Canada's national bird is the beaver.

Canada is the second-largest nation in the world. It is not part of the United States- (it's the U.S.' nicer sister, not dissing Mexico, the U.S.' feistier sister.)

A little jewel sitting at the top of the continent.

In the 147 years of their nationhood, Canadians have given the world paint rollers, snowmobiles, electric organs, green ink, toboggans, snow blowers, plexiglass, and the push-up bra.



Canada has about the same population as California, but fewer Scientologists.

According to the 2009 World Drug Report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Canada has the dubious honor of leading the industrialized world in marijuana use, at least when calculated as a percentage of population.

Today is the 34th anniversary of the Canadian national anthem, 'Like America, But Colder.'



Canada's leading export to the United States is Canadians. Dan Aykroyd, who happens to have been born exactly 62 years ago today, is one.



Pamela Anderson is another, and was also born today, although she's younger (most of her is 40ish, but some parts are significantly younger).



Other Canadian exports: Bryan Adams, Paul Anka, Alexander Graham Bell, Raymond Burr (of nipple rouge fame), John Candy, Jim Carrey, Celine Dion, Michael J. Fox, John Kenneth Galbraith, Lorne Greene, Peter Jennings, kd lang, Marshall McLuhan, Joni Mitchell, Alice Munro, Oscar Peterson, William Shatner,



Alex Trebek, Shania Twain, Neil Young and of course Leonard Cohen.



(... O body swayed to music, O brightening glance,
How can we know the dancer from the dance?)