Posts by Paul Anderson7

I’ve never been one to cheer for violence or try to spread fear. That kind of thing is just not my style, and honestly, I’m not particularly worried about any potential chaos or whatever else might go down.

But if the thought crosses my mind that maybe owning a firearm wouldn't be such a bad idea, why can't I just mention it in a thread specifically designed for people to share their perspectives? This is a forum, after all—we're here to actually talk to one another.

Anyway, it’s fine; I don't have to write about it. I haven't until now, and I don't have to start now. It just bothers me because it feels a lot like censorship, and that’s something I really can’t stand—especially when I haven't insulted anyone or said anything even remotely extreme.

I was simply looking for an explanation from whoever decided to delete my two posts, just so I could understand what exactly was considered wrong.

Nothing, right? So, does this mean I can squeeze in one more post about my thoughts on gun ownership? Or is that going to get nuked without any explanation, too?

So, regarding the thread How will this pandemic change your life? I’ve already had two posts wiped where I mentioned I was considering buying a firearm, mostly because people's behavior lately hasn't been exactly sane and it feels like a good idea to have something to protect my family.

I’m wondering why those were deleted. Is the topic strictly limited to how the pandemic changes my life? If it changed my mindset, shouldn't I be allowed to say so? Besides, I never even specified that I live in the States, so there's no reason to interpret my post as an incitement to anything illegal when we live in a country where gun ownership is perfectly legal.
To be honest, it's not even an issue here; my old man legally owns a few pieces, and I could easily pull the permits myself.

Again, why the deletions? I've tried posting similar thoughts before and they vanished too.
Is it because it looks like I'm fearmongering? Because if that's the case, it seems a bit silly, given how many users on here spread panic in much worse ways without ever getting censored.

I’ve been hanging around this forum for 13 years now and I can't remember the last time one of my posts was taken down, so I’d appreciate some clarity on what’s actually going on.

Feel free to The Return in this thread too.

I think the definitions hold up. To me, a "heavy" movie isn't necessarily one that just tries to pull at your heartstrings—that's subjective, anyway, since what hits one person hard might not move another at all. A truly heavy film is usually slow-paced, tackles taboo subjects, feels uncomfortably grounded in reality, and refuses to sugarcoat anything it shows. They don't offer "entertainment" in the traditional sense, so I get why a lot of people bail halfway through because they find them boring.

Like someone else mentioned, plenty of American films fall into this category; dad's favorites come to mind.

As for others, I’d probably toss in The Deer Hunter. Then there's definitely go and parade. I'd also include Incendies. Tyrannosaur. And The Hunt.

Just some quick thoughts; I actually really enjoy these kinds of movies and watch them quite often.

I ended up using a powerline adapter to get my parents online in their house. We actually share the same electric meter—don't ask why, but when you're renovating an old place in the suburbs, you end up making all sorts of compromises—and the connection works perfectly for them. Even though our houses are about 30 feet apart, my setup is brand new while theirs is basically thirty years old. Everything runs smoothly, so I’d definitely suggest looking into powerline if you're dealing with a similar situation.

I don't have fiber optic, but since my speeds hit around 50 Mbps, it carries over to them just fine.

I’ve always been the type to watch movies in one sitting. There have been a few times where life just gets in the way and I’m forced to pause, planning to pick it back up later or even the next day, but I honestly hate it.
Sure, you can break up a mediocre flick into chunks without much trouble, but if a movie is actually good, you really need to experience it all at once.
When a director—and I’m talking about the talented ones here—is building a story, they’re carefully layering the atmosphere and the pacing from the very first frame. If you interrupt that flow, it’s incredibly difficult to recapture that specific "mood" the film worked so hard to establish before you had to step away.
If I can't sit through a whole movie right then, I’ll just wait until I can. Between a full-time job and the constant chaos of raising two kids, finding a solid two-hour block isn't exactly easy. Still, I managed to catch an incredible film yesterday that ran a little over three hours, and I’m certain my impression of it wouldn't have come close to what it was if I’d watched it in two or three separate sittings.

At the end of the day, everyone has their own way of watching things. Personally, I prefer to go in knowing as little as possible; I don't even bother with trailers because I don't want anything spoiled. I watch films for the pure sake of the cinema itself, not just to kill time, and I certainly don't want to experience a great piece of art in fragments.

Yeah, getting out of that situation is a nightmare. At that point, you’re basically just playing defense and praying they trip up or try to pivot, though that rarely works unless you've got insane explosiveness and flexibility. Against someone like Mai, who's basically the gold standard at that, most people aren't walking away unscathed.

That’s exactly my point. When you run into a fighter who’s nearly impossible to take down, the whole thing just becomes an exhausting grind, and if they’re facing someone with elite ground defense, those submission attempts feel like they go on for an eternity. I’m a fan of grappling, don't get me wrong, but watching Maia can be a real slog. Sure, he’s incredibly dominant at times, but he rarely actually finishes anything; instead, he just drags the fight out through the rounds.

Griffin definitely got robbed against Alves. He clearly owned the first round, and while Alves took the second, Griffin really stepped it up in the third. It’s true he wasn't exactly knocking anyone out or pulling off big sweeps, but he was the one controlling the pace and should have walked away with the win. Honestly, the worst part about combat sports is the judging. You see decisions like this way too often.

Alex Murphy3 said:I guess this is my final goodbye to this corner of the internet. I spent about a year or so hanging around here, and honestly, for most of that time, the place felt pretty much dead. Things only started picking up once we began opening dedicated threads for major events, but I really wanted to step things up and take on more responsibility as a moderator to keep that momentum going. I actually reached out to one of the admins with a few solid proposals on how to improve the community, but I didn't even get a simple acknowledgment—not even a polite nod. Since there was zero interest in helping me build something better, I've decided to just call it quits and move on.

It’s a shame you headed out; things were actually getting pretty interesting for a little while there. Unfortunately, there isn't much of an appetite for MMA on this forum, unless a massive fight comes up to stir the pot.
Is there much life on your forum, or does it actually host some decent discussions?
I thought about heading over to Sherdog, but honestly, their forums are such a cesspool of morons that I’d be embarrassed to even be seen reading them. I think I’ll just stick to following your posts for a while, and if things stay this decent, I might actually bother registering myself.

Anyway, just a few thoughts on this UFC Fight Night 144 card.

I’d say the Souza - Frota fight was a total toss-up. Frota landed some really sharp strikes and seemed to control most of the action, though I have to admit it was pretty reckless of her to walk in a few pounds over the limit; you could tell she had a massive size advantage over Souza because of it. Honestly, there were moments where it looked like Souza was struggling to defend the takedowns simply because Frota was just so much heavier and more powerful. At the end of the day, a split decision feels right, but man, it was an incredibly close one.

I find Walker to be a pretty captivating fighter to watch; there's just something about his style that keeps me hooked. He pulls off these really flashy moves, and from what I've seen, he doesn't spend half the fight overthinking or playing it too safe, which makes him a blast to follow. There isn't much to dissect regarding the fight itself since it wrapped up so quickly, but I have to say, watching Walker attempt that kick while Ledet was still down on the canvas felt a little uncalled for. I get that things can get heated in the heat of a scrap, but you really have to keep those impulses in check. It was a lucky break that he didn't actually connect.

Oliveira - Teymur was an interesting matchup, though I can't say I enjoyed all that eye poking; that kind of stuff just isn't my style. Teymur certainly wasn't some easy out, but Oliveira really took control of the pace, coming out strong in the second round and wrapping things up pretty quickly.

In my opinion, Maia - Good is easily the most tedious fighter in the UFC; I honestly don't enjoy watching him. That said, hats off to him for securing that quick win and for still being able to compete at this level at his age. Good didn't really stand a chance because he started moving in the wrong direction right from the opening bell. He got pinned against the cage and struggled to find any rhythm, which is exactly what Maia exploited to take him down and sink in that back control—which, for Maia, is basically a guaranteed victory. From what I've seen, the only way to defend that is to just pray you can survive the rest of the round in that position, because if you aren't incredibly explosive, strong, and flexible, getting loose is nearly impossible. Of course, trying to endure an entire round with Maia glued to your back is a tall order for anyone.

Aldo - Moicano. That was a solid showing by Aldo; I know people tend to overlook him lately, but he’s still an absolute elite fighter. Moicano definitely had his moments where a win was on the table, but honestly, Aldo just looked like the better man in there.

Watching Moraes vs. Assuncao was actually pretty engaging. It turned out to be a solid fight, topped off by a really impressive finish.

All things considered, there were some pretty interesting fights in there; I finished watching with a sense of satisfaction.

boldfox26 said:Daniel Cormier - 'All About That Bass' | ESPY Awards

🤣

This actually kind of made my day, I don't think I've ever come across this before.
I don't know, I always had this nagging feeling that being bigger just meant he was stronger. To be honest, I didn't really expect Stipe to pull off the win, and I certainly wasn't expecting Francis Ngannou to dominate things quite like that, whether you look at the raw power or the technique.

He’s not exactly my favorite guy, but I have to admit, the man is something else.

So, Daniel Cormier pretty much ran through Francis Ngannou; I honestly expected him to put up a bit more fight once things hit the mat. He managed to scramble back to his feet a couple of times, but that was about as much as we were going to see from him.

Jacare - Weidman put on a hell of a show. 👍

I wouldn't be crying if I actually had the chance to drop about $100 on this.

Luckily, I’ve never been much of a gambler or anything. 😁

I’m pretty convinced Francis Ngannou is walking away with this one. Look, Daniel Cormier is an incredible fighter, but he’s seriously underestimating his opponent here; all it takes is one clean shot from Francis to end the night. I'm also curious to see what happens if they hit the ground, because Francis is such a physical specimen that Daniel might find it pretty tough to pull off anything meaningful in the grappling department.

I get it, everyone knows Daniel Cormier is the favorite, but let's be real—he isn't coming into this fight at 100% capacity. Then again, Francis Ngannou is never really at 100% either.😬

Out of everyone currently in the UFC fighting alongside Francis Ngannou, he’s the one person I’d most love to grab a drink with and just have a quiet chat.

Yeah, looks like we all drifted off for a bit. 😁

Honestly, I didn't even catch that. What was going on with Cejudo's foot at the start of the fight when he kept stepping wrong a few times? The commentators hinted it might be something with his knee, but they didn't really give us any specifics.

The fights were solid, and if you ask me, Cejudo took a clear win there. DJ didn't really do much—honestly, he barely even participated in the fight. He showed flashes of his usual class, sure, but for most of the bout, he just wasn't on his level.
That loss might actually be a good thing for him, if I can say that; maybe now he can find some fresh motivation to hunt down a rematch. I have a feeling this run of title defenses just put him into a bit of a lull.

I really thought Cody would play it a bit smarter, but he ended up taking unnecessary risks again and paid the price. TJ was top-tier, obviously; the way he handles those exchanges makes him incredibly dangerous.

Moicano was what I expected, though I still thought the fight might stretch out for a few more rounds.

Tiago had a much harder time than I anticipated, and I have to say, Holland is proving to be a pretty interesting fighter to watch.

I'll definitely be tuning into this one; I've always found Cowboy to be an intriguing fighter. And even though Lewis can get a bit tedious sometimes, he's still someone I want to see. I'm honestly holding out hope that he eventually gets a shot at Nganno.

It’s a shame I can't hit my bets at the sportsbook quite as consistently as I do here. 😛

Well, looks like I'm still sitting pretty at the top. Guess I can enjoy the view for a little while longer 😬