HEPA Vs. HEGA Filters - What's the Difference?

Many of us retreat to our homes for security and relaxation, only to find that our senses are constantly being attacked by a variety of asthma and allergy-related culprits.

The EPA has repeatedly warned the public of the dangers of poor indoor air quality, and unfortunately, even the most immaculate home can be teeming with pollutants. Virtually every home is affected by indoor particulates, and this is especially true if your home was built in the last 20 years or so, as energy-conservation efforts enacted in the 1970s required homes to be built especially air-tight. Common sources of indoor air pollutants can include dust, carpet, furnishings, household cleaning products, pets, and cigarette smoke. Unfortunately, exposure to these contaminants can result in a range of health problems such as asthma, allergies, respiratory disorders, and even cancer.

One way to combat these airborne irritants is to use a high-quality air purifier to clear the air. Air purifiers can also help remove vapors from carpets and textiles, cleaning products, and other pollution particulates that can jeopardize your health.

Studies have shown that clean air helps you sleep better and breathe easier, and looking for an air purifier may seem confusing at first. One of the most effective ways at controlling particulates is through the use of a high-efficient particulate filter, but finding the right kind of filter can even be difficult. Two popular types of air filters are HEPA and HEGA, and while these two terms may seem interchangeable, they are also quite different, as they are used to filter out different types of pollutants.

HEPA technology has been around since the 1930s and is essentially a type of filter media that allows air to pass through. This type of filter is highly efficient at particle abatement, and is 99.97% effective in capturing particles 0.3 microns or larger (including common pollutants such as dust, hair, dander, and pollen). HEPA technology was originally developed by the Atomic Energy Commission to create clean and safe environments for troops, researchers, and scientists.

Because of a HEPA filter's ability to remove particles from the air, it is the most common method of air purification. When purchasing an air purifier with HEPA filtration, look for True HEPA filters, as these must pass independent tests and perform at a certain standard to receive the distinction of a True HEPA filter. Also, when deciding on a HEPA air purifier, pay close attention to the filter's construction. Warm-roled HEPA filters are best, as these are not prone to cracking, and air purifiers utilizing warm-rolled and pleated HEPA filters also increase filtration efficiency.

On the other hand, HEGA filters serve a different purpose. HEGA stands for High Efficiency Gas Absorption, and this type of filter was developed about a decade ago by the British Army as a defense against chemical warfare. HEGA filters are composed of a carbon cloth and are considered to be many times more efficient than granulated activated carbon at adsorption of gaseous pollutants, chemicals, and odors. Because of their efficiency, light weight, and easy workability, air purifiers with HEGA filters are now becoming more popular, especially in air purifiers geared towards allergy, chemical, gas, and odor control. In fact, some air purifiers even use HEGA filters in combination with HEPA filters to provide complete air purification.

Therefore, by choosing a HEPA or HEGA air purifier, you can rest assured that you will get the same purification technology used by the government and have complete and thorough filtration of particulates, gases, and VOCs.

How to Start Collecting Anime Merchandise

Japanese anime is hugely popular with many people, from teens right through to those in their twenties, thirties and beyond, and with many great new series being released each and every year there is always a new obsession waiting to happen for many anime fans.

There are also many modern anime favorites such as Fullmetal Alchemist, Cowboy Bebop, Death Note and Gintama which continue to gain new fans on a regular basis. For many fans - regardless of their favorite anime genre - investing in anime merchandise is one great way to contribute to the industry as well as fully enjoy their hobby.

For those looking to get started in collecting anime merchandise, there are several important tips to keep in mind in order to get the best value for money and ensure that your budget goes as far as possible. With some goods being hard to find outside of Japan, it is important to have a strategy on how you are going to spend your money.

Firstly, it is important to find as many merchandise stores as possible that ship to your country. There will likely be a few great stores that are based in your home country, and these are often an excellent choice. The reason for this is that customs duties and expensive shipping may be applicable to products ordered from overseas.

Therefore, your first step is to find out which stores are available in your region, as they are far more likely to offer the best prices for you personally. You can find out about these stores through friends' recommendations, online anime communities, online marketplaces such as Amazon, or simply by using an internet search engine.

The next step is to figure out which kind of anime collector you want to be. Do you want to only collect figures of your very favorite characters, or do you want to obtain a complete collection so you can have an entire set of figurines from a particular series? Do you want to collect figures, or rather wearable merchandise such as t-shirts and key rings?

Many people are dedicated collectors, and will make sure that a proportion of their monthly budget can go into amassing all the figurines and items associated with a particular series. Others will instead just prefer to spend a little money on their very favorite items; in either case, deciding what kind of anime collector you want to be will help you make the best choices.

The next thing to bear in mind is that certain items are far more expensive than others, and this may be important to you or not depending on the size of your budget. Some of the best - and least expensive - anime merchandise to collect includes DVDs and key chains, and you are guaranteed to get a lot of use out of these items too.

On the other hand, some people love to collect figurines of their favorite characters, even though they may not serve any practical purpose. Consider what you are drawn to and what makes you the happiest, and then adapt your budget around it. If you want to collect figurines, consider exactly how much you can afford to spend on these items every month.

Some other options can include photos of the cast of your favorite series, or posters of your favorite characters. If you do not think that you can afford your hobby alone, ask for the more expensive items as gifts from family and friends in order to complete your collection.

In conclusion, several steps that will help you get started in collecting anime merchandise include making sure that you find out the best places to buy from, setting yourself a budget and ensuring that you know what kind of collector you want to be. All of these tips can help you get focused and make your money go a lot further.

The 40 Percent Rule

What is the 40 percent rule? Well for starters it is a game changer when it comes to building wealth. I have read over 100 books on investing and personal finance. I do not recall coming across the 40 percent rule. I discovered the rule by reading The Millionaire Playbook, by Grant Cardone.

I got excited when I read it. It gives a different perspective on building wealth. An aggressive game plan to help you become a millionaire. One concept is saving to invest. Not saving to save. That's where the 40% rule comes in. Save 40% of your gross income and put it into your "Sacred Accounts" until you are ready to invest it to create more income. Sacred accounts are accounts where you never touch the money.

40% of your income is some major cheese from your paycheck. That is a huge lifestyle change especially if you are living paycheck to paycheck and in major debt. This will leave you broke most of the time but it is how the wealthy build their wealth. This is how the wealthy stay ... WEALTHY.

Rich Vs. Wealthy

There is a difference between rich and wealthy. You get rich before you get wealthy and as Chris Rock said, "The ball player is rich, the guy paying the ball player is wealthy." Bruckminster Fuller said wealth is measured in time. How long can you not work while your assets produce income? Wealth produces more wealth and it can withstand economic downturns. Look how many people stayed wealthy during the past recession.

How to Do the 40 Percent Rule

First decide that you are going to start building wealth. It's simple not easy. Take baby steps. I could not save 40% in the beginning and I was already putting 20% ​​of my income towards paying down my debts. So I started with 4%. That was manageable and I moved up gradually. Now it's automatic and I do not even miss it.

If you read The Richest Man in Babylon , by George S. Clauson, then you are familiar with, "A Part Of All You Earn Is Yours to Keep" . Saving 10% of your income and 20% to pay down your debts. Now just bump your saving up to 40%. As I mentioned earlier it is a game changer.

Sacred Accounts

Remember this is wealth building. You are saving so you can invest into income producing assets. This will take time. Use time wisely. Research investments that will produce more income streams. I chose real estate because it is not a fad and dependent on technology. People need to shop, eat, and live. Real estate takes care of that.

Emergency Fund

I suggest you have an emergency fund. Start with $ 1000. It is for emergencies only. Life always brings a crisis several times a year. But ever since I have had an emergency fund I have not had any financial emergencies. I have had this for several years. I have never had to dip into it. This is not an investment. It's cash to take care of the unforeseen.

Your Income Increases

Stash away all of your bonuses, rises, and surges of income. Put that in your sacred accounts. You do not want expenses rising to meet income. Continue to drive a wedge between expenses and income. Put all your increases into the sacred accounts.

Pull The Trigger

After some time you will have enough to start investing. I do not know how long it will take you. I know my mentor saved for 8 years before he pulled the trigger. He turned that investment in to a $ 5 million dollar profit a couple of years later. He dropped the trigger after he felt confident and made sure he could get his money back. This is not gambling.

He got a great deal because he had access to cash. Money loves speed and when you are liquid you can pounce on opportunities. There are awesome deals everyday which people miss out on because they do not have access to capital. This is why saving to invest is so important.

Just Start

Here is what you need to do now:

1. Open up your sacred accounts. (I have one for real estate and business investing). Chose accounts where you will not have immediate access to the money. Online savings accounts are great and pay a higher interest rates.

2. Decide how much you are going to save. Start with your first paycheck, commission, or any other income. Even if it is 1% that's better than nothing. It's easier if you have automatic discounts. That way you will not miss it.

3. This is a lifelong activity. Keep going until you die.

Glycerine - Industrial Applications and Facts

Glycerine is commonly called glycerol or glycerin. It is a sweet-tasting alcohol that is colorless and odorless. It becomes a gummy paste when frozen, although freezing it can only be achieved at very low temperatures. It melts at 18 degrees Celsius and boils at 290 degrees Celsius. Its chemical formula is C3H8O3. It is miscible in water and alcohol. However, it does not mix with oil. It is an excellent solvent. In fact, there are substances that dissolve better in glycerol than in water or alcohol.

The compound absorbs water from the air. This is why it is known as a hygroscopic substance. Suppose you leave a container of pure glycerine or glycerol in open air, it will become diluted as it joins water molecules. According to a speculation, a drop of this liquid in the tongue can raise a blister because it would draw out water from deep into the tongue tissue. But this remains a clever speculation.

The sweet-tasting alcohol is found in many skin moisturizing lotions and creams because of the water-retaining and water-absorbing capacity. Thus, it softens and smoothens the skin. It is believed, however, that this substance has other beneficial properties as well as simply moisturizing and attracting water molecules.

The compound originates from fats and oils. In fact, molecules of fat contain glycerol. One way to extract it from fats or oils is through saponification - a chemical reaction involving a fat and an alkali. This chemical reaction produces soap. Soap-making is a common source of this trihydric alcohol under discussion.

Extraction of glycerine from soap-making only began in 1889. Before this time, people did not know how to recover the compound. The only way to produce the compound is through candle-making using animal fats. In the year mentioned, an effective way to isolate glycerol from soap was at last discovered and later utilized. During this time and a few decades after, much of the compound went to production of nitroglycerin - a compound derived from glycerol used to make dynamites and explosives. During World War II, soap industry was not able to suffice the huge demands for the chemical. Here, synthetic production was implemented.

The production, separation and purification of glycerol involve a tedious process. When lye (sodium hydroxide) reacts with fat, soap is produced but is in mixture with glycerin. Homemade soap does not run through intrate procedure, so, the soap mixture contains all the glycerol that results from the reaction. Commercial soap-makers, although removes the compound from the mixture by adding salt. Salt curdles the soap, which is seen to float on top of the mixture. The floating soap is then scooped out or skimmed. This leaves the organic chemical with some impurities such as partially dissolved soap and extra salt. The trihydric chemical is then finally taken out of the mixture through distillation. It does not end here because further impurities are removed by passing the chemical into a charcoal filter or using bleaching techniques. The final product is a highly concentrated and colorless glycerin.

History has seen the making of the compound into explosive. However, it is never explosive in itself. It has to be changed into nitroglycerin first before it becomes explosive. Furthermore, nitroglycerin is not only used in explosives but is found as a medication for heart disease.

The compound has many uses. It is a preservative for fruits and food products. Lotions and creams contain this chemical as an emulsifying and moisturizing agent. In hydraulic jacks it serves as antifreeze. The antiseptic qualities of this chemical make it valuable in biological laboratories such as to preserve specimens in jars. Moisturizing soaps contain the compound. These soaps are usually clear and are easy to make.

How to Start Making Money With ClickBank

Making money with ClickBank can be pretty easy, as long as you know what you are doing. In a nutshell, it simply involves doing some simple and duplicable steps that I will explain in this article. Making money with ClickBank can sometimes appear to be very hard, but it does not have to be, there are definitely no "secrets" to it.

Based on my affiliate marketing experiences, as long as you know what you are doing ANYBODY can make money with ClickBank. However, there is a process which you need to learn and follow, so lets begin!

Step 1. Creating Your ClickBank Account.

In order to sell ClickBank products, the first thing you need to do is to register as a ClickBank affiliate, and to do this you need to create your own affiliate account following following the next few easy steps in the process:

a). Go to ClickBank.com and complete the ClickBank affiliate sign up form. This will only take you a few minutes. It is a straightforward thing to do, just follow the instructions on ClickBank.com. It is important to make sure your contact details (email) are correct as ClickBank will confirm your affiliate account by email.

b). Once you receive your affiliate account confirmation email, click the link within the email and this will bring you to the confirmation page. This is where you can log-in via the log-in link at the top of the page.

When you have logged in you will then be taken to your account homepage, where you can keep track of your sales and earnings. Once here, you just need to enter some information in the Payment information section. There are 2 parts to this section, one for your preferred payment method, and the other for your payment thresholds. Payment method gives you the option to choose how you would like to receive your responsibilities. However, new affiliates can only receive their responsibilities by check, until they have made some consistent sales.

The Payment Threshold is the minimum amount you will need to earn in commissions before ClickBank will send your payment. You can edit this by clicking the edit link located in the top right hand corner of the payment information area.

Step 2. How to Select Your ClickBank Product.

Now, obviously selecting the right ClickBank product to promote includes some other important steps you will ever need to explore, such as keyword research. As keyword research is outside of the remit of this article, and is a complete subject on it's own, you can find out more and read some of my keyword research articles by clicking the link contained in my author bio at the end of this article.

Now, back to the ClickBank Marketplace. On the My Account Homepage you will notice a link at the top of the page called "Marketplace." Click on it! You will now see a list of product categories, from which you can choose a product to sell. So choose a category and we can move onto the next stage of the process.

Assuming you have chosen a category, you should now be looking at a list of product results, now you need to take a number of factors into account BEFORE making your product choice, such as:

1. Gravity. - This tells you how many affiliates are making money with the product. I recommend choosing products with a gravity of 300 or more.

2. Avg% / Sale. - This gives you the average amount of commission that vendors will offer for each sale. I recommend promoting ClickBank products that offer 50% commission or more.

3. Avg Rebill. - This tells you whether or not this product is a subscription product or not. I recommend only choosing the products that will pay you a recurring monthly income, so ONLY choose a product that has a $ 15 or more rebill total in this field, because this means you will get paid this amount over and over again.

Now that you have selected your ClickBank product using the criteria above, you need create your unique affiliate link to begin promoting. ClickBank call this a "Hoplink".
To create your "Hoplink" you need to do the following (Do not worry this is easy):

1. Click the "Promote" button next to the product you have chosen.

2. On the next page called "Affiliate Program: Promote Products for (Vendor name)". You need to enter your account nickname (ID) then click "Create", and you will be presented with 2 affiliate links (Hoplink). You should copy these links and paste into an excel spreadsheet on your computer. Remember these are YOUR AFFILIATE LINKS that you will use for promotion and are how you get paid for each sale, so look after them as ClickBank will not store them for you.

You will notice that they are two Hoplinks, but unless you are a web designer with HTML coding knowledge, you should only need to use the shorter version (usually with the black font as opposed to the longer one in blue)

How to Start Making Money With ClickBank - Step 3.

Promoting Your Chosen Product.

So you should now have your FREE ClickBank account created with your first Hoplink to promote. There are many marketing methods you can choose, but beware of "marketing method overload" particularly if you are a newbie. This is when you try to master all marketing methods at once, and do not achieve your goals as you do not become competent at any.

So my advice is to choose a marketing method you are comfortable with, then a master at it, then move onto the next.

To start making money with ClickBank journey, I highly recommend using Article marketing and Free Social Media to start with, particularly if you are on a limited budget, and especially if you have time as opposed to money.

However, if you are looking for fast results from your marketing, and you can spend some money, then paid advertising is the way to go, such as PPC or Solo-ads. There are many too many marketing methods to go into this Article, but to find out more, simply click on the link to my blog contained in the author bio at the end of this article.

So there you have it, a quick and easy way for you to start making money with ClickBank, once you begin, if you are anything like me you will be astounded at just how easy it is to make money with ClickBank, and continuously add multiple streams of internet income to your bank accounts.

5 Types of Car Air Fresheners

Car air fresheners with a sweet fragrance have the ability to quickly overpower plenty of bad smells to provide a fresh smelling sanctuary for the more enjoyable car journey. Well-chosen air fresheners can produce a pleasant smell that is powerful enough to eliminate odors related to smoking, takeout food, or other foul smells. Here are five of the best car air fresheners on the market:

Can

The can style of air freshener is similar to the sticky gel, and consist of a metal or plastic can that holds a sweet-smelling fragrant gel pack. The can has a top section with adjustable holes which makes it easy to determine the amount of fragrance to release at any one time. While these products have the potential to last longer than most of the sticky gel products, they still are not very effective at removing the strongest smells in the vehicle.

Plug-in

The plug-in fresheners are a popular choice and consist of an oil-based compound that is contained within a plastic housing. They are designed to plug into the power outlet on the dashboard, and start to emit a fragrance once the oil-based compound is heated. This plug-in is great for strong odors, and soon fills the entire car with a sweet-smelling fragrance.

Spray

The spray type of freshener is quick and easy to use. The liquid-gaseous fragrance for these air fresheners comes in a pressurized can which can be sprayed when an unpleasant smell is noticed. Spray fresheners are not the longest lying and will need to be sprayed at regular intervals if expecting to block out the most powerful odors.

Sticky Gel

The sticky gel air fresheners are made with a solid, sticky type of gel that holds the fragrant oil. This type of freshener easily sticks to any dry surface within the vehicle without a need to use adhesive. Also, because it does not rely on the air vents or other form of propulsion it is not as effective at eliminating the stronger smells inside the vehicle. A positive of the fragrance oil is the ability to last longer than the aerosol, paper or cardboard products.

Cardboard

The low-cost solution to keep the vehicle smelling fresh is the hanging cardboard air fresheners. They are meant to hang from the rear view mirror, and made from a spotted cardboard. While the photographed cardboard products are quite long-lasting they are not the most effective at controlling the most noticeable or unpleasant smells inside the vehicle.

Retail Sales Up Mid-2013 But Why - A Historical Perspective

We saw a huge uptick in retail sales, which bodes well for our economic indicators showing an Obama Administration recovery. Still, before you throw up your hands and signal victory, I think you and I need to talk. Now, it's no secret that I have little respect or love of socialist leaning administrations or governments here or anywhere else on this pale blue dot - neverless, do not let that taint the reality of what I am about to say here today. Let's talk.

First, when car sales are down, the administration, regardless of who is in power - Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter did the same also - pull those auto sales figures out of the retail sales economic data, separating them, but when sales are up, they throw those numbers back into the mix saying; "autos really are part of retail sales," and thus, they should be illustrated together. Well, figures lie and liars figure and administrations obviously have political agendas - no surprise there, so I am not picking on the Obama Administration.

However, when Barack Obama goes on TV and reads from his teleprompter how he saved the auto industry - when it was actually Bush Jr. who started the bail-out of the auto industry - and points to auto sales being so strong, along with retail - that his "recovery" strategy is working - well, I just cringe. Why you ask? Well, because it just is not so. And do you know why auto sales are up? Low interest rates and easy money car loans - that's why. There is only one problem with all of that easy money to consumers.

There was an interesting article in the Los Angeles Times on May 21, 2013 titled; "Car-Loan Delinquencies, Repos Surge," by Ronald D. White which noted that "the number of auto loan delinquent at least 60-days climbed 12.4% in Q1 of 2013.

To me retail sales indicate real transactions where real money is exchanged for goods. If auto dealers find hapless questionable consumers to sign their name to a loan document and take a car for near no money down, no interest, and no payments for 90-days, well, that is not really a sale in my view. Further, it does not show a recovery of the auto industry, it shows a revival of incompetent business practices and more down the road can kicking by corporate leaders, economists, bankers, and politicians. Please consider all this and think on it.