Pas français
That most French of drinks might not be French at all. Jean-Robert Pitte, one of France’s most eminent historical geographers and a former president of the Sorbonne in Paris, says champagne was invented by the English. According to L’Union newspaper, Pitte, who is chair of the Academy of Moral & Political Sciences, attributes the invention of champagne to 17th-century English merchants. He says many in France have trouble accepting his theory.
Beach bummer
Another Cape Town beach seaboard has been closed. A popular beach at Strand is being closed to build a sea wall, and part of Surfer’s Corner in Muizenberg has become a construction site. The area is being overhauled, with work having started in February. Deputy mayor Eddie Andrews, on a video distributed widely, assured holidaymakers that all was being done to direct them to other beaches along the eastern peninsula and to have access to the walkway.
BQE’s pothole problem
Joburg mayor Dada Morero might think he has a pothole problem, but it’s not nearly as dire as Zohran Mamdani’s in New York. Mamdani, like other Big Apple mayors before him, will have to deal with the triple cantilevered Brooklyn-Queens expressway (BQE) that is notorious for its potholes and traffic jams. The BQE was opened in 1954 and is said to have a lifespan till 2029. The road carries more traffic than it was designed to handle, while road salt, snow and rain have eaten away at its concrete-and-steel underpinnings.
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