This Blog has now moved to idebate.org/worlddebating - all future posts will be made there!

12 November 2010

Updates from Oxford.

Steve at Progymnasmata is blogging updates from Oxford. 

To follow his posts visit http://progymna.blogspot.com/

Melbourne Mini 2010

Hi all,
As many of you may be aware, each year the Melbourne University Debating Society hosts a warm-up tournament for worlds, known as Melbourne Mini, in the British Parliamentary format. This year the tournament will take place from the 3rd-5th of December.

Registration will cost $70 for debaters, and $45 for adjudicators, and will include six rounds of debating, a three course championship dinner, entrance to the afterparty, and a break to semi and grand-finals.

Registration can be accessed at the following link: :
http://muds.whypsloven.net/mm10/

If you have any questions, feel free to email melbourne.mini@gmail.com

We hope to see you all there!

- Tim and Steph
Co-convenors, Melbourne Mini 2010

Debate Park51 and win, win, win‏

The Park51 debates are starting soon and I know many of you will be thinking why should I spend my precious time and brainwaves on this one particular issue? What's in it for me? Because, dear friends, of the prizes. Lots of lovely, lovely, prizes.

Seriously. Everyone who completes both the two main online debates – one arguing in favor of Park51 being built, one arguing against – will win a gorgeous t-shirt. The best debating teams will win a stunning trophy – one to take pride of place on any mantelpiece. Last, but definitely not least, we’ve got ten signed copies to give away of the fantastic book "New York Masjid: The Mosques of New York City."

Though of course, the ultimate thing you’ll win is invaluable knowledge of how to debate both sides of a controversial argument and how to take other people’s views into consideration, even if you strongly disagree with them.

You can see the prizes here:
http://debatepark51.org/index.php/reason/debate-online/what-can-i-win

So sign up, sign up. You’ll lose a little time but at the very least will gain some extra clothing in return. Plus a boosted brain and I know how the very smart people on this list love one of those.

David Crane
Debatewise

11 November 2010

Berlin to bid for Worlds 2013

From Achteminute and facebook

The Berlin Debating Union (BDU) has made a decision: They want to bring the Worlds to Germany! On Saturday, Patrick Ehmann, John Eltringham and Cloud Ramasendaran are going to present their bid for convening the World Universities Debating Championships at the Oxford IV.


The support of VDCH, the Association of Debating Societies at Universities, facilitated the decision of Berlin Debating Union: “Only because we know we have the German debating circuit to support us we dare to do this,” BDU president Patrick admits. He is even more delighted to have other German debaters at the Oxford IV to back BDU’s presentation of their bid.

More encouraging support comes from the German weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT: They subsidize BDU with a contribution. “We are really happy that DIE ZEIT is constantly promoting the development of the German speaking debating circuit. In the past years, DIE ZEIT appreciated VDCH as a committed partner – thanks to preceding executive boards,” VDCH vice-president Benedikt Nufer tells Achte Minute. Benedikt emphasizes the trust between the two parties and thanks them for their contribution which permits BDU to present their bid.

Since advertising their project is the first task now, the debaters from Berlin will have to travel to other tournaments too: IVs in Cambridge, Cork and the Latvian capital Riga are on their itinerary. Thus, they intend to create a majority for their bid before the official ballot takes place at this year’s Worlds in Gaborone, Botswana, on 1 January 2011. If the delegates vote for the Berlin bid, the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC aka Worlds) 2013 are going to be staged in the German capital from 27 December 2012 to 4 January 2013.

Since 1981, debaters from all over the world have been competing at the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC) at alternating locations across the planet. It was not before 1996 that the British Parliamentary Style became the mandatory format for this annual tournament. The African continent has been host to previous Worlds and stages the Worlds now for a third time, this year from 27 December 2010 to 4 January 2011 at the University of Botswana, Gaborone. Language of debate is English and there are three categories: “Main” for native speakers, “ESL” (English as a Second Language, for those who prove great proficiency in English) and “EFL” (English as a Foreign Language, for those who studied English as a mere subject).

In 1999, the Berlin Debating Union (BDU) was founded by Jens Fischer and Kai Monheim, back then with the name “Streitzeit (Berlin Debating Union)”. Since then, the society has gained some experience in convening national and international tournaments: BDU has twice been host of the German Debating Championship (2001 and 2008), the biggest tournament on the German speaking debating circuit. In 2006, Berlin was stage of the European Universities Championships (EUDC). In addition to that, the Berlin Debating Union invented the Central and Eastern European Debating Tournament, later renamed Berlin Open and then Berlin IV, thus open to debaters from Western Europe as well as to Israel.

Video of Vermont IV final



Steve Liano at Progymnasmata has posted a video of the final from last weekend's Vermont Final.  To view it click on http://progymna.blogspot.com/2010/11/university-of-vermont-final-round-video.html

10 November 2010

Blogger oops

A couple of posts I had half written with a mind to publishing in the next few days got pubished this morning even though they had dates out in the future and should only have scheduled.  Apologies for any confusion caused by references to last year's worlds.  It looks like the issue is fixed in blogger now and scheduling is working.  I'll tidy them up and post them.  To the person who posted a comment on one I'll include the comment and the suggestion.

UBC IV Results‏

Here are results for the UBC IV on November 5th-6th, in Vancouver.


Forty teams competed in 5 preliminary rounds. Breaking to semifinals were:
1st (13 points) – Alaska: Akis Gialopsos & Amie Stanley
2nd (12 points) – UBC/Indepent Hybrid: Emily Cooley & Michael Imeson
3rd (12 points) – Alaska: Colin Haughey & Michaela Hernandez
4th (11 points) – Alaska: Drew Cason & Sarah Carpenter
5th (11 points) – UBC: Dan Westlake & Rebecca Tan
6th (10 points) – UBC/Calgary Hybrid: Joshua Sealy-Harrington & Kaja Marinic
7th (10 points) – AlbertaAshvin Singh & Robert Lees-Miller
8th (10 points) – Alaska: Amy Parrent & Brett Frazer


The final round pairings included:
Opening Gov – Alaska (Gialopsos & Stanley)
Opening Opp – UBC/Calgary (Sealy-Harrington & Marinic)
Closing Gov – UBC/Independent (Imeson & Cooley)
Closing Opp – Alaska (Parrent & Frazer)

The 7 member adjudication panel eventually named the UBC/Calgary team of Sealy-Harrington & Marinic champions.

The top 10 speakers were:
9th (tie) – Emily Cooley (UBC)
9th (tie) – Robert Lees-Miller (Alberta)
8th – Brett Frazer (Alaska)
7th – Ashvin Singh (Alberta)
6th – Colin Haughey Alaska)
5th – Amie Stanley (Alaska)
4th – Michaela Hernandez (Alaska)
3rd – Joshua Sealy-Harrington (UBC)
2nd – Michael Imeson (Independent)
1st – Akis Gialopsos (Alaska)

The top novice team was Catherine Helle & Brittany Bennett (Alaska)

The top novice speaker was Sarah Gordan (UBC)


Evan Choate from UBC was the CA.


The Tournament was themed around sex and gender issues:

Rd 1: THW make technique a mandatory part of the sex ed curriculum
Rd 2: THW remove all barriers to sex reassignment surgery.
Rd 3: THW never extradite people to countries where their sexuality is illegal.
Rd 4: THW convict those who lie about their social identity in order to have sex with someone of rape.
Rd 5: THW make surrogates responsible for the child when the biological parents request an abortion due to unforeseen medical defects.
Semi: THW allow sexual research on children.
Final: Assuming laser surgery is invented that allows perfect, cheap and safe alteration of primary and secondary sex characteristics in five minutes, THW require all politicians to switch sex while serving office.

9 November 2010

Portland State University US Nationals Warm-Up 2011‏

After discussing this with several coaches, and seeing the more optimal placing on the calendar, Portland State University is pleased to announce that we are moving the date of our Spring 2011 Tournament to March 4-6, 2011. Furthermore, the tournament has been renamed from the Portland State University Inter-Varsity to the Portland State University Nationals Warm-Up. Attached is the revised invitation that now accurately reflects the date for which the tournament will be held.

We are very excited at Portland State to be offering this tournament, and if the competition is anything like the tournament was in 2010, this should be excellent preparation for the USU Nationals in Vermont this year.

Please e-mail me with any questions at kelly.welch.portland@gmail.com.

Thank You,

Kelly Welch
Director of Debate
Portland State University


On behalf of the Portland State Debate Team, I would like to invite you to the 2011 PSU Nationals Warm-Up (previously the PSU IV), to be hosted on the Portland State Campus in downtown Portland, Oregon March 4-6, 2011. This philosophy of this tournament is to serve as a warm-up for those squads who wish to develop British Parliamentary Debate within the United States, and prepare teams who are competing at USU 2011 in Vermont. Our tournament will feature 6 rounds of preliminary competition, with the appropriate number of elimination rounds, based on entries.

There are going to be two additional components to this year’s tournament. First, we will be hosting a public debate on Friday evening, March 4, to kick off the tournament. As we get closer to the tournament, I will be asking for nominations for teams to participate. Second, we will be offering a Novice break-out for eliminations rounds. (At minimum a final round will be offered, and possibly semifinals if the quantities permit.) Finally, we have the great fortune of having Head Coach of the Seattle University Debate Team, Chris Richter, back to tab the tournament.

This tournament is open to any school that would like to participate. International teams are particularly encouraged to join us! The registration deadline for this tournament is Friday, February 25, 2011.

I hope you will join us for this fantastic event!

Sincerely,

Kelly Welch
Tournament Director
psudebate@gmail.com
503-473-7673

Tournament Information

Schedule:
Friday, March 4
• 7:00 Public Debate

Saturday, March 5
• 8:00 Registration
• 8:30 Briefing
• 9:00 Round 1
• 11:00 Round 2
• 1:00 Lunch
• 2:00 Round 3
• 4:00 Round 4

Sunday, March 5
• 9:00 Round 5
• 11:00 Round 6
• 1:00 Lunch
• 2:00 Break Announcement, Semifinals
• 4:00 Finals

Registration
All entries must be submitted via e-mail to psudebate@gmail.com. Please include the number of teams, team member names, and names of adjudicators, and any novice designations. You will receive confirmation of your registration within 48 hours. Please make all checks payable to Portland State Debate Team. Please note that we highly encourage schools to write checks instead of utilizing other forms of payment. Checks
should be sent via mail to:
Portland State Debate
c/o SALP, Portland State University
PO Box 751
Portland, OR 97201

*Please note that for this tournament Novice is defined as a person who is in their first year of collegiate debate competition, not just their first year competing in the BP format.

Fees
Explanation: This year we have decided not to provide food as part of the tournament. The decision to do so was because our on-campus catering could not compare in terms of taste or value with other options near campus. Thus, we have built in more time in the schedule for meals so that participants can avail themselves of the many culinary options that surround our campus, and our registration fee for the tournament takes into account the lack of provision of meals via the tournament itself.

Also, any team facing significant financial hardship can talk to me about having their fees reduced or waived. We don’t want finances to be a reason for teams to not compete.

Team Fee - $50

Uncovered Team Fee - $100 (N-1 Requirement)

Registration and Uncovered judge fees will be waived for all international teams.

Eligibility
This tournament is open to any undergraduate or graduate student seeking a degree in good-faith from an accredited academic institution.

Debate Rules
We will be following the WUDC rules, which can be found at http://www.debating.ie/.

Pairings
This tournament will feature 6 preliminary rounds of competition, and the appropriate number of out-rounds, based on the number of entries. As is common in international debate formats, it is possible that teams may face other teams from the same school in any given round, and to hit the same teams multiple times.

The tournament will be run on computer to produce the pairings, positions, and judge panels. Once the pairings are produced, no changes will be made to teams, positions, or judges. All teams are guaranteed to get each position at least once through the preliminary rounds. It is the obligation of each institution to let tab know before the tournament starts about any conflicts that should be accounted for in the tabulation.

Consensus judging and oral adjudications will take place after each round, including the final preliminary round.

Awards
Awards will be given to all elimination-round contestants, as well as the top 10 speakers, and the top 5 novice speakers.

Travel Information
For those of you arriving by plane, you will want to fly into Portland International Airport (PDX). It is approximately 15 minutes from downtown Portland. A taxi will cost approximately $50, or you can ride our light-rail system (The Max) for $2.50, which will take you into the heart of downtown.

Portland State University is an urban campus, located in downtown Portland, and is spread out over several city blocks. We will try to keep the tournament confined to three main buildings. The registration and general meeting area will be in the Smith Center, which is located at 1825 SW Broadway. Look for signs to guide you to registration.

To get to PSU (from the airport); take I-205 South to I-84 West. From I-84, merge onto I-5 Southbound. From there, Merge onto the I-405 Northbound and take the 6th Ave. exit. Proceed three blocks, and turn left on Harrison Street. There you will see Parking Structure #1 on your Left.

Unfortunately, because we are an urban campus, parking can be difficult. You can pay to park in Parking Structure #1 located at 1872 SW Broadway, which is directly across the street from the Smith Center. Prices vary depending on the time of day. University Place Hotel (see below) also offers guest overnight parking for $12/night, or you can always try to find parking on the street. Unfortunately, we will not be able to persuade the school to waive parking charges, as charming and charismatic as we are.

Hotel
We recommend staying at the University Place Hotel located at 310 SW Lincoln Street, Portland, OR 97201, just 3 blocks from campus. To make reservations call 503-221-0140 or toll free at 1-866-845-4647. Please ask for the “Debate Tournament” room block to receive the $79 rate. This rate is for two double beds, and includes a continental breakfast. More information about the University Place Hotel can be found at www.uplace.pdx.edu.

Crash
Crash will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis; with priority given to international teams. Please contact me in advance if you think you will require crash.

Food
Portland State has several low-cost food choices close to campus, including Subway, Starbucks, McDonalds, Hot Lips Pizza, Vietnamese/Thai cuisine, Mexican, and Market Street McMenamins Pub. Beyond that, Portland has a variety of excellent restaurants that are unique, affordable, and fit any dietary requirements. A “Welcome Packet” will be available to all participants, which lists local restaurants and a map of the area.

Recreation
Should you find the time, Portland has a variety of activities to suit any interest. Whether it is the Portland Art Museum, Powells City of Books, or Saturday Market, there’s something for everyone to do. We hope you will take the time to enjoy our great city.

St Johns win the 2010 Vermont IV

St Johns university have won the 2010 University of Vermont IV.

In the final they defeated two Cornell teams and Claremont.

For more details visit http://progymna.blogspot.com/

7 November 2010

The Inaugural Hong Kong Debate Open 2010 (HKDO)

The Inaugural Hong Kong Debate Open 2010 (HKDO 2010) was held at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU), Hong Kong, from 23rd to 25th Oct 2010. Organised by the English Debate Team of HKPU, this is the first-ever international English BP debating event in Hong Kong. It attracted 60 teams from Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Macau, Singapore, Qatar and Hong Kong.


All the 6 BP Preliminary Rounds and the Quarter Finals were held at the Main Campus of the HKPU. The Semi-Finals and Grand Final were held at the Hong Kong Community College where 250 Hong Kong high school students were invited to witness the Final Rounds as part of the Hong Kong Government's efforts to expose students to the academic sport of debating.

In the Grand Final, ICU Team A unanimously defeated HKU Team D, Kagama Team A and HKPU Team A to hoist the Champions' Trophy. The Best Speaker of the Grand Final was Mr Toshiaki Ikehara from ICU Team A. The Best Speaker of the Tournament was Mr Alfred Yu from HKU Team B.

The CA was Sharmila Pramanand, who was assisted by Tab Director, George Chen, and 5 DCAs, Zhengbo, TJ, Josh Martin, Kevin Li and Loke Wing Fatt, who also acted as the Advisor to the HKDO 2010 Organising Committee.

From all accounts, the debaters, judges and coaches had their money's worth. The tournament was on time, the social events were full of verve and vim, and the Championship Dinner served some of the best Cantonese food people had ever had, while being entertained by a spontaneous, random "variety show" by the some of the convivial participants.

Many thanks to the Convenor, Jasmine Tam, and her gang of merry persons, including Crystal, Phoebe, Giovanni, Esther, Joyce, Alice, George, Anson, Carrie and Willa for a great job in hosting a memorable inaugural international debate event in Hong Kong for the Asian debating community.

We look forward to another international debate in Hong Kong in the year 2011. The debate motions for the event are below:

HKDO 2010 Motions
Round 1: This house would force corporations to produce advertisement that feature only people who represent the region they are advertising in.
Round 2: This house believes that awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo will harm the human rights situation in China rather than improve it.
Round 3: This house would not allow law enforcement officers to impersonate minors online to entrap pedophiles.
Round 4: This house would ban artificial reproductive technologies (such as IVF, Sperm banks, surrogacy, etc.) to force people to adopt.
Round 5: This house would recruit rebel soldiers into state armies once conflicts are concluded.
Round 6: This house believers that in the event of natural disasters in areas prone to those disasters, the state should only provide reconstruction aid to people that agree to relocate to safer areas.

Semi Final: This house would subject religions to anti-gender-discrimination laws.

Grand Final: This house support the violent removal of corrupt officials by citizens in the weak democracies.

loke wing fatt
Advisor, HKDO 2010 Organising Committee
President
Society for Associated Inter-Tertiary Debaters (SAID)
Singapore