"Jag frågade två vakter idag också. Jag pekade åt trädet och frågade om de kan dess namn. De sa Prescott. Jag svarade att detta namn dyker inte upp i Google, inte som träd. Å, sa de, det är namnet på the street, på andra sidan huset. Så, jag sa tree och de förstod street för att jag samtidigt pekade åt det håll både träet och gatan ligger... Och inte heller dessa vakter idag visste vad trädet heter..."
(Är det möjligen denna Prescott http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Prescott (från Prescott House i Boston)?)
"Back to locust. Imorgon mejlar jag the city arborist..."
"Dear Boston arborist, can you help me to identify a big tree that is everywhere in Cambridge and has long brown pods, some of them still on the trees and many on the ground around them. There is one for instance in front of the Irving House at Irving street, another at 12 Quincy street, in front of the Humanities centre. Grateful for any suggestions. On google I came close to Black Locust, or to Honey Locust. Sincerely, Vasilis Papageorgiou"
"Although we are not Cambridge our arborist said what you are likely describing is Gleditsia tricanthos inermis, common honey locust..."
Korstörnesläktet (Gleditsia) är ett växtsläkte i familjen ärtväxter med 14 arter som förekommer naturligt i Nord- och Sydamerika, samt i sydöstra Asien. Några arter odlas som trädgårdsväxter i Sverige.
Gleditsia triacanthos L. Engl.: honey locust, sweet locust, thorny locust, three-thorned acacia. Deu.: Falscher Christusdorn, Lederhülsenbaum, Amerikanische Gleditschie. Suom.: kolmioka. Sven.: korstörne. Bot. syn.: Gleditschia triacanthos L.
Gleditsia tricanthos inermis Korstörne. Ett träd med ormbunkslika blad och tornade grenar. Tornarna kan bli riktigt långa och grenar sig till att likna ett kors, vilket gett dess svenska namn.
Formen inermis saknar tornar.
KORSTÖRNE UTAN TORNAR!
Nationalencyclopedin: korstörne, Kristi törnekrona, Gledi´tsia triaca´nthos

 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dipper The Plough, also known as the Big Dipper or the Saptarishi (after the seven rishis), is an asterism of seven stars that has been recognized as a distinct grouping in many cultures from time immemorial. The component stars are the seven brightest of the formal constellation Ursa Major.
The Saptarishi (सप्तर्षि saptarṣi a Sanskrit dvigu meaning "seven sages") are the seven rishis who are extolled at many places in the Vedas and Hindu literature... Sapta Rishis are the Hierarchy working under the guidance of the Highest Creative Intelligence, God. There were all Saraswat Brahmins. The present batch of the Sapta Rishis: Bhrigu, Atri, Angirasa, Vasishta, Pulastya, Pulalaha and Kratu. They bring down to the earth the required Knowledge and Energies to strengthen the processes of Transition (Pralaya). They are naturally the most evolved Light Beings in the Creation and the guardians of the Divine Laws.
Known as Charles his waine in some areas of England, the Plough was formerly called by the old name Charles' Wain ("wain" meaning "wagon," and derived from the still older Carlswæn), as it still is in Scandinavia, Karlavagnen, Karlsvogna, or Karlsvognen. In the northeast of England it is sometimes known as Charlie's Waggon. A folk etymology holds that it was named after Charlemagne, but this common Germanic name meant the men's wagon (the churls' wagon), in contrast to the women's wagon (the Little Dipper). An older Odin's Wain may have preceded these Nordic designations.
In the same line of sight as Mizar, but three light-years beyond it, is the star Alcor (80 UMa). Together they are known as the Horse and Rider. At fourth magnitude, Alcor would normally be relatively easy to see with the unaided eye, but its proximity to Mizar renders it more difficult to resolve, and it has served as a traditional test of sight. Mizar itself has four components and thus enjoys the distinction of being part of an optical binary as well as being the first-discovered telescopic binary (1617) and the first-discovered spectroscopic binary (1889).
Five of the stars of the Big Dipper are at the core of the Ursa Major Moving Group. The two at the ends, Dubhe and Alkaid, are not part of the swarm, and are moving in the opposite direction. Relative to the central five, they are moving down and to the right in the map. This will slowly change the Dipper's shape, with the bowl opening up and the handle becoming more bent. In 50,000 years the Dipper will no longer exist as we know it, but be re-formed into a new Dipper facing the opposite way. The stars Alkaid to Phecda will then constitute the bowl, while Phecda, Merak, and Dubhe will be the handle!
In Tolkien's Middle-earth mythos, it is called the Valacirca (Sickle of the Valar), the sign of Hope signifying doom for Evil, while in T.A. Barron's Great Tree of Avalon series, it is called the Wizard's Staff, symbolizing Merlin's staff.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Star  The North Star has historically been used for navigation, both to find the direction of north and to determine latitude. It always appears due north in the sky, and the angle it makes with respect to the horizon is equal to the latitude of the observer.