I recently abandoned academia mid-pursuit of a PhD. While I was still involved the research group I was in focused on heliophysics. My best friend within that group is specifically studying the Earth’s geomagnetic cutoff (a value/function that characterizes the strength of Earth’s magnetic field by location).
I talked with him a couple weeks ago and he mentioned that the recent data he was looking at suggested we might be approaching peak magnetic reversal. If this is true, it’s occurring while the Sun is also undergoing its peak reversal within the ~11 yr solar cycle…so we could get a double dose of cosmic fun-times. Not only wildness directly from our magnetic field, but also more moments of high-energy solar wind activity (which our planet’s magnetic field is the primary defense against).
Hadn’t really added this to the list of “oh crap…” items, but definitely might deserve a spot.
You’re talking about a complex system. They’re all connected problems. Even if we had 1/5th or 1/10th the population we would eventually have an energy crisis if we never address it. So too with all the others. The crises wouldn’t be averted with lower population, they would only be delayed.
Fundamentally we have a human nature problem. A biological nature problem. We’re adapted to something completely different than we’ve created and that eventually leads to a clash, which Nature ultimately wins. Unless we can somehow figure out a way to overcome those basic drives (which lead to boom/bust growth cycles in basically all of biology) we’re doomed from the start.
The person, Robert Beaty, in the videos Danina posted did another video where he talks about looking for other filters that might fit the Berkey filter units. But in addition, he identifies OTHER water filters that don’t have the actual certifications they claim to have for meeting NSF standards. One of these was Alexapure, the water filter sold on MyPatriotSupply.com. I went to buy it quickly, to replace my now no-longer-trusted Berkey water filter, then found Robert’s other video putting the Alexapure (and others) into question! The video is titled: “It’s not just Berkey - Betrayed by AlexaPure, AquaCera, ProOne/ProPur, PureWell…” I’ll post the link below.
Danina, thank you so much for bringing this issue to light!! It is disgusting how prevalent fraud seems to be!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0jA6QGcgB4
Berkey was my main midterm water solution for after we run out of stored water. It sounds like I need to find something else fast. Anybody have any idea what would be the best option to replace it? Are there any countertop gravity filters that actually work well?
Looks like ZeroWater might be the way to go.
https://youtu.be/ja0ioX6GSz0
I hear-you, murray-grazier. I have a feeling there are a lot of us who thought we had our water-filtering requirements taken care of, who now need to find a more trustworthy replacement before it is too late.
I ended up with a “lifestraw community” unit… no idea if its any better… so reviewers had it in the top 4 along with Berkey…it was just what I could find and afford at the time
So I called up MyPatriotSupply.com to tell them my concerns about the AlexaPure Water Filter not actually meeting the NSF standards they claim to meet (per Robert Beaty’s video I posted above) (Note 1). But the woman I was talking to said the filter had been tested, and showed me where they actually had the test results online on MyPatriotSupply.com. Just looking at those results, one might think AlexaPure was a good product.
However, it turns out that the lab that produced those test results on AlexaPure was EnviroTek, the same lab Robert discusses in the video Danina posted, Berkey Sued: Class Action Lawsuit…" . Robert had observed that the test results produced by EnviroTek on the Crown Berkey Water Filter were highly inconsistent with (and much better than) those found by the IAPMO accredited lab, used for the class action lawsuit, that tests to the NSF standards (~2:25 in video). E.g., the IAPMO Lab found chloramine was only reduced by 56.3%, and nitrates by only 8%. So if the IAPMO Lab is the more credible lab, then one might legitimately question whether the higher EnviroTek Lab results can be trusted. Not only for the Big Berkey Filter, but also for the AlexaPure Water Filter (and others) that stand on those test results.
I wanted to make this info available to others who might have been considering the AlexaPure Water Filter as a replacement for the Berkey, FWIW. I also wanted to throw this out there in case others with a stronger scientific background want to check into this, and assess the information.
(Note 1) Why? Because I ordered the AlexaPure Filter from MyPatriotSupply when I learned the Berkey Filter appeared untrustworthy. But then I attempted to cancel the order an hour later, after seeing Roberts video “It’s Not Just Berkey…”. But it was too late. To MyPatriotSupply’s credit, they did tell me I can refuse the UPS delivery, and then get a refund…sigh!
Certainly there can’t be any switcheroos happening on “certified organic” stuff, right?
You are right Barbara, when I was born in the early 60’s the world population was about 3 billion. When my father was born (early 1930’s) the population was 2 billion. His 90th birthday will be in December. There has been a quadrupling of the global population in his lifetime!
Hmmm, all very troubling. Especially for me as I am a Berkey dealer and have been for a bit more than 10 years now. Have I also been deceived and taken for a ride?
Personally we have been using the Berkey filters for 15 years now. During our years on Crete we filtered what the locals called “agricultural water” which was used to water the olive trees. I had to scrub the filters about once a month as they would get all gunked up with green/brown slime on the surface of the filters. The filtered water was clear to the eye and had a pleasant soft mouth feel. While we were living in the UK the lower chamber where the filtered water is would develop a gritty layer after a few months. It was very hard water and the filters apparently raise the pH of the water which causes the minerals to precipitate out as they are less able to stay in solution as evidenced by the build up in the lower chamber. So the filters were apparently doing something, whether they were doing what NMCL claims is impossible for me to ascertain without having the filters extensively tested by an independent lab and I don’t have that kind of money.
My contact with NMCL through the years has been generally positive and I’ve never had my spidey sense go off that things were not on the up and up. They are a family owned business and do their best to protect us, their dealers, from the predatory practices of Amazon and their ilk. They also do not sell in the big box stores in the US (that’s what I’m told in any case), I don’t see them here in the Netherlands in the chain stores. Nonetheless I’m no chemist or engineer so it would be relatively easy to fool me on technical matters of which I have no deep understanding. At the moment these are only allegations and have not been proven in a court of law. What a court of law is worth these days is of course open to debate.
NMCL in a letter to dealers vigorously denies these allegations (as they would of course) and says the test results the plantiffs are presenting are based upon the use of Berkey knock-offs and not authentic Black Berkey filters. Apparently the American market is saturated with counterfeit and knock-off filters. This wouldn’t surprise me. Just as an aside NMCL has to my knowledge never claimed that the Black Berkey filters remove nitrates.
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, also tested various water filters and Berkey came out way ahead of the competition. Was he also hoodwinked or is he in on the fraud? It strikes me as unlikely, but who knows.
We’ll see how this plays out. As if these times weren’t threatening and uncertain enough, this extra curveball should help me sleep better at night.
And then you have to read very carefully ordering replacement filters, I see on Amazon there are genuine ZeroWater filters and at least one other brand, Aquaquest I think, that says something like “a replacement for ZeroWater filter xxxxxx.” Who knows what requirement that meets.
It sound like in Crete you were using the white ceramic Berkey filters?
Thanks for all the background info. Obviously in an emergency, Berkey or even knock off Berkey filters would probably be a lot better than nothing.
No we were using the Black Berkey filters. The white ceramic filters are used in the British Berkefield sytems. The names are so similar that confusion often arises between Berkefield and Berkey.
I have used the white ceramic filters they are fine in my Berkey unit.
Yes, sorry I wasn’t clear. The Black Berkey filters and the white Doulton filters are interchangeable and can be used in both units, Berkey and Berkefield.
And I think the white “Daulton” filters were the ones advertising their use by Missionaries in foreign lands for decades.
So here is a reputable filter fitting Berkey units that should be considered:
https://doulton.com/go-portable
Made by a China (in the best way) company desde 1826.
So if you favor the Missionary position take a look and maybe keep the Berkey?
Audio/video
Great content Chris, thank you very much.
A bit of AV advise: EQ the high frequencies of the Shure up a bit. 8 Khz is a good starting point. And you are a bit low in the frame. Your eyes at a third from the top gives a more balanced composition.
Limited Energy?
Regarding the finite earth idea—we also have to take into account the tremendous amount of energy coming from the sun which is a renewing factor. Our problem is how to extract and use energy more efficiently. There’s no lack of it.
The fact is that there has always been a problem with the poor even in Biblical times. Depending on how you estimate it, only 2 to 4% of the earth’s land mass is occupied by humans. Perhaps we lack wisdom and love more than resources.