[Image-1] Blood is becoming big business in Canada and Nova Scotian veins could be tapped next. The privately-owned Canadian Plasma Resources has met with provincial government officials in Nova Scotia about opening pay-for-plasma clinics in this province. Canadian Plasma Resources’ CEO confirmed to the NDP that the Liberal government is supportive of the idea. Dave […]
Health
Posted inNews + Opinion
Gavin Tucker is hungry for a fight
[Image-1] In a powerful burst, Gavin Tucker’s left leg lifts off the ground and kicks his opponent’s left hand. The leg has barely returned to the soft blue training mat when Tucker’s right arm, covered in tattoos and dripping with sweat, sails through the air. It lands in the same spot his foot was a […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax’s other health care infrastructure crisis
[Image-1] Rod Wilson calls the building “our Sea King.” The executive director of the North End Community Health Centre says the centre’s home on Gottingen Street is still flying—like the malfunctioning Canadian helicopters—but at the end of its days. It’s only a matter of time before there’s a crash. Two years ago a major roof […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Ambulance fees cause heavy damage to the sick and injured
[Image-1] Gavin Baumbach was one of the last first-year students at King’s College to get the flu in 2014. But when he finally got sick, it was all the worse for waiting. “It actually induced heart attack- and stroke-like symptoms,” he says “I kind of panicked because I didn’t know what to do.” Baumbach, who […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
The best spots in town to find illegal cigarettes
[Image-1] If you’re looking to find cheap smokes, ask the people lighting up outside Halifax’s libraries and high schools. A new study released yesterday by the lobbyists at the Atlantic Convenience Store Association claims illegal cigarettes account for more than 22 percent of butts collected at “popular smoking areas” near four Nova Scotian high schools. […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Saving lives, after death
[Image-1] Most people probably think of organ donation as something that’s done for the good of the recipient. But Dr. Stephen Beed is not one of those people. “My argument for donation actually has nothing to do with the people who are going to receive the organs.” Beed, an ICU physician and clinical advisor with […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Wednesday’s 8 things you need to know
1 The Ecology Action Centre is on the march after losing 100 percent of their funding for walk-to-school programs. The $105,000 cut was part of April’s budget, and further talks with Health and Wellness minister Leo Glavine have apparently done nothing to change the decision. The now-defunct program works with over 2,000 students in 24 […]
Posted inLifestyle
Cycling’s not just for hipsters
[Image-1] Walking down Agricola Street on any given day, you’re sure to see anywhere from five to 47 vintage two-speeds either chained up or being navigated by charismatic, stylish and carefully dishevelled-looking twenty-somethings. Their modes of transportation are at least 30 years their senior—and the older, the better. But what about the folks who were […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
How to stop your nipples from bleeding this weekend
[Image-1] Jogger’s nipple, it’s called. Also known as “runner’s nipple, red eleven, raver’s nipple, big Q’s, red nipple, stingers, weightlifter’s nipple and gardener’s nipple.” It’s the painful fissure of the nipple that some runners might find themselves experiencing during this weekend’s Blue Nose Marathon. Nip chaffing is common for men in the summer, especially during endurance […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Nova Scotia refuses to open up adoption records
[Image-1] Adoption. The word itself summons emotions, opinions, sensitivities—insensitivities. Many of us know someone who’s been affected by it. Someone who gave up a child, or someone who was raised by parents who weren’t the ones that birthed them. But most of us know very little about such a heavy issue—and even less about how […]
Posted inLifestyle
How do you buy weed in Halifax?
[Image-1] I said OK, and in one swift, practiced motion he dropped a little tinfoil package into my jacket pocket. To be honest it felt pretty badass. Everyone and their dad has bought weed by the time they’re 27. Everyone except this n00b. I’m living on my own, paying my own bills. I should be […]
Posted inLifestyle
Safe sex over 65
[Image-1] A challenge concerning seniors of all genders is the stigma around testing and lack of discussion about safe sex practices. According to a 2007 study in the New England Journal of Medicine only 40 percent of men and 20 percent of women above the age of 50 talk to their doctor about sexual health. […]