CA and DCA Updates for Worlds MINI and South East Asian

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

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

China 9th FLTRP Cup National Debating Competition 2007

Dear all,

The China Ninth FLTRP Cup National Debating Competition involved a steep learning curve which left many participants puffing with exhaustion and indignation. However, for those who had the stamina, forbearance and dedication, the competition provided much insight into the rudiments of Parliamentary Style debating as well as the opportunity to practice.

There were some cracking good debates about topics including Compulsory Retirement Age, Effects of Tourism, Road Congestion, Moral Education of Students and Further Education of Olympic Athletes. Competitors showed amazingly wonderful control of language and delivery, thoughtful analyses, considerable courage and graciousness in defeat. It is to be hoped that they will feel the week to have been beneficial in very many ways despite the hard work involved.

The introduction of anything new will always be accompanied by some bewilderment and questioning but in the case of Parliamentary Style debating, the difficulties are many. The style is relatively new in China and the rules are both difficult to explain and to apply.

Firstly, the training provided on the first day was extremely helpful, although it may have been better if more time had been given to allow for open questioning. People had to get the rules and guidelines clear and this did not happen as well as it might despite the best efforts of the trainers. However, there was plenty of time throughout the week to clarify aspects and it was good to see participants asking questions and ‘debating the rules of debating’ over lunches and dinners. It was extremely heartening to find that teams had started to win having lost their first few rounds after gaining greater insight from a conversation with a judge or trainer.

Sometimes this insight came too late for the team to make it into the last 16, but it is to be hoped that students and coaches will return to their universities with the zeal to pass on their knowledge. By doing so, next year’s participants will start at a higher level and progress to greater heights. The organizers had made it clear that this year’s competition provided an opportunity to learn as well as to compete.

Secondly, there is a high level of subjectivity in the judgment of any speaking competition. People hear differently and focus on different aspects of what is being said. Where what is being said is an argument that is being delivered in order to persuade the judges and audience to a specific point of view, the room for misunderstanding or mishearing is greater.

Added to this the element of challenge and the fact that everyone is speaking in a second language, it is not surprising that there were times when the debaters thought they had clarified points that the judges failed to grasp. This is why any debate requires a minimum of 3 judges. However, to sit in judgment on others does require a high degree of diligence and preparation. The complaints were usually to do with judges not being sufficiently aware or consistent. Taking extensive notes of all points made will help judges to keep up with the side’s arguments and to remember what has been said. It is not possible to judge a debate by sitting back and just enjoying the speeches.

It is the duty of a judge to give a helpful evaluation. This means identifying the strong points as well as the weak points and saying how the weak points could be improved upon. Judges who put their egoism before their help are not doing their duty. At this stage in the evolution of debating, especially Parliamentary Style debating, effective evaluations are extremely important. Unfortunately, because of the lack of experienced judges, it was sometimes a case of the blind leading the blind!

Many may wonder what all the fuss is about and whether Parliamentary Style debating is worth learning. The proof came in the final rounds when the style reverted to traditional debating with 4 minute introductory and final speeches and 30 minutes of free argumentation. In both semi-finals and the grand final, although the teams provided a lively and humorous exchange, the arguments were superficial and static. There was little development because 12 minutes during free argumentation is not long enough to develop a complex idea. The lack of challenge and development meant that teams got stuck in a ping pong match of questions and answers which neither deepened nor furthered their arguments.

Dialectical debating, introduced by Socrates in the 5th Century BC, is the exploration of the truth of opinions through logical discussion of an argument. The argument is a set of reasons given in support of, or against, the motion and it is the exchange of these reasons that is going on in debate. Of course, in competition, there will be winners and losers but it is important to remember that the losers have provided a valuable role by challenging and picking holes in the oppositions arguments in order to test the worth of the policy being proposed. This is what underpins Parliamentary Style debating. The result of this is to deepen and extend arguments in order to solve the problem that is the basis of the motion in the best possible way. Therefore, it is clear that debating in this style is a useful skill to learn and practice.

Being an effective debater will help students both academically and in their business and personal lives. It encourages people to keep up with current affairs and to understand the issues. It develops awareness of other opinions, improves self-confidence and social communication skills. It also helps to create new ideas and best solutions and ensures all ideas are reasonable. Debate helps people to prepare for life as well for debate.

The 9th competition was different from that of previous years in that there had been no regional finals. 109 teams came to Daxing, on the outskirts of Beijing, so that as many as possible could benefit from the training provided. Whilst this caused some difficulty for teachers/coaches who were required to judge and therefore could not hear their teams perform, it did offer a great learning opportunity that should be appreciated. The competition was very well organized with excellent facilities allowing for some relaxation and clear information of what to do and where to do it. All comments and grievances were welcomed and every opportunity was given for people to improve their skills. The organizers should be applauded for their efforts and given credit for an educational, interesting and enjoyable competition.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source:http://stevenlichen.com/2007/05/01/an-educational-enjoyable-and-interesting-debating-competition/

Indian Infosys WoW Debate Championship 2007

Dear all,

on the August 2007 Infosys India organised Inter-college debate competition (WoW 2007) . The topic of the debate was “Mauritius has the potential to operate at a higher level of the value chain in IT”. The proposing team was from Royal College Curepipe and the opposing team was from Dr Maurice Cure SSS. Both teams did extremely well. The RCC students were very good in terms of expressiveness, and voice and the Dr Maurice Cure students were very good in terms of arguments put forward. The debate in general was of very high quality. Congratulations to both teams.

Round : Grand Final
Date of Debate : 27th August 2007 Venue : Infosys Technologies Limited – Wing B, 4th Floor

Topic : “ Mauritius has the potential to operate at a higher level of the ‘value chain’ in IT ”

Proposing team : Royal College Curepipe
Speaker 1 : Pillay Samoo Kumaren
Speaker 2 : Ghoorah Manish

Opposing team : Dr Maurice Curé SSS
Speaker 1 : Beelunkhun Sadiyah
Speaker 2 : Bindah Trisha

Winner: Royal College Curepipe

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Japan 10th ESUJ University Debating Competition 2007

Dear all,

The English-Speaking Union of Japan (ESUJ) will hold the University Debating Competition in English on October 7 and 8, 2007. This year, ESUJ will celebrate its 10th anniversary competition. They will invite four top British student debaters to participate in the event and to give a model debate. ESUJ will also present some special program for the 10th anniversary such as the Asian style model debate and the panel discussion by the honorable past finalists.

Date: October 7, 2007(Sun.) - October 8, 2007 (Mon. Holiday)
Place: National Olympics　Memorial Youth Center
(Sangubashi Station in Odakyu-line)
Map

Reception: October 7 (Sun): Room 417 (Seminar Hall), Central Building
October 8 (Sun): Large Hall, Arts Building

Notice: For the finals on Monday, Oct.8, prior registration is required.
(by Tuesday 25th September)
Click Here!


Tournament Details
Preliminary Debates October 7 (Sun.) 10:00 Opening Ceremony
10:30 Round 1
12:00 Round 2
14:30 Round 3
16:40 Round 4
18:00 Asian Style Model Debate

Final Debates October 8 (Mon. Holiday) 9:30 Announcement of Best 8 Teams 16:10 Grand Final
10:00 Quarter Finals 17:30 Panel talk by the honorable past finalists
13:00 Model Debate (by UK Debaters) 18:00 Closing Ceremony
14:15 Semi Finals

ESU International Council Meeting Welcome Reception
(Follow the Closing Ceremony)

A reception will be held on October 8 following the closing ceremony of the competition to commemorate the ESU International Council Meeting, which is being held in Tokyo this year. Representatives from ESU's around the world will be present at the reception. All ESU members and students are welcome to attend this very special occasion.
(Prior registration is required by Tuesday 25th September)

Date : October 8 (Mon. Holiday) 19:00-21:00
Place : Reception Room, International Exchange Bldg, National Olympics Memorial Youth Center
Charge : ESUJ Member & Student ¥ 1,000 Non-member ¥ 2,000
Dress code : Tie & Jacket

For Registration, Click Below
ESUJ University Debating Competition 2007 Registration

Contact:
E-MAIL:esuj@esuj.gr.jp

The English Speaking-Union
Guest Lecturer and Debaters from the UK Mr James Probert 　 Head of the Centre for Speech and Debate:

Ms. Anna Lintner 　 Cambridge University
Mr. Lewis Iwu 　 Oxford University
Ms. George Molyneaux 　 Oxford University
Mr. Krishna Omkar 　 Oxford University

Participating Universities
Aoyama Gakuin University
International Christian University
Kanagawa University
Keio University
University of Kitakyushu
Kobe University
Kyoto University
Nara Women's University,
Nihon University
Osaka University
Osaka Prefecture University
Sanno University
Seikei University
Senshu University
Sophia University
Tokai University
University of Tokyo,
Tokyo Institute of Technology
Tokyo Metropolitan University,
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
Tokyo Woman's Christian University
Tsuda College
Yokohama City University
Yokohama National University

Organizer:
The English-Speaking Union of Japan

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Indian Crossfire Debate Competition 2007

Debate Objective
This will be a Mega event prepared to be held every year.
This debate will provide a unique and challenging opportunity for the Management / BTech students to display their debating potential and managerial skills.

Participants
The debate is for students of Management / Engineering colleges only. It is limited to 2 students per college.

Teams
Each team should comprise two speakers – one for the proposition and one for the opposition.

Organizer:
LAURELS SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INDORE, India and MARTHOMA COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY, India

Contact:
Ph # 91-484-2592677, 093886 16626 E-mail : info@mcmat.org

Format of the Indian Crossfire Debate Competition
The topic of the debate will be sent by an eminent personality of the country, in a sealed envelope. All the participants will be taken to a separate room and the topic would be opened in their presence an hour before the commencement of the debate. This one hour is to be spent in preparation. Books, journals, magazines and newspapers will be made available to the participating students by the host institute. No teacher or escort will be present at this time and no attempt should be made to assist them in any way. It is left to each team to decide who will speak for the proposition and who will speak for the opposition. This will be informed by the participants to the event co-coordinator 30 minutes after they begin their preparation.

After one hour, the first team will be asked to present their debate while the rest of the participating teams will remain outside the auditorium in the preparation room. This is to enable fair and original presentation by each participant so that his or her views are not influenced by the presentation of other teams.

Each speaker will be given four minutes to speak. A bell will ring at the end of three minutes to indicate that only one more minute is left for the speaker to wind up his/her debate. Another bell will be rung at the end of four minutes. Marks will be deducted if the speaker exceeds the time limit.

After every speaker finishes his debate, four minutes will be allotted for Rebuttal by the judges. This rebuttal will be in the form of short and precise questions asked by the judges on the content of the speaker’s presentation.

Judging and Scoring
The competition will be judged by a panel of judges.

The judges will use the following scoring format:

1 Content 10 marks
2 Appropriateness of language 10 marks
3 Delivery 10 marks
4 Diction 10 marks
5 Rebuttal 10 marks
Total 50 marks

The tabulator will record the total of the marks awarded by each judge to each speaker in the tabulation sheet and the speaker scoring the maximum marks will be declared as the ‘Best Speaker’. Thereafter the first runner – up will be decided according to the marks scored. The team scoring the highest marks (Total of the scores of both participants) will be declared ‘Best Team’.

In case of a tie between two teams for the ‘Best Team Trophy/Best Speaker/Runner Up, the judges will resort to a system to lots to decide the winners. The decision of the judges will be final.

All participants should be present when the debate starts, right through to its conclusion at their designated places.

Prizes
Prizes and Certificates will be awarded immediately after the completion of the competition.

BEST DEBATER
(for the proposition) 1st Prize Rs.5000 and a certificate and trophy
RUNNER UP
(for the proposition) 2nd Prize Rs.3000 and a certificate and trophy
BEST SPEAKER
(for the opposition) 1st Prize Rs.5000 and a certificate and trophy
RUNNER UP
(for the opposition) 2nd Prize Rs.3000 and a certificate and trophy
BEST TEAM Crossfire Inter-Management College Debate Competition Trophy


Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.mcmat.org/mcmat/events/event-debate-2007.htm

Pakistan All-Karachi Inter-Madaris Debate Competition 2007

Dear all,

Dr Sher Ali Shah, renowned religious scholar and mentor of world’s most wanted men, Osama bin Laden and Mulla Muhammad Omar, will be the chief guest at the final of All-Karachi Inter-Madaris Debate Competition recently being at a local seminary.

Currently serving as the administrator of Jamia Haqqania, Akora Khattak, in NWFP, Shah is considered one of the most intriguing persons in the world because he allegedly has influence over bin Laden and Taliban’s Supreme Commander Mulla Omar as well as other Taliban leaders in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The debate competition is being held under the aegis of Majlis Sautul Islam (Voice of Islam Society) Pakistan, in which some 567 students from 46 Madaris that impart religious courses equal to the Masters level are participating. The semi-finals of the debate competition were held at the top five Madressahs in Karachi on Thursday night after Isha prayers, in which 100 contestants took part but only 19 of them managed to enter into the final of the competition.

Top religious scholars from entire Pakistan including former MNA Maulana Hasan Jan, Dr Muhammad Saad Siddiqui, grandson of Syed Attaullah Shah Bukhari Syed Kafil Shah Bukhari, Mufti Muhammad Idrees and Maulana Ihteshamul Haq Aasiabadi will be the judges of the final of debate competition.

Earlier, the semi-finals of the debate competition were held at Jamia Islamia Anwarul Uloom, Jamia Islamia Gulberg, Jamia Usmania Clifton, Jamia Islamia Darul Khair Gulistan-e-Jauhar and Darul Uloom Hanfia.

As many as 19 students were selected for the final of the competition, for which 567 students from 46 Madaris, registered themselves while 100 of them participated in the semi-finals of the declamation competition. During the competition, they were asked to express their views in the light of Islamic teachings on role of Madaris, pious caliphs’ social welfare activities (Khulfa-e-Rashideen), Islam and Peace, Rights of Minorities in an Islamic state, Islam and Human Rights, Women rights, Justice in Islam and role of Ulema in the society.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=61579

Pakistan LUMS Olympiad Debate Championship 2007

Dear all,

Aitchison College students hoisted the trophy for maximum overall points in several competitions at the conclusion of LUMS Olympiad 2007 recently in Pakistan. The Froebel’s International School Islamabad was declared the runner up at the concluding ceremony held at the LUMS Sports Complex. Shields and certificates were awarded to the participants and winners. The four days of Olympiad brought together more than 500 students from across the country.

The competitions at the Olympiad included photography, drama, computer gaming, music, art, music video making, quiz and debates. Students from schools, colleges and universities all over the country participated in the contest. LUMS, playing the host, abstained from participation. The final round of the debating competition was held on Sunday. The event was marred by the frequent power outages but the debaters did not falter. The topic under debate was This House Prefers Cultural Relativism Over Universal Human Rights.

The popular stance was the superiority of human rights because they provided protection that culture and tradition could not. The University of Engineering and Technology Lahore’s team comprising Mohsin Khan and Rana Abdur Rehman were declared the tournament’s best debating team. Aitchison College, SICAS and KEMU’s debating teams were ranked second, third and fourth, respectively.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.aitchison.edu.pk/index.pl/home?wid=27&func=viewSubmission&sid=413

India’s Top Private University Holds Debate Championship

Dear all,

The Ritnand Balved Education Foundation (The Amity Foundation) is one of India’s leading non-profit Foundations active in the field of education.

The Amity Foundation has established and funded some of the leading institutions in India , which have over 45,000 students across 600 acres of campuses. Amity is proud to have established the first and largest private (non-profit) University in India, the first wireless campus in India, the No. 1 ranked private Business School in India.

Recently various research studies of Amity University of India have proved that with the increase in wealth, status, power and prestige real happiness for which a person works so hard is diminishing. Children do not listen to their parents, relationships are being treated as burden. Today there is a need to propagate and cultivate human values in society.

Inter Amity debate competition

To support this noble cause Amity International Business School organized an Inter Amity debate competition on “Progress, prosperity & Peace is impossible without Human Values” at Amity University Campus, Noida

16 Students from 8 institutes of Amity shared their views on this sensitive yet important issue. Students laid stress on morality, traditional values as the key factors that affect human values whereas some students were of the opin ion that in today money oriented society, human values have a place but are not everything. Sometimes compromises have to be made in order to succeed ,thereby surpassing human values.

At the end of this debate the awards were announced and students would be awarded recently during the culmination of Amity Human Valves Week.

The following awards were declared:

The individual award for the best speaker for the motion was bagged by Rashi Vats from AITTM.The individual award for the best speaker against the motion was carried away by Mr. Varun Taneja from AITTM.The Champions Trophy was lifted by Ms. Rashi Vats and Varun Taneja from AITTM and The Runners up trophy was bagged by – Ms. Neha Singh and Nipun Jain from AIBS.

In the second half of the day Introduction to Landmark Education was held in which professionals from Landmark Education Forum participated and encouraged students to get ahead in life. Mr. Puruvesh Sharma, Participation Manager presented his views on time management, positive thinking.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://amity.edu/amity_universe/aboutus/aboutUs.asp

SMU BP IVs Singapore 2007

Hi everyone,

The SMU Debating Society is hosting its annual intervarsity in the BP
format on October 6-7, the first weekend of October.

With WUDC in Asia again this year, it'll be a great time to compete
against other Asian teams, who will probably make up a sizable portion
of the teams in Bangkok.

The official invitation will follow soon. Thanks. E-mail me or
for any inquiries.

Regards,
Carlo Cabrera
Email: carlo.antonio.cabrera@gmail.com

Indonesian JOVED 2008 Registration Updates

Hi, guys...

As U know that JOVED 2008 will be held at Parahyangan University (UNPAR) in Bandung.We have a good news that the fee registration for JOVED would not more than Rp 500.000,-. And we hope we still can provide the same facilities like what we ever announce before.

We would make some of debater seminars in some cities to socialize accreditation and Asian parliamentary system that we used in JOVED 2008.
So please your participation on it. Thx for ur attention.

Tournament Director of JOVED 2008,

Regards,
Laurensia Halim
Email: Laurent_avon@yahoo.com

ASEAN Arabic Debating Championship 2007

Dear all,

Debaters from Department of Arabic Language & Literature KIRKHS representing IIUM have emerged both champions and runners-up in the ASEAN Arabic debating Championship held at USIM on 19-23 July 2007. Eighteen teams from Malaysia, Indonesia & Singapore took part in this championship.

The Kulliyyah is extremely pround of their amazing achivements and extends its heartiest congratulations to all the debaters.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.iiu.edu.my/event/ann_detail.shtml?annid=317

Philippine ABS-CBN News Channel’s “Square Off” Debate

Dear all,

Ateneo de Manila University, represented by Ateneo Debate Society (ADS) members Sharmila Parmarand and Charisse Borromeo, won the first round of the Philippine Debating Championship on ABS-CBN News Channel’s (ANC) “Square Off” program on Aug. 1, 2007. The topic was “Should the government suspend the peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front as a result of the beheading of 10 Marine soldiers in Basilan?”

Taking the opposition or the negative side, Ateneo beat debaters from the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU), who took the government or affirmative side. Both schools are among 16 universities vying to represent the Philippines in the 2008 World Universities Debating Championships, the largest debating tournament in the world, on December 27, 2007 to January 5, 2008 at Assumption University, Thailand.

The other 14 universities are the University of the Philippines (UP) - Diliman, UP-Manila, De La Salle University, College of St. Benilde, University of Santo Tomas, University of Baguio, Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Ateneo de Davao University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, San Beda College, UP-Baguio, Xavier University, Mindanao State University and Lyceum of the Philippines.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.admu.edu.ph/index.php?p=120&type=2&sec=29&aid=3987

Brunei Energy Association Debate Competition 2007

Dear all,

Renewable energy is not a feasible option for Brunei Darussalam as the sultanate cannot afford to cut down more of its trees to make way for alternative energy sources.This argument earned St Andrew's School debating team the top spot in the final of the Brunei Energy Association Debate Competition.

"Are we willing to sacrifice rainforests, our national treasure, in support of wind energy?" argued Nathaniel Ting, the overall best debater at the competition yesterday. St Andrew's, the proposition team of the topic `Brunei Darussalam will not benefit from renewable energy,' was adjudged the winners when they outshone Chung Ching Middle School with their effective rebuttals.

Nathaniel said that Brunei cannot consider hydroelectic power because it requires the use of biomass crops such as sugar cane, which is lacking in the country. Meanwhile, his teammate Leong Yong Bo posed the question: "Why should we complain when oil and gas is generating revenue for the country?”The hydrocarbon industry has contributed to Brunei's economy for 70 years, while no country has benefited from renewable energy except for Denmark, said Leong. He added that solar cells, which produce solar energy, can only last for 20 years.

Diana Law, also from St Andrew's, said that Brunei will breach the Heart of Borneo agreement 'if it cuts down rainforests for renewable energy, which would lead to the loss of the other countries' trust and business deals. Emiliy On from the Chung Ching Middle School, the opposition team, argued that producing renewable energy will create more job 'opportunities in Brunei. She said that Brunei should start harnessing renewable energy immediately because its fossil fuel reserves will be exhausted in a short period of time. Solar energy is a good idea because of Brunei enjoys an equatorial climate and long hours of sunshine, she added.

She also said that renewable energy is more efficient as it does not need fuel or transportation, and requires less maintenance.Her teammate Yee Ying Kong said that alternative energy sources are needed as energy consumption will rise with population increase. He pointed out that hydroelectric power, the world's leading form of renewable energy, is more cost-effective. Brunei can enjoy long term returns and benefits from renewable energy even though it has to invest billions of dollars, said Liong Han Fu, also from Chung Ching. "We do not need to build power stations for solar energy or hire professionals, which help to save money.'' he added. --


Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Courtesy of The Brunei Times
Source: http://www.brudirect.com/DailyInfo/News/Archive/Aug07/260807/nite12.htm

Bangladesh UU Inter University Debating Championship 2007

Dear Participants and Adjudicators,

It's my pleasure to inform you that Uttara University is going to organize its 1st UU Inter University Debating Championship from 3 September 2007. Main tournament will be organized into two championships: UU English IV and UU Bengali IV where medium are English and Bengali respectively. Each university is entitled to send maximum four (4) teams at each championship. Championship format for UU Bengali IV and UU English IV is World Universities Debating Championship format, i.e. four teams with two speakers per side.

We are cordially inviting you/your institution to take part in this tournament.

Kind regards,
Niaz Morshed Chowdhury (Shanto)
Moderator, UU Debating Club
Lecturer, Dept of CSE, Uttara University

Contact:
Email: notredamean@gmail.com
Cell: 88-01914209863

Supplementary information

Format
World Universities Debating Championship (WUDC) Format
Four (4) teams per debate
Two (2) speakers per side

Championship and Medium
Two separate championships will be held in Bengali and English respectively.
Bengali championship will be called "UU Bengali IV"
English championship will be called "UU English IV"

Number of teams
Each institution is entitled to send at most four (4) teams at each championship.

Registration fees
Registration fee for first two teams at each championship is Taka 400.00 only.
Fee for each next team is Taka 300.00 only.

Structure
There will be five (5) initial rounds (for all the teams) at each championship.
Teams (for initial five rounds) will be selected based on power pairing method.
Only the breaking eight (8) teams will move to the Semi-finals and fight against each other as:
First Semi-final : Rank 1, Rank 2, Rank 7 and Rank 8
Second Semi-final : Rank 3, Rank 4, Rank 5 and Rank 6
Top two (2) teams from each Semi-final will move to the Grand Final.

Swing teams
Swing team is a special type of dummy team that participates in the absence of any real team just to maintain the format of the debate.
Each institution is entitled to send at most one (1) swing team (if swing team cap is not full) at each championship.
These teams need not to pay any registration fee but need to purchase their own food coupon (optional).
UUDC will accept only seven (7) swing teams at each championship.

Date, Time and Venue
Registration and Briefing
Date: 03/09/07
Time: 03:30 pm (BST)
Venue: Uttara University NZ Campus, Sector 6, Uttara, Dhaka

UU English IV
4 September 2007 to 9 September 2007
UU Bengali IV
6 September 2007 to 9 September 2007

Philippine National Debate Championship 2007

Dear all,

The Philippine Military Academy opens its door to its civilian counterparts for the first time. On 21-27 October 2007, the country’s premier military institution will host the 9th National Debate Championship. This is the first time that civilians will be allowed to look more closely into an institution that has long been a part of history yet clouded with so much mystery.

This event will gather colleges and universities from all over the country and pit them against one another in an exciting display of talent in Public Speaking. Students from all over the country will be given the rare chance not only to compete in a friendly debate but will also be given the chance of a lifetime of experiencing PMA life.

In last year’s 8th National Debate Championship which was held at the University of Baguio, the Academy’s Discussion and Debate Society participated for the first time. Although, first timers, they managed to impress the other participants even bagging the top prize in the Public Speaking contest. In the selection for the venue of the next Debate Championship, the cadets wowed the body with their stories of cadet life arousing the curiosity of most present. In the end, PMA won the bid.

The event promises a different experience to the participants allowing them to witness spectacles of cadet life like a Silent Drill Performance in the Opening Ceremony, a tour on the different training facilities which includes all the confidence courses that the cadets go through. They will also be allowed to enter the cadet barracks for an open house followed by ranks inspection and the traditional Parade and Review. A Cadet Hop, which is a formal dinner, will also be held.

There are four packages available where participants can choose. These packages will include billeting, food and a bus ride from Manila to PMA and back. For more details just click on the links provided in this website.

For more information please visit at: http://www.pma.ph/dds%20website/index.htm

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Indian N.A. National Birla Debate 2007 Updates

A lively debate on the spirit of Olympics

Passions for Spirit of Olympics were stirred at the Music Academy on Wednesday during the eighth Inter-Institutional L.N. Birla National Debate. The Chennai Regional Competition was on the topic of ‘The spirit of the Olympics today is commerce not sport.’ All those involved presented persuasive arguments.

Four schools and seven colleges including PS Senior Secondary School, PSBB (Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan) and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan from Coimbatore competed. Students from MOP Vaishnav, Ethiraj, Stella Maris, Loyola, School of Excellence in Law and PSC College (Coimbatore) participated in the college category.

Winners
The winners were PS Senior Secondary School and Loyola College (Morning). They will participate in the national finals to be held in November in Kolkata. The L.N Birla National Debate was started in 1996 and was confined to the city of Kolkata until recently when it moved to other major cities in the country.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/23/stories/2007082359580200.htm

IDEA with Worlds MINI and South East Asians 2007

Dear all,

International Debate Education Association http://www.idebate.org/ has confirmed its interest as one of the valued partner of IUT 1st Bangladesh Open 2007 (Worlds MINI 2007 and South-East Asians 2007) and which is scheduled from November 15, 2007 to November 20, 2007. IDEA will send representative and debate coach/adjudicator for this Grand Championship in Bangladesh.

Many of you know about I debate (IDEA) as the biggest debate Resource Bank available at the net http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/. Currently they are considered as one of the most valued World Debate Organization for their different global debating activities.

We consider this as an important update for Bangladesh Open 2007. The championship website is under construction now. Team IUT is working 24/7 for this website. It will be uploaded very soon.

Currently “Team Bangladesh Open” is working with some renowned WUDC, Australs, All Asian and AUDC Top Adjudicators for forming a top class international DCA panel. We are also maintaining strong contact with some of them as the external CA.

For information and registration please mail us at bangladesh.open.2007@gmail.com. The address in words is; bangladesh [dot] open [dot] 2007[at] gmail [dot] com.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin
Chief Adjudicator,
IUT 1st Bangladesh Open 2007, Worlds MINI and South East Asians 2007
Cell: 88-01715495119
Email: stalinhasan@gmail.com
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@gmail.com
Email in Words: mabroorw[at]gmail[dot]com

Singapore Debate Open 2007

Dear Debaters and Adjudicators,

The National University of Singapore Debate Team is convening an open invitation debate tournament on the 22nd and 23rd of September 2007. The tournament promises to be the most prestigious and competitive event in the local debate calendar. Teams from Singapore, the surrounding region and the Ivy and Oxbridge circuit will be participating in the event, making the tournament the perfect proving ground for the upcoming World Universities Debating Championships.

We would like to extend a cordial invitation to your institution to participate in the Singapore Debate Open. The tournament details and official invitation letter are attached to this email.

If you have any further queries, or would like to register for the tournament, please send an email to singaporedebateopen @gmail.com I look forward to hearing from you soon, and meeting you at the tournament.

Warmest Regards,
Vishal Harnal
Convener, Singapore Debate Open 2007

Malaysia INTI Inter-Campus Debate Championship

INTI College Subang Jaya (ICSJ) emerged champions in the third INTI Inter-Campus Debate Championship recently.

Eighteen teams from INTI’s associate campuses, as well as institutions under the INTI International Education Group, took part in the debate at the INTI International University College (INTI-UC), Putra Nilai.They included participants from INTI-UC, INTI College Sarawak, INTI International College Penang and Metropolitan College.

The winning team – comprising Seow Wei Liang, Leonard Chen Wei Rong, Aaron Cheng Wai Tuck and Yasmin Ahmad Kamil Yusof, all American University Programme students – defeated INTI College Sarawak in a thrilling finale on the motion “The Malaysian Government Should Censor the Internet.” ICSJ proposed the motion.The team took home a challenge trophy, a hamper and RM250. The win was the first for ICSJ since the debate was introduced three years ago.

Winning team leader Wei Liang said the four teams fielded by ICSJ went in as the underdogs and had felt intimidated right from the beginning when they found out that they were going up against formidable teams from Sarawak.“As we advanced in the competition, our confidence grew and we told ourselves we must win,” he said.

Leonard said the team was of one mind in wanting to give their best and at least take ICSJ further into the competition than it had done last year.“By the time we got to the semi-finals, we got feedback that we had been stepping up our game at every round.“That, to me, meant that we had a good chance to be champs, so we gave it all we had,” he added.

School of Languages and Liberal Arts dean Dr Wong Fook Khoon said she was proud that the winning team had put ICSJ at the top of the league.lICSJ has recently launched an alumni webpage, I-ASK@INTI, in its website www.intisj.edu.my.
Every week, ICSJ will arrange for its alumni who are now successful to give their advice and opinion to the public.

It is designed to help students, prospective students and even parents who have any enquiries regarding courses and careers. All they need to do is to surf the website and send in their enquiries via e-mail.Their answers will be posted on the website so that others with similar enquiries will benefit from the information sharing.

Indonesian National Capital Market Debate Championship 2007

Hi Everyone,

The committee would like to announce that Mr. Erry Firmansyah the Director of PT. Bursa Efek Jakarta (Jakarta Stock Exchange), Mr. Bastian The Director of PT. Bursa Efek Surabaya (Surabaya Stock Exchange), and Mr. Gonthor Head of International
Relationship Division (Bapepam-LK) is under confirmation to become one of the speakers at NCMDC opening Seminar. These high profile individuals are invited by the committee of NCMDC to give participants an overview and outlook of capital market industry in Indonesia as one of the new emerging market in the world. The committee expect that all NCMDC participants could participate effectively as there will be Q&A Session on many important capital market issues. Interested? Must Be! It's a chance that you will not come across everyday. Time to get the knowledge guys!

Some matter to share:
Do you know that.......Regional stability has become a big issue since economic crisis in 1997. Contagious effect from other countries downfalls has surely
realised the needs of integration of financial sectors. International Organization of Securities Commissions Organization (IOSCO) and ASEAN countries have take steps to avoid the same crisis happen. Integration of ASEAN Capital Market is a new vision of this region. All capital market should have standardised set of rules that will enable companies to have the same treatment in every capital market in this region. Standardise the regulations in ASEAN’s market has been started by ratifying the
IOSCO Principles. Are we ready to have the same challenge with other countries? Will the integration only benefit certain countries?

Have you conform your attendance?
Time is of the essence everyone, the teams registered is adding day by day and available team slots are getting fewer.....remember guys, the registration dead line is only 10 days away....^_^ C ya there

PS: don't forget to book your lodging! Just call our Public Relation Officer 08562334833(Lami)

more to come! wait for another newsletter from us!

Singapore NTU Pro-Am Debating Championships 2007

Hi

It is my privilige to announce to you that NTU Debating Society is organizing the NTU Inter-Tertiary Pro-Am Debating Championships 2007 on 8th and 9th September 2007.

Attached is a formal invite for the event. Please do go through it and refer to our website www.ntudebsoc.org for any further details or registration. We request you to let us know as soon as possible whether you are interested and how many teams you will be sending so that we can make the necesary arrangements.

We look forward to your teams coming down and being a part of the event.
Feel free to contact us with any queries.

Regards
Lakshmi Balachandran

President
NTU Debating Society
+65 91828102

Your Host for Worlds MINI and South East Asian 2007

IUT-Bangladesh

Dear all,

Islamic University of Technology-IUT Bangladesh Campus is renowned for its floating shape. When any new comer enters the University Campus most often they thought that the main campus is separated from the main land. Beautiful Lake of IUT actually surrounded its massive architecture. This architecture is inspired by the modern French Art Revolution took place in the 19th centaury in Europe. Some people might find similarities with Bangladesh National Parliament Main Structure which also represent the modern era of French Art. This Campus is known as the Beauty of Art in Bangladesh.

It is a truly international university which invites students from more then 20 countries around the World. Like ones said “IUT it self is a mini world”. Top Students from all over the world come to study Science, EEE, Computer, IT each year. The main Language of the Education Medium is English and the Campus language is also English because of its Multiculturalism.

Participant might find this campus as the perfect place for Debate and place for Hot Tea discussion during the Championship. Its greenery and Art can easily make anyone fill that it is very closer to your heart.

For More IUT Treasure Plz Click Here
The official Website of the University


Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Worlds MINI and South-East Asians 2007 Announcements

Championship host Islamic University of Technology-IUT, Bangladesh


IUT 1st Bangladesh Open 2007
1st BP Intervarsity Global Debating Championship in Bangladesh
Participants: Top Universities Debating Teams from around the World

Special Value: International Youth Micro Credit Summit Bangladesh 2007 with South Asian Treasures, Foods, Music, Culture and Lots More………

This Grand Championship will offer........

Worlds MINI 2007
Open for all Universities of six Continents

South-East Asians 2007
Open for South East Asian Universities

Bangladesh Championship 2007
Open for all Bangladeshi Universities

The Invitation

Dear all,

After a decade later debating community of Bangladesh for the first time has taken a massive initiative to arrange The Biggest Global Debating Championship in Bangladesh which will be organized by Bangladesh Debating Council-BDC and will be hosted by one of the Best Debating University of Bangladesh; Islamic University of Technology-IUT. Before Thailand Assumtion Worlds 2008; all the international teams will get the chance to refill their debating preparation in World MINI 2007 which is shaped to help the 28th WUDC preparation. The IUT 1st Bangladesh Open 2007 will also decide the South-East Asian Intervarsity Debating Title 2007 where teams from South-East Asian Universities will battle for this crown.

We are looking for the most experienced Worlds, Australs and Asian DCA's, Best Debaters of these championships and the most experience Debate Coaches who are world wide recognized for their contribution for the CA External and the DCA of this Championships. I will be the Chief Adjudicator and there will be another External Chief Adjudicator with six international DCA's to run the Worlds MINI and South-East Asians 2007 Championships.

We are also working with the Nobel Peace Prize Winner Dr. Muhammad Unis of Bangladesh for International Youth Micro Credit Summit 2007 and other internationally respected Micro Credit specialist for conducting this summit which is specially arrange for the participating teams of Bangladesh Open 2007. All the participant of this championship will be a valued part of this Summit during the Worlds MINI 2007.

We will be opening our website very soon. All the primary championship detail is written bellow. The schedule and other championship detail are subject to be change any time by the organizer and the host.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin
Chief Adjudicator, IUT 1st Bangladesh Open 2007;Worlds MINI and South-East Asians 2007

Primary Championship Detail
This is the primary detail and can be change anytime by the organizers.

Organizer and Council: Bangladesh Debating Council-BDC
http://debatebangladesh.tripod.com
Host: Islamic University of Technology, Bangladesh-IUT
Date and Times: November 15 Thursday, 2007 to November 20 Tuesday, 2007. Championship Website will be lunched very soon.

Format of the Debate:
British Parliamentary (BP) WUDC format
Four Teams and each having two members, two propositions and two oppositions.
But Preparation Time will be 30 Mins and there will be two Prepared Motions.

IUT 1st Bangladesh Open 2007 will decide the three Championship Titles:
Category 1
Worlds MINI Intervarsity Debating Champion – Worlds MINI 2007 Champion
Category 2
South-East Asian Intervarsity Debating Champion – South-East Asian Champion
Category 3
Bangladesh National Intervarsity Debating Champion - Bangladesh Champion.


Registration Policy:
Championship Team Cap is 80.Each Tertiary Institution/University/College can send maximum of Three Teams All the participating teams of IUT 1st Bangladesh Open 2007 will be automatically registered for Worlds MINI 2007. Bangladesh Championships 2007 title is for Bangladeshi Teams and Best Ranked Team from South-East Asia will be crowned as the South East Asians 2007 Champion.Each Team will have Two Debaters.

Registration Fees per Team
International 100 USD (With Championship Transportation, Accommodation and Food)
Local 2000 BDT (Food and Championship Transportation but without Accommodation)

Adjudicator
Bangladesh Open 2007 will also allow the Independent adjudicator to participate in the championship.

Registration Fees per Adjudicator
International 50 USD (With Championship Transportation, Accommodation and Food)
Local 1000 BDT (Food and Championship Transportation but without Accommodation)

For Registration
Please mail bangladesh.open.2007@gmail.com . The email address in words is: bangladesh [dot] open [dot] 2007[at] gmail [dot] com

Contact Persons

Rashedul Hasan Stalin
Chief Adjudicator,
IUT 1st Bangladesh Open 2007, Worlds MINI and South-East Asians 2007
Cell: 88-01715495119
Email: stalinhasan@gmail.com
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@gmail.com
Email in Words: mabroorw[at]gmail[dot]com

Last Date for Registration:
October 25, Thursday 2007

Debating Rounds and Prepared Motions:
There will be 5 rounds for each team. 3 impromptu motions and 2 prepared motions.
Prepared Motions will be announced before 15 days to the Championships.

Adjudication Policy:
Number of Adjudicator: N-1, Total Number of Teams minus 1;.
There will be One Chief Adjudicator and One External Chief Adjudicator with Six International Deputy Chief Adjudicators.Names of the full Adjudication Penal will be released before third weak of September 2007

Accommodation
5/4 Star Hotel in Dhaka

Immigration
Contact Bangladeshi Missions in your country in advanced for VISA Applications and Processing.

Bangladesh Missions around the World
http://www.mofa.gov.bd/website_of_bangladesh_mission.htm

Download Bangladesh VISA Form
http://www.mofa.gov.bd/visaform.pdf

International Youth Micro Credit Summit Bangladesh 2007
This Summit will invite Internationally Recognized Micro Credit Specialists to present the Key Note Papers and then will offer a Public Speaking Championships. This Championship winner will be awarded the title of Global Micro Credit Youth Spokesman. In 2006 Economist and renowned Bangladeshi Banker Dr. Mohammad Yunis, Founder of Bangladesh Grameen Bank awarded Nobel Peace Prize for Micro Credit and Grameen Bank's achievements. Micro Credit is an economies term usually means Small and Short Loan for Poor People without Guarantor or any Bank Guarantees. Micro Credits is now world wide excepted form for poverty reduction and it is creating the self employment in the developing nations.

Bangladesh Open 2007 Schedule: (Can be change at any time)

Opening Day, November 15 Thursday, 2007
10:00 to 13:00 hrs: Hotel Cheek In
13:00 to 14:00 hrs: Lunch
14:00 to 18:00 hrs: Bangladesh Open Special- International Youth Micro Credit Summit
18:30 to 20:00 hrs: Opening Ceremony and Socials
20:00 to 21:00 hrs: Opening Dinner

Day Two, November 16 Friday, 2007
06:30 to 07:30 hrs: Breakfast
07:30 to 07: 45 hrs: Bus Leaves from Hotel
09:00 to 10:00 hrs: Debaters and Adjudicators Briefing
10:00 to 12:00 hrs: Adjudication Test
12:00 to 13:00 hrs: Lunch
13:00 to 14:00 hrs: Break
14:00 to 14:30 hrs: Round 1 Impromptu Motion Preparation
14:30 to 15:30 hrs: Round 1 Impromptu Motion Debate
15:30 to 16:30 hrs: Tea Break
16:30 to 17:30 hrs: Round 2 Prepared Motion Debate
18:00 to 18:15 hrs: Bus Leaves from Venue for Socials
19:15 to 22:00 hrs: Theme Park Socials and Barbeque Night

Day Three, November 17 Saturday, 2007
06:30 to 07:30 hrs: Breakfast
07:30 to 07: 45 hrs: Bus Leaves from Hotel
09:00 to 09:30 hrs: Round 3 Impromptu Motion Preparation
09:30 to 10:30 hrs: Round 3 Impromptu Motion Debate
11:30 to 12:30 hrs: Round 4 Prepared Motion Debate
12:30 to 13:30 hrs: Lunch
14:00 to 14:30 hrs: Round 5 Impromptu Motion Preparation
14:30 to 15:30 hrs: Round 5 Impromptu Motion Debate
15:30 to 15:45 hrs: Bus Leaves from Venue for Hotel
18:00 to 18:15 hrs: Bus Leaves from Hotel for Break Night Party and Disco

Day Four, November 18 Sunday, 2007
08:30 to 09:30 hrs: Breakfast
09:45 to 10:00 hrs: Bus Leaves from Hotel for Free Day Tour

Free Day Options:
Option 1: Free Tour to the Largest Shopping Center in Bangladesh
Option 2: Paid Tour to National Museum and National Parliament of Bangladesh
Option 3: Paid Tour to the Theme Park Water World.

17:00 to 17:30 hrs: Quarter Finals Motion Preparation
17:30 to 18:30 hrs: Quarter Finals
19:30 to 22:00 hrs: Western Music Night and Pizza Party

Day Five, November 19 Monday, 2007
06:30 to 07:30 hrs: Breakfast
07:30 to 07: 45 hrs: Bus Leaves from Hotel
09:00 to 09:30 hrs: Semi Finals Preparation
09:30 to 10:30 hrs: Semi Finals

Bangladesh Championship Final
11:30 to 12:00 hrs: Bangladesh Championship Final 2007 Preparation
12:00 to 13:00 hrs: Bangladesh Championship Final 2007
13:00 to 14:00 hrs: Lunch

Top Team from South-East Asia will be awarded by South East Asian Championship Title

Grand Final of Worlds MINI 2007
17:00 to 17:30 hrs: Grand Final Worlds MINI 2007 Preparation
17:30 to 18:30 hrs: Grand Final of Worlds MINI 2007
19:00 to 23:00 hrs: Bangladesh Night, Gala Dinner and Closing.

Day Six, November 20 Tuesday, 2007
10:00 to 12:00 hrs: Check Out from Hotel

Contact:

Email: Please mail us at: bangladesh.open.2007@gmail.com . The email address in words are: bangladesh [dot] open [dot] 2007[at] gmail [dot] com

Indian Verbattle Debate Junior-2007 Updates

Dear all,

Five teams from St. Theresa High School, Mangalore, have qualified for the state preliminary round of "Verbattle Junior-2007", a state-level inter-school debate competition here on Sunday.

Two teams from Amber Valley High School, Chikmagalur, and one from St. Aloysius High School also made it to the State-preliminary to be held in Bangalore on August 23 and August 24.

As many as 22 teams from Mangalore zone participated in this event organised by "TV House", a media company. The next zonal selection round will be held in Mysore on August 14 followed by one at Hubli on August 16 and finally, three rounds in Bangalore on August 20, 21 and 22, respectively. The State-preliminaries, quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals will be held in Bangalore on August 23 and August 27.

The students who qualified from Mangalore zonal round are: Jake Texeira and K.M. Rajath; Roshni Maria and Niveah Tettilah; Sathya Krishna and Karthik Ramakrisha; B. Pallavi and Joey Monteiro; and Oralia Rego and Delroy Joshua, from St. Theresa; A.B. Aditya and B.A. Anshrutha; and Yasahaswini Rao and Rushir Sisodia from Amber Valley; and A. Aditya and Mohanjeeth Marla from St. Aloysius High School.

Rachel Ravi, general manager, TV House, said "When students from centres such as Hubli could excel, I see no reason why students from Mangalore could not," she said.

Regards,
Radhedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=50228

MMU IV End and Results

Hey Everyone,

We'd like to thank all the institutions who participated in our MMU IV: The
Friendliest of Friendlies. We hope to see you guys in the second leg of the
tournament next month.The tournament had a strong 40 teams show from numerous Institutions all across the Malaysian Peninsular.

The Grand Finals was between: OG( UiTM 4), OO (UiTM 1), CG (MMU 1),CO ( IIU1)
On the motion that" THBT checkbook diplomacy is obsolete in foreign policy", the
decision of the 5 member adjudication panel went unanimously to MMU1.

The Best Speaker of the Tournament was: Kandahar (MMU 1)

Cheers,
Ips
Secretary
VoicesMMU

Source: All Asian List

Singapor Polytechnic Inter School Debate 2007

Inter-School Debating Championships 2007

The Current Affairs & Debating Club would be organising the Inter-School Debating Championships 2007 from the 1st week of Term 3 of Semester 2.

A total of 13 teams have been registered from the following participating schools:

Programme
Briefing for school team members
Date: 24 Sep 2007 (Wednesday)
Time: 5.15 pm
Venue: SAC 116

Quarter Finals (Round 1)
Date: 28 Sep 2007 (Friday)
Time: 5.15 pm

Quarter Finals (Round 2)
Date: 3 Oct 2007 (Wednesday)
Time: 3.15 pm

Semi Finals
Date: 10 Oct 2007 (Wednesday)
Time: 3.15 pm
Venue: T1A55 - 58
T1A65 - 68

Finals
Date: 17 Oct 2007 (Wednesday)
Time: 3.30 pm
Venue: LT1A(A)

Prizes
Attractive prizes to be won for the two teams who qualify for the Final :

Champion: Trophy + Individual Plaques + Vouchers
1st Runner-up: Trophy + Individual Plaques
Best Speaker: Plaque

Note: Souvenirs would be given to all school participants.

Enquiry
If you have any enquiries, please email Ms Cynthia Ang at seowmui@sp.edu.sg or the organising chairperson, Lim Wei Yi at LimWY.06@ichat.sp.edu.sg.

Source: Singapor Polytechnic Web

WSDC 2007 Report from the Perspective of Malaysia

By LEE ZHI WEI

A group of young debaters who went off to South Korea for a debating meet did not win any prizes but came back with a wealth of experience.

WORLD Schools Debating what?” That was my response when the World Schools Debating Championship (WSDC) was publicised in our local newspapers in March, and I’m quite sure that most people had a similar reaction.Why? Well, if you don’t know (and you probably don’t), the last time Malaysia participated in WSDC was way back in 1994.

Until four months ago, I did not have any idea that such a competition existed. And, quite frankly, I had absolutely no inkling that I could and eventually would be part of the five-member team that would represent Malaysia in this year’s WSDC in Seoul, South Korea.Team Malaysia members (from second from left) John, Andrew, Zhi Wei, Jian Wei and Mishyan Kumar, together with Mrs Jagjeet Singh, at the airport in Seoul.

Selection of the team began in March.
At the beginning, there were 48 debaters, but the number was quickly reduced to first 24, then 12 and, at the end of April, the final five – apart from me, they were Andrew Wong Yoon Loong, Ang Jian Wei, John Lee and S. Mishyan Kumar.

We are all 18, except for Mishyan Kumar, who is 17.For the next three months, we read, researched and debated under the guidance of our coach, Mrs Jagjeet Singh.
We tried to make our training sessions as extensive and as frequent as possible because we were well aware that 12 weeks was not a lot of time, considering how many teams commence preparations as early as a year before the competition.

The three months passed quickly, if somewhat stressfully. Soon it was time to leave our favourite roti canai and teh tarik behind for the unfamiliar land of fermented cabbage, a.k.a. kimchi. But food was the last thing on our minds – we were about to put our words and wit to the ultimate test against the best of the best in the international debating scene. Needless to say, we were thrilled, nervous and hopeful, all at the same time.

The earlier rounds
We arrived in Seoul on July 2 to discover that the 35 participating countries were from all corners of the world, ranging from Ireland to Indonesia, Kuwait to Korea, and Peru to Pakistan. It was amazing to see how the competition had brought so many people of differing creed and colour together.

The next five days consisted of the eight gruelling preliminary rounds to determine the best 16 which would compete in the octo-finals.over those few days, the four prepared motions debated were:

- This house believes that the development of clean industry should be made a condition for receiving non-emergency aid;

- This house believes that Holocaust denial should be a crime;

- This house believes that the United States should withdraw from their military bases in Asia; and

- This house believes that free trade harms the developing world.

The impromptu motions were equally thought provoking:

- This house would ban the use of models who are below a healthy weight,

- This house believes that governments should not place limits in the areas which scientists may research,

- This house would legalise all drugs, and

- This house would limit media reporting of terrorist atrocities.

The teams we debated against were from the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Romania, Ireland, Peru, Lithuania, Canada and India. Unfortunately, our hopes of qualifying for the octo-finals were crushed. We managed to win two rounds, against the Netherlands and Romania, but we lost the other six, three of which saw split decisions by the adjudicators.

Though disappointed to know that we were out of the race, we did not spend too much time wallowing in self-pity. We could not – the competition was not over yet, so there was still much to be learnt from the next few rounds and the grand final over the next three days.The 16 teams that made it to the octo-finals were Ireland, England, Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, Scotland, Pakistan, Slovenia, South Africa, Greece, the Philippines, Argentina, Israel, the United States, South Korea and Canada.

We spent those three days watching the debates between different countries, taking down notes and learning from the, by and large, experienced teams. It was interesting to see the diverse debating styles demonstrated by the teams from different countries.

The impromptu motion debated during the elimination rounds were:

- This house would force organisations to place more women in senior positions (octo-finals),

- This house would privatise public utilities companies (quarter-finals), and

- This house would partition Iraq (semi-finals).

The grand final and the results

The two finalists were Scotland and none other than our neighbours, Singapore. The motion up for debate was “This house would abolish the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty”.

Singapore proposed. However, Scotland emerged victorious, winning the votes from all nine adjudicators, in what was described as a “close but clear decision” by one of the co-chief adjudicators, Claire Ryan. Congratulations to the champions of WSDC 2007, Team Scotland!

Other awards were also given that evening.Jamie Susskind (England), Jeremy Rich (Australia) and Kaerlin McCormick (Australia) were named the top three debaters of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Pakistan won the prize for the best team and best debater in the English as a Second Language category. Slovenia did likewise in the English as a Foreign Language category. The English-Speaking Union of Korea also gave a prize for the best speaker from a new team, won by Japan’s Itaru Hiromi.

Last thoughts
On paper, Team Malaysia’s “two wins and six defeats” may come across as an awful performance. Some might think that entering the competition had been a complete waste of time and resources. Some might even be discouraged from participating again next year.

But we beg to differ. There is a need to see beyond what is on paper because, looking back, we see more than “two wins and six defeats”.

We see experience, experience that gives us greater insights into the art of debating that can become the building blocks for a stronger foundation, experience that enables us to work on our flaws more effectively and strengthen our performance, experience that can be turned into success. It is the experience we sorely lack due to our absence from the scene for more than a decade.

We also strongly believe that Malaysia has the potential to produce world-class debaters.Debating is a skill, and like any other skill, it can be honed, sharpened and perfected. In the debating scene, Malaysia is not far off from other countries, and is, in fact, on par with some. With a more consistent involvement and participation in the upcoming competitions, Malaysia’s achievements can and will reach greater heights.

While conceding that we did not perform well this year, we will not accept it as an excuse to hold up our hands and surrender.In the words of Abraham Lincoln, it is not “whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure”.

Held since the early 1990s, the championship is a forum for students, aged 14 to 18, to exchange views on international issues. The Malaysian leg this year was jointly organised and sponsored by the English Speaking Union of Malaysia (ESUM) and The Star.

Source:http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2007/8/12/education/18510162

BBC World featured 'Hinglish' Indian Inter School Debate Contest

Dear all,

In the lead up to the 60th anniversary of India and Pakistan Independence, BBC World will show a season of programmes on the subcontinent.This includes 'Another Pakistan','Indian School','Desi DNA' and 'The Wedding Business'.

Hinglish
PUNE City-based Dr Kalmadi Shamrao English Medium High School (Secondary) scored a rare distinction of being featured in a ten-film series ‘Indian School’, produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

This is the time for the annual English debating competition..
It’s August and monsoon rains pour on Pune. This is the time for the annual English debating competition.

In a world of IT booms and globalisation, English is increasingly becoming vital for success. We follow two of Kalmadi’s brightest pupils, Prem and Sahil, as they battle it out to be the top English language debater in town. The judges have set an appropriate topic to debate in upwardly mobile Pune: ‘Is India Losing its Identity in a Globalised World?’ On the one hand it’s a story of youthful ambition and rivalry, on the other it’s all about acquiring the skills needed to get on in this brave new world.

The first episode ‘New Boy’ was aired on BBC World on August 5, while the second part of the series is due for telecast at 2 pm on August 12. The remaining eight episodes will be telecast on subsequent Sundays at 2 pm, with a repeat telecast on the following day.

The series with different titles for each episode addresses a range of issues, including ‘Cyber-Genius’ — an inter-school, state-level competition initiated by the school to tap the talent of young computer wizards.

The BBC team spent one year at the school nteracting with staff, students and parents to understand and experience first hand, the functioning of the institution.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pune/City_school_features_in_BBC_series/articleshow/2269855.cms
http://www.bbcworld.com/Pages/ProgrammeFeature.aspx?id=87&FeatureID=244

Thiland WUDC Multiple Institution

Dear All,

Having seen the preliminary entries to Worlds from the organising committee, I've noticed that there are quite a few institutions with multiple entries under different names.

Please note that the bright line standards for allowing institutions to engage in this practice is if 1) being a member in one society precludes membership or participation in the other, and 2) the administration of the institution/university/college must identify EACH society as an OFFICIAl representative of said institution/university/college.

Violators of this rule will not be allowed to participate at Worlds and our policy has always been strictly enforced.

If you choose to send registration fees to the organising committee, you do so at your own risk.Please disseminate to the relevant listserves. Thank you for your cooperation and attention.

Cheers,
Ian Lising

Bahraini's Achievements in the World Public Speaking Contest

Dear all,

BAHRAINI Mohammed Ali Redha takes on the world's best public speakers for the second time next week.He will be competing in the Toastmasters International World Public Speaking Championship in Phoenix, Arizona, US.Mr Redha became the first Arab Asian ever to reach the final in last year's contest, fighting his way back this year through a gruelling round of local and regional contests.

The Alba Toastmasters Club member, who left for Phoenix yesterday, was feted at a gala farewell dinner at the Bahrain Society of Engineers, Juffair, before his departure.It was organised by Philippine Club Toastmasters member Victoria Cacayan for Toastmasters throughout the country, to wish Mr Redha good luck.

Mr Redha said participating in the final required intensive training as the 10 people he will be competing against will each be determined to win."As a result, I expect the competition to be very tough," he said."I couldn't bring home the trophy last year, but this year I have done my homework and I hope to win for myself and my country."I am very proud to represent my country for the second time, as in the past eight years, no Arab has ever participated in the worldwide competition."I am sure I would do much better this year, as I have learnt many techniques and I am well-prepared."

Mr Redha said the unfaltering support and constant motivation he had received from Alba executives, local officials and his colleagues had been very encouraging.

APPLICABILITY of The Championship
These rules, unless otherwise noted, apply to all Toastmasters speech contests which select contestants for the annual International Speech Contest, which is conducted
in English only. These rules may not be supplanted or modified, and no exceptions may be made.

ELIGIBILITY
A. To be eligible to compete at any level of the International Speech Contest, an individual must:

1. Be a member in good standing of the club in which he or she is competing. The club also must be in good standing. A new, dual, or reinstated member must have dues and membership application current with World Headquarters.

2. Have completed at least six manual speeches in the Competent Communication manual prior to the club contest. However, a charter member of a club chartered since the previous July 1 may compete without having completed six manual speeches in the Competent Communication manual. The club must be officially chartered before the area contest.

3. Maintain eligibility at all levels of any contest. If at any level it is discovered that a contestant was ineligible to compete at any previous level, the
contestant must be disqualified even if the ineligibility is not discovered until a later level and has been corrected.

B. The winner of the contest finals held each August during the International Convention is not eligible to compete again at any level.

Previous Championship Roll of Honor

2006 Edward Hearn Chicago, Illinois
2005 Lance Miller Glendale, California
2004 Randy Harvey Sherwood, Oregon
2003 Jim Key Rowlett, Texas
2002 Dwayne Smith Decatur, Georgia
2001 Darren LaCroix Auburn, Massachusetts
2000 Ed Tate Aurora, Colorado

for more information about the championships please visit:

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=190123&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30143

7th Thailand Environmental Debate Championships 2007

Dear all,

Mahidol University International College-MUIC Debate Club participated in the 7th Environmental Debate Championships at Chulalongkorn University during the first week of June to coincide with World Environment Day.

The MUIC team, Alisha Sachchathep, Bousakorn Bounchantuek, Jagruti Sampat and Phra Chainarong Sangsroni, won the championship. Over the past year the Debate Club secured the “triple crown” of national debates: the British Parliamentary National, the Europen-Thammasart Nationals and now the Environmental Debate.

Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin

Source: http://studyinthailand.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html