Art

Politics of Politics

Broth·er·hood

Pronunciation: \ˈbrə-thər-ˌhu̇d\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English brotherhede, brotherhod, alteration of brotherrede, from Old English brōthorrǣden, from brōthor + rǣden condition — more at kindred

Date: 14th century

1 : the quality or state of being brothers
2 : fellowship, alliance
3 : an association (as a labor union or monastic society) for a particular purpose
4 : the whole body of persons engaged in a business or profession

As much as one or two of these numbers might appeal to us for whatever reasons, we must accept the definition in all of it's entirety. Unfortunately after tonight's joint meeting of the local Houston S.A.M & H.O.A.M assembly, I believe people have clearly forgotten about the true meaning of "Brotherhood" We use the word often, it comes up in letters and bylaws. Sometimes we use the term loosely at award banquets. But when do we show it? Sadly, most often we have to prove our alliances to the term "Brotherhood" in hours of need. Tonight I saw that hour and I undoubtedly witnessed the club(s) I love turn their backs blindly on a solution to stop a travesty in Texas history. Nay saying was unleashed before the gates had even been unlocked. So let me be clear to the people that might not have had a chance to be present in tonight's meetings. Well at least the long and short of it.

1. Our beloved T.A.O.M convention is without a Bid for 2012. For reasons that would take pages to explain it has been left to the Houston assembly's to grasp the reins of this pony and take charge.

2. This would be the first time in the history of the club in 66yrs the convention would NOT take place.

3. Scott Hollingsworth (of Houston Texas, past T.A.O.M president) on his own accord has made and set forth a well executed plan to put the proper steps in motion to prevent this TRAGEDY from taking place.

4. Scott's plan would be at 0% risk (or cost) to all the assembly's of Houston and is every bit as affordable as every other convention we have had. While Scott has the details, I can tell you what I know.

Negotiations have been set in place with Carnival Cruise Lines (Fun Ships) in arranging our annual T.A.O.M convention at SEA! That's right, all lectures and shows will be held in a professional, beautiful theater with full lighting and sound. Walk around magic in restaurants and lobby ways. What an opportunity to bring the entire family out for an amazingly affordable vacation. What a fantastic chance to get the feel of what it's like being a "Cruise Ship" entertainer........ Not to mention the joy of spreading our art to the lives of so many of the general public.

Simply put folks it's like this.

There are many variables that will need time to be worked out. We will as a "Brotherhood" cross that path when we get there. But we absolutely need to get there first. Every vote against this decision is one vote to NOT have the T.A.O.M convention. All the arguments you think you may have as "why" or "what if's" are only small problems that working TOGETHER we will find solutions for. It wasn't long ago our faith as a club was tested, we did what we do best, We concurred! We came and brought the rain, not to mention one of the most profitable conventions in years!

My name is Alex Rangel and I vote YES to keeping History ALIVE. I will not hide behind some paper ballet. I urge all of you to do the same. Do not let the misinformed naysayers keep us from making the right choice.........

Dan&Dave Change the world of MAGIC!

After today I'm sure this will be old news, however I have been given exclusive permission By Daniel & David Buck to share one of the most significant breakthroughs in magic since the "TT" I am truly honored to have been a part of this project and to have been the first choice in releasing this information to the mass public.

Well what is it?

April 1st 2010 Dan & Dave will be releasing a new deck of cards..... So What, you might say. Well that Is why I have been allowed to describe the last deck of cards you will ever own. I have tried to find a way in describing the new release in just a few sentences and have found that task to be impossible. I will also add that calling this release "just a new deck" would be like calling Picasso "just an artist" or Sean White "just a snowboarder"

Every story has to start with a beginning and the beginning of this story begun hundreds of years before any of us had ever walked the earth. The foundation of each playing card is a multilayer blend of paper from China's Guizhou Province and a private stock of US "currency" from the the late 1700's. Although it seems unbelievable this will not be the first time the blend has been used. After years of research (although the author has never been named) Richard Hatch "partner of H&R magic books" has discovered this is the exact paper used in decks specially made for S.W Erdnase. The playing cards were never sold and at the time there had only been half a dozen decks ever made. In 1989 at a Mississippi auction of the late Houdini's "Biloxi Tour" seven single playing cards were found, until this moment the cards were never thought to have existed. With in hours of the discovery a phone call was made and the seven remaining cards were sold to a buyer in California for an undisclosed amount of money. The purchasers name was never mentioned, however a cashiers check #808179 was received with the initials "DV" scribbled on the reverse side......... Flash forward to 2001 and a very sad day for the Chandler family of Bristol England, after the passing of Preston Charles Chandler IV (an engineer by trade) and no real direct link to the magic world other than living a supporting vivacious 98yr old life, a name that none of you may never had heard of. A note was found in Preston's personal effects, it bore the mark of the Magic Circle and the text was written in German. One common sheet of white paper was neatly folded and in english it bared only one sentence "The Buck Twins" Being than none of Preston's family spoke German and none knew of any "Buck Twins" this instantly peaked the interest of Preston's grandchildren, thanks to the internet it was not hard to find out who the twins were but what was the connection? The letter would have to be interpreted. Several weeks later an english copy was delivered, it described a tale of Preston's great aunt (a magician's assistant) her travels, her life and her relations with one S.W Erdnase. Her story is another chapter on its own but she did pass on a dying wish that was given to her, that she gave to her nephew and now he was giving to his family. A hidden amount of multilayer blended paper, fully pressed and cleaned had been waiting for the right time in history to play its role. Apparently through years of research Preston chose "for his own reasons" Dan & Dave" to fulfill this important task and several phone calls, emails and meetings later in the winter of 2002 the Stock was hand delivered to the Buck's by the grandchildren and oldest living member of the Chandler family "Note and All" Although Dan & Dave were humbled an honored by this task, they also knew the true destiny of these playing cards would not be reveled for years to come. Dan was quoted saying "it just didn't feel right, we knew we had History but we wanted to impact the world" Dave finished by saying "Look it might sound conceded but it's like we were given plans to Vatican, sure it's pretty but I knew we could make it better" And so they waited and in the early spring of 2009 a dream mixed with technology sparked reality.......

A meeting with Ukrainian scientist Andrzej Wawrzyk provided the technological aspect to bring this project full circle. Andrzej's work with R.F.I.D development and placement in insects and micro organisms is exactly what Dan was looking for. Dave (although) skeptical had no idea he would be eating his words only 6 hours after landing in the Ukraine. Dr Andrzej was well above qualified and willing to take part in such an exciting project...............

And so begins the description.

The blend of the paper (treated with a special formula) allows the cards to keep their form and integrity for a lifetime....... What does that mean? Well simply put you will NEVER wear the cards out. They will not fade, tarnish, peel or stick. The coating is meant to be used everyday and will shuffle, farrow, fan and spring like the first time the cards were ever used............ Because of the stock and finish they are 100% water proof, just allow 4 to 5 hours of drying on a flat surface and they are back to original feel and form. And this just begins to describe the paper!

Dr Andrzej's staff has developed a new software that will be delivered on a thumb drive with every deck purchase. A single micro R.F.I.D chip (that is completely invisible) have been placed in every playing card. If you do not have your own imagination to think of how many unbelievable effects are possible, A brand new 168 page book co-written by Michael Weber, Jaun Tamariz, Eric Mead and Simon Aronson will be personally autographed and sent with every purchase as well.

As far as the design and printing of the playing cards, again it leaps in areas never heard of before. While Mark Stutzman has been given exclusive rights to the Face design, A very different Marc Ecko will have exclusives (after much debate) on the back design. Expect no less than two hidden marking systems, a one way layout and best of all a luminous shade system that can be viewed through filters or contact lenses (your choice upon order) All the "Face" or "Court" cards have been printed with a thermo-sensitive based ink, allowing for some of the most unbelievable color changes you have ever seen......

Many will ask about price and while neither Dan or Dave want to keep others from owning a part of history. However lets be realistic it will not be cheap. Rumors around the table are somewhere around $175-$250 per deck and a pre-order limit of two per house hold will be strictly regulated. These playing cards will NEVER be printed again!

And trust me this is only the information being released as of yet....... Just wait for the surprises!

Today we sit and soak this in, tomorrow we applaud Daniel and David Buck for changing the face of magic forever......

An American Hero

Alex Rangel PLEASE REPOST AND SHARE WITH EVERYONE ONE KNOW! -James L. Clark
IMPORTANT:
Haiti hit with MAJOR earth quake. I'm going to go provide search and
rescue assistance. If you're not familar with my background check out
this: http://www.youtube.com/jameslclarkdotcom#p/u/12/6VqvLXVOEyY. Any amount will help. I tak...e all credit cards or paypal to: paypal@jameslclark.com. Include a note for ..."Haiti". Please pass this on to everyone you know. Facebook, Twitter, and all emails.

1% Of Worth

How much are you truly worth? Such an odd statement but can you take an honest second to really reflect on the question and more importantly answer yourself. Does your self worth very from day to day? If so, who is in control of this fluctuating "worth" scale? I believe that there are indeed answers to all these questions.

How much are you worth: Only you can answer such a question and you should answer such a question. You must establish a daily value of your life and actions carried out by those decisions. What ever decisions you make, stand behind them, learn from them and live by them. Do something, one thing everyday to increase your personal value. One of the most influential people in my life (My Father) once told me "A person is only what they say they are" If your the type of person that always say's why me? Or, What does that person have that I don't? Then that's exactly the person you will ALWAYS be........... Someone who stands on the outside looking in, never willing to open the door.

DOES YOUR WORTH VERY: Absolutely, I will say that again, your self worth ABSOLUTELY changes from day to day. Questions? Let's think about it, if your own worth never changed then your goals could never change. We would all be happy making minimum wage and flipping burgers. All be it there are some who are perfectly content without change, some of these people are even familiar parts of our daily lives. Their choices have given them a "Comfort" level. These are the people that use phrases such as "I could never..... Or I can't do that" Why? There is no such thing as a negative force field that holds any of us down. Figure out how much you are worth and invest 1% more EVERY DAY!

WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THE SCALE: You are! You are the only person who can establish how much you worth. You are the only person that can wake up and decide "Today is the day to make a change" You are the only person that can make the choice to run one more lap, work one more hour, make the decision that TODAY you will invest 1% more than you did yesterday. Surround yourself by positive people and positive actions. When setting goals, make them "Realistic". Think to yourself you can never reach the top of the ladder without taking the first step.

THE THEORY OF 1%: It very well might be cliche but the fact remains that there are only two classes of people in this world. "Sellers" and "Buyers" We wake up every day and are either buying what someone else is selling or selling ourselves for someone else to buy. Each and every one of us have and will experience both sides from time to time but again you are the only one to decide, today I will be a seller. What would you give to get your life on track? How about something as simple as 1%.......... 1% of effort 1% of change 1% to affect the rest of your life. That's it, your 1% is "yours" only you can decide what is going to be your 1% today. Find your 1% and not only find it but apply your 1% TODAY!

I heard someone once say "Luck is attracted to lucky people" I say "Success is attracted to successful people" Successful people are the ones willing to go out and create their own luck. Successful people are willing to NOT maintain the daily grind no matter how "WELL" they are doing in the moment.

As Always,

Alex Rangel

Holiday Food For Thought

A time for CHANGE chances are you are not happy with where you are in life. Sure, you may feel that you are doing better off than many other people but something deep inside you tells you that your capable of much more. This is not going to be some sales preachy marketing email, this is a straight-from-the-heart post that may blow your mind and reveal why you may have continued to fail these last few years.
The main traits that separates the weak from the strong and the poor from the rich is determination, the drive to succeed, and taking consistent steps in reaching goals. Some people are born lucky, they are exposed to better opportunities and have an easier time making their way to success.
This is a fact, but that does not mean that you have to accept it. If you take one thing away from this post it should be this:"You are the master of your own destiny "At face-value, this may be obvious and perhaps a little bit cliched,but in reality this is the simple truth.
Too many people procrastinate and make excuses for themselves. Why? You can't change the past, but you can ALWAYS take actions to make a better you in the future. Tonight, I want you to do something for me. I want you to take a good ol' pen and pad and write down where you want to be in the next 3 months, and then in the next year.
After you identify your ideal positions, I want you to break down and write what you NEED to do to get there. This may include things like:1) Working overtime on x days 2) Networking with others on Tue. and Fri 3.) Working out a minimum of 3 days a week. After you make a list of the steps you need to take to get where you want, HANG it up everywhere. Put it in your wallet, on your wall, in your car. You need to be constantly reminded every day,for 365 days of the steps you need to take on a daily basis in order to get where you want. Consistency leads to results. Life really is a simple formula Do A+B+C and get Z. The thing is people are usually unorganized and never plan to get what they want. Then they ask why are their lives in such chaos.
It's simple really. Write down right now the things you need to do to get where you want and make a promise to yourself that you will follow through every single day until you are where you at.