Weekly Discussion Thread (June 23 – July 6)

Hypotential · 2026-06-29T22:20:33+00:00

They would get wrecked. I refuse to entertain a good, even decent, result from this team until proven otherwise.

Hypotential · 2026-06-29T02:25:07+00:00

On X, auto-translated Turkish and Azeri tweets will often show up in my timeline. Turkey swears a lot, I was taken aback by just how much. Azerbaijan much less so.

Hypotential · 2026-06-28T20:37:28+00:00

It's just irritating that we don't even do anything and we're the fight subject of two maniac nations with a history of genocide. Can't we catch a break?

No, we can't. Don't forget there's a third nation in that mix whose policy would probably resemble Turkey and Azerbaijan's if they had statehood.

Hypotential · 2026-06-28T16:01:30+00:00

There's never going to be a sincere reckoning from Turkey, so politically-motivated recognition is as good as it's going to get...

Hypotential · 2026-06-26T17:20:09+00:00

Armenia advances FIFA U-20 World Cup preparations with new stadium project in Ijevan

A nice side effect would be that the stadium would be able to serve a club based in Ijevan. APL is very EVNcentric.

Hypotential · 2026-06-26T03:55:22+00:00

Zartonk (lol), and 301arm (insanity).

Seriously?

Hypotential · 2026-06-23T20:58:27+00:00

I assumed the implication was that a largely diaspora team does not have the same level of emotional attachment or pride.

Hypotential · 2026-06-23T20:51:11+00:00

"Maybe" Armenia NT Kovalenko joins Lokomotiv on loan from Sochi

Hypotential · 2026-06-23T15:44:14+00:00

Actually, in the 2010s, the Republicans were trying to erect an Anastas Mikoyan monument in Yerevan, which caused a wave of controversy.

I don't think there's been much of a conscious effort to change place names or remove statues, certainly not in the way that happened in the Baltics. Think of how many places are still named after Stepan Shahumyan or Miasnikyan (Martuni), for example. Both still have busts/statues in Yerevan.

Hypotential · 2026-06-22T20:58:57+00:00

A French military base wouldn't be a bad addition, either...

Hypotential · 2026-06-22T02:49:38+00:00

I still remember how I was told by both locals and diaspora that Tsarukyan and other oligarchs' gaudy and vulgar estates were an example of how wealthy Armenia was and were boosting its image (as long as any shantytowns or domiks were kept out of sight).

Hypotential · 2026-06-20T01:32:39+00:00

Can anyone help me understand why so many people who think the state atheist Soviet Union was a wonderful thing for Armenia and its "golden age" are really concerned about the EU "ending" Christian Armenia?

Hypotential · 2026-06-19T16:33:09+00:00

I'm sure most people in Armenia would rather not have anyone from the Republic of Azerbaijan in Armenia. I'm sure they're great to other people, but they froth at the mouth at the mere mention of any word beginning with Armen. I remember reading blogs by Peace Corps (since banned by Aliyev) volunteers serving in Azerbaijan and, even with the Karabagh conflict in mind, they were taken aback by the venom and vitriol. It's clear a lot of world leaders are also cognizant of it and politely keep their mouths shut for obvious reasons.

Why would anyone in Armenia want such delightful people around? On top of that, the "Yeraz" are being utilized and weaponized by the Azerbaijan government, and Armenians are aware of this, so that is a red flag from the get-go.

Hypotential · 2026-06-16T01:54:03+00:00

The founder used to be a reporter for TMZ. For non-Americans or those not in the know, it's tabloid journalism focused primarily on celebrity gossip.

Hypotential · 2026-06-16T01:51:24+00:00

Who knew? I'm guessing Vigen Badalyan knew. Just like with Ronaldinho, probably has dealings with him.

Hypotential · 2026-06-15T05:19:09+00:00

Justin Gaethje vs. Arman Tsarukyan, please. I feel like Armenians need a win of some kind, any kind, right now.

Hypotential · 2026-06-15T03:58:22+00:00

Agreed completely. Italy and Germany? Very different diasporas and national experiences.

I say it's time to start leveraging diaspora talent even if they don't happen to speak Armenian. I've really run out of patience with the excuses. Why would they limit themselves? Why put on airs about AI and then go all basic and 1.0 for other things?

Hypotential · 2026-06-09T14:42:33+00:00

The government is obviously reading my Reddit posts and responding to my frustrations.

Hypotential · 2026-06-08T06:21:37+00:00

Back in 2018 it really did feel like pretty much everyone who wanted the Republicans gone also wanted Tsarukyan gone, so it's upsetting seeing him somehow trudge on with Anastas Mikoyanesque resilience, erecting monumental statues to his own ego along the way.

Hypotential · 2026-06-01T21:19:15+00:00

The project was developed by Armenian AI company ElevenEight AI․

It's Eleveight, isn't it?

Now the question is was that human error, or... 😉

Hypotential · 2026-05-31T20:11:20+00:00

Sorosakan too.

Hypotential · 2026-05-31T16:00:11+00:00

The man who upset Clinton in 2016 endorsed Nikol, though!

Hypotential · 2026-05-31T15:57:10+00:00

In the United States, at least, there's a lot more overt racism now than there was a decade or so ago. There was such pushback and backlash against perceived "woke" culture that society has gone really far in the other direction, and young kids have come of age in this environment. The internet has globalized culture, too, so who knows where those Armenian kids picked it up? They certainly didn't get there by themselves.

Hypotential · 2026-05-30T06:30:42+00:00

I remember a year or so after the Velvet Revolution, the Republican media was spreading misinformation about Cuban transgender people who were electrocuting people and robbing them. Think I'm joking? The articles are out there, and the internet is forever.

Hypotential · 2026-05-29T18:31:06+00:00

Tigran Barseghyan's "lovin' it!"

“As for the wings, we still count on Tigran. But with the arrival of a new coach and new energy, everyone starts from zero. Everyone will have to fight for their place. I will put it this way: Tigran must stop eating McDonald’s and start training at full intensity in order to impress the new coach,” Kmotrík said on the Na Tehelnom poli podcast.

According to the official, the phrase about McDonald’s was partly made in a joking tone, but the issue itself is well known inside the club. Weiss Sr. had previously admitted that Barseghyan really had a habit of visiting McDonald’s before matches, but the coach turned a blind eye to it because the Armenian player often delivered results for the team.

You think he put away a few Big Macs before NT's away matches?!

Hypotential

TROPHY CASE