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This book exposes the role of children in war, describing where, why, and how children are deployed, the attempts made by international organizations to protect children, and the underlying political and cultural issues that make this such a thorny issue.

With just the right dose of academic pragmatism, Police Misconduct in America assesses the history of police excesses from 1900 to the present.

The USA Patriot Act: A Reference Handbook is an in-depth examination of the difficult wartime task of balancing civil liberties against national security. Within weeks of the September 11 terrorist attacks, overwhelming majorities in both houses of Congress passed the USA Patriot Act.

Exhaustively updated, this second edition provides a current assessment of world population and the range of economic, social, and environmental issues it raises.

An examination of the social impact of the Internet, this volume explores political, social, technical, legal, and economic controversies in a manner accessible to the general reader. Today more than one billion people worldwide use the Internet for communication, shopping, business, and research.

This book provides an outstanding single-volume resource on the topic of solar energy for young adults and general audiences.While how much longer the world's supply of fossil fuels will last is debatable, it is a fact that the fossil fuels that we depend on so heavily today are non-renewable resources that will inevitably be exhausted-making the need to shift to alternative sources of energy such as solar extremely important. Solar Energy: A Reference Handbook presents encyclopedic coverage of the social, political, economic, and environmental issues associated with the development and use of solar energy in the United States and around the world. This book provides an in-depth description of the ways solar power has been used for at least 2,000 years. It outlines how humankind has utilized various forms of energy from the sun by way of photovoltaic cells, concentrating or focusing solar power, active and passive solar heating, and other mechanisms; and provides perspectives on today's solar energy issues from a variety of subject experts. Readers will better understand not only the advantages and disadvantages of solar power but also the critical nature of energy production to sustaining life on earth, thereby underscoring the importance of developing solar power and other alternative sources of energy to meet the world's energy needs in coming decades. The book also includes profiles of key individuals and organizations related to the field of solar energy, a chronology of important events in the history of solar energy, and a glossary that defines the key terms used in discussing the topic of solar energy.

and the significant impact of medical tourism on health care systems-that of the United States, and those of the destination countries. The book highlights many contemporary problems, controversies, and implications of medical tourism both for individuals and health care systems, and presents thought-provoking potential solutions.

Providing a clear, logical guide to an illogical topic, this book provides an easy-to-understand guide for anyone who wants to successfully navigate the labyrinth of going to college-and paying for the experience.

Covering topics ranging from web filters to laws aimed at preventing the flow of information, this book explores freedom-and censorship-of the Internet and considers the advantages and disadvantages of policies at each end of the spectrum.

A balanced presentation chronicling both the major events that sparked environmental activism and the nature of that activism in the past century. Beginning with an overview of activism in the past century from 1900 to 2001, Environmental Activism: A Reference Handbook puts organizations and their activities into historical context.

This extensive overview charts the fluctuating course of mental health policy in the United States from colonial times to today.

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.