This week's collection of whimsical and curious stories will show why we should (and also shouldn't) have more occasions to vote - though not necessarily for presidents.
Since you asked - For a long time now, it was mostly unimaginative bureaucracies who have given names to the streets and places we live in. Luckily, Belgium recently showed us a different way. You see, in 2018, the city of Brussels gave its citizens the opportunity to name 28 streets, squares, and walkways – and they answered the call. Thanks to over 1400 suggestions, Belgium's capital has now streets named after fries, beer, and Speculoos (spiced Christmas candy). You may also now address a letter to your favourite Flemish or Walloon friend living on the Sea of Cobblestones (Mer des Pavés), the Path of Happiness (Chemin du Bonheur), the Path of a Better World (Chemin d’Un Monde Meilleur), and the Drive of Dreams (Drève des Rêves). However, receiving mail at the "This is not a street" street (Ceci n’est pas une rue) might be trickier (Guardian)
Be careful who you ask - In the age of the internet, consulting the public can also lead to unwelcome results or even to outright public relations disasters. The British government learnt this the hard way* in early 2016 when a $287M polar research ship was voted to be named "Boaty McBoatface" (NYT). Four years earlier, the Slovak government decided to overrule a public vote to name a new bridge "Chuck Norris" (Reuters). However, both of these names were rather mainstream in comparison to what Mountain Dew had to endure when it asked the public to help name its new flavour. Suffice to say, "Diabeetus" was the only top 10 contender that can be repeated here in writing and the website was very quickly taken down.
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*apparently a recent tradition
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