Our Own Worst Enemy
The title of this panel really sums up current Australian politics, doesn’t it?This of course was exactly the point when Barry Jones, Sarah Ferguson and Sam Crosby took to the stage to discuss leadership spills, intra-party tension and, of course the Turnbull/Abbott drama that is Rudd/Gillard/Rudd 2.0. Why the Liberals haven’t learnt a thing or two from the Labor party’s misery was much debated.
The panel was brilliant. Barry Jones, a former Labor politician whose election seems to be the least of his substantial and varied achievements, was hilarious and cutting. When he made a point about party factions fellow panel member Crosby said that he didn’t understand, Jones whipped back a narky “I know you don’t” to the delight of the audience.
Poor Sam Crosby, self-confessed best friend to blighted Senator Sam Dastyari, seemed a little out of his league between Jones and 'Four Corners'/'The Killing Season's Sarah Ferguson. Other topics discussed included Dastyari’s media prowess (until last week), Labor’s rules changes to prevent future coups and whether John Howard would have gone to war in Iraq if Barry Jones hadn’t gifted him the book 'War and Peace'.
Build a Better Brain
Did you know that anxiety affects your gut, which in turn affects your brain and your resilience to dementia in a steady but nerve-racking vicious cycle? Get anxious about needing the loo, urgently need the loo, get more anxious about needing the loo etc. This may be a significant simplification.Moderated by the brainy David Astle, the panel of Dr Nicola Gates, John Elder Robinson and Dr Nancy Pachana was absolutely fascinating. While most of the hour’s discussion was devoted to the science of aging – and how to prevent cognitive impairment – autism and child development were also covered.
Robinson is himself autistic, with an autistic son, and it was a revelation to listen to him speak about his own experiences with such candour and raucousness. According to him, people don’t “suffer” from autism, but they can suffer from the anxiety brought on by being an autistic person in an unfamiliar social situation, for example. It was an important distinction. Early research is showing, too, that autism may be protective against Alzheimer’s, as autistic people have higher degrees of brain plasticity.
Something else that can be protective against brain degeneration in older age is a stimulating childhood: by the age of four some factors contributing to cognitive decline in later years may already be set. Between these topics, technology in the classroom and the importance of social, mental and physical fitness to the brain, it was a synapse-stimulating session.
