Winnipeg Free Press goes Pink for Breast Cancer

I thought this was worth remembering so I am sticking it in here. :-D

Why are we PINK today?
Margo Goodhand
Updated: June 4 at 09:48 AM CDT

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
We warned you it was coming, but it was still probably a bit of a shock to find a pink newspaper on your doorstep today.

Think of it as a collector's item -- I know we do.

We're the first paid-circulation newspaper in North America to try this, and no, it's not going to become a habit.

We wanted to do a significant fundraiser for breast cancer research, on the eve of the World Conference on Breast Cancer here in Winnipeg. Ten cents of every paper we sell today will be donated to the cause, and if all goes according to plan, dozens of my colleagues and I will have been out on the street from 6:30 this morning, hawking our hearts out.

We're hoping that turning this 135-year-old institution into a one-of-a-kind fund-raiser will help combat a disease which affects all of us somehow in our lifetime.

It's not my colour, pink. But it's a brave colour.

Our audience development folks came up with this idea some time ago, and let's just say it met with some resistance.

Editor: "What if there's a horrific disaster?" (Answer. We play it by ear. Thankfully, the fact that you're reading this means we had a relatively peaceful Tuesday.)

Director of Operations: "Where do you get pink newspaper?" (Answer: Our stuff was custom-ordered from Abitibi-Bowater, an international newsprint firm. Took eight weeks to lug from Iroquois Falls, Ont. to Winnipeg in two trucks, 23 metric tons apiece.)

Advertising Manager: "Who's going to advertise in a pink paper?" (Answer: A lot more businesses than you'd think, when they find out why you're doing it.)

Publisher: He's in Sweden. You don't really think we'd do this when he was in town, do you? (Oh OK, he liked the idea.)

And a funny thing happened as we pushed towards this date over the last few months. Everybody got on board.

Deputy Editor Julie Carl put out the call to create a special edition inside and out, with stories carrying the theme from news to business to life and sports. And the response was overwhelming. We're printing as much as we can today, with a few added bonuses on our website at www.winnipegfreepress.com

Our colleagues have been working just as hard. Sales people had to warn every one of their clients; the press room ran off trial pink papers; circulation and marketing stuffed a hawkers' war room full of pink balloons, ribbons, T-shirts, posters, ads -- all geared to getting as many as these commemorative editions out to as many hands as possible.

This is the first time Winnipeg has hosted the World Conference on Breast Cancer. It runs today through June 8. We're proud to host this significant event, and proud to do our part.

Thank you, readers, for supporting us today.

http://winnipegfreepress.com/subscriber/special8/index.html

Guide to Winnipeg:

Image via Wikipedia* Those of you from Winnipeg, you're going to love this!
* To all others being sent this e-mail, it explains a lot about Winnipeggers.
* First you must learn to pronounce the city name. It is WIN-A-PEG, not VIN-A-PEG and it does not matter how people pronounce it in other places.
* Winnipeg has its own version of traffic rules. Never forget that downtown Winnipeg is composed in large part of one-way streets. The only way to get out of the center of town is to turn around and start over when you reach the river. All directions start with, 'Go down Portage.'
* Portage Avenue has no beginning and no end.
* The 8:00 a.m. Rush hour is from 6:30 to 9:30a.m. The 5:00 PM rush hour is from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday's rush hour starts on Thursday morning.
* If you actually stop at a yellow light, there's no chance you're from Winnipeg. Yellow lights are for sissies.
* Lagimodiere Blvd. Can only be pronounced by a native Winnipegger, so do not attempt the phonetic pronunciation. People will simply tilt their heads to the right and stare at you. (And let's not forget Noter Dayme! And of course, Portidge.)
* Bingo, Bugs and Perogies are a way of life. Deal with it.
* Construction on the Winnipeg streets in summer is a way of life and a permanent form of entertainment. (Especially those dopey-looking city workers holdingup signs in traffic that say in big orange letters 'SLOW'. ( I always want to yell, 'You don't really need to advertise, buddy!'.)
* Many bizarre sights can be explained simply by realizing, 'Oh, we're in Transcona!'
* Construction crews aren't doing their job properly unless they close down all lanes except one during rush hour.
* If someone actually has his turn signal on, it was probably left on at the factory where the car was made.
* Buying a Winnipeg street map is a waste of money since the termination or continuation of any street is entirely at the discretion of the Works Department of the City: e.g.: Salter, Isabel, Balmoral, Colony, Memorial, Osborne, Dunkirk. You've gone two miles down the same road and the name changes seven times.
* Asking directions will help you get acquainted with numerous happy-to-help residents. It may not be any help at all for finding the address you seek.
* Never honk your horn at another car in traffic. The bumper sticker that reads, 'Keep honking, I'm reloading.' Is considered a fair warning.
* Exit and entry ramps on the Perimeter Hwy. are just the recommended way of entering and exiting, feel free to exit at any grassy point you wish.
* All drivers frightened of heights, stay clear of Charleswood and its ten-foot ditches. Believe me when I say you won't get out without a hundred-dollar towing bill.
* Your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to your bluespruce.
* Down South to you means Grand Forks.
* Your 1 July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.
* You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.
* You find 0 degrees 'a little chilly.' But it is still t-shirt weather.
* You actually understand these jokes, and you forward them to all your Manitoba friends.