Choosing a Food Future: Differentiating Among Alternative Food Options

This article examines the diversity of food networks that fit within the alternative food system of the United States. While farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture schemes, and corporate organic food markets all fit within the alternative food system, they differ greatly in the conventions and beliefs that they represent. The alternative food system has divided into two movements: corporate, weak alternative food networks; and local, strong alternative food networks. The weak corporate version focuses on protecting the environment; however, it neglects issues concerning labor standards, animal welfare, rural communities, small-scale farmers, and human health. Local, strong alternative food networks not only assure environmental protection, but they also address the issues that weak alternatives neglect. Using three case studies from the Washington, D.C. metro area, the author explains that strong alternative food networks are better suited to create social and political change because they challenge the foundations of the conventional food system: standardized and generic products, price-based competition, consolidated power, and global scale. To affect true social and political change in the United States, the author recommends supporting strong alternative food networks by creating the requisite cultural and political space for them to succeed.     

世界会展之都对发展成都会展旅游的启示

会展旅游产品附加值高，盈利能力强。德国会展旅游闻名世界，其中尤以东部城市汉诺威最为著名。被称为“世界会展之都”。介绍了德国汉诺威作为“世界会展之都”的基本情况，分析了其成功经验，并在此基础上探讨了成都会展旅游的基础，提出了发展对策。     

Antibiotic resistant bacteria/genes dissemination in lacustrine sediments highly increased following cultural eutrophication of Lake Geneva (Switzerland)

This study investigates faecal indicator bacteria (FIB), multiple antibiotic resistant (MAR), and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), of sediment profiles from different parts of Lake Geneva (Switzerland) over the last decades. MARs consist to expose culturable Escherichia coli (EC) and Enterococcus (ENT) to mixed five antibiotics including Ampicillin, Tetracycline, Amoxicillin, Chloramphenicol and Erythromycin. Culture-independent is performed to assess the distribution of ARGs responsible for, β-lactams (blaTEM; Amoxicillin/Ampicillin), Streptomycin/Spectinomycin (aadA), Tetracycline (tet) Chloramphenicol (cmlA) and Vancomycin (van). Bacterial cultures reveal that in the sediments deposited following eutrophication of Lake Geneva in the 1970s, the percentage of MARs to five antibiotics varied from 0.12% to 4.6% and 0.016% to 11.6% of total culturable EC and ENT, respectively. In these organic-rich bacteria-contaminated sediments, the blaTEM resistant of FIB varied from 22% to 48% and 16% to 37% for EC and ENT respectively, whereas the positive PCR assays responsible for tested ARGs were observed for EC, ENT, and total DNA from all samples. The aadA resistance gene was amplified for all the sediment samples, including those not influenced by WWTP effluent water. Our results demonstrate that bacteria MARs and ARGs highly increased in the sediments contaminated with WWTP effluent following the cultural eutrophication of Lake Geneva. Hence, the human-induced changing limnological conditions highly enhanced the sediment microbial activity, and therein the spreading of antibiotic resistant bacteria and genes in this aquatic environment used to supply drinking water in a highly populated area. Furthermore, the presence of the antibiotic resistance gene aadA in all the studied samples points out a regional dissemination of this emerging contaminant in freshwater sediments since at least the late nineteenth century.     

Climate negotiations at a crucial stage: the Hague meeting of contracting Parties in November 2000 and its follow-up

The author discusses the central issues of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol in the general context of the Rio process. The nexus of issues under negotiation in relation to climate change are viewed in the context of multilateral diplomacy for sustainable development. The article outlines the background to the important Sixth Conference of the Parties, held in the Hague in November 2000, and highlights the relationship between the main actors in the negotiations. Finally, the main results of the Hague negotiations are presented, followed by comments on follow-up procedures and perspectives.     

Proliferating Principles; Or How to Sup with the Devil without Getting Eaten

The international humanitarian system is seen by many to be in crisis. The reasons for this are complex but include the perception held by many that there is an increasing ambivalence on the part of powerful states to invest military, political and financial resources in upholding humanitarian principles, and a growing feeling that much humanitarian action both ignores human rights issues and can prolong conflict. As a result, much attention has focused on the notion of 'humanitarian principles' and there has been a proliferation of statements and initiatives on this topic in recent years.     

Spatio-temporal distribution of organic and inorganic pollutants from Lake Geneva (Switzerland) reveals strong interacting effects of sewage treatment plant and eutrophication on microbial abundance

Variation with depth and time of organic matter (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus), inorganic pollutant (mercury), as well as bacterial abundance and activity, were investigated for the first time in sediment profiles of different parts of Lake Geneva (Switzerland) over the last decades. The highest organic contents (about 32%), mercury concentration (27 mg kg⁻¹), bacterial abundance (in order of 9 × 10⁹ cell g⁻¹ dry sediment), and bacterial activity (1299 Relative Light Units (RLU)) were found in the highly polluted sediments contaminated by the waste water treatment plant (WWTP) discharge, which deposited during the period of cultural eutrophication. Such data, which contrast with the other sampled sites from deeper and more remote parts of the lake, prove that the organic matter and nutrients released from the municipal WWTP have considerable effects on bacterial abundance and activities in freshwater sediments. In fact, the relatively unpolluted deepwater sites and the coastal polluted site show large synchronous increases in bacterial densities linked to the anoxic conditions in the 1970s (lake eutrophication caused by external nutrient input) that subsequently increased the nutrient loading fluxes. These results show that the microbial activities response to natural or human-induced changing limnological conditions (e.g., nutrient supply, oxygen availability, redox conditions) constitutes a threat to the security of water resources, which in turn poses concerns for the world’s freshwater resources in the context of global warming and the degradation of water quality (oxygen depletion in the bottom water due to reduced deep waters mixing). Moreover, the accumulation of inorganic pollutants such as high mercury (methyl-mercury) concentration may represent a significant source of toxicity for sediment dwelling organisms.     

Persistence and growth of faecal culturable bacterial indicators in water column and sediments of Vidy Bay, Lake Geneva, Switzerland

The aims of this study was to investigate the persistence and the growth of culturable bacterial indicators (CBI) including total coliforms (TC) and faecal coliforms represented by Escherichia coli, enterococcus (ENT), and aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMB) in the surface sediments and the water column of Vidy Bay (Lake Geneva, City of Lausanne, Switzerland). The study was carried out for 60 d using microcosms containing Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) e uent and nonsterile water without CBI, as well as contaminated and non-contaminated sediments. The e ects of water temperature and of organic matter associated with sediments on the survival of CBI in the sediments and the water column were observed. The number of CBI colonies in the contaminated sediments of Vidy Bay and in the STP e uent was almost identical in the order of 105–107, 104–106, 103–105, and 104–107 CFU/100 g sediment or /100 mL water for TC, E. coli, ENT, and AMB respectively. A degradation of CBI was observed in the sediments where organic mater content was low and in the water column at a temperature of 10°C after 5 d of experimentation. In addition, a growth of CBI was observed in the sediment which is rich in organic matter at 20°C. The results of this study indicate: (1) the higher concentrations of the CBI observed in di erent points in the water column of Vidy Bay may not be explained only by the recent contribution of the three potential sources of the Bay contamination including STP and the Chamberonne and Flon Rivers, but also by the persistence, removal from sediment and multiplication of CBI in the sediment and water column; (2) the sediment of Vidy Bay constitute a reservoir of CBI and can even support their growth; and (3) the CBI not only survive in sediments, but also can be remobilized and increased in the water column, therefore, it become a permanent microbiological pollution in Vidy Bay.     

Relief workers and violations of humanitarian law: Some legal considerations

This paper examines the various legal constraints upon action by relief workers when faced with violations of human rights or of humanitarian law. The unique status of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and its delegates is explained and contrasted with the position of relief organizations and their personnel under the Geneva Conventions 1949 and their Additional Protocol I 1977. Proposals are made for the establishment of guidelines for action by relief workers when confronted with atrocities and for the training of relief workers in the relevant laws and procedures.