And now for something completely different

Not magic, but magical in its own way.  Sorry.

From JB's YouTube channel:

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[via Shawn Farquhar]

Benevolence of Magic part 3

Dennis Schick's third annual Benevolence of Magic (in the December "Linking Ring" (v95,12)) features two Canadian projects.  From Dennis:

The first is magician Jeff Christensen from Vancouver. Each year he and his wife and daughter produce “A Magical Evening” in honor and memory of their son, Jonah, to raise money for their Celebrate the Child Foundation, which supports numerous worthy causes.


The other is John Kaplan, also from Vancouver, whose Fundraising Magic program raises money for organizations and communities across Canada.

Well done Jeff and John for your hard work to help others.

Thank you Dennis for sending this information my way!  


Previously featured "Benevolence of Magic" Canadian projects:

• Magicana: Sharing Wonder
• Mosquitoes Suck Tour
• Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp

Canadians at Magi-Fest 2016

Who'd I miss?

From the Magi-Fest website:

Magi-Fest 2016 
Jan 28 - 31 2016, Columbus, Ohio

• Shin Lim
• Eric Leclerc 

 Read more and register.

More "Tricks" to be had

From Magicana:

We've been having a wonderful week full of magic with Tricks at Soulpepper in Toronto. In fact, Sunday's matinée is now sold out.

To accommodate the demand, we've added one more performance to the schedule on Saturday, January 2 at 8:00 PM. Tickets just went on sale, so there are some excellent seats still available so you can be right up close to the action. Don't forget, we have special discounted family packs for groups of four or more (with at least one child).

Read more.

Read this review from Toronto Stage:

As a youngster, I remember my father once cautioning me to watch out for people who ask you to share a secret, used car salesmen of any kind and smooth talkers who want to show you a good card trick.

Falling into the latter category, of course, is David Ben.

That’s because he’s the kind of guy who could make a lot of money hanging out at Union Station mingling with stop over travelers with a little extra time on their side. He may not have anything up his sleeve but he’s definitely got something, somewhere.

The return of Tricks, is anti-pomp and pageantry. The stripped down production relies on basic furnishings to accomplish what great all tricksters need to put on a smoking good show.

Read more.

Watch Luc Langevin baffle Jean-Marc Généreux

A reminder of Luc's upcoming performance dates in France:

Spectacle "Créateur d'illusions" dès le 10 Février 2016 au CASINO DE PARIS
Réservez vite vos places ici : http://bit.ly/Langevin_CDP2016

Et en tournée à travers la France en Mars 2016 :
08 & 09/03/2016 : RUEIL-MALMAISON (92) Théâtre André Malraux
11/03/2016 : LYON (69) Le Radiant
12/03/2016 : MORGES (CH) Théâtre Beausobre
15/03/2016 : TOULOUSE (31) Théâtre Casino Barrière
16/03/2016 : MERIGNAC (33) Le Pin Galant
17/03/2016 : NANTES (44) Cité des Congrès
18/03/2016 : ROUBAIX (59) Le Colisée

From Luc Langevin's YouTube channel:

Anne-Lovely Etienne and Adrien Fichelle interview Luc Lanagevin

From le journal de Montréal:

Il nous fascine. À la télévision comme sur la scène, sa magie est hypnotisante.

L’illusionniste Luc Langevin, originaire de Québec, considère maintenant Montréal comme son chez soi. Il se rappelle d’ailleurs, comme si c’était hier, sa première fois dans la grande métropole lorsqu’il avait visité une boutique de magie. Il nous dévoile maintenant ses adresses chouchous de la ville.

Le restaurant favori ?

Il y en a plusieurs, mais l’un qui me vient spontanément à l’esprit est le Bistro Lustucru. Il est situé sur l’avenue du Parc. Je suis un amateur de tartares et ils en concoctent de très bons, dont les tartares au cerf ou au canard. En fait, leur spécialité est leur bar à cru. Sinon, j’aime le Geppetto, pour leurs pizzas vraiment délicieuses.

Read more (en français).

From Web Mag TV:

Luc Langevin a reçu l'equipe de WebmagTV dans son hotel pour nous parler de son univers et de ses différentes expériences. Il sera du 10 au 21 février 2016 au Casino de Paris. 

Read more and watch video (en français).

Searching for military paramedic Nathan

On August 23rd at approximately 9:30pm, "Pick Pocket" James Harrison was in a bad car accident driving northbound on the 400, just past Hwy 9.  As he swerved to avoid hitting an out of place construction pylon, his tires caught the shoulder causing his black Mazda 5 to roll over.  Twice.

James experienced the best side of humanity that day.  Several people stopped their car to offer help and make sure James was safe.  One gentleman, Nathan, is a military paramedic.  Nathan asked permission and then entered the back passenger section of the car.  He then talked James through the idea that he was going to hold his hands around James' neck to prevent possible spinal cord injuries.

Nathan kept James company, kept him calm, and kept his neck stable until the paramedics arrived.  During this time James learned that Nathan is stationed at Base Borden, effective August 24th.  From the ambulance stretcher, James had a brief moment to shake Nathan's hand and say thank you.  And then Nathan disappeared before James could get any more information about him.

We're very grateful that James only received minor injuries and is recovering well.

Nathan, if this message gets to you, please contact me or contact James directly through his website (http://www.pickpocketmagic.com/).  James would very much like to give you a proper and well deserved "thank you."