Britain's top retailers are increasingly responding to customers' demand for products -- tea, coffee and cotton among them -- that guarantee producers in poor countries will get a fair price for their goods. These goods, called Fairtrade products, are certified by the Fairtrade Foundation.
Britain's biggest retailer, Tesco, along with rivals Sainsbury's and Marks and Spencer, are putting Fairtrade products on their shelves, including T-shirts and socks.
"It's purely because of customer demand and (because) customers have been asking us to provide them with more Fairtrade products for the last couple of years," said Olivia Ross, a spokeswoman for Marks and Spencer.
PHOTO: AP
"So many people in the UK are won over by the idea of Fairtrade and want to shop with respect," said Harriet Lamb, executive director of the Fairtrade Foundation.
The Foundation says that sales of Fairtrade products in Britain in 2005 grew 40 percent to ?195 million (NT$11 billion).
The foundation also said that more than 1,500 Fairtrade products are currently on sale in Britain, with products purchased from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia.
"Fairtrade benefits farmers and workers in developing countries, offering a fair price ... environmental benefits and more secure markets. We want to expand the Fairtrade market in the UK so that still more farmers, workers and their families can benefit," Lamb said.
It seems like stores in Britain are in agreement. Retailers Tesco and Co-op are stocking Fairtrade-certified nuts in British supermarkets for the first time. Britain's third-largest supermarket, Sainsbury's, has meanwhile decided to sell the first baby food to carry the Fairtrade mark -- a banana and mango mix. And it's not just supermarkets. Virgin Trains, run by British tycoon Richard Branson, has announced that it is to offer passengers only Fairtrade hot drinks. (AFP)
為回應消費者需求,英國各大量販店保證茶、咖啡和棉花等產品,在貧窮國家的出產過程均以公平價格交易。這些產品是有公平貿易基金會認證的「公平貿易產品」。
英國最大量販店特易購與幾家競爭大廠 -- 聖柏利和瑪莎百貨,也上架販賣公平貿易產品,如 T-shirts 和襪子等。
瑪莎百貨發言人奧麗薇亞.蘿斯指出:「這完全是因應消費者需求。過去幾年來,消費者不斷要求我們提供更多公平貿易產品。」
公平貿易基金會的執行長哈里特.藍伯指出:「英國有許多民眾贊成公平貿易的作法,希望購物時也能對生產者表示敬意」。
該基金會指出,公平貿易產品在二○○五年的營業額高達一億九千五百萬英鎊(新台幣一百一十億元),相較二○○四年成長四成。
此外,基金會表示,目前有超過一千五百種公平貿易產品在英國出售,這些產品來自非洲、拉丁美洲、加勒比海和亞洲。
藍伯表示:「公平貿易讓開發中國家的農人和工人受惠於公平價格、環境效益和更安定的市場,我們希望在英國拓展公平貿易市場,讓農夫、工人和他們的家人都能從中獲益。」
英國店家似乎有志一同。 特易購和 Co-op 兩家量販店首次在英國超級市場上架販賣有公平貿易認證的堅果類食品。同時,英國第三大超市聖柏利亦決定販賣第一批有公平貿易標誌的嬰兒食品 -- 芒果香蕉口味的果泥。不只超級市場,英國商業大亨 -- 理察.布蘭森旗下經營的維京火車,已宣布只提供乘客有公平貿易標誌的熱飲。 (法新社)
Instagram is changing the default privacy settings for many US teenagers, part of an effort to keep them safer and give parents more control over how their kids interact online. The new settings will make teen accounts private by default, limit who those users can send private messages to, and put teens in the “most restrictive” tier when it comes to viewing sensitive content. That means the app will block teens from seeing sensitive photos and videos, including posts that show people fighting or certain cosmetic procedures. These more restrictive settings will be turned on automatically for all Instagram users under 18
Located in the picturesque mountains of eastern Spain, the small town of Bunol might appear to be just another idyllic place in the Spanish countryside. However, it is home to one of the world’s most popular food fights. Each August, tens of thousands of people from all around the globe swarm into Bunol to take part in La Tomatina. On the last Wednesday of August, you will find the streets of Bunol full of people eagerly waiting to hear the blast of a cannon. This signifies the start of La Tomatina, an event where participants hurl thousands of pounds of tomatoes
在 COVID-19 成為全球大流行 (pandemic) 的傳染病後,如何有效篩檢確診病患,一度成為討論的熱點。 疫情爆發初期,國內有些縣市首長主張要普篩(全面篩檢),找出隱藏的新冠肺炎病例,不過,疫情指揮中心說明,全面用聚合?連鎖反應 (polymerase chain reaction, PCR) 檢驗來為全民普篩,將耗費近七百億元公帑和醫療資源,不符合效益。 根據衛福部長陳時中的說法,用準確度高的 PCR 方式對全國 2300 萬人普篩,平均一人 3000 元,總額將高達 690 億元。以當時的盛行率萬分之 18,即使不用人人普篩,以看似健康的人口1800 萬人計算,也需要花費 540 億元,才能找出當中的 3 萬 2577 人無症狀感染者,其中還有 1797 人屬於「偽陽性」,即使沒有得病,還是得將他們隔離、再檢測,才能恢復正常生活。 雖然也可以用價格較低(200 元/人)的快篩做篩檢,但此舉也需花費約 46 億元,且準確度偏低,偽陰和偽陽性機率更高。 (新冠肺炎)「普篩/全面篩檢」的英文是 widespread coronavirus testing 或 community-wide screening/testing。「快篩」是 rapid testing。篩檢中,可能出現「偽陰性」(false negative) 有患病,但篩不出來,和「偽陽性」(false positive)沒患病,卻篩檢出來。 在醫學檢測上「陰性」(negative) 代表沒有(病或病毒),「陽性」 (positive) 代表有(病或病毒),避免患病與否造成污名化,因此用比較中性 (neutral) 的詞彙來稱呼。至於驗孕 (pregnancy test),「陰性」代表未懷孕,「陽性」代表懷孕。 「盛行率」的英文是 prevalence rate,即患病率,在流行病學中指特定時間內總人口中罹患該病的人口所占比例。在新冠肺炎的篩檢中,「咽喉拭子」是目前國內主流採用的方式,「咽喉拭子」英文是 throat swab,就是以棉棒擦拭咽喉部位,取得上皮細胞,並置入病毒收集瓶。如果是採集鼻咽部位,就叫「鼻咽拭子」(nasal swab)。 另外,「靈敏度」(sensitivity) 與「特異度」(specificity) 也是醫學檢測時所使用的術語,用以衡量該檢測的準確度。特異度是不帶原者 (non-carrier) 中採檢陰性的比例,而靈敏度則是帶原者 (carrier) 中採檢陽性的比例,靈敏度、特異度越高,代表準確度越高。 文章由書林出版公司提供: www.bookman.com.tw 蘇正隆 — 台灣翻譯學學會前理事長、師大翻譯研究所兼任副教授; 編著《英語的對與錯》,《世紀病毒:必讀防疫英文知識與詞彙》...等
Get ready to spin on your head -- “breaking” is set to make its Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Games! Often referred to as breakdance or breakdancing, breaking was born in the streets of New York City during the early 1970s. It began as a way for African-American and Latin youths to express their narratives and struggles through astonishing spins and movements. B-boys and b-girls, also known as breakers, frequently compete in cyphers: events where they take turns showcasing their dance moves within a circle of spectators. Breaking comprises four main elements: toprock, downrock, power moves, and freezes. Toprock consists