DINNER PARTY INTEL: Smart in Stellenbosch

1. Best of Maties

Why do so many fund managers and firms make regular visits to Stellenbosch? According to one survey it could be that the university town has the most tech-related job vacancies in South Africa. QuickBooks, an accounting software company, says the tech job vacancies per capita in Stellenbosch is 36 for every 100,000 people — more than Cape Town or Joburg. Proximity to the university has much to do with that, says the report.

2. Start spreading the news

One way to get good press is to declare a newspaper an official mouthpiece. In the old days apartheid’s Nats did this with Die Burger in Cape Town. Now Nassau County on Long Island in New York has done the same. The object of its affection is the New York Post, a tabloid famous for racy headlines and celebrity gossip. The Post has promised more parochial news. A rival paper in the area, Newsday, is suing.

3. Engendering discomfort

Emilia Pérez, a controversial French musical-crime movie with a trans star, has earned 13 Oscar nominations, though moviegoers aren’t enamoured. It’s the lowest-rated best picture nominee on the Internet Movie Database since 1935, earning a six out of 10. On Rotten Tomatoes, which aggregates critics’ and audience opinions, the approval rating is just 18%. The nine other best picture nominees score between 75% and 99%.