Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

  Will This Be Jolly Ol Saint Nick’s last sleigh ride down Yonge St? By Stephen Weir Will Santa Claus be smiling on his float as he travels along Bloor Street this Sunday (November 24th)? Last week, Parade organizers announced they were running out of money, putting the 120th Original Santa Claus Parade at risk of being the last. They also launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for 2025. But as they say, the show must go on. This year, on a newly updated route, Santa and Mrs. Claus will showcase 26 spectacular floats, joined by spirited marchers, lively bands, and diverse community partners. Making her Canadian debut, former Wiggles star Emma Memma will join the parade. For the first time, the event will be livestreamed on YouTube, allowing new audiences across Canada to tune in. This year’s route starts at 12:30 pm at Christie Pits (750 Bloor Street West) and heads east along Bloor Street to St. George Street. From there, it continues south on St. George, east on Hoskin Avenu...

 Sara is Eyeing the Caribbean By Stephen Weir Late Tuesday afternoon, the American weather service AccuWeather advised Stephen Weir of the   Caribbean Camera   that Sara could be on her way next week.   We are not saying it is a sure thing; it could easily be “no chance in H#ll” that Sara is going to pay a visit to the Caribbean and Florida. People on the Caribbean islands and across Florida are already being urged to closely monitor forecast updates as hurricane experts track the increasing risk of a major hurricane developing in the Caribbean Sea. A “We’ll likely be dealing with a hurricane as we head into this weekend,” explained AccuWeather’s Lead Hurricane Expert, Alex DaSilva, in an email to the paper. “There is growing confidence that a tropical storm will develop in the central to western Caribbean later this week. We could be looking at a storm that rapidly intensifies into a major hurricane in these very conducive conditions.” AccuWeather advises families a...

  Windsor will  be in AWE of photo show of descendants of the Underground Railroad Underground  descendant Darryl Hogan by Stephen Weir Black Heritage Society’s Dorothy Abbott and famed photographer Yuri Dojc look out the windows of the Art Windsor-Essex public art gallery (AWE) at the city of Detroit. For the next seven months, their new photographic exhibition of descendants of the Underground Railroad celebrates the direction of freedom—South. (The gallery sits on the edge of the Detroit River in downtown Windsor, south of Detroit). On Thursday night, Abbott and Dojc will open their well-traveled photographic exhibition celebrating the descendants of freedom-seekers who escaped slavery in the United States before the American Civil War. Some made the journey entirely alone; others found their way to Canada with the help of a clandestine network of "conductors" and "stations" called the "Underground Railroad." Many passed through Detroit and into Windsor...

First of 13   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WAr3Go6k4bGUxgrUndw-2jomKNExlGxC/view?ts=672919db

  The Kingdom Choir Brings Gospel Spirit and Holiday Cheer to Toronto By Stephen Weir Halloween has come and gone, and with it, all the skeletons and wispy ghosts have been packed away. What's next? A quick visit to any store reveals the answer: Christmas! Stocking stuffers and tree decorations are already on display, and holiday music is making its way into the airwaves. For many, the festive season means the return of a unique tradition—celebrating with music. And this year, one of the most beloved gospel choirs is coming back to Toronto. Too soon? Maybe so, but people are already eager to purchase tickets to see and listen to Karen Gibson, aka the godmother of British gospel, and her 15-member Kingdom Choir are coming to town. It is an early evening of of Gospel music and Christmas carols at the George Weston Recital Hall. Don’t recognize the name? Think back. Remember the Royal Wedding. Were you one of the 2 billion people who watched the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Mark...

Mayor Chow and councillor Michael Thompson officially open the 2024 Grand Parade  at the start line in front of a sea of empty bleachers Shared with Public Broke Again! Sign the petition Stephen Weir Well, the rumour mill that I reported on last week turns out to have been churning out the truth. Apparently, it’s official—the Toronto Caribbean Carnival is broke, with numerous bands, performers, and creditors still waiting to be paid. How much is owed? A cool $2 million—and perhaps more. And how do we know? The Festival Management Committee (FMC), the organization responsible for putting on the annual summer carnival, has just launched an online petition addressed to the three levels of government, calling for the “Immediate Emergency Funding of $2 million to cover the operational costs from the 2024 Carnival.” And, in that petition the ask for $1.5 million for the next couple of years to keep the parade going. When my article about the carnival’s financial issues appeared in print...

  A Return to Bermuda Deep Caves. Little Islands. Big Thrills By Stephen Weir Photographs by Jim Kozmik On a square mile basis there is no other country that has devoted as much of its land to golf as Bermuda. While the likes of Ross Perot and Michael Douglas spend their days slapping a white ball around Bermuda’s terrraformed greens, one wonders if these famous duffers have ever lain down on the manicured grass and listened to the other side of Bermuda.   If their timing is right, and if the tin cup is deep enough, they will hear the sound of Andrew Mello’s bubbles percolating through the ground.   When the president of the Bermuda Cave Diving Society isn’t building period furniture he is underwater mapping and studying the environment beneath the cleated feet of the well heeled!   Bermuda is a 181-island chain, 600 miles east of North Carolina. The British Colony is best known as a holiday haven for the well-to-do. It is so popular more than 95% of the 22-mile...

 WHO NEEDS A BIRTHDAY CARD  COMPANY FOR CREATING A BIRTHDAY LIMMERICK? By Stephen Weir My sister-in-law turned 60 today. she lives in Peterborough and I live in Toronto. Much too late to buy a card and mail it off.A happy birthday on Facebook is oh so  My sister-in-law turned 60 today. she lives in Peterborough and I live in Toronto. Much too late to buy a card and mail it off.A happy birthday on Facebook is oh so passe and absolutely unoriginal. Bet she gets 100 or more Facebook Happies.  My sister-in-law turned 60 today. she lives in Peterborough and I live in Toronto. Much too late to buy a card and mail it off. A happy birthday on Facebook is oh so passé and absolutely unoriginal. Bet she gets 100 or more Facebook Happies. What to do? As is done in 2024 I turned to AI and asked CHATgpt to come up with a clean limerick. Thirty seconds later, Mr CHAT came through. Its below. And the illustration? It is  a 20 second creation by Mr CHAT. And so as they say, "rea...