Beef: it's what's for dinner

[tikistitch]

Tikistitch can't donate blood (this is true!) because we lived in England during the heyday of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy.

USA Today, approximately one year ago:

Mad cow cases met with shrug instead of safeguards

When bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease, first surfaced in the United States in 2003, cattle ranchers and government officials shrugged it off as a cow infected in Canada before being imported here.

When a native-born cow tested positive this June, they explained it away once again, saying the animal was infected before cattle feed restrictions were put in place in 1997.

And when a third possible domestic case surfaced last week, they hastened to note that the 12-year-old cow hadn't entered the food chain.

Last week:

Canada's 7th case of BSE confirmed

An Edmonton-area cow has died of mad-cow disease, officials with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed Thursday.

And Reuters today:

US to scale back mad cow surveillance program

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States Agriculture Department will announce on Thursday plans to scale back its mad cow surveillance program, a source briefed by the department told Reuters.

EDIT: Boy, judging from comments, NO ONE ELSE in the whole entire USA is eligible to give blood any more!! It's OK, kiddies, Tiki would gladly take any of your blood! We mean, er, um, that was supposed to be comforting. Or something.

Comments

[mmymoon.livejournal.com]

I can't give blood because mine sucks! I've tried thrice, and now I've given up, because they just laugh at me.

Heh... um... is it okay for me to be the tinest bit glad we don't still live in Edmonton? Hello, wheat-meat...

[bgsu98.livejournal.com]

I can't donate blood because I engage in sexual activities with persons of the same gender. You should see me try to get out of donating everytime there's a blood drive at school... I'm like, yeah, I don't think I meet one of your criteria... :x

[nitasee.livejournal.com]

Tikistitch can't donate blood (this is true!) because we lived in England during the heyday of Boving Spongiform Encephalopathy.

That's me, too. Though the irony is that I was a broke student who couldn't afford meat most of the time anyway. Also, when it was going on, I didn't even know it was going on - I can't recall any news stories about it. I didn't find out about BSE in England until years later, after I returned home to the states.

US to scale back mad cow surveillance program

*feigns surprise* Shocked. Shocked I am. I wonder who's money bought 'em off.....

[tikistitch.livejournal.com]

Same with me. I heard *nothing* about it in the UK, it was only years later, while I was in grad school, that the cattle all suddenly started listing to the side.

Though the irony is that I was a broke student who couldn't afford meat most of the time anyway.

I think I ate at a Wimpy Burger once. But the rest of the year, I survived on porridge and tandoori chicken.

[avalonjones.livejournal.com]

I can't give blood because my blood is crappy and they don't want it. Also the only time I succeeded in donating blood, I got sick for like 3 months afterwards and my doctor finally figured out I'm anemic so, like, I shouldn't be donating blood anyway.

[girlontheleft.livejournal.com]

Ugh, you just had to post this today, when I just ate beef for the first time in several months.

I've been following the BSE news on a grocery industry blog here. Stuff like this somehow never lands in the other news media I read.

[aelfsciene.livejournal.com]

I used to donate blood (well, platelets) every month, until I got my tattoo in April. Now I can't until next April, at which point I should live far enough away from Stanford that I won't drive there anymore (hopefully there's Red Cross in Monterey). If, y'know, I don't get more tattoos before then...

Also? Very glad I'm a vegetarian and haven't had beef for years, whenever I read all the mad cow stuff. o.O