R&D: The Zika Virus

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On February 3, 2016

In R&D

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Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany today’s premium topic brief on the Zika virus.

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Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of February 1-7, 2016

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On February 2, 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: Syrian Peace Talks

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On February 2, 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 ongoing Syrian peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland.  The talks are being mediated by UN Syrian envoy Staffan de Mistura but have run into complications after the Syrian government claimed that terrorists affiliated with the Islamic State killed more than sixty people near the country’s most recognized Shi’ite shrine.  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is also part of the talks and he is urging the Syrian government and rebel forces to reach an accord so that more stability can be brought to the Middle East.

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HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of February 1-7, 2016

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On February 1, 2016

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. Does the Japanese economy need more quantitative easing?
2. Should more European nations copy Denmark’s push to confiscate the possessions of asylum-seekers?
3. What steps can the Afghan government take to prevent “insider” terrorist attacks?
4. Was Hassan Rouani’s tour of Europe a success?
5. Which regional actor is best positioned to solve Nepal’s ongoing political problems?
6. What is the significance of Portugal’s recent presidential election?
7. Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi: Hosni Mubarak 2.0?
8. What should be the “non-negotiables” in the Syrian peace talks?
9. Does Angela Merkel or David Cameron have the most riding on the EU’s summit later this month?
10. Is the WHO prepared to deal with the Zika outbreak?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of February 1-7, 2016

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On February 1, 2016

In U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. How can the U.S. get more minority students into computer science programs?
2. Do the Democrats have any chance of taking the House in 2016?
3. Should American police be mandated to take an anti-racism pledge?
4. How will the results of the Iowa caucus affect the 2016 presidential election?
5. Should the United States encourage Taiwanese independence?
6. When should the Federal Reserve next raise interest rates?
7. How can the U.S. persuade China to take more aggressive action toward North Korea?
8. Is Apple poised for a significant decline?
9. Could Michael Bloomberg win the presidency as an independent candidate?
10. Has Steve Easterbrook placed McDonald’s back on the road to success?

R&D from Prepd: Weekly Roundup for the Week of January 25-31, 2016

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On January 29, 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 January 25-31, 2016.

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R&D from Prepd: Sarah Palin’s Endorsement of Donald Trump

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On January 28, 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 former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.  Palin, who was also the Republican vice-presidential candidate in 2008, publicly endorsed Trump last Tuesday, which may help Trump’s chances among Iowa’s social conservatives for next week’s Iowa caucus.

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The Flint Water Crisis

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On January 27, 2016

In Topic Brief, U.S. Extemp

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While Americans take clean drinking water for granted, the residents of Flint, Michigan currently lack such a luxury.  The failure of state and federal environmental officials has placed the city’s residents at risk for lead poisoning as a result of an attempt two years ago to save the city money by acquiring drinking water from the nearby Flint River instead of from Detroit.  Since 40% of Flint’s residents are poor and more than half are African-Americans, community activists allege that Michigan’s Governor Rick Snyder and other state officials turned a blind eye to resident concerns on racial and socioeconomic grounds.  The scandal has caused the resignation of the director of Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 5 director and Michigan’s state attorney general and the Department of Justice are looking into the filing of criminal charges.  The crisis creates a significant test of Snyder’s leadership as he must solve this problem while also facing a work stoppage by Detroit’s public school teachers over the condition of their schools.

This topic brief will provide some background on what caused the Flint water crisis, analyze the responses to the crisis, and then highlight why the Flint water crisis is a situation with national significance.

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 Flint Water Crisis

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On January 27, 2016

In R&D

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Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany today’s premium topic brief on the Flint water crisis.

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Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of January 25-31, 2016

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On January 26, 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: The French Economy

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On January 26, 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 French economy.  France is experiencing a 10.6% unemployment rate and President Francois Hollande announced a jobs program worth $2.2 billion last week to combat it.  The country is known as a place where it is difficult for firms to fire workers and Hollande is aiming to enact more liberal economic reforms to encourage businesses to take on more workers.  Joblessness is a major problem facing French youth whose unemployment is nearly double the national average.

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HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of January 25-31, 2016

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On January 25, 2016

In U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. Does the U.S. need to fix the way it deals with Haiti?
2. What is the significance of Sarah Palin’s endorsement of Donald Trump?
3. Will the Supreme Court void President Obama’s executive action on suspending the deportation of illegal immigrants?
4. How will China’s woes affect the U.S. economy in 2016?
5. Is the “white Oscars” controversy overblown?
6. Does the American airline industry need more competition?
7. Is a “golden age” of profits for American firms coming to an end?
8. Should Congress pass President Obama’s unemployment insurance proposal?
9. How can Bernie Sanders pierce Hillary Clinton’s Southern firewall?
10. What should Rick Snyder do about the Flint water crisis?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of January 25-31, 2016

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On January 25, 2016

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. Are fiscal or monetary problems a bigger threat to the Brazilian economy?
2. Is the ECB hampering Italy’s plans for economic reform?
3. Are economic problems aggravating racial tensions in South Africa?
4. Have Western sanctions against Russia failed?
5. Should Google allow authoritarian government to request the blocking of offending material?
6. Will Francois Hollande’s jobs plan successfully reduce France’s unemployment rate?
7. Should the World Bank feel threatened by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank?
8. Will the ICC’s prosecution of William Ruto disrupt Western-Kenyan cooperation against al-Shabab?
9. How should Xi Jinping react to the DPP’s landslide victory in Taiwan’s presidential election?
10. Will Iranian conservatives triumph in February’s parliamentary elections?

R&D from Prepd: Weekly Roundup for the Week of January 18-24, 2016

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On January 22, 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 January 18-24, 2016.

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2016 James Logan MLK Invitational: Shaik and Govindaraju Lead an Archbishop Mitty Sweep

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On January 21, 2016

In National Circuit Results

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Last weekend’s James Logan MLK Invitational, held at James Logan High School in Union City, California, played host to the second part of the “California Swing” of the National Points Race and this year’s event was dominated by Archbishop Mitty High School (CA).  In International Extemp, Ismail Shaik of Archbishop Mitty won a five rank victory over Shreyan Jain of Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) and in United States Extemp, Pranav Govindaraju of Mitty narrowly defeated Charles Tang of Leland High School (CA) by one rank.  The tabulation of the tournament was cumulative.

Although the tournament attracted talent from Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, California extempers dominated the final rounds.  The only non-California extemper to make a final round was Kshitiz Singh of Desert Vista High School (AZ), who placed fifth in United States Extemp.

Extempers that reached each final round will receive National Points Race points due to the fact that James Logan is a fifth tier tournament in the National Points Race.  Since each final round had seven finalists, only the top six will receive points.

Here are the results of the 2016 James Logan MLK Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):

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