Asian Debating Website

Ghana National Debate Team for Youth Forum in Istanbul, Turkey

2011-07-07T21:47:00.003+06:00

Dear all;

Three students, one from Adisadel College, Ghana National College, and, Edinaman Senior High School have been chosen to represent Ghana in the upcoming Youth Forum in Istanbul, Turkey, from July 19 to August 1, 2011.

The students include Yormesor Elinam Sharon of Ghana National College, Emmanuel AgyarkoMinkah of Adisadel College, and Peace Naa Borteley Mensah of Edinaman Senior High School.

The students were selected from their various schools after taking part in a competition that saw their schools debating each other on some selected topics relating to youth empowerment.

These students will join over 280 students, teachers and trainers of debate from over 40 countries in the world in this year's Youth Forum, organised by the International Debate Education Association (IDEA). This year's event is being organised with support from the European Union (EU), and Open Society Foundations Youth Project.

Simon Tsike Sossah, the Executive Director of Abusua Foundation, the accredited organisational partner for the implementation of the project in Ghana, said: 'as the event brings together diverse international audience, it helps us to implement new ideas into the existing debate network and advance the overall quality of debating within our network. In addition it empowers youth by developing their life skills and by building contacts and international networks. On top of that via the means of peer to peer learning and facilitated informal interaction, the event helps young people to find out what is going on in the countries of their colleagues in other countries'.

The students will be engaged in the process of learning more about the issues affecting the two continents, thus Africa and Europe, and their mutual relationships.

They are also expected to represent Ghana in the IDEA Karl Popper Debate Championship, which is a world debate competition.

Explaining further, the Programmes Manager for Abusua Foundation added that the purpose of an IDEA Youth Forum is to bring together students and educators from around the world to develop their public debating skills and about content of the debate topics. It also includes three debate tournaments. The IDEA youth Forum offers unique and diverse occasions that facilitate exchange of ideas and experience as well as help create networks essential for future cooperation and development.

Abusua Foundation wishes them all the best as they leave the shores of Ghana for Turkey to hold the flag of Ghana high, and to acquire a life-time experience that forums like these bring.

We also wish to express our gratitude to the following agencies and organisations for their enormous support in the organisation of the debate and the trip to Turkey.

Source: www.modernghana.com

Regards,

Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Sri Lanka hosted International Debate Workshop 2009

2009-09-26T13:57:00.007+07:00

Dear all

Jessica Prince, The world's no. 1 ranked debater in 2007 WUDC and Alex Campbell, the former Head Coach of the Oxford Union (both alumni of Oxford University, UK) visited Sri Lanka on a debate coaching tour from the 1st to the 14th of August 2009.

The coaches have mandate to coach the Sri Lanka Schools Debating Team for WSDC 2010. They will also conduct workshops for all schools and universities debaters. Select in house corporate training workshops will also be conducted.

The have conducted workshops in different formate for different group of people.

Workshop for Universities

A two day workshop was conducted on WUDC format of Debate on the 03rd & 04th of August at the Law Faculty Premises at the University of Colombo.

Advanced workshop for Schools Debaters

An advanced workshop for schools debaters held on the morning of the 5th of August. Participation at this workshop was limited to 30 students, and applications was scrutinized by the Sri Lankan Debaters' Council prior to the workshop.

General Workshop for Schools

A general workshop on the World Schools Style of Debate was held on the 11th of August from 9 a.m to 5 p.m at the University of Colombo Premises.

Workshop for Adjudicators/Coaches

A workshop for all Adjudicators and Coaches was held on the 8th of August at 10 a.m at S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia.

Regards,

Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://thedebaterscouncil.blogspot.com/

China 14th FLTRP Cup Beijing 2010

2009-09-26T13:14:00.004+07:00

Dear all,

The Foreign Languages Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP) and the International Debate Education Association (IDEA) are pleased to invite you to participate in the 14th FLTRP Cup, to be held in Beijing May 15-22, 2010.

This is an exciting time for debating in China, as the number of competitive intercollegiate tournaments has been growing in recent years. This year marks the first time the FLTRP Cup will employ the British Parliamentary style utilized by the World Universities Debating Championships.

To facilitate the transition to the BP style, FLTRP is committed to attracting the best adjudicators from around the world. As part of that commitment, we are offering free registration, free room and board and a free post-tournament package of Beijing tours for all qualified adjudicators who participate in the 2010 FLTRP Cup. All international adjudicators will be responsible for their travel to Beijing.

We invite you to submit an application Apply to be an adjudicator for an adjudicator position at the 2010 FLTRP Cup.

For detail information please visit http://www.chinadebate.org/defaulten.asp

Regards,

Rashedul Hasan Stalin

China Northeast Asian Open Championship 2009

2009-09-25T16:36:00.003+07:00

Dear Debaters & Adjudicators,

We would like to cordinally invite you to join the Northeast Asian Open
Championship 2009(NEAO 2009), which will be held by Beijing Foreign Studies
University in China this November. As a major debating event in Northeast
Asian Area, NEAO has made great contribution to promote interaction for
Asian debate society and exchange among debaters from this area as well as
other parts of Asia and the world.

NEAO 2009 is the first Asian Regional tournament hosted in China. As the
organizer of this year's event, the Debating Society of Beijing Foreign
Studies University(BFSU) would like to sincerely invite you to join us for
this new chapter of regional debating communication.

Please refer to the attachment for tournament announcement and invitation
letter. We will adopt British Parliamentary format with team cap 60.
Official website and registration will be open soon. Please keep tuned for
updates.

Thank you and hope to see you in Beijing this November!

Organzing Commitee of NEAO China 2009
Beijing Foreign Studies University English Debating Society

Regards,

Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Slovenia International School Dedate Championship 2009

2009-09-25T15:45:00.006+07:00

TOURNAMENT BASICS

Date and Host: 6th and 7th November 2009, Ljutomer, Slovenia

Debate format: Worlds School Debate Format, 8 minute speeches.
Number of speakers per team: 3. Everybody who comes needs to debate all the debate rounds. Important: we are not accepting 4 or 5 member teams!

Accompanying adults should be judges. The rule is one or two teams one judge, three teams two judges. In short: everybody who comes as an adult should be able to judge.

Team cap: 40 teams.
The registration will be closed when we reach team cap, so register as soon as possible.

Number of debate rounds:
6 - 3 on prepared motions, 3 on impromptu + semi finals (impromptu)+finals (prepared)

Pairings:
Computer programme TRPC by Rich Edwards
Power paired after 1st round

PREPARED DEBATE MOTIONS
This House has no confidence in capitalism.
The House favours military intervention in Somalia.
This House would forcefeed anorexics.
This House believes that heavy trucks should start paying for environmental damages.

ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE DAY
European countries: Wednesday or Thursday, 4th or 5th November
USA, South Korea and other oversee countries can come a few days earlier.
Departure: Sunday, the 8th of November

ACCOMODATION
Debaters will be offered home stays by Ljutomer debaters. Judges will be accomodated in the hotel.

REGISTRATION
Deadline: October 1st
Number of teams per country: 2 to 3 (if there are lots of countries registering we will limit to 2) Please, send a request for application form to debata©siol.net

Additional teams can enter the tournament in case there are some free spots left after the registration deadline. Several countries already expressed their intention to participate with the debaters which are selected for 2010 Worlds, so we do encourage national teams to participate.

In cases where more teams per country will register, the priority will be given to the teams endorsed by national debate organisation.

We are going to close the registration when we reach the team cup.

PARTICIPATION FEES
Debaters: 40 EUR
Judges: 80 EUR (covers 3 nights/breakfast and tournament meals)

PAYMENT
One payment for each travelling group.
Payment deadline: October, 31st
Special attention: The costs of the bank transfer should be paid by you – we should get the net sum.

Bank details:
Bank account holder: Za in proti, zavod za kulturo dialoga, adress: Svetosavska 24, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Bank name: Nova ljubljanska banka
Bank adress: Trg republike 2, 1520 Ljubljana, Slovenia
IBAN is the bank account: IBAN SI56020560051711807
SWIFT CODE: LJBASI2X

Very important: Please, make sure that on the bank statement will be clearly stated the name of the group or individuals you are paying for.

SCHEDULE
Friday, 6th November 2009
.9.00 – 10.00 Judges meeting.
10.00 Opening of the tournament
10.30 Announcement of the impromptu motion
11.30 ROUND 1, impromptu
13.00 – 14.00 Lunch
14.00 ROUND 2, prepared
16. 00 Announcement of the impromptu motion
17.00 ROUND 3, impromptu
18.30 Snacks
19.00 ROUND 4, prepared

Saturday, 7th November 2008
8.30 Announcement of impromptu motion
9.30 ROUND 5, impromptu
11.00 ROUND 6, prepared
12.30 Lunch
13.00 Announcement of the semi-finalists
14.00 SEMI FINALS, impromptu
16.00 FINALS, prepared
17.30 Closing ceremony

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

All the inquiries about the tournament and registration, please, adress to me at bojana.skrt@siol.net, all the questions about Ljutomer, school, home stays, travel to Liana Miholič, the coach of the Ljutomer English Debate Club at the liana.miholic@guest.arnes.si

The application form is in the other attachment. Please, fill the application form out and send it to bojana.skrt@siol.net as soon as possible, but no later than 1st of October.

Regards,

Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Hong Kong BP Open 2008

2008-03-10T11:47:00.001+06:00

Dear all,

Hong Kong Parliamentary Debating Society (HKPDS) is hosting a BP tournament in July 13 to 16 2008 and is inviting debaters from across the asia-pacific region (and elsewhere around the world if they wish) to come to Hong Kong and participate.

The championship have an excellent core adjudication team, including Logandran Balavijandran (Chief Adjudicator, MMU Worlds), Loke Wing Fatt (Worlds Break Judge and founder of SAID), Fiona Prowse (Grand Finalist, Assumption Worlds), Jacob Cliffton (Semi-Finalist, MMU Worlds) and many others.

More information will be updated onto our website (www.hkpds.org) in the next week or so, including the official invitation letter. Meanwhile the latest information can be seen on our facebook group "Hong Kong BP Open 2008".

Aside from the first ever BP tournament in Hong Kong, HKPDS will also be holding our annual Summer Workshop for high school kids with trainers and guest speakers like British MPs during July 18 to 22 2008.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Chaina 2nd IDEA-BFSU British Parliamentary Debate Tournament

2008-02-07T15:20:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

IDEA’s involvement in China continued successfully last weekend with the 2nd IDEA-BFSU British Parliamentary Debate Tournament in Beijing. Hosted by Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) and jointly sponsored by IDEA and the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP), the event drew over 200 debaters not only from Beijing, but also from as far away as Nanjing (10-hour train ride), Xi’an (10-hour train ride), Dalien (overnight train), and Ulaanbataar, Mongolia (the grand prize for the longest trip – a 2-day train/bus/jeep journey!). Many of the participants from the IDEA training at BFSU from November 2-4 of this year were at the tournament eager to put that session to use. Materials from that training can be found at http://wiki.idebate.org/index.php/Beijing_BP_Training.

This tournament featured impromptu debate topics which fell into one of 8 pre-released categories: Iran’s nuclear program, US troops in Iraq, UN Peacekeeping, private automobile ownership, technology in the classroom, Isreal/Palestine and the 2-state solution, the World Bank, and flaws in Western development models. Thus debaters knew the themes of the tournament but not specific motions. Even though debaters expected to have debates about UN Peacekeeping, for example, they perhaps did not expect the semi-final motion “The UN should have a standing Peacekeeping force.” This format encourages research but maintains the excitement of impromptu debating.

The final debate featured strong performances from all eight debaters on the topic “Reject the Western development model.” Even though all four teams put forth a strong effort, the second opposition team, comprised of Ellen Pang and Ji Zha from Peking University, were ranked 1st on the ballots of all 7 judges. After extolling the virtues of the free-market system and Western legal norms governing contracts and business rights, the Peking students argued that the Western model is not simply wasteful and exploitative, but improves the lives of people in countries where such models are implemented well. The final results from that round, and the top 4 teams in the tournament (out of more than 100 – quite an accomplishment!) were:

First place: Peking University - Ellen Pang and Ji Zha
Second place: Central University of Finance and Economics - Ji Ruonan and He Jingkai
Third place: Beijing Foreign Studies University - Chen Hao and Wu Mian
Fourth place: Beijing Foreign Studies University - Zhou Sheng Ru and Rui Yuan

Even though these four teams got the thrill of debating in front of a large crowd, all teams got at least 6 preliminary rounds and 32 got the chance to debate in octafinals. Simply to break into that top 32, teams needed an average of 2nd place in each preliminary round with high speaker points to advance.

As evidenced by this tough competition, debate seems to be becoming ever more popular in China. This May’s FLTRP Cup promises to be a large event and tournaments around Beijing will be held throughout the Spring. We hope to see you at IDEA-related events in China again in the future!

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

MMU Women's IV 2008

2008-02-07T14:46:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Like each year Multimedia University of Malaysia is going to host Asias Grand Women's Debating Championship from February 15, 2008. All the other information is given bellow..

Host:Multimedia University, Malaysia
Date: 15th, 16th, 17th February 2008
Venue: CLC, MMU ( Melaka Campus)
Rego: RM 60 per person ( include food and t-shirt)
Format: Asian Parliamentary, N=1

Accommodation: Fenix Inn, Melaka Raya
RM 35 per person per night
www.fenixinn.com
Transportation provided to and from hotel and campus

Tentative of the Tournament:
NST- MMU Women’s Intervarsity Debate Championship TENTATIVE ( 3days)

Friday, 15th February 2008
Registration
Saturday, 16th February 2008
Debating Rounds
Sunday, 17th February 2008
Grand Final

Please confirm your Participation ASAP.

Regards,
Suriakala Sivalingam
Contact Email: mizzymatherz@yahoo.com

Qater Debate - A New Era for Middle East

2008-02-07T14:18:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

We are delighted to formally announce the creation of QatarDebate(www.qatardebate.org), the national student debating organisation for Qatar. QatarDebate was established in September 2007 with the aim of developing, supporting and raising the standard of open discussion and debate among students in Qatar and across the Arab World, shaping the Global Citizens of today and the intellectual leaders of tomorrow.

In the 4 months since its inception, QatarDebate has already worked with over 1000 students (from every nation in the Middle East) in Qatar to develop their debating and critical thinking skills through a series of regular workshops and to build social networks between schools and universities in Qatar and institutions around the world. Over the next 12 months, the Program will publish 4 debating training DVDs of workshops, show debates and expert seminars in both English and Arabic, organize a nationwide debate league and national competitions and send teams to both the World Schools’ and World Universities Debating Championships. Overall, we hope to create a world-class Program which will drive resurgence in debate, critical thinking and discussion of public policy issues in the Arab World.

The QatarDebate website www.qatardebate.org has just launched and includes information about debating in Qatar, QatarDebate coaching resources and links to the international debating community. Over the next month, a forum, blog and media streaming system will be added to the site, hopefully creating a debate and discussion hub open to students across the Middle East.

QatarDebate is a member of Qatar Foundation, a non-profit organisation based in Qatar and Chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, the consort to the Emir of Qatar, which aims to develop the potential of Qatar’s people through progressive education. The program is also supported by the Arab Democracy Foundation and enjoys a close relationship with the Doha Debates (www.thedohadebates.com), Qatar’s unique forum for free speech in the Arab World.

We hope that you will have a look at the website and be involved in the QatarDebate program in some way over the next 12 months.

Contact:
Andrew Goodman & Alex Just
Program Directors, QatarDebate
Andrew@qatardebate.org alex@qatardebate.org

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Exclusive: The Great Debaters

2007-12-08T07:59:00.000+06:00

"Debate is Combat but your weapons are Words"
- Actor and Director Denzel Washington

Dear all,

Each year World Universities Debating Championship brings us the oratory bonding with our debating fraternities from Across the world. This time WUDC is going to see the massive gathering with 400 worlds top debating teams and 400 adjudicators. Thanks to AU and the organizing Team of AU; TJ, Tarique, Ravi and other members of WUDC 2008 organizing Team for moving toward a Perfect Asian Version of Worlds. We all hope People will enjoy the championship with high standered debating involvement.

My thanks to the AU Team and the WUDC Council Members for holding the Standers for The Greatest Debating Show on Earth. from last few moths few of you must followed the latest updates of the Debating Movie "The Great Debaters" from World Debating Website, Global Debate and from the IDEA wiki. So i have decided to write this story for You all who are going to WUDC 2008 and for My friends Who are working 24/7 from AU organizing Team to make sure our comfort.

Ladies and Gentlemen Before WUDC 2008, The Hollywood will present you debating movie based on the True Story and which is also created a huge expectation for its debating involvement "The Great Debaters".

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Asian Debating Website Exclusive

By: Rashedul Hasan Stalin

This time of year, movie studios release their most prestigious films of the year in hopes of snagging Academy Award nominations. While it’s still too soon to call how African Americans will fair come Oscar time, the holiday season in US has brought black audiences much to choose from with movie such The Great Debaters. This year World Universities Debating Championship 2008 Circuit will have something to talk about except debating but a Debating Movie.

The Movie: The Great Debaters

The Great Debaters is based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College Texas-USA who inspired his students to form the school's first debate team. Professor Melvin Tolson, a brilliant debate team coach, uses the power of words to shape a group of underdog students from a small African American college in the deep south into a historically elite debate team. A controversial figure, Professor Tolson challenged the social mores of the time and was under constant fire for his unconventional and debating teaching methods as well as his political views. In their pursuit for excellence, Tolson''s debate team receives a groundbreaking invitation to debate Harvard University ''s Debating Championship.
It tells the story of an award-winning team of debaters from Wiley College, a small, historically black institution founded in 1873 and located in Marshall, Texas.

In the 1930s the debate team, surpassed nearly every other team in the US in contests against universities as far-flung as the University of Southern California and Oxford. Nonetheless, the Wiley team was never officially accorded championship status because the national debate society of that day did not formally recognize black participation. Though unrewarded then, many of the graduates of Wiley's debate team went on to become the most eloquently influential movers in the civil rights movement, most notably James Farmer Jr., who founded the Congress of Racial Equality. He encouraged his students not only to be well-rounded people but also to stand up for their rights, a controversial position in the U.S. South of the early and mid-20th century.

Actor Denzel and his movie crew got to the hallowed ground because the Ivy League school doesn’t allow any commerical shooting of its campus. However, "The Great Debaters" did film the Great Debate inside Sanders Theatre’s Memorial Hall, one of the Crimson’s public facilities in Harvard University .

The film stars Denzel as Wiley’s debate team coordinator - and renowned poet - Melvin B. Tolson, and fellow Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker plays the college’s president. The movie’s script followed the real-life story to the letter, Tolson and his undefeated debate team, played by Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollett and Denzel Whitaker,would have wound up filming at the University of Southern California, the true National Champions of 1935.

The Forgotten Black American Debate Coach

"Black Crispus At tucks taught / Us how to die / Before white Patrick Henry's bugle breath / Uttered the vertical / Transmitting cry: / 'Yea give me liberty or give me death.'" These words still reverberate in this sixty-sixth year of the celebration by African Ameri cans of "Black History Month." They express the importance that the struggle against socioeconomic and cultural racism held for Melvin B. Tolson in his lifetime and in the work he left to what he called "the vertical audience," that of the ages. This poet, orator, teacher of English and American literatures, gram marian, small-town mayor, theater founder and director and a great debate coach was born on 6 February 1898 in Moberly, Missouri, the son and nephew of Methodist preachers. The family moved frequently in Missouri and Iowa to the different churches his studiously intellectual but autodidact father pastored.

Melvin Beaunorus Tolson was an American Modernist poet, educator, columnist, and politician. His work concentrated on the experience of African Americans and includes several poetic histories. He was a contemporary of the Harlem Renaissance and, although he was not a participant in it, his work reflects its influences.Since his father was an itinerant Methodist minister, Tolson lived in several towns before graduating from high school in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1918. After spending his freshman year at Fisk University, he attended Lincoln University, Oxford, Pennsylvania, from 1920 until graduation in 1923.

In 1924, with an appointment in English and speech, Tolson started his teaching career at Wiley College, Marshall, Texas, where he stayed for the next twenty-three years. He showed an early interest in poetry, drama, and debate. He was only fourteen when his first poem was printed, and during the Wiley years the debate teams he coached earned considerable renown, while one unpublished play after another was locally staged. By the time Tolson left Texas in 1947, he had reportedly also been active in organizing farm laborers and sharecroppers. His next position was that of professor of English and drama at Langston University in Oklahoma, where he taught until his retirement in 1964.

In 1947, in connection with the centennial of his country, Liberian president William V. S. Tubman made Tolson poet laureate of Liberia, a gesture to which the poet responded with his Libretto for the Republic of Liberia (1953), a work that prompted Allen Tate to write, "For the first time . . . a Negro poet has assimilated completely the full poetic language of his time and . . . the language of the Anglo-American poetic tradition." This long, learned poem stands in the tradition associated with T. S. Eliot. In his last book Tolson returns to the world of Harlem with The Curator (1965), the first part of a projected work, Harlem Gallery. On May 25, 1966, Tolson received the annual poetry award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He died in Dallas on August 29, 1966, and was buried in Guthrie, Oklahoma.

The last Word

Many of you will break to this year's Worlds, some of you will win the title because you have allowed to participate as a Debater and because of your qualities. But think of those who were intentionally disallowed during 1930's in US. Culture and the Color made all the difference between the social classes once. Now time has come to move with tolerance, gratitude and harmony.

May The Spirit of WUDC 2008 Wins ............ ......... ..

The Great Debaters Movie Detail:
Directed by Denzel Washington

Release date(s)
December 25, 2007 just before WUDC 2008

Original Movie Trailer will be found at
http://www.thegreat debatersmovie. com/

Produced by
Oprah Winfrey
Denzel Washington
Joe Roth
Kate Forte
David Crockett
Todd Black
Molly Allen

Written by
Suzan-Lori Parks

Starring
Denzel Washington
Forest Whitaker
Denzel Whitaker
Kimberly Elise
Jurnee Smollett
Gina Ravera

Distributed by
Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer

Web Source:
http://www.questia. com/
www.lib.subr. edu/
www.doollee. com/
www.britannica. com/
www.imdb.com/
www.rottentomatoes. com/

Korea 2nd YCF Pre Worlds 2007

2007-12-07T23:52:00.000+06:00

Greetings mateys!

The deadline for registering for the Young Challengers tournament is but 3 days away! If we don't burst the cap with a huge amount of teams attending, this discourages organizers from hosting big tournaments AND giving you big prizes!

It's the first big Worlds style tournament in Korea, and an awesome opportunity to get to know the format and build the BP debating culture. Get as many people as you can to attend the tournament, even if they don't know the format, as it'll be a great place to learn.

Therefore, in summary, ladies and gentlemen, what this boils down to, in this august house, on this topic today, our team would like to say,
see you at 2nd Young Challengers Pre-World Debating Championships. And bring two more teams.

Championship Information: http://idea.gangnam.go.kr/info2.htm

Registration: http://idea.gangnam.go.kr/form_1.html

Cheers
Logan

WUDC 2008 Visa Info

2007-12-07T20:09:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

All of you must make sure you apply for a visitor's visa before entering
Thailand. Please refer to the link on immigration at our website for details on
visa. There are visa on arrivals for certain countries and all information
pertaining to that can be found on our website in the immigration link. The
page contain the following information:To get information on Thai Embassies and Consulates in your countries or region, for applying for your visitor's visa, please visit the following website:
http://www.thaiembassy.org/

Immigration Bureau Home Page for all Visa related issues. If you need in depth
information about immigration rules and regulations to visit Thailand please
visit the following website: http://www.imm.police.go.th/nov2004/en/base.php.
Your local Thai Embassy or Consulate should be able to provide sufficient
information for all visitor related visas.

Once you arrive at the airport there will be a fast track lane for WUDC
participants. Your entry will be processed fast through immigration. I hope
this is clear.

Kind regards,
Tarique

Singapore Arena Debate Qualifiers for 2008

2007-12-07T16:41:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Following two rounds of auditions, 12 schools have been selected to participate in the televised rounds of the Arena II in 2008. These schools are:

- CHIJ St Joseph's Convent
- CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School
- Dunman Secondary School
- Fairfield Methodist Secondary School
- Global Indian International School
- Hwa Chong Institution
- Jurong Secondary School
- Madrasah Al-Maarif Al-Islamiah
- Nanyang Girls' High School
- Singapore American School
- St Joseph's Institution
- Raffles Institution

Congratulations to these teams. Good luck in the competition next year!

The judges were very impressed by the standard of all the teams who participated in the audition rounds. I think we're going to see a some very high-quality debating on TV next year.

Regards,
Mark Gabriel

WUPID and IDEA Wiki Partnership

2007-12-07T16:14:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Contribute to PEACE on Debatepedia! The Debatepedia is the International Debate Education Association's (IDEA) wiki of debate and reasoning. It is a user-generated site with over 3,000 articles from contributers around the globe. At IDEA, we've partnered with WUPID and started a "Peace Tournament" category on Debatepedia so that the discussion of peace, tolerance and understanding can continue longer after you've left the tournament. Getting involved is simple: create a free account on Debatepedia, visit the CIMB WUPID page on Debatepedia (link below), and start contributing! If you are a debater or adjudicator and have ideas about peace or topics that you'd like to tell others about, create a Debatepedia page, and list it in the category "Peace Tournament" so your colleagues can see it and help improve it.

If you are an NGO Peace Roundtable participant or a debater interested in creating statements or policy drafts to disseminate, simply create a new Debatepedia page (category: Peace Tournament), let your colleagues know the link, and you'll be ready to begin your activism even if your co-authors are on several different continents. IDEA is making the tools available to you and hopes that you find them useful, but the content is yours - so help continue the discussion started at WUPID!

Regards,
Alex Dukalskis
IDEA Program Coordinator
adukalskis@idebate.orgwww.idebate.org
phone from Korea: 02.2648.7611
phone from outside Korea: (+82) 2.2648.7611

Source: http://wiki.idebate.org/

All India Inter-School Urdu Debate Competition 2007

2007-12-07T15:48:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Doha: Dec 7, 2007: Safa Fatimah Siddiqui, a Class X students of Ideal Indian School, Doha, Qatar, has done her alma mater proud by winning second place in the All India Inter-school Urdu Debate competition organised jointly by Doha based Indo-Qatar Urdu Markaz and Hamdard Educational Society (Hamdard University) New Delhi.

The debate, which was held in Hamdard Convention Centre, New Delhi on 1st and 2nd December, found a large number of students from India and abroad taking part. The Ideal Indian School team led by Mr. Asif Ali Khan, a senior Urdu teacher also included Saad Mohd. Ismail, a student of Class X. Saad was awarded a consolation prize. Safa spoke against the motion: Indian Muslims Are Themselves Responsible for Their Backwardness, Not the Government.

She won a cash award of ten thousand rupees besides a trophy. Justice Rajender Kumar Sachhar, renowned for his impartial report to the Government of India on the backwardness of Indian Muslims, honoured them with trophies in a glittering ceremony organised in New Delhi.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=60176

Pakistan Mahbubul Haq Memorial Interschool Debate 2007

2007-12-06T04:28:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

ISLAMABAD: The Lahore Grammar School and Islamabad Convent School won first and second positions respectively in the 10th Mahbubul Haq Memorial Interschool Debate Competition held recently.The topic of debate was ‘Global warming, melting glaciers and rising sea levels spell doom for the South Asian region: A Myth or Reality!’ Students spoke in favour and against the topic.

Zainab Samantash of Islamabad Convent School was adjudged best speaker for the motion whereas Nayab Gohar of Lahore Grammar School was adjudged best speaker against the motion.The winning team from each of the SAARC countries will participate in the super final to be held in Delhi.About 18 schools from Lahore and Rawalpindi participated in this round of the competition.

Those who spoke in favour of the topic said global warming was a serious issue. They said environment was never a priority of the world countries that’s why the temperature was increasing at an alarming rate.They said global warming would increase floods in the world and affect the economic growth. They feared that global warming would seriously affect South Asia countries if practical measures were not taken to address the environmental issues immediately.

Those who spoke against the topic said South Asia countries were facing the problems of poverty, illiteracy and absence of basic amenities. They said these countries had to address the health problems and fight fatal diseases. They were of the view that all South Asia countries had limited resources and they could not afford to spend on the environmental issues ignoring the more pressing needs.

They said certain groups had created media hype where as the environmental problems were not as severe as being portrayed. They said only five glaciers were found melting slightly and there was only a slight rise in temperature during the last 100 years. They said South Asia must address its basic issues like poverty, illiteracy and health on priority basis.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/

Malaysia CIMB Promotes World Peace Debate 2007

2007-12-06T04:04:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

That's what the CIMB Group World Universities Peace Invitational Debate (CIMB WUPID) is all about.The four-day event beginning Dec 16, will see top debating teams from 30world-renowned universities trying to outwit each other on the theme, "Peace: Respect, Tolerance, Togetherness".

The reigning world debating champions from Sydney University, along with the three top-ranked debating teams from Oxford, Cambridge and Hart House University of Toronto will be vying for top honours.CIMB Group Corporate Communications head, Effendy Shahul Hamid, said CIMB was proud to organise the world-class event where the best debaters could engage in a civilised, intelligent disagreement, on peace.

"Only the best debating teams were invited to participate in the event," he told a press conference here Wednesday."Malaysia will be represented by Universiti Teknologi MARA, the Multimedia University and International Islamic University."The winner takes home the prize money of RM10,000 and the CIMB WUPID challenge trophy.CIMB fully sponsors the current top four ranked debating teams. The rest of the teams need only pay for their trip to Kuala Lumpur, while everything else is on the house.

The preliminary rounds will be held at Universiti Kuala Lumpur, the quarter-finals and semi-finals at the Novotel Hydro Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur, and grand final at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.The public is invited to witness the battle royale. Entrance is free.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=300623

WUDC 2008 Transportation Announcement

2007-12-06T03:19:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

The transportation team is only providing transportation services from December26th, 2007 till January 5th, 2008. If you are coming early or leaving late, youmust arrange your own transportation. Of course the team will always be here toassist. Please do not forget to fill in all your arrival and departure datesfrom Bangkok. If you do not put the information in the system, we will nothave airport pick up and drop off service for you.

Please email our transportation director at jim@assumptionworlds.com
Please contact him asap.

kind regards,
Tarique

Pakistan Annual Educational Debate and Literary Contest 2007

2007-12-06T01:50:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Annual educational and literary contests for girls were arranged by Faisalabad Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) on Wednesday.

At the Govt Girls School Kohinoor, the competitions for Urdu Debate and Calligraphy were held. Among the speakers who spoke for the notion, Ayesha Anayat from the Govt M C Girls High School stood first, while Faiza Akram from the Govt Girls High School and Shakeela Batool from the Govt Girls High School Kamalia won second and third positions respectively.

Speaking against the notion, Tayyaba Mukhtar from the City Star Public High School won the first prize, while Sabeen Ahmed from the Govt M C Girls High School Samanabad and Iqra Matloob from the Kindergarten Girls High School Eidgah Road bagged second and third positions respectively.

In Calligraphy competition, Tajwar Aashiq from the Govt Girls High School Karkhana Bazar won the first prize, while Saba Aslam from the Govt Girls High School Dalgirrah and Aniqa Amin from the M C High School Bhawana Bazaar stood second and third respectively.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://thepost.com.pk/NatNews.aspx?dtlid=132472&catid=2

Philippine Inter-Collegiate Debating Championship 2008

2007-12-06T01:18:00.000+06:00

Hi everyone,

In response to several institutions' inquiries about a possible change of schedule for the Philippine Inter-collegiate Debating Championship 2008, the Board of Directors has decided to move PIDC 2008 from February 23-27 to April 3-7, 2008. We hope this will allow more participants to join and raise the tournament's level of competition.

Updates on registration and other tournament details will be posted soon on this egroup and on the tournament's official website, www.pidc-online. com. For any other concerns or comments, please don't hesitate to reach us directly at pidc2008@gmail. com or 09164763660.

Thank you, and we hope to see you all at UP Diliman!

Regards,
BJ Es. Guerrero
Communications Director
PIDC 2008
Email: pidc2008@gmail

Source: debate_philippines E-Group

All Asians 2008 Host NSUDC and Rhetoric 2007

2007-12-05T06:29:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

It was a fine September morning in Delhi, and the English Debate Society of Sri Venkateswara College (University of Delhi) was hasty with all the last minute preparations of Rhetoric 2007, unaware of how it would create history in Bangladeshi debating. After the event's huge success last year and the years before that, EDS.SVC took extra care to make this year's Rhetoric the best and biggest so far, with over 40 teams participating from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. However, it turned out to be most significant for Bangladesh, since Rhetoric 2007 gave Bangladesh its first ever international breaking team, making proud North South University and the country's debate fraternity.

EDS.SVC has been the most constructive associations in the Delhi University and has been a platform where students exhibit their best skills at public speaking and are awarded for the same. It is among the top in the Delhi University debating circuit. Last year EDS.SVC organized .Rhetoric 2006: Indo-Pak Debate. The winning team GIKI, Pakistan was awarded cash prizes and certificates of appreciation from the President of Pakistan and the Government of Pakistan. Rhetoric 2007 was a three member parliamentary debate based on the Australasian format of debating with self-incorporated variations.

Rhetoric 2007 began with the opening address from the Principal of Sri Venkateswara College, Dr. A Sankara Reddy. The tournament displayed some of the best debaters in Asia, with teams from RVCE (last year's finalist at the All Asians), National Law School, Ramjas and other reputed institutions from all over India. Pakistan was represented through three institutions; Lahore School of Economics (this year's quarter finalists at All Asians), GIKI and another law school from Islamabad. From Bangladesh, EDS.SVC had invited North South University, IBA and Dhaka University. However, only NSUDC 'BROKE' into the quarterfinals.

The competition was held at the Delhi University campus from 10 14 September 2007. A total of 126 debaters in 42 teams from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh participated at the tournament. There were five rounds of preliminary debates, and then the break was announced. The NSU team, comprising of, Sheemtana Shameem, Nayeem Kashem and Sinha Ibna Humayun was also the only international team to qualify for the quarter-finals, apart from being the sole breaking team from Bangladesh. They competed with well renowned teams in the preliminaries and in the process won debates against teams from Delhi University, Campus Law College, Loyola and Lady Shree Ram College. Sheemtana was 'best speaker' in all of the five preliminary debates that the team had to survive through. NSU eventually lost in the quarter-finals to the ultimate finalists from Rashtriya Vidyalaya College of Engineering (RVCE). The final was between RVCE and Delhi University, with the eventual winners Delhi University being awarded cash prizes of over 40,000 rupees.

The success of the tournament was in part due to the high quality of adjudication that was prevalent throughout the tournament. NSU Debate Club excelled here too, with its freshman member Paromita, becoming breaking adjudicator, thereby having an opportunity to adjudicate at the quarter-finals stage of the competition. NSUDC promotes all aspects of debating whether it is debating or adjudicating, thus along with the debate team, five adjudicators, Raisa Ashrafi, Mushfiq Wahed Rusho, Samin, Paromita & Mahnaz, were also sent to Delhi. The adjudicators did a fine job throughout the tournament. Again, NSU was the only institution from Bangladesh which had adjudicators at Rhetoric.

The international teams participating in the competition were put up in the International Youth Hostel in the Delhi University South Campus.

This allowed the students to relax and mingle with each other on an informal level, and interact more congenially. The NSUDC members made a lot of friends, and enjoyed their time with both the Pakistani & Indian teams, as well as the IBA and DU teams. The bonding was remarkable between these students, as they went out sightseeing, shopping, and experiencing the beautiful city of Delhi together.

One of the most important features of international tournaments such as these is that it provides an opportunity for people from different cultures and societies to interact and gain a greater understanding of each other. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, share a common history and culture in the sub-continent yet there is so much more that we can learn from each other. The various socials during the course of the tournament provided a platform for such interaction to take place, and this was also the exact platform that was necessary for the entire eight member North South University delegation, to propagate the ALL ASIANS 2008, which they are proud to be hosting next year.

The highlight of the tournament was the banquet dinner at the India Convention Center, arranged on the break night after all the preliminary rounds of debating was over. The dinner was attended by the Chief Minister of Delhi and the Vice Chancellor of Delhi University. NSUDC had a brief presentation about the upcoming ALL ASIANS 2008, before the breaks were announced. After the announcement of the break the whole of the Bangladesh delegation was delighted at North South University's feat, this again showed how the spirit of debating brings everyone together regardless of institutions.

Over the last few years debating in Bangladesh has grown from a niche extra-curricular activity that appealed to only a few, to a one encompassing all students in all institutions, hence creating a vibrant debate culture in the country. This has lead to the increased participation of Bangladeshi universities at international debate competitions. NSUDC has been participating in international tournaments for more than a decade now, Worlds, All Asians and other numerous tourneys abroad. The recently concluded Rhetoric 2007, International Parliamentary Debate Championship, has seen the club add more to its success a remarkable international achievement. North South University is delighted at the performance of the team, Sheemtana Shameem, Nayeem Kashem and Sinha Ibna Humayun, in being the first Bangladeshi team to reach the knockout stages of an international debate competition, and in the process bringing a great deal of pride to the nation and to its debate club.

Regards,
Sheemtana Shamim

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/campus/2007/11/01/feature_NSUDC.htm

Japan 13 th JPDU Debate Championship 2007

2007-12-05T02:35:00.000+06:00

Japan Parliamentary Debate Union Debate Championship 2007

Team results:

1st Prize　　ICU J
Tomohisa Ishikawa / Satomi Hemmi
2nd Prize　 Tsuda A
Kana Sato / Hiroko Tachibana
3rd Prize　　Titech A
Hiroyuki Hirano / Masayoshi Yoshikawa
3rd Prize　　ICU B
Toshiaki Ikehara / Nami Maezaki

Quarter Finalists

ICU D
KDS A
ICU A
UK A

Oct Finalists

Tsuda D
Kyoto A
ICU F
KGN A
ICU C
ICU I
TWCU A
Kyoto C

Motions:

Round 1: THBT nations engaging in human rights abuses should not host the Olympics.
Round 2: THW support affirmative action for women-only corporations.
Round 3: THW give citizens the right to vote against a candidate in an election.
Round 4: THW prosecute copyright infringers without formal complaints from copyright holders.
Round 5: THBT the WTO should allow the use of safeguards to prevent cruelty toward animals.
Oct Final: THBT permanent members of the UN Security Council should dismantle their nuclear arsenals.
Quarter Final: THW lagalize marijuana for pleasure.
Semi Final: THBT English should be the single official language in the United States.
Grand Final: THBT parents should have the right to choose the sex of their babies.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.jpdu.org/works/tournaments/13thjpdut2007.html

Indonesia Depok Debating Championship 2008

2007-12-05T01:48:00.000+06:00

Hi!!

I want to invite the high school student for participating in smansa depok debating championship..!! I know there're some coaches here, Tirza (SMuki), Wijay & Onta (34), Surya, and so on.. That's why I also want to make sure that your teams can join this awesome competition!!! =)So, for you that want to show off your effort in coaching, let's prove it!!

Well, now is the chance to shine! Prove your abilities by joining English Debating Championship by , an annual English competition held by SMAN 1 Depok in order to celebrate its birthday..

Debate
Open for : High School students only, team based competition, each team consisting of 3 people. One school can send more than 1 team but not more than 3 teams. U only have to pay the registration fee : Rp 200.000,- per team !!!

The Debate Competition consists of two teams taking opposite sides, arguing upon 45 motions that can be given at the technical meeting at December 27th 2007. In terms of choosing the motions, we will use preferences metode. It will adopt the Asian Parliamentary style which allows POI (Points of Information) during the 7 minute
substantive speeches of the speakers.

The event will be held on January, 10th-12th 2007, at SMAN 1 Depok,(Jln. Nusantara Raya 317, Depok). But dont forget to attend the technical meeting at December 27th 2007 also at SMAN 1 Depok.The registration period starts from December 3rd 2007 till December 27th 2007.

So, what are you waiting for? Just prepare yourself to seize the glory and get the prizes. We provide millions rupiahs and certificate for every participant who join us!

For more information, please feel free to contact Nicko (021-93338053) or Amrie 08569889923/021-99928835

And for the fellow Adjudicators,
There will be an EDC 2007 in SMAN 1 Depok (Jln. nusantara Raya 317 Depok)on 10 - 12 Jan 07 for highschool debate competition. So, we invite you to join it to be an adjudicator!

And this year's CA is myself (Tyas) and DCA is Dyota.. =) We hope you will spare your time to come. The competition will start approximately at 8 am and end at 5 pm.
You will get "nice" compensation, certificate, and snack .. =) So far, we will give Rp. 25.000 in preliminary (single) and Rp. 30.000 in elimination round (panel).. But it still tentative, let's pray that the committee will provide higher "salary"..hehe..

We need a fixed list, and here are the quotas:
Jan 10 2008:
There will be 3 prelim rounds and we need 15 adjudicators
Jan 11 2008:
There will be 2 prelim rounds and we need also 15 adjudicators
Jan 12 2008:

In octo final, we need 24 adju's
In quarter final, we need 12 adju's
In semi final, we need 10 adju's
In final, we need 7 adju's

I really hope that u can register your name ASAP to us and you will get a safe position... ;) .

We look forward for your participation. And please inform :
Tyas 0819.322.44408/ 99020204
Dyota 081.789.4090/ 99020205
if you are interested to be an adjudicator. Or you can email me at
astatin_90@... and give me your number and other details
(accreditation, experience in adjudicating, etc),ok?

Join us and you wont regret!!

-Tyas and Ota-

For further info about the competition or debate registration, you
can contact : Nicko 021-93338053 (nicko2_cool@...)

Thank you!!
Asrining Tyas

Korea KHSDC IV 2008 Updates

2007-12-04T22:32:00.000+06:00

Dear Debate Community,

I would like to apologize for not updating the KHSDC website as stated earlier
because I need some extra time to finalize all the components needed for a successful
championship.

Registration will be delayed a week and motions will be released 7 weeks before
the tournament to ensure that all interested parties have enough time to get their
forms together.

KHSDC IV Registration: December 10 - 28 5 pm
A download-able package with forms, instructions, and guidelines will be at
www.khsdc.com on Monday night after 9 pm. I have received several e-mails concerning registration and will address those collectively:

On Finding Judges:
Yes we are working with the university debate community towards creating a system for
you to find judges and such information will be ready by the weekend;

On Cost:
The tournament fee is 150,000 KRW per debater. Dormitories are 76,000 KRW per debater. Meals are 30,000 KRW per person which means that adjudicators, or the teams they are paired with, will be asked to pay for their meals. Coaches, not participating as adjudicators, will be charged full event fees. Adjudicators, Liaisons, and Organisational staffs will have their lodgings paid for by
KHSDC. Special considerations will be given on a case-by-case bases for those
wishing to have an overnight's stay as an Observer. Please contact me directly for more detailed information.

On Institutional Cap:
It has not been determined how many teams from each school will be automatically
accepted into the championship because I have yet to determine how many institutions are willing to participate. You can well imagine the difficulties if 21 schools send applications with the expectation that their first 2 teams are in the tournament. So that is why I am asking Liaisons to share how many teams they wish to send before establishing the cap. I have not received notification from all the Liaisons as to how many teams they can field and so cannot speculate how many teams will be automatically eligible while others wait.

If those remaining Liaisons continue their silence then I will only accept 1
registration form per institution, with the 6-teams and 6-adjudicators listed, and will fill the tournament between 5:05 and 9:00n pm on December 28th. Basically, you can list 6-teams per school but there are no guarantees at this point as to how many of them will get in.

On In-House Team Selection:
My process: First Cut: 1-page essay answering "Why I need KHSDC IV". Second Cut:
Auditions: 1-on-1 impromptu debate on a current issue adjudicated by an outside
panel of 3-judges. The ranking is based on the total of 'Speaker Points' (re: KHSDC
Rules, www.khsdc.com). The third and final cut/ranking comes from team-on-team debates as well as my personal experiences with coaching the students. Then the bad news is sent out as the registration form is filed and the wait begins.

On Qualifying Standards for Ranking In-House Teams:
That differs depending on the goals of your students. Do they want the school to
bring home a trophy? Do they want a prize? Do you want either or would you balance the experienced/rookie debaters? If there are only 2 teams allowed then I would offer my most experienced senior team and an up-incoming rookie team, then rank the next teams downwards according to previously mentioned criteria.

Once all pre-registration forms are collected on the 28th, and the tournament filled, Liaisons will be notified how many of their teams will be accepted into KHSDC
IV.Fees will need to be paid on January 2-3-4 with the Motions being released on Friday the 4th at 11 pm.

Thank-you for your questions, concerns, and understandings. All be ready soon...

Sincerely,
Ian M. Yovdoshuk
Convenor,
KHSDC IV.

IIUM AUDC Two Announcements

2007-12-04T17:36:00.000+06:00

Hi guys,

1. The website is ready. All the information should be there. If the website does not contain adequate info, please contact us and we will try to furnish such information. Website is http://www.iiuaudc.com

2. The invitation package for the 4th International Islamic University Malaysia's Asian Universities Debating Championship 2008 (IIU AUDC'08) is ready. For institutions that wish to receive the invite-pack, please inform us by Dec 8th 2007 so we can snail mail it to you.

What's inside the package? Invitation letter, schedule, hotel info, letters for your VC's/Student affairs head, CD's of debates, etc.

Please email us the corresponding address, name of the person in charge (PIC), phone number (with IDD codes), and email of the PIC.

Our contact info:

Inquiries: ask@iiuaudc.com
Registration issues: rego@iiuaudc.com
General questions: iiu.audc@gmail.com
Website: www.iiuaudc.com
Convener: yem@iiuaudc.com
Chief Adjudicator: latif@iiu.edu.my
Please categorize your queries and send them to the respective emails. That way, we can better monitor your response.

Truly,
Miss Asmaa' AlJuned & Miss Michelle Usman
Liaison Officers
IIU AUDC '08
See you then!

IIUM's Explanation Regarding Nomination of DCA for AUDC 08

2007-12-03T20:28:00.000+06:00

Dear AUDC Union Members,

Best Regards. First of all, I extend my sincere apology for not being able to provide this explanation earlier. I had been busy over the last few days and had been caught up with some family matters. Here are some important explanations regarding our choice of 4th DCA for IIUM AUDC 2008.

1) At the time of our bid we have mentioned that we will most likely utilize the full 4 DCA quota for the IIUM AUDC 2008. However, by the time of the bid we had only announced 3 DCAs since we were only able to confirm with them by then. Regarding the 4th DCA we did not manage to confirm by the time of the bid and we also wanted to see the possibility of our last DCA from other regions other than South East Asia and we also wanted to see the interest of teams from these regions.

2) From the very beginning, we were interested to have the 4th DCA from a region other than South East Asia, since we already have plenty of DCAs with excellent credentials from South East Asia in our adjudication core. During IIUM Teams’ participation in Bangladesh Open, we have made contact with plenty of universities in Bangladesh and many of them have committed to attend the AUDC 2008. We are confident that in the AUDC 2008, there will be many teams from Bangladesh and other South Asian countries. Thus their representation in the Adjudication Team is important.

3) Regarding the credentials of Mr Stalin, he has already forwarded the details of his debate involvement in the region and AUDC. We believe that he meets the requirements to be a DCA and his presence will enhance the performance of the Adjudication Core. We also believe that it is in the long term interest of AUDC to include newer faces, newer institutions and representation of various regions wherever possible without compromising quality. Our Adjudication Core reflects both quality and representation. A brief on the Details of Adj Core is stated afterwards.

4) At the time of bid we made 3 specific commitments: High Quality Adjudication, Participation of Teams from Regions other than SEA, Affordable Registration Fees. We stay strong to these commitments and you may have observed that from the steps that we are taking to achieve them.

IIUM Adjudication Core:

1) CA/ Latif: Champion of Asians, Quarterfinalists of Australs, DCA Asians and Australs, Adjudicated Australs and Asians Finals and Worlds’ Semifinals.

2) DCA/Priyam: Quarterfianlists Australs, Winner Several Singapore IVs and Preworlds, Breaking Adj at Worlds.

3) DCA/Martin: Quarterfinlists Worlds, Semifinalists Asians, Top Ten Best Speaker AUDC and Asians, DCA-Philippines Nationals.

4) DCA/Ravi: Internal CA Worlds, Breaking Adj Australs, CA Asians, DCA Thailand Nationals, Grand Final Adj AUDC and Asians.

5) DCA (Proposed)/Stalin: Champion of Bangladesh National IVs, Debated at 2 Worlds, Adj Worlds and AUDC, Coach Bangladesh National School Team (Broke to Octo at World School Debate), CA (Internal) Bangladesh Open, CA- for several National IVs.

We hope that the Union will endorse our steps and guide us every step of the way to present an excellent AUDC for everyone. For more details on the IIUM AUDC 2008 and Adj Core please visit http://www.iiuaudc.com/ . Thanks.

Regards,
Latif
Chief Adjudicator
IIUM AUDC 2008

1st South Asian-(SAARC) Inter School Debate 2007 Ends

2007-12-03T19:02:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

The Vice President of India Mohd. Hamid Ansari presented the awards for ‘Dr. Mahbub Ul Haq Memorial SAARC Inter-School Debate Competition’ at a function here today. The topic of the Debate was the ‘Global warming and climate change’. He presented the winner trophy to the team of Pakistan and the runner of trophy to the team of India. The Best speaker (For) award was presented to Mr. Prerak Pradhan of Nepal and the Best speaker (Against) award was presented to Mohd. Aeeal Hasan of Maldives. The function was jointly organized by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies.

Addressing on the occasion, the Vice President said that the debate was named after a person who was a man of great vision and was concerned with the security for all. Expressing his concerns on the deteriorating environmental conditions he said that we are confronted with the problems of extraordinary dimensions. All these problems are due to our own doing. He cautioned that the nature has acute sense of balance and if we disturb the balance, humankind will have to face the consequences.

Congratulating the winners of the debate, the Vice President said that today the awareness among the masses about these important issues is inadequate and he hoped that these winners will spread the right message.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=33643

Yale team wins China CCTV Debate Competition 2007

2007-12-03T18:45:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Yale’s Chinese debate team defeated delegations from universities around the world to claim victory in last week’s International Varsity Debate series, jointly hosted by New Media Singapore and China Central Television.

The team — composed of Adam Scharfman ’08, Nick Sedlet ’08, Austin Woerner ’08 and J.T. Kennedy ’09 — beat students from Oxford University in the final round of the debate competition in Beijing to win the championship last Tuesday. “I think what it says about our program of Chinese language instruction is extraordinary,” University President Richard Levin said.

From the beginning of the tournament — which took place from Nov. 19 to Nov. 30 — Yale’s team was favored to win, East Asian studies professor and team coach Wei Su said. Despite the pressure this expectation placed on the students for the rest of the competition, he said, Yale was deemed by many observers to be the most skilled team.

The University’s team members returned to New Haven on Nov. 30.Yale’s team was in a bracket with five other universities at which Chinese is not the native language. Six native Chinese-speaking universities competed in a separate bracket.

The team faced off against Oxford in the first round, debating the question of whether smoking should be completely or partially banned in public places, a jet-lagged Scharfman said early Sunday morning in the Branford College common room. Despite having to argue the more difficult stance — that smoking should only be partially banned — Scharfman said, the judges appreciated Yale’s arguments, which focused on individual rights.

Ewha Womans University in South Korea was the Yale team’s next competitor. The two teams debated whether bullfighting in Spain should be banned, with Yale taking the affirmative. The South Koreans’ language skills were impressive, Scharfman said, but they weakened their argument by not dealing with the issue of bullfighting’s cruelty. “We kept asking them if they thought it was cruel,” he said. “But they kept on dancing around it, saying bullfighting was beautiful.”

After Oxford defeated Russia’s Moscow State Institute of International Relations in the semifinals, the Yale team faced the Oxford students again in the final round. This time, the question related directly to university life, Scharfman said: Should institutions of higher education be easy to get into and difficult to graduate from, or hard to get into and easy to graduate from?

Yale’s team defended the position that universities should be difficult to get into and easy to graduate from by arguing that such a policy would increase the quality of students at universities while also allowing them to explore a range of opportunities with an open mind, Scharfman said.

The team argued that Yale falls into this category of school, Scharfman said, given that it has a very low acceptance rate but a high graduation rate. The debates were evaluated by four judges, each of whom had one vote, and a 12-person “jury” with one vote between them, Scharfman said. The judges were drawn from a pool of international Chinese professors, members of the Chinese media and political figures familiar with China.

At the end of each debate, team members were asked to recite a poem, play a musical instrument or talk about the experience of studying Chinese, Scharfman said. These events showcased the diverse talents of the Yale team, Kennedy said. “A lot of the other teams didn’t really have much to offer,” he said. “But all of our team members have very well-developed interests within the areas of Chinese language and culture.”

Kennedy participated in the three-person debate in October, when students from Tsinghua University in Beijing came to New Haven for the first round of the tournament. Yale was deemed the winner among Columbia, Princeton and Harvard universities, an initial victory that allowed Yale to represent the United States in the finals in Beijing.

But the team decided to rotate in alternate Sedlet for the Beijing rounds, Scharfman said. Kennedy, who became the alternate for the finals, helped the team prepare for debates by researching arguments and organizing fan support in Beijing, Scharfman said.

The tournament’s sponsors paid for the team’s airfare, lodging and food. Sedlet said although the experience was a valuable one, it was fairly stressful. “They kept us pretty overscheduled and on a tight leash,” he said. Light Fellowship Director Kelly McLaughlin said the team’s success is a reflection of the strength of Yale’s Chinese program, as well as of the availability of Light Fellowships to send students to study in China.

“This victory sends a message that Yale University might well have one of the best Chinese language programs available anywhere in the world,” McLaughlin said in an e-mail Sunday. “[It] gives one concrete measure of how Yale’s liberal arts education leads not only to technical skill but also to the ability to synthesize diverse knowledge in impressive, non-scripted ways, even when under tremendous pressure to perform.”

CCTV will continue to broadcast the debates for the next few weeks, Scharfman said, and the debates can also be viewed on CCTV’s Web site.

The network has no editorial independence from the Chinese government.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/22663

Indonesia EDS-UGM Debate Open 2007

2007-12-03T18:12:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

A debater, even an old one, might spend his/her entire life debating without even knowing that (s)he debates in an improper way. Finding a reliable guidance can be really hard, especially in such a competitive atmosphere of the Indonesian debating world. Everyone is thirsting for achievement and experiences that it¢s so unlikely that they would spare a second telling you what to say in your casebuild and 7 minutes of your speech time.

Fortunately, there¢s a party that¢s aware of this inconvenient circumstance and taking a step further to bring an enlightenment to all debater facing that particular issue. Providing a leisure time of casebuilding and evaluation together with experienced coaches, guaranteeing a level of debate you might never have experienced before, are just some of the advantages we are offering here in EDS UGM DEBATE OPEN 2007.

EDS UGM DEBATE OPEN 2007 will help you to to learn and refine debating skills through the sharing skill from prominent and well-experienced debater. We will use Asians Parliamentary Style (7 minutes substantive speech, 4 minutes reply speech, POIs are encouraged). There will be 5 preliminary rounds and 1 Grand Final round. In the end of the competition we will anounce several awards: Champion, Runner-Up, and Top 3 Best Speakers, and Best Coach.

When
Saturday-Sunday, 15-16 December 2007

Where
Faculty of Mathematic and Sciences (MIPA), South Campus, Jl. Raya Kaliurang Km.2 Sleman Yogyakarta

Registration
Rp. 250.000/team, It will cover meals during the competition, certificates, Trophy and prizes.However, you need to cover transportation and accomodation by your own, but we warmheartedly will assist you with any queries regarding the local transportation and accomodation.

Coaches
So far, respective coaches from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Univeraitas Indonesia (UI), UNIKA Atma Jaya Jakarta, Sekolah Tinggi Akuntansi Negara (STAN), and Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) have provisionally confirmed their participation in this events.

Enthusiastically, we also proud to pronounce that the Chief of Adjudicator (CA) and some of the selected Deputy Chief of Adjudicators of the upcoming IVED -- as the largest national scale debate competition -- are willing to spare their time and wholeheartedly dedicate it to become coach in this event. Thus we promise you to experience the most prestigious and advantageous event in the local debate calendar. Soon, we are going to release the fixed list of coaches along with their credentials to ensure the quality of the tournament.

Casebuild
We are going to extend the usual casebuiding time from 30min into 45 min to ensure the maximum effect of coaching. In the debate, your coach would adjudicate your team (of course with another neutral/non-coach adjudicator) to provide you constructive feed back towards your team's performances.

See you in EDS UGM Debate Open 2007.

See you in Yogyakarta

Warm Regards
EDS UGM

Source: Indodebaters

Ateneo wins 9th Philippines National Debate Championship

2007-12-03T05:15:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Imagine a place where you couldn’t wear short skirts, tank tops or your beloved Havaianas. A place where you had to be highly disciplined and keep your voice down, wake up early and not wander around.Now imagine that place as the same place where you’d have to stand in front of random strangers and speak for seven minutes about a topic few people have ever heard of.

That was exactly the situation participants of the 9th National Debate Championship, held at the grounds of the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City, found themselves in.The National Debate Championships are held every October and attracts debaters from all over the country. From universities in Luzon to other universities in Visayas and Mindanao, these students make time during their precious semester break to troop to the host colleges.

And every year, all the participating universities and colleges prepare themselves for the tournament by training their debaters and adjudicators (the participants who judge debate, students like us) and reading magazines and newspapers to be updated on current issues as much as possible.For us in the UP Diliman contingent, this NDC was a chance to defend our 2006 championship. My teammate Diana and I were training as hard as we could because this was our last NDC as undergraduates.

What was really different with this year’s NDC was the fact that, well, it was held in PMA. Most of us had never been in the company of so many alpha males all at once, and that was already different. A friend of mine actually said, “They’re hot in uniform especially when they’re in groups.”

Okay, seriously now, the biggest difference was the efficiency and organization of the event. Military training and discipline definitely permeated the whole tournament. The very first day (registration), we had to wait for our whole contingent to be completed before we could even get our IDs taken, which took us about two hours.Lesson learned: Be on time. Something that we had to take into heart or else we’d be left behind by the buses provided by PMA for the trip to Fort del Pilar.

Bonding activities

Before the competition formally started, the organizers set up different activities to foster camaraderie. While most of us would rather just sit and watch or go to the ukay-ukay, the team-building activities looked fun, so some people joined in.We had dinner with the cadets in their mess hall. They told us how difficult life was for them. While they enjoyed training and studying in one of the best schools in the country, they were also aware that they had to give up their lives for the country if needed. Of course, they kept the banter light so the participants won’t leave dinner feeling sad.

The cadets also did a fashion show of all the uniforms they wore (minus the sleeping garb, which would have been more fun to see). This, of course, elicited more squealing from the girls.Then they surprised us by holding a bonfire in honor of the participants. Our cadet escort, Cdt. Ann Sinson, told us the organizers gave up part of their allowance in order to fund the activities. A cadet band played music while we stared at the fire burning in the middle of Borromeo Field.

All the activities were fun, but there was one thing people were eager for: the debates. This year, the topics ranged from the question of West Bank autonomy to Manny Pacquiao’s impact on Philippine culture.Any debater knows that merely knowing issues and having the logic to argue them through is not enough. There’s also this thing called angas factor that can be achieved through fashion. How exactly does fashion have a hand in all of this?

Well, take me, for instance. On the first day, I went to the rounds wearing my hip-length denim jacket and an asymmetrical top on top of my bootleg jeans and boots. It was enough to make people sit up and notice. Of course, the right “costume,” if you will, could show off your all-important sense of confidence while you delivered your speech. It was an excuse to wear your hottest clothes and give yourself a dose of self-assurance. See, debaters aren’t always serious.

Debating in NDC is a chance for college students to test their mettle when it comes to various issues. Annalyn Avila, a three-year debater and first-time adjudicator in the Nationals from UCW, noted that debaters, especially those coming from provincial schools, had shown marked improvement. Even previous high-school debaters like Carlo Flores of UP Diliman found NDC particularly challenging. “In college, lahat nangangagat. It’s not like high school where it was easy to beat someone. Here there are no sure victories,” he said.

Good experience

For me, the event turned out to be a good experience even if my team did not make it to the Top 32. The fact that I believed in the words I was saying and that I was giving some of the best speeches of my life was enough. Being able to persuade people with your words was an awesome feeling. And it didn’t hurt that I had a fantastic partner as well.

More, the championships were also a means for us to make friends with those from other contingents. One of the most memorable events was the Cadet Hop. Normally, debaters would party like crazy during the Break Night Party or when they find they had scored high enough to get to the finals. This time, during the Cadet Hop, we were required to wear formal clothes. Cadets were supposed to ask people to dance with them, and all that formal stuff. But we found ourselves storming the dance floor once the Pussycat Dolls started blaring from the speakers.

Being at PMA was definitely an experience. On one hand, we had to adjust to the strict rules of the place. On the other hand, we also felt very honored to be welcomed and hosted by these cadets, who, as PMA Superintendent Maj. Gen. Leopoldo Maligalig said, are stripped of their freedoms inside the institution (like freedom of speech and freedom to wear whatever they wanted) in order for students in other universities to practice theirs.

For that, we say thank you, PMA, for allowing us to practice the greatest freedom we know, the freedom to argue and say what’s on our mind.Ateneo once again bagged the championship, beating two UP Diliman teams that gave them a hell of a fight. NDC was a memorable event, never mind if short skirts were out of the picture.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/

AUDU 2007 Meeting Minutes

2007-12-03T04:44:00.000+06:00

Asian Universities Debating Union-AUDU
2007 Union Meeting Minutes
Union Meeting on May 14th 2007
Venue: Institute of Technology Bandung, Indonesia

Ratification of New agenda
Added a few agendas
Unanimous

Eligibility Concerns
UPM: Propose motion “The council to formulate the complain to explicitly state the complain”
No one speaks of the complain.
CSB:
DLSU: Before the council talks about the complain, then there should be a formal motion.
UPM: Content of complain?
Leloy: Highlights 10.1 of Constitution. Complains are addressed to ADMU A (Leloy, Glenn, and Sharmila have graduated) and DLSU. ADMU A has graduated last semester (March).
DLSU: DLSU has one debater who has graduated in the December term. No classes in the last term.

Leloy: It has been customary for Philippines to send March graduates in Australs or Asians. Even if Estelle is not attending classes in the last term, but technically she still is a student of DLSU. Any clarification/motions?
UPM: Motion: “Formalize complain to have a member of council to explicitly state a complain against DLSU”
Seconded by NUS
Vikram: Do we have to open a vote for eligibility? Should we use this vote to clarify future cases?
Leloy: Motion seconded, so have to open a vote.
Vote: Unanimously passed.
UST: Motion “To exempt DLSU for break”
Seconded by UPM
Latif: Should conclude if it is a violation of the constitution
NUS: Supports Latif.
Leloy: Highlights that it is a violation to Article 10.1.
Latif: Were you asked to do anything for school?
DLSU: Attend graduation practices, file papers for academic scores, can only claim a diploma only after all that is done.
IIU: “enrolled in university” means enrolled in a class or enrolled just to be admitted as a student, doesn’t end until diploma is taken.

DLSU: diploma was received in March.
Vikram: It is quite clear that it is a technical violation. Can we just propose an exempt so that it won’t be precedence?
UPM: can we accept the rational from IIU first?
Leloy/Vikram: We should give an exempt first then if needed we can modify the constitution.
UST: Motion “To open a vote to decide whether or not the DLSU violation is a technical violation”
NUS: We cannot have two motions on the table.
Seconded by ADMU
Leloy/Vikram: No more clarification? (none)
Vote
For : 31
Against : 0
Abstain : 20
DLSU is in technical violation of Article 10.1
NTU: Motion “To exempt DLSU from the violation”
Seconded by ADMU
ADMU: No maligning intent in the violation.
For: Abstain 1, no against, rest for.
Leloy: Motion to ratify break.
Vote: Passed, no against, no abstain.

Bids for AUDC 2008
Leloy: Invites IIU to present bid.
Tasneem: Explains bid, lines out the bid, invites Dr. Atmo (Director of IIU Student Development) to speak
Dr. Atmo: express gratitude to ITB, three out of four IIU campuses came to Bandung for AUDC, shows seriousness in bidding, next year’s AUDC is also a celebration of IIU’s 25th anniversary. Hopefully, having AUDC in IIU can stimulate debating in IIU and Malaysia. Continues to explain about geographical features and enticing matters about both IIU and Malaysia.
Tasneem: explains about IIU, Malaysia should be given a chance
Capability
Campus has agreed to sponsor financially and give free facilities.
IIU is also experienced in hosting Australs and Malaysian Inter-School tournaments
Malaysia Campus is beautiful, as known as the garden of knowledge with 101 parks for people to sit and relax. Campus has a circular feature, easy to get lost.

Tournament Details
Registration fee: RM 700, will try to reduce to RM 500. Free airport pick up, hotels will be located in KL (three star). Provide tour to Genting Highlands. Will promote participation from South East Asia and Arabic nations.

Committee
Yem Muhammad (IIU) will be Convener. Tasneem will be Deputy Convener.

Adjudication Core
Chief Adjudicator: Mohd. Abdul Latif
DCA: Sir Martin Cortez (The Philippines), Priyam (Singapore), Ravi (Thailand)
There will be a fourth DCA that will be decided later (if any from sub continent).

Will conduct a number of adjudication trainings, IIU adjudicators are reputable as 5 adjudicators in the main break are from IIU.

Subsidies
Plan to subsidize USD 1500 for sponsor 50% registration fee of former champions and adjudicators, will not count IIU judges in that matter.
Latif: Sponsorship from IIU as much as RM 25,000 has been approved, there will be no charges for transportation. Have engaged negotiations with Shell since last year. Hotels will be kept at three star to not burden participants with high registration fee.

Sushil: 1. Suggestions à not subsidize debaters but rather based on the adjudication tab.2. Criteria à if there are excessive number of applicants, how will that be sorted out?
UPM: Agrees with Sushil, adjudication credentials should be paramount
Vikram: As long as the process is transparent, all is fine.
SMU: When will AUDC be held?
Latif: May 1-8. IIU is having its short term, preliminaries will be held on Friday to Sunday.
Vikram: Request for exam calendar. Singapore will have its exam on the first week of May. Asked to return the focus to adjudication sponsorship criteria. Suggests to be based on the AUDC Adjudication Tab.
Sani: How about top notch teams who want to judge?
Yves: Can use national adjudication tab.
Sushil: Finalist can be considered. They should have sufficient knowledge of debating.

DLSU: still, that is only a possibility that those debaters can be good adjudicators.
NUS: suggests to take the top 15 adjudicators and that the sponsorship is reimbursable.
SMU: what is the tournament cap?
Latif: 80 to 100 teams. Subject to logistic constrains.
DLSU: How do we apply for the sponsorship?
(Back to exam calendar)
Singapore: First week of May
DLSU: Last week of May
Vikram: Clarifies that the IIU adjudication core fulfils the criteria set in the Constitution, two of the DCAs are from Charter A institutes (Article 13). All four adjudication core members meet the requirements of their membership. Asks what to do if someone bails out?
Latif: Suggests to use online voting.
SMU: minimum 2 DCAs with Charter A status, asks for clarification.
Vikram: language is ambiguous, will be clarified later in the Constitution discussion.

Latif: Subsidies judges apply to n-rule? Suggest so as the judges have already made effort as in paying for their respective tickets.
SMU: should be acceptable.
Vikram: Opens vote to ratify adjudication core
For : all
Against : none
Abstain : none
Asks to open motion to ratify IIU’s bid.
NUS proposes motion to ratify IIU’s bid, SMU seconds
For : all
Against : none
Abstain : none
IIU Malaysia is the host of AUDC 2008

Adjudication Core Requirements
Highlights Article 13.2.1 of Constitution
SMU: suggests for the ‘two years’ to be counted from the bid.
Vikram: leaves too much time to not be involved in debating
Sushil: Suggests to not restrict to months
Vikram: asks for ‘two years prior to the tournament’ or ‘two years prior to the ratification of the bid’
SMU: suggests “last two AUDC, two Australs, two Worlds”
UPM: symbolic, can include future experience
DLSU: How is that?
Latif: ratification is to ensure that the people are involved
Vikram: Two years prior to the ratification might leave too much time absent. Allows people who have been missing for 4 years to be Adjudication Core members.
NUS: Can enforce people to participate more after the ratification.
SMU: talks about something with active debaters…
UST: Asks if there are any other qualifications.
UPM: ratification can happen later.
SMU: Sir Martin last participated 2 years from IIU AUDC. Proposes to amend Article 13.3.1 to “must have adjudicated or debated in previous 2 AUDC/Australs/Worlds prior to the tournament”

Sushil: then ITB cannot include someone that last participated in NTU.
SMU: it’s still in two previous tournaments, then it is still okay.
Assumption: a ratification can be done later.
NUS: not necessarily mutually exclusive.
IIU: whenever the ratification is held, it should still be subject to the early ratification. IIU seconds the motion from SMU.
Leloy: Opens vote
For : 41
Against : none
Abstain : none

N-Rule and Adjudication Core members
Vikram: explains the background of how the motion came about.
SMU: Are the DCAs funded by the host institution?
ITB: Yes they are.
Leloy: Can we just add that to Article 13.6?
NUS: proposes to amend Article 13.6 to “DCAs may not be used to fill the N-rule requirement for any institution”
Leloy: Opens vote
For : unanimous
Against : none
Abstain : none

E-For-L break
Leloy: Asks to ratify the E-For-L break
Break ratifies unanimously

Online Committee
Leloy: Explains that the executive committee needs someone to set up a board and bug the union reps to vote in its discussions.
Mahidol volunteers, nominates LP.

Communication Committee
Leloy: Currently, this function is done by host universities, thus has minimum continuity on the goal to increase mo participating universities.
SMU: this function can be done by volunteers
Leloy: They should have knowledge on design and copywriting. Does SMU want to volunteer?
SMU: declines volunteering. No one can design.
Leloy: Asks if SMU wants to appoint a person.
SMU: No need to add new post in ExCo. Function can be done by the communication officer. Thus, nominates Carlo Cabrera, NUS seconds.
Motion passes unanimously

Other concerns
SMU: Adjudication core member requirements should include more than just what is stated in the constitution.
Leloy: once the online group is running, we can have online discussions on that or it can be discussed in IIU.
UPM: issues about break eligibility should be flagged before the preliminaries.
Vikram: Explains how the DLSU case came about.
UPM: proposes to add “preparing for graduation” in Article 10.1, SMU seconds
Motion passes unanimously

SMU: on the tab issues, the adjudication core can require sufficient justification for participants giving 1s or 5s to avoid abuse from the teams.
UPM: if the decision of that particular round is not acceptable, there is no way it can be changed.
SMU: can we just make it mandatory for teams to write 2 or 3 lines of comments for giving 1s or 5s?
Sani: adds burden to the Adjudication Core.
Latif: in ITB AUDC, the feedback seems to be consistent in the later rounds.
SMU: can we have that in the next Adjudication Seminar?
Latif: Sure we can.
Sani. Shadow Adjudication core disbanding. Does it mean that it has to do more check and balance?
Vikram: Only concerned about extraordinary upgrading.

Sani: Appendix E. Consider including “campuses” in the criteria of separate institutions, geographically separated means hard to gather also.
NUS: such things should be sorted out on a case per case basis.
Vikram: what happens if they get voted out and don’t get treated as different institutions?
Leloy: Teams should assess their likelihood of then being passed.
Latif: “to treat separate campuses as separate institutions”
SMU: Are UPD and UPM different campuses?
UPM: Yes, we have different Chancellors.
Vikram: but if UITM has 17 different campuses, then they will have 17 union votes all together.
Latif: But they are all Cs and it is very temporary.
Leloy: So, is IIU putting up a motion to let this go for just IIU this year? “separate campuses are separate institutions for IIU”
SMU: Can we add “reasonably” to the motion? Also has problems with “independent administrative”
Leloy: We can add “distinct administrative”
Motion passed unanimously.

Leloy: Proposes motion “to thank ITB for being a great host”
Motion passed unanimously.

Leloy: Proposes motion “to thank the Adjudication Core for being very distinct and transparent through out the tournament”
Motion passed unanimously.

Election for 2007/2009 Executive Committee
Leloy: Asks for nomination for returning officer.
SMU: Nominates Vikram, NUS seconds.
Leloy: Opens nomination for Chair.
AdMU: Nominates Mark Cordiner, NTU seconds. Mark accepts.
UPM: Nominates Estelle Osorio, NTU seconds. Estelle accepts.
DLSU: proposes to close nomination, NTU seconds.
Leloy: Invites both nominees for a speech.
Mark speaks very long.
Estelle speaks.
Votes Estelle : 25
Mark : 22
Abstain : 3
Estelle Osorio is the Chair for 2007/2008
Leloy: Opens nomination for Vice Chair
DLSU: nominates Mark.
Mahidol: proposes to close nomination, NTU seconds.
Mark speaks, again.
Votes For : 48
Abstain : 2
Mark Cordiner is the Vice Chair for 2007/2008

Leloy: opens nomination for Secretary
NUS: nominates Miko Biscocho, NTU seconds.
Leloy: invites Miko to speak.
Miko gives a speech.
Votes For : 45
Abstain : 5
Miko Biscocho is the Secretary for 2007/2008

Leloy: Opens nomination for treasurer
Sushil: Nominates Madhav, IIU seconds.
SMU: nominates Carlo, NUS seconds.
NTU: proposes to close nomination, AdMU seconds
Leloy: Invites both nominees to speak.
Madhav speaks
Carlo speaks
Votes Madhav : 28
Carlo : 24
Madhav is the Treasurer for 2007/2008

Leloy: opens nomination for Equity officer
IIU: nominates Meor, Assumption seconds.
NUS: proposes to close nomination, NTU seconds
Leloy: invites Meor to speak
Meor gives a speech.
Votes For : 43
Against : none
Abstain : 7
Meor is the Equity Officer for 2007/2008

Leloy: Opens nomination for Communication Officer
Mahidol: nominates LP, Assumption seconds.
NTU: proposes to close nomination, NUS seconds.
Leloy: Invites LP to speak.
LP gives a speech.
Votes For : 47
Abstain : 5
Luang Pi is the Communication Officer for 2007/2008

Leloy: Opens nomination for Adjudication Officer
SMU: nominates Latif, NTU seconds.
IIU: nominates Sani, NTU seconds.
Latif: declines nomination.
Leloy: Invites Sani to speak
Sani gives a speech
Votes For : 45
Abstain : 7
Mohd. Sani is the Adjudication Officer for 2007/2008

Leloy: opens nomination for Publication officer
SMU: nominates Carlo, IIU seconds
DLSU: proposes to close nomination, NTU seconds
Leloy: Invites Carlo to speak
Carlo gives a speech, again.
Votes For : 47
Abstain : 5
Carlo Cabrera is the Publication Officer for 2007/2008

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AUDC/files/

Korea High School Debate Championship 2008

2007-12-03T04:07:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

The goal of this championship is to invite the best & brightest students to participate at the highest levels of competitive parliamentary debate in the nation. In doing so they will gain valuable tournament experiences that can be added to their debate resumés when applying for positions on the National Team Pool.

KHSDC will follow the World Schools Debating Championship (WSDC) parliamentary format for competing and judging. Each debate has two teams with one called the Proposition (Government) and the other called the Opposition. Each team has three debaters who must speak once and then either their first or second speaker can present a final reply speech. During their first speeches the opposing team can attempt to interrupt by offering ‘Points of Information’ but cannot do so during the reply speeches.

The debate is between teams, not individuals. Each team member has a specific part of the team case to present, and must also attack the other side and defend the team from attack. Each team must persuade the audience that its argument is superior. To do this it must present sound logical arguments, it must present them in an interesting and persuasive speaking style, and it must structure and prioritise its arguments. All three aspects of debate are given emphasis. This competition does not encourage just pure argument or pure rhetoric on their own, but an effective blend of both.

The issues that will be debated at KHSDC will derive from the relationship between the governing topic and the motion. Debaters must develop their case from a reasonable interpretation of the pertinent issues originating from the spirit of the motion within the context of the topic. Answering the question: “What would any ordinary intelligent person reading the motion think that it is about?” would be a good beginning towards understanding that relationship and determining the issues that both teams are expected to debate.

KHSDC will offer the motions for debate in two ways. Firstly the topics and motions for the Prepared Rounds are revealed herein so that teams may prepare in advance of the tournament. Teams will have to prepare for both sides, Proposition and Opposition, because their ‘power-matched’ pairing will be announced shortly before the debate round commences. Secondly 3-motions in 1-topic area are released 1-hour prior to the beginning of the Impromptu Rounds and teams will have to choose which motions they wish to debate according to selection standards established by the All-Asians Intercollegiate Debate format.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Sourse: http://khsdc.com/

Korea's Qualifier For World Individuals 2008

2007-12-03T03:48:00.000+06:00

About the Event

This tournament will select 4 debaters (and 2 alternates) who will represent Korea at World Indviduals 2008 in Germany (March 15-21, 2008). All participants must complete *every* event in the qualifier (speaking, acting, debate) but only have to prepare 1 thing in advance: an original oratory (students write, practice, and deliver a speech that is approximately 4-6 minutes long).

Please read all the information below very carefully to learn more about the events, and download the documents in the next section to learn the details of the rules and to learn the standards the judges will be using.

When & Where?
Location: Rainbow International School (click for location information).
Day: Saturday, December 8. See below for schedule information.

Registration ends December 1 (see below). Note: This is much sooner than the last WIQ event because the registration deadline for Worlds was moved up by almost 2 months.

Fees
This event will cost 25,000 won. All proceeds will go toward reducing the cost of sending a coach to World Individuals with the winners of this event.

How to Register
Please contact Mr. Reznick (justin.reznick@gmail.com / 011-9294-8973) as soon as possible if your school is interested. Please indicate an estimate of how many students will participate to help us better plan the event.

After sending your intent to participate, please download and fill out the Registration Form below. Registration is due Dec 1. After Dec 6 there will be no refunds available. Any schools with students still registered after that day but who fail to attend at the event will be responsible for paying the registration fees and any relevant judgeless penalty fees (see Registration Form for details). Substituting one participant for another is allowed up to the day of the event, as long as the total number of participants from each school does not change.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://koreaforensicsleague.org/

Indonesia ED'S – GUN Debate Open 2007 Motions

2007-12-03T03:23:00.000+06:00

MOTION RELEASE for ED'S – GUN Debate Open 2007

Parental Right
THBT parents’ mental deficiency is not a legitimate reason for taking away their custody rights
TH support abortion in the first trimester on the grounds of physical deformity
THBT companies should offer a year’s worth of maternity leave for pregnant employees

Inter-Nation Aid
That governments should abolish patent protection and instead establish a fund that guarantees payments for the development of new medicines for Third World diseases
THBT countries that pollute most should be obliged to assist poor countries surviving from the effects of global climate change
THBT Trade and Investment in Africa are More Critical Than Inter-Nation Aid to Overcome Poverty

Children’s Health
THW prohibit the sale of junk food in school
THW allow schools to force feed their anorexic students
THBT parents that are reasonably proven neglecting their children’s health should be criminalized

Democracy
THW support civil uprisings against oppressive regimes
THBT religion is not a justified tool to be attached in political campaign in order to win the election
THBT only democratic states have a right to civilian nuclear energy

Migrant Worker
TH would limit the number of professional work force migrating from developing nations
THBT recipient countries should provide equal social security benefits for migrant worker and native citizens
TH would abolish all forms of torture conducted to illegal immigrants

The Law
THBT the criminalization of demonstrator committing flag burning is justifiable
THW not require the victim’s consent in prosecuting cases of domestic violence
THW permanently deny persons convicted of political crimes the opportunity to run for public office

IUT 1st Bangladesh Open 2007 Star Cover Story

2007-12-03T02:59:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

After a decade the debating community of Bangladesh for the first time has undertaken a massive initiative to arrange The Biggest Global Debating Championship in Bangladesh. Recently concluded IUT 1st Bangladesh Open 2007 brought 28 teams, 58 worlds' top adjudicators and many top debating universities from six countries to Bangladesh. Australia, India, USA, Pakistan, Malaysia and host Bangladesh were the grand participants in his Mega International Debating Event.

The Championship started from November 15 and continued till the excitements-filled finale on the 19th. This exclusive international debating championship was organised by Bangladesh Debating Council-BDC with the collaboration of the host Islamic University of Technology-IUT. Bangladesh International Tutorial-BIT, Channel 1, Washington Hotel Dhaka, AKTEL and Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation were the other partners in the cChampionship.

This championship actually started its journey in Bangladesh with all the core requirements that are used in Worlds, Asians and Australs Debating Championships. We had the top Adjudication Panel; Worlds Debating Tab Software for team draws, Adjudication test, Debater and Adjudicator evaluation for the testing of the adjudicators' competence for the first time in Bangladesh which are very much essential for to host international debating championship.

The Championship:
The championship was one of its unique kinds. On November 14 we had the press conference in Washington Hotel Dhaka who was our official Hospitality Partner for the championship. The conference started with the introduction of our international participants to the media and announcing the key features of this competition.

On November 15 National and International participants started to arrive and finish their Hotel Check In formalities. The hotel was full with all the participants of IUT 1st Bangladesh Open 2007. We had the Opening Ceremony followed by Opening Dinner in Washington Banquette Hall on the same day.

Our Corporate Partner AKTEL distributed free mobile SIM with special corporate connection and One Lakh Taka life insurance to each of our participants.

Day two was focused on Core Debating and with adjudication Test. Two exclusive Business Class Volvo Buses were ever ready to transport our valued participants from Hotel to IUT Campus in Gazipur. The day stared with a mock Debate followed by Debaters and Adjudicators Briefing and Adjudication Test. We had two rounds of debates on that day in Worlds BP Format. Adjudicators ware ranked according to their performance in the adjudication test and the feedback from the debaters.

The next day was full of debating and Break Night Suspense. After having three rounds of debate in IUT Campus, participants then moved to PM Launch at Bannai for the Break Night DJ party. The party continued till the break night announcement where top 16 teams out of 28 teams were announced for the quarter final rounds. The adjudication core also announced the top 16 adjudicators to judge the knockout rounds of this championship. The quarter final of the Champions was held on November 19 in Washington Hotel simultaneously in its four grand ballrooms. The day was free for all the non breaking teams. We had a free day tour event for our international participants. They visited National Parliament, different places in Dhaka University, Shahid Minar and National Museum.

On November 19 eight teams debated in the Grand Semifinal in the Washington Hotel. The four teams then moved to the Grand Final of this Grand International Debating Championship. The Grand Final Venue was the Expensive and Prestigious Grand Ballroom of Five star Westin Hotel Dhaka. All the guests and participants were amazed to see the standard of Debating through the night. Then the Grand Dinner was offered to our international participants to enjoy Bangladeshi Food and Music.

The Adjudication Team:
The World Class Adjudication Team was one of the main features of this Championship. Rashedul Hasan Stalin and Mr. Addul Latif were the two Chief adjudicators with other six international and local Deputy Chief Adjudicators (DCA) participating.

Mr. Latif, the Chief Adjudicator for Asian Universities Debating Championship 2008, was DCA in the Australasian Debating Championship before, DCA of Asians twice and Brock in the Worlds Semifinal Debate. I was privilege to work with him as the Chief Adjudicator for this Championship. My adjudication achievement includes proposed DCA of Asian Universities Debating Championship 2008; I chaired three rounds in Worlds 2007 and four rounds in Asians 2005 as an adjudicator. I was the Chief adjudicator of three Pre World Schools from 2005-2007 and Chief adjudicator in the IUT National Debating Championships in 2005.

Before selecting the DCA's; Bangladesh Debating Council-BDC and host university IUT focused specially on the experiences of the adjudication panel. After having the preliminary selection for DCA's we have selected Claudia Newman-Martin from Australia, Alex Dukalskis from USA and Fareez Bin Zahir from Malaysia. The Local DCA's were Mohammed Saddam Hossain from IUT, Azim Ahmed from IUB and Alam Ishraq Chowdhury (Rudra) from NSU. In the Deputy Chief Adjudication Panel we had three worlds' top debaters with top Bangladeshi debaters and adjudicators who had the most experience from international debate. Their expertise includes:

Claudia ranked 5th best speaker in Australasian Debating Championship 2007. She adjudicated the Octo finals, semi finals and the Grand Final of Australian National Debating Championships in 2007. Claudia attended Australs in 2006 and her team broke 12th. She was the Undefeated Australian National Debating Champions at the Australian National Debating Championship in 2006.

Alex was placed 7th 2004 US NPDA National Debating Tournament; 13th as a speaker in 2004 US NPDA National Tournament; Grand Champion, 2004 IDEA-NPDA Vilnius Open in Vilnius, Lithuania; 1st Speaker, 2004 IDEA-NPDA Minsk Open in Minsk, Belarus. Alex has conducted debate trainings in the US, China, Korea, Uganda, and the Czech Republic. Fareez Bin Zahir was the Chief Adjudicator for IIUM Debate League, DCA for National Inter-school Debate in Malaysia. Fareez Bin Zahir as debater has been very successful: broken at Australs, reached semi finals of Asian Universities Debating Championship AUDC, He was also crowned as Malaysian National champion.

Mohamed Saddam Hossain was ranked 26th in the Asians 2005 as an adjudicator, Being the National English Debating Champions in 2005, DCA for Pre Worlds Bangladesh from 2005 to 2007.Azim got the highest point from Worlds in 2005, he was National Champion in the IBA Nationals in 2006, and DCA for Pre Worlds from 2005. Ruddra adjudicated in the World in 2005, was DCA in Pre World in 2007 and breaking adjudicator in many national debating championships.

To support this very experienced adjudication panel, Bangladesh Debating Council-BDC had 25 World Debaters and Adjudicators including Sara Lynch from Australian National University, Yem Mohammed from IIUM-the Convener of 2008 Asians in IIUM, Shameem Reza, Former AIDA Vice Chair, Broken in the Australs from Bangladesh, Chowdhury AA Quaseed-AIDA 3 Adjudicator, Semifinalist Public Speaker in 1996 Worlds, Adjudicated in the Final of Public Speaking in Worlds in 1997, got 13 points from worlds, Tanveer Ahmed Haroon-IBA Nationals Champion in 2006, Habibur Rahman-Top points holder from Worlds and IBA Nationals Champion in 2006, Mahbub Manik Breaking Grand Finalist adjudicator in Many Nationals, Anika Rahman, MM Ashiquar Rahman, Asad, Sabbir and many more.

Participants and the Results:
IUT 1st Bangladesh Open 2007 had 28 teams from six different countries including all the National Top English Debating Universities, Schools and Colleges. International Institutions that were registered as participants in the IUT 1st Bangladesh Open 2007 were IDEA from USA, ANU from Australia, IIUM from Malaysia, NLSU from India and Lahore Institute of Management from Pakistan.

After participating in five rounds of Debate, Quarter Finals and the Semifinals; four teams' moved to the Grand Final of the 1st Bangladesh Open 2007 in Westin Hotel. We had two teams from International Islamic University Malaysia B and A as the opening Govt and Opening Opposition and two teams from Bangladesh; BIT A and AIUB A in the Lower House. I chaired the final with my DCAs and other panelists from the adjudication core. The motion of the Grand Final was “This House Believes that Companies Should Not Hire the Smokers”. After one hour of debating battle IIUM A from Malaysia became champion in this Grand International Debating Championship. They were followed by IIUM B in the Second place, BIT A and AIUB A in third and fourth place respectively.

The debate could generate plenty of interest in the audience. The Chief Guest of the event, Vice Chancellor of IUT and other Special Guests distributed the Trophies to the winners. The Top Speaker of the Tournament was Tasneem from IIUM A. she was the top speaker in the Worlds Public Speaking in 2007 and was crowned as the ESL Champion in the last World Universities Debating Championship in Canada.

Announcements and Continuation:
Bangladesh Debating Council-BDC with its affiliated institution will be holding the Asian Schools Debating Championship in 2008 and will bid for Asian Universities Debating Championship for 2009. BDC also wish to continue this Global Debating Championship in Bangladesh annually with its other visions.

Thanks and see you again...
Special thanks to IUT and all the members of IUTDS, The Convener of this Championship Mabroor for excellent contribution with his dynamic IUTDS Team and Moderator of IUTDC for his leadership role. We would like to extend our gratitude to Lubna Chowdhury from BIT for her special interest and continuous support and to all of our Sponsors who helped BDC and IUT to run this grand championship smoothly.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin
Chief Adjudicator, 1st Bangladesh open, South East Asians and Worlds MINI 2007

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/campus/2007/11/04/camspotlight.htm

Importent Updates of WUDC 2008

2007-12-03T02:45:00.000+06:00

Part 1:Registration details at WUDC 2008

Dear All,

We are having a very difficult time finalizing our logistics because there are more than 300 people whom we do not have any details about at all. We do not know when they are coming, what is their dietary needs etc. We have around 500 people whose information is incomplete. We urge all of the participants to take this request very seriously. It is badly affecting our preparation for the event. We need all this information to ensure 100% that the event runs smoothly.We are providing excellent services for all participants such as airport pickups, variety of meals based on dietary needs, express visa service at the airport and accommodations.

We have made the system as easy as we could to use. Now I understand it is not perfect. Some may not have experience filling in a dynamic online form. If youneed any assistance please contact our communications director Mr. Rish , hisemail is rish@assumptionworlds.com. You can also contact our Internal CA Mr.Ravi at ravi@assumptionworlds.com for any matters relating to teams or adjudicators.

If by December 10 we do not have the complete details filled up. We apologize for any inconvenience you face during the tournament. If you want airport pickup, if you want food according to your dietary needs, if you want to go throughthe "fast track" immigration counter, if you want the right accommodation,please fill up all details.

kind regards,
Tarique

Part 2: Visa express land at airport for WUDC 2008

Dear All,

We are pleased to announce that we have set up a visa fast track lane for all WUDC participants with the immigration department in Thailand. All WUDC participants must make sure to log on to our online system and put in their full names and passport details and all travel information asap. We must submit a list to the immigration department asap. If you do not provide us with this information you will not receive these excellent services. There is no cost for these services. It is to your benefit to give us all your travel details and personal details asap.

kind regards,
Tarique

Part 3:Early and Late Accommodation at WORLDS 2008

Dear All,

If you wish to make any special accommodation arrangements for arriving early or late. Please contact our accommodation team at ken@assumptionworlds.com and please also contact Miss Luck. Her email phone number is 668-67773362 for any urgent matters. Miss Luck can help you with all your accommodation needs.

Please make sure you fill up all your accommodation details on our online registration system asap. If you do not do that, you will not have a bed to sleep on when you arrive. We must book all the rooms in advance based exactly on registered delegates. This is a very serious matter, we cannot help you if you do not complete your registration details now.

kind regards,
Tarique

NTU Model United Nations 2008

2007-12-03T02:05:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

The NTU Model United Nations is back!Bigger and better than ever before, with more councils in session and more exciting social events, it is an opportunity you don't want to miss out on.

Dates: Feb. 1st -3rd @ Nanyang Exec. Centre

What is it?
Model United Nations is a simulation of the United Nations focusing on communication, globalization and multilateral diplomacy. Participants (you!) research on a country, take on a role as a diplomat, investigate international issues, debate, deliberate, consult and then develop solutions to world problems.

Why should you take part?
The NTU-MUN 2008 will have participation from over 250 people from Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and India!! So, it is an opportunity for you to discuss and debate issues, that are relevant to the world today, with people from across the region!

You are the potential leaders of tomorrow and this is an opportunity for you to step into the shoes of the world's decision makers. NTU-MUN provides an unparalleled opportunity for you to enhance your argumentative skills and get a broad understanding of global issues and affairs.

At the end of the event, awards will be given for best Country, best Delegate etc, decided by the chair of the Council.Hence, this can also be viewed as a competition by some budding debaters to excel in the council.

Moreover the exciting Socials provide you with an opportunity to network, and make friends with your peers from all over!

How to Register?
To register and for further information, please visit us at www.ntumun.com
We look forward to seeing you at NTU Model United Nations 2008.

Feel free to contact us with any queries.

Regards
Shantanu Singh
Liaison Officer
www.ntumun.com
email: ntumun2008@gmail.com

Debate Association Singapore Latest Newsletter 2007

2007-12-03T01:44:00.000+06:00

METHODIST CUP 2007

The annual Methodist Cup is now into its 6th year of running and is organised and hosted by Anglo-Chinese Junior College. This year it was in full swing again on the 27th of October 2007.

12 teams participated in total, with Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Secondary) eventually emerging as winners after 3 grueling preliminary rounds. Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) came in as close runners-up.

Motions set were as follows:
This House Would Use Performance-enhancing Drugs in Sports
This House Believes That Government Scholarships should only be awarded to the Financially-needy
This House Believes that Ethnic groups should have their own Political Representation.

Society of Associated Inter-Tertiary Debaters – Victoria School Debate Invitational 2007

Over the weekend of 26-27 October, the Society of Associated Inter-Tertiary Debaters and Victoria School collaborated to organize the SAID-VS Debate Invitational 2007. Participating in two days of spirited debating in the World Schools format and over five grueling semi-impromptu preliminary rounds, 16 teams from over 10 institutions made this event a success. In a hotly-contested Grand Final, Singapore Chinese Girls’ School emerged victorious over Xinmin Secondary School Team 1, with Danitza Hon of SCGS and Andrea Brendan Ang of XMS 1 clinching the awards for Best Speakers of Finals and Tournament respectively.

Motions:
Round 1: THW ban the use of fashion models who are not of a healthy weight.
Round 2: THW ban the use of human embryos in scientific research.
Round 3: THW make community visits to maximum security prisons compulsory in national schools.
Round 4: THBT the Government should subsidize the promotion of cultural heritage in Singapore.
Round 5: THW ban private cars from Central Business Districts of major cities.
Semi-Finals: THBT space tourism should be banned.
Grand Finals: THBT the policy of attracting foreign talent has done more harm than good for Singapore.
Semi-Finalists:
Xinmin Secondary School Team 2 – Gasper Chan, Priscilla Too, Ismail Zainal, Belverlin Shen, Fu Liren
Cedar Girls’ Secondary School – Estee Pang, Joy Priya, Geraldine Tan, Kiran-jeet Kaur, Malyatha Shridharan
Finalists:
Xinmin Secondary School Team 1 – Andrea Brendan Ang, Samuel Lee, Wan Shi Yun, Tay Ming Ting, Angeline Yeo

Winners:
Singapore Chinese Girls’ School – Danitza Hon, Lynette Lim, Aishah bte Noorhimli, Carolyn Bala, Charlotte Tan
Top 5 Speakers:
1. Andrea Brendan Ang (XMS 1)
2. Samuel Lee (XMS 1)
3. Gasper Chan (XMS 2)
4. Priscilla Too (XMS 2)
5. Shaun Elijah Tan (FMSS)

Singapore Management University Inter-Varity Tournament

The SMU BP IVs is hosted annually in the British Parliamentary format by the SMU Debating Society. This year's tournament saw 40 teams from all over Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. The IV featured four preliminary rounds with the top 8 teams advancing to the semi-finals.

Motions:
Round 1: This house would legalize faith-based polygamy.
Round 2: This house would try private military companies locally.
Round 3: This house would fund gender reassignment surgery for minors.
Round 4: This house would bail out failing financial institutions.
Semis: This house condemns the school's right to suspend students who express support for drug usage.
Final: This house supports the political assassination of Myanmar's junta.

Semi-finalists:
SMU C - Rajan Rishyakaran and Shrawan Saraogi
NUS A - Neha Prakash and Nabil
NUS B - Jennifer Ong and Ang Wee Jian
SMU B - Priyanka Jain and Fiza Salim
Finalists:
NTU A - Madhav and Neha Chachra
NTU F - Anindya and Tanu
TP F - Pacer and Fries

Champions:
SMU A - Carlo Cabrera and Anirban Datta Gupta

Top 10 Speakers:
1. Rajan (SMU)
2. Madhav (NTU)
2. Neha (NUS)
4. Aswath (NTU)
5. Pacer (TP)
6. Carlo (SMU)
6. Wee Jian (NUS)
6. Tanu (NTU)
6. Anindya (NTU)
10. Satya (NTU)
10. Anirban (SMU)
10. Shrawan (SMU)
10. Paki (TP)
10. Sethu (TP)

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source:http://www.debates.org.sg/

AUDC Exco Updates on the Union Session & Other Matters

2007-12-01T16:51:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

I am pleased to tell you that we have already set-up the messageboard. :) However, we will only send private invitations to union reps once we have completed gathering all union reps' contact info. This is because we want to follow and strictly implement the 1-week notification, 2-weeks discussion and 1-week voting rule, as stated in the constitution. I hope everyone understands. :)

Currently, we only have the contact info of 11 institutions. These are: ADMU, DLSU, IMU, Mahidol, NTU, NUS, SMU, UI, UST, UPM and UPD. May we therefore request for the e-mail addresses of the following institutions' union reps so that we can already start asap:

Assumption, Atma Jakarta, Atma Yogya, BNU, CSB, EWU, IIU, IIU Mat, ITB, IIU Medicine, Padjadjaran, San Beda, Siliman, STTT, Taman Harapan, UGM, UKSW, UNY, UPI, USM, USU.

Lastly, it was brought to our attention that no Indian institution would have any votes in the coming online union session. This is because they weren't able to send participants during the ITB AUDC. The exco has reviewed the constitution and we arrived at this conclusion: (a) only institutions that could vote during the ITB Union Session can vote during the online Union Session. This means that only institutions that sent participants who paid the reg fee, which would serve as our membership fee) to ITB--whether as observers, adjudicators, or debaters--can vote during our online union session. (b) however, institutions that don't qualify for a vote but have a stake in the online discussions (because they plan to attend the IIU AUDC or for other reasons) *will be allowed* to participate in the online union session discussions. They will *not* have a vote, but they can make their voices heard.

If you are one of those institutions- -those who can't vote, but would like to participate- -please ask your proposed representative to send an e-mail to our Deputy Chair, Mark Cordiner (mjcordiner@gmail. com). Please include in your e-mail what university you are representing and why you'd like to participate in the online discussions.It is important that you give us the e-mail address of your union rep because our message boards are locked. Only those that gave us their e-mail address will be sent an invitation.

Our deadline for starting the online union discussions was supposed to be this week
(ending Sunday, dec. 2) but due to problems with getting the contact info of union reps, we are extending that deadline to Dec. 8. Hopefully, with your cooperation, we can finish well before then. :)

Thank you very much everyone!

Sincerely,
Estelle Osorio
Chair, Asian Universities Debating Executive Committee
Email: hunichi@yahoo.com

India IIPM Global Youth Debate Conclave 2008

2007-12-01T15:48:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

As a B-School, The Indian Institute of Planning and Management(IIPM) is unique. IIPM wants to contribute to the creation of a movement, backed by proper education and research which will create a society where exploitation of man by man does not exist, where each individual has the scope to achieve his / her potential to the
fullest extent. In other words, universal humanism is the social vision of IIPM.

Keeping in line with this vision, we at The IIPM, Bangalore presented The Global Youth Debate Conclave that brought forth forceful and wide ranging discussion and debate on issues that concerned the world today in March of 2007. This 2007 Edition
addressed the Millennium Development Goals.

The Global Youth Debate Conclave brought together the finest debating talent from Bangalore and across India as well as abroad. There were three rounds of fierce Individual and team face off debating judged by the best in the business—Mr. Rishikesh Chhabra(Communications Director, WUDI) and Mr. Francis from Toast Masters International. The Conclave also had participants from the East Asian countries of Sri Lanka and Mauritius. The best debater was Abhinav from the Mahaveer Jain college who walked away with prizes worth Rs.20,000 and a magnificent shield.

GYDC 2008 Edition : Climate change and its worldwide impact

The 2008 Edition Global Youth Debate Conclave focuses on opening up an interactive and international platform for discussions to stimulate awareness and action towards `Climate Change and its Worldwide Impact'. The debate will happen across three rounds (One preliminary and two final rounds), and the topics will all relate to
Global Warming and climate change.

This debate conclave would be on the 22nd and 23rd February 2008 and is open to participation from undergraduate and Post Graduate Students of both International and National Universities. The first round would be a preliminary round where in participants would be shown live examples related to economic issues in our nation. (eg: a pothole on the road, a beggar on the street etc). The participants would be tested on their oratory skills and eliminated accordingly. The second round would be on a two team debating format and topics would be given in advance. The final round would be a decider of individual best debaters.

There would be special prizes that would be given out to the best orator on day one, best team in round two and the best debater in the final round overall.

LIST OF TOPICS

PRELIMNARY ROUND: WALK THE TALK

The preliminary round would be an on the spot extempore on the environmental issues in India, where participants will be handed the topics during a 'Walk The Talk' debate, where they will be shown live situations (eg: a pothole on the road, a beggar on the street etc) and asked to opinionate on a related point. It will be totallyn extempore and no prior preparation time will be provided to the
participants.

SECOND ROUND: TEAM FACE OFF

All the participants will be paired into groups of two and they are to participate in a face off against the other teams (two teams will be pitted against each other). The teams will have one topic (with one team for and the other against) and speakers will alternate from each team. The best 12 individual scorers will move to the final
showdown. Each speaker will have 3 minutes (+1 minute grace) to make his points. A minute rebuttal with one question each allowed from the opposition team will be after all 4 speakers have made finished their debates. No cross questions will be entertained. Each team face off will have a winner who will receive separate recognition and accolades. However, only the best individual scorers will make
it to the next round.

TOPIC ONE: E-waste is a global challenge and it requires global solutions

TOPIC TWO: Bio fuel is the best answer to a greener planet

TOPIC THREE: Ocean Desalination can solve the world's fresh water shortage

TOPIC FOUR: Economic growth at the expense of environmental damage, is justified by the need to feed the rising world population

Extra Topic: Tax incentives should be given for green living

FINAL ROUND: BEST DEBATER

The selected finalists will debate individually on a given topic that will again be handed in advance to all participants. Only the stands will be allotted by a draw an hour before the round. The speakers again will have 3 minutes (+1 minute grace) to make his points. There would be no rebuttal. The best scorer will be the winner of the 'IIPM Global Youth Debate Conclave 2008'!

TOPIC FIVE: Market mechanisms are preferable to regulatory
approaches in reducing carbon emissions

CONTACT INFORMATION

All intrested in participating can request for further details

Regards,
Name : Ms. Ninfa Chacko
Designation : Tournamament Director
Address : #419, IIPM TOWER, 100 Feet Road
Koramangala, Bangalore 560032, INDIA
Hand Phone : +919886365408
e-mail : ninfa.chacko@gmail.com

Doha Debates Exchange

2007-12-01T06:36:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

It was no standard school trip for a group of Qatari students visiting Cambridge this weekend. Although sight-seeing, punting along the river and somewhat reluctantly sampling British cuisine were on the itinerary, the primary purpose of the trip was far more consequential. Nominated for demonstrating considerable talent in previous Doha Debates, these students had come to England to participate in a unique episode of the programme, filmed in the historic chamber of the Cambridge Union.

Between the 15 students, 10 different Arab nationalities were represented, from Egyptian to Iranian, Afghan to Sudanese. One had beenbrought up in the US, others had never set foot in the West. As the timetable included workshops with top Cambridge debaters and a discussion with the Israel and Arab societies, the potential for heated argument was great.

With the Doha Debates sharing the Cambridge Union's mantra as a 'forum for free speech' the first step was to allow the students to hone their own debating skills through special classes. The workshops, led by two experienced Cambridge debating coaches, were designed to introduce the students to the style of debate known as 'British Parliamentary Debate'.

This style places a premium on the students' ability to think on their feet. Adam Bott, Director of Debating at the Cambridge Union said the sessions were aimed at "developing the students ability" in the areas of "competitive debating, critical thinking, and communication skills".

They were taught how to structure and how to attack an argument, as well as being coached on key aspects of public speaking, equipping them with essential skills for future leadership. Mohammed Abid Shirzai, originally from Afghanistan, says he has enjoyed the "experience of being in such a multicultural society", but the "best points" were definitely the debating workshops as they were an enjoyable way to learn new communication skills and interaction techniques.

The visit was not just a one-way experience either. Cambridge students also gained from the visitors' knowledge of Arabic. The students interacted in an informal setting in the University's Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, and those studying Arabic profited from the opportunity to discuss current issues with Qatari native speakers. One student, Nashwa Mohammed El Darawy, emphasized what she recognized to be the mutual nature of the experience and described it as her "first real interaction with the West".

Despite anticipation about the reactions she might receive for wearing a veil she was pleased to say the public tend to "mind their own business" and she did not experience any prejudice because of her attire.Overall, Nashwar sums up the visit as "intense" yet "constructive". She described how it was fantastic for students to have the opportunity to gain "different opinions about issues" and "widen [their] horizons", whichit seems was the purpose of what has been generally acknowledged as ahighly successful visit.

Later that day the students were joined by the Israel and Arab societies to discuss the debate's motion that evening. "You put Israelis, Palestinians, Lebanese and Qatari together and you ask them to think about the role of England…" said one Israeli, "We talked about everything but England!" But was this not the idea? For students on both sides to confront the other, to hear previously unheard opinions.
The role of language itself played a big part in discussions. Brits were amazed at the students' fluent grasp of English, yet Arab students saw it as essential for interaction with the West. Referring to the role English in her life, Tina Niakki (16), described how it changes world perceptions and "overcomes communication barriers." When asked if Westerners should learn Arabic she replied "I don't think people should but it would overcome a lot of the stigma that exists, a lot of the conflict could be resolved."

A lack of understanding seemed to be their common criticism ofsuperpowers like the US. Nashwar recounted the time she met an American soldier,who scornfully asked why she chose to wear the hijab. "These people claim they are in Iraq to help Iraqis, and they don't even know what religion they are!" Yet thankfully she is too intelligent to let bad experiences permanently shape her worldview. As another student, Sheikha Al Anood Al Thani, perceptively commented "If you want peace you need to have dialogue."As discussing Britain's role in the Middle East did not turn out to be their primary conversational agenda, perhaps this shows the essential success of the visit was the interaction itself.

These students, despite their age, already recognize that the role of debating in their lives goes further than competitive tournaments; it is a chance to be open-minded and question values. A far cry from the Islamic youths often depicted by Western media. Nashwa recognized that the aim of debate was to find means of compromise, to have "open dialogue with the other." If these students, Arab and Western alike, can maintain these debating skills and continue to recognize the value of such dialogue, they could well be the ones to finally resolve some of the crucial conflicts in the world today.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/

Bangladesh SDF National Debate Championships 2007

2007-12-01T06:27:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Group of Debaters (GOD) of Dhaka University and Group A of the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) became champions in Bangla and English debate competitions respectively in the 2nd Stamford National Debate Championship 2007.

The closing and prize giving ceremony of the tournament was held on Siddeswari campus of the Stamford University, Bangladesh yesterday.Stamford University became runner-up in Bangla debate while Mastermind became runner-up in English debate.A total of 30 teams from different public and private universities and colleges across the country took part in Bangla debate and 24 teams in English debate.Tarek Hasan Shimul of GOD and Nazmus Sadat of Mastermind were adjudged the best debaters of the tournament in Bangla and English debate respectively.

Stamford Debate Forum (SDF) organised the tournament in association with Stamford University, Bangladesh. Channel-i and Radio Today were the media partners.Speaking as the chief guest at the prize giving ceremony, Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of The Daily Star, called on the students to practise debate as something which will bring long-term benefit in every aspect of life.

Three qualities are essential to become a good debater. These are the art of speaking, the art of thinking and the art of convincing, he said, adding that the students should enrich their vocabulary through reading books to express their thoughts clearly.Abdun Noor Tushar, chief adjudicator of the tournament, said the practice of debate will help develop a tolerant leadership.

Prof Dr K Maudood Elahi, pro-vice chancellor, and Prof Hasan Taufiq, registrar of the university, were present as special guests. SDF President Abdullah Mohammad Shukrana and Chief Coordinator Tahsina Yasmin also spoke.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

BBC Doha Debates for December 2007

2007-12-01T04:51:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

The Doha Debates are Qatar’s unique forum for free speech in the Arab world. Each month invited speakers debate the hottest issues of the Arab and Islamic world in front of an audience who participate by asking questions. The Doha Debates are chaired by the internationally renowned broadcaster Tim Sebastian, formerly of BBC World’s HARDtalk programme.

Prominent Speakers
Prominent speakers have included: President Bill Clinton; Shimon Peres; Archbishop Desmond Tutu; Shaykh Hamza Yusef, leading Islamic cleric; Dr Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog; Ahmed Maher, former Egyptian Foreign Minister and David Frum, former speech writer for President Bush.

Time and Place:
1st December at the Cambridge Union

Motion:
'This House believes Britain’s role in the Middle East is in terminal decline.’

SHOWING TIMES
Saturday 1st December at 0810 GMT
Repeated: Saturday 1st at 1410, 2010 and Sunday 2nd at 0110, 0810 & 2010 GMT

For the Motion:

Shlomo Ben Ami, Israeli Foreign Minister 2000 - 2001.

Shlomo Ben Ami is a former Israeli Foreign Minister who currently holds the position of Vice-President of the Toledo International Center for Peace in Spain of which he is a co-founder. Mr. Ben Ami was appointed Foreign Minister in 2000, a position he held until March 2001. During his political career, he was involved in various Middle East peace negotiations including the Camp David Summit. He resigned from the Knesset in August 2002.

Baroness Falkner of Margravine.

Kishwer Falkner is a Liberal Democrat Peer in the House of Lords. She was the first Muslim peer for the Liberal Democrats and takes an active interest in foreign affairs and civil liberties and community relations. Baroness Falkner speaks extensively on public policy issues relating to Muslims in the West, multiculturalism and integration. In 2005, she was appointed to the Prime Minister’s Taskforce on Tackling Muslim Extremism.

Against the motion:

Sir Malcolm Rifkind, British Foreign Secretary 1995-97.

Malcolm Rifkind served as British Foreign Secretary from 1995-1997 and was one of only four ministers to serve throughout the whole Prime Ministerships of both Margaret Thatcher and John Major. Before becoming Foreign Secretary, he held the positions of Secretary of State for Scotland, Secretary of State for Transport and Secretary of State for Defence. In 1997 he was knighted in recognition of his public service. He is currently a Member of Parliament for Kensington & Chelsea.

Raghida Dergham, Al Hayat Columnist.

Raghida Dergham is a columnist and Senior Diplomatic Correspondent for Al Hayat newspaper, the leading London-based independent Arabic daily. She writes a regular weekly strategic column on international political affairs and is also a political analyst for NBC, MSNBC and the Arab satellite channel LBC. She is a contributing editor for LA Times Syndicate Global Viewpoint and her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The International Herald Tribune and Newsweek Magazine.

Showing on BBC World
On Saturday 1st December at 0810 GMT with repeats at 1410, 2010 and Sunday 2nd at 0110, 0810 & 2010 GMT

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source:http://www.bbcworld.com/Pages/Programme.aspx?id=48

Dubai Intercollegiate Environmental Public Speaking Competition

2007-12-01T04:28:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

The Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) conducted a two day environmental competition in the Dubai Knowledge Village. The annually held event targets environmental awareness among students from the college and university levels. The event was well participated, with 270 students from GCC institutions enrolling in it.

For seven years the EEG’s Inter College Public Speaking Competition has been successful in rallying hundreds of youth across many colleges and universities in the United Arab Emirates, as well as from neighbouring countries, since the past couple of years. It is widely seen as a value added exercise, promoting environmental research and skills, and providing a platform for networking, sharing and learning. It is a well anticipated event that attracts students and teachers, and is ably supported by environmental experts from the academic sector and business who bring their proven expertise to enrich it. Since inception, a set of companies have provided sponsorship while the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research has provided his patronage to the event, making it a strong example of cross sector collaboration on environmental concerns.

The corporate sponsors this year were Al Safi Club for Friends of the Environment and Volkswagen, and the supporting organisations were Dubai Knowledge Village and Marriott Business Council. All these organisations have been associated with successive cycles of the competition. EEG has been engaged in long term advocacy to leverage environmental knowledge and skill building as a pre-requisite for addressing sustainability in the UAE and the Arabian Gulf. The NGO has pioneered leading programmes like workshops for students, teachers and companies, environmentally themed public speaking competitions for schools and universities, awareness campaigns for schools, recycling campaigns involving academic institutions, clean up drives, and so on. The over arching objective is to enhance the level of know how and public responsibility on environmental issues by creating awareness in the early years of life and facilitating an informed citizenry for future.

The competition this year reached the highest level of participation so far, with 270 students from 47 institutions in the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Oman. It is noteworthy that teams from neighbouring GCC countries came to join in the competition and test their knowledge and skills, and gives ample evidence to the success of EEG’s educational outreach across the Region.

The topics of the competition were “Are the Cities in UAE sustainable?” and “Impact of Global Warming on Bio Diversity” on the first day and “Is urbanization affecting the climate?” and “Desert Greening – is it feasible?” on the second day. The set of topics reflects EEG’s conscious choice in putting forth some of the most critical issues facing the world, and in particular, the Region, and have the highest influence on the state of the environment.

The jury comprised a galaxy of well known experts and leaders in environmental and related fields from the public and private sectors. It included Dr. Darem Tabaa, Director, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Al Baath University, Syria and Director, Spana Syria, Dr. Tomador Hassoun, President, ANVK, The Arab Dutch Women’s Council, Dr. Eisa Mohammed Abdellatif, Senior Technical Advisor, Zayed International Prize for the Environment and Dr. Radhiya Al Hashimi, Director, Environmental Center for Arab Towns, Dubai Municipality.

Participating teams demonstrated a great deal of interest and enthusiasm in canvassing the topics chosen by them. Each participating college or university had allocated one or more members of the faculty to assist the teams in conducting their research and preparing their contributions. Teams were assessed based on their research and depth of environmental knowledge, environmental problem solving solutions and suggestions, oration and presentation skills. Each team consisted of a speaker and up to four facilitators, accompanied back stage by a teacher. All the teams put up a great performance to make for a lively and competitive contest. It reflected the keenness of today’s youth to explore critical issues related to sustainable development, understand them and seek solutions to the huge challenges facing the Region in this respect. It is hoped that the lessons learned during the competition and its preparatory process will impart a positive life long impact on these young men and women and motivate them to adopt sustainable habits and practices throughout their professional and personal lives.

The seventh cycle of the competition was inaugurated by EEG’s Chairperson Habiba Al Marashi, known for her fire brand style and passionate advocacy of environmental and sustainability issues. In her opening speech she said, “EEG has been leading a drive to rally support for the environment and motivate responsible action across individuals and sectors. Our education programmes are high tuned to suit this objective, and our emphasis is on building knowledge and skills required to be environmentally responsible citizens, among students in schools, colleges and universities. Today’s programme is one such initiative that is directed at the youth, to help make them aware of critical environmental issues, and providing them with a platform to express their thoughts, ideas and suggestions on how to improve the condition of the environment.”

The closing session was attended by key officials from the sponsoring organisations.
Speaking on the occasion, Iris Kraska, Marketing & PR Director for Volkswagen Middle East said, “We at Volkswagen Middle East are very proud to join hands with the Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) for the 7th Inter College Public Speaking Competition. It is an excellent platform for getting students to study, research and discuss one of the most important topics of this generation, the environment. Ultimately, it is the younger members of our community who will lead the way in fighting to protect and preserve the environment, which has now become a global challenge. Wherever we look – design, climate technology, architecture, material development – researchers and developers take their lead from nature, just as we do in the automotive industry. Volkswagen has been committed to protecting the environment for many years and partnering in initiatives like the Inter College Public Speaking Competition with the EEG reinforces our commitment.”

Mr. Mohammed Al Sarhan, Manager, Al Safi Club for Friends of the Environment, said, “Al Safi Club for Friends of the Environment is proud to be a close and long term associate of the EEG. We are committed to developing opportunities for playing an active role in environment protection and sustainable development. We think the Arabian Gulf Region needs many more platforms such as this competition so that our youth can be nurtured to their full potential and their skills can be sharpened so that they can ably take on the mantle of future leaders and decision makers.”

Dr. Ayoub Kazim, Executive Director of Dubai Knowledge Village and Dubai International Academic City said “We are very pleased to sponsor and participate in the 7th Inter-College Public Speaking Competition, which was organized by Emirates Environment Group and participated by 47 local and regional universities and colleges. I believe such essential events that address best practices in energy and water conservations, mitigation of carbon emission, utilization of renewable resources and other energy and environment related areas would enlighten and educate everyone including our students in this community. These topics are of a great importance by all communities and countries around the world and having many university students in this region compete among each other is found to be overwhelming.

“Also, we are extremely proud that two of our key business partners namely University of Wollongong and BITS Pilani won the top spots in the environmental competition event. Their achievements demonstrated the superior quality of their students as well as high academic standards adhered by these institutions”, he added.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

© 2007 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)

IDEA Visits Bangladesh

2007-12-01T03:52:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

In mid-November IDEA made its first appearance in Bangladesh for the inaugural Bangladesh Open held at the Islamic University of Technology (IUT) just north of the capital Dhaka. The event was organized by the Bangladesh Debate Council, which invited IDEA to come help adjudicate and train debaters. Students came from Bangladeshi high schools and universities as well as a contingent from the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) to make this an international tournament.

On my first day in the country, I along with Claudia Newman-Martin from Australia, trained a group of students in the British Parliamentary debate format and in debate/argumentation more generally. We covered a variety of topics in our workshop, from hate speech to globalization’s effect on the poor to sanctions on Burma, to demonstrate some of the most effective tactics in debating. Chief among these was an injunction to set up a level playing field and win debates on wit – something there is no shortage of in any debate community – as opposed to deception. The students from this training, mostly high school-aged, were extremely enthusiastic and well-informed, demonstrated by the fact that two of the students from the training even placed 3rd in the Bangladesh Open.

The topics at the Bangladesh Open ranged from space exploration to the protection of cultural heritage to Kurdish independence to sex education. The final round was a particularly interesting topic centering on the right of companies to refuse employment to smokers. The sizable audience got to have a few laughs and was entertained by the two Bangladeshi and two IIUM teams in the round – although one of the IIUM debaters is a Dhaka native. One of the most rewarding things for me to see at the tournament was that debates continued after the formal round was over, indicating an enthusiasm for critical engagement that exceeds mere competition.

During my last few days in Bangladesh I went to visit a couple high schools to introduce students to debate and to hear what young people in Dhaka had to say. At the Aga Khan School, I fielded lots of questions about debate and IDEA, introduced a few brief concepts of debate, and then facilitated an interesting (and lively!) debate about the merits of arranged marriages. At the Baccalaureate International Tutorial, I got the chance to hear the students’ views on the influence of American culture on Bangladesh and had a great time listening.

If you’re a Bangladeshi reading this – thanks to all for showing me a good time in your country; I am now craving paan and spicy curry in the freezing Seoul winter! I hope you enjoy some of the photos posted to this blog and I hope to see you again.

Alex Dukalskis
IDEA Program Coordinator
adukalskis@idebate.org
www.idebate.org
phone from Korea: 02.2648.7611
phone from outside Korea: (+82) 2.2648.7611

Bhutan's First International Debate Participation

2007-12-01T03:35:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

For the first time ever, Bhutan will participate and compete against other SAARC countries in the super finals of the 10th Dr Mahbub Ul haq Memorial Inter-school Debate Competition in New Delhi, India, on December 3.

Rinchen higher secondary school, who won the national round, will represent Bhutan. In the national round, five high schools - Rinchen HSS, Nima HSS, Yangchenphug HSS, Kelki HSS and Motithang HSS locked horns on November 7 to debate on “Global warming, melting glaciers and rising sea levels spell doom for the South Asian region: A myth or a reality.”

Ugyen Wangchuk, 19 and Rinchen Lhamo, 18, both class XI-Arts students told Kuensel that they have been preparing hard for the coming debate. They are thorough with their speeches and have memorized all the points. The topic for the super finals is “Unchecked consumerism and industrialization have led to global warming and climate change, which will affect the poor. The rich are responsible.”

While both of them are passionate about the global warming issue, Rinchen Lham will speak for the motion and Ugyen Wangchuk against.“We are excited and happy to represent our country and school but are a little nervous too,” said Ugyen Wangchuk, who bagged the best speaker trophy in the national round.

Principal Kunzang Choden Tshering and proprietress Sangay Zam said that they are proud that their students are representing Bhutan at an international level. “We are hoping for the best, but it’s their participation that’s important,” said the principal. Ugyen Wangchuk and Rinchen Lham will leave the country on November 30.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.kuenselonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9472

MMU Malacca Women's IV 2008

2007-12-01T03:24:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Voices MMU Malacca proud to announce that we'll be hosting
Women's Intervarsity Debate Championship 2008.

A debate tournament just for the ladies!
Chief Adjudicator: Adiba Shareen from UiTM, Shah Alam. She was the All-asians 2007 champion.DCA: Divya Swaminathan, from NTU, Singapore. (Australs Women's representativeSuriakala Sivalingam, from MMU Malacca

Details of the tournament:
Date: &nbs! p; 15th-17th February 2008
Venue: CLC, MMU Malacca
Rego: RM 60 per person (not including accomodation)
Format: Asian Parliamentary Format (n=1)
Accomodation: King's Hotel or King's Apartment, Ayer Keroh, Malacca

Registration opens today!

Details to be included:
Name of University/ Institution,
Number of Teams ( Name of 3 debaters per team),
Names of adjudicators,
Accomodation (whether or not you'll need)

Please submit your registration to womensiv.2008@
gmail.com.

For further inquiry about the tournament, please contact Suria (014-2612187/ 017-6070010), Ju-li (017-6239016) or Yi Ling (017-6125996).

Hope to hear from all of you soon!

Regards,
Suriakala Sivalingam
Convenor, Women's IVMMU Malacca

India SDP Inter-College Debate Competition 2007

2007-12-01T03:01:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

SDP College for Women organised an inter-college debate competition in the college campus today. The competition was held in the memory of former MLA Om Parkash Gupta, who was also a social worker and philanthropist.

The topic for the debate was ‘Minimum educational qualification should be compulsory for political leaders’. Seven teams from various colleges of the district took part in the contest. The participants spoke for and against the motion. Their strong arguments and communication kept the audience spellbound.

Ginni Karir of Government College for Women bagged the first prize. Shalini of SDP College got the second prize and Shivani Mehta of Guru Nanak Girls College secured the third position. The overall running trophy was won by Partap College of Education.

Dr Vinay Arora, Dean Academics, planning and Development, Research and Coordination, Panjab Technical University, presided over the competition. The chief guest was accorded a warm welcome by College President Balraj Bhasin, Principal Dr Geeta Bhandari, Director S Verma, heads of SDP Educational institutions, members of the management and the staff. The jury included Bindu Sharma, H K Grewal and Dr Rajinder Sahil.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.expressindia.com

Mandarin and Taiwanese Speech Contest 2007

2007-12-01T02:28:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Kumagai was one of the 45 contestants from 14 countries, including Slovenia, Poland, Japan, South Korea, Macedonia, the UK, Vietnam and the US, to compete on November 29, 2007 in the 12th annual Mandarin and Taiwanese Speech Contest for Foreign Students held by Rotary Club district 3250.

"I believe speaking Hoklo is the most direct way for me to really understand the country and its people," he said, adding he would also recommend that his friends in Japan come to Taiwan to learn Mandarin.Contestants were asked to deliver a five-minute speech related to their experiences studying language in Taiwan, with the winner taking home a NT$8,000 cash prize.

Eighteen-year-old Rhaissa Bittar from Brazil, who has been studying Mandarin in Taiwan for three months, said in her speech that Taiwan makes her heart happy, adding that the colorful food at the traditional market by her house was just one of the reasons."The vendors in the market are always very kind and hospitable. They always let me try different food. My neighbors also often ask me to drink tea with them," she said.

Christina Walters, a 17-year-old high school student from Minnesota, said she would consider pursuing a university degree in Taiwan.Walters is currently the only full-time foreign student at George Vocational High School in Taipei.

"I became very interested in Taiwan when I started watching Taiwanese television shows online. I also really like Taiwan's music and fashion," she said.Walters said that she had been a huge fan of Taiwanese boy band F-4 since watching the popular TV show Meteor Garden, which starred the group.

One Indonesian student said she chose Taiwan over China for her language studies because "Taiwan is a free country and the people are very kind."Another student from Poland said she planned to pursue a degree in international politics at National Cheng Chih University after she finishes her one-year Mandarin language course at Tamkang University.

Stella Yang, the president of Rotary Club District 3520's Minsheng chapter, said that compared with their Taiwanese counterparts, foreign students were a lot more self-confident and independent."They are not afraid to show themselves," she said, adding with a laugh: "We find that foreign students who speak Mandarin or Taiwanese well often have a Taiwanese girlfriend or boyfriend."
This story has been viewed 729 times.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/11/18/2003388351

59th All Japan Inter-Schools English Oratorical Contest

2007-12-01T02:06:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Mikoto Shigenobu, a third-year student of Iwayoshi Middle School in Miyazaki Prefecture, was awarded the H.I.H. Prince Takamado Trophy after winning the 59th All Japan Inter-Middle School English Oratorical Contest on Saturday with her speech "Towards a Brighter Future." Twenty-seven finalists took part in the annual speech contest at Yomiuri Hall in Yurakucho, Tokyo.

After receiving the trophy from Princess Takamado, Shigenobu told The Daily Yomiuri: "I was really surprised to get the trophy. I think I was able to deliver my speech calmly in the final." Shigenobu, who also entered the contest last year, said the pressure was so great she cried after giving a speech in the semifinal, never thinking that she would advance to the final.

In her speech, she first criticized the media for overemphasizing negative news over good news, but also argued that the media gave readers and viewers what they want. "The media does a good job playing the role of the messenger to educate or notify people of the things that can be corrected or improved, but it is also up to us in how we perceive these messages," she said.

"It took about a month to write the speech, including doing research by checking the Internet to check the kind of news the media offer and their coverage of good and bad news," Shigenobu said. The runner-up was Sachina Yamaguchi of Kwassui Middle School in Nagasaki Prefecture. Kento Yamamoto of Middle School Attached to Yamanashi Gakuin University in Yamanashi Prefecture finished third.

Fourth through seventh places went to Sachi Tanaka of Den-en Chofu Futaba Middle School, Tokyo; Shuhei Yamada of Kamiyashiro Middle School, Aichi Prefecture; Yumie Tsuzuki of Maru-game Higashi Middle School, Kagawa Prefecture; and Junichi Oshite of Asahi Middle School, Ibaraki Prefecture.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/culture/20071125TDY02308.htm

Brunei Debate Week 2007

2007-12-01T00:47:00.000+06:00

Speech Contest at Arabic Religious Secondary Girls School

The English Department of Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Damit Arabic Religious Secondary Girls School (SUAMPRIPAD) on November 27, held a Speech Contest and an English Quiz as part of the school's end-of-year activity.

In the speech contest, nine students from Form One, Two and Four had to deliver a speech on various areas, ranging from education to religion. They were judged on their presentation, style, content and originality.

Meanwhile, 15 students representing three teams namely, Intelligent, Genius and Wise, participated in the English Quiz. They were tested on their knowledge of the English Language such as definitions, spellings, anagrams, grammar, as well as general knowledge.

Emerging as the best speaker in the Speech Contest was Nor Syaheerah bte Mohammad from Form Four Akhdar, while Wise Team won the quiz competition.

Among the objectives of the competition were to train students to be proficient in the English Language, encourage them to speak in public, as well as to enhance their knowledge through such event.

Brunei STPRI Inter-House Speech Competition

Nuha Abdul Halim of Form 4A, representing the Jade House, won the STPRI Inter-House Speech Competition after battling it out with seven other speakers in the finals.

Her winning speech was entitled "Global Warming - Why Would We Be Afraid". Following in the second and third places were Daliana Damayanti Daniel Alexander of F4C with her speech entitled "The Beautiful National Costumes of My Country" and Nurhafizah Hj Md Ridzuan of F4D with her speech entitled "The Importance of Recycling" respectively.

The trophies will be presented to the winners today.Present as the guest of honour was Jenny Ang, the Deputy Principal, who presented souvenirs to the judges and the finalist speakers at the STPRI Auditorium.

The competition is an annual event where students hone their skills and get exposed to public speaking. It is also aimed at promoting public speaking among students at all levels as well as being part of the inter-house competition activities. The chief judge was Mrs Josephine Murphy of STPRI with other invited guest judges from PDSM Secondary School, Mentiri and Naeem Meer of Science College PSBS.

To help the students in future competitions, the judges were asked to provide commentaries and advice. They said the audience were entertained, amused, moved and made to think. They added that the speakers performed admirably despite the large number of audience and difficult topics.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: Borneo Bulletin Brunei and Brudirect.com News

Qatar 20th Inter-school Debate competition

2007-11-29T16:27:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

BAZM-e-Alig Qatar, the alumni association of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), India, has organised its 20th Inter-school Debate competition at the Grand Palace Hotel.
The competition began with the recitation of verses from the Holy Qur’an by Hafiz Abdul Hayee.

Seven schools with 30 participants took part in this year’s debating competition.
The topic for the senior category was ‘Youth of today has too much freedom,’ and for juniors it was ‘Should uniforms be got rid of?’ Arunima Ber of DPS-Modern Indian School came on top in the seniors category, with Zainab Riaz and Hamza Sardar Khan of Pakistan Education Centre (PEC) securing second and third positions, respectively. Fizza Riaz of Bright Future Pakistani School and Shubecchyya Ghoshal of Birla Public School were awarded the consolation prizes.

The winners in the junior category were: Kamal Rammohan Rai, DPS-Modern (First), Fathimath Sahla, DPS-Modern (Second), Roona Ann Raju, Ideal Indian School (Third), Hibba Hareem, PEC and Gareeshma Mathew, DPS-Modern (Consolation)
The overall Sir Syed Memorial Running trophies went to DPS-Modern Indian School.
A new category was introduced this year for the children and they spoke on the topic, ‘Should examinations be replaced with other forms of assessments?’
Eleven speakers in this category aired their arguments.

The speeches at the event were judged by Brenden Clark of QP, Caroline Cameron and Jemma Berzay of British Council, Qatar. The chief guest of the function was president, Indian Cultural Centre and ICBF, Hasan Chowgule, who gave away the prizes to the winners. Speaking on the occasion and quoting extensively from the couplets of Allama Iqbal, Pakistan’s national poet, he said: “The forum is providing an excellent opportunity for the young children to hone their talents and build confidence.” Commercialbank was the chief sponsor of the event.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.gulf-times.com

Pakistan Kinnaird College Debating Championships 2007

2007-11-24T07:23:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

LAHORE: The Kinnaird College Debating Society (KCDS) organised the annual Urdu and English debating contest at the college on November 16.

The title for the preliminary round was This House Would Abolish Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA). The quarter round was titled This House Would Allow Pirated Books for the Third World Countries. The semifinal was contested by eight teams and the title was This House Believes that Pakistani Men are Ready for Women’s Emancipation.

KCDS president Nauveen Dubash said 14 teams participated in the contest. She said the institutes that represented in the contest included the Government College University (GCU), Forman Christian College University (FCCU), Aitchison College, Lahore College of Arts and Sciences (LACAS), Resources Academia and Lahore Grammar School (LGS).

She said the LGS and GCU had qualified in the English category and FCCU and GCU had qualified in the Urdu category for the final round.

Dubash said the final round of the debate would be held on Monday. The theme for debate in Urdu would be Main Abhi Pakistani May Rehna Chahta Hun (I want to live in Pakistan), she said. She said the topic for debate in the English category would be The House Believes that Islamophbia is not Justified.

“The society has chosen topics that are burning issues in our society,” she added.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C11%5C18%5Cstory_18-11-2007_pg7_35

UAE Inter University Debating Championships 2007

2007-11-24T06:56:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

The topic of whether Western media has a negative impact on the culture in developing countries provided a strong spark for a lively and interesting discussion between teams from two universities in the finals of the annual inter-university Debate Championship organized by American University of Sharjah (AUS) recently.

The team from University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD), comprising Rohini Kamath, Irshad Aziz, Rumana Sadekar and Lif Hamouda, made a strong case against the competing AUS team who defended its stand that the Western media was indeed having a negative impact on the culture of developing countries.

'The debates were of very high order, and showed that students are knowledgeable in pressing issues of our time,' said Dr. Swapna Koshy, Instructor, College of Undergraduate Studies, UOWD. 'The finals were electrifying and both sides demonstrated deep maturity and understanding of topical issues. Events like these hone the presentation and thinking skills of students.'

Rohini Kamath, who was awarded 'Speaker of the Tournament' prize, the most coveted award reflecting consistent performance, said: 'The competition was tough and very demanding as it lasted a whole week. The event tested public speaking, quick thinking, reasoning and research skills. The topics centred on global issues. The topic for the finals was highly relevant and demanded great analytical reasoning.'

'The competition was intense,' remarked Irshad Aziz, another student of UOWD. 'As the topics dealt with 'real world' issues, there was a need for a deep understanding of each issue. It required sitting with the team and strategizing all angles of the topic. The entire event was a great learning experience and definitely helped each participant to sharpen their debating skills.'

Rumana Sadekar, another team member, said, 'It is not as much about winning as about gaining experience and confidence. It is about reasoning and logical thinking. The Debate championship was a great opportunity for all of us to learn from others.'

The calibre of the UOWD team members was reflected by the fact that each of them picked up at least one Best Speaker prize in the quarter and semi finals of the competition.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Sousce: http://www.ameinfo.com/139155.html

India NLSIU Debate 2007

2007-11-24T06:39:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

The 6th NLS Debate was held over four days (November 1-4, 2007) at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) campus in Nagarbhavi,Bangalore. The tournament attracted participation from 42 teams representing 23 educational institutions. The ‘NLS Debate’, launched in 2002 by the Literary and Debating Society of NLSIU, has in the matter of a few years emerged as the Indian sub-continent’s largest parliamentary-style debating championship. It follows a rigorous format modeled on international competitions such as the All-Asian and AUDC championships. The six editions held so far have attracted participation not only from the best Indian universities but have also drawn teams from Pakistan and Sri Lanka. We take pride in the fact that many teams who participate in the NLS Debate go on to perform exceedingly well in international competitions.

The schedule for this year’s event was as follows:
November 1, 2007: Introductory Briefing and Demonstration Debate followed
by first preliminary round
November 2, 2007: Rounds 2, 3 and 4
November 3, 2007: Rounds 5 and 6 followed by Quarter-finals
November 4, 2007: Semi-Finals and Grand final

The following institutions were represented:
1. Amity Law School (ALS), New Delhi
2. Army Institute of Law (AIL), Mohali
3. Chanakya National Law University (CNLU), Patna
4. Faculty of Law, Colombo University
5. Kirori Mal College (KMC), New Delhi
6. Lady Shri Ram College (LSR), New Delhi
7. Lovely Institute of Law, Jalandhar
8. M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology (MSRIT), Bangalore
9. National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR), Hyderabad
10. Nirma Institute of Law, Ahmedabad
11. National Institute of Technology (NIT),Raipur
12. National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS), Kolkata
13. Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Patiala
14. Ram Lal Anand College, New Delhi
15. Ram Jas College, New Delhi
16. Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University (RMLNLU), Lucknow
17. Rashtriya Vidyalaya College of Engineering (RVCE), Bangalore
18. Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), New Delhi
19. Sri Venkateshwara College, New Delhi
20. St. Stephen’s College, New Delhi
21. Symbiosis Law College, Pune
22. University Institute of Legal Studies (UILS), Chandigarh
23. University School of Legal Studies, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha
University, New Delhi

After the conclusion of the preliminary rounds, the top 8 teams proceeded to the knock-out stage. The following motions were debated upon at the
various stages of the tournament.

Demonstration Debate
• This house believes that televised singing competitions promote mediocrity

Round 1 (Theme: Public policy and governance)
• This house will levy higher excise duties on vehicles that pollute more
• This house believes that the President and Vice-President of India should be elected through universal adult franchise
• This house believes that post-conflict societies should choose reconciliation over criminal prosecution

Round 2 (Theme: Women)
• This house will prescribe the death penalty for those convicted of rape
• This house will lower the age of consent for marriage
• This house supports reservations for women in legislatures

Round 3 (Theme: International Relations)
• This house believes that the Non-Aligned movement (NAM) is a thing of the past
• This house believes that the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) must act against the Myanmar junta
• This house supports the construction of the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline

Round 4 (Theme: Sports)
• This house believes that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should give the Indian Cricket League(ICL) its space
• This house believes that India is not ready for hosting a ‘Formula One’ race
• This house believes that cricket team managements are justified in issuing ‘gag-orders’ to their players

Round 5 (Theme: Education)
• This house supports reservations for religious minorities in educational institutions
• This house will prohibit formal prayers in public schools
• This house believes that the government should regulate private coaching institutions

Round 6 (Theme: Internet)
• This house will ban social networking sites in educational institutions
• This house believes that free online databases are in the best interests of authors
• This house believes that Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) applications will replace fixed and mobile telecom services

Quarter-Finals (Theme: Tourism)
• This house will ban ‘space tourism’
• This house believes that foreigners and citizens should be charged the same entry fees for visiting historical monuments
• This house believes that the re-selection of the ‘Seven Wonders of the World’ was a farce

Semi-finals (Theme: Economics and Development)
• This house will tax agricultural income in India
• This house will not force private commercial banks to operate branches in rural areas

Grand Final (Theme: Free Speech)
• This house will take away the power of judges to punish for contempt of court

The grand final was contested between teams from Ram Jas College, New Delhi and Faculty of Law, Colombo University. The running trophy was won by the team from Ram Jas College which consisted of Harsh Malhotra, Kartik Mishra and Prithvi Rohan Kapoor. The winning team also took home a cash prize of Rs. 18,000 -/- while the runners-up team received Rs. 12,000 -/-. Cash prizes of Rs. 6,000 -/- each were also given to the losing semi-finalist teams from Kirori Mal College, New Delhi and St. Stephen’s College New Delhi. Harsh Malhotra of Ram Jas College was declared the ‘best speaker’ of the tournament (out of 126 speakers) while Parth Mehrotra of Kirori Mal College, New Delhi was declared the ‘second best speaker’ for the same. A special prize for ‘dignified’ conduct throughout the tournament was given to the team from Chanakya National Law University (CNLU), Patna.

The main sponsor for the event was Kotak Mahindra Bank whose contribution enabled the arrangement of accommodation and food for the participants as
well as healthy prize-money for the tournament.

Contacts:
Postal address: The Literary and Debating Society (2007-08)
The Student Bar Association, National Law School of India University, PO Bag 7201,
Nagarbhavi, Bangalore (560072)
e-mail: debate@nls.ac.in

Tournament Director: Aditya Verma: +91 99867 69785
Adjudication Core: Arghya Sengupta, Yaman Verma, Sidharth Chauhan

Regards,
Sidharth Chauhan
Literary and Debating Society,
National Law School of India University, Bangalore
+91 98869 22576

Brunei Holds Schools Debate

2007-11-24T06:25:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Recently Hassanal Bolkiah Secondary Arabic Boys School Brunei held an Arabic speaking/debating competition at its auditorium on November 22. The event was organised by the Arabic Language Society of the Secondary school and was divided into two sessions in the morning and the afternoon. The event was the first ever held by the school and was meant to be part of post-examination activities.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.brudirect.com/DailyInfo/News/Archive/Nov07/201107/bb06.htm
Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Pakistan International Debating Championship 2008

2007-11-24T06:03:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

School of International Studies in Sciences and Arts Pakistan (SISA) is hosting the SISA International Debating & Public Speaking Championship 2008 (SIDPSC 2008) from 14th February to 19th February 2008. The competition is the only one of its kind in Pakistan and may be even in South Asia. It is conducted on the lines of the World Individual Debating & Public Speaking Championship (WIDPSC).

This year’s competition promises to bring together the top student public speakers from across the globe and offer them all a unique chance to interact with each other. This will also be a wonderful opportunity for all our international teams to experience the exotic and rich culture of Pakistan and there is no better place to do that, than the historical city of Lahore.

The registration fee is $50 (U.S) per participant/coach or chaperone (fifty dollars U.S). This will cover all the boarding & lodging arrangements for the duration of the stay in Lahore. The registration fee can be paid upon arrival in cash or if team’s want we can give them the bank/account details where they can transfer the necessary amount.

You are requested to kindly confirm the participation of your institution no later than 15th December 2007.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Regards,
Wasif W. Mir
Convener SIDPSC 2008
Email: oratorforever@rambler.ru
Phone: (042)5311254, (042)5017348

North East Asians 2007 Results

2007-11-24T04:59:00.000+06:00

NEAO 2007 @ Incheon University, Incheon, Korea Nov. 9-11
All Asians format w/45 teams
CA: Sunhee Kim, Incheon Univ.
DCA's: Yui Miyaichi (Keio Univ., Japan), Ray Yen
(Wenzao Univ., Taiwan), Loganimal (Chung Ang Univ,
Korea)

Champion: DAE 3 (Debate Association of Ewha)
Runner Up: Korea University 1

Semifinalists:
EDiS (Ewha Debate Society)1
Yonsei University 1

Quarterfinalists:
Hanyang Univ. 1
Hanyang Univ. 3
Hanyang Univ. 5
EDiS 5

EFL Champion: BFSU 1 (Beijing Foreign Studies)

Speaker Awards:
1. Kim, Ah Young (EDiS 1)
2. Song, Na Young (Yonsei 3)
3. Tied:
Sophie Lee (DAE 3)
Monica Jang
5. Tied:
Lee, Seung Ah (EDiS 1)
Chung, Yoonjin (EDiS 1)
7. Cho, Hyung Gyu (Hanyang 1)
8. Oh, Hyun Suk (Yonsei 3)
9. Kim, Eui Yun (KDS 2)
10. Hur, Youngran (EDiS 5)

Top EFL Speaker:
Zhou, Shengru (Beijing Foreign Studies 1)

Bangladesh Open 2007 and Worlds MINI Results

2007-11-24T03:33:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Bangladesh Debating Council-BDC organized the 1st Global Debating Championship in Bangladesh from November 15 to November 20, 2007. Islamic University of Technology, Bangladesh hosted this BP Format Global Esteemed Debating Championship; IUT 1st Bangladesh Open 2007 with Worlds MINI and South East Asians. Australia, USA, Malaysia participated with 28 other top local Debating Institutions from Bangladesh in this Grand Debating Championships.

Motion for the Final:
This House Believes That companies should not hire the Smokers.

Championship Results:
Champion: International Islamic University Malaysia A
Runner up: International Islamic University Malaysia B
3rd Place: Bangladesh International Tutorial A
4th Place: American International University A

Top Speakers:
Tasniem Ahmed Elyass from IIUM A (International)
Faiza Rahman from Bangladesh International Tutorial BIT A (Local)

Adjudication Core:
CA: Rashedul Hasan Stalin (BDC)
CA External: Abdul Latif (Malaysia)
DCA: Claudia Newman-Martin from Australia (ANU)
Alex Dukalskis from USA (IDEA)
Fareez Bin Zahir from Malaysia (IIUM)
Mohammed Saddam Hossain (BDC)
Azim Ahmed (BDC)
Alam Israq Chowdhury (BDC)

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin
Chief Adjudicator, Bangladesh Open and Worlds MINI 2007

WUPID Registered Institutions

2007-10-15T16:17:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Listed below are the institutions that have confirmed their participation for
CIMB WUPID,

Australian National University, Australia
International Islamic University, Malaysia
Monash University, Australia
Multimedia University, Malaysia
National University Of Singapore
Queen’s University, Canada
Singapore Management University, Singapore
Universiti Teknologi Mara, Malaysia
University College Cork, Ireland
University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
University of Oxford, United Kingdom
University of Queensland, Australia
University of Sydney, Australia
University of Vermont, United States

IF you have interests in attending CIMB WUPID, or
IF you are interested but need some more time to decide or,
IF you might come but you are still waiting for managements approval, or
IF you would definitely come but you haven’t finalized the debaters, or
IF you are invited and you want the organizers to stop bugging you with
reminders, or
IF you don’t know what CIMB WUPID is, or
IF you feeling lonely and need someone to talk to, or
IF you need any advice on relationship, pet care, life, travel, fashion, etc;

Please do not hesitate to contact me at your soonest convenience. Otherwise,
looking forward to seeing you at the inaugural CIMB WUPID this December.

Cheers !!
Ahmed Ilyas bin Adam
Tournament Organizer,
CIMB WUPID

Singapore NTU Pre Worlds 2007

2007-10-15T15:44:00.000+06:00

Hi all,

Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore is pleased to inform you that it is organizing NTU Pre-Worlds 2007. Through this tournament we aim to provide rigorous tournament practice to debaters before they go to Assumption Worlds this year. The tournament is being organized on the 22nd and 23rd of December. We plan to have six rounds of debating along with semi-finals and finals, thus maximizing the amount of practice gained.

We will be using the Worlds 2008 tab at this tournament, and are putting together an exciting and diverse adjudication core. Look out for updates on our website http://www.debsoc.org.

We request the teams to confirm their participation and accommodation requirements at the earliest. Register online at www.ntudebsoc.org, or mail us at ntu.debatingsociety@gmail.com.

For those who'd like to stay over and enjoy a fairyland christmas in Singapore, we're talking to the Singapore Tourism Board to put something together for you. Stay tuned for updates!

We are looking at a huge international presence at the tournament, and look forward to your participation.

Warm Regards,
Lakshmi Balachandran
President,
NTU Debating Society

WUDC 2008 registration update

2007-09-28T23:39:00.000+06:00

Dear All,

We have hit our team cap of 360 as announced two or so weeks ago. There are no more adjudicator slots now available. We have around 50 teams on the waiting list. We have a few adjudicators on waiting list also. Ladies and gentleman, we really appreciate all your excitement and support. We ask for your patience as the organizing committee clears out important matters. We are working hard to enforce policies which will ensure the quality of this tournament.

I am receiving hundreds of request from institutions each and every day. I cannot entertain any request till I am given a clear signal from the adjudication core. We have to come to an consensus. We have to make sure the adjudication core can accomodate all these teams, the logistics can support all these teams. If the budget is there for accepting more teams etc? We are sticking to our cap of 360 as of now. There is no moving away from that. Please try to understand our situation as an hosting institution. We ask for your support and cooperation. I have a lot of people very stressed out and angry people emailing me, please just be patient. The waiting list is very long and I cannot confirm anything till I am sure about which teams have dropped, which teams are changing their number of teams and adjudicators and what the adjudication core decide.

I would like to apologize to certain institutions that communicated with me in mid August regarding payments. They asked if it was ok for them to transfer money 3rd week during Late registration phase. AT that time , based on the number of teams that had been paid for, I estimated we wouldn't hit our cap by then, therefore I inform them they would have a good chance to get slots. I did not confirm to them their slots. My emails from last week of August all the way till announcement of late registration did clearly warn people that slots were being taken fast.

During the last week of August and between September 1- 5, the number of teams multiplied two folds. Number of teams were increasing by 20-30 per night. Once late registration open, within a few days, all slots were grabbed. We hit our cap way sooner than I expected. A lot of teams continued to register and transfer funds, a lot of them without my consent even after two emails clearly warning them to confirm with me first then they can proceed with payment. People were transfering funds that were extremely hard to trace , no messege, no institution name, no institution rep name to match the fund transfer to institution. To control the situation we shut down the registration system. I apologize for any inconvenience. Once we clear out all these matters. We will re open the system to allow registered teams to enter their details and team combinations etc.

We are doing our best to help all of you and give everyone a fair chance to participate.

It is impossible for any new institutions or adjudicators to register now. If we accept more teams and adjudicators, it will be purely from the waiting list.

We have no intention to create any inconvenience to any of you. Thank you for your time. Take care! Hope to see you all in Bangkok!

Regards,
Tarique
Tournament Director,
World Universities Debating Championship 2008

China FLTRP Cup National English Debating Competition 2007

2007-09-28T20:36:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Huang Cheng majored in Finance and Fan Fuyin majored in Environmental Sciences trained by Fudan College English Department won the 11th "FLTRP (Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press) Cup" National English debating competition which ended on recently in China. Logical reasoning, witty eloquence and close cooperation ensured the two debaters at the leading position through the three-day round robins and two-day eliminations.

128 debating teams from colleges and universities nationwide joined the competition this year. "FLTRP Cup" National English debating competition is the The Most Prestigious English Debating Competition in China and this year it was organized by the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press and Cambridge University Press, co-organized by China English Language Education Association, Spoken English Union, "English learning" magazine, and the International Debate Education Association. This National English debating competition took place in 1997, and was held annually, which is of the highest level and greatest impact. It is the second time that Fudan University takes the championship in this competition.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

First Beijing MINGFA Eight-School Law Graduate Debate Contest

2007-09-28T20:16:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Recently Renmin University of China Law School Team took the first prize winning against the host Chinese University of Political Science and Law Team in the first Beijing MINGFA Eight-School Law Graduate Debate Contest. The contest was the first debating platform designed for Beijing Law graduates, as by hosted by the Chinese University of Political Science and Law. They were assisted by Renmin University of China, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Beijing Normal University and three other universities.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

India Premchand International Parliamentary Debate 2007

2007-09-27T17:30:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

The Debating Society at Hindu College, University of Delhi, India is hosting the 5th annual Premchand International Invitational Parliamentary Debate from 3rd – 6th December 2007

The Premchand Memorial Debate has been a spectacular success in the preceding years, receiving widespread media coverage and participation from the best universities of India and international teams from Pakistan, Australia and Singapore. It has been credited for being a pioneering effort in the University of Delhi. In 2005, the debate was converted into an International Parliamentary based upon the Cambridge Style of Parliamentary Debating, wherein each team consists of two members, with certain speaker roles assigned to each speaker. There is a Prime Minister of the house, a Deputy Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition, and a Deputy Leader of Opposition. The debate revolves around various topics, ranging from issues relating to current affairs, media, sports, socio-economics issues and other matters of consequence.

The invitation is for TWO teams per college, and minimum 2 adjudicators. We would be providing food and accommodation for all four days of the event i.e. from the 3rd to 6th December.

Our college credentials can be checked on the website:
http://www.hinducollege.org/

Also, keeping in mind constant enquiries on the subject, The Hindu College is not limited to people of a particular faith (Hinduism); it is in fact a prestigious college with a glorious historical heritage traceable to the British era.

This is primarily a notification for International teams so that the necessary arrangements ranging from travel documents to funding can be arranged for well in advance. The official invite will be sent at the earliest possible time, tentatively in the month of October.

We look forward to your participation. For all future correspondence
contact this e-mail address -

hindu.debating.society@gmail.com.

Thanking you
Tanvi Lal
President,The Debating society,
Hindu College.

Doha Debates; A New Horizon for Middle East

2007-09-27T17:11:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

As a decision-making tool, the medium of debate has its roots in the early democracies of ancient Greece and Rome and remains the essential method by which parliamentary democracies today conduct their legislative process. Debates are frequently used in schools and universities to train young people to speak in public and to enhance their education in democracy and freedom of speech.

The aim of the Doha Debates is to allow a public exploration of the important issues in the Arab and Islamic worlds and apply the principles of free speech and democratic decision-making through the use of this traditional debating format. The purpose is also to create a sense of social responsibility that will carry through to real life. The Qatar Foundation is well known as a venue where people of various backgrounds, expertise and opinions can share knowledge and exchange views.

The Doha Debates have a format similar to the traditional `Oxford Union' debate, where discussion centres on a "motion", usually a controversial statement. Two teams argue for and against the motion; the discussion is then thrown open to the audience, directed by the chairman, Tim Sebastian. At the end of the debate, a vote is taken and the chairman announces the result, declaring the motion to have been passed or rejected by "the House". Tim Sebastian's international reputation of tough questioning and straight talking sets the tone of this ground-breaking enterprise.

The guest speakers strive to be eloquent, witty and provocative. They may attack their opponent's arguments - but not the person. The aim is to test the logic of an argument, examine complex subjects from a variety of angles and reach a vote among the audience that tests the effectiveness of what they have heard. It is hoped that the audience might be liberated from well-worn ideological clichés and inspired to fresh insights. At the very least, they will learn that an ideological opponent's view can also be valid.

The Doha Debates have been broadcast on BBC World since January 2005. BBC World is the BBC's international, 24 hour news channel, broadcasting by satellite to nearly 300 million people in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

For more please visits the link bellow
http://www.thedohadebates.com/

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Qatar holds Largest Debating Workshop

2007-09-27T16:47:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Andrew Goodman, Chairman of the Debates Selection Committee of the Oxford Union, and Alex Just, former President of the Oxford Union, made the comment after spending two weeks in Qatar running debating workshops.

More than 500 students and faculty from 15 educational institutions took part in the workshops. The Oxford coaches said they believe it was the largest debating training pilot of its kind to be run anywhere in the world and were impressed by the enthusiasm of those who took part.'We've held debating workshops and training sessions in many countries around the world but were really struck by the level of demand here in Qatar. It is rare to find so many young people interested in learning more about debating,' said Andrew Goodman.

'We have seen many talented students and we hope to help develop a team from Qatar which will be able to take part in international competitions next years,' he added. The groundbreaking workshops provided an introduction to the rules of international debating, as well as coaching on how to develop arguments, improve style and think strategically.The workshops were held in association with Qatar Foundation and the Doha Debates, which forged a relationship with the Oxford Union when they held their first overseas debate in Oxford on May 1st, 2007.

Seventy-five percent of those attending the workshops were female and a third of participants were Qatari nationals. Alex Just said, 'Such figures would be extraordinary in the West, but in the Gulf region, they are nothing short of phenomenal. I think there is great potential for Qatar to become the leading debating nation in this region.'

Meeran Naji, a student at Qatar Academy, said, 'The workshop was really useful in giving us information about competitive debating and helped me and my school friends be more confident talking in front of other people. I would love to get more involved in debating and maybe even represent my country one day!'

More workshops are planned for November and December to introduce new students to debating as well and to provide intensive training for those serious about competing.'Many students in Qatar already have experience in debating and it would be great to take it to the next level and have formal competitions set up here,' said Alex Just. 'We haven't seen many teams from the Middle East competing in international competitions in the past and it would be wonderful to see Qatar on the world debating stage.'

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.ameinfo.com/132986.html

Philippine Square Off Debate 2007 Update

2007-09-27T16:27:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

I didn’t get to watch the round but I was told that Xavier University (formerly known as Ateneo de Cagayan) beat the University of the Philippines Baguio in the fifth octofinal round of the Square Off! Debate Championships. Xavier becomes the first provincial school to advance to the quarterfinals after schools like Western Mindanao State University, Mindanao State University - Marawi City and University of Baguio failed to secure a slot in the next round. This is an upset of sorts. UP Baguio was the fifth seed in the competition while Xavier was the twelfth seed.

Xavier will face De Lasalle University in the quarterfinals. This is the second upset in five rounds so I guess that shows that anything can really happen.

Octofinal#5: Xavier (12) def. UP Baguio (5), unanimous
Octofinal#4: DLSU (4) def. Univ. of Baguio (13), split
Octofinal#3: PUP (14) def. UST (3), unanimous
Octofinals#2: UP Diliman (2) def. MSU-Marawi City (15), unanimous
Octofinals #1: ADMU (1) def. WMSU (16), unanimous

Next week: Ateneo de Zamboanga vs. UP Manila

Regards,
Atheista

Source: http://www.atheista.net

Indian Jammu & Kashmir Debating Championship 07

2007-09-27T15:54:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

The final round of the debate on Gandhian philosophy and its relevance in the 21st century held in educational institutes throughout Jammu and Kashmir will be telecast live by Doordarshan on October 2, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said today.

"During my recent visit to Delhi I discussed with Information and broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Das Munshi holding of the state-wide debate and he told me that the concluding event would be telecast live on national channel," Azad said interacting with principals of 29 degree colleges of Kashmir and Ladakh regions here.

The interaction was organised to have feedback on educational and other curricular activities and construction projects, especially in the newly set up degree colleges.

A total of 11 college students, six from Kashmir and five from Jammu, have made it to the final round of the debate to be held on Gandhi Jayanti at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre here.

In the schools category, eight students - four each from Kashmir and Jammu divisions - have been selected for the final round.

The chief minister said the final round of the competition would be simultaneously held for both college and school students.

In both the categories there would be four prizes including Ist prize of Rs one lakh, 2nd prize of Rs 50,000 and two 3rd prizes of Rs 25,000. The winners would also be given trophies and certificates, Azad said adding the prize money involved in the debate is the biggest amount to be given away in the country to students in a debate like this.

He said live telecast would encourage holding of such debates in other parts of the country also.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: Srinagar, Sept. 26 (PTI): http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200709261840.htm

NTU Singapore Announced Worlds 2010 Bid

2007-09-27T15:10:00.000+06:00

--- "Vikram Balasubramanian" wrote:

Hi Ian

Following from our earlier discussions, I am proud to inform you that NTU (Singapore) will be bidding for the Worlds Universities Debating Championships in 2010. We will be presenting a comprehensive bid during the Assumption Worlds later this year.

We believe that our track-record in hosting major international tournaments (All-Asians 1994 and 1997, Australasians 2001, Worlds 2004, AUDC 2005) will stand us in good stead as we seek to host yet another great Worlds. While retaining the formidable efficiency from our 2004 edition, we promise a great deal more fun and some spectacular socials in 2010.

We have already obtained the complete backing of our university and roped in sponsors. Our work with airlines, hotels and corporates have yielded very positive results so far. Now we feel it is time to get the input of all potential participants and the broader debating community. We hope to hear from everyone regarding their expectations from our bid, on all matters including debating, adjudication, costs,accomodations and socials. We intend to working towards giving everyone the Worldsas they want it.

The bid website is up at http://www.ntu.edu.sg/worlds2010
and all queries/feedback/ comments can be emailed to ntuworlds2010@ gmail.com

We hope you can help forward this message to the Worlds community and thus formally announcing our bid. We hope to working closely with you in the coming months as we finalise the details of our bid.

Thank you
Vikram Balasubramanian
(on behalf of the NTU Worlds 2010 Bid Committee)

NEW Debate Game: DEBATE THIS

2007-09-26T17:19:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Good news for Debaters, Gold Brick Games recently introduced "Debate This" a complete debating game for you. This Game is now available in the online store. Very exciting game for your leisure time and you can bye this game by using your Credit card or by online payment system from the web.

Debate This is the hot new board game that celebrates the art of lively banter and creative embellishment. In a test of words and wit, players debate topics ranging from social norms to sports, pop culture to politics, relationships to personal behavior. During each round, teams square off to deliver the most clever, creative, entertaining and persuasive argument to support their position and win points from the independent judge. The judge likes to be amused, entertained and enlightened. More entertainment, more points. The first team to cross the finish line wins the game. But it's the debates that will have people talking the next day. When family and friends get together, Debate This is the game that gives them all a chance to speak their mind.

Please see the link http://www.goldbrickgames.com/

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

The Economist Debate Series. A Severe Contest

2007-09-26T16:35:00.000+06:00

Dear Reader,

I'm delighted to invite you to be part of an extraordinary first for Economist.com

Our new Debate Series is an ongoing community forum where propositions about topical issues will be rigorously debated in the Oxford style by compelling Speakers. The first topic being debated is Education and The Economist is inviting our online audience to take part by voting on propositions, sharing views and opinions, and challenging the Speakers.

Five propositions have now been short-listed to address the most far-reaching and divisive aspects of the education debate covering: the place of foreign students in higher education; the position of corporate donors; and the role of technology in today's classrooms. The highest ranking propositions will be debated, with the first
launching on Oct 15th. Cast your vote

Choose the most resonant propositions to be debated from the list below:

Education - The propositions:

1. This house believes that the continuing introduction of new
technologies and new media adds little to the quality of most education.

2. This house proposes that governments and universities everywhere
should be competing to attract and educate all suitably-qualified
students regardless of nationality and residence.

3. This house believes that companies donate to education mainly to
win public goodwill and there is nothing wrong with this.

4. This house believes that the "digital divide" is a secondary
problem in the educational needs of developing countries.

5. This house believes that social networking technologies will bring
large changes to educational methods, in and out of the classroom.

Join the Debate
The debate schedule is as follows:

* Sep 17th-Oct 12th - Vote for your favorite proposition and join
the open forum to discuss topics
* Oct 15th - Winning proposition is revealed and the Debate begins
* Oct 18th - Rebuttals. Share your comments on issues so far and
vote for your winning side
* Oct 23th - Closing arguments by the Speakers. Post any
additional comments you would like to share and vote for your winner
* Oct 26th - The debate winner is announced.

To receive debate updates sign up now. We will then contact you to announce the winning proposition and details of the debate as it unfolds.

I look forward to you joining us and your fellow Economist readers for this lively debate. In the meantime, check the site to track which proposition is winning, and to view guest participants and the announcement of key Speakers at www.economist.com/debate.

Yours sincerely,
Ben Edwards
Publisher
Economist.com

Source: www.Economist.com

Korean National Debating Championship 2007

2007-09-26T04:33:00.000+06:00

Greetings!

Thank you everyone for supporting the tournament. Following is the results of the tournament and the motions.

The Final Round motion was: THBT the United States should cease supporting the Pervez Musharraf regime. HUFS was Government and Hanyang 1 was the Opposition.

The Final round was adjudicated by Sophie Lee (CA-DAE), Jongmin Choi (DCA-Korea), Wonpyo Hong (DCA-Chungang), Jisoo Shin (DCA-Kyunghee), Yehyun Kim (EDIS), Jungwhan Jung (Yonsei), and Seongah Lee (EDiS)

The decision was 6-1 split for Hanyang 1.

Best Speaker
Nurliana Kamaruddin (EDiS 1)

EFL Best Speaker
Jingzhi Ye (DAE 3)

Rookie Best Speaker
David Go (Handong 2)

Congratulations to everyone who have put much effort on the KNC 2007.

Following is the motions of KNC 2007.
-------------------------------------------------------

Round 1: Korean Society
THW abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality & Family. (¡°Yeo-seong
Bu¡±)
THBT commercial matchmaking businesses are detrimental to the Korean
society.
THBT hostages should be required to pay all costs associated with
their release.

Round 2: Ideologies
THBT socialism is beneficial for South America.
THBT Saudi Arabia should allow women into politics.
THBT the world should completely give up its effort to implant
democracy in the Middle East.

Round 3: The Human Body
THW ban human body exhibitions.
THW harvest organs from executed prisoners regardless of consent.
THW remove custody rights of parents who deny medical treatment to
their children on religious grounds.

Round 4: Universities
THW forbid political parties from having activities on university
campuses.
THBT publishing university rankings does more harm than good.
THW prohibit corporate franchises from establishing branches on
campus.

Round 5: Law and Justice
THW adopt a trial by jury for criminal cases.
THS direct election of Supreme Court judges.
THW hold parents responsible for the wrongdoings of juvenile
delinquents under the age of 14.

------------Elimination Rounds--------------------

Quarter-Final: Natives and Settlers
THW repeal all laws granting extra privileges for the Australian aborigines.
THBT only native languages, rather than European languages, should be the official language of African nations.
THBT governments should repeal land ownership rights of its native
ethnic groups.

Semi-Final: The Third World
THBT environmental problems of the Third World are a responsibility
of the First World.
THBT the First World nations should prohibit pharmaceutical
corporations from conducting medical experiments on humans in
Africa, regardless of consent.
THBT the British Museum should return its exhibit items to the
former colonial states from which they were taken.

Final: US and the World
THBT the United States should cease supporting the Pervez Musharraf
regime.
THBT the US should immediately lift all sanctions against Cuba.
THBT Spanish should be the second official language of the United
States.

Sophie Lee
Chief Adjudicator, KIDA National Championship 2007
President, Debate Association of Ewha
http://www.ewhadebate.org
ehwadebaters@...

Changes On North East Asian Open 2007

2007-09-26T04:15:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

I would like to announce that NEAO 2007 organizing committee
concluded that the following changes are inevitable.

1. Extension of the registration period.
Originally, the registration was going to end on September 28th but
we extended it to October 13th.

2. Registration and accommodation fee changes
Our first intent was to provide the participants with the best
condition at the minimum prices and we had worked hard to keep the
burden low as possible. However, we realized that it is impossible to
do so without proper amount of financial support from the
participants. So, now we separate the registration fee and
accommodation option and receive registration fee from every
participant of this event. Below are the new options. Additionally, I
received e-mails asking for availability of single occupancy rooms. I
am working on to negotiate the price with the hotel right now. I hope
I will give you good news very soon.

1. Three nights stay (9th ~ 11th of November)
1- a. on a twin room share basis : \ 150,000 Won per person
1- b. on a triple room share basis : \ 120,000 Won per person**
1- c. on a quad room share basis : \ 100,000 Won per person**

2. Two nights stay (9th ~ 10th of November)
2 - a. on a twin room share basis : \ 110,000 Won per person
2 - b. on a triple room share basis : \ 90,000 Won per person**
2 - c. on a quad room share basis : \ 80,000 Won per person**

d. Registration fee without hotel: \ 30,000 Won per person

** As there are limited numbers of available quad/triple rooms,
option b. and c will be provided on a first come, first served basis.

If you have any concerns or questions plaese email me
(ifota9000@...) or visit NEAO2007 official website
neao2007.conasian.com

Sincerely,
Jingyu Lee
Convener
NEAO2007

Bangladesh Uni-Imperial-Drishty Debate Genius 2007

2007-09-26T03:49:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

With an urge to bring out hidden talents Uni-Imperial-Drishty debate genius 2007- took place in the port city of Chittagong, a one of its kind contest, which is being held for the last three years. The final round took place on the 11th of September. On the morning of 31st August, 2007 the programme was inaugurated by Professor Syed Ahsanul Alam Parvez, Chairman, Centre for Good Governance. The day was presided by Masud Bakul, President, Drishty Chittagong, Rosangir Bachchu, Senior Sub-editor of the Daily Azadi Mr. Jahurul Islam and Chairman of Drishty debate society Mrs. Safia Gazi Rahman.
After the inaugural ceremony, 297 students from 27 schools of the metropolitan faced the 5 panel of judges for the primary selection of the second round. 32 contestants made their way to second round where 15 of them made it to the semi-finals.

The semi-final round took place on the 5th of September. The judges were Mr. Sanjeev Shaha, renowned debater and general secretary of Bangladesh Debate Federation, Dr. Masud Rana debater and physician, Dr. Sudeep Ranjan Dev and teacher Udity Das. The system practiced in this round was of the parliamentary form. After being faced by challenging odds in the semi finals, the fortunate debaters who could make it to the finals were Gunjan Barua. Takvirul Islam and S.M. Ehteshamul Islam (Collegiate School), Muttakin Chowdhury (Chittagong Govt. High School), Ragib Ahsan (Navy School), Tamanna Rashid Tumpa (Dr. Khastagir Girls School), Irfan Jaman Nur (St. Placid's High School) and Rubaiyat Binte Hasan (Chittagong Govt. Girls High School).

The final round was divided into two separate contests; one being held in parliamentary format, where the eight finalists debated on the topic. 'Bangladesh er Akash aaj kalo meghe Dhaka'. The famous TV host and former debater Dr. Abdun Nur Tushar presided the Speaker's chair. The other part consisted of Barowari format debate where the panel of judges were joined by Bishwajit Chowdhury (Asstt.-editor of the Daily Prothom Alo). The judges asked them questions from all around the globe. The final round was festooned by cheers and clapping from the audience. At the end of the programme, the veiwers' pole and judge marking crowned Tamanna Rashid Tumpa as the champion Muttakin Chowdhury was only a few marks shy from hers, which was followed by Ehteshamul Islam. The best talent and performance awards were given to Irfan Jaman Nur and Gunjan Barua respectively.

The awards were distributed by Syed Ahsanul Alam Parvez, Chairman of CGG & Imperial Group. Mr. Kashshaful Haque Shehjad, Vice President of Drishty Chittagong; Rashedul Amin Rashed and Saif Chowdhury, General Secretary of Drishty Chittagong. Jeba Feriha of Radio Foorti, Farhana Bobby of Karudhara & Noman Siddiky of Drishty CTG spoke for the students in the occasion. The programme was conducted by Afsana Rahman Toma, Shahidul Islam and Mujibur Rahman Moni.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Your World Debating Correspondent

2007-09-26T03:43:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Few months back, I wrote a story in Star Campus citing Bangladesh's achievement in the World Universities Debating Championships and in the World Schools Debating Championships back to back. I got huge response from many people who are interested in World Debate and asked me to continue the write up.
I think, the best way to start this venture is through knowing about the world debating news source and its latest version. People who are interested in International Debating and World Debate, this write up will enhance their desire to get one step closer to it.

Colm Flynn and Alfred Snider are recognized as the two top world debating news Bloggers who maintain World Debating Website http://worlddebating.blogspot.com/ and Global Debate Blog http://globaldebateblog.blogspot.com/ respectively for World Debating Community.

Colm started his debating blogging in 1997. He was elected as chair of World Debate Council back in the year 2001. At present he is living in the Republic of Ireland and is renowned as The Chair of World Debating News. This honor reflects his massive contribution to international debating movement. His site contains the best of the best Debating Resources, Training Materials, World Debating Rankings and latest World Debating News.

Mr. Alfred Snider on the other side is one of my debating sensations from World Debate Institute-USA. He has shown us debating can be a life time ardor for an individual. By profession he is a professor at the University of Vermont in US. I love this person's intuition and dedication for world debate which reflects in his Global Debate Blog. Based in USA, this debating blog can be viewed as the broadcaster of US Perspective Global Debating News. Readers will find variety of debate related stories and debate spice from this site.

Asian Debating Website http://asiandebating.blogspot.com is actually inspired by this two debating legend. While working with the World Debating Website team as an author, I felt the essence of having this site which will speed up the Asian Debating F1 race. Being a Bangladeshi and an Asian, I am working with my site team as the Asian Debating Newscaster for world. This site contains the news feed from All Asian Debate, Asian Universities Debating List, Australasian Debating List and many more Asian Debating news feed. People are visiting this site every day for the latest Asian Debating Updates.

Amazing Debating Story
Being a Debating News Blogger of World Debate Website and Asian Debate Website, I am always on the run to find some stories like this: Treasures of Tibetan Monks Debates in the Himalayas.

According to the Tibetan Monks, debating is their integral part of religious practice. One of the striking features of Tibetan debates is that they are quite physical. They are marked by emphatic gestures, such as the clapping used by the questioner to punctuate each question.

Tibetan debate involves prescribed modes of behavior. The debate starts with a ritual invocation of Manjushri in a loud and high-pitched tone. The debater then puts his questions in a very low voice barely audible to the audience. The Tibetan tradition is quite aware of the dangers of debate but sees them as counterbalanced by its benefits. Because debates are intensely physical, participants can give vent to considerable energy.

Tibetan scholars love debate for their internal clarity. They become excited when they talk about it and miss it once their training is finished. Older scholars often advise students to savor their times as debaters: “This is the best time in the life of a scholar. After this, all fades in comparison. I am not sure what to make of this last comment, for its description, its also captures the essence of good sporting competitions. But it does convey the overall atmosphere of debates, which are veritable intellectual sports.

Worlds MINI and IUT 1st Bangladesh Open 2007
Bangladesh Debating Council-BDC is going to organize the second largest British Parliamentary format debating championship in the World; Worlds MINI 2007. This championship will be hosted by Islamic University of Technology-IUT from November 15 to November 20, 2007 in Bangladesh. This global debating championship expects more then 30 countries and 50 world top debating universities to participate in this mega debate battle. The official website of this grand Debate Championship can be found at http://www.bangladeshopen.net where teams are invited to register for this championship.

World Universities Peace Invitational Debate 2007
Before the annual World Universities Debating Championships in Thailand, Worlds Top Debating Universities will be competing against each other for the WUPID Title. The objective of this championship is to promote peace globally. Former prime minister of Malaysia Dr. Mohathir Mohammad will be the Brand Ambassador of this Championship.

This Malaysian championship will offer five preliminary rounds, quarter-finals; semi-finals and final with top class debating experience.

Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Philippines 9th NDC On-line Registration is Open

2007-09-13T17:53:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

You can now register on-line for the 9th National Debate Championship.
Just log-on to:

http://www.pma. ph/registration/ register. aspx

Follow the instructions on the right side of the webpage.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

India West Bengal Federation of United Nations Debate 2007

2007-09-13T17:41:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Sept. 12:When the tsunami strikes, millions are displaced and they seek shelter. But for the people fleeing a country their existence is threatened by a socio-political threat. Its just two ways of saying the same thing. The latter is called a refugee but the former is awaiting a terminology.

This is what the winning team of the inter-school debate succeeded in pointing out today evening. The debate on ‘People displaced due to environmental reasons are not refugees’ was organised by the West Bengal Federation of United Nations Associations in association with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and The Statesman Voices.

Students speaking against the motion won the debate. Ankit Parekh of Birla High School for Boys, who was adjudged the best speaker of the evening emphasised that “A natural calamity is as big a threat as a political or a social one. How can people displaced due to socio-political reasons and people displaced due to environmental reasons be categorised as different. On the other hand, people displaced due to environmental reasons should be considered as refugees so that they can at least be given rights enjoyed by refugees.”

Soumik Sarkar of Don Bosco Park Circus, supporting the motion, said: “A person merely seeking refuge is not a refugee. Thus, people displaced due to environmental reasons cannot be considered refugees. Given a choice, they prefer to go back to their country but a refugee does not want to return to his/her country.” Speaking at the event, Mr MA Halim, Speaker, West Bengal Legislative Assembly, said: “This is a recent international problem and we have to find a legal solution to this problem.”

Editor-in-chief, The Statesman, Mr Ravindra Kumar, said: "The Statesman believes that debates on the refugee or any other issue should be resolved through public discourse."

“The subject is complex as the lines between refugees, as known today, and people displaced due to environmental reasons is becoming blurred. Statistics reveal by the year 2010, 50 million people will be displaced due to environmental hazards. Therefore, the need is immediate discussion on the subject,” said Ms Nayana Bose, member, UNHCR.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=22&theme=&usrsess=1&id=169729

India Subhrojyoti-Somak Memorial Interschool Debate 2007

2007-09-13T17:32:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

The Subhrojyoti-Somak Memorial Annual Interschool debate was held recently in the Chapel Hall. The topic was “Has India after 60 years of independence become a mature republic in terms of peace, progress and prosperity?” The participating schools were St James’, Don Bosco (Park Circus), Calcutta Girls High School, Loreto House, Our Lady Queen Of The Missions, La Martiniere (Boys), Modern High School and hosts Calcutta Boys’ School. The brainstorming debate session was interspersed by interjections and vehement rebuttals. A

n hour of fierce verbal contests culminated in Our Lady Queen of the Missions clinching the crown and Calcutta Girls High School emerging second. Arkayan Samajdar ( Don Bosco) and Vikramaditya Lakhotia (La Martiniere) jointly shared the honours as best speakers for and against the motion respectively. The programme commenced on a solemn note with a prayer by Rev N Prabhuraj followed by an inaugural address by Principal and Secretary of Calcutta Boy’s School Mr Mcgee.

A minute’s silence was observed in memory of the two youth who had died amidst tragic circumstances. The judges Mr Utpal Chatterjee, Mr Subir Ghosh and Mr Snehashish Sur, were assisted by Ms Ruchira Goswami, moderator for the event. Vice-Chancellor National University Of Juridical Sciences Dr MP Singh was guest of honour. The session drew to a close with the vote of thanks.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=18&theme=&usrsess=1&id=168677

Schools Debate in Kashmir, Pakistan

2007-09-13T17:20:00.000+06:00

Srinagar, Sept 11: In Gandhi Bhawan of Kashmir University when Taloot Talib, a frail high student of 8th standard from an private school in Islamabad advocated violence for achieving freedom, a man in the audience questioned the logic of advocating violence from a Hall named after Gandhi. Taloot was probably facing such a big audience for the first time and showed slight nervousness while framing a reply. And then he blurted out his answer: “By violence I mean organized mass protests.” For him freedom was the most important issue confronting the youth today.

Bisma Fida, a 9th standard student of Mallinson Girls School was frailer than Taloot. She declared she was a born rebel and she seemed to disagree with everybody. She split the audience into two when she, while referring to her fellow Kashmiris as “you people”, asked them be “honest and admit you have no moral values. Your state has been ranked as the second most corrupt state...” Her caustic remarks on the state of Kashmiri society drew tremendous applause. She also drew sharp reprimands from fellow students and some audience members.

Amber Ahmad of Presentation Convent said Kashmiris need exposure to the outside world; lack time and space for recreation; were quite disenchanted with the society; and were pitching their future lives in the US after education from Ivy League Universities of US. She gave examples from her encounters with youths in India. Wearing jeans and a shirt, she said she was proud of being a Kashmiri. “Wearing jeans doesn’t mean I have forgotten my moral values my family has taught me,” she said. She is 14 years old.

Taloot and Bisma, and Amber were speaking at a lively function, the prize distribution ceremony, organized by Greater Kashmir Welfare Trust at Gandhi Bhawan on Tuesday. The prizes were being given for essays written by the students on what they felt was “the most important issue facing the youth”.

The students brilliantly enumerated the ills of Kashmiri society like professional orators. And when audience posed them difficult questions, they fumbled, and honestly answer: “I am too young to suggest solutions.” But the confidence and the level of awareness at such a young age were quite remarkable.And everybody in the audience agreed when Aashna Jamal, student of Presentation Convent, was declared the winner of GK Annual Students Essay Writing Competition for the originality of her ideas about what is the most important issue for young people of Kashmir. She said in the absence of peace, the youth were caught in a web of uncertainties.

The audience, many of whom were the parents of the students who participated in the competition, thanked Greater Kashmir for organizing such a competition, saying it brings best out of their children. The students also lauded the GK for giving them a platform to talk about the issues facing the society.

Out of the 250 hundred students that participated in the competition, ten students were short-listed and asked to speak briefly about what they had written.Arshad Hussain Kaloo, Managing Editor Greater Kashmir; Muzamil Jaleel, Bureau Chief Indian Express; Showkat Ahmad Motta, Bureau Chief G.K; Riyaz Masroor, Political Editor G.K; Hilal Ahmad, Associate Editor G.K; and Shafat Rasool, Chief Sub-editor G.K. formed the panel of experts to judge and select the finalists.Taloot Talib Wani of Rosy Tots Institute, Islamabad, was awarded second prize of Rs 5000.

Amber Ahmad of Presentation Covent School got the third prize of Rs 3000. Fourth prize of Rs 2000 was received by Banooqa Hissam Banday of Presentation Convent.
Bisma Fida of Mallinson School got the fifth prize of Rs 1000.

Consolation prizes of Rs 500 each were given to Asma Rafi of Mallinson, Adnan Mushtaq Khan of Burn Hall School and Uzair Ashraf Mir of Tyndale Biscoe School. Sadaf Khursheed of Govt Girls Higher Secondary Sopur, Sana Maqbool of Mallinson School.
Apart from the ten short-listed participants, Adnan Qadir of Yateem Khana, Bemina was given a special prize of Rs 3000.

Muzamil Jaleel said it was very difficult for him to choose the winner and that every one among the participants deserved the first prize. He added that he felt proud while watching these kids speak so brilliantly on important issues.
The man behind the initiative, Arshad Hussain Kaloo, said his aim was to bring the young minds to be able to write about the issues of Kashmir. He said that they wanted to involve the young people of both rural and urban areas. He said it was just a beginning and they will continue to have such kinds of programmes in the future.

Speaking on the occasion, Riyaz Masroor, advised the school children of Srinagar city to travel to villages and have the feel of how most of the people of Kashmir are living and facing hardships.
The editor of Greater Kashmir online edition Javaid Malik and correspondent Arshi Javed conducted the proceedings.

Source: http://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=12_9_2007&ItemID=36&cat=1

Indonesia Phyxsius English Debate Championship 2007

2007-09-12T00:14:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

In November 13-17 SMAK 1 Bandung will held it's newly founded annual high school debate competition, the PEDC, Phyxsius English Debate Championship.

we're planning to have around 30-40 teams in the competition, and would like to invite those who are willing to come to bandung and adjudicate, of course we will recompensate for the brain damages caused in everyn round (baca: dibayar).

the comittee is still trying to provide lodgings for adjudicators from abroad (baca:luar kota).if anyone is interested just contact me on 022-70485722 (flexy). i'll give more updates as soon as i got any...

Regards,
Erry

Indian National Hindi Debate Competition 2007

2007-09-11T23:40:00.000+06:00

Sarve Bhavantho Sukhinu,’ when he began his speech with the Sanskrit slogan, not many thought that he would run away with the medal in the national-level Hindi debate competition, which was hitherto the monopoly of North Indians.

But, this Plus-I student from Malappuram district proved the relevance of Napoleon theory - nothing is impossible in this world - to outsmart the North Indians, that too in Hindi debate.P G Vinod, Plus-I student of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Malappuram, surpassed 35 competitors to win the second place in the national-level Hindi competition, held as part of the Social Science Exhibition cum National Integration camp 2007, at Bhubaneswar the other day.

The unique aspect in his achievement is that majority of the participants were North Indians, and not many believed that a South Indian could outsmart his North Indian counterparts, at least in the competition held in the mother tongue of North Indians.

But he proved that Hindi is the national language, not only for the northern part of Indians, but also for south. His achievement was not just a fluke, as he had attempted for it last year.“I participated in the competition last year also, but failed to reach even regional-level. It gave me enough confidence for another trial,” he said.

He then decided to participate in this time, with the active support from his teachers. “The topic was ‘Manush apne dukh se dukhi nahi, balki doosron ke sukh se dukhi hai (Man is not worried about his own woes, but all others’ happiness),’ which was bit difficult to perform. I spoke to my teachers and they guided me to gather information to present the topic,” said Vinod, son of P Gopinath and N Savithri.

He then referred the books including Upanishads, epics and history to speak against the topic, when many were seemingly trying to support the topic.“As per the information I have gathered, no such incidents occurred to substantiate the topic. May be there are people who become sad by seeing the prosperity of others, but not in general. not at all,” says Vinod, who is planning to become an aeronautic engineer, following the footprints of his brother.

It was his schooling in North India that enabled him to handle Hindi so easily.

source: http://www.newindpress.com/

National Law School India Debate 2007

2007-09-11T22:14:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

I am writing to you on behalf of the Literary and Debating Society at National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore. We are planning to hold the 6th edition of the National Law School Debate (‘NLS Debate’) on November 1-4, 2007.

Over the last five editions, we’ve had participation from institutions all over South Asia and are very eager to host a competitive and well-attended tournament yet again. It would of course be a tremendous boost for us if institutions from outside
the subcontinent also make the trip to Bangalore. With the 15th All Asians scheduled to be held in Bangladesh in May 2008, our tournament is an ideal mobilising space for debating in South Asia.

Like the last two editions, this year’s competition will adopt a format that is largely similar to the ‘3-on-3’ style used for the All-Asians and AUDC Championships. There will be at least 5 preliminary rounds followed by a break to quarters. Each institution can register 2 teams, with accompanying adjudicators (n=1). Institutions may be allowed to register a third team if the total cap of 40 teams is not reached by October 16, 2007 which is the first registration deadline. We will be providing accommodation to all out-station participants on the NLSIU campus for the duration of the debate.

Please indicate your institution’s interest in participation by sending us an email to debate@nls.ac. in, also informing us of the expected strength of your contingent.The registration fees will be collected at the introductory briefing on November 1, 2007. The Registration fees are as follows:

• Participants not availing of accommodation - INR 300 per individual
• Participants availing of accommodation – INR 1,000 per individual

Contacts
Tournament Director: Aditya Verma: (+91 99867 69785)
Adjudication Core: Arghya Sengupta (+91 98860 23232)
Yaman Verma (+91 98867 45984), Sidharth Chauhan (+91 98869 22576)
Faculty Advisor: Mr. Sudhir Krishnaswamy, Asst. Professor, NLSIU, Bangalore

Looking forward to seeing you in Bangalore this November!

Regards,
Sidharth Chauhan
NLSIU, Bangalore

The Aga Khan School, Dhaka Inter-School Debate Festival 2007

2007-09-10T01:59:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

The Aga Khan School, Dhaka Inter-school Debate Festival 2007 took place on the 6th, 7th and 8th of September with 9 institutions participating, namely the host school AKSD, BIT, Manarat, The Red Brick School, Mastermind, Notre Dame College, SFX Green Herald, Scholastica and Sunnydale in a format that was an amalgamation of the British Parliamentary as well as the World Schools styles.

With two preliminary rounds selecting the top 8 teams for the knockout rounds, the tournament saw debaters from different backgrounds debate regional and global issues in an excellent manner. An unique addition to the traditional form of debating was the introduction of the motion/side toss which we believed would ensure maximum transparency for all parties concerned. Debaters were given 4 motions on a particular theme per round and a toss was carried out which enabled both one side to either choose the motion while the other automatically was allowed the right to choose the side and vice-versa.

Stalin Bhai, Saddam Bhai, Tanvir Bhai, Rizwan Bhai, Rudra Bhai, Mabroor Bhai, Nafis Bhai, Azim Bhai, Tawseef Bhai, Salman Bhai and to all of the adjudicators who took their time to come and make The AIDF 2007; a very big THANK YOU to you all. Special thanks should go to Tanvir Bhai who put fever aside to come and adjudicate at the event.

With two weeks of preparation time (a week for handing out invitations and the second week for organization of the detailed program) we tried to the best of our ability to ensure a competition that was transparent, fair, orderly and most of all enjoyable to all who were present. If there were any lackings on our part we would make no excuses but would humbly apologise to everyone and hope that you may have the heart to forgive us.

I would however like to take a moment and applaud my volunteers and fellow organizing committee members because I took great pride in the fact that not only were we were able to maintain the time schedule, we finished 15 minutes early each day.

To all the participating schools (debaters, moderators and observers) thank you again for making this event successful. Success can never truly be measured on any numerical scale however to us it would mean the minimum of discomfort and the maximum hospitability that we could extend to you over the 3 days that you all were present.

To the runners up, The Red Brick School, congratulations, it's a new era for you guys in the debating arena.

To the champions Manarat International College, congratulations on winning the top prize and keeping the flag of your institution flying high. Hasan, a thumbs-up from us to you on achieving the title of best speaker.

In our last year of high school, the organizing committee hoped to hold a tournament that would encourage our younger generations to carry on the sprit of debating and enjoy the art for all its worth. To what extent we were able to achieve that, we believe it is you all who are the best judges to make that call.

Thank you all again and hope to see you in AKS,D next year.

On behalf of the entire Organising Committee,

Maimun Mustafa
Convenor
AIDF 2007

Singapore Debate Open 2007- Final Call For Registration

2007-09-04T13:47:00.000+06:00

Dear Debaters and Adjudicators,

We are making the final calls for registration for the Singapore
Debate Open 2007.

At the end of this week, we will be starting work on logistical
preparations and this will require us to have a definitive number of
team and adjudicator names.

If you are planning to attend the Opens as an adjudicator or debater,
please send me notice immediately on the number of teams and
adjudicators your institution wishes to send down.

If your wish to attend as a non-affiliated / independent team /
adjudicator, do send me notice of this as well.

Spectators are welcome to attend the event, but will be charged the
registration fee of SGD20 per person.

A quick summary of the tournament details are as follows:
- Dates: 22nd and 23rd September 2007
- Venue: National University of Singapore Faculty of Law
- Time: 8am to 6pm on both days
- Format: British Parliamentary
- N-1 adjudicator rule for institutions
- Registration Fees: $20 per person (whether debater, adjudicator or
spectator)
- No accommodation provided

Kind Regards,
Vishal Harnal
Email: vishal.harnal@gmail.com
Convener, Singapore Debate Open 2007

Slovenia International Debate Academy IDAS 2007

2007-09-04T13:15:00.000+06:00

Hi all,

I kindly inform you that you check our invitation to the IDAS 2007 which brings a few
changes as:

- Academy training sessions will be in Ormož, however the tournament will happen in
Ljubljana.
- You can register only for tournament, the participation fee, covering two days full board
is only 45 EUR.
- Some scholarship available.

We would also appreciate a lot if you can send this information to everybody which
might be interested.Looking forward seeing you all in Slovenia,

Bojana
ZIP – Za in proti (ZIP), Pro et Contra, Institute for the Culture of Dialogue, Slovenia and WDI – World Debate Institute, University of Vermont, USA
kindly invites you to:

FIFTH INTERNATIONAL DEBATE ACADEMY SLOVENIA- IDAS 2007
17th – 25th November 2007, Ormož/Ljubljana, Slovenia
http://debate.uvm.edu/idas2007.html

THREE EVENTS:
WORKSHOP FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
WORKSHOP FOR TRAINERS, COACHES AND TEACHERS
AN INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT

What is it about? It is the most international British Parliamentary Debate Training in the world with a distinguished training group. Attendees have come from over 26 different debating nations. The program involves a rigorous combination of lectures, skill exercise sessions and two practice debates per day. A major tournament will take place at the end. This year the tournament at the end of the Academy is open to all interested university debaters, so everybody who does not have time to come for the whole week can join us only for the tournament.

Trainers:-
- Jens Fischer, Berlin Debating Union, Germany, Europeans CA
- Neill Harvey-Smith, UK, Former WUDC Finalist
- Branka Josimov, ACCD, Serbia
- Steve Llano, St. Johns University, USA
- Loke Wing Fatt, SAID, Singapore, WUDC breaking judge
- Branka Marušic, EUDC President, Croatia
- Rhydian Morgan, UK, CA Euros Warm-Up
- Sam Nelson, Cornell University, USA
- Uve Poom, Estonia, 2007 Euro EFL Champion
- Bojana Skrt, Za in proti, zavod za kulturo dialoga, Slovenia
- Alfred C. Snider, University of Vermont, USA, Director,World Debate Institute

Dates for the Academy Instructional Sessions: Arrival: Saturday, the 17th, opening of the Academy at 1700 hours. Departure for Ljubljana on organized bus: Friday morning, the 23 November 2008.

Dates only for the tournament: Arrival: Friday, the 23nd tournament begins at 1400 hours. Departure: Sunday, the 25th late afternoon Who can apply? Students: For the whole Academy, everybody interested in debating is welcome, and can be beginners or they can be very experienced. The training will be divided into different tracks, based on the participant’s needs and experience, but reflecting realistic pedagogical needs. Attendees will take a chartered bus to Ljubljana for the tournament.

Students: For the tournament only. Come and join us for spirited competition and fellowship. For the tournament only you apply as a team. One judge per 1 or 2 teams, 2 judges per 3 or 4 teams. Arrive in Ljubljana on Friday 23 November 2008 by 1200 hours.

Trainers and Teachers: We will also have a track for trainers, coaches, team organizers and club trainers that will be far more flexible. See how debate training is done by those experienced, attend seminars on materials and technique, learn adjudication and a lot more. Trainers will accompany everyone to Ljubljana and will judge at the tournament.Topic area will emphasize the theme of equal opportunities.

Participation fee
The whole Academy (it covers 8 days full room and board – accommodation/food, training and materials) 200 EURO. Tournament only (it covers 2 days full room and board – accommodation/food, tournament expenses) 45 EURO. The payment should be made in cash on arrival. This is a non-profit project, and no organizers or trainers are paid for their effort. Fees are designed to cover some costs only.

Scholarships There are limited scholarships available. The scholarship application procedure is as follows: submit a scholarship form, receive a scholarship, and formally accept the scholarship. Scholarships will not be available for travel. SCHOLARSHIP SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS 1 OCTOBER 2008. Download the scholarship application at http://debate.uvm.edu/idas07scholform.doc .

Application deadline: October, 15th 2007 Spaces are limited. If there is too much demand selection will be made based on regional diversity and experience.

Organizing committee:
Director of the Academy: Bojana Skrt, ZIP, bojana.skrt@siol.net
Head of the Training: Alfred C. Snider, World Debate Institute, University of Vermont, alfred.snider@uvm.edu To Register and For Information: Director of communication and registration: Sintija Dobrotinšek, ZIP, sintijadobrotinsek@yahoo.co.uk

APPLY NOW - DO NOT GET LEFT BEHIND!
http://debate.uvm.edu/idas2007application.doc

SCHOLARSHIP FORM http://debate.uvm.edu/idas07scholform.doc

Philippine Visayas-Mindanao Debate Championship 2007

2007-09-03T17:36:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Recently the Ateneo Debate Union (ADU) of Ateneo de Zamboanga University represented Zamboanga City in the very first Visayas-Mindanao Debate Championship (VMDC). This is the first British Parliamentary Debate tournament in the Visayas-Mindanao region co-hosted by University of the Philippines-Cebu and University of San Carlos University, Cebu City.

The tournament followed the British Parliamentary format where rounds are composed of four teams with two members from each bench. All participating teams went through seven taxing rounds of elimination where the top sixteen (16) teams qualified for Quarter Finals. The Quarter and Semi-final rounds took up a knock-out-system where losing teams automatically get eliminated from the contest until four teams remain in the Grand Finals.

Ateneo de Zamboanga team A, Comprised of Henry Segovia, BSED 4 and Al-Zoheir Hajim, BSAC 4 earned a spot in the Grand Finals besting thirty six (36) other teams from universities all over Visayas and Mindanao who were vying for the same slot. Ateneo de Davao was crowned champion.

Although Ateneo de Zamboanga didn’t emerge as champion, Henry Segovia was the tournament’s 2nd Best Speaker and Al- Zoheir Hajim ranked 9th Best Speaker outwitting seventy two (72) other debaters. They debated on the motion, “This house supports all out war against MILF”. ADZU B, composed of Emilene Jean Torres, BSMC 4 and Keeshia Alyanna Alix, BSN 2 made it to the Semi-Finals. Team C and D composed of Ihra Shane Pascua, BSN 1 and Emann- Jure Ascano, BSN 3 and Eleazar Joel Tolentino and Cecilia Sabban, both BSN 4 were exemplary debaters who also joined the competition and came back equipped with debating experience.

The Grand Finals was held at the very lushly carpeted Cebu International Convention Center, where the 12th ASEAN Summit Convention was held.

Mr. Jamel A. Indasan Jr. who is currently acting as moderator of the group and was also adjudged as one of the ten (10) best adjudicators in the whole Visayas and Mindanao said, “ The promising talent of our debaters in Ateneo will keep the spirit of debating alive. I’m truly honored and proud of them. This very event is an opportunity to prepare them for higher competitions like the NDC and World’s Debate hopefully.”

Mr. Jonathan Siason of the Languages joined the group as member of the Adjudication pool. Sharmilla Parmanand of Ateneo de Manila acted as the Chief Adjudicator.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.adzu.edu.ph/07/news/newsupdates.php?id=5802

Singapore-Brunei Debate Exchange Program

2007-09-03T06:48:00.000+06:00

SINGAPORE: Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education, Masagos Zulkifli, will lead a nine-member team to Brunei Darussalam from 22-24 August.The group will be there to witness an annual debate between Singapore and Bruneian students. Called "Titian Minda", the Malay-language debate involves junior college and polytechnic students.

This is the 12th year the debate is being held.The visitors will also witness two other students' programmes.These are "Bridging Minds", the English version of "Titian Minda", and a discussion forum involving university students.

The three programmes are part of annual exchanges under the Singapore-Brunei Memorandum of Understanding signed in 1990.The MOU promotes bilateral cooperation in broadcasting and fosters close ties between students of the two countries.The programmes are produced jointly by MediaCorp TV12 and Radio Television Brunei.

During his three-day visit, Mr Masagos Zulkifli will also call on Pehin Dato Yahya Bakar who is the Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister's Office and the Minister responsible for Broadcasting.Mr Masagos Zulkifli will also meet the Permanent Secretary of Education, Dato Haji Sheikh Adnan Mohamad.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli will be accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, the Media Development Authority and MediaCorp TV12. - CNA/ir

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/295259/1/.html

Oxford IV Rego Open

2007-09-02T15:47:00.000+06:00

Dear Debaters

Sorry about the multiple emails and cross-posting - just a quick email to say that the final phase of registration for the 2007 PriceWaterhouseCoopers Oxford IV began earlier today as IONA (domestic) packages went online. Any reported technical errors have been fixed, but if you encounter any problems, please do not hesitate to get in touch with either Lewis or myself. Bear in mind, however, that the Convenors and CA are split between Palestine, Delhi and China until Thursday, we will try to respond as soon as we can!

Both International Packages and IONA packages are going very fast (three went as I wrote this email!) and if I were you, and wanted to attend the IV, I would register now if I hadn't. We're working hard to guarantee a great weekend for all. If you subscribe to the International Package, for £30 more we guarantee you an extra night of crash, a fabulous launch party with freebies, entry to the traditional Thursday night debate in the Union's historic debating chamber, a tour of historic Oxford, exemption from the n-1 rule - and more!

For those of you who have already registered, congratulations and welcome.

A Facebook group is online at http://oxford.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5019017964 Do join and give us your feedback and suggestions, so we can tailor the IV to suit you!Looking forward to seeing you all there

Lewis and Krish

Indonesia Varsities Debate IVED 2008 Announcement

2007-09-02T15:10:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Thank you for everyone that has sent to us your university address. We will send the invitation of IVED 2008 asap starting in this month. With this we announce the Adjudication Team for the Indonesia Varsities Debate (IVED) to be held in Universitas Udayana, Bali, 2008.

Adjudication Team:

Chief Adjudicator: Siti Astrid K. (UI)
Accreditation: A at JOVED 2007

Deputy Chief Adjudicator: Ayi (STAN)
Accreditation: B at ISDC 2006

Deputy Chief Adjudicator: Adit (UII)
Accreditation: B at ISDC 2006

Deputy Chief Adjudicator: Nando (UGM)
Accreditation: B at JOVED 2007

About the team cap as we have said in the previous IVED (IVED UNSOED) the team cap would be 60 team with max 2 team from each university.

For further information you may call me Diah (03618548208 or 08113803832) and Desy (081805365763)

We will continue to update you with important information regarding the tournament. We look forward to meeting you all this very much anticipated IVED!

See you guys next year!!!!!!!

Regards
Adjudication Team
IVED 2008

Indonesia Java and Bali Overland English Debate 2007

2007-09-02T04:46:00.000+06:00

Assalamualaikum,

Dear joved2007 participants...

Thanks for give us valuable feed back in regarding certificate and t-shirt but we need to explain clearly here that actually we dont have a finacial plan to send both items above since printing manufacture that we hired already promise to finished before joved2007.

In accordance with that problem i just asked apologize to joved participants that unsatisfied with our delivery service. Right now, we just hope from pocket of commitee financial to fullfill financial necessity. However , we still promise that it will send it out to your university but if youre question is when? we answered as soon as possible coz at this moment we just only got a million from our varsity, we need five hundred tousands more. Just waiting our confirmation next.

Pliz give us feed back on 081578982799 (Angga Haripurna)

Source: http://uii.ac.id/index.asp?u=11320&b=I&v=1

Korea KIDA National Debating Championship 2007

2007-09-02T04:08:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

The organizing committee of the 2007 KNC has several important
notices.
1. Date : September 7th (Fri) to 9th (Sun)
2. Venue: Kyunghee University (Seoul Campus) at Heogi Station(1호선회기역)
3. Registration
A. Date : 8. 20 ~ 31(We advise you to register no later than the 31 of August)
B. The total teamcap is currently 60 teams.
C. The team cap per institution is 5 (institutions may submit a waiting-list)
D. An institution is required to register at least n-1 adjudicators
E. Waitlisted teams may be approved and registered after the registration process, if there is team cap left.
F. Registration feefor each individual (both debater and adjudicator) is 10,000 won.
G. The representative of each institution may send the fees for all of its members to: 22516837902001.
H. The fees may be sent individually. However, please note that it is much easier for us to accept fees per institution.
I. Please use our registration form and send it to jokomono@hanmail.net

The tentative schedule will be announced inthe cy-world café as soon as possible.
Please direct all inquiries and questions about the 07 KNC to

jokomono@hanmail.net (convenor)
Or preferably 010 6449 2005 (convenor) 010 2795 3638 (Chief Adjudicator)

1. Independent Judges for the tournament.
Please hurry and register now. You can contact Juho Kim (Convener)
for that matter at 010-6449-2005.

2. Currently Registered Institutions.
-HUFS
-EDiS
-DAE
-Hanyang
-KIC
-Seoul Women¡¯s Univ.

Please "hurry and register now" again!!

3. Adjudicators
All the Judges are required to make the adjudication test on Fri.
afternoon from 5 p.m., otherwise you might end up violating the N-1
rule and pull out teams from your institutions.

4. Rookie Debaters
All rookie debaters are required to attend the briefing session and
the test debate on Fri. afternoon from 5 p.m., otherwise you may not
be able to register as rookies.

5. Debaters
We will start promptly at 9 a.m. on Sat. You must be at the venue
(Kyung Hee Univ. Chungwoon Building) by then with all of your
teammates, otherwise you will forfeit the round and grant a ¡®free
win¡¯ to your opponent.

The rules above have been agreed by the adjudication panels.
Questions regarding the policy of 2007 KNC shall be asked through
any DCAs (Wonpyo Hong from Chung-ang Univ., Jongmin Choi from Korea
Univ., and Jisoo Shin from Kyunghee Univ.) or myself.

Thank you.
Sophie J. Lee
Chief Adjudicator
President of Debate Association of Ewha
http://ewhadebate.org
Ewha Woman's University
Seoul, Republic of Korea

Source: http://ewhadebate.org/

Register for NTU Pro-Am Debating Championship 2007

2007-09-01T21:41:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

NTU Pro-Am Debating Championship 2007 registration and invitation letter are available now.

For Invitation letter and registration please click bellow
NTU Inter-Tertiary Pro-Am Debate Registration

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Debate Championship on Reunification of North and South Korea

2007-09-01T20:23:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

Report from South Korea; Should North and South Korea reunify? Through reunification Korea can gain economic benefits. Also Korea can achieve true development of the Korean Peninsula, and strengthen its location in the world. Moreover reunification would respect humanity. Thus said Herstory. But Janus, the con-side team, contradicted reunification, pointing out the large cost of reunification. They said reunification would give people more discomfort and deep complication, between North and South.

Recently, Sookmyunginans’s talents for words blossomed in Immanuel Hall, Renaissance Plaza. Herstory and Janus decorated the final round of the Sookmyung Debate Competition under the subject of reunification of North and South Korea, divided by pros and cons. Among 168 teams, only two teams were the last survivors and finally, the goddess of victory sent her smile to Janus.

After the logical battle, Meeyoung Oh, a professor Dept. of Mass Communication in Kyungwon University said “It is important to cooperate with each other in one team and communicate between teams, for sharing all opinions and logical contradiction. In other words, when debating, it is essential to hear other’s saying.” And Hak Joon Lee, the president of The Dong‐A Iibo said, “Both two teams are good. Although the opposition team is in disadvantage under overall common idea (pros) of reunification, the team’s saying was so good. Actually, the judge including me worried giving the best awards to whom. I think that the future of SMU is shining, after watching today's debate.”

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://smtimes.sookmyung.ac.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=74

Indian Intercollegiate Debate Competition 2007

2007-09-01T14:49:00.000+06:00

Intercollegiate Debate Competition on "Special Economic Zones -Boon or Bane" on Tuesday, September 11, 2007.

Christ College, Postgraduate Department of Economics will be organising Intercollegiate Debate Competition on "Special Economic Zones -Boon or Bane" on Tuesday, September 11, 2007.

Chief Guest: Dr. Abdul Aziz (Ex-Director, ISEC, Bangalore).

Venue: Conference Hall, II nd Block, 3rd Floor, Christ College, Bangalore-560029. Time: 10 a.m. onwards.

Schedule
10 a.m.- Inauguration.
10:15 a.m.- Debate Competition Begins.
1 p.m.- Valedictory Speech by Chief Guest.
1:30 p.m.- Prize Distribution.

Rules and Regulations
A team consisting of two members from each college (1 for and 1 against).
Time alloted for each speaker is 6 (5+1) minutes.
The presentations would be followed by questions.
If the time taken exceeds the limit, it would lead to negative marking.
All the teams have to be present at the Conference Hall by 9:45 a.m. with their college identity card.

Last date for enrollment is September 8, 2007.
For registration and further details contact:

Contact:
Adhijeet Podder - +91 99450 51060
Shilpa M.A.- +91 99457 43205
Kiran C.M.- +91 98441 80706
Adithi N. Rao- +91 99162 55860

All are welcome

CA and DCA Updates for Worlds MINI and South East Asian

2007-08-30T03:01:00.000+06:00

Dhaka, Bangladesh-Host City

Dear all,

First of all, we like to thank for your huge interest that you have shown for worlds MINI 2007 till now. We are getting huge response from all over the world for this championship which will defiantly make the Worlds Mini 2007 as one of the best BP Global Debating Championship in the World.

The Organizing committee of Worlds MINI and South East Asians 2007 would like to announce Ravi Prajapati Chief Adjudicator –External for This grand Debating Championship. We have also confirmed Claudia Newman-Martin from Australian and Tarique Shakil from Thailand as the Deputy Chief Adjudicators Worlds MINI 2007.

World MINI organizing committee is currently working with USA, Europe, South East-Asia, Japan and New Zealand for finalizing the other five DCA’s for this grand global debating championship. We will be announcing our Complete Adjudication Core very soon.

For championship registration and for other detail please visit the link bellow:
http://asiandebating.blogspot.com/2007/08/worlds-mini-and-south-east-asians-2007.html

We will be launching our championship website with registration system very soon. I will be updating you about that latest news related to this Grand Championship.

Ravi Prajapati CA External
Ravi is Internal Chief Adjudicator for this year World Universities Debating Championship WUDC 2008. He was the chief adjudicator of All-Asians 2004 and Current Vice President of Australasian Intervarsity Debating Association AIDA. He has a very strong adjudication profile. He has been Grand Finalist adjudicator at two All Asians. He is also two times Grand Finalist Adjudicator of Asian Universities Debating Championship, broke to Quarter Finals as an adjudicator at the Australs at UTM 2007 .He is DCA for the 4th AUDC 2008 hosted by International Islamic University Malaysia, KL.

Claudia Newman-Martin DCA from Australia
Claudia ranked 5th best speaker in Australasian 2007. She adjudicated the Octo finals, semi finals and the Grand Final of Australian National Debating Championships in 2007. This year she debated at the Melbourne pre-Australs tournament. She was ranked 7th as a speaker at that championship. Claudia attended Australs in 2006 and her team broke 12th. She was the Undefeated Australian National Debating Champions at the Australian National Debating Championship in 2006. She also attended the Sydney British Parliamentary Championships and her team made the semi finals. In December, she attended the Melbourne British Parliamentary Debating Championships and was in the semis. Claudia was ranked 7th as a speaker. Claudia attended Australs in 2005 and was ranked 9th best speaker. Her team broke 4th. She also attended the Australian National Women’s British Parliamentary Debating Championships same year and her team was in the grand final.

Tarique Shakil DCA from Thailand
Top Ten Speakers in Thailand twice, Thailand National Championship Semi-finalist twice; he broke 10th at All-Asians in 2005 and at Singapore Hammers 6th in 2005. Besides that he really loves to organize the championship. He is the Tournament Director of this year WUDC 2008 and for the largest All-Asians in history in 2004. At the Vancouver Worlds he chaired 5 rounds as an adjudicator.

Regards,

Rashedul Hasan Stalin
Chief Adjudicator,
IUT 1st Bangladesh Open 2007, Worlds MINI and South-East Asians 2007
Cell: 88-01715495119
Email: stalinhasan@...
Email in Words: stalinhasan [at] gmail [dot] com

Mabroor Wassey
Convener,
IUT 1st Bangladesh Open 2007; Worlds MINI and South-East Asians 2007
President, IUT Debating Society
Cell: 88-01712603444
Email: mabroorw@...
Email in Words: mabroorw[at]gmail[dot]com

Philippine 2nd UP Inter Varsity Debate Championship 2007

2007-08-29T20:12:00.000+06:00

Dear all,

This event is sponsored by The Parliament UPLB Debate Society where all debate organizations from all UP units including, Baguio, Manila, Diliman, Cebu, Tacloban, Iloilo, Mindanao and Los Banos will gather to compete for a series of debate rounds with maximum of 12 debates per round done simultaneously.

This event will be on the 14th-16th of September 2007. Debate Rooms will be in
Humanities and NCAS UPLB GROUNDS.

Should you have any questions, you can
contact The Parliament- UPLB Debate
Society Secretariat at the following infos

Contact:
09052676410
uplb.parliament@gmail.com
upivs.multiply.com

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://bonsandja.multiply.com/journal/item/9/2ND_UP_INTER_VARSITY_DEBATE_CHAMPIONSHIPS