Men and boys selling sex in the Bradford district

This report provides a summary of key findings from a study commissioned by Yorkshire MESMAC exploring the experiences and needs of men and boys who are involved in selling sex in the Bradford district. This study consisted of three related projects outlined below. Project A: Survey of Agencies in the Bradford Area The first author conducted an interviewbased survey of 31 representatives from 21 local statutory and voluntary sector agencies exploring their perceptions of the issue of men and boys involved in selling sex, and considering ways in which local services could best respond to their needs. Responses indicated that: ● 78% of agency representatives believed that young men selling sex in the Bradford area was an issue that needed to be addressed. ● 52% of agency representatives had direct evidence of young men who were involved in selling sex in the Bradford area. ● 87% felt that action should be taken to address the issue of young men involved in selling sex in the Bradford area. Suggestions offered are outlined on page 9. Project B: Local Awareness of Men Selling Sex Thirty-seven men under the age of 40 completed a short questionnaire (Appendix 2) exploring their levels of awareness and possible involvement in selling/purchasing sexual services. Results indicated that: ● Adverts for men selling sex had been observed by gay/bisexual and heterosexual men in the Bradford district. ● One-third of gay/bisexual men and one young heterosexual man had been approached by a man and offered sex for money on more than one occasion. ● 10% of the gay/bisexual men surveyed reported having sold sex. Executive Summary ● Reasons for offering sexual services or receiving payment for sex included being pressurized to perform in pornographic videos or pictures, or receiving shelter/accommodation for the night. Project C: Men Selling Sex Seven men who sell or have sold sex in the Bradford area were interviewed by the first author using a structured interview schedule (see Appendix 3). Responses suggested that: ● Sex with young men under the age of 16 is sought by men in the Bradford area. ● Men who sell sex on the streets have less control over the types of sex for which payment is offered than those who are house/flat/hotel-based. ● Men who sell sex on the streets face much more violence than those who sell sex from a house/flat/hotel. ● Selling sex on the streets often follows a chance encounter with an exploitative older man during teenage years. ● Selling sex from a house/flat tends to be a deliberate decision by older men. Recommendations ● Provision of a local support service responding to the needs of men and boys who are involved in selling sex. ● Commission further research exploring the issues highlighted in the report

Aid Volatility, Policy and Development

We build on Bulir and Hamann's analysis of aid volatility (2003, 2005), showing that the conclusions reached depend on the dataset used. Their argument that the poorest countries have the highest volatility appears not to be correct. The impact of volatility on growth is negative overall, but differs between positive and negative volatility. The mix between `responsive´ components of aid, e.g. programme aid, and `proactive´ components, e.g. technical assistance, is important. Finally, we conclude that measures which increase trust between donor and recipient, and reductions in the degree of donor `oligopoly´, reduce aid volatility without obviously reducing its effectiveness

A phenomenological study of the experience of competitive cyclists following a critical incident: impact upon performance

This qualitative study seeks to illuminate the psychological impact of a critical, sport related negative incident upon competitive cycling performance and to inform therapeutic practice with this client group. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse data from semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 7 competitive cyclists who had experienced a negative critical event such as an accident, fall or crash during their cycling participation and who found that the incident had a negative impact upon their performance. Analysis of the data focused on the participants’ experiences relating to the perceived impact of the critical incident upon performance. Six master themes emerged from the data encapsulating the experiences of the respondents: 1. Focus on self; 2. Focus on anxiety; 3. Physical injury; 4. Perceptual and decision-making processes; 5. Impairment of cycling performance; 6. Coping, adaptation and growth. The findings suggest that an integrative/eclectic therapeutic approach would be the most effective in tailoring interventions for this client group, in consideration of the breadth and nuance of the reported impact upon cycling performance. Counselling psychologists’ training and philosophical orientation equips them with the necessary skills and abilities to deliver such interventions

The Effect of Water Use and Water Availability on Net Revenues and Optimal Cropping Patterns on the Texas High Plains

Agricultural production in the High Plains region of Texas is a part of the foundation of the region’s economy. Part of the reason for this is the availability of groundwater for irrigation. Currently, the region relies on the Ogallala Aquifer for irrigation water; however, the High Plains is also home to a second aquifer, the Dockum Aquifer, which could be a viable resource for agricultural use. While the Dockum could partially replace the Ogallala, but differences in depth and pumping cost mean that it is not a perfect subsitute. The purpose of this paper is to determine how the use of water resources and crop production in the area would change if a new water resource was introduced. For each of the forty-one counties in the study area, a representative farm was established that reflects the attributes of the county including land, hydrologic, and crop specific characteristics. To estimate the optimal use of groundwater in the region and identify how the inclusion of the Dockum Aquifer affects regional production and groundwater use, a non-linear programing model was created with the objective to maximize net revenues for each county. Using the model to establish a baseline in which only Ogallala water is used, the effect of the using the Dockum Aquifer was estimated by restricting the amount of water available in the Ogallala, while making the Dockum available for use.Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

An Analysis of the Feasibility of Carbon Management Policies as a Mechanism to Influence Water Conservation Using Optimization Methods

Environmental Economics and Policy,

INCOME ELASTICITIES FOR BEEF, PORK, AND POULTRY: CHANGES AND IMPLICATIONS

Agribusiness,

Infrared continuum observations of the solar atmosphere

The far-infrared wavelengths (10 microns to 1 mm) were used to study the spatial and temporal structure of the solar atmosphere. Observational results were obtained on flares, faculae, sunspots, and on the center-to-limb intensity distribution, as well as on time variability within these regions. A program of precise monitoring of slow variations in the integrated solar luminosity was shown to be feasible, and initial steps to implement observations were completed