Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

Noreen Taylor and the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction help promote Canadian books in the United Kingdom The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction is giving the nation's book industry assistance in marketing Canadian literature to the people of the United Kingdom. At the International Festival Of Authors (IFOA), held in Toronto over the past two weeks, Noreen Taylor, the founder of the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction, donated nearly 140 non-fiction books to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT), to be used by the Canada High Commission in London, England. The books, all non-fiction titles, were entered for the 2008 Charles Taylor Prize. On stage at IFOA Ms Taylor presented a signed copy of the winning book, Richard Gwyn's "John A.: The Man Who Made Us: The Life and Times of John A. MacDonald, Volume One: 1815-1867 to John Bonar of DFAIT. Pictured left to right are: Authors Lewis Desoto and Richard Gwyn (sea

There is an art to every Ottawa trip It is Roger Rabbit. It is 50. It is 100. It is timeless beauty Toronto, September 6, 2008 – There is always something artistic happening in Ottawa. Depending on one’s taste, this fall you can spend an animated weekend in Ottawa being Goofy (and Porky and Bullwinkle), plus you can see how photographers snap the moment, and, admire the traditional beauty of sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) is one of the world’s leading cartoon events providing first class screenings, exhibits, workshops and entertainment for both the entertainment industry and visitors alike. This annual festival is one of the biggest of its kind and attracts artists, production executives, students and fans into the city September 17 – 21, 2008 in Ottawa. Visitors are welcome to take part in many of the festival’s activities. Staged at the Chateau Laurier in downtown Ottawa, the OIAF has a number of public screenings of both new, ex

Wreck to be sunk at popular dive site - story written for divermag.com. A 63-year old decommissioned US Naval vessel will soon be acquired by the government of the Cayman Islands and is slated to become Grand Cayman’s newest dive attraction. At a recent press briefing held in Toronto, Tourism, Environment, Investment and Commerce Minister Charles Clifford told Diver Magazine that he expects the USS Kittiwake to be sunk off the popular Seven Mile Beach in June, 2009. Just a few days before speaking to Diver Mag, Minister Clifford signed an agreement on behalf of his government with the Cayman Islands Tourists Association. The agreement formalizes the government's plan to acquire the decommissioned naval ship in order to create a new dive site and give “desired relief for some of our frequently visited dive sites.” For years the Tourist Association has been trying to acquire a US navy ship to sink off Grand Cayman. Spearheading the campaign to find and sink a ship is Canadian diver

Above: the island of Nevis Below; Diver Travel News ß The Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, once a favoured holiday retreat for Lady Di, and now a popular Nevis hotel for divers, is offering a $500 Airline Credit this fall. Nisbet Plantation Beach Club will reimburse hotel guests up to $500 toward the cost of their vacation. From October 10 through December 1, 2008 the Nevis property will apply a $500 credit at check out to help offset the cost of airfare. This 36-square-mile Caribbean island lies a couple miles south of St Kitts near the top of the Lesser Antilles archipelago. ß The collapse of the UK's third largest package holiday group in September left hundreds of British divers stranded in the dive resort city of Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt and thousands more in England holding unusable tickets. A statement on the now bankrupt XL Leisure Group's website said the closure was “a result of volatile fuel prices, the economic downturn, and were unable to obtain further funding.&quo

The Toronto Star has begun airing videos on its popular website thestar.com, to accompany in print articles. When i visited Atlanta, the Aquarium staff shot a video of my dive in the Whale Shark tank. George Socka added music and edited the video for use on the Star website. Ultimately the video did not run (they didn't realize there wasn't going to be any talking ... its all underwater) so it is now posted on You Tube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=99HXO_I_v94

A whale (shark) of an experience Toronto Star July 19, 2008 The Toronto Star published my whale shark story on July 19th. The three-page feature was the cover story on the Travel Section. I originally wrote a 1,300 word story for the Star. The assistant-editor Susan Pigg asked me to cut it back to 700 words. That shorter version appeared in the Star with only minor edits. You can see that story on the Star's website at: http://www.thestar.com/Travel/article/461491 What follows is the first version of the whale shark story. A Whale (Shark) of a Tale and its all true Dive Tourism in Land Locked Atlanta. Big Fish. Big Tank. Big Thrill By Stephen Weir The Georgia Aquarium dive master was a great salesman. He easily sold four scuba divers on the concept that the aquarium’s mammoth whale sharks are in fact gentle giants. So, no one flinched when a 3ft tall dorsal fin cut through the water within touching distance of their dangling flippers. But, after slipping into the lukewarm water

Sidebar #1 Getting in touch Georgia Aquarium 225 Baker St Atlanta, Georga (404) 581-4000 Register for Swim With The Gentle Giant Experience at www.georgiaaquarium.org Sidebar #2 Indoor Diving for Scuba Tourists The Atlanta Aquarium is not the only place you can dive indoors. Other locations that open their doors (and pools) to scuba tourists include: Epcot Centre – Disneyland, Orlando, Florida. The Seas with Nemo & Friends is a 6-million-gallon indoor aquarium with more than 65 species of marine life, including sharks. $150 per dive. Bonne Terre Mine – Bonne Terre, Missouri. The Bonne Terre lead mine flooded in the sixties. Qualified divers are escorted to see mining artifacts, and spooky tunnels. $65.00 per Dive The Florida Aquarium. Located in Tampa, Florida the large aquarium has a Dive With the Sharks Programme in Shark Bay. $150 per dive Blue Water Aquarium. Chester UK. Dive in 10 year old aquarium and see one of Europe's largest collections of sharks, £199 per dive Ne