Magic Tricks - Inventing Magic

Creating magic illusions is an increadibly satisfying aspect of magic that many magicians overlook. It leaves you with a unique trick that the audience will hopefully remember you by. However, there are many reasons why most magicians use off-the-shelf tricks. This article will explain some of the reasons for and against making illusions, and give some guidance.

# Uniqueness

Creating a illusion will guarantee that nobody can say "I've seen that before". Creating stage illusions is the most satisfying as it will look unique, feel unique and perform uniquely, however, they take the most work as they are typically physically large. Creating card effects (or similar) can be done anywhere with nothing but imagination.

# Branding

If you are creating a stage illusion, you can easily incorporate your branding, whether that's the colours from your website and flyers, or simply your stage name, photo or contact details designed on it, it will be positive advertising - especially if you allow photos in your performances. This can be applied in a similar way to close-up effects - why not print your own logo onto the gimmick.

# Suitability

In the unlikely event that you can't find any off-the-shelf tricks that'll be the perfect climax to your routine, then you will often find that with a little thought, you can create the perfect illusion.

# Risks

Creating illusions is not easy, especially if it means constructing gimmicks. It is essential to check, check and check again that everything works smoothly as expected. A guillotine with a special mechanism that may rust unnoticed over time could even be lethal. Think of the worse possible scenario while designing the illusion to ensure that nothing dangerous, in this case, can happen. Typically the worst that can happen is you make a fool out of yourself, but with stage illusions, you can trap unwilling guests in your contraptions or even just give them a splinter! Either way you could find yourself at the wrong end of a legal case with nobody to blame but yourself

# Is it really unique?

Before you start creating the illusion, make sure you are really the inventor of it, especially if you are hoping to sell it in the future. Depending on how much you value your time, it may be cheaper to buy an illusion that will be guaranteed to work (hopefully) without errors.

When starting to think of an illusion, there are several factors you must consider, including -

# Stage, street, close-up or for children - what situation will you be in when performing

# Short, medium or long effect - how long will it take to perform

# Comedy, silent or story-based - will it fit into your routine

# Target audience demographic - nothing scary or rude for the young/old

# Transportation - can you transport the illusion - does it need a van or a pocket?

To conclude, inventing magic is a satisfying way to expand your routine, but beware of the pitfalls that you may fall into. Sometimes using ready-made effects will do the job perfectly in a tried and tested manner!

The Organic Gardener

It's not always easy to be an organic gardener. Even committed organic gardeners sometimes long to spray herbicide on goutweed or pesky poison ivy. When Japanese beetles or rose chafers arrive in throngs just before your garden party, you may suffer an urge for the good old days - the time before you understood that spraying an insecticide would kill beneficial bugs along with the bad, aggravating your pest problems. But there are also problems that are more easily addressed with organic solutions.

Each winter, the Ecological Landscaping Association (www.ela. org) holds a conference and eco-marketplace where researchers, landscapers, gardeners and environmentalists meet to share knowledge and ideas. This year, one of the presentations I liked best was by Dr. Richard Casagrande of the University of Rhode Island, who spoke on biocontrol of invasive species. He explained that for some problems, organic controls work better than chemical controls.

Casagrande said that when gardeners hear that foreign species of insects have been introduced to help control invasive plants like purple loosestrife, there is a knee-jerk reaction: "Great. And when they've finished eating the loosestrife, what's going to happen next? Will they eat my delphiniums, or my peonies?"

He explained that although people of good will did introduce some evil exotics like kudzu and oriental bittersweet, the process of introducing foreign insects to combat these plants is very tightly controlled. The University of Rhode Island has quarantine labs that are as tightly controlled as the perimeter around the White House.

First, scientists look at how the invasive species performs in its native land. Purple loosestrife came from Europe in the early 1800s, probably in soil used as ballast in ships. But it is not a problem there. Why not?

It evolved there, and over time some 120 species of insects learned to love it. Of these, 14 are host-specific, meaning that they don't eat anything else. A few of these insects were brought to quarantine labs to determine if they eat related species of the target plants, or if they would attack any of our major crops, such as corn, wheat and soy.

If you've ever tried to dig out purple loosestrife, you know that it has an amazing root system that will challenge even the strongest back. Scraps of roots left in the ground will start new plants. Not only that, each mature plant produces millions of tiny seeds every year, so even if you did poison or pull a plant, the soil is full of time-release capsules - seeds that will start the process all over again next year, and the year after that, and so forth. Even burning the plants will not solve the problem. But it can be kept under control with the use of introduced beetles.

Since 1994, beetles that eat purple loosestrife have been successfully reducing stands of this exotic. They reduce the number of plants to about 10 percent of pre-introduction levels; as the number of plants drops, so does the number of predator beetles. Similar efforts are under way to control phragmites, that tall grass that has such beautiful plumes in wetlands and roadside ditches.

Casagrande has been using biocontrols to reduce populations of the lily leaf beetle that has been decimating our oriental and Asiatic lilies in recent years. The beetles are so pretty that you might want to use them as earrings: bright red with black trim, about 3/8ths of an inch long. Their larvae, in contrast, are disgusting: They carry their excrement on their backs to deter birds - and organic gardeners. Casagrande and his co-workers have introduced parasitoids from Europe, tiny wasps that reduce the beetle's population. The parasitoids are doing the job at test sites in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and are established at release sites in New Hampshire and Maine.

So what can the home gardener do? First, realize that help is on the way in the form of biocontrols. Second, recognize that herbicides for plants and insecticides for beetles ultimately don't work. Yes, you can kill lily leaf beetles or loosestrife with a spray, but you can't eliminate them. Third, use pest-resistant species such as 'Black Beauty,' a lily that is less attractive to the lily leaf beetle. Lastly, handpick beetles. I handpicked lily leaf beetles twice a day last summer and never saw a larva.

As organic gardeners, we have to accept that we are not in total control of the environment, and that sometimes we have to wait or endure some losses. Biological controls do work. Some exotic pests, like the birch leaf miner, are now nothing more than a minor annoyance, and there are already places where purple loosestrife is no longer a problem. So stay the course - be organic.

Planning A Flower Garden

If you're planning to start a flower garden, you might be a little stumped when it comes to choosing flowers. Although there's no such thing as a bad choice of flowers, there are some choices that can take your garden from okay to simply magnificent. Consider these simple tips when you're trying to choose which beautiful blooms you want for your garden.

First of all, how much light do you have? If your garden is located in an area that gets direct sunlight for part of the time, and shade for the rest of the time, your flower choices are almost infinite. The majority of flowers in the world are best adapted to these half-and-half lighting conditions. If your garden area is very sunny, on the other hand, consider planting flowers that not only enjoy sunlight, but can stand up to direct heat. A few good strong sunlight flowers are sunflowers (of course) and daylilies. On the other hand, if your area is more on the shady side, go for lower-light flowers such as irises, tiger lilies, or honeysuckle. These plants are more tolerant of the cooler temperature in the shade, and their photosynthesis process is adapted to smaller amounts of sunlight.

What about soil? If you're planting in a rocky area, you may have some trouble getting many plants to take root. The ideal dirt for flowers, of course, is black, fine dirt without much rubble. If you live in an area where the ground has a sand consistency, look into planting local flowers- those will be the ones most adapted to growing in sand, such as violets.

Now comes the fun part. Once you get an idea of what types of flowers you're able to grow, it's time to think about what types you'd like to grow. Try drawing out your garden on a sheet of paper, based on the various heights the plants are expected to reach. Try framing sunflowers with ground covering plants that will flourish in the shade of the taller plants around them. Pay attention to the colors of the blossoms and arrange them in a pleasing manner. Use your imagination here- feel free to plan a garden with a strict outline, featuring only blue and yellow flowers; or let your brain and your garden run wild, with bursts of random color everywhere. It's up to you.

Keep in mind that the first year of a flower garden is only the beginning. If you truly want to enjoy your garden to the utmost, try to plant perennials that will return next season. That will give the plants a year to mature and gain strength, and with a little luck, you'll be surprised each year with a flourishing flower garden that gets stronger and brighter as time goes by.

King (Chinook) Salmon - The Prize Of Kenai River

Nine of the ten record setting King (Chinook) Salmon were caught in Alaska's Kenai River. The average size of Kings in Alaska is 20 pounds, but typically the Kenai yields 50-pound Kings. King Salmon spend 2 to 5 years in the ocean before they come back to spawn. Thus, the size of these fish can vary quite a bit. The largest King caught on the Kenai weighed 97.25 pounds.

What makes the Kenai such a popular spot for fishing fanatics? There are certainly other rivers in Alaska that host greater numbers of salmon. (This isn't to say that the number of salmon in the river is small. There's plenty to go around for all wanting to have a great day, week, or month fishing.)

This river draws fishermen for three primary reasons-size of the Kings, abundance of varieties of salmon, and the number of runs for each type. Along with the King, the Kenai is stocked with Sockeye (Red) Salmon and Coho (Silver) Salmon, with each of the species having two runs between May and October. And then there's the size of the Kings. If you want the best chance of landing a trophy Chinook Salmon, the Kenai River is the place to be.

It's a short jaunt from Anchorage to the 80-mile long Kenai. The first time you see the river, you may simply be stunned. With striking sapphire waters created by glacial melt, the river is simply breathtaking. Conservation measures have been instituted to preserve the natural beauty and nurturing environment of the river for residents and visitors.

During fishing season, the Kenai supports thousands upon thousands of salmon, making it relatively easy for many fishermen, especially those working with licensed guides, to catch their limit. Additionally, the river is home for world-class rainbow trout, which are the envy of anglers everywhere.

The Kenai is divided into three sections. The upper part is 30-miles long, flowing from Kenai Lake located on Cooper Landing and going to Skilak Lake. Rafters, drift boaters and other recreational and sport enthusiasts have easy access to the river at Cooper Landing.

The upper part of the Kenai flows down to and ends at the Russian River, a tributary that plays host to thousands of Sockeye Salmon. Just down river from this tributary is the Kenai River Ferry, which transports thousands of fishermen to the river's far bank. This section is popular with anglers and it's often packed.

Going down river, you'll find many miles of beautiful views, natural settings, and bountiful fishing. In this stretch between the Russian River and Jim's landing, despite the fact that it's bordered by the busy Sterling Highway, you will experience isolation and peace due to the natural buffer created by trees and thick vegetation.

The Kenai River meets Skilak Lake, forming the middle part of the river, which goes to Soldotna Bridge. If you're looking for wildlife and true isolation, this section is for you. With a ten-mile stretch that has no boat access and a variety of animals, including moose, bear, and waterfowl, the Kenai embraces the wild. To get to some prime fishing, you'll need a boat; however, some parts of the middle river can get too low to navigate. Throughout the summer, the Kenai rises, allowing boats easier passage.

In this remote section you'll find some of the best trout and Silver Salmon fishing on the river. Unlike the upper and lower parts of the Kenai, this section has fewer sportsmen, guides, and visitors on it.

Soldotna Bridge marks the end of the middle section and the beginning of the lower part, which terminates at Cook's Inlet. Before the inlet, the river can get very busy. Its banks are fairly crowded with businesses and homes. Along with being congested, the river also has some sandbars and large rocks, making it tough to navigate.

The second King run, in June and July, is the most popular with anglers looking to land the next world record salmon. The lower river has easy access and many of the approximately 400 registered guides can be found in this section.

The King (Chinook) Salmon can be as large as a man and as tough to haul in as any sport fish. It's the prize catch on any Kenai River fishing trip. For anglers looking for some of the largest salmon in the world, this section of the river offers the greatest opportunity for hauling in the ultimate catch and coming up with the biggest fish story.

10 Things You Should Know About Stretching

Before fitness training, one must give importance to doing warm-up or stretching exercises to prevent accidents or to enhance the output during the training. There are also a number of precautionary measures and tips to serve as guidelines when doing fitness exercises. Here are some of them.

1. To increase your flexibility and to avoid injuries, stretch before and after workout. Almost everyone knows that stretching before workout prevents injuries during the exercises, but only few people know that stretching after workout, when muscles are still warm, can increase flexibility.

2. Hold your stretching position for more than 60 seconds to increase flexibility. While holding your position for 20 seconds is enough for warm ups, holding each position for at least 60 seconds will develop the body's flexibility.

3. Do not go into a stretching position then immediately return to the relaxed position, and do it repeatedly. This is more appropriately termed as bouncing while in a position. When stretching, hold that position for several seconds, and then slowly relax. You may do this exercise repeatedly this way. Bouncing or forcing yourself into a position during stretching can strain or damage some joints or muscles.

4. Work slowly in increments instead of immediately proceeding to doing the hardest exercise or position.

5. Make sure that you have stretched or warmed up all muscle groups. For some people, even if they have strong bodies, they tend to neglect the neck when working out of stretching. Stretching the neck muscles can be as simple as placing the palm of one's hand against the front of the head and pushing it. Then, do the same to the sides and the back of the head.

6. Stretch regularly to continually increase your range of movements and your level of flexibility and strength.

7. Workout considering only your capabilities and not of others. Do not force yourself to do exercises that you are not yet capable of just because there are people who can do it. Increase your limits slowly. Listen to your body. There are days when your body may be too tired that you may have to consider reducing your range of motion.

8. Learn to rest. Rest in between sets and stations to make sure that the body has enough time to recover its energy. Also, it is advisable that you don't work the same muscle groups consecutively for two days. The muscles grow during the period when you rest and not when you are working out.

9. Do aerobic exercises to strengthen your heart. Aerobic exercises are those physical activities that much oxygen for fuel. This includes cardiovascular exercises such as skipping rope, running or swimming.

10. Music may help you when you want to train for longer periods or to increase your intensity. You can use mp3 players, CD players or lightweight am radio receivers for this. Just make sure that you brought your headset with you so you wouldn't disturb people who don't prefer music while exercising.

Apart from preventing injuries and increasing one's limit, it is also said that stretching is good for a tired body and also for a stressed mind and spirit.

Traveling to Nice and the South of France

Nice is in the south of France. The Queen of the French Riviera, which the French call " la Cote d'Azur" (AzureCoast or Blue Coast). It is a wonderful city with lots of charm and character; a mixture of French and Italian cultures where the people are easy-going and friendly even if you don't speak French.

Although you might think it is a summer resort, you can visit Nice at any time of the year and still have a good time. If you happen to go in the winter, you will be surprised to see flowers in their numerous parks and gardens. Nice has a Mediterranean winter, so the temperature stays around 40 to 50 degrees during the coldest months but if you like skiing, ski resorts such as Valberg and Isola 2000 can be reached by car in one or two hours. If you go in the summer, get ready to share the city with lots of tourists. The popular streets where most restaurants and cafes are, can get crowded, but they can be a lot of fun if you enjoy people watching; and since most of the streets are closed to traffic, it is not hard to just walk around and enjoy the upbeat atmosphere.

Nice has a major airport and its close location to the city makes getting there a cinch.

Finding a hotel should be easy, since there are plenty of accommodations for all kinds of budgets. The author is a frequent guest of the Meridien Hotel, a 4 star hotel located on the Promenade des Anglais, facing the Bay of Angels (Baie des Anges).

Things to see in Nice:

-Promenade des Anglais. The Victorian English residents of the 1800's provided the funds to build the beautiful boulevard, hence its name. It is a wide avenue that follows the bay's coast line and it's lined with beautiful palm trees and flowers.

-Hotel Negresco. Beautiful and glamorous, it is located at 37 Promenade des Anglais and if you are not rich enough to stay there, you must go and see it.

-Old Nice. Winding narrow streets with Italianate buildings painted in earthly colors, describes this old part of the city. You will enjoy strolling. people watching and quaint little shops full of charming provencal crafts.

-Marche aux Fleurs. Located on the Cours Saleya, the flower market is Open Tuesday through Sunday, 7am-5pm, but if you decide to go, check with your hotel for the hours of operation. You can also have lunch or dinner there, where a large variety of restaurants set up tables and chairs outside where you can dine in a pleasant and fun atmosphere.

-Marc Chagall Museum. If you like modern art, you can catch a glimpse of the painter's most important collection. The hours of operation vary depending on the season so check with your hotel clerk before you go. Nice is so well located that you can take half-day and full-day trips either by car or by public transportation. Easily reached towns by car or public transportation are: Monaco, Eze, Grasse, St Paul de Vence, Cannes and St Tropez.

-Monaco- A symbol of glamour and elegance, Monaco sits on a beautiful stretch of the Mediterranean coast. Its most famous town Monte Carlo, has much to offer with its casinos, boutiques and exotic gardens. Don't forget to visit the village of Monaco, located high on "the rock" as it is affectionally called by the locals. It is a charming town with shops and cafes and a wonderful view of the sea.

-Eze- This small medieval village perched on a hill is a must see. Both tourists and artists flock to Eze during the summer months because of its picturesque setting and magnificent vues. If you are staying in Nice, you can make it a half-day trip or just stop there for lunch and continue to Monaco for a full-day trip. If you are feeling rich, have lunch at the Chevre d'Or. The restaurant offers fine cuisine and breathtaking panoramas. The restaurant is only open for lunch.

-Grasse- Considered the perfume capital of France Grasse is a small hilly town with beautiful parks and panoramic views. I you go to Grasse, you must visit the perfume factories. The biggest is Parfumerie Fragonard. An English speaking guide will show you the process of extracting the perfume from hundreds of pounds of flower petals.

-St Paul de Vence- A picture perfect medieval town, sitting on top of a hill, St Paul de Vence has been painted by many artists and photographed by thousands of tourists. It is located 19 miles from Nice. Enjoy a meal at the famous Colombe d'Or Restaurant or sip a beer at an outdoor cafe while watching a local game of petanque.

-Cannes- Cannes sits on the shores of La Napoule bay, sorrounded by a backdrop of Mediterranean hills. While Nice has the Promenade des Anglais, Cannes has la Croisette Boulevard, an elegant promenade, lined with palm trees and and gardens. Cannes hosts the famous Cannes Film Festival every year and it is most favored by celebrities. So if you go, make sure to do a lot of people watching, because you never know...

-St Tropez- Once a small fishing village, St Tropez is now a summer place for the jet set. Its setting on the southern shore of France, made it attractive to turn-of-the-century artists who were then followed by writers, poets and eventually movie stars and their fans. It is now internationally famous.

So get your tickets, book your hotel and go to the south of France. I promise you will have an unforgettable experience.

Perfect Scrambled Eggs

The truth is that scrambled eggs are easy to make. Unfortunately, they are also the easy to make WRONG. At a root level, scrambled eggs are simply beaten eggs which are fried and - for lack of a better word - scrambled. But like most things that are simple (take love and martinis as examples), people have found ways to make them needlessly complex.

No cheese. No overt flavorings. Just eggs and what it takes to make them taste and look like great eggs.

What NOT To Add

Cottage Cheese -- Several recipes I encountered recommended whisking a Tablespoon of small curd cottage cheese in with each egg. Visually, the result was creamy and mildly fluffy scrambled eggs. In terms of taste, the cottage cheese did not contribute or detract from the eggs -- but it did make the dish seem somehow impure. You knew there was something in there besides the egg. The aspect of cottage cheese that secured its fate as a stay-out-of-our-scramble ingredient was that no matter how vigorously you whisked the dish had texture irregularities. Every other bite had the unwelcome surprise of a noticeable cottage cheese curd.

Real Cream - I tried two recipes that used real cream ("the fat skimmed off the top of raw milk" as defined by the Wikipedia Dairy Products Guide). One said to add 1 Tablespoon of real cream per egg. The other instructed the use of 1 and ½ Tablespoons of cream per egg. Both recipes created beautiful eggs with a creamy yellow color. Sadly, the resulting flavor was not so beautiful. In both cases the first bite tasted terrific, but the more I ate the more I had to admit that these eggs were just too creamy. The recipe with 1 and ½ Tablespoons of cream left a slight, unpleasant milky after-taste.

Sour Cream - Scrambled eggs with sour cream can not be considered scrambled eggs in a purist sense. The sour cream adds a distinct flavor. Therefore, scrambled eggs with sour cream will be saved for mention in a future article on specialty or flavored scrambled eggs.

Baking Powder -- Scrambled eggs with a pinch of baking powder per egg had a great appearance. They were fluffy, yet firm. I was surprised to find there was no trace of baking powder taste. Unfortunately, the texture of the scramble in the mouth was uneven with specks of firmer pieces in a single bite.

Sea Salt - When salt is heated it breaks down to the same components regardless whether its table salt or sea salt. As Robert Wolke says in his book What Einstein Told His Cook, "...when a recipe specifies simply 'sea salt' it is a meaningless specification. It might as well be specifying 'meat'." If you see a recipe that says to add sea salt to eggs before whisking…. you can be sure it was written by someone who needs to learn more about the ionic bonds that hold sodium and chlorine together.

Sugar - Eggs, flour and sugar are the primary ingredients of a great many deserts. Remove the flour and you end up with neither desert nor scrambled eggs - at least not from a purist scramble perspective. What you do end up with is a kind of specialty egg dish that deserves further exploration in the field of breakfast. It's not fair to call them scrambled eggs, but their sweetness makes them an interesting complement to pancakes and waffles

What NOT To Do

DON'T beat egg whites until stiff peaks form

With or without added ingredients like sugar and cream of tartar, the result of scrambling looks like a big dollop of melting Crisco crossed with cottage cheese.

DON'T stir eggs slowly for an extended period

I came across one recipe that actually instructed to stir the eggs in the fry pan (heated at your stove's lowest setting) with a wooden spoon for 30 minutes.

First of all, the eggs didn't set after 30 minutes at the lowest heat setting. I tried once more at a slightly higher setting. After 10 minutes, the eggs began to show subtle signs of setting. I continued to stir the eggs in the pan for 10 minutes. The result looked more like butternut squash than any eggs I've ever seen. The texture was close to chewy and the extended cooking time seemed to have cooked away all the flavor of egg

Do It Or Don't - It doesn't Make a Difference

Keep eggs at room temperature before scrambling - Kitchen tests showed no significant difference between room-temperature and refrigerated eggs from the same carton. Refrigeration actually deters the growth of salmonella enteritis. Even though salmonella is very rare (1 out of every 20,000 eggs may contain the bacteria), it is advised that your eggs always remain stored in the refrigerator.

The Art of Scrambling - Proper Technique

The Best Way To Beat Your Eggs

One of the most important ingredients in scrambled eggs is hardly ever mentioned... air. It would be nice if we could just dollop a Tablespoon of air into the mixing bowl, but for the time-being, incorporating air into beaten eggs requires good old-fashioned elbow grease (or the electric equivalent).

The more you whisk -- the more air bubbles become trapped in the shaken and unraveling protein of the eggs. As the eggs cook, protein molecules firm-up around the air bubbles resulting in a spongy texture and hopefully full and fluffy scrambled eggs.

The American Egg Board describes well-beaten eggs as "frothy and evenly colored". When your eggs match that description (generally after about 2 minutes) you should stop beating.

Over-beating will completely unravel the protein molecules and destabilize their ability to form a microscopic casing around the air. In terms of whisking motion, a tilted wheel motion works far better than a vertical stirring motion. A fork works as well as a whisk but requires a slight bit more time and energy.

The Best Way To Scramble In The Pan

The actions you take once the eggs hit the fry pan will dictate the size of the scrambled egg pieces (curds). Some recipes suggest stirring the eggs with a wooden spoon immediately as the eggs hit the heated surface. Others direct you to let the eggs start to set before stirring/scrambling. Of the two, the second method results in larger fluffier pieces.

Getting Hungry?

Before we scramble our brains contemplating the best plate to eat scrambled eggs off of, the texture differentials of eating with a spoon and the ideal temperature of the chair you sit in as you eat... let's get back to the reason we're here. For your breakfast pleasure, The Fish Creek House Presents...

This recipe serves 2 hungry people.

6 large eggs

6 teaspoons (1 teaspoon for each egg) low-fat milk

3 dashes of salt (1 dash for every two eggs)

1 Tablespoon butter for frying

• Heat a large non-stick frying pan to a setting just above medium. A 12-inch pan works well for 6 eggs. Do not add butter yet. We just want get the pan ready.

• In large metal or glass mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk and salt. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.

• Alternatively, you can place the eggs, milk and salt in a blender and blend for 20 to 25 seconds. Allow the mixture to set for a couple minutes to let the foam settle.

• Melt the butter in the frying pan. As the very last of the butter is liquefying, add the egg mixture.

• Do not stir immediately. Wait until the first hint of setting begins. Using a spatula or a flat wooden spoon, push eggs toward center while tilting skillet to distribute runny parts.")

• Continue this motion as the eggs continue to set. Break apart large pieces as they form with your spoon or spatula. You will come to a point where the push-to-center technique is no longer cooking runny parts of the egg. Flip over all the eggs. Allow the eggs to cook 15 to 25 seconds longer. Transfer eggs to serving plates. Add salt and pepper to taste. Eat up!