theguardian.com
Strike action threatens new A-League season as post-World Cup glow again fades too fast | Joey Lynch
Stalled CBA negotiations have cast a pall over the game in Australia when it might be harnessing interest around the Socceroos’ World Cup run
The heartbreak from the Socceroos’ penalty shootout defeat to Egypt and exit from the World Cup is still raw, but normal programming in Australian football is starting to resume. Alas, the scene appears to be set for a sequel nobody asked for.
At a time when the A-Leagues should be basking in the reflected glow of the World Cup, it is instead careering towards potential industrial action; players have unanimously rejected the latest collective bargaining agreement (CBA) proposal from league administrators the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The news carries a sense of deja vu, coming just under four years after an act of self-immolation that saw the sale of grand final hosting rights announced just days after the Socceroos almost took Argentina to extra-time at the Qatar World Cup. Continue reading...
![Single frame. Title - instruction: “[place cartoon here - ed]”. Appearance of yellow torn out lined note paper held in place by sticky tape. Text: “The Herald-Sun has this week published an AI cartoon, where previously they might have commissioned one of their (dwindling) stable of artists. And it makes sense. (Not the cartoon.) After all, what is a cartoon, but a picture with a caption and maybe some helpful labels to make a point? In this case, a point the editor who prompted it wanted to make.
I mean, how hard can cartooning be? We would all be doing them if it weren’t for our lack of drawing skill (and some cartoonists aren’t very skilled, let’s face it), and AI means nobody has to pay the outrageous fees that “artists” charge, while they can “borrow” their existing work to train AI. It’s literally a no-brainer!” (Small picture of a brain crossed out) “We can only hope they can keep up the quality, once the AI can only be trained using other AI cartoons.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:udzkh2jubo3w6ei42ftanhhj/bafkreienll3o4kbt6srhmsbo3wzlxmns7h6sjewulopapubzjbgjqtaovq)
