This are posts from different debate blogs from all around the world. If you would like me to add your blog to this list, just contact me via the contact form.
This artist must have the smelliest studio in the world, judging by her pungent art materials. But Anne-Catherine Becker-Ech ivard has certainly turned heads with her unique scaled-down depictions of everyday life.
Inspired by the silent movies of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, the Frenchwoman uses fish heads on models to address topics ranging from Aids to repression.
'Fish are a great method of communicating my opinions on this world,' says the 37-year-old, who lives in Berlin.
Since she fell in love with the humble mackerel and sardine 11 years ago, Ms Becker-Echivard has gone on to create a school of art that has left critics…
The 164 pages of the color scrapbook is now available online for downloading as a pdf. It documents the events in September 2008 as 39 nations at the World Schools Debating Championships gathered, competed, discussed important world issues, made friendships and established networks for the 21st Century.
Right click to download from http://debate.uvm.edu/dcpdf/wsdc08book.pdf
It was my honor to
It was the third biggest debate tournament so far this year in the USA's policy debate circuit, but also had 36 teams in the WUDC division. Obviously, the two formats can get along.
See the video of the news story at
http://www.uvm.edu/~debate/watch/binghamtonews1108.m4v
From http://news10now.com/content/all_news/128675/arguments-abound-at-bu-debate-tournament/Default.aspx
Arguments abound at
Here tonight at the dorms in Maribor, Slovenia after the first day of the tournament. Going sort of average for the teams so far, but I hope they rest tonight and concentrate tomorrow. It's a hard thing to do when you are in a very nice eastern European city with a fine blanket of snow on it.
So the tournament is into the elimination rounds tomorrow, and we did not break but at least we have identified some things to work on for the next tournament.
And also I haven't accomplished anything on my to-do list while I was out here. This is a great workshop but I really should spend a bit more time in front of this screen.
The tournament was great, all the students performed better than they did in practice debates in the workshop, and the town is quite nice. Just got back…
Arrivals can be difficult and this one was no exception. All are now here and safe. Now we are about 80 people from 15 countries here for a week before we move to Maribor for the tournament.
Sunday night most people had arrived and a demo debate was featured. The motion was “This house would punish parents for the crimes of their minor children." It was an all-star cast, with Debbie Newman (world champion WSDC coach for England, England-Wales debate champion, former president of Cambridge Union) debating with Sam Greenland (Sydney WUDC semifinalist in 2007, former Hong Kong WSDC coach) were opening proposition, Sam Natale (top speaker, Northeast Universities 2008, University of Vermont) and Lucas Caress (top speaker, Global Youth Debate Conclave, Bangalore 2008, University of Vermont) were closing proposition; Filip Dobranic (twice top EFL…
On Friday I leave with a small group of students for my third trip to Slovenia for the International Debate Academy.
It's definitely a good time, and I always look forward to the multiple teaching challenges that it presents. As Tuna mentioned in his debate blog yesterday, he and I will be offering some insight on the event.
This year I hope to do some videoblogging from it to give a different perspective. There will be some discussions, lectures and activities, but also some one-on-one casual conversation, some student interviews and some commentary from me as well. Hopefully I will be able to keep up with this ambitious idea during the IDAS whirlwind.
We'll see if it works out - It seems like a good idea, but IDAS is so intense that there is often little time to look around and take stock of what's…
First, the Convenor of the 21st WSDC championship, Effie Giannakouri, has announced that the website is up and running. Check it out here
I hope you are planning to join us to celebrate our 21st birthday party!!
Secondly, the Chief Adjudicator for the championship, James Probert, has today launched an invitation to adjudicators, international and national, to apply to judge at WSDC. Read below for his invitation.
Kind regards,
Claire Ryan Secretary, Executive Committee, WSDC Ltd
Dear World Schools community,
It is with a great deal of excitement that I am looking forward to the forthcoming XXIst World Schools Debating Championships in 2009. The tournament will be held between 9 and 19 February in Athens, ancient birthplace of democracy and now a fascinating, beautiful…
Recordings of debates from the 2008 championship are springing up everywhere.
Here's one of the Grand Final. I don't know which kind soul recorded the debate then made it so quickly available to us all but a huge thank you to whoever did it.
Tuna Snider is also uploading debates on his WSDC 2008 blogspot so check that out too. He has the NZ v Scotland semi-final there now. Hopefully he or someone else has the England v Greece semi-final as well. If people would like to share their recordings with Tuna or with me for inclusion on the WSDC 2008 blogspot or the WSDC blog, please don't hold back!
Gaurav Keerthi from Singapore who was judging at WSDC also filmed a number of debates including the delightfully entertaining England v Israel quarter final which he has placed on…
Dear Members, Friends, and Partners in Debating,
SAID was involved in 4 local debate education programmes in Singapore in the months of March and April 2007. Below are the details of these 4 Singaporean events:
Dear Members, Friends, and Partners in Debating,
SAID was involved in 3 overseas debate education programmes in China in the months of February and March 2007. Below are the details of these 3 events:
a) Macau University (MU) Debate Workshop (9th to 12th February 2007)
24 members of the Macau University English Club attended a 2.5-day [...]
Just a short advertisement: I'll continue amongst others to maintain and update the European debating calender which can be accessed and subscribed to at http://europeandebating.blogspot.com.
The calendars was designed to inform about all debate events in Europe, on any level, in any format. Please let me know if you want to add something - further information on the necessary input can be found at the above address.
Simon Quinn was chosen as best speaker by the honorary panel.
Bobes Bolyai A (Nico and Dan) are the new ESL champions.
Adam Hildebrandt (HSoG A) was chosen as best speaker by the honorary panel.
Top 10 speakers have been announced, here's what Colm Flynn got from Derek Lande, with my additions:
Top 10 speakers of EUDC 2008
10. Ross Maguire (UCD Law A) 9. Jonathan Leader-Maynard (KCL A) 7. Fred Cowell (ULU B) 7. Dan Bradley (Manchester A) 6. Ross Frennet (UCC Phil A) 5. Stephen Boyle (UCD L&H A) 4. Alex Worsnip (Oxford B) 3. William Jones (Oxford A) 1. James Dray (Oxford A) 1. Simon Quinn (Oxford B)
Top 10 ESL Speakers 10. Assen Kochev (Tilbury A) 9. Julien Spliet (Bonaparte A) 8. Ali Al Jaberi (Bonaparte A) 6. Rutger Vos…
Most people like CCTV cameras. They show Something - as in Something Must Be Done - is being done. And most people don't care about enjoying the freedom to walk down the street without being spied on by a camera. Because they don't care, they don't think I should get to enjoy that freedom either.
The government's proposed solution - obviously - is to say that we need next generation digital cameras, more expensive, more extensive. When something isn't working, the government tells people how much it costs as if the expenditure of money were its own reward. And if police, understandably, can't be bothered to sift through hours of footage to spot something, moving to high resolution playback with surround sound isn't going to up the numbers very far. Popcorn sellers - get back in your seats.
From the 2nd International Conference on Argumentation, Rhetoric, Debate and the Pedagogy of Empowerment, April 2008, held at the Faculty of Administration, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Sponsored by Institute of Education Republic of Slovenia, World Debate Institute University of Vermont, and Za in Proti (ZIP) Slovenia. The next conference will be held in 2010.
Omar Salahuddin (Malaysia), Anna Swersky (Israel) and Sam Nelson (USA)
Hello from Ljubljana, Slovenia.
As I write this the Second International Conference on Argumentation, Rhetoric, Debate and the Pedagogy of Empowerment, Thinking and Speaking a Better World, has just concluded at the Faculty of Administration at the University of Ljubljana.
With 22 countries represented and a full program of academic papers presented it would be hard not to call it a success. Exchange of ideas, learning and networking all abounded at the event. Including:
Excellent keynote speeches by Frans van Eemeren of Netherlands, Kate Shuster of the USA and Omar Salahuddin on Malaysia.
Wonderful reception at City Hall provided by the mayor, ZoranJankovic, including a private tour of the city castle battlements.
Sharp and focused interchange between panelists and audience at the many sessions.
Wonderful breaks where plans were made for future cooperation and…
At long last, we're happy to announce the publication of new resources for tournament direction and hosting as part of a site-wide update of materials this school year. Many teachers, as part of the Middle School Public Debate Program, decide...
I know we tend to forget what we learned over the summer. So, a brief review. An argument has three parts: Assertion, Reasoning, and Evidence. We abbreviate these as A-R-E. Now, as someone who is interested in debate, I have...
Liverpool John Moores University were declared ESU-Essex Court Chambers National Mooting Competition champions at the Grand Final of the 2006-07 competition on Thursday 28 June, after competing in five mooting rounds held over the course of the academic year. A record number of institutions participated in this year's contest, with 64 teams competing for the coveted silver National Mooting Competition Mace.
The semi-finals of the competition took place at Dartmouth House, with teams from Leeds Metropolitan, Southampton and Southampton Solent universities competing alongside Liverpool John Moores to win a place in the Grand Final. Southampton Solent joined Liverpool John Moores in the President's Court at the Royal Courts of Justice for the final on Thursday evening. The judging panel, comprising Sir Anthony Colman, Roderick Cordara QC and Professor Dan Sarooshi, heard impressive submissions from both appellants and respondents before eventually declared Liverpool John…
The ESU made history on Saturday 12 May when the International Final of the Schools Mace, the national debating championships for Britain and Ireland, saw more than 200 school children, teachers, ESU members, alumni and representatives of partner organisations fill the famous red seats of Britain's upper house. The occasion was the first event ever to use the Chamber of either of the Houses of Parliament for non-Parliamentary business, a recommendation of the Puttnam Commission on the Communication of Parliamentary Democracy. The event was evaluated by the Hansard Society and its success will no doubt set a precedent to inform future discussions on the use of the two Chambers.
Delivering a speech of welcome before the debates began, Lord Hunt, the chairman of the English-Speaking Union and a former student debating champion himself, said of the historic event, "I think it is vital that parliamentarians give their full support…