Extemp Central

Here are the answers for this week’s Extemp Central news quiz.

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by Logan Scisco

For extempers that are in states that have mixed extemp, have their seasons start prior to November, and/or do United States Extemporaneous Speaking exclusively, a question that you will likely draw in practice or at a tournament will be some variation of the following:

“Who will win the 2010 midterm elections?”
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Here is your R&D for September 2nd:

Republicans Remain Disproportionately White and Religious from Gallup
Although the GOP leadership has tried to enhance the ethnic diversity of the party over the last several years, Gallup’s latest breakdown of the Democratic and Republican parties illustrates that the GOP remains heavily white and that its members attend church in greater numbers than Democrats.

World Bank raises Pakistan funding from Al Jazeera
In light of recent flooding, the World Bank pledged an additional $100 million for Pakistani flood relief.  This comes without interest as Pakistan also discusses its $11 billion in outstanding loans with the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

CBO analysis confuses ‘assumption’ with ‘conclusion’ from the Christian Science Monitor
The Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of whether President Obama’s stimulus package helped the economy is coming under fire because it assumed that the stimulus did work rather than presenting evidence that it actually did work.  A short and interesting article for speeches about the effects of last year’s stimulus package.

Schools lengthen student supply lists to help meet higher costs from the Seattle Times
As states cut back on their educational budgets, parents are being left with the bill for classroom supplies that range from tissues to flash drives.  A good article for a domestic social question on US education.

Striking unions reject S Africa pay offer from the Financial Times of London
Tension between Jacob Zuma’s government and public sector workers remains high after unions rejected the government’s offer of a 7.5% wage increase and 800 rand housing allowance.  The unions want a 8.6% increase with a 1,000 rand housing allowance.

Here is your R&D for September 1st:

You Ain’t Seen This Before from the New York Times
Renowned New York Times columnist and author Thomas L. Friedman discusses the upcoming Middle East peace talks and the divide between moderate and radical forces in the Middle East.

Murkowski Concedes GOP Senate Race to Miller from the Anchorage Daily News
In one of the major shockers of the 2010 election cycle, Alaska’s incumbent Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski has been knocked off by tea party candidate Joe Miller in the party’s primary.  The race attracted national attention because of abortion being a major campaign issue and former Governor Sarah Palin’s decision to endorse Miller.

Germany Needs More Foreigners from Der Spiegel
Although Germans are turning against high levels of immigration, the nation needs it because of a shrinking and aging population.  In this commentary, Reiner Klingholz of the Berlin Institute for Population and Development, discusses the benefits to the German economy from higher levels of immigration and how Germans don’t need to fear the erosion of their culture.

Doubts grow over N.Korea Kim succession from the Agence France Presse
North Korean experts speculate that North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong Il may pass power to his song Kong Jong-Un by october 10th, at the North Korean Communist Party’s 65th anniversary.  However, the nation’s economic problems and some skepticism about Jong-Un’s experience might wreck Jong Il’s hopes of having a second dynastic succession.

Announced U.S. Job Cuts Fell 55% From Year Ago, Challenger Says from Business Week
The U.S. labor market is gradually improving, with planned firings dropping 55 percent from last year.  However, is it improving fast enough to get the economy going?

1.  Who should replace Robert Gates as defense secretary?
2.  Is California’s plastic bag ban bad for working families?
3.  What should NASA’s mission be?
4.  Will President Obama’s decision to loosen export controls on sensitive military equipment hurt national security?
5.  How can Chicago curb rising gang violence?
6.  Should parents be paid in poverty stricken areas to send their children to school?
7.  Is the U.S. leaving Iraq in better shape than it was in prior to 2003?
8.  Was Glenn Beck’s rally a success?
9.  Should President Obama worry about Americans misconceptions about his faith?
10.  Will the U.S. economy experience a double dip recession?

Here is your R&D for August 31st:

Australia PM Rejects Fresh Election Call from the Wall Street Journal
Despite Australia’s crazy election result, Prime Minister Julia Gillard refuses to call for a new election.  The alternative, a gridlocked parliament, could leave major national policy issues from taxes to a national Internet overhaul in limbo.

Obama speech on Iraq has risks from the Washington Post
Tonight, President Obama will address the nation about the end of America’s combat mission in Iraq.  However, the security situation there might make this speech a political liability in the coming months.

Review Finds Flaws in U.N. Climate Panel Structure from the New York Times
Critics of climate change have used problems with the UN’s climate panel as evidence for their argument that the impacts of climate change are overstated.  An independent review has recommended that the UN change the way it handles its climate change assessments.

UN says Lebanon caused deadly border clash from Reuters
The UN has weighed in on a deadly border clash between Israeli and Lebanese troops on August 3rd.  The UN has concluded that Lebanon’s army caused the clash, which violates the terms of the peace agreement that ended the 2006 war between both nations.

The Folly of Holding Afghan Elections from the Council on Foreign Relations
Afghanistan’s parliamentary elections are scheduled for next month, but will they be legitimate and should they be held in the first place?  These are the questions that South Asia Senior Analyst Candace Rondeaux answers in this interview.

1.  How will the UN’s report on Congolese violence impact Rwanda’s international image?
2.  Will José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero run in 2012?
3.  Would Ichiro Izawa becoming prime minister doom the DPJ in the eyes of Japanese voters?
4.  How can India become slum free?
5.  Is Venezuela or the FARC a bigger security threat to Colombia?
6.  Do China’s curbs on metal exports violate WTO rules?
7.  How can the Philippines repair the image of its police forces?
8.  Do European nations need stricter immigration policies?
9.  Would a failure at the upcoming Middle East peace talks cause a third intifada?
10.  Will public sector strikes doom Jacob Zuma’s re-election hopes?

Here is your R&D for August 30th:

Record number in government anti-poverty programs from USA Today
Usually, I’m not a big fan of USA Today, but I couldn’t help but notice this article concerning the impact of the recession on working Americans.  This is a good article when trying to understand the personal impacts of an economic downturn.

In Israel, Settling for Less from the New York Times
One of the issues extempers ignore when discussing the Middle East peace process is what the state of Israel would look like with or without a peace settlement.  This New York Times op-ed piece, Gadi Taub, an assistant professor of communications and public policy at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, speaks of the need for a peace settlement so that Israel does not have to make tough decisions about its growing Arab population.

Teachers blast L.A. Times for releasing teacher effectiveness rankings from the Los Angeles Times
In the latest fight over education reform and accountability, national teacher unions have blasted the Los Angeles Times for publishing reports on the effectiveness of elementary school teachers in the city.  Unions say the measurements are flawed while reform advocates say that transparency will lead to a better education system.

CIA paying numerous Afghan officials, report says from the Christian Science Monitor
Recent reports indicate that members of the Afghan government are on the CIA’s payroll, worrying some experts who believe that the payments are only undermining America’s efforts to crack down on corruption.  Experts also worry that it means more CIA control over the Afghan war.

Has Zuma played his last cards? from the BBC
South African President Jacob Zuma is locked in a vicious battle with public sector workers, which could undermine his re-election hopes.  Find out why continuing public sector strikes are causing South African political writers to write Zuma’s political obituary.

Here is the short answer version of this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!

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Here is the multiple choice version of this week’s Extemp Central news quiz.  Good luck!

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