http://www.lakesuperioruniversity.net Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:42:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 en hourly 1 http://www.lakesuperioruniversity.net/environmentalist-groups-and-california%e2%80%99s-water.html http://www.lakesuperioruniversity.net/environmentalist-groups-and-california%e2%80%99s-water.html#comments Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:55:56 +0000 admin http://www.nailaintan.co.cc/environmentalist-groups-and-california%e2%80%99s-water.html

California’s state government is still scrambling to solve California’s most critical problem: water.  Recently, a new water package was introduced into the state senate.  Several environmental groups authored a letter to two of the senators, thanking them for their support of the package and clearly stating their positions on a variety of issues.  They hint that without these positions included in the water bill they will throw their support against it.  Here are some of those positions and how they are affecting California’s water emergency.

The first position is in regard to “[t]he groundwater monitoring program, which is a very modest approach, particularly when compared to groundwater regulation throughout other western states such as Idaho and Texas.”  Texas groundwater law is jokingly referred to as “law of the biggest pump”.  Basically all groundwater is considered property of the owner and allowed to be pumped out however he chooses, for sale or his personal use, without regard to neighboring wells.  However there are some limitations set to help landowners conserve water, including groundwater.  California uses as much as forty percent groundwater during years of extreme drought like the ones they are facing now, so it only makes sense to monitor groundwater to ensure it is not being depleted by increased use.

Next is “[s]ubstantially increased enforcement capacity at the State Board to address the pernicious problem of illegal diversions and permit violations, including the ability of the Board to address particularly egregious problems expeditiously and effectively without having to rely entirely on the courts.”  In order to gain the support of more moderate politicians, the penalties for water thieves will have to be toned down quite a bit as there are only a handful of politicians who currently support harsh penalties.  Water stealing is big business in California; over seventy-three million dollars worth of water has been stolen just this past year.

Since the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta estuary provides water to around two-thirds of California’s citizens, its environmental health is a major concern.  The letter recommended, “[p]rovisions to require the State Board to develop public trust flow determinations which are the foundation of any meaningful effort to restore and sustain the Delta estuary and our salmon fisheries…[and] a Delta Stewardship Council with balanced membership between gubernatorial and legislative appointees with staggered terms.”  The basic idea behind the Delta Stewardship Council is a planning agency that has enough authority to enforce regulations and penalties for water violations.  It will be able to order a water project, even one of the state projects, to “cease and desist” if it feels their actions are harming the Delta.

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The Atkins diet hit the diet scene in 1972 when Dr. Atkins published his book, “Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution”. And the Atkins diet was really revolutionary. Most diets of the day focused on counting calories and maintaining a low fat diet. Calories were felt to be the enemy and the fewer you ate, the better off you were. Dr. Atkins paid less attention to calories in his diet and more to reducing the number of carbohydrates in the diet. To followers of his diet, the carbohydrates were the problem. The diet promoted the use of lots of protein and a moderate amount of fat with the idea that your metabolism will cause you to lose weight on this diet.

The Atkins diet was not taken very well by many nutritionists who were promoting diets low in fat and protein. This was about the time that the four food groups turned into the food pyramid. Fruits, vegetables and grains were near the bottom and should be consumed the most. Unfortunately for the Atkins diet, these were things that were to be avoided on the diet. Near the top of the food pyramid are fats and meat proteins. We weren’t supposed to eat many of these types of foods on a healthy diet and yet they were prominent in the Atkins diet.

The Atkins diet included menu plans high in bacon, fried meat and even fried pork rinds. While there were some salad greens on the diet plan, you were allowed to add fatty dressing to the diet plan. The Atkins diet plan really promoted eggs, cheese, meats at every meal and, in some cases, protein bars or protein drinks. This was a time when cholesterol and triglycerides were being better understood and their role in heart disease was made more clear. Experts felt that the Atkins diet plan was too high in cholesterol and other fats, making one’s risk for heart disease greater. Dr. Atkins continued to promote his diet plan, amid a great deal of controversy.

The Atkins diet also included some Atkins products, like Atkins hot cereal, Atkins protein shakes and Atkins protein bars. Instead of having regular hot cereal, you would choose the Atkins variety of hot cereal. The company made money off of these specialized products and still does, but to a lesser degree. As long as carbohydrates were counted and Atkins products used, the diet was expected to help you lose weight.

It’s unclear how successful people were in losing weight on the Atkins diet. If dieting is truly based on calories, the Atkins diet certainly weren’t lacking in them. Since the origin of the Atkins diet, more is known about the effects of cholesterol (from meat protein) and triglycerides (from other fats) on things like stroke, peripheral artery disease and heart disease (coronary artery disease). Doctors are more likely to check cholesterol and triglycerides in patients and doctors are active in putting people on medications to lower these fats in the blood. Few doctors would recommend such a high content of cholesterol and fat for patients at risk for heart disease. Few would recommend this kind of diet for even normal people. Still, there are those who still go on the Atkins diet in the hopes of losing weight.

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