WDI Sponsors Conference in Europe

The Third International Conference on Argumentation, Rhetoric, Debate and the Pedagogy of Empowerment -- THINKING AND SPEAKING A BETTER WORLD will take place in Maribor, Slovenia on October 22-23-24 2010. Full information can be found at http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/better/Welcome.html

The conference in sponsored by ZIP Slovenia, World Debate Institute USA and the University of Maribor.

We have some exciting news to share with you:

• Boris Vezjak, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor, Slovenia has been working hard to host us, with Peter Mesarec assisting him. 
• We have over 55 papers from 19 countries accepted with more coming in and under revision.
• The conference has a major sponsor, and we will announce the new sponsor as soon as the agreement is finalized.
• The conference has a site for the next year, and it will be an exotic one. Again, as soon as the agreement is finalized it will be announced officially.
• The sponsor will be publishing a book of accepted papers from the first three conferences (Koper, Ljubljana and now Maribor). If you would like to be a part of this publication, now is the time to act and submit an abstract.
• Our three keynote speakers Rastko Mocnik, Debbie Newman and Sam Greenland have accepted and confirmed. Read about them at http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/better/Keynotes.html
• Beautiful city, good hosting, stimulating colleagues all go together to make this an event not to be missed.

There is still time to submit an abstract and to be included in the conference. The program will be finalized on October 1 2010. See instructions on how to make a submission at http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/better/Submissions.html
If you have questions, please contact me, alfred.snider@uvm.edu .
See you there!

WDI Sponsored World Cup Online Debates To Begin

International Video Debate 2010
View debates (beginning at the end of this week) at http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/worldcup/
News and results at http://worldcupdebates.blogspot.com/ (here)
Teams represent their nation in online debating contests against other teams and nations. The format is Australasian 3 on 3. The contest is sponsored by the World Debate Institute, Debate Central, and the new eDebating website coming in 2011.
In the Fall of 2010 a demonstration tournament will be held between eight different teams. The tournament will be double elimination until there is a champion. In 2011 a full and much larger tournament will be held. Judges will be provided by teams and recruited by the World Debate Institute.
When a match has been scheduled and a motion announced, the debate begins with the affirmative team posting its first speech video to  http://vimeo.com. The opposition team then has 36 hours to post their responding speech. After all speeches are completed, assigned judges will watch the debate and render a decision without consensus.
Debates may take place in any language agreed to by the two teams, judges will be assigned who understand that language.
Teams for Fall 2010
These teams will be competing in the demonstration phase:
1. CORNELL UNIVERSITY, USA
2. UNIVERSIDAD ANDRES BELLO, CHILE
3. UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE, SERBIA
4. UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT, USA
5. COMUNIDAD DE DEBATE, VENEZUELA
6. ASSUMPTION UNIVERSITY, THAILAND
7. PEKING UNIVERSITY, CHINA
8. UNIVERSIDAD CENTRAL DE VENEZUELA
A Quick Glance at the Australs Format:
Australs format with no points of information.

Rules for Australs have been taken from:
http://www.londonaustrals.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=57
Here is a summary, but please notice that we will not have points of information in this format because the speeches are sequenced. These are three-person teams, and you can switch team members from debate to debate, but people should be members of your school/organization.
Australs features two, three-person teams taking opposite sides of a motion: the proposition side is called the affirmative, the opposition side is called the negative.
Teams get 36 hours to prepare and post their speech once the previous speech has appeared. A timer will be posted.
Speeches are eight minutes long.
Points of information will not be allowed.
Summaries happen after all six speakers have given their substantive speeches. Summaries are four minutes in length. The negative team delivers the first summary. Either the first or the second speaker may deliver the summary.
Decisions are arrived at by judges individually determining their choice of winner and then casting their vote, not consensus.
Motions:
Rounds 1-4
Now is the time for a Palestinian state.
Rounds 5-8
The press should show the full horrors of war.
Rounds 9-10
Everyone has the right to public nudity.
Rounds 11-12
Give development assistance only to nations with democratic governments.
Round 13
Substantially increase inheritance taxes.
Round 14
Governments should set a maximum wage.
Round 15 (if needed)
It is time to use military force in Somalia.
SEPTEMBER 2010 (judges will be assigned soon, the debate is judged after it concludes)
DEBATE  1 – LOSER TO A
AFF: Assumption Univ.
NEG: Peking Univ.
JUDGES:
DEBATE 2 – LOSER TO B
AFF: University of Belgrade
NEG: University of Vermont
JUDGES:
DEBATE 3 – LOSER TO C
AFF: Communidad de Debate
NEG: Cornell University
JUDGES:
DEBATE 4 – LOSER TO D
AFF: Univ. Central Venezuela
NEG: Univ. Andres Bello
JUDGES:
OCTOBER 2010
DEBATE 5
A:
B:
JUDGES:
DEBATE 6
C:
D:
JUDGES:
DEBATE 7 – LOSER TO F
WINNER OF DEBATE 1
WINNER OF DEBATE 2
JUDGES:
DEBATE 8 – LOSER TO E
WINNER OF DEBATE 3
WINNER OF DEBATE 4
JUDGES:
NOVEMBER 2010
DEBATE 9 – WINNER TO DEBATE 12
E:
WINNER OF DEBATE 5:
JUDGES:
DEBATE 10 – WINNER TO DEBATE 12
F:
WINNER OF DEBATE 6:
JUDGES
DEBATE 11 -  LOSER TO G
WINNER OF DEBATE 7:
WINNER OF DEBATE 8
JUDGES
DEBATE 12 – WINNER TO DEBATE 13
WINNER OF DEBATE 9:
WINNER OF DEBATE 10:
JUDGES:
DEBATE 13 – WINNER TO DEBATE 14
G:
WINNER OF DEBATE 12:
JUDGES:
DECEMBER 2010
DEBATE 14 –  LOSER TO H
WINNER OF DEBATE 11:
WINNER OF DEBATE 13
JUDGES
DEBATE 15 – IF UNDEFEATED TEAM LOSES
H:
WINNER OF DEBATE 14:
JUDGES: