Ada McVean M.Sc.

This may be kinda sketch if we dig deep, but if I'm contacting sources for a piece I haven't actually placed yet, I sometimes phrase it as "I'm a freelance journalist who writes for x, y, z". I don't say this piece is for any of x, y or z, just that I write for them in some capacity.

I think about this line from @gabrielledrolet.bsky.social a lot

Would someone who really wants to die find the information anyways? Almost certainly. Same way a veterinarian or attempted gun-owner could find another method. But crucially, these checkpoints create time and space for decisions to change.

How Do Veterinarians Die? I wouldn’t blame you for thinking something along the lines of “just like everyone else,” but I’m here to tell you otherwise. Being a veterinarian is a lot like being a human doctor. Besides the fact ...

Rules that need more than one set of eyes on drug safes are one way to mitigate this suicide epidemic. Just as mandatory waiting periods on gun sales give the would-be-dead time to contemplate and regulate emotions.

www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

We're really not learning anything from the veterinary suicide epidemic eh?
Studies find that vets are 4-8x more likely to kill themselves than the gen pop.
There are lots of reasons, but at least one big one is their immediate access to drugs. It's the method most vets choose.
#NOMV

“Do you know how to make <insert illicit compound here>”

The What, Why and What to do about Hiccups We’re all familiar with the sensation- an uncontrollable jerk of our diaphragm and an involuntary noise, stifled or not, that gives the condition its name. Hiccups are ubiquitous amongst mammals of al...

... at least one scientifically documented story of ejaculation curing hiccups.

Read more in my latest for the @mcgilloss.bsky.social: www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

a cat is sitting on a blue blanket with its legs crossed ALT: a cat is sitting on a blue blanket with its legs crossed

Uh-oh, you have the hiccups.
What should you do, according to science?
You've got some options, both conventional and... not.
There's reason to believe things like drinking water, holding your breath, or sneezing can work. There's the neurologist-designed Hiccaway.
And...

Rifle-wielding soldiers develop breasts Research on German soldiers has shown that enlarged breasts are an unfortunate side-effect of gun-toting

www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Grim prospects for those of us crossing this road

Source: www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-cha1.htm

We don't really know where the name Charley horse for the muscle cramp comes from.

It's not entirely a convenience paradox; it's also a legitimate need for convenience. You don't always have time to cook soup from scratch when you work several jobs or are chronically ill, and you don't always have the motivation either. Poor people deserve convenience foods like tinned soup, too.

For my family (in Canada), it wasn't so much buying it as receiving it from the food banks, all the time. There were seemingly infinite amounts of condensed tomato, cream of mushroom and chicken noodle soup.

Scientists put moss on the outside of the International Space Station for 9 months — then kept it growing back on Earth A species of moss survived for 9 months on the outside of the International Space Station, new research reveals — and 80% of the samples kept reproducing when returned to Earth.

"Fujita and his team developed a model that suggests the moss spores could actually survive for up to 5,600 days in space, or around 15 years" www.livescience.com/space/scient...

The boredom can't catch me if I move through topics fast enough

I like being a freelance writer because it's not even 10 am and I've already learned about the CNN Fear and Greed index, that the plural of apparatus can be apparatuses (English) or apparatus (Latin) and that Australian golden orb weaver spiders are eaten roasted in New Guinea.

WhisperTranscribe - Turn your audio into content Join 12k+ creators who transcribe their audio in minutes and grow their brand by creating content with WhisperTranscribe. Try it for free now.

This one? www.whispertranscribe.com

Freelance writers, what are you using to transcribe interviews? Is there a free alternative to Otter ai?

Slime molds are just like you and me really

Check out this dog I saw while camping

Shake n’ Bake, in the year of our lord 2025?

One of my favourite coffee shops has this on the bathroom wall

We are very much back in "is this laundry still wet, or just cold?" season. While I can't prevent the confusion, I can at least explain it-
Wetness isn’t a sense at all, but a mash-up of touch and temperature, and it's not something we're born with.
Read more: www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

Getting back into the winter habit

Statement from the Public Health Agency of Canada on Canada’s Measles Elimination Status Following over 12 months of transmission across the country, PAHO confirms Canada's loss of measles elimination status. We are coordinating efforts with provinces and territories to restore the status...

BREAKING: "The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has notified the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) that Canada no longer holds measles elimination status."

Casual reminder that the myth of “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” is a cruel hoax designed to convince poor people from all walks of life that the injustices they face are a result of their own actions, rather than an oppressive system rigged against them.

Screenshot of the top of a Bsky feed, with a red circle around the hamburger menu in the top left.

Wondering why no one likes your posts anymore, even among your friends? It's because @jay.bsky.team and team have decided to hide a huge amount of content from all of our feeds by default.

Here's how to turn it off.

First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner

Jesus Christ

When Autumn becomes Fall 🍂