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veggie

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
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[UK] Town tarred by mystery fungus falling from the sky
#14298111 - 04/15/11 09:27 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Town tarred by mystery fungus falling from the sky April 15, 2011 - wee-county-news.co.uk
HUNDREDS of Wee County homes stand tarred by a mystery ‘fungus’ which has plagued the lives of townsfolk for almost 20 years. The fungus – which forms a black residue on almost all surfaces – has engulfed entire Tullibody housing estates, with fed-up homeowners left with little option but to spend hundreds of pounds constantly cleaning or repainting their property. And householders are not the only ones affected, with schools, public buildings, road signs and even trees stained by the unsightly black substance. Although the council – which has hundreds of council houses in Tullibody – has never received a complaint about the residue, its roads teams have to clean signage in the area far more frequently than elsewhere in the Wee County. Dad-of-one Fraser McLachlan bought his Cragganmore home brand-new almost ten years ago, and in the time since has lost count of the times he has hosed down the blackened two storey house. And the 39-year-old former shopkeeper wants something done about the mess, which he says is spoiling the lives of hundreds of residents. He told the Wee County News: “Every three months I have to power wash my drive, repaint fences and scrub my windows – it’s a constant cycle that’s cost me ridiculous amounts of money. It’s the same for my neighbours. “They say the fungus is harmless, but it obscures road signs and makes pavements slippy. It can be dangerous. “I’ve only been here for ten years but this has affected Tullibody for much longer than that. It makes people very angry, and it’s about time something was done about it.” Although the cause of the fungus is unclear, it is thought locally that evaporating alcohol from casks at a nearby Diageo warehouse – a process known as ‘Angel’s Share’ – encourages its growth. Around two per cent of each cask evaporates after the distilling process which makers say is ‘for the angels’. In 2008, Diageo experimented with covering casks in a plastic coating to prevent the ethanol escaping as the loss from the casks costs them vast sums of money. However, scientific studies into the effects of ‘Angel’s Share’ – carried out at sites up and down the UK – have shown no link between ‘naturally occurring micro flora’ growing around warehouses and evaporating ethanol. The Scottish Whisky Association says the issue is ‘industry wide’, but insists the micro floras are a symptom of environment, and not the proximity of warehouses. A spokesman added: “Contrary to the suggested link to warehouses, black micro flora that has from time to time been seen at industry sites is found widely in the UK. Indeed, it is considered to be ubiquitous to the environment and is common where there is no industry presence, for example in the south of England. Scientific research has shown it to be a complex range of micro flora that grows in the soil, leaves and trees, where the conditions are right, for example moisture.” A Diageo spokesman added: “As an industry committed to the highest standards of environmental responsibility, there is continual research into our processes. “If there is a change to the scientific evidence, we can assure you that the industry would consider what the most appropriate, proportionate and effective way forward might be.” Clackmannanshire Council says any tenants concerned about the micro flora should contact its housing department. A spokeswoman said: “We are always keen to keep our houses in good repair and proactively maintain council housing.
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The Whale

Registered: 11/01/10
Posts: 2,384
Loc:
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Re: [UK] Town tarred by mystery fungus falling from the sky [Re: veggie] 2
#14298165 - 04/15/11 09:39 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Mother nature: reminding you who's in control since the beginning of time.
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uber_aj
Goodbye Shroomery!


Registered: 11/13/05
Posts: 4,486
Loc: Much love to you all
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Re: [UK] Town tarred by mystery fungus falling from the sky [Re: The Whale] 1
#14298415 - 04/15/11 10:36 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Right? I love how the father is talking about "it's about time something be done about this!" Move, dummy, you're not going to win a battle against this all-encompassing fungus.
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MidRange
Stranger
Registered: 01/10/11
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Re: [UK] Town tarred by mystery fungus falling from the sky [Re: uber_aj]
#14298566 - 04/15/11 11:05 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Either learn to with it, or don't live by it. It would be like people complaining about snow. Its just something you learn that you have to deal with. If you don't want to put up with it, then move. Think of how much money goes into snow shovels, salt, sand, hospital bills, car repair, and snow removal services. Its a fucking drain, but no one is saying "We have to do something about it, think of the children." Hell, its just one thing that makes that small town interesting.
Maybe someone could come up with a Teflon like coating for the houses and fences so they don't have to repaint it, which I think its just plan wasteful.
-------------------- "Sacrifice is the Christian way of life. Theft is the Socialist way of achieving all ends. Together they represent an awesome evil for this nation to confront." Marc Emery. People who receive medical cannabis trough the federal government.
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PassiveAgressive
Sleepy-_-kinoko!




Registered: 10/16/09
Posts: 924
Loc: Tueri honorare saltus
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Re: [UK] Town tarred by mystery fungus falling from the sky [Re: MidRange]
#14299954 - 04/16/11 08:23 AM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Word. They could send out living samples of the fungus for all of us to study But no, so far it sounds like they choose the road to failure. Where's Roger Rabbit? Call Paul Stamets. Heck, ask a University Mycology Dept. even. The answer seems fairly simple and straightforward if you ask me.
-------------------- (\___/) (= ‘.’=) (”)__(”) Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. - Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.
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Maharishi_2_U
Opt Out Super Fag


Registered: 10/21/09
Posts: 6,316
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Re: [UK] Town tarred by mystery fungus falling from the sky [Re: PassiveAgressive]
#14300551 - 04/16/11 11:57 AM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
PassiveAgressive said: Word. They could send out living samples of the fungus for all of us to study But no, so far it sounds like they choose the road to failure. Where's Roger Rabbit? Call Paul Stamets. Heck, ask a University Mycology Dept. even. The answer seems fairly simple and straightforward if you ask me.
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EmeraldEyes



Registered: 04/05/11
Posts: 57
Last seen: 11 years, 7 days
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Re: [UK] Town tarred by mystery fungus falling from the sky [Re: veggie]
#14307564 - 04/17/11 04:55 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Wow!
I'd love to know what kind of fungus this is.
Anyone here on the shroomey live in that area or ever experienced it?
Kind of crazy how awesome fungus can be. I'm telling ya, fungus is the top of the chain. It's survived catastrophes that we couldnt even imagine happening to us.
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"Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation, and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded." -Abraham Lincoln
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