NPPF Webcast on 18 April 2009, $10,000 Up for Grabs

The 2008-09 Bickel & Brewer/NYU National Public Policy Forum (NPPF) is coming up next weekend, the only international contest that provides high school students with the opportunity to participate in written and oral debates on issues of public policy.

One hundred eighty-two teams registered for this year’s competition. Writing on either side of the contest resolution, public and private secondary school teams submitted essays on the public policy topic, “Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase alternative energy incentives in the United States.”

From those essays, Qualifying Round judges selected 32 schools to write on the same topic in a single-elimination contest. From this process, four teams emerged: Bellaire High School—Bellaire, TX; Glenbrook North High School—Northbrook, IL, Plano Senior High School—Plano, TX and Deer Park High School—Deer Park, TX. These four schools recently competed in a final written debate and have earned an all-expense-paid trip to New York, to participate in the first round of oral debate.

The semifinal and final rounds will be webcast from the Edwin Lawrence Debate Theater at http://www.uvm.edu/debate_theater/
YOU MUST HAVE QUICKTIME 7.0 OR HIGHER INSTALLED.

WEBCAST SPONSORED BY: DEBATE CENTRAL, UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT AND THE WORLD DEBATE INSTITUTE

Saturday, April 18:

9 am
Semifinals Debate #1 (90 minutes)
Bellaire High School (affirmative) vs. Glenbrook North High School (negative)

10:45 am
Semifinals Debate #2 (90 minutes)
Deer Park High School (affirmative) vs. Plano Senior High School (negative)

4 pm
Finals Debate

This contest is also suppoorted by the International Debate Education Association, the National Forensic League and the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues.

For more informtion, go to http://nppf.net

Debate Championship Comes to University of Vermont

Debate Championship Comes to University of Vermont from Alfred Snider on Vimeo.

Debate Championship Comes to UVM

Release Date: 04-08-2009

Author: Amanda Kenyon Waite
Email: Amanda.Waite@uvm.edu
Phone: 802/656-8381 Fax: (802) 656-3203

On April 3, 126 pairs of debaters from colleges and universities circling the globe converged on the UVM campus to compete in the 2009 U.S. Universities Debating Championship. The teams faced off for three days on a range of topics, from the merits of banning imported seal products to the effectiveness of stimulus plans.

The style of debate — the world debate format — matches four teams of two against each other to argue a topic they've only discovered just fifteen minutes before the round begins. During that fifteen minutes, debating partners are allowed only to speak with each other, and not access the internet, in order to pull together their fourteen combined minutes of argumentation.

UVM, this year's host of the fourth annual tournament, submitted several teams in the competition, and junior Sam Natale and senior Lucas Caress advanced to the semi-finals. Harvard University won the competition, debating in the final round in favor of outlawing handguns.

Watch the above video to learn more about debate, and see footage from the tournament.

Short Documentary Video about US Universities Tourney

Thanks to Eva Sollberger and Seven Days Vermont for this video.

Debate - BP Force Feed Anorexics

Final Round at Cape Cod Classic, March 2009.

This House would force feed anorexics.

First Government - Vermont Allison Hamlin & Tom Dionesotes (second)
First Opposition - Williams Anser Aftab & Farhan Gilani (fourth)
Second Government - Sarah Anders & Rachel Fabian (first)
Second Opposition - Isaac Loeb & Paul Gross (third)

Thanks to Nicole Colston for the video.

News Story about US Universities

Thanks to WCAX-TV for this story.

Debate - BP Undermine the ICC

Debate - BP Undermine the ICC from Alfred Snider on Vimeo.

Semifinal debate at US Universities Debating Championship 5 April 2009, held at the University of Vermont and sponsored by the International Debate Education Association and QatarDebate.

PANEL: Steve Johnson, Emily Ravenscroft, Ian Lising, Scott Rodriguez, Chris Richter, Steven West, Rhydian Morgan

Hart House FE and Harvard BB advance
3. Hart House FE OO
2. Harvard BB OG
Receiving SEMI-FINALIST AWARD:
7. Vermont NC CG
14. (6) Seattle KS CO

Alfred Snider
Lawrence Debate Union
debate.uvm.edu

Debate - BP Replace Stimulus with Balanced Budgets

Debate - BP Stimulus or Balanced Budget? from Alfred Snider on Vimeo.

Quarterfinals at US Universities, 5 April 2009, held at the University of Vermont and sponsored by the International Debate Education Association and QatarDebate.

RTT (Theater):
Alex Just, Scott Rodriguez, Loke Wing Fatt, Josh Martin, Steve West

1. Middle Temple WC OO ADVANCES
8. Cambridge NK OG
17. (16) Alaska HH CG ADVANCES
25.(9) Marianapolis SW CO

Alfred Snider
University of Vermont
debate.uvm.edu

Discussion - News and Comedy

Flashpoint 377 - News and Comedy from Alfred Snider on Vimeo.

A discussion of the causes and implications of the rise of comedy programs as a way for Americans to get their news. Discussion by Zach Realberg, Marnie Ritchie, Chris Latucca and Alfred Snider. Recorded in March 2009.

Lawrence Debate Union
University of Vermont
Alfred Snider
debate.uvm.edu

Discussion - Pakistan Politics

Flashpoint 378 - Pakistan Politics from Alfred Snider on Vimeo.

A discussion of the political situation in Pakistan in mid-March 2009 after the reinstitution of the judicial officials. Discussion by Zach Realberg, Marnie Ritchie, Chris Latucca and Alfred Snider.

Lawrence Debate Union
Alfred C Snider
debate.uvm.edu

Debate - BP State Fund Art

Debate - Northeast Regionals - State Funding of Art from Alfred Snider on Vimeo.

Semifinal round at Northeast Universities Debating Championships, Baruch College, NYC 1 March 2009.

VERMONT NC ADVANCES
ST JOHNS BP
HWS ZM
ST JOHNS BQ ADVANCES
JUDGES: NELSON, HARVEY, BUCKNER

MOTION: THW have the state fund art.

THANKS TO STEVE LLANO OF ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY FOR THIS VIDEO.

Alfred Snider
Lawrence Debate Union
University of Vermont
debate.uvm.edu

Debate - BP Iran Nukes vs. Iran Attack

Debate - Northeast Regionals - Iran Nukes vs. Iran Attack from Alfred Snider on Vimeo.

Quarterfinal round at Northeast Universities Debating Championships, March 1 2009, Baruch College, NYC.

3 VERMONT NC 2G ADVANCES
14 VERMONT FG 2O
6 ST JOHNS PB 1O ADVANCES
11 VERMONT MG 1G
JUDGES: NELSON, HARRISON, BUCKNER

MOTION: THBT Iran with nuclear weapons is preferable to a US-Israel attack on Iran.

THANKS TO STEVE LLANO OF ST JOHN'S UNIVERSITY FOR THIS VIDEO.

Alfred Snider
Lawrence Debate Union
University of Vermont
debate.uvm.edu

Discussion - Bush Truth Commission

Flashpoint 375 - Bush Truth Commission from Alfred Snider on Vimeo.

A discussion of the recent proposal by Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy to establish a commission to investigate abuses in the Bush Administration Department of Justice. Discussion carried on by Sam Natale, Tom Dionesotes, Allison Hamlin and Alfred Snider. February 2009.

Alfred Snider
Lawrence Debate Union
University of Vermont
debate.uvm.edu

Debate - BP Digital Enhancement of Models

From the University of Rochester tournament in Fall of 2008. This came out of Steve Llano's vault, thanks to him for finding it.

Motion: This House believes that models in advertising should not be diitally enhanced.

Not sure about the teams, except that Colgate is first government and Vermont is second government.

Discussion - Lower USA Drinking Age to 18

Flashpoint 376 - Drinking Age from Alfred Snider on Vimeo.

A discussion of the recent proposal by over 100 university presidents to rethink the drinking age in America, the Amethyst Project. Discussion carried on by Sam Natale, Tom Dionesotes, Allison Hamlin and Alfred Snider. February 2009.

Alfred Snider
Lawrence Debate Union
University of Vermont
debate.uvm.edu

Debate - BP Strikes in Essential Services

Quarterfinal BP round @ Cornell Invitational Debate 2009 from Steve Llano on Vimeo.

Quarterfinal round at Cornell Debate Tournament, February 15 2009

MOTION: THIS HOUSE WOULD BAN STRIKES IN ESSENTIAL SERVICES.

WARREN 231
1 HWS HK OG
16 VERMONT KG CG
8 PENN/WILLIAMS AA OO ADVANCES
9 COLGATE WB CO ADVANCES
JUDGES: LLANO, LANGONE, SHAO

Public Debate - Gaza Incursion was Justified

Public Debate - Gaza Incursion was Justified from Alfred Snider on Vimeo.

This public debate was held 22 January 2009 at the University of Vermont. Sponsored by the Lawrence Debate Union, the debate took place in the WUDC format.

The motion was: This House believes that the Israeli military incursion into the Gaza strip was justified.

Proposition team:
Danielle Goldschneider, senior debate
Taylor Lalemand, senior debater
Joshua Miller, senior debater
Jan Feldman, professor of political science

Opposition team:
Sam Natale, sophomore debater
John Voight, professor of mathematics
Tom Dionesotes, sophomore debater
Allison Hamlin, sophomore debater

A large podcast video is located at:
uvm.edu/~debate/watch/pubdebgazauvm0109.M4V

A medium-sized podcast is at:
uvm.edu/~debate/watch/pubdebgazauvm0109/pubdebgazauvm0109-desktop.m4v

A smaller .mov file is at:
uvm.edu/~debate/watch/pubdebgazauvm0109.MOV

Debate - BP Strikes in Essential Services

Debate - BP Strikes in Essential Services from Alfred Snider on Vimeo.

Cornell University Debate Tournament, 15 February 2009.

Quarterfinal debate.

Motion: This House would ban strikes in essential services.

3 VERMONT CN CO ADVANCES
14 VERMONT LA OG
6 CAL STATE SB KM OO ADVANCES
11 ST JOHNS MC CG
JUDGES: ZHANG, STITELER, PIKE

Alfred Snider
Lawrence Debate Union
University of Vermontg
debate.uvm.edu/

Debate - BP Holocaust Denial

Debate - BP Holocaust Denial from Alfred Snider on Vimeo.


Cornell University Debate Tournament 15 February 2009.

Semifinal round.

Motion: This House would criminalize Holocaust denial.

VERMONT CN ADVANCES
CAL STATE SB KM ADVANCES
ST JOHN’S PB
COLGATE SC
JUDGES: FIGGINS, SHAO, LANGONE

Alfred Snider
Lawrence Debate Union
University of Vermont
debate.uvm.edu

Debate - BP USA Obligation on Drug Cartel Violence

Debate - BP USA Obligation on Drug Violence in Mexico from Alfred Snider on Vimeo.

Final round of Cornell Debate Tournament, 15 February 2009.

THBT the USA has an obligation to combat drug cartel violence in Mexico.

Teams:
Opening Government - Colgate
Closing Government - California State University San Bernadino [first]
Opening Opposition - Bard
Closing Opposition - Vermont [second]

Alfred Snider
Lawrence Debate Union
University of Vermont
debate.uvm.edu

Google Video (old) and Vimeo (new)

Google Video has announced that it will soon stop accepting new video uploads. This is a sad thing for this website because we have been using Google Video pretty exclusively and it has worked very well. I understand, however, that they will suspend this free offering, so we will have to switch.

After reviewing many video upload services we have decided to go with Vimeo. while not quite as fast in the uploading department and while it does not offer as many full-screen options, it seems to be a good substitute.

Vimeo seems to convert everything into a Flash video so that when it plays it does so smoothly and with high quality even in a lower bandwidth situation.

Let us know if you have any problems with the new Vimeo videos.