As we've reached November on the calender, it is time for the annual discussion of the place of current events in quizbowl. I think that current events questions should not be objected to, but I do object to a separate part of the distribution being set aside for current events, since there is already room for current events in a completely academic distribution. Any current events worth asking about would almost certainly fit into one of the academic categories (history, science, law, etc.), and for the cases that don't neatly fit into an academic category, there is always that "general" tossup or bonus that finds its way into just about every distribution. If one includes a separate part of the distribution specifically for current events (be it 4/4, 3/3, or whatever), this creates the implied idea that something should be asked about just because it's modern, which leads to a lot of really unimportant stuff being asked about just because the distribution needs to be filled out. The point I'm trying to make is that, if something current is worth asking about, there is already room for it in just about any distrubition, and that any additional room made for current events for its own sake generally leads to lame questions that no one will care about five minutes after they hear them. My 27 cents, Kelly
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