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Archive for the ‘Magic Years’ Category

Inside the Magic Kingdom – A Review

October 12th, 2010 | Author: ladeqp

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I always encourage readers to study and read beyond purely leadership issues. A leader should be knowledgeable on a wide range of subjects, and should enjoy seeking out new information. To that end, I picked up Inside the Magic Kingdom a few years ago on the promise of learning some of what makes Disney, and specifically Disney World, so successful.

The book features a fictitious group of five managers who meet with a consultant named Mort. They meet at Disney World and Mort’s agenda is to discuss seven keys that he feels are instrumental to Disney World’s success. So as not to spoil it for you, I won’t list the seven keys, though some of them I found very closely related to some of the principles of strategic planning in particular and leadership in general. I was especially drawn to the chapter in which the author presents Michael Eisner (former Disney CEO, 1984 – 2004) speaking about the mindset of all Disney employees. Each cast member (they aren’t called employees) understands the importance of the Disney mindset. The particular discussion centers on trash pick-up, keeping the park clean, and how leadership’s willingness to do this seemingly mundane chore sets the right tone for everyone.

At this point, I need to go back to Connellan’s introduction where he freely admits that such things as the discussion with Michael Eisner was purely fictional but was based on extensive research into Disney’s method of operation. In fact, much of the book is a fanciful telling of his research.

Connellan’s method works though as he takes the reader backstage, through the part of the park that no one sees — the park has an underground maze of tunnels and rooms that allow cast members to come and go without appearing to be out of place or character. These catacombs also house all the physical plant necessary to run such a large operation. He also talks about the almost obsessive attention to the little details; the things that probably no one would notice (did you know the carousel is painted with 24-karat gold leaf paint?) but ensures an incredible level of accuracy.

Feedback is a subject that gets a seperate chapter as Connellan feels it is vital to success. He points out that, to be truly constructive, feedback must come from more than one source. While Disney has a program for regular guest interviews, they also solicit feedback from employees. Positive feedback is shared with the subject cast member and with others. He points out that people tend to treat the customer the same way they are treated. That’s a great leadership lesson!

The final series of chapters are devoted to each of the fictitious manager’s description of what they had learned. These chapters are a masterful wrap up of the important concepts. They provide a great series of lessons, meant to concentrate on customer service, but certainly useful for leaders as well. Connellan finishes with a “toolkit” designed to help the reader train others in the book’s principles. While a little repetitive, it is a succinct collection of good information.

Pick up a copy of Inside the Magic Kingdom. It’s an easy read and contains a lot of great information. Though it focuses on customer service, it has much to offer the inquisitive leader.

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The Body Magic Scam Or Not

October 10th, 2010 | Author: ladeqp

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As weight loss products such as diet pills, exercise machines as well as cosmetic surgery becomes rampant, people who patronize these are often clueless of an incoming scam unless they’ve already experienced one or they’ve actually had an experience with a certain product they’ve purchased. Scams have been very popular especially in the online market where many have been abusive of the freedom to market products to anyone and anywhere around the world.

As a new product emerges from the weight loss products department, “Body Magic” created by Ardyss International, is now put into question-is it or is it not a SCAM?

Just to give you a bit of information about Body Magic, it is a corset-like body re-shaper that claims to slash two to three dress sizes off your body and a whole lot of benefits that comes along with it like permanent weight loss, improvement of internal organ functions, spine posture enhancement and a better silhouette. Besides the fact that it offers a wide range of gains, it could also spare you from going to surgery and health risks from drinking diet pills.

But is it just too good to be true? Well, Beauty has its price and so does Body Magic. And so another question arises, is it worth your money?

From extensive research, I have found out that a lot of people were in fact using Body Magic. And surprisingly, reviews and testimonials were positive. Some claimed that the product even exceeded their expectations. It really did tuck their tummies, slim their bodies, improved their postures and enhanced their breasts and buttocks. I haven’t even read about negative reviews about this product. The only downside I learned about was some might have difficulties in wearing the product for the first time and might want to ask for assistance in doing so. Also, it takes a couple of days before you get used to wearing it but no worries, with just the right adjustments, Body Magic will fit you just the way you wanted to.

So say goodbye to you fears of getting scammed, going into surgery, risk buying diet pills or delayed gratification and say hello to a new, sexy and confident you! I couldn’t deny that Ardyss has revolutionized the old fashioned corset into a magical weight loss garment. And I myself would want to get my hands on that re-shaper. That last sentence would be true if I was a woman.

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Magic Tricks Revealed – How to Design Your Own Magic Tricks

October 7th, 2010 | Author: ladeqp

You know what separates a great magician like Chris Angel or David Blaine from an ordinary one? They take a basic magic effect and design it into a master illusion. Now you can be the next Chris Angel. All you need to understand is basic magic design.

Most people think that there are thousands of magic tricks out there. In reality there really are not that many. According to Dariel Fitzkee, author of The Trick Brain, there are only 19 basic effects which govern all magic tricks and illusions.

All nineteen of those basic effects rely on some form of magical apparatus. Sometimes the items are real but the majority of the time the items are tricked or faked to accomplish some magical effect.

It has been my experience that there are only three basics that govern how all 19 magical effects work. All magic tricks are made up of one or more of the following:

1. Camouflage

Every magic apparatus from the smallest to the biggest illusion makes use of camouflage. This is the most important fundamental in magic. Perhaps you want to produce a big item from a box. You can use camouflage to make the box look smaller so as to suggest the big item doesn’t fit. Maybe a piece of apparatus has a secret pocket to make things appear and disappear, camouflage can hide the secret pocket.

2) Secret Movement

You can also make things disappear or appear or even seem to come alive with a secret movement. You see an empty box, as the magician closes the door a screen on the inside drops and when the magician opens the door again, it appears a horse, bicycle, or even an elephant has appeared. Perhaps you’ve also seen the recently popular trick, The Floating Card. The magician spins a playing card around his body, or perhaps he floats it between his hands. The power for this comes from a small and practically invisible thread and the movement of the performers body. The whole feat loses its mystery if the audience were to suspect the actual means by which the effect is produced.

3) Mechanical Transformation

The final of the three is the mechanical design to produce a visible transformation. Perhaps you’ve seen a magician take a red scarf and pass it through something and it comes out blue. Perhaps a silk that changes into a cane. Torn and Restored effects also fall into this category. Perhaps you have even seen in a comedy show a clown or other performer pull out a gun and when fired a sign comes out the end that says “BANG”. Tricks like Metamorphosis that are done under cover are usually governed by some sort of secret movement and are not transformations in the true sense.

By learning the three basic concepts of design, you’ll be able to create and make magical apparatus that is unique to your magic act.

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The Magic of Nick Drake

October 7th, 2010 | Author: ladeqp

Image : http://www.flickr.com

“I never felt magic crazy as this.” – Northern Sky, Nick Drake (1970)

There aren’t many artists in the world who can successfully create perfect art with every attempt. And there are even fewer who’s art becomes new again each and every time you hear or see it. Nick Drake was one of those artists. Not only has his music transcended over forty years of change, but with each of those years it becomes more and more prevalent.

Five Leaves Left (1969)
With his first album in 1969, Five Leaves Left, Drake creates an atmosphere of sadness and hope, combining his deep vocals with an acoustic guitar and string accompaniment. It was ranked number 283 on Rolling Stone’s 250 greatest albums of all time. Songs such as “Cello Song” show his mature grasp of sensitivity at such a young age (he was only 20 at the time of it’s release).

Bryter Layter (1970)
Nick’s second album, Bryter Layter, recorded in 1970, is said by many to be not only his greatest work, but his most accessible album as a majority of the songs are heavily accompanied by bass and drums. It was ranked number 245 on Rolling Stone’s 250 greatest albums of all time. Songs like “Northern Sky” have a more mainstream sound to them compared with those on Five Leaves Left and could be attributed to his leaving Cambridge and moving to London after recording his first album.

Pink Moon (1971)
Drake’s third and final album, Pink Moon, is his greatest departure from his previous two albums. It was recorded in two 2-hour night-time sessions in 1971. It was ranked number 320 on Rolling Stone’s 250 greatest albums of all time. All of the tracks are solo, just Nick and his guitar, except for one, the title track “Pink Moon,” to where Nick lends a piano riff.

His Death
On the night of November 24th, 1974, Nick died of an overdose of a prescribed antidepressant. When asked to speculate on whether or not he did it purposely, his sister Gabrielle said she would prefer that he committed suicide, “in the sense that I’d rather he died because he wanted to end it than it to be the result of some tragic mistake. That would seem to me to be terrible…”

Popularity
In early 1999, BBC2 aired a 40-minute documentary called A Stranger Among Us – In Search of Nick Drake. The next year, a live documentary was made entitled A Skin Too Few: The Days of Nick Drake. In, 2000, “Pink Moon” was used in a car commercial for Volkswagen, and within 30 days, Nick Drake had sold more records than he had in the previous 30 years.

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My Favorite Hobby – Learn to Do Magic

October 4th, 2010 | Author: ladeqp

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All the time, people of all ages decided it is time to learn to do magic. Who wouldn’t think that learning magic is a great idea? Everyone loves to see a good magic trick. Many people are amused by things that they can’t figure out. It is a good challenge for them. Also, there is that certain sense of achievement that you get when you are able to completely fool everyone in the room. It is great when you completely trick everyone in the room and they are dying to see your trick just one more time so they can figure it out.

The internet has opened up endless amounts of ways to learn to do magic. Simply by visiting YouTube you are able to see and endless amount of magic tricks and tutorials on how to perform them. Sure, no great magician is just going to willingly give away all of their best tricks on a YouTube site, but still YouTube is a great place to learn some simple magic tricks. After you learn some of the more basic magic tricks, you can even put your own spin on it and make it different from the same tricks everyone has seen for years. YouTube also has videos of some of the best and most famous magicians in the world doing their best tricks. Sure, the best magicians in the world will not just dish out their most popular magic tricks, but you can watch them over and over until you are able to figure out exactly how they did it.

Another great way to learn how to do magic is by taking a simple trip to the public library. There are many books on magic. There are even biographies about some of the most famous magicians that you may or may not be too young to remember. I always enjoy reading a biography about magicians because of their often quirky personalities. If you have never seen or read anything about Henry Houdini, then a trip to the library can provide you with many hours of entertaining reading. Also, there are many books at the library that will teach you coin tricks and card tricks. Some people have trouble learning tricks by reading, opposed to watching videos, but the books contain very detailed instructions loaded with pictures of each step of the trick.

With the easy accessibility of information that will help you learn how to do magic, it is very simple to get started learning easy magic tricks. You can sit down and learn a few simple card tricks that will impress children and adults the same. All you need to do is open up a book or load up your internet browser. There is no replacement for the feeling that you get from the amazed look that a child gives you after you just stunned them with one of your magic tricks. I have already done a good bit of work in establishing myself as “the cool uncle” to my nephew with a few simple coin tricks.

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4 Simple Basic Magic Tricks For Kids

October 3rd, 2010 | Author: ladeqp

Does your kids interested in magic? And they really want to be like Houdini? You can train them the 4 basic magic tricks that easy to perform. Here are the simple tricks you can teach to your kids.

1. Disappearing Coin.

It is the simplest trick. Ask a coin from your audiences and let them know that you’ll rub it on your elbow in order vanish it. Polish it on your left elbow and drop it on the table. This trick will tell your audience that it doesn’t work with elbow. Then, pick the coin with right hand, act as you place it on your left hand. Put the coin up by your ear (use your right hand) and stroke your left elbow. At the same time, drop the coin down to your back shirt. Shows your both hands and say to the audience the coin is disappear.

2. Rotating Arm

Ensure that you are wearing thick sweater or shirt. Earlier than the viewers comes, you have to stand up in the back of a table and put your palms on it. Put your right hand towards the left hand. Turn your left hand counterclockwise in one full circle until it facing the right hand again. Keep the position until the audience sit down. After they take a seat, show them that you’ll spin your hand in one full circle. Give dramatically situation with moans.

3. Misplaced Coin.

Take out a coin from your pocket. Hold it with your left hand and place it on your right hand. In flowing motion, rotate your hand into mitt, and throw it from the right to left. Open your hands and show that the coin transferred from one fist to another.

4. Find the Card.

Use the normal cards. Before perform it, see what the bottom card. If you see the card s ace of spades, remember it as the bottom card. Blow out the card and ask a viewer to pick one of it. Just allow them to take the card from the deck and remember it. Put the deck face down on the desk and say to the viewer to place the picked card on top and to hack the deck. Lift up the deck and see the ace of spades which first on the bottom position. Next, you’ll know the left card will be the chosen card of the audience.

Posted in Magic Years | Tags: Simple, Tricks | No Comments »

Magic Tricks – Mentalism

September 30th, 2010 | Author: ladeqp

Mentalism is a very popular type of magic that appears to defy the laws of physics by using extra mind power! Recently made popular by Derren Brown, it has had a new lease of life in the UK.

A mentalism routine can be achieved in many ways, including stooges, dressing standard magic tricks as mentalist effects, using psychological techniques (including rapport building, cold-reading and a variety of other methods to control people’s thoughts), and, depending on your beliefs, via the sixth-sense!

When planning on doing a mentalism routine, there are several factors to include (including whether or not you have sixth-sense!)

Using stooges, if planned and rehearsed well, is the easiest method – however, if not planned properly, it can easily turn into a nightmare when the stooges are uncovered.

The next easiest method is to use standard magic tricks with a mentalist presentation. It is very important to pick the tricks correctly and build up the atmosphere. Many card magicians will perform some typicaly card tricks, then with the same deck of cards, they’ll try and change the whole atmosphere into a mentalist show that uses cards as ‘the medium’. This technique tends not to work as by that time the audience realise that the magician is skilled at sleight-of-hand, and any forthcoming tricks could easily be normal card tricks.

When using cards as your medium, it is very important to set the atmosphere first, explaining that cards are just a way of demonstrating your powers, and that what you are going to do does not rely on sleight-of-hand magic tricks. Then it is up to you to present a collection of tricks in a convincing way to leave the audience stunned.

Psychological techniques are not as complicated and hard to learn as you may initially believe. What I would seriously recommend to people starting to use such techniques, is to use them with your standard ‘magic sleight-of-hand’ tricks in a way that if they fail, you can seemlessly continue the trick using sleight-of-hand, not a psychological effect. That way you can practise with real people (essential in this case as you need to manipulate different people), so when your success rate is high, you can put the magic trick back on the shelf. For further inspiration, take a look at Derren Brown’s work – he used a perfect combination of magic tricks and psychological techniques.

Finally, if you have sixth-sense, use it! There’s absolutely nothing I can add to this as I do not have it, and have probably never met anyone who does have it (depending on your views of Uri Gellar).

Once you have decided on your route, practise, practise and practise. The atmosphere you create is the most important factor in drawing your audience into believing you have special powers. Once you have mastered that, you’ll be able to develop your routine into a mind-blowing performance.

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Posted in Magic Years | Tags: Mentalism, Tricks | No Comments »

Magic Tricks – Street Magic

September 29th, 2010 | Author: ladeqp

Street magic removes the boundaries from the stereotypical view of magic. There are no stages, no mirrors, no assistants and generally, no over-glorified props and illusions.

Often referred to as naked magic, street magic strips an illusion down to its bare minimum for maximum effect; using everyday objects, a street magician can outstand groups of passers by in a way no other street entertainer can imitate.

With no stage, large illusions or assistants to pay for, the street magician can find himself making a fortune if he has the right attitude, right location and right performance. Typically this involves passing a hat around (known as “the throw”) – magicians such as David Blaine and Paul Zenon have had the luxury of a television career to significantly boost their income, but it is still possible to make a living from street magic without television.

When starting to perform Street Magic, you must realise that the trick is to maximise your audience – stunning them to the extent of silence will not help you, no matter how amazed they are! The key to success is maximising the audience’s participation – use your voice combined with their applause to attract more spectators. This doesn’t mean you have to shout, then perform a miracle – work the audience – warm them up by making them applaud loudly, bring a child onto the street and get her to do something, and then get the audience to applaud loudly, screaming etc. All of this time, people around you will be curious and join the audience. If you go to any street festival, you will find most of the time the performers are warming up the audience to attract more people.

Once you have your audience, you will need to draw them in to prevent them from walking away from you and your hat! Get close to them, allowing people at the back to hear you easier, and to allow for further expansion. Possibly ask all the kids to come and sit at the front (and for some reason, they always want to put money in the hat – parents’ money of course!)

When planning your routine, make sure it is weatherproof to the extremes. A pack of cards won’t stand a chance in the wind, and on one occasion, the famous ‘Zig Zag Lady’ didn’t stand up – a gust of wind blew it and the beautiful assistant over – not the ideal outcome!

Keep the routine to a fairly short time – people will typically be shopping and won’t want to hang around for half an hour while their car parking ticket expires. Once they wonder off, you’ve lost yourself a few pounds.

I saw one incredibly cunning technique for maximising your ‘hat income’ a couple of weeks ago in London. Two magicians asked a little girl to join them and help them with their tricks involving a purse. At the end of that routine, they gave her the £5 note, which instantly shows what a ‘lovely’ pair they are, appealing to all the people to give a donation at the end of the show – and they all did – there were queues of people waiting to donate!

Give it a try – if it doesn’t work out, you’ve lost nothing, and who knows, you could end up on television!

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Acai Berry and Colon Cleanse – A Magic Combination?

September 28th, 2010 | Author: ladeqp

Both colon cleansing products and Acai berry supplements have been touted for several years now, each for its own unique benefits. Countless studies have been done on the affects that cleansing the colon can have on the body and health care professionals have agreed with the conclusions. Acai berries, extracts, and supplements have also been closely examined and it has been shown that the strong antioxidants in Acai have an enormous positive affect on overall health.

The next conclusion that has been arrived at regarding these two types of supplements is that Acai berry combined with colon cleansing is a great formula for weight loss. A close look at the benefits of each provides the reason for this type of diet’s success.

Colon Cleanse Benefits

Nutritionists and doctors agree that the one of the main keys to weight loss is to first get the digestive system healthy. An efficiently working digestive system can stop weight gain and promote weight loss. Colon cleansers allow the body to rid itself of toxins, chemicals, and parasites that have accumulated for years. They also stop bloating, gas and constipation. Once the body is cleansed of all the accumulated toxins in the body and fecal matter that can build up in the intestines, metabolism increases and the immune system begins to function better.

Acai Berry Benefits

The biggest benefit of taking Acai is all of the antioxidants the body will get from it. As time passes, our body’s can’t make enough of its own antioxidants to fight off the free radicals that have bombarded our bodies for years – free radicals that destroy healthy cells everywhere in the body. As a result energy levels go up, the immune systems strengthens, digestion improves, and the system is cleansed of impurities. On top of that, Acai berry has a myriad of other positive affects besides those associated with weight loss.

Benefits of Combining Cleansing the Colon with Taking Acai Supplements

The similarities in the benefits of a colon cleanser and Acai berry include the detoxification of the system and improvement of digestion. The increased metabolism that the cleansing provides and the increase in energy from the Acai will make burning fat and calories that much easier. Each of these products are commonly used separately for weight loss, but when used together can provide quicker and better results. Many doctors already recommend that their patients use a colon cleansing product to jumpstart any diet.

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Magic Movies

September 27th, 2010 | Author: ladeqp

It seems everywhere you look there are movies with magic ranging form kids to adults. Magic movies about sorcery and witchcraft can be found just about anywhere. Two of the biggest series out right now are the Twilight series which is set to break records left and right. The first movie was low budget and still made several hundred million at the box office. The next movie not due out till next month is already being sold tickets for.

Although it is not technically a magic movie is it in the same genre as many of the others. Harry Potter is another series that has been dubbed the most successful movie franchise in history surpassing Star Wars. That is a huge feat in itself and they are not done. There are still a couple of more movies to be made in that series.

Magic movies have been around for decades. The illusionist was a great movie that did very well at the box office. Another great one was the Witches of Eastwick. Jack Nicholson was awesome in that movie. So not only are their great movies about magic but there are also great television shows. Bewitched was a long running classic about magic spells and is still in syndication. The current kids show Wizards of Waverly place on Disney Channel is a mega hit with children and continues to grow in popularity. The premise is based on wizardry and magic spells. There are many options and it seems that the magic popularity is only growing.

Posted in Magic Years | Tags: Movies | No Comments »