What's The Res?

Josh and Ethan interview Dr. Roberto Salinas-Leon, the President of the Mexico Business Forum and the Alamos Alliance; he is also the Director of the Center for Latin America with the Atlas Network. Dr. Salinas-Leon holds an MA and PhD in Philosophy from Purdue, and triple majored at Hillsdale College in political economy, history, philosophy. He is also a Senior Debate Fellow and debate lecturer at the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation. He was instrumental in the creation of NAFTA, and the conversation between Josh, Ethan, and Dr. Salinas-Leon ranges from Dr. Salinas-Leon's experiences as an international student to his views on President Trump's economic policies to the value of debate as an intellectual pursuit of truth. Check it out! And let us know what you think in the comments, or email us at WhatsTheRes@gmail.com! Twitter, Instagram, Reddit - @Whatstheres_ Facebooks - Facebook.com/whatstheres/

This episode is a sample of our Premium Debates - if you like it, check out https://whatstheres.podbean.com/premium for seven more debate episodes! Ethan has affirmative, and Josh takes negative on the resolution "Religion does more harm than good." Dr. Melissa Edwards gives her verdict at the end of the episode; we recorded this on her last day as administrator of our school, and the episode is dedicated to her. Once you've listened to the episode, click here to vote and let us know who you think won! Be sure to check out https://whatstheres.podbean.com/premium for all of our Premium Debates! Gun reform, public education, Marvel vs. DC - we've got a lot of great topics! We will be releasing one debate and one analysis episode per month! Enjoy! https://whatstheres.podbean.com/premium

Josh and Ethan interview Matthew Tweden, a high school debater from Texas, about debate jargon. Matthew competes in various national tournaments (most recently, the Coolidge Cup and the NSDA), and in this episode he lends us his understanding of debate  terms and techniques that circuit debaters use. Let us know what you think of the episode! Email - WhatsTheRes@gmail.com Facebook.com/whatstheres Twitter, Instagram, Reddit - @Whatstheres_ Premium debates - https://whatstheres.podbean.com/premium

At NSDA Nationals 2019, one female debater held up a sign indicating that 2/28 finalists on stage were female; this image reignited an ongoing discussion amongst coaches, debaters, and the community about gender bias in public forum debate. At the Coolidge Cup 2019 tournament, Josh interviewed Anna Clare S., a recent graduate of the Cambridge School and competitor in Public Forum for her perspective on gender bias in debate! Check it out, and let us know what you think!   Email - Whatstheres@gmail.com Facebook - Facebook.com/Whatstheres? Twitter, Instagram, Reddit - @Whatstheres_

In this episode, Ethan sits down with David Parau, a debater with experience in both traditional and progressive debate environments, to discern the similarities and differences between the two different types. Email: whatstheres@gmail.com Instagram, Twitter, Reddit: @whatstheres_ www.whatstheres.com  facebook.com/whatstheres/

Over the past six weeks, we've been developing a series of premium episodes featuring real people holding real debates! We have seven episodes ready for Launch Day (July 1, 2019) and are thrilled to release these episodes. These debates are available for a $3 a month subscription, or a $30 season pass (good for one year). Each month, we will add at least one more debate episode. We are also developing a series of analysis episodes that explain each debate from a debater's point of view. We will have the first seven of those ready by the end of July! You can begin accessing our premium content by going to https://whatstheres.podbean.com/ and clicking the orange bar under each premium episode. Thank you for your support of our work here at What's the Res!

Josh and Ethan rehash the first Democratic primary debate from 6/26. Elizabeth Warren, Beto O'Rourke, Cory Booker, and Julian Castro are the major players, and the debate focuses on economic issues, gender concerns, LGBTQ+, abortion, immigration, gun reform, climate change, and more! Check it out, and let us know what you think!   Instagram, Twitter,  Reddit - @Whatstheres_ Email - WhatsTheRes@gmail.com Facebook - Facebook.com/whatstheres/

The What's the Res team tested out Castbox' Livecast program on 6/26 with a live debate between Ethan and Patrick. This file is the edited version of their live debate (with pauses, table scraping, and random noises taken out). Ethan argues affirmative, and Patrick is on negative for the resolution "On balance, President Trump has done well in his first term." Josh is both moderator and judge for this one, but we'd love to know what you think! If you listen to the whole debate, click here and tell us who you think made the best arguments!  Poll to determine the winner: https://forms.gle/TTpJVe8hnDNYSeM7A Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Reddit @Whatstheres_, or like our Page on Facebook to get notifications of our next Livecast debate! As always, you can email us any feedback at WhatsTheRes@gmail.com.

While traveling this summer, Josh Herring met Josh Davis, Executive Director of Proskuneo, a ministry focused on helping churches expand their outreach in multicultural and multilingual ways. In this episode, they discuss Clarkston, GA ("The most diverse square mile in the United States"), multiculturalism, and the way churches can come alongside international refugees to welcome them into the United States. Side note one - this episode is adjacent to a potential 2019-2020 PF resolution on international climate change refugees. Side note two - the day after recording, Josh Herring learned that as of 2016 the UN stated there were 21 million international refugees, rather than the 67 million number he cites in this interview. Enjoy! Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to learn about our upcoming live debate via Castbox's Livecast platform on June 26! @Whatstheres_ - Instagram and Twitter www.facebook.com/whatstheres/ Whatstheres@gmail.com

In this episode, Josh interviews Mrs. Annette Kirk about the late Dr. Russell Kirk and the way his years debating in high school and college prepared him for his career in the public square. Dr. Kirk was the founder of the intellectual conservatism movement with the publication of his Conservative Mind, and he spent his career advocating for the "permanent things" in the face of the endless "whirl" of modernity. He advised presidents, debated radicals, and maintained a ceaseless pace of publication. Mrs. Kirk tells us about Dr. Kirk, including his shyness as a teenager, and their romance during the late 1960s! Check it out, and let us know what you think at WhatsTheRes@gmail.com!

In this episode, Josh interview Gleaves Whitney, director of the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University. Gleaves explains the history of the Common Ground Initiative, the value of finding common ground with those on an opposing political position, and outlines the unique debate methods used by the Common Ground Initiative at Grand Valley State University. Gleaves is also a Senior Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal, and towards the conclusion of the episode Gleaves explains Kirk's role in American intellectual history. Enjoy! And if you have questions or feedback, email us at WhatsTheRes@gmail.com!  

This episode breaks from our usual pattern of focusing on resolution analysis to consider where debate happens outside of tournament competition. Josh interview his dad, Dr. Phillip Herring, about the role debate plays in the largest denominational gathering in the United States each year. Just in time for #SBC19, this episode explains the nature of the convention, the way Baptists function democratically, and how debate gives every Messenger a voice to leadership. Check it out! And let us know what you think! You can email us at Whatstheres@gmail.com, or follow on Instagram and Twitter @Whatstheres_.

In this episode, Josh and Tyler Bonin go into detail about unilateral free trade, and explain the ins and out as to what this would look like. Tyler Bonin shares his insight on the economics of free trade policy. Email us: whatstheres@gmail.com Instagram and Twitter: @whatstheres_    

In this episode, Ethan and Josh discuss the Coolidge Cup (2019) resolution, and give insight on potential arguments and strategies. They talk about the meaning of "unilateral free trade," the impacts that such a position would have on current US-China trade relations, and the moral arguments vs economic arguments in this resolution. Check it out, and let us know what you think! This is the last episode in What's the Res? Season 1 - be on the lookout for our sporadic summer episodes, and Season 2 beginning in August!   Email us: whatstheres@gmail.com   Instagram and Twitter: @whatstheres_

In this episode, Josh interviews Albert Feng, graduate student at Stanford University, on his experience in the debate world, and his current plans on forwarding the practice of competitive debate. Albert is launching an online debate camp helping NSDA LD qualifiers prepare for nationals - check it out here: https://tinyurl.com/2019-nsda-ld-camp Josh and Albert discuss the unique challenges facing small programs, the way debate summer camps can jumpstart a debate career, and the longterm value of debate. Let us know what you think: Email us at whatstheres@gmail.com, and you can follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @whatstheres_  

Josh and Ethan analyze the #Nats19 NSDA Public Forum resolution - "Resolved: The United States federal government should enforce antitrust regulations on technology giants." After a grammatical breakdown, they walk through the Sherman Act, the FTC Act, and the Clayton Act. They describe the current top financial tech companies, and offer thoughts about Pro and Con argumentation strategy. Check it out, and let us know what you think at whatstheres@gmail.com! 

Without administrative support, debate in a school setting could not happen. In this episode, Josh sits down with Dr. Melissa Edwards, Administrator of Thales Academy Rolesville JH/HS. They discuss her doctoral research, the value she sees in speech and debate, her view on #NCRedForEd, and the effects of speech and debate in students. We had a great conversation - check it out, and let us know what you think at Whatstheres@gmail.com.

Josh and Ethan explore the College Board's new Adversity Score system, and argue that it is an unjust system that compromises the objectivity of the SAT. They base their analysis on the Wall Street Journal's article (5/16) breaking the story, and focus on the many ways this adversity score system can be abused and how it harms students who have worked hard to demonstrate their academic prowess. By the end of the episode, Josh suggests boycotting the SAT and considering the Classic Learning Test as an alternative route. If you want to contact us about anything in the episode, or share your thoughts on this new College Board system, email us at whatstheres@gmail.com.    Correction - In this episode, Josh stated that the ACT is owned by the College Board. That statement was incorrect, and this correction means the threat of a testing monopoly is less severe than the conclusion of this episode explains. Apologies.

Josh interviews Nathan Orlando, an old friend who has gone on to pursue a PhD in International Relations from Baylor University and currently teaches at St. Vincent College. They discuss the #Nats19 LD resolution, expand on the analysis given in E24, and bring Nathan's research to the questions of justice, revolution, violence, and oppression. Check it out, and let us know what you think by emailing us at whatstheres@gmail.com!