Ex-Texas US Rep. Blake Farenthold, who left office amid harassment allegations, dies at 63
Former Texas Republican U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, who left Congress amid sexual harassment allegations, has died. He was 63.
He died in a Corpus Christi hospital and suffered heart and liver problems in recent years, Steve Ray, his former longtime political consultant, said. Farenthold's wife, Debbie Farenthold, confirmed that he died Friday.
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Toronto Star
18 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Ex-Texas US Rep. Blake Farenthold, who left office amid harassment allegations, dies at 63
Former Texas Republican U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, who left Congress amid sexual harassment allegations, has died. He was 63. He died in a Corpus Christi hospital and suffered heart and liver problems in recent years, Steve Ray, his former longtime political consultant, said. Farenthold's wife, Debbie Farenthold, confirmed that he died Friday.
Calgary Herald
2 days ago
- Calgary Herald
'Nothing threatening about it': U of C study explores how robots could address social isolation in seniors
Article content Loneliness and social isolation are growing challenges for older adults living in care facilities. But a recent study by a University of Calgary student suggests that robots might be able to fill the gaps where existing programs fall short. Article content Fahimeh Mehrabi, a PhD student in psychology at the U of C, presented a research paper earlier this month at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences in Toronto, titled Wired for Companionship: A Meta-Analysis on Social Robots Filling the Void of Loneliness in Later Life. Article content Article content Article content Article content Her research compiled available quantitative studies that measured loneliness before and after using robots. When she combined and reanalyzed the data, the results were promising. Article content 'Our findings showed that all types of social robots, whether simple or more advanced, can help. As long as they are designed to engage and interact, they are effective,' she said. Article content The idea isn't as far-fetched as it sounds — social robots have been tested in elder care for more than a decade in countries such as Japan and Turkey. Article content Article content Models range from human or pet-like robots that offer comfort through touch and movement, to voice-activated AI companions that can engage in conversations. Often, they offer some combination of both. Article content Unison, the not-for-profit organization that runs the Kerby Centre in Calgary, is all too familiar with the prevalence of social loneliness and isolation among its clients. Article content 'There was a recent study that found prolonged isolation was as bad as smoking 15 cigarettes a day,' said Larry Mathieson, president and CEO of Unison. Article content Unison is tackling senior isolation and loneliness through a wide range of traditional programs at the Kerby and Veiner Centres. These include hundreds of fitness, music and social classes available in person or online. Article content During the COVID-19 pandemic, Unison's online classes helped seniors learn new tech skills and stay socially active. Online classes under its Active Aging department stayed in place post-pandemic due to their accessibility and positive effects.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
What to know about the impacts of the Supreme Court's ruling on transgender care for youth
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming surgery for transgender youth in a ruling that's likely to reverberate across the country. Most Republican-controlled states already have similar bans. In his majority opinion Wednesday, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that Tennessee's ban does not violate the Constitution's equal protection clause, which requires the government to treat similarly situated people the same. Since President Donald Trump returned to office this year, the federal government has been trying to restrict access. Here are some things to know about gender-affirming care and the court's ruling: What is gender-affirming care? Gender-affirming care includes a range of medical and mental health services to support a person's gender identity, or their sense of feeling male, female, neither or some combination of both. Sometimes that's different from the sex they were assigned at birth. The services are offered to treat gender dysphoria, the unease a person may have because their assigned gender and gender identity don't match. Studies, including one from 2023 by researchers at institutions including London Children's Hospital and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, have found the condition is linked to depression and suicidal thoughts. Gender-affirming care encompasses counseling and treatment with medications that block puberty and hormone therapy to produce physical changes. Hormone therapy for transgender men causes periods to stop, increases facial and body hair and deepens voices. The hormones used by transgender women can have effects such as slowing growth of body and facial hair and increasing breast growth. Fewer than 1 in 1,000 U.S. adolescents receive gender-affirming medications, a study released this year found. Gender-affirming care can also include surgery, including operations to transform genitals and chests. These surgeries are rarely offered to minors. There are documented uses of genital surgery for adults dating back to the 1920s. But for youth, gender-affirming care has been more common since the 1990s. What is the controversy? As a medical consensus emerged in support of gender-affirming care for youth, the issue also became politically divisive in other ways. Some states approved measures to protect transgender people, who make up around 1% of the nation's population. Many critics dismiss the idea that gender is changeable and lies along a spectrum. About two-thirds of U.S. adults believe that whether a person is a man or woman is determined by biological characteristics at birth, an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in May found. In the last five years, most GOP-controlled states have passed laws to block transgender girls from sports competitions for girls. About half the Republican-controlled states have now banned transgender people from using school bathrooms that align with their gender identity. Opponents of gender-affirming care sometimes refer to it as 'mutilation' and say people who transition when they're young could later regret it. What could the ruling mean for bans in states besides Tennessee? In addition to Tennessee, 26 other states have passed bans or restrictions on gender-affirming care for youth. Judges have struck down the bans in Arkansas and Montana, though the legal fights there aren't over. All of the laws have been adopted in the past five years and nearly all have been challenged in court. The Supreme Court's decision means that federal challenges to those laws aren't likely to prevail. However, some of the lawsuits against them are based on arguments rooted in state constitutions, and it's still possible that judges could find more protections in those state constitutions than are in the U.S. Constitution. What will the ruling mean for states without bans on gender-affirming care? It probably won't make any difference immediately. Several of those states have laws or executive orders intended to protect access to gender-affirming care for transgender minors. But the question about whether the care will continue isn't only about what's legal. It's also about funding. That's where Trump comes in. Trump campaigned last year pledging to rein in rights of transgender people. He's followed through on many fronts, though court challenges have resulted in some of his efforts being blocked, at least for now. What has Trump done on transgender issues? He has ordered that no federal taxpayer money be used to pay for the care for those under 19. Enforcement of that order is on hold. Trump has also tried to block federal funding from institutions — including hospitals and the universities that run some of them — that provide gender-affirming care for youth. A judge has blocked that effort while challenges to it proceed. His administration published recommendations that therapy alone – and not medication – be used to treat transgender youth. The position contradicts guidance from major medical organizations. But it could impact practices. Other actions Trump has taken including initiating the removal of transgender troops from military service; ordering that transgender women and girls be kept out of sports competitions for females; erasing the word 'transgender' from some government websites; and saying the government would recognize people only by their sex at conception. That's resulted in efforts to move transgender women inmates to men's prisons and change how passports are issued to transgender and nonbinary people. A judge this week blocked the Trump administration from limiting passport sex markers for many transgender and nonbinary Americans.
