This is a classic magic trick that involves something everybody loves. Money. And not just any money, free money that magically appears out of nowhere. In this trick you will convince any audience of your alchemical powers.
Here’s what it will look like to your small up close audience. Either sitting or standing, you proudly and boldly proclaim that you have solved the mystery of alchemy and can pull money straight from thin air. You are filthy rich, and you have more money than you know what to do with. Skeptical, your audience will close in and demand proof of your new found ability.
Pull your sleeves up to ensure that nothing untoward is going on. You say some magic words, and rub your palms together while channeling the ghost of Krosus (the guy who invented money.) While you are rubbing our palms together, paper money will suddenly fly everywhere. People will naturally demand that you repeat the trick, but you tell them you can only channel Krosus (or whoever) once every couple hours or so. Naturally, if you tell them you need a drink to repeat this trick, people will line up to buy you one.
Here’s how to do the trick. First, contact the ghost of Krosus. If he’s not available, then you take a roll of bills, any denomination, and roll the up as tightly as you can. Roll your jacket up about halfway between your wrist and your elbow, and stick the bills in the arm opposite your dominant hand. This will become clear in a minute.
As you are carefully repeating the ancient and magical words, show your hands are empty, and proceed to roll up your sleeves. Start first by rolling up the sleeve with your dominant hand, and quickly slip the bills into your palm. Do this quickly, while you are mumbling something completely incoherent, in order to keep them distracted. Then roll up your other sleeve, and start rubbing your palms together.
As you rub your palms together, simply allow the money to naturally unroll, and fall out as it does so, landing wherever it does. Pretend that the cash is coming from beyond the living-spirit divide, and keep rubbing your hands together after all the money has fallen.
This trick takes a bit of mirror practice, and a quick bit of preparation, but it’s well worth it to see the lock on their faces when money starts flying everywhere. A good alternative is to do this with monopoly money, or other play money, and tell them that Krosus (or whoever) has the night off. Of course, the best place to do this is at bars or parties where people are in a good mood and maybe have had something to drink.
To learn the shockingly easy secret of Magic Tricks Revealed, head on over to Miles Sunkest’s Magic Tricks Revealed page now.
Posted on 23 February '10 by Miles Sunkest, under Entertainment. No Comments.
This deceptively simple money magic trick is a fantastic party or bar trick, and will quickly have you at the center of conversation. It’s easy to learn and the only prop you need can easily be secreted away in any small pocket.
Here’s how the trick looks to the audience. You ask to borrow a couple of coins, preferably pennies, or pence pieces if you are in Britain. Any other currency, you must get coins that are made from copper. Make sure you don’t get any aluminum coins, as that is the currency in some countries.
Once you have two coins, you rub them together and say a few magic words. The more strange sounding the magic words are, the better. And then, through your incredible powers of telepathy and other worldly skills, the two coins will magically stick together like glue. You touch one to the other, and will be able to pick it up off the table. If you give the two coins back to their original owner, it will be impossible for them to duplicate this trick.
Here’s the secret. You’ll need to get a small Neodymium magnet. These are cheap and you can buy them online or from any hobby shop. Get one small enough to hide between your forefinger and middle finger on either hand. Just make sure that the coin in your hand is in contact with the magnet at all times. That will magnetize the coin, so it will pick up the other coin.
This requires a bit of misdirection and some patter. Talk up a good game, before, during, and after the trick. And be careful not to spend too much time showing them that the coins are sticking together. Hold them together long enough so they will notice that the coins are sticking, and then give them the coins back. You want the focus on your hands only long enough to see that the coins are stuck together, then quickly shift he focus to the coins, rather than your hands, but giving them back to the original owner.
This is a great trick because it only takes a little bit of practice, and the only prop you need to carry around with you is a small magnet. Anyplace people have had a couple of drinks is perfect for this trick. This is also a great bar trick, as their are usually coins that are sitting around on the table for whatever reason.
One way to do this trick is to go right into it without any announcement whatsoever. Just pick up one coin, touch it with the hidden magnet in your hand, and then use it to pick up another coin. Look at them with surprise and astonishment, (long enough for somebody else to notice) and then quickly put them back down. That way the focus will be on the coins, and not your hands. Of course, everybody else at your table will try and repeat this, but won’t be able to. If you can do a good job of acting innocent and clueless, you can have great fun with this trick.
If you want to learn some fantastic Magic Tricks Revealed, Have a look at Miles Sunkest’s Magic Tricks Revealed page today.
Posted on 23 February '10 by Miles Sunkest, under Entertainment. No Comments.
The Arizona Cardinals haven’t looked anything like a Superbowl team in the NFL preseason. They entered their final exhibition contest against the Denver Broncos looking for their first win. The Broncos controlled the contest on both sides of the ball en route to a 19-0 shutout victory over the struggling Cards. Denver managed to improve their preseason record to 1-3, while Arizona ended the exhibition campaign winless at 0-4.
Arizona was installed as -3 road favorites, but NFL preseason bettors who backed Denver ended up collecting the money with the outright win. The Broncos scored 16 of their 19 points in the first half, and the eventual outcome”straight up or against the spread”was never really in doubt after that. The 19 points also went UNDER the posted total of 36.
Denvers biggest issue has been injuries, with their starting QB Kyle Orton and backup Chris Simms both out of action. Orton is suffering from a cut and dislocated finger on his throwing hand, while Simms is recovering from a sprained ankle. That provided a great opportunity for rookie Tom Brandstater, and he may find himself playing next Sunday for real. Brandstater finished with 187 yards on 16 of 30 passing with one interception, but moved the team well as the Broncos managed to avoid the dubious fate of the first winless preseason in nearly 50 years (1960). Afterwards, Broncos coach Josh McDaniels was full of praise for his young signal caller:
“For a rookie quarterback, and I’ve had a chance to coach a number of them, he’s really done a nice job. It’s not too big for him, the game’s not too big for him, the huddle’s not too big for him. He operated with that first unit pretty good.”
Brandstater is keeping it all in perspective:
“Things happen — just last week alone with the Kyle injury. That’s a pretty freak accident that no one can predict at all. I’m glad I got my shot and hopefully I did some good with it. I’m trying to make this team. I still haven’t guaranteed myself a spot in this team and I’m trying to do everything I can to make it just like every guy on the team is.”
Arizona played starting Kurt Warner and their first string offense for several series, but they were again ineffective. Cards head coach Ken Whisenhunt tried to put a positive spin on a winless preseason:
“We’ll clean it up. I still feel good about our football team and the way we’ve been working.
QB Kurt Warner, meanwhile, was much less enthusiastic:
“I never really felt like I got into a rhythm today for whatever reason. I’m looking forward to game-planning a team, putting in some plays and some things we’ve done in the past that we really haven’t done in preseason. I’m looking forward to all of that. But you still don’t leave preseason extremely excited about what we’ve accomplished.”
Arizona will try to put their dismal preseason behind them when they kick off the 2009 NFL campaign at home against the San Francisco 49ers. The Cards are a -6 point home favorite, with the total set at 46. Denver will play on the road against the Bengals at Cincinnati in their regular season opener. Cincinnati has been installed as a -4 home favorite with the total set at 43.
Ross Everett is a respected freelance writer who covers travel, poker and NFL football handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, falconry and deep sea diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Posted on 22 February '10 by Ross Everett, under Sports. No Comments.
The often maligned Indianapolis Colts defense matched the ferocity of their Jacksonville Jaguars counterparts play for play, and one touchdown pass from Peyton Manning proved to be enough to earn victory by a 14-12 margin in the NFL season opener for both teams. The victory was Manning’s 118th in a Colts uniform, tying the legendary Johnny Unitas for the franchise lead. Unitas, of course, was the personification of the franchise during their years in Baltimore.
NFL sports betting enthusiasts who took the Jaguars as +6 road underdogs were rewarded with the pointspread cover. Indianapolis dropped to 11-16 ATS over the past three years when favored. The 26 combined points went well UNDER the posted total of 45. Despite their reputation as an offensive juggernaut, the Colts have actually trended to the UNDER over the past three seasons, with 19 UNDERs in their past 35 lined games. The Jaguars, conversely, have a slight edge to the OVER in that span with a 19-14 mark over the past three years. Thats somewhat counterintuitive for a team best known for their defense.
After the contest, Manning displayed his characteristic humility when asked about tying the mark held by the iconic Unitas:
“I’ve never felt comfortable with comparisons with him. I think he’s kind of in his own category. But I am proud of those wins.”
Manning was more concerned about the welfare of receiver Anthony Gonzalez who left late in the first quarter with an injury:
“I asked Rashean Matthis what happened and he said, ‘I didn’t even touch him . He has worked so hard in the offseason, I just hope it’s not a season-ending injury.”
Colts coach Jim Caldwell was pleased with the effort of the defense:
“Obviously, the defense played well and came up big at the end. We thought it would be a grind, and it was. I think our team certainly played tough, played hard, played with a lot of energy.”
Jacksonville wasnt overly discouraged after the contest either, pleased with the intensity and their effectiveness in shutting down one of the NFLs best offenses. Maurice Jones-Drew gave props to the Indy defense after the game:
“They just did a great job in the red zone stifling our offense. My hat’s off to them. But we have to learn how to finish.”
Quarterback David Garrard also paid respect to the tenacity of the Indy pass rush:
“I thought, ‘Here we go again, we have a great chance. You love to be in that situation. We were trying to get the ball to Maurice, but you’ve got to slow those pass rushers down. We did what we could do.”
The Jaguars will open their 2009 NFL home slate on Sunday as they host the Arizona Cardinals. Theyll travel to Houston for a game against the Texans the following week. The Colts will head to south Florida for a game against the Miami Dolphins on Monday night.
Ross Everett is a respected freelance writer experienced in travel, casino gambling and college football handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and deep sea diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Posted on 22 February '10 by Ross Everett, under Entertainment. No Comments.
Matthew Stafford has yet to play a regular season NFL game and hes already the Detroit Lions starting quarterback. First year coach Jim Schwartz named Stafford as his starter for the teams opening game of the NFL regular season against the New Orleans Saints. Stafford beat out veteran Daunte Culpepper for the spot, though Schwartz went out of his way to stress that the rookie won the job as opposed to Culpepper losing it.
Schwartz made clear that hes very confident with his personnel at the position including third stringer Drew Stanton:
“I’ve had a lot of very tough decisions in the last few days — guys making the 53-man roster or not making it — but none more difficult than at quarterback. We announced to our team this morning that Matt Stafford is going to be our starting quarterback.”
“I’m very, very comfortable with the quarterback position here, not just one and two, but also three. What made this decision difficult was that I think we can win with Daunte Culpepper, I think we can with Matt Stafford, and I think we can win with Drew Stanton.
Stafford indicated that while hes always been confident that hed be named the teams starter he didnt know for sure until Schwartz gave him the word:
“I definitely thought I was going to be the guy, but as competitive as Daunte is, I’m sure he thought he was going to be the guy, too. Coach Schwartz called me in this morning and told me, and I went out and practiced with the first team. That was exciting.”
Despite the Lions dismal 0-16 record a year ago, Stafford stressed that he wants to win:
“I’m going to try to win football games. I think, just like everyone else on this team, that we can go out on Sunday and be competitive against the Saints and give ourselves a chance to win the game. That’s our job.”
Schwartz said that he plans to give his quarterback the opportunity plenty of margin for error as he learns the ropes:
“This isn’t an internship. This isn’t a trial basis. He’s our starting quarterback. We said that, to win the job, he had to be ready, and he had to be our best quarterback, and that’s what he has shown.”
He continued with praise for Culpepper:
“Daunte Culpepper is back — there’s no doubt in my mind and there’s no doubt around this league. He’s going to be back as a starting quarterback in this league, and with a high level of success.”
Culpepper didnt speak to the media, but that wasnt a surprise since he never speaks to the media. Stafford had some props for his backup:
“I’m sure it is tough for him, but Daunte’s been great for me and he will continue to be. I can’t think of a better guy to learn from and to have in my corner.”
The Lions will start the NFL regular season at New Orleans on Sunday. Theyll play the following two games at home, hosting the Minnesota Vikings in week #2 and the Washington Redskins on Sunday, September 27.
Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer specializing in travel, casino gambling and NFL football handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and scuba diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Posted on 22 February '10 by Ross Everett, under Business. No Comments.
The good news for the Kansas City Chiefs as they prepare for the start of the NFL regular season is that their starting quarterback is back at practice. The bad news is that they still dont know when hell be able to play. Matt Cassel returned to the Chiefs practice field on Monday for the first time since he injured his left knee in a NFL preseason game on August 29th. Still, theres been no confirmation from either he or the team as to when hell return to action. The Chiefs don’t want to take any chances with Cassel due to the inexperience of their backup QB corps.
Cassel, who saw his stock shoot up precipitously as an NFL QB following his solid play in New England after starter Tom Brady went down to a season ending injury, signed a longterm deal with Kansas City in the off season. Although Cassel was in full uniform at Mondays practice, head coach Todd Haley was noncommittal about whether he or Brodie Croyle would start Sundays NFL regular season opener on the road against the Baltimore Ravens:
“I think that as the week goes on, we’ll know a little bit more. We’ll know a little bit more with Matt for sure. But it was good that he was out there. He was able to get through some things. As the week goes on a little further, we’ll know a little more as far as where he’s at.”
“It’s good this is a long week. That will help with anybody who’s nicked up. I would say generally you would need to have a full practice to have a chance to play. Generally, you need to have a full Friday practice to have a chance.”
With or without Cassel, the Chiefs offense sputtered in the preseason scoring only two touchdowns. The lack of productivity cost offensive coordinator Chan Gailey his job and Kansas City stumbled to a 0-4 record in their NFL exhibition contests. Haley has taken over the offensive play calling for the time being, though it made no difference in the Chiefs final preseason game. Neither Croyle nor third stringer Tyler Thigpen was particularly sharp in preseason play, though Croyle got the most work and should get the nod on Sunday if Cassell is unable to play. Better to bring Cassel back slowly even if it means losing a game or two rather than rush him back and potentially have him re-injure his knee.
No matter who ends up under center for Kansas City as they start their NFL regular season, theyll face a tough assignment against the defensive tenacity of the Baltimore Ravens. The Chiefs will welcome the Oakland Raiders to Kansas City in week 2 of the NFL season, and play the next game on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Ross Everett is a well known freelance writer specializing in travel, poker and NFL football handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, falconry and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Posted on 22 February '10 by Ross Everett, under Entertainment. No Comments.
Tony Romo passed for a NFL career best 353 yards and threw three touchdown passes as the Dallas Cowboys got their 2009 season off to a good start with a 34-21 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Raheem Morris went down in defeat in his debut as Bucs head coach.
The Cowboys easily covered the pointspread as -4 road favorites, and improved to 16-12 over the last three years when laying points. Tampa Bay dropped to 17-17 over the same timeframe as an underdog.
After the game Roy Williams, who will be counted on to take up the slack from the loss of T.O., couldnt resist a wisecrack at his former teammates expense:
“Career-high passing yards? Without T.O? “No, it’s good. It’s good for him. It’s good for this team. It was a team effort. Everybody contributed.”
Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said he wasnt surprised:
“They are playmakers, and we knew that going in. But until you do it, the naysayers are going to say: ‘Hey. You don’t have this or that.’ But I think we do.”
Romo, meanwhile, preferred to focus on the victory:
“You don’t think about yards. You’re not judged off of yards. You’re judged off of winning and losing at this position.”
Raheem Morris spoke of the defeat in his regular season NFL coaching debut:
“Obviously, we’re disappointed. But there were a lot of good things on offense.”
Perhaps the brightest silver lining in the dark cloud of the loss was the performance of Cadillac Williams. Williams appeared fully recovered from serious knee surgery and rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown.
Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber suggested that the final score masked the fact that the team played well:
“We had our chances. The final score is definitely not indicative of how good we played at times. Those big plays absolutely destroy you football team.
The Cowboys will open their season at their plush new $1 billion plus stadium this Sunday, hosting the New York Giants. The Bucs will head to upstate New York to face T.O and his new team, the Buffalo Bills. Theyll return to Florida the following week to take their turn hosting the New York Giants.
Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer specializing in travel, poker and NFL football handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, flower arranging and deep sea diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Posted on 22 February '10 by Ross Everett, under Sports. No Comments.
The Portland Trailblazers have needed a big inside presence ever since starting center Greg Oden and backup Joel Pryzbilla went down with season ending injuries. They finally found one on Tuesday as they acquired veteran Marcus Canby from the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers received forward Travis Outlaw and guard Steve Blake. Canby is expected to make his debut in a Blazers’ uniform on Friday when Portland hosts the Boston Celtics.
The transaction also served to answer the nagging question about Portland’s point guard situation. Steve Blake and Andre Miller have shared time running the offense, but Blazers’ management apparently felt that Miller was a better fit with superstar shooting guard Brandon Roy. Ironically, until Miller picked up a lot of the offense slack lately with Roy on the shelf with a hamstring injury the presumption was that he’d be the one heading elsewhere as the NBA trade deadline approached.
All three players involved are in the final year of their current contract, meaning that barring anything unforeseen Canby’s career in Portland will probably last only 23 games plus the playoffs. Outlaw and Blake may or may not fit into the Clippers longterm plans-assuming that one of the NBA’s most consistently underachieving teams actually has ‘longterm plans’ in the first place.
Canby was introduced to the Rose Garden crowd during Portland’s rout of his old team, the LA Clippers receiving a standing ovation. Earlier, he’d indicated that he was excited to be going to the Blazers:
“I think it’s a great situation for myself. It’s a first-class organization that really takes care of their own. I hope I can bring my knowledge of the game, and blend in these last 27 games. I’m really excited to be here.”
He talked about the strange situation of actually being in Portland when the trade went down:
“I only brought one change of clothes. It’s been a real rough, rough 24 hours for me, but real exciting at the same time.”
Canby also said that he’s interesting in staying in ‘Rip City’ longterm:
“Hopefully things work out for myself and work out for the team. Hopefully they have plans for me in the long term.”
Portland GM Kevin Pritchard added:
“We are very excited to bring an experienced big man of Marcus’ caliber to the team and we feel he’ll help us a great deal down the stretch run. He’s a fierce competitor and has been one of the league’s best defensive players for quite some time.”
The 35 year old Canby has long been considered one of the NBA’s best defensive big men. Despite playing on a LA Clippers team well off the playoff pace in the Western Conference, he’s second in the league in rebounds with 12.1 per game.
Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, flower arranging and scuba diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Posted on 21 February '10 by Ross Everett, under Sports. No Comments.
Kyle Boller filled in for an injured Mark Bulger, and the St. Louis Rams improved to 2-1 on the NFL preseason with a 24-21 victory over the host Cincinnati Bengals. The Rams led 24-14 heading into the fourth quarter, but a Bengals TD early in the frame made for some drama down the stretch. The Bengals couldn’t close the deal, however, and lost their second game in NFL preseason play.
Boller did withstand a hard hit from linebacker Keith Rivers that knocked his helmet off his head. Despite the hit, he Rams #2 QB was 14 of 20 for 96 yards. After the game, he talked about the play:
“I could have slid a little earlier. It is what it is. My chin strap hit just above my eyes. It was a good scramble, but maybe if I can get down a little sooner, the coaches would like that.”
Rivers insisted the hit wasnt intentional:
“I was just trying to get to the ball. It wasn’t anything intentional.”
Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo gave Boller some props in his postgame media comments:
“He moved the team. He drove us down there after the bad start. When you score on a drive, the quarterback deserves the credit.”
Bengals second string QB J.T. O’Sullivan didnt have it quite so easy”he was sacked three times, lost a fumble and had two passes deflected by linemen. The lost fumble added to the Bengals NFL preseason turnover woes”theyve lost five fumbles and thrown three interceptions for eight turnovers in three games. O’Sullivan talked about the problem after the game:
“We’ve just got to find a way to eliminate it. It puts you in such a disadvantage any time you turn the ball over. That’s one of the things that has to change immediately.”
Head coach Marvin Lewis agreed:
“When you turn the football over, you have a difficult time winning, whether you’re playing in the regular season, the preseason, junior high, sixth grade, whatever it is.
St. Louis will get the NFL regular season underway on Sunday, September 13th as they travel to the Pacific Northwest to face the Seattle Seahawks. The Bengals open the NFL regular season at home against the Denver Broncos.
Ross Everett is a well known freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, falconry and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Posted on 21 February '10 by Ross Everett, under Entertainment. No Comments.
This classic magic trick is fairly easy to learn, yet will powerfully entertain any audience. This is an up close type of trick, so you can perform it for your friends, at a bar or at a party. It requires a bit of set up, but since you will be using pretty straightforward and everyday objects, this shouldn’t present a problem.
This is how your soon to be amazed friends will see it. You grab a seemingly partially crushed and empty soda can You show the audience that it’s empty but turning it upside down, and showing them open top. Then you hold it with your magical hands, and with your magical powers, you somehow use powers that break the laws of physics to bring this seemingly dead can of soda back to life.
You shake the can, and those already mesmerized by your gifts will hear the soda shaking inside the can. The can will mysteriously restore itself to its original shape. When you show them the top, they will see that it has not been opened. You simply open the top like any normal can of soda, and when they hear the familiar “pop,” they will gasp in amazement. They will now look up to you as an accomplished mentalist, capable of the most amazing feats of magic.
Here’s how to do the trick. First you get a regular can of soda. The first step is to get a piece of black paper, and cover up the lid, so that it will appear to be open when you show it to the crowd. Then you take a pen or something like a Phillips head screwdriver, and punch a hole about midway down the can. Pour out about half of the soda through the hole. Then crush the can slightly, and leave it off to the side, for you to “find” later.
When when you grab this seemingly empty can, you quickly show them the top, which they will be convinced has been opened. Then while covering the hole with your thumb, shake the can. The crowd will hear the sloshing, and see the can mysteriously come back to life. When you shake the can, the carbonation will “fizz” and expand the gas inside the can, which will reshape the can back to its original shape. Then you simply remove the black covering that was over the top, and open the can. Be sure to cover the hole while you are pouring the drink out.
The angle is to give them an intriguing story while your setting this trick up, up to when you start to shake the can. When you do this, they’ll be following your words, and won’t even pay attention to the can until it’s too late. Everyone who see this trick is spellbound, as they try to figure out how you managed to break the laws of physics.
If you want to learn some fantastic Magic Tricks Revealed, Have a look at Miles Sunkest’s Magic Tricks Revealed page today.
Posted on 18 February '10 by Miles Sunkest, under Entertainment. No Comments.