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Help Now! Barry’s Magic Shop Facing Eviction

barry-taylorGeorge Schindler, Dean of the Society of American Magicians, had very troubling news on this morning's SAMTalk listserve.

We're including the entire press-release from Barry's Magic Shop because it so effectively relates the incredible situation facing Barry's Magic Shop. 

In a time when many brick-and-mortar magic stores are closing for want of business, the Montgomery County (MD) officials hope to evict the store to improve the sidewalk and alley way. 

But we are still in a democracy and while it may be tough to fight City Hall, it's not impossible. 

We're reminded of a Tommy Cooper joke:

    An explorer comes across a proud pigmy standing next to a dead elephant. 

    "Did you kill this elephant?" the explorer asks.

    "I did," says the pigmy.

    "With what?" asks the explorer.

    "I killed it with my club."

    The explorer looks at the pigmy and asks, "How big is your club?"

    "We've got about 500 members," says the pigmy.

There is strength in numbers. 

Here is the press release:

Barry’s Magic Shop Threatened With Eviction by Montgomery County After 31 years in Business in Wheaton, Maryland.

JUNE 14, 2006: The owners of Barry’s Magic Shop, Mr. Barry Taylor and Ms. Susie Kang, are dismayed to inform our many loyal customers and the general public that our beloved magic business located at 11234 Georgia Avenue in Wheaton, Maryland, is being threatened with eviction by Montgomery County through the Wheaton Redevelopment Program, which on May 31, 2006 forcibly acquired title to the building that we lease through a condemnation action. 

Tragically, unless we are able to promptly work out suitable alternative arrangements with Montgomery County, the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area may well lose its last remaining magic shop.

Ironically, Barry’s Magic Shop not only serves professional and amateur magicians, as well as young children interested in learning the traditional performing art of magic, from throughout Montgomery County, Maryland, but it actually attracts many hundreds of customers to Wheaton’s declining business district from relatively distant locations such as Fairfax County, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Annapolis, Maryland, and beyond. 

Customers who visit us at our Wheaton magic shop often patronize other local businesses in the area, such as delicatessens, coffee shops, and the like. We are puzzled as to how using taxpayer-generated public funds to potentially snuff out our wholesome, family-oriented business constitutes community redevelopment.

Montgomery County plans to demolish the building which we have leased for 31 years so that it can improve the alley sidewalk which connects Georgia Avenue to the parking lot behind our building. 

It is a shame that the County has not given more serious consideration to creative ways to beautify and improve that sidewalk without demolishing our building and threatening our small business.

While Montgomery County has stated that they wish to cooperate with us to assist us in relocating to another building, and we welcome good faith cooperation, a forced relocation would place an enormous financial strain on our small family-owned and operated business. 

Furthermore, we are unlikely to quickly find any suitable alternative business site which has the space and commercial access for anywhere near the rent that we have been paying under our lease.

We truly doubt whether Montgomery County fully considered the unique family-oriented nature of our magic shop and its customers, as compared to other alternative sites in the vicinity which might have been used for enhanced pedestrian access in Wheaton. 

At this point in time, we do not know what the outcome of this terrible conundrum that we are facing will be, and frankly, facing this uncertainty has been very stressful to us at a personal level.
We ask for the prayers and support from our loyal customers and friends in Montgomery County, Maryland, where we have lived and worked for decades. 

Please promptly send (by email or letter) your respectful expressions of support for Barry’s Magic Shop to the government officials listed below, along with copies to us in order that we may keep track of your efforts. 

Every letter helps.  Your letter may make the difference!  Thank you very much for your many years of support as our customers and friends.

Barry Taylor & Susie Kang, Barry’s Magic Shop, 301-933-0373,
magic@erols.com, www.barrysmagicshop.com

Montgomery County Executive
Douglas M. Duncan
Executive Office Building
101 Monroe Street, 2nd Floor
Rockville, MD 20850
(240) 777-2500
TTY (240) 777-2544
Email: douglas.duncan@montgomerycountymd.gov

 

Joseph R. Davis, Director

Wheaton Redevelopment Program

Montgomery County Maryland

2424 Reedie Drive

Wheaton, MD 20902

(240) 777-8125

Joseph.davis@montgomerycountymd.gov

 

Tom Perez, Councilmember (District 5, Wheaton)

Montgomery County Maryland

100 Maryland Ave, 6th Floor
Rockville, MD 20850
(240) 777-7966
Councilmember.Perez@montgomerycountymd.gov

 

Ms. Nancy Floreen, Councilmember

Montgomery County Maryland

100 Maryland Avenue, 6th Floor

Rockville, MD  20850

(240) 777-7959

councilmember.floreen@montgomerycountymd.gov

 

Ms. Marilyn J. Praisner, Councilmember

Montgomery County Maryland

100 Maryland Avenue, 6th Floor

Rockville, MD  20850

(240) 777-7968

councilmember.praisner@montgomerycountymd.gov

 

George Leventhal, Councilmember and Council President

Montgomery County Maryland

100 Maryland Avenue, 6th Floor

Rockville, MD  20850

(240) 777-7811

councilmember.leventhal@montgomerycountymd.gov

 

Howard A. Denis, Councilmember

Montgomery County Maryland

100 Maryland Avenue, 6th Floor

Rockville, MD  20850

(240) 777-7964

councilmember.denis@montgomerycountymd.gov

 

Steve Silverman, Councilmember

Montgomery County Maryland

100 Maryland Avenue, 6th Floor

Rockville, MD  20850

(240) 777-7960

councilmember.silverman@montgomerycountymd.gov

 

Michael L. Subin, Councilmember

Montgomery County Maryland

100 Maryland Avenue, 6th Floor

Rockville, MD  20850

(240) 777-7828

councilmember.subin@montgomerycountymd.gov

 

Michael Knapp, Councilmember

Montgomery County Maryland

100 Maryland Avenue, 6th Floor

Rockville, MD  20850

(240) 777-7955

councilmember.knapp@montgomerycountymd.gov

 

Phil Andrews, Councilmember

Montgomery County Maryland

100 Maryland Avenue, 6th Floor

Rockville, MD  20850

(240) 777-7906

councilmember.andrews@montgomerycountymd.gov

 

Governor Robert L. Erlich, Jr.

Office of the Governor

State House

Annapolis, MD 21401-1925

www.gov.state.md.us/mail

 

Lieutenant Governor Michael S. Steele

Office of the Lt. Governor

State House

Annapolis, MD  21401-1925

ltgovernor@gov.state.md.us

 

Wheaton & Kensington Chamber of Commerce

wkchamber@wkchamber.org

 

Continue reading Help Now! Barry’s Magic Shop Facing Eviction

June 22nd, 2006 | Category: Magic News | Comments are closed

Brock Gill – Not Wimpy

Brock Gill - Magician - MissionaryIt is an unfair typecast, but some think Christians are kind of wimpy.  Besides, they turn the other cheek and stuff so they're usually not that intimidating. 

We're convinced, though, that if we ever turned around and saw Brock Gill following us on a dark street, we'd be a little concerned — until we were able to identify him as one of the good guys.

We received his newsletter today and even more impressed by the young man and his ministry — if that's possible.

He writes the spring has been working out very, very well.

We have had some unbelievable times of ministry. The highlight of my year was the Freedom Experience we did in New Castle, Ky. There were 1100 people the first night, 2500 the second night, and 3200 people the last night.

We were amazed at the response from people in that community. In all we had 317 decisions. It was a very small county with only about 15000 people.

It was awesome to see how God used the churches there to bring in FX to impact such a large portion of that community.

Their show is non-stop, high-energy.  Like us after our fifth Diet Coke and Twinkie Frappe.

For those who have seen their presentation, FX, in the past, you now have a reason to catch them again.

Mr. Gill writes:

We have taken FX up a notch. We have been doing FX for 3 years now. We have had BMX team Chaos on Wheels with us almost the entire time. People love to see them perform, because they go BIG. The tricks these guys can do 15-20 feet in the air are unbelievable. They have definitely stepped it up.

So they have that going for them.  But it got a little more intense. 

Readers of Quinlan's Inside Magic know the respect we have Mr. Gill and for those who try the Bullet Catch.  Well, it is almost fitting that Mr. Gill would decide to take on one of the few tricks we don't enjoy watching but from which we cannot avert our gaze. 

Mr. Gill decided to add The Bullet Catch to his show. 

Why?

Because he wanted "to have things that will get people to talk."  

Why?

Because, Mr. Gill says, "When people talk, they come out to the event."

Okay.  But wasn't escaping from a casket filled with water whilst chained enough to get people talking?  Is there a reason they wouldn't talk enough if you risk your life in just one routine?

Apparently, Mr. Gill wanted something more. 

One of the things we are doing now at FX is called the bullet catch. It is like it sounds. A lot of people had heard I was working on a new stunt and they've been asking what it was, so there, the cat's outta the bag.

It is a very dangerous stunt–13 people have died trying it.

I can assure you we have taken all the proper safety precautions to make sure this stunt goes as planned. If you want to see me do it, come to a Freedom Experience event this fall.

We assume he knows what he is doing.  But that puts him up with Penn & Teller and Dorothy Dietrich in The Bullet Catch Club.  We can't stand the trick but as we mentioned, we can't help but watch.

We understand Mr. Gill and his lovely wife and partner Auny had a chance to take some time to relax and recuperate from their injuries.

Since the time we began working on the Discovery Channel special in the spring of 2005, we have not had a chance to slow down. This past month though we took some time to rest, catch up on life, rehearse, and heal up.

We had some injuries this year-thrown backs, ulcers, and even some really nasty rope burns. Auny had surgery on her shoulder to remove bones that were lodged in her rotator cuff.

Sound strange? It was.

The doctors removed all the bones though, and Auny is already recovering much quicker than we expected.

Make sure you check out Mr. Gill's blog at www.brockgill.com/blog , Mrs. Gill's at auny.blogspot.com .  If you want a real taste for what the Freedom Experience is all about, check out the dynamic web site here.

You can join in the mission work and support this incredible ministry by contibuting to the Vertical Ministries charity on-line at http://www.verticleministry.com.

For many reasons, we're glad Mr. Gill is on our side. 

Continue reading Brock Gill – Not Wimpy

June 21st, 2006 | Category: Magic News | Comments are closed

Blaine is His Mentor?

fingers_crossed
It is official.  The
world has turned upside down and inside out. 
The
Exmouth Journal (UK)
reports this morning on Tom Gunning's plan to swim the English
Channel at the age of 55.

So far so good.

He trained by swimming in the North Sea
and will be helped by The Exmouth Swimming and Lifesaving Society.

The strange part is not his ambition, his endurance, his
support.  It is his choice in reading
material to mentally ready his body for the upcoming ordeal.

Mr. Gunning tells reporters he needs to ready himself for
the potentially fatal effects of hypothermia whilst swimming in the frigid
water. 

Sure, he can rely upon his training as a Marine, his
championship boxing career, his months of swimming in the tumultuous North Sea where water temperature is usually 34 to 36
degrees Fahrenheit.

But to help master the mind over body aspects of the
endurance, Mr. Gunning said:

"I have found that reading David Blaine books has
helped me to get into the right mindset."

We are now concerned for his safety. 

Mr. Blaine's television specials are careful
to advise viewers "not to try this at home."  But that's because some of the things Mr.
Blaine appears to have done cannot be done by anyone, any where.  

Not even Mr. Blaine can do what Mr. Blaine
chronicles in his book. 

Yogi Berra appropriately noted "Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical." 

We know Mr. Gunning
has the physical stuff necessary to become the third Scot to make the
swim.  

But we're concerned about the mental
part. 

Relying on Mr. Blaine's mental
techniques for enduring pain or solitude would be similar to learning to
operate by studying Filipino Psychic Surgery, or learning self-defense by
reviewing films of the World Wrestling Federation. 

We'd hate to upset Mr. Gunning's preparation but someone
should tell him even though Mr. Blaine doesn't seem like one, he is a Magician
first and foremost. 

Continue reading Blaine is His Mentor?

June 21st, 2006 | Category: Magic News | Comments are closed

DiCapprio and Criss Angel Sneak into Club

leonardo dicaprioOkay, follow us but not too closely.

Remember a long time ago — maybe a year ago — when all the world was a buzz on account of David Blaine hanging (pun intended) with David Copperfield at a special show put on by Todd Robbins?

You don't remember it?  Well, you're not going to care about the rest of this story.  You have to have the very basics of our conspiracy theory before this new development makes sense.

For those of you still with us — or at least available when we call drunk at 3:30 in the morning telling you we're sorry and begging you to "no more thinks we donut love ewes" — let's proceed.

The big story in the meeting back then was that David Copperfield and David Blaine were actually at the same club watching a fantastic magician who later appeared on a Criss Angel episode.  You remember the one with the Hummer and the bed of nails?  Yeah, that one. 

So we jumped to the logical conclusion, there was some conspiracy set to either bring Side Show Magic back into the world of episodic television.  Or, Mr. Blaine and Mr. Copperfield had the same — lousy — publicist.

Anyway you shake it, things were looking good for Todd Robbins.  In fact, he did later appear on the Criss Angel special — the one with the Hummer and the bed of nails, remember?  We just mentioned it so hopefully you recall it — and performed one of the effects from that very show on the Criss Angel episode with the Hummer and the bed of nails.

Well, last night, Criss Angel was seen sneaking into a brand new dance club in Hollywood or somewhere near there at or around the same time as Leonardo DiCaprio. 

So?

So, we'll tell you what's so about it.  Leonardo DiCaprio used some of the money from acting like a dope in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (in which Johnny Depp actually stole the show) to fund his scruffy friend and magician David Blaine's cool new television project's pitch to ABC.

Mr. DiCaprio was more than a friend to David Blaine.  Nay, we say.  He was the bag man for the Blainer.  With his funds, he was able to help Mr. Blaine stay alive on crackers and ketchup — read his book Mysterious Stranger for more on this — whilst jetting off with rich families to perform tricks with a Stripper Deck and Sponge Balls in Geneva. 

Now, the money moves from Blaine's side to Angel's.  What does this mean?  Could it be they were at the same club at the same time but not to meet each other?  For reasons known to the ones "in the know" this is not likely because Mr. DiCaprio and Mr. Angel apparently visit different kinds of clubs.  It is not likely they would be seen at the same club unless one was watching the other on a television show over the bar.

We don't want to go into this reasoning too much because we don't want to be sued either by the cool people who know these kinds of things or people who know people who know what kind of clubs Mr. Angel and Mr. DiCaprio might visit. 

We predict this means we're going to be seeing more of Mr. Angel in motion pictures or network (read "not cable") television. 

We never saw Titanic — and yet we still can't get that song out of our peanut like gord — so we don't know if Mr. DiCaprio is actually an intelligent actor or if he was just being himself in What's Eating Gilbert Grape? 

If he is as dopey as he was in that movie, it could be he went to the wrong club.  Still it makes you wonder, as Paul Daniels would say. Not at lot, just a little.

We have to go now because the timer went off — so that means either the toast is done, someone is at the front door, there's a fire in the laundry room, we're on a public bus, we sat on the remote, we need to take our pills, we forgot to turn off the door alarm, we're in the wrong house (again), we need new batteries for our pacemaker, we lost our keys, our gerbil needs more food, our Vietnamese Pot Belly Pig is caught in the doggie door, dandruff was found in mother's special brush (again), we can expect rain (outdoors) soon, it's time to have someone pull our finger, someone is stealing our car, or we're hearing things.

Check out the full article about the club-hoppers and the people who love to watch them hop at Star Catcher.

Hey, it turned out our Pot Belly Pig wasn't caught in the Doggie Door.  He was stealing our car because he knew he'd catch holy heck for using Mom's special brush again. 

Phew!  Mystery solved. 

Photo courtesy of Star Catcher Coast to Coast

Continue reading DiCapprio and Criss Angel Sneak into Club

June 20th, 2006 | Category: Magic News | Comments are closed

Molestors Use Magic Tricks to Lure Kids

Watching This morning's Boston Globe comments on the recently released report on the causes of stress on the City's young people.

The report was prepared by Dr. Jack Shonkoff, a top researcher from Brandeis University in the area of "toxic stress." 

Toxic stress describes the influence of "adverse effects on a young
person's physical and mental health resulting from chronic exposure to
dangerous and doleful conditions, including exposure to violence and
maltreatment."
 
The doctors determined frequent activation of the body's system to
respond to stress can damage that part of a child's brain considered
essential for learning and memory.

The real-life impact of "toxic stress" on children is often seen
several years later when those very children are "tempted with drugs,
alcohol, and even magic tricks by pimps and molestors."

The kids are often the victim of sexual abuse as well physical or emotional abuse in the home or by friends of the family.

"With no protective adult at home, the children become easy prey.
Folgert wants to form a task force comprised of police, medical
experts, and street workers to find out how widespread the molestation
is."

The pimps or molestors use magic tricks to lure young people because it
as effective as drugs or alcohol.  The victims have suffered severe
emotional and physical damage from their prior exposure to abuse and
fall prey to those looking to befriend them. 

We must never forget the trust placed in magicians by parents and
children.  We are invited to entertain at parties and schools because
we are considered "safe" and worthy of the trust.  It is sobering,
then, to see our profession held up as one of the disciplines used to
inflict abuse and imprison young people in what usually becomes a
short, hellish life.

The Globe editorial suggests entire neighborhoods are "starting to
suffer from toxic stress."  The young people will regress to their most
basic survival instincts of flight or fight. 

You can read the full editorial here.

Continue reading Molestors Use Magic Tricks to Lure Kids

June 19th, 2006 | Category: Magic News | Comments are closed
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