Sunday, August 30, 2015

Ateneo IV 2015

We'd like to thank all those who participated in this year's Ateneo Intervarsity. Thank you as well to the walk-in judges who took the time to drop by and help. Congratulations to AHS A ( Luigi AlcanesesHans Gonzalez) for winning the high school break and the Idol Squad ( Leloy ClaudioVinny Tagle) for winning the main break. Congratulations as well toGlenn Tuazon and Leloy Claudio for being the co-best speakers of the tournament!
Motions:
Round 1 - THW ban all fraternities and sororities
Round 2 - TH supports the use of religion-based tools in campaigning for sexual rights
Round 3 - THW elect the President and Vice-President jointly
Round 4 - THBT states should pursue wildlife tourism instead of trophy hunting
Round 5 - THBT academic institutions should not tolerate any overall positive portrayal of Marcos by their academic staff and guest speakers
Round 6: THBT liberal democracies should abandon economic sanctions as a tool in international relations
Octofinals - THW allow individuals to choose to donate 50% of the taxes they owe to the state to charities or non-profit organizations
Quarterfinals - THW restrict property development in favor of preserving the visual dominance of cultural sites
Semifinals - TH regrets the rise of the automated workforce
Finals - THBT liberal democracies should financially incentivize parents to raise their children in a secular environment

Commonwealth Open, Day 1 Motions

Motions from day 1 of the Commonwealth Open
(brief note... We tried to give credit to adj cores when we used their motions. We won't have done a perfect job of this, and I'm sure some of the ideas we thought were unique and brilliant were run somewhere before, but we figured it made sense to give credit when we knew it was due). Round 5, quarters, semis and finals are tomorrow and I'll post motions when it's all said and done.
Round 1: Media
1. THW ban media sources from taking institutional stances on the innocence or guilt of people who have been charged with a crime, but not yet convicted or aquitted
2. That journalists and media organisations who cover conflicts should be required to render reasonable assistance to the victims, even where it directly jeopardises their coverage *credit to Australs 2015 Org Comm
3. THBT willingness to participate in publicly televised debates should be a prerequisite to run for elected office
Round 2: Medical Ethics
1. THR the medicalization of sex (e.g. search for female viagra, creation of sex enhancement drugs, etc)
2. In the US (and many other WLD’s), therapists are legally required to report any patients who reveal pedo symptoms to the police, even if the patient has not acted on these urges (physical contact, viewing CP). THW repeal these requirements
3. THW abolish the 20 year patent monopoly awarded to pharmaceutical companies upon the invention of new drugs/medicines
Round 3: Art
1. THWP that large contemporary art institutions preference the display of obviously highly technical artwork instead of art which does not appear to require such technical skill
2. THBT The Texas Muhammad Art Exhibit and similar acts of religious defamation should be treated as hate speech
3. THBT important characters in movies and television should be portrayed by actors of the same ethnicity *Credit to UADC 2010 ORG COM
Round 4: Feminism
1. TH, as a progressive female candidate, would not use conventional gender roles (eg, marketing oneself as a mother, as a wife) as a tactic in political campaigns *QDU Highschool 2015
2. THBT Professional Womens Sports Leagues and National Womens teams should never hire or select men for coaching or executive positions
3. THBT male feminist allies should not take open positions of prominence in the fight for gender equality

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

North America Debate Academy 2015 Practice & Exercise Motions

All previously used motions, many of them classics.

1. THBT all municipalities should not be allowed to export their garbage.
2. THBT schools should avoid instilling a sense of patriotism.
3. This house believes both parents should be required to attend parenting classes before and after having a child.
4. THBT Planet Earth should not seek to contact with extra-terrestrial intelligence in the near future.
5. THBT we should not watch ISIS execution videos.
6. TH regrets the characterization of soldiers as heroes.
7. THBT we should grant overweight people the same protections from discrimination and hate speech as other vulnerable groups.
8. THW guarantee the amnesty of retired dictators
9. THB that the state should tax the graduates to cover the costs of their education
10. THB that parents have the right to choose the sex of their children
11. This House would ban international adoption
12. This house would legalize consensual cannibalism

13. THW make failure to render reasonable assistance to a person in distress a criminal offence
14. TTHW allow insurance companies to consider the results of genetic tests in assessing potential customers
15. This house would allow soldiers to opt out of individual conflict for personal reasons
16. THW grant citizenship to illegal immigrants who report on work-place exploitation. 

17. THW allow political parties to designate certain pre-election claims as binding promises, the breaking of which would trigger immediate fresh elections.
18. This House has more to fear than welcome about human genetic engineering. 

19. This house has an unhealthy obsession with sport. 

20. This house would support global nuclear disarmament
21. This House Would Prohibit Women Over The Age Of 45 Years From Undergoing Assisted Human Reproduction

22. This House believes that every criminal defendant should be required to use a government provided defense lawyer.
23. This house would financially incentivize both inter-faith and inter-ethnic marriages.
24. THB that the media should show the full horror of war
25. THW require all isolated religious communities (eg. Hasidic Jews, Jehovah’s Witnesses) to give all 18-year-olds a 'Rumspringa' [Amish tradition of sending off 18-y. -olds to live in outside world for 1 year, after which they may chose to return or not]

26. THBT the US should match its military aid to Israel with an equal amount of humanitarian aid to Fatah.
27. THW pursue a policy of constructive engagement with rouge states.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

HKPDS Summer Workshop 2015

Here are the motions for HKPDS SW 2015. Enjoy!
Round 0: THW abolish single sex schools.
Round 1: THW ban political parties and candidates from advertising before elections.
Round 2: TH regrets the dominant narrative elements of superhero fiction in the West.
(Info Slide: Superhero fiction is fiction with superheroes as their main characters. The dominant narrative elements of these stories include but are not limited to things such as that superheroes are people whom we should aspire to be, that good will triumph over evil, and that it is virtuous for superheroes to defeat evil supervillains.)
Round 3: Assuming the Earth enters into a post-climate change apocalypse, THW prioritise saving the lives of those who have contributed less to climate change.
(Info Slide: Theorists predict that climate change could lead to an “apocalypse”, characterised by recurring extreme weather phenomena (eg. Typhoons, storms), and the general destruction of livable habitats.)
Round 4: TH supports the right to bear arms in the USA.
Round 5: TH regrets the existence of online services that promote infidelity in marriages or relationships.
Round 6: THW ban this ghost technology.
(Info Slide: Technology is developed that allows individuals to become ghosts. Ghosts are immortal, and appear and act like ordinary human beings. However, they are incorporeal (ie. cannot be physically touched and cannot touch; can move through walls, float, etc.; cannot eat or drink or enjoy bodily pleasures). However, they are visible and can interact with the physical world. They have no other special powers. Once people become ghosts, they can never die or stop being ghosts.)
Round 7: TH believes that Hong Kong high schools should aggressively promote the notion that Hong Kong citizens hold a Chinese political and cultural identity.
Octo-finals: TH, as China, would cut off development aid to dictatorships in Africa.
Quarter-finals: You are an 18 year-old feminist-identifying female pop star, who has enjoyed celebrity status for several years. You are now considering to target the adult market. THBT we should aggressively self-sexualise our image.
Semi-finals: THBT NGOs that advocate labor rights should reject all funding from Multinational Corporations.
Finals: THW allow children, upon reaching the age of majority, to sue their parents for sabotaging their opportunities during their childhood.

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

WSDC 2015 Singapore

Preliminary Round 1: This House would ban the use of zero-hour contracts 
Preliminary Round 2: This House would require defendants in criminal trials to be represented exclusively by public defenders 
Preliminary Round 3: This House supports academic tracking in primary and secondary education
Preliminary Round 4: THW not consume art created by people who have committed deeply immoral acts
Preliminary Round 5: This House believes that cities with significant immigrant populations should actively break up ethnic enclaves
Preliminary Round 6. This house would ban political opinion polls
Preliminary Round 7: This house supports a right to die
Preliminary Round 8: This house would forgive Greece's debt
Octa finals: This house would require members of the clergy to report all crimes to authorities including those made in confession.
SEMI FINAL 1: This house believes that the military struggle against ISIS should be conducted solely by Middle East nations
SEMI FINAL 2: This house regrets the media focus on the personal lives of politicians
Grand final motion: This house believes that governments should provide a guaranteed universal basic income