Extemp Questions for May, June and July 2009

One of these days I'll actually start typing these out on a normal basis istead of jotting them in my omnipresent notepad so that I never get around to clearing out

• Should former Bush Administration officials be held legally accountable for torture to detainees?
• What should be done with Guantanamo detainees?
• Is a two state solution the key to successful peace in the Middle East?
• Is a resolution over the future of Palestine key to successful diplomacy with Iran?
• How will the BRIC nations cope with the global economic problems?
• Should the US ratify the nuclear test ban treaty?
• Does the world economy need a global central bank?
• Should the UN impose new sanctions on North Korea?
• Should the Obama Administration push for a new dialogue with Cuba?
• How safe is America’s border with Mexico?
• How can Mexico’s President Calderon win in his war against the drug cartels?
• Can China create an affordable and comprehensive health care system?
• Can additional NATO troops ensure a stable election in Afghanistan?
• What more should the UN do to slow the spread of AIDS in Africa?
• Is Iranian development of nuclear weapons inevitable?
• Can the US economy survive without GM?
• How can the Republican Party make itself more appealing to younger voters?
• Does voter outrage over bank executive’s pay make it difficult to provide necessary bailout funds?
• Is cyber=warfare a real threat to American infrastructure?
• Who should oversee America’s cyber-security efforts?
• Should US stimulus spending include funding for student debt relief?
• How should the Treasury overhaul the US financial regulatory system?
• Is the federal government ignoring the growing problem of homelessness?
• Is the US doing enough to stem the flow of Afghani opium?
• Should US do more to stem the flow of drugs and guns with Latin America?
• Should China take the lead in the six party talks with North Korea?
• Is Palestine the key to a de-nuclearized Iran?
• Is the worst over for the global economy?
• How long will it take for the US housing market to recover?
• Why is America’s voter turnout so low?
• How can Europe establish sustainable fisheries?
• How will a global outbreak of flu impact the global economy?
• What effects will GM’s bankruptcy have?
• What significance will GM’s bankruptcy have to the US economy?
• What kinds of people should Barack Obama appoint to the federal judicial system?
• Will Pres. Obama’s Supreme Court pick get approved by the Senate?
• Will the US economy need more federal stimulus money?
• Is the American military losing the fight in Afghanistan?
• Does the rise of Internet based news services signal the end for print newspapers?
• Should the EU push France to reform its prison conditions?
• How much will the financial crisis impact America’s long term economic health?
• How long will it take for America’s financial services industry to recover?
• What role should the US play in supporting the Iranian protesters?
• Will President Obama get health care reform accomplished in his first term?
• Is the White House doing enough to control federal spending?
• Is California’s prison system beyond repair?
• What plans should Sri Lanka have for post war reconciliation?
• What does Indonesia’s July election mean for the future of national politics?
• Does North Korea’s continued development of long range missiles pose a significant threat to the US?
• Can Britain’s Labour Party survive the next general election?
• Should African nations do more to subsidize small and subsistence farming/
• Do African Union nations need to take a more active role in Zimbabwe?
• How long can Robert Mugabe continue to exert his control over Zimbabwe?
• Should the compensation of American companies’ executives have federal government oversight?
• How should the US engage with the Iranian government?
• What support should the US provide to Iranian protesters?
• Is Chinese currency manipulation a threat to US economic recovery?
• Do charter schools work?
• Should America’s public schools have longer days and shorter summers?
• Does a strong Real mean long term economic growth for Brazil?
• How aggressive will the Chinese government be in its carbon emission reduction targets?
• Can the Pakistani government effective rein in the ISI?
• Is human trafficking a significant problem in Southeast Asia?
• Is militant Islam gaining strength in Central Asia?
• How can the international community get Sudan’s President Bashir to adhere to peace agreements?
• Why is anti immigrant attitude on the rise in Europe?
• Is Obama’s health care plan overreaching?
• Will Iran’s clerics be forced to choose between a legitimate government and uncontested power?
• Should the US push Netanyahu to accept a two state solution with Palestine?
• How can Argentina turn itself around?
• Do President Obama’s proposed reforms to US financial regulation give the Federal Reserve too much power?
• How can Japan encourage greater competition among its businesses?
• Will Iran’s leadership be forced to hold new elections?
• Can Mexico’s President Calderon really crack down on drug related government corruption?
• How can the US encourage greater foreign investment in Afghanistan?
• How will North Korea change after Kim Jong Il?
• What can be done to improve the world’s view of Zimbabwe?
• Should the World Bank provide more funding for infrastructure development in Africa?
• Can Israel afford to stop expansion of its settlement areas?
• Does the current state of Palestinian life in Gaza damage Israeli security?
• Should the US make it easier for third world refugees to apply for political asylum?
• What can President Obama do to encourage more publically funded elections?
• Will European unemployment continue to rise?
• Should the remaining US automobile industry be forced to adhere to even stricter CAFE standards?
• Are biofuels a viable stepping stone to a nationwide fleet of electric cars?
• Is America in decline around the globe?
• What should be the goal of America foreign policy in Africa?
• Does a multipolar world mean a decline for US influence globally?
• Why is American health care so expensive?
• Should health care reform incorporate more managed care?
• Are the welfare reforms of the 90’s being undone by federal economic stimulus?
• Will Obama push to reverse the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy?
• Are relations between Taiwan and China improving?
• Is security in Iraq getting worse?
• Should America set a timetable to withdrawal its forces from Afghanistan?
• Will aging populations prolong the global economic downturn?
• Should the EU be more involved in peacekeeping efforts in Africa?
• Should the US military devote more resources towards international peacekeeping efforts?
• Can the LDP still survive on the national political stage in Japan?
• Will Italy’s public debt mean a longer lasting economic crisis?
• Should Balkan nations be admitted into the EU?
• Is piracy sill a major threat for the American entertainment industry?
• Should the Chinese government crack down harder on counterfeit goods?

Extemp attention getter

Don't remember exactly where I heard this but thought it could pretty easily be twisted to apply to a number of different situations and questions.

An old man is fishing one day when he catches a mermaid. The mermaid says that if he lets her go, she'll grant him three wishes. "Alright," he says, and thinks for a few minutes then says "I wish to be young and handsome. I wish to be married to a beautiful woman. Finally, I wish to be a very important man."

"done." Says the mermaid and with a flick of her tail she knocks the man unconscious. The next thing he knows he's being gently shaken awake by a beautiful woman who tells him "wake up Ferdinand, we have to go to Sarajevo today."

You could do something about "be careful what you wish for." It's appropriate to anything in the Balkans...

Of course it's only funny if you know WWI history and that killing Franz Ferdinand kicks off trench warfare, so maybe not for the mommy judges, but still, I found it amusing.

Elene Gabre-Madhin on TED.com talking about the development of markets

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/elene_gabre_madhin_on_ethiopian_economics.html

In specific she's talking about developing a market in Ethiopia but as a former World Banker she also goes through some economic theory that it behooves extempers to know well. In particular, think aout how she describes and explains the link between sellers access to markets and economic development. The development of a futures market and a rating system for grain that allowed purchase (and sale) of commotidites over long geographical distances (and time) is an important concept for developing nations, particularly Africa and Asia. Latin America, perhaps as well, though I have my doubts that the concept applies as well in the region.

Books I'm Reading 25) On The Wealth of Nations by PJ O'Rourke

http://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Nations-Books-Changed-World/dp/B000RH0CB8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250060439&sr=8-2

I tried once, over a decade ago, to actually read Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations. Figured it was good material to learn when I was doing debate in high school and afterwards when I was coaching. I never did make it through the entire thing. It was better at putting me to sleep than the ABA's Guide to Wills and Estates. I'm glad to know that somebody who's writing I've always enjoyed actually managed to wade through the entire thing.

Ironically enough i think I started reading The Atlantic and O'Rourke when I was in high school as well. I still thinks it's one of the best magazines around and the content for the book was published as a review by the Atlantic a couple of years ago.

The real gem of the work isn't so much O'Rourke's explanation of Adam Smith, it's in the explanations of the 'diversions' that Smith takes and the ancillary people surrounding Smith, like David Hume and other thinkers of the day. Oh and yes, I do recognize the irony of my writing what amounts to a short review of a review of a book that was published nearly two and a quarter centuries ago.

We're I still coaching debate, I'd make this required reading for my LD kids. It's an easy read of complex subjects and provides a solid foundation for me to drill them on Hume, Kant even Locke and other social contract theorists. Locke's ideas on property and justice would have probably made a nice contrast to some of the other viewpoints like Hume that O'Rourke goes into, come to think of it.

Regardless, it was well worth the weekend going through this even if I don't put it to much actual use anytime soon. And I do agree that it's somewhat annoying that the term "bullshit" didn't come into the vernacular sooner.