This three- to eight-week unit encourages dialog among students concerning the myriad aspects of the nuclear weapons controversy. The unit is comprised of several areas: a preassessment quiz; a section on relevant vocabulary; an historical overview; a literary exploration; guest speakers; suggestions for personal involvement; and a major project.…

Examines the circumstances of the 1979 "Progressive" case, in which the federal government quashed an article about hydrogen bomb production. Notes reportorial lapses that prevented a full and balanced account of the situation. (RL)

Examines social and psychological factors associated with frequency of weapon-carrying by black adolescents living in a community where there is extensive poverty and a high level of violent crime. Weapon carrying was significantly associated with exposure to violence and victimization, age, corporal punishment scale, depression, family conflict,…

The number of students killed or injured by gunfire while at schools is increasing. The National Rifle Association, the nation's powerful gun lobby, has a gun safety program; however, children's advocates say stricter gun-control laws are necessary. Briefly cites 24 gun incidents and describes 4 semiautomatic pistols that were among the firearms…

Reports on a United Nations committee recommendation that the Security Council establish a universal register of arms. Suggests that such a register would limit the destabilizing influence of major arms sales on developing nations. Argues that visibility of arms sales may help reduce their number. (DK)

Examines the ironic "problems" of the 1989 Hollywood film "Fat Man and Little Boy" (portraying the construction of the atomic bomb at the Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II) to demonstrate the ideological operations of nuclear texts, and the role of the nuclear weapons organization as a symbolic form in cultural…

In a California case involving a 16-year-old girl's possession of three knives on school grounds, both a trial and Ninth Circuit court affirmed the school vice-principal's right to search and discover these weapons while enforcing a no-smoking policy. The court lectured parents and lawyers for wasting the court's time--especially after a juvenile…

Examines high school students who reported attempting suicide but did not report a suicide plan in the last 12 months. Results show that 15% were as likely to receive medical treatment after their attempt as the attempters who reported planning. They were also more likely to report substance abuse and weapon carrying. All attempters were at high…

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is an epidemiologic surveillance system that was established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help monitor the prevalence of behaviors that not only influence youth health, but also put youth at risk for the most significant health and social problems that can occur during…

This document presents 385 different homicide rates for each of two time periods (1976-1979 and 1980-1984) taken from the Comparative Homicide File (CHF) of the Supplemental Homicide Report of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the United States as a whole. The complete CHF includes these 385 rates, aggregated across separate years in these…

More than ever, our public school system must confront weapons in schools and become aware of steadily rising statistics on youth homicide and suicide. This report delineates the problem, discusses why children carry weapons to school, and outlines strategies for keeping weapons out of schools and for improving school safety. Although some…

The nuclear debate is one of critical importance and should be explored as part of the school curriculum. The psychology of denying the issue of nuclear arms and the psychological effects of the arms race on children is examined in this paper. A number of topics that might be included in discussion of nuclear issues are the arms race, politics,…

This study examines the relationship between knowledge and attitudes with respect to nuclear issues, including the nuclear freeze proposal, MX missle, and Strategic Defense Initiative. Adults (N=750) drawn from a list of registered voters in Los Angeles County were sent a 53-item questionnaire. Of the respondents, 64 percent were male, 53 percent…

To provide a handy reference for those concerned with ways to avoid the further spread, or proliferation, of nuclear weapons, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs have since 1977 sponsored periodic publication of the Nuclear Proliferation Factbook. This fourth edition of the factbook includes a…

The author recounts the part he played in the research that led to the development of the atomic bomb. (JP)