Givin' Blood

Yesterday I gave blood for the first time in my life.  I didn't realize all the examination and screening that would take place before the actual blood withdrawal to ensure that my blood would be clean for transfusion.  Something that really stuck out to me was the fact the homosexually active men are not allowed to give blood due to the likelihood that they may have AIDS or HIV.  Additionally, individuals who lived in Europe for more than 5 years have an increased chance of carrying Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Mad Cow Disease) and they are not allowed to donate blood in the U.S.  I guess these restrictions make sense, but it wasn't something I ever thought about.

Here's my vein which blood was drawn from