Congratulations to the top speakers and teams from the recently-completed SMU Hammers. The results of the competition are included below the break.
Who Are We?
We are a non-profit volunteer-run organisation that aims to develop, nurture, and promote debating in Singapore. Together with our volunteers, we reach out to those who have not yet discovered debating, and to those who already love the sport. We help schools, teachers, coaches and students by organising competitions, running training programs and camps, and providing resources for them. We work with partners from all industries who are keen to use debates as a means to achieve their objectives.
We are a group of people who really, really, love debate. Find out more about us and Join us.
Goodbye, The Arena.
Dear debaters, teacher, coaches, and fans of The Arena,
Mediacorp has announced that they will not be filming The Arena again, until further notice. Due to a lack of willing sponsors, the show was not filmed in 2009 and 2010, despite being the only Mediacorp show to have been nominated for an international Emmy Award . Mediacorp is still willing to consider starting the show again in 2011 or beyond, if there are sufficient willing sponsors.
Goodbye, The Arena. You will be missed 
Ministry of Finance Inter-School Budget Debate Videos
The video clips for the 2010 MOF Inter-School Budget Debate competition have been uploaded to Razor TV and can be viewed at the following links:
Summary Clips
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/news/45116.html
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/news/45106.html
Individual Clips
“We the poor are insulted”
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/news/45100.html
“A rising tide lifts all boats”
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/news/45110.html
“Some racial groups more affected”
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/news/45112.html
“They ignored the poor”
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/news/45114.html
“MNCs are the heart of innovation”
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/news/45134.html
“Microsoft’s office hasn’t changed much”
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/news/45136.html
SMEs already have enough help
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/news/45138.html
“We prefer quality entrepreneurs”
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/news/45140.html
Should adultery be criminalised? [April Debate of the Month]
Tiger Woods, John Terry, Jesse James, Bill Clinton, Meg Ryan and even our local Jack Neo – all of them cheated on their spouses. The selfish actions of these individuals caused emotional harm and suffering to their partners and their families. Most members of society (even the more socially liberal ones) condemn the act of infidelity and adultery as an “immoral act”. Singapore has laws that prevent people from harming each other, and also prevent people from participating in “immoral” activities even if they want to – forms of unlicensed gambling, homosexuality, incest, possession of pornography, and other activities are banned by the state even if the acts are conducted between consenting adults. So Singapore is willing to criminalise immoral acts – yet adultery is not illegal in Singapore today. Hmm.
On the other hand, there are many who believe that the state should not dictate how a married couple should lead their lives – even in the event of infidelity, it should be up to the couple to determine whether they want to forgive and move on, or divorce. If adultery was made a criminal offense, the state could intervene and prosecute the cheating partner, thus disallowing the couple from resolving the situation on their own sometimes. Criminal laws should not be introduced lightly. As one website put it, “Yes, infidelity is awful. But it’s none of the government’s business.” South Korea, New Hampshire, and many other places that currently criminalise adultery are now considering revoking the “archaic” law.
This is clearly a controversial and timely issue for us to debate – experts are divided, and the implications for both sides of the case are quite severe. What should Singapore do? Fellow debaters, let’s hear your thoughts!
[Best comment stands to win an exclusive DA(S) 5 VCD set with accompanying guide booklets]
SSDC 2010: Top 8 teams after Prelim Rounds
The following teams have qualified for the Quarter-Finals of this year’s Singapore Secondary Schools Debating Championships (teams are listed in the order in which they finished in the preliminary rounds league tables, with the number of debates the team won in brackets):
Division I
1. Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (3)
2. Hwa Chong Institution (3)
3. Methodist Girls’ School (2)
4. Raffles Institution (2)
5. Catholic High School (2)
6. St. Joseph’s Institution (2)
7. Nanyang Girls’ High School (2)
8. Singapore Chinese Girls’ School (Secondary) (2)
Division II
1. Victoria School (3)
2. Bowen Secondary School (3)
3. St. Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School (3)
4. Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) (2)
5. C.H.I.J. St. Theresa’s Convent (2)
6. Anglican High School (2)
7. Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) (2)
8. Global Indian International School – Queenstown Campus (2)
Division III
1. C.H.I.J. St. Joseph’s Convent (3)
2. Kent Ridge Secondary School (3)
3. Bukit View Secondary School (3)
4. Anglo-Chinese School (International) (3)
5. Orchid Park Secondary School (3)
6. Bedok South Secondary School (2)
7. Ngee Ann Secondary School (2)
8. Tanjong Katong Secondary School (2)
Full league tables for each division will be released after the championships concludes.
The top eight teams from each division will now move on in the quarter-finals on Friday 9 April.
I would like to congratulate all the teams involved in the championships for their performances in three hard-fought preliminary rounds.
The Grand Finals of the championships will be held on 23 April (Divisions II & III) and 30 April (Division I). All debaters and teachers involved in the championships will be invited to attend the Grand Final for their division. The top 20 speakers in each division (based on preliminary rounds speaker scores) will also be announced at these occasions.
Random photos from Prelim Round 3:
SMU Hammers 2010 Registration
An invitation from the SMU Debating Society:
I would like to invite you all to SMU Hammers 2010, our annual Asian Parliamentary debating tournament from April 3-4 2010. The tournament will be held at our city campus which is conveniently situated in the heart of Singapore’s business and heritage district.
Tournament details are as follows:
Registration fee:
Debaters and Adjudicators: S$15 / pax
Observers: S$20 / pax
Tournament Cap: 44 teams
The N rule for adjudicators applies
Registration fees can be paid on the spot.
(more…)
Debate Discussion Thread
Dear Debaters,
Is content more important than style? Should you listen to the tips that adjudicators give you after a debate, or should you only listen to your coach? What is barracking? How do you handle biased motions? What about definitional challenges – how do you win a debate even when the other team refuses to accept your definitions?
If you have ever wondered about these questions, or had something else that you really wanted to clarify, this is the page to do it. Ask our experts and senior debaters for their thoughts on difficult issues! There is no such thing as a dumb question (we were all once young and clueless debaters too!) so please use this post to chatter away!
Senior debaters, please feel free to share your opinions and answers here – the only way young debaters will improve is if they can learn from the experienced ones like yourselves!
Activities & Events
Debate of the Month
International sporting events are a waste of money
- No (60%, 9 Votes)
- Yes (40%, 6 Votes)
Total Voters: 15 | Debate This Topic
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