How important is the radio in your car, home, office or anywhere? It was very important at one time and the evenings entertainment too.
For decades, AM radio has felt as commonplace as a utility, such a basic fact of life that it’s taken for granted. But that’s changing: Across America, AM radio stations are dwindling in number and profitability, as better-sounding FM signals become cheaper to broadcast and would-be listeners turn to the internet for entertainment.
Yet even in decline, it has a strength that politicians and media insiders who want to understand America would do well to heed. In 2019, thousands of AM stations remain on the air, many of them thriving—in part because they serve unique sets of people whose voices aren’t always heard loudly. For generations, it was considerably cheaper to buy or start an AM station than any other form of mass media, making ownership more accessible to people of color, immigrants, non-English speakers and those with political views outside the mainstream. Without the line-of-sight restrictions of FM radio, AM radio can also cover vast geographic areas, and so remains a staple of rural media. Even now, if you tune into the right frequency on a clear summer night, you can hear a broadcast from half a continent away—listening in on the kinds of conversations that shape identity and politics far outside the Beltway.
For devotees eager to preserve the format, AM has a would-be savior in Washington: Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai. Better known as a free-market “net neutrality” deregulator, Pai launched an effort to revitalize AM several years ago, shortly after becoming an FCC commissioner. Growing up in Parsons, Kansas, in the 1970s and ’80s, Pai has said he listened to AM radio with his parents, who had come to the United States from India with “little more than $10 in their pockets and a radio.” But purists are concerned that in his efforts to save AM radio, Pai might be inadvertently killing off what makes it unique, potentially curtailing long-distance AM broadcasters and moving more of its broadcasts to FM.
Over the past few months, Politico Magazine has drawn on radio ratings and conversations with broadcasting experts to identify some of the most distinct voices on the AM dial. They include a sheep farmer who reports on the agricultural industry for a vast rural audience; an icon of inner-city Baltimore who inspired a character on “The Wire”; and one of the only on-air personalities who broadcasts in the Navajo language. Some are conservative, some are liberal, some avoid politics altogether. In these photos, by Politico’s M. Scott Mahaskey, we glimpse what is being lost when AM radio stations disappear: not just call signs, but places where community is built.
called Hydroviv and compare it to other filters that are commercially available on the market. As many of you know, I really am not a big fan of granular activated carbon filters (GAC). I know that this is the worst way to filter water and over time, water will create pathways around the carbon no matter how tight it is packed.
marketing material, they never really say that TDS is bad or a health concern. They just say that will get it down to zero. I am much more concerned about chemicals & metals than I am about trace minerals (which I want in my water) which might cause a little bit higher TDS reading. If you really want to test your water quality, you need to send it to a lab and have it checked out. It will cost between $100 to $200, which is cheaper than cancer. Don’t rely on a chinese TDS meter, they are a joke.
far back as 2015. I was also a little skeptical about their independent testing…which there is none. I mean, how can you have a filter that claims to remove lead but your filters have not been independently tested based on the design of your filter and how the water flows through & interacts with the carbon media inside the system. Just because you find a filter media (
filtration companies that I like (Berkey, MSR) they use solid carbon block filters. Everything that I have read, all of the testing that I done, all of the data that I have reviewed says that carbon blocks are superior to GAC filters. Yes, the Epic Smart Shield
is a few bucks more but when you dive into the details of the products the Smart Shield is worth every penny. Also, the 
is an American made carbon block filter that has been tested and certified to 3 different NSF/ANSI drinking water standards by an independent laboratory. Unfortunately, Hydroviv & Woder decided against independent third party testing leaving their customers to worry if their filters are really working properly. As you can see from this picture, I cut open both the Woder and the Epic Smart Shield and put them side by side. Think about trying to get water through that thick carbon block filter vs. the loose packed carbon sand. You can shake the Epic Smart Shield all day along and you will not hear it make any noise. 🙂 It is solid brick of carbon. Here is a quick overview of the three different under the sink water filter products.
in place.
to help us in similar situations!
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communication systems like 
, temporary shelters like
, small tools like 
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, torches,
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, and the list continues… Getting the right equipment and gear for your needs requires some amount of analysis of your situation, your location, and of course your priorities and needs.
you would need to help see you through a calamity!
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