Travelogue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Travelogue - Essay Example He came back to Bangladesh in 1972 when it was struggling to liberate from Pakistan. This was the time when he wanted to make a difference and became very active in the said struggle. He was part of the planning commission in charge of planning the economy. It was very remarkable to note that even with what he has achieved in life, he was passionate to help those poor people in Bangladesh to lift up their lives out of poverty. He thought of steps and possible strategies as solutions to this problem. According to Yunus, teaching well-designed economics strategies to his students were ineffectual when you see hungry people everywhere, old and young people looking alike. This was when microcredit system was born. Yunus believed that microcredit system was the optimal answer to fight poverty. The microcredit strategy includes providing credit to the poor without involving any collateral. He wanted to learn the realities of being poor and his experience in Jobra helped him realize that tiny loans offered to people for self-employment was one of the successful ways. Grameen Bank was born and this has started the economic revolution. Unlike the conventional banking system, Grameen bank does not require any collateral and extends their loans to those who are considered to be the poorest. The bank also focuses on women borrowers. To be able to make a loan, a villager must prove that her family owns not more than one half acre of land. This system was way considered unusual. For someone to start this kind of system and exert efforts to help without any security, Yunus is really an exceptional human being with so much passion to help the poor. This microcredit system is therefore mainly based on mutual trust. This very successful strategy that started with 42 people was due to the person who has a heart to make people very happy with small amount of money. As per Yunus after he has started to lend money to the poor, the only question in his mind was â€Å"How do I do

The Rule of Proximity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Rule of Proximity - Essay Example Some of these features or news values (Kim, 2001) may be intrinsic to the event or they may be extrinsic. Intrinsic values may be prominence or importance, degree of human interest evoked, degree of conflict or controversy involved and degree of the unusual implicated (Kim, 2001). Extrinsic values may be timeliness and proximity of the event to the location at which the media will be operational (Kim, 2001). It is notable, though, that the intrinsic values can also be correlated to the media location since it is observable that values like prominence or importance, capability to evoke human interest, degree of conflict or controversy and degree of the unusual all depend to some extent upon how the population at the media location usually relate to the population at the event location. This is so because researchers have also observed that events at a particular location, when it is judged for newsworthiness at a location in another country, are usually influenced much by the social, political, economic and geographic perspectives the media country holds of the event country (Kim, 2001). Thus, the newsworthiness of an event in any country, when judged in relation to media in the United States, will depend much upon the political relevance the U.S.A. places upon the event country (Kim, 2001). It will also depend much upon the degree of threat or benefit that event has for the U.S.A. and the World at large (Kim, 2001). These latter observations have great relevance to this paper since it is already manifested from these that the rule of proximity as well as other news values has much in common with values that influence diplomatic relationships between and among countries. Globalisation: There is one factor in the present world scene that does to a great extent override relationships among geographically and culturally proximal nations. While the paper finds that geographical and cultural proximity has been considered as an indicator of levels of diplomatic activities it also realises that it must also consider aspects of globalisation, the modern worldwide phenomenon that is expected to provide collective effort towards globally invasive problems like disarmament, arms regulations, combating international terrorism, cross-border crime and the drug trade and usage, protection of human rights, prevention of climate change and desertification, promotion of sustainable development, conflict prevention and development assistance and cooperation, peacemaking and keeping and foreign trade (Sucharipa, Undated). In this context it is very likely that national proximity is not the only overriding factor for strengthening diplomatic ties among nations. Nor is it likely that co nflict among nations in geographic proximity will remain contained within that region without effort from the global community towards it speedy amelioration. Thus, in this sense, it is observed that geographic and cultural proximity is not considered as important an indicator of political will as it was a few years earlier. Instead, it is again observed that national foreign policy is not contained to outside the country by the gatekeeper functional and kept apart from its domestic one. This is because other departments of the nation, such as the environmental one, may need direct contact with international agencies without having to seek permission of the foreign policy makers (Sucharipa, Undat

Process Centered Organizations Essay Example for Free

Process Centered Organizations Essay Process Centered Organizations are planned to create maximum value, innovation and development. A Process Centered Organization can sustain its processes at a high level. A process centered organizational design sorts out the best blend of structure and process. By carrying out a process-centered cycle, healthcare organizations can achieve their goals by changing the way workflow is defined and the way the people working in these organizations perceive their roles. In all healthcare organizations, the focal point is the patient. From a patient’s perspective, how much he or she is valued is important. Healthcare organizations around the globe are making efforts to satisfy their customers in the best possible ways. But modern times require these organizations to engage in the use of knowledge, skills, tools, techniques and systems to improve and direct processes towards creating value for the patient. One such example of a healthcare organization is Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC), Bangor, Maine. The organization in fact received the 2008 HIMSS Davies Award. This prestigious award is given to selected hospitals in the United States for effectively using information technology to improve the safety and quality of patient care. EMMC represents an immaculate example of how to apply and make use of electronic health records (EHR) along with other technologies in order to ensure delivery of quality and evidence based healthcare. The EHR system was installed as part of EMMC’s Patient First Initiatives Program. This was an effort to provide high quality patient care by changing care delivery, adopting a patient-focused culture and implementing a technology plan to support the care delivery process. EMMC’s use of data derived from its healthcare IT systems is a shining example of how to drive performance improvement, quality and improve care in response to state and national reporting requirements. †(HIMMS news, 2008) Eric Hartz, MD, EMMC chief medical information officer, says this award is a crowning achievement for EMMC’s employees. He emphasized that in the end, it is the patients of the region who will benefit from EMMC. The organizations staff worked hard for nearly a decade to implement the most advanced computer systems on the market to allow instantaneous sharing of health information among all healthcare providers involved in a patient’s care. When the software that was currently available wasn’t doing the job we wanted, we challenged our vendors to work with us to build something better. It has been a tremendous collaboration, said MR. Hartz. The services offered by these new systems are incredible. For example they improved ratio from electronic to hand written orders from 5:1 to 14:1. It eliminated 160 minutes from order writing to pharmacy receipt of orders, plus the average time for pharmacist review decreased 52 percent, from 50. 8 minutes to 24. 3 minutes. It also decreased overall medication incidents by 27 percent etc. (Cerner, 2008) The new systems in EMMC offer decision-support to help guarantee that patients receive the safest and best care achievable. EMMC’s providers and staff spent numerous hours working on the clinical systems to continuously make them better. They involved themselves and participated with the organizations experts in the information systems department and this allowed them to streamline all their processes and improve employee productivity. After several years of preparation, improvement, and execution, the nurses, physicians, and other healthcare professionals adopted advancements in information technology. They are now helping to bring the latest advancements and technology in patient care to the people who arrive at the doorstep of their hospital from any side of Maine. In process centering, processes are not newly created by organizations; in fact existing processes are modernized to meet the organizations goals. What process centering does is to modify the perception and bring the process into focus. And this is exactly what EMMC did in order to provide higher levels of satisfactions to their patients and customers.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas Lpg Engineering Essay

Liquefied Petroleum Gas Lpg Engineering Essay Liquefied Petroleum Gas is an important source of energy for millions of people around the world. LPG consists mainly of gases at atmospheric temperature and pressure (propane and butane), which when subjected to modest pressure or refrigeration can liquefy. This makes it possible to transport and store as liquid in pressurized cylinders and containers, which must be safely and carefully handled. Definition: Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) can be simply described as hydrocarbons that exist as vapours under ambient conditions of temperature and pressure, but can be liquefied by the application of moderate pressure. When gas is liquefied, the volume occupied by the vapour considerably decreases, thus the liquid formed requires less storage space. The material is therefore stored and distributed in the liquid phase in pressurized containers and systems and is finally allowed to return to the vapour phase at the point of eventual utilization. Sources of LPG: LPG as the name suggests, consists mainly of a mixture of hydrocarbons (Propane and Butane) with a little proportion of unsaturates (Propylene and Butylene). These hydrocarbons and unsaturates (LPG) can be produced through two main sources which are: Wet Natural Gas, which consists entirely of saturated hydrocarbons (Propane and Butane) and can be found in oil or gas fields, being removed as condensable products from natural gas and also extracts from crude oil during the stabilization process applied in order to reduce the vapour pressure prior to shipment; Refining process to remove impurities like moisture and sulphur compounds (hydrogen sulphide and mercaptans), which may lead to clogging of valves and corrosion. However, due to the odourless nature of LPG, ethyl mercaptan which has a unique odour, is added to alert the user of LPG incase a leak takes place. The product of crude oil refining fall into three main categories: The permanent gases, Methane and Ethane which remain gaseous regardless of pressure, unless refrigerated. Hydrocarbons having five or more carbon atoms per molecule. They are liquid or solid at atmospheric temperature and pressure and account for most of the crude oil refined. Propane, Butane and Isobutane, together with Propylene, Butylene and Isobutylene have three or four carbon atoms per molecule. All have the special property of becoming liquid at atmospheric temperature if moderately compressed and reverting to gases when the pressure is sufficiently reduced. C:UsersMr TDesktopIMAG0168.jpg Properties of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Vapour Pressure Vapour pressure is a measure of the volatility of the gas and where vapour exists in conjunction with the liquid phase is referred to as the saturation vapour pressure. At the boiling point it is equal to atmospheric pressure and increases as the temperature rises to the critical. Propane with its lower boiling point thus exerts a greater vapour pressure under identical conditions than butane. Knowledge of the vapour pressure of a gas is thus essential in order to be able to specify the design conditions for the pressurized system. It is also required to enable the gas offtake rates by natural vapourization to be calculated. In practical terms, systems are often specifically designed to be suitable for either butane or propane which thus precludes a butane system from being used for propane, but enables the propane system to be classed as dual purpose. G:DCIM100MEDIAIMAG0198.jpg Boiling Points of LPG The constituent gases found in a commercial LPG mixture all have very low boiling points and will thus normally exist in the vapour phase, under atmospheric conditions, unless they have been liquefied or refrigerated. Where the gases are held at a temperature at or below their boiling point, the vapour pressure will be equal to or less than atmospheric. This property has led to the development of large scale storage at marine terminals where the product is held in refrigerated form in what is essentially a non-pressurized system. Above ambient temperature, the gases exert an increasing vapour pressure, thus increasing the pressure required for liquefaction. This pressure continues to increase until the critical temperature is reached, (96.67oC for propane; 152.03oC for n-butane), above which temperature of the gases cease to exist in the liquid phase even if further pressure is applied. Latent Heat of LPG The latent heat of a liquid product is the quantity of heat absorbed to enable vapourization to occur. In the event of liquid LPG being allowed to vapourize naturally, the latent heat required is taken from itself and its immediate surroundings at the same time, causing a drop in temperature. The process is known as auto-refrigeration. Very low temperatures can be achieved with propane under such conditions; therefore in order to avoid operators receiving severe cold burns, protective clothing is required. Specific Volume, Relative Density LPGs exist as heavy gases approximately 1.5 2.0 times the density of air in vapour phase. They reduce in volume considerably on liquefaction (ratio of gas volume to liquid volume at 15.6oC/1016mbar is 233 for butane and 274 for propane) to exist as a clear liquid which is approximately half the weight of water (Propane 0.50 0.51, Butane 0.57 0.58). It can thus be seen that LPG vapours heavier than air will tend to cling to the ground seeking to enter trenches, drains and other low areas, which could make it take considerably longer time to disperse. Leaking liquid phase LPG will rapidly expand to around 250 times its own volume, therefore creating a greater risk than would occur with a similar sized vapour leakage. Where temperature conditions permit the existence of free liquid from a leakage, the product will float on any water present. This normally occurs with butane in freezing conditions and a typical scenario would occur during firefighting operations. Coefficient of Cubical Expansion of Liquid Liquid phase LPG expands considerably when its temperature increases. The coefficients of cubical expansion at 15oC are approximately 0.0016 per oC for propane and 0.0011 per oC for butane. These values are around 4 times the equivalent for fuel oil, 10 times that for water and 100 times that for steel. This high rate of expansion has to be taken into consideration when specifying the maximum quantity of LPG permitted to be filled into any pressure vessel, ie the filling ratio defined by codes of practice for different specification of LPGs under different ambient conditions. Because the filling ratio precautions taken to prevent the hydraulic filling of storage systems cannot be extended to the connecting liquid phase pipework, these parts of the system are protected by the provision of small hydrostatic relief valves situated in all areas where the liquid LPG can be trapped between closed valves. Limits of Flammability Gaseous fuels will only burn when mixed with air in proportions which lie between two well defined limits, known as the lower and upper limits of flammability. The lower limit being the smallest quantity of combustible gas which, when mixed with a given quantity of air (or O2) will support self-propagating flame. A leak of 1m3 of liquefied propane will produce 274m3 of propane vapour, which will cause immediate entrainment of air and progressive dilution of the concentration. When the upper limit of 10% is reached, the propane/air mixture becomes flammable (ie when the propane entrains, 274 10 = 2740m3 of air). The mixture only becomes flammable when the lower limit of 2% is reached (ie when the propane entrains 274 50 = 13,700m3) of air. Therefore, should a leak of propane occur, the propane/air mixture will be flammable and hence extremely dangerous until it has been diluted with more than 13,700m3 air per m3 of propane leakage. The following are the limits of flammability of LPG and some other fuels: Gas Lower Limit Upper Limit Commercial Propane 2.0 10.0 Commercial Butane 1.8 9.0 Natural Gas 5.0 15.0 Coal Gas 5.0 40.0 C:UsersMr TDesktopIMAG0189.jpg

Tradgedy:The Scarlet Letter :: essays research papers

Tragedy, many people have defined it so many different ways. So, what is a tragedy? Arthur Miller has defined a tragedy by specifying certain characteristics that must be included in the story; there must be living and breathing characters, it must bring knowledge or enlightenment, there must be an internal conflict, and there must be a struggle for happiness. This definition does a really good job of defining what a tragedy is, but I think that there is more to it. I believe for a story to become a tragedy it does not have to have the above aspects, but every reader has to decide whether it is a tragedy to them. Take The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne for example. Arthur Miller states that the story has to have living characters. In The Scarlet Letter, the main characters are Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Pearl, and Roger Chillingworth. Nathaniel Hawthorne successfully brings these characters to life by showing us human nature and by making them breathe and cry and have emotions that only real people can feel. Hester has real emotions as Hawthorne shows us when he tells what is going through her head when she is on the scaffold in the first scaffold scene; â€Å"†¦she saw her own face, glowing with girlish beauty†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He also shows us Dimmesdale and the guilt he endures â€Å"†¦the judgement of God is on me†¦it is too mighty for me to struggle with!† He shows us how Pearl’s darkness throughout the book, â€Å"Hester could not help question†¦if Pearl was a human child†¦. deeply black eyes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Hawthorne brilliantly portrays these characters as living. Finding enlightenment or knowledge from this book is a bit more difficult. In a specific section of this book, Hawthorne tells the reader right out what the knowledge to gain from this book is, he says that to lie and to be dishonest to oneself and to the public and to carry guilt, as Dimmesdale and Hester did, is the worst possible thing that a human can do. Dimmesdale carried his guilt for so long that it deteriorated his physical and emotional state and drove him nearly mad. Hester carried Dimmesdale’s secret along with Chillingworth’s and it hurt her emotionally also. The third aspect of a tragedy is that there must be a conflict internally. There is definitely a conflict in Dimmesdale about his guilt. When Dimmesdale and Chillingworth are discussing why men keep their sins quiet, Dimmesdale becomes weak from the emotional pain that it brings him.

Aspects of Human Resource Management

Aspects of Human Resource Management The main focus of Human Resource Management is personnel and how they can be best utilized to accomplish the mission of the organization based on several aspects of the department. These aspects are Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, Human Resource Planning, Execution and Selection, Human Resources Development, Compensation and Benefits, Safety and Health, and Employee and Labor Relations. Each area serves a dual purpose of helping the employer provide a better environment to their employees and ensure the success of the company.This paper will reflect on each aspect of human resource management and discuss how they work together to perform the primary function. Almost all aspects of human resource management are affected by Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action laws. These laws govern the human resource process of recruiting, selecting and promoting the best and most qualified person for the job. It protects employees or pote ntial recruits from discrimination based on race, color, gender, age, religion or national origin (as cited by Youssef, 2012. Sec 1. 5).One example of discrimination in the workplace would be an employer asking applicants to list their background/ethnicity on an employment application with the intent to use that information for hiring purposes. This type of business practice is illegal and can have damaging consequences such as a class action lawsuit or a negative image on the organization. Decisions concerning all aspects of human resource management should be based off the best interest of the company. The more diverse a company is the more effective it can operate because it brings new ideas and different perspectives to the table.Another important aspect of human resource management is planning. Planning is the process of setting a goal or task, and determining step by step how an organization will achieve those goals. In order for an organization to achieve its strategic object ives it requires a lot of planning. This major task is one of many functions performed by the human resources department. human resource planning is responsible for managing all matters relating to employees. They must accurately predict the number of employees the rganization will need in order to achieve the organization’s strategic goals. Having too many or too little employees can hinder the organizations ability to operate efficiently, effectively and competitively. Once it is determined how many employees are needed, human resource staff must select qualified applicants to fulfill desired positions based on an employee’s knowledge, skill and abilities. Also, they must plan how to best utilize the workforce’s skills and talents in order to obtain a competitive advantage over their counterparts.Furthermore in relating to human resource planning, part of achieving an organization’s goal is it must have the right amount of people to do the job and a pla n on how to retain them once the selection process has occurred. For example, in order for the military to achieve its strategic objectives, it must have the right number of soldiers to fulfill certain jobs or tasks. Like any other organization, in order to be considered for a position in the military, you must take an aptitude test to determine what jobs in the military would best suit your abilities.Based off how you score will determine what jobs you qualify for. This score is known as the Armed Forces Qualification Test Score and is important because it determines whether you can join the military service of your choice. Each branch of service has set their own minimum AFQT score. Another part of strategic planning in the military is retaining soldiers and in order to retain qualified soldiers they offer incentives such as sign-on bonuses, reenlist bonuses, assignment preferences†¦ etcHuman Development is another aspect that is essential to the management, training, and imp rovement of employees. At different stages of their careers, employees need different kinds of training. Human Resources Management’s role is to provide this training to employees to sharpen their skills and the organization’s capability. When the organization invests in improving the knowledge and skills of their employees, the investment is returned in the form of productivity and effective employees. As time passes and technology changes the role of training and development programs will be transformed.As employees, we need to be flexible and partake in continuous learning. Also, updating your skill set will be critical to your personal and professional success. In order to measure the effectiveness of training, there are several steps you can take to ensure it works. The first step would be to ask for feedback from the employees once training has been conducted. If the training does not pertain to the actual job or is lacking pertinent information the employeesâ₠¬â„¢ feedback can help improve the training.The next measure to take to test the effectiveness of training is to administer a pre-test and post-test and compare the results. The pre-test will tell you how much knowledge the employee started with, and how much they really learned from the training at the end will be revealed with the post-test. The last step is to observe an employee work to see if what they learned in training is actually being applied to the job. Everyone has their own reason for working and money is usually the most important factor because it pays the bills.However, employee benefits are equally as important to keeping employees motivated to work. Healthcare costs can become extremely expensive, especially for those families with medical issues and having insurance to cover those costs can benefit more than pay. Additionally, with inflation and the cost of living rising, people cannot afford to live off social security alone. A pension plan can help supplement so cial security benefits after retirement. Other types of employee benefits provide security for families in the event of disability or death.Human Resource Management has a responsibility to ensure the health and safety of their employees. Every organization should have policies and procedures established for integrating health and safety practices in the workplace and ensure resources are available to assist employees in the event of a mishap. This aspect correlates with training because human resource managers should ensure that employees are aware and familiar with all the hazards that exist within their immediate work center and know how to report any issues if someone becomes injured or ill.

Domestic Violence: Beyond Patriarchy

Domestic Violence: Beyond Patriarchy In the Beginning The Battered Women's movement of the 1970's enlightened society about a much secreted, and what at the time, was considered a family matter, that of violence against women by their male intimate partners. Many lives have been saved as a direct result of society's public awareness of this much-hidden scourge on our families. Federal and state laws prohibiting Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) have been enacted, and funding has been put in place for battered women's shelter programs. These changes have made a significant difference in the lives of battered women and children over the last few decades. The feminist theoretical perspective of IPVIPV has been depicted throughout our society as well as how victim services, and batterers intervention programs (BIP) are modeled. â€Å"Our culture has historically exhibited certain patriarchal values observable in religion and social custom. Working against the backdrop of this history, feminism quite naturally saw an antidote in ending social oppression of women. Wife assault, kept largely out of the public view and tolerated by prevailing attitudes, was regarded by feminists as an evil symptom of patriarchy. † (Dutton, page 17, 2006) Feminist theory defines IPV as a social problem with a single type of victim i. e. heterosexual women and one root cause, that of male privilege and patriarchy, which supports male domination, power, and control and the oppression of women. The need for services for IPVBIP's for female perpetrators is obscured and trivialized by this â€Å"one size fits all† view. Dutton describes feminist theory on IPV as being a â€Å"‘paradigm:†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ [A paradigm is] a set of guiding assumptions or worldview, commonly shared within a group and serving to ward off recognition of data that are dissonant with the paradigm's central tenets. This theory views all social relations through the prism of gender relations and holds that men hold power over women in patriarchal societies and that all domestic violence is either male physical abuse to maintain that power or female defensive violence used as a self protection. (p. 2, 2005) developed through the anti-rape and battered women's movements. This perspective has been the guiding light for how the social problem of against men by women and The violence against women by men paradigm is so entrenched that if anyone pursues any other theories or presents any data that is contrary to that perspective it is automatically considered anti-domestic violence movement. (Dutton, p. 44, 2005) Lucal (1995) found that attempts to discuss the idea of battered husbands started an emotionally charged and fiercely contested debate among researchers which has been the classic debate filled with claims and counterclaims. Much of the debate has been centered around whether or not there are very many battered husbands. Most of the debate has been about whether or not battered husbands are a social problem worthy of support. (pp. 95-96) Revealing Statistics Dr. Murray Straus, co-founder and co-director of the University of New Hampshire's Family Violence Research Laboratory, has studied IPV and child abuse for over thirty years. In study after study he has found that both men and women are capable of being victims and committing IPV. For instance: (I? E(Busing data from the National Family Violence Survey of 1975, Straus (l980) found that 11. 6 (2. 6 million nationwide) of husbands reported having been the victim of severe violence by their wives. Severe vio1ence was defined as behaviors, such as kicking, punching, beating, or using a knife or gun, that have a high probability of causing physical injury. (as cited in Hines Malley-Morrison, p. 77, 2001) Presenting data that defies feminist logic has caused Dr. Straus and his colleague's substantial risk. As a result of the depth of the objections to our finding on assaults by wives, some of us became the object of bitter scholarly and person attacks. These attack included obstruction of my public presentations by booing, shouting, and picketing. In elections for office in scientific societies I was labeled as antifeminist despite being a pioneer feminist researcher on wife beating (Straus, 1973, 1996 as cited in Straus, pp. 225-226, 1992). Suzanne K. Steinmetz, a co investigator in the first National Family Violence Survey, was the victim of more severe attacks. There was a letter-writing campaign opposing her promotion. There were phone calls threatening her and her family, and a bomb threat at a conference where she spoke. (pp. 225-226) Studies such as the National Violence Against Women Survey tend to filter out male reports of victimization because of the â€Å"‘set†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ of the survey (criminal victimization of women) (Dutton, p. 4, in press). However, the National Violence Against Women Survey in 2000(a) reports that more than 834,000 men are raped or physically assaulted by an intimate partner each year in the United States. This translates into about(I? E(B32 assaults per 1,000 men. (Tjaden & Thoennes, p. 11) Since the respondents in this study were told they were being interviewed about â€Å"personal safety† issues it's quite possible that this number is an underestimate as many of the men may not have perceived the violence that their wives or girlfriends were perpetrating against them as a threat to their safety. (Hines & Malley-Morrison, p. 77, 2001) The Establishment of Services for Male Victims Spreading the word as news of the availability of DAHMW's helpline became more known, calls from men and those concerned about a male relative or friend whom they thought were in an abusive situation started coming in from around the country. A website was created with information on male victimization and other resources and tri-fold brochures specifically addressing IPV against men were designed, printed and distributed through mailings and placements on community bulletin boards. Consequently, two years after its inception, DAHMWDAHMWIPV. as highlighted in the National Crime Prevention Council's book, â€Å"50 Strategies to Prevent Violence Domestic Crimes. † (2002) as, â€Å"[one of] 50 promising programs [that offer] new and alternative methods to aid under-served victims of violent domestic crime including teens in dating relationships, elderly victims of late-life abuse, child witnesses to violence, battered immigrants, male victims, and survivors in the gay and lesbia n community. † In 2003 Verizon began to publish the crisis line in a number of their phone books. Incoming calls to helpline have grown exponentially from fourteen a month in 2001, to over three hundred calls a month in 2006. The vast majority of the calls continue to be from or about a male victim (and children) of female Information gathered from male callers to the helpline suggests that some violent women use highly physically disabling tactics on their victims. â€Å"According to qualitative accounts, several physical attacks [are] reported to have occurred to the groin area, as in the following examples: â€Å"‘G reports that his estranged wife frequently targeted his testicles in her attacks, which included head butting and choking. Police were called to his home six times, one call resulted in the wife's arrest. â€Å"‘ â€Å"‘I was writhing, crying in the corner, I couldn't get up for two hours she kicked me in the groin at least 12 times. â€Å"‘ â€Å"‘She held a knife to my balls and threatened to cut them off. â€Å"‘ (Hines etal, p. 66, 2007) The stigma attached to being a man abused by a woman is profound. Many men report that they were taught never to hit a girl, be strong, do not cry and do not tell your personal business to anyone from their parents and caregivers. There is also a cultural belief that men should be able to defend themselves. However, if a man does defend himself against his abusive female partner and the police are called, the man is the one that will be arrested. When Dwayne Bobbit had his penis cut off by his wife in 1993, it was a big joke for late night comedy. Lorena Bobbitt was found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity. The reaction would have been entirely different had the genders been reversed. (Dutton, p. 148, 2006) Law Enforcement and the Court's Response The concerned family members and the victims themselves to the DAHMW helpline have recounted reports of the lack of concern for male victims: Misconceptions and Realities Feminists' theorists assert that women's violence against men is less likely than men's violence against women to result in serious physical or psychological harm. (Dutton & Nichols, p. 697, 2005) They use this claim to dismiss women's violence against men and male victims. Women, in general, may not be as big or strong as men are, however, what women lack in size and strength they make up for with the use of weapons. Research conducted at an emergency clinic study in Ohio (Vasquez & Falcone, 1997, as cited in Dutton & Nichols, 2005 ) revealed that 72). The authors reported that burns obtained in intimate violence were as frequent for male victims as female victims. As this study demonstrates, community samples, unless they require subjects to self-report as crime victims, show a different and more equivalent pattern of violence by gender than that alleged by the(I? E(Bfeminist perspective(I? E(B. Regardless of the variations in the studies, two conclusions seem reasonable: (1) women are injured more than men, and (2) men are injured too, and are not immune to being seriously injured. Simply because the injury rates are lower, men should not be denied protection. (Dutton & Nichols pp. 97-678, 2005) The feminist perspective of IPV being predominantly patriarchal in nature also excludes much of the victims in LGBT community. The LGBT community has had to set up their own domestic violence shelter programs that primarily or exclusively protect, educate and serve LGBT individuals who are victims of IPV. (e. g. see the www. gmdvp. org, w ww. lagaycenter. org/FamilyViolence etc ) According to Helfrich & Simpson (2006) lesbians have a difficult time accessing services through the traditional battered women's shelter programs due to the lack of policies to screen lesbian survivors and identify batterers. Lesbian batterers may use deception to access services through the same agency as the survivor and there are little to no stopgap measures taken to deal with those situations. (p. 344) Beyond Patriarchy, Alternative Theories on IPV Dutton (2006) asserts that the best predictor of intimate partner violence is not gender but personality disorder (p. 153). Since the beginning of the battered women's movement, researchers who have studied maritally violent men have often treated batterers as a homogeneous group. They have measured violent husbands by comparing them to nonviolent ones. However, more recently they have found that violent husbands vary along a number of important dimensions, including severity of violence, anger, depression and alcohol abuse. (Holtzworth-Munroe & Stuart, p. 476, 1994) More recently, researchers have begun to investigate what attachment styles and personality disorders have to do with IPV. The focus for this paper regarding typologies of batterers is on the dysphoric/borderline subtype and so a full description of each subtype of batterer is beyond this review. For more information of the various subtypes please review, Holtzworth-Munroe & Stuart, 1994; Holtzworth-Munroe et al. 1997; Holtzworth-Munroe et al. , 2000; Waltz et al. , 2000; Babcock et al. , 2003; Carney & Buttell, 2004) Researchers have found that batterers are more likely a heterogeneous than a homogeneous group and within that heterogeneous grouping various subtypes of batterers exist. Seminal research done by Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart (1994) studied violent men and ascertained various typologies of male batterers. Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart categorized three major subtypes and they labeled them, family only, dysphoric/borderline, and generally violent/antisocial. (Holtworth-Munroe & Stuart, p. 76-482, 1994) Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart described dysphoric/borderline batterers as those who engage in moderate to severe wife abuse as well as psychological and sexual abuse. Their violence is primarily towards the family; however, they suggested that some extra familial violence and criminal behavior may be evident. Additionally, they found that these men are the most dysphoric, psychologically distressed, and emotionally volatile and that they have evidence of borderline and schizoidal personally characteristics. The may also have problems with alcohol and drug abuse. (ibid. According to Dutton (2006), â€Å"Across several studies, implemented by independent researchers, the prevalence of personality disorder in wife assaulters has been found t o be extremely high. These men are not mere products of male sex role conditioning or â€Å"‘male privilege†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ [as the feminist theory of IPV suggests]; they possess characteristics that differentiate them from the majority of men who are not repeat abusers. † (p. 185) In addition to research on subtypes of batterers, there is also evidence to suggest that early attachment has bearing on what type of person may have the propensity towards perpetrating IPV. Buttell et al (2005) states that the presence of batterer subtypes is widely accepted in the field and that findings from [their] study seem to suggest that issues of attachment and dependency may be related to the development of an abusive personality for one type of batterer. They state that if true, efforts to improve intervention may need to focus on distinguishing batterer subtypes and developing intervention strategies relevant to the need for each subtype. (p. 216) Attachment styles may be the key to unlock many doors for both female and male perpetrators of IPV. Dutton in his book, The Abusive Personality, reiterates Bowlby's findings on attachment styles: In his landmark series of books entitled Attachment and Loss, Bowlby developed the notion that human attachment was of ultimate importance for human emotional development. In his view, it had sociobiological significance. His views encompassed the possibility of individual differences that came to be called â€Å"‘attachment styles'† referr[ing] to entire constellations of thoughts and feelings about intimacy. Reactions to the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of early attempts at attachment set up life-long attachment styles described as secure, fearful, or dismissing. The dismissing people tend to be wary of and stay out of relationships. The secure ones are comfortable with closeness. The fearful ones are stuck in the middle, exhibiting ambivalence toward intimacy and to those with whom they are emotionally connected. (as cited in Dutton, p. 116, 1998) Dutton (1998) further postulates that this push-pull reaction of the fearful attachment styled person resembles the ebb and flow of what he has coined the â€Å"cyclical personality. Dutton reports that in his notes on phrases used by female victims to describe their male batterers (who were clients of Dutton's) there was a recurring theme. They would express that their partners would act like â€Å"Jekyll and Hyde† and appear to be two different people at times. They also said things like, â€Å"He's like living with an emotional roller-coaster,† and describe their mates as moody, irritable, jealous and changeable. (p. 53) This cycling was first recognized by Lenore Walker in her book, The Battered Women, as the â€Å"‘battering cycle. â€Å"‘ (as cited in Dutton, ibid. As Dutton set out to gain some understanding of a cyclical or phasic personality he came across a book by John G. Gunderdson entitled, Borderline Personality Disorder: Dutton's research regarding attachment, borderline and the batterer's cyclical personality has been focused on male on female IPV, however, in his recent book, Rethinking DV, he discusses female perpetrators: Recent research has begun to explore the role of [fearful attachment, borderline traits, and chronic trauma symptoms, which generates what Dutton calls the abusive personality] among female perpetrators of partner abuse. Follingstad, Bradley, Helff, and Laughlin (2002) generated a model for predicting dating violence in a sample of 412 college students. (as cited in Dutton, p. 201, 2006) They found that anxious attachment resulting from early life experiences led to the development of an â€Å"‘angry temperament,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ which in turn related to attempts to control and use abuse against an intimate partner. The model predicted abusiveness for both genders (ibid. ) Other researchers have also hypothesized about subtypes of abusive males and females. For instance, Buttell et al (2005), states that researchers are beginning to explore the role of attachment theory and develop hypotheses on abusive behaviors relevant to different subtypes of abuser in order to improve intervention efforts for batterers. (p. 211) Gormley (2005) concluded that, â€Å"Insecure adult attachment orientations affect half the adult population, helping to explain the prevalence of men's and women's IPV. Women with insecure adult attachment orientations may be as much at risk as similar men of psychologically and physically abusing romantic partners, oing damage to relationships they may be socialize to value highly(I? E(B. † (p. 793) Female Batterers Scant research has been done on female batterers; however, due to the changes in mandatory arrest policies more women are being arrested than ever before. The debate about whether or not women perpetrate IPV has changed noticeably of late due in part to the fact that women are increasingly being arreste d, prosecuted, and sentenced to intervention programs for domestic violence offenses. Women's arrest for IPV is a direct result of legislation that has mandated the arrest of perpetrators in cases where police become involved when a domestic dispute has occurred. Warrantless arrest legislation gives police the power to arrest the abuser and press charges themselves when called to a domestic dispute. The victim no longer needs to press charges against the perpetrator. The arrest of women was certainly an unintended consequence of this legislation and has had a dramatic impact on the national debate regarding female initiated IPV. Carney & Buttell, p. 249, 2004) Feminist theory of IPV has created a dilemma regarding intervention services for female batterers. At present, the most prevalent legislated BIP's the system has set up are for dealing with batterers comes from the feminist model of IPV. Female batterers who are convicted of domestic assault and court ordered to attend a BIP have little choice but than to attend the feminist model of BIP's when court ordered to do so. (Carney and Buttell, p. 50, 2004) In addition, research on these [Duluth Model] BIP's indicate that few men who complete treatment benefit from it to the extent that they demonstrate positive changes in their behaviors. Of course, if men are not benefiting from a program that is specifically designed for patriarchal batterers then certainly abusive women will benefit even less. (ibid. ) According to Babcock & Siard (2003) some of the women arrested could have been acting in self-defense and were therefore falsely arrested but others with extensive violent histories may in fact be primary aggressors. p. 153) Men who are arrested are not given the same latitude. Babcock et al. (2003) mentions that in a study of women arrested for IPV, Hamberger and Potente (1994) found women who could clearly be identified as primary aggressors of IPV, yet in the treatment setting they were generally treated the same as those women who used self defense. (as cited in Babcock & Siard, p. 154). B abcock et al. (2003) proposed two categories of female batterers, those that were partner-only and those that were generally violent. The partner-only category covered women who may be more likely to use violence in self-defense and the generally violent women (of more interest for this paper) were women who used violence in any manner of situations including against their romantic partners. (pp. 153-154) Many studies on male batterer's include reports from their female victims; however, the researchers in this study did not ask the male victims for reports of their partner's violence. Iit is interesting to note that violent women were asked to report on their male partner's violence against them. (p. 57) They further note that power and control seems to be an issue for some abusive women and they suggest that women's power and control issues, traumatic histories, and psychological distress should be explored and indicate that clinicians may want to assess for psychopathology (i. e. post-traumatic stress disorder, borderline personality disorder, etc. ) (ibid. ) Recent studies have found that women's and men's viol ence share similar correlates (Giordano, Millhollin, Cernkovich, Pugh, & Rudolph, 1999; Magdol, Moffittt, Caspi, & Silva, 1998; Moffitt, Robins, & Caspi, 2001 as cited in Babcock et al, p. 53, 2003) therefore, they may also share similar motivations and circumstances. Female Batterers from Victims Reports Hines et al's (2007) research provides some insight into female batterers from their male victims. â€Å"Female abusers likely have a history of childhood trauma, may be suffering from a mental illness, and are likely to use alcohol and/or drugs. Further, these women have a high rate of threatening either suicide and/or homicide. † (p. 9) As previously stated, women have been asked to report on their male batterers and although this is not the ideal way to obtain information on batterers, feminist researchers have been gathering information in this way from battered women in shelters for years. (e. g. Walker, 2000 as cited in Hines et al, p. 69, 2007) Conclusion Men are vict ims of female perpetrated IPV and need services such as shelter, legal aid, support and counseling much the same as their female counterparts. Additionally, men's reports of victimization should not be called into question but treated with the same respect as women's reports. Protocols should be put in place within the domestic violence shelters programs, for law enforcement and the courts that will screen out potential female and male batterers so that victims are not judged by their gender. There is a dearth of research of female batterers and what has been presented from the feminist theory suggests that violent females use violence in self-defense. As we move away from the feminist theory of IPV researchers are discovering that childhood trauma, insecure attachment styles, mental illness, and/or alcohol and substance abuse play a role in IPV for both genders. Not all male batterers fit into the feminist theory of IPV, there are subtypes of batterers and attachment style plays a role in who perpetrates IPV. The subtype that is the focus of this paper is that of the borderline, cyclical batterer. Female batterers also show symptoms of having subtypes evidenced by reports from male callers to the DAHMW. Studies are beginning to assess psychological factors that predict female intimate partner violence. What is emerging is evidence of personality disorder, attachment style, and constricted affect that has also been seen in male abusers. Female abusers share much of the same traits as male abusers especially antisocial and borderline personalities. (Dutton, p. 203, 2006) As Babcock et al. (2003) explain, â€Å"[the] feminist perspective should be holistic, examining both the positive and negative sides of women's behavior. Bringing attention to some women being in the role of perpetrators, not solely as the victims of intimate partner abuse, involves viewing women as they are, not as we would wish them to be. † (p. 160) References About The Author