* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #355 Date: Sunday 2nd October 2005 Editor: Alan Watson www.magicianz.com www.Alan-Watson.com e-mail: AW@Alan-Watson.com ================================ Hi [FIRSTNAME] here is the latest news ================================ 1. Editor's Message 2. Hurricane Relief 3. Disaster Relief For Magicians Who Are Hurricane Victims 4. Interested In Continental Acts From Europe 5. Bath Shakespeare Festival - Blackpool in 2006 6. Ray Haddad On Tour 7. Magic Aid 2005-Sri Lanka 8. Everything Must Go 9. FISM-Stockholm 10. Magicelebration 2006 11. Splitting  Hares - Jamie G 12. A Dice Stacking Retrospective, Part 9 13. The Amazing Orchante Saga 14. e-zine Archives 15. Privacy Policy And Copyright Notice ------------------ 1. Editors Message ------------------- Message from Alan Watson - The Magic One Over the last two weeks you may have major problems accessing Magic New Zealand website due to my ISP making major changes to their servers!! Which will in the long term increase their efficiency. Thankfully everything is fine now. ----------------- Remember [FIRSTNAME] if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com ----------------- 2. Hurricane Relief ----------------- Message from Don Wiberg, International Secretary I.B.M. Since the first hurricane hit the Gulf Coast, the American people have been most generous in donating food, clothing, toys, diapers, and money to the relief effort. I can't imagine that there is a person within earshot of a television set or a radio or hasn't read about the devastation that hasn't been affected in some way. From the very beginning we have discussed how we as members of the International Brotherhood of Magicians can help those in our organization who have been effected. The I.B.M. website now has a direct link to the American Red Cross. This was done as a matter of convenience and in no way suggests that this is the only relief organization to which you may donate. There is a Katrina link on the website that gives some news about some of our members and how they are doing. With the Hurricane Rita now making its mark, there are sure to more members effected. To list all the members who have either volunteered their services, time or money might take pages. Regardless of how you choose to contribute to the effort and what the needs there may be in the future, we are hoping that we can count on the magic community and especially the International Brotherhood of Magicians to do their part. I'm sure there are many stories like the following but I know this gentleman and really believe in what he is doing. Bruce Walsted, of Foley, Alabama wasted no time in attacking the problem in his area near the Gulf Coast. The hurricane winds were still blowing when Bruce opened his home to members in need of shelter. This was done in spite of boarding up his own home to ward off any damages that might occur.. His latest effort may interest you. Bruce and his wife with the assistance of others began accepting donations to buy toys and other goods for evacuees who came to their area. His story may not be all that unusual but I think it's one you might be interested in. This is just a portion of Bruce's recent Email. "We have completely outfitted all the children in one shelter in Robertsdale, Alabama with school clothing, shoes, back packs and of course lots of toys. At the moment we have about $12,000 raised for clothing, shoes, diapers and formula. We have about $1,300 in checks and cash in an account at a local K-B Toys that we are using to buy toys with. The $5 checks can be made payable to K-B Toys." If you're looking for someplace to donate at least $5, Bruce Walstad would put it to good use. Make the check out to KB Toys and mail them to: Bruce Walstad 18127 County Road 10 Foley, Alabama 36535 My check's in the mail. Don Wiberg, International Secretary I.B.M. P.S. Bruce is a retired police officer from Franklin Park, Illinois, the Territorial Vice President for Alabama, and the President of Pensacola, Florida Ring 287 - Gulf Coast Magicians Guild ----------------- 3. Disaster Relief For Magicians Who Are Hurricane Victims ----------------- Message from S.A.M. President Richard Dooley S.A.M. PRESIDENT Richard Dooley Announces - "Disaster Relief Fund" The Fund is set up to supplement other government or charitable assistance for magicians who were victims of the "Katrina" and "Rita" hurricanes.- Funds will help those who need food, shelter and/or medical assistance as a result of their losses. Magicians do not need to be members of the S.A.M. in order to qualify. Money donated to the funds should indicate "Disaster Relief" and tax exempt donation checks made payable to the Society of American Magicians Magic Endowment Fund should be mailed to the S.A.M. Magic Endowment Fund at 234 Towyn Court- Lower Gwynedd PA 19002. If you need assistance or know of anyone who needs this help please contact any of the trustees at the address shown above or by e-mail at: samambassador@comcast.net or showbiz10@aol.com or SAMGDH@aol.com (Emergency Phone 504-669-4279) Trustee Gary Hughes will chair the distribution program, and confidential payments will be made as promptly as they are verified. Medical assistance comes from the Houdini Fund. Your contributions will be coordinated by S.A.M. Magic Endowment Fund trustees Brad Jacobs, Gary Hughes, George Schindler Dr. Bruce Lish. ----------------- 4. Interested In Continental Acts From Europe ----------------- Message from Peter J. Levins I am currently booking acts for the IBM ring 85 Irish Ring Gala show at their convention due to be held in late April 2006. This convention is being hosted by the Munster Society of magicians and will take place in Limerick, Ireland. I am interested in Continental acts from Europe so if you have a good entertaining act please contact me at Plevins@aol.com ----------------- 5. Bath Shakespeare Festival - Blackpool in 2006 ----------------- Message from Ross Skiffington I am thrilled to be able to inform you that The Bell Shakespeare Company's production of The Comedy of Errors will be touring to the Bath Shakespeare Festival and the Grand Theatre, Blackpool in 2006. I will be re-creating the roles of Balthasar/Pinch in this remount of the highly successful production that toured Australia in 2002 and 2004. Dr Pinch is referred to in the play as "a conjurer" and the role was expanded to opening the show and creating magic throughout the play. Indeed, magic is a great feature of this production and is enhanced by being set into a theatrical context. Audiences were not expecting to see magic performed in a Shakespeare play and were delighted. It is a romp and a riot and it was so great to hear belly laughs from an audience over jokes 400 years old! Though it might seem a bit like "taking coals to Newcastle", the Aussie larrikin humour, that made it such a hit, will no doubt win the British audiences as well. It is the only play I have been in that actually started with a round of applause. The Bath Season: Monday 6 March - Saturday 11 March The Blackpool Season: Monday 13 March - Saturday 18 March I would appreciate any information regarding contacts for magic clubs and magic societies in these cities. I would also like to meet any EG members. Thanks in advance. Here is a link to the Bell Shakespeare website http://www.bellshakespeare.com.au/ There are some reviews and photos of the production in their archives. This weekend I am in Brisbane performing with The Australian Army Band. I have toured with them many times but this time they have arranged the music to play everything live so I am really looking forward to this show. They are loud, bold, brassy and play in a very, very exciting way. Another time I worked with live music was with The Melbourne Symphony when they played an especially written composition for me to perform magic to. It was originally commissioned for the Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra and was later repeated with the Melbourne Symphony. Working with a 70 piece orchestra was pretty awesome and it is one of the highlights of my career. ----------------- 6. Ray Haddad On Tour ----------------- Message from Ray Haddad (Aust) Ray Haddad, internationally known magician living in Perth, Western Australia will be on a world tour beginning 28 September and ending 25 November. The tour will include the United States, the United Kingdom, Greece and Singapore. Hoping to meet and greet as many in the magic fraternity as possible, a web site with information regarding the tour itinerary has been set up at http://www.bookmeisters.com. You may contact Ray at ray@perthmagic.com or via the tour website. As the schedule becomes firm, updates will be made to the site. ----------------- 7. Magic Aid 2005-Sri Lanka ----------------- Message from Michael Chandler Have just returned from performing in the hospitals, schools and survivor camps of Sri Lanka. If you are going there and want to discuss please email me. I shall be working in Tibet shortly. If you have any tips please let me know. Regards Michael Chandler CHANDMAGIC@aol.com ----------------- 8. Everything Must Go ----------------- Message from Sefton Pryce (NZ) Everything must go, there are some rare and collectable items. Should anyone be interested please contact spryce@xtra.co.nz for a list or Ph 06 7587841 overseas interest is welcome. ----------------- 9. FISM-Stockholm ----------------- Message from Don Wiberg (US) It's not too early to plan your trip to Stockholm, Sweden, for the FISM World Championships of Magic, July 31-August 5, 2006 My wife and are I are sponsoring group travel from the U.S. to Stockholm and a post convention tour of the Scandinavian capitals, Oslo and Copenhagen. If you're interested, contact me and I'll send you details. Don Wiberg Phone: 815 464-0414 E-mail: magicdon36@comcast.net ----------------- 10. Magicelebration 2006 ----------------- Message from Rick Fisher (US) It's Never Too Late To Plan For 2006 Convention Time!!! Make plans NOW to attend THE magic event of 2006 - MAGICELEBRATION 2006 in magical Colon Michigan! August 1-5th - Starring: IBM Gold Medal Winner Arthur Trace, Rachel Wild & Tom Jones, The Genius of Tom Craven and that's just for starters! We have clown and juggling seminars, lectures by Tom Craven, The Wilde's, Arthur Trace planned plus events for the entire family! TWO big stage shows in our expanded tent - double the size from last year to accommodate the crowds! Mad,Mad Late Nite Auction, Magic Flea Market, Close Up Show, Meet The Legends Of Magic Forum Plus Lots Of Surprises !!!!!Free Registration! Thanks To Our Corporate Sponsors There Is No Fee For Lectures And Seminars! We Have Worked Out Special Room Rates For Cottages And Hotel Rooms! Our two blockbuster shows are Friday and Saturday night...it's the only thing you have to pay for! (besides magic of course - and oh yes you might want to eat while you are here!) We are adding new events weekly and we invite YOU to be a part of it...but you must register with the FAB Magic Company in Colon - hold a spot now for all of the fun and excitement that is the Magic Capital Of The World - Colon Michigan - It's A New Era Of Old Traditions In 2006 And Man Do We Have Some Surprises! Call toll free to register 877.44.MAGIK or email us at rileysshop@fabmagic.com ----------------- 11. Splitting  Hares - Jamie G ----------------- Message from Jamie G (Canada) Effect: Magicians shows a bunny in his hand. The magician takes the pointer finger of his other hand and splits the bunny in half with magic, showing that there are now two bunnies. Props: Two small sponge bunnies. Setup: Fold one bunny in half then in half again. Place this folded bunny under the other bunny. Your two pointer fingers (right hand) are under the folded sponge bunny and your thumb is on top of the normal bunny. Place the bunny onto your left palm, remove your thumb and place your pointer finger on top of the bunny. Move your finger as if you were cutting the bunny in half and allow the other bunny to pop out as if you sawed it in half by magic. Flash Rabbit Effect: Magician takes a piece of paper and lights it, producing a great flash of light from which the magician produces a large sponge bunny. Props: A large sponge bunny, a piece of flash paper and something to light the flash paper. Setup: Fold the large sponge bunny in half and in half again. Place the bunny in your right hand under your last two fingers and close and hold the bunny there. This leaves your two pointer fingers and your thumb free. Method: While the sponge bunny in palmed in your right hand, grab the piece of flash paper with you free fingers. With your left hand, grab your lighter and light the bottom of the strip of flash paper. When the flame gets about halfway, drop the flash paper and just open your hand and the bunny will appear itself. Note: This effect deals with fire and if you are not used to using flash paper it could be very dangerous. If you have not worked with flash paper before you should not try this effect. Easy Bunny Vanish Effect: Magician shows his hands empty. He places a sponge bunny inside his closed hand. When the magician blows on his hand and opens it the bunny has disappeared. Props: One small sponge bunny and a large thumb tip. Setup: Have the thumb tip on the right thumb and the sponge bunny on the table. Method: Show the hands empty. Pick up the bunny with the right hand and do a standard thumb tip vanish of the bunny. Nothing too new here, but I wanted to add it for some members to open the idea of using both thumb tips and bunnies together. Some bunny jokes (if you want to add these jokes in any sponge bunny routine) What does it mean when the Easter bunny arrives one day late with melted candy? He probably had a bad hare day.. What do you get when you pour boiling hot water down a rabbit hole? Hot Cross Bunnies... Two rabbits were being chased by a pack of wolves. The wolves chased the rabbits into a thicket. After a few minutes, one rabbit turned to the other and said, "Well, do you want to make a run for it or stay here a few days and outnumber them?" How can you tell when it's rabbit pie for dinner? It has hares in it. What do you get if you cross a flea with a rabbit? A bug's bunny. As soon as she could talk, the baby rabbit started to ask her mother where she'd come from. But the mother rabbit was far too busy to tell her. The baby rabbit kept on asking until the mother rabbit couldn't stand it any more. 'All right,' she said, 'if you must know, 'you were pulled out of a magician's hat.' What are four hundred rabbits hopping backwards? A receding hare line. How do you make a rabbit stew? Keep it waiting. How do you shake hands with a hundred-pound bunny? Very carefully. How does the Easter Bunny stay healthy? Eggsercise, particularly hareobics! How far can a rabbit run into the woods? Halfway. After that she's running out of the woods. How is a rabbit like a plum? They're both purple, except for the rabbit. How is the rabbit who swallowed the quarter? No change yet. How many chocolate bunnies can you put into an empty Easter basket? One. After that the basket won't be empty. How many hairs in a rabbit's tail? None, they're all on the outside. Lara Rabbit: Do you think that's Sophie's natural color? Zara Rabbit: Only her hare dresser knows for sure. May I buy half a rabbit? No, we don't split hares! How can you tell which rabbits are the oldest in a group? Look for grey hares. How did the close race between the rabbit and the tortoise end? It was won by a hare! How did the rabbit become a wrestling champion? It had a lot of hare pins! ----------------- 12. A Dice Stacking Retrospective, Part 9 ----------------- Message from Tony L. Lewis (US) Another visit with "The Senator" - #9 in the dice Stacking Series Hi fellow magic enthusiasts, At the end of the last article in this series, I had just met Clarke "The Senator" Crandall for the first time and he had approved of my dice stacking efforts. For the next couple of weeks I diligently practiced my dice stacking routine in preparation for visiting the Senator again in his son-in-law's bar located on the West Side of Chicago. About a month later I was able to borrow my friend's car and I headed west. When I entered the bar, the Senator was performing magic for a couple of patrons. I watched and waited. Nothing that he did was earth shaking, but his puckish manner accompanied by his great dry wit kept his spectators enthralled. I was equally fascinated. It was not my kind of magic, but I still loved watching him perform. When he had completed his routines and had received what appeared to be a generous tip, he came over to get me a drink. I ordered my usual 7 and 7 and reached down to get my dice stacking equipment. I put my cup and dice on the bar and asked if he would check out my progress. He grunted his approval and I proceeded to give him my very best effort. After a dramatic pause, he muttered, "You're starting to get it." He then whipped through a few moves himself which made me feel that I definitely had a long way to go. He then asked, "Have you ever tried this?" He placed eight dice out on the bar and proceeded to scoop them up one at a time in his cup. He then shook the dice for a few seconds and lifted the cup. There stood two stacks of four dice each. It sure looked good! He next said, "It's not as hard as it looks. Try it." I borrowed his dice and followed his directions. He was right. The dice stacked almost automatically into two stacks of four. Ever since that time I have used that move in the "encore section" of my dice stacking routine. It is always greeted with a reaction that is far greater than it deserves. But isn't that true of many magic effects? The audience is unimpressed by some knuckle busting sleight, but gasps with wonder when you do something that is flashy but simple to execute. When I left the bar to go home I was determined to buy a set of eight dice so that I would always be ready to perform the double stack. In the next article in this series, I will describe my visit to the notorious K.C. Card and Dice Company where I obtained the custom made set of eight dice that I still use today. Regards, Tony L. Lewis ----------------- 13. The Amazing Orchante Saga ----------------- Message from Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)(UK ex-pat Kiwi) Page 69 Murphy's Law - if you're feeling good, don't worry, you'll get over it! We were feeling very, very good as we left Wanganui and started up what is now called Highway 4, on our way to Tauranga. I understand that the stretch of road from Wanganui to Raetihi is now tar sealed, and has been for some years; 30 years ago it wasn't exactly the 'Road From Hell' but it sure wasn't anybody's idea of a pleasant sightseeing jaunt either! It's around 1 o'clock in the morning, we are about 30 or 40 miles from Wanganui - in the middle of nowhere, slight drizzle and the road is as greasy as hell - Perfect - 'Murphy' decides to strike! The car goes into a slide and the right front side slams into a post on the side of the road! Muttering profanities, as you do, I clambered out to see what the damage was. The right front mudguard was bent in - jammed up hard against the tyre. No problem, I wrestled the post from the ground, pulled the fencing wire from it and used it to wrench the mudguard out and away from the tyre - thankful that no real damage had occurred, started up the car and carried on. Too easy - a few more miles up the road and 'Murphy' struck again (strike two). There was a hell of a clatter from underneath the bonnet - more profanities as I lifted the bonnet and discovered that the generator had fallen off - bloody hell! My voice rose in volume as I said, */***/& ##%/? #**" #??- Or words to that effect, as my eyes surveyed the problem/damage. It has been said that, with a combination of good old Kiwi ingenuity and a length of Barb Wire, a New Zealander can fix anything!  I'm sure there is some truth in this statement, but I didn't have any Barb Wire - however, in my trunk of equipment I had various audio leads that interconnected to amplifiers, speakers and a tape deck. I tied the damned generator back on and heaved a sigh of relief as the car started and we cautiously continued on our journey. 'Murphy' must have been screaming with unmitigated delight - he hadn't even got started. A few more miles up the road - it fell off again - vibrations? (Strike three). This went on until we had reached 'strike seven'. Approximately 7.30 a.m. - Sunday morning - we have been on the road for seven hours - we are on the outskirts of Taupo, the Kinleith Forest is on our left, (by now we should have been on the outskirts of Tauranga) and the bloody generator falls off yet again (strike eight). Pieces of all my audio leads are strewn from one end of Highway 4/47- up to the beginnings of Highway One! Terribly hung over, Veronica and I must have looked the way we felt - Crap - my mouth and I guess Veronica's as well, felt and tasted like the bottom of a bird -cage, before it has been cleaned! I guess by now, 'Murphy' was splitting his sides with uncontrollable hysterics! We had noticed a farmhouse a hundred odd yards or so back - the pair of us, looking like something the cat had dragged in, walked back to ask if we could use their telephone, to find a garage and get some help. When we knocked on the door it was opened by an elderly lady with a very kindly face, who, upon taking one look at Veronica, and with typical New Zealand hospitality said, "Oh, you poor dear, come on in." After a making us a cup of tea she and her husband listened to our unbelievable tale of woe. She then insisted that Veronica 'have a nice hot bath' while her husband drove me into Taupo. Finding a mechanic at a garage on a Sunday, who would repair the car, would not be easy. It's the old story - it's not what you know, it's who you know, 'our' farmer being a local, knew them all. So, I jumped into the tow truck with the mechanic to pick up our car. While he was hooking it on I walked up to the farmhouse to collect Veronica and to thank our unbelievable 'hosts', who would not accept a Penny for their help and hospitality; now that's typical New Zealand friendliness for you. Chatting away with the mechanic as he fixed the car, he asked me what I did for a living. When I told him that I was a professional magician, who also ate fire, lay on beds of nails and swallowed swords, he laughed. "Sword swallowing, that's just another one of your magic tricks, there's a special button that you press that makes it fold up". No amount of argument would convince him otherwise. Finally, he said to me "look mate, if you can swallow a sword in front of me, right here-and-now, and let me examine it before and after, I'll do all this work, including the parts, for free!" I said "will you shake hands on that" to which he replied "no problem" - we shook hands as gentlemen do. Within five minutes, I'd gotten my 22inch sword from out of the trunk, taken off the removable handle - had let him examine it - wipe it clean and - swallowed it! I then threw it high into the air and let it clatter and bounce, as it hit the garage floor. He was gob smacked! ('Murphy' ain't finished with us yet!) ---------------- 14. Magic New Zealand e-zine Archives ------------------ Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e-zine go to: www.watson.co.nz/fezine.html Both the User Name and Password MUST be entered in lower case to gain access. User Name: magic Password: kiwi When you enter the archive the e-zines are in issue order and are coded. Eg 001 Nov06 1999.txt first three numbers (001) denote issue number, then the date (Nov06) and the last figures the year (1999) ------------------- 15. Privacy Policy And Copyright Notice ------------------- 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.watson.co.nz/fezine.html. Magic New Zealand® E-zine is published each Sunday. The opinions expressed therein are those of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of Magic New Zealand®. Neither Magic New Zealand® nor Alan Watson vouch for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, message, statement, or other information reported via Magic New Zealand® E-zine. Subscribers to this publication and authors who contribute to it by doing so agree they will not hold Magic New Zealand® or Alan Watson, jointly or individually liable or responsible in any way for the opinions expressed therein. Magic New Zealand® reserves the right to alter, correct or disregard any articles submitted. Readers are encouraged to submit timely articles or news items which may be of interest to subscribers. By submitting articles to this e-zine, the authors grant Magic New Zealand® the right to publish such articles and such authors confirm their copyright of the material submitted. All works published by Magic New Zealand® are protected by international copyright legislation and articles must not be published for profit by anyone other than the individual authors without the written permission of Magic New Zealand®. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this publication may be freely redistributed, but not sold, to other magicians if copied in its entirety, including the copyright notice below and the above disclaimer. © Copyright 2005 Alan Watson