Annals for 2020
21st January 2020 Native British Trees
Howard Goslyn
The first talk of the new year, new Chairman and new decade was, appropriately, given by an ex-Chairman and long serving member, Howard Goslyn. Upon leaving the RAF after many years’ service, Howard embarked on a new career in wood science. The end of the last Ice Age, an Interglacial period and a mini- Ice Age, meant that by 9,000 – 8,000 years ago forest had returned to most of Europe. The disappearance of the land bridge between Britain and France meant than no further trees species entered from Europe. That is why Britain has 33 different species of native tress, of which only 3 are conifers and the 30 others are all broadleaf. We were taken via an A – Z order of or native trees which explained what those 33 species are, the various uses to which they have been put by humans and nature and the statistics and folklore of many of them. Too many to cover all of them in this Report but a few examples are offered. The Silver Birch is the second most common and a very productive tree. Bundles of birch rods were used to administer beatings as punishment as well as beating the parish bounds. Scots Pine is our biggest conifer and is widespread across Northern Europe. Growing to 120’ high, it is used for telegraph and fence poles. It also produces tar and pine essence widely used for medicinal purposes. Hawthorn, a member of the rose family was a pagan symbol of fertility. Claimed by Henry VIIth as the badge of the House of Tudor and has many claims as a curative. It was widely used for hedging after the 1845 Enclosure Act. The Yew tree, living for up to 3000 years, is our most sacred and mysterious tree. Its seeds are poisonous to animals. Used, because of its elasticity, for making longbows, furniture and wine barrels. The world’s oldest wooden artefact is a yew spear dated from 150,000 years ago found near Clacton. Ash is hardy and fast growing with a very wide usage including, for tool handles, furniture and the chassis of Morgan cars and believed to have strong healing powers. Oak is our most common tree and its uses are multifarious. It hosts the greatest variety of insects and invertebrate life. Henry VIII’s navy was built of oak. That along with sheep grazing and wide usage greatly reduced its numbers. It is also widely used in folklore being sacred to ancient peoples. The oak leaf symbol appears on many military and civil honours. Members were eager to raise questions about our native trees and many points of interest showed just how big a part trees play in our lives. Howard’s entertaining, informative and well-illustrated talk was well received by members. It proved an excellent start to our new talk programme and much appreciated.
By Martin Thomas
th February 2020 A lifetime of (almost) Civil Service
Barry Forester
Barry Forester, now retired and living in Ludlow, was a Civil Servant for over 40 years. His interesting informative and often amusing talk offered an insight into the workings of Government and the Civil Service, using his own career as an illustration. He accepts that they have had a rather bad press of late, then proceeded to show that it was not entirely justified.Up until the middle of the 19th century the Civil Service had little to commend it. Entry was by patronage and indolence was endemic. A report in 1854 by Northcote and Trevelyan led to huge changes which laid the foundations of the modern Civil Service as we know it, Strafford Northcote was MP for Dudley who held various government positions eventually becoming Chancellor of the Exchequer. C E Trevelyan was a career Civil Servant who was Permanent Secretary at the Treasury. Eventually his far from sympathetic response to the Irish potato famine led to a furore which resulted in his deployment to India.Common perception about the method of working of the modern Civil Service are largely based upon such TV programs as “Yes Minister” and “The Thick of it”. The reality is somewhat different, certainly as described by Barry. His career was split into three distinct parts.Initially he went into Personnel. At lower levels this was largely concerned with looking after individuals and ensuring that staff were appointed to suitable situations. Further up the tree the job involved assessing departmental needs and sometimes redundancies occurred. These sackings were always done individually in person, so the human impact of any policy was apparent. Barry pointed out that “Personnel” is a much better description of people than “Human Resources” as the connotations of the latter tend to reduce them to mere commodities.The second stage of Barry’s career was spent in the Ministry of Arts and Culture. Here he was involved with the restoration of various buildings such as the Victoria and Albert, the Imperial War Museum and the Queen’s House in Greenwich. He found all these jobs interesting and worthwhile.The last stage of his career was spent explaining to others how the machinery of governments works. He took part in the giving of advice to Kosovo after the fighting; Ethiopia, Kenya, Turkish Cyprus and even China. All these places aim to set up systems that are as free as possible of corruption. The UK Civil Service is renowned worldwide as being free from corruption and so many seek to emulate it.Our Civil Service today has its origins, as previously stated in the Northcote – Trevelyan report. At the time of its publication the Crimean War was taking place. This was the first war to be reported in detail by the press, so the shortcomings in the organisation etc by the Civil Service were prominent in public consciousness. Thus, the report at the right time to be accepted and implemented. The main recommendations, all of which were accepted were:a)Removal of patronage in appointments.b)Appointment of candidates by merit alonec)Merit to be assessed by fair means in open competitionThus, with Ministers no longer appointing Civil Servants, the Service could become politically neutral, as it is today. Moreover, the right of Civil Servants to speak openly with Ministers, an asset to good government, developed from this. Obviously other structures and mechanisms have evolved over the years. In the 1982 Falklands conflict, the sinking of the” General Belgrano” with 323 killed led to a great outcry, the British Government alleging they were in the right. The actual, very different, events were described by a Civil Servant (Ponting) who was prosecuted under the Official Secrets act for so doing. At the trial he was acquitted by the Jury against the advice of the Judge. This case led to alterations both in the Official Secrets Act and the Civil Service code of ethics.
Evolution is instigated in other ways. Special Advisors (Political Advisors) first appeared in 1964. Unlike Civil Servants they are appointed by Ministers (subject to Prime Ministerial approval) but must leave their posts when the Minister leaves. They are not allowed to spend Government money directly or give orders to Civil Servants. One might think that these special advisors are disliked by Civil Servants but apparently this is not so, as they can form a useful conduit between the Politicians and the Civil Service
Barry Forester rounded off his talk by explaining how he saw the connection between the three arms of his career. The threads were; -
- Understanding and serving.
- Fostering and helping
- Searching for and upholding the truth.
Also explained was the difference between an Official Spokesman (always a Civil Servant) and a Ministerial or Prime Ministerial Spokesman (always a special advisor)
Another questioner asked about the Civil Service Commission. This apparently is only answerable to Parliament, not to the Government of the day. All questions were answered clearly and with humour.
By Jim Oakley
18th February 2020 Your Ear and How it Works
Sally Joyner
Sally Joyner began her talk by describing her time at school as unsuccessful. Having qualified as a chef at a College of Further Education she joined the Royal Mail where she spent 27 years.
Significantly she became a union representative for adult learning, during that time, she learnt to lip read, manage her dyslexia and worked with the Shropshire Rural Community Charity which aims to support those affected by hearing loss. Four hard of hearing groups function across Shropshire, although the Ludlow one ceased to operate a few years ago.
Sally did not use any illustrations on screen but instead had a large plastic model of the human ear on the table to introduce her account of how this very advanced organ functions. With well over 70% of people over 70 suffering some form of hearing problems the supply of hearing aids and their maintenance is big business with both private and NHS specialists involved. Sally’s work in her own small business includes advice and maintenance support for hearing appliances.
The ear uses air vibrations to make the eardrum vibrate and in turn the vibrations pass through three small bones to a spiral structure in our inner ear called the cochlea. We vary considerably as to whether how low or high frequencies suit us best. The tiny bones mentioned above link with the brain, so hearing is a function of the brain. Quite separately a semi-circular canal in the middle ear regulates our balance.
During Sally’s explanation several questions were asked by members. We were praised for never using cotton buds to clean the inside of our ears and learnt that the purpose of wax is to protect our ear drum. For much of the remainder of the talk questions and comments by members provided material for further discussion which more than usual involved personal experiences. Sally’s willingness to engage with her audience made for a very cheerful and lively exchange covering many aspects of hearing loss including tinnitus, lip reading and the availability of implants and bone anchored hearing aids.
By Michael Haines
3rd March 2020 Sharenergy
Jeremy Thorpe
Jeremy is a representative of a charitable co-operative society which facilitates the plans of small communities to build communal renewable energy schemes such as windmills and solar farms. A co-operative Society has both similarities and differences to a company, but the main difference is that the former are exempt from business rates.
Funds to build a project are obtained by selling shares, preferably to those local to the community, the maximum from any one shareholder being £100,000. The business plan for any project has to show that it will be viable.
Jeremy explained how the expertise of the co-operative to lease the required land, design schemes, obtain planning permission and liaise with all necessary authorise, organise and oversee construction and commissioning. He will also deal with the accounts and continue to monitor projects during operation and maintenance.
By Bernard North
26th March 2020 Virus Detection
At the Princess of Wales hospital. NHS staff have been sent this:
The simplest way to distinguish Coronavirus from a Common Cold is that the COVID-19 infection does not cause a cold nose or cough with cold, but it does create a dry and rough cough.
The virus is typically first installed in the throat causing inflammation and a feeling of dryness. This symptom can last between 3 and 4 days.
The virus typically then travels through the moisture present in the airways, goes down to the trachea and installs in the lungs, causing pneumonia that lasts about 5 or 6 days.
Pneumonia manifests with a high fever and difficulty breathing. The Common Cold is not accompanied, but there may be a choking sensation. In this case, the doctor should be called immediately.
Experts suggest doing this simple verification every morning: Breathe in deeply and hold your breath for 10 seconds. If this can be done without coughing, without difficulty, this shows that there is no fibrosis in the lungs, indicating the absence of infection. It is recommended to do this control every morning to help detect infection.
Prevention:
The virus hates heat and dies if it is exposed to temperatures greater than 80°F (27°C). Therefore, hot drinks such as infusions, broths or simply hot water should be consumed abundantly during the day. These hot liquids kill the virus and are easy to ingest.
Avoid drinking ice water or drinks with ice cubes.
Ensure that your mouth and throat are always wet, never DRY. You should drink a sip of water at least every 15 minutes. WHY? Even when the virus enters water or other liquids through the mouth, it will get flushed through the oesophagus directly into the stomach where gastric acids destroy the virus. If there is not enough water, the virus can pass into the trachea and from there to the lungs, where it is very dangerous.
For those who can, sunbathe. The Sun's UV rays kill the virus and the vitamin D is good for you.
The Coronavirus has a large size (diameter of 400-500 nanometres) so face masks can stop it, no special face masks are needed in daily life.
If an infected person sneezes nearby, stay 10 feet (3.3 meters) away to allow the virus fall to the ground and prevent it from falling on you.
When the virus is on hard surfaces, it survives about 12 hours, therefore when hard surfaces such as doors, appliances, railings, etc. are touched, hands should be washed thoroughly and/or disinfected with alcoholic gel The virus can live nested in clothes and tissues between 6 and 12 hours. Common detergents can kill it. Things that cannot be washed should be exposed to the Sun and the virus will die.
The transmission of the virus usually occurs by direct infection, touching fabrics, tissues or materials on which the virus is present.
Washing your hands is essential.
The virus survives on our hands for only about 10 minutes. In that time many things can happen, rubbing the eyes, touching the nose or lips. This allows the virus to enter your throat. Therefore, for your good and the good of all, wash your hands very often and disinfect them.
You can gargle with disinfectant solutions (i.e. Listerine or Hydrogen Peroxide) that eliminate or minimize the amount of virus that can enter the throat. Doing so removes the virus before it goes down to the trachea and then to the lungs.
Disinfect things touched often: mobile phone, keyboard, mouse, car steering wheel, door handles, etc ....
Sent in by Martin Thomas