The Blackstoneian 
The official newsletter of I.B.M. Ring 200
Volume 4, No. 3, March, 2008 Editor, Eugene Raymond Soucek
APRIL MAGIC SHOW;
RINGS ‘N’ THINGS
MAGIC SHOW RETURNS
Every year we plan a Magic Show here at the Stelton Community Center in Edison. Last year, due to circumstances I won’t bother to go into, we did not have our show. This has it’s pros and cons. But, we are go for this year! The show is scheduled for Saturday, April 12. The show will begin about 2:30 p.m. and be about one hour in length. We need stage performers, close-up guys, and behind the scenes helpers. We will make final plans at this month’s meeting. Let us
know what you would like to do to make this a success.
MARCH MEETING THEME
The theme for this month’s meeting is, Rings and Things. Some absolutely impossible things can be done with a simple ring and a piece of string, or ribbon, or rope, or shoelace, etc. Until I joined the BIG THREE, i.e., Ring 200, SAM 161, and the Magic Roundtable, I never really thought much about ring and string magic. It just never interested me, or impressed me very much. Maybe I
just never saw it done well. But, wow, was I ever wrong! These two simple items, a ring and a string (or ribbon, etc.) can be carried anywhere in your pocket and take up less space then a hanky, yet they can provide incredible entertainment and mind boggling magic. So don’t miss this month’s meeting. Come and learn some real magic.
FEBRUARY MEETING
Paper magic was the theme for last month. As usual, we all learned some great magic that can be done with paper. Paper is a very practical and inexpensive prop and is readily available to everyone. From plain paper to newspaper, magic using everything from fire and water, to tearing and restoring, paper effects were covered in detail. Thanks to all who participated and showed us all some many interesting ways to do this great magic. We also had some new members in
attendance. Welcome fellow magicians! Our Ring has been growing nicely this past year.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: DUES
Dues for 2008 were due on January 1, of course we don’t expect everyone to pay up on January first, but this is March, and if you have not paid your Ring 200 dues, please do so a.s.a.p. because you could be in danger of being removed from our newsletter e-mailing list. Don’t miss out on the events of the fastest growing and most active IBM Ring in New Jersey.
SCHEDULE FOR THE YEAR 2007
March 18th Rings and Things - Linking; on rope/string; etc.
April 15th Lonnie Chevrie Lecture
May 20th Magic Flea Market/Auction Gather up your stuff, maybe someone can give it new life.
June 17th Al Hillman Excellence in Magic Competition
July 15th Money Magic - Everyone bring $7.00 in NEW Bills (a five and two singles) Gene Soucek will give a workshop On “Beswitched”
August 19th Picnic swim party at Gene’s house
September 16th Magic Jeopardy
October 21st Jim Angelo Card and Mentalism Competition - Show us your best card or mentalist effect or routine
November 18th Lecture TBA / Nomination of Officers
December 16th Holiday Party / Initiation Performances
We meet at: The Stelton Community Center, 328 Plainfield Avenue, Edison, NJ; on
the third Tuesday of every month; doors open at 6:30 p.m. – Meeting starts at
7:00 p.m. You are invited to join us for coffee at the local diner after the
meeting.
WORDS OF WISDOM:
"Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt."
-- Herbert Hoover
"If there is anyone to whom I owe money, I am prepared to forget it if they are."
-- Errol Flynn
They laughed when I picked up the guitar. They didn't know I was from the finance company.
A TIP FOR NEW MEMBERS
A wealth of books on magic can be yours for FREE by logging on to The Learned Pig Magic eZine at, http://thelearnedpig.com.pa/magos/ This website was created by Marko who currently writes a feature each month for MUM Magazine.
MAGIC HISTORY
The story of magic is as old as recorded history. The Westcar Papyrus, written nearly 4000 years ago, holds a story of a magician performing centuries earlier in the Pharaoh's court. Magicians performed in the streets and marketplaces of ancient Greece and Rome. Almost every society has some form of magic. Some say that magic is the most universal of the performing arts, because it translates so easily from one culture to another.
Before the year 1750, most magic was performed outdoors in marketplaces, in fairs, and on street corners. Magicians had no stages of their own. Their shows were limited to what they could carry with them—or what their audiences were likely to have handy.
The above article was reprinted from the following website:
http://www.magicexhibit.com/story/story_hist_1750.html
This website has a great deal of information about magical history and magicians –
take a look at it.
A MENTAL TRICK YOU CAN DO
This is a fun mental effect that you can do anytime, and anywhere, with anyone. Have fun.
The Effect: You ask someone to think of a special number. Then they think of an animal, a color and a country that corresponds to that special number. You then tell them what they are! It works — most of the time!
What You Need: Nothing.
The Method:
This is another trick that almost works by itself. Here's what you say... just have them follow your directions:
Think of any number from one to 10.
When you have it, multiply it by 9. [Pause while they do this.]
If it's a two-digit number, add them together.
Now, subtract 5 from the number in your head. [Pause again.]
Now, think of the letter in the alphabet that corresponds with the number you are thinking about. For instance, if you are thinking of the number "ONE", it would be "A". Number "TWO" would be "B". "THREE" is "C", and so on.
Do you have the letter in your head? Good.
Now, think of a country that starts with the letter you're thinking of. Good.
Spell the country in your head. [Pause here.]
Fine... think about the second letter in that country's name. Now, quickly think of an animal who's name begins with that letter.
Now, think of the animal's color.
[Pause here while you look like you are concentrating.]
That's funny... this can't be right... there ARE no gray elephants in Denmark!
That's it! The only chance it won't work is if they mess up the arithmetic or think of some bizarre country beginning with "D".
