Month: August 2016

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of August 15-21, 2016

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HOTtopics1. Would Hillary Clinton’s infrastructure plan improve the U.S. economy?
2. Does the U.S. need to break up the country’s four major airlines?
3. Can ticket splitting help Republicans save their Senate majority?
4. Was the U.S. foreign policy establishment responsible for the rise of ISIS?
5. Do American universities need more ideological diversity?
6. Would it be in Donald Trump’s best interest to release his tax returns?
7. Should more U.S. states pass “right to die” legislation?
8. Did Bill Bratton significantly improve the NYPD?
9. How could states enact a voter ID requirement that would pass constitutional muster?
10. Could the Libertarians win electoral votes in 2016?

R&D from Prepd: Weekly Roundup for the Week of August 8-14, 2016

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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 August 8-14, 2016.

R&D from Prepd: Unemployment in the United States

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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 unemployment in the United States.  The Commerce Department announced last Friday that the U.S. unemployment rate remained at 4.9% and that the economy added 255,000 jobs in July.  Optimists argue that these are good numbers that signal a continued economic recovery, but pessimists respond that too many Americans are still in part-time jobs when they desire full-time employment.

Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of August 8-14, 2016

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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.

R&D from Prepd: Robert Mugabe’s Political Position

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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 Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s political position.  Mugabe has governed Zimbabwe in various capacities since 1980 and his rule is infamous for corruption and poor economic management.  Repression of political opponents, as well as the inability of those opponents to cooperate, has allowed Mugabe to stay in power but he is facing growing opposition due to continued economic stagnation and the unpopularity of his wife Grace.  Ninety-two years old, Mugabe is one of Africa’s oldest leaders and observers are speculating what a post-Mugabe Zimbabwe will look like.

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of August 8-14, 2016

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HOTtopics1. Will Massachusetts new employment legislation greatly assist in the narrowing of the gender pay gap?
2. Is President Obama playing too much of a role in the 2016 presidential election?
3. Are U.S. cities doing enough to combat air pollution?
4. What reforms should the U.S. make to corporate governance regulations?
5. Should American schools adopt four day school weeks?
6. What should Verizon do with Yahoo?
7. Will the 2016 presidential election produce a significant political realignment?
8. Have free trade policies been a net negative for the U.S. economy?
9. Does the new U.S. jobs report brighten the nation’s economic outlook?
10. Have events of the past week sunk Donald Trump’s presidential aspirations?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of August 8-14, 2016

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HOTtopics1. Should Britain’s Labour Party choose Owen Smith as its next leader?
2. Is Robert Mugabe losing his grip on power?
3. Can social media cure corruption in the developing world?
4. Is the Chinese government doing enough to combat flooding?
5. What ails Taiwan’s economy?
6. Is ISIS making inroads in Afghanistan?
7. How can South Korea’s government increase support for the deployment of THAAD battery
system?
8. Would a loosening of immigration controls bolster the Japanese economy?
9. How can internationalists defend their worldview in an increasingly nationalistic
world?
10. Should IOC permanently relocate future Summer Olympics to Greece?

R&D from Prepd: Weekly Roundup for the Week of August 1-7, 2016

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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 August 1-7, 2016.

R&D from Prepd: Erdogan’s Consolidation of Power in Turkey

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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 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s consolidation of power in Turkey after a failed coup several weeks ago.  Erdogan has blamed cleric Fethullah Gullen for masterminding the coup and has arrested or sacked military commanders, journalists, academics, and bureaucrats that do not have loyalty to his government.  Western nations are wary of Erdogan’s actions, warning him not to trample Turkey’s democratic system.

Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of August 1-7, 2016

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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.

R&D from Prepd: Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s Exit from the DNC Leadership

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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 Debbie Wassmerman Schultz’s exit as Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair.  Wasserman Schultz stepped down as chairwoman last week after WikiLeaks revealed e-mails that the DNC had actively plotted to undermine the presidential campaign of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.  Wasserman Schultz was criticized by Sanders supporters throughout the campaign of favoring the candidacy of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  Some observers have also noted that the split could undermine Wassmeran Schultz’s re-election campaign to the House, as she leads a Sanders-aligned candidate by only eight points in a recent poll.

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of August 1-7, 2016

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HOTtopics1. Can Italy’s Five Star Movement win Italy’s next national election?
2. How will Venezuela’s economic difficulties affect Cuba?
3. Does the expulsion of Russian athletes from the Summer Olympics make the Games illegitimate?
4. How can the Canadian government improve commerce across its provinces?
5. Will the trial of Lula da Silva weaken leftist political forces in Brazil?
6. Should Indonesia continue its practice of executing drug traffickers?
7. What steps does Pakistan need to take to stop “honor killings”?
8. How will a recent wave of terror attacks affect German politics?
9. Will Thai voters approve a military-friendly constitution?
10. How can the West ensure that Erdogan does not destroy Turkish democracy?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of August 1-7, 2016

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HOTtopics1. Has President Obama failed to monitor and build the infrastructure of the Democratic Party during his tenure in office?
2. Is cheap oil maintaining U.S. economic growth?
3. Should more U.S. schools move to a 1:1 model?
4. Can Bill Clinton help Hillary Clinton win back lower class white voters?
5. How will Roger Ailes departure from Fox News affect the channel’s future?
6. Should the Commission on Presidential Debates lower the threshold of support that third party candidates need to acquire to participate?
7. If the Republicans keep the House in 2016, will Paul Ryan win another term as Speaker of the House?
8. Should the EPA issue new regulations on the natural gas industry?
9. Would a Donald Trump presidency significantly alter American foreign policy toward Russia?
10. Will Pennsylvania be the state that decides the 2016 presidential election?

Site News: The 2016-2017 Season Begins!

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buzzToday marks the beginning of August and with it the beginning of the 2016-2017 season here at Extemp Central.  Much of the posting calendar will stay the same as previous years, with the biggest change taking place with premium content.  No premium content will be offered during 2016-2017 so that the site can provide more coverage of local and national events on the circuit.

In the coming weeks, Extemp Central will be updating the 2016-2017 tournament calendar, the TOC qualification boards for 2016-2017, and will provide the breakdown of the 2016-2017 National Points Race, which will kick off at the Wake Forest National Early Bird next month.

Here is what the daily schedule of content will be like during the 2016-2017 year:

Monday:  United States and International Extemp Questions
Tuesday:  Topic-specific R&D
Wednesday:  News quiz
Thursday:  Topic-specific R&D
Friday:  Weekly R&D that mixes U.S. and International Extemp issues

In addition to this posting schedule, there will be posts about national and local results, qualification board updates, and National Points Race updates as the season moves along.

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