If you live in California and you frequent the beach, you might want to read this

www.Esquire.com

Our beloved California beaches are at risk.

Health testing of California's beaches has slumped to its lowest level since ocean monitoring became a law more than a decade ago, putting swimmers, surfers and divers at greater risk of exposure to contaminated water, a Times investigation has found.

Those who swim in contaminated water are exposed to gastrointestinal viruses and to pathogens that can cause skin rashes and ear, eye and staph infections according to The Los Angeles Times. Ew! Swimmers are most likely to get sick in poor-circulating water near river mouths and sewer outfalls, especially after rain.

So, will the beach with the highest pollution please step forward? NOT SO FAST Santa Monica. Congrats Long Beach, you have some of the most polluted water in the state but before you start to feel like a neglected step-child, it's not your fault almost half of you isn't being tested for contamination.

As a whole, 40 percent of California beaches aren't being tested and the culprit is a familiar one: state and county budget cuts.

In 2008 Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the $1 million the state had provided each year to test hundreds of beaches for bacteria according to The Los Angeles Times however, his office said beaches are still being tested at a 90 percent level despite the budget cuts.

Tourism officials have also expressed concern. They say the cost to monitor beaches is inconsequential compared with the estimated $12 billion in tourist-related revenue California beach towns generate each year according to The Los Angeles Times.

We have to spend money to make money. California beaches are a worth-while investment.

It's a plane, no it's a bird...wait...no, it's a FISH?

Flying fish can stay airborne just as well as small-to-midsize birds, a study finds. Their performance was tested after a scientist read that the fish can fly for nearly a quarter of a mile according to The Los Angeles Times.

Two South Korean scientists decided to test a fish's performance in a wind tunnel and their findings — the fruit of what they say is the first direct investigation of flying fish aerodynamics — showed that the fish could stay airborne just as well as small-to-midsize birds according to Science 2.0.

How is this possible!?

Apparently, fish are equipped with wing-like fins that they keep close to the body as they swim but spread out when they launch into the air. The fish stay airborne by periodically dipping their tail fins in the water and propelling themselves onward, similar to stones skipping across water.

The fish species they chose for the study, the Cypselurus hirai, has four wing-like fins — two large and two small — in a "biplane" formation. The scientists selected five fish of similar size, injected them with urethane foam, arranged the two pairs of fins in different positions and tested the movement of air around them in a wind tunnel to assess their flightworthiness according to The Los Angeles Times.

Perhaps one of the most fascinating findings was how well the fish could glide in comparison with other winged creatures said Science 2.0. The lift-to-drag ratio, which essentially measures how much horizontal distance is traveled during descent, suggested the fish can glide better than insects such as the dragonfly, and just as well as birds such as the petrel and wood duck.

Moreover, the tandem arrangement of the large pectoral fin at the front and smaller pelvic fin at the back of the fish's body accelerates the air flow towards the tail like a jet, increasing the fish's lift-to-drag ratio further and improving its flying performance even more.

Ca-ray-z. Click here to see them in action.

BP oil well is no longer a threat to the gulf

www.oilspillcharities.com

With a new blowout preventer in place and a 5,000-foot column of cement filling its core, the British Petroleum well is no longer in danger of leaking oil, the federal spill response chief told The Los Angeles Times Saturday — although he said it must still be plugged from the bottom for the job to be complete.

Sometime this week crews will begin drilling the final 50 feet in order to intersect the well according to retired Coast Guard admiral, Thad Allen, who told The Los Angeles Times.

The process of closing up BP's blown-out well has unfolded slowly, been marked by failures and successes, weather delays, tension between BP and federal experts, and a good deal of engineering improvisation according to The Los Angeles Times.

On April 20 a BP offshore oil rig exploded spilling over 200 millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico making it the worst oil spill in U.S. History. Clean up efforts are ongoing.

Paper or Plastax?

www.LAtimes.com

The California legislature let down it's Eco-friendly enthusiasts Tuesday when it opposed the effort to ban plastic bags. Initially, measure AB1998 passed the Assembly in June with the support of Gov. Schwarzenegger and if passed by the State's Legislature, California would have been the first state to ban plastic bags from grocery and convenient stores.

So, why not tax shoppers per plastic bag used? After all, Ireland implemented a plastic bag tax of 15 cents per bag almost 10 years ago, which reduced the amount of plastic bags used by 90 percent and generated revenue for the government.

Californians use 19 billion plastic bags a year according to the Los Angeles Times. I'll let you do the math.

What's the big deal? Well, plastic is a highly durable, non-biodegradable substance composed of toxic chemicals. There is no way to safely dispose of plastic. The only way to reduce the hazards of plastic bags, is to reduce it's use thereby reducing it's production.

Now, if I can just remember to bring my reusable bags into the store.