Well done, Ireland. I am proud of my semi-adopted nation (by residency/marriage). This is what democracy is all about. The whole of society being given a clear mandate to determine its values.
No party politics. No politicians feeling like they have a mandate to implement unpopular decisions just because they managed to get elected. The voice of the people, making a clear statement that they are pro-equality.
Rest of the World, the bar has been raised.
We celebrated the start of the Australia Day long weekend by driving out to Brighton le Sands on Botany Bay for some fish and chips on the beach after work on Friday. I grew up in a seaside holiday town, so I am no stranger to fish and chips. Here, then, are my reflections after a year and a bit in Oz. It boils down to this:
Chips. Aussies can’t do chips. Well, OK, that’s a little unfair - and they often produce something considerably superior to “fries” - but they cannot do chips as well as the Brits and Irish. There is a reason that “chippy” or “chipper” are common affectionate slang for fish and chip shops - you cannot beat chips from a good chippy. Big, fat, slightly greasy chips with salt and vinegar. Yum. It may not be the most healthy thing but it’s one of the few food items that I really miss.
Indeed, the rest of the fayre on offer is somewhat secondary and fish are only one of a number of different accompaniments for your chips. Pies, kebabs, scampi, burgers and all sorts of unhealthy items like battered sausage (or nowadays, a battered anything) are on offer.
The best chips ever? Well, Leo Burdock in Dublin stakes a good claim on that one.
Fish. As indicated, the average British or Irish fish and chip shop does not focus so much on the fish, and there are usually only 3 or 4 different types of fish available (cod, haddock and some kind of flat fish such as plaice or sole being most common, I think) in addition to scampi. In Australia, the choice of fish can be quite overwhelming, and will include several other kinds of seafood (calamari, prawns, oysters etc.).
On Friday, for example, we went to Ocean Heart Seafood who offered five kinds of fish plus other seafood, grilled (barbecued) or battered and fried.
Conclusion. The overal verdict, therefore, is a draw. If you fancy chips, then Australia’s not the place. (Although the wdespread availability of chicken salt does go some way in terms of compensation.) However, if you want a good selection of really fresh, tasty fish, I think Australia is the winner. (Unless, I suspect, you are away from the coast - but more that 85% of Aussies live within 50km of the coast.)
Today, we went into central Sydney for the St Patrick’s Day parade. Despite living in Dublin for six years, this was actually my first Paddy’s Day parade. (I’ve never been that into parades, to be honest.) It was a lot more fun than I expected!
Things kicked off with an Irish icon, Spongebob Squarepants, warming up the crowd before the parade proper arrived. Unfortunately, the rain had also arrived - including a short Aussie thunderstorm downpour - but it failed to dampen the spirit of the parade. The Irish are used to a bit of rain, after all!
Although it featured some marching bands and the like, the parade had a somewhat charming, home-made feel, including a St Patrick with genuine cotton wool beard!
Highlight of the parade (for me, at least) was the Father Ted complete with cardboard “Careful now” and “Down with this sort of thing” placards.
St Patrick’s Day proper is tomorrow: have a good one!
(A few more pics here.)
Yesterday, we went to the Art Gallery of New South Wales for the last Art After Hours of the year, when the gallery stays open until late on a Wednesday night. We had a look at a few of the pictures before retiring to the cafe for a glass of wine or two. I think my favourite of the perused artwork was Truck and trailer approaching a city by Jeffrey Smart (1999), who died earlier this year. I can’t say exactly what I like so much about it but I find it very appealing.
Less appealing was The Expulsion by Arthur Boyd - that is until I spotted the uncanny resemblance between one of the main characters and Rodge (I think) from the potty-mouthed Irish TV duo, Podge and Rodge:
God (right) and his brother Podge.
When we lived in Dublin, Dublin Zoo was always one of our favourite places to go. Membership is pretty good value and you don’t have to go many times to make it financially worthwhile, not to mention the fact that the money is going to a good cause. Being members also makes a trip to the zoo more enjoyable, I feel: it takes away the pressure to see everything in one trip and encourages more visits. It was therefore great to visit the zoo this week during our trip to Ireland.
This time, we went with my niece and nephew (aged four and two), so the animal priority list was shifted slightly and we headed to the Family Farm first. Like a lot of the zoo, this has changed since our last visit (2007, maybe?) and features fewer guinea pigs and bunnies in favour of more real pigs and other farm animals - including some rather cute piglets (right).
Next up (on my priority list) was my perennial favourite, the Red Pandas. Whilst they eat bamboo and come from China, Red Pandas are actually more closely related to racoons that the Giant Panda, which is a bear. (Their lineage diverged from Giant Pandas somewhere in the order of 40 million years ago, versus 30-35 mya with raccoons and skunks.) Red pandas are a bit less fussy about what they eat than their fellow Carnivora namesakes and, unlike Giant Pandas, do also eat meat (birds, mammals and eggs) although they always look far to laid back to actually hunt for anything, so I am guessing this is primarily by scavenging. Like cats, they are very cute snoozers.
Some excited noises alerted us to the sealions being fed and after watching them chow down for a while, we headed to the ever-charming Meerkat Restaurant for some nosh of our own. This is great for the kids because, in addition to child-friendly food, one wall of the restaurant is a large viewing window in the meerkat enclosure, providing entertainment too. Currently, this entertainment includes three little meerkat cubs (below). I was also impressed by the food itself, which was pretty good for a zoo - freshly cooked real burgers!
After lunch it was time to check out the new African Savanna section of the African Plains area of the zoo. This has been heavily reworked since we were last there and now features an elevated walkway around the giraffe, zebra and rhino enclosures, giving great views and potential close-ups of the giraffes.
Another new development (since our last visit) was the nearby Gorilla Rainforest island (sponsored by Freddy Fyffe’s bananas!) It was great to see the Gorillas have more space to roam and they looked relaxed in their new habitat. I didn’t see the big guy (Harry) but we did see most of the rest of the troop. (The priority spot was little Kituba, who was born a couple of days apart from my nephew, who brought his own gorilla named Kituba to the zoo.)
I didn’t get any pictures of the gorillas but I did get a good one of Sibu, the big male Orang utan, who was seemed to be happily chilling out and possibly pondering the mysteries of life like a Zen master.
Southampton is a pretty good place to live when you have relatives in Dublin because there are direct flights. This trip, we decided to drive over and take the ferry from Holyhead instead. Apart from the long(ish) drive on the UK side, which is not so bad (especially if you splash out for the M6 toll road), there are some definite benefits to getting ferry.
For one thing, having a car in Dublin is really useful. I say this having lived in the city quite happily for six years without one. It is only going over and visiting friends and relatives with the car that I realise quite how much more you can do with a car - one of the great things about Dublin is all the great stuff on its doorstep.
The journey itself, although longer, is also more comfortable. (In a weather-dependent fashion, I suspect - we had good weather each way.) Although we made a poor coffee decision last time, the discovery of (proper barista) Costa coffee and onboard WiFi makes the whole experience much more pleasant than the short hop in a small plane - particularly for the period between boarding and departure.
It is easy to become complacent about technology but I think the modern age is pretty amazing when you can have internet access in the middle of the Irish Sea. As a result, I felt the need to give it a proper road (or sea?) test and see if it could cope with a blog post. Initial signs were good - it uploaded the screenshot OK - but as I have been typing this I have seen Blogger struggling to save the draft despite still being connected. I guess one disadvantage of the modern age is that when free WiFi is available, everyone logs on! (It took a few attempts to load up the link to my previous Irish ferries coffee post.)
Time to hit “Publish” and see if anything happens…
The evening kicked off with a Jameson Select Reserve (40%) from the Irish Distillers megadistillery in New Middleton, County Cork. This was to set a benchmark for the evening, which it did quite nicely: there's nothing wrong with this whisky but neither is there anything particularly notable about it.
Nice one (or two), John Teeling!
Flights from Southampton fly in to Dublin Terminal 1 - the old one - but our flight arrival time conveniently coincided with the period that a friend (and old lab buddy) of my wife was passing through Terminal 2 on the way back to Paris, so we went there for a drink.
The Terminal itself, although open for a couple of years now, is still very pretty new-looking. The Food Court was pretty good too and I was impressed to see a Diep Noodle bar and Gourmet Burger Company among the offerings. (Until the lovely meal at my in-laws this evening, I felt slightly sad not to be staying for dinner!) I was not so impressed by the small mug of hot chocolate from a machine for €3, though. €3! And that was despite there being adverts for O'Brien's - I think it was just the sandwich part of the outfit. (The coffee was from a machine too.) Hmmm.
Oh well. At least on the way back through Terminal 1 we can visit Butlers for a proper hot chocolate - and it has a Starbucks too if we need caffeination!
To suggest that the debate continues in this context does imply it is a scientific debate. It is not. The fact that the audio subsequently makes it clear that the debate only continues for "some people ... based on a specific interpretation of the Bible" does not entirely undo this initial error. Although I am willing to believe that this is an accident and the NT did not mean to imply that the scientific debate continues, the fact that some people interpret it this way is reason enough, in my book, to change it. This was the first big mistake.Happily, as reported today by BBC News (Trust amends Causeway centre 'Creationist' exhibit), the Trust has listened to all its members that complained and changed the wording:
The second big mistake was the use of the word "mainstream" in the sentence: "This debate continues today for some people, who have an understanding of the formation of the earth which is different from that of current mainstream science." Again, although this is immediately followed by a sentence that makes it clear that these people have a different understanding for religious (not scientific) reasons, I find myself agreeing with those commentors who see this sentence as implying that there is some other kind of science that disagrees with the current "understanding of the formation of the earth". There isn't. This is misleading and, even if not giving YEC legitimacy, it reduces the legitimacy of the NT exhibit.
I stand by my original view that the words themselves are true but it is clear that the context and exact choice of phrase - whether deliberate or accidental - is not giving an impression that is consistent with the Trust's stated position on this topic. For this reason alone, they must revise the wording of the exhibit, even if they do not drop the YEC reference altogether...
The new audio now says there is a "clear understanding among scientists that the heat of the earth was the driving force behind the formation of the Giant's Causeway".Although not far enough for some, I am happy that this solves the big problem and no longer implies that there is any scientific debate. YEC is a religious position, (im)pure and simple.
It adds that the earth is "far older than had previously been thought".
"All the scientific evidence points to a volcanic origin for the columns of the Giant's Causeway, around 60m years ago.
"However, not everyone agrees with the scientific view. There are some people who believe - often for religious reasons - that the earth was formed more recently: thousands of years ago rather than billions."
Ten days or so ago, we found ourselves having coffee in Wrights of Howth and were taken with some artwork on the wall by John Nolan. 
I posted earlier about the scale of the Young Earth Creationist error about the age of Giant's Causeway in terms of scale but did not go into the science behind it, largely because I am not a geologist (or had geological training) and there are others who are (or have) who have done a much better job. "The plant flora also presents a problem for creationists... In the case of animals creationists say the observed ordering is in part a consequence of how fast they could swim, run or fly to escape the rising water... Perhaps the Palaeocene cedars and pines could run faster than the Carboniferous ferns and mosses."And when you examine YEC claims in detail, they really are on this level of silliness. The saddest thing is that, despite the clear debunking of their claims (such as dodgy radiometric dating), they keep turning out the same rubbish.
The current implementation of MapTime only supports one TimeLine, so I was not able to plot exactly the Biblical Flood at 4359 years ago or the geological age of the Causeway at 50-60 million years ago but I have left the earliest writing (5000 years ago) and the K/T Extinction (65 mya) marked. 
| Event | Distance | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Present Day | 0 mm | 2012 AD |
| Cold War Ends | 1.33 mm | 1989 AD |
| Hiroshima | 3.88 mm | 1945 AD |
| Writing | 29.0 cm | 5 kya |
| Biblical Creation | 46.4 cm | 6000 BC |
| K/T Extinction | 3.77 km | 65 mya |
| Permian Extinction | 14.5 km | 250 mya |
| Cambrian Explosion | 31.0 km | 535 mya |
| Multicellularity | 52.2 km | 900 mya |
| First Eukaryotic Cells | 115.9 km | 2 bya |
| Single Celled Life | 202.9 km | 3.5 bya |
| Formation of Earth | 263.1 km | 4.54 bya |
"We reflect, in a small part of the exhibition, that the Causeway played a role in the historic debate about the formation of the earth, and that for some people this debate continues today.I have been sent a link to one picture but, unfortunately, I cannot really see the context of the display.
"The National Trust fully supports the scientific explanation for the creation of the stones 60 million years ago."
I don't think that this is a new story but it seems to have resurfaced recently with a recent article by the National Secular Society, blogged on the Why Evolution Is True website under the rather provocative title of "U.K.’s National Trust promotes creationism!" (The original title of the National Secular Society article was a slightly less zealous "National Trust puts creationism on show at new visitor centre".) The articles report thatThe National Trust has come under fire for including an exhibit in the new Giants' Causeway Visitors' Centre acknowledging the creationist view of how the world-famous stones were formed.The point of contention seems to be that:
A transcript from an audio exhibit in the visitor centre reads:This is turn has triggered a widespread response, including a Facebook Group for removing the display and the call from WEIT to send complaints to the National Trust."Like many natural phenomena around the world, the Giant's Causeway has raised questions and prompted debate about how it was formed.
"This debate has ebbed and flowed since the discovery of the Causeway to science and, historically, the Causeway became part of a global debate about how the earth's rocks were formed.
"This debate continues today for some people, who have an understanding of the formation of the earth which is different from that of current mainstream science.
Young Earth Creationists believe that the earth was created some 6000 years ago. This is based on a specific interpretation of the Bible and in particular the account of creation in the book of Genesis.
"Some people around the world, and specifically here in Northern Ireland, share this perspective.
"Young Earth Creationists continue to debate questions about the age of the earth. As we have seen from the past, and understand today, perhaps the Giant's Causeway will continue to prompt awe and wonder, and arouse debate and challenging questions for as long as visitors come to see it."
"The interpretation in the visitor centre showcases the science of how the stones were formed, the history of this special place and the stories of local characters.
"We reflect, in a small part of the exhibition, that the Causeway played a role in the historic debate about the formation of the earth, and that for some people this debate continues today.
"The National Trust fully supports the scientific explanation for the creation of the stones 60 million years ago."
A lot of Irish history is steeped in myths and legends of various sources. The Giant’s Causeway itself is named because legend has it that it was created by an Irish giant, Fionn mac Cumhaill. Are people suggesting that by keeping that name, or having a Fionn mac Cumhaill exhibit in the visitor centre, the National Trust are promoting belief in giants? I suspect not.Wallace Thompson, chairman of the creationist Caleb Foundation said he was pleased with the inclusion of the creationist view:Well, Creationists make claims like this all the time and, frankly, regularly lie and misrepresent reality - their position is so untenable, they have to. The only thing being given legitimacy by opposing this display so strongly, it seems, is this bogus position that the National Trust are giving Creationsim legitimacy.
"We have worked closely with the National Trust over many months with a view to ensuring that the new Causeway Visitor Centre includes an acknowledgement both of the legitimacy of the creationist position on the origins of the unique Causeway stones and of the ongoing debate around this."
a UK conservation charity, protecting historic places and green spaces, and opening them up for ever, for everyone.They are not a scientific organisation and their primary focus is history, not science. That does not, of course, mean that they can get the science wrong. What it means, however, is that the science should not be the sole focus of their visitor centres, even for their "natural monuments". Acknowledging the existence of the Creationist belief is giving them historical legitimacy, not scientific legitimacy.
In the year of our lord eighteen hundred and eleven
On March the seventeenth day
I will raise up a beer and I'll raise up a cheer
For Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Here's to brewers yeast, that humblest of all beast
Producing carbon gas reducing acetaldehyde
But my friends that isn't all -- it makes ethyl alcohol
That is what the yeast excretes and that's what we imbibe
Anaerobic respiration*
Also known as fermentation
NADH oxidation
Give me a beer
[CHORUS]
My intestinal wall absorbs that ethanol
And soon it passes through my blood-brain barrier
There's a girl in the next seat who I didn't think that sweet
But after a few drinks I want to marry her
I guess it's not surprising, my dopamine is rising
And my glutamate receptors are all shot
I'd surely be bemoaning all the extra serotonin
But my judgement is impaired and my confidence is not
Allosteric modulation
No Long Term Potentiation
Hastens my inebriation
Give me a beer
[CHORUS]
When ethanol is in me, some shows up in my kidneys
And inhibits vasopressin by degrees
A decrease in aquaporins hinders water re-absorption
And pretty soon I really have to pee
Well my liver breaks it down so my body can rebound
By my store of glycogen is soon depleted
And tomorrow when I'm sober I will also be hungover
Cause I flushed electrolytes that my nerves and muscles needed
Diuretic activation
Urination urination
Urination dehydration
Give me a beer
[CHORUS]
*Actually, this isn't true. While both anaerobic respiration and fermentation occur without the use of oxygen, anaerobic respiration utilizes the electron transport chain to generate ATP, while fermentation does not. My bad. I would have remembered that if I wasn't trying so hard to rhyme. A new corrected version is now up on my channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6dzUOYTQtQDedication to accuracy such as this should really be rewarded, so go on... click on the link and give this guy some more views/likes. It's what St Patrick would have wanted.
One of the good things about having relatives in Dublin is that I get to go back from time to time for visits. As my in-laws live there, this includes Christmas - approx. every other Christmas, as it happens. (Not through planning, as such, but it just seems to work out this way.)
The only problem with The Oar House is choosing what to have, as everything is so good! Fortunately, they have a solution for this too: a delicious and versatile tapas menu that can be ordered as a starter, scaled up for a main course or, as we did, shared among a few of us.
The fish and chips (pictured) are exactly how fish and chips should be. The only problem with them - and I say this having grown up in a British seaside holiday town - is that they might make all future fish and chips from other places rather disappointing! The Buffalo prawns (a bit like buffalo wings only in prawn form) are an absolute must-have. If you are alone, get them as a starter. If you are with someone else, as I was, I suggest getting a main course portion of buffalo prawns and a main course portion of something else (we had the always excellent Smokies) and share them between you. This way you get a couple of great sides too - the Sweet Potato Mash and Home Cut Chips work well with the Buffalo Prawn/Smokies combo.
