BorFest: The Legacy Lives On

The scoop on BorFest is that it was a ton of fun. From Danny and Derrigan's mad rhymes to Vera's dance, talents emerged. And, who knew that Sanne could wail like that? Impressive. Our MC/ microphone stand, Nat, also did a great job.

You can hear higlights of "BorFest 2007: Bor's Elegies" on IDEA radio, so, have a listen. Who knows? We may get crazy and have a "Borfest II: The Sequel" next week. In the meantime, check out some pics.

Tonight is Country Night--sans boots and cowboy hats. We're excited about some great country introductions. Rumor has it that the Haitian students are gonna sing a song.

Countdown to BorFest

Tonight's the night. Excitement is growing. Bor has been seen stalking nervously around Duino, scowling at anyone and everything. Even his morning coffee doesn't seem to have given Bor any pleasure this morning. This is a sure sign that tonight's BorFest will truly be a special event. Tun in Live on IDEA Radio starting at 8:30 GMT.

Howling in Duino

If you hear mysterious howls echoing from the cliffs of Duino tonight, it's not because we've added a werewolf to our mix of characters (though the moon is becoming full, and we're a little concerned about Marjan's sudden surge of facial hair). You're probably hearing genuine Duino Karaoke--coming straight to you from the Foresteria lobby. We're keeping our fingers crossed that Noel will decide to do a rendition of "Thriller," but we'll settle for Ioana and "Livin' La Vida Loca."

Update: Marjan shaved, so strike that out of the equation.

IDEA Welcomes its Newest Member, Pipo!

Our newest member, Sebastian Doyle Bonomo [Pipo!] was born on July 7th.

Best wishes to Sebastian, Heather and Hernan,
IDEA.

BorFest Plans Continue

Excitement grows in the hamlet of Duino for BorFest. Rumor has it the Duke of Castle Duino may show up - we're worried, though, since Bor still has issues with Duino being considered part of Italy.

Now Zombies?

It's only Monday, but it could be that the mixture of Citizen Journalism and Debate Labs on Saturday combined with a day at the beach/ in the city yesterday was a bit too much for our Duino-ers. It's Monday afternoon in Italy, and we've had a lot of zombie sightings in the classroom building. Participants are working hard--and working together, though--which is nice to see, zombies or not.

Perhaps we could call on our local wizard to infuse a little energy into this Duino afternoon.

Wizards and Vampires in Duino?

Okay, so we know that Duino is beautiful--and that the dormitory where we're staying looks right over the edge of cliffs above the Adriatic. Who could complain about that? I really hadn't planned on it, until two recent supernatural sightings: a vampire and a wizard. Yep, that's right. Right here in Duino. The dormitory is sort of old and castle-like, so it's really no surprise that both of these creepy phenomena have appeared.

Just yesterday, the wizard cast a spell on our cafeteria so that all of the food that was served was exactly identical to the food the day before! Shocking. We're waiting to see what he does next. We hope he's feeling kind enough to magically create a filet mignon out of bean soup...we can always hope.

The vampire situation, however, is a little more serious. By this point at Duino, the amount of time and work the participants are putting in is becoming obvious--as indicated by increased coffee intake and bags under eyes. They're becoming likely victims for our guest from Transylvania. In fact, the other day, one of the Haitian participants seemed to be blinded by the light of another participant's crucifix necklace. And, she wouldn't go near the garlic pasta at lunch. Draw your own conclusions.

More from Duino soon...I hope.

IDEA NJFL Tournament Corrections

Hi Readers,

The IDEA.Blogspot watchdogs and keepers of accuracy have pointed out three errors in the NJFL rankings that need to be corrected:

Prose:
2nd Place finalist: Page Isuani is from the St. Clement's School

Humorous Interpretation:

Both the 1st place winner, Aiden Kennedy and the 7th place finalist Sarah Griffin, are from Sidney Lanier Middle School.

Apologies for these errors and thanks for pointing them out!

Aaron

Preparations for BorFest VI Have Begun

Preparations for BorFest VI, Bor's Elegies, are underway. BorFest VI will be broadcast LIVE starting at 7:30pm GMT on Thursday, July 12. IDEA Radio's new station master, Nat Towsen, will be hosting this year's BorFest broadcast.

IDEA National Junior Forensic League National Championship Tournament Original Oratory, Humorous Interpretation, and School of Excellence Results

And last but most certainly NOT least:

Original Oratory:

This event broke to semis.

Semifinalists:

Ajit Singh (Sidney Lanier)
Yan Li Ni (CNMI Saipan)
Amber Martinez (Ribet Academy)
Max Patterson (Sidney Lanier)

Finalists:

1st: Daniela Rivera (Ribet Academy)
2nd: Myles Miller (Bronx Prep)
3rd: Rafael Go (Sidney Lanier)
4th: David Janovsky (Pike School)
5th: Robin Go (Sidney Lanier)
6th: Olivia Arena (Sidney Lanier)
7th: John French (Pike School)
8th: Andrew Theobold (North MS)

Humorous Interpretation:

Quarterfinalists:

Harry Wood (Pike School)
Chan Woo Lee (CNMI Saipan)
Brianne Powell (Bronx Prep)
Riley Acker (Lewis Palmer)
Sara Volz (North MS)
Bal Eum Hong (CNMI Saipan)
James Hamilton (Pike School)
Kelvin Barnard (Bronx Prep)
Tori Fanberg (Franklin MS)
Brendan Mallory (Ribet Academy)

Semifinalists:

Katey Haas (Franklin MS)
Jessica Grams (Franklin MS)
Tucker Hamilton (Mountain Ridge)
Kent Healy (St. Mary's Hall)
Shae Davis (Russell MS)
Meagan Rowell (Lewis Palmer)
Mereylen Denora (CNMI Saipan)
Jacob Fox (St. Mary's Hall)
Ethan Vanderslice (Sidney Lanier)
JB Jensen (Windsor MS)

Finalists:

1st: Aiden Kennedy (St. Mary's Hall)
2nd: Ben Kellogg (Sidney Lanier)
3rd: Jared Naylor (St. Mary's Hall)
4th: Stephanie Strehlow (Pike School)
5th: Timothy McLaughlin (Pike School)
6th: Hannah Viroslav (St. Mary's Hall)
7th: Sarah Griffith (St. Mary's Hall)
8th: Max McGillivray (Sidney Lanier)



School Excellence Awards:
(winners of this award are not ranked, and are listed in no particular order)

The Bronx Preparatory Charter School (New York, NY)
Sidney Lanier Middle School (Houston, TX)
North Middle School (Colorado Springs, CO)
The Pike School (Andover, MA)
Saint Mary's Hall (San Antonia, TX)

IDEA National Junior Forensic League National Championship Tournament Prose, Poetry, Duo Interpretation, and Impromptu Results

Not to be outdone:

Prose:

Quarterfinalists:

Elizabeth Carrolo (Pike School)
Lucy Chen (Sydney Lanier)
Jay Scheinman (Jane Long)
Jessica Horton (Pike School)
Ashlynn Mondragon (Brentwood)
Bal Eum Hong (CNMI Saipan)
Anthony Azari (Brentwood)
Jared Naylor (St. Mary's Hall)
Alex Leal (Jane Long)
Ben Kellogg (St. Mary's Hall)
Alex Hollis (Brentwood)

Semifinalists:

Chloe Schafer (St. Clements)
Denora Merelyn (CNMI Saipan)
Timothy McLaughlin (Pike School)
Robyn Straus (St. Mary's Hall)
Adam Arsenault (Pike School)
Abbi Helfer (North MS)
Brooks Naylor (St. Mary's Hall)
Erin Cusenbary (St. Mary's Hall)
Ana Martinez (Jane Long MS)
Aisha Joyner (CNMI Saipan)

Finalists:

1st: Brooke Kantor (Sydney Lanier)
2nd: Paige Isuani (Pike School)
3rd: Doreen Berko (Sydney Lanier)
4th: Katie Raitz (St. Clement's)
5th: Tinglan Dai (North MS)
6th: Sydney Bagley (St. Mary's Hall)
7th: Ara Bilazarian (Sydney Lanier)
8th: Jacob Fox (Pike School)

Poetry:

Quarterfinalists:

John French (Pike School)
James Hamilton (Pike School)
Taryn McQueen (Brentwood)
Aisha Joyner (CNMI Saipan)
Yan Ni Li (CNMI Saipan)
Veronika Reidel (Heath MS)
Natalie Baldwin (Russell)
Ana Martinez (Jane Long MS)
Tabi MacMillan (Russell MS)
Angie Andrade (Brentwood MS)

Semifinalists:

Sally Huang (Sidney Lanier)
John E. Elenzano (CNMI Saipan)
Sydney Bagley (Pike School)
Elizabeth Carrolo (Pike School)
Rilwan Babijide (Jane Long MS)
Becki Yukman (North MS)
Taylor Alvarado (St. Clements)
Anthony Azari (Brentwood)
JJ Hurst (Russell MS)
Brianne Powell (Bronx Prep)

Finalists:

1st: Tess Macapinlac (Sidney Lanier)
2nd: Max Gillivray (Pike School)
3rd: Tiffany McLarty (Bronx Prep)
4th: James Barkley (Sidney Lanier)
5th: Antonio Brown (Bronx Prep)
6th: Chiantee Rosette (CNMI Saipan)
7th: Olivia Arena (Sidney Lanier)
8th: Rachel Stern (Pike School)

Duo Interpretation:

Quarterfinalists:

Mark Anthony Liban & Chiantee Rosette (CNMI Saipan)
Riley Acker & Theresa Pucci (Lewis Palmer)
Noah Brace & Clayton Farris (Sidney Lanier)
Michael Hamlin & Joel Nordby (Lewis Palmer)
Lindsay Gaiser & Kristen Myers (Brentwood)
Caroline Howell & Torea Williams (Brentwood)
Hannah Hockley & Jessica Martin (Franklin)

Semifinalists:

Tania Babu & Ana Martinez (Jane long)
Kirbie Huwa & Sontasia Salsman (Heath MS)
Kent Healy & Jared Naylor (St. Mary's Hall)
Chloe Schafer & Christa (St. Celement's)
Sari Imber & Robyn Straus (St. Mary's Hall)
James Hamilton & Harry Wood (Pike School)
Shae Davis & Alex Siverson (Russel MS)
Sydney Bagley & Jessica Horton (Pike School)
Warren Swartwout & Natalie Varnet (Lewis Palmer)
Rilwan Babijide & Alex Leal (Jane Long)
Anthony Azari & Madeline Azari (Brentwood)
Elizabeth Carrolo & Rachel Stern (Pike School)
Jacqueline Laguarta & Chelsea Snipes (Sidney Lanier)

Finalists:

1st: Tiffany McLarty & Brianne Powell (Bronx Prep)
2nd: Kelvin Bernard & Antonio Brown (Bronx Prep)
3rd: Krista Tremblay & Hanna Viroslav (St. Mary's Hall)
4th: Jacob Fox & Ben Kellogg (St. Mary's Hall)
5th: Angie Andrade & Isaac Arellano (Brentwood)
6th: Ara Bilazarian & Max McGillvray (Pike School)
7th: Sara Volz & Becki Yukman (North MS)
8th: Erin Cusenbary & Brooks Naylor (St. Mary's Hall)

Impromptu:

Quarterfinalists:

Vikram Iyer (Sidney Lanier)
Timothy McLaughlin (Pike School)
Sarah Rasmussen (Lewis Palmer MS)
Rilwan Babijide (Jane Long)
Zacc Helfer (North MS)
Sara Imber (St. Mary's Hall)
Jay Scheinman (Jane Long)
Bal Hong Eum (CNMI Saipan)
Alex Hollis (Brentwood)
Sam Epstein (St. Clements)

Semifinalists:

Jacob Fox (St. Mary's Hall)
Jared Naylor (St. Mary's Hall)
Stephanie Strehlow (St. Mary's Hall)
Adam Arsenault (Pike School)
Reid Geissen (Sidney Lanier)
Paige Isuani (St. Clements)
Carter Moon (North MS)
Harry Wood (Pike School)
Cole Huff (Ribet Academy)
Brooks Naylor (St. Mary's Hall)

Finalists:

1st: David Janovsky (Pike School)
2nd: Jessica Rangel (Heath MS)
3rd: John French (Pike School)
4th: Katie Raitz (North MS)
5th: Brooke Bettolo (Windsor MS)
6th: Robert Hollar (Ribet Academy)
7th:John H. Strauss (Sidney Lanier)
8th: Chan Woo Lee (CNMI Saipan)

A Short Reflection

Duino. Day 6. It was July 4th on the bus from Venice with exhausted Duino campers and staff that I realized the beauty of all that's going on here. Beauty is a relatively vague and subjective term, so, let me define it. Beauty is people from ages 15 to 51, representing 19 different countries, spending their days speaking, listening, exploring the complexities of what it is to be a member of a global community, what it is to be human. I know, this is relatively touchy-feely, but, getting beyond the rigorous daily schedule of classes, meals, and the dreaded 11 pm bedchecks, there's some great stuff going on here. Stay tuned for more...I have a feeling there will be some good stories.

Nutella, My Nutella

The Daily Top Ten: What We Love about Duino

1) Nutella on fresh bread, on fingers, and mixed with coffee (?)

2) Nat Towsen's impressions

3) 80's Music from Wedding Receptions at the Castello

4) Marching through the streets of Venice with 59 other people

5) The Roma Pavillion at the Bienalle!!

6) The Moon shining over the Adriatic Sea

7) Bor's Turkish coffee

8) 11 pm Bed Checks

9) Mosquito Repellent

10) Interviewing Duino residents in pseudo-Italian: "Ciao--grazie!"

Photos From The First Two Days

IDEA National Junior Forensic League National Championship Tournament Public Forum, LD, Extemp, and Dramatic Results

Hi Readers in the IDEA Blogosphere,

Here are the results from the IDEA-NJFL tournament. The event ended last Sunday, July 1, and by all accounts it was a great event, and everyone is looking forward to next years.

Public Forum Debate:

Quarterfinalists:

Terran Hause & Jordan Stark (Windsor MS)
James Wadman & Rafael Go (Sydney-Lanier)
Bennett Ostdiek & Max Patterson (Sydney Lanier)
Joshua Martinez & Myles Miller (Bronx Prep)

Sydney Lanier Middle School in Houston, TX closed out semi's and did not want its teams to be ranked, so all are billed as co-champions:
John Wang & Yue Wu
Alexander Hoyer & Justin Battle
Nathan Burchard & Marcel Hernandez
Reid Geissen & Noah Morrison

Lincol Douglas Debate:

Quarterfinalists:

Aamil Sarfani (St, Mary's Hall)
Vikram Iyer (sydney Lanie)
Leo Putnam (Sydney Lanier)
Bradford Reed (Sydney Lanier)


Semifinalists:

Robert Hollar (Ribet Academy)
Jessica Im Lee (CNMI Saipan)

Again, in LD, Sydney Lanier closed out finals, and both debaters chose to be co-champions instead of being ranked:

Zachary Ward
Brit Byrd


Extemporaneous Speaking:

1st: Brit Byrd (sydney Lanier)
2nd: Rafael Go (sydney Lanier)
3rd: Bradford Reed (sydney Lanier)
4th: Bennett Ostdiek (Sydney Lanier)
5th: Ryan Smith (Lewis Palmer)
6th: Reid Geissen (Sydney Lanier)
7th: Robyn Straus (St. Mary's Hall)
8th: Aamil Sarfani


Dramatic Interpretation:

Quarters:

Veronika Reidel (Heath MS)
Ellen Hunter (Heath MS)
David Janovsky (Pike MS)
Erin Cusenbary (St. Mary's)
Brenna McNeil (North MS)
Olivia Arena (Sydney Lanier)
Crystal Angevine (Windsor MS)
Amber Martinez (Ribet Academy)
Lola Coco (Sydney Lanier)
Alex Leal (Jane Long MS)

Semifinals:

Tucker Hamilton (Mountain Ridge MS)
Paige Isuani (St. Clements)
John E. Elenzano (CNMI Saipan)
Stephanie Strehlow (St. Mary's Hall)
Brooks Naylor (St. Mary' Hall)
Madeline Azari (Brentwood MS)
Natalie Varnet (Lewis Palmer)
Daniela Rivera (Ribet Academy)
Adam Arsenault (Pike School)
Rachel Stern (Pike School)

Finalists:

1st: Alex Siverson (Russell MS)
2nd: Meagan Rowell (Lewis Palmer MS)
3rd: Sontasia Salsman (Heath MS)
4th: Hannah Viroslav (St. Mary's Hall)
5th: Mark Anthony Liban (CNMI Saipan)
6th: Krista Tremblay (St. Mary's Hall)
7th: Joshua Martinez (Bronx Prep)
8th: Alex Benton (Lewis Palmer)

IDEA NJFL tournament Day 3 pics

And a day 3 montage, including awards:

2007 National Junior Forensic League National Championship pictures

Greeting from the NJFL tournament--here's a montage of pictures from Satruday, day 2 of the event:

IDEA Radio Live from Duino!

IDEA is broadcasting from Duino!

No, we're not talking 24 hours a day of straight debate. That would get kind of annoying, and I'm not sure I know anyone who likes debate that much. We'll be streaming music, Citizen Journalism Projects, and all kinds of other audio that is IDEA & Duino related.

Listen to IDEA Radio!

Want to help the LDers in Duino?

This summer the high school debaters in Duino are preparing to debate this coming school year's National Forensci League, Lincoln Douglas Debate topics. They're paying particular attention to a topic relating to the environment:

Resolved: The precautionary principle ought to guide environmental regulations.

You can participate in the online discussions through the IDEA wiki - all you need is an idebate.org login.

The Big Duino Blackout?

OK, so it wasn't big, but it was a blackout. Last nights lightning storm proved too much for the laid-back power grid in Duino and as soon as it came down like an angry woman, all the lights went out. Yours truly got stranded in the computer lab looking for the breakers for an hour.

We were able to retrieve some photos of the storm... apologies for the out-of-focus shots but we are still working on steadying our hands.





While we search for cleaner photos, here is Bor's rabbit keeping you company.

IDEA-National Junior Forensic League 2007 National Championship Tournament

Greeting IDEA world from Greeley, Colorado, USA.

My name is Aaron Fishbone and I'm working for IDEA at this tournament, and just wanted to give a shout out to the IDEA network and fill y'all in on what's going on up here in cowboy country.

Well, first there's the Greeley Stampede, the world's largest 4th of July Rodeo, which was a ton of fun! Music, demolition derby, and all manner of ropin' and ridin' events. There's a lot of hip-hop and country music and dancin'. And there's this Bed & Breakfast called the Sodbuster Inn which is Western in ambiance but like an amazing French pattiserie in their breakfast offerings. Funny combination, huh? Welcome to Greeley.

Oh, and like I said, it's also the site of the NJFL Middle School National Championship, at Greeley Central High School. There are 171 students from 18 schools competing in 10 different forensics events: Public Forum Debate, Lincoln Douglas Debate, Extemporaneous Speaking, Impromptu Speaking, Dup Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, Dramatic Interpretation, Poetry, Prose, and Original Oratory.

Top to Bottom: 1) The chaos of the common area, 2) A Poetry competitor dazzles his audience, 3) Students enjoy BBQ on a beautiful sunny day.

The 18 schools come from all over the USA: The Commonwealth of the Northern Marianna Islands, Colorado, Texas, Massachussetts, New York City, and California.

Debate events started friday, and we were able to complete all 5 prelimenary rounds that day. Saturday we had debate elims and speech prelims. The weather has been gorgeous (well, it's about 100 degrees Farenheit today) and during Saturday's lunch the hosts organized a huge barbeque and a country band to play in the school's outdoor courtyard. Participant's didn't seem to care too much about scuffing up their suits and dresses as they played ultimate frisbee, foootball, and generally rolled around in the prarie grasses.

A local country/folk band entertains the competitors at the Saturday BBQ.

Finally, after a grueling Saturday which lasted from 8 am until 11 pm (for us in the tab room at least), we were able to get some rest.

In a few minutes I'll have the elimination round results and post them.

Enjoy, Aaron