Interesting Fact, interesting dilemma and constant concern
Daily conversations around work, play, home and my own head often spew forth interesting facets of knowledge that suddenly make you sure the world would be a better place if we only knew the answers or had the virtue of certain factoids and rules in our armaments when confronted by day to day events of mundane importance. considering these facts and sharing with colleges and friends has lead me to the conclusion that a greater linked mind could not only ponder and preach these conundrums but also with the thoughts of others cause a great chain of footnoted wisdom.
To this cause, I contribute three levels of my thinking from this week. One fact, one debatable dilemma and a constant concern – one of those thoughts that always comes back to you every now and again.
Interesting Fact #1
How much is the change in your pocket worth?
I have £6 worth of ten pence pieces in my back pocket. I decide to treat myself to six items from the pound shop. For those interested usual items I would buy from the pound shop would be – multiple tubes of UHU glue, phone charger leads and 1.5 magnification reading glasses.
I take my six items to the checkout and present my six pounds worth of 10p’s to the assistant on request of the purchase price. However this assistant is a stickler and points out to me that the money I have presented is only worth five pounds!
“Five Pounds” I say “Five of your English pounds when I present you six?”
The assistant then rightly directs me to the 1971 Coinage Act, Section 2 Legal tender, sub section F1
Which reads
(a) coins of cupro-nickel or silver of denominations of more than 10 pence, for payment of any amount not exceeding £10;
(b) coins of cupro-nickel or silver of denominations of not more than 10 pence, for payment of any amount not exceeding £5;
(c) coins of bronze, for payment of any amount not exceeding 20 pence.
So quite rightly it can be refused to pay certain amounts in certain coinage at certain establishments.
As for the pound shop. I put one of the tubes of glue back, paid my £5 saved a pound and they missed out on an extra quid in the till! As Fletch in Porridge would say – “Little Victories”
Dilema #1
Rise of the Mushroom overlords
As soon as a vegetarian announces to anyone that they are “a vegetarian” They are often given an unprecedented barrage of criticism and personal scrutiny that no other diet receives.
“Why do you wear leather then?”
“Why do you eat Harribo then?”
“Why do you have to still have your food masquerading as meat in a convenient sausage or burger shape?”
The classic “Why should I stop eating meat then. Convince me. Come on then, COME ON!!!”
On the same notion, the said vegetarian is then expected to defend one’s diet and answer these questions when actual fact they would rather talk about the broken traffic lights on the main street, battery life on the iPhone 6 or repeat jokes from last night Mock the Week.
However when said vegetarian or vegan start to reflect on what actually constitutes their own beliefs where do you stop. As a vegetarian I personally use the term as a generic label. I tell people I am a veggie, and if they try to light a fuse I simply tell them I don’t eat meat because I don’t like the taste and texture, but it’s quicker to say vegetarian (I am that lazy)
I have considered Veganism however, but the picture just gets too impossible. Where do you stop. Here are ten items that contain animal products :-
Carrier Bags (Stearic Acid)
Wax Crayons (Stearic Acid)
Condoms (Casein)
Tattoo Ink (Bones & Fat)
Chewing Gum (Lanolin)
Five Pound Notes (Tallow)
Shimmer Nail Polish (Fish Bones)
Shellac Nail Polish (Beetle cases)
Plywood (blood glue)
Candles (Spermaceti)
*Disclaimer – Vegan versions of all of the above are available. For more info check out the Vegan Society.
My worry goes beyond this though. These are all made from big players on the evolutionary spectrum, your cows, your fish, your insects. My fear, yes fear is based around a much lesser developed set of creatures, the reception class of evolution with us as the major bullies. I’m talking about Fungi. Your basic Mushroom.
Fungi is neither animal or vegetable. It doesn’t photosynthesize therefore it isn’t plant shout the gardeners, the botanists and the green grocers. But it doesn’t have a central nervous system say the zoologists, vets and butchers.
My fear is that in my mind despite it’s simplicity a mushroom is a basic creature. Vegans use the lack of central nervous system as the definition of why you can safely consume them, however Oysters also have no central nervous system. Are Mushroom. Oyster, man and Cow all different points on the same evolution?
In many Indian vegetarian diets, mushrooms are not eaten because they follow Ayurveda customs This divides food int these three categories:
- Sattvic or pure foods (vegetables, fruits, rice, milk etc.)
- Rajasic or passion enraging foods (Spicy foods, garlic, onions)
- Tamasic or impure foods (meat, mushrooms, and foods created from fermentation)
Mushrooms are categorized with meat because they are decomposers that consume impure aspects of life such faeces and road kill. Consumption of tamasic (impure) foods is thought to decrease a persons capacity to experience a sattvic (pure) state of being.
When I consider the mushroom (and for that matter yeast) I feel like a giant looking down on the earth with too much knowledge and power. I wonder if perhaps we should step out of the food chain and let the next evolutionary superior creature take over as we die out. Let the power mad destroy us all, and let those who wish for peace and harmony gain that in extinction.
That or have marmite on toast and watch a box set.
constant concern #1
Where is Duffy?
In 2008 Welsh singing sensation, Duffy belted out the song Mercy through millions of ears making it the biggest selling single of that year. The self styles sixties soul pixie had equal success with her first album “Rockferry” selling 2,200,000 copies in the UK alone and 9,000,000 world wide
However. The much anticipated second album “Endlessly” released 2010 only managed sales of 306,000 in the UK and a too low to register amount globally. This was obviously a blow to a very charismatic and talented individual who was around at the ideal time to challenge Amy Winehouse, Adele and Paloma Faith.
Wikipedia tells us Duffy is on Hiatus. She has given us a couple of acting roles in films, and contributed the odd sound track tune here and there, but by now Duffy should have given us a bond theme, or been at the Olympics Closing Concert in 2012 or at least been a judge on the voice!
Duffy made a lot of money from Mercy and Rockferry. Perhaps she’s happy with that and is enjoying life. She is certainly still active on social media platforms Facebook and Instagram. It is on instagram we had some hope with her last post
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaRGOdfgVmn/
We can hope.
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