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The 2014-2015 season features the return of the Extemp Central National Points Race. The National Points Race is a season-long competition that seeks to identify the top extempers across a select group of prestigious national circuit events. Extemp Central recognizes that in some years the top extemper in the nation may not win the National Points Race due to the inability of some competitors to travel extensively. Still, three national champions are among the four previous National Points Race winners.
Arel Rende competed for Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, OK for three years. He was a four-time Oklahoma Class 6A State Champion, winning three championships in DX and one in OO. He was a two-time NSDA National Champion in United States Extemporaneous Speaking (2013 and 2014), winning the final round at NSDA Nationals in each of those years. Last season, Arel won the St. Mark’s Heart of Texas Invitational, the University of Texas Longhorn Classic, and the Harvard National Invitational. He was also a participant in the 2014 MBA Exhibition Round and the 2014 Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC) final round. This fall, Arel will be studying finance at The University of Texas-Austin and competing on their speech them.
Here is our weekly survey of news stories to round out the week of August 25th-31st.
Today’s R&D covers Zimbabwean politics. Since President Robert Mugabe is ninety years old, there is a great deal of uncertainty about what the country’s political future will look like. The country has only had two presidents since it gained official independence in 1980 and Mugabe has ruled since 1987. Recently, Mugabe’s wife, Grace, entered national politics after winning an endorsement to become the next head of Zanu-PF’s women’s league.
Today’s R&D provides resources on the controversial police shooting in Ferguson, Missouri. The shooting, which took place on August 9, took the life of eighteen-year-old black teenager Michael Brown. The incident triggered protests and looting in the area and was met by a heavy police response. The officer involved in the shooting is currently under investigation and the Department of Justice is looking into potential civil rights violations.
When Nawaz Sharif became the Prime Minister of Pakistan last year international observers thought the country was heading down the right path. For the first time in Pakistani history power was peacefully passed from one democratically elected government to another. Sharif’s government made tackling corruption and high unemployment a priority. It also sought to rein in the power of the Pakistani Army, which still seeks to execute a veto of internal security measures and foreign policies. Unfortunately, Sharif’s government now finds itself under siege from political protesters that are demanding its removal. Led by two minor politicians, these forces allege that Sharif’s government illegitimately came to power in a fraudulent election and that it is too corrupt to lead. Protesters are blocking government buildings in the capital city of Islamabad and the unrest might give the Pakistani military an excuse to topple the civilian government, something that the military has done three times previously in the country’s history.
Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany 
Here is our weekly survey of news stories to round out the week of August 18th-24th.
Today’s R&D covers the Wisconsin gubernatorial election. Republican Governor Scott Walker is fending off a challenge former Trek Bicycle Corporation executive Mary Burke, who is the Democratic nominee. Burke is the first female gubernatorial candidate to be nominated by a major party in state history. Walker is deemed as a potential 2016 presidential candidate, so winning re-election is crucial. This is the third gubernatorial campaign for Walker, who survived a recall vote in 2012. Major issues in the race include Common Core standards, Walker’s championing of a controversial 2011 bill that stripped collective bargaining rights from public employees, Wisconsin’s economy, and an investigation into whether Walker illegally coordinated his campaign activities with outside groups. Polls show the race as dead even.
Today’s R&D covers Iran’s nuclear program. Iran has been under a cloud of suspicion since 2002 and the United States, France, Germany, Great Britain, China, and Russia – referred to as the P5+ 1 – have been negotiating with the Islamic Republic in an attempt to make its nuclear program more transparent. Last month, the talks between Iran and the P5+1 nations were extended through November 24. The United Nations is also seeking more proof from Iran that its nuclear program has a non-military purpose.