going to manipulate the scenery for their presentation, for good or bad, which is subjective to the status quo or present day polling data.

The idea I have, is to continue to pay attention the context of the all causes before joining a point view that is readily familiar, comfortable, and unchallenged. The world is in constant motion and always in flux. To ignore that reality, consequently excess ideals tends to accumulate, leading to addiction to the comfort of being served our ideal delights. At some point a purge of the excess is necessary. At this point in the game, the well fed (rather it be our ego, esteem or our economics) is becoming over fed and subjective capitulation to whomever is holding the plate becomes instinctive, an unfortunate consequence of comfort and privilege.

Some so spoiled and sheltered that a guttural burst of air that forms a distinguishable sound that would point to their excess, perform an art of disgust and dismay, indignant to recognize their privilege without understanding from whom from whence it came. Growling, spouting, and in petulant physical defiance is that of prostitute whom has sworn to protect their pimp and their reward for their protection. All the while the pimp continues to feed the “privileged”(prostitute) with whatever shall pacify them, for better or worse- still subjective to whomever and their position.

That being said and with all clarity, succinctness and due respect, excuse the vulgarity, yet the truth has a funny way of coming out of my mouth. Don’t forget to come up for air. Seriously, don’t be so damn busy to breathe, because at this point we have forgotten we are still sucking our idols’ staff. We are so consume with our position that we forgot what position we are in. Now we’re ass up and face down in our own shit. Now they’ve pulled out their propaganda, national attention about a millionaire (whom I’ve just leaned about, not up on pop news) who sat down (Kaepernick). Really? I support ideas, not causes. That may be shallow or self centered, but causes attract a lot of unnecessary drama that I am no longer available to deal with. What I’ve seen on my feed is a lot hurt feelings over words, click, pictures, or any other thing that forms some familiar image. Yet the point or the real issue is never discussed.

Just make sure that you don’t blow a hole in your throat trying to maintain the attention from your pimp. Some people are so ardent in their position, that the pimp’s balls could smack them in the eye, and they claim that it was someone else’s fault, but never pimp daddy. The pimp could drop rancid ass and some of us will continue to suck the master dry, on a third load. Swinging and flailing at anyone that gets close. Thrashing their feet against the ground to deep throat the pimp as much as the gag reflex can hold out. Even surprising the pimp. So just come up for air and try not to blow a hole in your throat trying to hold your position.

We arguing about rich people. Stop it. Vulgar and lascivious, huh? Well some of us have had the head in the ground so long that, they’ve forgotten that the only thing the world can see of them is their ass. Then, get mad when they get fucked (over). Howling about the injustice but all they’ve been showing is their ass and the absent of any cognitive presence, hence buried brains within the buried head. Let their asses out to whomever may come along, to at least observe what they left the world to see. Some may feel and touch, other will just stick it to you. Just come up for air.

And when it comes time to pull your head out the ground, don’t get so stuck on the pain that you end up shoulder’s deep in your ass. Now, you’re futile. And a fucking nuisance. Nobody, I mean nobody, thinks it sexy to wedge your head up your ass. So just come up for air. And like recently, the moment you come up for air is the moment you might find a cock (issue or crisis) waiting for your gasp. It’s not obligatory to suck. In fact, don’t. It could have been in someone’s mouth or ass of someone with their head in the ground.

Grit your teeth, shut your mouth, and pay attention. They might smack it all around and about your mouth, but don’t let it in. Breath and stand the fuck up. They’ll back off. We tripped and fell with our face to the ground and asses in the air. It doesn’t mean we should stay that way or ground our heads into the ground, avoiding an opportunity to get up. Then caught up with trying to find out who “might’ve” tripped us, when it could have been just us forgetting to tie our shoes. Whatever, get the fuck up, dust it off and get the fuck up off your knees. It isn’t dignifying.

It’s your decision in the end, if you come up for air, to tell me to mind cock the I should be sucking, the bigotry and vitriol is not necessary when servicing your idols, masters, or leaders. Do it in silence. It’s enough with you slurping and/or moaning in pain while being screwed by your or someone’s head (there are someone talent whores out there). Keep it positive and challenging.

Now go ahead and wash your eyes, go to confessional, or shower and cry from the imagery that I have provided you, but you can’t deny that’s what’s you’ve seen.

#armchairpundit

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