The Dalai Lama Comes to Stanford
The philosopher Martin Buber once wrote, “In the beginning is the relation.” No one understands these words better than the 14 th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, who on November 4, 2005 honored Stanford University with his presence and established a relation with many in the Stanford community.
On Adoption
To plan an ideal day: immaculate, perfect, and flawless, is a task much easier said than done. Furthermore, for me, a day’s perfection does not rely on any amount of money I have or what I am doing. Even the location of my perfect day is of trivial importance in relation to the people I would choose to spend it with.
The Globalization Challenge:
How the World’s Most Populous Nation is Engineering Itself for Success
The American economy has undergone a number of significant changes over the years. What began as a primarily agricultural economy transformed into an industrialized economy in the mid-1800s. The transition was not easy and entailed a complete restructuring of lifestyle for most Americans. In fact, this tension was one of the key motivating factors that led to the founding of the Republican Party.
Stanford in Santiago Founder Fuenzalida Retires: New center, new director in Santiago, Chile
Stanford in Santiago inaugurated its brand new center on Wednesday, November 16 at a wine and cheese cocktail ceremony in celebration of the fifteenth anniversary of the program, the retirement of the first director, Edmundo Fuenzalida, and the welcome of the new director, Iván Jaksic. Current and former students and faculty from both Stanford and Chile gathered for the occasion. Norman Naimark, the new general director of the Bing Overseas Studies Program, attended the celebration in his first ever visit to Santiago.
Warrior-priests, Commies, and JFK
The great historian Robert Conquest, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and recent recipient of the Medal of Freedom, once compared the importance of dates in history to the necessity of latitude and longitude in geography. Dates, according to Conquest, “help deploy the world for our minds to grasp.” For writers of historical fiction thrillers, they deploy the boundaries of escapism for the reader.
John Keegan: War and Our World
The world was a different place when the illustrious military historian Sir John Keegan penned this short collection of essays for the BBC’s Reith Lectures series in 1998. It is somewhat strange to note that, for all his famous scholarship and unparalleled respect in the community of military history enthusiasts, Keegan, due to medical reasons, never served in uniform.
Not Your Everyday War Movie:
Jarhead Portrays the Everyday Strain of Life in the Marines
The world was a different place when the illustrious military historian Sir John Keegan penned this short collection of essays for the BBC’s Reith Lectures series in 1998. It is somewhat strange to note that, for all his famous scholarship and unparalleled respect in the community of military history enthusiasts, Keegan, due to medical reasons, never served in uniform.
Vienna 1863 or Los Angeles 1992?
In the aftermath of the French riots, which saw the torching of thousands of cars and near-anarchic unrest through many of Paris’ poorer suburbs, laïcité – French secularism and egalitarianism – is dead. Or so the litany of critical voices that has emerged from the ashes would have us believe.
...While Nero Fiddled:
Burning and Rioting in France and What it Means for America
Just as Nero played on his fiddle while Rome burned around him, Europe
has a turned a blind eye to a problem that has been developing for
decades: mass Muslim immigration. In recent weeks, major rioting has
occurred in France, where there is a large population of Muslim
immigrants, mainly originating from Algeria and Morocco.
The Seoul Train Comes to Stanford
On November 16th the Stanford student group NK Focus hosted a screening of the documentary Seoul Train, followed by a question-and-answer session with producer Jim Butterworth. Seoul Train is a unique compilation of interviews with North Korean refugees and Underground Railroad activists, together with covert footage of public executions and other atrocities within North Korea. |
Strike Provides Opportunity for Reform
Nearly 1,500 Stanford workers and 1,300 Stanford hospital employees plan to strike this coming Monday, December 12, after negotiations with the University over health care, job security, pensions, and other benefits failed. As a result of the strike, four of the eight student dining halls will be closed, many custodial tasks interrupted, and maintenance prioritized as students take their Fall Quarter final examinations.
Save the Right to Privacy
It is difficult for an originalist, or a strict constructionist, not to find a right to privacy in the Constitution. The Ninth Amendment asserts that unenumerated rights do exist, and the fact that several procedural restrictions seem designed to protect a sphere of privacy makes a right to privacy just about the most cautious application of the Ninth that can possibly be invoked.
The Best Defense: How the GOP Should Fight Back
In light of recent events and media portrayals, it seems that a veritable “perfect storm” has struck the Republican Party. The GOP seemingly took a beating in the recent off-year elections, Democrats continue to insist that President Bush lied to Americans about Iraq, and the Republican Congress seems to have lost its nerve. However, all of these problems can be fixed, and before the 2006 elections at that.
Editor's Note
November 20th, 2005. A tragic day for Stanford fans everywhere. As I headed back to my dorm that evening, I was cold, tired, hungry and bitter for many reasons – an emotional low from which I am still recovering. Yet, through the two rough defeats I witnessed that day, I think I have found something positive to dwell on.
Intelligent Design: More than Dogma
On November 8, the Kansas Board of Education passed a bill to establish science standards that seek to teach Darwin in a fuller light. The measure aims to eliminate philosophical presuppositions from the evolution debate. If evolution is to be regarded truly as theory, then it is necessary that contrasting viewpoints be considered in its study.
Harry Potter Sizzles on IMAX
Many Harry Potter fans would cringe to know that my obsession with Harry Potter began not with the books, but with the first film. When the books came out, I took what I thought to be the high road and stayed clear, justifying my choice with the reasoning that the books were meant for young children. When the first film was released, I was dragged to it by some high school friends, and by the time the credits were rolling, I was hooked.
Aquariums of Pyongyang
As the world watches six-party talks with North Korea come and go, as Kim Jong-Il rattles the saber amidst South Korean waffling on whether or not the North can be permitted a nuclear program, the suffering of millions continues unabated.
Fleeing the Hermit Kingdom
A few years ago in the bustling city of Yanji, China, Chun Ki-Won sat down to dinner with twelve guests. The buzz of excited chatter filtered past a decorated Christmas tree standing warmly in the corner. This was no ordinary holiday dinner, however.
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