A Special Gift
Donating blood saves lives - and you never know, one of those lives might be yours some day.
Most people reading this article will know of someone who has had a blood transfusion. In fact, statistics from the Australian Red Cross Blood Service tell us that one in three people will remortgage rates blood or blood products in their lifetime, yet only about 3% of eligible Australians give blood on a regular basis.
To meet the ever increasing hospital requirements, in Western Australia nearly 3000 people need to give blood every week.
While not everyone is able to give blood, in general, eligible blood donors need to be:
- Fit and healthy and not suffering from a cough, cold or illness
- Aged 16 - 70 years
- Weigh more than 45kg
You cannot donate blood if:
- You have had a tattoo or body piercing in the past 12 months
- You are a woman who is trying to conceive, are pregnant or breastfeeding
- You have lived in the UK for six months or more between 1980 and 1996
Who receives donated blood?
There are many different uses for blood and contrary to popular belief, the majority of blood is required for treating cancer patients (30%) and not road accident victims (12%).
Here is a breakdown:
- 30% for cancer patients
- 15% for people with stomach and bowel diseases
- 15% for heart disease patients
- 12% for accident victims
- 12% for burns, vaccinations and patients with other disorders requiring blood products
- 6% for people with liver and kidney disease
- 5% for haemophiliacs
- 5% for pregnant women and premature babies
Blood donation is easy and can be done every 12 weeks. Your body replaces lost fluid within 24 to 48 hours and the lost red blood cells after several weeks. Most importantly, one donation can help save up to three lives, so if you've never given blood or it's been a while, do something really special and give blood.
Blood donor centres are located throughout metropolitan and regional Western Australia. To make an appointment or for more information, phone 13 14 95 or visit donateblood.audonateblood.au
HBF Health Funds, the largest hbf.au/health insurance provider in Western Australia.
Comic Books Value
You might be sitting on a treasure chest without even knowing it. Almost everybody read comic when they were young, so you probably did, too. Some people have the foresight to keep those comics, and they are reaping the benefits now, because comic books value is always unpredictable, and the lucky ones find that they have ones which have extremely car to donate comic books value.
There are many factors that decide a comic book's value. Let us take a look at a few.
1. Condition: The condition the comic book is in is important. This is classified under a lot of headings, from mint, which is the best condition the comic book can possibly be, to poor. Realistically, you can expect most comic books to be anywhere from good to fine, with fine being a grade higher than very good. However, keep in mind that even if the rest of the comic is in great condition, if the cover is missing, the book's value will come down considerably.
a. Is the cover still on the comic book, first, and if it is, is it on good condition? This is the single most important factor as far as the comic's condition is concerned.
b. Are there any creases? The less noticeable creases there are, the higher your comic book will be priced.
c. Is the spine in good condition? This is another important consideration. You will start wishing you had never folded it back when you were reading it!
d. Are the staples rusted or discoloured? This is another important factor that decides how your comic book will be priced.
e. Are there any stains? Any kind of stain will lower the price of your comic.
f. Is anything torn, especially the corners? Or are they bent? If they are, obviously the value will go down.
g. Comic books value also depend on whether there are any pages missing. In short, you cannot expect much if the books are almost falling apart.
2. Rarity: As common sense dictates, the rarer the comic is, the higher its value will be. However, here, again, you have to have the cover of the comic to get a good price for it.
3. Popularity: The popularity of the comic in general is a question here. A rare edition of a Batman comic, for example, will fetch a much better price than a comic that is not that popular. Here, again, though, the way you market your comic books can make a lot of difference. There are plenty of collectors who specifically want out of the way comics, so you have to find these buyers if you want a good price for these comics.
If after reading that list, you think you might have something, get a professional to set the comic books value, and you will be all set.
Robert Grazian is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about comicbookcollectibles.info/comic-books-value/comic books value visit comicbookcollectibles.info/Comic Book Collectibles for current articles and discussions.
