Dementia progress; eating tulips; the neo-Nazi myth in NZ

Published: Thu, 05/04/23

RSA Daily

For atheists, rationalists and secular humanists in Australia

Friday, May 5, 2023

Rationale, the magazine of the Rationalist Society of Australia

Good morning ,

As you may know, apart from my work as president of the Rationalist Society, I am also on the board of Dying With Dignity Victoria. Having successfully achieved law reform in all states (with the territories still to come), in Victoria we are heading into the first 5-year review of the VAD legislation. It's abundantly clear that the thing that scares most people as they get older is the prospect of dementia.

This morning, some promising news about emerging dementia treatments.

Lead stories

'Think of it like Lego': The Sydney chemist who found a $273m molecule

This is BIG! A discovery that could lead to drugs that could treat dementia, depression and schizophrenia.

Busting a king-sized myth: why Australia and NZ could become republics - and still stay in the Commonwealth

It's remarkable how little Australians know about our head of state. Some don't know what a head of state is, or does; some think ours is the Governor-General; some think it's the prime minister.

To be clear: the King of England is also the King of Australia and that person is our head of state. And no, if we vote to become a republic, we won't have to leave the Commonwealth.

Tulips for breakfast: the flower as food from the war to contemporary gastronomy

Goodness. I didn't know that 20,000 Dutch citizens died of malnutrition during World War 2. Sobering.

The Auckland Mobbing of Kellie-Jay Keen Was Fuelled by Media-Peddled Misinformation

A Latin American immigrant to NZ writes: "I’d obviously be deeply concerned if Keen were using women’s rights as a cloak for white supremacy .. while I did turn up evidence that she has said thoughtless things in the past .. I found no evidence to back up reporters’ and politicians’ reckless suggestions that she’s made common cause with white supremacists, Nazis, or other right-wing extremists."

Other stories of interest

Changes in Gut Bacteria Are Present Long Before Signs of Parkinson's Appear

Some beneficial bacteria are depleted and some harmful bacteria more abundant.

New Alzheimer's drug slows cognitive decline by a third

There is hope.

The Inquisition convicted Galileo of heresy, not science fraud

Christian apologists have been claiming medieval priests were 'men of science' - as if.

PS: I'm heading off to Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Hungary tomorrow, so RSA Daily may be a bit irregular for a few weeks. Please bear with me.

Cheers,