Book Review: Impeach

 

Impeach was written by Neal Katyal, a former member of the Department of Justice, former acting Solicitor General, and current professor at Georgetown Law School in the run-up to the first impeachment of the former president. It was written when some, but not all, of the information about the phone call between the former president and Ukraine's President, Zelenksyy was made public, but before the actual impeachment proceedings started.  

The book is fairly short, with just over 150 pages of substantive text, then an Appendix with reprinted documents such as the whistleblower complaint and the White House counsel's letter to Congress, and then a bunch of footnotes. In the book, Katyal lays out the history of impeachment, and its roots in the Federalist Papers, which were the precursor to the US Constitution, explains things like what High Crimes and Misdemeanors meant to the founders and lays out the process. Katyal then laid out what he felt was the strongest case against the former president, why it would be dangerous not to impeach the former president, and what Katyal felt should (and should not) be included in the articles of impeachment. 

Overall, the book does a good job laying out Katyal's argument without getting bogged down in too much legalese. I would describe the book as having a tone that is somewhere between an op-ed in the newspaper and a law review article. It is an interesting read, but not what I would call a must-read, especially now, years later when the events of the first impeachment have been left in the dust and overshadowed by the events leading up to and following January 6th.

Book Review: The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation

 

The Betrayal of Anne Frank is the end result of an extensive investigation by a group of cold-case investigators who tried to determine who provided the tip to the police that led to the capture of Anne Frank, her family, and four other people who were hiding in an Annex to Otto Frank's (Anne's father) old business in Amsterdam in August of 1944. The book is in part a history lesson, detailing the experience of the Jews living in Amsterdam during World War II, and in part a detailing of the extensive investigation that the team of researchers undertook to figure out who tipped off the police that people were hiding in the building. While the author does not claim to provide an absolute answer, she does present a hypothesis based on the best available evidence (which included tracking down documents scattered throughout Europe, going through past interviews of the people with firsthand knowledge of the events, and interviewing as many living relatives of the people involved as possible).

The substantive part of the book is about 300 pages long, and then in the paperback version, there are a couple of epilogues, including one in which the author defends the work of the investigative team against the pushback against their conclusions and the criticism that the book received, especially in the Netherlands. Then there are several pages of footnotes. It is a very interesting read, and if you are into history, especially European history during World War II, this is definitely worth your time.

Book Review: Pursuit of Honor: (Mitch Rapp Series Book 12 Chronological Order; Book 10 Publication Order)

 

Pursuit of Honor was, at the time it was published in 2009, the 10th book in the series of spy/terrorist hunter novels written by the late author, Vince Flynn, set around the character of Mitch Rapp. It is the 12th book in the series if you read them in chronological order.

This book is set approximately a week after the events in the prior novel, Extreme Measures, and the story is partly to finish off the storyline that began in Extreme Measures and partly to set up the prequel novel that Flynn was to write next, titled American Assassin, which was going to essentially tell Mitch Rapp's origin story. So, Flynn threw in details about Rapp's training with Stan Hurley and expanded Hurley's role in this novel. Flynn also did wrap up the previous storyline, bringing that to a thrilling and satisfying conclusion.

Ultimately, the story is very good, and Flynn does continue with many of the themes that he had used in the prior book, probably most notably, bringing the whole are enhanced interrogation techniques torture, and does it work debate into the storyline. As most are aware, Flynn was a conservative and definitely brought the conservative viewpoint and talking points into the story. He probably did so more in this novel than he did in the prior books in the series, but he still had the character of Rapp be disgusted with pretty much all of the politicians in the story, regardless of what side of the aisle they were on, which from what I remember of his interviews in the twin cities on the local sports talk station, pretty close to Flynn's own view of politicians. But, Flynn does prove he is not immune to nonsensical arguments by trying to equate partial-birth abortion, which is not a thing in real-life and only exists in conservative fever dreams, to torture. 

The book is an intermediate length at a little over 400 pages, but like the other books in the series reads pretty quickly. So, if you have read any of the other books, this one will probably take you about the same amount of time to get through. Chances are, whether you are reading this as the 10th book or the 12th, you are a fan of the series and the characters. If you have liked the prior books you will probably like this one. If the prior books have done nothing for you, then this one is not likely to change your mind.

Supplement Review: Lions Mane Mushroom Supplement Gummies - Organic Mushroom Gummies - Reishi, Cordyceps, Turkey tail, Maitake, Shitake, Chaga

 

This mushroom supplement blends different types of mushrooms (like Turkey Tail, Shitake, and Chaga) into a good-tasting gummy. A serving size is two gummies, with about 30 servings per container. These have some sugar, so they taste better than some other mushroom gummy supplements but are not as friendly for those who are doing a low-carb or keto diet. So, if you are someone like me, who wants to get some of the health benefits of mushrooms, but hates the texture of eating the real thing, this is a good option for you (even though it is probably not as healthy as eating the actual mushrooms). 

Supplement Review: PreserVision Areds 2 Chewables

 

This is an eye-health supplement that you take twice daily. It contains a combination of vitamins and minerals (Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Copper, and Zinc) as well as Lutein (the stuff in carrots) and Zeaxanthin, which is a pigment in the macula and retina of the eye. The tablets are pretty big, but they are chewable. They have a berry flavor that is not what I would call great, but not horrible either.

While it is always hard to tell how much a supplement such as this does or does not help your eyes, I have been taking eye supplements (Ocuvite before this) for years, and while my eyes have undergone the normal aging changes, they are still very healthy every year when I get them checked. So, I will continue to take these as long as that remains the case.

Product Review: Affresh Washing Machine Cleaner

 

This is a six-month supply (assuming you use one per month as instructed) of washing machine cleaner tablets. The claim is that it can clean not only the laundry tub, but also parts like the pump, valves, agitator, and hose. 

I have an older top-load GE washer, that absolutely had a ring of residue around the top of the tub, and while I am not going to take the washing machine apart, I can say that after two months, that ring of residue is mostly gone and what I can see of the interior of the drain hose does look cleaner. So, it seems to work as advertised and I would recommend it to help keep your washing machine working as efficiently as possible for as long as possible. 

Book Review: Star Wars Stories of Jedi and Sith

 

Tales of Jedi and Sith are a collection of short stories that span the bulk of the Star Wars timeline, with the first story set during the High Republic era and the last story set between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. The stories involve a Jedi (or a padawan) or a Sith. Sometimes the story is told from the point of view of the Jedi or Sith, and sometimes the story is told from the point of view of someone interacting with the Jedi or Sith. And, one of the stories shifts the point of view between Luke and one of the "regular" rebels in a story set on Hoth. 

Some of the stories involve characters that only people who have read the other novels or have seen the Clone Wars animated series will be familiar with, and other stories involve characters like Yoda, Maul, Luke, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Vader, Rey, and Palpatine. One of the best stories involves Palpatine during the events of Return of the Jedi in which we find out he still goes over his duel with Yoda, and wishes he could have killed Yoda.

Overall, the book is a good collection of side stories. The book is an intermediate length at just around 350 pages, but it reads very quickly. If you are a fast reader you will probably be able to finish it in a day or less. I would not necessarily say it is a must-read, but it is worth checking out if you are more than just a casual Star Wars fan. 

Book Review: Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How T***p Lost

 

This is a book that is mostly about the 2020 election and its aftermath by Wall Street Journal reporter, Michael Bender. It was actually one of the first books written after the events of the election and when it was first published, it contained a lot of bombshells. Of course, years later, the material in the book has been backed up by many other sources, and a lot of the details have been fleshed out so if you are reading it in 2023 or later, it will really not contain much that has not been widely reported. But, it seems that Bender had more access inside the 2017-2021 administration than other reporters, probably because he reported for the WSJ because he was reporting on a lot of events that were not widely known (and were not reported in full detail) until the January 6th hearings.

Of course, the MAGATs will scream fake news, but this is anything but. Bender clearly was talking to a lot of people inside the White House, including the Orange Genital Wart itself. And, he made a point to include details about the cult members who would travel around the country, including during covid, to see t***p do his syphilitic-like rants, even though many of them who were not the picture of health, were scared shitless that they were going to get sick and die (which some did). Some of those stories are very sad, all are pathetic, and some are just hilarious. Since Bender also followed agent orange's campaign during the 2016 election cycle, he does include some material in the lead-up to, and the aftermath of, that election. But, the focus of the book is from the first impeachment, through the covid pandemic, and the 2020 election and its aftermath. He does include a little about the second impeachment, but the book was coming up for publication right as that was playing out, so there is not a lot of detail about that in the first run hardcover edition.

The book is moderately long, coming in at just under 400 pages. And, they had to use a fairly small font type to get it in at that length. But, it reads relatively fast, especially if you are a regular news consumer (at least of news from reputable sources). I would not call it a must-read, but it is worth reading if you are a fan of current events and/or political books. 

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 50

Day 50 was Agility X in X3 and Core in PIYO. I would say that both workouts got a little easier from the last time I did them, but Agility X is another one in which my space limitations make it a bit harder to do, even modified. But, I do the best I can with it. The core workout in PIYO is very challenging. It actually has quite a bit of a cardio effect, so you are getting winded as your abs are being worked.  

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 49

Day 49 was Decelerator in X3 and Sweat in PIYO. Decelerator is basically a plyometrics-type workout (with some pull-ups and push-ups in between the plyo moves) that focuses on the explosive jump, then slowly recovering after you land. So, you will land on one foot, and do a three-count back down into the position from which you jump. It is a tough, but doable, routine that really works on your balance as well as your explosiveness. The sweat routine in PIYO was pretty much the same as the last time I did it.   

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 48

Day 48 was the drench workout again, which is the longest of the PIYO routines, and basically takes elements from all of the other workouts and combines them into one. As I said before, I think there should be an updated PIYO program that has all 30-minute workouts instead of having some workouts be around the 21-25 minute range, another be 35 minutes long, and this one being just under an hour. That would make planning workouts a bit easier. 

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 47

Day 47 was eccentric lower in X3 and Buns in PIYO. I like both of these routines a lot, basically because you are doing a lot of squats and lunges, and even though I cannot go extremely deep in either, I am getting a better range of motion as time goes by, so both routines are getting a bit easier for me.

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 46

Day 46 was Pilates X in X3 and a rest day in PIYO. I am not a huge fan of this Pilates workout, mainly because the moves are very advanced and there is no good way to modify some of them. If you are super flexible it is a good routine, but if you have limited flexibility then you pretty much just have to skip some of the moves. 

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 45

Day 45 was MMX in X3 and Strength Intervals in PIYO. I think that both workouts are getting a bit easier, although they are still not easy by any means. I definitely have a ways to go before I will be able to keep up with the people in the MMX video. That one is a bit hard for me to do logistics-wise because I do not have a lot of space in my basement so some of the moves like the sprawls and turns while you are down I have to modify to just doing a burpee.  

Product Review: Vitamix Personal Cup Adapter

 

This is a set of two cups and a blade attachment that allows people who own an older Vitamix blender (I own the 5200) to make a smaller amount of whatever they happen to be making, without using the large blender container. It is perfect for making protein shakes/smoothies, but can also be used to make a greens drink, a smaller amount of homemade soup, etc. Basically, anything you can make in the larger blender you can make in this. 

Basically, you just put the ingredients in the cup, screw the cup onto the blade attachment device, and then attach that to the power base the same way you attach the regular blender cup. The cups and lids, and the blade attachment are all dishwasher safe. This is a big improvement over the large blender which is not supposed to go in the dishwasher, so this is much easier to clean. So, if you own an older Vitamix (any of the 5200, 5300, 6300, 6500, 7500, or 780 series), this is definitely worth picking up. 

Product Review: Swiffer Dusters Multi-Surface Duster Refills, 18 count

 

This is an 18-pack of Swiffer duster refills (so it does not come with the handle). They are a bit more expensive than the generic brands, but I see it as a "get what you pay for" item. These last a lot longer than the less expensive refills, and you can actually use both sides of the duster to clean with, even though these are not the 360 dusters. The "main side" definitely holds more dust than the side where the handle inserts, but that side can pick up a little dust, so you can use the opposite side to finish dusting a surface if there is a little left after the dusting side is dirty. So, you are definitely getting better quality. I definitely recommend these.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: The Aftermath

 

The Aftermath is a 2019 movie set in 1945 Hamburg Germany, five months after the Allies defeated the Germans. As some may know, after the war, the Allied powers divided Germany into zones with England getting the area around Hamburg, which happened to be the most destroyed portion of the country after Operation Ghamorra, which was a massive bombing operation that wiped out the city. The English army was then tasked with rebuilding the city and ferreting out what was left of the Nazi resistance. This meant that the British troops basically moved into the town, put the Germans in camps, and took over whatever houses and buildings that were still standing. 

The movie was directed by James Kent, produced by Ridley Scott, and stars Kiera Knightly as Rachael Morgan, the wife of a Colonel named Lewis Morgan (played by Jason Clarke) who is a part of the effort to rebuild the city. Alexander Skarsgard plays Stellan Lubert, a German architect who lives in a mansion with his teenage daughter Freda (played by Flora Thiemann) that the Morgans will be moving into. Lewis decided to let the Luberts stay in the house, much to the chagrin of Rachael, who hates the Germans because her eleven-year-old son, Michael, was killed during the blitz. She comes to learn that Stellan's wife was killed during the Allied bombing of Hamburg. The crux of the movie is about Racheal overcoming her hatred of Germans as she begins to fall for Stellan as her already strained relationship with her husband becomes even more strained as he becomes more distant. The plotline is equal parts historical drama and love story and also is heavy on the theme of letting go of hatred of the "other side". 

The A/V quality of the blu-ray is very good. There are some digital effects in the movie that blend in seamlessly with the practical sets that were used. It is well-written and very well-acted. There are a handful of extras including about six minutes of deleted scenes that can be played with or without commentary by the director, a commentary track on the movie by James Kent, and an HBO first look segment that runs about twelve minutes, give or take. So, while there are not a ton of extras, what was included is good. 

Overall, the movie is very good. It runs about an hour and forty minutes (minus the credits) and never really seems to drag. The movie does have some adult content including some sexual content and nudity. It is a lower-budget movie for certain, but I would say it is somewhere between an independent film and a Hollywood blockbuster. So, if you are looking for a good drama, this is definitely worth checking out.

Book Review: The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe

 

The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe was a biography published in 2000 by Sarah Churchwell. She took a bit of a different track when writing the biography basically summarizing many of the various things that have been written and said about Monroe, both while she was alive and after her death, pointing out inconsistencies and contradictions, etc. Churchwell also summarizes many of the more popular books that have been written about Monroe over the years, going into detail about how those authors engaged in speculation, made things up, and either used very sketchy sources or essentially used themselves as a source (by citing to a different author whose work cites to their own work). Then, in the last chapter, Churchwell gives her take on who she thinks Monroe really was, and what she was like.

The book discusses Monroe's life, both things that were rumored and facts that were verified, from her childhood to her days of modeling, breaking into acting, and transforming herself into a Hollywood icon. Churchwell addresses the rumors of her sleeping around (including her alleged trysts with women), her mental state, her drug use, etc. Churchwell does a great job breaking down the various inconsistent reporting on Monroe's life (depending on who is telling the story she either had multiple abortions or none, she was either bisexual or homophobic, she was either stupid or brilliant, she was either naive or cunning, she either slept with Robert Kennedy or she didn't, she either could barely remember her lines or she purposely messed up to make a point when feuding with directors and producers) and explains what could things could be verified and what could not.

The book is just over 330 pages, but it reads fairly quickly. My only real issue with the book is that the print used is pretty small and light, especially for the notes that are at the bottom of some of the pages that flesh out detail from the text. That might slow people down a bit when reading, but if you are a fast reader you can get through it in 2-3 days pretty easily.     

DVD/TV Series Review: Baywatch Season 3

 

Season three of Baywatch aired during the 1992-1993 TV season, and was another transitional season for the show. This was really the season that the show became a huge hit with Erika Elaniak, Billy Warlock, Tom McTigue, Monte Markham, and Richard Jaeckel leaving the show. Jaeckel did appear a couple of times toward the end of the season using a cane and seemed to be far less mobile than he was in season two. Elaniak and Warlock did appear in the two-part season premiere but then were written out of the show at the end of the second episode. Gregory Alan Williams was bumped back up to a series regular, and the big cast additions were Alexandra Paul, Nicole Eggert (best known for the series Charles in Charge up to that point), Kelly Slater, David Chokachi, and probably the biggest addition to the cast in the entire run of the series, Pamela Anderson as C.J. Parker.

The show continued to be a procedural drama with most of the episodes (with the exception of some two-part episodes) being self-contained and not tied into earlier episodes at all. The storylines could go from horribly bad and downright stupid to okay. It is not what I would call a well-written, award-winning masterpiece, and as a result, the acting could be pretty cheesy as well. The show still continued to use the music montages, which were again mostly to show off the ridiculously good-looking cast for a couple of minutes without any actual dialogue. The show did get some recognizable guest stars this season including a returning Danny Trejo (in a completely different role than he had in season two), Elizabeth Berkley, coming off her role on Saved by the Bell, and Lou Rawls. 

Ultimately, you know what you get with Baywatch (or Babewatch). About 45 minutes of a very good-looking cast, most of the time a dumb story, and a couple of what amount to music videos that interrupt the story. The show was not ever really interested in continuity, making a lot of sense (for example having Hasselhoff's character in the hospital nearly paralyzed in one episode and kickboxing in the next), or being an award-winning drama. If you can accept it for what it is, it can still be entertaining. 

Video Game Review: Star Wars: Fallen Order

 

Fallen Order is a first-person combat game set five years after the fall of the Jedi (Revenge of the Sith). You play as Cal Kestis (voiced by Shameless and Gotham actor Cameron Monaghan), who was a padawan at the time the Jedi order fell. The game does not start out with Order 66, but it is not a major spoiler to say that you do see Order 66 from Cal's perspective during the video game. The game starts out as Cal is working in a scrapyard on the planet Bracca where he has to use The Force to save himself and a co-worker, which brought the main antagonist of the game, the inquisitor Second Sister to Bracca. Once Cal is outed as a Jedi he has to escape the Empire he is helped by Greez Dritus and former Jedi Cere Junda who has cut herself off from The Force. Cal joins the crew of their ship and embarks on a mission to find a Holocron that holds the names of a bunch of force-sensitive children, with designs to keep the names out of the hands of the Empire and to rebuild the Jedi order.

Throughout the game, you travel to a bunch of different planets, some of which are recognizable from the movies (e.g., the Wookie planet Kasyyyk) and others that you would only recognize if you have read the novels or seen some of the television series such as Rebels and Bad Batch. There are four different levels of difficulty you can play the game on, Padawan, Jedi Knight, Jedi Master, and Jedi Grandmaster. In the Padawan mode, Cal can more easily block enemies, and the enemies are not as aggressive (e.g., when there are groups of stormtroopers they attack in an "evil ninja" like fashion, mostly one at a time), but in the harder modes Cal is more vulnerable and the enemies attack you more aggressively. Basically, the Padawan mode allows you to finish the story/game easier, and the harder modes make the gameplay more challenging. But, even in the Padawan mode, you can be killed by a low-level stormtrooper. 

Overall, the game is a good blend of a puzzle or strategy game in which you have to find different things, figure out how to navigate past obstacles, and the like, and a combat game in which you have to battle stormtroopers and/or creatures. It is a lot like the Batman Arkham series of games for people who are familiar with those games. Cal is aided mostly by a droid named BD-1 who follows him throughout the game and can help him along the way and is aided by some of the other human and alien characters he encounters. There are a few different "boss fights" throughout the game that get progressively more challenging, and the game tells a very entertaining story, which is a part of the overall Star Wars canon. If you are a Star Wars fan and like playing video games, it is definitely worth checking out. 

Product Review: True fresh dishwasher cleaner tablets 18-Pack

 

This is a pack of 18 dishwasher-cleaning tablets that you run through a cleaning cycle (with the dishwasher empty) and it cleans the racks and sprayer arms, but will also remove lime scale from the heating elements at the bottom, clean the tubes and pumps, etc. Basically, it cleans all the parts of the dishwasher where water (and the food particles on your dishes go). You just put it in the door that will hold the cleaning pods or soap and run the dishwasher like you normally would. 

Obviously, unless you take your dishwasher apart you will not be able to see all of the parts that the packaging claims it will clean, but I can definitely confirm that what I can see on the inside of my dishwasher looks a lot better when I run a cleaning cycle with this. If you have an older dishwasher, you might want to run 2-3 cycles with this the first couple of months and then ease back to once per month. But, if you have a relatively new dishwasher, then this will keep it looking and smelling clean on the inside for a long time. I definitely recommend it.

Product Review: Dawn Powerwash

 

Dawn Powerwash is basically a liquid foam version of their platinum soap. This is essentially a two-pack including one bottle that has the spray head attached and a second refill bottle that you can attach the spray head to when the first bottle runs out. 

The big advantage of this over liquid dish soap is that you have better control of where it goes because of the spray head, and have better control over the amount that you are using. And, you can use it in ways that you cannot use liquid soap. For example, I use it to spray my silverware after I put it in the silverware holder in my dishwasher, especially if I do not plan on running the dishwasher right away because it helps to loosen any stuck-on food particles. It is a bit more pricey than liquid soap, especially since there is no generic version (that I have seen anyway), but it is definitely worth it.

Book Review: Extreme Measures: (Mitch Rapp Series Book 11 Chronological Order; Book 9 Publication Order)

 

Extreme Measures is the 11th book in the prolific Mitch Rapp series of spy/political thriller/terrorist hunter novels written by Twin Cities author, Vince Flynn (if you read the books chronologically). If you read the books in publication order, it is the 9th book. It was published in 2008 as the public opinion tide of the war on terror had started to shift as the "enhanced interrogation techniques" and the domestic spying programs had become public. Those concepts are definitely themes of this book, with the Bush Administration's position that the enhanced interrogation techniques were not torture and were necessary to keep Americans safe presented through Mitch Rapp, and the other point of view, that it was torture and was ineffective was presented through the new political adversary of Rapp and the CIA, namely a senator named Barbara Lonsdale. A middle-of-the-road view was presented through a new character named Mike Nash, who was the head of the domestic spying program. Nash did not rough up detainees, but would not stop Rapp from doing so.

The book starts out with Rapp and Nash impersonating Navy officers in Afghanistan in order to interrogate a couple of high-level Taliban and Al-Qaeda members in order to try and track down and stop a terrorist cell that was going to be a part of three coordinated attacks in the US. They are discovered, Rapp is arrested, and the rest of the story plays out from there. Most of the book can be summarized as Rapp versus Congress (and more specifically, Lonsdale), with Lonsdale trying to get Rapp to incriminate himself during congressional testimony. The last few chapters have the action that the prior novels in the series are known for, and there are also a couple of side stories.  And, fans of Twin Cities sports radio will recognize that Flynn gave a shout-out to Dan Barreiro (who had Flynn on his show several times over the course of many years), naming one of the characters Joe Barreiro. 

The book has a similar tone and flow as the previous books in the series. Even though Flynn was a pretty staunch conservative, and definitely writes the character of Rapp with an a-political yet conservative viewpoint, he does not make all Democrats bad and all Republicans good. In the interviews I heard with him, Flynn did not seem to be particularly fond of politicians overall and tended to write them as greedy, amoral, and/or stupid, regardless of their party affiliation. The book is moderately long, a little over 400 pages, but it reads fairly quickly. I do not think it is the best book in the series (of those I have read), but it is still very good, and worth reading if you have liked the other books (which are definitely helpful to read, although you can follow the story even if you have not read the previous books) or are fans of the genre.  

Food Review: M&M'S Almond Chocolate Candy Sharing Size 2.83-Ounce Pouch 18-Count Box

 

This is an 18-pack of small sharing-sized packets of Almond M&Ms. Each packet contains approximately four servings, so if you eat an entire package in a sitting, it ends up being about 420 total calories. I personally like these because, while they have a lot of sugar and are definitely not healthy, the fat in the almonds does help offset the blood sugar spike that eating other varieties of M&Ms causes, which, even if you are not diabetic, is beneficial. Of course, you have to like almonds to enjoy these, but if you do, it is a nice snack.

Product Review: Colgate 360 Extra Soft Toothbrush for Sensitive Teeth and Gums with Tongue and Cheek Cleaner

 

This is a two-pack of toothbrushes that have soft bristles and on the other side of the bristles a tongue and cheek cleaner. While they are marketed as extra soft, I would say that they are softer than normal, but not as soft as others out there, and are not close to some of the toothbrushes with "ultra soft" bristles. They are still very good if you have moderately sensitive teeth and gums, but if you have more severe dental issues, then you will probably want to look for something with softer bristles than this.