PODCASTS AND PRESENTATIONS
Rebuilding Australia: The Path Forward After Defeat | Tony Abbott
John Anderson Podcast
Episode description: Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott joins John to discuss the recent Australian election, which exposed deep divisions and missed opportunities for meaningful change. This episode explores the Coalition’s inability to champion solutions for the cost-of-living crisis, national security vulnerabilities, and eroding cultural cohesion, leaving the nation vulnerable to further decline. With a focus on principled leadership, this discussion calls for bold policies to address economic stagnation, social discord, and strategic perils, which were sidelined during the campaign. It challenges viewers to reflect on the consequences of political inaction and the imperative to rebuild a united, prosperous Australia. Tony Abbott is an Australian former politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and was the member of parliament (MP) for the New South Wales division of Warringah from 1994 to 2019.
ARTICLES AND ESSAYS
The Paper That Made Me Realize Academia Had Lost Its Mind
Reality’s Last Stand
The Slow Death of Archaeology in the Name of ‘Repatriation’
Reality’s Last Stand
‘It’s 2025, not 1970’: MIT hosts all-female debate on alleged gender gap in STEM
The College Fix
U. Wisconsin system spent tens of millions of dollars on 1,200+ DEI activities: audit
The College Fix
What David Horowitz taught us about fighting the campus Left
The College Fix
Sex differences in the prevalence of fatigue across age groups and associated factors
Fatigue: Biomedicine, Health & Behavior
Abstract: Background: Although fatigue is frequently reported in the clinical setting, factors influencing the odds of an individual reporting fatigue are not well understood, nor if they are similar between males and females across different age groups. Objective: To determine age and sex differences in factors previously speculated to influence the odds of self-reported fatigue. Methods: A retrospective analysis using data from the second wave of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS 2) national survey. Results: Fatigue was reported by 58% of the 1805 individuals ages 30–86 years old. The prevalence was greater in females than males (65% vs. 49%, respectively, p < 0.001), particularly in those who reported fatigue more frequently across all age groups. Psychological distress was associated with the prevalence of fatigue in both sexes but with greater odds in females, whereas muscle weakness was associated with the prevalence of fatigue in both sexes but with greater odds in males. Joint pain was associated with prevalence of fatigue for males and females. Conclusions: The prevalence of fatigue was greater in females than males across age groups. The odds of factors associated with reported fatigue can differ between males and females, and they were not influenced by aging. These findings suggest the need for sex-specific intervention strategies to reduce the prevalence of fatigue across age groups.
Describing use of muscle-building supplements among adolescents and young adults in Canada
Performance Enhancement and Health
Abstract: Background: Given the high prevalence of use of muscle-building supplements, such as whey protein and creatine monohydrate, there remains a need for more research to understand use among adolescents and young adults. This study aimed to describe the influences of muscle-building supplement use, the amount of time researching muscle-building supplements, common places of purchase, information sources, symptoms during use, medical attention sought, and perceptions of problematic use. Methods: Data from the Canadian Study of Adolescent Health Behaviors (N = 912) were analyzed. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the primary variables and chi-square tests and one-way ANOVAs were used to identify gender differences. Regression analyses were conducted to determine the sociodemographic associations with reported symptoms during use, not seeking medical attention for symptoms, and perceived problematic use. Results: Protein bars (58.9 %) and whey protein powders or protein shakes (52.2 %) were the most reported muscle-building supplements used. Nearly half (43.7 %) of participants reported social media influencers as a primary influence of use, while over two-thirds (69.3 %) reported seeking information from online websites. Participants spent the most time researching the risks and benefits of creatine monohydrate. Nearly two-thirds of participants reported at least one symptom while using muscle-building supplements, despite 87.8 % of those participants not seeking medical attention. Only 9.8 % of participants perceived their use as problematic, with distinct sociodemographic factors linked to symptoms and perceptions of problematic use. Conclusions: Findings provide important information about the use of muscle-building supplements among adolescents and young adults that can guide harm reduction and intervention efforts among healthcare, public health, and policymaking professionals.
RUBBISH BIN
Why Steroids Are Now Turning Young Men into Dangerous Incels
Yahoo News (*see my brief commentary on this article here)
Why Are Americans So Obsessed With Protein? Blame MAGA
Vanity Fair (*see my brief commentary on this article here)
Standing up for gender justice
The Lancet
Women’s health: end the disparity in funding
Nature (*see my brief commentary on this article here)
Federal Budget 2025 - Delivering for women or falling short?
Women on Boards
Labour is still gendered – and women are still getting a raw deal in the workplace
The Conversation
From Privilege to Threat: Unraveling Psychological Pathways to the Manosphere
Archives of Sexual Behavior (*see my brief commentary on this article here)
Abstract: In this research, we explore how identity influences the adoption of misogynistic beliefs central to the manosphere, online communities known for sexism and linked to increasing extremism and real-world violence against women. Through two correlational studies (Study 1: N = 311; Study 2: N = 470), we examined how identity factors related to privilege, identification, and perceived threat from feminism predict the endorsement of manosphere attitudes. We focus on two key manosphere attitudes: anti-feminism and evolutionary beliefs about women's manipulative nature. As predicted, results showed that the less men acknowledge their privileged status relative to women, the more they feel threatened by feminists, which in turn was associated with endorsing manosphere attitudes. In Study 2, we found evidence that perceptions of status stability moderate this relationship. Men who recognized their privilege and foresee changing gender dynamics reported feeling less threatened and showed lower affinity for manosphere attitudes. We discuss the potential for mitigating the appeal of manosphere attitudes and emphasized the need for future research on conceptualizations of masculine identity and updated measures of sexism that reflect the content of contemporary gender discourse and the manosphere.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health (*see my brief commentary on this article here)
Abstract: The manosphere is an international network of social media influencers and communities promoting male supremacy and antifeminist ideologies. Young men are engaging with this extremist content at high rates. Despite growing concerns among educators, policymakers and researchers, systematic data on the long-term impact of the manosphere on young people's mental health and behaviour remains limited. However, preliminary data suggest that the manosphere is encouraging sexist attitudes, exacerbating existing inequalities in schools, and spreading dangerous messages about mental health. We discuss the current state of research, highlight the challenges of measuring engagement with online misogyny, and propose priorities for future work. Our commentary underscores the urgent need for multilevel interventions to counteract the negative effects of the manosphere on the attitudes of young men, and their downstream consequences for the mental health and well-being of women and girls.
Potential Global Effects of the Rise of the Far Right on Public Health
American Journal of Public Health
Abstract: The influence of the far right is growing globally. This calls for a critical examination of its potential public health implications. Characterized by authoritarianism, injustice, racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, divisive rhetoric, and a propensity for violence, the far right often employs denialist arguments against scientific evidence, including opposition to environmental protection policies. We conducted a narrative review of existing evidence to assess the impact of these elements on public health. The findings suggest that the rise of the far right could have significant negative effects on population health. As a consequence, we advocate that the public health field and society at large must take a deliberate stance in response to this emerging reality.
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So much rubbish in the bin this week, thank you for calling out these academic fraudsters.
Thank you for your excellent work here, James. It is disgusting that these buffoons claim that women's health is underfunded, when there are 10 offices for women's health, and zero offices for men's health (as you ably pointed out).