Worlds Council

Dear all

I am writing to announce that I will not be seeking re-election to the Chair of Worlds Council at Vehbi Koc Worlds 2010. My great friend Adiba Shareen will step up from Registrar and will, I'm sure, do a brilliant job as acting Chair.

Since Cork, there have been colossal and wonderful changes in my life, not least the birth of my beautiful daughter Rosie, which have led me to this decision.

Over the last thirteen years, I have been privileged to enjoy Worlds as a debater, adjudicator and DCA and to serve Council as Secretary, Registrar and then Chair. I will always cherish the memories of speaking in a Worlds final. I shall fondly remember the mind-bending pressure of trying to judge every debate, from the brilliant to the bizarre, as if it were the final. I loved the places, the socials, the Masters - in fact, I'm so old and misty-eyed I remember the comedy being funny.

I want to thank all the people I have met on the way, so many of whom remain important in my life. I will continue my evangelism for debate - bringing new people, institutions and countries into the debating community and taking the remarkable skills of debate into the places people work, meet and live. I want to encourage debate for a purpose, through a range of media and enlisting new allies, and I hope I can ask everyone who cares about debate to play a part in some exciting new programmes.

To symbolise this hope that debate should proliferate, I want to make my parting gift the institution of a best newcomer award - a prize given to the debate club of the highest ranking team at an institution new to Worlds in each year. I hope this celebration and recognition of new universities will encourage others and help the winner to continue their participation in future years.

The very best of luck to Koc. Thank you all for the treasured memories.

Best wishes

Neill

Neill Harvey-Smith
Chair, World Debate Council

DLSU launch bid website for Worlds 2012

To the World Debating Community,

We are happy to announce the launching of the bid website of De La Salle Worlds!
http://www.dlsuworlds.com/

We have been working hard for this bid for the last three years. As DLSU is celebrating its 100 years of existence as an academic institution in School Year 2011-2012, we will be very happy to host everyone in Manila.

Should you have questions, feel free to e-mail me. Please forward this e-mail to your own regional mailing lists. :-)

Thank you very much and we hope to see you in Manila for De La Salle Worlds 2012!

Dino de Leon
Convenor, De La Salle Worlds

Toronto bid for Worlds 2012

Hart House (University of Toronto) have announced that they are going to bid to host the World Debating Championships in 2012.  For more details of the bid visit http://www.harthouse2012.com/

Oxford IV Results

Yale A (Grant May & Steven Kryger) won the Oxford IV. The other finalists were ULU B (Max Kasriel & James Prior), ULU A (Ali Dewji & Fred Cowell), and Cambridge G (Doug Cochran & Mhairi Murdoch).

Motions:
Rd 1. THW allow deaf couples to use medical technology to ensure they have deaf offsprings.
Rd 2. THW welcome a European superstate.
Rd 3. THW redirect all state art funding for reproduction of classic works of art into new works of art.
Rd 4. THW give the UN Secretary General the power to unilaterally send peacekeepers into regions that are beyond the effective control of their governments.
Rd 5. THW abolish patents and replace them with government funded awards in recognition of R&D.
Rd 6. THBT universities should not license societies that define themselves by gender, race nationalhood or sexuality.

The Tab: