R&D from Prepd: Jeb Bush’s Presidential Campaign

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On December 22, 2015

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 Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign.  The brother of former President George W. Bush is not faring very well in the Republican presidential contest, having seen his poll numbers fall dramatically between August and December.  Bush has failed to gain traction due to the distaste of many Republican primary voters with the “establishment” that they feel is not conservative enough.  Despite having an ample war chest of funds, Bush has failed to raise his stature in Iowa or New Hampshire and a loss in both states in February would probably doom his campaign.  Bush’s new strategy appears to be to target frontrunner Donald Trump, but it is unclear whether this strategy will pay any dividends when Republican voters head to the polls in two months.

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HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of December 21-27, 2015

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On December 21, 2015

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. What role should the AU play in Burundi’s political dispute?
2. Is David Cameron mishandling his negotiations with the EU?
3. Has Jacob Zuma undermined South Africa’s democratic institutions?
4. Should national governments be given the power to censor the Internet?
5. Is Saudi Arabia poorly positioned to lead a Middle Eastern anti-terror coalition?
6. Were the Nairobi negotiations a significant victory for the World Trade Organization?
7. Do the results of the Spanish parliamentary elections bode ill for the nation’s economic future?
8. Is the PKK a terrorist organization?
9. Can Russia win its “Cold War” with Turkey?
10. Was Rwanda’s recent referendum on abolishing presidential term limits legitimate?

 

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of December 21-27, 2015

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On December 21, 2015

In U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. Are the Democrats poorly positioned on national security issues in 2016?
2. What policies should be implemented to make the tech sector better comply with terror investigations?
3. How should the Supreme Court rule in V.L. vs. E.L.?
4. Are cities poorly prepared to prosecute law enforcement officials?
5. Who was the biggest winner of the recent spending bill?
6. Would raising the minimum wage help reduce the number of Americans on welfare?
7. Does America’s fight against ISIS need a more defined direction?
8. How high will American interest rates be by the end of 2016?
9. Would more direct targeting of Donald Trump resuscitate Jeb Bush’s presidential hopes?
10. Should Debbie Wasserman Schultz step down as head of the DNC?

R&D from Prepd: Weekly Roundup for the Week of December 14-20, 2015

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On December 18, 2015

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 December 14-20, 2015.

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R&D from Prepd: Prescription Drug Prices

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On December 17, 2015

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 prescription drug prices in the United States.  Americans spent more than $370 on prescription drugs last year and prices have continued to increase in recent decades, sometimes by double digit percentages.  Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have drawn attention to the high price of prescription drugs, arguing that Medicare should be allowed to negotiate prices with drug makers and that more legislation is needed to prevent “price gouging” by companies. Polls show that Americans do favor action to reduce drug prices, but they cannot agree on what specific policies would be preferable or which political party is better suited to accomplish that task.

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2015 George Mason University Patriot Games: Judges’ Preference Gives Saffran His Second National Points Race Tournament Title of the Season; Des Moines Roosevelt Places Two in the Final Round

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On December 16, 2015

In National Circuit Results

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gmuThe first half of the 2015-2016 national circuit calendar is in the books with the conclusion of the George Mason University Patriot Games two weeks ago in Fairfax, Virginia. Nathaniel Saffran of Trinity Preparatory School (FL) won his second National Points Race contest of the season, edging Jacob Thompson of Des Moines Roosevelt High School (IA) by judges’ preference. Saffran and Thompson traded first place ranks in the final round, with Saffran’s accumulation of three one’s enabling him to overcome an errant sixth place rank. Saffran will receive 100 points in the National Points Race for his win since George Mason is a third tier tournament.

Observers of the national circuit may have expected Trinity to place multiple finalists, but that honor went to Des Moines Roosevelt instead. In addition to Thompson, the school placed Daniel Drane in the final round, with Drane finishing fourth behind Saffran, Thompson, and Justin Cooper of Scarsdale High School (NY).

National Points Race leader and last year’s Patriot Games runner-up Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory was eliminated in the quarter-finals. Graham did win the tournament’s Round Robin competition, though.  Other notables that made an early exit in quarter-finals included Vaikunth Balaji of Ridge High School (NJ) and Brian Xu of San Marino High School (CA).

Here are the results of the 2015 George Mason University Patriot Games (Click here for tab sheet):

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The Every Student Succeeds Act

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On December 16, 2015

In Topic Brief, U.S. Extemp

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Although growing partisanship has characterized Congress for the better part of the last two decades, there is still one area where members of both political parties find ways to work together and that is education reform.  Traditionally, bipartisan coalitions have been instrumental in crafting federal education legislation, whether that be the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the formation of the Department of Education in 1979, or the 2002 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.  Last week, bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate approved a reauthorization of the ESEA that had been left in limbo since 2007.  The reauthorization bill – dubbed the Every Student Succeeds Act – will replace NCLB in the fall of 2017 and will give states more flexibility when designing assessments, measuring school performance, and evaluating teachers.  In many ways, it is a repudiation of the top-down structure imposed by NCLB, which aimed to use testing to measure American schools and identify troubled ones.  However, the bill will retain NCLB’s testing requirements, so the American education system’s culture of standardized testing is not completely going away.

This topic brief will explain the significant events that led to the creation of the Every Student Succeeds Act, compare the bill with the old NCLB Act, and then assess some of the criticisms that have been levied against the bill.

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 Every Student Succeeds Act

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On December 16, 2015

In R&D

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Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany today’s premium topic brief on the Every Student Succeeds Act.

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Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of December 14-20, 2015

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On December 15, 2015

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 Japanese Economy

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On December 15, 2015

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 Japanese economy.  The Japanese government issued revised economic figures last week and revealed that the economy actually grew at a pace of 1% instead of a previously announced 0.8% contraction in economic activity.  The revision was due to more consumer spending and business investment, but economists warn that the nation’s demographics and too many Japanese firms are unwilling to invest profits in the economy. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is hoping that the economy recovers to bolster the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) fortunes in Upper House elections that are due next year.

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HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of December 14-20, 2015

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On December 14, 2015

In U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. Should the Supreme Court declare affirmative action programs unconstitutional?
2. How many Republican presidential candidates will make it to Super Tuesday?
3. What is the real unemployment rate in the United States?
4. Is Ted Cruz peaking too early?
5. Will the Every Student Succeeds Act succeed where No Child Left Behind failed?
6. Should e-cigarettes be taxed like conventional cigarettes?
7. What steps, if any, should the federal government take to control the rising prices of prescription drugs?
8. Should the U.S. encourage closer relations between India and Japan?
9. Is the FTC’s concern about a merger between Staples and Office Depot justified?
10. Why is America’s military struggling to win its recent wars?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of December 14-20, 2015

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On December 14, 2015

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

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HOTtopics1. Is the Paris climate agreement a turning point in the global fight against climate change?
2. Has OPEC ceased to be a significant player in the global economy?
3. Is an ISIS presence in Libya or Syria a bigger threat to the West?
4. Should Venezuela’s opposition seek the removal of Nicolas Maduro?
5. Does Ukraine need a new governing coalition?
6. How can South Africa avoid having its debt reduced to junk status?
7. Is Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption drive going too far?
8. Was Angela Merkel a deserving winner of Time’s “Person of the Year”?
9. Is the Japanese economy on the road to recovery?
10. Can the Frangieh-Hariri power sharing proposal rescue Lebanon?

R&D from Prepd: Weekly Roundup for the Week of December 7-13, 2015

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On December 11, 2015

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 December 7-13, 2015.

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2016 Montgomery Bell Extemp Round Robin: This Year’s Field

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On December 10, 2015

In MBA Coverage, National Circuit News

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mba2010Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) Extemp Round Robin director Adam Johnson has released the names of the sixteen competitors that have been selected to compete at this year’s tournament.  These extempers will compete in Nashville, Tennessee on January 2-3.  Congratulations to all of the invitees.

*Vaikunth Balaji (Ridge High School, New Jersey)
*Micah Cash (Booker T. Washington High School, Oklahoma)
*Justin Cooper (Scarsdale High School, New York)
*Daniel Drane (Des Moines Roosevelt High School, Iowa)
*Justin Graham (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)
*Katherine Hu (Plano Senior High School, Texas)
*Shawn Kant (Ridge High School, New Jersey)
*Andrew Langford (Lake Highland Preparatory, Florida)
*Christopher Mayer (Montville Township High School, New Jersey)
*Neil Patel (Plano West Senior High School, Texas)
*Nathaniel Saffran (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)
*Shreetika Singh (Seven Lakes High School, Texas)
*Marshall Sloane (Milton Academy, Massachusetts)
*Jacob Thompson (Des Moines Roosevelt High School, Iowa)
*Marshall Webb (Saint Mary’s Hall, Texas)
*Brian Xu (San Marino High School, California)

R&D from Prepd: Sino-African Relations

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On December 10, 2015

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 Sino-African relations.  China has nurtured hundreds of billions of dollars in trade with African nations in recent years, but some African leaders are worried that slowing growth in the Chinese economy could have negative affects on them.  This matters for Africa’s economies, which are driven by investment in its respective commodities industries.  International observers posit that China has increased its investments in Africa to thwart the economic efforts of stronger nations such as the United States and Japan, but there are tensions in the Sino-African relationship, namely that China has often preferred to import its own workers rather than rely on domestic African labor.

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