How to Become A Music Star

They used to say that the way to get to Carnegie Hall was "practice, practice, practice."
How naive.

Perfecting your craft, honing your skills and believing in yourself are all fine things, but they will never make you a star.

At least not according to the good folks at Vigilant Citizen, the only website with the guts to tell the truth about such subjects as:

Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance – The Occult Meaning

Beyonce’s Sweet Dreams – Occult Mind Control

Jay-Z’s “Run This Town” and the Occult Connections


Spend a few moments perusing this site, and you'll see that the only surefire path to musical stardom is to be chosen by whatever shadowy cabal is running the world from behind the scenes this week.

And how do they know? Well. . . .

"Jay-Z’s latest video called “Run This Town” (featuring Rihanna and Kanye West) contains occult symbolism relating to secret societies. It has been long rumored that Jay-Z is part of some sort of occult order (probably Freemasonry) due to the hints slipped in his songs and his imagery. "

See, the logic here is unassailable. If you were a member of a clandestine, covert group whose vast power depended upon the lumpenproletariat remaining ignorant of your existence and purpose, you'd certainly want Jay-Z to put all sorts of hints and clues to who you are and what you stand for.

Just look at the video for Jay-Z's "Run this Town."
At first, sure it looks like it's referencing the Zapatista Rebels or other guerrilla groups preparing to attack the city and take it over, to "run this town," as it were. But take a closer look at the symbology in play here:

At the beginning of the video, a man hands a lit torch to Rihanna who holds it up in the air. This symbolic gesture sums up perfectly the concept of the video. Anybody vaguely familiar with occultism can easily associate the symbol of the lit torch held high to Lucifer a.k.a. the Light Bearer.

Because no one ever in history has ever held a torch aloft for any reason other than to honor Lucifer!

Consequently, the video contains a second level of interpretation: “Run This Town” is an announcement of the coming of a New World Order, lead by secret (Luciferian) societies. Rihanna’s ominous intro explains how it is going down.

Feeling it coming in the air, hear the screams from everywhere, I’m addicted to thrill, Its a dangerous love affair, Can’t be scared when it goes down, got a problem tell me now, Only thing that’s on my mind is who gon' run this town tonight, who gon run this town tonite

Because, if your Lucifer-worshipping cult is going to take over the world, and usher in a New Order, it's only sporting to give fair warning to the current order.

Jay’s lyrics contain hints to Freemasonry who are hidden in the double meaning of some lines. “I gave Doug a grip” means he gave Doug a stack of money but the double meaning to that line would refer to the Masons’ secret handshakes which are called “grips”. And who is Doug? Might be Doug Morris.

(Chairman of Universal Music Group, unless there's another, more sinister Doug Morris I don't know about)

Also, might be Doug E. Fresh, or Doug Flutie, or Disney's "Doug"!

Who knows how deep this goes?

And it's not just Jay-Z. Oh, no! That's what they want you to think!


There are others, oh yes, many others!
We can start with Lady Gaga!

Lady Gaga, The Illuminati Puppet

Her name is also said to be inspired by Queen’s song “Radio Gaga”. The video of this song contains many scenes of the 1927 movie Metropolis. . . the motion picture tells the story of a woman from the working class that was chosen by the elite to give life to a robot, through a mix of science and Black magic.
This robot becomes a sexy and alluring performer and is given the goal to corrupt the working class. References to this movie abound in music videos, as if it was very significant for the occult elite.

This last picture is very significant. It confirms the fact that the closed eye is used in the context of esoteric symbolism. Her left eye is in her hand, referring to the Hand of Fatima (evil eye). Also, one can’t ignore the resemblance with good ol’ Baphomet.

Good God! The resemblance is uncanny!
He has wings, she has a shawl. He sits cross-legged, she has no legs!
She keeps one eye closed (Eye of Osiris?) while his are both open!
He appears to be half man, half goat while she seems to be half woman, half dress form.
They're like carbon copies! His hands are even outstretched, pointing at a white moon and a black moon, while her hands point sort of in the direction of several doves. Eerie!

Honestly, the entire music industry seems to be in on it. Just check out the recent Video Music awards:

From unexpected drama to shocking performances, MTV’s 2009 Video Music Awards managed once again to raise eyebrows and get people talking. What most people missed, however, were the occult meanings encoded in the VMAs. The TV event was in fact a large scale occult ceremony, complete with an initiation, a prayer and even a blood sacrifice. . . The VMAs were decisively inspired by dark, sinister and even Satanic ceremonies.

Madonna, the music industry’s High Priestess, the revered “elder” of MTV, opens the show with a very solemn eulogy for Michael Jackson. . . Madonna’s tribute focused on the fact that MJ was “otherworldly” and “a king” but she insisted on the fact that he was also a human being. It was wisdom that could only be imparted by the High Priestess. Members of the audience bowed their heads and meditated on her words.

See, I never really understood before the significance of the "moment of silence" ritual. I always assumed it was to honor the person who had died, but now I see that it is a chance to meditate about Madonna. Makes perfect sense!

This scene is in fact Taylor Swift’s initiation into what I call “The Circle of Chosen Artists”. The pupil is humiliated in front of her peers and told that she is not worthy to be on the same stage as Beyonce, the queen of the ceremony. Almost all groups, fraternities and gangs carry out an initiation process to test the recruit’s character, strength and worth. Swift’s ordeal was to have Kanye ruin her first award ever and to be told that she didn’t deserve this recognition. The rapper is known for bitching during award shows so he was the perfect candidate to make it all seem “unexpected”.

So that's why he's spent the last several years cultivating that perfect douchebag persona! I should have known, no one could possibly really be that big a tool in real life!

Right after her performance, Gaga appears dressed all in red, with her face completely covered in red. She is basically a walking, talking blood sacrifice. It represents the aftermath of fame, the hellish life that follows the sacrifice, the selling of the soul for success in the music industry.

Because, if you want to recruit new followers to your cult, it's important to show them the "hellish aftermath." That's just marketing 101!

More spookiness from the VMA's:

Pink’s Masonic Initiation

There is no way a Mason could watch this performance without recalling his initiation into the First Degree. Here’s a description by Mark Stavish:

“The candidate for initiation is stripped of all material possessions and dressed in a strange and peculiar garb (…). This includes a blindfold and a length of rope called a cable tow.”

Pink’s performance was a dizzying display of acrobatics which undoubtedly left her (and the viewers) totally disoriented. This is also a feature of Freemasonry’s First Degree initiation:

“He is then blindfolded and a cord in the form of a noose is passed round his neck. At this point the novice is entering the marginal stage, associated with ordeals; he cannot see, his sense of direction has been confused and he has been dressed like a victim for execution.”
-J.S. La Fontaine, Initiation – Ritual Drama and secret knowledge across the world

Pink’s performance was yet another blatant reference to ritual dramas in occult orders.

Yes, a "dizzying display of acrobatics" is pretty much the same thing as having a noose placed around your neck.

Anyway, you get the picture. The music industry is controlled by the "illuminati" or whatever, a group which is so enlightened that they have turned their backs on Judeo-Christian mythology and instead, worship Goat Boy. A group which, if the DaVinci Code has taught us anything, has been around for centuries, plotting to take over the world. (And you thought you were a procrastinator, Good Lord, what are these guys waiting for?) And like any super-powerful shadowy cabal would do, if given the chance, they have recruited Jay-Z, Pink, and Taylor Swift to play an important role. And this important role includes dropping hints and clues as to the group's existence and purpose.

So, if you want to get to Carnegie Hall -- practice, practice, practice witchcraft!

The Internet is Made of Cats!

Stolen from: RatherGood.com

How To Report The News

Stolen from Boing Boing.

RIP Howard Zinn and J.D. Salinger

Activist, historian Howard Zinn

dies at 87

BOSTON (Reuters) – Historian and activist Howard Zinn, whose 1980 book "A People's History of the United States" was a rallying cry for the American left in a conservative era, has died aged 87.

Family members said Zinn, who for decades was a fixture in the U.S. civil rights and anti-war movements and lived in Auburndale, Massachusetts, died of a heart attack on Wednesday while traveling in California.

"Catcher in the Rye" author J.D. Salinger dies

Legendary American writer, recluse passes away at 91

By HILLEL ITALIE, Associated Press

AP

J.D. Salinger

J.D. Salinger, the legendary author, youth hero and fugitive from fame whose "The Catcher in the Rye" shocked and inspired a world he increasingly shunned, has died. He was 91.

Salinger died of natural causes at his home on Wednesday, the author's son said in a statement from Salinger's literary representative. He had lived for decades in self-imposed isolation in the small, remote house in Cornish, N.H.

Who are these guys?

Who are these four ersatz Watergate plumbers who tried to bug Sen. Landrieu's phones?
And which is the biggest tool?

Well, let's see.

First there's James O'Keefe. It's pretty hard to be a bigger bag of douche than James O'Keefe. For one thing, this was his statement after posting bail:

O'Keefe on Tuesday told reporters "veritas" -- Latin for "truth" -- when he was released from jail. Later, he shouted "The truth shall set me free." (NOLA.COM)

Then he sent out this "tweet"

The truth? Really? The truth is, you committed a crime. No matter what your intentions were, and let's pretend your intention was to practice journalism, you committed a crime. In front of witnesses. Witnesses like federal marshals and FBI agents. Not smart.

I know, it's just shocking that you got caught, what with you being such the master of disguise. I know when I saw you in your pimp get-up,

I immediately thought, Oh my God, that there's an honest-to-Gosh-darn flesh peddler that is.

Or an extra from Doctor Detroit.

Or Kramer

So you were able to fool some of the folks at ACORN, so you figured what the hell, security at a United States Senator's office should be just as gullible?

On a side note, people need to stop referring to O'Keefe as a "conservative filmmaker." He records pranks on a fucking cell phone. Check YouTube, there are about a million drunk frat boys doing the same thing and none of them gets the title of "filmmaker." Woody Allen is a filmmaker. Martin Scorsese is a filmmaker. James O'Keefe is just some guy with a cell phone and a distinct lack of character.

So who else was involved in this brilliant caper?

Well, there's this putz:

This is one Stan Dai. Stan is most well known for, well actually he isn't well-known for anything, or wasn't before the incident, but he did write this:

Really.

It was published in a student newspaper at George Washington University. Really.

I'm not going to reprint it here, because, unlike GWU, I have certain standards! But let me just say that the essay includes these headings:

"The Giant Cookie Snorcher that Could"

and

"My Angry Penis"

I don't know what a "cookie snorcher" is, but the story under that heading involves an netity named Joan who is a "five foot tall vagina with a black plasyic wig on her head."

And the rest of the diatribe is about as misogynistic as that might lead you to expect. Also stupid. And poorly written. If you want to see just how awful it is, click here, but don't say I didn't warn you.

Also, there's Joe Basel, who is apparently dating one of Scott Brown's daughters

Which, I guess, you can't really hold against him.

And then there's Bob Flanagan, about whom the AP says only:

The fourth man, Robert Flanagan, 24, wrote for the blog of the New Orleans-based conservative Pelican Institute.

(just for fun, do a google search foe "Bob Flanagan." No wait, don't!)

Today's Townes Van Zandt Cover

Evan Dando of the Lemonheads performs "Waiting Around to Die"




And The One and Only:

Orrin Hatch Is a Big Fat Liar

Orrin Hatch: Republicans Weren't Involved in the Process on Health Care Reform

I can't tell if this guy is serious, if he's lying, or if he even knows that he's lying.
Let's look at a few excerpts from the CNN transcript, shall we?

HATCH: I don't know one Republican who does not want health care reform.

Okay. That's just ridiculous. Unless by "health care reform" you mean killing Medicare or privatizing the VA, then yeah, probably a lot of Republicans are in favor of health care reform. But actual reform? How do you sit there with a straight face and pretend that you haven't done everything in your power to derail reform? Why can't you just be honest and say "we're against health care reform, and here are the reasons why. . ." and then there could be an honest debate?

I don't know one Republican who would not try to work together with the Democrats.

Sure, because to you, working with the Democrats means the Democrats rolling over and giving you everything you want. And it's easy to see where you would get that impression, given the Democrats' recent history of lining up to be George W's prison bitch. So that's probably not technically a lie, it's just using a definition of the term "work together" that no one else would use.

We weren't involved in this process. We weren't even asked.

Now that is the most baldfaced lie since Senator Craig's wedding vows. (zing!)
Saying that Republicans were not involved in the process is like saying that my father was not involved in the process of creating me. It's like saying that the Beatles were not involved in the whole British Invasion thing, or the Pope isn't involved with the Catholic Church. It's just such an obvious, ridiculous lie that even an American journalist should have called him on it. It's barely worth taking the time to refute it. Fortunately, I don't have to, Slate has already done it.

You can read the whole article here: http://www.slate.com/id/2223023/

But here are a few highlights:

Only 197 amendments were passed in the end—36 from Democrats and 161 from Republicans. And of those 161 GOP amendments, Senate Republicans classify 29 as substantive and 132 as technical.

So, if we take Senate Republicans' word for it, the final bill ended up with 29 substantive Republican amendments. But, no, clearly the Republicans were not included in the process.
And what sort of amendments were they offering?

[An amendment] sponsored by Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, would "establish an auto advisory council to make recommendations to the Secretary of the Treasury regarding how best to represent the taxpayers of the United States as the majority owner of General Motors."

Seriously? That's what you have to add to the proceedings? An amendment that has nothing to do with the subject at hand? And that amendment is included in the final bill, and still Hatch is claiming there was no Republican involvement? Really?

An amendment from Mike Enzi of Wyoming promises "to protect pro-patient plans and prevent rationing." Another of his would "prohibit the government run plan from limiting access to end of life care."

And Enzi gets his two cents in, adding protections from imaginary threats. Good work, Senator! But you forgot the "no fire-breathing dragons" clause!

You do understand, don't you Mr. Hatch, that as the minority party, you aren't actually entitled to anything? You remember how things were before 2008, when Republican leadership wouldn't even let Democrats hold hearings? (link) Remember when Sensenbrenner cut off the mics because he didn't like what Democrats were saying? (link)
You've gotten way more consideration than you deserve, but I guess that because you are no longer running the entire show, you feel like you're being steamrolled? Or something? Maybe you're not a big fat liar, maybe you're just a big fat baby.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOeEXnPA898

Things I miss about San Francisco

Chapter Three: Pac Bell Park

Or SBC Park or AT&T Park or whatever the hell they're calling it these days.





I grew up watching the Giants play at Candlestick Park.

At first glance, Candlestick appears to be a typical cookie-cutter, multi-use, 1970's style stadium. Which would have been fine. But the 'Stick was anything but typical once the sun went down.

As soon as the sun began to set, the fog would roll in, the wind would swirl around the field, and your parka, blanket, and cocoa were just never going to be adequate.

I've been skiing in snow-covered mountains, I've been to Seattle in the winter, I've taken inventory in a walk-in ice-cream freezer, and I swear there is just no kind of cold like Candlestick Cold. It get into your bones. And it slowly deflates your very soul. There used to be an award they gave out to anyone who stayed to the end of an extra-inning night game.

Really:

I believe the Latin translates as: I came, I saw, I survived.

Of course the 'Stick does have this guy:

And where else could this happen?

The Grateful Dead set the tone for a special Giants season, singing the anthem on Opening Day at Candlestick Park.

But nothing could ever make up for that cold. When Mark Twain said that the coldest winter he ever spent was summer in San Francisco, he must have been referring to Candlestick.

So when the Giants built their new downtown stadium, I wasn't asking for much. It could have been Ernest Borgnine ugly as long as I could go to a game without stopping off at REI first.
But when I saw the park

I thought I was going to cry. Pac Bell/SBC/AT&T Park is the most beautiful baseball facility in the US of A. And screw you, Baltimore - I've been to Camden Yards and it's nice, but not even close. Same to you, SanDiego & Petfood Park.


And yes, the giant coke bottle in center field is a little cheesey (although at least it doesn't light up in different colors like the one at Turner Field) but once you've sat behind home plate and watched Barry Bonds send a ball into San Francisco Bay, there is nowhere else you'd rather watch a game.

And that's not even the best part.

See those people behind the right-field wall? Under the out-of-town scores?


They're watching the game for free!
And this is the view they have:



Anyone can walk behind Pac Bell Park and watch the game over the right-fielder's shoulder free of charge. If there are other people waiting, security will ask you to move along after one inning, but since the first year that hasn't been a problem too often. It's an amazing perspective on the game, being right on field level. It really gives you an appreciation for the amount of ground these outfielders have to cover.

In summary: Pac Bell /AT&T park is the greatest ballpark in the country. And I'll fight anyone who says different and is considerably smaller than me.

This Book is Not safe For Children!

So I saw this:

I support the school in this action.

All material that references sex and another degrading acts that can affect our your children should not be readily available to students.

We send our children to school to learn and not to be made into sex objects by some of the teachers and other non God fearing educational officials.

All books and other such material should be taken out from any where in the school and destroyed. It is not the government job to teach our kids about sex, that is not where was want our tax dollars being spend.

(source)

And I read that it was about a book being pulled from the school library in Riverside, CA.

And I thought "What sort of foul, pornographic smut had made its way into the school library down there?
Because apparently, this nasty, awful book "references sex and other degrading acts" (interesting that the writer considers sex to be a "degrading" act. Now that's some damn fine repression) and will turn children into "sex objects," which seems like a pretty awful thing to do.

So I clicked the link to the newspaper article to see what this vile, filthy book was:

A school district in Riverside County has pulled the Merriam-Webster's 10th edition dictionary from school shelves because it includes the term "oral sex."

Yeah. That's what the parents of Riverside, CA want to protect their children from. The Dictionary.
I've been unfortunate enough to have spent some time in Riverside, CA so this is not entirely shocking. People have this stereotype of California being San Francisco sophisticates, Berkeley hippies, and Los Angeles glamour dolls, but the "Inland Empire" part of the state might as well be Kansas. See, while Northern California was populated by folks from New York, Philadelphia, Boston, etc. during the Gold Rush, the agricultural areas were populated largely by Okies and Arkies fleeing the Dust Bowl.
But come on! Even the descendants of the Joads shouldn't be afraid of the fucking Dictionary! That's really just sad. And what's even sadder is that the school district went along with the tounge-speakers and snake-handlers who are terrified that their children might see the word "sex."

Pathetic!

Today's Townes Van Zandt Cover

Here's Ricky Scaggs and Sharon White dueting on "If I Needed You."



And the real deal:

Caturday Night Fever

Dance!



Boogie wonderla-hand!



Dance, Dance, Dance!



I find romance,
when I start to dance

In Boogie Wonderland!

Today's Townes Van Zandt Cover

Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan covering "Pancho and Lefty"

Willie Nelson & Bob Dylan - Pancho and Lefty.
Uploaded by taduckly_. - See the latest featured music videos.

And Townes Van Zandt:

What the Hell is a "Snooki"?

As of today, January 22, 2010, I have officially given up all hope for our Nation's future.

And not just because gloating over the demise of healthcare is apparently a tenable political position.

And not just because the Supreme Court has apparently decided "democracy, schmocracy, let government go to the highest bidder."

No, it's mainly because of this:

Lehigh Valley’s Star Pre-Owned will host Reality TV star, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi at their Easton, PA store on Saturday, January 23rd to raise funds for Haitian earthquake relief.

‘Snooki’ will be signing autographs
and taking pictures with fans during this time in an attempt to help the dealership raise funds for Haitian relief efforts.

Yes, allegedly, people in Pennsylvania will be lining up for the autograph of something called "Snooki."

Apparently, this so-called "Snooki" is one of the "stars" of some wretched MTV show called "Jersey Shore" (because "Animal Planet" was already taken) which features a group of drunken spray-tanned meatheads making asses of themselves in various ways.

And people want the autograph of one of these nitwits?

I swear, you could stop the next person you see on the street and ask for her autograph because I guarantee she'll have a more impressive list of accomplishments than "Snooki."
Honestly, if your resume' contains anything more impressive than "portray buffoonish vulgarian on third-rate basic cable show," you've got her beat.

I once pulled down 10 rebounds in a junior-varsity basketball game. Compared to Snooki, I'm a candidate for "Who's Who."

And the worst thing is, these fake celebrities aren't even the least bit interesting. When Paris Hilton became famous for being famous, the process itself was kind of fascinating. But now it's just been done to death. And it's become just sad and formulaic.

Step one: Have wealthy, over-indulgent, overly-permissive parents.
Check.

Two: have a drinking problem, but in the early stages where it still makes you seem "fun."
Check!



Never tire of displaying your probably-fake-but-if-not-admittedly-impressive bosoms?

Check and Check!




"Accidentally" "forget" that you're not wearing undies?

Check!




Portray self as an unfettered libertine?

Check!

And by the way, Snooki, if that is your real name, two girls kissing might have seemed shocking or provocative a few years ago, before they started running "Girls Gone Wild" ads during "The Daily Show," but now it's just a cliche. It's just what you expect drunk, trashy girls to do when there's a camera around. No one's impressed.

So the next few steps are fairly predictable. First, the inevitable sex tape. (And you know there is one. There's no way these self-impressed, self-absorbed, self-indulgent oafs are not taping themselves doing it.) Then being stunt-cast in some straight-to-video schlock, then Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew! Then, I'm going to say Playboy? Maybe Penthouse, I don't know, I'm not psychic. Then redemption on the cover of People Magazine, maybe finding religion, a pathetic stab at a singing career in there somewhere, and a little jail time.

The point is, if we truly are a society where people like this are admired, where people will actually seek them out and ask for autographs, then our society is doomed. There's no coming back from this.

Today's Townes Van Zandt Cover

Here's Dixie Chick Natalie Maines with Pat Green covering "Snowing on Raton"



And Townes himself:

There's something about the Massachusetts delegation

In the interest of bi-partisanship, I feel compelled to point out that the Senior Senator from Massachusetts, John Kerry, also has a daughter who sometimes dresses scandalously.

It's apparently a requirement for holding public office in that state.
Unfortunately, Martha Coakley has no daughter, which seems to be the reason that she lost the Senate race.

Congratulations, Massachusetts!

Excellent Work, Massachusetts!

You've managed to replace the Lion of the Senate, Ted Kennedy, with this guy:


New US Senator Scott Brown, seen here giving the "thumbs up" to a
blank computer screen.

Wow! Nice choice. Brown is the kind of guy that one would normally refer to as an "empty suit" except, um. . . . You know. . .



So, kind of the opposite, I guess.

And not only are there sorta-nekkid photos of Scott Brown, apparently half-nekkidness runs in the family.

Yep, those are his daughters.

Now I'm sure a lot of fellas out there are wondering if these two lovely ladies might be available? Well, let's ask the man himself!

Ugh!
So good job, Massachusetts! You've managed to put your state into the same national embarrassment category as Minnesota









and Oklahoma


But more than that, you gave the weak-ass cowardly Democrats on Capitol Hill the cover they needed to continue to do nothing of substance. Now when they either fail to pass ahealthcare bill at all or, more likely, pass a watered-down industry-friendly turd of a bill, they can blame it on the brilliant voters of Massachusetts, who cost them their filibuster-proof majority. Without you, when they passed the kidney stone of a bill that is likely to come out of the Senate, they would have had no excuse. Now they can wring their hands and cry "well, gosh folks, we tried our best. Those darn Republicans just stopped us." instead of facing up to their own failures and maybe seeing some primary challenges from Democrats who are a little less beholden to insurance industry money and maybe aren't afraid of their own fucking shadows.

Nice work, Massachusetts!