Kathmandu, Oct. 23 -- Now that Nepal has been ranked 76th out of 116 countries in the UN's World Hunger Index, and we seem to be more fed-up than India and Pakistan (yay!) this is a long-overdue recognition of the rapid strides this country has taken to ensure junk food for all by 2025.

That is the year when Nepal attains Middle Kingdom Status, and the average person's consumption of cracker curls, chips, cookies, and chau-chau will propel the Nepalis' economic growth, if not girth.

The other indicator that Nepal's economy has taken off like a rocket is the growth of the advertising industry. Commercial Break: this week's Backside Column has been made possible because of generous support from Crackpot Cheeseballs ("Do you have the balls...