Tag: extemp files Page 4 of 23

R&D: The Race for Federal Reserve Chairman

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Today’s R&D provides extempers a few articles about the “race” for the next Federal Reserve chairman between Larry Summers and Janet Yellen.

 

R&D: Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Today’s R&D covers a recent escalation in violence in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and some of its turbulent history since it was granted independence from Belgium in June 1960.

 

R&D: Chemicals Weapons Use in Syria

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Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany today’s premium topic brief on the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war.

 

R&D: Czech Elections

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Czech lawmakers voted to dissolve the lower house of parliament on August 20th and set the stage for national elections in late October.  Today’s R&D covers those upcoming elections for those interested in International Extemp.

 

R&D: NSA Surveillance

Today’s R&D over the hot topic of domestic surveillance by the National Security Agency (NSA).  The scope of the NSA’s activities were initially revealed by Edward Snowden and more leaks continue to reveal the expansive nature of the Agency’s activities.  President Obama has vowed to review the NSA’s activities and enhance public confidence in the program, but civil liberties groups remain skeptical.

 

R&D: Egyptian Unrest & U.S. Aid

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Here is the premium, topic-specific R&D that accompanies today’s topic brief on Egypt’s unrest and U.S. aid.

 

 

R&D: Syrian Civil War

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Today’s R&D chronicles the Syrian civil war, which has been raging since March 2011.

 

R&D: American Airlines-U.S. Airways Merger

On Tuesday, U.S. anti-trust officials sought to block an $11 billion merger between American Airlines and U.S. Airways, which if approved would create the world’s largest commercial air carrier, on the grounds that it would harm consumers through higher fees.  Today’s R&D covers this volatile issue and provides extempers a brief source list to increase their knowledge about this topic.

 

R&D: Edward Snowden & U.S.-Russian Relations

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Here is the premium, topic-specific R&D that accompanies today’s topic brief on Edward Snowden and U.S.-Russian relations.

 

 

R&D: Egyptian Protests

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Today’s R&D covers Egypt’s volatile political situation and the protests that continue to engulf the country after the Egyptian military ousted the country’s Muslim Brotherhood-led government.

 

R&D: Zimbabwe’s Election

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This year’s R&D will be topic specific, unlike past year’s where it was a hodgepodge of various articles from a particular day.  The R&D will be presented with small tweets, which will make linking easier.  Each R&D will include seven to ten pertinent articles on a hot domestic or international news topic, with the goal of helping extempers grow their files on that topic.  R&D will be provided on Thursday and Friday, but premium subscribers will have access to another R&D on Tuesday, which will cover the subject of the premium topic brief.  The premium topic briefs also link to articles used in the creation of the topic brief, so extempers or teams that subscribe will have access to 10-15 articles on that topic.  Last week’s brief covered Detroit’s bankruptcy and next week will be about Edward Snowden and it’s impact on U.S.-Russian relations.

Today’s R&D focuses on the controversial outcome of the latest Zimbabwean elections, which were won, unsurprisingly, by Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF (The Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front).

 

R&D: Detroit’s Bankruptcy

Here is the premium, topic-specific R&D that accompanies today’s topic brief on Detroit.

 

R&D: Resolving the Syrian Conflict, Public Opinion on Gay Marriage, and More

In the past, our R&D’s have been daily, but we are going to start doing a once-a-week R&D that will contain in-depth reports and interviews from a variety of sources.  Our Twitter feed will serve to link to other important pieces of information throughout the week.

Syria’s Metastasising Conflicts from The International Crisis Group
This report documents the growing violence in Syria that is pulling outside actors into the volatile country. Excellent resource for background on the Syrian conflict and solutions for reducing the violence.

The Role of Religion in Postconflict Syria by The Council on Foreign Relations
This interview with Daniel Philpott, Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame, discusses how religion can play a role in solving political and social tensions in postconflict Syria.

Public Divided over Same-Sex Marriage Rulings from The Pew Research Center
This poll analysis reveals American views of gay marriage by gender, age, education, and political leanings. A useful source for next season since tis topic isn’t going away.

R&D: Resources About the NSA’s Intelligence Program, Nelson Mandela’s Legacy, and More

Issue Guide: The Domestic Surveillance Debate from the Council on Foreign Relations
The link to this piece provides extempers with access to articles that give background, pro and con arguments, legislative history, and primary sources concerning the NSA’s domestic intelligence program.

Most Americans back NSA tracking phone records, prioritize probes over privacy from The Washington Post
In an interesting finding from a Washington Post-Pew Research Center poll, a majority of Americans (56%) support prioritizing hunts for terrorists over personal privacy.

Edward Snowden: NSA leaker reveals himself, expects retribution from The Christian Science Monitor
Edward Snowden, who leaked the NSA’s telephone and Internet intelligence gathering operations, revealed to the Guardian that he expects to receive backlash from American authorities over his actions. There is currently an ongoing policy debate about whether America should prosecute Snowden, although doing so might be difficult since he is currently in Hong Kong.

Nelson Mandela: Is it time for South Africa to let him go? from BBC News
Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president and apartheid opponent, is heavily revered in South Africa. However, as his passing becomes more likely in the coming years, South Africans are going to have to cope with life without him and this article discusses that issue.

R&D: NSA Still Collecting Telephone Records, Mexico’s Drug War Continued, Susan Rice is Chosen as the National Security Adviser, and More

NSA collecting phone records of millions of Americans daily from The Guardian
In this exclusive story, which will stir privacy advocates, The Guardian reveals that the National Security Agency is collecting telephone records of Verizon customers and has been doing so since April under a top secret court order.

After Six Years of Bloodshed, Mexico’s Drug War Shows Little Sign of Waning from The Atlantic
Mexico’s drug war, which has been a pressing topic for extempers for a very long time, continues to rage on. This article provides an overview of the violence and why it has no end in sight.

Obama picks loyalist Susan Rice as national security adviser from Reuters
In a move that has been billed as an “in your face” appointment to Republicans, President Obama selected Susan Rice as his new national security adviser yesterday. President Obama wanted Rice to replace Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, but that did not occur because of fallout over the Benghazi situation.

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