[fblike]
1. Is the U.S. power grid safe from terrorism?
2. How should the U.S. respond to reports of Iranian warships near the U.S. maritime border?
3. Will more states adopt “death with dignity” bills by 2020?
4. What is the state of the states?
5. Why is youth unemployment so high?
6. Is another debt ceiling crisis inevitable?
7. If Republicans win control of the Senate in 2014 will they attempt to impeach President Obama?
8. Is a comprehensive or piecemeal approach the best way to enact immigration reform?
9. Jimmy Fallon: Adequate replacement for Jay Leno or bound to suffer Conan O’Brien’s fate?
10. Is Hillary Clinton’s anticipated presidential campaign harming Democrats chances of winning the 2014 midterms?
Last weekend Montana became the first state of the 2013-2014 season to hold its state championship tournaments. Montana crowns state champions in three classes: A, AA, and BC. Hamilton High School (A), Glacier High School (AA), and Glasgow High School (BC) hosted the tournaments. Shardian Russell of Polson High School won Class A, Siriana Lundgren of Skyview High School won Class AA, and Ian Descamps of Loyola Sacred Heart High School won Class BC. Deschamps victory continues an impressive string of extemp state championships for Loyola Sacred Heart, which has won the Class BC extemp title since 2006. Two Montana schools placed three competitors in their respective class finals rounds as Flathead High School placed three of the top eight extempers in Class AA and Loyola Sacred Heart did the same in Class BC.
On Saturday, Apple Valley High School played host to the third Minnesota-based Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC) qualifying tournament in as many weeks and sixty extempers competed for the tournament title. Dylan Adelman of Lakeville South High School (MN), a former teammate of three-time national champion Dylan Slinger and seventh place finisher at last year’s NFL National Tournament in International Extemp, handed Lily Nellans of Des Moines Roosevelt High School (IA) her third straight defeat on Minnesota turf and claimed his first TOC qualifier tournament title of the season. Adelman defeated Nellans by one rank, which marks the third consecutive week that Nellans has lost to a Minnesota extemper by that margin. Each of her defeats was to a different Minnesota competitor and in each tournament she competed in over this three week span she defeated the tournament champion from the previous week. In this tournament, she defeated Adam Stromme of Eagan High School (MN), who placed third. Stromme beat Nellans last week at the Schwan’s Speech Spectacular.
Last weekend Pennsbury High School in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania hosted its eleventh annual Pennsbury Falcon Invitational. The tournament has been an Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC) qualifier for the last several seasons and the tournament is the second to last qualifier stationed on the East Coast for the 2013-2014 season. Emmalie Langan of EL Meyers High School (PA) bested thirty-nine other extempers to win the tournament championship and became the seventh female extemper to win a TOC qualifying tournament this season. Langan defeated Collin Quigley of Holy Ghost Preparatory (PA), who qualified to this year’s TOC last week by semi-finaling at the Columbia Invitational, by three ranks in the final round. Delbarton High School (NJ) had two finalists – Thomas Abel and Abhinav Karale – who placed third and fourth, respectively.
For the last two months demonstrations have been waged against the Ukrainian government of Victor Yanukovych. Yanukovych, who was elected to the presidency in 2010, triggered the protests by turning down an association agreement with the European Union (EU). The protests have only grown larger since Yanukovych’s governing party pushed through a controversial anti-protest law that stifled nearly all forms of free speech and to date, at least six people have died in clashes between protesters and security officials. Geopolitical analysts see Ukraine as a diplomatic battleground between the West and Russia and Ukraine’s political problems often pit the EU and the United States against Russia and its president Vladimir Putin. This means that questions about Ukraine often appear in rounds about Europe and American foreign policy over the course of a season and the current unrest in Ukraine makes it very likely that you could see a question about it at your state tournament.
Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany