Scholastic Update articles from January 1990

Scholastic Update archives from January 1990

Documenting the American Dream. (census)
January 12, 1990... DOCUMENTING THE AMERICAN DREAM Come April 1, the government will be counting on you. No, it's not an April fool joke about some overseas spy mission. You and your family will be asked to answer the 1990 census. Every decade, the...

Gearing up for the big count. (census)
January 12, 1990... GEARING UP FOR THE BIG COUNT On April 1, 1990, the federal government will begin the gargantuan task of counting every single person in the United States. Short of mobilizing for war, it is the government's single most ambitious...

Minorities stand up to be counted. (includes article on illegal aliens)
January 12, 1990... MINORITIES STAND UP TO BE COUNTED The idea of the census seems simple enough: Count all of the people who live in the United States. But in practice, that's hard to do. Millions of people don't get counted in the census, which ends up...

The toughest task of all. (trying to count homeless for census)
January 12, 1990... THE TOUGHEST TASK OF ALL On March 20, 1990, census takers will walk the streets of cities throughout the United States, counting the homeless. They will visit shelters and park benches, and hover outside abandoned buildings at dawn waiting...

The census in history.
January 12, 1990... THE CENSUS IN HISTORY Man has often been called the "counting animal." Ever since people started keeping records, history has kept track of people's tendency to count themselves. The first recorded census, in 3800 B.C., was conducted by...

The evolution of one person, one vote.
January 12, 1990... THE EVOLUTION OF ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE Every decade for the last 200 years, Americans have complied with the Constitution and counted themselves. But since the first enumeration of the American people in 1790, the census has been more than a...

Snoop central. (Census Bureau)
January 12, 1990... SNOOP CENTRAL Are you an idiot? Do you drink too much? Where do you go to the bathroom? These are subjects you might feel funny discussing in front of your best friend. But what would you do if a total stranger appeared at your door...

The information brokers. (private companies compiling demographic data)
January 12, 1990... THE INFORMATION BROKERS The Census Bureau isn't the only organization hungry for information about you and your family. Scores of organizations mainain data-banks that are crammed with details about the lives of ordinary Americans. And...

Name that state. (quiz)
January 12, 1990... NAME THAT STATE So you're an expert at "Trivial Pursuit," you say? Well, the following questions should put your knowledge to the test. Try your hand at them, using the Almanac on pages 20-26 and 30-31 for help. If you're stumped, tur to...

A state by state almanac. (includes U.S. territories and the District of Columbia)
January 12, 1990... A STATE BY STATE ALMANAC When Dorothy clicked her heels together and headed home in The Wizard of Oz, to which state was she transported? Where can you find the world's largest baseball-bat factory, or the world's tallest building? From...

America's enduring tragedies. (homelessness, environmental abuse, AIDS) (illustration)
January 12, 1990... AMERICA'S ENDURING TRAGEDIES America is barreling into the next decade with many reasons to feel hopeful. Changes in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe have radically altered the world's political climate. The nuclear threat has abated....

Making yourself count: here's what you can do to get involved in the bicentennial census.
January 12, 1990... MAKING YOURSELF COUNT The census might not be the first cause that comes to mind when you're considering your volunteer options. But census results are a key to determining how governments and agencies help people who are homeless,...

Making America's toughest calls. (U.S. Supreme Court)
January 26, 1990... MAKING AMERICA'S TOUGHEST CALLS Should students pray in school? Who should draw the line between life and death? Should certain criminals be put to death? These are overwhelming questions, perhaps even unswerable. But for America's...

How a case travels to the top court. (U.S. Supreme Court; includes glossary of basic legal terms)
January 26, 1990... HOW A CASE TRAVELS TO THE TOP COURT The U.S. Supreme Court receives thousands of cases for review each year. Out of that total, the Court hears only about 150 cases during its annual term. That presents the nine Justices with tough choices....

From high school to the high court. (Bridget Mergens, fighting to let a Bible study group meet at high school; includes related article on religion in public schools)
January 26, 1990... FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO THE HIGH COURT Bridget Mergens never thought of herself as an activist. Active, yes. By the time she was a senior at Westside High School, in Omaha, Nebraska, Bridget was an officer of the school drama club and a member...

Five "little" people who changed U.S. history. (Supreme Court cases: Dred Scott v. Sandford, 1857; Brown v. Board of Education, 1954; Gideon v. Wainwright, 1963; Miranda v. Arizona, 1966; Roe v. Wade, 1973)
January 26, 1990... FIVE "LITTLE" PEOPLE WHO CHANGED U.S. HISTORY Dred Scott v. Sandford, 1857 Dred Scott said he never understood "all the fuss they made" over his case. He only wanted his freedom. But in a historic ruling in 1857, the Supreme...

America's greatest justice? (John Marshall)
January 26, 1990... AMERICA'S GREATEST JUSTICE? Imagine that you've time-traveled to the center of Washington, D.C., in the fall of 1800. The first building you're likely to see is the palatial Capitol--the home of Congress. Further on in the embryonic...

Impossible questions, agonizing decisions. (how Supreme Court justices arrive at decisions; includes related information)
January 26, 1990... IMPOSSIBLE QUESTIONS, AGONIZING DECISIONS Lyman "Slick" Moore sat in an Illinois prison. Conviected of a shotgun murder, he had been sentenced to die in the electric chair. A group of lawyers desperate to overturn the death penalty...

The Rehnquist court. (Chief Justice William Rehnquist)
January 26, 1990... THE REHNQUIST COURT William Rehnquist. When Ronald Reagan named Rehnquist to the post of Chief Justice in 1986, he knew what he was getting--someone whose extremely conservative views matched his own. For example, Rehnquist was one of only...

Will the court reverse itself? (Supreme Court)
January 26, 1990... WILL THE COURT REVERSE ITSELF? Civil Rights When the Supreme Court outlawed school segregation in 1954, no one knew what would follow. Many states refused to accept the decision in Brown v. Board of Education and kept their schools...

Between life and death. (Nancy Cruzan case; includes related information)
January 26, 1990... Between Life and Death On a hospital bed in Mount Vernon, Missouri, 32-year-old Nancy Cruzan lives out what little is left of her life. Her "meals" consist of a steady trickle of nutrients through the tube surgically implanted in her...

Secrecy and the Supreme Court.
January 26, 1990... SECRECY AND THE SUPREME COURT On the stroke of 10 a.m., the heavy red-velvet curtains in the Supreme Court chamber part and the nine Justices take their seats on the bench. When oral arguments are over, the Justices walk back through the...

How presidents try to pack the court. (includes related article)
January 26, 1990... HOW PRESIDENTS TRY TO PACK THE COURT Over the next three years President Bush will have an opportunity to shape the direction of the U.S. Supreme Court for decades to come. Three of the high court's nine members are over 80 years of age, and...