17 happy words that have no translation into English
There are plenty of foreign words we use in English because they lack a proper translation.
Aloha for instance is a Hawaiian word that has spread overseas and is used as a greeting, but the word literally translates as: "breath of presence".
Dr Tim Lomas is a psychologist at the University of East London who has been investigating how positive feelings and well-being are expressed in other languages.
In a paper for the Journal of Positive Psychology, Dr Lomas described the aims of his research:
First, it aims to provide a window onto cultural differences in constructions of well-being, thereby enriching our understanding of well-being. Second, a more ambitious aim is that this lexicon may help expand the emotional vocabulary of English speakers (and indeed speakers of all languages), and consequently enrich their experiences of well-being.The paper is the end result of the Positive Lexicography Project which is an online glossary of hundreds of untranslatable words, and the list is still growing.
Dr Lomas stresses that the list is a work in progress. They're words and phrases that are used in a positive sense (happiness, joy, skill, relationships). The feelings and situations described are often immediately recognisable as something positive yet only one language has created a single word for these universal emotions.
Here are some of our favourites:
Abhisar (अभिमान)
(Bengali, n.): lit. 'going towards'; a meeting (often secret) between lovers / partners.Chai pani (चाय पानी)
(Hindi/Urdu, n.): lit. 'tea and water'; favours or money given to someone to get something done (similar to a 'bribe', but without a negative connotation).Cwtch
(Welsh, n.): to hug, a safe welcoming place.Fjellvant
(Norwegian) (adj.): Being accustomed to walk in the mountains.Gumusservi
(Turkish, n.): the glimmering that moonlight makes on water.Kvell
(Yiddish, v.): to feel strong and overt (expressed) pride and joy in someone's successes.Mерак
(Serbian, n.): pleasure derived from simple joys.Morgenfrisk
(Danish, adj.): feeling rested after a good night's sleep.Nakama (仲間)
(Japanese, n.): best friend, close buddy, one for whom one feels deep platonic love.Samar (سمر)
(Arabic, v.): to sit together in conversation at sunset/ in the evening.Sólarfrí
(Icelandic, n.): sun holiday, i.e., when workers are granted unexpected time off to enjoy a particularly sunny/warm day.Sprezzatura
(Italian): nonchalance, art and effort are concealed beneath a studied carelessness.Sobremesa
(Spanish, n.): when the food has finished but the conversation is still flowing.Suaimhneas croi
(Gaelic, n.): happiness / contentment on finishing a task.Toska (тоска)
(Russia, n.): longing for one’s homeland, with nostalgia and wistfulness.Waldeinsamkeit
(German, n.): mysterious feeling of solitude when alone in the woods.Whakakoakoa
(Māori, v.): to cheer up.For the full lexicography see Dr Lomas' site here
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J UST 4 TODAY
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Accentuate the positive: Change attitude to improve life
- How to Counteract Negative Tendencies
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Accentuate the positive: Change attitude to improve life
- How to Counteract Negative Tendencies
•Limit your exposure to the news.
•Use positive self-talk. Emphasize phrases such as “I can,” “I will” and “I choose.”
•Be generous with praise and encouragement and cautious with criticism, giving only the constructive type.
•Cultivate a healthy sense of humour. Read the comics, watch a TV sitcom now and then or rent funny movies. Don’t take yourself or others too seriously.
•Accept realities you can’t change and focus on those you can influence.
•Trust that there’s a valuable lesson in every type of adversity. And remember that no matter what happens, you always have a choice about how to respond.
•Stay connected to people who care. Minimize contact with those who are negative or self-centred.
•Find an outlet for expressing your thoughts and feelings, such as talking with a friend or keeping a journal.
•Pick your battles; don’t make a major issue out of every concern.
•Don’t dwell on past mistakes, hurts or other unpleasant events.
•Look for the good in people and situations. •Demonstrate empathy, give others the benefit of the doubt and practise forgiveness.
•Do something you enjoy each day: read, listen to music or take up a hobby.
•Identify sources of stress in your life, then eliminate as many as possible and learn to manage the rest. Practise relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, meditation or yoga.
•Seek help from your primary physician or a counsellor if you continually feel sad, angry or overwhelmed.
•Let go of the need for perfection, and be flexible about plans and expectations. Take things one day at a time.
•Be receptive to learning new ways of doing things and try new activities.
•Do nice things for others.
•Set aside some quiet time each day; it nurtures your spirituality and helps to keep you grounded.
•Finally, focus on the good things in your life, such as supportive relationships, and seek beauty and tranquility – through appreciation of art and nature, for example.
Count your blessings and learn to live in the moment, enjoying life’s simpler pleasures.
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TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT... CANADA STYLE- October 2006 in EDSON- Alb erta
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BLOG:
CANADA MILITARY NEWS: Positive Thinking-Education is power...over 85% of Canadians complete their education- there are lots of jobs folks- How 2 Control your own destiny- get 2 school and retraining 2 where the real jobs are NOT THE PRETEND WANNAB- have a great life... Dale Carnegie/Jaycettes/designing courses that fit and a program Adult Education Certification was wonderful- u can do it... u can do it... jobs are there /fix u - u can /RETRAINING and more training - exciting and good 4 ur spirit and job prospect/Nation Nations- youngbloods NOT interested in joining military- conscription coming back in
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BLOG:
Canada Military News: How to change to positive thinking/fix social media f**k-ups/calming negative clients-patients/a year of buying nothing-hints/shift negative to positive/links included- this took a lot of time...so enjoy friends/talking to children about trauma /organizing a room by room clutter mess/Random Acts of Kindness lifts the soul and costs little
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Canada Military News: THE HUMAN EQUALIZER-Empowerment ofGood Manners -Learning and teaching children the power of good manners- Life Skill of Good Manners and Respect for ourselves and each other- this shd b implemented in 2016- for all children starting school starting in Elementary School/4 tweens/teens and getting ready 4 adult life- u cannot buy the incredible gift of good manners and the immense value/Table Manners/ Nova Scotia and Canada-come visit ...we’d love to have ya /links
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50 things to do in Canada this summer
There are hundreds of great things to do across Canada this summer. Here are just 50.
There are hundreds of great things to do across Canada this summer. Here are just 50.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
1. Tour an airborne firefighter
Originally built as bombers for long-range missions and patrols, Coulson Flying Tankers now drop 60,000 pounds of foam on raging forest fires. With wingspans of 200 feet (wider than a 747), they reside at Sproat Lake in central Vancouver Island. Free tours when crews aren't putting out flames. www.martinmars.com
2 Paddle into the setting sun
A sunset kayaking tour from Gabriola Island (20 minutes by ferry from Nanaimo) offers a multitude of treats, from the gaudy display in the sky to the eye-level view of otters, seals and (look up!) bald eagles. $45 a person, with two-person minimum. www.jimskayaking.com
3. Zip it
Whistle over whitewater and old-growth forest on a series of zip lines, some as long as 2,200 feet. Perfect for adrenalin junkies. Adults $98 to $119. www.whistler.com/zipline
4. Feed the sea lions
Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Vancouver Aquarium. Learn all about the sea lions and sea otters from staff, prepare some of their favourite treats and get up close to the animals while working alongside their trainers. $25 to $35. www.vanaqua.org
5. Seek a sea serpent
Did you know that Canada has its own version of the Loch Ness monster? There have been plenty of sightings of Ogopogo, a snakelike creature said to be anywhere from six to 20 metres long, in Okanagan Lake in the B.C. Interior. Try your luck. www.ogopogoquest.com
6. Saddle up for cowgirl boot camp
At Elkin Creek Guest Ranch in the spectacular Chilcotin Mountains, you'll be solidly trained in the three Rs: riding, roping and rustling up some grub over an open fire. $825 a person, double occupancy, for three nights, including meals and activities. Cowgirls only June 13 to 15. www.adventurewestresorts.com
ALBERTA
7. Embark on a fossil safari
Dino teeth and bones are literally lying around Dinosaur Provincial Park north of Brooks, in the southeast of the province. Once the edge of an inland sea, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the world's richest fossil beds. Reserve a tour at least a month ahead. Adults $8. 403-378-4344; tprc.alberta.ca/parks/dinosaur
8. Peer at the petroglyphs
Ancient rock carvings, paintings and pictographs at Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, about 100 km southeast of Lethbridge, vividly depict hunting, vision quests and scenes of battle. It's the largest concentration of rock art on the North American plains, some of them up to 6,000 years old. 403-647-2364; gateway.cd.gov.ab.ca/site-information. aspx?id=177
9. Bask in the spray of North America's largest manmade waterfall
At 210 feet (64 metres) high, Edmonton's Great Divide Waterfall is higher than Niagara Falls. Activated on holiday weekends in the spring and summer. Check out the schedule at www.edmonton.ca.
10. Strathmore Heritage Days Stampede
And you thought you had to go to Pamplona for the running of the bulls. This stampede offers the traditional chuckwagon races, rodeo events and monster truck rides. On top of that, for $25 (yes, you pay!), you can don a red shirt and run a track with a rampaging bull behind you. www.strathmorerodeo.com
11. Go zorbing
Straight from New Zealand, comes the latest thrill sport: At Canada Olympic Park just west of Calgary, you can flip and bounce down a hill in what is essentially a giant hamster ball. May through September, $30. www.canadaolympicpark.ca/home/activities.asp?season=summer
SASKATCHEWAN
12. Discover Moose Jaw's Capone connection
Sleepy Moose Jaw earned the moniker "Little Chicago" in the 1920s, when American gangsters rode the rails north to beat the heat of Prohibition. Tour the underground tunnels -- complete with animatronics -- where Al Capone's mob ran their bootleg operation. Adults $13. www.tunnelsofmoosejaw.com
13. Get a vision of the Prairies, pre-contact
Grasslands National Park in the southern end of the province preserves one of the country's only undisturbed tracts of mixed prairie grassland. Look for Canada's only black-tailed prairie dog colony and rare pronghorn antelope, burrowing owl and bison. Guided hikes $4.90 a person. pc.gc.ca/pn-np/sk/grasslands
14. Take a Mountie crash course
Shaped like a prairie snowdrift, the new RCMP Heritage Centre in Regina celebrates all things Mountie. There's an interactive forensics display for budding CSIs, an array of transport from dogsleds to planes and tales of life on the frontier, when the RCMP befriended Sitting Bull, tamed Klondike prospectors and organized manhunts. Adults $12. www.rcmpheritagecentre.com
MANITOBA
15. Bust out a-town session
Our skater lingo may be a little sketchy, but the skateboard park at the Plaza in Winnipeg's vibrant Forks neighbourhood is distinctly, well, gnarly. Covering an area of more than 44,000 square feet, it boasts a 30,000-square-foot plaza and 8,500-square-foot bowl complex with a 17-foot cradle. Free. www.theforks.com
16. Go snaky
Got a reptile-crazy kid? In spring, tens of thousands of red-sided garter snakes congregate in a writhing, wriggling (procreating) mass for several weeks at the snake dens of Narcisse, about two hours north of Winnipeg. Free. gov.mb.ca/conservation/wildlife/managing/snakes
17. Be one with the belugas
Some 3,000 belugas make the Churchill River estuary their summer home, attracted by its abundant fish, lack of predators and pollution-free water. Sea North Tours tows game snorkellers behind a Zodiac with curious whales in hot pursuit. $150 for two hours. www.seanorthtours.com
FAR NORTH
18. Golf under the midnight sun
Tee off at midnight during Yellowknife Golf Club's Canadian North Midnight Classic and play as long as you can. The record: In 1970, a local man golfed 171 holes in a 33.5-hour marathon. Non-members $125. www.yellowknifegolf.com
19. Great Northern Arts Festival
Up to 120 Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal artists and performers from across the North congregate in Inuvik for 10 days of workshops, demonstrations, children's activities and a comprehensive Festival Gallery. Evening performances of song, dance and storytelling. www.gnaf.org
20. Win a diamond in the rough
The Deh Cho travel route circles through Alberta, the Northwest Territories and British Columbia among some of the world's wildest places. Pick up a Deh Cho passport before heading out. Acquire 12 "diamond in the rough" stamps and you could win an $11,500 Canadian diamond. www.dehchotravelconnection.com/contest/index.htm
ONTARIO
21. Sip a cocktail with the lights of Toronto strung out before you
Good bets include the Panorama (on the 51st floor of the Manulife Centre; eatertainment. com); Canoe (atop the TD Tower; oliverbonacini. com) and the Roof Lounge on the 18th floor of the Park Hyatt (parktoronto.hyatt.com).
22. Parade with the swans
Heralded by horns and trumpets and led by children and pipers, at 2 p.m. Stratford's famous swans waddle from their winter quarters to the Avon River, ushering in the arrival of spring. Other special events: concerts and tours of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival's costume warehouse. www.welcometostratford.com
23. Walk in the clouds
Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve's suspended walkway through the canopy of a 200-year-old pine forest feels a bit like an ectomorphic trampoline. Take in breathtaking views and, if you're really lucky, catch a glimpse of wolves, foxes and moose. $95 for a four-hour tour. www.haliburtonforest.com
24. Channel your inner Van Gogh
The lake, dunes, fields and barns of laid-back Prince Edward County (two and a half hours east of Toronto) provide endless fodder for wannabe artists. Stay at a B & B (pec.on.ca) and sign up for the County Art Workshops' three-day weekends (www.thecountyartworkshops. com; $240) or a weekend glass, pottery or watercolour class (www.theredbarns.com; $200 to $300).
25. Go directly to gaol
From 1842 to 1972, the Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol in Goderich housed a gaggle of thieves, murderers, debtors, madmen and starving itinerants in its 48 tiny cells. (Wrongfully convicted Stephen Truscott heard hammering and feared they were building a scaffold for him.) The staff tell great tales. Adults $5. www.huroncounty.ca/museum
26. Cultivate a Blyth spirit
Early in his career with the quirky Blyth Theatre Festival, artistic director Eric Coates saw a calf delivered on stage when a cow, who was "performing" in a play, went past her due date. Specializing in original Canadian works, the annual summer fest in Blyth, about 60 minutes north of London, has premiered 87 plays. www.blythfestival.com
27. Afternoon tea? A capital idea
The nation's capital, that is. Tea at Ottawa's Fairmont Chateau Laurier kicks off with the arrival of the "tea sommelier," followed by an array of sandwiches, desserts and (our favourite) warm scones. Posh, but not so pinky-in-the-air that kids feel awkward. (When one tyke dumped his fruit salad in his lap a few minutes in, the evidence was whisked away discreetly.) 613-241-1414; www.fairmont.com/laurier
QUEBEC
28. Eat and drink a la Mordecai
Follow in the footsteps of the Bard of Montreal: Mordecai Richler. Down a medium-fat smoked-meat sandwich at Schwartz's (3895 St-Laurent Boulevard; www.schwartzsdeli.com); a chewy-sweet sesame bagel at St-Viateur Bagel (253 St-Viateur W., and others; www.stviateurbagel.com); veal mar-row hors d'oeuvre at French bistro L'Express (3927 St-Denis; 514-845-5333); and a rib steak at Moishe's (3961 St-Laurent; www.moishes.ca). Chase with a nice single malt.
29. Celebrate Quebec City's 400th anniversary
Special events in spring and summer include an exhibition from the Louvre; an all-night spectacle of dance, acrobatics and film on the banks and water of the St. Lawrence (Aug. 15); and the city's favourite chanteuse, Celine Dion, belting out her greatest hits on the Plains of Abraham (Aug. 22). www.myquebec2008.com
30. Opt for an island idyll
Need a break from the nonstop events? Slip over to the charming and fertile Ile d'Orleans by ferry or bridge from Quebec City. Just eight km wide and 34 km long, its patchwork of fields and pretty towns attracts an eclectic mix of artisans, from blacksmiths to makers of jam, cheese, cider and chocolate. www.iledorleans.com
31. Navigate a water labyrinth
Rev up your paddleboat and head off along the 6.5 km of canals that wend through the marshland near Wakefield. You will be equipped with a compass, radio and field guide (to help you identify resident plants and creatures). $40 per paddleboat. www.eco-odyssee.ca
NEW BRUNSWICK
32. Settle by the seaside
Pretty St. Andrew's-by-the-Sea offers the classic beach vacation: warm waters and sandy strands, a touch-pool where little ones can stroke a sea star, a salmon interpretation centre (with an underwater viewing room), whale-watching and a first-rate hotel (the Fairmont Algonquin). town. standrews.nb.ca/visitors.cfm
33. Shediac Lobster Festival
Take on a tasty crustacean at this yearly event featuring a kids' parade, lobster suppers, live music and a nightly lobster-eating contest. www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca
34. Watch the tide come in
At Hopewell Rocks National Park on the Bay of Fundy, discover the distinctive flowerpot rock formations and hidden sea caves. Then hunker down to watch some of the highest tides in the world come in, rising an amazing two to two and a half metres an hour. Adults $8. www.thehopewellrocks.ca
35. Uncover the covered bridges
The province boasts 64 of these rural icons. The longest, in Hartland, extends 390 metres. www.gnb.ca/0113/coveredbridges/coveredbridges-e.asp
NOVA SCOTIA
36. Party like an Acadian
You'll feel like long-lost kin when you take part in Musique de la Baie. Every day in July and August, restaurants in Clare county, on the North Shore, gear up for kitchen parties. The fiddling is fiery and there's top tapping galore. Be sure to order rapure (a traditional Acadian dish of grated potato and meat). Schedule posted in April at www.musiquedelabaie.ca.
37. Trace your family's path to the New World
If your ancestors were among the one-million immigrants, war brides and evacuees who arrived in Halifax from 1928 to 1971, there may well be a record at Pier 21, Canada's Immigration Museum. Come armed with info: date of arrival, ship name, etc. Staff researchers will dig up passenger lists, shipboard tales and photos. Adults $8.50. www.pier21.ca
38. Lounge in a deck chair - on the Titanic
OK, the deck chair you recline in at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is a replica, and the deck is an oversized photograph. But the Titanic exhibit features the wireless operator's log of the doomed ship's distress calls, one of the only intact deck chairs in the world that matches those that were on the Titanic and part of the grand staircase. Adults $8.50 in summer. museum.gov.ns.ca/mma/index.html
39. Dive into the past
Explore the underwater remains of the 64-gun Le Celebre, sunk by the British in Louisbourg Harbour in 1758, or the 180-foot-long sponge-and anemone-crusted section of the Arrow, an iron tanker that went down in the Bras d'Or Lakes in 1970. Easy Dive of Cape Breton Island organizes expeditions to the province's wealth of shipwrecks five days a week in summer. Cost varies. www.sporting-mountain.com
40. Get chummy with a shark
Take shelter in a shark cage, while a chum slick (blood and guts) is spread on the water to attract the sleek predators. $1,000 for up to six divers. Must be a certified scuba diver (not to mention stout of heart). August to October. www.lunenburgoceanadventures.com
41. Find evidence of the Earth's birth pangs
Interpreters at the Fundy Geological Museum point out cliffs that were once seabeds, deposits of volcanic laval rocks from ancient fissures and the treasures left behind by the tides as you walk along the ocean floor. Every day except Sunday. Register in advance. $5 to $10 a person. museum. www.gov.ns.ca/fgm
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
42. Celebrate Anne (with an "e")
Festivities to mark the 100th anniversary of Anne of Green Gables include a Green Gables garden party in PEI National Park, country fair and community picnic with old-fashioned games and races. Kids can dress in period costume, go to school in Avonlea, watch pig races or enter an Anne look-alike contest. Non-stop live entertainment and lots of ice cream and raspberry cordial (non-alcoholic, of course. For the harder stuff, head to Rossignol Estate Winery, the province's only winery, in Little Sands on the south shore; rossignolwinery.com). gov.pe.ca/visitorsguide
43. Walk the line
When the P.E.I. railway stopped service in 1989, the island converted its rails to the Confederation Trail. Bike or hike from one end of the island to the other past red-sand beaches and exuberant wildflowers. Free. www.islandtrails.ca
44. Pose with a 14-foot spud
The lowly potato holds an exalted place on the island. The 7,000-square-foot Potato Museum houses a Potato Hall of Fame, a collection of old farm machinery and a number of relocated historic buildings such as a one-room schoolhouse. Look for the giant spud outside the town of O'Leary. $6. www.peipotatomuseum.com
45. Exercise your pipes
The College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada offers week-long workshops all summer long. Learn to play the bagpipes and drums or dance the Highland fling. Tuition varies. May need basic equipment. Register in advance. www.collegeofpiping.com
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
46. Stand at North America's most easterly point
This distinction belongs to Cape Spear, also the home of Newfoundland's oldest lighthouse. Wander the premises to get a sense of how a lighthouse keeper and his family might have lived in the 1800s. pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/nl/spear
47. Ogle an iceberg
Newfoundland and Labrador has bragging rights as iceberg alley. Massive flotillas of glacial ice begin arriving from Greenland from spring through early summer. Use www.icebergfinder.com to pick a promising cliff top, and watch the show drift by.
48. Do nothin' with the puffins
In spring, the penguin-like Atlantic puffin comes ashore to breed in colonies. Mum lays the eggs and dad helps to incubate them, spending some 43 days confined to the nest. Gatherall's Puffin and Whale Watch takes groups out daily from Bay's Bull, Nfld. May to early October. Adults $54. www.gatheralls.com
49. Learn Viking manners
Tour the remains of the 11th-century Viking community L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site. Then head to nearby St. Anthony for theGreat Viking Feast Dinner Theatre. The sod-covered restaurant, a replica of Leif Erickson's home, serves Jiggs dinner (salt meat with yellow split peas) and cod tongues, among other local delicacies. Don't forget to burp: It's good manners. www.fishingpoint.ca/feast.html
50. Dodge bullets on Signal Hill
Four days a week in summer, costumed soldiers break out the gunpowder and re-enact the final battle of the Seven Years' War on the historic crag of St. John's. Take in the panoramic views of the harbour and the city, with its jellybeancoloured houses. 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. parcscanada.pch.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/nl/signalhill
BRITISH COLUMBIA
1. Tour an airborne firefighter
Originally built as bombers for long-range missions and patrols, Coulson Flying Tankers now drop 60,000 pounds of foam on raging forest fires. With wingspans of 200 feet (wider than a 747), they reside at Sproat Lake in central Vancouver Island. Free tours when crews aren't putting out flames. www.martinmars.com
2 Paddle into the setting sun
A sunset kayaking tour from Gabriola Island (20 minutes by ferry from Nanaimo) offers a multitude of treats, from the gaudy display in the sky to the eye-level view of otters, seals and (look up!) bald eagles. $45 a person, with two-person minimum. www.jimskayaking.com
3. Zip it
Whistle over whitewater and old-growth forest on a series of zip lines, some as long as 2,200 feet. Perfect for adrenalin junkies. Adults $98 to $119. www.whistler.com/zipline
4. Feed the sea lions
Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Vancouver Aquarium. Learn all about the sea lions and sea otters from staff, prepare some of their favourite treats and get up close to the animals while working alongside their trainers. $25 to $35. www.vanaqua.org
5. Seek a sea serpent
Did you know that Canada has its own version of the Loch Ness monster? There have been plenty of sightings of Ogopogo, a snakelike creature said to be anywhere from six to 20 metres long, in Okanagan Lake in the B.C. Interior. Try your luck. www.ogopogoquest.com
6. Saddle up for cowgirl boot camp
At Elkin Creek Guest Ranch in the spectacular Chilcotin Mountains, you'll be solidly trained in the three Rs: riding, roping and rustling up some grub over an open fire. $825 a person, double occupancy, for three nights, including meals and activities. Cowgirls only June 13 to 15. www.adventurewestresorts.com
ALBERTA
7. Embark on a fossil safari
Dino teeth and bones are literally lying around Dinosaur Provincial Park north of Brooks, in the southeast of the province. Once the edge of an inland sea, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the world's richest fossil beds. Reserve a tour at least a month ahead. Adults $8. 403-378-4344; tprc.alberta.ca/parks/dinosaur
8. Peer at the petroglyphs
Ancient rock carvings, paintings and pictographs at Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, about 100 km southeast of Lethbridge, vividly depict hunting, vision quests and scenes of battle. It's the largest concentration of rock art on the North American plains, some of them up to 6,000 years old. 403-647-2364; gateway.cd.gov.ab.ca/site-information. aspx?id=177
9. Bask in the spray of North America's largest manmade waterfall
At 210 feet (64 metres) high, Edmonton's Great Divide Waterfall is higher than Niagara Falls. Activated on holiday weekends in the spring and summer. Check out the schedule at www.edmonton.ca.
10. Strathmore Heritage Days Stampede
And you thought you had to go to Pamplona for the running of the bulls. This stampede offers the traditional chuckwagon races, rodeo events and monster truck rides. On top of that, for $25 (yes, you pay!), you can don a red shirt and run a track with a rampaging bull behind you. www.strathmorerodeo.com
11. Go zorbing
Straight from New Zealand, comes the latest thrill sport: At Canada Olympic Park just west of Calgary, you can flip and bounce down a hill in what is essentially a giant hamster ball. May through September, $30. www.canadaolympicpark.ca/home/activities.asp?season=summer
SASKATCHEWAN
12. Discover Moose Jaw's Capone connection
Sleepy Moose Jaw earned the moniker "Little Chicago" in the 1920s, when American gangsters rode the rails north to beat the heat of Prohibition. Tour the underground tunnels -- complete with animatronics -- where Al Capone's mob ran their bootleg operation. Adults $13. www.tunnelsofmoosejaw.com
13. Get a vision of the Prairies, pre-contact
Grasslands National Park in the southern end of the province preserves one of the country's only undisturbed tracts of mixed prairie grassland. Look for Canada's only black-tailed prairie dog colony and rare pronghorn antelope, burrowing owl and bison. Guided hikes $4.90 a person. pc.gc.ca/pn-np/sk/grasslands
14. Take a Mountie crash course
Shaped like a prairie snowdrift, the new RCMP Heritage Centre in Regina celebrates all things Mountie. There's an interactive forensics display for budding CSIs, an array of transport from dogsleds to planes and tales of life on the frontier, when the RCMP befriended Sitting Bull, tamed Klondike prospectors and organized manhunts. Adults $12. www.rcmpheritagecentre.com
MANITOBA
15. Bust out a-town session
Our skater lingo may be a little sketchy, but the skateboard park at the Plaza in Winnipeg's vibrant Forks neighbourhood is distinctly, well, gnarly. Covering an area of more than 44,000 square feet, it boasts a 30,000-square-foot plaza and 8,500-square-foot bowl complex with a 17-foot cradle. Free. www.theforks.com
16. Go snaky
Got a reptile-crazy kid? In spring, tens of thousands of red-sided garter snakes congregate in a writhing, wriggling (procreating) mass for several weeks at the snake dens of Narcisse, about two hours north of Winnipeg. Free. gov.mb.ca/conservation/wildlife/managing/snakes
17. Be one with the belugas
Some 3,000 belugas make the Churchill River estuary their summer home, attracted by its abundant fish, lack of predators and pollution-free water. Sea North Tours tows game snorkellers behind a Zodiac with curious whales in hot pursuit. $150 for two hours. www.seanorthtours.com
FAR NORTH
18. Golf under the midnight sun
Tee off at midnight during Yellowknife Golf Club's Canadian North Midnight Classic and play as long as you can. The record: In 1970, a local man golfed 171 holes in a 33.5-hour marathon. Non-members $125. www.yellowknifegolf.com
19. Great Northern Arts Festival
Up to 120 Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal artists and performers from across the North congregate in Inuvik for 10 days of workshops, demonstrations, children's activities and a comprehensive Festival Gallery. Evening performances of song, dance and storytelling. www.gnaf.org
20. Win a diamond in the rough
The Deh Cho travel route circles through Alberta, the Northwest Territories and British Columbia among some of the world's wildest places. Pick up a Deh Cho passport before heading out. Acquire 12 "diamond in the rough" stamps and you could win an $11,500 Canadian diamond. www.dehchotravelconnection.com/contest/index.htm
ONTARIO
21. Sip a cocktail with the lights of Toronto strung out before you
Good bets include the Panorama (on the 51st floor of the Manulife Centre; eatertainment. com); Canoe (atop the TD Tower; oliverbonacini. com) and the Roof Lounge on the 18th floor of the Park Hyatt (parktoronto.hyatt.com).
22. Parade with the swans
Heralded by horns and trumpets and led by children and pipers, at 2 p.m. Stratford's famous swans waddle from their winter quarters to the Avon River, ushering in the arrival of spring. Other special events: concerts and tours of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival's costume warehouse. www.welcometostratford.com
23. Walk in the clouds
Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve's suspended walkway through the canopy of a 200-year-old pine forest feels a bit like an ectomorphic trampoline. Take in breathtaking views and, if you're really lucky, catch a glimpse of wolves, foxes and moose. $95 for a four-hour tour. www.haliburtonforest.com
24. Channel your inner Van Gogh
The lake, dunes, fields and barns of laid-back Prince Edward County (two and a half hours east of Toronto) provide endless fodder for wannabe artists. Stay at a B & B (pec.on.ca) and sign up for the County Art Workshops' three-day weekends (www.thecountyartworkshops. com; $240) or a weekend glass, pottery or watercolour class (www.theredbarns.com; $200 to $300).
25. Go directly to gaol
From 1842 to 1972, the Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol in Goderich housed a gaggle of thieves, murderers, debtors, madmen and starving itinerants in its 48 tiny cells. (Wrongfully convicted Stephen Truscott heard hammering and feared they were building a scaffold for him.) The staff tell great tales. Adults $5. www.huroncounty.ca/museum
26. Cultivate a Blyth spirit
Early in his career with the quirky Blyth Theatre Festival, artistic director Eric Coates saw a calf delivered on stage when a cow, who was "performing" in a play, went past her due date. Specializing in original Canadian works, the annual summer fest in Blyth, about 60 minutes north of London, has premiered 87 plays. www.blythfestival.com
27. Afternoon tea? A capital idea
The nation's capital, that is. Tea at Ottawa's Fairmont Chateau Laurier kicks off with the arrival of the "tea sommelier," followed by an array of sandwiches, desserts and (our favourite) warm scones. Posh, but not so pinky-in-the-air that kids feel awkward. (When one tyke dumped his fruit salad in his lap a few minutes in, the evidence was whisked away discreetly.) 613-241-1414; www.fairmont.com/laurier
QUEBEC
28. Eat and drink a la Mordecai
Follow in the footsteps of the Bard of Montreal: Mordecai Richler. Down a medium-fat smoked-meat sandwich at Schwartz's (3895 St-Laurent Boulevard; www.schwartzsdeli.com); a chewy-sweet sesame bagel at St-Viateur Bagel (253 St-Viateur W., and others; www.stviateurbagel.com); veal mar-row hors d'oeuvre at French bistro L'Express (3927 St-Denis; 514-845-5333); and a rib steak at Moishe's (3961 St-Laurent; www.moishes.ca). Chase with a nice single malt.
29. Celebrate Quebec City's 400th anniversary
Special events in spring and summer include an exhibition from the Louvre; an all-night spectacle of dance, acrobatics and film on the banks and water of the St. Lawrence (Aug. 15); and the city's favourite chanteuse, Celine Dion, belting out her greatest hits on the Plains of Abraham (Aug. 22). www.myquebec2008.com
30. Opt for an island idyll
Need a break from the nonstop events? Slip over to the charming and fertile Ile d'Orleans by ferry or bridge from Quebec City. Just eight km wide and 34 km long, its patchwork of fields and pretty towns attracts an eclectic mix of artisans, from blacksmiths to makers of jam, cheese, cider and chocolate. www.iledorleans.com
31. Navigate a water labyrinth
Rev up your paddleboat and head off along the 6.5 km of canals that wend through the marshland near Wakefield. You will be equipped with a compass, radio and field guide (to help you identify resident plants and creatures). $40 per paddleboat. www.eco-odyssee.ca
NEW BRUNSWICK
32. Settle by the seaside
Pretty St. Andrew's-by-the-Sea offers the classic beach vacation: warm waters and sandy strands, a touch-pool where little ones can stroke a sea star, a salmon interpretation centre (with an underwater viewing room), whale-watching and a first-rate hotel (the Fairmont Algonquin). town. standrews.nb.ca/visitors.cfm
33. Shediac Lobster Festival
Take on a tasty crustacean at this yearly event featuring a kids' parade, lobster suppers, live music and a nightly lobster-eating contest. www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca
34. Watch the tide come in
At Hopewell Rocks National Park on the Bay of Fundy, discover the distinctive flowerpot rock formations and hidden sea caves. Then hunker down to watch some of the highest tides in the world come in, rising an amazing two to two and a half metres an hour. Adults $8. www.thehopewellrocks.ca
35. Uncover the covered bridges
The province boasts 64 of these rural icons. The longest, in Hartland, extends 390 metres. www.gnb.ca/0113/coveredbridges/coveredbridges-e.asp
NOVA SCOTIA
36. Party like an Acadian
You'll feel like long-lost kin when you take part in Musique de la Baie. Every day in July and August, restaurants in Clare county, on the North Shore, gear up for kitchen parties. The fiddling is fiery and there's top tapping galore. Be sure to order rapure (a traditional Acadian dish of grated potato and meat). Schedule posted in April at www.musiquedelabaie.ca.
37. Trace your family's path to the New World
If your ancestors were among the one-million immigrants, war brides and evacuees who arrived in Halifax from 1928 to 1971, there may well be a record at Pier 21, Canada's Immigration Museum. Come armed with info: date of arrival, ship name, etc. Staff researchers will dig up passenger lists, shipboard tales and photos. Adults $8.50. www.pier21.ca
38. Lounge in a deck chair - on the Titanic
OK, the deck chair you recline in at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is a replica, and the deck is an oversized photograph. But the Titanic exhibit features the wireless operator's log of the doomed ship's distress calls, one of the only intact deck chairs in the world that matches those that were on the Titanic and part of the grand staircase. Adults $8.50 in summer. museum.gov.ns.ca/mma/index.html
39. Dive into the past
Explore the underwater remains of the 64-gun Le Celebre, sunk by the British in Louisbourg Harbour in 1758, or the 180-foot-long sponge-and anemone-crusted section of the Arrow, an iron tanker that went down in the Bras d'Or Lakes in 1970. Easy Dive of Cape Breton Island organizes expeditions to the province's wealth of shipwrecks five days a week in summer. Cost varies. www.sporting-mountain.com
40. Get chummy with a shark
Take shelter in a shark cage, while a chum slick (blood and guts) is spread on the water to attract the sleek predators. $1,000 for up to six divers. Must be a certified scuba diver (not to mention stout of heart). August to October. www.lunenburgoceanadventures.com
41. Find evidence of the Earth's birth pangs
Interpreters at the Fundy Geological Museum point out cliffs that were once seabeds, deposits of volcanic laval rocks from ancient fissures and the treasures left behind by the tides as you walk along the ocean floor. Every day except Sunday. Register in advance. $5 to $10 a person. museum. www.gov.ns.ca/fgm
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
42. Celebrate Anne (with an "e")
Festivities to mark the 100th anniversary of Anne of Green Gables include a Green Gables garden party in PEI National Park, country fair and community picnic with old-fashioned games and races. Kids can dress in period costume, go to school in Avonlea, watch pig races or enter an Anne look-alike contest. Non-stop live entertainment and lots of ice cream and raspberry cordial (non-alcoholic, of course. For the harder stuff, head to Rossignol Estate Winery, the province's only winery, in Little Sands on the south shore; rossignolwinery.com). gov.pe.ca/visitorsguide
43. Walk the line
When the P.E.I. railway stopped service in 1989, the island converted its rails to the Confederation Trail. Bike or hike from one end of the island to the other past red-sand beaches and exuberant wildflowers. Free. www.islandtrails.ca
44. Pose with a 14-foot spud
The lowly potato holds an exalted place on the island. The 7,000-square-foot Potato Museum houses a Potato Hall of Fame, a collection of old farm machinery and a number of relocated historic buildings such as a one-room schoolhouse. Look for the giant spud outside the town of O'Leary. $6. www.peipotatomuseum.com
45. Exercise your pipes
The College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada offers week-long workshops all summer long. Learn to play the bagpipes and drums or dance the Highland fling. Tuition varies. May need basic equipment. Register in advance. www.collegeofpiping.com
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
46. Stand at North America's most easterly point
This distinction belongs to Cape Spear, also the home of Newfoundland's oldest lighthouse. Wander the premises to get a sense of how a lighthouse keeper and his family might have lived in the 1800s. pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/nl/spear
47. Ogle an iceberg
Newfoundland and Labrador has bragging rights as iceberg alley. Massive flotillas of glacial ice begin arriving from Greenland from spring through early summer. Use www.icebergfinder.com to pick a promising cliff top, and watch the show drift by.
48. Do nothin' with the puffins
In spring, the penguin-like Atlantic puffin comes ashore to breed in colonies. Mum lays the eggs and dad helps to incubate them, spending some 43 days confined to the nest. Gatherall's Puffin and Whale Watch takes groups out daily from Bay's Bull, Nfld. May to early October. Adults $54. www.gatheralls.com
49. Learn Viking manners
Tour the remains of the 11th-century Viking community L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site. Then head to nearby St. Anthony for theGreat Viking Feast Dinner Theatre. The sod-covered restaurant, a replica of Leif Erickson's home, serves Jiggs dinner (salt meat with yellow split peas) and cod tongues, among other local delicacies. Don't forget to burp: It's good manners. www.fishingpoint.ca/feast.html
50. Dodge bullets on Signal Hill
Four days a week in summer, costumed soldiers break out the gunpowder and re-enact the final battle of the Seven Years' War on the historic crag of St. John's. Take in the panoramic views of the harbour and the city, with its jellybeancoloured houses. 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. parcscanada.pch.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/nl/signalhill
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You're Canadian if:
- You know how to pronounce and spell Saskatchewan without blinking
- You put on shorts as soon as it hits plus 10, even if there is still snow around
- You know what a tuque (toque?) is
- You are excited whenever an American television show mentions Canada
- You make a mental note to talk about it at work the next day
- You use a red pen on your non-Canadian textbooks and fill in the missing 'u's from labor, honor, and color
- You have Canadian Tire money in your kitchen drawers
- Pike is a type of fish, not some part of a highway
- You drive on a highway, not a freeway
- You know what a Robertson screwdriver is
- You understand the sentence, "Could you please pass me a serviette, I just spilled my poutine."
- You drink pop, not soda
- You love your fries with poutine
- You go to the washroom, not the restroom or bathroom
- Someone accidently stepped on your foot. You apologize.
- You stepped on someone's foot. You apologize, then apologize for making them apologize
- You have worn shorts and a parka at the same time
- "Eh" is a very important part of your vocabulary and you understand all the 1,000 different meanings of "eh"... eh?
- You know schools don't issue a snow day unless there is a severe blizzard (at least in Saskatchewan, my personal experience)
- You don't mind leaving your wet winter boots at the door when visiting your dentist, etc.
- You order a "double-double" at Tim Horton's (famous coffee shop, Canada's pride), not two cream and two sugar (funny thing is, that when we first went through a Tim Horton's drive-thru, we kept hearing the words "gobble-gobble" over the outside speaker, and we were wondering why they were gobbling like turkeys, ha-ha!)
More Canadian Jokes
Here is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about Canucks:You may be living in Canada if:
- Your local Dairy Queen (ice cream shop) is closed from September through May
- Someone in a Home Depot offers you assistance... and they don't work there
- You've worn shorts and a parka at the same time
- You've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number
- “Vacation” means going anywhere south of Muncie for the weekend
- You measure distance in hours
- You know several people who have hit a deer more than once
- You have switched from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again
- You can drive 90 km/hr through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching
- You install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked
- You carry jumpers in your car and your wife knows how to use them
- You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit
- The speed limit on the highway is 80 km and you're going 90 and everybody is passing you
- Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow
- You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction
- You have more miles on your snow blower than your car
- You find 2 degrees "a little" chilly
- If you actually understand these Canadian jokes, you definitely live in Canada! :)
From Canadian Jokes to Canadian Sarcasm
AsVancouver was hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics, here are some silly questions that were asked by people from all over the world. Believe it or not, these questions about Canada were posted on an International Tourism Web site. Obviously the answers are not to be taken seriously, but the questions were indeed asked and are now another addition to the collection of Canadian jokes!
Q: I have never seen it warm on Canadian TV, so how do the plants grow? (England)
A. We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around and watch them die.
A. We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around and watch them die.
Q: Will I be able to see Polar Bears in the street? (USA)
A: Depends on how much you've been drinking.
A: Depends on how much you've been drinking.
Q: I want to walk from Vancouver to Toronto. Can I follow the Railroad tracks? (Sweden)
A: Sure, it's only 4,000 miles, take lots of water.
A: Sure, it's only 4,000 miles, take lots of water.
Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in Canada? (Sweden)
A: So it's true what they say about Swedes.
A: So it's true what they say about Swedes.
Q: Are there any ATM's (cash machines) in Canada? Can you send me a list of them in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Halifax? (England)
A: What, did your last slave die?
A: What, did your last slave die?
Q: Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Canada? (USA)
A: A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe. Ca-na-da is that big country to your North… oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Calgary. Come naked.
A: A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe. Ca-na-da is that big country to your North… oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Calgary. Come naked.
Q: Which direction is North in Canada? (USA)
A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.
A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.
Q: Can I bring cutlery into Canada? (England)
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.
Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? (USA)
A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-ma-ny, which is... oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Vancouver and in Calgary, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.
A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-ma-ny, which is... oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Vancouver and in Calgary, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.
Q: Do you have perfume in Canada? (Germany)
A: No, WE don't stink.
A: No, WE don't stink.
Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Where can I sell it in Canada? (USA)
A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.
A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.
Q: Can you tell me the regions in British Columbia where the female population is smaller than the male population? (Italy)
A: Yes, gay nightclubs.
A: Yes, gay nightclubs.
Q: Do you celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada? (USA)
A: Only at Thanksgiving.
A: Only at Thanksgiving.
Q: Are there supermarkets in Toronto and is milk available all year round? (Germany)
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of Vegan hunter/gathers. Milk is illegal.
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of Vegan hunter/gathers. Milk is illegal.
Q: I have a question about a famous animal in Canada, but I forget its name. It's a kind of big horse with horns. (USA)
A: It's called a Moose. They are tall and very violent, eating the brains of anyone walking close to them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.
A: It's called a Moose. They are tall and very violent, eating the brains of anyone walking close to them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.
Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? (USA)
A: Yes, but you will have to learn it first.
A: Yes, but you will have to learn it first.
There you have it, pure sarcasm as part of these Canadian jokes.
As a final part to this Canadian jokes section I'd like to ask you: How do you spell Canada? Answer: C-Eh!-N-Eh!-D-Eh! This Canadian joke originated as follows:
The original name for Canada, dreamed up by a parliamentary committee in London, was "Cold North Dominion," but that was too long, so they abbreviated it to C.N.D. The King's Royal Governor presented the new name to the inhabitants, but they didn't say a word. "Well, what do you think?" asked the Royal Governor? "C, eh?" said the first fellow, and just looked at the Governor. "N, eh?" says the second guy. "D, eh?" says a third one. Then silence. "Hey," says the Governor. "I like that. It's a helluva lot easier to pronounce when you spell it that way." And that's how Canada got its name. :) (Kidding!)
Continue to:
Quotes about Canada
National Anthem and Symbols
Geographical facts about Canada
History of Canada
Canadian Government and Economy
Canadian People and Culture
Canadian Holidays and Celebrations
Canadian Inventions and Famous Canadians
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