Gethenians are a variant of humans who are ambisexual (having both male and female sex characteristics) most of the time: for the majority of each month they are in somer, a neutral state with no fixed sex and no sexual drive. During Kemmer, which lasts a few days, their bodies temporarily become male or female. Which sex they take on isn’t fixed in advance—it depends on hormonal interaction with a partner. One partner becomes male, the other female, and they can reproduce during this time. What sex a Gethenian is can vary across kemmerings with the same partner, and at different times in their life. Outside of kemmer, sexual roles and drives simply don’t exist.

The Torah is composed in classical Hebrew, the Quran is composed in classical Arabic, the majority of the New Testament is composed in Koine Greek. The Vedas are composed in Sanskrit.

Following the floor crossing of two Conservative MPs, the Liberal Party of Canada is currently two seats shy of a majority government. They are widely anticipated to win the upcoming by-election in University-Rosedale (Chrystia Freeland's vacant riding). Elizabeth May is the only sitting member of the Green Party of Canada.

Founded in 2015, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a Kurdish milita which captured and controlled large swaths of North-Eastern Syria. As of January 2026, an offensive by the Syrian Army has captured the majority of SDF held territory. As of Friday the SDF and Syrian government have reached a truce agreement which involves a timeline for the Syrian government getting direct control of most formerly SDF held territory.

Elder Delegation refers to parents assigning partial responsiblities to their older children in raising the younger children.

For the purposes of this debate, "Al Capone" cases involve pursuing organized crime for financial crimes (e.g. laundering, tax evasion, fraud) rather than through conviction on violent or drug crime.

The European People’s Party is the largest party in the European Parliament, it is comprised of centre-right political parties across the EU such as the CDU in Germany and Les Républicains in France.