Database of the Week

CQ Researcher

Need to research a controversial topic? Need something more reliable than Wikipedia? Go to CQ Researcher, one of the Library's academic databases, free for all SWC students.

Access is available from off-campus, go to the Library's Articles and Databases page, select "CQ Researcher," and enter your username (WebAdvisor ID) and password (birth date).

This weekly, full-text publication provides original in-depth analysis of the most current major and controversial issues of the day with complete summaries, pros and cons, bibliographies, and more.

Read about current issues of the day, such as the recent report on "Air Pollution and Climate Change," published on November 13, 2015.



Or go back through the archives of the CQ Researcher database for reports that provide a snapshot in time, such as "Should the U.S. reinstate the draft?" published in 1991.

CQ Researcher is a great starting place for your research about a controversial issue.

Have a question? Ask a librarian!

CQ Researcher: Racial Profiling

Racial Profiling: Are minorities unfairly targeted by police?
by Kenneth Jost.

"Civil liberties and minority groups are pressuring police departments to eliminate racial and ethnic profiling in pedestrian and traffic stops, while police groups and some experts insist the complaints about the practice are exaggerated. African-Americans have long complained of traffic stops seemingly for 'driving while black,' and many — including President Obama and Oprah Winfrey — said recently they have felt profiled by store clerks for 'shopping while black.' Hispanics and Muslims also feel singled out as suspected immigration violators or terrorists. Two big law enforcement agencies — the New York City Police Department and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, which covers Phoenix — are under court order to eliminate the practice. In New York, Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio is expected to change the NYPD's aggressive stop-and-frisk policies after he takes office on Jan. 1."

Read the full report in the library's CQ Researcher database. Have a question? Ask a librarian!

CQ Researcher: Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence: Are federal programs helping to curb abuse?
by Barbara Mantel
November 15, 2013

Incidents of domestic violence have declined by more than half over the past two decades, according to U.S. Department of Justice crime surveys. Some attribute progress to the growth in shelters, more aggressive enforcement and laws such as the 1994 Violence Against Women Act, which have poured billions of dollars into shelters, social services and training programs. But some victims' advocates say the Justice Department underestimates the problem and cite a 2010 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey, which shows that more than 12 million adults suffer physical violence, rape or stalking each year. The confusion has left advocates, researchers, prosecutors and judges divided over the best ways to reduce intimate partner violence. Meanwhile, new technology such as GPS and social media have made it easier for abusers to track and intimidate their victims.

Read the full report in the library's CQ Researcher database.

Courtesy CQ Researcher

This Week in CQ Researcher

Regulating Pharmaceuticals: Is government oversight strong enough? 

By Peter Katel

"A scandal over mold-contaminated medicine that killed dozens of patients last year has added fuel to a debate over how well federal and state officials are policing the safety and effectiveness of prescription drugs. 

Innovative medicines have helped drive down death rates from such diseases as HIV/AIDS and cancer, but other drugs have spurred concerns about safety, physician prescribing practices and patient abuse. Painkillers known as opioids are blamed for a nationwide wave of addiction, for example, and the growing overuse of antibiotics has led to a surge in deadly, drug-resistant infections. Meanwhile, beginning next year, the pharmaceutical industry, which spends nearly $29 billion annually on product promotion, must disclose an unprecedented level of information about its efforts to market drugs to consumers and doctors."

Source: CQ Researcher

CQ Researcher is one of many academic research databases that the library subscribes to for SWC students.

Read the full report. Or browse other databases the library subscribes to for your research.

Have a question? We can help - ask a librarian, 24/7.

CQ Researcher - Report on Alternative Medicine

Are “unconventional” therapies becoming accepted? 
By Beth Baker

"Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), ranging from herbal products to chiropractic and acupuncture, continues to grow in popularity. Nearly 40 percent of American adults use alternative therapies, spending some $34 billion annually. Nevertheless, critics cite thousands of studies that question the effectiveness of many of these treatments. In addition, they argue that the safety and quality of herbal products and other supplements can be ensured only if they are subjected to the same rigorous regulation as prescription drugs. But proponents counter that many studies have shown promising practices, especially meditation and other mind-body interventions that reduce stress. Integrating such approaches into conventional medicine, they say, is the best way to provide patient-centered care. Proponents also say the rise of alternative medicine in medical school curricula, hospitals and health care systems suggests that what was once called “unconventional” is here to stay."

Read the full report in the CQ Researcher database.
Access from off campus is available for free to all SWC students and staff.

Have a question? Ask a librarian!

This Week in CQ Researcher

Telecommuting: Is working from home productive?

"Recent restrictions on telecommuting by tech giant Yahoo and retailer Best Buy are spurring debate over the merits of working from home. Some companies say allowing employees to telecommute reduces turnover and boosts profits. But Yahoo's leaders say collaboration and innovation suffer when everyone isn't in the office together. Advocates argue that telework has been crucial for parents and other caregivers struggling to balance work and family obligations. Yet, while the advent of mobile working — by smartphones, tablet computers and laptops — has helped workers remain productive, it also has led more and more people to labor long hours from home, often at night and on weekends. Global communication by email, videoconference and Skype has become so integral to business that some corporate leaders say they no longer see telework as a distinct form of work."

Read the entire report on the CQ Researcher database, which is accessible from off campus with the current passwords.

Have a question? Ask a librarian.

This Week in CQ Researcher

 

Internet Shopping: Should States Require Online Retailers to Collect Sales Taxes?

"Online retail shopping has grown fourfold since 2002 and now accounts for about 10 percent of discretionary retail spending in the United States. But whether that growth trend continues could depend, in part, on whether Congress allows states to require all e-retailers to collect state and local sales taxes. Currently, only online shopping sites with a physical presence in a state must collect the levies. Some shoppers may refocus their buying on brick-and-mortar stores if buying online no longer offers a tax advantage. Meanwhile, polls show growing concerns about privacy among online shoppers. Marketers routinely collect detailed information about shoppers' habits, preferences, purchases, age and gender in order to send them targeted advertisements and special offers. Smartphones and tablets even allow marketers to know the exact location of shoppers and send them targeted ads as they pass by particular stores."

Read the full report in the library's CQ Researcher database. Access is available from off campus with the current passwords.

This Week in CQ Researcher

Law Schools: Is a legal education worth the cost?
by Kenneth Jost

"Rising tuition and declining job prospects are creating a crisis for law school students and graduates, who face the likelihood of earning incomes below what they need to finance staggering debt. Students leave law school these days with debts averaging more than $100,000.

The legal job market is difficult, partly because of the recession and partly because of technological changes that allow outsourcing of legal work or do-it-yourself lawyering. Nearly half of the 2012 graduates failed to find a long-term, full-time legal job nine months later. The median income for graduates who do find jobs is about $60,000 per year.

Law school tuition rose rapidly over the past decade, but schools are now facing pressure to cut costs as the number of applicants shrinks. Some professors and outside observers bluntly warn that law school is a bad investment for many students. But others insist that a legal education is still valuable as a path to a profitable career and an active role in public affairs."

Read the entire report. Access from off campus is available with the current passwords.

This Week in CQ Researcher

Gay Marriage: Will the Supreme Court end curbs on same-sex unions? by Kenneth Jost.

Cuc Vu and Gwen Migita, right, leave the courthouse in Washington, D.C., after applying for a marriage license on March 3, 2010, the first day licenses were available in the District of Columbia. (Getty Images/The Washington Post/Bill O'Leary)

"The Supreme Court is set to confront the issue of gay marriage for the first time in 40 years in two cases set for argument in late March. Same-sex couples are asking the justices to strike down California's Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in the state just six months after a court ruled that preventing gays and lesbians from marrying was unconstitutional.

In a second case, a New York City widow is urging the court to strike down the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which limits federal benefits for same-sex couples. Edith Windsor had to pay a $363,000 federal tax bill on her late wife's estate that would not have been levied on an opposite-sex spouse.

The Obama administration says both laws are unconstitutional. House Republicans stepped into the Windsor case to defend DOMA. Court watchers say the justices are likely to be closely divided along conservative-liberal lines, with Justice Anthony M. Kennedy widely seen as having the pivotal vote on the nine-member bench."

Read the entire report via CQ Researcher, one of the library's research databases. Off-campus access is available with the current semester's passwords.

This Week in CQ Researcher

Coastal Development: Is over-building putting coastal regions at risk?
by Jennifer Weeks

Off campus access is available with the current semester's passwords.

"Superstorm Sandy, which devastated portions of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut last October, has revived longstanding debates about coastal development. Congress has approved more than $60 billion in relief funding for Sandy, which ranks as one of the most destructive storms in U.S. history. Future storms could be even worse because of climate change, which is raising global sea levels. [...] Some experts argue that to make coastlines better able to withstand extreme weather, storm-damaged houses in vulnerable zones should not be rebuilt. Meanwhile, critics blame the federal flood insurance program, designed to help homeowners who cannot get private coverage, for subsidizing risky development with taxpayer dollars. But advocates say the program is needed to protect homeowners against catastrophic loss."

Read the full report in CQ Researcher, one of the library's databases. Off campus access is available with the current semester's passwords. Have a question? Ask a librarian!

This Week in CQ Researcher

Improving Cybersecurity: Is the United States Safe from Internet Criminals? by Roland Flamini

Access is available from off campus with the current semester's passwords.

"The Internet has brought profound changes across the globe, but its rapidly expanding criminal side threatens to undermine both its achievements and its promise. Today, thieves using computers can rob banks and steal corporate trade secrets from the other side of the world. Hackers opposed to U.S. policies can sabotage government websites, and some experts warn that a hostile country could bring the United States to a virtual standstill without firing a shot, such as by hacking into the power grid or disrupting transportation. New cybersecurity legislation has not been passed since 2002, and with new laws stalled in Congress, President Obama announced on Feb. 12 he had signed an executive order aimed at protecting government and businesses from 'the rapidly growing threat from cyber-attacks.' Meanwhile, some countries are moving to control Internet content, often in the name of cybersecurity."

Read the rest of the report on CQ Researcher, one of the library's online databases. Access is available from off campus with the current semester's passwords.

This Week in CQ Researcher

Preventing Hazing: Can Tougher Laws Stop Violent Rituals?
by David Hosansky
 
"David Bogenberger and his fellow pledges were required to drink alcohol — a lot of it — as part of the initiation ritual at the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at Northern Illinois University. During the hazing, 19-year-old Bogenberger and the other pledges were taken from room to room in the fraternity house, each time asked a series of questions and then told to drink cups of vodka and other liquor.

When Bogenberger's lifeless body was found in the house early the next morning, on Nov. 2, 2012, his blood alcohol content was about five times the legal limit for driving. The cause of death was cardiac arrhythmia with alcohol intoxication as a contributing factor.

'He wanted to be liked. He wanted to be accepted,' said Peter R. Coladarci, the Bogenberger family attorney. “It's a classic case of a kid who just wants to fit in with the group.

Such initiation rituals are hardly unusual. And hazing-related deaths, while infrequent, happen every year.

Studies show that hazing, although prohibited by most states and many schools, remains pervasive across the country — and not just at college fraternities and sororities. Professional sports leagues also celebrate the practice, with photos posted to the Web each year of rookies being hazed. In the U.S. military, a soldier and a Marine in Afghanistan committed suicide after being hazed in separate incidents, spurring a congressional outcry and prosecution of the perpetrators by the Pentagon. In high schools and colleges, male and female students continue to engage in the sometimes dangerous rituals, even as school administrators have stepped up anti-hazing campaigns. [...]

Hazing rituals have occurred since the days of ancient Greece and Rome, typically as a way for young people to prove their worth to a group they want to join. Rituals can range from seemingly innocuous activities, such as dressing up in silly clothing or singing a school song in front of the group, to physical or psychological brutality."

Read the rest of the report in the CQ Researcher database. Off campus access is available with the current passwords.

This Week in CQ Researcher

Future of Public Universities: Can they compete with new educational models?
By Robert Kiener

 

"A weakened economy has forced drastic cuts in state higher-education funding, leading many schools to raise tuition to record levels and put the brakes on expansion after years of pell-mell growth fueled by government spending. Meanwhile, colleges and universities are under pressure to rethink their traditional modes of operation as they try to compete with an explosion of new educational models, including for-profit institutions, distance learning and so-called MOOCs — massive online open courses that offer free, high-quality instruction to thousands of digitally connected students simultaneously . . . A 2012 poll of senior college and university administrators found that a staggering 96 percent believe higher education is in crisis. And more than a third of university presidents believe the higher-education industry they lead is 'heading in the wrong direction.'"

Read more about this topic in the CQ Researcher database. The full report is available off-campus with the current passwords.

Have a question? Ask a librarian!

This Week in CQ Researcher

Future of Homeownership: Should government do more to help homeowners?
by Barbara Mantel

"The housing market is finally showing signs of recovery after the housing crash and Great Recession of the late 2000s. The number of foreclosed homes is shrinking, sales of homes are climbing, prices are rebounding and builders are ramping up construction. Yet the share of Americans who own their homes dropped to 65.5 percent in the third quarter — the lowest since 1997. Many of today's buyers are investors who are snapping up houses in some of the hardest-hit neighborhoods and converting them into rentals, which experts say is a new trend. Analysts wonder whether many Americans are permanently rejecting homeownership in favor of renting. Meanwhile, policymakers are weighing how much the government should help the millions of remaining distressed homeowners and how to reform mortgage financing to avoid another housing debacle."

Read more about this topic and many others in CQ Researcher, accessible from off-campus with the current passwords.

This Week in CQ Researcher

Changing Demographics: Will the rising minority population benefit the economy? 

By Bill Wanlund

Happy Citizenship Day! A youngster rests after joining other local children who attended a naturalization ceremony in Los Angeles on Sept. 19, 2012. Some 40 million Americans — about one in eight — are foreign-born. (Getty Images/Kevork Djansezian)

"The nation is undergoing one of the most important demographic transitions in its history. For the first time, minority babies outnumbered white newborns last year, and Census estimates predict that by 2042 non-Hispanic whites will no longer be in the majority. Already, more than a third of Americans are minorities, and non-whites accounted for 92 percent of population growth between 2000 and 2010, a trend driven by rising Hispanic immigration. Meanwhile, as millions of baby boomers retire, the nation is growing older. More than a fifth of Americans will be 65 or older by 2030, compared with one in eight today. Seismic changes also are occurring on the religious front: Protestants are no longer in the majority, and millions have abandoned religion altogether. And, in a striking trend of reverse migration, millions of blacks are moving back to the South."

Read the full report in CQ Researcher, accessible via the SWC Library's Articles and Databases page. From off-campus, connect via the current semester's passwords.

Have a question? Ask a librarian!

CQ Researcher: Wildfires

This week in CQ Researcher: Managing Wildfires
by Jennifer Weeks

"Record-setting heat and intense drought have made 2012 one of the worst wildfire seasons in a decade of intense fires. Climate change, residential development in fire-prone rural areas and the impact of past firefighting policies have combined to put many areas of the United States at risk, especially in the West. Federal agencies spend more than $2.5 billion yearly to control wildfires, and the cost is rising. Scientists widely agree that fire plays an important ecological role, and federal land managers are working to reintroduce fire in controlled settings to regenerate forests and reduce combustible brush that can cause wildfires to burn out of control. Public officials are under heavy pressure to fight fires that threaten homes, but few are willing to make homeowners bear more of the costs to protect their property. Using fire-resistant building materials and clearing brush around homes can reduce fire risks. Some advocates want to go further and bar new development in fire-prone areas."

Read the rest of the report in CQ Researcher, one of the SWC Library's Databases. Access is available from off-campus with the current semester's passwords.

Have a question? Ask a librarian!

This Week in CQ Researcher

Assessing the New Health Care Law: Will it improve care and reduce spending?
By Marcia Clemmitt
September 21, 2012 • Volume 22, Issue 33

"In June, the Supreme Court upheld most of the Obama administration's 2010 health care law, allowing the government to fine people who decline to buy medical insurance. But the court barred cutting off Medicaid funds for states that refuse to participate in a new program expanding health care for the poor. Some Republican governors have balked at the expanded coverage, undermining the administration's goal of adding 30 million people to the health insurance rolls. Meanwhile, GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, along with many congressional Republicans, vows to repeal the entire Affordable Care Act, arguing it is too costly and abridges individual freedoms. The law's supporters, however, say its benefits already are evident, as children with pre-existing illnesses can no longer lose coverage and young adults can enroll in their parents' health plans."

Read the entire report in the CQ Researcher library database. Access is available from off campus with the current semester's passwords.

Have a question? Ask a librarian!

CQ Researcher: Whale Hunting

Should whale and dolphin hunting be outlawed?
by Daniel McGlynn
CQ Researcher
June 29, 2012 • Volume 22, Issue 24

"For hundreds of years, the United States and countries around the world relentlessly hunted whales and other marine mammals for their oil, blubber and other byproducts. But today whales, dolphins and porpoises are widely viewed as intelligent creatures worthy of conservation and protection from commercial hunters. Scientists describe marine mammals as social animals that share characteristics with humans, including the ability to communicate in sophisticated ways. But Japan, Norway and Iceland still hunt whales, and Japan continues its controversial slaughter of dolphins for their meat, as dramatized by the Academy Award-winning documentary The Cove. Efforts to ban commercial whaling by the International Whaling Commission have failed because of political bickering and competing national interests. Meanwhile, climate change, entanglement in commercial-fishing gear and ocean noise pollution are adding to the peril facing marine mammals."

Read more about this topic and many other current issues in CQ Researcher. Full-text access is available from off campus with the current semester's passwords.

Have a question? Ask a librarian!

CQ Researcher: Sexual Harassment

Source: CQ Researcher

"Employment lawyers say the widespread adoption of anti-harassment policies and training programs over the past decade has led to a decline in workplace sexual harassment charges filed with federal, state and local government agencies. But plaintiffs' attorneys say sexual harassment remains a persistent and under-reported problem that boiler-plate corporate policies and training programs often fail to address. And worker-rights advocates say the numbers of charges may be declining for other reasons, including a move by employers to require potential employees to agree to binding arbitration of workplace disputes. Companies say arbitration benefits everyone by speeding up the dispute process, but workers' advocates strongly disagree." Mantel, B. (2012, April 27). Sexual harassment. CQ Researcher, 22, 377-400. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/

Want to read more? Visit the CQ Researcher database, which provides an in-depth analysis of this issue, as well as many others.

Off-campus access is available with the current semester's passwords.

Have a question? Ask a librarian!

This Week in CQ Researcher

Immigration Conflict by Kenneth Jost

"Americans are very concerned about illegal immigration but ambivalent about what to do about it — especially the 11 million aliens currently in the United States illegally. Frustrated with the federal government's failure to secure the borders, several states passed laws allowing state and local police to check the immigration status of suspected unlawful aliens. Civil rights organizations warn the laws will result in ethnic profiling of Latinos. The Obama administration is suing to block several of the laws for infringing on federal prerogatives. Advocates of tougher enforcement say undocumented workers are taking jobs from U.S. citizens, but many business and agricultural groups say migrant workers are needed to fill jobs unattractive to U.S. workers. Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an Arizona law providing stiff penalties for employers that knowingly hire illegal aliens. Now, the justices are preparing to hear arguments on the controversial, new Arizona law that inspired other states to crack down on illegal immigration."

• Is illegal immigration an urgent national problem?
• Should state and local police enforce immigration laws?
• Should Congress make it easier for illegal immigrants to become citizens?

To read this article and others visit our Articles and Databases webpage and select CQ Researcher. Select the Off Campus Access link for information on how to access this resource from off campus locations.

Have a question? Ask a librarian!