R&D from Prepd: Weekly Roundup for the Week of March 7-13, 2016

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On March 11, 2016

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 March 7-13, 2016.

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R&D from Prepd: The U.S. Economy

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On March 10, 2016

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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 the U.S. economy.  Unemployment in the United States is currently 4.9%, but a lack of global demand for some agricultural commodities and low oil prices are doing damage to several U.S. states such as Alaska, North Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming.  Wage growth in the economy has also been flat and consumer confidence appears stunted.  Some economists have warned that there could be a recession later in 2016 and that could benefit Republicans in the presidential campaign. A recession would also create problems for the Federal Reserve, which recently raised interest rates.

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The State of the Republican Race (2016)

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On March 9, 2016

In Topic Brief, U.S. Extemp

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When billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump announced his presidential bid last summer it was greeted with significant skepticism.  After all, Trump was once aligned with Democratic and independent politics before recently casting his lot with the Republican Party, and he was also part of the “birther” faction that doubted the validity of President Obama’s citizenship.  When Trump criticized former Republican presidential nominee John McCain for not being a war hero due to his capture in the Vietnam War, the mainstream media wrote him off as a serious candidate.  However, with just eight months to go before Americans head to the polls to elect the nation’s forty-fifth president Trump is currently the frontrunner for the Republican nomination.  The Republican “establishment” has recently panicked over Trump’s rise, with the party’s recent presidential nominee Mitt Romney warning party regulars about nominating Trump.  Nevertheless, it appears that if Trump wins the Florida and Ohio primaries in two weeks that he may prove unstoppable and his victory could recast the entire structure of the Republican Party.

This topic brief will highlight where the Republican presidential race currently stands, analyze some scenarios for who could end up as the Republican nominee and its implications, and discuss whether a Trump candidacy could return Republicans to the White House.

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 State of the Republican Race (2016)

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On March 9, 2016

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Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany today’s premium topic brief on the state of the Republican race (2016).

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Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of March 7-13, 2016

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On March 8, 2016

In Quiz

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

To accesquiz-01s a list of all our old quizzes, click here.

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R&D from Prepd: Zimbabwe Nationalizes Its Diamond Mines

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On March 8, 2016

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 Zimbabwe’s nationalization of its diamond mines.  President Robert Mugabe announced last week that diamond smuggling was costing his nation $13 billion per year and that a new state-owned company needs to seize the minds to prevent this.  Although nationalization could enhance the size of the nation’s available wealth, it could also dampen the prospects of future foreign investment in the Zimbabwean economy.  Private firms that work the mines, including one Chinese company, have vowed to fight Mugabe’s decision in court.

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HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of March 7-13, 2016

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On March 7, 2016

In U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. Should law schools be held civilly liable for graduate employment rates?
2. Would the closure of Gitmo threaten national security?
3. Are political parties becoming obsolete in U.S. politics?
4. Should U.S. states lower the drinking age to eighteen?
5. Do foreign criticisms of Donald Trump help his campaign?
6. Could state pension crises have significant national economic ramifications?
7. Does Bryan Pagliano’s immunity deal increase the chances of a federal indictment against Hillary Clinton?
8. Should children receive government-appointed attorneys in immigration hearings?
9. Does the U.S. need a president that can get along with Vladimir Putin?
10. Would Ted Cruz do better in a general election than Donald Trump?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of March 7-13, 2016

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On March 7, 2016

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. How should Justin Trudeau alter Canadian foreign policy?
2. Has Jokowi done enough to improve governance in Indonesia?
3. Is the world winning the battle against deforestation?
4. Will Zimbabwe’s nationalization of its diamond mines do further damage to the nation’s economy?
5. How can centrist European parties stop the rise of far-left and far-right alternatives?
6. Should the West allow Ukraine to fall back into the Russian orbit?
7. Would a “Brexit” hurt Great Britain or the European Union the most?
8. What role should NATO play in the European migrant crisis?
9. Is there a significant threat of ISIS acquiring a nuclear weapon?
10. Should the IOC discontinue the practice of choosing developing nations to host the Winter or Summer Olympics?

R&D from Prepd: Weekly Roundup for the Week of February 29-March 6, 2016

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On March 4, 2016

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 February 29-March 6, 2016.

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R&D from Prepd: Evo Morales & Bolivarian Socialism

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On March 3, 2016

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 Bolivian President Evo Morales and the state of “Bolivarian Socialism” in the country.  Bolivian voters recently rejected allowing Morales to run for a fourth term in 2020.  Morales has governed the country since 2005 and his rule has championed the rights of Bolivia’s indigenous peoples versus the nation’s wealthier regions.  It appears that recent corruption allegations affected the vote, but it must be said that Morales has been more fiscally responsible than other leftist regimes in Latin America.  Regardless of the reason, Morales’ defeat is another major loss for left-wing politics in the region over the last two years.

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Iran’s Elections (2016)

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On March 2, 2016

In International Extemp, Topic Brief

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Last week’s Iranian elections were billed as the most significant in decades as reformist, moderate, and conservative candidates vied for seats in the nation’s parliament (called the Majlis) and its Assembly of Experts, the body that selects the nation’s Supreme Leader.  The elections appeared to be a triumph for moderate President Hassan Rouhani, with reformist and moderate candidates sweeping all of the seats in Tehran and returning to the Majlis for the first time since 2012.  Moderate candidates also did well in the Assembly of Experts elections, apparently winning fifty-one of the eighty-eight available seats.  In a campaign that was marred by accusations of Western interference by the nation’s conservatives, Rouhani successfully rallied Iranians around the benefits of the recent nuclear deal and appears poised to push for more economic and social reforms before Iran holds its presidential election next year.  This could make Iran a growing superpower in the Middle East, but extempers should be cautious of reading too much significance into the elections as hardliners continue to control the Islamic Republic’s primary institutions.

This topic brief will provide some background information on Iranian politics, discuss the brief election cycle that led up to the recent elections, and then analyze the significance of the elections.

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: Iran’s Elections (2016)

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On March 2, 2016

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Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany today’s premium topic brief on Iran’s elections (2016).

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Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of February 29-March 6, 2016

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On March 1, 2016

In Quiz

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

To accesquiz-01s a list of all our old quizzes, click here.

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R&D from Prepd: Minimum Wage

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On March 1, 2016

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 the minimum wage debate in the United States.  Progressives argue that the minimum wage needs to be raised in order to keep up with inflation and better compensate American workers, while conservatives warn that increasing the minimum wage will reduce the number of entry-level jobs available to American youth and may serve as a deterrent to employers to hire.  States such as Alabama are moving to prohibit localities from establishing their own minimum wage, creating yet another nuance to the ongoing debate.  The U.S. minimum wage currently stands at $7.25 per hour.  It was last changed in 2009.

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HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of February 29-March 6, 2016

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On February 29, 2016

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. How can African nations improve trade throughout the continent?
2. Are Bolivians tiring of “Bolivarian socialism”?
3. Has austerity failed the EU?
4. Can NATO afford for Great Britain to eliminate its Trident submarine fleet?
5. Will the deployment of an AU mission to Burundi exacerbate the nation’s political crisis?
6. How should ASEAN respond to China’s militarization of the South China Sea?
7. What effect will Iran’s parliamentary elections have on the nation’s foreign policy?
8. Does the Syrian ceasefire most benefit Assad or the forces aligned against him?
9. How would significant victories by the European far right in European elections in 2016 and 2017 affect Russian foreign policy?
10. Is the UN doing enough to ensure proper behavior by its peacekeeping forces?

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