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Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield is, in my humble opinion, an excellent book. The book tells the story of a young Greek, surviving the destruction of his city by volunteering to join the Spartan helot, or slave, class.

Pressfield brings a magic to his characters that is infectious. He makes you believe in a heroic humanity.

In this episode I discuss this heroic humanity, fear, discipline and fate. I hope you enjoy.

Thank you.

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In this episode I discuss the ever popular Theodore Roosevelt. Beginning life as a frail and sickly young boy Roosevelt would craft a powerful body and mind. He used these substantial powers to climb to the very top of American society.

I read from The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris. It is a fantastic book and I highly encourage you to read it.

The following aspects of Roosevelt are discussed:

• His physical training
• His mindset in both his work ethic and social interactions
• His bravery
• His love of learning

I hope you enjoy the episode. Interesting links and references can be found below:

Sperm levels:

1. Levine, H. et al. (2022), Temporal trends in sperm count: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis of samples collected globally in the 20th and 21st centuries, Oxford Academic, retrieved from: https://academic.oup.com/humupd/advance-article/doi/10.1093/humupd/dmac035/6824414?searchresult=1&login=false

Testosterone:

1. Travison, T. et al. (2007), A population-level decline in serum testosterone levels in American men, National Library of Medicine, retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17062768/.

2. Andersson, A. et al. (2007), Secular Decline in Male Testosterone and Sex Hormone Binding Globulin Serum Levels in Danish Population Surveys, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol. 92, Iss. 12, retrieved from: https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/92/12/4696/2597312?login=true

3. Ghasin, S. (2007), Secular Decline in Male Reproductive Function: Is Manliness Threatened?, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol. 92, Iss. 1, retrieved from: https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/92/1/44/2597938

a. Note that these are general trends in specific locations but these articles form a good base of knowledge for current trends in testosterone levels. Other items of interest may be: increase in exogenous testosterone use, loss of male grip strength and factors that cause testosterone to drop as one ages.

Male depression:

1. Terhaag, S. Quinn, B. Swami, N. (2020), Depression, suicidality and loneliness: mental health and Australian men, Australian Government: Australian Institute of Family Studies, retrieved from: https://aifs.gov.au/media/depression-suicidality-and-loneliness-mental-health-and-australian-men

2. Klerman, G. Weissman, M. (1989), Increasing rates of depression, JAMA, retrieved from: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/377029.

Theodore Roosevelt

1. Conklin, M. 2002, Teddy Roosevelt’s little-know secret, Chicago Tribune, retrieved from: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2002-10-07-0210070158-story.html

Cool links:

https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/Research/Digital-Library/Record/ImageViewer?libID=o280054&imageNo=1