#uk trade mark search

[regimarksia]

In this ever-evolving business scenario, all companies must move forward with robust planning. The trademark is a vital aspect of the planning that ensures the protection of intellectual business property and establishes a unique identity. Do you know why you must get it registered right now?

[darkmaga-retard]

Peter Halligan

Sep 03, 2024

From here:

UK government secures new offshore wind capacity and it’s going to cost the public dearly – The Expose (expose-news.com)

“Net Zero Watch highlights the same. The price for new electricity from offshore wind has risen to £82/MWh in current prices, a significant 58% increase since the previous successful auction.”

That high price will be passed on to consumers.

Out of interest, here’s a back of the envelope calculation for coal, oil and gas using futures prices and a quick search of electricity converted from these hydrocarbon raw materials.

Natural Gas price – around 2 bucks for a contract with a spec of 10,000 million British thermal units (mmBtu).

Natural Gas (NG) Price Today, Forecasts & News | FX Empire

I have used 2 bucks below instead of the volatile 2.113 price.

Natural Gas Futures (NG) Trading Strategies - Seasonality & Contract Specifications Discussed (therobusttrader.com)

[aalawsng]

Looking to protect your brand in the UK?

A Step-by-Step Guide to Trademark Registration in the UK

 Conducting a Trademark Search

Before filing an application, it’s important to conduct a search to ensure that your trademark is unique and not already in use. The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) offers an online search tool where you can check existing trademarks. This step helps avoid potential legal disputes and rejection of your application.

Choosing the Right Classes

Trademarks are registered under specific classes that categorize the type of goods or services your trademark will cover. The UK follows the Nice Classification, which includes 45 classes. It’s essential to choose the correct class or classes that best fit your business needs. For example:

Class 9: For mobile apps, software, and electronics.

Class 25: For clothing and footwear.

Class 35: For advertising and business services.

Filing Your Trademark Application

Once you have determined that your trademark is unique and selected the appropriate classes, you can proceed with filing your application. The application requires specific details:

Mark Details: The trademark text or image you want to register.

Goods/Services: The classes and specific goods or services the trademark will cover.

Owner Details: Information about the individual or company owning the trademark.

Representative Details: If applicable, the details of the person handling the application on your behalf.

You can file your application online through the UK IPO website. The application fee varies depending on the number of classes you are registering for.

4. Examination of Your Application

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) will examine your application and send you an ‘examination report’ within 2 to 3 weeks.

The report tells you if there are problems with your application (known as ‘objections’), that may mean you would not be able to register your trade mark.

You have 2 months to resolve any objections.

The IPO will also search for existing trademarks that are the same as, or similar to, yours. If they find any, they’ll contact both you and the registered holders.

If there are no objections or you resolve them, your application will be published in the https://www.gov.uk/check-trade-marks-journal for 2 months. Anyone may ‘oppose’ your application during this time.

5. Publication and Opposition Period

If your application passes the examination, it will be published in the official journal. There is a two-month period during which third parties can oppose your trademark if they believe it infringes on their rights. If no oppositions are filed, or if oppositions are resolved in your favor, your trademark will proceed to registration.

6. Registration and Protection

Once the opposition period ends, and any issues are resolved, the IPO will register your trademark. You will receive a registration certificate, and your trademark will be valid for 10 years. You can renew it indefinitely every 10 years by paying the renewal fee.

7. Enforcing Your Trademark Rights

As the trademark owner, it’s your responsibility to monitor the market and enforce your rights. If you discover that someone is using your trademark without permission, you can take legal action to stop them.

FEES: £170, 

£50:for additional trademark registration

Conclusion

Registering a trademark in the UK is a straightforward process that offers valuable protection for your brand. By following these steps, you can secure your brand’s identity and ensure that your business stands out in the marketplace.

REFERENCE

https://www.gov.uk/how-to-register-a-trade-mark/start-your-application 

[boldcompanynews]

Body Of Hannah Lynch, UK Tycoon Mike Lynch's Daughter, Final Victim In Sicily Yacht Disaster, Found - Journal Global Internet - BLOGGER https://www.merchant-business.com/body-of-hannah-lynch-uk-tycoon-mike-lynchs-daughter-final-victim-in-sicily-yacht-disaster-found/?feed_id=175996&_unique_id=66c91347495b1 Divers searching a sunken superyacht off Sicily recovered the body of the teenage daughter of UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch Friday, the seventh and final victim of a tragedy in which the businessman also perished.Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah had been among six passengers reported missing after the “Bayesian” went down off the north coast of the Italian island in a storm early on Monday morning.After Hannah’s body was brought ashore on Friday, her family issued a statement describing their “unspeakable grief”.“The Lynch family is devastated, in shock and is being comforted and supported by family and friends,” it said.Search teams had recovered the bodies of four of Lynch’s friends on Wednesday, and that of the entrepreneur himself on Thursday.The body of a man believed to be the yacht’s chef had been found a few hours after the sailing ship sank.Lynch, 59, had invited friends and family onto the sailing boat to celebrate his recent acquittal in a massive US fraud case.But the 56-metre (185-foot) British-flagged yacht was struck by a waterspout — akin to a mini-tornado — before dawn on Monday as it was anchored off Porticello, near Palermo.It sank at around 04:30 am local time, according to management company Camper and Nicolsons, and now lies on the sea bed some 50 metres down.‘Heartbroken’Hannah had just finished her end-of-school exams and had a place to study English literature at Oxford University.Friends described her as warm, loving and “charming and ferociously intelligent”, according to one of the tributes issued by the family.Lynch, once dubbed the British “Bill Gates”, was “the most brilliant mind and (most) caring person I have ever known”, said another.The businessman had been acquitted on all charges in a San Francisco court in June after he was accused of an $11 billion fraud linked to the sale of his software firm Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard.US lawyer Chris Morvillo, a partner at top law firm Clifford Chance who worked on the trial, also died in the sinking, along with his wife Neda.Morvillo’s firm Clifford Chance paid tribute to the couple, saying all were “heartbroken at the tragic passing… and still coming to terms with this terrible loss”.Italy’s fire service said 27 divers had gone down to the submerged yacht each day, performing 123 dives overall in a search that also saw helicopters scour the area.The bodies of Jonathan Bloomer, the chair of Morgan Stanley International, and his wife Judy, were also found.The Bloomer family said they were suffering “unimaginable grief” for a couple who had been together for five decades.“Our only comfort is that they are still together now,” the family said.‘Uncovering the truth’Many questions remain about why the yacht sank, and so quickly, when other boats nearby were unaffected.Italian prosecutors have opened a probe and will hold a press conference on Saturday.On Thursday the head of the company which built the boat said the tragedy could have been avoided.“Everything that was done reveals a very long summation of errors,” said Giovanni Costantino, head of the Italian Sea Group, which includes the Perini Navi company that built Bayesian in 2008.But Nautilus International, a maritime trade union, called for a “thorough, unbiased investigation”.General secretary Mark Dickinson warned questioning the crew’s conduct “without the full facts” would be “not only unfair but also harmful to the process of uncovering the truth”.The Bayesian, owned by Lynch’s family, boasted a 75-metre mast, the tallest aluminium sailing mast in the world, according to the Charter World website.Raising the wreck would likely cost some 15 million euros and take “six to eight weeks”, according

to the salvage engineer who led the operation to recover the Costa Concordia cruise ship, which sank off Italy in 2012.To recover the yacht, the mast could be removed on the seabed but the boat would be lifted up whole using a giant crane and a team of 40 specialist divers, South African engineer Nick Sloane told the Repubblica daily.(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)“UK businessman Mike Lynch and six others died when their luxury yacht got caught in a waterspout that caused the vessel to sink…”Source Link: https://www.news18.com/world/body-of-uk-tycoons-daughter-hannah-lynch-final-victim-in-sicily-yacht-disaster-found-9025855.html http://109.70.148.72/~merchant29/6network/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/pexels-photo-12342127.jpeg #GLOBAL - BLOGGER Divers searching a sunken superyach... BLOGGER - #GLOBAL

[technologycompanynews]

Body Of Hannah Lynch, UK Tycoon Mike Lynch's Daughter, Final Victim In Sicily Yacht Disaster, Found - Journal Global Internet - BLOGGER https://www.merchant-business.com/body-of-hannah-lynch-uk-tycoon-mike-lynchs-daughter-final-victim-in-sicily-yacht-disaster-found/?feed_id=175995&_unique_id=66c9134655bef Divers searching a sunken superyacht off Sicily recovered the body of the teenage daughter of UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch Friday, the seventh and final victim of a tragedy in which the businessman also perished.Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah had been among six passengers reported missing after the “Bayesian” went down off the north coast of the Italian island in a storm early on Monday morning.After Hannah’s body was brought ashore on Friday, her family issued a statement describing their “unspeakable grief”.“The Lynch family is devastated, in shock and is being comforted and supported by family and friends,” it said.Search teams had recovered the bodies of four of Lynch’s friends on Wednesday, and that of the entrepreneur himself on Thursday.The body of a man believed to be the yacht’s chef had been found a few hours after the sailing ship sank.Lynch, 59, had invited friends and family onto the sailing boat to celebrate his recent acquittal in a massive US fraud case.But the 56-metre (185-foot) British-flagged yacht was struck by a waterspout — akin to a mini-tornado — before dawn on Monday as it was anchored off Porticello, near Palermo.It sank at around 04:30 am local time, according to management company Camper and Nicolsons, and now lies on the sea bed some 50 metres down.‘Heartbroken’Hannah had just finished her end-of-school exams and had a place to study English literature at Oxford University.Friends described her as warm, loving and “charming and ferociously intelligent”, according to one of the tributes issued by the family.Lynch, once dubbed the British “Bill Gates”, was “the most brilliant mind and (most) caring person I have ever known”, said another.The businessman had been acquitted on all charges in a San Francisco court in June after he was accused of an $11 billion fraud linked to the sale of his software firm Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard.US lawyer Chris Morvillo, a partner at top law firm Clifford Chance who worked on the trial, also died in the sinking, along with his wife Neda.Morvillo’s firm Clifford Chance paid tribute to the couple, saying all were “heartbroken at the tragic passing… and still coming to terms with this terrible loss”.Italy’s fire service said 27 divers had gone down to the submerged yacht each day, performing 123 dives overall in a search that also saw helicopters scour the area.The bodies of Jonathan Bloomer, the chair of Morgan Stanley International, and his wife Judy, were also found.The Bloomer family said they were suffering “unimaginable grief” for a couple who had been together for five decades.“Our only comfort is that they are still together now,” the family said.‘Uncovering the truth’Many questions remain about why the yacht sank, and so quickly, when other boats nearby were unaffected.Italian prosecutors have opened a probe and will hold a press conference on Saturday.On Thursday the head of the company which built the boat said the tragedy could have been avoided.“Everything that was done reveals a very long summation of errors,” said Giovanni Costantino, head of the Italian Sea Group, which includes the Perini Navi company that built Bayesian in 2008.But Nautilus International, a maritime trade union, called for a “thorough, unbiased investigation”.General secretary Mark Dickinson warned questioning the crew’s conduct “without the full facts” would be “not only unfair but also harmful to the process of uncovering the truth”.The Bayesian, owned by Lynch’s family, boasted a 75-metre mast, the tallest aluminium sailing mast in the world, according to the Charter World website.Raising the wreck would likely cost some 15 million euros and take “six to eight weeks”, according

to the salvage engineer who led the operation to recover the Costa Concordia cruise ship, which sank off Italy in 2012.To recover the yacht, the mast could be removed on the seabed but the boat would be lifted up whole using a giant crane and a team of 40 specialist divers, South African engineer Nick Sloane told the Repubblica daily.(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)“UK businessman Mike Lynch and six others died when their luxury yacht got caught in a waterspout that caused the vessel to sink…”Source Link: https://www.news18.com/world/body-of-uk-tycoons-daughter-hannah-lynch-final-victim-in-sicily-yacht-disaster-found-9025855.html http://109.70.148.72/~merchant29/6network/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/pexels-photo-12342127.jpeg BLOGGER - #GLOBAL Divers searching a sunken superyacht off Sicily recovered the body of the teenage daughter of UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch Friday, the seventh and final victim of a tragedy in which the businessman also perished. Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah had been among six passengers reported missing after the “Bayesian” went down off the … Read More

[thxnews]

HMP Lowdham Grange Goes Public

The UK Ministry of Justice has agreed to transition HMP Lowdham Grange in Nottinghamshire from private to public sector control by Summer 2024. This decision follows interim management by His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) to address specific issues at the prison.   Background of HMP Lowdham Grange HMP Lowdham Grange is a Category B training prison in Nottinghamshire, housing adult male offenders. Managed by Sodexo since February 2023 under a 10-year contract with a 5-year break clause, the prison faced several challenges that necessitated HMPPS intervention in December 2023. The move aimed to bolster safety and improve conditions within the facility.   Reasons for Transition The transition to public sector control was prompted by ongoing safety and operational issues at HMP Lowdham Grange. Despite many private prisons performing well, including other facilities managed by Sodexo, HMP Lowdham Grange required immediate intervention. The Ministry of Justice's swift action ensured that improvements could be sustained long-term.   Terms of Agreement In principle, HMPPS and Sodexo have agreed on terms to transition the prison to public sector control. Sodexo will pay a settlement covering the costs of the interim management and anticipated future operating expenses, ensuring no additional burden on taxpayers. The final negotiations are expected to conclude by Summer 2024, marking the official transfer.   Improving Conditions and Safety Governor Neil Thomas, who took command during the HMPPS step-in, will continue to lead the prison through the transition.   HMP Lowdham Grange is taking action to improve safety and conditions: Increased Staffing: We've deployed up to 50 additional experienced prison officers and managers to provide consistent and predictable routines for prisoners. Enhanced Security: Through joint searches, we've removed significant amounts of contraband. We're also planning gate security improvements to stop future trafficking. - Facility Upgrades: Refurbishments, such as window upgrades on several wings, are underway to enhance decency and prevent contraband ingress.   Impact of the Transition The actions taken have already resulted in a 50% reduction in violence towards staff and a significant decrease in prisoner-on-prisoner assaults. Positive drug tests have also dropped, indicating improved overall stability within the prison. The transition to public sector control aims to maintain these improvements and further enhance the facility's operational standards.   Continuity and Employment The transition will ensure continuity of employment for existing Sodexo staff at HMP Lowdham Grange, with support provided throughout the process. Trade unions are actively involved to safeguard employees' interests and ensure a smooth transfer.   Financial Considerations Sodexo’s settlement to cover interim management costs and future expenses ensures that the transition does not incur additional costs to taxpayers. This aligns with the department’s commitment to recover 'step-in' costs in accordance with the contract.   Final Thoughts The decision to bring HMP Lowdham Grange under public sector control reflects the UK's commitment to improving prison conditions and safety. The transition, backed by comprehensive measures and strategic planning, aims to create a safer and more stable environment for both staff and inmates. As the transition progresses, continued focus on maintaining high standards and addressing operational challenges will be paramount to the prison's success.   Summary Table of Key Actions Action Description Outcome Increased Staffing Deployment of additional officers and managers Improved regimes and reduced violence Enhanced Security Removal of contraband and planned gate security upgrades Reduced contraband trafficking Facility Upgrades Refurbishment of windows and other areas Enhanced decency and security Continued Leadership Governor Neil Thomas leading the transition Stable leadership and continued improvements Financial Settlement Sodexo covering interim and future costs No additional cost to taxpayers   Sources: THX News, Ministry of Justice & The Rt Hon Edward Argar MP. Read the full article

[bishamconsulting]

Cs Automotive Consultants, Winchester, Hampshire Specialists In Prestige & Luxurious Automobiles

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[globalindian]

Lulu Raghavan’s Journey of being a Brand Evangelist

How many of us can say that we look forward to going to work every morning? daily for twenty years? Take a 6 a.m. flight or an 8 a.m. meeting? Lulu Raghavan, a brand evangelist, and MD at Landor & Fitch, one of the top branding and design consultancies in the world, sees her job in precisely that way. Raghavan, who has been with Landor for more than 21 years, has not only seen the company grow alongside it but has also contributed to its success in India by bringing in significant clients like Tata Group, Mahindra Group, Aditya Birla Group, Axis Bank, Digit Insurance, Delhi Airport, V. Guard, and Sony Pictures.

In the wake of working with Landor for a long time in the US and UK, Raghavan moved to India in late 2006 to lay out the organization’s Indian office. Throughout the long term, she could be relied on in the realm of marking and planning. In 2018, she was welcome to the Cannes Lion Plan Jury — the primary lady from Landor to do as such. She has additionally been highlighted in a few Harvard Business college contextual analyses; particularly for her work in the rebranding of the Taj gathering of lodgings. Raghavan was likewise welcome to Harvard College in 2012 when the contextual investigation was shown in a homeroom interestingly.

In any case, planning and marking were not generally at the forefront of her thoughts, she told Worldwide Indian in a selective meeting. “In any case, my mom detected my tendency very early and encouraged me to take up pictures of the executives,” giggles the Brand Evangelist, adding that she at first searched for work in the banking and counseling areas. Yet, life had different plans; a relaxed discussion with a family companion prompted her to get her most memorable occupation at Ogilvy Counseling in 1997 as a brand expert at a compensation of ₹7,000 per month.

“I cherished the work. I functioned as a partner to R Sridhar (promoting veteran and previous overseer of Ogilvy India) and read books on marking from morning to night. I experienced passionate feelings for marking; this theoretical thing that characterizes the society. The work showed me so much and Sridhar supported me a great deal,” she says.

From her school days, Raghavan was very flexible and succeeded in the two scholastics and sports. Concentrating abroad was first imparted to her by her mom. “She went to the US to concentrate on science and was intrigued by their method of instruction. She maintained that I should encounter it and urged me to move to the US for higher examinations.” So in 1993, Raghavan was selected at Davidson School (a chief human sciences school) on a full grant to North Carolina to concentrate on financial matters.

Her time at Davidson was characterized in numerous ways: she realized the honor code, and the significance of being unique in one’s work, led the global understudy affiliation, was in the Financial matters Praises Society, and burned through a half-year of her first year on a trade program in France living with a French family. “I partook in all of it. It truly molded my point of view,” he says.

It was here that she found a new line of work with Landor in his naming division. “We needed to distinguish remarkable names for the organization’s items, and my language abilities, Ogilvy experience, and MBA proved to be useful,” says Raghavan, who then, at that point, needed to stand by a half year to change from an H4 visa to an H1B.

Three weeks after she joined Landor in January 2001, the Web crashed and enormous cutbacks started. “Luckily, my occupation was secure; perhaps in light of the fact that I addressed the fate of the organization,” she reviews the starting points of her vocation. She endured four years working at Landor, some of them working intimately with the organization’s Chief. At the point when her significant other moved to New York, her Chief was glad to work with her move too, and she kept on working from the organization’s Association Square office.

Humdinger Raghavan, who has endured various years living in the US and UK, feels very much like a worldwide resident with regard to her standpoint. However, she is immovably attached to her customs and Indian childhood. At work, she is similarly open to exchanging between her ways of life as a Worldwide Indian and accepts that her time at Davidson School truly helped shape her viewpoint towards her calling.

More marquee brands — Mahindra, Taj Gathering, Goodbye Purchaser Items, Pivot Bank, and Public Stock Trade — followed. At the point when Raghavan started making advances in the Indian market, she took in a couple of significant examples. “I was a lady in the field and a westernized one at that. In any case, I figured out how to wear a sari and adjust to the market here. It brought about the ideal result,” she says. At last, Landor coordinated with Fitch (a retail and experience plan consultancy) and Raghavan was before long driving a 100-part group.

[yoificfinder]

Hi! I was wondering if you would be able to find some time travel/time loop AUs where Victor and Yuuri (and other members of the YoI cast) are thrown around in time please? Thank you so much!

Hi! These are some time travel fics (mix of both canonverse and AUs) I read and enjoyed:

Previous rec of time travel fics where they meet their other self in the other timeline

a great desire to love by lily_winterwood / @omgkatsudonplease [T, 22K]

For some strange, inexplicable, fantastic reason, Yuuri Katsuki and Viktor Nikiforov are trading places. Kimi no Na wa AU.

All Our Yesterdays by @kitsunebi-uk [E, 102K]

York, England, 2120: Yuuri Katsuki is a dime-a-dozen techie, spending his days doing routine repairs at the university. He hangs out with his friend Phichit, goes for a drink, watches holograms. It’s an existence – but is it a life?

Crowood Castle, Yorkshire, 1392: As the son of a baron, Sir Victor Nikiforov makes judgements where lives hang in the balance. As a knight, he must sometimes end them. It’s what he was born to do – but what of the heavy burden on his soul? Death is all too commonplace, while life and love remain elusive.

When a brilliant scientist goes rogue, journeying to the Middle Ages with the world’s first time machine, Yuuri is stunned to be called on as the last hope of preventing her from changing history. After an abrupt departure, he lands at Crowood Castle disguised as an enemy of the Nikiforovs, Sir Justin le Savage – and will need to act the part if he is to survive. It’s a tall order for someone who can barely tell the back end of a horse from the front. But if Ailis, in her own disguise, discovers who he is, his mission will end in a blaze of laser-gun fire. He must not give his real identity away, even to the beguiling knight he’s falling in love with…

Elevators Out of Order by mtothedestiel [E, 31K] *WIP

A Kate and Leopold AU. In 1876, Victor Nikiforov is a handsome duke with an inventive imagination and a dwindling fortune. The search for a wealthy bride brings him to America, and the capital of progress, New York City. Can an encounter with a mysterious stranger offer Victor a future he never dreamed of?

Meanwhile in 2017, physicist turned paper-pusher Yuuri Katsuki is just trying to get through the day, which is tough enough without surprise phone calls from his roommate announcing he has a 19th-century aristocrat out cold on their sofa.

To top things off, it would seem every elevator in Manhattan is suddenly out of order. What a coincidence.

Here Once and Back Again by Cbear2470 [E, 77K] *WIP *Major Character Death

“What?” was all Yuuri could say as a numbness froze over his body.

Something—something wasn’t right. It was then he realized he couldn’t remember getting to the rink. He couldn’t remember even stepping on the ice to start his program.

He couldn’t remember.

He tried to remember.

*

As Yuuri is skating his free skate, he knows something is off. But, he brushes it aside, too focused on executing the program flawlessly.

It isn't until after it's all over that Yuuri comes to discover that he just skated his gold-medal winning, record-breaking program at the 2014-15 Grand Prix Final in Sochi. The very same final Yuuri had once upon a time placed last in over two years ago.

here's to the glory still to be by @foxfireflamequeen [Not Rated, 12K]

“Hi,” says Viktor, smile bright and camera-ready. His hand, when he extends it, is small and delicate. “I think you know who I am, but we haven’t met.”

His accent is very thick, very Russian in a way Yuri has never heard before. He looks from the offered hand to Viktor’s face, barely an inch higher, and tracks his hair, long and pale and spilling over his shoulders. He can’t be older than, well, Yuri.

“No,” says Yuri. “We haven’t.”

in another dimension series by @alykapediaaa [T, 8K]

Summary of first fic in the series

Entertainment >> Celebrity News

Viktor Nikiforov: Finally Found!

SOMERSET – Russian model Viktor Nikiforov, 27, who has been declared missing last May of this year was finally found earlier today. Nikiforov, known as the face of luxury brand Stammi Vicino, was vacationing at Bath, Somerset after a successful season when he suddenly disappeared, leaving all of his belongings, as well as his poodle, behind. Yakov Feltsman, Nikiforov’s manager, has yet to release a statement. Read More.

Life Unwoven by ayn2390 [M, 23K] *Indefinite Hiatus

Five-Time Consecutive Grand Prix Final Winner Katsuki Yuuri meets Five-Time Consecutive Grand Prix Final Winner Victor Nikiforov.

or,

In which things are tangled, and untangled, and tangled again. And Victor will always be there to save Yuuri.

Maelstrom by @feels-like-fire [E, 44K]

Victor Nikiforov is poised to win gold in his fifth consecutive Grand Prix Final. He has the world at his feet, is unparalleled in the sport--right up until a snowstorm blows into Sochi, and he finds himself repeating the same day over and over and over. He stumbles over Yuuri Katsuki, and everything changes.

(Or, the time loop au. Loosely based on Groundhog Day.)

On My Love by RikoJasmine [T, 73K] *WIP

For the second time, the Sochi Grand Prix Finals arrive, and with it a reborn Yuuri Katsuki. “Viktor,” Yuuri thinks over the pounding of his heart, the crowd going silent as the music begins. “I’ll show the world what you meant to me.”

Yuuri often thinks of his life as Before and After Viktor Nikiforov, the marking point being the day Viktor swept into his life and turned his world upside-down. After many years together, an accident leads to Yuuri suddenly waking up in the Before—back in Detroit, before the GPF, before he ever knew Viktor as anything other than his childhood idol.

As if it had all been just a dream.

paso doble by @cafecliche [G, 4K]

"Long before skating, or even ballet, Yuuri would hear about it at festivals, in the boiling humidity of Hasetsu summers dancing the Bon Odori in the streets. He remembered years where Mari would take him home alone, while their parents comforted lingering, distraught dancers. Sometimes, Mari had explained, they were crying because they’d seen lost loved ones. Some cried because they didn’t see who they’d hoped, but a stranger. And some cried because they hadn’t seen anyone at all.

Because it’s not just the steps. The dancers need, even for a second, to feel the exact same thing."

(Or: days before Hot Springs on Ice, Yuuri receives a visitor from another time.)

The League of the Green Carnation by @abarero [M, 62K]

There was one golden rule to being a Time Scientist: do not bring home anything that was a fixed point in history. This meant most artifacts, extinct animals and the like were permissible. Historical figures? Not so much.

But what about an author? Namely, Yuuri’s favorite author, who was murdered in 1887. Could he be saved?

Well. Yuuri was sure as hell about to find out.

Turn Back the Clock by IronScript [T, 59K] *WIP

When Yuuri and Viktor wake up over thirty years in the past, they don't know what to do. Does the other remember?

Luckily that particular question is quickly answered and they can relax slightly, but what about afterwards? Viktor was brought back to right before his first Olympics, and Yuuri isn’t even old enough to compete in Seniors’!

Then there's the fact that they're still very much in love, but a physical relationship would be illegal (and would gross them both out considering Yuuri's age), and they can't count on anyone to just trust them not to do anything age inappropriate. So maybe being long-distance (with as many in-person meetings as possible) would be better until Yuuri becomes a legal adult physically, never mind his actual age.

But it's hard to behave and act naturally when you're forced to be apart from your husband of twenty years, especially during one of the most stressful parts of anyone's life, so Yuuri and Viktor have to distract themselves somehow, right?

Right.

And if everyone around them ends up completely confused and blindsided at their sudden changes (though admittedly they seem to have changed for the better), then so be it!

[bibliocratic]

jon and sasha

part of a series of archive polycule oneshots

“Blue,” Jon declares triumphantly.

He sets his incomplete circle of pie pieces down harder than necessary in his eagerness. The TV remote nearby gives a plasticky rattle.

Sasha leans forward from where she’s sitting cross-legged on the floor, the space cleared where the bandy-legged coffee table usually sits to accommodate the board. She wobbles like a bowling pin as her fingers strain and scrabble before her long arms reach, and she grasps another card from the box, recovering her balance to rock back to seated.

They don’t get to play this often. Neither Tim nor Martin will play with them; apparently, they’ve been accused of getting too competitive on occasion. But Tim’s out with some uni mates, probably winding down a pub crawl which has ended two bars in because they’re all skint and there’s no point in moving once you’ve snagged good seats somewhere growing crowded. Martin had joined the two of them for a bit earlier when they were channel-hopping between Gogglebox and a Marvel film on Film 4, but he’d gone to bed early, planning on taking an early train to Devon in the morning. Now, here the two of them were, both on five pieces out of six with one more to go, and Sasha refuses to be beaten.

She takes another sip from an overloaded gin and tonic and reads out the trivia question on the card.

“What is the capital of Switzerland?”

“Aha!” Jon’s face is flushed and smug. “Geneva.”

He goes to take a victory swig of the beer that’s surely gone room temperature in the time he’s been nursing it and reaches out to claim his final piece.

“Nope!” Sasha makes certain to pop the ‘p’, knocking his hand away and grinning as she sing-songs. “My go!”

“What, no! It’s Geneva. The capital city of Switzerland.”

“It’s not.”

“Course it is!”

“Better luck next time, Jonny boy!” Sasha crows, and casts the die in her hand. The number’s too high to land on the square she wants, and she curses, but she’s distracted by Jon, who is looking grumpy and argumentative and going for his phone. She grabs it away.

“Look, let me look it up,” he protests, and he’s moving closer, shuffling nearer to her. His jaw set in that way he gets when he’s sure he’s absolutely right.

He tries to take his phone back, but she holds it up high and out of his reach.

“That’s cheating, we said no phones.” Jon lunges again and he almost knocks her back. “You’re a complete cheat! Jon!”

Jon leans in as though to kiss her, but it’s an obvious distraction ploy, and she pushes his mouth away with a giggle, and shoves the phone into her pocket. Jon attempts to retrieve it, and she shrieks and flails back, intensely ticklish which he knows, the arse, and he relents when she kicks at him and says “Would you – stop it! We’ll wake Martin! Shhh, we’ll wake him!”

Jon huffs, but his petulance is short lived as he leans back next to her, angled up by his elbows, the fight drained out of him like water through a sieve. He takes another sour-faced sip.

“What was it then?”

“Huh?”

“Sasha.”

“Bern.”

“What?”

“The capital of Switzerland. It’s Bern, not Geneva.”

“Huh,” Jon says, sounding surprised, and she can almost hear the sound of him filing the fact away in his brain.

Sasha gestures with a lazy hand to the board and pieces she upended with her kicking.

“You want to keep playing?”

“I think we can safely say you won,” Jon replies, though he doesn’t sound like he minds so much any more. He moves himself again, because he’s even more fidgety with a drink in him, and reads out the first card he manages to find.

“What is the largest internal organ of the body?” he asks her.

“Thought we were finished?” she replies, but still, she makes a humming noise. “Liver?”

“Bingo.”

She takes a card from the box offered to her.

“How many noses does a slug have?”

It’s no longer competitive. They trade questions and answers idly, flicking through to find random cards, questions that pique their interest, that they think will stir the slow-moving waters of their late night conversation. Jon leaning at her side, partially against her like a tree gradually bending in the breeze, is a straight line of indolent heat. Sasha gets to the bottom of the glass of paint stripper she’s been suffering through – it was Martin’s, which he didn’t finish before he retired, and he always goes too heavy on the sprits for her taste whenever he makes them.

“Ok. Most dangerous animal in the UK?” she asks.

“Based on what?”

“Fatalities.”

“Hmm. Ok. Um… stags? We don’t have any wild boars anymore, do we, and there’s not exactly any wolves roaming the headlands…. Soooo, yes. Stags.”

“Cows.”

“No.”

Sasha’s grabbed her phone and is checking anyway.

“Apparently so. 2015 survey, seventy odd people over fifteen years.”

Jon raises an eyebrow.

“It’s not exactly the box jellyfish, is it?”

Sasha hums in agreement.

“I think there’s some cursed cow skin in Archive Storage.”

“Oh?”

“Can’t remember what it does exactly.”

“One would hope it doesn’t turn you into a cow.”

“Oh, one would, would one?” Sasha mimics Jon’s accent, giving it a regal snobbery, and he shoves at her shoulder with his.

“Here,” he says, passing over his can. “Help me finish this?”

“Not a fan?”

“It’s one of Tim’s IPAs from the fridge. I’m not convinced.”

Sasha dutifully takes a swig and finds it a marked improvement on what she’s been working her way through.

“You think there’s any drinking songs about IPAs?” she asks.

“How do you mean?”

“I mean, you’ve got… um Mistletoe and Wine, and Red, Red Wine, and they’re about, er….”

“Methylated spirits.”

“Wine, smartarse.”

Jon makes a thoughtful sound.

“Whiskey in the Jar,” he responds after a minute.

“Good one. I’m pretty sure… isn’t there a Kiss song about gin?”

“Cold Gin.”

“That’s the one. Oh! I know!” Sasha’s moving then, her limbs more sluggish than they were before, tugging her headphones out of her pocket and untangling them. “There’s that – er, Finnish band – ah, Christ, what are they called – and they’ve got, like, heaps of songs named after alcohol.”

That rabbit hole of questioning leads down into music for a while, and they sit with their heads touching so they can both use the headphones, listening to snippets of drinking songs.

“Give this one a listen,” Sasha says.

“What is it?”

“Just listen, would you?”

Jon, if anything, gets even more intense when he’s got drink in him, so he listens through the song with a furrowed brow.

“it’s… different.”

“It’s called math rock. Martin put me onto it. It’s all about like time signatures or something.”

Jon snorts and says, “That sounds exactly like something Martin would listen to” (and oh, she thinks with mild but not revelatory surprise at the way Jon has said that like an endearment, and looking at Jon’s face, she wonders if he’s realised it yet himself), before he’s heavy-handedly typing something into the search bar, backspacing repeated to correct the errors made by his imprecise fingers before he presses play.

She winces at the volume as the music starts aggressively loud.

“What is this?”

“Pirate metal.”

“No way.”

“Uh-huh.”

She watches him, his head nodding off-tempo to the raucous beat, and she mimics the motion, feeling him slide down further against her, his head cushioned against her shoulder.

“Neat.”

[blogsteveclark12]

8 Easy Ways To Recycle Old Shoes And Clothes

Recycling old clothes and shoes is a great way to reduce the environmental footprint of fashion. It's much more sustainable than throwing them in the trash. Clothing is piling up in landfills at an alarming rate. 16.9 million tons of used textile wastes are generated each year in the United States alone, as reported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That number is ten times bigger than in 1960 and has doubled over the last 20 years. The average American throws away 70 pounds of clothing every year, according to Euromonitor. More than 80% of all clothing produced ends up in landfills to decompose or burn globally, as reported by the Global Fashion Agenda. And it would be possible to recycle up to 95% of all textiles that end up in landfills every year, according to the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART) Association. Thankfully, you can help against this issue by recycling your old shoes and clothes instead of throwing them in the trash. Here are some easy ways to do so.

1. Use recycling programs

Discard your old clothes and shoes responsibly to create a more sustainable future. You can use textile recycling programs from textile businesses or organizations in your area. Many towns, councils, cities, even fashion brands, and retailers have programs in place to collect, recycle, and upcycle used clothing. You can also drop off your old items at the following places that have direct relationships with textile recyclers:

American Textile Recycling Service

Savers

USAgain

Soles 4 Souls

Blue Jeans Go Green

Bra Recycling

Many fashion brands also have take-back programs in place to reuse your old clothes or get them recycled. Some of them are Marks & Spencer, Levi's, H&M, C&A, Uniqlo, Patagonia, The North Face, Reebok, Nike, Adidas, PACT, People Tree, Stella McCartney, Eileen Fisher, and many more.

2. Donate to charities

You can donate old shoes and clothes to for-profit companies that sell your clothing contributions and may redistribute a portion of their profits to charitable causes. You can also donate clothes that are still in good condition to homeless and women's shelters, family service agencies, immigrant support groups, and churches. Blankets, towels, and linens can go to animal shelters in your local area. Make sure to contact them first and ask if they take donations. Research non-profit organizations and charities you can easily donate to on Charity Navigator or CharityWatch. Here are some of the best non-profit organizations and charities to donate your clothes to:

Oxfam

Red Cross

Goodwill

Salvation Army

Planet Aid

Dress for Success

Vietnam Veterans of America

Cancer Research

Marie Curie (UK)

You can also ask the following charities to collect your old shoes and clothes in a house-to-house visit:

Society of St. Vincent de Paul

Clothes for Charity

Traid (UK)

Clothes Aid (UK)

Macmillan Cancer Support (UK)

3. Sell your unwanted clothes

You can also sell your old clothes and shoes if they are still valuable. Go to resale shops and thrift stores to earn extra cash from the items you don't wear anymore. Consider donating your unwanted clothes to thrift stores in Destin, FL.  Local consignment shops are also another good option. Selling your unwanted clothing pieces is a very sustainable way of getting rid of them. Just take high-quality pictures and list the items yourself on apps and online marketplaces such as eBay, Poshmark, ThredUp, or Tradesy.

4. Repair the pieces you own

Try to repair and reuse your old clothes and shoes whenever possible, instead of throwing them away. Take better care of the items you already own to extend their lifespan, save money, and protect the environment. You can make your clothes last longer by repairing them to a possible extent. It makes a huge difference in building a more sustainable future. Once you get the hang of it, it's easy to fix broken buckles, holes, loose threads, missing buttons, and snagging zippers. You can learn how to sew and try to fix things first. If you can't repair them yourself, find local tailors and cobblers and develop good relationships with them.

5. Upcycle used items

Upcycling is a great way to reuse your old clothes and shoes. By cutting and sewing used garments and other textiles, you can create new items of higher value. Upcycling gives a new purpose to old items in your wardrobe by making something exceptional and unique. You can preserve the environment by upcycling pre-loved clothes to remake something useful, instead of throwing them away. Upcycled clothing promotes sustainability in the fashion industry. Many brands and designers now focus on using waste to create new pieces of clothing that are more beneficial and worthwhile. Upcycling uses parts of or the entire old garment to make something valuable without breaking it down completely. It also a more efficient process with a lower environmental impact than recycling. You can upcycle your clothing at home without extra machinery and save resources. You can give old textiles an extended life and wear them for a long time.

6. Repurpose old clothes and shoes

Repurposing or downcycling is the process of using old items to create something of lesser value. You can downcycle or shred old clothes, shoes, and other textiles into new useful things. Make clutches, bags, totes, wallets, cleaning rags, pillowcases, or filters instead of throwing old clothes away. You can even shred them into materials for insulation, carpet padding, yarn, and other uses. You can easily give old items in your wardrobe a new use and keep them out of landfills. Try to get creative with your closet before throwing anything in the trash.

7. Swap with friends and family

Swap your used clothes and shoes with your friends and family. You can set up a pop-up store at your house and invite your friends over the weekend. Clothes swapping is now a widespread practice. It's a fun way to refresh your wardrobe and protect the environment at the same time. You can also search for clothing swap groups in your area on Meetup if you don’t have friends in your size to trade clothes.

8. Practice mindful consumption

The most sustainable garment is the one you already own. Reducing your clothing consumption is one of the best ways to limit the amount of textile waste you put out into the world. Buy fewer clothes to cut down the clutter in your closet, save money, and protect the planet. Move away from excessive consumerism to conserve natural resources, reduce pollution, and limit greenhouse gas emissions. Prioritize quality over quantity by investing in clothing pieces that last longer, so you can wear them beyond the season, instead of cheap and trendy high-street fast fashion.

[uhforfuckssake]

Holbeck: A Case Study of Hell — FiLiA

By Dr Em

Holbeck is a case study of hell. It is misogyny and objectification in the legal system, a triumph of men’s rights activists. Alan Caton, the detective who led the investigation into the murders of five prostituted women in Ipswich in 2006 and subsequently led the strategy to put an end to street prostitution in Ipswich is highly critical of the Leeds ‘managed approach’. Canton is clear that ‘I totally disagree with it’ he is of the opinion that ‘it plays right into the hands of pimps and abusers of women, and turns a blind eye to the most vulnerable people in our society. It allows men to carry on in their misogynistic ways, to abuse and exploit women who are out on the street selling sex’.1 Canton added that ‘The demand is there in this country because men are allowed unfettered to buy sex from women, to do what they want to them’.2 ‘Because that demand is never quelled, people will use all sorts of criminal avenues to traffic and exploit women. It's all about tackling that demand, telling men it's not acceptable to buy women and abuse them in that way’.3 In Holbeck human trafficking is rebranded as ‘migration for sex work’, paedophilia and child molestation becomes ‘under-age sex work’, rape becomes ‘a disputed sale’.

If one wants to know how unempowering the situation is for prostituted women and girls, one needs only read the punter reviews. Yes – reviews – like one would review a restaurant or hotel. Men describe their experiences to each other using degrading language and slang. For example, women likely trafficked from Romania are known as ‘Roms’, from Poland, ‘EE’, while men bemoan their lack of English or desire to participate, and the presence of pimps. Other men get a sexual kick out of the fact that the women and girls are disengaged. ‘Howaboutit’ related how:

‘i've had a few girls from down Holbeck - usually pass through at about 5am on a saturday morning. Always at least 1 or 2 around, as mentioned above, some are horrors!… total lack of interest while i had her in missionary.. but that kind of turns me on. Bored and checking her texts while i unload bare inside her!!’.4

One particular poster uses the moniker ‘Yorkshireripper’, referencing the serial killer Peter Sutcliffe who murdered prostituted women in Leeds during the 1970s. ‘Many of his attacks came after he had cruised the streets looking for victims, and the area’s reputation as a red light district meant that it was easier for him to persuade women to get into his car while soliciting’.5 ‘Yorkshireripper’ described one prostituted woman thus:

‘she looks a shit fuck based on that video [an uploaded porn film taken during street ‘sex work’] but I just think there's something about her being a really lowlife desperate dirty prostitute with such a shit background who's cunt has had many hundreds of hard cocks up her … that makes me want to empty my filth in her, just for the thrill of it’.6

‘Yorkshireripper’ had actually gone in search of potentially underage girls that night, he informed the other men that ‘I was seeking teenagers or under 25s’.7 ‘Yorkshireripper’ likes to negotiate the already low prices down further, he particularly likes bad weather as a means of creating more desperation in the women. He outlined how he:

‘went for a little scouting mission myself last night, first time in a few months due to reports of increased surveillance by anti whore brigade. Was a cold, wet and rainy night which is my favourite time as it seems gives you that extra cover of visibility and offers a quick respite from the cold as an incentive to the girls when your knocking down the price’.8

The women are looked upon as objects which the men can use, abuse, consume and collect. One ‘Richard1982’ described how ‘Of all the girls I've picked up she's the only one I haven't bb'd [had sex without a condom] so I want to collect the full set lol’.9 And the ‘sex work is work’ champions claim it is empowering for women. Do you feel empowered after reading that? Alan Caton, the detective who led the investigation into Stephen Wright who murdered five prostituted women in Ipswich in 2006 has related that “When I asked the [men] about it, they said: ‘I am paying for it, I can do what I want.’ That helped me form the view over time that this is not right. Men should not be able to exploit and abuse women in that way”.

DESPERATION & DRUGS

Holbeck creates a desperate cycle which we see trapping prostituted women across the world. Drugs and prostitution become a ‘chicken and egg’ problem. Women enter the trade to fund their, or their partner’s, drug addiction and then require more drugs to cope with what they are experiencing. Drugs become a means to endure male violence. While talking about Holbeck, Jenni described how she ‘gave up drugs to get out of the ‘managed’ red light zone – it was too dangerous’.11 Julie Bindel stated that in the opinion of one exited survivor of Holbeck ‘Her biggest criticism of the managed zone is the failure to offer women a route out of a world where drugs are rife’.12 Jenni discussed how “All the girls are down there because they’re dependent on drugs. I don’t believe it’s their choice to do it,” she says. “The key is to stop the drug use and it will stop the girls having to work for drugs”.13 Charles Hymas and Corinne Redfern reported how in Holbeck, it ‘was the sight of a prostitute injecting drugs into her groin on the backseat of a car in full view of residents in the neat terraced street in Beeston, Leeds, that convinced artist Claire Bentley-Smith it was time to act’.14 In 2019 'A woodland of suffering' was discovered by a mum-of-two dropping her children off at school which revealed a ‘sex worker's’ 'home' next to a Leeds primary school.15The drug litter is a constant in the area and a sharp reminder that allowing men to buy women on the street is ineffective at tackling the women’s drug addiction. In one clean-up of one small wooded area it took more than 20 vans to remove mounds of waste from a 'needle and condom hotspot' in Holbeck.16

Then men purchasing the women know they are desperate and many are addicts. One ‘Munterhunter’ said of the prostituted women in Holbeck that:

‘in most cases it's to feed a drug addiction or because some pimp is telling them "go and earn me 200 quid tonight".

I know that a large number of street prostitutes have serious drug habits my mate's wife works with a project which operates all over the UK working with street prostitutes and the biggest challenge they face is drugs. My mate is a support worker working with people on drug rehab and community punishment orders from the courts his wife works for a national organisation working with street prostitutes’.17

Yet he was undeterred from buying women. Mark Edmonds has outlined how in Holbeck, ‘there are no sanctions and no risk of conviction. Widespread drug-taking — sadly an integral part of the lives of many of these women, who have often been abused as teenagers and are subsequently used by pimps who see them as no more than a commodity — is also tolerated, under a scheme that costs local taxpayers £200,000 per year to run’.18 A BBC documentary highlighted the link between drug addiction and prostitution. In the documentary Sammie-Jo described how she ‘has been forced to work as a prostitute in the red-light district of Holbeck in Leeds to fund her addiction’.19 Yet still the ‘sex work is work’ lobby talk about women choosing this.

Safety and Violence

The ‘sex work is work’ pimp lobby and men’s sexual rights activists argue that prostitution should be decriminalised to make it safer for those being sold. Holbeck, and other examples such as in the Netherlands, shows this is false.20 It makes it more dangerous for the women being sold and other women in the area. In 2015, within months of the ‘managed approach’ zone in Holbeck becoming operational Daria Pionko was murdered by a punter.21 Julie Bindel spoke to one Holbeck prostitute who told her: ‘Because [the men] can’t get arrested, they think they can do anything they like. I’ve been raped, and one man urinated on me once and then took a photo’.22 With the first year of the ‘managed approach’ figures released by police show complaints of rape almost trebled … and have remained significantly higher than before’.23Alongside this, rapes are under-reported as the police and courts do not take it seriously, particularly if the woman is prostituted. On the 7th September 2018 Holbeck residents, David and Calum, reported stopping a rape of a prostituted woman. They stated that while walking home through Holbeck after they had finished work at a club they heard a woman’s voice calling for help. They ‘saw a man trying to strangle a woman. He released her as soon as we approached and she ran towards us… she’s a sex worker and he’s a punter. The fight was about condoms. He wanted her to have sex without a condom… but she refused’.24 The fetish killer, Donald Sheridan, who the council and probation service decided to house in the managed zone in Holbeck while he was on parole, told police in an interview regarding his abduction and attempted rape of a woman in Holbeck in 2019 that ‘he still experiences urges to rape and murder women, especially strangling them, and he had recently felt the urge to strangle an older sex worker after using her services’.25

The frequency of sex attacks on women in the small area of Holbeck was highlighted in 2019 when there were three sex attacks within 36 hours. Samantha Gildea and Kristian Johnson reported that ‘A female sex worker was assaulted by a male client in Shafton Lane on Sunday afternoon, then in the evening, a woman was grabbed on a footpath near Kenneth Street in an attempted rape at around 5.30pm. A third incident was reported to officer after a woman was physically assaulted in Holbeck Moor Park at around 10.15pm last night’.26 Julie Bindel interviewed ‘Sammy, who was pimped on her 17th birthday straight into the zone by her “boyfriend”, who told her that the police “don’t give a fuck about the women”. Sammy said that “One night I was screaming my head off when a nasty punter got really rough with me, but these two coppers just walked past’.27 Another prostituted woman, Jenni, told Chris Hymas and Bindel of ‘the constant threat of robbery, sex tourism, exploitation by traffickers, and women so desperate for drugs they sold sex for just £10’.28 Hymas and Bindel reported that ‘the zone, designed to crack down on pimping, was in reality a magnet for men seeking to exploit the women by charging them for protection’.29 Jenni described how “There were loads of young lads who were basically glorified pimps.. There were more and more attacks before I left, of people coming into the area to rob the girls, knowing they were on their own with money’30. Rather than improve relations between the prostituted woman and the police, the managed approach has caused them to deteriorate and the prostituted women feel even less protected.31 Nevertheless, ‘the council says the increase in crime is due to improved reporting and includes Beeston which is not part of the zone. Others disagree. “It was a disaster from day one,” a senior police officer told The Telegraph on condition of anonymity. “Other criminals came into the area quick as a flash. Drug dealers, pimps, even traffickers that brought the women from Romania’.32

Male violence and rape, and police inaction over these crimes, is also a problem for women and children not in prostitution who live near or enter the Holbeck zone. In 2015, ‘Sally – a young woman with learning disabilities, then aged 17 – was approached at a bus stop in Beeston on a weekday afternoon, bundled into a car, and raped in a nearby home. With DNA evidence, the attacker was quickly arrested and prosecuted in court. However, during a gruelling court case which saw Sally forced into a cross-examination, the defence lawyer argued that his client had simply mistaken Sally for a sex worker, and he walked free’.33 In 2017, Ian Staines, managing director of the Fresco Group, a local business, told the Daily Mail regarding the increase in rapes and sexual assaults that ‘these figures do not surprise me. Female members of our staff feel threatened. The police aren’t interested’.34 In 2018, a Holbeck woman was raped on her way home from work by a group of men who assumed she was a prostitute’.35 In another case of rape in the small Holbeck zone, Ed Carlisle reported of the rape of Alice, a previous victim of domestic abuse, that she had moved into a hostel in Holbeck, where she was repeatedly approached by kerb crawlers. Then in May 2018 ‘a gang of men manhandled her into a car, refused to believe she wasn’t a sex worker, and took her to a nearby house, where one of the men raped her. With DNA evidence, the attacker was quickly arrested, but again (supported by the testimonies of his friends) argued for mistaken identity, and was not even prosecuted’.36 At 4pm Saturday 8th September 2018 a resident reported that ‘my 12 year old daughter walking home from school rang me to tell me she’s just seen a lady being raped! 2 men had her pinned against the wall… one was pulling her knickers off as she screamed. My daughter ran home and I’ve called 999’.37 In November 2018 it was reported to the police and the press that a man tried to buy a baby for an hour in Holbeck. ‘The 47-year-old [woman] was carrying her four-month old grandchild in a pram in the area before the man reportedly said 'Give me an hour with it and I will bring it back'.38 In 2019 a woman claimed that while simply out walking she 'was raped in the street in Holbeck'.39 She did not report this as she thought the police would just say her rapist thought she was a ‘sex worker’ and he would thus walk free. Also in 2019 Donald Sheridan, a convicted fetish murderer, was housed in Holbeck while on parole, and later went on to abduct and strangle a woman until a passer-by intervened.40 The housing of Sheridan in Holbeck highlights how the judiciary and police view the women of Holbeck as dispensable. Susie Beever reported in 2019 how ‘many of the area's female residents feel at risk, preyed upon and "constantly scrutinised". Holbeck has one of the highest recorded crime rates in the entire Leeds South policing ward. There were 161 crimes reported in the area in September alone, of which 51 were classed as violent or sexual offences’.41/sup>

The Save Our Eyes community campaign group set up by residents of Holbeck records their experiences. One resident recorded how ‘My granddaughter was approached at 3.15pm in the afternoon in her school uniform by a punter looking for sex’.42 Another resident shared her experience of how ‘My daughter was followed home from school by a man making rude comments and trying to touch her’.43 13 year old Katy tells the story of how while waiting at a bus stop in a residential street adjoining the Holbeck managed zone on a Saturday morning with her mum ‘A man came up to us and said “Are you working?” My mum was confused and asked what he meant. He replied “Not you! I mean her. Is she working?” and pointed at me. My mum… shouted at him “She’s only 13, she’s a child!” but he wasn’t even bothered. He carried on, “It doesn’t matter about her age. She looks like one (meaning a prostitute)… It’s acceptable on Holbeck to ask”.44 Helen, Katie’s mum, described how ‘the man who wanted to buy her on Saturday argued with me. He felt he had a right to ask any woman in the area for sex’.45

Conclusion

Yet despite all of this evidence and Holbeck conforming to the pattern of other decriminalised areas of prostitution around the world in terms of an increase in crime and danger to women Chief Super Intendent Steve Cotter, of West Yorkshire Police, ‘said the force "remain convinced" the system was working’.46 One wonders how Mr Cotter defines success. Mr Cotter elaborated, that the managed approach in Holbeck ‘provides the best opportunity to safeguard the vulnerable women involved in street sex work, to limit the issues that impact on residents and businesses and to reduce the level of street sex work in Leeds," he said’.47 This is contradicted by reality. Still, a controversial report published in 2020 has claimed that the managed approach in Holbeck has had a positive result. This report’s statements are not supported by the data and the report itself ‘failed to comply with the legal obligations of public bodies to consider the equality impact of their policies and did not properly investigate how the scheme affects local women and children’.48 As Nordic Model Now asserts, ‘Prostitution has been recognized by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women to be a form of gender-based violence – meaning that not only is prostitution inherently violent, but it is also an intrinsic part of the systemic oppression of women and girls’.49 Why would this be different in Holbeck?

[pressurewashsblog]

Best Pressure Washers 2021 within the UK

Best Pressure Washers 2021 within the UK

  There are many electric powered strain washers, and it's Pressure Washer Elite miles hard to discover the only that best fits your wishes. The desire is constantly there to get a device a long way past the skills of what is good enough. And a field full of add-ons may be extra enticing than searching into the workings of the unit — to see if it's miles well-constructed.

What to Look Out For?

Brands are an excellent start line — but a few correct manufacturers have now long past down the road of decreasing manufacturing costs. And if the costs of the products are decrease, it follows that the great will suffer as a end result.

It is common to see brands put large casings around small vehicles to hide the reality that the system is not as powerful as it seems. Compare the power and pressure score, and no longer the size of the unit.

You also need to don't forget the quantity of strain washing that you want to perform in every session. A small system that makes a hundred-bar of strain on the jet is great, if not ideal, for washing your vehicle without leaving marks.

In a Hurry?

I remember that some of you'll be in a rush. So before we stock on looking at what make a wonderful strain washer, I have indexed my pinnacle alternatives below.

More Power — More Risk?

Some pressure washers are so powerful they will dent and even remove paint off your car if you do not understand what you are doing. These waterjets may be risky within the incorrect fingers — they call for a stage of understanding to trade to and from appropriate jetting nozzles.

As a rough manual of what to look for:

•             Washing a vehicle / garden fixtures / gear — one hundred-bar

•             Jetting grouting — a hundred thirty-bar

•             Washing a driveway — one hundred fifty-bar plus

Is a Bigger Pressure Washer Better?

It does not continually comply with that a larger machine is going to be noisier. In a few instances, the reverse is true, due to the fact that many large machines have extra cloth across the motor and pump. And larger machines can run longer stress hoses, so that you can depart them some distance from in which you're spraying.

A larger strain washer could be able to scrub larger regions of concrete faster, however these count on more space and energy. A small strain washer is less difficult to keep and move round. And a small pressure washer is a ways less difficult and safer to use.

Types of Pressure Washer

Some pressure washers want a steady supply of mains water, and others can run off static water elements, this is referred to as “Self-Priming” via the manufacturers. Due to water conservation in lots of regions, it's miles forbidden to use the mains water supply to scrub a automobile. That is why a few homeowners store rain run-off in huge tanks.

Some stress washers can suck-up water from buckets or low-strain structures. Zero-stress sources will let you recycle water and get round those felony barriers. So, if you live below those regulations, it is able to be one of the first issues to make while selecting a strain washer.

What Can I Use an Electric Pressure Washer On?

Pressure Washers for Vehicles

You can spread out the spray, for operating at the home windows and paintwork— and then recognition the spray on the bottom of the automobile, to get rid of cussed mud and tar. Some strain washers come with foaming add-ons, to put together a goal floor with soap.

 Pressure Washers for Garden Furniture

  Garden furniture get dirty over the wintry weather months, and they can be tough to smooth. A pressure washing machine receives via the gaps and blasts away creepy-crawlies that have installation a home. A more effective pressure washer also can put off unfastened paint and varnish — making the surface prepared for repainting.

Pressure Washers for Patios

Most producers make patio brushes for his or her pressure washers. These work by forcing water thru rotating brushes that scrub the surface. If you observed that you are going to do lots of patio washing, search for the vicinity performance figures, or that the strain is above one hundred thirty-bar.

Pressure Washers for Decking

Over the iciness months decking can emerge as very slippery due to lack of sun and mildew/algae growing. When moist this mold turns into slimy and really slippery and a strain washing machine is the appropriate tool to easy and remove this threat. Just be aware, that if you have painted your decking, pressure washing too close or on a extra direct/slim jet might also harm or put off a number of the paint. To assist, you may continually practice and brush in a patio/decking mould remover first, after which gently stress wash off.

Cleaning your decking must grow to be part of your regular spring garden and garden preservation time table.

Accessories

You might anticipate to have more add-ons on a extra effective pressure washer. One of the most critical add-ons is a long strain hose. A 5-metre hose is popular for a small pressure washing machine, but you may need to double that for a larger machine.

Nozzles

The spray gun is below quite a few abuse from the high-stress water — the gun also turns on the pump. But the nozzle is the enterprise end of the strain washing machine.

For washing a automobile, a variable nozzle is the most convenient. But for a number of tasks, along with paint elimination and paint cleaning, you will want a system with separate nozzles.

Trolley

A small strain washer, underneath 6 kilograms, is lightweight sufficient that wearing it is not an difficulty. When it receives to 10 kilograms, you are going to want some thing with wheels and a manage to move the unit about.

Pressure Washers Features

ing power and water may be little regarding for a few, greater so whilst you are inside the middle of both of them. And the better the power of the stress washer, the larger the trip fuse is going to be.

In that feel, a smaller system is safer, however you must search for stress washers with sensitive GFCI breakers. The more touchy the breaker, the faster the energy cuts out if a power cable brakes or water forces its manner into the motor.

Safety glasses should usually be worn when working any stress washing machine to shield your eyes from flying particles. It is likewise encouraged that ear defenders are worn if working a strain washing machine for an extended time frame.

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