GriffinThe

The Monthly Journal of North Wales Magic Circle : Cylch Hud Gogledd Cymru

Volume 64 No.8 October 2006

A FAREWELL PRESIDENTIAL

FROM THE DON So far as my year in office goes, this is not the beginning. It is not the end of the beginning , but it is certainly the beginning of the end. After this last contribution to The Griffin, I only have the President’s Address at the AGM and my speech at the Annual Dinner to worry about. Lucky me! Then it will be time to hand over to Peter Hewson, whom I have known long enough and well enough to have no doubt that he will do an excellent job. For those who were not present to hear my announcement at the last meeting, I am extremely sorry to report the sad death of one of our best liked and respected members, John Broomhead, who passed away shortly before the IBM Eastbourne Conference, despite which a goodly

number of senior Circle Members and Officers were able to attend his Funeral Service and to convey our sincere condolences. John will be sadly missed. As to the meeting itself, it was of course President’s Night, and a good time seemed to be had by all. The success or otherwise of such occasions obviously depends on the standard of the entertainment and the food. The fact that the evening seemed to pass muster on both departments is thanks to my good lady, Christine (ably abetted by Marks and Spencer), and to the magical performances of various good friends of mine in the Circle, who took their audience through the complete gamut of emotions, from rolling in the aisles to biting their finger nails in horror and suspense! First on was Howard Fay whose magic was, as always, clever but very funny, finishing with an hilarious chapeaugraphy routine, the like of which I haven’t seen since the halcyon days of the great Tommy Cooper. Then came a rare and special treat indeed, the great Trevor Lewis, with all the suave wit and patter of the seasoned pro that he is, and tricks that just knocked the audience for six. Also on the Bill was to have been Russ Roberts, whose brand of slick self-assured magic I have always admired, but an unfortunate hand injury involving a Stanley Knife, and a very necessary visit to the A & E Ward, put paid to that. Better luck next time,

THEDONis Neally Gone

(But Not Forever!)

Russ. Closing the Bill, however, was Mark Thurold who, true to form, introduced an air of mystery and uncertainty which made sure that Don Gilroy’s President’s Night would be remembered like no other! As some of us might have expected there was an undercurrent of slightly scary suspense throughout Mark’s act, but the culmination was something else again! He finished by having an upright six-inch nail concealed under a paper cup, mixed haphazardly with five other upturned paper cups and then proceeded to play Russian Roulette by smashing the palm of his hand down on each cup of his choice. One, two, three, four. Each time he succeeded in getting away with it, the tension mounted. He really seemed to be struggling too, but how much of his apprehension was real, and how much mere dramatic effect? Then when there were only two cups to go and we were all preparing to heave a vast sigh of relief, he smashed his hand down onto the penultimate cup and.....Ouch, Kerpow.....the cup refused to collapse and there was a spurt of blood. Shades of Chung Ling Soo and the Woodgreen Empire. Oh Boy, were we impressed, even more so as Mark carried on to close his Act to thunderous applause. The ovation that Mark got was not just in recognition of his bravery, but in a real sense because no other outcome could have underlined to anything like the same extent that, whereas trickery is always expected to succeed as a matter of course, when we take the biggest chances we might just be depending on the real thing! Well done, Mark. My thanks also to Paul Hughes and Elliot Carty who baffled so many of our guests with their entertaining close-up magic. Others who contributed to the evening’s success include Bob Scott, and as always, Noel Massey, both of whom do so much for the North Wales Magic Circle. Look forward to seeing you soon, DON.

The Prestige opens in the UK on November 20th. From acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan (Memento, Batman Begins), comes a mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences. From the time that they first met as young magicians on the rise, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) were competitors. However, their friendly competition evolves into a bitter rivalry making them fierce enemies-

for-life and consequently jeopardizing the lives of everyone around them. Full of twists and turns, The Prestige is set against the backdrop of turn-of-the-century London, the exceptional cast includes two-time Oscar winner Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson and David Bowie. Movie trailer and “behind the scenes” on http://theprestige.movies.go.com. Other magic movies in the pipeline include: “Magicians” (in production), “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” (in development), “Carter Beats the Devil” (in development), “Death Defying Acts” (in production) and “The Illusionist” (released in the US earlier this

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As I sit here in the David Copperfield Home for Disillusioned Illusionists, waiting for Matron to come around on her early morning round, distributing the inmate’s teeth (I do hope she gets them right today!), I was pondering about a recent visit to Borders Bookshop in Cheshire Oaks. I was idling my time away, avoiding going back to work and decided to browse their shelves for magic books. I just felt like doing a bit of retail therapy in my eternal search for that elusive magical miracle which would launch my career and make me a household name with all the attendant accolades and female attention.The bookshop has quite a few books on magic and I eagerly flicked through a few in my quest. However, I was very disappointed in that although there are quite a few new titles I’d not seen before, there wasn’t really anything new. In fact, my disappointment grew as I noticed that quite a few of the so-called “new kids on the block” seem to be able to get published using the same old material. Pete Firman, Nicholas Einhorn and another guy (who’s name escapes me, perhaps he was an escapologist) who was supposedly offering the very latest cutting edge “street magic”, all had new books on sale, which on closer inspection had identical effects, most of which had been around since Trevor Lewis was a lad! They told how to produce a lit match from behind a lapel, spooky ashes on the palm of the hand, secretly sliced unpeeled bananas, Perhaps I’m being unfair and that these books are aimed at Joe Public, but the authors all lean heavily on their Magic Circle credentials and generally promise

public adulation for next to no effort. So if that’s all it takes, perhaps I’ll write my own avant-garde manuscript to set the magical world alight. I have thought about this in the past, it was (or is) going to be called “Magic for Dogs” because I used to practice my retention vanish in front of Sam, my old Westie, using dog biscuits. If you can misdirect your dog, a punter will be easily fooled. Now don’t going nicking this fabulous idea!In the end, I bought a book called “The R Crumb Handbook” a book about the life and work of the American cartoonist, famous for politically incorrect, insulting, sexist cartoons. . . .great!

How to Write Your Own Magical Tome.

Ged's G SpotGhanaians say stylish goodbye with fantasy coffinsBy Orla Ryan

TESHIE, Ghana (Reuters) - The day before his mother’s funeral, Donald Rockson had a last-minute change of heart about her bible-shaped coffin.

He had wanted the coffin to reflect his mother’s position as a devout churchgoer in this suburb of Accra, Ghana’s capital.

“She is a church elder so it should be a bible in which she is buried,” he explained. “But the coffin was not nice, it was not presentable.”

Ditching the bible idea, his search for the perfect coffin brought him to Daniel Mensah’s coffin shop.

Rockson, who has saved a video of his mother lying in state on his mobile phone, comments with approval as Mensah and his apprentices pin silk and fix crosses and roses to an ornate white coffin, just minutes before the funeral is due to start.

Funerals are important social occasions

in this West African country and elaborate, brightly coloured coffins have become an art form.

Most customers give Mensah more time than Rockson but all want to give their loved ones a fitting send-off in a

coffin that honours who they were and what they did.

Fantasy coffins shaped like Coca-Cola bottles, chickens, cars, cameras,

birds and bibles are all on sale in Teshie.

First popularised in the 1950s, the coffins cost between $300 (163 pounds) and $800 in a country where many live on barely $2 a day.

Some say the coffin represents an aspiration, or pride in the achievements of a short earthly stay in a poor country.

“If you can’t acquire it, you can at least be buried in it,” said Kwame Labi, a research fellow at the University of Ghana’s Institute of African Studies.

“It is born out of economic crisis, out of trying to build confidence and pride in what life you have.”

FITTING FAREWELL

In many African countries, rich funeral traditions have been eroded by poverty and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS but Ghana’s stability and the relative prosperity in the world’s second largest cocoa exporter

have helped preserve these traditions.

Most weekends, funeral parties are held across the former British colony. In some towns, large billboards advertise the time and place of the “homecoming” or “farewell”, usually accompanied by a picture of the deceased.

Other people take out full-page national newspaper adverts, inviting all to the funeral, but the most vivid expressions of this commitment to saying goodbye are the fantasy coffins.

Farmer Christoph Miensa Kofi Azornu harvested palm fruits and tapped palm trees, distilling their content into a popular local gin called akpeteshie.

When he died earlier this year aged 82, his 12 children agreed he should be buried in a palm fruit-shaped coffin.

“Our father is dead ... He will be buried once and for all. However expensive it is, we feel that is the last way of according him respect,” his son Ruben Kumah said.

“He lived all his life on his palm oil plantation, he loved that profession,” Kumah added.

Thousands of people are expected to attend the three-day funeral in the Volta Region. Kumah and his siblings are making sure enough palm trees are uprooted to provide akpeteshie for all the guests.

For Kumah, the coffin says what a thousand words could not.

“This is an illiterate community. There are no articles or magazines written about him. We feel ... that with the provision of a coffin like this, everybody who sees it will know.”

Buying a good coffin also offers a chance, some believe, to calm an angry spirit, who could wreak havoc from the next world.

In many African communities, Christian faith often co-exists with traditional beliefs in a world of spirits.

Brigid Sackey, a professor in the University of Ghana’s African Studies department, explained the reasoning

“The dead person is a spiritual being. He has more power than we have. If we send you off in style, you won’t send disaster, drought or famine back,” Sackey said.

For others, fantasy coffins are a unique art form.

International collectors and museums sometimes snap up elaborate examples, paying up to $2,000 per item, a price justified by the use of more expensive wood.

It’s not just the money that coffin makers like veteran Paa Joe, who spends weeks shaping, sandpapering and polishing his works, find attractive.

“It can take a few weeks to get the shape complete and then it is in the grave. It is

better to have it in the gallery or museum and then everyone will see it,” he laughs.

Chester Guild of Magicians 50th Anniversary. To celebrate their anniversary Stephen

Cooil has booked the function room at the Ramada Hotel, Christleton, Chester, for an evening of magic and celebration starring spectacular award winning illusionists Safire, and close-up award winner David Jones. Tickets, which include a three course dinner, are £30.00 each from Treasurer Phil Fairclough on 0151 355 8340

Brian Mills aka Brioni, sadly passed away on 19th September after suffering a heart attack. He was 63 going on 16! Maybe, not many NWMC members know or remember Brioni, not a member of our club but a member and great ambassador for Chester Guild of Magicians. I'll make no apology for remembering him here. Brioni was obsessed with magic; even his tattoos were rabbits in top hats. Primarily known for his “Magic Bricks” children’s magic, he was also a great all-rounder, always willing to help out with anything, whether it was magic or not. For years he looked after the finances of the guildHis Magic Bricks shows contained magic, fun, balloon modelling, audience participation and for some of shows plate spinning. They had a central theme of children’s building bricks. But with 7 different shows, schools and children’s clubs etc booked him again and again.Inside the bricks were magic tricks, which had been designed especially with children in mind (Brioni didn’t use fire or blades). The tricks had a children’s story line involving Wizards, Giants, Dwarfs, Cowboy and Indians, Pirates, Animals, Magic Pictures and magical versions of topical, Disney and standard popular children’s stories. At the end of the shows the bricks provided a special finish with the appearance of a Live Magic Rabbit.

Ged, Rob and me went to Brioni’s funeral, (which whilst I’m on my soapbox, could

have been better attended my member of the Guild). I believe Frank and Bev went to the graveside. True to the style of the man, we listened to Queen’s “It’s a Kind of Magic” and watch Brioni’s final gig in the most amazing magical coffin I’ve ever seen. It was decorated with clouds and sky with a huge top hat, wand and cascading cards. Now I’m sure a few of you will be thinking “How tacky” or “How Cheap”. You’re wrong! It was brilliant, very professionally made and for a true lover of the magic arts, the perfect way to go!

I’ve not been to Chester Gild of Magicians for ages, so I’d not seen Brioni for some time, but I’m glad to have known the gentle kind man of magic and I’ll miss him.Our condolences go to his family and his long term glamourous assistant Jane.

Brioni

MadCowCornerMadCowCorner

‘It was Magic!’ This was the comment of Terry Herbert as this years Convention of the British Ring of the International Brotherhood of Magicians held in Eastbourne closed. All the performers were superb, the lecturers most generous in the routines presentations and advice they gave, both stage and close-up competitions keenly contested and a Dealers Exhibition catering for everybody’s needs. In a word it was a triumphant. Acknowledgement for its undoubted success must go to its overall organiser John Pye, who with all the officers of the British Ring and the Ring’s Stage and Musical Directors gave months of dedicated work to collate and stage a well-balanced programme of events. . 1322 came, they saw, they participated and they left Eastbourne on Sunday fully satisfied with what they had witnessed.

To name the highlight of the Convention is virtually impossible. There were so many! It comes down to individual choice be it a stage or close-up performer. It was the same with the lectures and workshops. This is not surprising since there were 32 stage acts, 6 close-up workers and 11 lectures/workshops. What a delight it was to hear Michael Close boogie-woogie the ivories so majestically.

What else happened? Mark Raffles with the untiring support of his wife Joan completed their year as President and President’s Lady endearing themselves to everybody not only at the Convention, but also the many that they meet during their journeys around the country. At the conclusion both handed over their Chains of Office to the incoming President John Styles MBE and his Lady, Barbara. The British Ring is proud

to have John as its President for the current year. We know throughout his year he will do his utmost to promote the prestige of the British Ring and advance magic as a performing art. At the Annual General Meeting it was proposed and accepted that the President Elect would be Derek MacFaull the present Chief Welfare officer and Ring Chaplin. Southport was approved as the venue for the 2007 Convention, the dates being the 11th to 16th September.

Stage Competition ResultsBritish Ring Shield, plus £1000 - Paul Dabek of OswestryRunner Up, Theo Speaker Cup plus £500 - Joe Ray of ShrewsburyThird Place, Alastair Wand plus £250 - Graham Lee of SuttonDittia Shield for Manipulation - Joe Ray of ShrewsburyConventioneers Trophy for Originality - Graham Lee of SuttonTom Harris Cup for Comedy - Paul Ray of Shrewsbury

For the Shield Paul Dabek was a worthy winner giving an action packed magical

Reveiw of The British Ring Convention, Eastbourne 2006

performance with a projected personality, which reached out to the very back of the Congress Theatre. He has now completed the ‘double’ having previously been a winner of the Young Magician of the Year of The Magic Circle. A very bright future in the world of entertainment is predicted for this young man.Scooping two prizes was Joe Ray, Grandson to Geoff and Pat Ray former winners themselves of the Shield. Not only did Joe come second in the competition taking The Theo Speaker Cup but also emulating his Grandfather by winning The Dittia Shield for manipulation. Geoff and Pat were so very proud when in addition to Joe’s awards it was announced that son Paul was the recipient of the Tom Harris Cup for Comedy. That Friday night was a great time for celebrating for the Ray family.There was another double winner, Graham Lee. With his innovative act of presenting standard magical effects using not the recognized props but balloons. This hilarious act took Graham into third place and The Alastair Wand and won him The conventioneers Trophy for originality. Regretfully there being no lady competitors The Craig Trophy for the best Lady performer could not be awarded. Come on ladies make sure some of you compete next year at Southport and save John Palfreyman having to have the custody of it for the year!It was the first time the organisation of the competition had been undertaken and introduced by Shirley Ray and what a splendid job she made of it bringing in several of her own innovations. She resurrected the practice of many years ago by having the names of each competitor being carried across the stage by a glamorous lady magician and then displayed on a stand. This was enhanced on three occasions by the task being undertaken by Peter Greenwood in drag. So successful was he in this role he is now open for an

engagement as Dame in Pantomime.

Close-up Competition ResultsZina Bennett Cup plus £1000 - Marc Oberon of NottinghamSecond Prize of £500 - Chris Power of LondonThird Prize of £250 - Steve Dela of Newport ShropshireThe ‘Rovi Trophy’ for most skilled entertaining Card magic - Steve Dela of Newport Shropshire

It came as no surprise that Marc Oberon had won the Zina Bennett Cup. He had given a faultless display using cards, coins and a key routine cumulating with the production of one of jumbo proportions. Chris Power took second place with his laid-back performance of cards and a final production of coins through a diaphanous square. Steve Dela was third with his cups and balls performed to music and intricate card work. For the first time The Rovi Trophy was presented to Steve Dela for exhibiting a high standard of skill with playing cards in an entertaining manner. Organiser Bryan Atherton is to be congratulated in the exemplary manner in which the competition was run.Each year The Craig Trophy is awarded to the dealer presenting the most attractive display, the judging being done by a display manager from one of Eastbourne’s Department Stores. This year the Award went to Colin Rose’s Five of Hearts Magic Productions.

It was very gratifying that many of you remained to see the Stars of the Future Show on Sunday morning. There were excellent performances from all the participants and your appreciation must have given them all a great boost. Thank you for stopping and supporting them.

Magician and comedian Paul Zenon believes that the end is nigh for television as we know it. Despite making regular TV appearances himself, he believes that reality shows are turning us off the box and, far from the lack of traditional entertainment shows on the box sounding the death knell for variety, audiences are now queuing round the block to see the kind of live acts that used to have us rolling in the aisles.

“I’m grateful that TV work has helped pay the mortgage over the years, but you can’t beat being part of an audience in a good old-fashioned live show. I’ve just returned from Edinburgh Festival and, despite there being over two thousand shows of every kind to choose from, punters were queuing for two hours for standing-room to see a roller-skating acrobatic act, grandma-rap artiste Ida Barr leading an unforgettable ‘urban’ rendition of ‘Underneath the Arches’, and Norwegian rubber-man Captain Frodo squeezing his entire body through a tennis racquet. Certainly not something you’re likely to see in the talent-free zone that today’s TV has become.

These latter-day variety stars feature in a show called ‘La Clique’, a sexy late-night circus burlesque spectacle reminiscent of something you might have seen in the Moulin Rouge a hundred years ago. The show is housed in the Famous Spiegeltent, one of several portable wood and glass edifices adorned with engraved mirrors, polished parquet flooring and billowing big top roofs - imagine a covered fairground carousel with performers rather than

horses. Originating in Germany in the 1920s, they’ve been touring and exhibiting speciality acts ever since, playing

everywhere from Edinburgh to Brighton via Adelaide and New York, where La Clique’s sister show ‘Absinthe’ is currently playing to packed houses. The dozen or so performers will be heading to join the Spiegeltent in Melbourne in October for a three-month

run, with the exception of a few - myself included - who will pitch up and perform a few guest spots there and in Sydney and Auckland next spring. Most of the acts perform in the centre of the tent on a podium 6 feet in diameter, mere inches from the nearest audience members’ faces - more than exciting when a misplaced roller skate would most certainly spell A&E for performer and spectator alike. As Captain Frodo says while wrapping both legs around his neck, his posterior perched precariously on the top of a tower of tin cans, “It’s amazing what people can do.”

Of course, television never could capture the anticipation, the laughs, the astonishment and the joie de vivre of a show like this - obviously you need to actually be there to appreciate the atmosphere and feel a part of the happening - and it gave up trying in the late 80’s when performance-based shows such as Seaside Special and Sunday Night at the London Palladium were consigned to the ‘naff’ skip, variety being referred to since behind closed doors as ‘the V word’.

The biggest laugh of all this season was that, among the hundreds of disappointed punters vainly hoping to be squeezed into one of La Clique’s shows (it has

Variety is the Spice of Life

sold out every single performance for the three years that it’s been running), were several determined bigwigs from a major TV channel who tried to use their status to bypass the queue. “Sorry, we’re still full” was the response of Spiegeltent impresario David Bates. “We don’t need the publicity, thanks.”

Strangely, rather than refusing to die in the 80’s, a whole new generation of extraordinary performers has emerged to perform in the 21st Century - some from traditional or ‘new wave’ circuses, some from the street, some from the hip and happening burlesque clubs which have blossomed in recent times, and many from the same comedy club circuit where big name acts such as Lee Evans and Harry Hill cut their teeth, they too having their roots very much in the Music Hall tradition.

Whatever inspired these people to practice and perfect turns that would have made even our great-great grandparents feel largely at home in a 2006 audience, it certainly wasn’t the promise of conventional stardom; most novelty acts perform for 3 to 10 minutes and take years to perfect, contrasting sharply with the chew ‘em up and spit ‘em out high-volume appetite of television these days where the accolade of ‘celebrity’ seems largely reserved for those not over-burdened with talent; most these days being famous simply for being famous, and then only fleetingly. Of course there are exceptions in the TV reality pool; Pop Idol, X-Factor and the like have their roots in shows such as Opportunity Knocks and New Faces and stand out in that, despite the sniping of the egocentric ‘judges’, the contestants do actually need to have discernible skills. While TV nowadays seems to focus ever more on personal conflict, there’s an undeniable and deeply unfashionable feel-good factor associated with these variety

turns and their shows and an endearing aspect of their world is the overwhelming sense of camaraderie and the support offered by the acts and crew to one-another, despite the obvious differences of specialisation, age and nationality. There’s a mutual respect and it’s the norm to see an octogenarian pickpocket from Blackpool helping a teenage Ukranian trapeze artiste with their act backstage - other than the freakshow comparison, a greater contrast with Big Brother would be hard to imagine.

And thank goodness these people do what they do - without them there would be no Stomp, no Tap Dogs, no Blue Man Group and no Cirque De Soleil pulling in the crowds in theatreland. The latter company, incidentally, now has five permanent shows in Las Vegas and several touring ones worldwide employing tens of thousands of people, and reputedly has thirty-odd full-time talent scouts on the books - shove that up your scheduling.

Deprived of good old-fashioned entertainment on the box, it’s little wonder that the public are hungry for a taste of nostalgia with a new-wave twist; the largely-hidden corporate market is now a massive employer of entertainers, the cruise ship market has almost shed it’s blue-rinse image and is bigger than ever, and arts festivals worldwide provide appreciative audiences with a little romantic escapism coupled with a good laugh. If you really want to watch ordinary people doing ordinary things in everyday surroundings, then turn off the telly and go and sit in a bus shelter. Me? I’m going to run away with the circus.” © Paul Zenon, September 2006. First published in the Sunday Express

Magician Jonathan Pendragon, star of the show “The Ghosts of Broadway,” which was scheduled to come to the Hattiesburg Saenger Theatre on Oct. 15, escaped death over the weekend when he was wounded as he took a shot to the heart while experimenting with a new illusion utilizing a bow and arrow. The Pendragons’ “The Ghosts of Broadway” has been rescheduled for January. From his hospital bed Jonathan Pendragon said, “As a former stuntman and as a competitive archer, this is something that I have done countless times and always successfully. Unfortunately, this one time, something went terribly wrong. The next thing I remember was being in an ambulance.” Calling it a modern miracle of medicine and perhaps a little bit of magic, doctors expect a full recovery. “I am looking forward to being back on stage and performing with the cast of ‘Ghosts of Broadway.’ “ Jonathan Pendragon said. This is not the first time that Jonathan Pendragon has cheated death. In September 1992, he was mauled on stage while attempting to produce a tiger. He was back performing within four weeks. “When I think of what happened to Roy (Siegfried & Roy) and Steve Irwin, I feel I have been truly blessed. I might be the luckiest person alive,”

Jonathan Pendragon

Escapes Death

That paragon of Magic, Trefor Lewis has been honoured (that's the way to spell it) once again, in recoganition of his lifetime of contributions to magic and in particular, children's magic.This was the plaque that was presented to Tefor Lewis at this years Kidabra Convention in Pigeon Forge. It reads,

"KIDABRA INTERNATIONAL. Lifetime Contribution to Childrens Magic. presented on this Day.. Saturday, August

19th 2006. We Honor and Recognise our Friend

TREVOR LEWIS. His Creative Genius Has Enabled

Thousands of Performers To Bring Smiles to Millions of Children."

Well Done Trefor!!

CLEVER TREFOR

Magician David Blaine may have alternately impressed or irritated people with his acts and stunts, but one man claims that they’re not tricks at all, but derive from stealing “godly powers.” Minnesota man Christopher Roller has sued the 32-year-old entertainer, claiming he didn’t get permission to use Roller’s powers to perform his magical acts. The man filed a similar lawsuit earlier in the year against David Copperfield seeking $50 million. In the earlier suit, Roller had insisted that Copperfield or an assistant perform Copperfield’s act to demonstrate that the tricks are only “smoke and mirrors” and can be explained using science or physics. Only then would Roller accept that the trick was not “godly.” Roller also directed readers to his website for insight into his life. A banner there reads: “You are looking at the face of God. Don’t confuse this with the face of cod, like the fish.” If this weren’t a hint that maybe Roller’s allegations are suspect, the site includes other outrageous claims such as saying that he’s the inspiration for the Jim Carrey film, “The Truman Show,” and that Bill Gates will be his running mate in the 2008 election. Blaine is known for his endurance acts, including being buried alive, encasing himself in ice and standing atop an 83-foot pillar. His last feat earned him the title of “Biggest Loser” of 2003 in a British poll. He spent 44 days without food in a see-through plastic box suspended over the River Thames in London. This Halloween he will perform a high-wire act in Manhattan, which will launch a series of TV specials for ABC.

Magician Blaine Sued

for Stealing ‘Godly Powers’

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1930’s 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s !!First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us.They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn’t get tested for diabetes.Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints.We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren’t overweight because......WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We did not have Playstations, Nintendo’s, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet

chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them! We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were not given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them! The school had trials and not everyone made the team. Those who didn’t had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL! And YOU are one of them!CONGRATULATIONS! You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good. and while you are at it, tell it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were. Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn’t it?!

PS -This is available in BIG TYPE if your eyes are shot at your age

President: Don Gilroy25 Maes y Coed, Deganwy, Conwy. LL31 9NQ

tel: 01492 573473President Elect: Peter Hewson

Secretary & Welfare Secretary: Arthur Booker

4 Bodelwyddan Avenue, Kinmel Bay, Rhyl, LL18 5BW

tel: 01745 330733Treasurer: Robert Scott

3 Pendyffryn Road, Rhyl, LLI8 4RU01745 351918

Book Librarian: Eddie Hughes & Paul Hughes

“Taklakot”, Craig Road, Old Colwyn, Conway.LL29 9HN

tel: 01492 516712Video Librarian: Mark Thurold

8 Avon Court, Connah's Quay, Deeside, Flintshire CH5 4UN

tel: 0779 353 0634Entertainments Secretary: Noel MasseyThe Stables, Brookpark Farm, Chester Road,

Northop Hall, Mold. Flintshire. CH7 6NJtel: 01244 812813

Competition Organiser: Russell Roberts17 Maes Cynfaen, Brynford, Holywell

CH8 8LAtel: 01352 716 845

Photographer & Griffin Editor: Howie Fay"Witzend" 10 The Rowans, Broughton, Chester.

CH4 0TDtel: 01244 534894(home) tel: 01928 750 374(office)

email: editor@griffinmagazine.co.ukCommittee Members

Paul EdwardsSteven Clayton

Dave Baker

The Committee

Oriel House Hotel Upper Denbigh Road , Asaph St

LL17 0LW

Set in three acres with gardens overlooking the Vale of Clwyd, Oriel House Hotel is centrally located for North Wales being two minutes from the A55 and twenty five minutes from Chester

Directions to Oriel House Hotel From Chester, turn off the A55 on junction 27A Signposted Denbigh. Take the Denbigh Road which runs alongside the Cathedral. Oriel House is approximately one mile from the cathedral and is situated on the right hand side.

From Conwy Turn off the A55 signposted St. Asaph, taking the right hand junction at the roundabout, continue to the next mini-roundabout taking the first left. Then continue through St. Asaph town centre taking a right turn just after the Cathedral. Oriel House is located 1 mile down the road on the right hand side.

Directions to the NWMC

Dinner

Oriel House Hotel

Aries March 21 - April 19Years of treasured recollections dating all the way back to your childhood will be lost forever when a four-story fall exposes your photographic memory to daylight

Taurus April 20 - May 20While studies have long found laughter to be good for one’s heart, a new medical report will soon reveal it to be unbelievably bad for one’s pancreas

Gemini May 21 - June 21

You’ve always claimed to keep a rifle in the house in case a bear ever broke in, but many will still be shocked by what happens when a hirsute and heavyset homosexual mistakenly wanders into your home.

Cancer June 22 - July 22

While no proverb currently exists to warn you of the dangers of next week’s events, dozens will soon be hastily written to prevent others from suffering a similar fate.

Leo July 23 - August 22

Sure, you may be disappointed with your lackluster weight-loss results, but keep your chin up, as it helps to prevent the deep folds of fat from amassing into a disturbing mound under your jaw.

Virgo August 23 - September 22

They say you can’t judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes, but after 1,500yards, you’re beginning to suspect he’d like to have his sneakers back.

Libra September 23 - October 23

You’ve often said you’d kill for a good piece of cheesecake, but the sad truth is you’re not prepared to go beyond savagely mutilating someone with a rusty bayonet for it.

Scorpio October 24 - November 21

You will struggle next week to take pleasure in the little things in life, particularly the flagellated protozoan parasite Giardia lamblia, which will manifest itself in your gastrointestinal tract and inflict agonizing abdominal pain.

Sagittarius November 22 - December 21

This week, you and 47,500 others will bury a comprehensive time capsule that will precisely reflect modern Welsh life after a massive earthquake splits the ground open and swallows an entire city

Capricorn December 22 - January 19

It’s easier to catch flies with honey than vinegar, but you’ll soon learn it’s easier to catch typhoid fever that way, too.

Aries November 22 - December 21You’ll have a hard time putting what it is that you don’t like about your new neighbour into words next week, particularly after he slices through your larynx with a cheese grater

Pisces February 19 - March 20

While it’s possible that, one day, you’ll be able to forgive your spouse for walking out on your children, you will never forgive them for walking out on your children without you.

Your 2006 Stars

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