Posts by Nathan Murphy

Hi there, I'd like to request a username change to Nathan Murphy

That's doable. Just reach out to Nice.

driftingfox66 said:Argentina could actually go all the way at the WC. They're a totally different squad than the one we saw back in 2018—the chemistry and confidence levels are on another level now.

I’ve mentioned this before: Argentina is going to win, so bet on them. That's my constant take. It isn't just about their improved playstyle; they've finally reached mental maturity after losing four finals in a row. They have that championship mindset now, much like how Real Madrid felt after finally securing La Décima. That kind of breakthrough changes everything.

Of course, the stats back them up too, and if you ask me, Argentina takes the trophy. ☕

That’s exactly my point. Setting aside my little jabs at Floppa, the reality is that a season where you just win the US Open Cup can't be labeled "GREAT." Making the Champions League final and finishing runner-up in the Premier League doesn't cut it as a great season in my book. I'll give you a GOOD season, but for me, "great" seasons are reserved for ATG seasons. No matter how much Liverpool fans try to spin it, that's just not the case here.

The Carabao Cup? What even is that? 🤣 I don't even count those kinds of trophies. In club football, there are really only three trophies that matter: the league title, the Champions League, and the main national cup. Outside of the US, you don't see this endless string of meaningless cups that fall way below the level of the US Open Cup, let alone the league or the Champions League.

Flopp is basically the Kevin Durant of this situation—always coming in second, but somehow even more frustrating.

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Jessica Torres7 said:Hey everyone,

I'm looking for some recommendations for a local club (and coaches too!), regardless of the style—karate, TKD, judo, "mini MMA," you name it.

My main goal is just to make sure the kids actually have fun. I’m not looking for anything too intense with excessive discipline or doing the exact same drills every single session. I also want to ensure the instructors are properly trained.

Ideally, somewhere near the Lake Washington/South Seattle area within a 3.1 miles mile radius.

Thanks!

Give the American Sambo Federation a call; their office is over in the Tresnjevka district. Ask to speak with Coach Klarić or Coach Petranović when you get through. Just tell them someone sent you their way, and they should be able to point you in the right direction.

I’m fully on board with everything Sam Roberts said, but I’ll add my two cents. You mentioned the kid is only five? My advice is to get him into swimming first, then maybe rowing a few years down the line. Those two are arguably the best sports for developing a child's motor skills before they hit puberty. They actually beat out any martial art for early development, especially swimming at that age. Now, I get that some kids aren't fans of the pool or are intimidated by it, but try throwing him in the deep end—metaphorically speaking—and see how he handles it. Swimming at such a young age is incredibly beneficial.

As for the rest, since I train in boxing, I’ll obviously suggest boxing. However, I wouldn't start now; wait until he's closer to ten, just before puberty hits. That’s the sweet spot to begin boxing training because those years right before puberty are crucial for building mental toughness, which is the most important factor for a kid.

Regarding judo, why not mention sambo to your wife? It sounds a bit cooler 😁 and, honestly, it’s often a better fit. Sambo was developed using judo as a foundation, but it blends judo with other disciplines like wrestling, boxing, and even elements of street fighting. While sport sambo looks a lot like judo, combat sambo allows for a much wider range of offensive techniques. The biggest difference is the philosophy. Judo focuses on mental composure and conflict avoidance, similar to most ancient Japanese martial arts.

If a fight breaks out, you want to end it as quickly and easily as possible without hurting the opponent. That’s why in certain contexts, there are no strikes, just takedowns, and once things hit the ground, the match is over. On the flip side, sambo (specifically combat sambo) lets you aim for a win through almost any means. There isn't a strict philosophical code you have to follow. You can utilize basic striking techniques, including punches and elbows. It also involves much more grappling and allows for leg grabs. You won't find those moves allowed under judo rules. Most of those are banned in sport sambo too, which is another major advantage sambo has over judo. It's simply much more effective for self-defense.

There’s also this huge misconception that sambo is what happens when you trade technique for raw strength, while judo is the opposite. In reality, you need a healthy balance of both if you want to be competitive at any level in either sport.

I know sambo sounds a lot more aggressive than judo, but trust me, these are all sports where kids learn massive amounts of discipline. With the right upbringing, he won't turn into a bully, if that's what your wife is worried about. And here's another thing—and this will almost certainly happen—he’s likely going to find judo boring and monotonous. Kids need something a bit more engaging. Sambo would be ideal and fun for him; he'll stay focused.

Still, swimming comes first. 👍

Joseph Clark37 said:Poor Dodo 😢

How many species have gone extinct in the last 200 years? Maybe 30 to 40%?
In the next 200 years, because of our expansion, we will likely cause the extinction of the other half. It makes me lose respect for the human race. We deserve to be put in our place by Mother Nature one day...

The book mentions that 900 animal species have disappeared over the last 500 years—if you crunch those numbers, what does that percentage look like? It also notes that over 40% of today's mammals, amphibians, and birds are facing extinction.

Humans have had such a massive impact on ecosystems and the global climate that we could actually define a new geological epoch based on us. Some argue this era kicked off with the Industrial Revolution, while others point to the dawn of agriculture about 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. This supports the common idea that environmental destruction is a relatively recent phenomenon.

However, extinctions aren't anything new. They are a natural part of the planet's evolutionary history. About 99% of the four billion species that ever evolved on Earth are now gone. For every ten species that die out, new ones emerge. That's just how life works. There is a natural background rate for how often extinctions occur: roughly 10% of species are lost every million years; 30% every 10 million years; and 65% every 100 million years. What keeps ecologists up at night is that modern extinctions are happening much faster than nature intended. This has happened five times before in history—what we call the "Big Five" mass extinction events. In each of those instances, the world lost more than 75% of its species in a relatively short window (and by "short," I mean in geological terms—less than two million years).

So, the real question is: what can be done to mitigate this? How do we slow it down when there are so many global crises that this isn't even the first thing on people's minds? It's a long process, and frankly, I fear it might be too long.

I’ve been spending my last few days diving into a book about extinct animals. It’s a fascinating read, so I thought I’d share a few quick bullet points on what I learned regarding the Dodo bird.

The Dodo evolved on the incredibly isolated island of Mauritius. For its entire existence, it had zero natural predators. Nothing was hunting its eggs, and nothing was hunting them. There wasn't a single creature on that island that gave them a reason to feel fear. In fact, there was nothing in their environment that would ever trigger a flight response. As a result, the Dodo wandered everywhere without ever being in a hurry. I imagine if a tree were falling toward them or a hurricane was blowing through, they could find the burst of energy needed to move quickly, but otherwise, they lived an idyllic life completely free from enemies. There were other large animals on the island, like certain species of deer (which humans eventually wiped out by hunting them in massive numbers), but that coexistence lasted for ages. It wasn't until humans arrived on the shores that things changed. When people showed up, the Dodo didn't encounter anything trying to kill it—at least not at first. Their only natural reaction to these two-legged invaders was curiosity. They would wander right up to the newcomers, only to be met with a blow to the head or a blade to the throat.

The Dodo wasn't actually stupid. It wasn't any less intelligent than any other animal. It simply didn't possess the emotion of fear, nor did it recognize other living beings as threats. Because it couldn't comprehend danger, it had no way to react to protect itself from death. It did have a large, powerful beak, which it used against those bothering it... provided it actually had the chance.

The brief window of time where humans and Dodos shared the island wasn't long enough for the population as a whole to develop an instinct for fear. Perhaps a few individual birds—those that might have heard a distress call after being caught but somehow managed to escape—learned that humans were bad news. But as a species, after a million years of peace, 70 or 80 years isn't nearly enough time to evolve an instinctive sense of terror.

Because they were peaceful, gentle, and friendly, the Dodo earned a reputation for being "dumb." That wasn't true. They just lacked fear. And that lack of caution cost the entire species everything.

So, in honor of the Dodo, I want to award one final 🙏

boldfox88 said:Is anyone else catching that Lakers docuseries over on HBO? What’s your take on it?

Yes

Here is what vivideagle7 has to say: 😁

I'm doubling down on this one. *Bacurau* is easily one of the best films of the 21st century. I’m actually planning to rewatch it in the next few days—what an absolute masterpiece. 🙏

steelharbor9 said:Man, I think you kind of mashed 2019 and 2020 together there (I mean, it depends if we're talking about awards or the actual release dates, but Parasite was definitely the year before) 😁

But just for the sake of comparing, 2019 was way stronger for me. Some others I didn't mention were Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Pain and Glory, Booksmart, The Farewell, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Sound of Metal, The Lighthouse, Uncut Gems... and I probably forgot a few. Oh, and Avengers: Endgame was huge for me, even if the film snobs love to hate on it by default. ☕

Given everything going on back then, 2020 actually turned out okay, I guess. But out of everything I watched, my top pick was Hamilton, which technically isn't even a movie. As for the rest, The Father was miles ahead of everything else (it was criminally overlooked by the Academy, especially when Nomadland took home the prizes 😂 ). Nothing else from 2020 really touches the greatness of my 2019 list. 😁

My bad, you're right, Parasite belongs to 2019. In that case, it’s my second favorite film of that year. My number one is this It's weird as hell, but I love every single frame; honestly, it might be my favorite film of the last decade. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2762506/ It’s a shame so few people have seen it. It’s certainly not for everyone, but if you get the chance, give it a shot.

coastalheron12 said:The Oscars have always been a total joke—honestly, a bit of a rigged game. It’s just impossible that not a single Western has snagged Best Picture in sixty years straight. And besides, even if you look at something like Dances with Wolves (or maybe Unforgiven)—is that even a Western? Or just some other genre masquerading as one? Two guys in love definitely aren't

The Western covers it all. We could even call No Country for Old Men a modern Western, though I see your point regarding the specific type of Western you mean. Generally, I agree—it's one of the best genres and truly the only quintessential American genre. That's it; they don't have many others that define them quite like that. When I watch , seeing that wide shot of Gregory Peck slowly descending the hill to face his adversary... it's just epic 🙏

The year 2020? Honestly, the only ones worth mentioning from that list are *Parasite*, maybe *Knives Out*—though it felt about 20 minutes too long—and *Marriage Story*. The rest aren't even worth bringing up, not because they’re bad movies, but simply because they don't define a "year" for me. In other words, a year defined by those films just doesn't hold much weight in my book.

For me, the true highlights of 2020 were: *Parasite*, *Never Rarely Sometimes Always*, *The Father*, *Minari*, *Persian Lessons*, *Mila* (easily one of the best debuts in recent memory), and *The Hater* (my favorite film from overseas that year—highly recommended).

In this century, now that the Oscars have become somewhat irrelevant, I rarely find myself including typical Oscar bait on my annual lists. Looking back, I think only *Parasite* and *The Father* made the cut. It’s usually a mix of European or Asian cinema alongside the occasional American standout, since we still manage to produce something great every once in a while, even if it's becoming less frequent.

“I don’t believe in responding with violence,” says Will. 🤣

It isn't staged; you can actually hear the impact. You’ll notice how Will pulls his left hand back toward his upper body right after the strike—that slight recoil is classic boxing technique used when staying ready for a counter-punch. It makes perfect sense when you remember he trained extensively in boxing while playing Muhammad Ali in that biopic. It's muscle memory at this point.

The bottom line is that if this is indeed a fake, they certainly didn't skip any details. On another note, if you want to get a real sense of how disturbed this individual is, check out this video and tell me if that seems normal to you. It's similar to how certain people in Hollywood dress their sons in women's clothing. Deeeep healing 🙏

And right here for those looking for the conspiracy angle, ☕Mel Gibson has been speaking out about this>>

Here’s a video where you can hear everything clearly—it looks incredibly lifelike

Will actually won an Oscar🤣 here is his speech absolutely wild

Just finished a book, set it aside, and flipped on the TV to catch the Oscars. Chris Rock is up there cracking jokes, and sitting just a few feet away are Will Smith and his wife. Chris drops a punchline about her, and at first, Will is laughing along with her—even if she’s wearing a bit of a forced smile. Then, out of nowhere, Will stands up, slaps Chris, and walks right back to his seat. Chris looks completely stunned, but he handles it like a pro while Will is swearing his head off in front of a massive audience. I honestly thought the whole thing was staged, but it definitely wasn't. You could see Denzel and Cooper trying to step in and calm him down.


I had to unmute the part where Will starts swearing. You can find the clip of him losing it all over on X.

I think even Kyle Campbell4 is rooting for the Black player now😁

The concept they're exploring in the movie *Awakenings*—that state of being conscious but completely unable to interact with the world—is intense. If you want to see a deep dive into that subject, I’d suggest checking out this film: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067277/ It’s a pretty heavy watch, but highly recommended. Interestingly enough, Metallica actually wrote their song 'One' based on the themes from that movie.

By the way, that movie was directed by Jordan Peele

He also picks really catchy titles. You've got Get Out, Us, and now his latest release coming out this year, Nope

Get Out is a great film.

By the way, the new season of Atlanta just dropped, so if you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend checking it out.

Kyle Campbell4 said:Chocolate and OnlyFans 😲

I refuse to believe a single word of this until I see the actual link 🙂:

Nathan Murphy, you are getting absolutely wrecked right now 😁

Well, you know why. It boils down to two things. First, I have plenty of friends back home in Florida who talk about him, plus people I know who actually trained with him, so I've heard the deeper stories. Second, seeing folks like Charles Roberts over here practically acting as his defense attorneys—claiming he's nothing but a positive guy who isn't violent—it just doesn't sit right when the guy has outbursts of aggression constantly. It definitely shook my perspective a bit. ☕