Books in the Contemporary World Issues series

This work is an overview of the critical natural resource conflicts facing the United States and the world, and current attempts to resolve them peacefully. Conflicts over natural resources are not new.

The increasing numbers of LGBT teenagers who choose to live their lives as "out" youth face unique issues within their schools, families, and communities. This book provides information that will help LGBT youth overcome their challenges and give non-LGBT youth a better understanding of sexual identities different from their own.

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.

This valuable handbook makes the U.S. health care system understandable, reviews the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or "Obamacare," describes past health care reform efforts, and covers the important organizations and people involved in U.S. health care reform.

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.

This book provides an insightful introduction to the most important field of military innovation for the 21st century-robotic and drone weaponry.

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.

Authoritative, current, and easy to use, this book is an outstanding resource for readers looking to gain an accurate and thorough understanding of American juvenile justice.Juvenile delinquency has been of interest to the general public and academic scholars for many decades-and it has been an ongoing societal problem for the same amount of time. Delinquency covers a range of behaviors from minor offenses, such as trespassing or vandalism, to the more serious crimes often associated with gangs that include murder. Juvenile Justice: A Reference Handbook puts juvenile justice under the microscope, surveying its long history and key issues, exploring the myriad of problems and controversies tied to the juvenile justice system, and explains how policymakers and legal professionals have tried to solve these vexing issues.The book first presents historical and contemporary discussions of juvenile justice, especially in the United States. The next chapters address problems, controversies, and possible solutions for juvenile justice; present insightful, diverse perspectives from leading experts; and profile important figures in the juvenile justice system and the field of crime and delinquency. The book also contains data and primary documents that show who gets processed through the juvenile justice system and for what kinds of criminal acts.

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.