Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

For Divers: sunken warships of the new century – size matters The Biggies: Coast Guard cutter, Spar , sunk near Morehead City, North Carolina. 180ft long. 2004 HTMS Khram rocket landing ship, (Formerly the USS LSM 469,) 203 ft 2003 at Pattaya, Thailand   HTMS KUT - photo from Dive Neptune HTMS Kut landing ship (formerly named "USS EXNO" (LSM 333) 203ft sunk off the coast of Thailand at Pattaya 2006. HMNZS Wellington , New Zealand frigate. 340 ft. Sunk near the city of Wellington 2005 HMCS Nipigon , 366 ft Canadian destroyer sunk in the St Lawrence River near Rimouski 2003. HMS Scylla . British Frigate 371 ft sunk in 2004 Cornwall, UK Australian Guided Missile Destroyer City of Brisbane . 440 ft. Sunk for divers 2005 off the coast of Queensland USS Vandenberg, US Air Force missile tracker 524-ft sunk off the Florida Keys 2009 (pictured below in Key West just before she was sank - photo from Key West Tourism Assocation). Destroyer USS Arthur W Radford to be sunk n

New Hampshire has a downloadable itinerary for starstruck visitors. See where the movies we love to watch were made. Article in Spring Issue:  Maple Gazette By Stephen Weir T he New Hampshire Division of Travel &; Tourism Development understands that many North Americans are fascinated by films made by Hollywood.  Not just the big name stars, but also, the locations of where memorable films and TV shows were made. The State has recently put together a downloadable six page Filmed in New Hampshire Itinerary .   www.visitnh.gov/planning-and-travel-tools/itineraries/culture-itineraries.aspx    Get your motor running, Heading out the Highway. Look for Adventure! This colourful, interesting Itinerary takes film lovers on a giant road trip that begins in Keene with Robin Williams in his 1995 blockbuster fantasy movie Jumanji and ends in Claremont  where the entire comedy Live Free or Die , was made.   In all the Filmed In New Hampshire booklet takes visitors to 15 different

  Scarlett Hooft Graafland Contact Photography Media Preview  Story to Follow Below is footage shot by my associate George Socka at the Toronto event http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1fHbk5YzxQ

MZTV Museum of Television Loans Marilyn Monroe’s Personal TV plus Exclusive Videos of Monroe’s Rare TV Appearances to McMichael Blockbuster Exhibition Precious 1957 Magnavox on view until May 15, 2011 only!   Until May 15, visitors to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection can view Marilyn Monroe’s personal and portable 1957 Magnavox black-and-white television.  The set is on loan to the McMichael from Toronto’s MZTV Museum of Television & Archive. Purchased at a Christie’s auction in 1999, the precious set – displaying the inevitable wear and tear from Monroe’s frequent travels – was in her Brentwood, California home the night she died in August 1962.   In addition, the MZTV Museum of Television & Archive has loaned its exclusive video collection of Monroe’s three rare TV appearances.  Visitors can watch Monroe’s purring delivery in a commercial for Royal Triton Gasoline, her deft comic appearance as the stereotypical “dumb blonde” on CBS’ “The Jack Benny Show”, and her

. Scotiabank sponsors $50,000 prize, publishing deal and a gallery exhibition for the year's best photographer. Bay Street's brand new award By Stephen Weir On Friday March 11th, the Scotiabank announced in Toronto the three Canadian photographers who are in the running for the nation’s newest and richest photography award. The Scotiabank Photography Award – SPA - new this year, will not only reward one photographer with a $50,000 purse (the two runners up get $5,000 each) but will also give out a publishing contract with one of the world’s top publishing houses – the Swiss based Steidl Books – to the winner. Vancouver’s Roy Arden , Montréal’s Lynn Cohen and Robin Collyer , (Toronto) were named to the SPA short-list at a lunchtime press event. The announcement was made in the art-filled posh 63rd floor office (think of it as an economic spa) headquarters of Scotiabank in downtown Toronto. “Believe me, we aren’t grumpy old bankers,” said Scotiabank vice-president John Doig.

. IT IS ALL ABOUT HUNTERS, THE HUNTED AND THE HAPLESS By Stephen Weir Fidgety. Overheated. Impatient. The man with the double nitrox aluminum tanks and fully accessorized dry suit (with neoprene sneakers and matching gloves and hood) waited as the dive boat was secured to the remains of a Nazi U-boat sunk off the coast of North Carolina five wars ago. One of a dozen club members from Boston, he was sweating both figuratively and literally to get wet. For him this was the ultimate North Carolina T-shirt dive, the reason why he spent close to a day white knuckling it down the interstate to secure a berth at the end of the bench of the 55ft long dive boat Midnight Express. To his right, a photographer from Raleigh stood in the on-deck shower area. He grabbed the ship’s hand-held fresh water hose and filled his thin 3 mm wetsuit with hot water to get himself toasty warm before jumping into the rolling Atlantic Ocean. One diver was dressed for the south, the other for under the ice. Bu

Dive Directory for North Carolina Wreck Dives According to www.nc-wreckdiving.co m, a club operated website, there are over 50 dive shops and charter boats operating in the state. Of note are: Atlantis Charters Captain Bobby Edwards 145 Intracoastal Drive Beaufort, NC 28516 252-728-6244 www.atlantischarters.net/ Divers Down Atlantic Beach Causeway Atlantic Beach, North Carolina 28512 Captain Bob Cox (252) 240-2043 http://DiverDownScubaDiving.com Dive Hatteras Ann and Dave Sommers Teaches Lair Marina, Hatteras Village, NC 27943 703.818.1850 www.divehatteras.com Ghost Fleet Dive Charters Captain Crocket Dive Boat: Poppy 212 Thicket Lump Road Wanchese, NC 27981 (252) 423-0451 www.ghostfleetdivecharters.com Olympus Dive Center Captain Bobby Purifoy, 713 Shepard Street Morehead City, NC 28557 252-726-9432 www.olympusdiving.com Outer Banks Diving Captain John "Johnny" Pieno 57540 Hwy 12 Hatteras Village, NC 27943 252-986-1056 www.outerbanksdiving.com/