Magic Roadshow
June 15th, 2006 Issue# 49
Rick Carruth editor/publisher (c) 2006 All rights reserved worldwide
Magic Roadshow, magic's premier free newsletter, is now read by magicians, close-up artists, street magic performers, and mentalists from 59 countries..
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June 15th, 2006 Issue# 49
Rick Carruth editor/publisher (c) 2006 All rights reserved worldwide
Magic Roadshow, magic's premier free newsletter, is now read by magicians, close-up artists, street magic performers, and mentalists from 59 countries..
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Hello Friends..
Welcome to another edition of Magic Roadshow. I can't believe we're almost to number 50. It seems like yesterday when I published my first issue on July 4th, two years ago.
So much has happened since that time, both personally and professionally. It seems as if I've somehow managed to be on the peaks and in the valleys simultaneously. But.. most important, I'm here, and I am SO GLAD that you are too.
This is a big "Hello" to all the new subscribers. I'm honored that you've chosen to spend a portion of your day in my little world...
If there's anything I can do for you guys (and girls), any way I can help you with your particular brand or style of magic, EMAIL ME and let me know..
I don't want to go on and on here.. but I MUST thank each and every one of you who has expressed concern and so graciously sent well wishes to me since my accident four months ago. I'm going back to work four days a week, starting Monday, and my life is starting to take on a bit of normalcy. Walking is still an adventure, but I'm finding a way.. Thanks again!
If you are reading this issue online and would like to subscribe free... Click Here
** The percentage of readers who have 'tagged' themselves on my map has reached about one in eighteen, as of June the 14th...
This is a painless process, very simple, and all you need to be added is your email and zip code, or country..
I promise that I'm NOT going to let up until I get at least 200 - 300 of you signed up.. I don't make a single dime off your participation, but I DO get to know a little more about where you are on this little spinning ball of ours... http://www.301url.com/readers
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In This Issue:
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(1) Restaurant Work - A Profitable Variation
(2) How to Double Your Income as a Performer
(3) The Price I Pay for Being a Magician
(4) The Jim Show
(5) Magic Hat
(6) Telepathic Drawing & The Fold - Free Effects
(7) EZY Magic - Free eBook
(8) A Stab in the Dark - Free Effect
(9) Earl "Mr. Clown" Chaney is Back
(10) Getting What You 'Want'
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" Love and Magic have much in common.. they enrich the soul, delight the heart, and they both take a lot of practice.."
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Restaurant Work.. a Profitable Variation
By R.Carruth
Magicians LOVE restaurant work. They flock to restaurants like sea gulls to the sea shore. Of course, the reason is obvious.. restaurants have been, and continue to be, one of the primary venues where magicians can perform their magic and earn a substantial income. Restaurants have also long been one of the primary training grounds for good close-up magicians, who develop their routines and performing personas while entertaining strangers in a public setting.
Why the relationship between restaurants and magicians? Restaurants, like all businesses, are constantly striving to bring customers through the door, especially during the mid-week. Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays are typically slow days for restaurants, and the idea of having a performer, such as a magician, clown, or baloon artist, on site to entertain and encourage customers who may not otherwise come to the restaurant mid-week, is the sole reason why many magicians have a job at all.
For the magician, this has meant a variety of work during the early part of the week, and then a hustle toward the weekend to line up profitable gigs. This lack of work on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays has led many a magician to continue to hold down full-time jobs to make ends meet...
Maybe... just maybe... I can change that trend in your life and get you on the list of 'full-time professionals'.
Restaurants that have empty tables during the week typically have long lines waiting on those same tables on the weekend, at least at most national chains like Outback, Applebees, Ruby Tuesdays, and TGIF, for example. Of course, most communities have locally owned restaurants that face the same 'problem'.. if you want to call it that...
Restaurants love 'problems' like this. Customers waiting outside their doors are a sign, of sorts, that their establishments are popular eateries. But... there IS a downside that many restaurants fail to address, in part because they don't know HOW to address it.
Dollars are dollars, and any time potential customers walk away from one restaurant and go to another, the first establishment is a loser, regardless of how many customers they have waiting in line. You never want your customers to eat anywhere else.
As wonderful a car as a Mercedes can be, Mercedes dealers don't want you to ever test drive a Jaguar or a BMW. They want you to come back to their dealership, without hesitation, every time you're ready to buy a new car. There may be something as simple as the way a Jaguar's motor purrs, or the new car smell of the BMW that entices a Mercedes owner to switch brands. Dealers don't want to take that chance, and they will bend over backwards to make sure you make their dealership your first, and only, choice..
Restaurants have the same problem. They can lose a customer to a competitor over a piece of cheesecake or a choice of music.
One of the first rules of successful marketing is showing the potential client the 'benefit' of your services. It's not important that you're the club 'magician of the year', or the former magician at one of their competitors. It's not important that you're super friendly, talented, multi-lingual, or ambidextrous. What IS important is - what can you do for the restaurant to justify their paying you to perform. How can your performance put money in THEIR pocket. It's that simple.
If you can convince a restaurant owner/GM that you have the ability to prevent potential customers from becoming frustrated by long waits and long lines and taking their dollars elsewhere, that you can keep customers "in line and happy" - you have your foot firmly in the door.
Propose to the owner/GM that they hire you to keep waiting customers entertained. How many parties do you have to persuade to stay to pay your salary? With the average bill for a party of four at a national chain running from eighty to one hundred dollars - not many.
Entertaining waiting guests is an ideal situation for magicians. Now, your job is more that of a strolling entertainer than a table-hopper. You can entertain customers without the distraction of food, drinks, and wait staff. You can develop a rapport with your audience, since you should have their undivided attention.
You will help customers pass the time, and turn their wait into a (hopefully) memorable experience. Restaurants will see customers returning weekly for the enjoyment of both good food and good entertainment. This should be a win-win-win for the restaurant,the customer, and YOU.
Working as a strolling magician may require you to alter your routine somewhat, but it'll be well worth it. I think you'll find the change re-invigorating. Working table-hopping during the week and strolling on weekends adds a certain diversity to your performances that will actually make you look forward to both styles, and make you a more well-rounded performer as well.
Depending on the type of waiting area your restaurant has, you may be able to sit up a small table and perform a more 'parlor style' of magic, and let the waiting customers come to you to be entertained. This would extend your repertoire and allow you to control angles, but, alas... not all restaurants have the room to accommodate this style.
Since you will not solicit tips, the restaurant will have to pay for your services directly, which should be the case anyway. But the amount of money you can save the restaurant should FAR more than cover your income.
Take this idea, add your personal twist to it, and see if it doesn't have the power to change the way you look at restaurant work.
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How To Double Your Income As A Performer
by Dennis Regling
As a performer, we only have a limited number of days we can perform each year. We also find that the fees we can charge are sometimes limited by our market's ability to pay.
The question comes then, how can we increase our income without taking more time away from our families. David Copperfield has a secret. It's called BOR which stands for Back Of the Room merchandising. After his shows, David Copperfield sells T-shirts and other souvenirs. This has been used by singers for years at their concerts.
Whether you are a magician, clown, speaker or other performer, most gigs will provide you an opportunity to sell product after your presentation. Motivational speakers sell their books and tapes. Clowns may sell animal balloons. Singers sell CD's and shirts.
As a magician, you can sell magic kits, autographed pictures, T-shirts and books. Ideally, the merchandise will be personalized for you. You may sell a magic kit, but how much better if your picture is on the box. If you wish to sell a book of magic tricks, write it yourself or use an instant author program. Autographed pictures are great, and better yet if you personally sign them after the show.
Magician Greg Friesing in Niagara Falls charges his guests to have their picture taken with his tiger. Do you use a rabbit in your act? Get a digital camera with a docking port and you can sell and print pictures of your audience members with the bunny.
You can staff the BOR table yourself, with your people, or let your host provide workers in exchange for a small percentage of sales.
To increase sales, be sure to casually mention the BOR products during your show. Don't give an elaborate slaes pitch, just let them know they will be available. Also, if you are pitching T-shirts, be sure stage hands and other staff all have a shirt to wear.
You can also sell your BOR on your website.
The key to success in all sales is to take maximum advantage of selling opportunities. You may even find you make more money at the BOR table than performing at some gigs.
Good luck, and if you have questions, send them my way. Be sure to tell your magic friends about this newsletter.
For more information on BOR, go to: http://www.bor.bigbig.com
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You can visit Dennis at his BellaOnline Magic site at http://www.magic.bellaonline.com -or- email David at: captdenno@yahoo.com
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art43741.asp
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The Price I Pay for being a Magician (and a Manly Man)
Because I'm a magician and a manly man, when the car isn't running very well, I will pop the hood and stare at the engine as if I know what I'm looking at. If another man shows up, one of us will say to the other, "I used to be able to fix these things, but now with all these computers and everything, I wouldn't know where to start." We will then enjoy a drink while I wait on the tow truck.
Because I'm a magician and a manly man, I must hold the television remote control in my hand while I watch TV. If the thing has been misplaced, I may miss a whole episode of MindFreak looking for it (though one time I was able to survive by holding a calculator).
Because I'm a magician and a manly man, there is no need to ask me what I'm thinking about. The answer is always either football, color changes, baseball, vanishes, basketball, misdirection, golf, patter, and maybe Angelina Jolie ( she's hasn't married Brad yet.. has she?) though I have to make up something else when you ask.... so don't.
Because I'm magician and a manly man, I do not want to visit your mother, or have your mother come visit us, or talk to her when she calls, or think about her any more than I have to. Whatever you got her for mother's day is okay, I don't need to see it. And don't forget to pick up something for my Mom too!!
Because I'm a magician and a manly man, you don't have to ask me if I liked the movie. Chances are, if you're crying at the end of it, I didn't like it.
Because I'm a magician and a manly man, I think what you're wearing is fine. I thought what you were wearing five minutes ago was fine, too. Either pair of shoes is fine. With the belt or without it looks fine. Your hair is fine. You look fine. Can we just go now?
Because I'm a magician and a manly man, I will share equally in the housework. You just do the laundry, the cooking, the gardening, the cleaning, and the dishes. I'll do the rest....
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The Jim Show
Who is Jim? He's the guy who put up videos on his site to teach you, in three easy steps, how to juggle. Jim teaches you how to choose the proper balls, which balls to watch, juggling two balls and the 'X' pattern, and how to easily progress to three balls. To quote from his site...
"Welcome to the only place on the web featuring free video juggling instruction! Here are 5 videos pretty much guaranteed to teach you how to juggle three balls. Start with the Intro, follow Steps 1, 2 and 3 and if you are still having difficulty, download the Troubleshooting video."
"If you have average physical coordination, you should be able to learn a basic juggle in about 30 minutes. To get your pattern smooth takes about a day. It's not difficult, and it's a lot of fun!"
Struck by the performing bug at age seven, when he volunteered to assist a magician onstage at an amusement park, Jim convinced his mother to enroll him in a magic workshop where he, a short time later found himself entertaining classmates. He shortly began both juggling and bicycle stunt riding, and was winning competitions by the age of fifteen.
While focusing on more mudane endeavors - like college - Jim suffered through what most devoted performers experience... that moment in life when they realize their true passion is their art.
He has since appeared in hundreds of shows throughout the United States and Canada, and still finds time to perform regularly on the sidewalks of Quincy Market in Boston, where he has developed a very loyal following...
http://www.smirk.com
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Magic Hat
Magic Hat is one of my favorite card-related sites on the web. My friend Ed is continually adding, along with the many readers, dozens and dozens of effects each month. this is one of those sites you can bookmark, go back to periodically, and always discover new tricks.
I featured Magic Hat in Magic Roadshow awhile back, but I thought it might be time to point it out again, since my subscriber base has doubled since then.. To quote from their site...
"Welcome to Magic Hat. Whether you are a beginner looking to start out in our amazing world of magic, an amateur looking to polish off your routine, or even a seasoned professional looking for that certain trick, you are in the right place for all your magic needs - from simple magic tricks, to hard card tricks to challenge your skills!"
"Register today and benefit from all the interactive features that Magic Hat has to offer, including access to many more amazing magic tricks, an optional monthly newsletter, a personal area for storing your favourites, automatically personalised trick recommendations and much more... You will find out how to do magic tricks by learning plenty of varied magic tricks. As well as plenty of card magic tricks (including some David Blaine magic tricks), we have kids magic tricks that are more suited to kids starting out in magic. Here you can truly learn magic tricks online for free, without leaving us!"
http://www.magichat.co.uk/
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Do YOU have the tools to become the magician you truly want to be? Do you have the absolute World Class instructions that turns wanna-be's into professionals. If you have the will-power, I have the way...
Click Here
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Telepathic Drawing
Below are just two of the many effects in "Astounding Secrets". I've sold this ebook successfully for several years. This first effect is one of three in the "Psychic" section that details methods of Telepathic Drawing...
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Telepathic Drawing - method 3
This one is a little tougher to learn, but well worth it if you plan on impressing people everywhere you go with your psychic ability. It's a method called "Pencil Reading" and it works like this..
"Have someone sit across from you and draw a simple geometric figure. While they do this, you concentrate on the movements of the top of their writing instrument. As they draw slowly, move your own pencil as they do , trying to match their movements. Don't even look at your own paper while you draw, just concentrate on the movements of you accomplices pen or pencil and try to duplicate them as you go. With just a fair amount of practice, you can to quite well.
If you practice this just a little and use it in conjunction with one of the other methods, you will be able to convince almost anyone that you are psychic.."
Here's another little effect called....
THE FOLD
"Challenge someone to fold a $20 dollar bill in half and keep folding it, doubling it each time, 8 times.Tell them that they can keep if it they can do it. It's impossible...
You can't fold a piece of paper in half (doubling it), more than eight times. Not even something as thin as toilet paper, or as large as newspaper . . . It's impossible. Go ahead, try it..."
Editors note.. it doesn't matter HOW they try to fold it, or which way they try to fold, as long as each fold doubles over from one edge to the opposite edge. This is an old bar bet. Bet someone that they can't fold a bill eight times. If they can, you buy the drinks, if they can't, they buy you a drink. If they complain, tell them that you've just taught them a little trick that should earn them the price of a drink many times over..
When you visit this url, you will see a link on the left that says " Download free ebook here". You can download it if you want.. but if you look just below the link you will see thirteen categories of samples that are identical content to the downloadable ebook. So... you can just read it off the web site, or bookmark it for later if you have a S-L-O-W internet connection. Of course, the IDEAL situation would be - buy the whole ebook and enjoy it all. I did....
http://www.streetmagic.info/astounding.html
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EZY MAGIC - (free ebook)
There are all kinds of free ebooks out there.. and most aren't worth the bandwidth it takes to download them. Honestly, I look through about a dozen a month, but I don't publish the url's because it's simply not worth the effort.
Every now and again I discover something that IS worth the effort.. EZY MAGIC is an ebook that I have seen selling on the web for around twenty dollars. I encourage you download it now, because as you know, sites on the web come and go so quickly that if you wait too long you just may not get it at all...
Although I've published this url in the past, it's very new to at least half of my subscribers. This is an ebook with more than one hundred pages full of useful information for magicians of all skill levels. New tricks are built around effects like these. To quote from their site...
"Have you ever thought what your life might be like if you were a magician? We've all seen real magicians perform at some time or another during our lifetime. Maybe you even wondered, "How did he do that?"
The truth is, he did it using the same techniques taught in the book "EzyMagic" We can't promise you a top hat and tails. . .or how to make a jet disappear like David Copperfield. What we can promise you is over 100 pages of tricks with cards, candy, matches, money, rope and even mind reading so you can impress everyone with your superior mental powers!"
There are many other ebooks on this site as well. You may find three or four that you like. Get 'em all...
http://www.bestools.com/free-ebooks-download.htm
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A Stab in the Dark - Free Card Magic
If you read "Phantoms of the Card Table", David Britland and Gazzo's wonderful tale of the secret life of Walter Irvin Scott, then you are familiar with Walter's 'punch', which he used to punch small holes in a deck of cards while gambling in all night poker games, marking them for later use when the time was right.
The idea of marking a card with a small punch, or hole, is the basis of this simple effect which will turn some heads if performed with flair and style.
First, pick a card beforehand and punch a small hole through the face of the card with a small straight-pen or sewing needle, probably in the upper left corner, assuming you're right handed. Push the pen 'almost' through the face, stopping when you can feel a small 'bump' or rise on the back of the card. This is your mark.
I begin with the punched card on the bottom of the deck, and as I shuffle the deck I keep this card on the bottom. I finish with a false cut. You are free to begin with the marked card anywhere you want, as long as you end your shuffling with the marked card controlled to the bottom.
Fan the deck and ask someone to pick a card.. any card. After they memorize the card, have it placed on top of the deck. Openly cut the deck once, and then again and again, being careful not to perform a multiple cut. Ask the spectator to cut the deck a time or two as well.
Of course, the punched card is now on top of the chosen card in the deck.
Announce that you will find the card with your eyes closed. Ask someone to stand behind you and cover your eyes while you 'look' through the deck. With the deck sitting on a table, take the first card off the top with your left hand, holding it at the top left corner. Move your right hand over the back of the card, not touching it, but looking like you're trying to pick up some special 'force' coming from the card. If you don't feel the small 'bump' on the back of the card with your left thumb, then move on...
As they say.. " the larger move (your waving right hand) covers the smaller move (your left thumb gently feeling for the bump).
Simply continue until you feel the bump, and you'll know that the next card is the spectators chosen card. Use your imagination and reveal the card any way you want...
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Editors Note...
Professional gamblers can mark an entire deck with small punches in various locations. Usually they only mark high value cards, like aces, kings, and queens. A punch in a corner may signify an ace, one-quarter (or three-quarters, depending on how the card is stuck back in the deck) a king, and a punch at the half way point is a queen. regardless of how the cards are shuffled or stuck back into the deck after being played, the sharp will know as he deals the cards whether you're getting the high value cards.
If you know you've dealt two kings, and you're holding two kings, this is very valuable knowledge and will greatly affect how you play your hand. You may not win the hand, but this little bit of 'inside info' certainly makes a major difference over the course of an all night session.
A true sharp will make the punches so small that you would have to know to look for them to be able to find them.
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Readers Corner- (Info and announcements sent by our faithful readers..)
Earl "Mr. Clown" Chaney Is Back On Tour!!
Earl "Mr. Clown" Chaney has been making children of all ages laugh for over twenty years. He perfected his clowning talent in Clown College, from which he graduated, and went on to become one of the best-loved clown characters with the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus Blue Unit from 1972 through 1975.
After leaving the circus to pursue his own business interests in the clowning field, he played throughout the United States from 1975 through 1984 with "Buttons’ Clown Alley" and "American Contemporary Clowns." During this same time Earl Chaney was the original Ronald McDonald, seen on many McDonald television ads, for over 20 years.
He has also conducted clowning lectures for such prestigious organizations as: Clowns of America, The World Clown Association, The Shriners, and others from coast to coast. Spreading his knowledge through joy-filled lectures continues to be a big part of his business.
In addition to teaching the art of clowning, Since 1982 Earl Chaney has lectured on magic, at which he is extremely adept. Groups before which he has appeared include the Magic Get-Together in Anaheim, California, The Bakersfield Mystics, and the Society of American Magicians Assembly in Omaha, Nebraska, and other chapters throughout the United States.
At his home base in Las Vegas, Nevada, he conducts a thriving clowning operation called, "Mister Clown’s Suitcase Circus." He entertains at birthday parties, school programs, trade shows, conventions, grand openings, sales promotions, church functions, and has appeared in numerous newspaper and magazine articles, as well as radio and television programs and commercials.
Earl also has a very unique magic shop in Las Vegas called Planet Mirth. He will show you magic tricks and dazzle you with his talents, not only of magic, but also with his natural ability to bring a smile to your face.
Earl begins his run on Thursday August 10th, 2006 At US Toy Magic in Kansas City! He will be available after that to Lecture for Clown Clubs and Magic Organizations in the Mid-West Region.
For a Press Packet, or to Book Earl "Mr. Clown" Chaney for your Magic/Clown Organization Please Contact:
Barron Stringfellow: Flaming Hat Productions
PO Box 28 ~ 121 West 8th Street ~ Horton, Kansas 66439
Phone: (785) 486-3716 or Fax: (785) 486-3724
flaminghatproductions@yahoo.com
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Erdnases' Expert at the Card Table - Download
You can download your free version of Erdnases' classic ebook at this link..
http://www.301url.com/erdnase
If you have a problem, let me know and I will send you the ebook as an attachment..
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Getting What You Want..
R.Carruth
So, you want to create 'magic'...
I mean, 'magic' as in inventing tricks and sleights and what-not. The kind of magic you can sell to Penguin or Ellusionists, then sit back and count your dollars and revel in your popularity.
The philosophy is, and always has been, 'Find a need - and fill it'
Is that what you're doing? Trying to figure out what the magic world 'needs' and striving to fill that need.
If you are, then I suggest you re-adjust your philosophy as follows...
'Figure out what magicians WANT - and fill that Want..'
People don't buy what they need, they buy what they want. Oh sure, we buy insurance and medicine and gutters for our homes because we 'have' to. But we'll spend our last dollar to buy that new rod and reel, golf club, bass boat, mp3 player, or pair of pumps ( hey, I've got some wonderful female readers too..)
We have to be pretty desperate to put our needs before our wants... It's just human nature.
So.. next time you sit down to 'invent' a trick or two, stop and think about your goal. Are you trying to come up with an easier way to learn or perform the 'pass' because you think this is what magicians want and need. Or, are you trying to develop a new trick that is simple to perform because that is what the majority of buyers want..?
Why do you think Scotch & Soda has been the most popular device/effect on the market for years? Is this what magicians 'needed'?
Certainly not. Magicians have a wealth of information out there that will teach them all the intricacies of coin magic, without resorting to props.
Or could it be because this is something magicians 'wanted'.. something truly easy to use straight out the pack that still carried a lot of 'kick'...
Think about it..
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Well folks.. that's all for now..
Email me at Rick(at)MagicRoadshow.com with your request, rants, and raves. I love to hear from you, just to know that my newsletter is making it to it's intended destinations.
If you have a suggestion for a resource, let me know what you've found. And, if you have a magic related article, send it to me (no attachments please) and let's see if we can't send your ideas to readers around the world. If it needs a little editing for spelling or because english isn't your given language, don't worry... I'll take care of that...
Foward this newsletter on to others, if you have friends you think may be interested. I enjoy watching my subscriber count rise each issue. ------------
Don't forget to visit my blog at...
http://www.streetmagic.info/blogger.html
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Visit my latest blog.. if you have an interest in Google AdSense..
http://www.AdsenseSecrets101.blogspot.com
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Also visit some of my other sites at:
http://www.Mentalists.info
http://www.StreetMagicSecrets.info
http://www.StreetMagic.info
http://www.MagicRoadshow.com
http://www.BellaOnline.com/site/shareware
(the largest site in the WORLD for women )
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May my next issue find you well...
Rick Carruth editor/publisher
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Welcome to another edition of Magic Roadshow. I can't believe we're almost to number 50. It seems like yesterday when I published my first issue on July 4th, two years ago.
So much has happened since that time, both personally and professionally. It seems as if I've somehow managed to be on the peaks and in the valleys simultaneously. But.. most important, I'm here, and I am SO GLAD that you are too.
This is a big "Hello" to all the new subscribers. I'm honored that you've chosen to spend a portion of your day in my little world...
If there's anything I can do for you guys (and girls), any way I can help you with your particular brand or style of magic, EMAIL ME and let me know..
I don't want to go on and on here.. but I MUST thank each and every one of you who has expressed concern and so graciously sent well wishes to me since my accident four months ago. I'm going back to work four days a week, starting Monday, and my life is starting to take on a bit of normalcy. Walking is still an adventure, but I'm finding a way.. Thanks again!
If you are reading this issue online and would like to subscribe free... Click Here
** The percentage of readers who have 'tagged' themselves on my map has reached about one in eighteen, as of June the 14th...
This is a painless process, very simple, and all you need to be added is your email and zip code, or country..
I promise that I'm NOT going to let up until I get at least 200 - 300 of you signed up.. I don't make a single dime off your participation, but I DO get to know a little more about where you are on this little spinning ball of ours... http://www.301url.com/readers
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In This Issue:
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(1) Restaurant Work - A Profitable Variation
(2) How to Double Your Income as a Performer
(3) The Price I Pay for Being a Magician
(4) The Jim Show
(5) Magic Hat
(6) Telepathic Drawing & The Fold - Free Effects
(7) EZY Magic - Free eBook
(8) A Stab in the Dark - Free Effect
(9) Earl "Mr. Clown" Chaney is Back
(10) Getting What You 'Want'
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" Love and Magic have much in common.. they enrich the soul, delight the heart, and they both take a lot of practice.."
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Restaurant Work.. a Profitable Variation
By R.Carruth
Magicians LOVE restaurant work. They flock to restaurants like sea gulls to the sea shore. Of course, the reason is obvious.. restaurants have been, and continue to be, one of the primary venues where magicians can perform their magic and earn a substantial income. Restaurants have also long been one of the primary training grounds for good close-up magicians, who develop their routines and performing personas while entertaining strangers in a public setting.
Why the relationship between restaurants and magicians? Restaurants, like all businesses, are constantly striving to bring customers through the door, especially during the mid-week. Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays are typically slow days for restaurants, and the idea of having a performer, such as a magician, clown, or baloon artist, on site to entertain and encourage customers who may not otherwise come to the restaurant mid-week, is the sole reason why many magicians have a job at all.
For the magician, this has meant a variety of work during the early part of the week, and then a hustle toward the weekend to line up profitable gigs. This lack of work on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays has led many a magician to continue to hold down full-time jobs to make ends meet...
Maybe... just maybe... I can change that trend in your life and get you on the list of 'full-time professionals'.
Restaurants that have empty tables during the week typically have long lines waiting on those same tables on the weekend, at least at most national chains like Outback, Applebees, Ruby Tuesdays, and TGIF, for example. Of course, most communities have locally owned restaurants that face the same 'problem'.. if you want to call it that...
Restaurants love 'problems' like this. Customers waiting outside their doors are a sign, of sorts, that their establishments are popular eateries. But... there IS a downside that many restaurants fail to address, in part because they don't know HOW to address it.
Dollars are dollars, and any time potential customers walk away from one restaurant and go to another, the first establishment is a loser, regardless of how many customers they have waiting in line. You never want your customers to eat anywhere else.
As wonderful a car as a Mercedes can be, Mercedes dealers don't want you to ever test drive a Jaguar or a BMW. They want you to come back to their dealership, without hesitation, every time you're ready to buy a new car. There may be something as simple as the way a Jaguar's motor purrs, or the new car smell of the BMW that entices a Mercedes owner to switch brands. Dealers don't want to take that chance, and they will bend over backwards to make sure you make their dealership your first, and only, choice..
Restaurants have the same problem. They can lose a customer to a competitor over a piece of cheesecake or a choice of music.
One of the first rules of successful marketing is showing the potential client the 'benefit' of your services. It's not important that you're the club 'magician of the year', or the former magician at one of their competitors. It's not important that you're super friendly, talented, multi-lingual, or ambidextrous. What IS important is - what can you do for the restaurant to justify their paying you to perform. How can your performance put money in THEIR pocket. It's that simple.
If you can convince a restaurant owner/GM that you have the ability to prevent potential customers from becoming frustrated by long waits and long lines and taking their dollars elsewhere, that you can keep customers "in line and happy" - you have your foot firmly in the door.
Propose to the owner/GM that they hire you to keep waiting customers entertained. How many parties do you have to persuade to stay to pay your salary? With the average bill for a party of four at a national chain running from eighty to one hundred dollars - not many.
Entertaining waiting guests is an ideal situation for magicians. Now, your job is more that of a strolling entertainer than a table-hopper. You can entertain customers without the distraction of food, drinks, and wait staff. You can develop a rapport with your audience, since you should have their undivided attention.
You will help customers pass the time, and turn their wait into a (hopefully) memorable experience. Restaurants will see customers returning weekly for the enjoyment of both good food and good entertainment. This should be a win-win-win for the restaurant,the customer, and YOU.
Working as a strolling magician may require you to alter your routine somewhat, but it'll be well worth it. I think you'll find the change re-invigorating. Working table-hopping during the week and strolling on weekends adds a certain diversity to your performances that will actually make you look forward to both styles, and make you a more well-rounded performer as well.
Depending on the type of waiting area your restaurant has, you may be able to sit up a small table and perform a more 'parlor style' of magic, and let the waiting customers come to you to be entertained. This would extend your repertoire and allow you to control angles, but, alas... not all restaurants have the room to accommodate this style.
Since you will not solicit tips, the restaurant will have to pay for your services directly, which should be the case anyway. But the amount of money you can save the restaurant should FAR more than cover your income.
Take this idea, add your personal twist to it, and see if it doesn't have the power to change the way you look at restaurant work.
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How To Double Your Income As A Performer
by Dennis Regling
As a performer, we only have a limited number of days we can perform each year. We also find that the fees we can charge are sometimes limited by our market's ability to pay.
The question comes then, how can we increase our income without taking more time away from our families. David Copperfield has a secret. It's called BOR which stands for Back Of the Room merchandising. After his shows, David Copperfield sells T-shirts and other souvenirs. This has been used by singers for years at their concerts.
Whether you are a magician, clown, speaker or other performer, most gigs will provide you an opportunity to sell product after your presentation. Motivational speakers sell their books and tapes. Clowns may sell animal balloons. Singers sell CD's and shirts.
As a magician, you can sell magic kits, autographed pictures, T-shirts and books. Ideally, the merchandise will be personalized for you. You may sell a magic kit, but how much better if your picture is on the box. If you wish to sell a book of magic tricks, write it yourself or use an instant author program. Autographed pictures are great, and better yet if you personally sign them after the show.
Magician Greg Friesing in Niagara Falls charges his guests to have their picture taken with his tiger. Do you use a rabbit in your act? Get a digital camera with a docking port and you can sell and print pictures of your audience members with the bunny.
You can staff the BOR table yourself, with your people, or let your host provide workers in exchange for a small percentage of sales.
To increase sales, be sure to casually mention the BOR products during your show. Don't give an elaborate slaes pitch, just let them know they will be available. Also, if you are pitching T-shirts, be sure stage hands and other staff all have a shirt to wear.
You can also sell your BOR on your website.
The key to success in all sales is to take maximum advantage of selling opportunities. You may even find you make more money at the BOR table than performing at some gigs.
Good luck, and if you have questions, send them my way. Be sure to tell your magic friends about this newsletter.
For more information on BOR, go to: http://www.bor.bigbig.com
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You can visit Dennis at his BellaOnline Magic site at http://www.magic.bellaonline.com -or- email David at: captdenno@yahoo.com
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art43741.asp
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The Price I Pay for being a Magician (and a Manly Man)
Because I'm a magician and a manly man, when the car isn't running very well, I will pop the hood and stare at the engine as if I know what I'm looking at. If another man shows up, one of us will say to the other, "I used to be able to fix these things, but now with all these computers and everything, I wouldn't know where to start." We will then enjoy a drink while I wait on the tow truck.
Because I'm a magician and a manly man, I must hold the television remote control in my hand while I watch TV. If the thing has been misplaced, I may miss a whole episode of MindFreak looking for it (though one time I was able to survive by holding a calculator).
Because I'm a magician and a manly man, there is no need to ask me what I'm thinking about. The answer is always either football, color changes, baseball, vanishes, basketball, misdirection, golf, patter, and maybe Angelina Jolie ( she's hasn't married Brad yet.. has she?) though I have to make up something else when you ask.... so don't.
Because I'm magician and a manly man, I do not want to visit your mother, or have your mother come visit us, or talk to her when she calls, or think about her any more than I have to. Whatever you got her for mother's day is okay, I don't need to see it. And don't forget to pick up something for my Mom too!!
Because I'm a magician and a manly man, you don't have to ask me if I liked the movie. Chances are, if you're crying at the end of it, I didn't like it.
Because I'm a magician and a manly man, I think what you're wearing is fine. I thought what you were wearing five minutes ago was fine, too. Either pair of shoes is fine. With the belt or without it looks fine. Your hair is fine. You look fine. Can we just go now?
Because I'm a magician and a manly man, I will share equally in the housework. You just do the laundry, the cooking, the gardening, the cleaning, and the dishes. I'll do the rest....
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The Jim Show
Who is Jim? He's the guy who put up videos on his site to teach you, in three easy steps, how to juggle. Jim teaches you how to choose the proper balls, which balls to watch, juggling two balls and the 'X' pattern, and how to easily progress to three balls. To quote from his site...
"Welcome to the only place on the web featuring free video juggling instruction! Here are 5 videos pretty much guaranteed to teach you how to juggle three balls. Start with the Intro, follow Steps 1, 2 and 3 and if you are still having difficulty, download the Troubleshooting video."
"If you have average physical coordination, you should be able to learn a basic juggle in about 30 minutes. To get your pattern smooth takes about a day. It's not difficult, and it's a lot of fun!"
Struck by the performing bug at age seven, when he volunteered to assist a magician onstage at an amusement park, Jim convinced his mother to enroll him in a magic workshop where he, a short time later found himself entertaining classmates. He shortly began both juggling and bicycle stunt riding, and was winning competitions by the age of fifteen.
While focusing on more mudane endeavors - like college - Jim suffered through what most devoted performers experience... that moment in life when they realize their true passion is their art.
He has since appeared in hundreds of shows throughout the United States and Canada, and still finds time to perform regularly on the sidewalks of Quincy Market in Boston, where he has developed a very loyal following...
http://www.smirk.com
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Magic Hat
Magic Hat is one of my favorite card-related sites on the web. My friend Ed is continually adding, along with the many readers, dozens and dozens of effects each month. this is one of those sites you can bookmark, go back to periodically, and always discover new tricks.
I featured Magic Hat in Magic Roadshow awhile back, but I thought it might be time to point it out again, since my subscriber base has doubled since then.. To quote from their site...
"Welcome to Magic Hat. Whether you are a beginner looking to start out in our amazing world of magic, an amateur looking to polish off your routine, or even a seasoned professional looking for that certain trick, you are in the right place for all your magic needs - from simple magic tricks, to hard card tricks to challenge your skills!"
"Register today and benefit from all the interactive features that Magic Hat has to offer, including access to many more amazing magic tricks, an optional monthly newsletter, a personal area for storing your favourites, automatically personalised trick recommendations and much more... You will find out how to do magic tricks by learning plenty of varied magic tricks. As well as plenty of card magic tricks (including some David Blaine magic tricks), we have kids magic tricks that are more suited to kids starting out in magic. Here you can truly learn magic tricks online for free, without leaving us!"
http://www.magichat.co.uk/
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Do YOU have the tools to become the magician you truly want to be? Do you have the absolute World Class instructions that turns wanna-be's into professionals. If you have the will-power, I have the way...
Click Here
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Telepathic Drawing
Below are just two of the many effects in "Astounding Secrets". I've sold this ebook successfully for several years. This first effect is one of three in the "Psychic" section that details methods of Telepathic Drawing...
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Telepathic Drawing - method 3
This one is a little tougher to learn, but well worth it if you plan on impressing people everywhere you go with your psychic ability. It's a method called "Pencil Reading" and it works like this..
"Have someone sit across from you and draw a simple geometric figure. While they do this, you concentrate on the movements of the top of their writing instrument. As they draw slowly, move your own pencil as they do , trying to match their movements. Don't even look at your own paper while you draw, just concentrate on the movements of you accomplices pen or pencil and try to duplicate them as you go. With just a fair amount of practice, you can to quite well.
If you practice this just a little and use it in conjunction with one of the other methods, you will be able to convince almost anyone that you are psychic.."
Here's another little effect called....
THE FOLD
"Challenge someone to fold a $20 dollar bill in half and keep folding it, doubling it each time, 8 times.Tell them that they can keep if it they can do it. It's impossible...
You can't fold a piece of paper in half (doubling it), more than eight times. Not even something as thin as toilet paper, or as large as newspaper . . . It's impossible. Go ahead, try it..."
Editors note.. it doesn't matter HOW they try to fold it, or which way they try to fold, as long as each fold doubles over from one edge to the opposite edge. This is an old bar bet. Bet someone that they can't fold a bill eight times. If they can, you buy the drinks, if they can't, they buy you a drink. If they complain, tell them that you've just taught them a little trick that should earn them the price of a drink many times over..
When you visit this url, you will see a link on the left that says " Download free ebook here". You can download it if you want.. but if you look just below the link you will see thirteen categories of samples that are identical content to the downloadable ebook. So... you can just read it off the web site, or bookmark it for later if you have a S-L-O-W internet connection. Of course, the IDEAL situation would be - buy the whole ebook and enjoy it all. I did....
http://www.streetmagic.info/astounding.html
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EZY MAGIC - (free ebook)
There are all kinds of free ebooks out there.. and most aren't worth the bandwidth it takes to download them. Honestly, I look through about a dozen a month, but I don't publish the url's because it's simply not worth the effort.
Every now and again I discover something that IS worth the effort.. EZY MAGIC is an ebook that I have seen selling on the web for around twenty dollars. I encourage you download it now, because as you know, sites on the web come and go so quickly that if you wait too long you just may not get it at all...
Although I've published this url in the past, it's very new to at least half of my subscribers. This is an ebook with more than one hundred pages full of useful information for magicians of all skill levels. New tricks are built around effects like these. To quote from their site...
"Have you ever thought what your life might be like if you were a magician? We've all seen real magicians perform at some time or another during our lifetime. Maybe you even wondered, "How did he do that?"
The truth is, he did it using the same techniques taught in the book "EzyMagic" We can't promise you a top hat and tails. . .or how to make a jet disappear like David Copperfield. What we can promise you is over 100 pages of tricks with cards, candy, matches, money, rope and even mind reading so you can impress everyone with your superior mental powers!"
There are many other ebooks on this site as well. You may find three or four that you like. Get 'em all...
http://www.bestools.com/free-ebooks-download.htm
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A Stab in the Dark - Free Card Magic
If you read "Phantoms of the Card Table", David Britland and Gazzo's wonderful tale of the secret life of Walter Irvin Scott, then you are familiar with Walter's 'punch', which he used to punch small holes in a deck of cards while gambling in all night poker games, marking them for later use when the time was right.
The idea of marking a card with a small punch, or hole, is the basis of this simple effect which will turn some heads if performed with flair and style.
First, pick a card beforehand and punch a small hole through the face of the card with a small straight-pen or sewing needle, probably in the upper left corner, assuming you're right handed. Push the pen 'almost' through the face, stopping when you can feel a small 'bump' or rise on the back of the card. This is your mark.
I begin with the punched card on the bottom of the deck, and as I shuffle the deck I keep this card on the bottom. I finish with a false cut. You are free to begin with the marked card anywhere you want, as long as you end your shuffling with the marked card controlled to the bottom.
Fan the deck and ask someone to pick a card.. any card. After they memorize the card, have it placed on top of the deck. Openly cut the deck once, and then again and again, being careful not to perform a multiple cut. Ask the spectator to cut the deck a time or two as well.
Of course, the punched card is now on top of the chosen card in the deck.
Announce that you will find the card with your eyes closed. Ask someone to stand behind you and cover your eyes while you 'look' through the deck. With the deck sitting on a table, take the first card off the top with your left hand, holding it at the top left corner. Move your right hand over the back of the card, not touching it, but looking like you're trying to pick up some special 'force' coming from the card. If you don't feel the small 'bump' on the back of the card with your left thumb, then move on...
As they say.. " the larger move (your waving right hand) covers the smaller move (your left thumb gently feeling for the bump).
Simply continue until you feel the bump, and you'll know that the next card is the spectators chosen card. Use your imagination and reveal the card any way you want...
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Editors Note...
Professional gamblers can mark an entire deck with small punches in various locations. Usually they only mark high value cards, like aces, kings, and queens. A punch in a corner may signify an ace, one-quarter (or three-quarters, depending on how the card is stuck back in the deck) a king, and a punch at the half way point is a queen. regardless of how the cards are shuffled or stuck back into the deck after being played, the sharp will know as he deals the cards whether you're getting the high value cards.
If you know you've dealt two kings, and you're holding two kings, this is very valuable knowledge and will greatly affect how you play your hand. You may not win the hand, but this little bit of 'inside info' certainly makes a major difference over the course of an all night session.
A true sharp will make the punches so small that you would have to know to look for them to be able to find them.
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Readers Corner- (Info and announcements sent by our faithful readers..)
Earl "Mr. Clown" Chaney Is Back On Tour!!
Earl "Mr. Clown" Chaney has been making children of all ages laugh for over twenty years. He perfected his clowning talent in Clown College, from which he graduated, and went on to become one of the best-loved clown characters with the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus Blue Unit from 1972 through 1975.
After leaving the circus to pursue his own business interests in the clowning field, he played throughout the United States from 1975 through 1984 with "Buttons’ Clown Alley" and "American Contemporary Clowns." During this same time Earl Chaney was the original Ronald McDonald, seen on many McDonald television ads, for over 20 years.
He has also conducted clowning lectures for such prestigious organizations as: Clowns of America, The World Clown Association, The Shriners, and others from coast to coast. Spreading his knowledge through joy-filled lectures continues to be a big part of his business.
In addition to teaching the art of clowning, Since 1982 Earl Chaney has lectured on magic, at which he is extremely adept. Groups before which he has appeared include the Magic Get-Together in Anaheim, California, The Bakersfield Mystics, and the Society of American Magicians Assembly in Omaha, Nebraska, and other chapters throughout the United States.
At his home base in Las Vegas, Nevada, he conducts a thriving clowning operation called, "Mister Clown’s Suitcase Circus." He entertains at birthday parties, school programs, trade shows, conventions, grand openings, sales promotions, church functions, and has appeared in numerous newspaper and magazine articles, as well as radio and television programs and commercials.
Earl also has a very unique magic shop in Las Vegas called Planet Mirth. He will show you magic tricks and dazzle you with his talents, not only of magic, but also with his natural ability to bring a smile to your face.
Earl begins his run on Thursday August 10th, 2006 At US Toy Magic in Kansas City! He will be available after that to Lecture for Clown Clubs and Magic Organizations in the Mid-West Region.
For a Press Packet, or to Book Earl "Mr. Clown" Chaney for your Magic/Clown Organization Please Contact:
Barron Stringfellow: Flaming Hat Productions
PO Box 28 ~ 121 West 8th Street ~ Horton, Kansas 66439
Phone: (785) 486-3716 or Fax: (785) 486-3724
flaminghatproductions@yahoo.com
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Erdnases' Expert at the Card Table - Download
You can download your free version of Erdnases' classic ebook at this link..
http://www.301url.com/erdnase
If you have a problem, let me know and I will send you the ebook as an attachment..
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Getting What You Want..
R.Carruth
So, you want to create 'magic'...
I mean, 'magic' as in inventing tricks and sleights and what-not. The kind of magic you can sell to Penguin or Ellusionists, then sit back and count your dollars and revel in your popularity.
The philosophy is, and always has been, 'Find a need - and fill it'
Is that what you're doing? Trying to figure out what the magic world 'needs' and striving to fill that need.
If you are, then I suggest you re-adjust your philosophy as follows...
'Figure out what magicians WANT - and fill that Want..'
People don't buy what they need, they buy what they want. Oh sure, we buy insurance and medicine and gutters for our homes because we 'have' to. But we'll spend our last dollar to buy that new rod and reel, golf club, bass boat, mp3 player, or pair of pumps ( hey, I've got some wonderful female readers too..)
We have to be pretty desperate to put our needs before our wants... It's just human nature.
So.. next time you sit down to 'invent' a trick or two, stop and think about your goal. Are you trying to come up with an easier way to learn or perform the 'pass' because you think this is what magicians want and need. Or, are you trying to develop a new trick that is simple to perform because that is what the majority of buyers want..?
Why do you think Scotch & Soda has been the most popular device/effect on the market for years? Is this what magicians 'needed'?
Certainly not. Magicians have a wealth of information out there that will teach them all the intricacies of coin magic, without resorting to props.
Or could it be because this is something magicians 'wanted'.. something truly easy to use straight out the pack that still carried a lot of 'kick'...
Think about it..
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Well folks.. that's all for now..
Email me at Rick(at)MagicRoadshow.com with your request, rants, and raves. I love to hear from you, just to know that my newsletter is making it to it's intended destinations.
If you have a suggestion for a resource, let me know what you've found. And, if you have a magic related article, send it to me (no attachments please) and let's see if we can't send your ideas to readers around the world. If it needs a little editing for spelling or because english isn't your given language, don't worry... I'll take care of that...
Foward this newsletter on to others, if you have friends you think may be interested. I enjoy watching my subscriber count rise each issue. ------------
Don't forget to visit my blog at...
http://www.streetmagic.info/blogger.html
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Visit my latest blog.. if you have an interest in Google AdSense..
http://www.AdsenseSecrets101.blogspot.com
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Also visit some of my other sites at:
http://www.Mentalists.info
http://www.StreetMagicSecrets.info
http://www.StreetMagic.info
http://www.MagicRoadshow.com
http://www.BellaOnline.com/site/shareware
(the largest site in the WORLD for women )
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May my next issue find you well...
Rick Carruth editor/publisher
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