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McCain Mixups

At first, I wasn't going to point out some of the errors and mistakes that McCain has said during his campaigning, but there have been too many for me to ignore it. Most of these items are things that you learn in a ninth grade social studies class, if not earlier. Here is a list of some of the errors.

-McCain has referred to Czechoslovakia in speeches and interviews repeatedly, despite the fact that in 1993 Czechoslovakia split into two separate countries - the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

-This week on Good Morning America, McCain spoke of the situation on the Iraq-Pakistan border. As most of you are aware, Iraq does not share a border with Pakistan. McCain likely meant to say Afghanistan, but it shows a pattern of errors. Also of note, in that interview, McCain mischaracterized a past Obama statement, by saying that Obama would invade Pakistan. In 2007, Obama stated, "If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and [Pakistani] President [Pervez] Musharraf won't act, we will."

-McCain has also mixed up Sunni and Shiite Muslims. On several occasions, he spoke of Iran, a predominately Shiite country, training and supplying al-Qaeda, a mostly Sunni militant group. During a news conference in Jordan, Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman had to interrupt McCain to correct his statement.

-In an interview with Katie Couric of CBS news, McCain referred to Iraq as, "...the first major conflict since 9/11...", neglecting the fact that the war in Afghanistan was and is the first major conflict since 9-11. Also of note, CBS edited the interview and did not show McCain on the news program making the misstatement.

-In the same interview with Katie Couric, CBS news also omitted another misstatement by McCain. CBS edited McCain's response, splicing two portions together and removing the false statement. McCain stated that the surge started the Anbar Awakening, which was the Sunni revolt against Al-Qaida in Iraq’s Anbar province. However, the Anbar Awakening occurred in 2006, prior to President Bush announcing in January 2007 that additional troops would be deployed to commence the surge.

The Dark Knight

I caught The Dark Knight on Saturday.  Growing up, Batman was always my favorite super hero.  I think that it was because he was human, and didn't gain super powers from a spider bite or radiation exposure.  I particularly loved the Tim Burton directed Batman movies. 

 

I am sure that by now most of you have seen the movie, read about it, or heard about it from friends who have seen it.   You have also likely heard about how great Heath Ledgers portrays The Joker.  Well, I am not going to add any fresh insights.  Heath Ledger was was truly amazing as the Joker.  When The Joker was on screen, I felt a little uncomfortable, as he is so menacingly maniacal that you feel uncertain about what he will do next.  He took comic book villains to an entirely new level.  I would list his portrayal as one of the best villains in movies, along with Hannibal Lecter, Max Cady, Nurse Ratched, and Anton Chigurh. 

 

The movie was also quite good.  Director Christopher Nolan has expanded on Burton's darker portrayal of Batman, adding dirt, grime, and ambiguity.  The movie was filmed in Chicago, and gave Gotham a gritty feel that was the polar opposite of Joel Schumacher's Batman movies.  The only time that I found myself thinking about CGI and special effects was when Two-face was on-screen (but not in a bad way).  The Dark Knight should satisfy adult geeks who grew up on Batman.  And there sure were a bunch of us geeks at the movie this weekend.

Invasive Mussels

The Colorado Division of Wildlife confirmed the detection of quagga mussel larvae in Lake Granby this month.  This follows the discovery of zebra mussels in Pueblo Reservoir last fall.  The quagga and zebra mussel are aquatic nuisance species that have already caused millions of dollars in damages in the Great Lakes region, and the monetary and ecological damages are rising across the nation.  It has been estimated that management and control of the mussels costs $1 billion annually.

 

Quagga and zebra mussels spread from Eurasia to the Northeast and Great Lakes in contaminated ballast water of boats or possibly on anchors and anchor lines.  They quickly spread to the Mississippi River, its tributaries and inland lakes.  The quagga mussel has also been detected in the Southwest and Lake Mead.  With the discovery of the mussels in Colorado, it now appears that the invasive species have spread across the entire continental United States. 

 

The mussels are freshwater bivalve mollusks that grow to be about an inch long.  The species are filter feeders and can filter more than one liter of water per day.  They are also extremely prolific, and the females can release more than 100,000 eggs per year.  The adults attach to hard surfaces with byssal threads, typically forming dense clusters.  The accumulation of the mussels have been known to sink a recreational boat dock from the weight of the attached mussels.

 

The mussels cause industrial and raw water fouling, impacting municipal water supplies, hydroelectric stations, and cooling processes at traditional power plants.  They can cause a decrease in recreation and tourism, can disrupt irrigation supplies for agricultural uses, and can cause environmental damage, such as habitat alteration, food web disruption, and impacts to native species.  Health issues can include bioaccumulation of heavy metals and other contaminants, and the sharp shells can cut hands and feet. 

The control of the mussels is extremely challenging.  Pasts methods to control the mussels have proved to be largely ineffective.  Measures employed include chemical molluscides, dewatering/dessication, acoustical vibration, electrical current, copper and zinc coatings, carbon dioxide injection, and ultraviolet light.  Research is being performed that is looking at the veliger stage of the larvae, as this appears to the be the most susceptible life stage of the mussel.   Adult mussels can live out of water for up to 27 days, and the mussels can go dormant to stop filtering water when chemicals are present.  Prevention of the spread of the mussels has been the only control method of controlling the spread, but is not fully effective, as shown by the appearance of the mussels in Colorado.   If boats or equipment come in contact with water bodies containing the mussels, the boats and equipment should be thoroughly cleaned and inspected for the mussels prior to entering other waters.

 

Why is the discovery of quagga mussel larvae in Lake Granby so alarming?  Lake Granby is part of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, which, according to the Bureau of Reclamation, is one of the largest and most complex natural resource developments they have undertaken.  Lake Granby is west of the continental divide and is part of a series of lakes and reservoirs that supply water east and west of the divide.  A network of pipelines, pump stations, and canals divert water to the front range, supplying domestic and agricultural water to various communities, including Boulder, Longmont, Loveland, and Fort Collins.  Thus, spread of the mussels to Eastern and Western Colorado is possible.

Wide Awake Giveaway

I am having my first prize giveaway. What do you have to do? Submit a quote in the comments. It can be any quote, such as a line from your favorite comedy, a historical quote, a passage from a book, or something a friend or family member said. What do you get? A (slightly used) copy of Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance. The book was written by Barack Obama before he was a politician. Obama wrote the book after he was elected the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review, and it was first published in 1995. Next week I will randomly select one winner. If I don't know you, please leave your email address with the comment.

Happy Independence Day

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Fourth of July. Hopefully, all of you will get together with friends and/or family, watch some fireworks, relax, and think about all of the things that make this country great. Have fun and be safe.