Debate motions from 2023

Malaysia was formed on 16 September 1963 by the merger of the Federation of Malaya with the former British colonies of North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore. Disagreements on revenue sharing by Singapore and the failure to set up the common market, and the hostile political relations between the People's Action Party (PAP) and United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) on the topic of Article 153 and Malaysian Malaysia increased racial tensions and culminated to the 1964 Race Riots in Singapore. On 7 August 1965, Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman lead a Parliament vote to expel Singapore from Malaysia, citing the incompatibility and to reduce further racial tension and bloodshed.

The Ethiopian government is based on the principle of Ethno-Federalism, where different parts of the Ethiopia is split based on ethnic and religious lines, where the states functions autonomously on domestic matters. Abiy Ahmed, an Oromo (The Majority ethnicity) Muslim rose as the Prime Minister of Ethiopia campaigning for an end to ethno-federalism and a centralised Ethiopian government instead. Ethiopia has been involved in an ongoing conflict with the Tigray People's Liberation Front, representing the Tigray area and ethnicity regarding the freedom and potential independence of the Tigray people.

The conflict in Sudan is one between the Sudanese army, led by Abdel Fattah and the para militia group Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Hemedti. Together, they overthrew Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's dictator of 30 years and then organised another military coup against the post-Bashir civillian government they installed. They currently have a power-sharing agreement but they are disputing about the integration of RSF into the military, and how succession and rankings would work in the new system. This has led to growing tensions, militarization and thus conflict between both parties in cities like Khartoum and Darfour.

The East African Federation (EFA) is a proposed political union of the seven sovereign states of the East African Community in the African Great Lakes region – Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda – as a single federated sovereign state. The EFA would be the biggest and most populous as well as the 4th largest GDP in Africa, and all of them have adopted Swahili as a national language, though different languages, religions, and ethnicities exists in the EFA.

For the purposes of this debate, "independent" refers to self-reliance in all aspects of life, and is not only limited to relationships.

The Friedman Doctrine holds that decisions concerning social responsibility does not lie on the executives of a company. It believes that companies are not obligated to any social responsibilities unless the shareholders decide so, and is only obligated in pursuing profits for the company.

The US debt ceiling is a limit that Congress places on the presidency as to how much it is allowed to borrow in order to finance the annual budget.

The Certificate of Entitlement (COE) system is a system that controls the growth of the vehicle population in Singapore. It requires aspiring vehicle owners to bid for a COE through an online open auction. The COE price therefore reflects the amount that buyers are willing to pay to own a new car, private bus, goods vehicle or motorcycle. The COE gives private car owner the right to own and use the vehicle for 10 years, after which the owner can choose to de-register the vehicle or renew the COE.

Geoengineering refers to deliberate large-scale interventions in the Earth's climate system to counteract or mitigate the effects of climate change. It involves the deliberate manipulation of the Earth's atmosphere, oceans, or land surface to reduce the impacts of global warming. Geoengineering techniques can be broadly categorized into two main approaches which are Solar Radiation Management (SRM) and Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR). SRM is techniques aim to reduce the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth's surface, thereby cooling the planet. Whereas, CDR is a techniques aim to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations.

For the purpose of this debate, analytical rigor means a critical and logical focus on argumentation and analysis

A Victim Impact Statement is a written or oral statement presented to the court at the sentencing of the defendant. Many times victims, their family members, and friends of the victim participate in both written and verbal statements. Victim Impact Statements were created as an opportunity for the judge to hear how a criminal action has affected the victim's loved ones.

The Tunku Mahkota Johor (TMJ), Crown Prince of Johor bought the Johor Football team in 2012. Since then, The rebranded Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) has achieved success in Malaysia and Asia, becoming the first Southeast Asian team to win a continental title and reaching the Round of 16 of the AFC Champions League. The team has done so by developing and changing local football while signing the best local and international players from other Malaysian teams.

In 2015, a court ruled that Robin Thicke's song, Blurred Lines was found to be plagiarising Marvin Gaye's Got To Give It Up. It set a landmark ruling as it plagiarised Got To Give It Up's "feel and groove" even though it was in a different key and had a different chord progression. Before the ruling, sampling without consent is already considered plagiarism. Since then, many other artists such as Dua Lipa, Olivia Rodrigo, and Ed Sheeran have been sued over plagiarism on similar lines.

EMILY's List is an American political action committee (PAC) that aims to help elect Democratic female candidates in favor of abortion rights to office.

Linda Yaccarino is the new CEO of Twitter and X Corp. She previously worked in the Donald Trump and Joe Biden administration and chaired the future of work task force in the World Economic Forum, an organisation which Elon Musk has openly criticised. She has resigned from her position as head of NBCUniversal's Head of Advertising Sales for her current position.

Usury, the practice of charging excessively high-interest rates on loans, is often considered unethical due to its exploitative nature and potential to harm borrowers financially. For lenders, usury can result in higher profits as the exorbitant interest rates allow them to generate significant returns on their loans, potentially outweighing the risks associated with lending to high-risk borrowers. Borrowers with poor credit history may be attracted to usury as it provides them with access to credit that they might not otherwise qualify for through traditional lending channels, offering a potential lifeline in times of financial need.

In Lord of the RIngs, Theoden is King of Rohan, a large region of Middle Earth which is ruled by the race of men. Upon the orders of the Dark Lord Sauron, the neighbouring country of Isengard launched an attack on Rohan, forcing the people back into the safety of a fortress in the mountainside. After many battles, the nation of Rohan alone emerged victorious against the invading forces, winning the siege and pushing them out at the cost of the lives of many soldiers and civllians. A few days after the last major battle, beacons from the nearby country of Gondor are lit, signalling a call for aid from all of the nations of men. Gondor lies at the entrance of Barad-dur, the black gate in which behind lies the hosts and armies of the Dark Lord. It is obvious to all that a call for aid can only mean that Gondor is being attacked by the hosts of Mordor, signalling the start of the Dark Lord's war on Middle Earth. Due to the toll of the war, there remains only 6000 Rohirrim (Rohan's main calvary force) that Theoden can feasibly muster in time for the battle.

The Pevensie children consisting of Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie stumbled upon the magical world of Narnia in their wardrobe. In Narnia, they joined forces with Narnia's magical creatures to overthrow the evil White Witch. After the battle, they were named the Kings and Queens of Narnia. However, at the end of every Narnian adventure, they return home to the 'real world'.

In the Game of Thrones series, Jon Snow is revealed to be the son of Rhaegar Targaryen, the crown prince of the Targaryen dynasty, making him the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. However, he refused to take the Iron Throne and rule the Seven Kingdoms, thus allowing Daenerys Targaryen, his lover, to claim for the Throne. In a dramatic turn of events, Daenerys goes from liberator to murderer by killing innocent civilians in King's Landing by dragon fire in order to defeat her enemy Cersei Lannister. In an attempt to stop her, Jon murdered Daenerys and is thrown into prison. During a hearing to decide Jon's fate, it was decided to send him back to the ice Wall at the border of the seven kingdoms where he previously served in the Night's Watch.

The two-state solution is a proposed framework to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by establishing independent states for Israel and Palestine. It envisions Israel existing as a Jewish state and Palestine as a sovereign state, with defined borders and mutual recognition. The aim is to achieve a peaceful coexistence, self-determination, and security for both Israelis and Palestinians. The solution would lead to multiple concessions on both sides regarding territory, standing military and diplomatic relations with each other and the rest of the Middle East. Currently, both sides are relatively reluctant to start this process

BRICS is a new economic bloc consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The bloc is founded on the principles of forming global economic power, absent of the US and runs counter to the Western led G7 countries. Recently they have developed their own alternatives to large financial institutions like their own version of the IMF, a unique reserve currency meant to combat the USD and an alternative banking system off the Wall Street controlled SWIFT system. Multiple countries are seeking to join BRICS like Argentina and Iran while some are already benefits of it's subsidiaries like the UAE and Egypt. BRICS are also seeking new allies in Asia like Indonesia.

The Wagner group is a Russian state funded paramilitary group composed of mercenaries hired to carry out military operations. They have been instrumental in Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has carried most of the specialized strikes in the operation. Recently, the Wagner group has mounted a mutiny against Putin, marching armed forces into the country, stopping only 200km from Moscow. The head of the mutiny, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was greeted warmly by Russian citizens and met as well with strong anti-Putin sentiments. The mutiny was eventually stopped by a deal brokered by Lukashenko, President of Belarus and the Wagner group walked away unscathed from any Russian retaliation with the condition that he never returns to Russia.

UtopiaX is a simulated virtual reality (VR). This simulated world is designed to be a utopia where users are able to design their own world using the resources in the VR. Users are also able to interact with each other by joining each other's servers. However, a user's experiences in this VR is limited as physical interaction (i.e. touching, eating) is impossible.

ESG investing is an approach to investing that focuses on Environmental, Social, and Governance factors alongside financial factors. Environmental factors assesses a company's carbon impact and environmental/green practices; Social factors assesses a company's impact on society, particularly on labour practices, employee diversity, and workplace safety; Social factors assesses how well a company is managed and governed with particular focus on shareholder rights, board composition, transparency, and more.

Various religions around the world incorporate the idea of environmental protection and conservation either implicitly or explicitly. For instance, Genesis 2:15 in the Christan Bible includes instructions from God to 'till and keep' the Garden of Eden and emphasises the idea of 'stewardship' over the Earth. In the Surah Al-A'raf 7:31, the importance of avoiding wasteful behaviour is highlighted.

Climate migration refers to the movement of people from one place to another due to the impacts of climate change. It occurs when individuals or communities are forced to leave their homes or regions because of environmental factors such as rising sea levels, droughts, extreme weather events, or other climate-related conditions that make their current living conditions unsafe or unsustainable.

(A) In May 2023, the Writers Guild of America launched a strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), a trade association that represents over 350 American television and film production companies. The ongoing strike is the largest interruption to the American film and TV production since the COVID-19 pandemic. The guild, representing 11,500+ screenwriters, demands for the increase of wage and residuals (i.e. bonus/royalty) which have been decreasing due to the rise of streaming platforms and for the strict (and potentially regulated) boundaries of the use of AI technologies in the screenwriting process (i.e. as a complementary tool as opposed to a replacement tool). The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) owns a similar contract with AMPTP and the contract is set to expire soon. Many actors in the union has expressed overwhelming support for a similar strike if no deal is made.

Quiet quitting is the process of prioritizing boundaries in the workplace, not going above and beyond in your job in order to seek a promotion of better pay. This is often seen as a direct counter to the hustle culture that many companies engage in. Loud quitting is the process of taking active steps to harm the company, while undercutting their goals and opposing their leadership roles or upper management.

Extreme Tourism is a type of travel that involves engaging in adventurous and thrilling activities in unique and often challenging environments. It's a way for people to push their limits, experience intense emotions, and explore remote and exciting destinations. Recently, the ante has increased with it including high octane trips to outer space or to the bottom of the ocean floor.

Performance-based pay is a form of compensation for teachers based on the performance of students in extracurricular (i.e. competitions) and curricular activities (i.e. performance on standardised tests)

The US Supreme Court recently ruled on a 6-3 majority that race based admissions in universities are unconstitutional on the grounds that it violates violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

A disassociative feminist conveys feminine struggles more passively (internalizing pain, joking about their struggles, taking a sarcastic tone, etc) rather than actively complaining about them. This category of feminism is 'detached' and 'disconnected' from more active forms of feminist resistance, such as the girl boss phenomenon or street protests. Disassociative feminism recognizes the emotional and physical toll that comes with active resistance and efforts that take to break the glass ceilings. A dissociative feminist would also embrace life choices that aren't typically feminist in nature. Example: Fleabag from Fleabag, Rue from Euphoria, etc

According to the government of Saudi Arabia, Vision 2030 "is a unique transformative economic and social reform blueprint that is opening Saudi Arabia up to the world." As part of the project, the government has started several projects such as building smart cities, sports complexes, renewable energy projects, tourism programs, the entertainment industry, and so on. In an effort to diversify its economy and attract foreign investments, the government is also focusing on gender equality. Recently, the government also lifted restrictions on women's right to drive, gave access to sports events, etc. Purple washing is defined as appealing to women rights and gender equality for political or economic objectives.

Just Stop Oil is a UK-based environmental activist group that aims at halting oil production and licensing by the British government. The group is known for its civil resistance approach to protesting, which includes but is not limited to throwing soup on famous valuable paintings, gluing themselves to artwork in museums, tying themselves to goalposts during football matches, etc.

Evo Morales was the democratically elected President of Bolivia from 2006 to 2019. As the first indigenous Prime Minister of a country that holds one of the largest indigenous populations in the world, Evo Morales was responsible for important reforms such as elevating extreme poverty by 60 percent. However, during the election for Evo's fourth term, he was accused of rigging the voter process to find an early win in elections by the army. In the light of violent anti-Morales protests that followed, Evo resigned in the hopes of avoiding complete civil unrest. Other important claims were about the long-termed tenure of Evo Morales and his policy of Movement Towards Socialism, which was also described as socialist autocracy by his opponents. After the ousting of Evo Morales' democratic government, the demand for more democratic and liberal structures increased in the country. The citizens became more critical of the army as well as the Organization of American State, a US-backed policy intervention entity that maintains the democratic pursuits of the west. At the same time, the citizens of Bolivia, especially the indigenous populations, became more supportive of the Pink Tide i.e. a left-wing political wave in Latin America.

Mark is a Sophomore at a well-reputed college. He has a product idea that is unique, useful, and caters to a wide market gap. He believes his revolutionary product has the potential to change the landscape of its industry.

For the purpose of this debate, the veil of ignorance is a component of the social contract that is supposed to ensure the impartiality of judgment. If adopted, the veil will make everyone in the criminal justice system blind to each other's personal, historical, and social characteristics. This includes lacking clues to their class, their privileges, their disadvantages, or even their personality.

A Zookeeper forgot to close the gates to Osaka Zoo, and 40-50 animals have escaped to the nearby train station. Mary, searches for them on track A while the animals are on track B. All of a sudden, a highspeed Shinkansen (train) heading to track A emerges at 320 km/h. Person X, spots a nearby lever and knows for certain pulling the lever would result in the Shinkansen going through track B instead of track A. The Shinkansen passing through either track would mean that no one or no animal would be able to escape due to the high velocity of the train, and there are no alternative methods to divert or stop the train (including alerting the zookeeper or the animals)

You are a government scientist working in Area 51 and have made a shocking discovery: Birds aren't real. All of humanity is under constant surveillance. Every bird on earth is a sophisticated camera drone placed on earth by an advanced alien species somewhere outside the solar system

A team that's recently gained prominence after great performances at the World Cup has advanced to World Cup finals for the first time. After the semi final, the team's top scorer and most important player, while drunk at a bar, publicly instigated a physical fight against another member of the team. When asked to calm down they continued to double down, causing more of a public disruption and seemingly irreconcilable differences with other members of the team.

Ubuntu ("I am because we are") is a philosophical belief that asserts that people's identities should be shaped by, and their obligations should primarily be owed to, their communities.

The Pacific Alliance (Spanish: Alianza del Pacífico) is a Latin American trade bloc, formed by Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.

Data journalism is a type of journalism reflecting the increased role that numerical data has in the production and distribution of information in the digital era. It reflects the increased interaction between content producers (journalists) and several other fields such as design, computer science and statistics. On the flip side, more traditional forms of journalism are qualitative in approach, focusing more on interpretation and contextualisation.

For the purposes of this debate, dominant political parties are ones that have won multiple elections and have been in power for a long time. We will assume power can be handed over in a fair election.

The quality of life in the 2000s has improved significantly compared to previous centuries, as evidenced by advancements in technology, education, and healthcare. However, this progress is accompanied by significant challenges, including international conflicts, climate change, and racial tension.

Intellectual property is a category of property that includes 'intangible' creations of human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property including patents, copyrights and trademarks. The 'internationalisation' of intellectual property law refers to efforts to make intellectual property rights universally applicable, including the widespread use of treaties to recognise intellectual property rights across different jurisdictions, the creation of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, etc.

During the recent economic crisis, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has provided certain conditions to developing countries for receiving loans. These conditions require governments to adopt more market based economic policies. Targets include reducing government budget deficits and increasing international currency reserves. The policy conditions provided by the IMF include 1) reducing or eliminating fuel subsidies and fertiliser subsidies; 2) setting the currency exchange rate to international market rates; 3) implementing market-based interest rates; 4) anti corruption provisions.

Religious Syncretism is the practice of blending cultural/religious indigenous practices with different religious beliefs (for example, the Catholic Church merging traditional saints with local deities in Latin America). Religious Independence is the belief that one's religion must remain tied to a unique set of religious teachings that contain the truth about humanity and divinity.

The Israeli Judicial Reform led by the Netanyahu government seeks to curb the judiciary's influence over lawmaking and public policy by limiting the Supreme Court's power to exercise judicial review and granting the government control over judicial appointments

In children's entertainment, a political message specifically addresses issues, policies, or power dynamics related to governance and public affairs. It aims to shape public opinion, influence political decisions, or promote specific political ideologies. Examples of children's media with political messages include "The Lorax," "Zootopia," and "Pocahontas" It should not be confused with apolitical moral messages, which focus on teaching universal values like honesty, kindness, and empathy, and are prevalent in most children's media (e.g. "SpongeBob SquarePants," "Dora the Explorer," and "The Powerpuff Girls."). The key distinction that makes a message political lies in whether the message primarily addresses specific political issues as compared to broader ethical principles.

Transhumanism refers to a future where advanced technologies are used to augment and transcend the biological limitations of humans (e.g. brain-computer interfaces, bionic implants, customizable genetic traits). It is meant to elevate human capabilities beyond their natural level, as opposed to medical uses of technology aimed at restoring basic capabilities (e.g. prosthetics for amputees, curing hereditary diseases).

Deficit financing is a deliberate voluntary strategy used by governments to finance their budget deficits or shortfalls in revenue by borrowing money rather than reducing expenditures or increasing taxes, in order to achieve specific economic and social objectives.

There is an all knowing, all powerful God who created the universe and all life within it. After the creation, God has let the universe follow its own course, with limited interventions. God is no longer necessary for the continuation of the universe and its natural laws. There is no other God. None of this is revealed to humanity at the moment

For the purpose of this debate, 'Gen Z style' refers to a disposition wherein an individual displays a set of characteristics that go against conventional social norms and communitarian values. Such style can include taking gap years during college instead of following a linear and uninterrupted education and career trajectory, refusing to submit to authorities (e.g. familial or workplace), and anti-establishment elements such as anti-consumerism.

In Plato's "The Republic," philosopher king refers to a hypothetical figure who melds profound philosophical knowledge and is intensively educated in disciplines like philosophy, ethics, and governance.

'Short squeeze' occurs when a security has a significant amount of short sellers, meaning lots of investors are betting on its price falling. When investors see the price going up, they start to purchase back the stocks, which makes the price jump higher unexpectedly. An institutional investor trades large volumes of securities on behalf of an individual or shareholder. A retail investor is an individual who invests their own capital, typically at lower frequencies and volumes.

The European Union (EU) adopted the 'Dublin Regulation' for handling irregular immigrants (e.g., immigrants entering a country through an informal process, including but not limited to asylum seekers). It stipulates that the countries where the immigrants arrive should handle the logistics, such as examining asylum claims and providing temporary shelters. This led to certain countries proximate to regions with a high population outflux bearing a disproportionately high burden, including Greece, Italy, and Malta (also known as 'front-line countries'). To remedy this, the EU is discussing the 'Mandatory Solidarity' mechanism, which relocates irregular immigrants from front-line countries to other EU countries and imposes financial penalties should countries reject the entry of immigrants. This measure is still being negotiated in the European Parliament and is yet to be ratified.

'Medical negligence' refers to the failure of a carer to provide a standard level of care, resulting in harm or injury to a patient. This could include forgetting to administer medication, choosing a different treatment plan than what was prescribed, or breaching duty of care.

In divorce law, there are two ways of settling a post-divorce parent-child relationship. In 'Sole Legal Custody', one parent has the exclusive authority to make significant decisions for the child, such as education, healthcare, and religion. The non-custodial parent typically has limited or no say in these decisions. In 'Joint Legal Custody', parents share the authority to make such decisions and financially contribute together, albeit one parent not being physically together with the child. Joint Legal Custody still set exceptions where a parent would not be granted custodial rights, such as previous history of physical/verbal abuse.

'Resume padding' of charity refers to the strategic involvement of individuals, particularly students, in charitable activities with the primary goal of enhancing their resumes rather than a genuine desire to contribute to the cause. This practice has become increasingly common among students seeking to bolster their college applications, as admissions committees often view participation in charity work favourably.

'Zombie acting' is the digital replication of a performer's voice or likeness to substantially manipulate a performance, create a new digital performance or train an artificial intelligence system designed to generate new visual, audio, or audiovisual content.

'Dà Zòng Jiǔ (大縱酒)' is a queer gathering held on a monthly basis in Taiwan. It has evolved into one of the most significant and biggest pride events with active participation from Twitter users within the LGBT community. Centered around extensive drinking, this event serves as a space where individuals from the LGBT community come together to enjoy alcohol and socialize with other people, alongside K-pop dancing, flirting/kissing people, and cosplaying.

*For the purposes of this debate, an internet guru is an individual, e.g. a blogger, vlogger, other types of content creator, who claims to be an expert in a field.

*a world language is a major language that is geographically widespread and has many speakers (e.g. English, Arabic, French, etc.)

The recent refugee crisis in Myanmar has been caused by the violent persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority group by the Myanmar military. The Rohingya have been subjected to various forms of oppression and abuse, including torture, murder, and forced displacement. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled to neighboring countries such as Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Thailand, seeking safety and shelter. The crisis has caused widespread international concern and has prompted a humanitarian response from various organizations and governments around the world.

'Pick me girls' are women who deliberately behave in a way to appeal to male approval. Examples include putting down other women, denouncing activities traditionally thought to be 'feminine', and limiting interactions with women.

In popular culture, 'fan works' refer to the creative activities of fans, including fanfiction, fanart, fan edits, and fan-made merchandise about works of fiction and/or real celebrities themselves.

There is a world where every individual is born with a niche skill set that they are innately proficient at. Other people may have the same niche skill set, but those that have a different niche will not be as proficient in the niche skill that another is born with.

A doomsday narrative is a strategy adopted by environmentalists to foretell the future state of our environment. It is usually accompanied with catastrophic descriptions of what the Earth will look like in the near future i.e. devastating fires, rampant flooding, destruction of homes due to rising sea levels, etc.

"The gig economy" is a term used to describe a labor market where freelance or short-term contracts are more common than permanent positions. Independent contractors are those who work in the gig economy. They perform services for another party in accordance with the conditions mentioned in a verbal or written agreement. In contrast to an employee, an independent contractor works for an employer on an as-needed basis rather than on a regular basis. Since they typically receive freelance compensation, independent contractors are considered "self employed."

Eco-terrorism refers to the use or threat of violence against property or people, committed in order to forward environmental causes or for environmental-political reasons.

A "Social Impact Bond" is a funding model where governments arrange for private investors to fund a service provider to solve a specified social problem within a pre-alloted time frame determined by the government. The government only repays the investors if the project is 'successful', as set out in the original contract. If successful, the government repays the investors' upfront investment plus an additional premium.

Product placement has long been a feature of Hollywood. Seeking a boost in brand recognition and association with cool characters, alcohol and car companies, especially, have for decades paid or engaged in a kind of quid pro quo to get their products into films. The first documented example was in 1896, when the Lumière brothers, often credited as the earliest filmmakers, agreed to feature soap in their film "Washing Day in Switzerland." But the rise of streaming has led to an explosion in product placement. Product placement is now a $23 billion industry, up by an estimated 14 percent since 2020.

"Kill them with kindness" is an idiom used by Shakespeare that means to overwhelm someone with over-indulgence. It can mean that in itself but it can also imply that someone can be harmed, inconvenienced, or bothered by being treated with excessive favour or kindness.

During World War II, the Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, are evacuated from a London to live in a stranger's country house. While playing hide and side, they discover a wardrobe and enters the fantasy world of Narnia. After defeating the White Witch and saving Narnia, the siblings are crowned Kings and Queens of Narnia. Fifteen years later, the Pevensies, now young adults, and discover the wardrobe they entered Narnia from. Presume for the purposes of this debate that the Pevensies are aware that, should they depart Narnia, they may never return, and will return to their residence in their former child forms (but with memories intact) seconds after they left.

THW promote champagne socialism in Africa.

Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union sets out the conditions that member states must uphold in order to members of the EU - namely "the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and respect for human rights" etc. However, over the past decade anti-democratic tendencies have been identified in the young Central and Eastern European member states. Erosions of democracy have progressed furthest in Hungary and Poland: In Hungary, the concentration of power under Prime Minister Victor Orbán has steadily increased since 2010, and in 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Hungarian Parliament approved a bill to make the state of emergency indefinite and grant the ability for Prime Minister Orbán to rule by decree. Poland has also seen continuous erosions such as measures that undermine the independence of the judiciary, allow the ruling party to dominate the media, and silence criticism from civil society. Threats to media freedom were seen in Czech Republic and Slovakia in 2018 and Croatia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Romania faced problems in the fields of corruption and threats to the independence of the judiciary

(1) Information democratization refers to the current trend of increased citizen creation, distribution, exhibition, and curation of information. (2) Financial information refers to data and insight related to an individual's or organization's financial situation, including income, expenses, assets, liabilities, investments, and economic trends. Financial advice, on the other hand, involves the interpretation and application of this information to provide guidance or recommendations.

Since 1999, various bodies such as the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States have placed sanctions on the Taliban and Afghanistan more broadly. They fall generally into two categories: economic sanctions, like the suspension of developmental aid and the widespread freezing of government assets, and non-economic sanctions like arms embargos and travel bans.

For the purposes of this debate, life-extending treatment refers to medical interventions that prolong the duration of life without curing the underlying medical conditions. Examples include dialysis, mechanical ventilation, and clinically assisted nutrition.

You are a young talented rising star in one of the top four European football leagues (Germany, Spain, Italy, and England). You have just been offered a multi-million dollar contract by a club in the emerging Saudi Pro League, and it is substantially higher compensation than any other contract in a European league. The Saudi Pro League is the national football league in Saudi Arabia.

The post-work movement believes that the ideal society is one that has obsoleted the need to work (e.g. a world in which work were mostly automated or everyone were provided a Universal Basic Income)

China's ""guerrilla policy style"" is characterized by a decentralized approach to policy making, in which policy initiatives are often developed and implemented at the local level by officials who have a large degree of freedom from central authorities in undertaking policy projects. These policies, if successful, are then scaled up to a national level. Under China's guerrilla policy style, policymakers are often willing to accept some degree of disorder, experimentation, and even failure in the pursuit of policy goals.

""Ask Culture"" is characterized by the expectation that individuals should feel encouraged to ask for anything when they want it. ""Guess Culture"" is characterized by the expectation that individuals should only make requests of one another in instances where they can infer or assume the answer will be yes.

Mandatory Binding Arbitration is a contractual provision in which both parties to a contract waive their right to sue one another in court for damages related to a perceived breach of contract. Instead, in the instance of a perceived contractual violation, members must undergo arbitration, an alternative form of dispute resolution in which a mutually agreed upon private arbiter determines both the legitimacy of the alleged violation as well as the potential punishment. MBA clauses can also often include other stipulations such as waiving one's right to appeal the decision or to join class action lawsuits.

Giant AI experiments include but are not limited to language learning models Like GPT-4. Other AI labs are currently also developing much more ambitious projects that are much larger than that of OpenAI (the creators of Dall E 2 and ChatGPT)

A community based, democratically run social media is one where users join specific social media platforms based on community or interest and members of a community determine their own policies and design in terms of algorithms, moderation, funding, and general functioning of the site for that platform.

New Optimism - the narrative that human history is a story of constant improvement, and that we should be optimistic about the future of the human condition. Supporters of new optimism point to evidence of progress in areas such as poverty reduction, technological advancement, and human rights as examples of constant improvement. Some suggest that this progress is due to increased globalization, free markets, scientific advancement, and collaboration among nations and individuals.

Ukraine's assassination program refers to Ukraine's increasing use of assassination as a foreign policy tool after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Examples of assassinations include Yevhen Yunakov, a former mayor of the Kharkiv region who had been identified as a collaborator with the Russians, and Mikhail Filiponenko, a Russian-backed politician in the Luhansk region. Dozens of people have been theorized to have been targeted by Ukraine's assassination program.

In 2023, Purdue Pharma reached a settlement agreement with the victims of the opioid epidemic who sued them in class actions. The class actions bundled together thousands of lawsuits from state and local governments, hospitals and individuals. However, a key part of this, as for any settlement agreement, is that it shields the Sackler family from further civil lawsuits.

"Pink Glasses" are glasses that block any object or image that triggers unpleasant emotions to the person wearing them. For example, if a person finds sexualized advertisements, certain art or even homeless people unpleasant, they will not see them when wearing the glasses. The technology is affordable and widely accessible.

Narratives surrounding what is and is not useful for tackling climate change have been a large factor in shaping individual, governmental, and corporate actions as climate change became a more pressing concern throughout history.

That we prefer a world with memory writing technology

Primary domestic caregivers are individuals who are in charge of household management, for example, shopping for groceries, cooking for the family and childcare.

Ukraine is currently attempting to engage Russia in peace talks, but both sides are claiming that the other country has no actual desire for peace.

In many countries, education around social inequality focuses on the history of oppression vulnerable groups have faced, for example, how women were granted the vote, how colonialism destroyed indigenous cultures, and how racial minorities were discriminated against by governments. For the purposes of this motion, the government would instead, for example, focus on teaching current census data to determine which groups are being oppressed, and teaching theory around how equality might be achieved in the future.

A theatre production is considered to be "Western" when it was originally created and shown in a Western nation, or written by a Western writer. Examples of Western productions that have been staged in Asia include Matilda, Mamma Mia, Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables. Non-Western productions include Mula Sa Buwan, Orphan Zhao, The Secret and Last Ruler of Southern Tang.

Intellectual Property Law (otherwise known as copyright law) protects the ability of an individual to own and profit from their own creativity and intellectual effort. For example, IP law often protects artists from having their profits stolen off them by someone else who might copy lyrics of their song. For the purposes of this motion, if someone were to generate art from artificial intelligence "in the style of Vincent Van Gogh", intellectual property of that art would like solely at the hands of Vincent Van Gough

Options to attend educational institutions online include Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Blackboard Collaborate.

Transactional relationships are a type of romantic relationship where the primary purpose to both parties is to extract some kind of utilitarian value (e.g. convenience of shared housing, financial viability, etc.) with explicit obligations and conditions negotiated by the parties. Non-transactional relationships are romantic relationships where both parties believe that the relationship primarily serves to provide some sort of intrinsic nonutilitarian value.

On July 26, 2023, the democratically elected government of Niger was toppled by a military coup headed by General Tchiani. In response, the Economic Community of West African States threatened to militarily intervene in the country if the coup did not reinstate the democratic government by August 6th. The deadline has since passed, yet the coup shows no signs of returning power to the democratic government.