If you’re like me, you might like a little background noise to keep your mind active & sharp while you work at some mundane task that doesn’t require intense neuronal-activity. So, I’m online & decide to follow a link that takes you to a video…and no, it’s not Kapoooyah! I watched that last week. I often listen to the audio portion on an open tab in my browser while I compose a new article or work on some graphics for a client. Instead of the video starting right up, the timeline gets covered with one of those ad bars that you cannot skip or close. You’re forced to wait until the ad is over before you can watch your intended video. Up pops Mary…

The irony? Yes, the irony.

The ad closes with this

“Let’s make noise…and let’s help the American Cancer Society finish the fight!” [cut screen to stack speaker with ACS branding & supporting cheers/claps audio]

So, what exactly do I dislike about this commercial? Well, for starters, she’s interrupting a library or dedicated study location. Perfect! No better way shock people out of their trances than to break a trance-inducing activity like STUDYING. “Why?” you ask? Answer: Cancer breaks into our lives. Threats to our individual health interrupt us all. We are all “equally vulnerable” before infirmity. Illness disrupts the monotony of our taken-for-granted-health. So, the library is a perfect setting which conveys the tones of individual responsibility. Few people *cough* ever go to the library as an excuse to *cough, cough* hang out with someone we’re attracted to *clears throat*.

But something much more clever is happening here…follow me. The earlier days of medicine conditioned the masses to subscribe to the paternalistic doctor-patient model. You know, the “do as the doctor says & you’ll be back to work in no-time flat!…just pop these pills when symptoms start up again”. Mary’s words are amplified from that mic through a PA system (an appeal to her authority as a musician) and it adds to the non-conformist tone, complete disregard for the “6-inch” voice we are accustomed to practice in places where thinking is permitted. Although these individuals are actively engaged in study [cue the disheveling of papers], potentially researching cancer, we want them to know that they can comfortably stay where they are while research specialists continue to lead the way…all they need are your dollars & mine. She is surrounded by a diverse sample of teens…but no older folks…hmmmm. Notably, the message is to the rising generation, always an agent for change right? This causes one to understand that “this issue” is bigger than the individual & forces exposure to collectivism by vicarious placement or POV.

She’s dressed casually which allows us to see her as “one of us”. But since she has the mic, she can keep rockin’ it. That’s what she does.

My work aims to influence folks as well…but my interruptions only happen when folks come to me, in a sense. As a professional who is paid to drive consumers to act, I consciously critique the heaps of actions, words, behaviors, symbols, traditions, & such which are thrust upon us in the middle of our pursuits/consumption. The message she was paid to promote is an advertisement that, although explicitly states that the ACS will “finish the fight”, will never “achieve its goal” because the goal is to catch a setting sun. There is no such thing as an end to illness. To suggest otherwise is to sell a blind man sunglasses, repeatedly.

This song most accurately paints the feel of standing in a squeezed club, enjoying the gig & not worrying about the fact that you’re probably standing too close to the huge speakers…every pulse of the resonating diaphragms push your eardrums in a way that is more of a mental discomfort than a physical one.

Enjoy the mix of rhythm & beats. It’s not for everyone, but neither is complacency ;^)

Years ago, my mentor taught me that a man is only as useful as his ability to make his neighbor great. It isn’t that his neighbor lacks greatness; it is that his neighbor needs to be reminded of it when he’s feeling low. Every one of us hits lows from time to time. The real challenge & revelation of a man or a woman is found in their characters, when all the applause & smiles have faded.

Who are we when we are left to ourselves? Instead of focusing on any emptiness inside, I have found that searching outside of oneself often leads to serving another who stands in need. Perhaps, a colleague can use a listening ear or a kind word. You & I might take the time to do some small random act of kindness to a stranger or a loved one. That is the power to Live. That is the Power to Inspire.

-David Safewater

My composition of this response defended his product’s position immediately after the press release, and most notably, it received direct attention from a principal at Mountain House’s parent company Oregon Freeze Dry, resulting in his becoming a dealer and adding further value to his offerings within that particular category.

Mountain House Educates Consumers on the Presence of High Oxygen Content in Competitor’s Products

As so many consumers are concerned about doomsday befalling the world in December 2012, a seemingly equal amount of companies which supply “preparedness products” are intent on exploiting those fears, rational or not. To those kinds of companies, profits from fear-marketing are justified. We encourage individuals and families to become more self-reliant and prepared for the unexpected while “time is on their side”. Health, unexpected tragedy, or misfortune can quickly reduce the time that might have been used to more adequately prepare. We will never use fear as a motivator to increase our sales or sell product: (1) it is simply disingenuous, and (2) decisions made in haste can jeopardize the integrity and well-being of individuals, families, and groups.

 

With all that being said, a recent press release has come to our attention which demonstrates the competitive nature of business and the leading competitors’ motives to market to audiences and prospective customers. Wise Food Company is a brand of dehydrated and freeze-dried food that we have carried for almost two years now. We also carry the Survive2Thrive Organic Food Storage’s 40 Days/40 Nights solution. Both are great products that we personally endorse, believe in, and utilize.

 

Mountain House brand food storage carries a quality product, although we are not currently a distributor of their products (we would be happy to carry them if the opportunity presented itself). Mountain House’s interests are clearly to maintain their recognition within the options of dehydrated & freeze-dried food storage suppliers (and in this case manufacturers) available to consumers, Wise Food Company especially. Click on the links below to read each Press Release issued by each company.

 

We continue to fully endorse and offer Wise Food Storage Long-Term and Short-Term products and call on consumers to keep in mind the vested interests that companies such as ours have in selling the products we carry and personally use. When determining your family’s needs and preferences, consider giving us a call. We’ll answer your questions candidly and with your interests in mind.

 

Read Mountain House’s Press Release by clicking HERE.

Read Wise Company’s Press Release by clicking HERE.

Is the Generic Sport Berkey® an Authentic Berkey Product?

Ever wonder about why we use the term “generic” with the blue Sport Berkey® water filtration bottles that we sell? If you have, you’re not the only one. With increasing interest in water filtration and purification, we have noticed more people are asking if the Generic Sport Berkey® is an authentic Berkey® product. Here’s the deal:

• There are two versions of the Sport Berkey® available:

As you can see, the Sport Berkey® on the left has printing directly on the bottle. The “generic” version on the right is an authentic Sport Berkey® but does not have printing or a label on it. The lack of printing results in a lower retail price for folks who don’t need the printing on the bottle.

The Sport Berkey® is manufactured and assembled in the United States of America.

1. Flow Rate
2. Lifespan

The following comses directly from the manufacturers of the Berkey® Water Purification Systems in their testing of this alleged alternative choice against the Black Berkey® Purification Elements:

…we thought we would put this “new” system to the test.

The first test we conducted was a flow rate test. This is what we found:

A fully configured four element Big Berkey® system can produce up to 7 gallons per hour of purified water.⁽¹⁾ By comparison this fully configured alternate system only holds two filter elements (the large diameter of the elements precludes the system from accommodating more than two elements).^(2,3) The alternative system when full only produces a mere 80 ounces per hour. However, the flow rate rapidly decreases as the water level declines. For example, when 70% full, the flow rate declines to approximately 62 ounces per hour. At 50% full the flow rate declines to about 44 ounces per hour and at 1/3 full the flow rate drops to a mere trickle of about 26 ounces per hour (approximately 5 (five) hours to produce a gallon of water). Averaging out the above rates, one would expect a typical run cycle to produce an average of 53 ounces per hour. This is an average of one gallon of water produced every 2 1/2 hours.

So let’s do an economic comparison: Assuming the alternative system is topped off continually, it can produce about 15 gallons per day whereas a fully configured Big Berkey® system can produce about 168 gallons per day. Therefore it takes over eleven of the alternative systems to produce as much water at one Big Berkey® 4X4 system.

So here are the numbers:

Cost of alternative system: $239 x 11: $2,629.00

Cost of Big Berkey® 4×4: $358.00

Savings with Big Berkey® System: $2,271.00

* * * * *

The second test we conducted was designed to validate the claims that the alternative

filters have a lifespan equal to that of the Black Berkey® purification elements.

This test is designed to “overwhelm” the elements with a chemical contaminate in order to determine at what point a chemical breakthrough occurs. We added chlorine (Clorox®) to the water but found that we could not complete the test because after approximately 1-1/4 cups of Clorox had been filtered through the alternative filters, they began to break down. After 1-1/4 cups of Clorox® had been purified through the Black Berkey® elements, they continued to maintain their effectiveness. In the alternate, we decided to compare their respective performance. To do this we inserted both of the test elements, side by side, into a Berkey Light™ housing and added an additional cup of Clorox® to the pre-filtered source water. We also quarantined the water from the alternate filter element from that of the Black Berkey® purification element by inserting a canning jar under the effluent stem of the alternate filter.

Below is what we found:

Early in the Test

The alternate filter is having a hard time keeping up with the flow rate of the Black Berkey®purification element. Note how the Black Berkey® purification element is filling up the entire diameter of the lower chamber while the alternate filter element is only filling up the jar.

Midway through the Test

As the water level in the upper chamber declined, the flow rate of the alternative began losing more and more ground to the water level, produced by the Black Berkey® purification element, inside the larger diameter housing.

End of Test

The Black Berkey® element continued to purify the contaminated water whereas the alternate filter ran slow and continued to excrete a black inky solution.

The above picture illustrates the difference between the two elements in terms of both volume produced and quality of water.

Which one will you depend on for YOUR family?

The above picture again highlights both the difference in flow rates and the quality of water produced by the alternative filter (left) and the Black Berkey® Purification Element (Right) after approximately two cups of Clorox® had been filtered through each element. During an emergency, such as Katrina, in which source water may be laden with heavy chemical contamination. The difference is clear.

* * * * *

Additional Observations & Summary

• The Berkey® system can be primed, set up and begin purifying water in about 20 minutes whereas the alternative system must be conditioned for two days prior to use.(⁴⁾

• The 2 day conditioning process cannot be accelerated by priming the alternate filter elements. When we attempted to do so, the ceramic broke, causing the element to explode.

• The wall thickness of the Black Berkey® elements is approximately 60% greater than the wall thickness of the alternative element.

• The Black Berkey® purification elements remove virus whereas the alternative filter element does not.

• The flow rate of the system is only about 1/11th of the flow rate of a Big Berkey with 4 Black Berkey Purification Elements.⁽⁵⁾

• When performing a Chlorine test, the alternative element began excreting a black inky solution.

• The claim is made that the new system is NSF certified; yet, NSF has no record of their certification.⁽⁶⁾

• Relevant test data is not available for the alternate system.

• Rather than using the expensive plasma welding on the stainless steel housing, which also gives Berkey® systems their beautiful mirror like lustrous shine, the housings use a cheap deep drawn method and make a tinny sound when thumped.

• The foot ring on the bottom of the system is a cheap plastic, instead of rubber, that falls off and is not snug nor does it fit tightly to the system.

If you purchased an alternative choice filter and are not satisfied with its performance, you may be able to return it for a refund. If not, there is no reason to fret because Black Berkey® purification elements can replace the filters in the alternative choice systems. Thus, you can upgrade your system with the power of authentic Black Berkey® Purification Elements.

* * * * *

Footnotes:

¹ Fully configured Big Berkey® water purification system contains 4 Black Berkey® purification elements.

² Fully configured alternate system contains alternate filtration elements.

³ Literature and website claim expansion to 3 elements. System obtained for test purposes did not

physically allow this expansion; the elements were too wide at the base to allow claimed full

expansion.

⁴ Based on assembly instructions which stated: “…fill the upper container fully with cold or room

temperature water. Allow all water to flow into the lower container. Open the spigot and discard the

water in the lower container. Let your system stand unused overnight. Refill upper chamber and

repeat…” In other words, “alternate” system would not be available in an emergency situation until 48

hours after set-up.

⁵ No flow rate is established on “alternate” website or literature.

⁶ Claims NSF 42 certification – no such listing appears on NSF website using any combination of the

alternate name or parent corporation.

Currently, kits for automobiles in the marketplace are limited in what they offer and not geared for all types of weather. In designing this kit, we made it a priority to include tools & items that are commonly needed in a vehicle emergency such as getting stranded during a snowstorm, the car battery dying, or waiting for road-side assistance or the tow-truck to show up. Come rain, shine, snow, or mud you will be better prepared with the EverSafe Emergency Auto Kit.

I, for one, have been curious since the unfolding of this accident, as to how one might be prepared for having to abandon ship? What should I consider in such an event and what kinds of unique supplies would enhance my EDC on a cruise? Here are the main points of what I have found, but please continue your studies to fit other potential situations:

1. Be sure to have the appropriate PFD (Personal Flotation Device) secured & worn properly.
2. Be sure to have an EPIRB (Emergency Positioning Indicator Radio Beacon) with you whenever you’re out on open waters, and activate it immediately when abandoning ship is imminent.
3. Grab the “ditch-bag” if possible, as well as any other flotsam (potentially useful objects) before evacuating, if possible…i.e. fresh water/filter/purifier
4. Secure a safe distance from the sinking vessel within a life-raft/dinghy.
5. Assist other victims as possible.
6. Maintain calm & gather available resources. This includes provisions & means of shelter to reduce exposure to the elements.
7. If with others, establish clear communication & priorities.
8. Assess & continually reassess provisions, situation, & opportunities.
9. Don’t lose hope, maintain morale.

• Abandoning Ship Procedural Recommendations
• Advice for your “Abandon Ship Bag”
• Distress Signals
• How to Abandon Ship
• What to do if your ship capsizes?

navcen.uscg.gov

• Having an abundance of water available for future challenges is meaningless without having reliable methods of water filtration for any of that water you’d use…

Personally, I have quite a bit of emergency water on-hand and this statement is a generality that is simply untrue. Having lots of water is not meaningless. Even if you only had pool water available (which should not be used for drinking water), that amount of water is absolutely useful and valuable for other applications such as washing clothes, dishes, rinsing surfaces, etc.

I store my drinking water in 55 gallon containers that are unused. I purchased them new from a wholesaler who buys directly from the manufacturer, Contico. Although I pre-treat the stored water, I know that the water will be safe to drink even if I am unable to use my Berkey® systems to optimize the water.

• Test results need to identify the initial baseline of invaders before its results can be relied on.

Let’s address bacteria as the author makes specific reference to this in her example. A common misconception held by many individuals is that all bacteria are “bad”. Pathogenic (illness-causing) bacteria and microorganisms are the “invaders” that you want to avoid in your water, food, and simple day-to-day living. The presence of coliform bacteria in your water source is not a fail-safe indicator of pathogens.

Routine testing methods emphasize the testing for indicator rather than pathogenic microbes. In fact, lab testing generally relies on the presence of indicator organisms (organisms whose presence might indicate the presence of pathogenic bacteria as well) to suggest the presence of pathogens. Even so, if the counts of indicator organisms are low, that indicates a low to non-present likelihood of disease-causing bacteria in the sample. By the way, bacteria are usually on the scale of millions and not hundreds.

The author then references her experience with a Berkey® representative and states that he kept referring to the red food coloring test. The manufacturer New Millennium Concepts, Ltd., specifically uses the red food coloring test because of the unique ability of their systems to remove the red color from the water, whereas no other system that compares itself directly with the Berkey® is able to do the same. The red food coloring also assists users to determine whether their Black Berkey® Elements are functioning properly or need replacement.

Berkey® Water Purification Systems have been a well-known brand within this category for more than a decade and have used the term “non-detectable levels” since their start. Lab data has been referenced by the manufacturer for many years now, although many newcomers are just now becoming informed.

• Avoid any water filtration unit which uses the term “up to” as a part of its marketing and technology content.

Again, an inaccurate reference is made here. Berkey® Systems make specific mention to “pathogenic bacteria, cysts, and parasites” and do so specifically: >99.9999%. The bundling of the Berkey® Systems in with statements of other manufacturers is inaccurate, misrepresentative, and misleading. And for those who have suffered a “miserable recovery from a digestive illness,” please research Louis Pasteur’s words in context to your illness: “Bernard avait raison. Le germ n’est rien, c’est le terrain qui est tout.” Translation from French: “Bernard was correct. The germ is nothing; the terrain is everything.”

• The filtration and treatment tests must take into consideration the SIZE of the invaders they are attempting to eliminate.

Personally, I like New Millennium’s statement (link paragraph titled “What is the Micron Rating of the Black Berkey^® purification elements?”) on this particular point, made a few years ago:

With respect to the micron rating, we do not use or publish a micron rating for the Black Berkey^® elements for the following reasons:

There is much confusion with respect to nominal and absolute micron ratings. An absolute micron rating is one that states the maximum pore size expected within an element. The nominal micron rating is the average pore size within the element. This means that if 90% of the pores are .02 microns and ten percent are 2.0 microns, one could claim the nominal micron rating as 0.2 microns, which would imply that pathogenic bacteria and parasites would be totally removed. But in reality the bulk of the water would channel through the larger 2-micron pores and thereby allow both bacteria and parasites to pass through. Therefore a nominal micron-rating claim can be very misleading.

With respect to the absolute micron rating, there is also confusion because there are two different standards to determine absolute; in the US the standard is 99.9% removal, but the international standard in 99.99% removal or 10 times greater removal.

Clever marketers of products can use the confusion over the above differences to make product “A” appear to be better than product “B” when product B may be far superior in reality. For example, we used to report an absolute rating using the international standard because we have a large international customer base. Several years ago we published a rating on our ceramic filters. A particular company began to publish that our elements were .9 microns whereas theirs were .2 microns. However, our micron rating was based on absolute (international) while theirs was based on a nominal (US) rating. When tested at Spectrum Labs, it was found that at the 0.2 to 0.3 microns range our filter removed more particulate than the other brand. Unfortunately, many people make their purchasing decisions based on a micron rating that can be legitimately distorted and to a significant degree.

We soon became weary of trying to explain the above to our customers and so we decided not to participate any longer in publishing a micron rating. Rather, we think an absolute pathogenic bacteria removal rate is a far better gauge because it is far more difficult to abuse. Based on that criterion, the Black Berkey^® elements remove greater than 99.9999999% of pathogenic bacteria such as E.coli. To our knowledge, no other personal filtration element can match that capability. In fact, the Black Berkey^® elements are so powerful, they are unique in their ability to mechanically remove red food coloring from water.

• Sure it cleans the water, but how long do I have to wait?! It’s all about the contact time.

It is no revelation that contact time is one of the key operating principles behind the success of the Black Berkey® Purification Elements! Of course, the proprietary media which is impregnated into the coconut-shell carbon of the Black Elements is also at work in addressing the contaminants, as well as the amount of carbon used in the elements themselves.

We’re definitely looking forward to reading the second part of that author’s post.

One particular troop outing comes to mind. In all my preparation before the event I had momentarily considered packing some gear other than the light snow gear I had in my pack. I did not take my wool gloves because I didn’t think they’d be necessary. Boy was I wrong. I was also wrong about carrying less food because I wanted a lighter pack.

photo credit: georgeruns

The day came that we arrived at our drop-off point and began our hike through the valley and up the mountains. Almost 4-6 hours into our hike, the winds began to pick up and and the temperature began to drop. It was no later than 2 pm but the visibility was cut because of a haze forming. Within 20 minutes the weather completely darkened, bringing with it torrential rain. For a large portion of those 20 minutes we could not decide if we should continue up the trail in hopes of finding a good location for shelter, or if we should bunker down where we were. It turned out that we wasted critical time because of indecision. By the time we could proceed no further, we were already wet, winds were moving fast, and we were somewhat disoriented. We frantically labored to throw up our tents but the winds seemed to mock our efforts.

Eventually, we were able to shelter ourselves but the storm continued to pound upon us as we shifted gear inside the tents, working to prevent the walls from bearing down upon us. My buddy and I began eating some of our foods because our frantic energy expenditures had left us shaking for warmth. It is now clear that our bodies were following their natural inclination to create warmth by muscle spasms. Such shaking was taking its toll on our ATP and so food was necessary to replenish our energy levels.

I had successfully changed into dry clothes although the inside of my tent was a bit wet. I can still recall that my hands began to itch and my fingers ached terribly. The storm continued to rage on beyond 6 pm, although one might have guessed that it was already midnight. We were stuck.

Two more hours passed. It was now 8 pm and the storm continued its menacing fury. My hands still hurt and nothing seemed to provide enough warmth. I remember thinking to myself that I was possibly experiencing frostnip. The redness in their color had changed to a hint of purple and the fine motor control of my fingers was concerning to me. I recall that at some point, I had held a very hot cup of hot chocolate in my hands and was unable to feel the heat. I don’t remember how I stopped holding the cup because I should have sustained a burn from its heat.

***

Our group endured the freezing rain and at the first sign of light in the morning, one of our leaders hiked out to the ranger’s location to radio for rescue. A few hours later a SAR team arrived and helped us make it back to safety, outside of the storm which continued over the next couple of days.

I can still recall how grateful I was to smell the Egg McMuffins and hash browns that were awaiting us in the vehicles there to pick us up. After brief medical check-ups by the medics there, we headed back home with a story to share with our families.

That experience gave me the practical knowledge that having a lighter pack is not always the wisest solution, especially at the expense of adequate preparedness. I also learned that I should follow my adventurer’s gut instincts a little better. I should have taken my wool sniper gloves with me which would have helped in retaining heat, although the wool would have been wet.

In another post, I’ll share my experience in the Sierra Nevada mountains with a friend’s exposure to hypothermia. He shouldn’t have tried walking on that frozen lake. He nearly died.