Sen. Barack Obama on Wednesday unveiled a plan to create volunteer and service opportunities to help tackle some of the nation’s most pressing issues, part of his weeklong focus on patriotism and national service.

Included in his plan, was pretty much every affirmative in the resolution. CNN writes that Obama’s plan would include:

• Expanding AmeriCorps to 250,000 slots and doubling the size of the Peace Corps;
• Integrating service-learning programs into schools and universities
• Providing new service opportunities for working Americans and retirees;
• Expanding service initiatives that “engage disadvantaged young people and advance their education”;
• Expanding the capacity of nonprofit groups to innovate and expand successful programs across the country; and
• Enabling more Americans to serve in the armed forces

The Supreme Court on Monday stepped into a long-running environmental dispute over the impact on whales and other marine mammals of Navy training exercises off Southern California….

The Navy acknowledges that the sonar can cause “behavioral disruptions” and short-term hearing loss in dolphins and whales, but denies that these effects are serious or lasting. But the Natural Resources Defense Council maintains that the high-intensity sonar causes “mass injury,” including hemorrhaging and stranding. The appeals court said the Navy’s own assessment “clearly indicates that at least some substantial harm will likely occur” without the measures designed to mitigate the sonar’s effects.

The justices themselves will not resolve the debate over the extent of the harm. Rather, as presented to the Supreme Court, the case is a dispute over the limits of executive branch authority and the extent to which the courts should defer to military judgments.

-Director of Debate
-Assistant Coach

Brookfield Central is a well-established debate program with a history of success on state and national levels. If interested, please contact BFC’s athletic director at: andersod@elmbrookschools.org

For results about other contestants, see our other Nationals thread. For full coverage of the award ceremony, surf over to Victory Briefs Daily and check out their coverage.

• James Madison Memorial has Matt Scales, Chris Tate, and Sarah Arbaje still in Prose and Poetry after round 5 (~top 75).
• Appleton East has three contestants still in Prose after round 5(~top 75).
• Kristen Wisniewski has advanced to round 5 in Extemp Commentary (~top 75).
• Numerous people are still competing in Storytelling or Impromptu

Good luck to all of those competing today. Remember, there’s more than one way to make a final round.

• In the Congress Senate, Nicolet’s Gabriella Friedman advanced to semifinals.
• In the Congress House, Marquette’s Noah Charles advanced to semifinals.
• In Public Forum, James Madison Memorial’s team of Valerie Shen and Lingran Kong advanced to rounds 7 and 8, but did not advance to round 9.
• In Humorous Interp, Appleton East’s Kyle Krueger advanced to rounds 7 and 8, but we have received no word as to whether he’s moved forward.
• In Policy Debate, Both Spash teams advanced to rounds 7 and 8, but again no word as to whether or not they advanced to round 9.

Hopefully some one in Vegas will be providing live coverage of NFL Nationals (The competition begins today at roughly 10am central time). Cough. Bill. Cough. Voss. Cough. Scheffler. Cough. Traas.

Please?

The Wisconsin Summer Forensics Institute is proud to offer a summer forensics camp! Students from across the state are invited to join us to learn new skills, make new friends and put together a stellar forensics piece. By the end of the week, students will have a speech or piece cut or written, polished and ready to perform.

Camp is in session:
Sun 7/17 1-7pm
Mon-Fri 7/18-8/1 10-4pm
And a showcase of our work Friday evening

Camp location: Camp will be held at Brookfield East High School. Housing and transportation are not provided.

Cost: Camp is $300 for the week. This includes materials, copies, meals and snacks. A $50 deposit is due with registration, the remaining balance is due June 31st.

What to expect: Students will receive one-on-one time with a personal coach while also working with small groups and their peers. Students will be exposed to a multitude of speaking games, techniques and challenges. Camp will be a fun and rewarding experience!

Interested?
To request registration materials, or with any questions about the type of programming we offer at WSFI, please contact Artistic Director Tyler Beattie at tylergbeattie@gmail.com

**Registration deadline has been moved to Monday, June 15st. You will receive a confirmation letter and follow-up packet in the mail.**

I have canceled this weekend’s WFD Brewer Game, due to a number of difficulties. Several people have dropped out and we are experiencing difficulties in obtaining tickets. Instead, we should just schedule a game for later in the year. Any suggestions on a date?

Nick