Month: May 2015 Page 2 of 3

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of May 18-24, 2015

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On May 18, 2015

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. What is the best way that the world can prevent deforestation?
2. How will the NDP’s victory in Alberta affect the Canadian energy industry?
3. Should Saudi Arabia go nuclear?
4. Is the BEE harming the South African economy?
5. Should the international community create a global emissions trading system?
6. Has Narendra Modi’s had a successful first year in office?
7. Will the Vatican’s recognition of a Palestinian state galvanize other nations to do the same?
8. How can the Labour Party rebuild its fortunes in Scotland?
9. Should Southeast Asian nations turn away migrant boats?
10. Would the execution of Mohamed Morsi strengthen the position of Islamists in Egypt?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of May 18-24, 2015

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On May 18, 2015

In U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. Should Southern states create an “SEC Primary”?
2. Will corruption investigations in New York bring down Andrew Cuomo?
3. Should Jeb Bush embrace his brother’s presidential decisions as he crafts his 2016 campaign strategy?
4. What impact will the bird flu outbreak have on the U.S. economy?
5. Should the U.S. put more money into Amtrak?
6. Would universal preschool substantially improve the educational performance of low-income students?
7. Should ABC News fire George Stephanopoulous?
8. How should the U.S. respond to Chinese island-building efforts in the South China Sea?
9. Should abortions be illegal after twenty weeks?
10. Will Russ Feingold recapture his Senate seat in 2016?

Strategy: Navigating the NCFL Grand National Tournament

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On May 16, 2015

In Strategy, Tournaments

by Monica Coscia

cflMonica Coscia competed in extemp for Montville Township High School in Montville, New Jersey. She was the 2014 NCFL National Champion in extemp, state runner-up in United States extemp, and the extemp CFL point leader for the Newark district. She also has broken at Yale, Princeton, and Harvard and has coached middle school forensics. Monica now studies political science and history in the honors program at Boston College and competes on the mock trial team.

The best part about winning the NCFL extemp championship wasn’t the trophy or the title. It wasn’t being the first national champion for my school and my amazing coach, although that was a close second. Rather, the legacy that I hope I left with my NCFL championship is the lesson that, even in the world of competitive speech and debate, the underdogs can win. CFL Nationals, unlike other prestigious tournaments like NSDA Nationals and the TOC, is anyone’s tournament to win. This is not to say that one can win the title without practice and effort, but you don’t necessarily need years of speech camp and tons of national tournament breaks to be successful here.  Sure, I had broken at a few national tournaments, finaled at states, and had been to NCFLs once before, but I had never broken past semis at a national tournament. It’s difficult to ignore the fact that people say I shouldn’t have won, but I would like to believe that this wasn’t a complete fluke. I knew who my audience was, and I catered to that audience. The key to this tournament is being cognizant of who you are speaking to, and gearing your already talented skill set to them. I hope that the following advice is even the least bit helpful to your participation in NCFLs, because anyone who truly dedicates his/herself to practicing for this tournament has the ability succeed here.

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R&D from Prepd: Weekly Roundup for the Week of May 11-17, 2015

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On May 15, 2015

In R&D

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l_2Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete!  Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.

Here is our weekly survey of news stories to round out the week of May 11-17, 2015.

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State Tournament Roundup: Arizona, Indiana, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming

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On May 14, 2015

In State Results

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It has been a while since Extemp Central recapped the action taking place at state tournaments across the country. To get caught up, we will be posting a collection a state tournament results over the course of the next four weeks. Our first state tournament recap provides results for state tournaments in Arizona, Indiana, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

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R&D from Prepd: College Tuition Costs

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On May 14, 2015

In R&D

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l_2Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete!  Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.

This R&D provides resources for the growing issue of college tuition costs.  As states have pared down their support of public university systems and as the federal government has poured subsidies into student loans, universities have increased tuition.  In fact, tuition increases at many universities are outpacing the rate of inflation causing some analysts to worry that the cost of college is becoming increasingly unaffordable for lower income Americans.  The College Board reported this year that the average tuition cost for students attending an in-state four-year public university was $9,139, with out-of-state students paying $22,958.

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Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of May 11-17, 2015

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On May 13, 2015

In Quiz

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Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz.  Good luck!quiz-01

To access a list of all our old quizzes, click here.

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R&D from Prepd: Macedonia’s Political Crisis

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On May 13, 2015

In R&D

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l_2Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete!  Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.

This R&D provides resources on Macedonia’s political crisis.  After fourteen years of relative stability between the country’s Macedonian majority and its Albanian minority tensions are re-emerging.  The Ohrid peace deal in 2001 saw the Macedonian government agree to provide more rights to ethnic Albanians, but observers argue that those promises have not been honored.  The country’s economic problems are also aiding the growth of ethnic extremist movements.  European Union (EU) diplomats are warning that recent clashes between Macedonian officials and these extremist groups could produce renewed ethnic unrest in the Balkans, which was the site of gross human rights violations during the 1990s.

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The British Parliamentary Election (2015)

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On May 12, 2015

In International Extemp, Topic Brief

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British Prime Minister David Cameron and his Conservative Party shocked political observers last Thursday when they captured a governing majority in the House of Commons.  Pre-election polls predicted that the Conservatives and Labour parties would end up deadlocked, resulting in a hung parliament for the second consecutive election.  This could have triggered a constitutional crisis as the party that won the most votes could have ended up as the opposition.  However, when the votes were tallied the Conservatives gained twenty-four seats, enabling them the govern without their prior coalition partner, the centrist Liberal Democratic Party, and this made Cameron the first Conservative prime minister to win a governing majority since John Major did so in 1992.  Cameron’s second term may give him more room to impose austerity on Britain’s public finances, but he will also face resurgent nationalism in Scotland and growing suspicion of the European Union.  Handling these political and economic crises will come to define Cameron’s legacy as he has pledged not to seek a third term in 2020.

This topic brief will provide a summary of the British political system and the 2015 campaign, discuss the outcome of the vote, and then analyze the challenges that Cameron will face as he governs Britain for the next five years.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

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R&D: The British Parliamentary Election (2015)

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On May 12, 2015

In R&D

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Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany today’s premium topic brief on the British parliamentary election (2015).

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HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of May 11-17, 2015

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On May 11, 2015

In U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. Should the GOP punt the White House and focus its attention on retaining the Senate in 2016?
2. Is the Internet producing a crisis of American masculinity?
3. Will the push for a ceasefire in Yemen harm America’s relationship with Saudi Arabia?
4. Does the NYPD need more police officers?
5. Why has the U.S. economic recovery been uneven?
6. Are schools doing enough to counter bullying?
7. Should Congress renew the Patriot Act?
8. Is Elizabeth Warren wrong about the TPP?
9. Has ISIS become America’s leading domestic terror threat?
10. Will mega-donors and Super PACs decide the GOP presidential nomination?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of May 11-17, 2015

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On May 11, 2015

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. How will the British parliamentary elections affect British relations with the European Union?
2. Can greater international assistance to conflict zones inhibit the growth of refugee flows?
3. How should the Indonesian government respond to the West Papuan separatist movement?
4. Should Colombia cease aerial fumigation of coca crops?
5. Can international efforts to contain Iran’s nuclear program be used to limit North Korea’s nuclear activities?
6. What role should African states play in resolving the Burundi political crisis?
7. Is the international war on drugs falling apart?
8. Will Matteo Renzi’s electoral reforms make Italian politics less dysfunctional?
9. How can the Macedonian government thwart ethnic conflict?
10. Who was the biggest loser of the recent British parliamentary elections?

R&D from Prepd: Weekly Roundup for the Week of May 4-10, 2015

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On May 8, 2015

In R&D

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l_2Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete!  Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.

Here is our weekly survey of news stories to round out the week of May 4-10, 2015.

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2015 National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand Nationals Extemp Topic Area Analysis

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On May 7, 2015

In Topic Area Analysis

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2015 NCFLAs part of a yearly tradition at Extemp Central, we have put together a topic area analysis for those extempers heading to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for this year’s National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand National Tournament.  This analysis covers the major issues in each of the nine topic areas, provides some strategy tips for handling each one, and then provides a set of practice questions for extempers and coaches as they seek to prepare for the tournament.

This year’s topic area analysis was written by Lily Nellans, the 2012 NCFL National Champion.  In addition to her NCFL championship, Nellans is the all-time leader in major championship victories, having won the Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin and the Extemp TOC three times.

To access the topic area analysis, please click on the link below.  The link is a .pdf document.

2015 NCFL Topic Area Analysis by Lily Nellans

R&D from Prepd: Violence in Yemen

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On May 7, 2015

In R&D

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l_2Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete!  Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.

This R&D provides resources on the continuing violence in Yemen.  The country’s unrest began in February when President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi fled the capital city of Sanaa and made his way to Saudi Arabia.  Houthi rebels, who represent the country’s Shi’ite minority, are currently clashing with Arab states such as Saudi Arabia that wish to re-establish the authority of Hadi’s government.  Analysts have portrayed the ongoing violence, which has killed more than 600 civilians, as a proxy conflict between the Saudi government and Iran.

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