Mike Nicholsof the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a wrap-up of the year?s Wisconsin-centered stories and suggests we would benefit by hoping for serendipity in the new year.We do better, he suggests, when we can?t predict what will happen and we allow for mystery in our lives.
Mr. Nichols points out that ?73% of physicians believe miracles occur. It’s a belief that spans all religions. Among the 1,100 doctors surveyed, some were Christian. Others were Jewish or Muslim or Hindu or Buddhist.?
So, Mr. Nichols points to his discussion with former surgeon Richard Mossey in support of his pro-serendipity agenda.Dr. Mossey said there are things that cannot be explained even in the most scientific realm.“I think that has happened to every physician,” he told Mr. Nichols, “the complete reversal of a case that is not supposed to go that way.”
Talk about serendipity, Dr. Mossy is one of us, a magician, and a member of the board of the Houdini Club of Wisconsin.This connection leads to another serendipitous connection for Mr. Nichols.The Outagamie County Historical Society Museum in Appleton, Wisconsin, attempted to steal the mystery, the fun of not knowing by exposing the secret to Houdini?s Metamorphosis.
Dr. Mossey was not concerned folks would forever remember the secret.He told Mr. Nichols that ?most people quickly forget the secrets to magic tricks.?Mossey didn’t seem overly concerned, noting that most people quickly forget the secrets to magic tricks.?The tragedy of the exposure is that by ?removing the mystery? you remove enjoyment.
We made a couple of errors in our otherwise award-winning article on Let’s Talk Magic.And so we try it again.
One of the newest listings on the Inside Magic Links of Fame will take you directly to Let’s Talk Magic. This is an innovative site worth your perusal. Bryan Dreyfus, your host and interviewer meets with significant names in our biz and broadcasts it live over the internet.
Mr. Dreyfus has been broadcasting since Sept 11th and his past guests have been Steve Hart (great guy and IBM Executive Board Member), Kevin James, and Morgan Strebler (publisher of the Liquid Metal DVD).
Here are some of the folks Mr. Dreyfus will interview in the coming months: Ryan Jon Pilling, Martin Lewis, Doc Eason, Terry Lunceford, Chance Wolf, Gazzo, Michael Ammar, Whit Haydn and Jay Marshall. Mr. Dreyfus’ idea is a sure-fire winner.
Want to help Mr. Dreyfus in the interview? You can join the chat room to talk with other listeners and suggest questions and topics for Mr. Dreyfus to ask his guests.
The show will air live on Saturdays at 9:00 pm EST. Best of all, contrary to our erroneous report, you won’t need special software to take full advantage of the broadcast stream.
Check out his site and tune in the interviews as they happen every week.The next one is scheduled for January 1st.
I saw my very pretty friend Sarah across the street and called to her.
“Sarah! Sarah!” I yelled.
She turned towards me and waved back.
I expected her to wait for me to cross the busy street but she just kept walking. It was a cold day, so I guess I couldn’t blame her for wanting to get out of the snow and into the warmth of some bar where the beer flowed easily and was served with breakfast.
I ran across the busy Avenue de Robert Houdin – the main north/south road through Mystic Hollow, Michigan.
I was nearly clipped by a small red sports car but managed to leap over the hood and avoid broken bones and (another) head injury.
I followed Sarah “The Girl Magician” Buena into the Thumb Tip Tap Bar.
She was already racked up with a boiler maker and the newspaper.
“Hi, Sarah!” I yelled from the end of the bar.
“Look at this,” I said as I walked towards the former star of the tri-state circuit. I handed her my copy of Genii. She smiled at me as if I was some “special” student showing her an art project.
“Yes, I got that in the mail too,” she said.
She ordered another shot – her beer chaser was still untouched. Continue reading Strat-O-Jokers: Penguin Magic vs. Sarah
We will announce the winner of the Inside Magic Magician of the Year at approximately midnight on New Year?s Eve.This will ensure we are sober and thinking of important things like Magic rather than the usual falderal upon which our drunken gaze normally lands on this one special night of the year.
The web poll has shown not only great participation but also a decided gap in perspective.While the voting will not be the only factor upon which we will select our Magician of the Year, it has an influence.
If you would like to contribute to the judging, please send us a line in support of your choice ? even it not previously named in the poll.As you know, Inside Magic?s first Magician of the Year was Henry Evans of Argentina.The prize is not always awarded.In fact, no magician picked up the coveted award last year.
The Winner will receive not only notice within Inside Magic and in the Inside Magic Daily News but also a plaque commemorating the accomplishment.We thank the sponsors of our contest as well as the judges for making the event and the award possible.
So drop us a line with your thoughts on the magician you believe should be honored.
We were anxious about our article yesterday in which we criticized Norwich (UK) magician Geraldini?s claim he was able to foresee the horribly devastating Tsunami.
He used the Newspaper Headline Prediction to prove his premonition.Magicians and mentalists understand why this presented a moral dilemma and why Inside Magic was so critical of Geraldini?s performance.We suggested Geraldini could have called off the revelation of his prediction or even revealed an incorrect prediction.
We were discouraged that even knowing the death-toll and, particularly, the death of a Norwich mother of four, the magician went on with the trick and gave the impression to the gathered audience that he had the ability to predict the future.
The obvious question, then, why hadn?t he warned anyone about the impending tragedy?Why would he insist the prediction remain secret until his previously schedule show; and thus allowing 64,000 plus people to die?
Christian the Magician, creator of Stigmata, offered a third out for Geraldini ? who, by the way, is the president of the Norwich magic club ? he could have selected another headline from the front page as his prediction.Christian points out ?he would still have made a correct prediction, but it would have been a lot more tasteful . . . Oh, and for the record: I predict this guy will have a tough time getting work.?
I saw my very pretty friend Sarah across the street and called to her. 
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