Current Events

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NLiu
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Current Events

Post by NLiu »

It's a relatively straightforward question to ask, but what are recommended methods for learning current events (more specifically the types of Current Events and Current Events clues that arise in NAQT IS-set level tournaments?
I have been told by various individuals to just "pay more attention to the nightly news," but I don't quite see how doing so helps one get questions off of clues mentioning State senators, former State senators and governors, and similar topics. Are there particular magazines like Time or The Economist that provide useful information on this category? Websites, books, shows, etc?
Thanks in advance.
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Re: Current Events

Post by Al Hirt »

Honestly, if you pay attention to the nightly news, you'll be able to recognize those names. Following elections might be handy, so CNN, politico, and those outlets all have trackers you might want to check out. Watch SNL, even, considering it puts emphasis on recent major tech news as well as just politics/government.
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Re: Current Events

Post by The Stately Rhododendron »

I've said this in the two earlier threads about this but http://www.welections.wordpress.com is the way to go. For us based elections check out daily kos elections.
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Re: Current Events

Post by Masked Canadian History Bandit »

Mr. Joyboy wrote: For us based elections check out daily kos elections.
The Daily Kos is known for a strong left-wing bias. I would avoid it in favour of more centrist sources.
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Re: Current Events

Post by The Stately Rhododendron »

Masked Canadian History Bandit wrote:
Mr. Joyboy wrote: For us based elections check out daily kos elections.
The Daily Kos is known for a strong left-wing bias. I would avoid it in favour of more centrist sources.
Which do you see as more informative: a) I love Tim hudak! This by- election in Niagara falls will be a crucial test of his strength in SWO! Or b). The pc's continue to lead the polls in Ontario.

Notice that the first, while coming from a partisan point of view, contains more useful information than the 2nd, "centrist" source. The pov of the source doesn't matter as long as it still gives out accurate information.
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Re: Current Events

Post by Chef Curry »

Hi,

I don't exactly consider myself an expert or anything, but I love current events, mostly politics. I know a lot of the popular senators and politicians: Fienstein, Toomey, Casey etc. How? It is because I take a genuine interest in these things, and I think this corresponds with what a lot of people say, learn it to gain knowledge, not just for quiz bowl.

Politics: I encourage you to watch the news, that is how I got started, in 6th grade every morning, I would sit down with my father and watch CNN(or Fox if you are more conservative) sure I may not have understood some of the things being mentioned, but I would educate myself about the topics such as new legislation or election results. Over the years, as I entered middle school, I gained basic knowledge to develop a solid viewpoint on politics. I learned about the issues that were trending, right now one is gun control. I have a passionate view on gun control legislation, as well as issues such as abortion. I took a side on some of the issues and I automatically became more interested in not only U.S. but world politics. I asked my father for a subscription to Time magazine and reading that helped me. Then I watched while watching the news, I learned even more things. For example, I know that the president of Afghanistan is Hamid Karzai, and the president of Iran is Hassan Rouhani and he has taken a more cooperative view on the Iranian nuclear program than of his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. So when you watch the news, make a mental note of things that you maybe don't know or want to learn more about and take time and look them up and read about them. By reading, you will automatically know things that will get you questions in quiz bowl. For example, a while back it was on the news that Elizabeth Warren beat Scott Brown for a Massachusetts state senate seat after the death of Ted Kennedy. And that has helped me get Massachusetts questions on the first line. That will help you. So, to sum up Politics, watch the nightly news: I suggest Wolf Blitzer on CNN or I watch Brian Williams on NBC every night from 6:30-7:00(by know you probably know that I tend to have liberal beliefs). I also encourage you to read Time Magazine and the Economist, as it will have many editorials/articles on Politics, and Current Events. Once you develop a view on things, it gets you involved. After you have taken a stance on a lot of issues, I urge you to expose yourself to other perspectives, for instance, if you tend to be pro-choice think about why people are pro-life. If you are a Democrat read and think about the Republican positions on issues. Also try reading political commentary websites such as, Politico. Something that really helped me was doing this JFK Library essay contest. That involved a lot of research on my part and has helped me get a lot of politics questions i.e. Dennis Kucinich was a Representative from this state--Ohio. It also helped me a little bit with history, learning about how Senator McCarthy led the Communist search, and how Wayne Morse was one of the only two senators to oppose the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. And keep your eyes open, you never know what might come up in quiz bowl.

Current Events: Same thing I told you above, the news will do wonders. It also helps me that I am Indian, I know that the current PM is Manmohan Singh and a popular candidate for his successor is Narendara Modhi. That might not help you, but paying attention to the news will also teach you what how Vladimir Putin is dealing with President Obama, and it will also tell you that 2012 Putin and Dmitry Medvedev switched positions as PM and President. Taking courses on coursera.org, such as economics from Colombia, taught me that Mario Draghi is the current President of the European Central bank and its dealings with Greece's economy for economic current events. Just watch the news for U.S. current events too. You don't really need to know too much background information to understand that a there was a train derailment in Denver(not true just and example). Keeping up with current events is a little bit easier that following politics. Time and Economist will also help you with these things because the give you in-depth explanations of current events that will help you in quiz bowl.


To sum it all up, watching the nightly news and doing some outside reading will help you learn things like the names of prominent state senators once you understand politics. And when you take an interest in these things(forming a viewpoint) it will be easier for you to remember the names of said senators. For shows, I like SNL debates which are hilarious if you have even a small amount of background knowledge. Also Weekend Update on SNL is a good funny source(but make sure you know what the real details are). As for books I want to be a lawyer so I have read books such as Nine:An Inside Look Into the Supreme Court by: Jefferey Toobin, a highly respected reporter. Have fun, and good luck!
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Re: Current Events

Post by Chef Curry »

I've said this in the two earlier threads about this but http://www.welections.wordpress.com is the way to go.
I am just curious; is that your website, do you run and operate it? Or is it just something that you found that you are recommending? It seems like a very informative and consistently updated website.
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Re: Current Events

Post by The Stately Rhododendron »

ahan108 wrote:
I've said this in the two earlier threads about this but http://www.welections.wordpress.com is the way to go.
I am just curious; is that your website, do you run and operate it? Or is it just something that you found that you are recommending? It seems like a very informative and consistently updated website.
Nope, just a website I found that I'm recommending. It's written by a Montreal college student.
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Re: Current Events

Post by Southern Double-collared Sunbirb »

Speaking as someone who does decently well on the current events subject matter, a lot of the NAQT stuff seems to be that which is covered well by left or liberal sources (my information sites are usually described as "socialist"), though it's definitely not exclusive to that sort of content. So any reasonably informative news source should be good, just make sure you have a habit of staying current with them.

NAQT this year has a strong focus on US congresscritters and what they did, so make that a particular area of concentration. I don't really know what to do with world events; I haven't gotten them down.
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Re: Current Events

Post by Southern Double-collared Sunbirb »

Time for me is rather simplistic, but the Economist is better and insightful in everything EXCEPT economics (you're better off learning about classical econ elsewhere anyway). I personally can't stand their promulgation of regressive ideas and thinly-veiled racism in one case, but if you can, great.
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Re: Current Events

Post by The Stately Rhododendron »

Ydiwa wrote:Time for me is rather simplistic, but the Economist is better and insightful in everything EXCEPT economics (you're better off learning about classical econ elsewhere anyway). I personally can't stand their promulgation of regressive ideas and thinly-veiled racism in one case, but if you can, great.
Yeah the economist is well written but I've got that same problem. I once met someone who said they only read it to see "what the enemy was thinking"
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