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Winnipeg, Manitoba

Winnipeg, Manitoba

Winnipeg (, CST) is a Canadian city and the provincial capital of the province of Manitoba. Located in Western Canada, Winnipeg plays a prominent role in transportation, finance, manufacturing, agriculture and education. It is known as the Gateway to the West. The city is located near the geographic centre of North America. It lies in a flood plain at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers and started around the point now commonly known as The Forks. It is protected from flooding by the Red River Floodway. Winnipeg is the province's largest city with a population of 619,544 people (2001 Canadian Census). The Winnipeg Metropolitan Area (which includes Winnipeg and the surrounding municipalities including Selkirk, East and West St.Paul, Headingley, Cartier, MacDonald, and Springfield) has a population of 702,400 (Statistics Canada 2004 estimate). The climate in Winnipeg is very extreme; overall, it is one of the coldest large cities in the world, with temperatures averaging below freezing from mid-November through much of March (and most nights below −18 °C (0 °F) in mid-winter), although from May to September temperatures often reach 30 °C (86 °F) and sometimes exceed 35 °C (95 °F). The city receives more precipitation in the forms of both rain and snow than other Prairie cities, but the weather is characterized year-round by an abundance of sunshine.

History

September In 1738, the Sieur de la Vérendrye built the first post on the site, Fort Rouge, but it was later abandoned. Other posts were built in the Red River region, which was fiercely contested by the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company. Fort Gibraltar, a post of the North West Company on the site of present-day Winnipeg, was renamed Fort Garry in 1822 and became the leading post in the region. In 1835, Fort Garry was rebuilt after the devastating flood of 1826 and although it played a small role in the actual trading of furs, it housed the residence of the Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company for many years. In 1869-1870, Winnipeg was the site of the Red River Rebellion, a conflict between the local Métis people led by Louis Riel and newcomers from eastern Canada. This rebellion led directly to the entry of Manitoba into Confederation as Canada's fifth province in 1870. On November 8, 1873, Winnipeg was incorporated as a city. In 1876 the post office officially adopted the name "Winnipeg", three years after the city's incorporation. The name Winnipeg is a transcription of the western Cree word wīnipēk (ᐑᓂᐯᐠ), meaning "muddy waters" from wīni (ᐑᓂ) - dirty, or soiled - and nipiy (ᓂᐱᐩ) - water. It is the Cree name of Lake Winnipeg, some sixty kilometres to the north (about forty miles). Winnipeg experienced an economic boom during the 1890s through 1920s. The population rose from about 25,000 in 1891 to more than 200,000 by 1921. The Manitoba [http://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/homepage.html Provincial Legislature Building] reflects the optimism of these boom years. Built of Tyndall Stone in 1920, it is topped by the "Golden Boy", a 5.25 metres tall (17.2 feet) from his toes to the tip of his torch, sculpture sheathed in 23.5 karat (98%) gold. The Golden Boy carries a sheaf of golden grain in his left arm, while his right hand holds high a torch. The Golden Boy's torch was illuminated in December 31, 1966, as part of Manitoba's Centennial Celebration. The lamp was removed in 2002 in the course of a refurbishment of the famous statue, when it was discovered the cable supplying power to the lamp also contributed to the erosion of its internal frame. The statue is now lit at night by floodlights. The current city of Winnipeg was created by the Unicity Act of 1971. The municipalities of St. James-Assiniboia, St. Boniface, Transcona, St. Vital, West Kildonan, East Kildonan, Tuxedo, Old Kildonan, North Kildonan, Fort Garry, and Charleswood were amalgamated with the Old City of Winnipeg. Small portions of the city have since seceded, but the vast majority of the populated area of the city remains within one single municipality. In order to prevent urban sprawl, the city restricted development to inside an urban limit line and in most cases left several kilometres of open space between the municipal boundary and suburban developments. Surrounding municipalities have a combined population of fewer than 100,000.

Geography and Climate

Winnipeg lies at the bottom of the valley of the Red River and has an extremely flat topography. There are no substantial hills in the city or in its vicinity. Downtown Winnipeg is centred at the intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street about one kilometre (0.6 mile) from The Forks of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. From this intersection, known as the windiest in Canada, all roads radiate outwards. The city uses the grid system for streets although there are several different grids in place which correspond to old Red River Lots and the meandering courses of the rivers. This creates some very irregular intersections. As a result many visitors find it difficult to get around in Winnipeg. There is no absolute numbering system in place but usually street addresses become higher the farther one moves away from either river. For example west of the Red River street addresses will increase as one heads west, but east of the river they will increase as one heads east. In general avenues run east and west and streets north and south. Unlike many cities in North America, all streets are named, not numbered. Of interest, many of the main thoroughfares in Winnipeg are extremely wide due to the spring soil conditions and the historical use of the Red River Cart which created wide ruts in the (then) muddy roads. Portage Avenue has four lanes of traffic in each direction plus a central boulevard for much of its run through Winnipeg. Downtown Winnipeg is the financial heart of the city, and covers an area of about one square mile (2.5 km²) which is quite large for a city this size. Although downtown Winnipeg once housed what was for a time one of the world's most successful department stores, the Eaton's store on Portage Avenue, it is no longer the retail or commercial centre of the city. The Eaton's store was torn down and replaced by an arena, the MTS Centre in November, 2004. Surrounding the downtown area are various residential neighbourhoods. Urban development spreads in all directions from downtown but is greatest to the south and west, and has tended to follow (and has been determined by) the course of the two major rivers. The urbanized area in Winnipeg is about 25 km (15 mi) from east to west and 20 km (12 mi) from north to south, although there is still much land available for development within the City Limits. Areas include Downtown/Exchange District, The Forks, Fort Rouge/Crescentwood, River Heights, Tuxedo, Charleswood, St. James/Assiniboia, The West End, Weston, Wolseley, The North End, Elmwood, East, West, and North Kildonan, St Boniface, St Vital, Fort Garry, St Norbert, and Transcona. Winnipeg is known for its urban forest particularly its beautiful elm trees. The two major parks in the city, Assiniboine Park and Kildonan Park, are both located in the suburbs. The major commercial areas are Polo Park (West End and St. James) Kildonan Crossing (Transcona), South St. Vital, and Garden City (West Kildonan). The main cultural and nightlife areas are the Exchange District, The Forks, Osborne Village and Corydon Avenue (both in Fort Rouge), Sargent and Ellice Avenues (West End) and Old St. Boniface. Because of its extremely flat topography and substantial snowfall, Winnipeg is subject to severe flooding. The Red River reached its greatest flood height in 1826, and this event still remains the highest flood stage of the last two hundred years. Another large flood occurred in 1950, which caused millions of dollars in damages and thousands of evacuations. This flood prompted Duff Roblin's government to build the Red River Floodway (sometimes colloquially refered to as Duff's Ditch), a 49 kilometre (30 mile) long diversion channel that protects the city of Winnipeg from flooding. Other related water diversion projects farther away from Winnipeg include the Portage Diversion (also known as the Assiniboine River Floodway) and the Shellmouth Dam. The flood-control system prevented flooding in 1974 and 1979 when water levels neared record levels. However, in the 1997 flood, flooding threatened the city's relatively unprotected southwest corner. Flood control dikes were reinforced and raised using sandbags and the threat was averted. Winnipeg suffered very limited damage compared to cities without flood control structures, such as Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. The generally flat terrain and the poor drainage of the Red River Valley's clay-based soil result in generally poor drainage in the city, which leads in wet years to a seasonal explosion of insects, especially mosquitos. Winnipeg has gained a reputation as the mosquito capital of North America, resulting in the limitation of much outdoor activity during the hot and humid summer months. The fear of West Nile Virus has further exacerbated the problem. In the summer of 2005, mosquito trap counts in some parts of the city went into the thousands, causing immediate city-wide fogging with the chemical malathion. The use of chemicals to combat Winnipeg's insect problem is an extremely controversial issue in the city as many feel that the use of chemicals, and particularly malathion, is unnecessarily dangerous to human and animal health. Winnipeg lies in an unprotected arctic trough which channels cold arctic air south, directly across the Canadian Shield and Canadian Prairie. This results in bone-chilling temperatures as early as the end of October and bitter cold and winds during December, January and February, and cold weather and snow often extending into April. The extremity of its climate in the winter months has caused the (somewhat derisive) nickname of "Winterpeg". Summers are typically warm with average temperatures above 25 °C (77 °F) and much sunshine is received throughout the year. Spring and fall tend to be rather contracted seasons, each averaging little over six weeks. Average maximum temperatures for each month are as follows (source Environment Canada): January −13 °C (9 °F), February −9 °C (16 °F), March −1 °C (30 °F), April 10 °C (50 °F), May 19 °C (67 °F), June 23 °C (74 °F), July 26 °C (79 °F), August 25 °C (77 °F), September 19 °C (67 °F), October 11 °C (52 °F), November 0 °C (32 °F), December −10 °C (14 °F). The city receives an annual average of about 510 mm (20 inches) of precipitation including 115 cm (45 inches) of snow. There is generally snow cover from mid-November to the end of March, though this varies depending on the year—heavy snowfalls in late October and in April are not uncommon. Winnipeg is virtually assured of having a White Christmas as there is only one December 25 on record in the last century where there was no snow on the ground. December 25

Demographics

December 25 The City of Winnipeg metropolitan area is home to 685,507 people (2002), about 55% of the total population of Manitoba. Winnipeg's population grew by only 1,067 residents from 1996 to 2001. Winnipeg's total annual growth rate has been 0.5% since 1971, with the majority of growth coming from immigration from Asia and Africa and in-migration from the surrounding rural areas, aboriginal reservations, and native communities. Edmonton and Calgary, however, formerly smaller cousins, have grown 3.0% and 4.5% per year, over the same period, so that each now has a metropolitan population of over 1.0 million. Winnipeg was once Canada's third-largest city (until the 1930s), but, beginning in the 1970s, as the economy evolved away from rural farm-based industry, Winnipeg stalled in growth and dropped to eighth by 2004. Around 19% of the population is under 14, and 13.7% are over 65.

Visible minorities

Statistics Canada asks census respondents whether they are aboriginal and whether they belong to a visible minority.[http://www12.statcan.ca/english/profil01/Metadata/vis_min_pop.cfm?A=&DataType=1&TypeNameE=City%20%2D%20Cit%E9&ID=8144&CSDNAME=Winnipeg&D=1&LANG=E&Province=46&PlaceName=Winnipeg&SGC=4611040&SCRIPT1=/english/profil01/Details/details1pop2.cfm&PSGC=46&CMA=&CSDType=C&ThisPageNo=Population%20%2D%20Page%203&ThisPage=1pop2&Prov=Manitoba&SEARCH=BEGINS] Published figures for 2001:
- Filipino: 4.9%
- South Asian: 2.0%
- Black: 1.8%
- Chinese: 1.8%
- Southeast Asian: 0.8%
- Latin American: 0.7%
- Japanese: 0.3%
- Korean: 0.2%
- West Asian: 0.1%
- Other minority or multiple minories: 0.6%.
- All others: 86.6% (including Aboriginal, Caucasian in race, or white in colour)[http://www12.statcan.ca/english/profil01/Metadata/vismin_other.cfm?A=&DataType=1&TypeNameE=City%20%2D%20Cit%E9&ID=8144&CSDNAME=Winnipeg&D=1&LANG=E&Province=46&PlaceName=Winnipeg&SGC=4611040&SCRIPT1=/english/profil01/Details/details1pop2.cfm&PSGC=46&CMA=&CSDType=C&ThisPageNo=Population%20%2D%20Page%203&ThisPage=1pop2&Prov=Manitoba&SEARCH=BEGINS]

Religious affiliation

- Protestant: 35.1%
- Roman Catholic: 32.6%
- Christian Orthodox: 1.7%
- Other Christian: 3.6%
- Jewish: 2.1%
- No religion: 21.4% Religious affiliations with less than 1% are not listed here.

Languages Spoken

The most common languages spoken by Winnipegers are: English (99.0%), French (11.1%), German (4.1%), Tagalog (3.8%), Ukrainian (3.1%), Spanish (1.7%), Chinese (1.7%), Polish (1.7%), Portuguese (1.3%), Italian (1.1%), Punjabi (1.0%), Vietnamese (0.6%), Ojibway (0.6%), Hindi (0.5%), Russian (0.5%), Cree (0.5%), Dutch (0.4%), Non verbal languages (0.3%), Arabic (0.3%), Croatian (0.3%), Greek (0.3%), Hungarian (0.3%), Japanese (0.2%), Creoles (0.1%), Danish (0.1%), Gaelic languages (0.0%), Inuktitut (0.0%), Micmac (0.0%). Source: Statistics Canada, see external link.

External links

- [http://www12.statcan.ca/english/profil01/Details/details1.cfm?SEARCH=BEGINS&ID=8144&PSGC=46&SGC=4611040&DataType=1&LANG=E&Province=46&PlaceName=Winnipeg&CMA=&CSDNAME=Winnipeg&A=&TypeNameE=City%20%2D%20Cit%e9&Prov= Winnipeg 2001 census data] at Statistics Canada
- [http://www.winnipeg.ca/Census/2001/City%20of%20Winnipeg/City%20of%20Winnipeg/City%20of%20Winnipeg.pdf Winnipeg 2001 census summary] at the City of Winnipeg (PDF file)

Education

Education is a provincial government responsibility in Canada. In Manitoba, education is governed principally by The Public Schools Act and The Education Administration Act as well as regulations made under both Acts. Rights and responsibilities of the Minister of Education, Citizenship and Youth and the rights and responsibilities of school boards, principals, teachers, parents and students are set out in the legislation. In Winnipeg there are 6 school divisions.
- Winnipeg
- St James-Assiniboia
- Pembina Trails
- Seven Oaks
- River East Transcona
- Loius Riel

Workforce and industry

Approximately 375,000 people are employed in Winnipeg and the surrounding area. Winnipeg's largest employers are either government or government-funded institutions: The Province of Manitoba, The City of Winnipeg, The University of Manitoba, The Health Sciences Centre, The Casinos of Winnipeg, and Manitoba Hydro. There are several large private sector employers, as well: Manitoba Telecom Services, Palliser Furniture, Great-West Life Assurance, Motor Coach Industries, Convergys, Faneuil, New Flyer Industries, Boeing Aerospace, Bristol Aerospace, and Investors Group. Approximately 54,000 people or 14% of the work force are employed in the public sector. Winnipeg is the site of [http://www.airforce.forces.ca/organization2_e.asp 1 Canadian Air Division (1CAD)], the headquarters of the Canadian Forces "Air Command" (Canada's Air Force). This is also the command structure responsible for strategic coordination and control of NORAD operations over Canada (tactical control is in North Bay, Ontario, in a bunker similar to Cheyenne Mountain in the United States). Winnipeg is also home to the National Microbiology Laboratory, Canada's front line in its response to SARS and one of only 15 Biosafety level 4 microbiology laboratories in the world.

Large corporations based in Winnipeg

- Great-West Lifeco Inc. (Insurance)
- IGM Financial Inc. (Finance)
- Canadian Wheat Board (Agri-business)
- Cargill Ltd. (Agri-business)
- Agricore United (Agri-business)
- CanWest Global Communications Corp. (Media)
- The Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board (Utility)
- James Richardson & Sons, Limited (Conglomerate)
- The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Co. (Insurance)
- Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. (Telecommunications)
- Standard Aero Holdings Inc. (Manufacturing)
- The North West Company Fund (Merchant)
- The Manitoba Public Insurance Corp. (Insurance Services)
- Ridley Inc. (Agri-business)
- Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co. Ltd. (Mining)
- Winpak Ltd. (Manufacturing)
- Paterson GlobalFoods Inc. (Agri-business)
- Centra Gas Manitoba Inc. (Utility)
- Manitoba Liquor Control Commission (Specialty Retailing)
- Palliser Furniture Ltd. (Manufacturing)
- Manitoba Lotteries Corp. (Entertainment)
- Kitchen Craft of Canada Ltd. (Manufacturing)
- Buhler Industries Inc. (Manufacturing)
- Bison Transport Inc. (Transportation)
- Dairy Farmers of Manitoba (Agric-business)
- Reimer Express Lines Ltd. (Transportation)
- Pollard Banknote Ltd. (Printing)
- Boyd Group Income Fund (Service)
- Cangene Corp. (Biotech)

Transportation

Cangene Corp. Winnipeg has had a public transit system since the 1880s, starting with horse-drawn streetcars. It had electric streetcars from 1891 until 1955, and electric trolley buses from 1938 until 1970. Winnipeg Transit now operates entirely with diesel buses. For decades, the city has explored the idea of a rapid transit link, either bus or rail, from downtown to the University of Manitoba's suburban campus. The most recent proposal calls for several enhanced bus routes, which would extend across the city. These routes would use bus-only lanes for most of their length, with separate busways being built around congested sections. In 2004 Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz effectively shelved these plans and the rail-based option is now seen as more viable (and more desirable). Winnipeg is home to many large transit bus manufacturers, including New Flyer Industries and Motor Coach Industries. New Flyer Industries supplies transit buses for many major North American cities including New York City and Vancouver. Winnipeg is unique among North American cities its size in that it does not have freeways within the urban area. Beginning in 1958, the primarily suburban Metropolitan council proposed a system of freeways, including one that would have bisected the downtown area. The plan culminated in the monumental Winnipeg area transportation study of 1968. The extensive freeway plan faced stiff community opposition and was deemed over-ambitious. It was not implemented as a concerted undertaking, but construction of major traffic corridors follows the study to this day, including expressways such as Winnipeg City Route 165/Bishop Grandin Blvd., although most are in the form of urban arterial roads, and no freeways are likely to be constructed within the urban area anytime soon. However, one freeway was built in the 1960s, and that freeway is called the Disraeli Freeway (Part of the Disraeli Bridge project), a semi-freeway, which is part of Winnipeg City Route 42. A modern four-lane highway (the Perimeter Highway, which is mostly an expressway around the city with interchanges and at-grade intersections) bypasses the city entirely, allowing travellers on the Trans-Canada Highway to avoid the city and continue east or west uninterrupted. Provincial highways used to enter Winnipeg, but that has been replaced with the Winnipeg City Route System. At present, only two provincial highways enter the Winnipeg area, although provincial highway signs are still posted on Pembina Hwy inside the perimeter, on which part of it outside the Perimeter (part of it still in Winnipeg) gains a provincial highway status. Those two highways are:
- Highway 1 and
- Highway 59 The most important highways entering the city are Highway 1 (the Trans-Canada Highway) which runs east-west across Canada, the Perimeter Highway, a ring road around the city, and Highway 75, which is a northern extension of Interstate 29 (It only reaches the Perimeter). Other primary highways that reach the Perimeter or the Winnipeg border are:
- Highway 2 (meets with Highway 3 at the southwest Perimeter)
- Highway 3
- Highway 6 (main highway to northern Manitoba)
- Highway 7
- Highway 8
- Highway 9
- Highway 15 and
- Highway 59 (a northern extension of US 59) Reference: Winnipeg Streets and Transit Division, Winnipeg area transportation study, 1968. The Council of the Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Winnipeg International Airport

Winnipeg is currently served by Winnipeg International Airport (YWG). It is the only international airport between Toronto and Calgary capable of handling large freighter aircraft. It is one of only a few 24 hour airports in Canada and serves nearly three million passengers. (2004) The city is slated to receive a new airport terminal in early 2008 that will replace the existing terminal which was constructed in the early 1960s.

External links

- [http://www.winnipegtransit.com/ Winnipeg Transit Homepage]
- [http://www.waa.ca Winnipeg International Airport]

Crime

In 2002, Winnipeg had the fourth highest overall crime rate in Canada with 10,879 Criminal Code of Canada offences per 100,000 population. Only Regina, Saskatoon, and Vancouver had higher crime rates. The crime rate was 50% higher than that of Calgary and more than double the rate for Toronto. Winnipeg crime is associated with the distribution of factors related to the population and land-uses of the city. In particular, crime in Winnipeg in 2001 was concentrated in the city centre, representing a relatively small proportion of the total geographic area of the city. High-crime neighbourhoods were characterized by reduced access to socio-economic resources, decreased residential stability, increased population density and land-use patterns that may increase opportunity for crime. The level of socio-economic disadvantage of the residential population in a neighbourhood was most strongly associated with the highest neighbourhood rates of both violent and property crime. Source: Statistics Canada's Internet Site, [http://www.statcan.ca:80/english/research/85-561-MIE/85-561-MIE2004004.htm Neighbourhood Characteristics and the Distribution of Crime in Winnipeg] , Extracted November 29, 2005. Statistics Canada information is used with the permission of Statistics Canada. Users are forbidden to copy the data and redisseminate them, in an original or modified form, for commercial purposes, without the expressed permission of Statistics Canada. Information on the availability of the wide range of data from Statistics Canada can be obtained from Statistics Canada's Regional Offices, its World Wide Web site at http://www.statcan.ca, and its toll-free access number 1-800-263-1136.

Politics

Starting in 1900, in both provincial and federal elections, central Winnipeg elected politicians from the Labour Party. Winnipeg was the site of a general strike from May 15 to June 28, 1919. This strike saw violent protests, including several deaths at the hands of the Royal North-West Mounted Police, and the arrest of many of Winnipeg's future politicians. Though it was not chartered until 1932, the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation was born not only out of the depression but also out of the labour unrest of 1919. Its successor, the New Democratic Party, has enjoyed much support in Winnipeg since the early 1960s. Winnipeg's longest-serving MPs include J.S. Woodsworth (21 years), Stanley Knowles (38 years), David Orlikow (25 years), Bill Blaikie (25 years and still in office as of 2005), and Lloyd Axworthy (21 years). Winnipeg is represented in the Canadian House of Commons by eight Members of Parliament. As of 2005, three are from the Liberal Party of Canada, three from the New Democratic Party, and two from the Conservative Party of Canada . On June 22, 2004, businessman Sam Katz was elected mayor of Winnipeg, receiving 42.51% of the vote. Aside from being the provincial capital of Manitoba, Winnipeg has served as the capital for two other Canadian territories: the Northwest Territories from 1870 to 1876 and the District of Keewatin from 1876 to 1905.

Sports

Winnipeg is and has historically been home to numerous professional sports franchises, some of which survive today. The Winnipeg Jets were one of the original teams of the World Hockey Association and won three league titles. The Jets entered the National Hockey League in 1979 and played in Winnipeg until 1996. The Jets featured such Hall of Famers as WHA coach Rudy Pilous and players Bobby Hull, Dale Hawerchuk, and (briefly) Serge Savard, as well as potential Hall of Famers Teemu Selanne, Phil Housley, and Keith Tkachuk. In 1996, the team was sold to an ownership group based in Phoenix, Arizona, and it was moved there to become the Phoenix Coyotes. There is considerable optimism that the city may once again host an NHL franchise. Support for the Moose has been good, but the city will most likely never consider itself a minor league town for hockey, and therefore will clamor for another NHL franchise for years to come. Since 1996, Winnipeg has been home to the minor-league Manitoba Moose, currently a member of the American Hockey League. The Moose are the farm team to the NHL's Vancouver Canucks. Winnipeg has produced Hall of Fame hockey players Andy Bathgate, Bill Mosienko, Art Coulter, Ching Johnson, Frank Fredrickson, Jack Ruttan, Kenny Reardon, Fred Maxwell, and Terry Sawchuk. Winnipeg also has a team in the Canadian Football League, the Blue Bombers, who have won 10 Grey Cups, the league's championship trophy. Winnipeg has a long history of minor-league baseball, including the Winnipeg Maroons of the Northern League, which existed from 1902-1942; the Class A Winnipeg Goldeyes, an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, from 1953-1964; the AAA Whips, the Montreal Expos farm team in 1970-1971; and, since 1994, the Goldeyes, a franchise in the independent Class AA-quality Northern League. Winnipeg hosted the 1967 and 1999 Pan American Games. In addition, the University of Winnipeg's women's basketball team won 88 consecutive games during the 1990s, tying a college sports record. Winnipeg is also home to many of the world's best curling teams and hosted the 2003 World Championships. Other notable sports figures include Olympic Taekwondo athlete and bronze-medalist Dominique Bosshart, Toronto Blue Jays third-baseman Corey Koskie, Canadian Olympic Women's Hockey Gold Medalist Jennifer Botterill, Philadelphia 76ers center Todd MacCulloch, and WWE Superstar Chris Jericho.

Arts and culture

Chris Jericho Winnipeg is well known for its arts and culture. Among the popular cultural institutions in the city are: the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG), the Manitoba Opera, the Manitoba Museum (formerly the Museum of Man and Nature), the Manitoba Theatre Centre, the Prairie Theatre Exchange, and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. The city is home to several large festivals. The Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival is North America's second largest Fringe Festival, held every July. Other festivals include Folklorama, the Winnipeg Jazz Festival, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the Winnipeg Music Festival, the Red River Exhibition, and Le Festival du Voyageur. Winnipeg also has a thriving film community, producing local independent films, such as those by Guy Maddin. It has also supported a number of Hollywood productions, including Shall We Dance (2004), Capote (2005), and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2006). Several locally-produced and national television dramas have also been shot in Winnipeg. The National Film Board of Canada and the Winnipeg Film Group have produced numerous award-winning films. There are several TV and Film production companies in Winnipeg. Some of the prominent ones are Frantic Films, Buffalo Gal Pictures and Eagle Vision. There is also a growing popularity of film and video production courses taking place at many public schools throughout the city, such as Fort Richmond Collegiate and Arthur A. Leach Junior High. Fort Richmond Collegiate to date, has produced two feature length films: Aeden's Reality (2004), and Everybody's Nobody (2005), and currently working on a third for release in late spring of 2006. Local band Projektor has even lent several of their songs for students to use in both Aeden's Reality, and Everybody's Nobody. Winnipeg has a community college, Red River College. Winnipeg's four universities are the University of Manitoba (undergraduate, graduate school, and medical school), Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface affiliated with University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg (undergraduate and select graduate programs) and Canadian Mennonite University (private). Winnipeg is also home to several prestigious private schools, including St. John's Ravenscourt, St. Mary's Academy, and Balmoral Hall. Winnipeg is also known for its host of independent music acts. Among the most notable are Neil Young, The Guess Who, Chantal Kreviazuk, Bif Naked, Jet Set Satellite, The Waking Eyes, The Weakerthans, Propagandhi, Projektor, Venetian Snares, Greg Macpherson, Christine Fellows, Fermented Reptile, Mood Ruff, burnthe8track, The Perpetrators, and many more.

Festivals

- Festival de Voyageur
- Folklorama
- Jazz Winnipeg Festival
- NSI Film Exchange Canadian Film Festival
- Winnipeg Comedy Festival
- Winnipeg Folk Festival
- Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival
- Winnipeg International Children's Festival

Architecture

Winnipeg International Children's Festival The Exchange District Historical site is the original site of commerce in Winnipeg. After the railroads came to Winnipeg, this area was developed with many fine warehouses, offices and banks. Many of these buildings are still standing and are unrivalled in Canada. On September 27, 1997, the original core of the city of Winnipeg, the Exchange District, was declared a National Historic Site by the federal Minister of Canadian Heritage. The Historic Sites and Monuments board recommended that Winnipeg's Exchange District be designated an historic district of national significance because it illustrates the city's key role as a centre of grain and wholesale trade, finance and manufacturing in two historically important periods in western development: between 1880 and 1900 when Winnipeg became the gateway to Canada's West; and between 1900 and 1913, when the city's growth made it the region's metropolis. Winnipeg’s famous North End has spawned a variety of talented writers, artists and entertainers ranging from Let’s Make A Deal’s Monty Hall to The Guess Who’s Burton Cummings. The commercial main street of this neighbourhood, Selkirk Avenue, first saw development in the 1870s and its importance grew with a wave of immigration from Eastern Europe. The old country flavour of the neighbourhood still exists with a variety of boutiques, bakeries and butcher shops. This vibrant area also boasts 49 painted murals, each depicting a different multicultural and historical scenes. [http://canada.archiseek.com/manitoba/winnipeg/index.html Archiseek: Winnipeg]

Local media

Daily newspapers

- the Winnipeg Free Press
- the Winnipeg Sun

Ethnic media

- The Jewish Post
- The Filipino Journal
- Ang Peryodiko
- The Philippine Times
- The Philippine Press
- La Liberté
- O Mundial: the Portuguese newspaper

Weekly newspapers

- Uptown - found at various downtown locations

Magazines

- [http://www.canadiandimension.mb.ca Canadian Dimension]
- [http://www.winnipegwomen.net Winnipeg Women]
- [http://www.winnipegmen.com Winnipeg Men]

Websites

- [http://www.ewinnipeg.com/ Winnipeg Online]
- [http://www.mywinnipeg.com My Winnipeg]
- [http://www.winnipeg.indymedia.org Winnipeg Indymedia]
- [http://www.winnipegmovies.com Winnipeg Movies]
- [http://www.winnipeg.ca City of Winnipeg]
- [http://www.winnipeg-guide.com Winnipeg Guide]

Television stations

- CBWFT (SRC, channel 3, cable 10)
- CBWT (CBC, channel 6, cable 2)
- CKY (CTV, channel 7, cable 5)
- CKND (Global, channel 9, cable 12)
- CHMI (Citytv, channel 13, cable 8)

Locally based national cable television channels

- Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN)
- Deja Vu - classic television programming
- Lone Star - western programming
- Fox SportsWorld - sports
- MenTV - men's programming
- CoolTV - Jazz
- Extreme Sports - sports programming
- Mystery - crime and mystery drama All of these stations are owned by Global, except for APTN.

Radio stations

FM

- CKSB 89.9 - Espace musique
- CKXL 91.1 - Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface campus radio
- CITI 92.1 - 92 Citi FM, classic rock
- CKIC 92.9 - Kick FM modern rock
- CHIQ 94.3 - Q94 FM contemporary hit radio
- CHVN 95.1 - Christian music
- CKUW 95.9 - University of Winnipeg campus radio
- CJKR 97.5 - Power 97 active rock
- CBW 98.3 - CBC Radio Two
- CJZZ 99.1 - Cool FM jazz
- CFWM 99.9 - Bob FM hot adult contemporary
- CHNR 100.7 - oldies
- CJUM 101.5 - University of Manitoba campus radio
- CKY 102.3 - Clear FM adult contemporary
- CKMM 103.1 - Hot 103 contemporary hit radio
- CFQX 104.1 - QX 104.1 country music
- CICY 105.5 - NCI - Aboriginal Public Radio
- CKVN 106.3 - tourist information
- CFEQ 107.1 - Freq 107 modern rock
- CJWV 107.9 - Flava 107.9 hip-hop/urban

AM

- CKY 580
- CJOB 680 - news/talk/sports
- CKJS 810 - ethnic
- CBW 990 - CBC Radio One
- CKSB 1050 - La Première Chaîne
- CFRW 1290 - oldies

Famous Winnipegers

Born in Winnipeg

- Randy Bachman, musician, (The Guess Who) & Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO)
- Ashleigh Banfield, [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1044752/ TV actress], TV host
- Cordell Barker, Oscar nominated animator The Cat Came Back
- Brenda Barrie, novelist and poet
- Burton Cummings, musician, (The Guess Who)
- Len Cariou, [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0137230/ actor]
- Bill Cody, [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168565/ actor]
- Richard Condie, Oscar nominated animator The Big Snit
- Dionisio, Ma-Anne, lead role of Kim in Miss Saigon in Toronto and in Sydney, Australia
- Deanna Durbin, [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002052/ actress]
- Marcel Dzama, [http://www.richardhellergallery.com/dynamic/artist_bio.asp?ArtistID=3 artist]
- Brendan Fehr, [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0270451/ actor], star of the television series Roswell
- Ken Finkleman, director, writer and actor
- Terry Fox, [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1745181/ cancer activist] and national hero
- Aaron Funk, musician
- Joanna Gleason, [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0322306/ actress]
- Monty Hall, [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355937/ TV celebrity], television game show host
- Bob Hunter, co-founder of Greenpeace
- Doug Henning, [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0377392/ magician]
- Terry Jacks, singer
- Chantal Kreviazuk, musician & [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0471092/ actress]
- Mimi Kuzyk, [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0476906/ tv actress]
- Kyle McCulloch, [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0567143/ actor], writer for South Park
- Todd MacCulloch, basketball player
- Gisele MacKenzie, singer
- Mary MacLane, [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0533695/ writer]
- Guy Maddin, [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0534665/ director]
- Joan Mitchell, painter, first wife of Alan Greenspan<

Central Standard Time

] The Central Standard Time Zone (CST) is a geographic region in the Americas that keeps time by subtracting six hours from UTC (UTC-6). In Canada, this time zone includes all of Manitoba, nearly all of Saskatchewan, a slice of western Ontario, and central Nunavut. In the United States, the time zone includes the entire area of the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin; and portions of Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas. Phenix City, Alabama and the surrounding countryside, while officially in Central Time, observe Eastern Time unofficially because of close ties to Columbus, Georgia. The time zone also covers most of Mexico, excluding six north-western states; the Central American countries of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica; and the Ecuadorian province of Galápagos. Daylight Saving Time is in effect in much of the time zone between early April and late October. The modified time is called Central Daylight Time (CDT) and is UTC-5. Saskatchewan, Central America and Galápagos do not observe the change, remaining on Standard Time year round. One reason that Saskatchewan does not take part in the time change as most of the province should be placed in the Mountain Time Zone. To avoid this they have moved onto 'Permanent' daylight savings by being part of the Central Time Zone.

Broadcasting concerns

Due to the structure of broadcasting networks in the United States (mostly television but to a lesser extent radio), programming is aired simultaneously in the Eastern and Central Time Zones, thus the famous line 'tonight at 8, 7 Central and Mountain' on many network promotional ads. This arrangement is mostly acceptable, though morning programming lineups designed for East Coast viewers may start too early for viewers in the Midwest and are tape-delayed to air at 7am Central (except in breaking news). Also an hour of syndicated programming time (between 7pm-8pm in the Eastern time zone) is lost since primetime starts at 7pm Central, forcing TV stations to choose from airing their 6pm newscast and a program or airing shows in 'blocks' preferred by syndicators (i.e. Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy together, or Entertainment Tonight and The Insider). Similarly, media coverage of New Year's Eve celebrations in New York City often leave the Central Time Zone in a lurch. Late Night with Conan O'Brien, though produced in New York, regularly takes advantage of its later time slot to lampoon this inconsistency and produce its own New Year's countdown for television viewers in the Central Time Zone. Canadian broadcasting networks, with six time zones to span, avoid these issues by airing prerecorded programs on local time. The problem is largely moot in Mexico and other parts of Latin America because of the lack of significant other time zones.

Major Metropolitan Areas

- Acapulco, Guerrero
- Austin, Texas
- Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Chicago, Illinois
- Corpus Christi, Texas
- Cuernavaca, Morelos
- Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
- Guadalajara, Jalisco
- Guatemala City
- Houston, Texas
- Jackson, Mississippi
- Kansas City, Missouri
- León, Guanajuato
- Managua
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Mérida, Yucatán
- Mexico City
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota
- Monterrey, Nuevo León
- Nashville, Tennessee
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Puebla, Puebla
- Regina, Saskatchewan
- Saint Louis, Missouri
- San Antonio, Texas
- San José, Costa Rica
- San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí
- San Salvador
- Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro
- Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
- Tampico, Tamaulipas
- Tegucigalpa
- Toluca, México
- Torreón, Coahuila
- Winnipeg, Manitoba

Provinces and territories of Canada

Canada is a federation of ten provinces which, together with three territories, comprise the world's second largest country. The major difference between a Canadian province and a territory is that a province receives powers directly from the Constitution Act, 1867, while a territory is delegated powers by the federal government. Thus, the federal government has more direct control over the territories, while provincial governments have many more competences and rights. (See also Canadian federalism) __TOC__

Overview

Provinces have a great deal of power relative to the federal government, with jurisdiction over health care, education, welfare, transportation (intra-provincial), and the like. They receive "transfer payments" from the federal government to pay for these, as well as exacting their own taxes. The federal government, with its greater powers to tax and spend, can use these transfer payments to influence these provincial areas. For instance in order to receive health care funding under medicare, provinces must agree to meet certain federal mandates, such as universal access to required medical treatment. Provincial and territorial legislatures are unicameral, having no second chamber equivalent to the Canadian Senate. Originally a few provinces did have such bodies, known as legislative councils, but these were subsequently abolished, Quebec's being the last in 1968. In most provinces, the single house of the legislature is known as the Legislative Assembly except in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, where it is called the House of Assembly, and Quebec where it is called the National Assembly. Ontario has a Legislative Assembly but its members are called Members of the Provincial Parliament or MPPs. The legislative assemblies use a procedure similar to that of the Canadian House of Commons. The head of government of each province, called the premier, is generally the head of the party with the most seats. This is also the case in Yukon, but the Northwest Territories and Nunavut have no political parties at the territorial level. The Queen's representative to each province is the Lieutenant-Governor (or Lieutenant Governor). Each of the territories has a Commissioner that is analogous to a provincial lieutenant-governor. These terminological differences are summarized below. territories

Federal, provincial, and territorial terminology compared

Provinces of Canada

The following table is listed in the order of precedence (i.e. when a province entered into Confederation). Population figures are from 2004. Notes: # Immediately prior to Confederation, Ontario and Quebec were part of the Province of Canada. # Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, British Columbia, and Prince Edward Island were separate colonies at the time of joining Canada. Newfoundland was a Dominion within the British Commonwealth. # Manitoba was established simultaneously with the Northwest Territories. # Saskatchewan and Alberta were created out of land that had been part of the Northwest Territories.

Territories of Canada

There are three territories in Canada. They include all of mainland Canada north of latitude 60° north and west of Hudson Bay, as well as essentially all islands north of the Canadian mainland (from those in James Bay to the Arctic Archipelago) that are not politically part of Greenland. The following table lists the territories in order of precedence (territories take precedence after provinces regardless of the date of their creation). Note: Canada did not acquire any new land to create Yukon, Alberta, Saskatchewan, or Nunavut. All of these originally formed part of the Northwest Territories. British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island were separate colonies before joining Canada. Ontario and Quebec were united before Confederation as the Province of Canada. Manitoba and the Northwest Territories were created in 1870 from Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory. The land of the Northwest Territories at that time was all of current western Canada, except British Columbia and southern Manitoba, and the northern three-quarters of Ontario and Quebec. In 1999, Nunavut was created from the eastern portion of the Northwest Territories. Yukon Territory lies in the western portion of The North, while Nunavut is in the east. Nunavut's population is about 85% Inuit, while the population of the Northwest Territories is about 10% Inuit, 40% First Nations and Métis, and 50% non-Aboriginal. All three territories combined are the most sparsely populated region in Canada with about 100,000 people spread across a huge area. They are often referred to as a single region, The North, for organizational purposes. In late 2004, Prime Minister Paul Martin surprised some observers by expressing his personal support for all three territories gaining provincial status "eventually". He cited their importance to the country as a whole and the ongoing need to assert sovereignty in the Arctic, particularly as global warming could make that region more open to exploitation. [http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/11/22/provinces041122.html]

Other

The District of Keewatin was created as a separate territory from 1876 to 1905, after which it became a Northwest Territories administration district. There is also active interest within both Canada and the Turks and Caicos Islands, an overseas UK territory in the Caribbean, for the latter to enter into Confederation in some capacity. While no official negotiations are yet underway, the two have a long-standing relationship and formal committees of both governments are actively exploring the circumstances under which this could be achieved. [http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/turksandcaicos/]

Red River of the North

: For other things named Red River, see the Red River disambiguation page. Red River disambiguation page side of the river]] The Red River, one of several by that name, is a North American river. It flows northward through the Red River Valley, forming much of the border between the U.S. states Minnesota and North Dakota, and then flowing into Manitoba, Canada. Measured from the Sheyenne River, it is 877 km long, falling 70 m on its trip towards Lake Winnipeg, spreading into the vast deltaic wetland known as Netley Marsh. It was a key river in the early settlement of Canada, notably being home to the Red River Colony that later became Winnipeg. In the United States it is called the Red River of the North, to distinguish it from another Red River (a tributary of the Mississippi River that forms part of the border between Texas and Oklahoma). It is formed at Wahpeton, North Dakota and Breckenridge, Minnesota by the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers. Otter Tail side of the river]] The Red River passes Fargo, North Dakota, Moorhead, Minnesota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, East Grand Forks, Minnesota, then enters the province of Manitoba in Canada. That province's capital, Winnipeg, is at its confluence with the Assiniboine River. The river drains into Lake Winnipeg and is part of the Hudson Bay watershed. The Red River flows across the flat, former bottom of the ancient glacial Lake Agassiz. The Red River famously flooded in April 1997, causing $2 billion USD in damage to Grand Forks, North Dakota. Winnipeg, though downstream, suffered only $51 million CDN in damage, because the city is protected by the Red River Floodway which diverted most of the water around it. Other major floods occurred in 1826 and 1950.

External links

- [http://www.ccge.org/ccge/english/Resources/rivers/tr_rivers_redRiver.asp Canadian Council for Geographic Education page with a series of articles on the history of the Red River].
- [http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/floods/redriver/index_e.php Geological Survey of Canada page describing the nature and history of Red River floods]. Category:Rivers of Manitoba Category:Rivers of Minnesota Category:Rivers of North Dakota

Assiniboine River

The Assiniboine River is a river 1070 km long that runs through the prairies of western Canada. It is a typical meandering river with a single main channel embanked within a flat, shallow valley. It flows south-east from Saskatchewan to "The Forks" in Winnipeg, Manitoba into the Red River of the North. Some of the flow is diverted into Lake Manitoba at Portage la Prairie. In 1967, a dam was built in Shellmouth, Manitoba that controls the river's flow. There are three stations placed down the river that have been taking measurements since 1913. Tributaries include the Souris River which joins it near Brandon, Manitoba; the Birdtail River which joins at the Birdtail Sioux First Nation. The river takes its name from the Assiniboine First Nation.

External link

- http://www.ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/ccrs/rd/apps/hydro/assin/assin_e.html Category:Rivers of Manitoba Category:Rivers of Saskatchewan

Red River Floodway

The Red River Floodway is an artificial flood control waterway in Canada first used in 1969. It is a 47-km channel which, during flood periods, diverts part of the Red River's flow around the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba to the east and discharges back into the Red River below the dam at Lockport. It can carry floodwater at a rate of up to 2,550 cubic metres per second. It was built partly in response to the disastrous Red River flood, 1950. The Floodway was pejoratively nicknamed "Duff's Ditch" by opponents of its construction, after Premier Duff Roblin, whose Progressive Conservative government initiated the project. Subsequent events have vindicated the plan. Used over 20 times in the 36 years from its completion to 2005, the Floodway has saved an estimated $8 billion (CDN) in flood damages. The term is still sometimes used, affectionately. Construction of the Floodway started on October 6th, 1962 and finished in March 1968, was a major undertaking with 76.5 million cubic metres of earth excavated—more than what was moved for the Suez Canal. During the "Flood of the Century" in 1997, the volume of flood water exceeded the Floodway's design specification. Water lapped within inches of the city's dikes, and an extended dike (commonly known as the "Brunkild Z-dike") had to be built to prevent flooding from reaching around the southwest corner of the city. Primarily as a result of the floodway, the city suffered little flood damage. In 2003, the province announced plans to expand the floodway, increasing its flow capacity from 2,550 m³/s to 4,000 m³/s, mostly by widening it. As of November 2005 work has begun on the expansion of the floodway.

External links

- [http://www.floodwayauthority.mb.ca/ Manitoba Floodway Authority]
- [http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/watres/rules.html A Review of the Red River Floodway Operating Rules] - Manitoba Conservation Category:Manitoba

Selkirk, Manitoba

Selkirk is a city in the Canadian province of Manitoba, located about 20 km northeast of the provincial capital Winnipeg on the Red River. As of the 2001 census, Selkirk had a population of 9,752. Tourism, the Gerdau/MRM Steel Mill, and the Selkirk Mental Health Centre are the mainstays of the local economy. A bridge over the Red River connects Selkirk with the smaller town of East Selkirk. The city is connected to Winnipeg via Highway 9 and is served by the Canadian Pacific Railway.

External links

- [http://www.cityofselkirk.com The City of Selkirk website ] Category:Cities in Manitoba

March

---- March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. March begins (astrologically, non-sidereal) with the sun in the sign of Pisces and ends in the sign of Aries. Astronomically speaking, the sun begins in the constellation of Aquarius and ends in the constellation of Pisces. In ancient Rome, March was called Martius, so named after the Roman god of war and was considered a lucky time to begin a war. March was originally the first month of the Roman calendar because the winter months of January and February were unsuited for warfare, the essence of any Italic state. Julius Caesar's calendar reform in 45 BCE began the year on January 1. The tradition of starting the year in March continued in some countries for a long time. January 1 was only instituted as New Year's Day in France in 1564. Great Britain and her colonies continued to use March 25 until 1752, the same year they finally adopted the Gregorian calendar. In ancient Hellenic civilization, March was called Anthesterion. In old Japanese calendar, the month is called Yayoi (弥生). In Finnish, the month is called maaliskuu, of obscure origin. Historical names for March include the Saxon term Lenctmonat, named for the equinox and eventual lengthening of days and the eventual namesake of Lent. The Saxons also called March Rhed-monat (for their goddess Rhedam); ancient Britons called it hyld-monath (meaning loud or stormy). Britons

Events in March

- The equinox named the vernal or spring equinox in the northern hemisphere and the autumnal equinox in the southern hemisphere occurs on dates varying from 19 March to 21 March (in UTC).

External links

- [http://www.astro.uu.nl/~strous/AA/en/antwoorden/seizoenen.html Astronomy Answers article on the seasons] Category:Months ko:3월 ms:Mac ja:3月 simple:March th:มีนาคม

Celsius

The degree Celsius (°C) is a unit of temperature named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701–1744), who first proposed a similar system in 1742. The Celsius scale sets 0.01 °C to be at the triple point of water and a degree Celsius to be 1/273.16 of the difference in temperature between the triple point of water and absolute zero. Until 1954 the scale was defined with the freezing point of water at 0 °C and the boiling point at 100 °C at standard atmospheric pressure, this definition is still a close approximation to the actual definition and is for that reason commonly (but wrongly) used to refer to the scale.

History

The Celsius temperature scale was originally designed so that the freezing point of water is 100 degrees, and its boiling point is 0 degrees at standard atmospheric pressure. This was reversed to its modern order some time after his death, in part at the instigation of Daniel Ekström, the manufacturer of most of the thermometers used by Celsius. Several other people, including Per Elvius the Elder from Sweden (1710) and Christian of Lyons (1743), independently invented the same temperature scale. The oft-quoted claim that the botanist Carolus Linnaeus (1740) is amongst those is unsubstantiated. The Delisle scale was another temperature scale that ran "downward". Since there are one hundred graduations between these two reference points, the original term for this system was centigrade (100 parts) or centesimal. In 1948 the system's name was officially changed to Celsius (a third name which had also been in use before then) by the 9th General Conference on Weights and Measures (CR 64), both in recognition of Celsius himself and to eliminate confusion caused by conflict with the use of the SI centi- prefix. While the values for freezing and boiling of water remain approximately correct, they are no longer suitable as reference points for a formal standard. The current official definition of the Celsius scale sets 0.01 °C to be at the triple point of water and a degree to be 1/273.16 of the difference in temperature between the triple point of water and absolute zero. This definition was adopted in 1954 at the 10th General Conference on Weights and Measures, the very same definition given for the kelvin. For the practical calibration of thermometers, the International Temperature Scale of 1990 defines many additional reference points.

Naming

The degree Celsius is the only SI unit whose full unit name ("degree Celsius", not "Celsius") in English includes an upper case letter. That is a quirk of English, because it is a proper adjective rather than a noun (before the name was changed from "degree Kelvin" to "kelvin" in 1967, that was another SI unit containing a capital letter in English). While SI prefixes could be applied in principle, as in "12 m°C", they are not used in practice (ISO 1000).

Application

The Celsius scale is the world's most commonly used temperature scale. It has been adopted by virtually all the countries of the world, with the notable exceptions of the United States of America and Jamaica. In broadcast media it was still frequently referred to as centigrade until the late 1980s or early 1990s, particularly by weather forecasters on European networks such as the BBC, ITV, and RTÉ. In the United States and Jamaica, Fahrenheit remains the preferred scale for everyday temperature measurement, although Celsius or kelvin is used for aeronautical and scientific applications. In the United Kingdom, Celsius is the official scale used by the government and the media. It is also the only scale used in British cooking and temperature controllers (for example, room thermostats). Some of the British media, however, still provide Fahrenheit equivalents since many in Britain, especially older people, still use the Fahrenheit scale. Even so, many that do still switch to the use of Celsius for low temperatures.

Trivia

- The Unicode character set contains a dedicated precomposed degrees Celsius character (℃, U+2103). This character was only intended for compatibility mapping of legacy character sets that contain it as well. It should not be used in new texts. Category:SI derived units Category:Units of temperature zh-min-nan:Liap-sī ko:섭씨 ja:セルシウス度

Winter

Winter is one of the four seasons of temperate zones. Astronomically, it begins with the winter solstice (around December 21 in the Northern hemisphere and June 21 in the Southern hemisphere), and ends with the spring equinox (around March 21 in the Northern hemisphere and September 23 in the Southern hemisphere). In meteorology, it is by convention counted instead as the whole months of June, July and August in the Southern hemisphere and December, January and February in the Northern hemisphere. However, in the United Kingdom and Ireland the winter solstice is traditionally considered as midwinter, the winter season beginning November 1 on All Hallows or Samhain. Elsewhere, in Chinese astronomy (and other East Asian calenders), winter is taken to commence on or around November 7, with the Jiéqì known as (立冬 lì dōng, i.e. "establishment of winter".

Meteorological aspects

Meteorological winter is the season having the shortest days (which vary greatly according to latitude) and the lowest temperatures. Nighttime predominates the winter season, and in some regions it has the highest rate of precipitation, as well as prolonged dampness due to permanent snow cover in such areas. Measured astronomically, winter begins on the shortest day of the year, and each day of winter has more sunlight than the previous one. During winter, there is much snow and cold, especially in areas that are farther away from the Equator. Blizzards often develop and cause many delays. A rare meteorological phenomenon encountered during winter is ice fog, which is composed of ice crystals suspended in the air and happening only at very low temperatures (at least 10 degrees below zero).

What causes winter

Of course, the Earth rotates around the sun once every year. At the same time, the planet tilts on its axis, and this has an even more dramatic effect on the weather. The popular belief that winter is caused as the Earth moves away from the Sun during the widest part of its orbit, and thus causes winter, is not necessarily true. In actual fact, winter occurs when the sun is at its closest point in the case of the northern hemisphere. The planet tilts 23°27' (23 degrees 27 minutes) and this causes different parts of the Earth's surface to be closer to the sun at various parts of its orbit. It is this variation that brings about the seasons. In winter, the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun and thus experiences colder temperatures. Since the southern hemisphere will be tilted toward the sun at this point, its seasons are always the northern's opposite. During the winter, the light rays coming in from the sun hit the Earth surface at a lower angle. Less energy is transferred to the surface as a result of the glancing nature of these rays. Basically, the same amount of light energy is spread out over a larger area. This effect is compounded by the larger distance this light must travel through the atmosphere, allowing it to absorb more of this already limited heat.

Activities

ice crystal

Snow activities

- Bobsledding - a winter sport in which teams make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked purpose-built iced tracks in a gravity-powered, steerable sled.
- Skiing - the activity of gliding over snow using what is now fiberglass planks called skis that are strapped to the skiers' feet with ski bindings.
- Sledding - a downhill activity where the user uses a sled to glide down the hill.
- Snowball fight - a physical game in which snowballs are thrown with the intention of hitting somebody else.
- Snowboarding - an increasingly common sport where participants strap a composite board to their feet and slide down a snow-covered mountain.
- Snowshoeing - a means of travel in which one is able to walk on top of the snow by increasing the surface area of their feet.
- Snowman building - creating a man-like model out of snow

Ice activities

- Ice Skating - a means of traveling on ice with skates, narrow (and sometimes parabolic) blade-like devices moulded into special boots (or, more primitively, without boots, tied to regular footwear).
- Ice boating - a means of travel in a specialized boat similar in appearance to a sailboat but fitted with skis or runners (skates) and designed to run over ice instead of (liquid) water.
- Ice fishing - the sport of catching fish with lines and hooks through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water.
- Ice diving - a type of penetration diving where the dive takes place under ice.
- Ice Sculpture - elaborate sculptures are carved out of blocks of ice.

Ecology

Ice Sculpture

Animals

To survive the harshness of winter, many animals have developed different behavioral and morphological adaptations:
- Migration is a common effect of winter upon animals, affecting basically birds. However some birds, i.e. the cardinal do not migrate.
- Hibernation is a state of reduced metabolic activity during the winter. These animals "sleep" during winter and only come out as warm weather returns. For example, gophers, bears, frogs, snakes or bats hibernate.
- Some animals store food for the winter and live upon it instead of hibernating completely. This is the case of squirrels, beavers, skunks, badgers and raccoons.
- Resistance is observed when an animal endures winter, but changes in ways such as color and musculature. The color of the fur or plumage are changed to white in order to be confused with snow and thus, to retain their cryptic coloration year round. Examples are the ptarmigan, the arctic fox, the weasel, the white-tailed jack rabbit or the mountain hare.
- Some fur-coated mammals grow a heavier fur coat during the winter. This improves the heat-retention qualities of the fur. The coat is then shed following the winter season to allow better cooling. The heavier winter coat made this season a favorite for trappers who sought more profitable skins.
- Snow also affects the ways animals behave, as many take advantage of the insulating properties of snow by burrowing in it. Mice and voles typically live under the snow layer.

Plants

Annual plants never survive the winter. As for perennial plants, many small ones profit from the insulating effects of snow by being buried in it. Larger plants, particularly deciduous trees, usually let their upper part die, but their roots are still protected by the snow layer.

Psychology

deciduous trees Passing seasons change the habits and moods of people. Around winter months, a gloominess, called "winter blues" or "February blahs" or "Holiday depression"-- during November and December in the northern hemisphere-- is informally noted amongst people. The severest cases of this type of depression is diagnosed as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Symptoms include sleeping more, tiredness, depression, and physical aches. Although causes include genetic disposition and stress, the prevailing environmental influence is decreased exposure to light due to winter weather patterns.

The symbolism of winter

Winter is highly symbolic of many things to many people and has been used to represent various things by artists in all media. Some use winter to suggest death, as in Robert Frost's "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening." Some use it to suggest the absence of hope, as in C. S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, where it was always winter but never Christmas. Winter is one movement in Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons;" and there are many examples of four paintings, all showing the same scene in different seasons. Ursula K. LeGuin's novel The Left Hand of Darkness is set on a planet named Winter. In Alex Raymond's comic strip, Flash Gordon there is a land called Frigia, where it is always winter. The land of Frigia is also featured in the serial Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe. Other uses of winter in the graphic arts occur in Winsor McCay's Little Nemo in Slumberland. There are many films where a winter setting plays an important role, Fargo for example. In addition to this, novels such as Ethan Frome also use a winter setting to mirror the bleak, frozen feelings that the characters harbor.

Mythological explanations of winter

In Greek mythology, Hades kidnapped Persephone to be his wife. Zeus ordered Hades to return her to Demeter, the goddess of the earth and her mother. However, Hades tricked Persephone into eating the food of the dead so Zeus decreeded Persephone would spend six months with Demeter and six months with Hades. During the time when her daughter is with Hades, Demeter becomes depressed and causes winter.

Exceptional winters

- Russian Winters of 1812/13 and 1941/42
- The Winter of Discontent is the name for the British winter of 1978-79, during which there were widespread strikes. Lorry drivers, train drivers, nurses, most public sector employees, refuse collectors, and workers at Ford Motors all went on strike. Most notorious however was an unofficial strike by gravediggers.

References

- Rosenthal, Norman E. (1998). Winter Blues. New York: The Guilford Press. ISBN 1572303956

External links

- [http://www.oulu.fi/northnature/english/englanti/ajankohttalvi.html "Winter of animals and plants in Finland"] by Northern Nature Project
- [http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com/23sep99/story5.html Native American seasons myth from the Zion Natural History Association] Category:Seasons ja:冬 simple:Winter

September

September is the ninth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with 30 days. September begins (astrolo