11. it's something you can enjoy at sea, on the beach in Bali, in the
Nevada desert, abroad during an attempted coup wondering what the hell
is going on outside, or in the privacy of your home.

Remember the attempted coup by communist hardliners during the last days
of the Soviet Union? The Russians had to rely on SW to tell them what
was going on.


a guy i worked with was in Beijing during the suppression of the
student actions in Tiananmen Square after Gorbachev visited China.
They tried to take his passport... he said he was sure glad he had
that shortwave. I figure an 'average' person could relate to that,
being surrounded by cops in a hotel and not knowing what the hell is
going on outside.