Jalousies, or louvered windows. The best way to clean them (Revised)

By Jeffrey the Barak. This is the fifth rewrite of this old article, because research is ongoing. I have hundreds of jalousie panes to clean at home. I live in Hawai’i where they are very popular, as they are good for allowing the trade winds keep the house cool. Cleaning these multiple panes of glass… Read More Jalousies, or louvered windows. The best way to clean them (Revised)

October 4, 2022December 6, 2022 thebarak7 Comments

Instant Coffee is no longer horrible

By Jeffrey the Barak. The mega-villain of the coffee world is not necessarily that jar of instant coffee, its that metal or plastic canister of ground filter coffee. Some Overlap: We have always assumed that instant coffee is the worst, and pre-ground, a generally stale filter coffee, is a little better. But surprisingly there are… Read More Instant Coffee is no longer horrible

December 27, 2021December 6, 2022 thebarakLeave a comment

Trim, Don’t Shave! Philips Norelco OneBlade, Face and Body

By Jeffrey the Barak. This is an independent customer/user review. No compensation, discount, reward or free-items were received by the writer. This inexpensive device can replace all razors, shavers, and trimmers and leave you comfortable. and non-irritated. It is so good that I was driven to share my impressions in this magazine review. This OneBlade… Read More Trim, Don’t Shave! Philips Norelco OneBlade, Face and Body

December 17, 2019December 6, 2022 thebarak1 Comment

Switching from mechanical analog, to quartz digital watches

By Jeffrey the Barak. I have been a quite an avid watch collector and flipper for some time, buying and selling my way through dozens of wildly different styles, (mostly Seiko), albeit with three periods of minimalist one-watch heaven. I have always preferred dive watches and big watches, and been a heavy user of the… Read More Switching from mechanical analog, to quartz digital watches

June 23, 2018December 6, 2022 thebarak2 Comments

Stop Damping Your Drums

By Jeffrey the Barak. Damping, otherwise known as muting or muffling. When finally realizing that each part of the drum kit is a musical instrument, the common practice of damping becomes unadvisable. How many drummers take thousands of dollars worth of craftsman made drums and detune them, put on double-ply heads, slap yards of duct… Read More Stop Damping Your Drums

March 30, 2018December 6, 2022 thebarakLeave a comment

Ojo Commuter Scooter Review

By Jeffrey the Barak. If Dr. Seuss were to illustrate a motor scooter, it might get skinnier and taller, and the wheels might get smaller, and it would probably look a lot like this OJO. I bought the black one, from Best Buy who were selling these for a while. I think they no longer… Read More Ojo Commuter Scooter Review

January 30, 2018December 6, 2022 thebarak1 Comment

Falling out of love with electronic drums

By Jeffrey the Barak. They were so good for while. What could be better? You make a tiny little sound in your apartment, and your headphones deliver a drum sound, as big as you like. any size drum, any amount of reverb, any tuning. A dream, yes? Well yes, but I have decided that they… Read More Falling out of love with electronic drums

August 19, 2016December 6, 2022 thebarak1 Comment

Roland Octapad SPD-30 as a mini-kit. A real drummer’s review

By Jeffrey the Barak. Wait a minute, it’s 2016. Why would someone write a review of an SPD-30 now, when it came out in 2010? Good question. Firstly it’s still the newest model, and secondly, I just bought one, for the following reason. I am now in a situation where having a big drum set… Read More Roland Octapad SPD-30 as a mini-kit. A real drummer’s review

February 5, 2016December 6, 2022 thebarak45 Comments

NAMM 2016 – A quest for a compact multipad drum kit

By Jeffrey the Barak. Having the opportunity this year to attend NAMM, that is the National Association of Music Merchants Incorporated, show, in Anaheim, California, I decided to take a very selective approach and set off on a quest for a professional-quality, tiny, electronic drum set, that can be played with sticks. The Show Briefly,… Read More NAMM 2016 – A quest for a compact multipad drum kit

January 25, 2016December 6, 2022 thebarak7 Comments

Sweetened Condensed Milk, Goodbye Old Friend

By Jeffrey the Barak. For the last thirty years or so, I have been slightly unwell. A constant pressure, bloating, inflammation. The ever present acid inside. I have taken pills and put up with it, and even become used to it except when it really flared up. I gave up wheat ten years ago and… Read More Sweetened Condensed Milk, Goodbye Old Friend

December 11, 2015December 6, 2022 thebarak6 Comments

sputterfree

December 20, 2015

An encouraging article–about your new diet. Contrarily, I simply refer to my present diet as the Sputtering Anus Diet; and I do need to change and experiment!

I’m going to try a low FODMAPS diet. For the longest time, I didn’t know what this acronym meant, and assumed it was some kind of silliness. But I was dead wrong. It just refers to the kind of short-chain sugars that many people can’t digest effectively. The foods you list in your article are all allowed on a FODMAPS diet.

So I’m tossing a half-eaten onion bulb, a few garlic cloves, some frozen peas, nine blackberries, a partial loaf of bread, mushrooms, and a small amount of applesauce.

And no more yogurt. As we age, our lactase (enzyme) production tends to wane. Will keep some cheddar cheese as it is very low sugar (lactose).

FODMAPS is my new favorite term as it provides some hope of improvement, and your article provided the impetus to do a little investigation.

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sputterfree

December 22, 2015

Looking back, similarly to the Barack, I can first recall having a distended/bloated abdomen about 30 or more years ago. I was thin then and a little confused, and attributed the effect to practicing breathing exercises. Later I thought it was visceral fat. Now I suspect it was the beginning of an intestinal gas problem. When it’s not distended, it’s occasionally rather flat, depending on my current BMI.

When I have an appointment, I methodically release gas on the toilet at home and then in the parking lot before entering the waiting room and hope the appointment isn’t delayed. When I answer the multiple bladder calls at night on the toilet, each instance includes a sputtering gas release. And so on and so on, throughout each day, week, month, and years

I’ve begun my new low FODMAPS regimen, but not without a few mistakes. I had a few cashews before I realized certain nuts were off limits; so I’ve switched to peanuts. Almonds need to be controlled (ten max).

To replace yogurt, I’m now using lactose-free milk (it’s treated with lactase). I’ve studied many of the FODMAPS charts on the internet, and there are a few differences.

I did eject a surprisingly large stool this morning even though my fiber intake on FODMAPS is probably less than before. Perhaps this should be considered encouraging.

If this approach doesn’t help, then I may try digestive enzyme/HCL supplements. Robb Wolfe (Crossfit) likes the NOW brand. The enzymes should be enteric-coated so that they’re available in the intestinal tract.

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sputterfree

May 7, 2016

I finally found something that works for me. My basic problem seems to be digestive weakness, and not so much particular foods. I’m now taking a broad-based digestion-aiding dietary supplement and the improvement was immediate. This approach was recommended by an ND who wrote about floating stools and toilet water with a fatty sheen. In the past, floating stools were a popular health goal, supposedly associated with higher levels of Type 1 prostaglandins; but this view may have changed.

The supplement includes components (HCL and pepsin) that work on protein in the stomach and others that work in the intestine on carbohydrates and fats. I’m taking one capsule after each meal and may increase to two for possibly even better results. Also, I may add “enteric-coated” enzymes for greater activity in the intestine.

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sputterfree

May 14, 2016

Okay, I’ve changed my view on enteric-coated enzymnes.

The need for enteric-coated seems to be a myth. The plant-based enzymes used by supplement manufacturers remain active in a 2-9 pH range, so they’re not damaged in the stomach acid. Also, some of the enzymes function in both the stomach and the intestine, and this effect would be blocked in the stomach by enteric coatings.

Interesting observation: Since I’ve been using this digestion-aiding product, I virtually no longer have a need for toilet paper. “Passage” is simply a much cleaner process now. Oh, I do a test with a couple squares each time, and also tidy up sometimes during the day; but otherwise I have eight rolls in storage that are simply going to last a very long time.

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Marcia bernard

March 4, 2021

A have bad acid reflux.gasritis these things sometimes am feeling really sad n crying because of how a feel..stomach pain bloating gassy headache nausea .pain at my right side.shakeyness n all .am so tired of this acid reflux my head feels light sometimes..a pray to God for healing ..sometimes a lose weight sometimes a gain alittle..but a still have faith ..right at this moment am trying herbs n so far inna few days am feeling much better.what else to try?

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1. editor
  
  March 4, 2021
  
  Hi Marcia. It is an actual medical condition, so while praying and herbs might cheer you up a bit, neither can cure it. Assuming you really have a reaction to dairy and not something else (wheat is usually the prime suspect), it is now known that cow’s milk is not a necessary part of the human diet. If you love to drink and use milk, try oat “milk” instead of the real cow’s milk. Your symptoms seem severe so you should talk to your doctor.
  
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