Commentary

The Make America Great Again faithful at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference trotted out all their demons: China, transgenderism, wokism, the media, and undocumented immigrants.

Some men participate in sexually denigrating women – both those in authority as well as those in positions of submission in hierarchical organizations. Why is male aggression towards women so often expressed through sex rather than through other means?

In many countries, Jehovah’s Witnesses are known for their outreach work, going door to door or standing in public areas to try to distribute religious material. But many people are unfamiliar with their beliefs, and when the group makes headlines, it is often for reasons related to persecution abroad. So who are they?

The U.S. economy added 311,000 jobs in February, higher than economists were forecasting, keeping unemployment near the lowest level in over 50 years, despite the most aggressive pace of interest rate hikes since the 1980s. Why?

Sixty-four years on, Barbie continues to be the subject of cultural, sociological and psychological interest. By creating an iconic brand with special meaning for fans of all ages toy company Mattel has successfully extended the lifecycle of the Barbie brand for well over half a century. Barbie is also a polarizing, paradoxical figure.

Of those 121 school voucher or charter programs in 45 states, only two have been approved by voters. In 16 referendums, the proposals have failed 14 times.

Researchers are discovering that “springing ahead” each March is connected with serious negative health effects, including an uptick in heart attacks and teen sleep deprivation. In contrast, the fall transition back to standard time is not associated with these health effects, as my co-authors and I noted in a 2020 commentary.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has continued his crusade against “woke ideology” as Nikki Haley launched her bid for president with a video appealing for racial harmony. What kind of GOP do Republicans want?

A pathological narcissist sees everyone else as an extension of self. Like many personality disorders, narcissism manifests itself in intimate relationships through the cycle of idealization and devaluation, creating the concept of the so-called toxic relationship.

Much of the public discussion on preventing school shootings focuses on whether and how to limit people’s access to firearms. While these efforts remain important, over the past 30 years, research has identified other strategies that can reduce the risk for violence.

Adams failed to grasp that being a social critic means your freedom of expression only goes as far as your audience is willing to accept it. Adams could say whatever he wanted to his YouTube audience because his listeners may have agreed with what he said. Unfortunately for him, what he said on his program did not stay on his program.

Historically, Christian tradition has recognized many pronouns for God, including “he/him,” “she/her” and “they/them.” This is partly because God does not have a gender. Despite the diverse images used for God in Scripture and Christian tradition, male language and images predominate in contemporary Christian worship.

During Biden’s first year in office, he held a total of 10 press conferences. Most of those featured him reading prepared remarks and then leaving without taking questions from reporters. When he does take questions, he tends to call on only preselected reporters from – in his own words – “a list I’ve been given.”

“White saviour complex,” which has a long and sordid history, presumes that people of color, whether in the Global South or in the West, need “saving” from a white western person or aid worker, when what they do is ignore the role of western countries in encouraging inequalities and wars in the Global South.

More than 80 years ago, an English professor named Samuel Steward was dismissed from his teaching position after publishing what his college’s president deemed a “racy” novel.

The notion of equal access to capital flies in the face of one of the central tenets of capitalism. The ability of different organizations to borrow and the price they pay is never equal. It depends on the risk of the investment and how many investors will take that risk.

The Biden Administration’s proposed rule change – which would see the rapid deportation of anyone who had not first applied for asylum en route to the U.S. – has been condemned by immigration rights groups, which claim it runs counter to the “humane immigration system” that Joe Biden promised while campaigning for the White House.

Despite the current state of the housing market, property is still considered a sound investment – at least for the limited group who can afford it. However, property ownership can have serious consequences on others’ lives.

A new study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine looked at organ damage in long Covid patients, most of whom were not severely affected when they had Covid initially. Organ damage was identified in 59% of participants a year after their initial symptoms.

In 2018 Poland passed a law punishing anyone who claimed Poles had any responsibility in the Holocaust. The law is intended to silence historians, even beyond Poland’s borders.

Critics have described Carter’s foreign policies as “ineffectual” and “hopelessly muddled,” and their formulation demonstrated “weakness and indecision.” But his overseas policies were far more effective than critics have claimed.

Most Americans don’t know the normal or healthy range for blood pressure – yet strikingly, they think they do. And that is cause for serious concern in a nation where nearly half of Americans ages 20 years and up, and three-quarters of those 65 and up, have high blood pressure.

Headaches and lingering chemical smells from a fiery train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, have left residents worried about their air and water – and misinformation on social media hasn’t helped.

Though the court is the most diverse in American history – with three justices of color and four women – the conservatives who have historically opposed affirmative action programs hold a 6-3 majority. That majority may ban the use of race when the court issues a decision in a Harvard case expected in June.

For Valentine’s Day, some couples only roll their eyes at each other in mutual cynicism. The capitalisation of love in the modern world can certainly seem banal. But people have been celebrating the day and gifting love tokens for hundreds of years.

Medication abortion now accounts for more than half of all abortions in the United States. Some states that have banned abortion altogether or have restricted access to it are vowing to block access to abortion pills.

While there is growing evidence that CBD can help with certain conditions, caution is needed. Rigorous scientific studies are limited, so it is important that the marketing of CBD products does not get out ahead of the research and of robust evidence.

Dramatic evidence of learning loss has mobilized federal, state and local education leaders. The federal government has allocated US$122 billion to support state and local efforts to help students “catch up in the classroom.”

Since Parkland, there have been over 900 shootings in K-12 school settings. Thirty-two were indiscriminate attacks apparently driven by the intent to kill as many people as possible, including mass casualty events at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in May 2022 and at Oxford High School, in Oxford, Michigan, in November 2021.

Du Bois’ words in a 1951 article are especially prescient today, offering a reminder about the importance of Black History Month and what is at stake in current conversations about African American studies.