Month: February 2018

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If you have the information from your NSDA District, please send it to me at [email protected].

When sending the information, please provide the following:

• The name of the NSDA District and the state that is located in
• The names of those who will be ATTENDING nationals in IX and USX. Please do not send us the names of those who technically qualified, but opted to go in another event. We only want the names of those who will be going in the categories to avoid confusion.
• The schools those competitors attend.
• IF your district has an automatic qualifier from last year’s NSDA Tournament (a competitor that reached finals or semi-finals in IX and USX) and that person will be going back to NSDA in that event, please let us know. If you are an automatic qualifier and want to give this information to us yourself, fantastic!

As always, thank you to our loyal readers who help us assemble our results and qualifiers list each year.  The first qualification board will go up next week

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1. In the wake of new revelations, should the NCAA abandon its amateur model?
2. Should California make water restrictions permanent?
3. Would immigration reform benefit America’s agricultural sector?
4. Should more states return to paper ballots to prevent election tampering?
5. How can colleges recruit more male students?
6. Would American schools be safer if teachers were armed?
7. How will the Supreme Court rule in Janus v. AFSCME?
8. Does America’s religious right need another Billy Graham?
9. Did significant secruity failures cause the Parkland shooting?
10. To what degree does the Second Amendment protect gun ownership in the United States?

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1. Is Vladimir Putin the biggest threat to European stability?
2. Does Iraq need a new constitution?
3. Is the rise of the German far-right Angela Merkel’s fault?
4. How can the United States and Western European countries downsize Russian intrigues in the Balkans?
5. Has the British Labour Party abandoned moderation?
6. Are labor reforms helping the Mexican economy grow?
7. What role can indigenous communities play in the Latin American war on drugs?
8. Was Justin Trudeau’s trip to India a disaster?
9. Is Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism?
10. Will Syria’s most recent ceasefire hold?

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1. Do Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent political problems make Israel more likely to take military action against Iran?
2. Is Poland’s Holocaust legislation unwise?
3. Should technology firms do more to limit hate speech on their websites?
4. Could a reform of Iraq’s political system lessen the country’s sectarian divisions?
5. Will Zimbabwe’s next elections be “free and fair”?
6. Does the Iran nuclear deal need improvements?
7. What should be Cyril Ramaphosa’s first priorities as South African president?
8. Is France poised to take military action against Syria?
9. How can Brazil fix its ailing pension systems?
10. Is the Democratic Republic of the Congo sliding back into a major conflict?

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1. Will the recent wave of school shootings in America produce new gun control legislation by the end of 2018?
2. Is the FBI in need of a significant organizational shakeup?
3. Have American sports become too politicized?
4. Who will win California’s Democratic gubernatorial primary?
5. How will Puerto Rico’s ongoing problems affect the 2018 midterms?
6. Should the U.S. extradite Fethullah Gulen?
7. How can discriminatory lending practices by banks be curtailed?
8. Should vaping be banned in public spaces?
9. Has the U.S. lost its credibility to mediate the Israeli-Palestinian dispute?
10. Should Eric Holder consider a presidential run?

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1. Should the U.S. sever diplomatic ties with Myanmar over the treatment of the Rohingya peoples?
2. If Rex Tillerson were to resign, who should replace him?
3. Should the U.S. federal government cancel everyone’s student loan debt?
4. How can soft drink companies bolster declining sales?
5. Should John Kelly step down as White House Chief of Staff?
6. Does the GOP need to redefine conservatism to win over younger voters?
7. Can the U.S. military launch a successful limited strike against North Korea?
8. Does Trump’s nuclear plan endanger global security?
9. Which country should the U.S. aim to have the best relations with in 2018?
10. Should Trump have a military parade?

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1. What role should Asian nations play in the Maldives political crisis?
2. Is press freedom dying in Kenya?
3. Should Russian athletes be able to compete at the Winter Olympics under the “OAR” label?
4. Does the international community need to do more to dislodge ISIS from Libya?
5. Has Cuba made Venezuela’s political and economic crisis worse?
6. Is EU membrship bad for Eastern European countries?
7. Can India broker a peace in the Middle East?
8. Is Spain becoming ungovernable?
9. How can the international community effectively sanction North Korea?
10. What steps should the National Front take to be more competitive in the next French presidential election?

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Over the last nine seasons, the Capital City Extemp Round Robin has attracted some of the top tier talent in the state of Texas.  This year’s competition, put together by Coach Joe Uhler of Westlake High School, will take place from February 9-10 at Westlake United Methodist Church.  Spencer Buckner of Lake Travis High School was the winner of last year’s competition, defeating other notable talents such as Nikhil Ramaswamy, Kate Fisher, and Katherine Hu.

Here are the 16 participants in this year’s Capital City Round Robin, all of which attend schools in Texas:

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1. Should Egypt continue using Israel assistance in its fight against ISIS?
2. How can Zimbabwe fix its agricultural sector?
3. Should Turkey be expelled from NATO?
4. Is it time for Theresa May to step down as British prime minister?
5. Should the Social Democrats re-enter a coalition with Angela Merkel?
6. Is China’s influence growing in Latin America?
7. How would a closer Japanese-South Korean relationship affect East Asian geopolitics?
8. Is Uzbekistan becoming more democratic?
9. Why are UN forces struggling in Mali?
10. Should Great Britain hold another Brexit vote?

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1. Is identity politics destroying American liberalism?
2. Was Trump’s State of the Union address a success?
3. Is Amtrak in need of an overhaul?
4. Would a universal basic income be an effective way to combat poverty?
5. Should the Democrats temper their position on abortion to regain control of Congress?
6. How can Los Angeles better combat homelessness?
7. Is the DOW’s big drop a sign of bad things to come?
8. Does the Nunes memo exonerate Trump?
9. Is the Democratic Party too divided to win in 2020?
10. Does Mueller have the constitutional authority to indict Trump?