R&D from Prepd: Ethiopia

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On May 27, 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 Ethiopia.  The nation held parliamentary elections on Sunday and the governing Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition was expected to win.  Opposition parties said that the poll was not fair, but African observers said that the election was free of large irregularities.  The Ethiopian government has strong ties to Western nations despite its recent history of silencing critics of the government.

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2015 National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament: Liang “Wakes Up” to Win His First National Championship; Trinity Preparatory Places Two in the Final Round

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On May 26, 2015

In Nationals Results

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2015 NCFLYijia Liang of Upper Arlington High School (OH) ended the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand National Tournament exactly where he began the season – in the winner’s circle – as he defeated the top two competitors in the National Points Race – Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School (FL) and Brian Anderson of LaRue County High School (KY) – to win his first major championship. Liang’s victory is his second national circuit title of the season as he won the Wake Forest National Early Bird back in September. His win is the first time that an Ohio extemper has won the NCFL national title since Alex Draime of Howland High School took the crown in 2009.

Graham and Anderson tied for second place, but Graham had a cumulative score that was two ranks better than Anderson in the final round. This matters for the National Points Race as Graham will be able to enlarge his lead by fifteen points going into the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament.

Montville Township High School (NJ) placed an extemper in the final round for the second consecutive year, with Christopher Mayer coming within four places of repeating teammate Monica Coscia’s national winning performance at last year’s tournament.

Samhitha Sunkara of Ardrey Kell High School (NC) finished the tournament in sixth place, becoming the first North Carolina extemp finalist at NCFL Nationals since 2011.

Trinity Preparatory School (FL) did quite well at the tournament, placing two competitors in the final round. Along with Graham’s runner-up performance, Nathaniel Saffran took fourth. This is the first time since 2009 that a school has had two extemp finalists at an NCFL National Tournament. Howland High School was the last school to accomplish the feat.

The tournament’s octo-final round also lived up to its cursed reputation as several prominent national competitors had their dreams of a national title end prematurely. Josh Wartel of Lake Braddock Secondary School (VA), who took third at last year’s tournament, was eliminated in octo-finals and was denied the opportunity to win the third leg of the Grand Slam. Yale Invitational winner Jasper Primack of Newton South High School (MA) and New York state champion Charlie Barton of Regis High School were also eliminated from the competition early Sunday morning.

Since the NCFL National Tournament is a third tier tournament in the National Points Race all of the competitor who reached the quarter-final round and beyond will earn points. If the Extemp TOC maintains its existing qualification system for next year, all of the underclassmen that reached the semi-final round will earn a leg for next year’s competition in Evanston, Illinois.

Here are the results of the 2015 NCFL Grand National Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):

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The U.S. Bird Flu Outbreak

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On May 26, 2015

In Topic Brief, U.S. Extemp

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Since December, American agricultural authorities have been wrestling with an outbreak of bird flu.  Three strains of bird flu have affected the North American poultry industry and have thus far led to the culling of 38.9 million birds in the United States, twice the number of a major outbreak that took place three decades ago.  The Pacific Northwest and the Midwest have been the regions most significantly impacted by the outbreak and Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa have been forced to declare states of emergency.  Scientists are not yet sure what is causing the outbreak, but the leading theory is that migratory birds might be spreading various strains of the virus.  Although there is no threat to American public health at this time, health officials are remaining alert to any bird-to-human transmission of avian influenza, which took place in Asia in 2003.  Due to the fact that the recent outbreak will raise consumer prices of egg-related food products in the short-term, that U.S. taxpayers will be paying millions in relief to poultry farmers, and handling the problem will test the leadership of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, extempers that specialize in domestic issues should be aware of the recent bird flu problem.

This topic brief will chronicle how bird flu has become a significant problem for the American poultry industry, discuss the economic impact of the bird flu outbreak, and then point out some issues that extempers should be aware of as they continue to follow this news story.

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: The U.S. Bird Flu Outbreak

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On May 26, 2015

In R&D

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Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany today’s premium topic brief on the U.S. bird flu outbreak.

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

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On May 25, 2015

In U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. Should Congress eliminate the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program?
2. How can the mass incarceration problem be ended?
3. Should individual employees face criminal charges in the GM ignition case?
4. How can fast food worker protests gain more traction?
5. Did Rand Paul’s recent filibuster against the Patriot Act bolster his presidential chances?
6. Is the Department of Agriculture effectively dealing with the domestic bird flu outbreak?
7. Are sustained low interest rates harming American economic growth?
8. How can the liberal arts secure more funding in a “STEM era”?
9. Will Republicans pay a significant political price for backing trade promotion authority?
10. Does the U.S. need to do more to fight ISIS in Syria?

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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