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Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
To acces
s a list of all our old quizzes, click here.
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Today’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 Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s political position. Mugabe has governed Zimbabwe in various capacities since 1980 and his rule is infamous for corruption and poor economic management. Repression of political opponents, as well as the inability of those opponents to cooperate, has allowed Mugabe to stay in power but he is facing growing opposition due to continued economic stagnation and the unpopularity of his wife Grace. Ninety-two years old, Mugabe is one of Africa’s oldest leaders and observers are speculating what a post-Mugabe Zimbabwe will look like.
Zimbabwe war veterans boycott President Mugabe speech over economic woes https://t.co/b4SvVLPJwy pic.twitter.com/PZiE3VMLu9
— Al Jazeera News (@AJENews) August 8, 2016
1. This #BSR is ESSENTIAL reading for understanding “The System” in Zimbabwe. #Tajamuka #ThisFlag https://t.co/5Z4HawUySA @WaMagaisa
— #ThisFlag | Doug (@DougColtart) August 8, 2016
How a Zimbabwean pastor’s peaceful resistance shook Mugabe’s regime https://t.co/0MdtJ9uypJ pic.twitter.com/gGjHJ4OlL9
— The WorldPost (@TheWorldPost) July 31, 2016
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1. Will Massachusetts new employment legislation greatly assist in the narrowing of the gender pay gap?
2. Is President Obama playing too much of a role in the 2016 presidential election?
3. Are U.S. cities doing enough to combat air pollution?
4. What reforms should the U.S. make to corporate governance regulations?
5. Should American schools adopt four day school weeks?
6. What should Verizon do with Yahoo?
7. Will the 2016 presidential election produce a significant political realignment?
8. Have free trade policies been a net negative for the U.S. economy?
9. Does the new U.S. jobs report brighten the nation’s economic outlook?
10. Have events of the past week sunk Donald Trump’s presidential aspirations?
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1. Should Britain’s Labour Party choose Owen Smith as its next leader?
2. Is Robert Mugabe losing his grip on power?
3. Can social media cure corruption in the developing world?
4. Is the Chinese government doing enough to combat flooding?
5. What ails Taiwan’s economy?
6. Is ISIS making inroads in Afghanistan?
7. How can South Korea’s government increase support for the deployment of THAAD battery
system?
8. Would a loosening of immigration controls bolster the Japanese economy?
9. How can internationalists defend their worldview in an increasingly nationalistic
world?
10. Should IOC permanently relocate future Summer Olympics to Greece?
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Today’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 August 1-7, 2016.
Economists forecast a gain of 179,000 jobs in July. Here’s what else to keep an eye on https://t.co/BlhMJ70gqA pic.twitter.com/o2MlYCvYHh
— Real Time Economics (@WSJecon) August 4, 2016
Ramzi Kassem of @CUNY_CLEAR on the dangerous failures of France’s state of emergency: https://t.co/kLaKyMD1TT pic.twitter.com/NcpLIXkAQT
— NYT Opinion (@nytopinion) August 4, 2016
Now Russia isn’t the only one who talks loosely about nuclear weapons https://t.co/GK8WHFbeLJ pic.twitter.com/ZfaTbhXDee
— Brookings (@BrookingsInst) August 4, 2016
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Today’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 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s consolidation of power in Turkey after a failed coup several weeks ago. Erdogan has blamed cleric Fethullah Gullen for masterminding the coup and has arrested or sacked military commanders, journalists, academics, and bureaucrats that do not have loyalty to his government. Western nations are wary of Erdogan’s actions, warning him not to trample Turkey’s democratic system.
Erdogan’s purge is actually a sectarian war, argues Edward Luttwak. https://t.co/EWHgvMMEOu pic.twitter.com/LhSES1S5lW
— Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy) August 3, 2016
Here @stephenkinzer says Turkey is heading toward int’l isolation and perhaps even economic crisis and civil war https://t.co/fVDiQvAj0F
— Kadri Gürsel (@KadriGursel) August 3, 2016
If even 1/2 of those #Erdogan has arrested, detained or fired had really helped Turkey coup, it would have succeeded pic.twitter.com/cpwDELuojl
— NATOSource (@NATOSource) August 3, 2016
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Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
To access a list of all our old quizzes, click here.
[fblike]
Today’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 Debbie Wassmerman Schultz’s exit as Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair. Wasserman Schultz stepped down as chairwoman last week after WikiLeaks revealed e-mails that the DNC had actively plotted to undermine the presidential campaign of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Wasserman Schultz was criticized by Sanders supporters throughout the campaign of favoring the candidacy of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Some observers have also noted that the split could undermine Wassmeran Schultz’s re-election campaign to the House, as she leads a Sanders-aligned candidate by only eight points in a recent poll.
Wasserman Schultz’s problems aren’t over yet https://t.co/EWHustvFpz pic.twitter.com/USliXzjbcx
— The Hill (@thehill) August 1, 2016
Even after a humiliating defenestration, Debbie Wasserman Schultz would not be denied her moment https://t.co/kNtWXeZQFe
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) July 29, 2016
Who will replace Debbie Wasserman Schultz? https://t.co/y8HSulYx59 | AP Photo pic.twitter.com/KzdNpIv9gu
— POLITICO (@politico) July 27, 2016
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1. Can Italy’s Five Star Movement win Italy’s next national election?
2. How will Venezuela’s economic difficulties affect Cuba?
3. Does the expulsion of Russian athletes from the Summer Olympics make the Games illegitimate?
4. How can the Canadian government improve commerce across its provinces?
5. Will the trial of Lula da Silva weaken leftist political forces in Brazil?
6. Should Indonesia continue its practice of executing drug traffickers?
7. What steps does Pakistan need to take to stop “honor killings”?
8. How will a recent wave of terror attacks affect German politics?
9. Will Thai voters approve a military-friendly constitution?
10. How can the West ensure that Erdogan does not destroy Turkish democracy?
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1. Has President Obama failed to monitor and build the infrastructure of the Democratic Party during his tenure in office?
2. Is cheap oil maintaining U.S. economic growth?
3. Should more U.S. schools move to a 1:1 model?
4. Can Bill Clinton help Hillary Clinton win back lower class white voters?
5. How will Roger Ailes departure from Fox News affect the channel’s future?
6. Should the Commission on Presidential Debates lower the threshold of support that third party candidates need to acquire to participate?
7. If the Republicans keep the House in 2016, will Paul Ryan win another term as Speaker of the House?
8. Should the EPA issue new regulations on the natural gas industry?
9. Would a Donald Trump presidency significantly alter American foreign policy toward Russia?
10. Will Pennsylvania be the state that decides the 2016 presidential election?
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Today marks the beginning of August and with it the beginning of the 2016-2017 season here at Extemp Central. Much of the posting calendar will stay the same as previous years, with the biggest change taking place with premium content. No premium content will be offered during 2016-2017 so that the site can provide more coverage of local and national events on the circuit.
In the coming weeks, Extemp Central will be updating the 2016-2017 tournament calendar, the TOC qualification boards for 2016-2017, and will provide the breakdown of the 2016-2017 National Points Race, which will kick off at the Wake Forest National Early Bird next month.
Here is what the daily schedule of content will be like during the 2016-2017 year:
Monday: United States and International Extemp Questions
Tuesday: Topic-specific R&D
Wednesday: News quiz
Thursday: Topic-specific R&D
Friday: Weekly R&D that mixes U.S. and International Extemp issues
In addition to this posting schedule, there will be posts about national and local results, qualification board updates, and National Points Race updates as the season moves along.
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1. Is the Republican Party becoming more unified behind its presidential nominee than their Democratic counterparts?
2. How can African nations better protect property rights?
3. Is de facto segregation the primary cause of police-minority tensions?
4. Have recent Wikileaks revelations greatly harmed Democrats electoral hopes?
5. Should communities embrace Pokemon Go?
6. How should American cable companies adapt to customers “cutting the cord”?
7. Would the adoption of national education standards increase student achievement?
8. Was Tim Kaine a good vice presidential choice?
9. Should the U.S. remove nuclear weapons from Turkey?
10. Did Ted Cruz destroy his future presidential prospects at the Republican National Convention?
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1. Is Turkey in the midst of two coups?
2. Can the “On the Move” movement fix France?
3. Is Jeremy Corbyn’s refusal to resign doing significant damage to the Labour Party?
4. Can Angela Merkel’s government survive continued terror incidents?
5. Will growing corruption allegations force Benjamin Netanyahu to resign?
6. How can African nations better protect property rights?
7. Will Mozambique go bankrupt in 2017?
8. How can the international community prevent overfishing?
9. What should John Cryan do to fix Deutsche Bank?
10. Will China’s ongoing media crackdown create a backlash against the Communist Party?
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1. Are greater global controls needed on the Internet to better combat terrorism?
2. Will Shinzo Abe succeed in modifying Article IX of the Japanese Constitution by the end of his tenure in office?
3. Should the international community be concerned over China’s disregard of a Hague tribunal decision concerning the South China Sea?
4. Would the creation of a common passport zone across Africa enhance the continent’s economic status?
5. What needs to be done to resolve Mexico’s teacher protests?
6. How should Pakistani officials respond to the death of Qandeel Baloch?
7. What should be Theresa May’s top priority?
8. Should the UN send more peacekeepers to South Sudan?
9. Will Turkey’s failed coup allow Erdogan to further consolidate power?
10. What changes need to be made to French counter-terror efforts?
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1. Is North Carolina’s voter ID law unconstitutional?
2. How can Christian conservatives regain their political voice?
3. Should Democrats eliminte superdelegates from the 2020 election cycle?
4. How can the U.S. end the heroin epidemic?
5. Should federal anti-trust officials pay special attention to Google?
6. How can local police forces recruit more African-American applicants?
7. Should the next U.S. president re-evaluate America’s relationship with Saudi Arabia?
8. In the next ten years will the U.S. have fewer troops in Afghanistan?
9. Should the U.S. extradite Fethullah Gulen?
10. Will the Pence pick enhance Donald Trump’s relationship with socially conservative voters?