Finding Mailboxes Online

We may do a great deal of communicating online, but we're still extremely reliant on good, old-fashioned paper mail. Snail mail may seem slow compared to an RSS feed or email, but it's an integral part of our lives and remains essential to our daily lives.

All of that mail has to go somewhere. I'm talking about your mailboxes, by the way.

Although top-notch mailboxes may last forever, the ones we often inherit on our properties weren't built for longevity. That's where MailBoxIXChange.com enters the picture. These folks offer over a thousand different mailboxes. They are sure to have something to meet your landscaping and decorating needs while simultaneously supplying maximum durability.

They also sell other outdoor decor products, making an online shopping experience there even more enjoyable. Don't go another day with that eyesore of a weather-beaten cheap metal mailbox in front of your home. You can move up to the big leagues in terms of mailboxes! Whether you need residential mailboxes or commercial mailboxes, MailBoxIXChange.com can help you out.

Cord Blood Storage at a Private Bank

If you're considering banking umbilical cord blood, you may have a number of different questions. Deciding between donation and storage is a key issue. If you opt for private storage, choosing the right facility is important.

Somewhere, amidst all of the decision making, it's easy to find yourself lost without knowing some pretty important specifics.

For instance, you might have a very well-reasoned approach to umbilical cord blood storage while still lacking the nuts and bolts information about how the process works.

That's one reason I wanted to mention this MILive article. It quickly and succinctly outlines the process by which umbilical cord blood storage takes place at one major bank.

There are big questions and big issues. There are details, too. When it comes to dealing with cord blood, both are very important.

Illinois TV Tackles Cord Blood

NBC5 in the Windy City recently provided a bit of umbilical cord blood banking and storage coverage. "Some Saving Umbilical Cord Blood" details a specific case in which cord blood-related strategies provided life-saving assistance for a patient.

The most interesting part of the Chicago NBC affiliate's coverage, however, is probably this argument:

"At Loyola University Medical Center, transplant pioneer Dr. Patrick Stiff said it's frustrating see patients die because what they so desperately need is treated as medical waste."

About 16,000 patients right now could be cured are not because they don't have a donor, but because cord blood is being thrown away," he said.

He said unless a woman donates it to a public bank or pays to personally store it just for her family, cord blood is being tossed."

We usually discuss cord blood an its potential in terms of how it could save people. When you describe the situation starkly in terms of how many people are suffering because of a lack of available cord blood, the need for banking and/or donation becomes inescapably apparent.

You can read the full story here.

Securing a Room in Amsterdam

I have a friend who recently returned from a European vacation that featured a multi-day stay in Amsterdam. After hearing about his experiences and seeing a few of the photos he took during the trip, I'm definitely putting Amsterdam on my short list of must-see vacation destinations.

If you feel the same way and are planning a trip to the entertaining, unique and historical locale, you'll need to secure hotel reservations. EasyToBook.com is a perfect place to find the perfect room!

Other sites may have an idea or two to share about your travel to Amsterdam, but no one has a list of available Amsterdam hotels like the one at EasyToBook.com!

If Amsterdam isn't on your list, you may still want to check out EasyToBook. They also have everything you need to make top-notch reservations in Prague, Rome and elsewhere.

Voice of the People Hollering about Cord Blood

An article at the Herald-Dispatch, in its "Voice of the People" section features North Carolinian Celeste Ruby's plea for people to become registered blood marrow donors. Ruby also advises people to become umbilical cord blood donors.

Her argument is straightforward and succinct:

"I would also like to encourage everyone to donate their baby's cord blood. It, too, is full of potentially life-saving cells, and it does not require as close a match as cells from an adult would. It's a small thing to do that could save someone's life."

With all the argument and controversy surrounding cord blood and stem cells, it's refreshing to see a straightforward statement of this sort--cutting through all of the ancillary issues and stating a pretty simple fact or two.

We can argue about the specifics of cord blood and stem cell research, but we need to keep the bottom line in mind, just like Ruby does. Read her entire letter here.

Who Should Store Cord Blood?

So, should you store your child's cord blood in a private bank, or make it readily available to others in the form of a donation? That can be a tough question.

Omaha, Nebraska's WOW-TV recently ran a story on the topic. Here's an excerpt:

"Parents like Maria Zellmer are only encouraged to store their baby's blood privately if a sibling has leukemia or another life threatening blood disease or if there's a family history.

Zellmer decided against it for her first and now second child for another reason; the expense.

It takes around $2,000 in start up costs and then yearly storage fees.

Instead she chose to donate the cord blood to help someone else."

If you'd like to take a look at this fairly balanced coverage of some key umbilical cord blood banking questions, the original story appears in its entirety here.