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Is that possibly because religion has been exploited as a power structure used to control the masses for thousands of years, rather than because of anything inherently wrong with the idea of religion? Nowadays, we see wars (which some may consider unjust) fought in the name of liberal democracy...

While this is a tragic case, I think it's important to recognise that one culture is not more right or valid than any other. Saudi law may look opressive from an American, British or Western European standpoint, but it's a system that's functioned to maintain a society for thousands of years...

It depends what you mean by "proper". The description differs from the one in Erdnase, and Ross Bertram's description, which are the two that Vernon favoured, and therefore are the ones that I tend to trust.

Yes, I have thought of this. In fact, I contacted De'vo a couple of years ago to see if he'd have any issue with the use of the name "Xtreme Coin Manipulation". (He did have an issue with it, just in case you're wondering.) Anyway, that particular project got shelved, but, while coins aren't as...

As Ineski mentioned, the David Ben biography will be a major help, as well as the books contained in the Essential collection, but here are a few other resources you could look at: The Magician and the Cardsharp - Karl Johnson - the story of Dai Vernon's search for Allen Kennedy and his centre...

Yeah, they're good. A bit pricy, but they're quite responsive to negotiation if you want to give them a call, and, to be fair, I suppose when you compare it to US prices plus international shipping, it's not too bad.

www.cards4magic.co.uk

Has Derek Lever been informed LOL? He's got Theory 11 listed as one of the confirmed dealers.

Dan and Dave are going to be there again? Is that true? I haven't seen any mention of that anywhere else.

Yeah, me and my double-act partner live and work in London.

:) Thanks, I was fortunate enough to be born into a family that place great importance on knowledge and intellectual pursuits so I was encouraged to voraciously read and treasure (some would say "hoard") books from a very early age. The only time I regret it is when I move house....

Magic related, approximately 100. Total book collection, approximately 1,000. And I echo foolzsight on Blink. I found it extremely interesting, and it's definitely made me think about things in a different way.

Morgician, while I think you've slightly misunderstood standard deviation, I agree with your overall point. However, I think "100% magic" is susceptible of a wider definition than you've given it. I don't believe that magic must have no explanation in order to be effective, deceptive and...

Say to him, "You know about cards, so maybe you could help me out...shuffle these for me, please." After he's performed a clumpy riffle shuffle, then say "Thanks, I'll just give them another shuffle to make sure everyone knows they're properly mixed and you haven't done one of your fancy...

I think move-monkeyism is something to be encouraged. Learning moves you aren't going to use in real performance is, to me, an expression of joy in the craft of magic. I don't think magic should be all about "workers"...what's wrong with a few "players". Also, it seems to me that most of the...

Being a hardcore Vernonist I'd recommend David Ben's biography of Vernon, or The Magician and the Card Sharp by Karl Johnson, which is both a biography of Vernon and Allen Kennedy. Or, David Britland and Gazzo's biography of Walter Scott, The Phantom of the Card Table.

I've been playing with a little idea that I thought I'd share. Hope it's useful for someone. One of the problems I've found with learning sleight-of-hand is that its quite easy to allow bad habits to creep into certain moves, in my case, the classic pass. After this happens, the muscle memory...

We don't, but we're magicians, and are therefore interested in method. When it comes to mentalism, a stooge is the easiest explanation for laypeople.

I don't think Derren would risk using stooges. If one person came forward with a contract or other definite proof that they were paid to "play along" then his reputation would be ruined, and the general public would assume that everything he does is stooged. Also, broadcasting regulations are...

I take it you don't think of Ed Marlo or Daniel Garcia as magicians then. Neither of them are predominantly known for performance, neither of them perform(ed) for a living, and they would consider themselves creators rather than performers.