Seven billion, that’s a 7 with 9 zeroes behind it; 7,000,000,000. On October 31, 2011, world population reached that number, so the United Nations decreed that we celebrate
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SEVEN BILLION!
The 7 billionth customer didn’t win any valuable prizes, but that’s the UN for you, all fact-finding committees and non-binding resolutions, but no prizes.
In keeping with the finest United Nations tradition, the man who proposed this day has the difficult-to-pronounce name Babatunde Osotimehin, director of the United Nations Population Fund, who urged the world to perform 7 Billion Actions to make the world a better place.
Presumably, not killing anyone today would be a positive action, as well as feeding the hungry, treating the sick, sanitizing water supplies, teaching birth control methods and promoting tolerance and understanding. World Peace would be a nice gesture too.
We’d better get busy, because we have just a few years until we reach the Day of Eight Billion, and we need to tidy up the joint for all the newbies.
•Suggested Activities: Investing in baby food.