When a man from Idaho sees a story about potato-heads, watch out!****
National Post Published: Saturday, July 15, 2006
A United Nations designation of an "international year" once actually meant something. The International Women's Year in 1975 produced a World Plan of Action to improve women's health, education and employment opportunities, and led to the creation of the UN Development Fund for Women. The International Year of the Child in 1979 resulted in the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the General Assembly. The International Year of the World's Indigenous People in 1994 led to the draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. But what to make of the UN's designation of 2008 as International Year of the Potato?
It has been clear for some time that the world body has run short on subjects that merit a year of their own. There have already been international years of tolerance, human rights, older persons, disabled persons, youth, health, peace, literacy, volunteers, sports, space, deserts, mountains, oceans, freshwater, refugees, heritage, microcredit, physics and "dialogue among civilizations." Yet that has not stopped the UN. To the contrary, where the General Assembly would formerly declare an international year only every few years, it now designates several international years at once. For example, 2008 is not only the International Year of the Potato, but the International Year of Planet Earth, which will force people to make some hard choices.
In approving the International Year of the Potato, a UN declaration described it as a "major event." Indeed it is. Vegetables rarely get the recognition they deserve. There has never been an International Year of the Parsnip, for example. And as the UN declaration states, it "will present many opportunities to raise the profile of the potato among civil society." Yes, but will the UN designation do for potatoes what it once did for women? Will the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which is organizing the international year "in collaboration with governments, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), other United Nations bodies (UNB) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)," produce, in conjunction with the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) and the Alliston Potato Festival (APF), a Declaration of the Rights of Potatoes and other Starchy Edible Tubulars?
That at least would explain the silly grin on Mr. Potato Head's face.
© National Post 2006
UN Potato Heads
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3 comments:
DUDS FOR SPUDS
Just as the West is re-thinking the potato as a food staple, the UN is promoting it. With an epidemic of diabetes emerging, particularly in North America, westerners are being told to eat fewer potatoes. Potatoes are considered similar to bread in their ability to cause a spike in blood sugar. And with the epidemic of obesity in the West, I heard American nutritionist Diana Merkin and her husband Dr. Gabe Merkin just the other day (they can be heard on the radio in Canada) advising people to stay away from bread and potatoes. But since when does the UN listen to Americans.
Rather than a 'Year of the Potato', I could stomach the UN having a 'Year of the Potato Skin.' The potato skin is where most of the nutritional value of potato lies. Lots of vitamin B. Problem is, many people peel it off.
Potatoes -- the skins to be specific -- are reported to reverse the greying of hair. I think the recommendation is to boil the potato skins. The UN could always use this angle during the Year of the Potato to peek interest of aging baby boomers who feel the UN is a bunch of duds who give them little for their money.
In fact, the Year could be re-named: "Duds for Spuds."
Jane's right. Honestly, the most nutrient the poor people of the world are missing the most is protein. Without protein the body can not grow, nor will it have energy. When the body tires easily, the brain does not function well.
If the UN wants to promote an agricultural product, they ought to think more along the lines of soy, nuts, and avocadoes.
Islam goes crazy on the whole world, and there is the UN pointing out useless food tips to starving people.
I recall with some satisfaction a roadsign iutside my old hometown:
"Silence isn't always golden. Sometimes it's yellow. Get out of the UN."
We can say all we like about this or that but I have this much to say at this time: Put up or shut up.
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