The Bahamas

The national flower of The Bahamas is the Yellow Elder (Tecoma stans)
The flowers have an odd but pleasing fragrance and also provide nectar for bees. The Indians made bows from its wood, and in Mexico a beer was prepared from its roots; it has also been used for a variety of medicines. Also known as: Yellow Bells, Hardy Yellow Trumpet, Trumpet-flower, Yellow Elder.

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What is your National Flower – 2

I am going to post a series of posts about National flowers (floral emblem) of different countries starting with countries with first letter A.

The National Flower of Albania

The floral emblem of Albania is the red and black poppy. The poppy can be found everywhere in this Mediterranean country, and are recognized for their beauty, medicinal value, and seeds.

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What is your National Flower -Albania, Argentina, Australia, and Austria

A government sponsored list of 101 things that most define Canada missed the most Canadian thing — aboriginals.

The list was commissioned by Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Dominion Institute.

Number one in the list is the maple leaf followed by Vimy Ridge and Queen Elizabeth. The Canadian Flag made it to #4.

Over 2,000 Canadians as well as educators and Order of Canada recipients from coast to coast participated. The result is a ranked list of 101 people, places, symbols, events and innovations that respondents believe define our country.

Well, looks like none of the 2000 participants realized that the aboriginal Canadians were important enough to be included in the list. They have set up a site to to ask people “What is missing?” in which general public can cast a vote for #102. That was how aboriginal Canadians were voted 102. People also want Canada “Eh?” in the list. More recommendation are listed here.

After almost 50 years at Cambridge University the leading physicist Stephen Hawking, 66, is considering leaving Britain and move to Canada. He attacked the British government for carrying out “disastrous” cuts in science funding totalling $160 million.

Last month, Hawking said the funding cuts would “cause enormous damage both to British science and to our international reputation.” He is now said to be contemplating an offer to join a fellow academic who is leaving Cambridge this autumn to lead a well-funded Canadian science institute. Neil Turok, an authority on mathematical physics, said “the door is open” for Hawking to join him permanently at the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Ont., which has received $600 million in funding.

Turok decided to leave Cambridge after failing to persuade university authorities, research councils and sponsors to spend $40 million expanding the university’s Centre for Theoretical Cosmology, which he heads, into a Hawking Institute.

That was the rumor; but Hawking’s office said that Hawking had no plans to leave Britain permanently.

A spokesman was quoted as saying that hawking “is not joining the brain drain”.

UPDATE:

The University of Cambridge has poured cold water on reports its most famous physicist might be coming to Canada to work, saying Wednesday Stephen Hawking “has no plans” to leave. (CBC)

It made news when Google ‘forgot’ to change its logo to give a wink to Canucks on the Canada Day. Although the internet giant has a history of recognizing the Canada Day in the past (except for 2003) July 1st of 2008 brought a bit of hollowness for the Canadians when the same old primary-coloured letters appeared on the Google website. Here is the history and corresponding logos:

• 2007 – the L in Google was transformed into an image of the Peace Tower, complete with fireworks.
• 2006 – there was a Canadian flag
• 2005, a simple Maple Leaf did duty as the first O (although Google’s list of holiday logos for that year lists Canada Day as July 2.)
• 2004, the second G was a loon and its reflection with a Canadian flag hanging off the L.
• 2003, forgot the Canadians
• 2002, a moose lurked behind the word Google with a Canadian flag again suspended from the L.
• 2001, the first year the company marked the holiday, there was a beaver, a Canadian flag and even text saying: “Happy Canada Day.”

Do you really care if Google forgets or recognizes the Canada Day!