As all our attention is focused on bidding
farewell to the
International Year of the Potato—long will I cherish the memory of the celebrations in Trafalgar Square and the lingering smell of the debris left by those magnificent potato fireworks—it’s only right that we pause to reflect on what else this has been the International Year Of.
2008 is, according to the
UN, the
International Year of Sanitation, the
International Year of Languages and the
International Year of Planet Earth—a bit of a coup for all three entities, none of which have looked back since. It is the
second International Year of the Reef, while the
World Association of Zoos and Aquaria (WAZA) declared it to be the
International Year of the Frog.
Looking ahead, the UN has
declared 2009 the
International Year of Astronomy. The General Assembly has also
pronounced 2009 both the
International Year of Reconciliation and, “noting that the diverse range of natural fibres produced in many countries provides an important source of income for farmers and can thus play an important role in improving food security, eradicating poverty and contributing to achievement of the Millennium Development Goals”, the
International Year of Natural Fibres. 2009 has been designated by the
Let Sharks Live network as the
International Year of the Shark, while according to the
American Guild of Organists 2008-09 is the
International Year of the Organ. More International Year Ofs as we get them.
Talking of festivities, I
can’t quite put my finger on it but something’s bothering me about the list on
this webpage of “Holidays in England”:
| January 24-26 | Lunar New Year |
| February 28 | Peace Memorial Day |
| March 29 | Youth Day |
| April 4 | Women and Children's Day |
| June 25 | Dragon Boat Festival |
| September 28 | Confucius Birthday |
| October 1 | Mid Autumn Festival |
| October 10 | National Day |
| October 25 | Retrocession Day |
| October 31 | Chian Kai-Shek’s Birthday |
| November 12 | Sun Yat-Sen’s Birthday |
| December 25 | Constitution Day |
BBC News subtitles have so much to teach us about the world. Last night alone I learnt that an EU mission is going to “rust police and justice services” in Kosovo, that the governor of Illinois has been trying to sell the senate seat of “President Lech Barack Obama” and that there has been more rioting today in “several Grix kitties”.
