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This study investigated whether reported levels of intimate partner violence (IPV) and/or abuse (IPV/A) victimization are related to reaching agreement and to the content of mediation agreements of parties seeking to resolve family‐ and child‐related issues. Whether or not parties reached agreement was analyzed for 105 cases at a law school mediation clinic. Agreement content was coded for the 71 cases that reached agreement. Levels of IPV and IPV/A were determined separately for males and females, using a standardized measure. Regression models were utilized to examine reports of IPV or IPV/A as predictors. Results indicated that mediation may help families with a reported history of IPV and IPV/A address a variety of concerns; levels of partner violence/abuse predicted numerous issues in mediation agreements, including arrangements regarding legal custody, parenting time, holidays, child exchanges, interparental communication, safety restrictions, counseling referrals, child support, financial arrangements, and other miscellaneous topics (e.g., relocation). However, some findings were consistent with concerns raised about the use of mediation with parties reporting IPV and IPV/A; for example, increasing levels of male‐perpetrated IPV/A predicted increased likelihood of making an agreement to share legal custody. Further research is needed to resolve the longstanding debate of whether divorce mediation is an effective and safe process for parties demonstrating IPV/A.
Key Points for the Family Court Community
This study adds to the debate of whether divorce mediation is an effective and safe process for parties demonstrating IPV/A.
It examines whether reported levels of IPV and IPV/A victimization are related to reaching agreement and to the content of mediation agreements of parties seeking to resolve family‐ and child‐related issues.
Results provide some evidence that mediation may help families with a reported history of IPV and IPV/A address a variety of concerns.
However, some findings are consistent with concerns raised about the use of mediation with parties reporting IPV and IPV/A.
Findings have implications for the practice of family mediation with parties reporting a history of IPV or IPV/A.

A B S T R A C T ■ An Internet survey of 765 parents examined (1) to what extent parents wanted to be informed by ratings of harmful videogames for their children (four to 18 years), (2) which content descriptors interested them, (3) which parents were most interested and (4) how parental mediation of the child's gaming related to their interest in ratings and content descriptors. The majority of parents thought it very necessary to have ratings. Warnings of realistic `gore and gross' were considered most important, followed by warnings regarding alcohol/drugs, fantasy violence, bad language and, finally, nudity. A LISREL model showed that the ratings and most content descriptors were used as tools for restrictive and active parental mediation, in relation to parents' ideas on negative game effects. The mediation strategy of social co-play was strongly associated with the parents' own gaming and views on positive game effects. ■

A Top Quadrant report situates the Semantic Web within the current Innovation Wave of "Distributed Intelligence". This is one of the main innovation waves of the last centuries including textile, railway, auto, computer, distributed intelligence (1997-2061) and nanotechnology (2007-2081). The Distributed Intelligence wave started in the late nineties and is expected to peak between 2010 and 2020. The report estimates first return on investments in 2006-7, growing to a market of $40-60 billion in 2010. Funds are coming primary from governments, venture capitalists and industry commercialization. Over the next few years, this is expected to change in favour of industry commercialization.

This article disaggregates coalitions of third-party mediators and examines their effectiveness in interventions. First, it is argued that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between the size of a mediating coalition and mediation effectiveness. Secondly, mediators sharing a history of conflict and distrust will transfer their past relationships to a mediation attempt, making it less effective. Consequently, states sharing friendly and co-operative ties with each other are more successful in managing conflicts. Finally, a coalition of mediators that is largely democratic should be more effective due to a shared culture of peaceful conflict resolution, inclusivity and increased communication flows. The empirical analysis using data from the Issues Correlates of War Project for 1965–2000 largely provides support for the theory.

This article disaggregates coalitions of third-party mediators and examines their effectiveness in interventions. First, it is argued that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between the size of a mediating coalition and mediation effectiveness. Secondly, mediators sharing a history of conflict and distrust will transfer their past relationships to a mediation attempt, making it less effective. Consequently, states sharing friendly and co-operative ties with each other are more successful in managing conflicts. Finally, a coalition of mediators that is largely democratic should be more effective due to a shared culture of peaceful conflict resolution, inclusivity and increased communication flows. The empirical analysis using data from the Issues Correlates of War Project for 1965-2000 largely provides support for the theory. Adapted from the source document.

Abstract
The proliferation of actors in the business of making peace has led to an increase in the frequency of multiparty mediations, with both positive and negative consequences. The purpose of this article is to simplify the complexity that often accompanies multiparty mediations by applying the structuralist and social-psychological dichotomy of negotiations to a model of parallel mediation. I propose that coupling structuralist and social-psychological mediations together in a parallel mediation can leverage the respective strengths of each to more effectively find a negotiated solution. Given the fiscal and political realities facing peacemakers, finding ways to increase the frugality and simplicity of cooperation between mediators is essential. The limited cooperation needed in parallel mediations does just that. This article analyzes how the parallel mediation model has been applied to two conflicts, the intrastate Tajik civil war and the interstate Ecuador-Peru border dispute. This analysis identifies five characteristics that were observed in these two successful examples of parallel mediation, and serves as a starting point for additional research.