While You Were Away...

Surprisingly, DC does not completely shut down when GW students go away on spring break.

Former President Bill Clinton, comedian Mo Rocca (known for his work on The Daily Show), Arianna Huffington of The Huffington Post, and Fareed Zakaria of CNN, in addition to both private and public sector technology experts, spoke at the 25 Years of .Com Policy Impact Forum held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center last Tuesday.

President Clinton as the opening keynote speaker urged the audience to utilize technology to its greatest capabilities in regards to social issues. He came as an advocate for his organization the Clinton Foundation, specifically citing the potential of technology to deal with issues ranging from HIV/AIDS treatment in impoverished countries to healthcare in the United States.

Healthcare and the economy took starring roles in the two discussions that took place, on the impact of the Internet on society and the economy and on Internet policy of today and tomorrow. Facebook, Twitter, and the geo-social medium Four Square were big topics, as were electronic medical records and the use of technology as free speech.

The panels discussed some of the most frighteningly widespread aspects of Internet technology today. Panel moderator Kara Swisher half-joked that Google and the government now knows everything about us, and that Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg committed the greatest privacy coup in the history of the Internet with his infamous Facebook privacy setting changes.

The featured speakers made both common and surprising claims about the future of technology, and what will be the most important change in technology in the next 25 years. From fuel cells to jet packs, all of the panelists put their imaginations and the capabilities of Internet technology to the test.

For images from the event, check out our 25 Years of .Com Policy Impact Forum photostream on our Flickr site.

"Government Girl" Returns to GW

Stacy Parker Aab, a former GW student, returned to the Marvin Center Wednesday night for a book reading and signing for her memoir Government Girl. The book focuses on her life in politics, from interning at the White House as a freshman living in Thurston Hall to working in advance for President Clinton after the end of his administration. Aab began her political career by volunteering to aid the Inaugural organizing committee that was headquartered in the Marvin Center. After that January she was accepted for an internship at the White House.

A year after graduating, Aab returned to the White House as an aide. It was spring, 1998 - the Monica Spring. At Wednesday's event she read a portion of the book detailing her own scandal of that spring, when the details of her drug use were questioned by the FBI. Other readings included an "ode" to Secret Service agents and an account of her time with President Clinton in Nigeria in 2001. These passages, Aab said, meant the most to her. An audience member asked her what her greatest learning experience was, and Aab replied that it was coming to GW. Her gratitude to the university was overwhelmingly evident. To GW, she owes the title "Government Girl."

Day 2 - DNC Video Recap

Among the most anticipated events of the election season occurred last night when Senator Hillary Clinton took the stage. The one-time White House hopeful was given the task of uniting the party after a primary that tested the endurance, and tolerance of the American electorate. Within the first few minutes of her speech she declared her unconditional support for Senator Obama, putting some rumors to rest that she was still harboring resentment towards the junior Senator from Illinois. At the same time she thanked the 18 million people who cast their ballot for her, implying that it moved America one step closer towards gender equality.

Former Virginia Governor, presidential candidate, senatorial hopeful, and GW alum Mark Warner took the stage last night for the keynote address, the same slot that thrust Senator Barack Obama into the national spotlight when he gave it at the 2004 convention. He spoke of his roots in business and on the economic conditions of the country. Tying John McCain to George W. Bush, he declared that America cannot move forward with leadership that is "stuck in the past."

While Warner has held political office before he is perceived as the future of the Democratic Party. The fact that he is from Virginia, where Democrats hope to win in November, may have played into the decision to give Warner the keynote spot. He is also considered a contender for the 2012 Presidential race.

- Jesse Regis

Spring Break Briefs

• Vishal Aswani won the SA Presidency the Thursday prior to Spring Break. The results took only half an hour from the closing of the polls to be verified by the Joint Elections Comittee. With a little over 3,000 students voting, Vishal beat opponent Kevin Kozlowski by a 55.1% to 44.82% margin. Vishal will be joining WRGW sometime this week to discuss the win and his plans for next year.


• Program Board announced last Saturday that Gym Class Heros will be the musical act for Spring Fling. The event is planned for Saturday April 5th in University Yard. Tyga and Kidz in The Hall will also be performing at the event. More on this later in the week.


• Hillary Clinton was on campus last Monday to deliver a foreign policy address. As her third event in the last three weeks, she spoke about Iraq policy on the week of the five year anniversary of the invasion. She remained strong on her belief to pull troops out of Iraq and used this event to focus not on differences with Democratic opponent Barack Obama, but differences with Republican nominee John McCain. "Despite the evidence, President (George W.) Bush is determined to continue his failed policy in Iraq until he leaves office and Sen. McCain will gladly accept the torch and stay the course keeping troops in Iraq up to 100 years if necessary," Clinton said. "They both want to keep us tied to another country's civil war - a war we cannot win."


• The women's basketball team headed west to the big dance on Wednesday. Playing at Stanford University, the Colonials defeated Auburn on Saturday in the first round of the tournament, 66-56. The second round took place on Monday, where the 5-seed team took on 3-seed Cal. Sarah Jo Lawerence made a last second layup propelling the team forward to the Sweet 16 in Greensboro after a 55-53 victory. Check out our sport's director Frank Dale's blog for all the details from the trip.


• GW Baseball inaugurated the new Nationals Ballpark on Saturday. The 9-4 win over St. Joes was the first game played at the park. Nationals officials hoped that this would serve as a practice game for ballpark employees. More on this later in the week.


• The University announced today that Julian Bond, the chairman of the NAACP, will be this year's commencement speaker. The commencement ceremony on May 18th coincides with the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr's assassination. More on this later in the week.

- Mallory Thompson

Hillary Clinton Barnstorms GW

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and her campaign rolled into The George Washington University yesterday.

She held a scheduled address on foreign policy at the Jack Morton Auditorium and an evening rally at Lisner that raised nearly $200,000 to fuel her fight for the nomination.

Clinton has lost that last eleven primaries to Senator Barack Obama, including Washington D.C. However, according to polls, she is the current leader in Ohio and Texas, which will hold their primaries next month.

- Jared Pliner

GW students with Senator Hillary Clinton after the fundrasing event in Lisner Auditorium Monday night.

Photos courtesy of WRGW's Jesse Regis.

Fundraising Event Includes Special Guest

Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had a little bit of glitter added to her campaign by comedian Ellen DeGeneres during a fundraising event at The George Washington University.

Clinton hoped to raise money from her Washington, D.C. donor base for a tough string of primary contests in March. Supporters packed Lisner Auditorium to see the Senator as she spoke about the future of her campaign. She said, “Some people think about the next election, I think about the next generation.”

Clinton’s campaign hopes to generate excitement among young voters, a demographic that has played well for her opponent, Senator Barack Obama.

As a surprise to the audience, talk show host Ellen DeGeneres joined the event via video. She jokingly asked Clinton if she would ban glitter as President because it was so messy. The Senator responded that school children needed it for their special projects, but that “maybe we ban glitter for anyone over 12.”

DeGeneres then got serious and asked Clinton if she thought she could change the momentum of the campaign by seizing victory in the March primaries - even after 11 straight losses to Obama. Clinton responded, “We’re going to win Ohio and Michigan! We’re going to win Ohio and Texas! We already won Michigan!”

-Lex Ratner