Safety in Numbers?

The tagline for a new ad campaign against HIV reads, “92% of Women Carry Lip Protection. 10% of Women Carry HIV Protection.” I’m sure you’ve seen it in The Daily and thought to yourself, “There’s no way 92% of women carry lip protection.” Or maybe “Only 92%”—depending on whether or not you understand women (I don’t). Of course, the more provocative part is the second line. Ten percent of women carry HIV protection. What does that mean? Why is it important? And what doesn’t it say?

Editor’s Note: "Give Us the Vote!"

This volume of The Stanford Review began with a request for the University to change the door-to-door distribution policy in student residents. Under the guidance and funding of The Stanford Review, attorney Rob Corry submitted a letter to administrators stipulating the legal precedence against Stanford’s door-to-door policy. Op-eds and news stories were published in The Stanford Review and The Daily on the issue.

Book Review: Guests of the Ayatollah

Of all the books reviewed in pages this volume, Mark Bowden’s Guests of the Ayatollah is undoubtedly in a league of its own. His latest work is an impressive account of what he describes as the U.S.’s “first battle” in the Global War on Terror (or Global Struggle Against Violent Extremism, World War IV, or whatever you want to call it): the 1979 takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran. It took me a month to read through this formidable 600-page volume, complete with maps and photos, and—strangely enough—I’m actually glad it took me that long.

Russian Geopolitik

Today’s Russia is a strange political animal. It emerged from decades-long Soviet isolation in 1991 with the prospect of beginning a new era. Many hoped that Russia would finally join the ranks of the G8 as a Western-style democracy. The yoke of authoritarianism, however, is not easily broken. Democracies are not created overnight, and the Russian Federation is no exception.

Indifference, Hope, and Humanity

The Prophets of the Bible are portrayed as defenders of society’s defenseless, and at Memorial Auditorium on Sunday, May 21, Elie Wiesel demonstrated why so many have said he should be counted in their illustrious line.

A Liberal’s Challenge

My name is Stuart Baimel, and I am one of the newest contributors to The Stanford Review. What might stand out about me is that I am more liberal than the rest of the staff. I would have voted for John Kerry if I could, I oppose capital punishment and opposed the Iraq War from the beginning. I am a moderate however, and find viewpoints from the other side of things that I agree with.

Letters to the Editor

It is my view that your recent request for agnostics and atheists to “indulge themselves with a little religious thought without rational or scientific scrutiny” provides the false notion that atheists are uninspired, artless, nihilists with no concept of the value of the mysteries of the unknown...

Scholars Debate the India-U.S. Nuclear Weapons Treaty

In a Stanford in Government Forum Policy panel last Wednesday, visiting Professor Paul Kapur and Professor George Bunn of the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford discussed why they came down on opposite sides of the India-U.S. Nuclear Weapons Treaty.

The Da Vinci Bomb

Hollywood needs this film. Currently in a prolonged slump, the movie industry needs a film to do really well and reinvigorate the industry. Executives are starting to get worried: even Mission Impossible: III had a weak opening weekend. They have treated this one with kid gloves: trying to divert the religious controversy from picketing outside into the theater, and not showing the film to critics until just a couple days before (most of whom then panned it).

Cameron Up, Blair Down

The May 4 British local council elections brought what had been expected by many: a crushing defeat for Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Labour Party and success, at long last, for David Cameron’s Conservatives. According to the BBC, had this been a general election, the Tories would have won 40% compared to the Liberal Democrats’ 27% and Labour’s 26%.

Upcoming Events

The Review continues its new weekly list of upcoming events--including popular parties, interesting lectures, and important campus events.