Joe Schwarcz in The Suburban

From the May 8th article "Dr. Joe and company mark two decades of excellence in science at McGill" by Mike Cohen in The Suburban:

Born in Hungary, Schwarcz came to Canada at the age of eight. He told me that he credits a magician at a Grade 6 friend’s birthday party who used a so-called magical chemical to perform a trick for turning him on to what would become his future vocation. “I still include magic into many of my lectures,” he says. “Magic expands the mind.”

Read more.

Welcoming a new Friend: Jason Maiuri

Please join me in welcoming our newest friend, Jason Maiuri!

Based out of Niagara Falls, Jason has been a long-time reader of the blog. Jason's experience includes touring with Claude Haggerty Magic, working with Frederic Clement, working as a scenic carpenter and stage electrician at the Shaw Festival, and working for Greg Frewin.

Jason is developing a "Magic is Medicine" act to present to dialysis patients as a way to help pass the time during their long four hour treatments.  (This is a project close to the heart for Jason as he lives with kidney disease and is dependent upon hemodialysis.)

He is very grateful for his mentoring from Ken McCreedy.

Visit Jason's website at  https://www.magician.org/member/jasonmaiuri

Thank you Jason, for befriending Canada's Magic! 

Richmond: Vitaly Beckman

From the River Rock Casino:

Fresh off Broadway in New York City, Vitaly Beckman brings his latest and most ambitious production to the stage with An Evening of Wonders on Wednesday, June 5, 2019, to the River Rock Show Theatre.

Hailed as one of the most unique and innovative illusionists in the world, he stumped Penn & Teller on their hit TV show Fool Us

Combining breathtaking visuals with Vitaly’s captivating style, An Evening of Wonders is an interactive theatrical experience that takes the audience on a magical journey. Vitaly blends art and illusion where paintings spring to life, photographs become mini-movies, and audience members see their faces vanish from their own driver’s licenses.


Read more and buy tickets.

[With thanks to The Magic Demon for letting us know!]

Broken wand: John Bernard Boissonneault

Recently we were notified by Dennis Schick, the editor of the Broken Wand in the International Brotherhood of Magician's magazine, The Linking Ring, of the passing of John Boissonneault. 

  

Dennis also pointed out that the more ALL of us share news and information about magic with the REST of us, the better off the entire magic community will be.

I take this opportunity to ask you to not just ASSUME that we already know about some magic news that YOU hear about. Please tell us about it. We would always rather hear some news SEVERAL times rather than not at all!

Our thoughts go out to John's family and friends.

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From Legacy:

BOISSONNEAULT, John Bernard "Little John" Peacefully, on Monday, August 20, 2018 at his home in Georgetown. John, in his 61st year, loving father of Shana (Chris). Proud Papa of Taylor, Kendall and Autumn. Great-Papa of Lila. Dear brother of Marie (Tony), Annette, Bernice (Mike) and Chris (Gord). Sadly missed by many nieces, nephews and friends. 

Read more.

Gordon Precious, world record holder

From the Discourse in Magic YouTube channel:

At 94 Years of age, Gordon Precious goes Heli-Skiing with his son for a world record attempt!

Watch him glide down the Cariboo Mountains with ease in the gorgeous British Columbia.

By my count, that puts the total of Canadian World Record holding magicians to nine! 

• Doug The Great:  Heaviest Stilts Mastered.  [Guinness World Record]
• Scott Hammell:  Highest Suspension Straitjacket t Escape. [Guinness World Record]
• Lucas Wilson:  Fastest Suspension Straitjacket Escape. [Guinness World Record - 2011]
• Carisa Hendrix:  Longest duration fire torch teething. [Guinness World Record - 2012]
• Michael Francis:  Most one-handed coin rolls in a minute. [Guinness World Record - 2013]
• Mark Correia:  Longest Amount of Time Wearing a Straitjacket. [World Record - 2014] 
• Gordon Precious:  Oldest heli-skier [World Record - 2019]
• The Sentimentalists:  (Chris Mysterion and Steffi Kay) Most items transferred from one mentalist to another.  [World Record - 2017]