HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of May 25-31, 2015

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On May 25, 2015

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. What economic problems demand immediate attention from the Egyptian government?
2. Why has the Quebec separatist movement faltered?
3. How can development aid be improved to better assist poor nations?
4. Should other nations emulate France’s food waste law?
5. Does the EU need Great Britain more than Great Britain needs the EU?
6. Should the world press for more democratic reform in Ethiopia?
7. Will Greece default on its debts next month?
8. How can the international community bolster the capabilities of Iraq’s military forces?
9. What action should the UN take concerning human trafficking?
10. How significant was the Irish referendum on same-sex marriage?

R&D from Prepd: Weekly Roundup for the Week of May 18-24, 2015

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On May 22, 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 May 18-24, 2015.

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R&D from Prepd: Southeast Asia’s Migrant Crisis

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On May 21, 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 Southeast Asia’s migrant crisis.  Recently, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia have turned away migrant boats coming from Burma and Bangladesh.  The migrants are fleeing political persecution, but Thai, Indonesian, and Malaysian authorities argue that they do not want to encourage future refugees to arrive and have cast the boats back out to sea.  The United Nations has condemned the treatment of these refugees, mirroring its complains about European and Australian treatment of migrants over the past year.

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Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of May 18-24, 2015

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On May 20, 2015

In Quiz

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Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz.  Good luck!quiz-01

To access a list of all our old quizzes, click here.

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R&D from Prepd: Abortion Rights

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On May 20, 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.

Today’s R&D provides resources on the most divisive topic in American politics and arguably one that you should stay away from in extemp rounds:  abortion.  Since the U.S. Supreme Court found that there was a constitutional right to have an abortion in Roe v. Wade in 1973 the subject has steadily come to define the differences between America’s two major political parties.  Last week, the House passed legislation that would prohibit abortions after twenty weeks with pro-life lawmakers arguing that a fetus can feel pain after that length of time.  Pro-choice forces argue that the science for that finding is hardly definitive and that such legislation would further encroach on women’s rights.  Gallup polls show that Americans favor legalized abortion, but support for the procedure significantly falls after the first trimester (twelve weeks).  For example, Gallup finds that more than 60% of Americans favor prohibitions on partial birth abortion.

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Nepal’s Earthquake

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On May 19, 2015

In International Extemp, Topic Brief

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On April 25, Nepal was hit by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 8,000 people and injured tens of thousands of others.  The earthquake leveled thousands of buildings around the Kathmandu Valley, including several UNESCO World Heritage sites.  It also triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest that left eighteen people dead.  Nepal is one of the world’s poorest nations and the international community has pledged to assist it in reconstructing buildings and providing humanitarian assistance to its population.  However, the nation’s political difficulties may inhibit future relief efforts as a notoriously corrupt bureaucracy has thus far failed to remedy the problems that Nepali citizens are facing.

This topic brief will focus on the scope of the Nepali earthquake and its aftershocks, describe the international assistance that is being provided to Nepal, and discuss the challenges that Nepal will face in the coming months as a result of the earthquake.  It is hoped that this topic brief can give extempers a good grounding in this unfortunate international disaster, which could significantly factor into the NSDA International Extemp topic area on “Crises and Natural Disasters.”

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: Nepal’s Earthquake

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On May 19, 2015

In R&D

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Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany today’s premium topic brief on Nepal’s earthquake.

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HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of May 18-24, 2015

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On May 18, 2015

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. What is the best way that the world can prevent deforestation?
2. How will the NDP’s victory in Alberta affect the Canadian energy industry?
3. Should Saudi Arabia go nuclear?
4. Is the BEE harming the South African economy?
5. Should the international community create a global emissions trading system?
6. Has Narendra Modi’s had a successful first year in office?
7. Will the Vatican’s recognition of a Palestinian state galvanize other nations to do the same?
8. How can the Labour Party rebuild its fortunes in Scotland?
9. Should Southeast Asian nations turn away migrant boats?
10. Would the execution of Mohamed Morsi strengthen the position of Islamists in Egypt?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of May 18-24, 2015

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On May 18, 2015

In U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. Should Southern states create an “SEC Primary”?
2. Will corruption investigations in New York bring down Andrew Cuomo?
3. Should Jeb Bush embrace his brother’s presidential decisions as he crafts his 2016 campaign strategy?
4. What impact will the bird flu outbreak have on the U.S. economy?
5. Should the U.S. put more money into Amtrak?
6. Would universal preschool substantially improve the educational performance of low-income students?
7. Should ABC News fire George Stephanopoulous?
8. How should the U.S. respond to Chinese island-building efforts in the South China Sea?
9. Should abortions be illegal after twenty weeks?
10. Will Russ Feingold recapture his Senate seat in 2016?

Strategy: Navigating the NCFL Grand National Tournament

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On May 16, 2015

In Strategy, Tournaments

by Monica Coscia

cflMonica Coscia competed in extemp for Montville Township High School in Montville, New Jersey. She was the 2014 NCFL National Champion in extemp, state runner-up in United States extemp, and the extemp CFL point leader for the Newark district. She also has broken at Yale, Princeton, and Harvard and has coached middle school forensics. Monica now studies political science and history in the honors program at Boston College and competes on the mock trial team.

The best part about winning the NCFL extemp championship wasn’t the trophy or the title. It wasn’t being the first national champion for my school and my amazing coach, although that was a close second. Rather, the legacy that I hope I left with my NCFL championship is the lesson that, even in the world of competitive speech and debate, the underdogs can win. CFL Nationals, unlike other prestigious tournaments like NSDA Nationals and the TOC, is anyone’s tournament to win. This is not to say that one can win the title without practice and effort, but you don’t necessarily need years of speech camp and tons of national tournament breaks to be successful here.  Sure, I had broken at a few national tournaments, finaled at states, and had been to NCFLs once before, but I had never broken past semis at a national tournament. It’s difficult to ignore the fact that people say I shouldn’t have won, but I would like to believe that this wasn’t a complete fluke. I knew who my audience was, and I catered to that audience. The key to this tournament is being cognizant of who you are speaking to, and gearing your already talented skill set to them. I hope that the following advice is even the least bit helpful to your participation in NCFLs, because anyone who truly dedicates his/herself to practicing for this tournament has the ability succeed here.

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R&D from Prepd: Weekly Roundup for the Week of May 11-17, 2015

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On May 15, 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 May 11-17, 2015.

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State Tournament Roundup: Arizona, Indiana, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming

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On May 14, 2015

In State Results

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It has been a while since Extemp Central recapped the action taking place at state tournaments across the country. To get caught up, we will be posting a collection a state tournament results over the course of the next four weeks. Our first state tournament recap provides results for state tournaments in Arizona, Indiana, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

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R&D from Prepd: College Tuition Costs

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On May 14, 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 for the growing issue of college tuition costs.  As states have pared down their support of public university systems and as the federal government has poured subsidies into student loans, universities have increased tuition.  In fact, tuition increases at many universities are outpacing the rate of inflation causing some analysts to worry that the cost of college is becoming increasingly unaffordable for lower income Americans.  The College Board reported this year that the average tuition cost for students attending an in-state four-year public university was $9,139, with out-of-state students paying $22,958.

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Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of May 11-17, 2015

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On May 13, 2015

In Quiz

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Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz.  Good luck!quiz-01

To access a list of all our old quizzes, click here.

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R&D from Prepd: Macedonia’s Political Crisis

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On May 13, 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 Macedonia’s political crisis.  After fourteen years of relative stability between the country’s Macedonian majority and its Albanian minority tensions are re-emerging.  The Ohrid peace deal in 2001 saw the Macedonian government agree to provide more rights to ethnic Albanians, but observers argue that those promises have not been honored.  The country’s economic problems are also aiding the growth of ethnic extremist movements.  European Union (EU) diplomats are warning that recent clashes between Macedonian officials and these extremist groups could produce renewed ethnic unrest in the Balkans, which was the site of gross human rights violations during the 1990s.

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