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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2016 Stanford National Invitational: Xu Sweeps Both Extemp Categories For First National Points Race Win of the Season

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On January 21, 2016

In National Circuit Results

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Moving from its traditional February date, this year’s Stanford National Invitational, a fifth tier tournament in the National Points Race, attracted a smaller field.  Twenty-six competitors faced off in International Extemp and twenty-four in United States Extemp and Brian Xu of San Marino High School (CA) took the titles in both categories.  Xu defeated Michelle Huang of Irvington High School (CA) in International Extemp and teammate Joseph Kiang in United States Extemp.  These wins give Xu his first victory in a National Points Race tournament this season.

Since Stanford allowed competitors to double in both extemp categories, our “St. Mark’s formula” was used to determine which competitors would receive National Points Race points.  Xu, Kiang, and Huang occupied the top three places and there were several ties for the other points.  As a result, Connor Wright of Lodi High School (CA) and Jennifer Xiao of San Marino High School will share the fourth place points awarded for Stanford and Karisa Anand of Sierra Canyon High School (CA) and Micalyn Strubble of College Preparatory (CA) will share sixth place points.

Here are the results of the 2016 Stanford National Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):

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R&D from Prepd: Pollution in India

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On January 21, 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 pollution in India.  Environmentalists have charged that the government is not doing enough to fix problems related to air and water pollution, notably in major cities and along the Ganges River.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to fix pollution problems during his 2014 campaign, but critics charge that he needs to do more to reduce the nation’s carbon emissions and crackdown on industrial pollution.

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The Jakarta Terrorist Attack

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On January 20, 2016

In International Extemp, Topic Brief

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Although terrorism is not unknown in Indonesia, it had been seven years since the world’s largest Muslim nation was victimized by a large-scale terrorist attack.  On Thursday, terrorists reportedly aligned with the Islamic State fired upon a busy shopping district in the capital of Jakarta, killing two people and wounding more than twenty others.  Indonesian President Joko Widodo, also known as Jokowi, was quick to condemn the attacks and stated his nation’s resolve not to succumb to the extremist message that the Islamic State propagates.  However, there are fears that the attack may be a sign of bigger aims by the Islamic State in Southeast Asia as the group is reportedly looking into ways to extend its reach to weaken international efforts against it in Iraq and Syria.  The attacks have also called into question whether Indonesian authorities are doing enough to fight extremism and the radicalization of young Muslim men.

This topic brief will provide a brief overview of Indonesia’s battles against Islamic extremists, discuss why the Jakarta attacks could be a sign of growing instability in Southeast Asia, and analyze how Indonesian authorities may react to the attacks.

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 Jakarta Terrorist Attack

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On January 20, 2016

In R&D

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Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany today’s premium topic brief on the Jakarta terrorist attack.

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Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of January 18-24, 2016

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On January 19, 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: Detroit Public Schools

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On January 19, 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 plight of Detroit’s public schools.  Last week, Detroit teachers staged a “sick out” to call attention to poor conditions in the city’s schools and Mayor Mike Duggan visited several and confirmed what teachers were reporting.  Teachers are calling on Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to do more to fix the problem as Detroit’s schools have been under state oversight for the last seven years.  Snyder has proposed more than $700 million to fix the problem, but legislation has not been forthcoming.

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