[Debatewise RRT] late debates (again)
- From: "Alex Helling" <alex@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <debatewiserrt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 21:18:02 -0000
Hi everyone,
Sorry about sending out so few debates, I spent too
long adding up the scores for debater of the month. We just get too many
debates these days to do it quickly, which is of course a good thing! Even
if it does mean more work for me. It will come as no surprise that Nadia and
Sarah are the top two again, I make it that Nadia had 90 points to 88, so a
close run thing, as I almost certainly missed some will Sarah call in the
observers and demand a recount? I hope not as I don't have the time! Also
congratulations to Helen Doherty for coming in third.
And to everyone else thanks for all your contributions as always,
I promise to send out more debates on Friday/Saturday.
Alex
Dubai debt crisis signals a further recession.
Dubai has been the fastest growing financial centre over the past decade, it
has been a showcase to show oil rich countries how to deal with running out
of oil. Dubai did this by moving into finance, making itself the centre of
the Middle East. However Dubai world, the emirate's biggest company is in
crisis and its larger neighbour Abu Dhabi is having to bail Dubai out. As a
financial centre, with a ruling family with investments all over the world
the crisis may reach worldwide, hitting confidence that is still not good.
This in turn could mean that the recovery stalls. So are we heading to a new
financial crisis?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/27/dubai-debt-crisis-will-it_n_372055.
html
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/KL01Dj04.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE5AP1L120091127
Javier Solana has been a successful representative of Europe
Javier Solana has served Europe as the High Representative for Common
Foreign and Security Policy for ten years. He represented Europe in areas of
foreign policy where Europe had managed to agree to a common policy. He has
been involved in negotiating numerous treaties for Europe but he has mostly
been involved in the Middle East as Europe negotiates together as part of
the Quartet on the issue of Israel/Palestine and has been working together
with Germany, France and Great Britain to try to solve the nuclear crisis,
and has so far not succeeded. So as he is about to be replaced by Cathy
Ashton is his legacy good for Europe?
http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/what-the-eu-can-learn-from-sol
ana%27s-legacy/66524.aspx
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/08/javier-solana-eu-foreign
-policy
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/6695817/Catherine-Ashton
-prepares-to-replace-Javier-Solana-as-EU-foreign-chief.html
Russia's strong arm tactics have failed to quell militants
Russia's tactics in its separatist regions are very brutal, its opponents
are in turn brutal themselves. The Russians long ago declared that the war
in Chechnya was over yet the separatists have still been involved in
bombings since. On 28th October an express train between Moscow and St.
Petersburg was derailed, investigators have blamed a bomb. Although no one
has claimed responsibility the authorities are blaming Chechen and
Ingushetian terrorists for the bombing. This shows that the Russian tactics
may prevent open resistance but is breeding resentment that surfaces in
continuing terrorist attack
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8383960.stm
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125938999092967765.html
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/SNAA-7WF562?OpenDocument
Should Serena Williams have been suspended
Serena Williams' outburst at a line judge in her semi final of the US open
handed kim Clijsters the match as the decision was made to hand kim a point
due to it being a second penalty. Now it has gone further and Williams has
received a record fine for the offence. She did how ever get away without
being suspended from playing tennis, should she have received this further
penalty?
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2009/09/serena-williams-outburst
-video-/comments/page/2/
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/tennis/article6832729.ece
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/addiction-in-society/200909/mcenroe-sere
nas-outburst-was-fine
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/2009-11-30-serena-williams-open-fine_N
.htm
Iran needs the economic reforms proposed by Ahmadinejad
Despite having some of the largest Oil and gas reserves in the world Iran's
economy is in dire straits. For example despite being a member of OPEC Iran
imports refined fuels at a high price. This bill would phase out or reduce
subsidies on food and fuel, immense costs to the state, which is clearly
unsustainable. However there are worries that such a change could cause
stagflation, the worst possible problem for an economy. So are these reforms
helpful or not?
http://www.rferl.org/content/Iran_President_Proposes_Economic_Reform_Bill_To
_MPs/1365014.html
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091112/FOREIGN/711119
854/1002
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/11/03/iran_on_the_edge
http://www.rferl.org/content/Iran_MPs_Hand_President_Setback_On_Economic_Ref
orm/1507619.html
Are Britons becoming lazy?
Britain is suffering an epidemic of laziness. The government is unable to
tackle obesity and we spend longer and longer in front of the TV. However is
this not how things were supposed to be, as we get richer there is less
reason for us to work continuously, indeed in the 1930's the economist John
Maynard Keynes predicted we would be working a 15 hour week by 2030, so
what's wrong with a little laziness?
http://www.politics.co.uk/news/health/britain-s-laziness-epidemic-$1317327.h
tm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/aug/10/nuffield-health-study-laziness
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/sep/01/economics
Is the 'war on terrorism' winnable?
The war on terrorism that started after 9/11 is still ongoing, it goes
through name changes but the core of the conflict remains the same, we are
involved in a conflict against a nebulous group of terrorists. This is not a
war in the conventional sense, nor is it winnable in the conventional sense.
We win when there are no more terrorist attacks, even capturing Osama bin
Laden no longer makes more than a symbolic difference. Previous conflicts
have shown that terrorism can be won, for example the IRA gave up its guns
and stopped bombing, but such examples are localised, a deal cant be reached
with al Qaeda globally to make peace, so can it be won, or even end?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/19/alqaida.terrorism
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=2602
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4820
Schools should have single sex classes to improve academic standards.
Even in co-educational schools more and more pupils are being taught in
single sex classes. Both male and female students concentrate better in
single sex classes so they should help push up academic standards. Parents
are worried that girls in particular get distracted by the boys so wish to
have single sex classes to prevent this, however the benefits are mainly for
the boys. However are academic standards everything, surely it is a more
rounded experience to be taught together, presumably not everyone benefits
by being separated and schools may well not have the necessary resources to
teach things separately - especially if this requires different styles of
teaching.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article6938112.ece
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/jun/25/schools.gender
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303120346.htm
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