Extemp Central

R&D: American Infrastructure

On August 20, 2021

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 is on American infrastructure. The Biden administration has made upgrading American infrastructure a policy priority and worked across the aisle with Republicans on a $1 trillion package in the Senate. The House has yet to vote on the legislation, but progressives are threatening to balk unless the chamber votes on President Biden’s $3.5 trillion social infrastructure package first. Passage of either bill would be a major domestic success for President Biden, but is also showing the difficulties of moving legislation in today’s partisan climate.

What’s in the U.S. Senate’s infrastructure bill?

Here’s a comparison of the plan President Biden proposed in March and the one that passed on Tuesday. https://t.co/ZffSvPfjSK

— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 10, 2021

From @WSJopinion: As Biden’s approval rating falls, the President needs a win. But Congress isn’t poised to provide, as Democrats feud over the infrastructure bill and budget resolution, writes @BillGalston https://t.co/3tzfrOOioT

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) August 18, 2021

The bipartisan infrastructure bill includes $65 billion for internet development – some states need more help than others. https://t.co/Tv3wdDub6O

— U.S. News & World Report (@usnews) August 17, 2021

Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of August 16-22, 2021

By geniao44446

On August 18, 2021

In Quiz

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

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of August 16-22, 2021

By geniao44446

On August 16, 2021

In U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. What lessons should the United States learn from the War in Afghanistan?
2. Should states require teachers to get the COVID-19 vaccine?
3. What role should the United States play in stabilizing Haiti?
4. How can organized labor recover its footing?
5. Why are Joe Biden’s approval numbers slipping?
6. Should Jerome Powell be nominated for another term?
7. Has social media made American life worse?
8. Are the structures of American public education crumbling?
9. Does the Federal Reserve need to take the threat of inflation more seriously?
10. Is Andrew Cuomo’s political career over?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of August 16-22, 2021

By geniao44446

On August 16, 2021

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Will China be the biggest beneficiary of a Taliban victory in Afghanistan?
2. Is Hezbollah’s political position weakening?
3. Can the global economy afford more COVID lockdowns?
4. Will Haiti’s recent earthquake exacerbate the nation’s political crisis?
5. Was Zambia’s recent election fair?
6. Will plans for more stringent regulations weaken China’s economy?
7. Are jihadists becoming Africa’s biggest national security problem?
8. Will Trudeau’s snap election gambit work?
9. How can the international community more efficiently distribute COVID-19 vaccines to the developing world?
10. Should the EU offer membership to the Balkan Six?

R&D from Prepd: The War in Afghanistan

By geniao44446

On August 13, 2021

In International Extemp, R&D, U.S. Extemp

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 is on the war in Afghanistan. In 2001, the United States helped the Northern Alliance overthrow Afghanistan’s Taliban regime due to the Taliban harboring 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden. Now, the United States is withdrawing its forces from the country and the Taliban has captured nearly a dozen of the country’s provincial capitals. International observers question whether the Afghan government can fight on its own and worry about how a restored Taliban regime will treat the rights of women, ethnic minorities, and political dissidents.

The West may want to forget about Afghanistan, but that won’t be possible. Of the many bad options Biden faced, he chose perhaps the worst. https://t.co/9jjZaUy8Zh

— World Politics Review (@WPReview) August 12, 2021

Ideally, America would not be withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan at all. Its rush for the exit has allowed the Taliban to drop the pretence of negotiations https://t.co/vTAszVNlFi

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) August 12, 2021

The Islamist group was in power in Afghanistan until the US led invasion in 2001https://t.co/ittpBn3iSI

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 12, 2021

Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of August 9-15, 2021

By geniao44446

On August 11, 2021

In Quiz

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

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of August 9-15, 2021

By geniao44446

On August 9, 2021

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Will Germany remain the leader of the EU after Merkel?
2. Is the growth of the delta variant creating political headaches for Xi Jinping?
3. Where will Ebrahim Raisi take Iran’s nuclear program?
4. How can international organizations prevent their domination by authoritarian entities?
5. What are new tools that the world needs to better combat human trafficking?
6. Is Ethiopia headed for a breakup?
7. What is the biggest threat to India’s governing BJP?
8. How should the OAS respond if Nicaragua’s next presidential election is not free and fair?
9. Why have Ukraine’s military reforms failed?
10. How can the Mexican government reduce the nation’s high poverty rate?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of August 9-15, 2021

By geniao44446

On August 9, 2021

In U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Is the Biden administration doing enough to combat inflation?
2. Can the U.S. have a more liberalized border policy during the COVID-19 pandemic?
3. Are Republicans gaining momentum for the 2022 midterm elections?
4. Should the Department of Justice open a criminal probe into former President Trump’s challenges of the 2020 election result?
5. Will New York’s state legislature impeach and remove Governor Andrew Cuomo?
6. Would universal pre-K improve educational outcomes in the United States?
7. Will the Supreme Court eventually nullify the CDC’s extension of the eviction moratorium?
8. How can the U.S. stymie cooperation between China and Russia?
9. Could vaccine mandates exacerbate America’s worker shortage?
10. How can Senate Democrats win Republican support for voting rights legislation?

R&D from Prepd: School Mask Mandates

By geniao44446

On August 6, 2021

In R&D, U.S. Extemp

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 is on the debate over school mask mandates. While some states like South Carolina and Texas have prohibited schools from setting mask requirements, others like California and New Mexico will require them. The fight has become a grassroots battle over local education policy going into the 2021-2022 school year.

One of the first in the U.S. to start a new school year, Arizona provides an early indication of how mask-wearing could play out across the country https://t.co/j7Xh8n2ZSy

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) August 4, 2021

Read more about how students are adjusting to masks in school from @melissagomez004 at https://t.co/1alTkUmAXX

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) August 3, 2021

Arkansas is one of a handful that blocked school districts from mandating the use of masks in schools. Within days of reopening, hundreds were quarantined. https://t.co/ERPlCfabpT

— U.S. News & World Report (@usnews) August 5, 2021

Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of August 2-8, 2021

By geniao44446

On August 4, 2021

In Quiz

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

Site News: Extemp Central Content Schedule for the 2021-2022 Season

By geniao44446

On August 2, 2021

In Site News

The last two speech seasons have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the cancellation of the 2020 NCFL Grand National Tournament and made last year an online-only year for teams across the country. Hopefully this season begins the transition back to in-person competitions, but regardless of the format of this competition year Extemp Central hopes to provide resources for those doing extemporaneous speaking across the country.

In keeping with that mission, we do plan to revive the Extemp Central National Points Race as well as provide more recaps of national circuit and local competitions. As always, we appreciate our readers providing results so we can post them. Aside from following results, other past bits of Extemp Central’s content will be making a comeback as well, namely news quizzes and R&Ds. Here is the content schedule that can be expected for this season.

Mondays: HotTopics International and United States Extemp questions
Tuesdays: Recaps of local results and/or results from national circuit competitions. This may also be a time for the posting of specialty columns on upcoming tournaments and/or interview pieces.
Wednesdays: News quiz posting in short answer format (spoiler tags will hide the answers)
Thursdays: Recap of any local results and/or national news not posted on Tuesdays. This may also be a time for the posting of specialty columns on upcoming tournaments and/or interview pieces. The revived National Points Race will also feature columns on this day.
Fridays: Weekly R&D about a pertinent, newsworthy topic

Extemp Central will soon be doing interviews with NSDA national winners Pranav Pattatathunaduvil and Laurel Holley, which we will hope to have posted in the coming weeks. We will also be assembling the tournament calendar for 2021-2022 in time for the beginning of the national circuit season in September.

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of August 2-8, 2021

By geniao44446

On August 2, 2021

In U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Is the U.S. headed for another COVID-19 lockdown?
2. Should state governors issue mask mandates for schools or leave the decision to local officials?
3. If Sarah Palin decides to run for the Senate, how big of a threat is she to Lisa Murkowski’s re-election hopes?
4. How much power should social media services have to remove content they believe to be “disinformation”?
5. Does a delta COVID surge constitute a major threat to President Biden’s domestic agenda?
6. Should Congress have extended the federal eviction moratorium?
7. Are Texas Democrats winning their battle against the state’s proposed voting law?
8. What is the best way to reform policing in the United States?
9. Will vaccination mandates have to come from employers instead of the federal government?
10. How can the U.S. prevent a shortage of critical semiconductors in the future?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of August 2-8, 2021

By geniao44446

On August 2, 2021

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. What impact could the Querdenker movement have on the 2021 German elections?
2. Could Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi put Libya back together?
3. Is a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan inevitable?
4. Do economic problems in North Korea provide an opening for a “grand bargain” over its nuclear program?
5. How should ASEAN react to Myanmar’s military extending the nation’s state of emergency?
6. What should Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh do to better economic conditions in the Gaza Strip?
7. Was Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s term a disaster for his country?
8. Will rising political turmoil in Tunisia undermine the gains of the Arab Spring?
9. Is Russia’s military becoming overextended in proxy conflicts?
10. What steps does the ANC need to take to fix South Africa’s economic woes?

2021 NSDA National Tournament: Pattatathunaduvil Extends Plano West Domination in IX; Holley Brings South Carolina Its First National Championship in USX in Thrilling Finish; Dharmapurikar Creates IX Split

By geniao44446

On June 22, 2021

In Nationals Results

The 2021 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament wrapped up on Saturday, concluding five days of intensive competition and crowning two new national champions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NSDA was forced to host the national championships online for the second consecutive year.

Pranav Pattatathunaduvil of Plano West Senior High School (TX) won the International Extemp National Championship, defeating Extemp TOC winner Mukta Dharmapurikar of Durham Academy (NC) by six ranks. Dharmapurikar won the final round by eight ranks over third place finisher, MBA Champion Katherine Rollins of the Potomac School (VA). After the two high and low judges were removed from composite rankings, she was able to cut six ranks from Pattatathunaduvil’s lead but it was not enough to claim the title. The split between the overall national champion and final round national champion is the first in International Extemp since 2017.

Pattatathunaduvil’s win marks an amazing streak of wins for Plano West in International Extemp, which has had three of its competitors win the category over the last four years. It is also the fourth straight year that the winner of International Extemp comes from Texas, a streak that is two years longer than any other state.

In United States Extemp, Laurel Holley of Riverside High School (SC) gave the state of South Carolina its first-ever extemporaneous speaking national championship. Holley mounted a comeback in the final round, winning it by an adjusted nine ranks and vaulting from fourth place in the pre-finals rankings to first. Holley’s final round showing was enough to win a tiebreaker over Gabriel Frank-McPheter of Gabrielino High School (CA) as both competitors ended the tournament with identical composite scores of 102.

William Chien of the Harker School (CA) led the competiton going into the final round, but fell back to fourth after finals ranks were added in.

CFL National Champion Ananth Veluvali of Edina High School (MN) was denied a chance to win CFL and NSDA national championships in the same season, a feat that has not been done since 2011. He finished fourth but took second in the final round.

Eight of the twelve finalists were non-seniors, earning qualification to next year’s national tournament in their respective category. They are indicated in the results listing in blue.

Here are the results of the 2021 National Speech and Debate Association National Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):

2021 NSDA National Tournament: IX & USX Semi-Finalist Placings

By geniao44446

On June 19, 2021

In Nationals Results

Although we await the final placings in International and United States Extemp later this evening, NSDA has already named the exact placings of the semi-finalists in International and United States Extemp.

Included below are the rankings for the semi-finalists in International and United States Extemp at this year’s national tournament. Competitors that are highlighted in blue are non-seniors who have the option of automatically returning to next year’s national tournament in that same extemp category.