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Here is the second part of our participant capsules for this year’s Montgomery Bell Extemp Round Robin in Nashville, Tennessee. Check back tomorrow for a poll, where you can cast your vote for who you think will win this year’s tournament! If you missed part I of this preview, you can read it here.
KEY: DNA = Did Not Attend; DNC = Did Not Clear (Break); NR = Not Ranked
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This R&D provides resources on what the United States might be like in 2016. The topic seems fitting as we head into a new year tomorrow. Extemp Central wishes all of our readers a happy new year!
The World in 2016’s forecast for the United States https://t.co/uAiYgNhgIJ pic.twitter.com/exCEahNP82
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) December 30, 2015
As we enter 2016, get the background on the future of U.S. trade policy: https://t.co/l66YPod9WE pic.twitter.com/FiyQVGJ71A
— CFR (@CFR_org) December 30, 2015
2016 risks seeing a new low in U.S.-Russia relations argues @AlexGabuev: https://t.co/G8Y6e7C2PO pic.twitter.com/LZMdRdedbH
— Carnegie Endowment (@CarnegieEndow) December 27, 2015
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This Saturday and Sunday, sixteen of the nation’s best extemporaneous speakers will compete in Nashville, Tennessee at the eighteenth edition of the Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) Extemp Round Robin. This year’s event is different from previous years in that the tournament will take place over two days instead of three and there will be no Exhibition Round this year due to time constraints. Still, the tournament will feature ten rounds, with each competitor hitting every other competitor twice, and the winner of the tournament will receive 150 points in the National Points Race.
Last season, Josh Wartel of Lake Braddock Secondary School (VA) won by a comfortable margin, becoming the first Virginia extemper to do so, while Phoebe Lin of Plano West Senior High School (TX) captured the Exhibition Round title. Wartel later went on to win the final round of the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA)’s National Tournament in Dallas, Texas and the competitor that finished second – Brian Anderson of LaRue County High School (KY) – won the International Extemp national championship at that same event. None of last year’s Exhibition Round participants are returning for this year’s competition, an unusual event for a tournament where an underclassmen typically places in the top five.
This year’s tournament field features the winners of ten 2015-2016 Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC) qualifying tournaments, six 2015 state champions, and nine of the top ten competitors in the National Points Race. In fact, the winners of all of the 2015-2016 National Points Race tournaments are represented. And six competitors are veterans of the tournament with one of them (Vaikunth Balaji) returning for the third time.
It would be apt to call this year’s competition a “team tournament within a tournament” as three schools – Des Moines Roosevelt High School (IA), Ridge High School (NJ), and Trinity Preparatory School (FL) – each have two extempers in the field.
Today and tomorrow, Extemp Central will provide brief capsules for each of the sixteen extempers invited to participate in this year’s MBA Round Robin. The capsules have been arranged in alphabetical order.
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When it comes to the African continent extempers are used to talking about topics such as South Africa’s economy, the continent’s amazing economic potential in the twenty-first century, Chinese interests in the region, Robert Mugabe’s continued misrule of Zimbabwe, and conflict zones such as the Democratic Republic of Congo. What they have been less used to is talking about smaller African nations such as Burundi, but in light of significant political unrest extempers will probably be talking more about this country in the weeks and months ahead. Last April, President Pierre Nkurunziza announced that he would seek a third term. This would be normal under some democratic systems, but Burundi’s constitution, agreed to in 2006 after the end of a thirteen-year civil war, prohibits a president being elected to more than two terms. In light of Nkurunziza’s decision, opposition groups mounted several public protests and elements of the Burundian military sought to depose him in a coup in May. That attempt failed and since that time international observers have worried that Burundi is becoming a cauldron of political unrest, which could break down along ethnic lines and produce another mass genocide on the African continent reminiscent of what took place in Rwanda in 1994. Observers also worry about the radicalization of Burundian refugees and that the nation’s unrest could ignite a multi-national struggle between Burundi, Uganda, and Rwanda and their allies in East Africa. Additionally, Burundi’s unrest provides a test of the African Union’s (AU) ability to protect civilians populations in its member states and its willingness to prevent future crimes against humanity.
This topic brief will provide some background on the ongoing political conflict in Burundi, explain how the international community has responded to the issue, and breakdown some implications of the unrest for Burundi and its neighbors.
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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Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany today’s premium topic brief on Burundi’s unrest.
Burundi peace talks begin amid divisions and protests | via @Telegraph https://t.co/qITzDdtaIh
— Elellan Debela (@ElellanD) December 30, 2015
‘Burundi is on the brink’ – a crisis explained https://t.co/tjih3hx5i0 #Africa pic.twitter.com/dezr0zc9Nh
— World Economic Forum (@wef) December 29, 2015
From Syria to Burundi, seven big crisis management questions for a disorderly world in 2016: https://t.co/M37jCZinjT @RichardGowan1
— WorldPoliticsReview (@WPReview) December 28, 2015
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Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
To acces
s a list of all our old quizzes, click here.
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Today’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 Turkey’s campaign against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The PKK was formed in the late 1970s and been in intermittent conflict with the Turkish government for more than three decades. The PKK is seeking an independent Kurdish state, something that Turkish policymakers fear as it could detach the southeastern part the country (which neighbors territory occupied by Kurds in Iraq). Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently renewed Turkey’s aggressive fight against the PKK, deeming the group as a terrorist organization, and fighting has occurred since August when two Turkish policemen were killed by the group.
As #Turkey‘s silence over Istanbul airport blast continues, #PKK splinter group claims attack, by @DionNissenbaum: https://t.co/63tMG9Fl4S
— Emre Peker (@wsjemre) December 27, 2015
Inside Story: What’s behind Turkey’s renewed crackdown on Kurds? pic.twitter.com/WCu5wBZKag
— AJE News (@AJENews) December 27, 2015
Kurdish militants killed as Turkey intensifies operations against PKK https://t.co/WYfLKXcxb5
— Middle East News (@MidEastNews) December 18, 2015
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1. How cautious should schools be when deciding to close over a terror threat?
2. Should more states restore voting rights to convicted felons?
3. How many more GOP presidential candidates will drop out before the Iowa caucuses?
4. Will humanities departments suffer from ongoing campus protests?
5. Can SpaceX replace Boeing and Lockheed Martin’s roles in the space business?
6. Will food poisoning problems send Chipotle the way of Chi-Chi’s?
7. Are the FAA’s drone rules too cumbersome?
8. Will more U.S. states abolish the death penalty in 2016?
9. Would Donald Trump’s nomination destroy American conservatism?
10. Was 2015 worse than 2014?
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1. Is Mongolia’s economy turning the corner?
2. Which nation should be the “country of the year” for 2015?
3. Will Ukraine’s economic problems strengthen the nation’s pro-Russian forces?
4. How can poorer nations prevent “brain drain”?
5. Should the world lament the end of the Doha trade round?
6. Will the Syrian Civil War be brought to a conclusion in 2016?
7. Has FIFA done enough to cleanse itself of corruption?
8. Will Turkey’s renewed war against the PKK prove to be a political nightmare for Erdogan?
9. Is the Japanese economy headed for greater recovery in 2016?
10. Would a greater shift to the political right benefit Latin America?
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Here is our weekly survey of news stories to round out the week of December 21-27, 2015.
Today’s fire at hospital was 3rd large-scale disaster to hit Saudi Arabia in past 4 months https://t.co/JKeD1epOcB pic.twitter.com/rBeeUGG7DQ
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) December 24, 2015
Democratic presidential candidates blast U.S. plan to deport families https://t.co/KHVM7rLANf
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) December 24, 2015
Democrats and Republicans have a very different understanding of the nature of discrimination in the U.S. today: https://t.co/87mn861uKA
— Brookings (@BrookingsInst) December 24, 2015
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Today’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 Spain’s parliamentary elections, which took place on Sunday. The governing People’s Party (PP) won the most votes in the election, but a collection of left-wing parties, including the anti-austerity Podemos successfully fractured the vote. Yesterday, these three parties – the Socialist Party, Podemos, and the classically liberal Ciudadanos – ruled out joining a governing coalition with the PP. The move may rattle European markets, which had generally approved of the austerity policies of the PP over the last several years.
Spain’s Missed Election Opportunity https://t.co/9Oe2YBBdTe
— WSJ World News (@WSJworld) December 23, 2015
#UPDATE Spain’s left-wing parties to block Rajoy-led government #SpainElection https://t.co/snFhsScXyb pic.twitter.com/TpgkVMF2bI
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) December 21, 2015
Spain prepares for coalition talks https://t.co/pnBmK1pvqV
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 21, 2015
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Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
To access a list of all our old quizzes, click here.
Note: Due to the holiday, there will be no premium topic brief tomorrow. That will return on Wednesday, December 30.
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Today’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 Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign. The brother of former President George W. Bush is not faring very well in the Republican presidential contest, having seen his poll numbers fall dramatically between August and December. Bush has failed to gain traction due to the distaste of many Republican primary voters with the “establishment” that they feel is not conservative enough. Despite having an ample war chest of funds, Bush has failed to raise his stature in Iowa or New Hampshire and a loss in both states in February would probably doom his campaign. Bush’s new strategy appears to be to target frontrunner Donald Trump, but it is unclear whether this strategy will pay any dividends when Republican voters head to the polls in two months.
Jeb Bush had his best debate, but it probably doesn’t matter https://t.co/r0Ff95jnWX pic.twitter.com/02O46mRtc7
— HuffPost Politics (@HuffPostPol) December 17, 2015
Jeb Bush is using the word “serious” a lot. But can he offer serious ideas? https://t.co/TrFOLL2EF7 pic.twitter.com/B8fd0USqAI
— NYT Opinion (@nytopinion) December 15, 2015
This ad spending chart is just devastating for Jeb Bush. https://t.co/DJtldeecuh pic.twitter.com/oMts8gS8Vo
— Chris Cillizza (@TheFix) December 15, 2015
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1. What role should the AU play in Burundi’s political dispute?
2. Is David Cameron mishandling his negotiations with the EU?
3. Has Jacob Zuma undermined South Africa’s democratic institutions?
4. Should national governments be given the power to censor the Internet?
5. Is Saudi Arabia poorly positioned to lead a Middle Eastern anti-terror coalition?
6. Were the Nairobi negotiations a significant victory for the World Trade Organization?
7. Do the results of the Spanish parliamentary elections bode ill for the nation’s economic future?
8. Is the PKK a terrorist organization?
9. Can Russia win its “Cold War” with Turkey?
10. Was Rwanda’s recent referendum on abolishing presidential term limits legitimate?
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1. Are the Democrats poorly positioned on national security issues in 2016?
2. What policies should be implemented to make the tech sector better comply with terror investigations?
3. How should the Supreme Court rule in V.L. vs. E.L.?
4. Are cities poorly prepared to prosecute law enforcement officials?
5. Who was the biggest winner of the recent spending bill?
6. Would raising the minimum wage help reduce the number of Americans on welfare?
7. Does America’s fight against ISIS need a more defined direction?
8. How high will American interest rates be by the end of 2016?
9. Would more direct targeting of Donald Trump resuscitate Jeb Bush’s presidential hopes?
10. Should Debbie Wasserman Schultz step down as head of the DNC?
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