Month: April 2022 Page 1 of 2

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 from Prepd covers recent violence in Israel.  Muslim worshippers and Israeli police clashed a few weeks ago at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, leading to the suspension of the United Arab List in Israel’s governing coalition.  There have been other clashes near holy sites as well, leading to fears of a third intifada, or uprising, by Palestinians.  Recent violence has also spilled beyond Israel’s borders as the country made a military strike on Southern Lebanon after a rocket was fired into Northern Israel four days ago.

Israelis and Palestinians have traded fire across the Gaza frontier, and continued to clash in Jerusalem. Last year, amid the last flare-up of violence, @carlbildt highlighted four principles that should underpin a lasting peace agreement. https://t.co/OG8J6XmSrr

— Project Syndicate (@ProSyn) April 21, 2022

The two leaders discussed recent efforts to stop violence in Israel and the West Bank, including at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount complex in Jerusalem.https://t.co/PMMVDz7YAf

— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) April 26, 2022

Israel fired artillery shells into southern Lebanon after militants there launched a rocket into northern Israel, the Israeli military said https://t.co/oZaHtKrJTN

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) April 25, 2022

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The University of Kentucky hosted its annual Tournament of Champions (TOC) last weekend, drawing a crowded and distinguished field of ninety-seven extempers from around the country. The tournament took place in an online environment due to ongoing complications from the COVID-19 pandemic.

#3 McKinley Paltzik of Phoenix Country Day School (AZ), who won last month’s Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin, won her second consecutive national circuit event, defeating #19 Michelle Jin of the Harker School (CA) by three ranks. It is the fourth National Points Race tournament that Paltzik has won this season and keeps her perfect record of winning tournaments intact when she reaches the final round.

Jin notched her second top three finish of the season and her fourth National Points Race final round appearance, tying a host of other extempers for fourth-most on the year.

Defending NCFL National Champion #10 Ananth Veluvali of Edina High School (MN) took third, finishing one rank behind Jin and four behind Paltzik. Veluvali notched a close second finish to Paltzik last month at MBA. His three National Points Race final rounds this year have all been top three finishes.

Three more ranks separated Veluvali from James Cullen of Chaminda High School (NY), who finished fourth. On his heels were Alex Sorgini of La Salle High School (PA) and Kush Narang of Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA), who finished fifth and sixth, respectively.

A consequence of the strong field at this year’s TOC is that there were many top ranked extempers that fell before reaching the final round. #5 William Chien of the Harker School, #16 Olivia Wetzel of Whitmer High School (OH), and #23 Majid Shabbeer of Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) dropped in semifinals. #2 Marc Zavarro of Western High School (FL) and #18 Natasha Banga of Coppell High School (TX) dropped in quarter-finals. And #12 Gabriel Bo of Plano West Senior High School (TX). #13 Thomas Vandenberg of Flintridge Preparatory School (CA), and #21 Francis Olakangil of Bellarmine dropped in octa-finals.

Since the UK TOC is a fourth tier tournament in the National Points Race, all extempers who reached the semi-finals and beyond will earn National Points Race points.  The large participation in this year’s TOC, as well as the quality of its field, will upgrade its standing in next year’s National Points Race.

In addition, all of the non-senior finalists at this year’s TOC earn an automatic invitation to next year’s tournament.

Here are the results of the 2022 University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions (Click here for tab sheet):

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

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1. Should the provisions of the 14th Amendment prevent Marjorie Taylor Greene from running for re-election this November?
2. Is a criminal indictment of former President Trump likely by the end of the year?
3. If Republicans take control of the House this November, who will be the next Speaker of the House?
4. How should the Biden administration prepare for a possible Republican takeover of Congress?
5. Should states pass legislation restricting the ability of investor groups to purchase homes?
6. Will Florida’s legislative efforts against Disney survive constitutional challenge?
7. If there is a new vacancy on the Supreme Court before the end of his term, who should Biden nominate?
8. How should Netflix respond to its latest earnings report?
9. Should the Biden administration roll back Title 42?
10. What role should the U.S. play in organizing legislative elections in Haiti?

1. How can Macron heal a polarized French nation?
2. What effect is the Russia-Ukraine War having on international climate change efforts?
3. Is Israel headed for new elections this summer?
4. Who is to blame for Germany’s dependence on Russian energy?
5. Can Ukraine win?
6. Does Lebanon need to accept an international aid package to rescue its economy?
7. How should the Taliban respond to Pakistan’s recent strikes against the TTP within Afghan territory?
8. Can AUKUS deter a possible Chinese attack on Taiwan?
9. How will the decline of Catholicism across Latin America affect the region’s politics?
10. Does King Abdullah of Jordan need to chart a new path for his country?

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 from Prepd covers state legislative battles over critical race theory (CRT).  The early months of 2022 have seen conservative states such as Texas, Florida, and Kentucky, among others, pass bills to counteract the alleged teaching of CRT in classrooms and universities.  Florida recently rejected more than 40 mathematics textbooks for K-12 students because their alleged CRT content.  Critics argue that the bills constitute an assault on the teaching profession, hinder the viewpoints that students can receive or argue in the classroom, and that anti-CRT forces are misinterpreting the theory and its application to score political points.

Anti-CRT laws want to ban texts about systemic racism. What about the US constitution? | Steve Phillips https://t.co/BgfasxnHVA

— The Guardian (@guardian) March 14, 2022

Analysis: DeSantis takes an anti-CRT victory lap without showing his math https://t.co/ooJevaVaGq

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 18, 2022

Florida has rejected 42 of 132 math textbooks proposed for use in public school classrooms including social-emotional learning and critical race theory, according to the state’s Department of Education.

From the New York Times. https://t.co/x3rQOzCrKv

— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) April 19, 2022

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

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1. Can Shehbaz Sharif put Pakistan on better economic footing?
2. How will the sinking of the Moskva affect the course of Russia’s war in Ukraine?
3. Should India pursue a free trade agreement with the United States?
4. Will the BRIC countries soon make a play to de-dollarize the global economy?
5. Would a Le Pen victory in the French presidential election endanger Western European security?
6. Britain’s migrant deal with Rwanda: Innovative or ill-conceived?
7. How can the Canadian government improve productivity growth in the nation’s economy?
8. Has the Juba Peace Agreement been a failure?
9. Will Sri Lanka’s debt default make an economic recovery easier?
10. What steps should the African Union do to stop ISIS’s gains on the continent?

1. Has Chief Justice John Roberts lost control of the Supreme Court?
2. Does the U.S. need a better relationship with Saudi Arabia?
3. To what degree are U.S. inflation problems created by corporate conglomerates?
4. If President Biden’s approval ratings do not improve, will he face a progressive primary challenger in 2024?
5. How will New York City’s recent subway shooting affect Mayor Eric Adams policing policies?
6. If there is an economic recession, will the housing market be the first sign of trouble?
7. Should President Biden declare a climate emergency?
8. How can the U.S. counter China’s rising influence in Latin America?
9. Is Stacey Abrams political career over if she fails to win Georgia’s gubernatorial election?
10. How will anti-CRT education policies on the state level affect education in those states?

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 from Prepd covers the first round of the French presidential election, which took place on Sunday.  President Emmanuel Macron won 27.8% of the vote, while far-right candidate Marine Le Pen won 23.1%.  Far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon made a furious charge at the end and captured 22% of ballots.  Since no candidate earned a majority, Macron and Le Pen will face off in a runoff round on April 24.  This will be a rematch from 2017 where Macron won in a landslide.  Political observers predict a close vote as Le Pen could pull votes from other right-wing candidates that did not qualify for the runoff, as well as leftist voters who are dissatisfied with Macron’s leadership.

President Emmanuel Macron of France will face Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader, in the runoff of the French presidential election on April 24. Here is what you need to know. https://t.co/pFLJPfE13n

— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) April 13, 2022

Mélenchon’s strong showing in the first round of the French presidential election, winning 22% of the vote, has put him and his voters in the position of kingmakers https://t.co/DqczQVhvjf

— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) April 12, 2022

With the second round of the French presidential election just days away, take a deep dive on Emmanuel Macron’s foreign policy doctrine with this piece by @celiabelin: https://t.co/QAvUTGPvG5

— The Brookings Institution (@BrookingsInst) April 12, 2022

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

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1. Will more Amazon warehouse workers follow Staten Island’s lead and unionize?
2. Is Mitt Romney posturing for a future presidential run?
3. Should U.S. newspapers bar their reporters from having personal social media accounts?
4. Will Elon Mask make significant changes to Twitter’s operations?
5. Has the Republican Party outflanked Democrats in the culture wars?
6. Does the U.S. need a better diplomatic relationship with Pakistan?
7. Should the U.S. join the International Criminal Court?
8. What is the next big tech platform after the smartphone?
9. How can the U.S. best reduce the number of children in poverty?
10. Should the U.S. adopt a four-day workweek?

1. How should the EU react to the outcome of Hungary’s parliamentary elections?
2. Is Likud poised to return to power in Israel?
3. Will Pakistan’s military intervene in the nation’s political crisis?
4. Is the global economy headed for a “Balkanized” future?
5. What impact did Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have on the first round of the French presidential election?
6. Is Tunisia reverting back to autocracy?
7. Will the ICC ever be able to bring Russian war criminals to justice?
8. Why are COVID-19 cases surging in Hong Kong?
9. How should China respond to AUKUS cooperation on hypersonic missiles?
10. Is Ethiopia’s war in Tigray nearing its end?

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 from Prepd covers Pakistan’s ongoing political crisis.  Prime Minister Imran Khan recently tried to avoid a no-confidence vote by dissolving the Pakistani Parliament and calling for new elections, but opposition parties took the decision to the Supreme Court, which ruled yesterday that Khan’s move was illegal.  Khan has accused opposition parties of working with foreign powers to remove him.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court says Prime Minister Imran Khan’s move to dissolve parliament was illegal and ordered the house be restored ⤵️ https://t.co/vjMAcI9hWH

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 7, 2022

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s dissolution of the National Assembly is threatening domestic upheaval, writes Zahid Hussain via @CFR_Asia. https://t.co/5gQO5wtzom

— Council on Foreign Relations (@CFR_org) April 6, 2022

Pakistan court rules Imran Khan no-confidence vote block is illegal https://t.co/jRJyepJEUV

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) April 7, 2022

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