query: Estimates of the number of species on Earth today vary widely, and most of those species have not been described.

pos: Earth Earth ( from Eorðe -LSB- Γαῖα , Gaia -RSB- Terra ) , otherwise known as the World or the Globe , is the third planet from the Sun and the only object in the Universe known to harbor life . It is the densest planet in the Solar System and the largest of the four terrestrial planets .   According to radiometric dating and other sources of evidence , Earth formed about 4.54 billion years ago . Earth 's gravity interacts with other objects in space , especially the Sun and the Moon , Earth 's only natural satellite . During one orbit around the Sun , Earth rotates about its axis over 365 times ; thus , an Earth year is about 365.26 days long . Earth 's axis of rotation is tilted , producing seasonal variations on the planet 's surface . The gravitational interaction between the Earth and Moon causes ocean tides , stabilizes the Earth 's orientation on its axis , and gradually slows its rotation .   Earth 's lithosphere is divided into several rigid tectonic plates that migrate across the surface over periods of many millions of years . About 71 % of Earth 's surface is covered with water , mostly by its oceans . The remaining 29 % is land consisting of continents and islands that together have many lakes , rivers and other sources of water that contribute to the hydrosphere . The majority of Earth 's polar regions are covered in ice , including the Antarctic ice sheet and the sea ice of the Arctic ice pack . Earth 's interior remains active with a solid iron inner core , a liquid outer core that generates the Earth 's magnetic field , and a convecting mantle that drives plate tectonics .   Within the first billion years of Earth 's history , life appeared in the oceans and began to affect the Earth 's atmosphere and surface , leading to the proliferation of aerobic and anaerobic organisms . Some geological evidence indicates that life may have arisen as much as 4.1 billion years ago . Since then , the combination of Earth 's distance from the Sun , physical properties , and geological history have allowed life to evolve and thrive . In the history of the Earth , biodiversity has gone through long periods of expansion , occasionally punctuated by mass extinction events . Over 99 % of all species that ever lived on Earth are extinct . Estimates of the number of species on Earth today vary widely ; most species have not been described . Over 7.4 billion humans live on Earth and depend on its biosphere and minerals for their survival . Humans have developed diverse societies and cultures ; politically , the world has about 200 sovereign states .

neg: Hypothetical species Several extinct species have been postulated , but owing to a lack of evidence they can only be regarded as hypothetical extinct species . They have caused confusion , as they may have been a separate species , a subspecies , or an introduced species .

neg: Climate change denial Climate change denial , or global warming denial , is part of the global warming controversy . It involves denial , dismissal , unwarranted doubt or contrarian views which strongly depart from the scientific opinion on climate change , including the extent to which it is caused by humans , its impacts on nature and human society , or the potential of adaptation to global warming by human actions . Some deniers do endorse the term , but others often prefer the term climate change skepticism , although this is a misnomer for those who deny anthropogenic global warming . In effect , the two terms form a continuous , overlapping range of views , and generally have the same characteristics : both reject , to a greater or lesser extent , mainstream scientific opinion on climate change . Climate change denial can also be implicit , when individuals or social groups accept the science but fail to come to terms with it or to translate their acceptance into action . Several social science studies have analyzed these positions as forms of denialism .   Campaigning to undermine public trust in climate science has been described as a `` denial machine '' of industrial , political and ideological interests , supported by conservative media and skeptical bloggers in manufacturing uncertainty about global warming . In the public debate , phrases such as climate skepticism have frequently been used with the same meaning as climate denialism . The labels are contested : those actively challenging climate science commonly describe themselves as `` skeptics '' , but many do not comply with common standards of scientific skepticism and , regardless of evidence , persistently deny the validity of human caused global warming .   Although scientific opinion on climate change is that human activity is extremely likely to be the primary driver of climate change , the politics of global warming have been affected by climate change denial , hindering efforts to prevent climate change and adapt to the warming climate . Those promoting denial commonly use rhetorical tactics to give the appearance of a scientific controversy where there is none .   Of the world 's countries , the climate change denial industry is most powerful in the United States . Since January 2015 , the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works has been chaired by oil lobbyist and climate change denier Jim Inhofe . Inhofe is notorious for having called climate change `` the greatest hoax ever perpetrated against the American people '' and for having claimed to have debunked the alleged hoax in February 2015 when he brought a snowball with him in the Senate chamber and tossed it across the floor . Organised campaigning to undermine public trust in climate science is associated with conservative economic policies and backed by industrial interests opposed to the regulation of emissions . Climate change denial has been associated with the fossil fuels lobby , the Koch brothers , industry advocates and libertarian think tanks , often in the United States . More than 90 % of papers sceptical on climate change originate from right-wing think tanks .  The total annual income of these climate change counter-movement-organizations is roughly $ 900 million . Between 2002 and 2010 , nearly $ 120 million ( # 77 million ) was anonymously donated via the Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund to more than 100 organisations seeking to undermine the public perception of the science on climate change . In 2013 the Center for Media and Democracy reported that the State Policy Network ( SPN ) , an umbrella group of 64 U.S. think tanks , had been lobbying on behalf of major corporations and conservative donors to oppose climate change regulation .   Since the late 1970s , oil companies have published research broadly in line with the standard views on global warming . Despite this , oil companies organized a climate change denial campaign to disseminate public disinformation for several decades , a strategy that has been compared to the organized denial of the hazards of tobacco smoking by tobacco companies .

neg: Evolution of spiders __ NOTOC __   The evolution of spiders has been going on for at least 380 million years , since the first true spiders ( thin-waisted arachnids ) evolved from crab-like chelicerate ancestors . More than 45,000 extant species have been described , organised taxonomically in 3,958 genera and 114 families . There may be more than 120,000 species . Fossil diversity rates make up a larger proportion than extant diversity would suggest with 1,593 arachnid species described out of 1,952 recognized chelicerates . Both extant and fossil species are described yearly by researchers in the field ( see External links for most recent list of fossil species ) . Major developments in spider evolution include the development of spinnerets and silk secretion .

neg: Biologist A biologist , is a scientist who has specialized knowledge in the field of biology , the scientific study of life . Biologists involved in fundamental research attempt to explore and further explain the underlying mechanisms that govern the functioning of living matter . Biologists involved in applied research attempt to develop or improve more specific processes and understanding , in fields such as medicine , industry and agriculture .   While `` biologist '' can apply to any scientist studying biology , most biologists research and specialise in specific fields . In this way , biologists investigate large-scale organism interactions ( ecology ) , whole multicellular organisms , organs , tissues , cells , and small-scale cellular and molecular processes . Other biologists study less direct aspects of life , such as phylogeny and evolution .   Biologists conduct research based on the scientific method , to test the validity of a theory , with hypothesis formation , experimentation and documentation of methods and data .   There are many types of biologists . Some work on microorganisms , while others study multicellular organisms . There is much overlap between different fields of biology such as botany , zoology , microbiology , genetics and evolutionary biology , and it is often difficult to classify a biologist as only one of them . Many jobs in biology as a field require an academic degree . A doctorate or its equivalent is generally required to direct independent research , and involves a specialization in a specific area of biology . Many biological scientists work in research and development . Some conduct fundamental research to advance our knowledge of living organisms , including bacteria and other pathogens . This research enhances understanding and adds to the scientific database of literature . Furthermore , it often aids the development of solutions to problems in areas such as human health and the natural environment . These biological scientists mostly work in government , university , and private industry laboratories . Many expand on specialized research that they started in post-graduate qualifications , such as a doctorate .

neg: Natural selection Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype . It is a key mechanism of evolution , the change in heritable traits of a population over time . Charles Darwin popularised the term `` natural selection '' , and compared it with artificial selection .   Variation exists within all populations of organisms . This occurs partly because random mutations arise in the genome of an individual organism , and offspring can inherit such mutations . Throughout the lives of the individuals , their genomes interact with their environments to cause variations in traits . The environment of a genome includes the molecular biology in the cell , other cells , other individuals , populations , species , as well as the abiotic environment . Individuals with certain variants of the trait may survive and reproduce more than individuals with other , less successful , variants ; therefore , the population evolves . Factors that affect reproductive success are also important , including sexual selection ( now often included in natural selection ) and fecundity selection .   Natural selection acts on the phenotype , or the observable characteristics of an organism , but the genetic ( heritable ) basis of any phenotype that gives a reproductive advantage may become more common in a population . Over time , this process can result in populations that specialise for particular ecological niches ( microevolution ) and may eventually result in speciation ( the emergence of new species , macroevolution ) . In other words , natural selection is a key process in the evolution of a population . Natural selection can be contrasted with artificial selection , in which humans intentionally choose specific traits , whereas in natural selection there is no intentional choice .   Natural selection is one of the cornerstones of modern biology . The concept , published by Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in a joint presentation of papers in 1858 , was elaborated in Darwin 's influential 1859 book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection , or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life , which described natural selection as analogous to artificial selection , a process by which animals and plants with traits considered desirable by human breeders are systematically favoured for reproduction . The concept of natural selection originally developed in the absence of a valid theory of heredity ; at the time of Darwin 's writing , science had yet to develop modern theories of genetics . The union of traditional Darwinian evolution with subsequent discoveries in classical genetics formed the modern synthesis of the mid-20th century . The addition of molecular genetics has led to evolutionary developmental biology , which explains evolution at the molecular level . While genotypes can slowly change by random genetic drift , natural selection remains the primary explanation for adaptive evolution .

neg: Gastropoda The Gastropoda or gastropods , more commonly known as snails and slugs , are a large taxonomic class within the phylum Mollusca . The class Gastropoda includes snails and slugs of all kinds and all sizes from microscopic to large . There are many thousands of species of sea snails and sea slugs , as well as freshwater snails , freshwater limpets , land snails and land slugs .   The class Gastropoda contains a vast total of named species , second only to the insects in overall number . The fossil history of this class goes back to the Late Cambrian . There are 611 families of gastropods known , of which 202 are extinct and appear only in the fossil record .   Gastropoda ( previously known as univalves and sometimes spelled `` Gasteropoda '' ) are a major part of the phylum Mollusca , and are the most highly diversified class in the phylum , with 65,000 to 80,000 living snail and slug species . The anatomy , behavior , feeding , and reproductive adaptations of gastropods vary significantly from one clade or group to another . Therefore , it is difficult to state many generalities for all gastropods .   The class Gastropoda has an extraordinary diversification of habitats . Representatives live in gardens , woodland , deserts , and on mountains ; in small ditches , great rivers and lakes ; in estuaries , mudflats , the rocky intertidal , the sandy subtidal , in the abyssal depths of the oceans including the hydrothermal vents , and numerous other ecological niches , including parasitic ones .   Although the name `` snail '' can be , and often is , applied to all the members of this class , commonly this word means only those species with an external shell big enough that the soft parts can withdraw completely into it . Those gastropods without a shell , and those with only a very reduced or internal shell , are usually known as slugs ; those with a shell into which they can not withdraw are termed limpets .   The marine shelled species of gastropod include edible species such as abalone , conches , periwinkles , whelks , and numerous other sea snails that produce seashells that are coiled in the adult stage -- though in some , the coiling may not be very visible , for example in cowries . In a number of families of species , such as all the various limpets , the shell is coiled only in the larval stage , and is a simple conical structure after that .

neg: Taxonomic sequence Taxonomic sequence ( also known as systematic , phyletic or taxonomic order ) is a sequence followed in listing of taxa which aids ease of use and roughly reflects the evolutionary relationships among the taxa . Taxonomic sequences can exist for taxa within any rank , that is , a list of families , genera , species can each have a sequence .   Early biologists used the concept of `` age '' or `` primitiveness '' of the groups in question to derive an order of arrangement , with `` older '' or more `` primitive '' groups being listed first and more recent or `` advanced '' ones last . A modern understanding of evolutionary biology has brought about a more robust framework for the taxonomic ordering of lists . A list may be seen as a rough one-dimensional representation of a phylogenetic tree . Taxonomic sequences are essentially heuristic devices that help in arrangements of linear systems such as books and information retrieval systems . Since phylogenetic relationships are complex and non-linear , there is no unique way to define the sequence , although they generally have the more basal listed first with species that cluster in a tight group included next to each other .   The organization of field guides and taxonomic monographs may either follow or prescribe the taxonomic sequence ; changes in these sequences are often introduced by new publications .

neg: List of birds of Bermuda This is a list of the bird species recorded in Bermuda . The avifauna of Bermuda include a total of 375 species , a remarkable number considering that the island is a mere 53.3 square kilometres . Ten of these have been introduced by humans ; the mallard also occurs naturally as a non-breeding migrant . 207 are rare or accidental . Two species listed are extirpated in Bermuda ; Audubon 's shearwater formerly bred but is now only a vagrant while there are a few old records of Eskimo curlew occurring on migration but none since 1930 . Seven species are globally threatened .   This list 's taxonomic treatment ( designation and sequence of orders , families and species ) and nomenclature ( common and scientific names ) follow the conventions of the American Ornithologists ' Union checklist ( 7th edition and supplements ) . The species counts found in each family account reflect this taxonomy . Introduced and accidental species are included in the total counts for Bermuda . Species marked accidental are those listed as `` rare '' or `` very rare '' in Dobson ( 2002 ) .   The following tags have been used to highlight several categories , but not all species fall into one of these categories . Those that do not are commonly occurring native species .   ( A ) Accidental - a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Bermuda  ( I ) Introduced - a species introduced to Bermuda as a consequence , direct or indirect , of human actions  ( Ex ) Extirpated - a species that no longer occurs in Bermuda although populations exist elsewhere  ( E ) Extinct - a species that is extinct globally

neg: We Have Never Been Modern We Have Never Been Modern is a 1991 book by Bruno Latour , originally published in French as Nous n'avons jamais été modernes : Essai d'anthropologie symétrique ( English translation : 1993 ) .   The book is an `` anthropology of science '' that explores the dualistic distinction modernity makes between nature and society . Pre-modern peoples , argues Latour , made no such division . Contemporary matters of public concern such as global warming , the HIV/AIDS pandemic and emerging biotechnologies mix politics , science , popular and specialist discourse to such a degree that a tidy nature/culture dualism is no longer possible . This inconsistency has given rise to post-modern and anti-modern movements . Latour attempts to reconnect the social and natural worlds by arguing that the modernist distinction between nature and culture never existed . He claims we must rework our thinking to conceive of a `` Parliament of Things '' wherein natural phenomena , social phenomena and the discourse about them are not seen as separate objects to be studied by specialists , but as hybrid made and scrutinized by the public interaction of people , things and concepts .

neg: A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony `` A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony '' , also known by its standard botanical abbreviation Sketch Veg . Swan R. , is an 1839 article by John Lindley on the flora of the Swan River Colony . Nearly 300 new species were published in it , many of which are still current .   It appeared as Part Three of Appendix to the first twenty three volumes of Edward 's Botanical Register , the first two parts being indices of previous volumes of Edwards 's Botanical Register , of which Lindley was editor . It contained 58 pages , issued in three parts . Pages 1 to 16 were issued on 1 November 1839 ; pages 17 to 32 on 1 December 1839 ; and the remaining 26 pages on 1 January 1840 . It also contained four woodcuts based on sketches by Lindley , and nine hand-coloured lithographic plates , the artist and lithographer of which are unacknowledged and are now unknown . According to Helen Hewson , the woodcuts are of high quality , but the plates `` do not measure up to the standard of contemporary illustration '' .   `` A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony '' represents only the second attempt to provide a flora for the colony , the first being Stephan Endlicher 's 1837 Enumeratio plantarum , a Latin work of which only one installment was published . Thus there were at the time a great many undescribed species awaiting publication -- speaking of the ( now defunct ) order Stylidaceae , Lindley remarks `` In Brown 's prodromus forty-six species only are named for all New Holland ... but I possess from Swan River alone at least forty well marked species , and there are some of Baron Hugel 's with which I am unacquainted '' . Working primarily from the collections of James Drummond , Lindley was able to publish around 280 new taxa , many of which remain current .

neg: Timeline of discovery of Solar System planets and their moons The timeline of discovery of Solar System planets and their natural satellites charts the progress of the discovery of new bodies over history . Each object is listed in chronological order of its discovery ( multiple dates occur when the moments of imaging , observation , and publication differ ) , identified through its various designations ( including temporary and permanent schemes ) , and the discoverer ( s ) listed .   Historically the naming of moons did not always match the times of their discovery . Traditionally , the discoverer enjoys the privilege of naming the new object ; however , some neglected to do so ( E. E. Barnard stated he would `` defer any suggestions as to a name '' -LSB- for Amalthea -RSB- `` until a later paper '' but never got around to picking one from the numerous suggestions he received ) or actively declined ( S. B. Nicholson stated `` Many have asked what the new satellites '' -LSB- Lysithea and Carme -RSB- `` are to be named . They will be known only by the numbers X and XI , written in Roman numerals , and usually prefixed by the letter J to identify them with Jupiter . '' ) . The issue arose nearly as soon as planetary satellites were discovered : Galileo referred to the four main satellites of Jupiter using numbers while the names suggested by his rival Simon Marius gradually gained universal acceptance . The International Astronomical Union ( IAU ) eventually started cleaning up the naming business in the late 1970s .

neg: Primate A primate ( -LSB- ˈpraɪmeɪt -RSB- ) is a mammal of the order Primates ( Latin : `` prime , first rank '' ) . In taxonomy , primates include two distinct lineages , strepsirrhines and haplorhines . Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests ; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment . Most primate species remain at least partly arboreal .   With the exception of humans , who inhabit every continent , most primates live in tropical or subtropical regions of the Americas , Africa and Asia . They range in size from Madame Berthe 's mouse lemur , which weighs only 30 g , to the eastern gorilla , weighing over 200 kg ; that is , without taking into account the weight of particular human individuals , reaching up to 635 kg . Based on fossil evidence , the earliest known true primates , represented by the genus Teilhardina , date to 55.8 million years old . An early close primate relative known from abundant remains is the Late Paleocene Plesiadapis , c. 55 -- 58 million years old . Molecular clock studies suggest that the primate branch may be even older , originating near the Cretaceous -- Paleogene boundary or around 63 -- 74 mya .   The order Primates was traditionally divided into two main groupings : prosimians and anthropoids ( simians ) . Prosimians have characteristics more like those of the earliest primates , and include the lemurs of Madagascar , lorisoids , and tarsiers . Simians include monkeys , apes and hominins . More recently , taxonomists have preferred to split primates into the suborder Strepsirrhini , or wet-nosed primates , consisting of non-tarsier prosimians , and the suborder Haplorhini , or dry-nosed primates , consisting of tarsiers and the simians .   Simians are divided into two groups : catarrhine ( narrow-nosed ) monkeys and apes of Africa and Southeast Asia and platyrrhine ( `` flat-nosed '' ) or New World monkeys of South and Middle America . Catarrhines consist of Old World monkeys ( such as baboons and macaques ) , gibbons and great apes ; New World monkeys include the capuchin , howler and squirrel monkeys . Humans are the only extant catarrhines to have spread successfully outside of Africa , South Asia , and East Asia , although fossil evidence shows many other species were formerly present in Europe . New primate species are still being discovered . More than 25 species were taxonomically described in the decade of the 2000s and eleven have been described since 2010 .   Considered generalist mammals , primates exhibit a wide range of characteristics . Some primates ( including some great apes and baboons ) are primarily terrestrial rather than arboreal , but all species possess adaptations for climbing trees . Locomotion techniques used include leaping from tree to tree , walking on two or four limbs , knuckle-walking , and swinging between branches of trees ( brachiation ) .   Primates are characterized by large brains relative to other mammals , as well as an increased reliance on stereoscopic vision at the expense of smell , the dominant sensory system in most mammals . These features are more developed in monkeys and apes and noticeably less so in lorises and lemurs . Three-color vision has developed in some primates . Most also have opposable thumbs and some have prehensile tails . Many species are sexually dimorphic ; differences include body mass , canine tooth size , and coloration . Primates have slower rates of development than other similarly sized mammals and reach maturity later , but have longer lifespans . Depending on the species , adults may live in solitude , in mated pairs , or in groups of up to hundreds of members .

neg: List of marine gastropod genera in the fossil record This list of marine gastropod genera in the fossil record is an attempt to list all the genera of sea snails or marine gastropod mollusks which have been found in the fossil record . Nearly all of these are genera of shelled forms , since it is relatively rare for gastropods without a shell ( sea slugs ) to leave any recognizable traces . It is also worth pointing out that this list of genera represents only a very tiny fraction of the number of genera that must actually have existed over the evolutionary time span : the fossil record is an extremely patchy and exceedingly incomplete pteryrecord of life on earth in earlier geological eras .   Many genera on this list are still extant , are still living now . On the current version of this list , some extant genera are mistakenly marked as extinct , with a '' † '' next to the name , but this should slowly become more accurate over time as corrections are made .   The list consists of formal genera names in the class Gastropoda ; it excludes purely vernacular names . It shows all commonly accepted genera , but it also includes genera which are now considered invalid or doubtful ( nomina dubia ) , and names that were not formally published ( nomina nuda ) , as well as junior synonyms of more established names .   The list also includes some genera which were first described as gastropods , but which are no longer considered to be gastropods , and which in many cases are not even considered to be mollusks .   Genera are listed here alphabetically ; no attempt has been made to group them in families or other higher taxa .

neg: Sister group A sister group or sister taxon is a phylogenetic term denoting the closest relatives of another given unit in an evolutionary tree . The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram : A , B , and C each represent a taxon :   The sister group to A is B ; conversely , the sister group to B is A. Groups A and B , together with all other descendants of their most recent common ancestor , form the clade AB . The sister group to clade AB is C.   The whole clade ABC is itself a subtree of a larger tree , which offers yet more sister group branches that are related but farther removed from the leaf nodes , such as A , B , and C.   In cladistic standards , A , B , and C may represent specimens , species , taxon-groups , etc. . If they represent species , the term sister species is sometimes used .   The term `` sister group '' is used in phylogenetic analysis , and only groups identified in the analysis are labeled as sister groups . An example is in birds , whose sister group is commonly cited as the crocodiles , but that is true only when dealing with extant taxa . The bird family tree is rooted in the dinosaurs , making for a number of extinct groups branching off before coming to the last common ancestor of birds and crocodiles . Thus , the term sister group must be seen as a relative term , with the caveat that the sister group is the closest relative only among the groups/species/specimens that are included in the analysis .

neg: Endemism Endemism is the ecological state of a species being unique to a defined geographic location , such as an island , nation , country or other defined zone , or habitat type ; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere . The extreme opposite of endemism is cosmopolitan distribution . An alternative term for a species that is endemic is precinctive , which applies to species ( and subspecific categories ) that are restricted to a defined geographical area .   The word endemic is from New Latin endēmicus , from Greek ενδήμος , endēmos , `` native '' . Endēmos is formed of en meaning `` in '' , and dēmos meaning `` the people '' . The term , precinctive , has been suggested by some scientists , and was first used in botany by MacCaughey in 1917 . It is the equivalent of `` endemism '' . Precinction was perhaps first used by Frank and McCoy . Precinctive seems to have been coined by David Sharp when describing the Hawaiian fauna in 1900 : `` I use the word precinctive in the sense of ` confined to the area under discussion ' ... ` precinctive forms ' means those forms that are confined to the area specified . '' That definition excludes artificial confinement of examples by humans in far-off botanical gardens or zoological parks .

neg: List of birds of Bolivia This is a list of the bird species recorded in Bolivia . The avifauna of Bolivia has 1381 species ( 1382 according to Clements ; see puffbirds ) . Fifteen are endemic , two have been introduced by humans , and 19 are rare or accidental . An additional 38 species are hypothetical ( see below ) .   This list 's taxonomic treatment ( designation and sequence of orders , families , and species ) and nomenclature ( common and scientific names ) follow the conventions of The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World , 2016 edition . The family accounts at the beginning of each heading reflect this taxonomy , as do the species counts found in each family account . Introduced and accidental species are included in the total counts . Except as an entry is cited otherwise , the list of species is that of the South American Classification Committee ( SACC ) of the American Ornithologists ' Union . The taxonomy used by the SACC differs from `` Clements '' , and significant differences in names are noted . Differences from `` Clements '' in the sequence of orders , families , and species within families are not noted .  The following tags have been used to highlight certain categories , but not all species fall into one of these categories . Those that do not are commonly occurring native species .   ( A ) Accidental - a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Bolivia  ( E ) Endemic - a species endemic to Bolivia  ( I ) Introduced - a species introduced to Bolivia as a consequence , direct or indirect , of human actions  ( H ) Hypothetical - a species recorded but with `` no tangible evidence '' according to the SACC

neg: List of birds of Brazil Brazil has one of the richest bird diversities in the world . The avifauna of Brazil include a total of 1799 species , of which 231 are endemic . Four have been introduced by humans , 69 are rare or accidental , and four are extinct or extirpated . An additional 24 species are hypothetical ( see below ) .   Brazil hosts about 60 % of the bird species recorded for all of South America . These numbers are still increasing almost every year , due to new occurrences , new species being described , or splits of existing species . About 10 % of the bird species found in Brazil are , nonetheless , threatened .   In June 2013 a simultaneous discovery of fifteen bird species in Brazil was announced , the first such since 1871 , when August von Pelzeln described forty new species . The birds were from the families Corvidae , Thamnophilidae , Dendrocolaptidae , Tyrannidae , and Polioptilidae . Eleven of the new species are endemics of Brazil and four also inhabit Peru and Bolivia .   This list 's taxonomic treatment ( designation and sequence of orders , families , and species ) and nomenclature ( common and scientific names ) follow the conventions of The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World , 2016 edition . Except as an entry is cited otherwise , the list of species is that of the South American Classification Committee ( SACC ) of the American Ornithologists ' Union . The taxonomy used by the SACC differs from `` Clements '' , and significant differences in names are noted . Especially see typical antbirds and puffbirds ; entries in those families increase the above total species count by two and decrease the endemic count by one , respectively .   Differences from `` Clements '' in the sequence of orders , families , and species within families are not noted . Several new species have been proposed and are under consideration by the SACC ; one is listed here .   The following tags have been used to highlight certain categories , but not all species fall into one of these categories . Those that do not are commonly occurring native species .   ( A ) Accidental - a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Brazil  ( E ) Endemic - a species endemic to Brazil  ( I ) Introduced - a species introduced to Brazil as a consequence , direct or indirect , of human actions  ( H ) Hypothetical - a species recorded but with `` no tangible evidence '' according to the SACC

neg: World Charter for Nature World Charter for Nature was adopted by United Nations member nation-states on October 28 , 1982 . It proclaims five `` principles of conservation by which all human conduct affecting nature is to be guided and judged . ''   Nature shall be respected and its essential processes shall not be impaired .  The genetic viability on the earth shall not be compromised ; the population levels of all life forms , wild and domesticated , must be at least sufficient for their survival , and to this end necessary habitats shall be safeguarded .  All areas of the earth , both land and sea , shall be subject to these principles of conservation ; special protection shall be given to unique areas , to representative samples of all the different types of ecosystems and to the habitats of rare or endangered species .  Ecosystems and organisms , as well as the land , marine and atmospheric resources that are utilized by man , shall be managed to achieve and maintain optimum sustainable productivity , but not in such a way as to endanger the integrity of those other ecosystems or species with which they coexist .  Nature shall be secured against degradation caused by warfare or other hostile activities .   The vote was 111 for , one against ( United States ) , 18 abstentions .

neg: Scientific theory A scientific theory is an explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can , in accordance with the scientific method , be repeatedly tested , using a predefined protocol of observations and experiments . Established scientific theories have withstood rigorous scrutiny and are a comprehensive form of scientific knowledge .   It is important to note that the definition of a `` scientific theory '' ( often ambiguously contracted to `` theory '' for the sake of brevity , including in this page ) as used in the disciplines of science is significantly different from the common vernacular usage of the word `` theory '' . Per NAS 2008 : `` The formal scientific definition of theory is quite different from the everyday meaning of the word . It refers to a comprehensive explanation of some aspect of nature that is supported by a vast body of evidence . '' In everyday non-scientific speech , `` theory '' can imply that something is an unsubstantiated and speculative guess , conjecture , idea , or , hypothesis ; such a usage is the opposite of the word `` theory '' in science . These different usages are comparable to the differing , and often opposing , usages of the term `` prediction '' in science versus `` prediction '' in vernacular speech , denoting a mere hope .   The strength of a scientific theory is related to the diversity of phenomena it can explain . As additional scientific evidence is gathered , a scientific theory may be rejected or modified if it does not fit the new empirical findings ; in such circumstances , a more accurate theory is then desired . In certain cases , the less-accurate unmodified scientific theory can still be treated as a theory if it is useful ( due to its sheer simplicity ) as an approximation under specific conditions ( e.g. , Newton 's laws of motion as an approximation to special relativity at velocities that are small relative to the speed of light ) .   Scientific theories are testable and make falsifiable predictions . They describe the causal elements responsible for a particular natural phenomenon , and are used to explain and predict aspects of the physical universe or specific areas of inquiry ( e.g. , electricity , chemistry , astronomy ) . Scientists use theories as a foundation to gain further scientific knowledge , as well as to accomplish goals such as inventing technology or curing disease .   As with other forms of scientific knowledge , scientific theories are both deductive and inductive in nature and aim for predictive power and explanatory capability .   Paleontologist , evolutionary biologist , and science historian Stephen Jay Gould said , `` ... facts and theories are different things , not rungs in a hierarchy of increasing certainty . Facts are the world ′ s data . Theories are structures of ideas that explain and interpret facts . ''

neg: Conservation status The conservation status of a group of organisms ( for instance , a species ) indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future . Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservation status : not simply the number of individuals remaining , but the overall increase or decrease in the population over time , breeding success rates , and known threats . Various systems of conservation status exist and are in use at international , multi-country , national and local levels as well as for consumer use


query: Larry Junstrom is an American citizen.

pos: Larry Junstrom Lawrence E. `` Larry '' Junstrom ( born June 22 , 1949 ) is an American bassist , best known for having been in rock band 38 Special from 1977 until 2014 . He was also one of the founding members of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd .

neg: Larry McNeil (photographer) Larry McNeil ( born Larry Tee Harbor Jackson McNeil ) is a Native American photographer and printmaker . His photographs range on subjects and formats from realist portraits to tribal elders , from abstract cityscapes to electronic manipulations of tribal environments . His images are considered personally meaningful as they are representative of tribal realities and highlight the sensitivity behind the representation of Native Americans .

neg: DREAM Act The DREAM Act ( acronym for Development , Relief , and Education for Alien Minors ) is an American legislative proposal for a multi-phase process for illegal immigrants in the United States that would first grant conditional residency and upon meeting further qualifications , permanent residency .   The bill was first introduced in the Senate on August 1 , 2001 , by United States Senators Dick Durbin ( Democratic Party ) and Orrin Hatch ( Republican Party ) , and has since been reintroduced several times ( see legislative history ) but has failed to pass .   Supporters argue that the Act would not create an `` amnesty program '' and would produce a variety of social and economic benefits , while critics contend that it would reward illegal immigration and encourage more of it , inviting fraud and shielding gang members from deportation .

neg: Jonas Hafström Sven Jonas Gerhardsson Hafström ( born 27 February 1948 ) is a Swedish diplomat who was Sweden 's Ambassador to the United States from 2007 to 2013 .

neg: Larry Rosen (executive) Larry Rosen ( born March 8 , 1956 ) is the chairman and CEO of Harry Rosen Inc. , a privately owned , luxury menswear chain based in Toronto , Canada .

neg: Jeff Hatch-Miller Jeff Hatch-Miller served as the Executive Director of the Arizona State Lottery from 2009 to 2015 , the longest term of service of any chief executive officer to date .   Under his leadership , Arizona Lottery ticket sales increased by nearly $ 260 million , over 50 % , and the Arizona Lottery ranked in the top 10 nationally for percentage increases in sales each year .   Hatch-Miller served on the Arizona Corporation Commission from 2003 until 2009 , and as Chairman during 2005 and 2006 .   His leadership as Chairman was a key reason the Arizona Corporation Commission was considered one of the most competent and effective commissions in state history . As a member of the Arizona Corporation Commission , Jeff Hatch-Miller , worked to decrease investment fraud and to increase public awareness of `` investment scams . '' In the Commission 's role as regulator of public utilities ( electricity , water , natural gas , telecommunications ) he led the fight for reliable service , affordable rates , and protection of personal information held by the utility .   Before his election to the Corporation Commission in 2002 , Hatch-Miller served in the Arizona House of Representatives for two terms ( 1999 -- 2003 ) , chairing the House Energy , Utilities and Technology Committee . Hatch-Miller was known from his straightforward , inclusionary style of addressing public policy issues . He was honored as national `` Freshman Legislator of the Year 2000 '' by the National Republican Legislators Association .   Technologically knowledgeable , Jeff Hatch-Miller led the way to putting Arizona government on the Internet . As a Legislator Hatch-Miller also worked to lower gasoline prices , bringing in petroleum company leaders , energy experts , and gasoline deals to find ways to decrease gasoline prices . He championed efforts in Arizona , and in Washington D.C. , that eventually led to the adoption of the `` Do Not Call List '' , one of the most popular programs offered by government , an important step toward stopping the majority of unwanted telemarketing calls .   He lives with his wife , Anita Hatch-Miller , in Scottsdale , Arizona . His son , Mark Hatch-Miller is an attorney in private practice in New York , and his son Robert Hatch-Miller lives and works in New York City as a documentary filmmaker .

neg: Norwegian Dakotan A Norwegian Dakotan is a Norwegian American ( a person with Norwegian ancestry ) in the U. S. states of North and South Dakota . One in three of all North Dakotans is of Norwegian heritage , which is the highest among all U.S. states . South Dakota is number three , behind Minnesota . The immigrants settled primarily between 1870 and 1920 .   As of 2009 , 312,697 Dakotans claim Norwegian ancestry , 21.4 % of the region 's population ( 30.8 % of North Dakota 's population and 14.0 % of South Dakota 's population ) , or 6.7 % of the total Norwegian American population .

neg: Constitution Day (United States) Constitution Day ( or Citizenship Day ) is an American federal observance that recognizes the adoption of the United States Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens . It is normally observed on September 17 , the day in 1787 that delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document in Philadelphia .   When Constitution Day falls on a weekend or on another holiday , schools and other institutions observe the holiday on an adjacent weekday .   The law establishing the present holiday was created in 2004 with the passage of an amendment by Senator Robert Byrd to the Omnibus spending bill of 2004 . Before this law was enacted , the holiday was known as `` Citizenship Day '' . In addition to renaming the holiday `` Constitution Day and Citizenship Day , '' the act mandates that all publicly funded educational institutions , and all federal agencies , provide educational programming on the history of the American Constitution on that day . In May 2005 , the United States Department of Education announced the enactment of this law and that it would apply to any school receiving federal funds of any kind .

neg: Nordstrom Nordstrom , Inc. ( -LSB- ˈnɔrdstrəm -RSB- ) is an American chain of luxury department stores headquartered in Seattle , Washington . Founded in 1901 by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin , the company began as a shoe retailer and expanded its inventory to include clothing , accessories , handbags , jewelry , cosmetics , and fragrances . Select Nordstrom stores also include wedding and home furnishings departments .   The company has 349 stores operating in 40 states , Puerto Rico and Canada , a number which includes 123 full-line stores and 215 Nordstrom Rack stores , five Trunk Club clubhouses , two Jeffrey boutiques and two clearance stores . Nordstrom also serves customers through nordstrom.com , nordstromrack.com , and its online private sale site , HauteLook .   Nordstrom , Inc. 's common stock is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol JWN .

neg: Larry Leon Palmer Larry Leon Palmer ( born July 13 , 1949 ) is a former American diplomat , who served as the United States Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean from 2012-2015 . He was the United States Ambassador to Honduras from 2002 -- 2005 . He also served as the President of the Inter-American Foundation from 2005 to June 2010 .

neg: Murder of Larry King Lawrence `` Larry '' Fobes King ( January 13 , 1993 -- February 13 , 2008 ) was a 15-year-old gay student at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard , California . He was shot twice by a fellow student , 14-year-old Brandon McInerney , and kept on life support until he died two days later .   Newsweek described the shooting as `` the most prominent gay-bias crime since the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard '' , bringing attention to issues of gun violence as well as gender expression and sexual identity of teenagers .   Following many delays and a change of venue , McInerney 's first trial began on July 5 , 2011 , in the Los Angeles district of Chatsworth . That trial ended on September 1 , 2011 when Judge Charles Campbell declared a mistrial because the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict . Prosecutors decided to try McInerney again , but dropped the hate crime charge .   On November 21 , 2011 , McInerney avoided the scheduled retrial by pleading guilty to second degree murder , voluntary manslaughter and use of a gun . The plea carries a sentence of 21 years imprisonment without chance of parole .

neg: Max Lerner Maxwell Alan `` Max '' Lerner ( December 20 , 1902 -- June 5 , 1992 ) was a Russian-born American journalist and educator known for his controversial syndicated column . After immigrating from Russia with his parents in 1907 , Lerner earned a B.A. from Yale University in 1923 . He studied law there but transferred to Washington University in St. Louis for an M.A. in 1925 .   He earned a doctorate from the Brookings Institution in 1927 and began work as an editor :  Encyclopaedia of the Social Sciences ( 1927 -- 32 )  The Nation ( 1936 -- 38 )  PM ( 1943 -- 48 )   Lerner 's most influential book was America as a Civilization : Life and Thought in the United States Today ( 1957 ) .  Lerner was a staunch opponent of discrimination against African Americans , but supported the  wartime internment of Japanese Americans and backed an American Civil Liberties Union resolution on the issue to `` subordinate civil liberties to wartime considerations and political loyalties '' . Lerner was a strong advocate of  the New Deal during the 1930s .   His column for the New York Post debuted in 1949 . It earned him a place on the master list of Nixon political opponents . During most of his career he was considered a liberal . In his later years , however , he was seen as something of a conservative , due to expressing support for the Reagan administration .   He taught at Sarah Lawrence College , Harvard University , Williams College , United States International University , the University of Notre Dame , and Brandeis University . Lerner was also a close friend of film star Elizabeth Taylor during her marriage to Eddie Fisher . He is referenced in the lyrics to Phil Ochs ' song `` Love Me , I 'm a Liberal '' : `` You know , I 've memorized Lerner and Golden . ''   His book The Unfinished Country is a collection of over 200 of his daily columns , which were written for the New York Post over the span of more than a decade . The Unfinished Country contains one of his better-known quotes : `` The turning point in the process of growing up is when you discover the core of strength within you that survives all hurt . '' His 1990 book Wrestling with the Angel was about his long struggle with illness .   Lerner 's maternal granddaughter is American actress Betsy Russell .

neg: Larry Abney Lawrence `` Larry '' Abney ( born May 19 , 1977 ) is an American former professional basketball player . Born in Nyack , New York , he was nicknamed Birdman throughout his career for his athleticism .

neg: American Civics Test The American Civics Test , or U.S. Civics Test / U.S. Citizenship Test , is an examination that all immigrants must pass to gain United States citizenship . All high school students must also pass the students ' civics test before graduation .   The test is prepared in English and the candidate must score at least 60 percent for a successful pass . There are 100 civics questions that cover various topics in U.S. history , constitution and government . For the naturalization process the applicant will be asked 10 randomly selection questions . For high school graduation the test comprises all 100 questions .   Arizona became the first state requiring students to pass the civics test before high school graduation . It is expected that all states will have implemented this requirement by September 17 , 2017 , the 230th anniversary of the United States Constitution .

neg: Louis Lusky Louis Lusky ( May 15 , 1915 -- January 4 , 2001 ) was an American legal scholar . Considered a pioneer in the field of civil rights law , he was the Betts Professor of Law at Columbia Law School , where he taught from 1963 to 1986 .   A native of Louisville , Kentucky , Lusky graduated from Louisville Male High School in 1931 . He later attended the University of Louisville and Columbia Law School and graduated as the highest-ranking member of the Columbia Law School Class of 1937 . Lusky began his legal career as the clerk for United States Supreme Court Justice Harlan Fiske Stone . During that time he helped draft the famous `` Footnote 4 '' of United States v. Carolene Products Co. ( 1938 ) . The footnote asserts that the Supreme Court might adopt a higher level of judicial scrutiny in matters concerning noneconomic regulation , which has been applied in cases involving the protection of the integrity of the political process , particularly those involving religious , national , or racial minorities where prejudice might be operative .   During World War II Lusky served as an operations analyst for the Eighth Air Force in England and then returned to his hometown . He was in private practice there and in New York City for 16 years before joining the Columbia Law School faculty in 1963 . He authored many articles on constitutional law , and the book By What Right ? : A Commentary on the Supreme Court 's Power to Revise the Constitution .

neg: Virgin Islands Americans Virgin Islands Americans are Americans from the U.S. Virgin Islands or British Virgin Islands who reside in the continental United States , or continental Americans of Virgin Islands heritage .   Persons born in the U.S. Virgin Islands are United States citizens , and as a result do not go through the legal immigration procedures a typical West Indies immigrant would . They are also , due to cultural affinities with the Anglophone Caribbean , U.S. Virgin Islanders in the U.S. are considered part of the Caribbean American immigrant community .   It is difficult to determine how many Virgin Islanders reside in the United States . According to the 2000 U.S. Census , there are 15,014 of U.S. Virgin Islands ancestry residing in the continental United States . However , a count of American residents with `` U.S. Virgin Islands ancestry '' excludes most U.S. Virgin Islands-born immigrants in the United States . Because of a high incidence of inter-Caribbean migration throughout the 1960s and 1970s , most native-born U.S. Virgin Islanders today are one or two generations removed from other Caribbean islands and would not necessarily define themselves as having `` U.S. Virgin Islands ancestry . '' For example , Tim Duncan is a St. Croix native with Anguillian ancestry .   The population of immigrants of British Virgin Islands origin in the United States is also difficult to determine , as they are not specifically counted in the U.S. Census , but grouped with other Caribbean British Overseas Territories as `` British West Indies . ''

neg: Larry Sabato Larry Joseph Sabato ( -LSB- ˈsæbətoʊ -RSB- born August 7 , 1952 ) is an American political scientist and political analyst . He is the Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia , where he is also the founder and director of the Center for Politics , which works to promote civic engagement and participation . The Center for Politics is also responsible for the publication of Sabato 's Crystal Ball , an online newsletter and website that provides free political analysis and electoral projections .

neg: United States v. Windsor United States v. Windsor , ( Docket No . ) , is a landmark civil rights case in which the United States Supreme Court held that restricting U.S. federal interpretation of `` marriage '' and `` spouse '' to apply only to opposite-sex unions , by Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act ( DOMA ) , is unconstitutional under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment ; Justice Kennedy wrote : `` The federal statute is invalid , for no legitimate purpose overcomes the purpose and effect to disparage and to injure those whom the State , by its marriage laws , sought to protect in personhood and dignity . ''   Edith Windsor ( born 1929 ) and Thea Spyer ( October 8 , 1931 -- February 5 , 2009 ) , a same-sex couple residing in New York , were lawfully married in Toronto , Canada , in 2007 . Later in 2008 , New York recognized their marriage following a court decision . Spyer died at the age of 77 in 2009 , leaving her entire estate to Windsor . Windsor sought to claim the federal estate tax exemption for surviving spouses . She was barred from doing so by Section 3 of DOMA ( codified at ) , which provided that the term `` spouse '' only applied to marriages between a man and woman . The Internal Revenue Service found that the exemption did not apply to same-sex marriages , denied Windsor 's claim , and compelled her to pay $ 363,053 in estate taxes .   On November 9 , 2010 , Windsor sued the federal government in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York , seeking a refund because DOMA singled out legally married same-sex couples for `` differential treatment compared to other similarly situated couples without justification . '' On February 23 , 2011 , U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Department of Justice would not defend the constitutionality of Section 3 in Windsor . On April 18 , 2011 , Paul Clement , representing the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group ( BLAG ) , intervened to defend the law . On June 6 , 2012 , Judge Barbara S. Jones ruled that Section 3 of DOMA was unconstitutional under the due process guarantees of the Fifth Amendment and ordered the federal government to issue the tax refund , including interest . The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit , in a 2 -- 1 decision , affirmed the district court 's judgment on October 18 , 2012 .   BLAG petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review the decision , and the Court issued a writ of certiorari in December 2012 . On March 27 , 2013 , the court heard oral arguments . On June 26 , 2013 , the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 5 -- 4 decision declaring Section 3 of DOMA to be unconstitutional `` as a deprivation of the liberty of the person protected by the Fifth Amendment . ''   On the same day , the court also issued a separate 5 -- 4 decision in Hollingsworth v. Perry -- a case related to California 's constitutional amendment initiative barring same-sex marriage . The decision effectively allowed same-sex marriages in that state to resume after the court ruled that the proponents of the initiative lacked Article III standing to appeal in federal court based on its established interpretation of the case or controversy clause .

neg: Larry Milberg Larry Milberg ( 1913 -- 1989 ) was an American attorney .   He co-founded the plaintiff class action firm Milberg Weiss in 1965 along with Melvyn Weiss . He died in 1989 at the age of 76 . Milberg died while playing tennis at his home near Great Neck , New York , in December 1989 . Milberg was 76 , and the obituary in the New York Times called him a `` specialist in cases involving shareholder rights and class actions . '' ( see http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/top-5/2008/06/24/Former-Milberg-Partners-Identified )   He was an alumnus of Harvard Law School , graduating in 1936 .

neg: American way The American way of life or simply the American way is the unique lifestyle of the people of the United States of America . It refers to a nationalist ethos that adheres to the principle of life , liberty and the pursuit of happiness . At the center of the American way is the American Dream that upward mobility is achievable by any American through hard work . This concept is intertwined with the concept of American exceptionalism , the belief in the unique culture of the nation .   Author William Herberg offers the following definition :   One commentator notes , `` The first half of Herberg 's statement still holds true nearly half a century after he first formulated it '' , even though `` Herberg 's latter claims have been severely if not completely undermined ... materialism no longer needs to be justified in high-sounding terms '' .   In the National Archives and Records Administration 's 1999 Annual Report , National Archivist John W. Carlin writes , `` We are different because our government and our way of life are not based on the divine right of kings , the hereditary privileges of elites , or the enforcement of deference to dictators . They are based on pieces of paper , the Charters of Freedom - the Declaration that asserted our independence , the Constitution that created our government , and the Bill of Rights that established our liberties . ''

neg: Un-American Un-American is a pejorative term of U.S. political discourse which is applied to ideas , people or institutions in the United States seen as deviating from what are widely perceived to be fundamental American cultural and political values .   The most famous use is in the title of the House Un-American Activities Committee which was started to investigate alleged disloyalty and subversive activities on the part of private citizens , public employees , and those organizations suspected of having Communist ties . By 1959 , former President Harry S. Truman had denounced the Committee as the `` most un-American thing in the country today '' . The Committee lost considerable prestige as the 1960s progressed , and it was abolished by the House of Representatives in 1975 .   The use and meaning of the term is by no means uniform in the US . Due in part to these historical associations with political abuses and jingoism , the attitudes of Americans toward the pejorative use of `` Un-American '' are often critical or suspicious . Moreover , Americans may vary widely in what they believe to be un-American .


query: Canada possesses a constitution.

pos: Canada Canada ( -LSB- ˈkænədə -RSB- -LSB- kanadɑ -RSB- ) is a country in the northern part of North America . Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean , covering 9.98 e6km2 , making it the world 's second-largest country by total area and the fourth-largest country by land area . Canada 's border with the United States is the world 's longest binational land border . The majority of the country has a cold or severely cold winter climate , but southerly areas are warm in summer . Canada is sparsely populated , the majority of its land territory being dominated by forest and tundra and the Rocky Mountains . It is highly urbanized with 82 per cent of the 35.15 million people concentrated in large and medium-sized cities , many near the southern border . One third of the population lives in the three largest cities : Toronto , Montreal and Vancouver . Its capital is Ottawa , and other major urban areas include Calgary , Edmonton , Quebec City , Winnipeg and Hamilton .   Various aboriginal peoples had inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years prior to European colonization . Beginning in the 16th century , British and French claims were made on the area , with the colony of Canada first being established by the French in 1535 during Jacques Cartier 's second voyage to New France . As a consequence of various conflicts , Great Britain gained and lost territories within British North America until it was left , in the late 18th century , with what mostly geographically comprises Canada today . Pursuant to the British North America Act , on July 1 , 1867 , the colonies of Canada , New Brunswick , and Nova Scotia joined to form the semi-autonomous federal Dominion of Canada . This began an accretion of provinces and territories to the mostly self-governing Dominion to the present ten provinces and three territories forming modern Canada .   In 1931 , Canada achieved near total independence from the United Kingdom with the Statute of Westminster 1931 , but at the time , Canada decided to allow the British Parliament to temporarily retain the power to amend Canada 's constitution , on request from the Parliament of Canada . With the Constitution Act 1982 , Canada took over that authority ( as the conclusion of Patriation ) , removing the last remaining ties of legal dependence on the Parliament of the United Kingdom , giving the country full sovereignty .   Canada is a federal parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy , with Queen Elizabeth II being the head of state . The country is officially bilingual at the federal level . It is one of the world 's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations , the product of large-scale immigration from many other countries . Its advanced economy is the eleventh largest in the world , relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks . Canada 's long and complex relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its economy and culture .   Canada is a developed country and has the tenth highest nominal per capita income globally as well as the ninth highest ranking in the Human Development Index . It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency , civil liberties , quality of life , economic freedom , and education . Canada is a Commonwealth realm member of the Commonwealth of Nations , a member of the Francophonie , and part of several major international and intergovernmental institutions or groupings including the United Nations , the North Atlantic Treaty Organization , the G8 , the Group of Ten , the G20 , the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum .

pos: Constitution Act, 1982 The Constitution Act , 1982 ( Schedule B of the Parliament of the United Kingdom 's Canada Act 1982 ) is a part of the Constitution of Canada . The act was introduced as part of Canada 's process of patriating the constitution , introducing several amendments to the British North America Act , 1867 , and changing the latter 's name in Canada to the Constitution Act , 1867 .   This process was necessary because after the Statute of Westminster , 1931 , Canada decided to allow the British Parliament to temporarily retain the power to amend Canada 's constitution , on request from the Parliament of Canada . In 1982 , the Parliament of Canada requested that the Parliament of Great Britain remove that authority from the UK . The passing of the UK 's Canada Act , 1982 in March 1982 confirmed the Patriation of the Constitution . This UK Act replaced the British North America Act , transferring to Canada the power of amending its own Constitution .   On April 17 , 1982 , Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau signed Canada 's Proclamation of the Constitution Act , 1982 . The proclamation confirmed that Canada had formally assumed authority over its constitution , the final step to full sovereignty . The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms forms the first thirty-five sections ( counting Section 16.1 and not counting Section 35 ) of the Constitution Act , 1982 .   As of 2017 , the government of Quebec has never formally approved of the enactment of the act , though formal consent was never necessary . Nonetheless , it has remained a persistent political issue in Quebec . The Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords were designed to secure approval from Quebec , but both efforts failed to do so .

pos: Constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy ( also known as a parliamentary monarchy ) is a form of monarchy in which the sovereign exercises their authorities in accordance with a written or unwritten constitution . Constitutional monarchy differs from absolute monarchy ( in which a monarch holds absolute power ) , in that constitutional monarchs are bound to exercise their powers and authorities within the limits prescribed within an established legal framework . Constitutional monarchies range from countries such as Morocco , where the constitution grants substantial discretionary powers to the sovereign , to countries such as Sweden or Denmark where the monarch retains very few formal authorities .   A constitutional monarchy may refer to a system in which the monarch acts as a non-party political head of state under the constitution , whether written or unwritten . While most monarchs may hold formal authority and the government may legally operate in the monarch 's name , in the form typical in Europe the monarch no longer personally sets public policy or chooses political leaders . Political scientist Vernon Bogdanor , paraphrasing Thomas Macaulay , has defined a constitutional monarch as `` a sovereign who reigns but does not rule '' .   In addition to acting as a visible symbol of national unity , a constitutional monarch may hold formal powers such as dissolving parliament or giving royal assent to legislation . However , the exercise of such powers is largely strictly in accordance with either written constitutional principles or unwritten constitutional conventions , rather than any personal political preference imposed by the sovereign . In The English Constitution , British political theorist Walter Bagehot identified three main political rights which a constitutional monarch may freely exercise : the right to be consulted , the right to encourage , and the right to warn . Many constitutional monarchies still retain significant authorities or political influence however , such as through certain reserve powers , and may also play an important political role .   The United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms are all constitutional monarchies in the Westminster tradition of constitutional governance . Three states -- Malaysia , Cambodia and the Holy See -- are elective monarchies , wherein the ruler is periodically selected by a small electoral college .

neg: Declaration of war by Canada A declaration of war by Canada is a formal declaration issued by the Government of Canada ( the federal Crown-in-Council ) indicating that a state of war exists between Canada and another nation . It is an exercise of the Royal Prerogative on the constitutional advice of the ministers of the Crown in Cabinet and does not require the direct approval of the Parliament of Canada , though such can be sought by the government . Since gaining the authority to declare war under the Statute of Westminster 1931 , Canada has declared war only during the Second World War .

neg: Philosophy in Canada The study and teaching of philosophy in Canada date from the time of New France . There has since developed no particular `` Canadian '' school of philosophy . Rather , Canadian philosophers have reflected particular views of established European and later American schools of philosophical thought , be it Thomism , Objective Idealism , or Scottish Common Sense Realism . Since the mid-twentieth century the depth and scope of philosophical activity in Canada has increased dramatically . This article focuses on the evolution of epistemology , logic , the philosophy of mind , metaphysics , ethics and metaethics , and continental philosophy in Canada .

neg: Canadian intellectual property law Canadian intellectual property law governs the regulation of the exploitation of intellectual property in Canada . Creators of intellectual property gain rights either by statute or by the common law . Intellectual property is governed both by provincial and federal jurisdiction , although most legislation and judicial activity occur at the federal level .

neg: LGBT rights in Canada Lesbian , gay , bisexual , and transgender ( LGBT ) rights in Canada are some of the most advanced in the Americas and in the world . During the British North American era , same-sex sexual activity between men was a capital crime and resulted in the death penalty , however , there is no surviving record of any executions and political figures were reluctant to enforce the law . The death penalty was eventually repealed and a broader law involving gross indecency between men was often enforced in the late 19th century . During the early to mid 20th-century , the law often portrayed homosexual men as sex offenders until the infamous court case of Everett George Klippert , who admitted to having sex with multiple men , resulted in his life imprisonment . Same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults was soon decriminalized in 1969 as a result of legislation introduced in 1967 , with then-Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada Pierre Trudeau ( who eventually became the 15th Prime Minister of Canada ) famously commenting , `` There 's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation . ''   Although same-sex couples began being granted domestic partnerships similar to that of married opposite-sex couples , same-sex marriage was already legalized in eight of ten provinces and one of three territories beginning in 2003 . On July 20 , 2005 , Canada became the first country outside Europe and the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide after the enactment of the Civil Marriage Act . Same-sex adoption has also been legal in all provinces and territories under varying rules . Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in employment , housing , and public and private accommodations is banned nationwide whilst discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression vary by province and territory . Transgender people are allowed to change their legal gender in all provinces and territories under varying rules . Under section 159 of the Criminal Code the age of consent for anal sex is currently unequal at 18 for both homosexuals and heterosexuals whilst oral sex and vaginal sex remains at 16 , which has been found discriminatory by many political figures , publications , provincial and federal courts . On November 15 , 2016 , the Minister of Justice , Jody Wilson-Raybould , introduced a bill to repeal section 159 of the Criminal Code .   Canada has frequently been referred to as one of the most gay-friendly countries in the world , with Canada 's largest cities Toronto , Montreal , Vancouver and Ottawa featuring their own gay villages and being named among the most gay-friendly cities in the world . Recent polls have indicated that a large majority of Canadians support same-sex marriage .

neg: Constitution Act (British Columbia) Constitution Act , 1996 is a provincial Act passed by the British Columbia legislature . The Act outlines the powers and rules governing the executive and legislative branches of the provincial government of British Columbia .   Unlike the Constitution of Canada , the British Columbia Constitution is a regular Act of the legislature and can be amended by a normal majority vote .   British Columbia is the only province of Canada to have such an act .

neg: Canada–Latin America relations Canada -- Latin America relations are relations between Canada and Latin America . This includes the bilateral ties between Canada and the individual Latin American states , plurilateral ties between Canada and any group of those states , or multilateral relations through groups like the Organization of American States ( OAS ) .   Canada and Latin America share ties of geography as part of the Western Hemisphere and history through the shared experience of European colonization . Culturally , Canada shares with the other American societies a mixture of European , indigenous American , and immigrant influences . Parts of Canada are majority-French speaking , and since French is a `` Latin '' language , Canada ( or more often Quebec ) is sometimes considered an honorary part of Latin America . However , Latin Americans may also group Canadians with United States citizens as norteamericanos or gringos . For both Canadians and Latin Americans the importance of relations with the United States may overshadow relations with each other . However Canada 's importance in the region has risen since joining the OAS in 1990 .

neg: Provinces and territories of Canada Canada 's geography is divided into administrative divisions known as provinces and territories that are responsible for delivery of sub-national governance . When Canada was formed in 1867 , three provinces of British North America -- New Brunswick , Nova Scotia and the Province of Canada ( which , on the formation of Canada , was divided into Ontario and Quebec ) -- were united to form a federated colony , which eventually became a sovereign nation in the next century . Over its history , Canada 's international borders have changed several times , and the country has grown from the original four provinces to the current ten provinces and three territories . The ten provinces are Alberta , British Columbia , Manitoba , New Brunswick , Newfoundland and Labrador , Nova Scotia , Ontario , Prince Edward Island , Quebec , and Saskatchewan . Several of the provinces were former British colonies , and Quebec was originally a French colony , while others were added as Canada grew . The three territories are Northwest Territories , Nunavut , and Yukon , which govern the rest of the area of the former British North America . Together , the provinces and territories make up the world 's second-largest country by area .   The major difference between a Canadian province and a territory is that provinces receive their power and authority from the Constitution Act , 1867 ( formerly called the British North America Act , 1867 ) , whereas territorial governments have powers delegated to them by the Parliament of Canada . The powers flowing from the Constitution Act are divided between the federal government and the provincial governments to exercise exclusively . A change to the division of powers between the federal government and the provinces requires a constitutional amendment , whereas a similar change affecting the territories can be performed unilaterally by the Parliament of Canada or government .   In modern Canadian constitutional theory , the provinces are considered to be co-sovereign divisions and each province has its own `` Crown '' represented by the lieutenant governor . The territories are not sovereign , but simply part of the federal realm , and have a commissioner who represents the federal government .   __ TOC __

neg: War Measures Act The War Measures Act ( 5 George V , Chap . 2 ) was a statute of the Parliament of Canada that provided for the declaration of war , invasion , or insurrection , and the types of emergency measures that could thereby be taken .   The act was brought into force three times in Canadian history :   the First World War ,  the Second World War , and  the 1970 October Crisis .   The Act was questioned for its suspension of civil liberties and personal freedoms , not only for Ukrainians and other Europeans during Canada 's first national internment operations of 19141920 , but also during the Second World War 's Japanese Canadian internment and in the October Crisis .

neg: Criminal sentencing in Canada In Canada , the criminal law is governed by the Criminal Code , a federal statute . The Criminal Code includes the principles and powers in relation to criminal sentences .   A judge sentences a person after they have been found guilty of a crime . After a determination is made about the facts being relied on for sentencing , and hearing from both the Crown and the defence about what the appropriate sentence should be , the judge must pick from a number of different sentencing options found in the Criminal Code , based on a number of factors . Some offences have a minimum sentence , and there may also be a maximum sentence depending on the nature of the offence .   The maximum determinate sentence is a life sentence with a 25-year parole ineligibility period . For offences committed prior to December 2 , 2011 all life sentences and related parole ineligibility periods are served concurrently ( at the same time ) . In cases of multiple murder , where the offence occurred after December 2 , 2011 ( the date new legislation came into force ) , a court may , after considering any jury recommendation , order consecutive parole ineligibility periods for each murder . There are also options for an indeterminate sentence . There is no death penalty in Canada .

neg: Constitution of Quebec The constitution of Quebec comprises a set of legal rules which fall in either one of the follow categories :   The provisions of the Constitution Act , 1867 pertaining to the provinces of Canada in general and Quebec in particular ;  The organic laws relative to the distribution of powers of Quebec and the individual rights of persons . These are composed of some fifteen laws , the main ones being An Act respecting the National Assembly , the Executive Power Act , the Election Act , the Referendum Act , the Charter of human rights and freedoms , the Charter of the French language , etc. ;  Most of the constitutional conventions concerned with the Crown of Canada , the Executive and the Parliament ;  The common law rules on the royal prerogative exercised by the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec ;  The case law of the courts of Quebec and the federal courts of Canada ;   The Parliament of Quebec has the power to modify certain parts of Quebec 's provincial constitution , while certain other parts can only be modified by going through the process of amending the Constitution of Canada .

neg: Distinct society Distinct society ( in la société distincte ) is a political term especially used during constitutional debate in Canada , in the second half of the 1980s and in the early 1990s , and present in the two failed constitutional amendments , the Meech Lake Accord and the Charlottetown Accord . `` Distinct society '' refers to the uniqueness of the province of Quebec within Canada , although here the meaning of `` unique '' is vague and controversial .

neg: British Columbia Court of Appeal The British Columbia Court of Appeal ( BCCA ) is the highest appellate court in the province of British Columbia , Canada . It was established in 1910 following the 1907 Court of Appeal Act .   The BCCA hears appeals from the Supreme Court of British Columbia and a number of boards and tribunals . The BCCA also hears criminal appeals from the Provincial Court of British Columbia where the proceedings in that court were by indictment . It will hear summary conviction appeals from the Supreme Court on criminal matters that originated in the Provincial Court . Statute restricts appeals on civil matters from the Provincial Court ( Small Claims ) to the Supreme Court . However , some Provincial Court civil matters may come before the BCCA on very narrow matters having to do with questions of administrative law or other unusual circumstances .   The BCCA consists of 22 justices ( including a Chief Justice ) , ten of whom are supernumerary . All justices of the BCCA ( including the position of Chief Justice ) are appointed by the federal government . The central registry for the BCCA is in Vancouver , where the BCCA holds most of its sittings . The BCCA also occasionally hears cases in Victoria , Kelowna , and Kamloops . The judges for the Court also double as judges for the Yukon Court of Appeal . Cases from Yukon are heard in both Vancouver and in Whitehorse .   A full division of the court consists of five justices ; however , most cases are heard by a division of three justices . A single justice will preside over matters heard in '' chambers '' , usually Interlocutory matters or applications for leave to appeal .   Unlike in Ontario where a sitting of the Court of Appeal is referred to as a `` panel '' , in the BCCA a sitting of the Court is referred to as a `` division '' .   Counsel appearing in the BCCA are required to `` gown '' . This court dress is identical to that worn in the Supreme Court of British Columbia , and consists of a white wing collar with bands , along with a black bar jacket and black gown ( some counsel will wear a black waistcoat and suit rather than a bar jacket ) . Male barristers will generally wear black or striped trousers , with female barristers wearing either trousers or a skirt . Queen 's Counsel wear a more elaborate bar jacket as well as a silk gown . Court dress is not required for matters heard in Chambers , wherein standard business dress can be worn by both counsel and the sitting justice .   When the court moved from its previous location ( what is now the Vancouver Art Gallery ) , one of the old courtrooms was reconstructed in the present Arthur Erickson designed Vancouver Law Courts . When in session , a division of the court will often preside in this Heritage Courtroom .   All courts in the Province of British Columbia display the Arms of Her Majesty in Right of the United Kingdom , as a symbol of its judiciary .

neg: Constitution (corporate) A constitution is the set of regulations which govern the conduct of non-political entities , whether incorporated or not . Such entities include corporations and voluntary associations .   Category : Corporate law     ru : устав  uk : статут

neg: List of elections in the Province of Canada The Province of Canada was the union of Canada West ( formerly Upper Canada and later Ontario ) and Canada East ( formerly Lower Canada and later Quebec ) .   The Province of Canada held 8 unique elections from 1841 to 1863 before Confederation . While party lines were somewhat blurred , there were political parties .   There are many examples of groups of MPs going against the party line , or splitting a party into two . A good example of this is when a number of Liberal MPs supported John A. Macdonald , a Conservative , and his idea for Canadian Confederation , many other Liberal Party members were opposed to Confederation .   After the establishment of the double majority principle , any bill , in order to be passed , needed a majority of MPs from both Canada West and Canada East . This sometimes led to coalitions between Ontario Liberals and Quebec Tories , or vice versa . The elections listed below are divided into `` Left '' or `` Reformer '' camps , and `` Right '' or `` Conservative '' camps .

neg: Quebec Resolutions The Quebec Resolutions , also known as the seventy-two resolutions , were a group of statements written at the Quebec Conference of 1864 , which laid out the framework for the Canadian Constitution .  They were adopted by the majority of the provinces of Canada , and became the basis for the London Conference of 1866 . Some of the major points that were addressed in the resolutions are as follows : Canada will have a strong central government ( federal government ) , the central government is to be responsible for the legislation of peace , order and good government , provinces will have defined powers and will be accountable for handling local affairs and social and cultural issues , the United Province of Canada ( as they called it ) , will be split into Quebec and Ontario , a federal government will be composed of two law making houses . These are just five of the important acts used to construct Canada as it is today .

neg: Liberal democracy Liberal democracy is a liberal political ideology and a form of government in which representative democracy operates under the principles of classical liberalism . It is also called western democracy . It is characterised by fair , free , and competitive elections between multiple distinct political parties , a separation of powers into different branches of government , the rule of law in everyday life as part of an open society , and the equal protection of human rights , civil rights , civil liberties , and political freedoms for all people . To define the system in practice , liberal democracies often draw upon a constitution , either formally written or uncodified , to delineate the powers of government and enshrine the social contract . After a period of sustained expansion throughout the 20th century , liberal democracy became the predominant political system in the world .   A liberal democracy may take various constitutional forms : it may be a constitutional monarchy ( Australia , Belgium , Canada , Japan , Norway , Spain and the United Kingdom ) or a republic ( France , India , Ireland , the United States ) . It may have a parliamentary system ( Australia , India , Ireland , the United Kingdom ) , a presidential system ( Indonesia , the United States ) , or a semi-presidential system ( France ) .   Liberal democracies usually have universal suffrage , granting all adult citizens the right to vote regardless of race , gender or property ownership . Historically , however , some countries regarded as liberal democracies have had a more limited franchise , and some do not have secret ballots . There may also be qualifications such as voters being required to register before being allowed to vote . The decisions made through elections are made not by all of the citizens , but rather by those who choose to participate by voting .   The liberal democratic constitution defines the democratic character of the state . The purpose of a constitution is often seen as a limit on the authority of the government . Liberal democracy emphasises the separation of powers , an independent judiciary , and a system of checks and balances between branches of government . Liberal democracies are likely to emphasise the importance of the state being a Rechtsstaat , i.e. , a state that follows the principle of rule of law . Governmental authority is legitimately exercised only in accordance with written , publicly disclosed laws adopted and enforced in accordance with established procedure . Many democracies use federalism -- also known as vertical separation of powers -- in order to prevent abuse and increase public input by dividing governing powers between municipal , provincial and national governments ( e.g. , Germany where the federal government assumes the main legislative responsibilities and the federated Länder assume many executive tasks ) .

neg: History of freedom of religion in Canada Freedom of religion is a constitutionally protected right in Canada , allowing believers the freedom to assemble and worship without limitation or interference , but it was not always so .

neg: Copyright Act of Canada The Copyright Act of Canada is the federal statute governing copyright law in Canada . It is jointly administered by the Department of Industry Canada and the Department of Canadian Heritage . The Copyright Act of Canada was first passed in 1921 and substantially amended in 1988 and 1997 . Several attempts were made between 2005 and 2011 to amend the Copyright Act , but each of the bills ( Bill C-60 in 2005 , Bill C-61 in 2008 , and Bill C-32 in 2010 ) failed to pass due to political opposition . In 2011 , with a majority in the House of Commons , the Conservative Party introduced Bill C-11 , titled the Copyright Modernization Act . Bill C-11 was passed and received Royal Assent on June 29 , 2012 .

neg: Clerk of the Privy Council (Canada) The Clerk of the Privy Council ( Greffier du Conseil privé ) is the senior civil servant in the Canadian government . The Title and Office is in fact `` Clerk of the Privy Council and the Secretary to the Cabinet '' . The Clerk is appointed by the Queen 's representative in Canada , the Governor General , on the advice of the Prime Minister .   The Clerk of the Privy Council operates as the deputy minister to the Prime Minister of Canada and provides impartial advice to the Prime Minister and is in charge of the Privy Council Office . As Secretary to the Cabinet , the Clerk of the Privy Council provides impartial advice to the Ministry and oversees the advice and policy support given to Cabinet and its committees . As Head of the Public Service , the Clerk is responsible for other deputy ministers and the provision of non-partisan , expert advice to the government as a whole .

neg: Canada v Schmidt Canada v Schmidt , -LSB- 1987 -RSB- 1 S.C.R. 500 , is a decision by the Supreme Court of Canada on the applicability of fundamental justice under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms on extradition . While fundamental justice in Canada included a variety of legal protections , the Court found that in considering the punishments one might face when extradited to another country , only those that `` shock the conscience '' would breach fundamental justice .