DINNER PARTY INTEL: How foot and mouth stopped Fish

1. Sick cows sink Fish

It’s not often that cattle can stop a boat race, but it happened to the weekend’s Fish River Canoe Marathon. The canoe race on the Great Fish, from Hofmeyr to Cradock 82km away, is helped along by a tide of water from the Orange-Fish tunnel, one of the world’s longest enclosed aqueducts. But an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the area has forced the cancellation of this year’s event.

2. See-through solar 

Australian see-through solar panels have arrived in South Africa, reports Engineering News. ClearVue, an insulated glass unit, generates up to 30 watt/m². Along with its aesthetics, it claims to provide between 50% and 100% of a building’s energy needs by integrating photovoltaic technologies.

3. Parisian steakholders

Many council workers in Paris want a return of daily meat dishes in municipal canteens. Wednesdays and Fridays have been designated vegetarian with servings of broccoli gratin, chilli with vegetables and bulgur wheat or pasta with beans, tomatoes, sweetcorn, onion and garlic — all in the alleged fight against global warming. But gardeners, sweepers and others with outdoor jobs are insisting on daily steak, frites and cordon bleu.