Magic New Zealand® E-zine

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* Magic New Zealand®
* Proudly sponsored by International Entertainment Ltd (New Zealand)
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Issue Number: #1564
Date: Sunday 5th April 2020
Editor: Alan Watson QSM
www.watson.co.nz
E-mail: editor@magicnewzealand.com
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Hi here is the latest news
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1. Editor's Message
2. Vanish Magic Magazine 69
3. Coronavirus: Magician Dynamo Tests Positive For Covid-19
4. IBM Pittsburgh, Convention 2020 Postponed
5. Daniel Summers On The Magic Word Podcast
6. Jonathan Goodwin On The Magic Word Podcast
7. Coronavirus Impact On Magicians - The Magic Word Podcast
8. Coins & Crystal - John Carey #76
9. Masters Of Magic World Convention Postponed
10. Buying, Selling & Collecting Vintage & Historical Magician Goods
11. Free Quarantine Book Club!
12. The Orchante Saga - Beginnings
13. E-zine Archives
14. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice

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1. Editor's Message
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If you would like to read the Magic New Zealand e-zine in HTML format
go to: http://www.magicnewzealand.com/ezine-archive/2020-Jan-to-Dec-2020/1564-Apr05-2020.html

If you would like to write a regular column for Magic New Zealand or have some magic news drop me a line:
Editor@MagicNewZealand.com

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2. Vanish Magic Magazine 69
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Message by Paul Romhany - Editor Vanish Magazine

Special Edition

Our cover reflects what the world is going through right now. We realized this isn't going away anytime soon - some countries are now talking lockdown for a year!! Vanish will continue to be free for everybody to enjoy. That was my goal from day one - something FREE that we can all enjoy. We now have at least 100,000 downloads per edition, and in some cases it's over 400,000!! We are reaching people from every part of the globe now more than ever the digital magazine is really the only way to go. You can read it online OR download the PDF and enjoy offline.

Our double edition has current events that are happening online in APRIL, as well as top tips from professionals on what you can do during the lockdown.

Our double story features a generation Z magician Jason Verners who is the hottest up and coming Canadian magician. At 21 he has consulted for movies, performed in some amazing venues and creates incredibly creative magic.

This edition is jampacked with free magic tricks you can do at home using rope, cards, Lip Bombs, and even an Etch A Sketch.

Reviews - we slant our reviews towards online magic during this time of lockdown.

Tim Ellis opens his doors to his Lane Way theatre, which you can also see online each day.

Nick Lewin writes a wonderful and insightful article on Exercising your Comedy Muscle.

Peter Mennie continues his series on Sound Advice.

The Latest - Jeff Petterson has an article about currently being stuck on a cruise ship - which he still is and what happens to them is even more up in the air than last week. Life is constantly changing and while he wrote this article at the very end of March we follow him on FB for updates.

Ben Robinson continues his series of Movers and Shakers. This edition he looks at the incredible Ben Model - a truly talented musician who is Silent Film's Class Act. Also follow him as he performs live with silent movies on social media.

Felicity Fields also tackles todays issues with her column A Squib in The World. A must read for every magician.

Jeff Christian continues his Magic Is Education Series with Magic is Not something you do, but magic is something you are!

Get your free digital copy today from www.vanishmagazine.com

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3. Coronavirus: Magician Dynamo Tests Positive For Covid-19
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Article forwarded by Peter Rogers (UK)

BBC News

Magician Dynamo has revealed he tested positive for coronavirus after having a persistent cough and "aches and pains".

The 37-year-old Bradford showman has previously said he suffered with Crohn's disease and arthritis.

Dynamo, whose real name is Steven Frayne, said he had been privately tested after feeling unwell.

He said he did not have a fever but his symptoms had been "quite severe", although he was now feeling better day-by-day.

Speaking on social media, Dynamo said: "Over the past few weeks I've developed symptoms including a persistent cough, and lots of aches and pains. I self isolated for just over two weeks, and took any necessary precautions."

Dynamo said he was advised to take a private test for the virus but added that he "appreciated this is not a possibility for everyone".

He said the private test was a decision made "by me and my team, for a number of reasons".
"Firstly, because of my existing health issues, and the fact that I'm on immune-suppressive therapy, I'm at high risk," he said.

"Secondly, although I haven't had a fever my symptoms have been quiet severe. And finally, so that I was able to advise those who I have been in contact with so they can make their own relevant precautions."

Latest news and stories from Yorkshire
Dynamo said the illness could affect anyone, adding "it doesn't discriminate and it may present itself in many different ways".

"Now, touch wood, my symptoms have been gradually decreasing, day-by-day and I've been feeling better and better and hopefully I'm through the worst of it and I'm staying positive," he said.

https://metro.co.uk/2020/04/02/dynamo-tests-positive-coronavirus-experiencing-severe-symptoms-reveals-high-risk-12497263/?ito=social&fbclid=IwAR2pEFQ64K6ut0k_OPXX8CqIKdGsbntlU-mlS5BiTVFUOborT_h-WB4nQxA

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-52137459?fbclid=IwAR0JARZlmFZOVxD1GiO9Kh5ZxrDRSTUM8dYnVL-TP5FOH8FP3GfaelpemKI
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4. IBM Pittsburgh, Convention 2020 Postponed
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The IBM, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Convention (July 8-11, 2020) has been postponed until next July 2021.

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5. Daniel Summers On The Magic Word Podcast
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Message by Scott Wells, M.I.M.C. with Gold Star

This week on The Magic Word Podcast we chat with a magician who may be rather unfamiliar to you, unless you are an illusionist. Daniel Summers is a creative builder behind many of the top performers in the world today including David Copperfield, Hans Klok and Greg Gleason, to just drop the names of three.

Daniel began as a ventriloquist then worked as a stage magician in a theme park and graduated to cruise ships and international review shows in Japan. He worked the college market as hypnotist and had a successful "phone room" business and really knows how to sell a show. Today he creates and builds stage illusions such as "Compressed", "Instant Babe", "Clearly Impossible" and "The Cutting Edge."

You can enjoy our conversation, watch some videos, read the blog, see some photos, get some links, listen to the podcast and download the MP3 file at our website at: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/552-daniel-summers

And be sure to enter the contest for a chance to win $100 of magic books offered by our sponsor, TheMagicBookShop.com The registration form is on the website.

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6. Jonathan Goodwin On The Magic Word Podcast
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Message by Scott Wells, M.I.M.C. with Gold Star

Who would have thought when I attended "The Illusionists" show in Houston, Texas that it would be one of their final shows until further notice? Well, I was lucky enough to go backstage into the dressing room of one of the cast members to engage in a most insightful conversation. U.K. Escape Artist, Jonathan Goodwin (The Daredevil), shared a lot of stories about some of his most harrowing escapes and some that he will never do again.

He recounts some of his many television experiences plus his philosophy on creating "believable" escapes and how much jeopardy the audience is willing to believe and to have empathy for the performer. Lots of great stories and insight in this week's podcast.

You can watch some videos (including a special one showing his Houdini tattoo), read the blog, see some photos, listen to the podcast online, and download the MP3 file at: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/553-jonathan-goodwin

And be sure to enter the contest for a chance to win $100 of magic books, compliments of our sponsor, TheMagicBookShop.com The contest will end on 8 April, 2020, so enter today!

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7. Coronavirus Impact On Magicians - The Magic Word Podcast
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Message by Scott Wells, M.I.M.C. with Gold Star

As you are painfully aware, we are in a pandemic situation resulting in conditions not seen in the world on this scale in history. It is affecting every person in some way or another and no one is immune to the ravages of the market instability we are currently experiencing. Several cities across the U.S. are in lockdown and everyone is asked to self-quarantine by staying in place.

No gatherings larger than 10 people are in place which means bars, restaurants, theaters, event centers and even corporate businesses are closing, reducing hours, or temporarily suspending business. All events like conventions and concerts have been canceled/postponed. International travel has been or is being banned leaving some travelers stranded and plans canceled for those scheduled to travel.

It is unknown how long this situation will last nor what the eventual outcome will be. We are in a state of flux, indecision and…yes, fear. It is the fear of the unknown that is the worst right now.

Magicians in every sector of our market are being adversely affected. We have lost shows and income that will not be recovered. In these times, it's important to know that while we question what is going on and how we will thrive in this current environment, we need to know that we are all connected through our community. You are not alone.

In this week's extended episode of The Magic Word Podcast, we chat with a variety of performers from different sectors from cruise ship performers, corporate entertainers, birthday party magicians, trade show workers and also the impact on the entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas.

We hope that this will all get resolved sooner than later, but this week's topical podcast gives us hope, encouragement and suggestions on how to spend this "down" time. You can visit the blog for videos, photos, the online podcast, and links at: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/551-coronavirus

In this time when things are bad and money is tight, we especially thank our sponsor, TheMagicBookShop.com for offering $100.00 of magic books. The entry form is on this week's website. Stay safe out there and be well!

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8. Masters Of Magic World Convention Postponed
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Message by Walter Rolfo - President

Dear Friend Magician, kind Participant, kind Guest:

In the past few weeks, I have thought a lot about all of you and your families. Postponing an event is never an easy task: postponing to see so many friends I particularly care about, is even more so. However, the respect that I owe to all of you who have followed me with affection from all over the world for years - in compliance with the provisions issued by the Authorities to counteract the Coronavirus pandemic - requires to postpone to Autumn 2020, the Masters of Magic World Convention, currently scheduled from 27 to 31 May. Obviously the registrations already made, will remain valid for the new dates that I will take care to communicate to you as soon as possible.

In such a special moment, I express my closeness and friendship to you and your loved ones, counting on your precious understanding.

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9. Crystal Thought Redux - John Carey #76
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Message by John Carey (UK)
http://www.johncareymagic.co.uk/

During my early years studying card magic, Expert Card Technique became one of my Bibles. I can still remember now soaking up the priceless information in this wonderful book! One of the effects taught in there, Crystal Thought became a firm favorite. An amazing revelation of a genuinely thought of card. The method is diabolically clever and a lesson in construction and management. Quite recently I revisited the effect and worked on some ideas and variations with it. The following is my favourite so far and exploits getting information right out in the open before your spectators even realize you have started to weave your web!

You will require a regular deck of cards and one duplicate card, the Queen of Hearts. Place this duplicate on the face of the deck and the other Queen of Hearts on top and you're in business. Bring out the deck and execute an in the hands riffle shuffle retaining the positions of the top
and bottom cards. Execute any convincing false cut and deal off the top card (QH) to the table. Do not call it a prediction or in fact anything. As Nike say, JUST DO IT! "Shannon, if I was to ask you to call out any playing card, you might say, for example?" If he names the Queen of Hearts resist the urge to hug him and comment on how he truly could have named any card. Then ask him to turn over the tabled card and start a cult as he freaks out! However, most times another card will be called. Let's say he says Seven of Diamonds. "Interesting, but you would be amazed at how many people say the Ace of Spades." Your attitude as you engage your spectator is paramount. Just be casual as if you are having a conversation about cards. Little do they know the covert nature of your interaction.

So now we will exploit this gambit combined with the classic one-ahead principle. Ask your helper to cut the tabled deck into two portions. You then casually place the lower half on top of the other half offset at an angle in readiness for Max Holden's Cross-Cut Card Force. Please
do not say the death words "mark the cut"! Now we just need to shift the focus for a few seconds. "Shannon do you have a good memory or a bad memory?" Have some fun with this and then ask your helper to lift off the top packet and peek at the bottom card of this packet (QH) and to put the thought of that card in their mind. Then have them assemble the deck and shuffle it. We are in a wonderful position if you think about it. Now to add some smoke before bringing the trick home.

"I would now like you to send me the colour of that card in your mind. Then the suit and finally the value. Some call this telepathy, others state it simply can't be done." Pick up the deck and spread through it with the faces towards you. Pause at various points in the deck and then remove
the card they named out loud at the beginning- the Seven of Diamonds in our example. Casually drop it face down on top of the tabled card. Drop the deck into your pocket.

The right hand descends palm-down upon the two tabled cards and drags them towards you and off the table. Take one in each hand and hold them back outwards towards the audience. Reveal the Queen of Hearts first and drop it face-up onto the table. Now for the real icing on the cake. "At the very beginning I shuffled the deck and dropped this card onto the table. I then asked you to simply call out the name of any playing card and you said Seven of Diamonds. But you truly could have named any card yes? Sometimes in life things defy explanation. And I guess today that is well and truly the case!" Reveal the Seven of Diamonds in your hand and take a bow.

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10. Buying, Selling & Collecting Vintage & Historical Magician Goods
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Message by David Haversat (US)

Buying, Selling & Collecting Vintage & Historical Magician Goods

"Own a piece of history with David Haversat Magic"

A few items for sale...

Contact early, first come, first served.
(203) 828-8058
or email haversat@gmail.com

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11. FREE Quarantine Book Club!
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Message by Conjuring Art's

At Conjuring Arts we are seeing and experiencing the results of this new worldwide pandemic every day. The library staff is at home and safe, but that doesn't stop us from working on our mission. Our mission to spread the art of magic continues, just at a slightly slower rate!

We want to share our love for the art of magic, help you learn some new magic, and help you learn about the history of magic.

So, we are making a selection of classic magic books available FREE to download from our store: https://store.conjuringarts.org

The selection of free books will change from time to time, but there will always be at least six classics! If you want the great books we are offering please download them when you see them.
Please enjoy!

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12. The Orchante Saga - Beginnings
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Written by the late Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)

Ferocious Seas - Angry Gods!

Tahiti - December 1967 - Lost at sea, in the middle of a raging storm, somewhere off the southwest coast of Tahiti.

How do you explain or describe what you are feeling in the depths of your soul, knowing that you are on the brink of a catastrophe - that any minute, any second, you face, annihilation. Imagine looking up at a monstrous wall of water, that stretches up so high before you, the top appears to be touching the sky, (or as in our case, sheer black cloud), as far as you could see! Imagine you are teetering, for a moment, right at the peak of what seems to be an endless, sheer drop of water then suddenly you're hurtling down that watery slide, heading for what you feel must be the very bottom of the ocean, the seabed - and on top of all that, a howling gale coupled with violent, driving rain.

Imagine propelling - driving - at full power, a boat that was, by comparison to that 'water mountain', the size of a matchbox, up that endless wall of water, praying that you'll reach the top before that 'Mount Everest' collapses, crushing you - everything - under astronomical tons of sea-water. Better still - rent the movie 'The Perfect Storm' - there is a segment where a commercial fishing boat is in similar circumstances. When you see this, shrink that boat down to less than a quarter of its size -that will give you a very accurate 'picture' of what we went through!

I'm not a religious man, not in the normally accepted sense, but I do believe that 'something' is there - "an essence of all existence." (being a U. F. O. buff I'm convinced that we, the human race, are descendants of an alien race who visited this planet way back - I guess for many of you that admission has put me, along with various astronauts, scientists and pilots, both military and civilian, who know the truth and are not afraid to say so, straight into the `loony bin ` - I had two experiences some years ago, back in New Zealand, that was `proof ` to me, that we are being visited by aliens, but that is another story, maybe later) sorry about that, I do tend to go off on tangents at times.

As I stated in the last paragraph, I'm not the religious type but I tell you this, one minute you are praying to anything that might hear you - the next cursing everything - from the depths of your soul you silently scream at the elements - at Life, your total helplessness. You go through stages of 'numbness', thinking - saying NOTHING. It is a continuous cycle of fear, dread and then, resignation; but from somewhere deep down inside, your instincts scream "you are a survivor!"

Abruptly, your mind is submerged - overwhelmed with a tidal wave of primeval fear - the horror of being torn apart - eaten alive, by ravenous sharks, drowning as you 'see' in your mind's eye, that precipitous, towering wall of water tossing the minuscule boat, you, everything, into the watery depths - knowing that at any moment that is precisely what can - should - happen - hour upon hour, the relentless petrifying onslaught continues.

You become aware that you are nothing but a tiny speck, a microbe on a vast ocean - on a planet, one of countless millions - billions of other stars and planets, in a small corner of the universe - of a galaxy that it is hurtling in an unknown direction, at an unimaginable speed through an ever-expanding universe, populated with billions of other galaxies, stretching to eternity! Phew, let's get back to earth.

At around 2 or 3 in the morning, it gradually dawns upon you that it is all over. The launch is floating on a calm, serene ocean - the same ocean that for hours on end, had tried to rip you apart - now, the only sound, the gentle slapping of water against the side of the launch. The outboard motors are silent, for the simple reason that we have run out of fuel. I have absolutely no memory of when this happened but, thank God, it must have been some time after the storm had blown itself out - if we had run out of 'juice' sometime during the storm I wouldn't be here today writing my SAGA. We found out later that the fuel tanks had been filled right up before we
had left the previous morning, that there was enough fuel on board to have gone approximately 500 nautical miles, 500 nautical miles and we ran out of fuel!!!

Sometime between 5 and 6 o'clock in the morning a small speck appeared on the horizon- it was an aeroplane - it flew over and circled two or three times - the pilot waggled his wings and flew off, vanishing over the horizon. An hour or so later another speck appeared - it was the coastguard; apparently they had been out all night, all through the storm, searching for us. They had actually given us up for "lost, drowned at sea" and it was just sheer luck that the aircraft had done a final sweep and spotted us - we were much farther out to sea than anybody had imagined. They got us on board the coastguard cutter - we were given blankets, a meal, and hot drinks etc. -
the launch was taken in tow and we headed back to the port of Papeete.

This terrifying ordeal has 'haunted' me all my life -it was also one of those rare occasions when I didn't get the cuttings of the newspaper coverage of this extraordinary misadventure. I do know that it was front-page news - more so because I was a visiting entertainer; my name and posters were all over the place, including advertisements in the papers. I believe the company who owned the launch were prosecuted for their outrageous lack of safety precautions and their totally irresponsible behaviour in putting a man in charge of our lives who not only could not
speak English but also had no knowledge of how to use a marine radio or even some idea of basic, rudimentary navigation! Our so called" captain" would have been more at home paddling a simple canoe - catching fish for his family!

Hubert Wayliff the promoter who had booked me, cancelled three shows and took me to his home (it was a two-storey, open plan house, with thatched roof in the Tahitian style, and right on a private beach) "to chill out, get drunk and recover" - I did all three!!! Strange how you can remember the silliest things, Hubert had just received a copy of the long-playing record
from the musical "Hair", which was all the rage in America and London at the time - I can still hear it blasting out from his fantastic stereo sound system - for three solid days.

This has been one hell of a long narrative - but, as I said at the beginning, it was a terrifying, frightening ordeal - under the most violent and atrocious of conditions. I've had to 'dig deep' to try to express the full import of what happened. Now, 32 years on, the memory of it all still
affects me emotionally, and can at times, leave me, a 58 year old grown man, blubbering like a baby!

In page 37 of this episode, in the last paragraph, I wrote; quote 'we guessed he (the 'captain') wanted us to throw the shark back - no way, we all wanted some teeth, but why he was pointing up towards the sky was a total mystery - I being a New Zealander, and part Maori, should have known better. I'll explain later. Unquote. Later is NOW!!! When fishing, it is the custom in Polynesian culture that the first fish caught, is always thrown back - no exceptions. This is done to appease the 'Gods' - if you don't, their wrath will fall upon you.

When the Scandinavian caught that shark, we all helped to haul it on board - we should have thrown it back - WE DIDN'T - for which we nearly paid with our lives. THE WRATH OF 'SOMETHING' SURE FELL UPON US -- hence the heading on this page. ANGRY GODS!!!
MAKE OF THAT WHAT YOU WILL!!

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13. E-zine Archives
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Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e- zine go to:
www.magicnewzealand.com

Click on the red button centre right "Archives"

When you enter the archive the e- zines are in issue order in folders for each year and are Coded, e.g. 001 Nov06 1999.txt first three numbers (001) denote issue number, then the date (Nov06) and the last figures the year (1999)

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14. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice
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Our subscriber list is NOT made available to any other companies or individuals. We value every subscriber and respect your privacy.

You can subscribe to or unsubscribe from the Magic New Zealand® E- zine at: www.magicnewzealand.com

Magic New Zealand® E-zine is published each Sunday.

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