ACMUN 2011 – Opening Ceremony

From the 21st-23rd January 2011, UWC Atlantic College hosted the annual ‘Atlantic College Model United Nations’. ACMUN 2011 was both my fourth MUN conference and the first time I moved from being a delegate to being an organizer. I was one of the two Chairs of the ACMUN 2011 Security Council, my counterpart was Laura Breen of the USA.

At the opening ceremony on the 21st, we had… well essentially a lot of speeches. Jens and Sander of the Netherlands lambasted each other in some very entertaining slides which were preceded by the more somber and serious speeches from our Acting Principal, the organizing committe and the ACMUN 2011 President. Following that were the speeches from all the chairs of the respective councils and committees. As the most important and exclusive Council, the Security Council Chairs were last to speak. I should note at this point that the speech was inspired by an HKMUN 2009 Press Corp article which gave me the idea of ‘Statebook’.
I thought I might share it with you and hopefully it will lighten up your day with a little bit of MUN humor. The speech is not intended to offend anyone and I apologize if that is the case.

ACMUN 2011 Security Council Chairs Opening Speech

Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,
We the Chairs of the Security Council want to take this chance to bring to you a press-release from the Secretary General of the United Nations Mr Ban Ki Moon.

January 21, 2011,
For Immediate Release

The Secretary General is pleased to announce, or rather confirm since Wikileaks has already revealed, that the United Nations has launched and endorsed our very own Chinese-made Facebook duplicate, creatively titled ‘Statebook’.

Launched in 2008, Statebook is one part of the UN’s attempt to stimulate the world economy in the wake of the financial collapse. We are proud that the resolution to create Statebook was passed unanimously by the Security Council, although rather disappointed in the fact that it was the only resolution that wasn’t vetoed by either the US, Russia or China.

Since its launch, Statebook has been a resounding success, fulfilling its role in increasing interconnectivity between Head’s of States and speeding up communication between different parties. Here are just some of the many updates that have been found in the Newsfeed:

Edinbrugh Schools Debating Tournament 2011

Dear Debating Coach,

Edinburgh University Debating Society is pleased to invite your school to attend the annual University of Edinburgh Schools Debating Tournament to be held on Wednesday 9th March 2011.

The competition will consist of three rounds of debating throughout the day, judged by an experienced pool of University debaters from our own debating society and other Scottish universities. The four top teams will then compete in the final to be held in the late afternoon/early evening in the prestigious Playfair Library. The format of the competition is British Parliamentary with 20 minutes of preparation time per round. In recent years, we have placed a strong emphasis on constructive and encouraging feedback for teams of all abilities and aim to offer similarly high quality adjudication and motions this year.

All rounds will be held in The Pleasance, 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh EH8 9TJ and teams should arrive there for Registration between 9 – 10.45am. Lunch and refreshments will be provided for teams and teachers. The entry fee is £30 per team.

One change to the competition for 2011 is that we no longer receive assistance from the Edinburgh University Students Association in the administration of the competition. Accordingly, all schools wishing to enter teams should reply by email to edinburghschools@gmail.com.

Due to the demand for team places in recent years, we are running a team cap of 48 with all schools wishing to enter being allocated a maximum of two team spots on a first-come, first-served basis. Should you wish to enter more than two teams, please indicate this when registering and I will contact you if additional places become available. I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards,
Victoria Smith
Schools Convenor
Edinburgh University Debating Society

The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336.

WSDC 2011 – Team New Zealand

This is part of the WSDC 2011 series as I recount and report on the World School Debating Championship 2011 in Dundee, Scotland as a debater, blogger and Wales national team member.

Team New Zealand 2011

For WSDC 2011, Team New Zealand will be

• Kieran Bunn (Logan Park High School)
• Nick Orr (Auckland Grammar School)
• Duncan McLachlan (Wellington College)
• Aric Shakur (Palmerston North Boys’ High School)
• Sophie Boot (Christchurch Girls’ High School)

Team New Zealand will be coached by Steve Hind, Captain of the triumphant Team Australia in 2005 where he ranked 4th best speaker and Koc WUDC 2010 Champion where he ranked 2nd best speaker. Steve coached the New South Wales Schools Team in 2010 and has coached the NSW Combined GPS Team since 2006.

Source: http://www.debating.org.nz/2010/08/09/nationals-2010-results and http://www.debating.org.nz/2010/11/05/nz-team-and-nz-development-team-coaches-appointed

Medan English Debate Competition [MOTIONS]

From Hot Maringan Samosir on the IndoDebaters list

The Prepared Motions for the Medan English Competition for High Senior 2011, English Debate Category are

• THBT development funding should be held by parliament members.
• THW make regional agreement about border based on historical fact.
• THBT there should be not any option to make corruptors free.
• THW allows government to take over the public officer’s suspicious account for further investigation.
• THBT Government must take action for PSSI.
• THW allow civil servants to critize incumbent government.
• THW give capital punishment to fundamentalists who have done anarchysm movement.
• THBT government does not have any visible commitment about gender unequality.
• THW let private company to play in electricity market.
• THW not choose minister of religion from politicians.
• THW ban blood relationship for the next general election.
• THBT blocking blackberry service (RIM) service is unjustifiable.
• THW abolish patents for green technology.
• THBT Gayus’s cases will never find any result.
• THBT politic is only about power of funding.

Note:

• A-Core believe that some of you have been familiar with several motions, but A-core only considers about how to make this competition “easy to do” for beginner J so hopefully all participants respect this sincere willingness.
• Even prepared motion has been launched, but A-core still has right to launch impromptu motion for particular round which we think “special”, that’s why participant must be aware with current issues J.
• So, thank you so much and happy research!

Regards,
Hot Maringan “Old Book” Samosir
Chief of Adjudicator

Unusual Dates

On an email from Pat Kirby of Westminister College who cited “a retired history professor” for the following:

This year we will experience 4 unusual dates: 1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11 & 11/11/11.

But those dates probably don’t mean anything to you.
Well, now do the following:

• Take the last 2 digits of the year you were born
• Add the age you will be at the end of this year
• What is the total? I bet it’s 111

Pretty Cool eh?

UWC AC Student Diary Blog

The blogpost I wrote for the UWC AC Student Diary Blog : http://www.atlanticcollege.org/student-diary-blogs/paul-chun-man-lau/

Monday 17th January 2011

00:05 – My bags are packed, homework’s completed and all things are in order, time to switch off my little light and stop blinding my roommates.

07:00 – Thank God the alarm went off! Right, gotta get the brain working soon.

07:14 – Out of the house and down to breakfast. The dark, empty road is cold, but soothing and tranquil.

07:16 – Breakfast as usual: Porridge, Cereal and a cup of juice. A regular start to the day is always the best one.

07:32 – 28 minutes left before the first class of the day, just enough time to check emails and Google Reader news.

08:00 – Slid into Maths just in time. HL Maths really helps wake the brain up early on a Monday morning

08:54 – First class is now over and Assembly’s up next. Better bring pen and paper, as usual, lots of announcements and notices from teachers and students alike.

09:35 – Free class means there’s enough time for a weekly gym session, spent most of it discussing the upcoming Atlantic College Model United Nations (ACMUN) with our Bahrainian organizer.

10:34 – Think I’ll skip the drinks in the dining hall, better go back to the dorm and grab my books for class.

13:25 – Hopping down the stairs from Econ, the joy of it being lunch time is palpable all around you. It’s a pity the lines are so long. Sometimes, your stomach just doesn’t know the meaning of patience.

13:45 – Stomach’s filled and it’s time to get to work. Thankfully there’s not much homework yet. Better check for any emails.

14:33 – Time to get cracking on preparing for ACMUN. There are a hundred or so pages to read and a speech to write.

16:00 – Library’s computer room is starting to fill up. Most services must be ending now.

17:25 – Dinner in 5 minutes, just managed to beat the queue, might as well pick up mail from the letter-boxes along the way, especially if the letter-boxes are just outside the entrance to the kitchen area.

17:45 – Full and content, it’s back to the library to start planning for the next term. What should be my priorities for Term 2?

19:00 – Term 2’s planned out, what next? Lots of new emails now, but better go back to the house to grab some work.

19:20 – It’s a good thing Morgannwg (my house) isn’t too far from the castle. Otherwise I’d have to walk for much longer. Right, time to crack on with SAT revision.

20:55 – The day’s starting to wind down, but not before Student Council. It’s our weekly hour-long Monday night meetings to discuss student issues regarding the school.

21:45 – Meeting’s over, time to head back to the house.

22:10 – Nearly check-in and the day-room is starting to fill up with people and conversations. It’s the perfect time to grab some toast, some of the famous Morgannwg jam for a snack just before bed.

22:40 – Foosball anyone?

23:00 – Back to the dorm and time to prepare for tomorrow.

23:25 – Another random and intriguing discussion within the dorm.

23:55 – Packed bags? Check. Homework? None. Tomorrow’s Schedule? Check.

24:00 – Time to turn off my little light and stop blinding my roommates.

WSDC 2011 – Team England

This is part of the WSDC 2011 series as I recount and report on the World School Debating Championship 2011 in Dundee, Scotland as a debater, blogger and Wales national team member.

Following both a pre-trials tournament and a trials weekend, Team England for the 2011 WSDC has emerged. Team England hold an impressive WSDC record, thrice winning the Championship, coming in runner-ups on six occasions and have progressed into at least the quarter-finals at ever world championships since 1988.

For WSDC 2011, Team England will be

• Matthew Handley (St Francis Xavier, Liverpool) {Returning Member}
• Greg Farquhar (Grammar School at Leeds) {Returning Member}
• Alice Coombes-Huntley (Parrs Wood, Manchester)
• Akshay Kishan Karia (The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School, London)

Team England will be coached by Nick Pacheco, WSDC Team England coach in 2010.

Source: http://esu.org/page.asp?p=6773 and http://esu.org/page.asp?p=6702

20th Interanational Christian University Tournament

Dear all,

We hope all of you had a good New Year.

ICU, Japan would now like to open up the registration process for the 20th ICU Tournament.
Thank you for your patience.

Registration process

Step 1: Please fill out the attached application form and send it to c131369e@yamata.icu.ac.jp.
Step 2: We will send the confirmation e-mail. Please complete step 2 by Feb 18th
Step 3: You will be asked to pay the registration fee directly to us by cash when you resister on March 12th.
*Registration fee will be 7500 yen per person (including accommodation fee for 3 nights)
*Step 3 is only for those who choose to stay in the accommodation place we provide
*Team will be eliminated from the tab and will not be able to break in the 20th ICU Tournament if all of participants (debaters, adjudicators, and observers) not pay registration fee on March 12th

Below is the detailed information about the 20th ICU Tournament.
———————————————————-

Date: March 12th ~13th 2011
Venue: International Christian University (ICU) in Tokyo, Japan, [3-10-2 Osawa Mitaka-shi Tokyo, Japan]
Website: http://www.icu.ac.jp/index_e.html

Format

Asian Style (Gov.3 / Opp. 3)

1st day: 4 preliminary rounds
2nd day: 8 breaks breaking rounds (QF, SF, GF)

Conditions

• That three of debaters in team must be undergraduate students
• Composite teams are allowed as well
• Offering judges
  • That you offer [N-1] judges for university teams from oversea
  • (e.g. No judge for 1 team participating, 1 judge for 2 teams participating, 3 judges for 4 teams participating)
  • That you offer [N=1] judges in the case of composite teams from oversea
  • Additional judges are allowed
  • We also welcome independent adjudicators very much
  • Please contact us if you, especially composite teams, have problems finding adjudicators

CA

The Chief Adjudicator for this year’s tournament will be Toshiaki Ikehara. His international debating experiences include:

• Octofinalist of All Asian Intervarsity Debating Championship 2007
• Breaking Adjudicator at Botswana Worlds 2011
• Breaking Adjudicator of Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championship 2010
• Grand Final Adjudicator of Northeast Asian Open 2010
• Champion of Hong Kong Debate Open 2010

Fee and Accommodations

Registration fee is 7,500 yen (per person) which includes the accommodation fees of 3 nights. (11th – 13th March). However, participants from outside of Japan will be asked to pay other expenses such as transportation fees (from airport to university, bus or taxi) and meals during the tournament. Accommodations for an extended stay (i.e. before March 11 and after March 13) will not be provided. We can help you if you have any troubles or questions to find hotels.

Mitaka City Hotel – http://www.jalan.net/yad398198/ (there is no English website)

Contact

If you have any questions, or if you want further information, please feel free to e-mail me at c131369e@yamata.icu.ac.jp or noramiyu0714@yahoo.co.jp

Especially those who need VISA (invitational letter, signature of tournament director etc.), please contact us earlier.
We are very much looking forward to seeing you.

International Liaison of 20th ICU Tournament: Miyuki Orito

Application Form: http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/14643204/1391619150/name/20thICUT%20app%20form.doc

Sued by my own parents

Taking care of parents has long been a ‘moral’ responsibility above anything else. It’s not something that one usually attributes a legal commitment towards. However, in the land of the dragon, it may soon be the case that your elderly parent has the legal right to sue you for not visiting them often enough.

According to an SCMP article, a draft amendment of the 1996 ‘Law on Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly’ is reported to include such a provision. It should be noted that this provision is not yet in effect nor indeed guaranteed to become law at any point in the future. SCMP goes on to say

The revision would for the first time provide a legal framework for the elderly to sue their children for failing to visit them, Wu Ming , deputy department head in the Ministry of Civil Affairs, said yesterday.

The Legal Evening News quoted Wu as saying the amendment would contain a new provision on spiritual support for the elderly in which “family members should not ignore and isolate the elderly, and they should come often to visit the elderly if they do not live under the same roof”.

While I understand the concept behind such a law, I fail to see how it will have any practical benefit. Indeed, if a child fails to visit their parents regularly, suing them is unlikely to make them any more willing. Quite the contrary, it would appear that someone being sued would bear resentment towards their parents. Even if they are forced to cover their parents cost of living, they are unlikely to have a sudden change of heart and visit their parents regularly out of love. If anything, it becomes just another mundane legal duty rather than a moral one.

The law might have good intentions, but it isn’t likely to improve anything.

WSDC 2011 – Team Wales

This is part of the WSDC 2011 series as I recount and report on the World School Debating Championship 2011 in Dundee, Scotland as a debater, blogger and Wales national team member.

After three rounds of selections that culminated in a Training Weekend at the Temple of Peace, Cardiff on 11 and 12 of December 2010, Team Wales has emerged, ready for the 2011 World Schools Debating Championships to be held in Dundee, Scotland.

The 5 debaters are:

• Josephine Maidment {Returning Member}
• Sarah Roberts {Returning Member}
• David Wigley {Returning Member}
• Catrin Davies
• Paul Lau {Member of Team Hong Kong in 2010}

The team will be jointly coached by Ellen Robertson and Jonathan Leader-Maynard.