Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

The Charles Taylor Writers Circle on television tonight Seamus O"Regan has an intimate conversation with the four Short Listed authors TV personality Seamus O'Regan hosts a personal and revealing televised conversation with all four authors shortlisted for the 2010 Prize on Sunday, January 31st at 7:00 p.m. Bravo! Television will be airing The Charles Taylor Writer's Circle. a half-hour show featuring all four authors shortlisted for The 2010 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction. The four authors talk unscripted with CTV's Seamus O'Regan in this special edition of the weekly Arts&Minds program. Taped in Toronto's famed Masonic Temple before a live studio audience, this special edition of Arts&Minds features an intimate conversation with the four CTP finalists that gives the audience a first-hand account of the inspiration behind the authors' books, and an opportunity to speak directly to the authors and ask questions, town-hall style. The 2

. Warning to Cayman’s Rick the Pirate: Talk up East End diving and you get the Black Dot. By Stephen Weir Diver Magazine November 2006 Rick the Pirate needs to be seriously bribed. The next diver to visit Georgetown, Grand Cayman owes it to the scuba community to slip a C-note to the official Caribbean island greeter and ask him not to tell people just how good the diving is on the Island’s remote East End. Rick the Pirate is an American born, Cayman resident and works for a number of the fine shops in Georgetown. Every morning he puts on his hoop-earrings, knee high boots and sword and heads down to the waterfront. When he’s feeling particularly piratey he sticks a flintlock pistol into his wide black belt. His job is to “Ahoy” loudly at every “bilge rat” sporting an Hawaiian shirt and Tilley Hat that passes through the cruise ship gates. He posses for pictures with the Lubbers and recommends the best places to shop, to drink grog, to sunbathe and to dive. “Arr Matey” said the 6ft

. ... AND THE FOOD? IT IS HOT BEAVER TAILS TO 5-STAR DINING Toronto, January 13, 2010 – It's a mid-winter post-holidaze festival. Ottawa is once again getting ready to launch Winterlude, a two week February celebration of the best the season has to offer. The annual festival runs from February 5th to February 21st and presents a variety of amazing winter weather activities including, skating, skiing, dog sledding, an outdoor animated shorts film festival with a snow screen and even an outdoor musical concert featuring music performed on instruments made out of ice. And, don’t forget the food, indoors many restaurants have created an affordable Taste of Winterlude culinary program, while outside, ice hog grog and hot beaver tails (pastries) are mainstays. Each year, over 1-million Canadian and international visitors experience the cold weather sights and sounds of dozen and dozens of Winterlude events (most of them free), including the largest skating rink in the world (the Rideau

High Impact Eco-Tourism A Galapagos Shark Encounter By Stephen Weir in the Galapagos Islands A mammoth shark to the left, an equally hefty one to the right. Two noble sharks so huge that as they glided by I could feel the wake of the water as it was pushed across their broad three-metre-long frames. In a snap I'd gone from a happy-go-lucky Galapagos Islands tourist to being the jam in a shark tooth sandwich. For scuba divers, the Galapagos Archipelago is the place to see schoolinghammerhead sharks, sleepy white tip reef sharks and the odd whale or two. Like most divers, I'm not averse to swimming with sharks. But when the sharkis bigger, wider [THAN ME] and of a species suspected to enjoy the tasteof [HUMAN] flesh, well, it is time to reflect on why one got into the waterin the first place. The Galapagos Islands are unique. Situated on the equator some 950 kilometres west off the coast of Equador, this remote volcanic archipelago remains much as it was millions of years ago. I

Side Bar: Ecuador Hot Spot for Diving and Volcanoes Ah, Ecuador. Erupting volcanoes are your fitting metaphor. This is a democratic country where the president's name is pencilled in, foreign workers disappear into the amazing rain forest and the national currency takes a dump - daily. [Ecuador got rid of its currency - the sucra - after this article was written and adopted the US dollar as its currency of record] For the most part I was on tour with the Quito-based Metropolitan Touring Company. This is a family-run business that gives five-star service and tries to leave nothing to luck. But, as chance would have it, a few things beyond their control did occur, including the following: Volcanoes. An inability to speak Spanish left me ignorant of the fact that, while I was in Quito, a nearby volcano had started to spew smoke and ash. I thought the locals wore face masks because of industrial pollution! Funny money. The dive shop charged me US$110 for the rental of the scuba gear

. THE LODGE - LIVE LARGE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE On-going series - hotels of note in the Granite State It is a compliment when travellers leave notes that say things like “The Lodge at Jackson Village doesn’t really feel like a lodge”. There is a good reason why the four season award-winning White Mountain inn doesn’t feel like a Lodge – it is too roomy to be called a Lodge. Built almost twenty years ago, the Lodge almost began life as a townhouse complex, that plan didn’t come to be; instead the project was modified to create an upscale 33-room hotel within walking distance of the picturesque and historic Jackson Village. The conversion has resulted in The Lodge having more spacious suites than what even the most discerning tourists would expect! The Belcher family who own and operate the establishment operate The Lodge. Continental breakfasts are served mornings throughout the winter, and all guests are offered access to free snowshoes! The Lodge is located on the Ellis River, and more t

. Beer Me Up Homer! Homer Simpson might be able to smell a brewery 100kms away, but for the rest of the world a map sure comes in handy. New Hampshire is home to some of the best breweries not only in New England but in the United States , and, to help beer lovers find them, the tourism department has published an informative locator map and online brochure. Finding out where to find the best brew is only a mouse click away. The new Brewery Map lists 16 establishments visitors should visit. The breweries range from small craft breweries like the Smuttynose Brewing Company in Portsmouth to the full scale Anheuser-Busch Brewery in Merrimack. The Brewery Map explores the wide range of award-winning breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs located throughout the state and the fresh, handcrafted, New Hampshire-made beer found along the way. By necessity the new publication hops all across the state. And while it is a full-bodied online brochure, it is also very stout with trivia. Each pag

. PAINTINGS AND PHOTOS FROM AN URBAN PRISON . Stephen Weir here. I want to briefly tell you about a special "Christmas" art show that should be of interest to you. There is a special exhibition that opened today in Guelph featuring the work of Toronto's Bryce Christmas Bryce Christmas is a young artist who has been confined by court order to a 2-bedroom apartment in downtown Toronto. For the past 9-months his world has been confined to what he can see and paint from his balcony and to the junk he can find and photograph in the apartment building's musty old basement. Bryce is waiting for his trial on a variety of drug related charges. The courts have put him under the care of Bernard Gauthier, the driving force behind Bravo TV. He has turned his life around because of art and the influence of Bernard. To keep sane Bryce has been creating art every day in his comfortable but claustrophobic prison. Well known Toronto curator Shelley Falconer has just seen Bryce's a

. New Scuba Products For The Holiday This Year - The Fifth Day of Christmas ( Unedited story in 5-parts - Feature for December issue of Canada's Diver Magazine www.divermag.com ) By Stephen Weir With only a few weeks left until Christmas, the expert buyers at Diver Magazine have once again come to the rescue of weary holiday shoppers with our well-informed gift suggestions. This time, the buyers have zeroed in over 20 last-minute gift suggestions that are all new (or improved) this year. HELP FLAG: When closed a new expandable dive flag is so small that it can easily fit into a loved ones Christmas stocking. When open fully the 150 grams H.E.L.P flag extends to over 1500 mm in height and can be seen up to 3kms away. The yellow colour flag The flag sells for $50 US (plus shipping charges) and can be ordered on line at: www.thediveflag.com/ . Grand Bahama goes all inclusive – shark dive thrown in - The island of Grand Bahamas has long been synonymous with dive tourism in the Cari

New Scuba Products For The Holiday This Year - The Fourth Day of Christmas (Unedited story in 6-parts - Feature for December issue of Canada's Diver Magazine www.divermag.com) By Stephen Weir With only a few weeks left until Christmas, the expert buyers at Diver Magazine have once again come to the rescue of weary holiday shoppers with our well-informed gift suggestions. This time, the buyers have zeroed in over 20 last-minute gift suggestions that are all new (or improved) this year. Snakes on a Sleigh … Aqua Lung is distributing newly updated and improved Viper and Cobra dive computers this Christmas. Built by Suunato, the Cobra3 and Vyper2 dive computer feature Air, Nitrox and Gauge modes, as well as gas switching capabilities. Both use the Suunato deep stop reduced gradient bubble model algorithm that features continuous decompression for optimal ascent time. www.aqualung.com Fold ‘em to fit under the tree! The new Flipfins began showing up in dive shops earlier this year.

. New Scuba Products For The Holiday This Year - The Third Day of Christmas (Unedited story in 6-parts - Feature for December issue of Canada's Diver Magazine www.divermag.com) By Stephen Weir With only a few weeks left until Christmas, the expert buyers at Diver Magazine have once again come to the rescue of weary holiday shoppers with our well-informed gift suggestions. This time, the buyers have zeroed in over 20 last-minute gift suggestions that are all new (or improved) this year. Two, Two cameras in one. If you have a friend in Mexico or the United States you might ask them to buy and Fed-ex the new Sanyo underwater camera up to Canada in time for Christmas. Sanyo has come up with a line of underwater cameras that take both still and video images. The all-HD Dual Camera offers a variety of unique features including High Definition Video with 8 megapixel photos, a still camera option withup to 2 megapixel photos and 30x optical and the ability to work underwater - down to a d

. New Scuba Products For The Holiday This Year - The Third Day of Christmas (Unedited story in 6-parts - Feature for December issue of Canada's Diver Magazine www.divermag.com ) By Stephen Weir With only a few weeks left until Christmas, the expert buyers at Diver Magazine have once again come to the rescue of weary holiday shoppers with our well-informed gift suggestions. This time, the buyers have zeroed in over 20 last-minute gift suggestions that are all new (or improved) this year. Holiday trip for divers with deep pockets. Sir Richard Branson the owner of Virgin Air, is leasing his newly refurbished Necker Belle to discerning and rich travelers. The Necker Belle is a magnificent 32-meter long 14-meter wide catamaran that has a top cruising speed of 20 knots! She has a crew of seven, including a dive master and a marine biologist and has four double cabins to accommodate eight divers. Necker Belle will be available for tailor-made weekly Caribbean charters in February 2010. T

Diver Magazine Christmas Article Part Two - New Underwater Toys for Christmas … And some will fit in your stocking! New Scuba Products For The Holiday This Year - The Second Day of Christmas ( Unedited story in 6-parts - Feature for December issue of Canada's Diver Magazine www.divermag.com ) By Stephen Weir With only a few weeks left until Christmas, the expert buyers at Diver Magazine have once again come to the rescue of weary holiday shoppers with our well-informed gift suggestions. This time, the buyers have zeroed in over 20 last-minute gift suggestions that are all new (or improved) this year. Last year Nikon Cameras unleashed the Coolpix paper-thin easy-to-use digital camera to the world. This Christmas Ikelite Underwater has launched an underwater housing so that you can now use the Coolpix when diving. The Ikelite ULTRA compact digital housing for Coolpix L19 & L20 cameras is high quality, and built to last. All camera controls are fully functional through the housi

… And some will fit in your stocking! New Scuba Products For The Holiday This Year - The First Day of Christmas (Unedited story in 6-parts - Feature for December issue of Canada's Diver Magazine www.divermag.com ) By Stephen Weir With only a few weeks left until Christmas, the expert buyers at Diver Magazine have once again come to the rescue of weary holiday shoppers with our well-informed gift suggestions. This time, the buyers have zeroed in over 20 last-minute gift suggestions that are all new (or improved) this year. De Fog in De Stocking . Nanofilm, a maker of lens care products, has launched Clarity Defog It anti-fog liquid ($5.50 Cdn) and towelettes ($8 Cdn). The new products provide safe, highly effective, long-lasting fog prevention for all lenses including scuba masks. It is sold at Wal-mart Optical. www.nanofilmtechnology.com Little makes Big Gift: MC-1 mini camera . JW Fishers has been designing and building underwater search equipment for over 35-years. The Massac

. From Thor to Sedna – The Mystical Gods of the North Carvings by Abraham Anghik Ruben November 6th through December 5th. Organized by the Kipling Gallery For Inuit carver Abraham Anghik Ruben, the myths stories and legends of Thor, and Odin, are as much a part of the North, as the Goddess Sedna and the Creator-God Anguta. And so on November 5th when the Kipling Gallery opens the doors on a startling new exhibition of Ruben’s stone and bone carvings, images of gods and goddesses, giants, monsters and demons of the north will fill the gallery in Woodbridge. Reuben’s work will be accompanied by a photo series, “Canadian Inuit, 1946”. National Film Board veteran Canadian photographer George Hunter took the photographs depicting the disappearing nomadic life of the Inuit. “As an artist I have spent the last 30 years developing my craft and having as the focus of my work the arts and cultural traditions of my Inuit background,” said Abraham Anghik Ruben. “There was extensive contact bet

. ROBERT BATEMAN TALKS ECO-AWARENESS IN STROUD, ONTARIO. What would make the planet healthier and a better place to live? According to artist and eco-activist Robert Bateman, it is as simple as making sure that our children go for a nature walk ever day. "Leave the Play Station, Internet and TV behind and enjoy the outdoors," the artist told a Standing-Room-Only crowd at the Georgina Arts Centre & Gallery in Sutton, Ontario on Saturday October 21st. "Through an understanding of our great outdoors and the balance of nature, our children will get a better understanding of the ecological challenges we all face." Saturday was the International Day of Action on Climate Change and the British Columbia based artist was in Stroud to talk about children and the environment and to show and sell more than 100 pieces of his work. About fifty people attended his one-hour lecture in a basement hall and then jammed the upstairs gallery to talk to the artist while he signed b