Month: December 2015

R&D from Prepd: The Chicago Police Department Controversy

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On December 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.

This R&D provides resources on protests against and controversy surrounding the Chicago Police Department.  The shooting of the seventeen-year-old Laquan McDonald by Chicago police in November 2014 has aroused controversy, especially because the Chicago Police Department tried to delay the release of the video.  Activists have implied that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel did not want the video released as well because it would have hurt his re-election bid.  The Justice Department recently announced that it will investigate the practices of the Chicago police, creating a possible headache for Democrats since Chicago has not had Republican leadership in nearly a century.

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HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of December 7-13, 2015

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On December 7, 2015

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. What regulations should Canada put in place when it legalizes marijuana?
2. Are ground troops the only way that Western nations can effectively combat ISIS?
3. Is the African economy wedded too much to commodities?
4. Are Turkish troops violating Iraqi sovereignty?
5. How can China better combat cybercrime?
6. What steps do Southeast Asian nations need to take to handle refugees from Thailand and Myanmar?
7. Should there be a ban on editing human embryos?
8. Is Kenya doing a better job targeting corrupt public officials?
9. What should be the defense policy of Great Britain?
10. Would the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff improve the Brazilian economy?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of December 7-13, 2015

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On December 7, 2015

In U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. Will national security outweight the economy on voter’s minds in 2016?
2. If Donald Trump were to win the GOP presidential nomination, who should he choose as his running mate?
3. Was the San Bernardino shooting an act of terrorism?
4. Do declining oil prices give the U.S. more leverage with regards to foreign relations with Saudi Arabia?
5. Can the federal government fix the Chicago Police Department?
6. What is the most important state in the Republican presidential primaries?
7. Should women be required to register for the draft?
8. Will Janet Yellen decide the 2016 presidential election?
9. Can the FCC’s net neutrality regulations survive a judicial challenge?
10. Should Puerto Rico’s municipalities have the power to declare bankruptcy?

R&D from Prepd: Weekly Roundup for the Week of November 30-December 6, 2015

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On December 4, 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 November 30-December 6, 2015.

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R&D from Prepd: Raising the Smoking Age

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On December 3, 2015

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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 states moving to raise the smoking age to twenty-one.  Massachusetts is currently looking into the idea, which Hawaii adopted back in June.  Advocates say that a higher age limit will reduce smoking among teenagers, while critics allege that it violates individual liberty.

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Russian-Turkish Tensions (2015)

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On December 2, 2015

In International Extemp, Topic Brief

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An incident that many commentators had been fearing in Syria took place last week when Turkish forces shot down a Russian aircraft that allegedly violated Turkish airspace.  The Russian plane was reportedly flying a mission to bomb rebel positions near the Turkish border, something that Russia has made a common occurrence since deciding several months ago to bolster its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.  The Turkish government claimed that it warned the Russian aircraft before shooting it down, but Russia denies these claims.  Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded an apology and has taken economic countermeasures against Turkey in response to the incident.  Considering the fact that France is trying to get both nations to take part in an international coalition to fight the Islamic State, the Russian-Turkish incident illustrates how assembling such a coalition will prove difficult.  After all, both nations support opposite sides in the Syrian Civil War.  Also, the incident sparks questions about what the Western world should do if a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) finds itself in a military spat with Russia.

This topic brief will describe the origins of the tensions between Russia and Turkey; explain what measures Russia has taken against Turkey in response to the incident; and then elaborate on what Russian-Turkish tensions may mean for a future coalition against the Islamic State, the Syrian conflict, future ties between the countries, and NATO-Russian relations.

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: Russian-Turkish Tensions (2015)

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On December 2, 2015

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Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany today’s premium topic brief on Russian-Turkish tensions (2015).

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Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of November 30-December 6, 2015

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On December 1, 2015

In Quiz

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

To accesquiz-01s a list of all our old quizzes, click here.

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R&D from Prepd: The Argentinian Presidential Election (2015)

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On December 1, 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 2015 Argentinian presidential election, won by Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri.  Macri defeated Peronist-backed candidate and Buenos Aires Province Governor Daniel Scioli in last week’s election, thereby inaugurating the return of conservative rule.  Macri is pledging to reduce government spending and deregulate elements of the economy.

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