Have You Heard...
September 29, 2008
by Maria Ibâñez
(Miami, FL)

 Greetings... a financial see-saw has been giving many a yo-yo feeling with the ups and downs of the market.    Today is no exception with the Dow dropping another 700 points and no let-up in sight. Traditionally when the economy has been in poor health, the entertainment industry has done well, from all indications of the many I've spoken with, that doesn't seem to be the situation this time around as people watch their pennies due to the never ending increase of the cost of items coupled with the never ending decrease of income.    I hope that as you read this, things will start to slowly creep upwards and that the predictions of gloom and doom won't come to pass. (read more)

On a brighter note, our friends in Texas are slowly cleaning up and trying to get back to normal - even if normal will never be what it once was for them.  FEMA and other government agencies will start stepping in to assist and the countless number of insurance adjusters will start moving in to assess the losses and pay-outs which always seem to come too slowly to those who were affected.    It is important we don't forget our friends as we get on to the daily routines of our lives but rather that we stay connected and ready to lend a hand where and how we can.     Let us keep them in our thoughts and prayers as they begin the incredibly difficult task of rebuilding.

Thank you for continuing to send in the news you wish to have me share, thank you for your kind words of congratulations at having the “Have you Heard” published on the IBM website as a blog.   As always, do send me an e-mail if you wish to be added to the newsletter to merlina17@aol.com and the same applies if you would like to be removed from the mailing.

IN THIS ISSUE

*    WORD FROM HECTOR CARRION -- FLASOMA SECRETARY GENERAL
*    WORD FROM WALTER BLANEY
*    IBM Ring 130 -- GIVES BACK TO ITS MEMBERS
*    MESSAGE FROM NESTOR LARRAT "RODO" - NEW PUBLICATION
*    GOOD AND WELFARE

WORD FROM HECTOR CARRION—FLASOMA SECRETARY GENERAL 

Dear  Maria  

I must sincerely CONGRATULATE you for the brilliant function that your weekly news perform.    There is no doubt that it is a tedious and labor intensive task to receive, categorize, place in order and publish all that you receive.   Just looking at the great responsibility you have for the work and the devotion you have for enriching the ART OF MAGIC makes you someone to emulate as you serve as a great example.

Hector Carrion
FLASOMA
Secretary General

WORD FROM WALTER BLANEY

Many thanks to those who wrote and called after Hurricane IKE.  I admit I liked IKE Eisenhower much better. He's the U.S. President who once said of me, "Who?"

No damage to my house. One huge tree in my yard fell and crushed a garage two doors away.  No one hurt. I'm very lucky the wind blew it away from my house... and me. In my neighborhood the wind blew both ways. The hurricane eye passed right over us.  All was calm in the middle of the furious storm for about 20 minutes, then it started up again blowing the other way.  It's the second time my house was in the eye... last time Hurricane Alicia in 1983. I'm not hoping for a third.

Ten days with no power, no communication, hot and humid, and a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  As I looked today for the first time at photos friends sent me by email I was shocked to learn how bad it was in Galveston and the other coastal cities. Many lost everything..... unbelievable.

My daughter Becky's house and daughter Shannon's house were also not damaged. "We is a lucky bunch". 
A note to my magic friends.  When I was a kid I checked out magic books from our Dallas library, and after "lights out" at night I would secretly read them under the covers with a flashlight.  That's what I did all week after Ike. And the book I read was one of the best I have ever read.  It was the life story of Harry Willard, Willard The Wizard, A Life Under Canvas. I can only recommend that you spend the hundred bucks and read it. Another word that could be used as a title... Perseverance.  He was The Unsinkable Molly Brown of Magic. No matter what tragedies were thrown at him, he remained one of the all time great magicians of the world.  I was so lucky to have been his friend, and knew the story pretty well. But I learned so much more and felt so much more all the way through this wonderful book. Thank you Dave Charvet, author, and thank you Mike Caveney, publisher.  I used up a LOT of batteries reading each line back and forth with my trusty flashlight. That made the nights as good as the days after Ike.  And now back to the real world.

With best wishes to all who went through Ike and "persevered".   Walter

Walter Blaneywalter@walterblaney.com

We have some very exciting news for our Ring Members!!   If you are not already a member of IBM Ring 130, there has never been a better time to join!  Because of the success of our Ring, we have decided that it is time to GIVE BACK TO THE MEMBERS.  How are we going to do that?  If you are a paid up Ring Member for the 2008/2009 year, you can choose to earn back more than 100% of your Ring Dues, in the month of November alone! 

We have already announced that Harry Allen’s  October lecture will be free for all attendees, and that the Ring Cookout and Magic Show scheduled for November 15th is going to be FREE for Ring Members and just $5 for family and friends.  NOW, we are very excited to announce that we have managed to get a performer who has been at the top of our Wishlist for some time, to lecture for us.  The third “Give Back To Our Members” bonus is that this lecture will be FREE, yes FREE to all paid up Ring Members!!

The lecture will take place on Tuesday, November 11th, at the Golden Corral, and will replace our usual 3rd Thursday of the month Ring Meeting.  We are very excited that we are able to use our Ring success to give the Members this lecture for free, and even more excited to announce that our lecturer will be the one and only……..OH SORRY, got to run….  Watch out for another email coming later today with the name of the lecturer and more upcoming benefits for Ring Members.

YOUR IBM RING 130 BOARD MEMBERS

They will also be hosting a lecture from the legendary DOC EASON on November 11th — more to follow.

Dear Magic Friends 

I wish to tell you, with some pride, that we have released issue No. 2 of the “Magicamente” magazine, yes, the same one that is out for sale in all the newsstands in the country.

It contains 18 varied effects of cards, parlor, close-up, mentalism, paper and balloon effects, etc.    There is also an essay about illusions and great personalities of literature, religion, politics and other fine arts. 

In addition, in this attachment I am including some sales from the magic shop “Estudio Magico Rodo”, many of the effects are our exclusives and others are imported.

With best magic regards,

Néstor Larrart
"Rodó"

[Note:  if you want a copy of his attachment that came with this note just drop me a line and I will gladly forward it to you.]

Please keep AL ROSCOE and family in your thoughts and prayers.   Al is a long time member of both the I.B.M. and Ring 45 in Miami.    His family members were charter members of the local Ring.     Al has spent the last thee weeks at Baptist Hospital in Miami, and has been diagnosed with cancer of the liver.   He is currently undergoing chemo and is extremely weak.
   

TRADUCCIONES DESDE AQUI