1. Is Xi Jinping’s “cultural revolution” working?
2. Will the pledges at COP26 be enough to prevent a significant rise in global temperatures by 2050?
3. Should the ICC do more to investigate American war crimes in Afghanistan?
4. Will Portugal’s snap elections prove fatal for its governing Socialist Party?
5. How can South Africa’s ANC recover from a dismal municipal election showing?
6. Should the Bank of England wait to raise interest rates?
7. What role should developing nations play in global climate change efforts?
8. Is the Bangladeshi government doing enough to quell religious violence?
9. Should the international community continue to provide food aid to North Korea?
10. How should the Iranian government approach new talks with the U.S. over its nuclear program?
Month: November 2021
1. Will the results of the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections cause the Democrats to back off of President Biden’s social infrastructure plan?
2. Is Eric Adams the future of the Democratic Party?
3. Does the Democratic Party have a messaging problem?
4. Will the Supreme Court strike down New York’s concealed carry restrictions?
5. Does the U.S. need to get more involved in the Tigray War?
6. Is Europe’s new COVID-19 wave a warning sign for the U.S. this winter?
7. Do states need to do more to make juries racially equitable?
8. Are American commitments going far enough at COP26?
9. Will the Minneapolis question 2 vote destroy ongoing progressive efforts to defund police?
10. Should states require high school students to pass an ethnic studies course?
Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd (pronounced “prepped”). Prepd is building debate technology that helps extempers and congressional debaters research, practice, and compete. Visit www.prepd.in to learn more.
This week’s R&D covers the COP26 Summit, the twenty-sixth meeting of nations that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1994 and later agreed to the Paris Climate Accord in 2015. The leaders of the attending nations are trying to work out a framework to prevent global temperatures from increasing by 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit over the next twenty years.
COP26 news: Coal phase-out boosts hope for limiting warming to 1.5°C https://t.co/4f5ou1KraU
— New Scientist (@newscientist) November 4, 2021
As long as multilateral engagement is defined by nationalism, power politics, and emotion, rather than solidarity, law, and science, our future will continue to grow bleaker, warns @ecfr‘s @markhleonard. #COP26 #climatechange https://t.co/djwaY5x5zJ
— Project Syndicate (@ProSyn) November 4, 2021
“COP is sort of turning into a greenwash campaign, a PR campaign, for C.E.O.s, world leaders, politicians,” said Greta Thunberg at an event on the sidelines of COP26. https://t.co/e2MzJMNgiw
— NYT Business (@nytimesbusiness) November 4, 2021
Updated standings for the 2021-2022 Extemp Central National Points Race have been posted! You can find them by clicking on the “National Points Race” tab at the top of the page or by clicking here.
The new standings reflect the results of the Florida Blue Key, which was a fifth tier event. The next National Points Race competition will take place in a little over two weeks at the Glenbrooks, which will be the first third tier tournament of the season.
Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
Last weekend the University of Florida hosted its thirty-eight annual Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament in a virtual environment. National Points Race leader Daniel Kind of Lake Highland Preparatory School (FL) won a crushing victory over the field, picket fencing the final round and winning his second National Points Race title of the season by six ranks. Kind’s victory will allow him to extend his National Points Race lead as McKinley Paltzik of Phoenix Country Day School (AZ) did not attend the tournament.
Marc Zavarro of Western High School (FL) reached his second National Points Race final round of the season and was the runner-up by one rank over Chirag Choudhary of Unionville High School (PA).
The final three placings in the final round were close as Michelle Jin of the Harker School (CA) took fourth by one rank over Plano West Senior High School (TX) teammates Gabriel Bo and Kyle Letterer, who finished fifth and sixth respectively.
Even though it did not have any finalists, Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) had six extempers represented in the semi-finals and quarter-finals, the most of any school.
All of the finalists at Blue Key will receive National Points Race points. Since the tournament had seventy-six entries, all those competitors who reached semi-finals will earn a qualifying leg to the University of Kentucky TOC in April. And all extempers who made elimination rounds will receive a qualifying leg to the Extemp TOC at Northwestern University in May.
Here are the results of the 2021 Florida Blue Key (Click here for tab sheet):
1. Should the Biden administration retreat from its support of vaccine mandates?
2. What steps does Portland need to take to rein in destructive protests?
3. Is inflationary pressure in the U.S. economy here to stay?
4. How should states spend the money they are receiving from opioid pharmacy settlements?
5. Does Congress need better ethics rules to prevent insider trading?
6. How will FDA approval for COVID-19 vaccinations for children affect school operations across the country?
7. Should U.S. states decriminalize prostitution?
8. How will criminal charges against Andrew Cuomo affect the Democratic Party’s gubernatorial primary next year?
9. Does President Biden have enough political capital to pass his adjusted social infrastructure bill?
10. What should Eric Adams prioritize when he becomes New York City’s next mayor?
1. How will Sudan’s military coup affect Israeli-Palestinian relations?
2. Will COP26 be able to implement a successful global climate plan?
3. Why are military coups increasing in Africa?
4. How should the LDP respond to the results of Japan’s recent election?
5. Is the WTO doing enough to advocate the benefits of free trade?
6. Will the inevitable re-election of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as the head of the WHO hurt the organization going forward?
7. Is the Ethiopian government losing the Tigray War?
8. Should Taiwan welcome the presence of U.S. troops in its country?
9. Are price controls hindering the Argentinian economy?
10. Should NATO be concerned about the growing arms race in the Balkans?