Thursday 28 June 2012
Wednesday 27 June 2012
Bricgstowe (Bristol)
Exactly when the city was founded is unknown. The earliest relic is a silver coin in the Royal Collection at Stockholm, Sweden. The coin bears the image of Ethelred Unrede (978 - 1016) and was minted in Bricgstowe (Bristol) by a man named Aelfweld. If Bristol was important enough to have a mint by 978 it must have been in existance sometime before then.
It is fairly certain that no town existed here before 577 AD. The reason being that in 577 two Saxon kings (Cuthwine and Ceawlin) fought and killed three British kings (Commail, Condidan and Farinmail) at a village called Dyrham near Pucklechurch, just outside of the present city. Although the towns of Bath, Gloucester and Cirencester are mentioned in the account of this battle, Bristol isn't mentioned at all, even though it would have been closer than those mentioned.
Thus, Bristol was founded sometime between 577 and 978 AD. Even by this latter date the town was known to be dealing sending slaves to the Vikings in Dublin, Ireland.
Bridges at this time were of vital importance. There are three reasons why Bristol, as a port, is situated 7 miles inland with access to ships up a very tortuous river. A bridge across the Avon nearer it's mouth would have been technologically very difficult, the land there was very prone to flooding and the town would have been very exposed to attack. Ships would make their way up the Avon until they reached Bristol Bridge and lay beached at low tide on the mud ready to be unloaded.
Bristol ~ before 1000 AD (the area enclosed by the Old City
Walls)
The named streets are still in existence.
Being built in the crook of the River Frome next to the River Avon provided
Bristol with near perfect protection. The building of a wall around the town
further increased its fortifications. A walk around the area bounded by the old
city walls - even though they don't exist now, except for the old St. John's
Gate at the bottom of Broad Street - is a very pleasant way of spending an hour
or so.
ORATION : The Court of Bricgstowe No. 75, 2nd April 2011
by W.& Em.Bro. Colin Lowther, Provincial Eminent Grand Prior Elect of Wessex
by W.& Em.Bro. Colin Lowther, Provincial Eminent Grand Prior Elect of Wessex
Most Worshipful Grand Master, Worshipful Master, Worshipful Brethren, Brethren.
Brethren, we are assembled here today in harmony and peace, and privileged to be present at, and to participate in, the consecration of the newest Court of Athelstan, the sixth Court in the Province of Wessex.
Bricgstowe Court No. 75.
Bristol or is it Bricgstowe, has a recorded history of over 1000 years. There is an unrecorded history going back to pre Roman times. It was a small market town or burgh from as early as the 10th Century and forming part of the Kingdom of Wessex.
1000 years has seen many changes. We meet here today in this ancient city and in this wonderful Masonic Temple. The Bristol we know today has grown from a small town into a thriving city. The original Kingdom of Wessex disappeared many years ago but the name Wessex lives on and we now have the Province of Wessex in the Masonic Order of Athelstan.
The building in which we meet today is the Province of Bristol. All of the Orders and Degrees administered by the Province of Bristol meet in this one building. Craft, Royal Arch, Mark, Royal Ark Mariners and the Camp of Baldwyn. The Camp of Baldwyn holds a unique position in English Freemasonry. It incorporates in one body, five Royal Orders of Knighthood.
This building was acquired by the Province in 1872 and with the exception of a number of years following damage by enemy action in 1940, every meeting has been held within these walls.
As the Masonic Order of Athelstan, we are youngsters in the Masonic world. But our Order is based on foundations laid down when Bricgstowe was but a youngster. Ten Provinces each with Ten Courts. Representing, as near as possible, the original Kingdoms and Guilds as they were set up by King Athelstan during his reign as First King of the English. All this when Bristol was just a village near a bridge.
Since that date, there have been many changes. Bristol was granted a Royal Charter in 1155 and was granted County status in 1373 separate from Gloucestershire and Somerset. The Masonic Province of Bristol has as its boundary, the original city boundary.
The history of Bristol as a city and a Province is an inspiration to us all. 1460, William Canynge, Mayor of Bristol. St Mathyas Chapel being in ruins was this year erected by him into a Freemasons Hall. We have Canynge Lodge.
In 1497, John Cabot set sail from the port of Bristol and discovered North America. Bristol has Cabot Lodge and Cabot Chapter. In 1532, Robert and Nicholas Thorne founded the Bristol Grammar School. They have Robert Thorne Lodge.
John Whitson, in his will, left funds for the foundation of the Redmaids School, the oldest surviving girls school in England. They have Whitson Lodge. Edward Hodges Bailey, the Sculptor created the frieze above the main entrance to this building. His name is commerated by Baily Lodge. Colston, Brunel and Chatterton, all famous names with strong Bristol connections.
John Whitson, in his will, left funds for the foundation of the Redmaids School, the oldest surviving girls school in England. They have Whitson Lodge. Edward Hodges Bailey, the Sculptor created the frieze above the main entrance to this building. His name is commerated by Baily Lodge. Colston, Brunel and Chatterton, all famous names with strong Bristol connections.
There are records of a Masonic Lodge in Bristol in 1725, the Nags Head Lodge No. 29. Not, I am sure named after a famous Bristolian but the hostelry in which they met.
1739 saw the first Methodist Chapel, the building still exists. 1771, Records of the Royal Sussex Lodge of Hospitality show that the Lodge was opened at half past eight and closed immediately with all due Harmony and Decorum.
In 1844 Brunel's SS Great Britain was launched, 1864, the Bristol Suspension bridge was built, both still here today and we finish the list with Concorde
.
The Province of Bristol was created in 1786 at the request of Brother Thomas Dunkerley. He was the first Provincial Grand Master for Bristol. There are now 36 Lodges in the Province of Bristol, all meeting in this wonderful building. During 1786, Dunkerley was also the Provincial Grand Master in five other Provinces.
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The Province of Bristol was created in 1786 at the request of Brother Thomas Dunkerley. He was the first Provincial Grand Master for Bristol. There are now 36 Lodges in the Province of Bristol, all meeting in this wonderful building. During 1786, Dunkerley was also the Provincial Grand Master in five other Provinces.
However, we are assembled here today not to look back. We look to the future and the growth of the Masonic Order of Athelstan. As Court number 75 we represent a milestone in the history of the Order.
As Bricgstowe Court, we must always remember, although we meet in the heart of the Province of Bristol, we are not Bristol Masons, we are part of the Province of Wessex, meeting in this historic Bristol building. A building steeped in Masonic history.
Many of the founders of Bricgstowe Court are Bristol Masons, brought up on sound Bristol traditions. As members of the Order of Athelstan they will now see the fine precepts and disciplines on which the Order of Athelstan is founded
Built on solid foundations, the Order of Athelstan is growing month by month, year by year. The building bricks are being added one by one. As Bricgstowe Court, we are the 75th brick. It may not be very long before the 100th brick is laid and the building completed.
As Court Master Masons, we are inspired by our leaders. They lead from the front. They are here today to watch with interest as we are formed into a new Court. They will follow our progress as we grow from strength to strength and will attend our future meetings when time permits.
Right Worshipful Brother Malcolm Burns, Provincial Grand Master for the Province of Wessex will guide us and encourage us to make further advances in our Masonic knowledge.
Brethren, today we add the name of Bricgstowe Court number 75 to the register of the Grand Court of the Masonic Order of Athelstan in England, Wales and its Provinces Overseas.
Let us go forth, inspired by the famous names that appear in the history of the city of Bristol.
May the Great Architect of the Universe bless you and forever guide and protect you.
© 2009 Provincial Grand Court of Wessex
UK homes are consuming
Homes are 'hungrier for energy'
UK homes are consuming much more electricity than previously estimated, a report described as the most detailed of its kind suggests
The emergence of electric cars could place an additional strain on the National Grid
UK homes are consuming much more electricity than previously estimated, a report described as the most detailed of its kind has suggested.
For example, it found that up to 16% of households' energy bills are spent on devices left on standby.
It is estimated that domestic energy use accounts for more than a quarter of the nation's CO2 emissions.
The report was commissioned by the government and the Energy Saving Trust to unearth the nation's energy habits.
"This standby power is double what we have assumed it to be in past models and policy assumptions," explained Paula Owen, the report's lead author.
"Before, we have always gone with an 8% figure so it was quite a shock."
Within in this study, Dr Owen explained, standby had a slightly wider remit from its traditional perception of the red lights on TVs and videos.
"When we talk about standby in this context, we are talking about things that are on standby and things [that] are idle, rather than [doing] what they are primarily designed to do," she said.
The modern home contained an average of 41 devices, compared with a dozen or so in the 1970s.
The UK year-long study, commissioned by EST, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for Energy and Climate Change (Decc), involved more than 250 households.
Only two previous studies of its kind have been carried out before.
In 2008, Sweden detailed the electricity consumption of 400 households, while a study in France considered the use in 100 homes during 2007.
'Don't live alone'
Dr Owen explained: "One of the more surprising findings from the study is the amount of use from single occupancy households, which were shown to be using as much as, even more than, as family occupied homes."
The emergence of electric cars could place an additional strain on the National Grid
Another insight was the use of washing machines, which varied greatly across the sample group, Dr Owen said.
"Typically, people use their washing machine 300 times a year; we found that there were some people who were using it three time a day.
"So there is a lot of evidence in this report that shows how people are using their electrical equipment, as well as how often they are using it."
Philip Sellwood, chief executive of the Energy Saving Trust (EST), said that it was "crucial that households across the nation make informed decisions by having the right advice to help them reduce their energy usage and fuel bills".
"This research shows that there's still more work to be done with consumer advice, product innovation and take up of energy-efficiency labelling," he said.
Environment minister Lord Taylor said the government and households could not control the rising cost of energy but could play a part in ensuring that it was used more efficiently.
"Our study has found that homes can save up to £85 by just switching things off and not leaving them on standby," he said.
"Some savings can be made by us, as individuals, by just being more sensible in the way we use energy."
Dr Owen said a big issue for the future would be the increasing popularity of electric vehicles.
"This will dramatically increase our pull on the grid," she told BBC News.
"That is the big growth area over the coming decades, if electric cars do become popular, so we need to see offsets in the domestic setting in order to allow us to power our vehicles in the future."
Rosalyn Foreman, energy adviser for the EST, explained that there were still traditional areas where their efforts could be focused.
"The fridge and the freezer in a house are the real energy eaters. They are the ones that can make a real difference, and it is easier to target the consumer on buying a better appliance.
"It is areas like this where you can make a difference and influence people.
"But we have never had the evidence down to this level of detail before, so it gives us an insight into what we can target and how we target it."
Saturday 23 June 2012
Researchers
Bird flu 'could mutate to cause deadly human pandemic'
The H5N1 virus could mutate to a deadlier form and spread to humans
The H5N1 bird flu virus could change into a form able to spread rapidly between humans, scientists have warned.
Researchers have identified five genetic changes that could allow the virus to start a deadly pandemic.
Writing in the journal Science, they say it would be theoretically possible for these changes to occur in nature.
A US agency has tried unsuccessfully to ban publication of parts of the research fearing it could be used by terrorists to create a bioweapon.
According to Prof Ron Fouchier from the Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands, who led the research, publication of the work in full will give the wider scientific community the best possible chance to combat future flu pandemics.
"We hope to learn which viruses can cause pandemics and by knowing that we might be able to prevent them by enforcing strict eradication programmes," he told BBC News.
He added that his work might also speed the development of vaccines and anti-viral drugs against a lethal form of bird flu that could spread rapidly among people.
The H5N1 virus has been responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of birds and has led to hundreds of millions more being slaughtered to stop its spread.
The virus is also deadly to humans but can only be transmitted by close contact with infected birds.
Coughs and sneezes
It is for this reason that relatively few people have died of bird flu. Latest World Health Organization (WHO) figures indicate 332 people have died of the illness since 2003.
Health officials are concerned though that the H5N1 virus could one day mutate into a form that could be spread between humans through coughs and sneezes through the air.
This could, they fear, result in a lethal pandemic that could spread rapidly across the world killing tens of millions of people.
It is only now that a study has confirmed that the emergence of such a deadly virus is theoretically possible.
A group led by Prof Fouchier wanted to find out which genetic changes were required to enable the H5N1 virus to mutate into a form that could be transmitted from person to person through the air.
His team compared the genetic structure of the bird flu virus with those responsible for earlier human flu pandemics.
The researchers found five key differences, which they reasoned could be the mutations required for airborne transmission of the virus.
They confirmed their theory was correct by genetically engineering those changes into the H5N1 virus which they found could then be spread between ferrets through coughing and sneezing.
A team from Cambridge University then looked to see whether such a mutation could emerge naturally and if so its likelihood.
The researchers studied the genetic structure of 3,000 bird viruses and 400 that occur in humans.
They found some of these viruses had two of the key changes needed to become airborne. Mathematical modelling suggested it was indeed possible for a virus to develop the three further changes required during the course of an epidemic.
Bioweapon
It is the first time it has been shown that it is possible for bird flu to become airborne, but the research team was unable to determine precisely how likely this was to happen.
Prof Derek Smith, who led the analysis, said more information was needed.
He said researchers required a better understanding of how flu viruses were transmitted between people in order to develop a clearer idea of the likelihood of the emergence of an airborne strain of bird flu.
"These are difficult things to find out," Prof Smith told BBC News.
"What this work enables us to do is to prioritise particular experiments to obtain this information".
It is clear though that the emergence of an airborne mutation of H5N1 is unlikely. Were it not it would have emerged already.
But researchers want to be able to calculate the risk of such a virus emerging more precisely in order to help public health officials in their contingency planning.
News of Prof Fouchier's work, and another similar study by Yoshihiro Kawaoka published this May in the journal Nature, prompted the US National Security Advisory Board for Biotechnology (NSABB) to ask both journals last November to redact some sensitive parts of the research.
The NSABB believed the information could be used by terrorists to create a bioweapon.
The scientists who carried out the research, and the journals concerned, considered suggestions as to how the results could be redacted in the journals, but distributed to bona fide researchers who urgently needed the information.
But they concluded such a system was unworkable.
"You can't share information with so many people in the field and keep it confidential," according to Prof Fouchier.
Editor in chief of the journal Science, Dr Bruce Alberts, said the publication of the research in both Science and Nature had "shone a spotlight" on the need to deal more effectively with research that could be misused by terrorists - so called "dual use research of concern" (Durc).
"It has become clear that we will need to work toward the establishment of a comprehensive, international system for assessing Durc, one that includes transparent procedures to allow selected access to any information omitted from a scientific publication to those with a need to know".
But Prof Fouchier questioned whether a system of asking scientific journals to censor Durc work is ever workable or even appropriate.
"The general mode should be that science should be freely available so that the wider scientific community can build on the research," he said.
"I have a hard time identifying research papers that you shouldn't publish. So I'm not sure whether we should ever go down this alley".
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