By national year I assume you mean for Australia? Lots of different groups come up with themes for the year that are really only of interest to people within that realm.
Who designated it the year of reading? That night be your best place to start to see what they've come up with for this year. It could be that more than one group decide to nominate a national year. The UN are forever confusing me when several of their arms nominate a year.... or a decade, or a 15 year anniversary of a previous year when they really want to get silly.
Sassygirl water cooperation is an acknowledgement that effective management of water touches on a range of other development issues like education, health and gender equality for example, and so it requires a multidisciplinary approach with cooperation amongst interest groups in those sectors. Also being a shared resource it often requires cooperation across boundaries. Plus water's been done so they're probably just gettin' all fancy so they don't sound repetitive.
QUOTE (skepticaemia @ 15/01/2013, 07:57 PM)

I have deemed it International Year of Life is Too Short to Drink Cheap Wine ...
As for the Quinoa ... can anyone tell me how to cook that stuff (not the peoples) so as it doesn't taste like the left overs that the budgie has flicked to the bottom of the cage?
I add a few bits of lemon peel to the pot while it cooks then dress it with a nice strong olive oil and lemon juice. Leave the lemon peel in if you are going to store it and it'll taste even better the next day.