Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

. Demonstrators Already Claiming Victory in G20 Battle http://torontoist.com/2010/0/demonstrators_already_claiming_victory_in_summit_battle.php Boarded-up shop windows surround King Station. Photo by Stephen Michalowicz/Torontoist. Unless you've been living under a rock this week—and let's face it, with the security clampdown, lots of people downtown feel as though they are—you've noticed that the core of the city has been brought to a virtual standstill. Some streets are so vacant, you could use them as bowling alleys. Employees have been told to stay home. Shops are closed (some are even boarded up), the daily subway commute feels more like a Sunday afternoon than morning rush hour, and people are talking openly about leaving town for the weekend. Turning the country's biggest city into a ghost town is quite a feat. To some protesters, that's a major victory—and it's been won before the actual summits even begin. "Definitely the Harper government and the

. The World’s Worst Underwater Magician Hocus Pocus, Kodak High Def Underwater Video Camera Still in Focus Story filed with Diver Magazine June 8, 2010 By Stephen Weir The Pixel Wars are over, picture resolution can’t get any higher. Now the race to produce pocket sized high definition waterproof video cameras is on. One of the first out of the box is the Kodak PlaySport. In April the venerable film manufacturing company began selling in Canada and the US, a High Def video camera that looks like a cell phone, works underwater without a housing and easily links in to You Tube and Facebook. “It is brand new and just became available to consumers,” explained Kodak’s PR console, Carla McFarlane.” Major retailers are just receiving their inventory now since the product is so new (but soon it should be available everywhere). It is available in purple, blue and black.” According to Kodak their PlaySport is built for people who enjoy the outdoors. It is waterproof to 3-metres without a hous

. Police, children, volunteers and the Scotiabank Caribana Festival stakeholders were at the Jane Finch Yorkgate Mall in Toronto to open the Toronto Police Junior Mas Camp Senior Officer Superintendent Sam Fernandez from 53 Division officially opened the Metro Toronto Police Force’s Mas Camp for Children on Monday May 31st at the Yorkgate Mall (Finch Avenue East at Jane St). He was joined by children were at the camp to learn how to make mas (masquerade) costumes for this summer’s Scotiabank Caribana/Yorkgate Mall Junior Carnival Parade. The camp is located in an empty Macdonald's Restaurant on the second floor of the Mall. Toronto Revellers Mas Band leader and NBA star Jamaal Magloire was at the Mall to help open the Metro Toronto Police's first ever Mas Camp for Kids. He spoke briefly to the children and the press and then signed autographs. Tony Ishmael, one of the founders of the Caribana Junior Parade and a costume designer for the Toronto Revellers Mas Camp, spoke at the

Follow on item to underwater records Flickr, photography's social media site, has recently put on line an emmense collection of public archives photographs. A quick search through the photographs that have already had subject tags added, found what may be the first ever photographed underwater poker game! Photographed in May 1951, the 4x5" b&w photograph show an underwater poker game. the picture was taken at Weeki Wachee Springs in Florida, home of the famed breath-holding Weeki Wachee girls (in mermaid costumes). The photograph is part of Florida' Department of Commerce collection and is resident in Tallahassee, Florida. According to the collection there is an accompanying note with the photo which reads "Dick & Shirley Woolery, Bud & Patsie Boyett, and Rudy & Thelma Halabuck. Poker game."

Peter Hughes quits as president of his former company. Stays in Florida but now runs a Galapagos Live Aboard Dive Boat In the last issue of Diver Magazine, travel editor Stephen Weir revealed that Live Aboard Dive Boat operator Peter Hughes had sold his industry leading Peter Hughes Dive operation. One month after that article appeared Hughes told Weir that he has left the employ of Wayne B. Brown, the current owner of Peter Hughes Diving and the principal owner of the Agressor Fleet. " IT is bitter, sweet for sure. My last day with Peter Hughes Diving was May 15th, 2010 and now I am on my own " Hughes first order of business has been to purchase the startup company DivEncounters, Inc. of which he is now the President. He is based in Florida near Miami. His immediate responsibility will be to handle the affairs of the M/V Galapagos Sky (formerly Sky Dancer), ensuring the continued high standard of operation. Hughes says there is possible product expansion in the future. Hug

. Photography Festival has the Message and the Medium but at the grand opening, where is the Media? Friday photography show opening draws crowds but not the cameras Hot show and very hot festival uses McLuren as inspiration but private launch runs cold with the media. What is the message here? In 1974 I took a number of pictures of Marshall McLuhen as he addressed the media covering the annual Juno Awards. My close friend, Dave Tollington was working for RPM Magazine - the creators of the music award - and got me in the side door and let me take a half a roll of black and white film before shushing me away from the cooler filled with O'Keefe lager beer. My notes from that session are long gone. I don't remember anything he did say. I do know from my student newspaper tear sheet, that he did talk about popular culture to the people who promoted such big stars (back then) as Terry Jacks, Anne Murray, Stompin' Tom Connors, Murray McLaughlin and or course Valdy. McLuhen spok

. . Canadian Astronaut talks to Stephen Weir about his upcoming underwater mission - 2-weeks underwater off the coast of Florida