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1. What steps does Guinea need to take to control the spread of the Ebola virus?
2. Are the National Front’s gains in local French elections a sign of things to come?
3. How can Myanmar’s authorities sell the need for a national census?
4. Will crackdowns on social media solidify Erdogan’s political position in Turkey?
5. How can the international community capture Joseph Kony?
6. Should Pakistan send weapons to the Syrian rebels?
7. Will the Taliban’s attacks on Afghanistan’s electoral infrastructure backfire?
8. Is Libya exporting its unrest to other African nations?
9. Will a recently passed foreign investment law give a much needed boost to the Cuban economy?
10. Was Vitali Klitschko wise to drop his bid for the Ukrainian presidency?
Last weekend the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) State Tournament took place in Highlands Ranch, Colorado and two new state champions were crowned. International Extemp was a battle between two MBA Extemp Round Robin participants, as Gabe Slater of Denver East High School captured the state title over Jack Glaser of George Washington High School. Denver East High School had three of the six participants in the International Extemp final round.
In modern times, American policymakers have loved to declare war against a social or medical problem. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson declared a war on poverty. In 1971, President Richard Nixon declared simultaneous wars against cancer and illicit drugs. And President George W. Bush declared a war on terrorism after the September 11th attacks. Fighting an idea or a long-term problem usually opens policymakers up to criticisms that such wars are unwinnable and unfairly raise public expectations. The war on drugs is a case in point, as the United States has committed billions of dollars over the last forty years to halt the use and smuggling of illicit drugs. In fact, prior to September 11th there were concerns that American forces would become involved in the Colombia civil war between its government and the FARC, a group of communist rebels that use the drug trade to bolster their coffers. The war on drugs has been criticized for punishing low-level offenders, which has had a disproportionate impact on minority males, and largely failing to solve America’s drug problem. Recently, heroin use in the United States has become a significant problem as the federal government has cracked down on prescription drug abuse and two weeks ago, on March 10th, Attorney General Eric Holder stated that the United States facing an “urgent public health crisis” concerning heroin. The death of Academy Award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman last month due to an overdose of heroin and other drugs has also contributed to raising national awareness about this issue.
Fishers High School in Fishers, Indiana was the site of this year’s Indiana High School Forensic Association (IHSFA) State Speech Tournament. Munster High School was the most dominant school in extemporaneous speaking, placing five of the twelve finalists in International and United States Extemporaneous Speaking. Four of those five finalists finished in the top three of their respective category. In International Extemp, Sidarth Singh of Munster edged teammate Rathnam Venkat to capture the title. Singh is the first Munster extemper to capture International Extemp since 2002. Christian Sayers of Valparaiso High School finished third.