27 January 2008

charlie big potato

Via here, we discover that 2008 is the International Year of the Potato. Yes folks, it's the United Nations again, off on another zany escapade with your money.

I am sure that all our lives are enriched immeasurably by this fact. And, as I was discussing with someone only a few days ago, if Pauline Hanson had better understood the insane lengths that the UN goes to in pursuit of pointlessly wasting other people's money, her invective would have been off the scale. Anyone who'd ever feared the UN as the stalking horse for 'one world government' evidently hasn't ventured far into the labyrinthine weirdness that characterises much of the UN outside of the Security Council. In fact regardless of the Security Council's stunning powerlessness, the rest of the UN is likely to make you feel quite insecure.


For example, the FAO. It's on the job, vis-a-vis all thing potato.

Here's the official
website of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, one of the specialised agencies of the UN and indeed it is chocka with facts you never knew about potatoes. Strangely, there is no Irish language version of the site, although they are working on a Russian version. That in itself is pretty spooky, yes?

The international year of the potato appears to have commenced in 2007 (and at least it was in Idaho where potatoes can be picked from the ground with sour cream and chives already in place) and does not conclude until 22-25 March 2009 at the
7th World Potato Congress in Christchurch, New Zullund.

Quite apart from raising the perfectly reasonable question of how you can fill in three days talking about potatoes - oh I forgot, it is in New Zealand, say no more - it is also another perfect demonstration of the UN's incompetence. Because it's not a year, is it? It's more than a year. Quite a bit more, really.

Anyway, for those of you with even more time on your hands than me, here's
more about potatoes. "Breaking News! President Parker (hmm... not Spiderman, surely? is he moonlighting for the International Potato Conspiracy?) announced the Congress in Christchurch."

Book my tickets, Miss Jones, I feel the need to get
Up-To-Date with Nicola Nooksack.

Fo' shizzle.

3 comments:

Mark Lawrence said...

Uhmm, I think the official UN 'International Year of the" this year, 2008, is for Sanitation.
http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/

I first groaned when I found that out about 'Sanitation' (bloody UN wastage etc etc), and thought of all the loo and poo jokes they'd be, then I thought of how many people, children especially, get sick and die due to poor access to clean water and contamination from poor sanitation.

Something that I think flooded north Queensland knows all about right now...

phil said...

They're floating past my window, Mark.

JahTeh said...

Better the year of spuds than the year of WMD that BushBlairHoward ran with.

I like spuds, done any way but crispy roasted has to be tops.

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