Böcker i Contemporary World Issues-serien

Explores the contentious history of the international gay rights movement from its inception in Germany in the 1800s to today.

This handbook provides a straightforward account of how women have served in combat roles and explains the ongoing controversy surrounding efforts to legalize combat assignments for female service members. Women have been excluded from combat roles for most of American history.

Reviewing the topic from antiquity to the present day, this book examines the debate over the use of animals in research in a fair and balanced way.

This book provides a historical background for the world's current energy problems, describing how the Industrial Revolution has led us to the impending end of the "Age of Fossil Fuels," and describes possible solutions for averting a global crisis.

An unbiased examination of profiling in the criminal justice system-one of the most hotly contested public policy issues-on the streets, in the courts, and in the jails and prisons of America.

The use of fracking is a tremendously important technology for the recovery of oil and gas, but the advantages and costs of fracking remain controversial.

Providing an exhaustive background on the history of genetically modified organism (GMO) crops and foods as well as the controversies surrounding these products, this book allows readers to develop their own particular viewpoint on the production and use of GMO substances.

This timely handbook traces the development of cyber capabilities from their roots in information warfare and cryptology to their potential military application in combat.

A timely investigation of the history, legislation, and perpetrators of school violence, this guide debunks the myths and misconceptions about this terrible problem of national concern.

This book provides a detailed introduction to the cloning of both plants and animals and discusses the important social, ethical, political, technical, and other issues related to the practice.

Why is there such an active and ongoing resistance to mandatory vaccination? This book examines why vaccination as a public health measure continues to be highly controversial.

This book provides an in-depth exploration of the phenomenon of hacking from a multidisciplinary perspective that addresses the social and technological aspects of this unique activity as well as its impact.

A shrewd and compelling examination of how political figures throughout history have used scientific findings to achieve their objectives-just as scientists have often put political forces to work to achieve their own goals.

This unbiased look at the minimum wage debate in America traces the history of minimum wage policy at both the federal and state levels, discusses the controversies swirling around the issue, and examines the veracity of claims made by people on both sides of the debate.

A valuable resource for high school, college, and general readers, this book provides an up-to-date, comprehensive examination of illegal immigration in America, addressing its complex history, comparing its occurrence today with the past, and explaining why a solution is so difficult to enact.Who is coming into the United States illegally and why? What compels people to leave their country of origin? Is the United States responsible for taking care of the more than 11 million individuals who are here illegally? Are illegal immigrants helping or harming our nation's economy and infrastructure? Should our borders be "secured" as called for by many politicians? This book examines the history of illegal immigration in the United States, addressing the tough questions about the issue and describing in detail the most significant issues and events in recent decades. It succinctly tackles the topic of illegal immigration without bias, explores the myriad of problems and controversies that have arisen due to illegal immigration, and explains how lawmakers have historically tried-and continue to try-to solve these issues.This thoroughly revised and updated second edition ofIllegal Immigration: A Reference Handbook covers the debate over the vexing and seemingly intractable illegal immigration problem from all angles and updates the discussion to 2015. It covers the key court, executive, and legislative-branch actions on the matter and examines both state and national-level government attempts to cope with illegal immigration. The book also contains a variety of primary source documents in summary format that cover all the key laws enacted, presidential or state governor's executive actions taken, and key court decisions since 1985. These documents not only provide factual data but also give context that allows readers to better grasp the complexity of the problem and the difficulty in trying to improve the situation through regulation.

Hate crime is a disturbing phenomenon that is the subject of constant debate, discussion, and legislation. This book helps readers understand the complex issue and see how the government and activists are proactively combating hate crime.

Welfare Reform presents the contemporary debate about welfare reform in the United States with an unbiased, objective point of view. Welfare Reform examines a wide range of programs and assistance policies of the U.S. federal and state governments.

This outstanding resource guide for students and young adults provides an introduction to the history of prescription drug abuse that explains how this problem has arisen and examines the social, political, economic, and health issues associated with prescription drug abuse in modern society.Evidence suggests that both adults and youth are abusing a wider range of prescription drugs and abusing them more frequently than has been the case in the past. Prescription drugs are the second most common class of drugs abused by Americans, more than twice as commonly abused as cocaine, and five times as commonly abused as heroin. This book provides readers with information about the specific health effects that can result from using certain types of medical chemicals, particularly opioid analgesics, stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogenics; explains the most important factors that have led to the growth of prescription drug problems; and reviews the current status of the issue in the United States and other nations.Readers will learn about the dangers associated with the use of prescription drugs for nonmedical purposes, the methods that have been put in place and are being developed to prevent the abuse of prescription drugs, and the trends in prescription drug misuse, with possible explanations for these trends. The book also reviews some of the steps being taken by governments and other organizations and agencies to combat the problem of prescription drug abuse.

This book offers a critical look at celebrity and celebrities throughout history, emphasizing the development of celebrity as a concept, its relevance to individuals, and the role of the public and celebrities in popular culture.

This book is the THE source for information on virtual worlds, covering every aspect of this intriguing and fast-changing social practice and the technologies upon which it rests.

Focuses on popular American entertainment. This book covers six forms of entertainment: vaudeville, recorded sound, radio, movies, television, and spectator sports. It is intended for students and general readers interested in the development and history of one of the largest and most lucrative industries.

An authoritative but accessible reference, this book enables anyone to truly understand both the background and operation of the U.S. tax system and current tax reform proposals. Dissatisfaction with high taxes is literally an American tradition;

This book covers a wide range of issues and controversies within the world of sports-including drug use, economics, ethics, ethnicity, gender, globalization, politics, race, sexuality, and technology-from both a U.S. and global perspective.

How is water scarcity becoming a serious problem worldwide-including in the United States? This book provides a broad overview of water, sanitation, and hygiene problems faced by both developing and developed nations around the globe and suggests how these problems can be solved by imaginative and innovative thinking.Human society depends on sufficient clean water. In many parts of the world, however, this most basic commodity is in very short supply. Even in developed, first-world nations, climate change and other factors have begun to create alarming water supply issues. The Global Water Crisis: A Reference Handbook provides a detailed overview of this important topic, enabling readers to understand the nature of the world's water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) problems and to know what resources are best for conducting their own research on the topic.The first chapter of the book provides the historical background information pertaining to the world's water and sanitation problems; the second chapter documents the problems, explores the issues, and presents potential solutions for understanding the nature of WASH issues. The other sections provide the needed resources for readers to study the issue of the global water crisis further: perspective essays, primary documents, biographical profiles, data and documents, an extended annotated bibliography, a chronology, and a glossary.

This book tackles the assumptions behind common understandings of religious nationalism, exploring the complex connections between religion, nationalism, conflict, and conflict transformation.

This book presents the background and history of genocide, the key issues associated with this worldwide crime, and the problems inherent in preventing its occurrence.

This text provides readers with an in-depth understanding of the essential aspects of youth substance abuse-an important contemporary personal, social, and public health issue.Humans have been using natural and synthetic chemicals for at least two millennia-primarily for the purpose of treating medical problems, but also for recreational purposes. The 2014 Monitoring the Future survey of eighth, tenth, and twelfth grade students indicates a general decline in the use of illicit drugs over the last two decades. On the other hand, perceptions among youth that certain types of drug use-like marijuana and e-cigarettes-are harmless are growing. Youth Substance Abuse: A Reference Handbook provides an overview of the history and development of youth substance abuse along with a discussion of the medical, social, psychological, legal, and economic issues associated with youth substance abuse both in the United States and other parts of the world.The book begins with a comprehensive introduction to the subject of youth substance abuse that explains how modern societies have reached the point where abuse of both legal and illegal substances is a major health issue in many nations. Readers will learn about the effects of substances such as cocaine, marijuana, and heroin as well as substances that are typically legal but have deleterious health, social, or psychological effects, such as tobacco, alcohol, prescription drugs, and electronic cigarettes. Subsequent chapters address how and why youth substance abuse has become a problem in the United States and other countries, the demographics of this widespread problem, the direct and indirect effects of youth substance abuse and addiction, and the range of services and methods that are available for treating substance abuse.

This volume presents a balanced survey of children and violence in the United States-specifically those children who commit acts such as murder, rape, and assault. The physical, cultural, social, economic, and legal aspects of this pressing issue are explored in detail in Violent Children.

Same-sex marriage continues to be a polarizing subject in the United States and other parts of the world. This new edition of Same-Sex Marriage: A Reference Handbook brings readers up to date on the status of same-sex unions from social, legal, political, and historical perspectives.According to Pew Research poll data, in 2001, the majority of Americans opposed same-sex marriage-57 percent against, 35 percent in support. As of 2015, a majority of Americans (55 percent) supported same-sex marriage, with 39 percent expressing opposition. The landmark Obergefell v. Hodges case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court held in a 5-4 decision that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples, is likely further influencing opinions among U.S. citizens. Still, controversy and heated debate continues to ensue on the social, legal, and political implications of same-sex marriage.The second edition of Same-Sex Marriage: A Reference Handbook presents thorough coverage of recent changes in the legal status of same-sex marriage in the United States as well as essays that provide historical perspectives on same-sex marriage; an extensive, up-to-date bibliography; a collection of primary source documents; a glossary; and a chronology that will serve readers studying the topic. New material includes a detailed discussion of the 2015 Supreme Court of the United States decision as well as coverage of issues that have arisen as a result of the Obergefell case, such as the debate over "religious freedom" and LGBT civil rights legislation.

This volume provides readers with a historical overview of prominent militias and other extremist groups and offers extensive insights into their nature and ideology.