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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: July 15th, 2023

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  • In the US, it is an Individual Donor Assessment and applies to everyone. Everyone gets the same question tree, regardless of sexual orientation. If you have had a new partner in the last 3 months or have multiple partners that doesn’t defer you, it sends you to the next tier of question: have you engaged in anal sex. Yes to anal with a new partner or multiple partners is the deferral. If you haven’t had a new partner or multiple partners in the last 3 months, you will not be asked about anal sex. Canada went live with their individual donor assessment a year before the US and has noted a slight drop in donations in straight donors because they are now being deferred for high risk activity when they were previously missed.

    Prep is listed under a medication deferral. First responders that take prep for protection from workplace exposure are deferred as well.

    (I’m a blood banker)


  • This overlooks that 100% cotton jeans will break down when they are discarded (unlike polyester and nylon). A good pair of jeans can be mended and worn for many years instead of a new pair every year. Jeans can lead a very useful “after life” as insulation or be recycled into new fabric.

    It also ignores the chemicals and energy required to turn beechwood and bamboo into wearable fabric.

    I don’t know what the solution is but natural fabrics aren’t the enemy.






  • There are agencies that act as intermediary for healthcare workers to pick up travel gigs. You sign up with the agency. Hospitals/laboratories/etc who need short term staffing solutions (laughs then sobs in COVID staffing shortage) reach out to agencies saying they need a nurse/medical assistant/medical laboratory scientist and the agency sends them the resumes of all their contract workers that are available. If the facility wants you, the agency contacts you to see if you want to take it.

    Housing/living expenses are covered and you make BANK compared to the permanent employees (who may resent you for it). The travel pay and contracts are slowly returning to pre COVID levels but it was ludicrous for a while there. I did try to figure out a way to take a leave of absence from my job (don’t want to lose that pension) so that I could pick up a travel gig. It was that lucrative. There’s always a staff shortage in healthcare somewhere in the country.

    There is potential for feast and famine so people doing it as their sole income need to plan for that or be willing to work in facilities that are a dumpster fire or in places that they wouldn’t relocate to for permanent work. Most contract agencies don’t offer benefits so that also needs to be planned for. Travelers usually make 2-3 times more per hour than permanent staff and have a separate allowance for living expenses so getting your own health insurance won’t negate your earnings.