UPDATE – Shrooms, Coins and Duffy

In the last few weeks there have been interesting goings on a foot with a previous blog post on the vegan v Mushroom dilemma, the limitations on paying for products and services with coppers and the whereabouts of welsh pop pixie, Duffy!

Coincidence?

1 – vegan v Mushroom dilemma

>

on September 12th 2018, the BBC published 10 fascinating facts about Fungi

The Secret Life of Fungi

Fascinating facts about fungi

1. Fungi are in a kingdom of their own but are closer to animals than plants
2. They have chemicals in their cell walls shared with lobsters and crabs
3. A fungus has been discovered capable of breaking down plastics in weeks rather than years
4. There is evidence to suggest that yeasts – a type of fungus – were being used to produce the alcoholic drink mead as long ago as 9,000 years ago
5. At least 350 species are consumed as foods including truffles, which can sell for thousands of dollars apiece, quorn, and those in marmite and cheese
6. Plastic car parts, synthetic rubber and lego are made using itaconic acid derived from a fungus
7. 216 species of fungi are thought to be hallucinogenic
8. Fungi are being used to turn crop waste into bioethanol
9. Products made from fungi can be used as replacements for polystyrene foam, leather and building materials
10. DNA studies show that there are thousands of different fungi in a single sample of soil, many of which are unknown and hidden – so-called “dark taxa”

As discussed in my previous post – please see fact number 1!

2 – The limitations on paying for products and services with coppers

 

paying with pennies could have become a thing of the past as discussed in the recent press – please see this article from the Guardian website

All change? Future of 1p and 2p coins in doubt as demand falls

The treasury are to consult on the scrapping 1 and 2 pence pieces it says.  However this idea caused such outrage, that the next day it was reported the consultations had been scrapped

https://news.sky.com/story/government-signals-1p-and-2p-coins-safe-amid-backlash-at-consultation-11288402

And finally

3 – the whereabouts of welsh pop pixie, Duffy!

I got a copy of Rockferry by Duffy for 50p from https://www.dovehouse.org.uk/shops