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As if we need another reason not to eat red meat. The Humane Society released a video today that shows inhumane treatment of cows at a Chino slaughterhouse. The footage was taken by an undercover animal welfare activist who was employed at the slaughterhouse

Be warned, this video is graphic. It shows cows being shoved with forklifts, chained and dragged, shocked, beaten and waterboarded -- yes, apparently there's a cow version. The tactics, according to the undercover activist's video narration, are used to get sick or injured animals to stand so they can pass inspection. Federal rules do not allow cows that can't stand -- known as downers -- to be slaughtered for consumption.

The concern here is not just inhumane and illegal treatment but also health and safety, according to a story in today's Washington Post. Downed cows often wallow in feces and that can raise the risk of E. coli contamination during slaughter. Mad cow disease is also concern since a cow's inability to stand up is a symptom of the disease.

Oh, and this slaughterhouse is a major supplier of meat for school lunch programs in California and many other states.

I had to abandon my half-eaten yogurt after I watched the video. I'm now eating an apple. I know, yogurt is a dairy product and that's a whole other process, but still.

Anyone else tempted to shun red meat or cow products altogether after watching this?

Ever wondered what Kern's most famous export looks like? I took this video of crude oil during a visit Tuesday to Hathaway Oil Company, an independent producer in northern Kern County. Oil from this region is notorious for being thick and goopy ... and it definitely was. Company owner Chad Hathaway said storage tanks are constantly heated to keep the crude thin enough to be transferred into trucks that take it to the Flying J refinery. This video shows the difference between the heated and the unheated stuff.

Hathaway is one of the small local producers that sells oil to the Flying J refinery. I interviewed Chad about the importance of the local refinery to his business for an upcoming story on the facility's planned expansion. 

-- Post by reporter Stacey Shepard

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I made my first trek up to Alta Sierra, formerly Shirley Meadows, to ski on Saturday and was really impressed. If you can appreciate a small ski resort for what it is, or if you've ever wanted to try skiing/snow boarding or take a trip with friends of mixed skill level, this is as a great place to go. And now's the time to do it. Thanks to the stormy weather, the snow is fantastic. (The resort has listed conditions as "epic" on their web site.)

I'm no pro but skied a bit growing up in upstate New York. One of the things I really liked at Alta Sierra were the runs on either end of the resort called Eastwoods and Westwoods. As their name suggests, these are literally trails through the woods. While most of Alta Sierra's runs are beginner- level, these were a great challenge for someone with more intermediate to advanced skill. And they're basically untouched -- I found a good two feet of pristine powder on them. The best moment of my day was when I fell in the deep powder and looked up to see snow-covered redwoods towering above me set against a goregeous, clear blue sky. I was so mesmerized I just laid there for a few minutes taking it in.

I know a lot of people write off Alta Sierra as a rinky-dink place that's crowded with kids and lacks any real challenge compared to a place like Mammoth. I don't think that's an appropriate characterization. In my opinion it's a great deal: it's not expensive (even the food is reasonably priced), everyone is friendly and excited to be out and it's close to home. Plus, there's hardly any lines at the lift so while the runs are short, you can cram in a lot of skiing/boarding in just a day.

One other thing ... if you go, take Granite Road. The drive is beautiful and the hills are starting to turn green from the recent rain. Have fun!

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A plastic bag ban seems a bit tougher than San Francisco has made it look.

LA County Supervisors came out strong last year advocating their own ban. But after nine months of study by county staff, the Los Angeles Times reports today, supervisors have opted for a significantly weaker approach.

Under the new measure they adopted last night, a ban would go into effect only if the use of bags in the county’s unincorporated areas isn’t reduced by at least 30 percent by 2010 and at least 65 percent by 2013.

As we reported earlier this week, similar “targets’ are expected to come in a beefed up state law on plastic bags this year.

Under the state’s current law that took effect in July, large grocery stores and retailers like Wal-Mart and Target are required to sell reusable bag and providing plastic bag recycling bins. The same law prohibits counties or cities passing ordinances that would require shoppers to pay fees for plastic bags. However, the law doesn’t prevent local local governments from banning the bags.

Bakersfield city leaders took up the bag ban issue a few months ago but decided to delay action until they could assess the impact of the state law. Rick Kirkwood, who works in City Manager Alan Tandy’s office, told me last week he’s due to update the council on the law’s effectiveness in April.

So, what’s your take on the bags: Should they be banned? Should consumers pay for them? Or should we just leave things the way they are?

-- Posted by reporter Stacey Shepard