Franklin Park Zoo has free admission today (9 July 2010)

Franklin Park Zoo has free admission today....

And I suspect it's a lot warmer than it was when I took this photo:

Petport at Boston Logan Airport

Nice idea, though it may more accurately be called "poop port"

Alcohol-free festival a surprising failure in Ireland

This story could have come from the Onion but is in today's Irish Times: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2010/0705/1224274032535.html

Where to buy your Roslindale real-estate from a Russian Spy

David Harris on Wicked Local Cambridge points to the website of Ann Foley, one of the alleged Russian spies arrested today. A quick search of her website shows some Roslindale properties. Fancy a nice dacha up in the Roslindale steppes?

Trout Records in Dublin

Who can resist a shop called "Trout Records". Photographed in George's Arcade, Dublin:

Is it a stereotype if it's true?

At this point I think the more accurate stereotype is of a hyper-sensitive Irish person complaining about caricatures of drunken Irish people:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2010/0526/1224271139965.html

A tale of two huge tethering phone bills

Two differing stories:

- Verizon refuses to budge on an $18,000 phone bill related to data tethering: http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/04/30/family_provider_far_apart_over_nearly_18000_phone_bill/

- O2 Ireland, by contrast, are very reasonable and understanding when faced with the same situation: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/pricewatch/2010/0510/1224270042034.html

It's worth quoting the O2 Ireland response, since it contrasts so much with Verizon's hardline attitude:

“When we see abnormal data use, we look into it and we find reasons that explain it, such as a customer buying a prepay smartphone with data capability, putting their old SIM into it without adding a data add-on to their account. These cases are exceptional and we deal with them as proactively as possible,” she says. Usage patterns are a good indicator of whether or not a customer is aware of what costs they are incurring on data. “If we see unusual activity we contact the customer directly . . . reach an agreement that is manageable.”

Conservatives hold Boston (and Skegness)

Over in the UK election, the Conservative Party has held the Boston seat: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/election2010/results/constituency/a53.stm

Interesting comment on the upcoming Supreme Court nomination

Spotted on the BBC Website:

"It is indeed an oddity that the court absent Stevens consists of 6 Catholics and 2 Jews. I have joked in the past that it's a fair offset for the overrepresentation of WASPs in the Congress (and until 2009, the presidency)."

That does seem rather surprising. Perhaps an unusual number of Catholics took to the law in the USA 40-50 years ago? A sort of 'Kennedy effect' we didn't know about?

Not really that surprising. Both Catholicism and Judaism have traditions of legal interpretation (canon law for Catholicism and Talmudic interpretation in Judaism). Protestantism in most of its forms looks to the Bible as the one and only source. You don't have the same tradition of dispute and resolution.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markmardell/2010/04/obamas_supreme_court_choice_wi.html#P95209647

Celtic vs Rangers at Gillette Stadium

This summer? Could it be true?

I'd imagine there would be a lot more Celtic fans around here, but it would be interesting to see how many Rangers fans come out of the woodwork:

http://boston.com/community/blogs/less_is_more/2010/04/old_firm_to_play_at_gillette.html

Donald Clarke, Irish Times film critic, asks "Are Americans stupider than Europeans"

He asks the question in jest, of course, regarding the fact that European film names are sometimes changed when they are shown in the US.

I would add the counter-example of the Pauly Shore "classic" Encino Man which was renamed "California Man" in Europe because Europeans may not know the significance of Encino.

Here is the article - the comments are worth reading.

Irish book of the decade

My vote goes to Netherland by the Cork-born Joseph O'Neill. Many of the other books are quite "worthy", but Netherland has the advantage of being a good read.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0414/breaking42.html