March 22, 2009
Adjusting to A Celiac Diet
As you learn that you need to conform to a gluten-free diet you will need to adjust your lifestyle, not only your diet. Luckily, more and more data is available regarding how to live gluten-free. You will also discover quite a few new gluten-free groceries and more accommodating marking from producers.
For starters anyone with a symptom of gluten intolerance must become informed about certain gluten-free staples to maintain on hand. These are components that may be substituted for the standard gluten-containing flours to make more adequate gluten-free recipes for you and your loved ones.
Gluten enables the distinct texture in cooked goods because it traps pockets of air. Gluten gives bread its elasticity and helps keep baked goods from crumbling and falling apart. Sometimes it is also used to quickly thicken various sauces.
Substituting gluten-free flours alone will not replace these lost attributes. When using a gluten-free flour mixture a gluten substitute should be added to the mix to imitate the qualities of real gluten. Two common gluten replacements are xanthum gum and guar gum. These can generally be found online or at a health or natural food store.
It is also useful to keep a quality flour mixture and gluten substitute on hand. A gluten-free flour mixture consists of a mix of gluten-free flours. You may want to try a few to acquire the gluten-free flour mixture you enjoy best. Then when you are prepared to bake just add a gluten substitute to the blend and you’re ready to bake.
DISCLAIMER: I wish my telling my little tale assists individuals visiting this blog, but please note that I am not a doctor so you should consult with a medical doctor before taking any medical suggestions from the World Wide Web.
Filed under Beyond Random Ramblings by Arjuna
Epiphone guitars have a long story. Epiphone was a family business established in 1873 by Anastasios Stathopoulo, a greek violin maker, as “the House of Stathopoulo”. In 1923 they incorporated and at this stage made mostly high quality and fancy banjos. In 1928 the name was changed to “Epiphone” after Epi Stathopoulo, chairman of the company and one of the founder’s sons. In the 1930’s, the company modified its emphasis to guitars. Epiphone successfully switched to guitar production.
The C.G. Conn Company (a band instrument builder) bought Epiphone in 1953 and moved production to Philidelphia (although the labels still said New York). This was done because New York Epiphone workers were in conflict with the Stathopoulio family. Later, in 1955, the Stathopoulo family regained control, but few if any instruments were made in 1956 and 1957.
Epiphone guitars draw interest from different kinds of buyers. Someone collects older Epiphones as vintage guitars. Others buy the newer Epiphones as habitual playing and performance guitars, whether they find them new or used. Epiphone belongs to the Gibson family of brands. Many modern Epiphone models closely track the models sold under the Gibson brand, but they are considerably less expensive. Debate rages among guitar players as to whether the price differential is justified.
Many believe that Gibson brand guitars are of higher quality, and worth higher prices. Others love their Epiphones, and wouldn’t trade them for any other guitars. Meanwhile, vintage guitar collectors prize older Epiphones partly for their historical interest.
I collect and play mostly vintage Gibson guitars and recently started purchasing Epiphones to give the Gibsons a break. I have been very amused with the new Prophecy series from Epiphone. Futuras with the EMG’s and the SG GX with the Dirty Fingers all play and sound huge. I started purchasing Dirty Fingers PUP’s two years ago to replace standard Epiphone PUP’s in my other Epiphones when they first became available from Gibson. I’m very happy. Epiphone had the same idea and made this an easy purchase without my having to reconfigure the electronics. All I can say is if you get a chance to get a Epiphone Prophecy series guitar, buy it while they are still available. They are more than worth the small investment if you are a serious musician.
As a absolutely fan of Gibson guitars it very likely doesn’t surprise you that there are a lot of Epiphone guitars that I would buy and that I have recommended to other people. Epiphone’s are great for people who enjoy the look and feel of a Gibson, especially the Les Paul style guitars, but who’s budget doesn’t allow the luxury of a Gibson. Obviously if anyone thinks to compare the Epiphone Les Paul with a Gibson Les Paul, he has unrealistic expectations. But having said that, most Epiphones sound pretty well with some new strings and a set up. If you invest a few more dollars into a new set up pickups, you can really get some fantastic sounds that would be more than appropriate for a live application.
The Epiphone Les Pauls aren’t the only guitars that Epiphone makes. Their hollowbody and semi hollow body guitars are indeed great instruments and have tremendous value in terms of the quality of tone versus the price that you pay. And most of the Epiphone hollowbodys I have ever played play excellent right out of the box. Again you will very likely want to take it to your local guitar shop and get it set up with some new strings and maybe new pickups for the truely ambitious that want to customize their sound. But if you do that, you will have a great sounding guitar for a very affordable price and you don’t have to buy new pickups or get a set up as part of your initial cost so it makes it that much more affordable. If you love Gibsons but can’t really make that kind of financial committment for a guitar, I recommend trying an Epiphone and see how you like it. I think you will be intensely enthusiastic.
The Epiphone Tony Iommi Signature G-400 Electric Guitar is what you want for heavy hitting sound. Classic SG attitude is enhanced with black chrome hardware, mother-of-pearl cross fingerboard inlays and, on the solid mahogany body, a matching black finish. The Gibson USA Tony Iommi pickups put out the firepower required for maximum destruction and the slim-tapered mahogany neck is fast. Epiphone guitars can be a big surprise!
Starting from 1873, Epiphone instruments have been proudly played and endorsed by professional musicians. And while every Epiphone is the result of over 126 years of experience working directly with musicians, only a few embody a single artists individual creativity and spirit. The Epiphone Signature Collection guitars are as mythical and as individual as the artists themselves. The Les Paul guitar is equivalent of Rock and Roll. No other guitar is so powerful and and gives you the sustain and the sound of a Les Paul. If its got Les Pauls signature on the headstock, its the real thing… Don’t accept substitutes!
Filed under Beyond Random Ramblings by Arjuna
Do you suspect your water source is contaminated? Anything practical and economical that you can do to protect the health and safety of your family from harmful substances in your drinking water should be a high priority. A reverse osmosis system may be the solution to your drinking and cooking water quality problems.
At the heart of the reverse osmosis system is the membrane. The size of the pores in the membrane is .001 microns. Many of the impurities found in water such as bacteria, pyrogens, viruses, pesticides, hydrocarbons, radioactive contaminants, turbidity, colloidal matter, chlorine, detergents, industrial wastes, asbestos, dissolved solids, sodium, calcium, magnesium, sulfates and cadmium will not pass this barrier. Instead, they are drained out. What passes through is pure water.
The membrane isn’t the only critical component of the reverse osmosis system. In addition, there is usually a pre-filter and a post filter that come before and after the membrane in the RO set up respectively. The pre-filter blocks sediment such as sand, silt and dirt in the water from entering through. There may be another pre-filter that uses carbon to remove chlorine which may have a negative effect on some types of membranes. Then after the membrane there is usually a carbon post filter that eliminates any remaining odor or tastes in the purified water.
When you have looked at the alternatives to a reverse osmosis system for filtering your home drinking and cooking water and decided that having a RO installed is your best solution, then you should shop around for the system which uses high quality filters and membranes. These are the two most critical components of the system and the level of quality in these parts is what makes one system better than another. Less quality in these key components means performance will suffer, impurities will pass through and unnecessary downtime will have to be experienced. Therefore, you must not let a bargain influence your buying decision, but rather purchase a RO system manufactured by a company with a good reputation and service.
Filed under Beyond Random Ramblings by Arjuna