Shankar and Her Many Strings Stun Lisner

BY WILLIAM BEALS

Sitar player Anoushkar Shankar performed Friday evening for a sold-out crowd at Lisner Auditorium.  The nearly two hour performance was highlighted by passionate performances by Shankar and her supporting band.

The performance included five other backing artists, who provided percussions, vocals, cello and piano.  The concert was to promote Shankar’s seventh studio album, “Traces of You”, her first album release since her 2011 Grammy nominated album, “Traveler.”

The concert began with a standing ovation and ended with cheers for an encore. The artists were happy to oblige. 

Shankar began training on the sitar with her father as a child. Consisting of a couple sessions per week, practice began at the age of ten. Shankar gave her first public performance at the age of 13 at Siri Fort in New Delhi. By the age of14, she was accompanying her father at concerts around the world. She signed her first record contract with Angel Records at the age of 16.

Anoushka Shankar is the daughter of famed sitar player Ravi Shankar, who gained international fame in the 1960s, and taught George Harrison of “The Beatles.”  Anoushka Shankar is also the half sister of singer songwriter Norah Jones.

WRGW News Interview with Dr. Ron Paul

WRGW News Interview with Dr. Ron Paul by Wrgw_News on Mixcloud

WRGW News reporter Kyle Anderson had the opportunity to interview former Congressman and Presidential Candidate, Dr. Ron Paul, after Dr. Paul spoke to the GW College Republicans in Lisner Auditorium on March 4th.  

Ron Paul Discusses Liberty at Lisner

by Michael Scarborough

Recurring presidential candidate and retired Congressman Ron Paul visited Lisner Auditorium Monday night to discuss his libertarian views and the nature of Washington politics. Paul opened up the night declaring, “I hear this is a revolution going on in this country,” which received a vibrant response from the crowd, and set the stage for the rest of his speech. 

The former Texas representative, 77, discussed a wide range of issues, offering his opinion on everything from the national debt to the so-called “War on Drugs.” Paul’s viewpoints focused around the tenets of what he labeled “individual freedom and personal responsibility,” which he believes drove the United States to wealth and success. 

“I think we have a domestic war on liberty,” Paul said. “You have a right to the fruits of your labor, you ought to keep what you’ve earned.” 

Paul also focused much of his time speaking about the Federal Reserve system, which he believes is largely responsible for America’s economic woes. Because of this, he sees the Federal Reserve System collapsing in the near future.

“The failure of the financial system started in 1913 with the creation of the Federal Reserve,” Paul said. “It is a failing system of endless spending and endless borrowing.” 

Paul implicitly criticized left-leaning politicians on several occasions, labeling government welfare programs as “failures.” However, Paul focused much of his criticism on the Republican Party, which he belonged to during his tenure in the House. He was especially angry over Republicans’ conduct during the recent confirmation hearing of Chuck Hagel, who he praised for being cautious and hesitant to intervene in foreign affairs. Senate Republicans, Paul claimed, “piled on Hagel” for appearing to be a “wimp.” Paul repudiated this label, calling Hagel “patriotic.”

The former congressman wrapped up the night by answering student questions. He received especially loud applause and laughter after he responded to a student’s question about adding an amendment regarding executive orders. 

“I don’t think you need to amend the constitution,” Paul began. “What you need to do is get a president to read the constitution.”

The event, which drew a near-capacity crowd, was organized by the GW chapter of College Republicans. Students were able to acquire free tickets through the Lisner box office, and those not affiliated with the University were able to purchase them for $10. 

Supreme Court Justice Visits GW

by Melissa Lee

On Tuesday night Lisner Auditorium hosted Associate Justice Antonin Scalia for an informal interview with NPR correspondent Nina Totenberg, who has earned widespread recognition for her coverage of the Supreme Court. Prior to taking the stage, Scalia was introduced as certainly “one of the most outspoken conservative voices” on the Supreme Court, setting the stage for an interview that addressed Scalia’s legal views but also his personal experiences.

As the interview occurred on the same night as the State of the Union Address, Totenberg opened the interview by asking Scalia about his attendance record for the State of the Union, noting that Scalia hadn’t attended one in several years. Scalia explained that he felt the State of the Union had turned into “something of a circus,” describing what he felt was the comical standing-and-clapping of both sides of the room to demonstrate support for what the president was saying at the time. 

The interview progressed to address Scalia’s core beliefs on issues such as constitutional interpretation, where Scalia affirmed his stance as an “originalist” or “textualist,” meaning he believes the Constitution should be defined by what “it was taken to mean at the time it was written.” Scalia explained that he dislikes referring to the Constitution as a “living” document and sometimes calls it “dead” as somewhat of a joke to express his views that the words of the Constitution are fixed in meaning. Scalia said that at the time the Constitution was written, there was no controversy about issues such as gay marriage, the death penalty, and women voting.  He explained that the public of the time had already come to conclusions about these issues and had thus conveyed that meaning into the text of the Constitution. Scalia emphasized that this does not mean he doesn’t feel the Constitution can’t be amended—only that the words that already exist have a set definition.

Totenberg introduced other issues such as Super-PACs, where Scalia favors the disclosure of donors, and gun control, discussing Scalia’s District of Columbia vs. Heller decision against the ban of handguns. She also asked Scalia about his work experience.  For example, how he wrote majority opinions and dissents. When asked about this, Scalia stressed the importance of dissent writing. Writing dissents, in Scalia’s opinion, helped to “keep justices honest,” so that the public clearly knew their viewpoints instead of seeing an anonymous vote. Scalia also explained how dissents could be gratifying if not now, sometime in the future.  He cited a single justice’s dissent in the case of Korematsu vs. United States, the case that ruled Japanese American internment constitutional during World War II.

Although the interview addressed in-depth legal issues, it also included more personal and occasionally amusing questions about Scalia. Totenberg introduced a range of subjects that included Scalia’s black, fez-like hat at the presidential inauguration, his friendships and travels with fellow justices, especially riding on elephants with Ruth Bader Ginsberg in India and going game hunting with Elena Kagan, and even his high school extra-curricular activities. 

In high school, Scalia broadcasted on a radio program entitled “Mind Your Manners,” where he and other hosts talked about proper etiquette to help students be more polite when attending dates and other social events.

Caroline Kennedy Talks Jackie

A quiet rumble began to fill Lisner Auditorium on Monday night as people began to arrive almost an hour in advance to hear the main event, "A Conversation with Caroline Kennedy," presented by the Politics and Prose bookstore in conjunction with GW. Mrs. Kennedy visited GW, her mother's alma mater, to discuss the newly released, nearly eight-and-a-half hour recordings of her mother, Jacqueline Kennedy, and the accompanying book for which she wrote a foreword.

Michael Beschloss, a historian who specializes in presidential history, started the discussion and talked about Jacqueline's uninhibited interview with Arthur Schlesinger and her interest in historic preservation. Schlesinger, a historian and special assistant to President Kennedy, decided after his assassination that it was important to capture history on tape.

Schlesinger began the extensive process of interviewing nearly a thousand people who knew Mr. Kennedy in an attempt to create an oral history of the Kennedy administration. The centerpiece of this project was of course, Jacqueline Kennedy herself. Caroline kept the interviews sealed for decades until she decided they were fit to be released. This year was right time, she decided, as it is the 50th anniversary of her father's inauguration.

Caroline noted that her father's presidency is quickly "becoming a part of history rather than living memory" but that his ideals and words remain "as vital as ever." Returning to her mother, Caroline said that once Jacqueline finished the seven interviews, she "sealed the audio tapes in the Kennedy library and put the transcripts in a safety deposit vault in New York." Apart from Caroline and her brother John, few people knew of the tapes existence.

Caroline said she worried that listening to her mother's interviews would be upsetting. When she did listen to the tapes, she was surprised by "how much they revealed that wasn't on the page." She could tell when her mother was getting tired, annoyed, or when she decided not to talk about something.

In response to some of the criticisms that the tapes drew, Caroline stated that her mother broke the mold by giving such a candid interview. 


Caroline's most difficult decision was whether to edit the interviews. She claimed some issues haven't withstood the test of time, some comments might have been embarrassing to her mother and she would no longer support some of her views. Caroline came to the conclusion that she didn't have the right to alter the historical record.

Caroline stayed afterwards to sign copies of the book, Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy.

An Evening with Toni Morrison

"Please welcome a prolific writer, a vibrant intellectual, and a wonderful person, Professor Toni Morrison." As the audience stood up and applauded after Dr. Reed's introduction, the guest speaker, dressed in black and gray with a tan hat adorning her silver dread locs, was slowly escorted to the plush purple chair in the center of the stage. Wearing a big grin on her face and dazzling appreciation in her eyes, Professor Morrison took her seat and began a conversation about her career, writing and racism.

Toni Morrison spent an evening with a packed Lisner Auditorium Wednesday. An assortment of GW departments and organizations sponsored the event, including the office of the Provost, the Gelman Research Center and MSSC. Many of the attendees were GW students.

"She pushes us to think about the jagged edges of our experiences," said Reed. "She is a master teacher."

Taking her audience back through time, Morrison's desire to be among black intellectuals brought her to Howard University in Washington, DC in 1949. For her, the most exciting place as a college student was in the theater because they "read plays to understand the scenes, characters, and relationships." Morrison admitted she was not any good with acting, but she still reads plays for pleasure.

She then fastforwarded to the time she was a professor at Howard University. It was at this time she wrote the first version of "The Bluest Eye," around eight to nine pages about a girl who prayed for blue eyes. Morrison revealed that the subject of the story was a girl she was very close to when she was younger who she quarreled with about whether or not there was a God. The girl proclaimed there was not a God because she had prayed for blue eyes for two years and had yet to receive them. Morrison remebered thinking, "Suppose she had gotten them, how grotesque they would be," causing the audience to burst into laughter.

"I'm very happy when I'm writing," said Morrison, "spiritually, intellectually, language does that for me."

For her novel "A Mercy," Morrison had to "go back in time before racism was established and institutionalized" to develop her idea, which she found in the Salem Witch Trials of the 17th Century. She then read the opening and the ending of the book. Even though the audience was already quiet, a hush came over the auditorium as she started to read. With her laid back yet still vibrant voice, the story came alive as she painted an image with her words.

After ten minutes of storytelling, Morrison announced the completion of her latest work, entitled "Home." She read directly from the manuscript, giving the audience a sneek peak of her latest unpublished work.

Responding to a question about racial barriers in American politics and the election of Barack Obama, Morrison said, "Racism pays, it's useful, and it works," and commented that having a black president does not change that.

A GW senior asked Morrison her thoughts on the current banned book list for public schools.

"Everything worth reading is banned by somebody in these schools," she replied, jokingly adding that a Texas Correctional Institue that banned "Beloved" because it "might start a prison riot." 

"I love listening to her talk," said junior English major Sarah Perillo. "It's so inviting."

Some students had the opportunity to have dinner with Professor Morrison back stage at Lisner Auditorium.

"She's a really nice lady and very easy to talk to," said junior Africana Studies major Shelbie Atkins.

Other students shared a few words with Professor Morrison at the F Street House before the event.

"I asked her what her inspiration was for Beloved," said junior Public Health major Janel Coleman, "and she talked about women's rights. Basically during the 80s women tried to reclaim their bodies by not having kids, so in Beloved the slave woman reclaimed her body by having kids and killing them."

The Toni Morrison Society and GW dedicated a bench outside Lisner Auditorium in honor of Ms. Morrison's struggles and the 1947 integration of the venue.

Former Press Secretaries Reflect on White House, Presidency, and Social Media

On Monday, four former White House Press Secretaries joined School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) Director Frank Sesno for a discussion on their experiences in the White House. Ari Fleischer and Dana Perino, from President George W Bush’s administration, and Mike McCurry and Dee Dee Meyers, from President Bill Clinton’s administration, spoke about shaping the image of their respective administration and their limited role in forming policy. Joe Lockhart, also from the Clinton administration, was slated to attend but was unable due to complications from a recent surgery.

Describing the event as the biggest of the semester for SMPA, Sesno began by reflecting on the years between Meyers and Perino, respectively the earliest secretary and most recent secretary on the panel. “When Dee Dee Meyers started her job there were fifty websites,” said Sesno to an audience of students, journalists, and media at Lisner Auditorium. In addition, Sesno reflected on the impact of social media. Sesno jokingly said, “When [Dana Perino] tweets, the world listens.”

Questions to the panel were fielded online from attendees prior to the event. On one question, pertaining to the changing format of the press, McCurry said, “It’s a real danger if we believe all media should be freely available. We need to pay for the content that matters.” The last question of evening asked how students could get close to becoming a press secretary. Perino suggested that GW students should take advantage of DC’s unique opportunities and “take the deputy job.”

Carter Discusses His Term as President

Former President and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Jimmy Carter spoke about his new book, White House Diaries, Monday evening at the Lincoln Theatre on U Street. The event, sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution, was originally scheduled to occur on September 29^th at Lisner Auditorium, but Carter fell ill and postponed the trip.

Carter discussed his opinions on domestic and global events including the construction of the Panama Canal, the Iranian hostage crisis, and the Camp David negotiations. Carter stated he does not regret any decisions he made as president. Carter also explained his opinions on Obama’s presidency, the ongoing talks to ratify the START treaty, and the ongoing energy crisis.

Speaking about the current polarization of political parties, Carter said he feels the divide has led to policy gridlock among other policy-halting schemes. Carter expressed that he was fortunate to have a Republican leadership in Congress during his presidency that was willing to work toward bipartisanship. Obama, Carter claims, does not have this luxury.

Following the event, Carter signed copies of his new book. On Tuesday morning, Carter continued his D.C. trip with a book signing event at the bookstore Politics and Prose.

Sarah Vowell at Lisner Tomorrow Night

The writer and frequent NPR contributor Sarah Vowell will be performing at GW's Lisner auditorium Saturday night at 8pm. There are still tickets available for her reading, which will include a question and answer period at the end and a book-signing in the lobby after that.

Vowell's work includes the bestselling books The Wordy Shipmates and Assassination Vacation. On NPR she mostly contributes to This American Life, much like author David Sedaris, with whom she shares a comedic and sharp observational style.

Tickets to this and other Lisner auditorium shows have been on sale for months, many since before the beginning of the school year. So far only very big-name draws, such as David Sedaris, have managed to sell out beforehand.

Vowell has a new book coming out in spring of next year that is reportedly titled Unfamiliar Fishes. The Lisner Auditorium website reported at first that she would be reading essays from that work, but have since issued a correction explaining that she does not plan to read from this unpublished material.