Random musings on unrelated subjects

I got to reading about wastewater treatment, but for some reason I found myself reading about how wastewater is treated and it was a real eye opener.  There are so many steps and process used to treat the waste we create so that it can be used again.  I kind of alwasy felt like the water was strained out or something and treated with all sorts of chemical like chlorine or something and then it was used again, but the process really is quite scientific and is becoming increasingly “green”.

What intrigued me most was the use of products called wastewater treatment bacteria.  They actually use bacteria to clean up wastewater.  That nearly blew my mind, but there are actually types of bacteria in the world that are not harmful and provide a useful purpose by breaking down and helping to get rid of waste. Now i dont know what they are called or anything but it turns out that it is the same philosophy applied to products like Rid X that people use in septic tanks.

You live and you learn i guess.

Aurora, IL (Vocus/PRWEB ) January 14, 2010 — Southcombe Brothers, Ltd. (Southcombe) today announced that the Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD) has purchased nearly 1,700 pairs of the company’s Firemaster® IV Kovenex® gloves following months of rigorous testing. Safeguarded by Kovenex, Southcombe’s Firemaster IV combines Kovenex’s inherent flame-, tear- and cut-resistant properties with Southcombe’s patented water- and chemical-resistant PYROHIDE® to maintain the gloves’ NFPA 1971-2007 certification and EN659 rating, as well as increase the gloves’ dexterity and performance, and most importantly, the user’s safety.

According to Mark Holmes, quartermaster at IFD, numerous attributes ultimately led to IFD’s selection of Southcombe gloves as its firefighting glove of choice. Winning attributes include: high-quality Pyrohide leather; demonstrated longevity; superior feel and dexterity; ease of donning and doffing; and the gloves’ unique ability to resist water and corrosive chemicals.

Holmes stated that many department personnel tested five different gloves as part of a comprehensive evaluation that lasted approximately nine months. Firefighters tested the gloves for donning and doffing, fit and functionality.

“It is rare that we have the luxury of having so many of our actual firefighters thoroughly test vital components of their personal protective equipment,” said Holmes. “After extensive testing, it was clear that the Southcombe Firemaster IV Kovenex gloves gave our firefighters the best chance to protect patients and victims, and safeguard themselves during dangerous rescue situations.”

David Southcombe, managing director at Southcombe, said he is honored by this unprecedented decision by the IFD, and noted his company’s Aurora, Ill.-based distribution facility and key partnerships with U.S.-based companies such as Waubridge Specialty Fabrics, manufacturer of Kovenex, as integral reasons for the company’s success.

“For more than 160 years, we’ve engineered some of the finest gloves in the world for all types of occasions and purposes, and we’re pleased to be the Indianapolis Fire Department’s glove of choice,” said Southcombe. “Our craftsmanship and sophisticated, proprietary technologies, as well as our ability to serve the global market are enhanced by strong partnerships with safety industry leaders such as Waubridge Specialty Fabrics, as well as our distribution operations in America.”

About Southcombe
Based in the beautiful Somerset countryside in the UK, Southcombe Brothers have been making and supplying gloves since 1847. One of Europe’s oldest and largest glove suppliers, Southcombe Brothers continue to lead the industry in terms of design, performance and customer service. With a unique blend of traditional craft skills and specialised high-tech materials, together with an ISO 9001 certified tannery and manufacturing units, Southcombe Brothers oversee the development of gloves from first designs to the finished pair. For more information please visit www.southcombe.com or call 011 44 1935 823567.

About Kovenex
Kovenex, manufactured and marketed by Chester, Va.-based Waubridge Specialty Fabrics, LLC, is a high-performance engineered fabric blend with inherent flame-, heat- and tear-resistant properties. For more information please visit www.kovenex.com or call 866.861.7976.

This year I ahve spent a lot of time building a nice backyard garden.  I have put in a pond and done all sorts of landscaping.  I have planted various flowers and plants and it nhas all come together nicely I must say, but for a couple of months i have been noticing something has ben missing.  I have been looking at all of the different home and garden magazines looking for inspiration and then it hit me.  I needed to add some lights in the flower beds.  I never really thought of it becuase all of the flower beds I look at, I see during the day.  So i started my search for a lighting store online and found several.  I decided to go with some solar lights that you just stake into the ground and boy it has made all of the difference.  To do a large area was a bit costly, but well worth it.  Now I can enjoy my creation at night as well as during the day.  Its a wonder what a few lights can do to a garden.

So its been a few months since I looked into trying a guaranteed acceptance health insurance plan to cover me while i worked out some health issues and transitioned between jobs.  As advertised, it worked perfect for me.  I did not have to submit any past medical information and i was approved  instantly.  Of course I knew going in that it would not be as comprehensive a coverage as a full blown major medical plan, but it gave me good piece of mind knowing that i had health insurance if I had needed it.

Now i am on the hunt for a good comprehensive plan.  Now that my health issues are behind me and my job situation is stable i can explore those waters again and see what is out there.  With all of the different carriers and plans available, I am afraid it my be a little daunting, but there are so many websites out there that surely i can find some good information or a good company to call. Most of these online quoting sites promote the fact that they have low cost health insurance plans available, which is exactly what I am looking for.  I will report back with what I find.

From Reuters – Lurking deep in the mist-glazed forests of east Africa, Uganda‘s mountain gorillas are preparing to ‘tweet’ for their survival.

With the launch on Saturday of the “Friend a Gorilla” campaign, human fans will soon be able to follow the everyday drama of one of the few remaining 720 mountain gorillas online, far from the red ants, mud and tropical rain of their habitats.

When the friendagorilla.org site goes live, users will be able to access videos, pictures and rangers’ blogs through websites like Facebook and Twitter, said Moses Mapesa Wafula, head of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).

I knew Twitter and Tweeting were popular, but now we have animals doing it…what will they think of next.  At least this is for a good cause.  Here is the full story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090928/od_nm/us_gorillas_odd

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/06/18/jon.kate.announcement/index.html

So TLC is publicizing that Jon and Kate of Jon and Kate Plus 8 have some earth shattering news that will be unveiled on the Monday episode.  Speculation is that they are announcing a split.  I dont know if I buy that.  The way things are leaked to the media you would think that news my slip out and end up on TMZ or something first.  Just seeing the way networks hype shows and “news” to gain interest, only to have the news be less than impressive, I am weary that this announcement will amount to anything. Maybe they will do what they should have done after last season and take some time away from the camera and work on the foundation of the family.

Now that summer is approaching I have started looking for vacation destinations that are kind of off the beaten path, not too expensive and access to outdoor fun.  While surfing the web, I came a cross a place called Deer Lake Cabins, located in East Texas.  Now I have heared of East Texas and how it is a pretty unique area.  So I started looking into this Deer Lake Cabins place and found out it is actually part of a Texas Guest Ranch.  There is something like 800 total acres of which part of it is used to train cutting horses. There are several ponds, two of which are large with good fishing.  Several of the cabins are located on the water fron of the bigge pond (Deer Lake).  They also show to have boats to rent and ranch vehicles to drive all over the property.  Based on pictures on their website, wildlife is pretty common, with deer being very abundant.

So, it is looking very likely that a weekend trip to Deer Lake Cabins may be in order this summer.