Adam The God

And FYI, I scored 17 on the Baron-Cohen test. I believe that's quite low...

Just got back from Hidden Figures. Really enjoyed it, although a bit Oscar-baity. Janelle Monae is gorgeous. Would probably put it at 5 or 6 on that above list. Definitely more enjoyable to me than Hell Or High Water and I probably enjoyed it more than Hacksaw Ridge too. What did you think of the scene in Manchester By The Sea that features on the poster? Amaaaaaaaaazing, IMO.

Fences, Moonlight and Hidden Figures I'm yet to see. All the African-American led pictures funnily enough. I'm seeing Hidden Figures tomorrow. My ratings of the rest: 1) La La Land 2) Arrival 3) Lion 4) Manchester By The Sea 5) Hacksaw Ridge 6) Hell Or High Water I'd say they're all terrific, with the exception of Hell Or High Water, which I found good in spots, but pretty forgettable almost immediately. The rest of the films really resonated with me at certain points. There is a scene in Manchester By The Sea, which is possibly one of the greatest scenes of all time. The acting, the direction, the dialogue. It creeps up on you and strangles you until you cry. Amazing stuff. In terms of the other films, I really liked Elle and as previously mentioned loved Nocturnal Animals. Haven't seen Jackie yet, which might have to wait now that it didn't get nominated for Best Pic. Allied was a taut espionage thriller and Florence Foster Jenkins was hilarious and touching. Rouge One was entertaining, so much so I saw it twice. Doctor Strange as interesting. And that's about it. I really hope Michelle Williams wins for Best Supporting Actress. She's under utilised, but bloody amazing in Manchester By The Sea. She and Joshua Jackson have done really well for themselves Post-Dawson's Creek.

A Second Cold War would be a financial and information-based "space race" between traditional Western powers and traditional Soviet bloc countries that have massive populations and rising middle classes. The whole point of the posturing in the English Channel was that Cameron (and I'm the last person to defend him) was put in an impossible position. In that situation, you simply have to let them sail down the channel. As usual you've pulled something out of your arse about false Muslim killings. I have no idea what you're referring too, but I suspect you've dropped a tab. As for your claims that it is Ukraine's fault for cutting Russia's gas supply, that has no basis in the current war in Donbass, which started basically because Putin saw an opportunity to exploit the unrest following Euromaidan. Have you been watching too much state sponsored RT? The rumours/theories at the time regarding MH17 were simply that Russia had sponsored the attack, in order that their forces enter the Ukraine without the Ukrainian government's permission. But apparently you think 'a drunk Russian soldier' is a more viable alternative. We'll agree to disagree there. And I'm not sure comparing the MH17 shooting to 9/11 is the smartest idea either, given just yesterday the BBC reported that the supposed separatists were in fact being funded by the Kremlin. This also backs up those rumours/theories above about MH17 being a state sponsored attack. But I do wonder what Vlad has, given his bravado and unpredictability. If he's anything like Trump, he's probably very, very emasculated when he looks down between his legs. Point stands though, he's an interesting character and undoubtedly a dictator.

What I find really interesting is how the conservative media has shifted perspectives on the Russians and particularly Putin himself. He's transformed from a power hungry, expansionist dictator to an alright guy that conservative Americans are happy for their country to cosy up to. I know he's white and Christian, but I hardly need mention the rivalry these two countries have shared for years. I was stunned when the Democrats barely bothered to attack Trump for his ties to Russia. And even more so, when he was attacked, that this seemed to have no effect on the constituency or Trump's popularity. In previous elections it would have been deemed political suicide for an American politician to take the stance Trump did with Putin. But in the age of INFOWARS, Breitbart and our liberal and conservative echo chambers, it failed to harm Trump. But what's more troubling is that the world seems to have a blindspot when it comes to the Russians. The entire Russian Navy sailed down the English Channel in October last year and that failed to make world news. That is insane, unauthorised posturing by Putin. And, by the way, if ever there was a more obvious signpost that we've entered the Second Cold War, I haven't seen one yet. Nevertheless, I find Putin a fascinating character, because his man Vladislav Surkov (his Chief Political Strategist) is playing from a very different playbook and the West don't quite know how to react to his theatre politics. I suspect this is in part why the Dems and the liberal media are holding back from attacking Putin. This, along with a little war that continues to rage on in Ukraine, which has gone conspicuously underreported for near on two years now, could also be a major reason for this stasis. Why? Because as was being muted back in 2014 at the beginning of the fighting in Donbass, and particularly after the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17, Putin is and continues to financially back so-called "separatists" in the East of Ukraine. This is where according to the UN, close to 10,000 people have been killed (http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56110#.WJ2-k7Z94Xp). Putin is inching closer to taking territory from the Ukraine and all in the name of Mother Russia. What might explain the lack of reporting of this war is the chilling and uncomfortable parallels between this and the onset of World War 2. But this is where we come back to Trump and his administration, who are almost certainly copying pages from Surkov's political technologist playbook. One could argue that Trump and his people have even taken it a step further with their 'alternative facts', invented massacres and labelling of the mainstream media as fake news. However, there are more overt similarities between how Putin runs his regime and what Trump and his people are trying to do. If you distract everyone by creating such uncertainty (between what is real and what is fake), you can then waltz in and change a country during the night. And if Trump has his way in the courts, he may well be able to do just that.

He'll certainly speed up the rising American underclass. A team of billionaires. My poor American friends.

I believe the Third Way can work, but not neoliberalism. Unfortunately, the Third Way has unintentionally ushered in the rise of the Hard Right though, so it's not perfect. And Trump attacked the financial elites multiple times and you know it. He spent months telling everyone that Clinton spoke at a Goldman Sachs function and now he's hired someone from Goldman Sachs to be his economic advisor. #headinthesand

Agree that he's certainly not explosive, but he's dominant in the clinches like they were. Perhaps, I'm too young to remember just how good Williams was, but from my recollection, he didn't dominate clearances like Cripps does. Or like Judd did. Or like Ablett did. But I could be wrong.

Judd wasn't a great kick either, especially for goal, but he would just keep winning clearances. So dod Ablett in his prime. Cripps is the same IMO.

Cripps, every day of the week. Best kid in the league. Favourite non-MFC player. He's got that Ablett or Judd about him. He's practically unstoppable in the clinches. I hope he goes back to WA. I've already planted the seed in my Carlton mates head and he's already folded and said Cripps is gone. Haha. Hopeless. I think he'll stay at Carlton for the duration of his current contract, but if they continue to stagnate, a big club or WA will come knocking.

Why? The Right talks about The Welfare State and people leaching off hand outs etc. Trump is a person, despite all the money that was handed to him by his own father, who lived off government grants. He was in the right place at the right time. NYC was crumbling and the State of NY had to allow him to buy up random lots of land as the banks would no longer lend to the State. He was a leach and made his personal fortune (money that wasn't purely his father's) by sneaking in and being granted the biggest tax break in NY's history. And how do you propose he stimulates the US economy? * By keeping Ford in the country? So there are jobs there, but what happens when Ford hike the price of their vehicles to cover having to pay American labor costs? Americans then have to pay more for American made vehicles. Something the ever widening underclass can ill afford. * What happens if he goes to war? The economy always takes a hit during a war, but the private sector booms with private contracts dealt out to military contractors. So maybe. Hardly going to help Middle America who are looking to him for answers though. * Building a wall? Jobs. Pffh. They don't need a wall. The border security on the southern border is close to impregnable. He actually doesn't have any solutions to any problems. He just plays on peoples fears and outside of the wall, banning Muslims and forcing Ford to stay, he actually has no plan for the future of the US. Not for its economy anyway. As for draining the swamp? He continues to put GOP and corporate cronies in top positions of power. He knows he can't drain the swamp, nor does he want to. He just used it to get into power. See video above in post #36.

What are you talking about? He's never run a national economy. He had a massive tax free bank loan that started it all in NYC, before overseeing six business bankruptcies and starting over again - in the meantime, those that had equity in his businesses lost it all, each time he claimed bankruptcy. This was a guy that lived off government grants to finance his building empire (handed to him by his father) and finally took off when he managed to negotiate the biggest tax break in NY's history ($160mill). You can't run a country like a business. As we saw with Thatcher and Reagan, the corporate elite get richer, and an underclass develops. As to your point about stopping the flow of money out of the country, you realise he employs vast amounts of Muslims from multiple areas in the Middle East (those countries not included in his travel ban), so not quite true either.

I think it'll be Iran too. They have the least ties. The Russians are on al-Assad's side in Syria. The Saudi's have long-standing ties with the US government dating back to Roosevelt's administration. Nothing happening there, even though the US have less reliance on them for oil nowadays. From an Australian perspective though, I hope we pull our troops out from Iraq and Afghanistan, and revoke ANZUS if need be, otherwise our soldiers and resources will be wasted. Trump's Yemen catastrophe has already cost American lives. The man is not only a fascist, but a menace to global democracy and peace. His own military don't trust him and rightly so. He's a brash child. We don't need Australians being needlessly killed. I hate to think what's in store for us in the South China Sea under this idiot. Our US military bases in Australia and our proximity to China are major issues. We need to attempt to act as an intermediary between our US allies and China. Both are integral trade partners and cosying up to China/remaining neutral between these disagreeing super powers for as long as possible must be the goal. Bannon has actually said "we're going to war in the South China sea... no doubt". He is far more dangerous than Trump, as Bannon, despite being a Nazi, is an extremely intelligent and articulate Nazi. What do you actually mean by draining the swamp? People like these catch phrases, but they're never really elaborated on. You know Trump initially hated that slogan and said so, but then it played well, so he thought he'd keep it. It's actually hilarious watching him say it: It's just a meaningless slogan. He's playing all these stupid, helpless people to gain power and now he's sitting back and laughing at them.

TWIN PEAKS is back after 26 years on a cliffhanger, this April. Cannot wait. Will be getting Stan just for that, although they've started to amass a really good catalogue, by licensing most of Amazon's catalogue from them, making their entrance into the Australian market pointless. I cancelled by Amazon subscription and got refunded as they literally have three drama series on the Australian catalogue and hardly any of their big shows. As for other shows, THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE season 3 is my most anticipated show of 2017. Finished season 2 a couple of weeks ago and boy, is that show getting good. THE FALL season 3 was forgettable, should have stopped at 2. THE AFFAIR's season 3 was all over the place. They should have stopped at 2 too, but it's been renewed for season 4. BOSCH season 3 will be back this year as well, while GAME OF THRONES should be interesting in its second last season.

I was thinking more West Coast. If they can look like legitimate contenders, instead of pretenders, I think they're a chance to lure him. Based on absolutely nothing, btw.

Having worked with a number of kids on the Autism Spectrum, from high functioning to mute, it's the lateral thinking that always interests me the most. There was a program on the ABC last year called EMPLOYABLE ME (made by the BBC), which focused on a guy with Autism and a guy with tourettes. It basically showed how Autism afforded this guy certain skills that enabled him to excel in a professional capacity. As an ADDer myself, I've found people like me and those that fall on the autism spectrum, are marginalised if it's known they have these disorders. So a series that destigmatises these conditions was much welcomed. Particularly, as ADD shares many of the symptoms of conditions on the autism spectrum and can be misdiagnosed as such. I know from experience with kids on the spectrum and my own personal experience with ADD, that as you grow older, you can develop coping mechanisms to deal with the symptoms. Particularly, if you are medicated and diagnosed early on, as I was. You can, if you're fortunate enough, develop to the point I have, where I haven't taken any form of medication since finishing Year 12 over ten years ago. What I found is that my ADD afforded me both creativity and obsessional persistence, which in the film industry is about the only way to survive. And thus without my condition, I wonder whether I'd be working in the industry that I love and provides me great joy. My point? Often with something that's seen as a 'curse', actually enables brilliance, as long as it's harnessed in the right way. There is no way I could ever work a 9-5 job in a sterile office, in a concrete jungle. Instead, I work for myself, travel the world for my film projects and work my own hours. Unfortunately, for my own mental health this last bit isn't always great, as it means I actually work every hour of every day, particularly as I make a lot of my films abroad (different time zones etc). But as a rule, my disorder has afforded me something positive. And good on you, mate, for sharing this with us.

Reckon both those boys will be in WA in 3 years time. One already is.

Yep, dollars will mean a lot going forward, with our young list and hopefully, our bunch of young stars.

Whilst I agree Kelly has yet to really do much, I think he's a far, far superior kick to Scully. The reason I think some MFC supporters might rate Kelly over Fyfe is because the type of player Kelly is seen as, is exactly the sort of player that is missing from our current midfield make up. Of course, if Fyfe wanted to come to Melbourne no one would say no, it's that we have the ball winners assembled, but lack the outside class of a Kelly. I should mention also that Kelly would come a lot cheaper than Fyfe too, so that may play into the thinking.

I don't think Sheedy has been right about anything for almost 15 years. Some Essendon supporters I know didn't rate him that highly when he was at the helm during their premierships. Of course, they think Sheedy underachieved with the lists he built. But since the mid-2000s, he's been a bit of a train wreck. He was finished in his last few years at Essendon and then took a pay cheque up in Sydney. As soon as he left GWS, they blossomed - and even now I'm not sure how good Cameron is. With the unprecedented access to talent they had, they still haven't achieved the ultimate. Is that at Sheedy's feet? Potentially partly. In regards to Tyson, Dom will be a very, very good player. He still has a gear or two to go and he averaged 25 possessions in 2015. He has also played 71 games, so in 2017/2018, he is due to take off. If he can improve again on his 2016 and average say 28-29 possessions, he'll be in the elite category of the competition. Like Oliver, he's a ball magnet extractor, who when unhampered by injury, is one of our most important players.

That was a bloody good draft wasn't it?

Anyone seen Tom Ford's new film NOCTURNAL ANIMALS? It's genius. He is a master. The film joins HYPERNORMALISATION and WHERE TO INVADE NEXT as one of my favourite films of 2016.

I love most of his films prior to the mid 90s and since, he's been very hit and miss. But then he is making a film every year. He also had his tv series this year too, which probably didn't help Cafe Society. The series has been panned unfortunately, but I'll still watch it at some point. Miley Cyrus is a very intriguing muse. I probably prefer his multi-relationship films ultimately though (Husbands and Wives, Hannah and her Sisters), but that's a style of filmmaking I really gel with, ala the sprawling ensembles of Altman and his protégé PT Anderson.

Saw Cafe Society and it's okay. Kristen Stewart is amazing. She really is one of the best actresses of her generation, but the rest is pretty cliche Woody without the moments of inspiration.

Oh and another one for the list I had forgotten about: 'Man Bites Dog'. Horrible. Just horrible and redundant.