The Chinese Government & Google Blogs

For my own travels I think I can get away with using Google Blog and the alternate Travelblog site for China, but for the HAR and the SRG sites I will have to change the blog provider. There are too many people in China using the two sites to have them hobbled by international politics. The HAR team has already had some ideas for changing the blog. One suggestion was to move to a Coldfusion blog application, completely stable and free. The only problem is we have to implement it. It is not exactly right out of the box. This blog accessibility problem will be a priority for the next few weeks.

Beijing Airport Lounge, Friday the 30th

Sitting in the business class lounge at the Beijing airport. They let me through security. Things have sure changed here. Everything gets easier in China. The only thing that doesn't change is the bad food. You can find it everywhere. I have had some great food here but primarily vegetarian. You know me, I'm not into all that ground up mystery meat or unidentified body parts. I also don't like whole chicken heads floating in my chicken soup. Call me boring, call me unsophisticated but that's the way it is. I knew it was going to be a bumpy ride two weeks ago when I was served an entire plate of duck hearts. All I could think of was how many ducks were present on my plate.

See the alternate travel blog for those days when I was unable to access Google Blogs.

I have had no sleep since 7:00 yesterday morning. The drive back from Wutaishan was great because it was daylight. We left at 11:00 in the morning and arrived in Beijing after 7:00 P.M. The last of the three cars in our group broke down with radiator problems. My bag was in that car. So were my apartment keys. The car and driver were later abandoned in a small backwater Chinese village and the passengers rented a taxi to bring them to Beijing. The bag arrived at my hotel at 12:00 midnight delivered by my friend Wayne who was at the Vancouver 2000 Lamdre. He recalled the not so harrowing experience of the car over heating as they approached the pass above the valley of the Wutaishan stupa.

Wayne, Wei Wei and I adjourned to my room where we stayed up talking and sharing stories all night long. The hot water kettle never cooled down. We looked at two actual paintings and also looked at art on the internet and images on our own computers. Both of them are regular users of the HAR website and had many suggestions about improvements and changes. Wayne also checks the SRG site regularly and offered to translate parts into Chinese because of the growing need for Chinese language content.

I plan on sleeping through to Hong Kong, relaxing again in the lounge, and then sleep all the way to New York with a few movies on the way.

NEW FAMOUS!!!

COMING SOON!!!

HALLOWEEN @ THE FAST LIFE!!!

Robotic blue tattoo gallery

Abstract tattoo, alien tattoo, art tattoo, black tattoo, body tattoo, cannibals tattoo, cebu tattoo, celebrities tattoo, contemporary tattoo, cosmetics tattoo, décor tattoo, decoration tattoo, design tattoo, dragon tattoo, experiments tattoo, expression tattoo, fantasy tattoo, fashion tattoo, Filipino tattoo, folklore tattoo, Goth tattoo, gothic tattoo, illustrations tattoo, ink tattoo, irezumi tattoo, logos tattoo, markings tattoo, mask tattoo, modification tattoo, needles tattoo, Philippines tattoo, pigment tattoo, punk tattoo, silhouette tattoo, sinology tattoo, skin tattoo, strange tattoo, style tattoo, surreal tattoo, symbol tattoo, symbolic tattoo, Tahiti tattoo, tattoo, tattooing, tattoos, tatu tattoo, tribal tattoo, tribe tattoo , unique tattoo, vector tattoo, weird tattoo, white tattoo, daisy tattoo, colorful tattoo, snake tattoo, tiger tattoo, knife tattoo, cool, tattoo, amazing tattoo, strange tattoo, blue tattoo, eagle tattoo, moist tattoo, cool tattoo, car tattoo, motorcycle tattoo, chest tattoo, leg tattoo, hand tattoo, foot tattoo, finger tattoo, flower tattoo, nail tattoo, free tattoo, permanent tattoo, animal tattoo, abstract tattoo, real tattoo, invisible tattoo, visible tattoo, clear tattoo, foot tattoo, shoes tattoo, back tattoo, cat tattoo, monkey tattoo, cross tattoo, Arabic tattoo, Indonesian tattoo, traditional tattoo, modern tattoo, black and white tattoo, book tattoo, shoes tattoo, sandal tattoo, football tattoo, Japan tattoo, twin tattoo, couple tattoo, married tattoo, sign tattoo, dagger tattoo.

A tattoo is an ink design inserted into the skin, commonly via a needle. The tattoo, in various forms, has been used ornamentally and religiously by humans for thousands of years, with examples of tattoo work found on numerous preserved prehistoric specimens. Humans also use identification tattoos on domesticated animals. Examples of tattoo work can be seen in most human cultures, and despite some social stigma, tattoos are becoming ubiquitous in the West, with an estimated 25% of Americans wearing at least one tattoo by the end of the 20th century.

The word tattoo is likely related to the Samoan tatau, meaning 'to strike or mark'. Tattoos became popularized in the Western world when sailors began to explore the Pacific and return with tattoo work. In Japan, where there is a long historical tradition of tattoo, the word irezumi refers to traditional Japanese tattoos, while tattoo is used in discussions of other types of tattoo art. Tattoo owners sometimes shorten the word to tat or use the terms ink, art, or work to talk about the designs they wear.

Where did tattoos originate? Nobody knows for sure where it originated from. There is evidence that it may be an ancient craft going all the way back to the ice age. There are mummified remains of ancient Egyptians with tattoos.

The word tattoo is believed to originate from the Tahitian word tattau. An entry in Captain James Cook’s journal in the year 1768 mentions the word tattau in his encounter with Polynesians. The Tahitians taught the sailors the craft who in turn taught it to other sailors, and that is why tattoo is often associated with sailors.

Tattoo inks are those colors that are used in making tattoos. In principle, tattoo inks are not exactly tattoo inks. Tattoo inks or the tattoo colors are composed of pigments that are floating in a carrier solution. It is a common belief that tattoo pigments are usually vegetable based dyes, but they aren't. Today's pigments include the original mineral pigments, modern industrial organic pigments, a few vegetable-based pigments and some plastic-based pigments. It is the pigments that provide colors to the tattoos. Carrier plays an important role in disinfecting the pigment suspension and keeping it evenly mixed. It also makes the application part easier. Henna tattoos are nonpermanent dying or staining on the top layer of skin using a henna paste product, the process is called Mehndi. The tattoos are generally an intricate design and brown in color. They will fade in time, about 2-4 weeks, depending on the type of henna that has been used and your teen’s care of the area that was tattooed. It is close to impossible to remove except through the natural fading but, some believe you can speed up the fading by applying hydrogen peroxide to the area daily.

Dragon cool tattoo on arm

Abstract tattoo, alien tattoo, art tattoo, black tattoo, body tattoo, cannibals tattoo, cebu tattoo, celebrities tattoo, contemporary tattoo, cosmetics tattoo, décor tattoo, decoration tattoo, design tattoo, dragon tattoo, experiments tattoo, expression tattoo, fantasy tattoo, fashion tattoo, Filipino tattoo, folklore tattoo, Goth tattoo, gothic tattoo, illustrations tattoo, ink tattoo, irezumi tattoo, logos tattoo, markings tattoo, mask tattoo, modification tattoo, needles tattoo, Philippines tattoo, pigment tattoo, punk tattoo, silhouette tattoo, sinology tattoo, skin tattoo, strange tattoo, style tattoo, surreal tattoo, symbol tattoo, symbolic tattoo, Tahiti tattoo, tattoo, tattooing, tattoos, tatu tattoo, tribal tattoo, tribe tattoo , unique tattoo, vector tattoo, weird tattoo, white tattoo, daisy tattoo, colorful tattoo, snake tattoo, tiger tattoo, knife tattoo, cool, tattoo, amazing tattoo, strange tattoo, blue tattoo, eagle tattoo, moist tattoo, cool tattoo, car tattoo, motorcycle tattoo, chest tattoo, leg tattoo, hand tattoo, foot tattoo, finger tattoo, flower tattoo, nail tattoo, free tattoo, permanent tattoo, animal tattoo, abstract tattoo, real tattoo, invisible tattoo, visible tattoo, clear tattoo, foot tattoo, shoes tattoo, back tattoo, cat tattoo, monkey tattoo, cross tattoo, Arabic tattoo, Indonesian tattoo, traditional tattoo, modern tattoo, black and white tattoo, book tattoo, shoes tattoo, sandal tattoo, football tattoo, Japan tattoo, twin tattoo, couple tattoo, married tattoo, sign tattoo, dagger tattoo.

A tattoo is an ink design inserted into the skin, commonly via a needle. The tattoo, in various forms, has been used ornamentally and religiously by humans for thousands of years, with examples of tattoo work found on numerous preserved prehistoric specimens. Humans also use identification tattoos on domesticated animals. Examples of tattoo work can be seen in most human cultures, and despite some social stigma, tattoos are becoming ubiquitous in the West, with an estimated 25% of Americans wearing at least one tattoo by the end of the 20th century.

The word tattoo is likely related to the Samoan tatau, meaning 'to strike or mark'. Tattoos became popularized in the Western world when sailors began to explore the Pacific and return with tattoo work. In Japan, where there is a long historical tradition of tattoo, the word irezumi refers to traditional Japanese tattoos, while tattoo is used in discussions of other types of tattoo art. Tattoo owners sometimes shorten the word to tat or use the terms ink, art, or work to talk about the designs they wear.

Where did tattoos originate? Nobody knows for sure where it originated from. There is evidence that it may be an ancient craft going all the way back to the ice age. There are mummified remains of ancient Egyptians with tattoos.

The word tattoo is believed to originate from the Tahitian word tattau. An entry in Captain James Cook’s journal in the year 1768 mentions the word tattau in his encounter with Polynesians. The Tahitians taught the sailors the craft who in turn taught it to other sailors, and that is why tattoo is often associated with sailors.

Tattoo inks are those colors that are used in making tattoos. In principle, tattoo inks are not exactly tattoo inks. Tattoo inks or the tattoo colors are composed of pigments that are floating in a carrier solution. It is a common belief that tattoo pigments are usually vegetable based dyes, but they aren't. Today's pigments include the original mineral pigments, modern industrial organic pigments, a few vegetable-based pigments and some plastic-based pigments. It is the pigments that provide colors to the tattoos. Carrier plays an important role in disinfecting the pigment suspension and keeping it evenly mixed. It also makes the application part easier. Henna tattoos are nonpermanent dying or staining on the top layer of skin using a henna paste product, the process is called Mehndi. The tattoos are generally an intricate design and brown in color. They will fade in time, about 2-4 weeks, depending on the type of henna that has been used and your teen’s care of the area that was tattooed. It is close to impossible to remove except through the natural fading but, some believe you can speed up the fading by applying hydrogen peroxide to the area daily.

Balinese tribal cool tattoo

Abstract tattoo, alien tattoo, art tattoo, black tattoo, body tattoo, cannibals tattoo, cebu tattoo, celebrities tattoo, contemporary tattoo, cosmetics tattoo, décor tattoo, decoration tattoo, design tattoo, dragon tattoo, experiments tattoo, expression tattoo, fantasy tattoo, fashion tattoo, Filipino tattoo, folklore tattoo, Goth tattoo, gothic tattoo, illustrations tattoo, ink tattoo, irezumi tattoo, logos tattoo, markings tattoo, mask tattoo, modification tattoo, needles tattoo, Philippines tattoo, pigment tattoo, punk tattoo, silhouette tattoo, sinology tattoo, skin tattoo, strange tattoo, style tattoo, surreal tattoo, symbol tattoo, symbolic tattoo, Tahiti tattoo, tattoo, tattooing, tattoos, tatu tattoo, tribal tattoo, tribe tattoo , unique tattoo, vector tattoo, weird tattoo, white tattoo, daisy tattoo, colorful tattoo, snake tattoo, tiger tattoo, knife tattoo, cool, tattoo, amazing tattoo, strange tattoo, blue tattoo, eagle tattoo, moist tattoo, cool tattoo, car tattoo, motorcycle tattoo, chest tattoo, leg tattoo, hand tattoo, foot tattoo, finger tattoo, flower tattoo, nail tattoo, free tattoo, permanent tattoo, animal tattoo, abstract tattoo, real tattoo, invisible tattoo, visible tattoo, clear tattoo, foot tattoo, shoes tattoo, back tattoo, cat tattoo, monkey tattoo, cross tattoo, Arabic tattoo, Indonesian tattoo, traditional tattoo, modern tattoo, black and white tattoo, book tattoo, shoes tattoo, sandal tattoo, football tattoo, Japan tattoo, twin tattoo, couple tattoo, married tattoo, sign tattoo, dagger tattoo.

A tattoo is an ink design inserted into the skin, commonly via a needle. The tattoo, in various forms, has been used ornamentally and religiously by humans for thousands of years, with examples of tattoo work found on numerous preserved prehistoric specimens. Humans also use identification tattoos on domesticated animals. Examples of tattoo work can be seen in most human cultures, and despite some social stigma, tattoos are becoming ubiquitous in the West, with an estimated 25% of Americans wearing at least one tattoo by the end of the 20th century.

The word tattoo is likely related to the Samoan tatau, meaning 'to strike or mark'. Tattoos became popularized in the Western world when sailors began to explore the Pacific and return with tattoo work. In Japan, where there is a long historical tradition of tattoo, the word irezumi refers to traditional Japanese tattoos, while tattoo is used in discussions of other types of tattoo art. Tattoo owners sometimes shorten the word to tat or use the terms ink, art, or work to talk about the designs they wear.

Where did tattoos originate? Nobody knows for sure where it originated from. There is evidence that it may be an ancient craft going all the way back to the ice age. There are mummified remains of ancient Egyptians with tattoos.

The word tattoo is believed to originate from the Tahitian word tattau. An entry in Captain James Cook’s journal in the year 1768 mentions the word tattau in his encounter with Polynesians. The Tahitians taught the sailors the craft who in turn taught it to other sailors, and that is why tattoo is often associated with sailors.

Tattoo inks are those colors that are used in making tattoos. In principle, tattoo inks are not exactly tattoo inks. Tattoo inks or the tattoo colors are composed of pigments that are floating in a carrier solution. It is a common belief that tattoo pigments are usually vegetable based dyes, but they aren't. Today's pigments include the original mineral pigments, modern industrial organic pigments, a few vegetable-based pigments and some plastic-based pigments. It is the pigments that provide colors to the tattoos. Carrier plays an important role in disinfecting the pigment suspension and keeping it evenly mixed. It also makes the application part easier. Henna tattoos are nonpermanent dying or staining on the top layer of skin using a henna paste product, the process is called Mehndi. The tattoos are generally an intricate design and brown in color. They will fade in time, about 2-4 weeks, depending on the type of henna that has been used and your teen’s care of the area that was tattooed. It is close to impossible to remove except through the natural fading but, some believe you can speed up the fading by applying hydrogen peroxide to the area daily.

Kanye West's charges gets dismissed!!

The year 2009 has been very tabloid friendly to rapper Kanye West, from break-ups to make-ups with Amber Rose, interrupting Taylor Swift at the MTV VMAs, canceling his big world tour with Lady Gaga and the list just goes on and on.

But through it all, Mr. West finally received some relief this past Friday, Los Angeles court commissioner dismissed all three misdemeanor charges against the rapper (and his manager Don C) in connection with a brawl with the paparrazzi at the Los Angeles International Airport in September 2008.

The three misdemeanors were grand theft, battery, and vandalism after the rapper allegedy confronted TMZ reporters and smashed their equipment after he noticed they were snapping pics of him. People magazine is also reporting that in return for the dismissal, the court offered anger management counseling for his random public outbursts and scuffles with the paparazzi.

Berk, Kanye’s attorney, told MTV news, “Kanye took the charges very seriously [and] responded appropriately by getting counseling to figure out why this happened.

From GossipOnThis.com

I guess sometimes you can be an asshole and get away with it! Whatever keeps you in the limelight EXTRA BRIGHT!!!

"Fox Hills Mall" aka Westfield Culver City Gets an Upgrade!

Celebrating the Opening of the New Westfield Culver City!
A new retail experience comes to one of America’s most innovative and exciting communities.

On October 8, 2009, the new Westfield Culver City shopping center opened a $180 million revitalization introducing favorite national retailers and local boutiques, fresh and healthy cuisine, modern design and décor, and outstanding customer amenities to a fashionable new setting.

Just minutes from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), the community of Culver City has undergone a well-publicized economic and cultural renaissance in recent years. Hailed by The New York Times as “Los Angeles’s newest stylish neighborhood, a magnet for lovers of the arts, good food and culture… [Culver City] now inspires expressions like nascent Chelsea and L.A.’s new restaurant mecca.”

In the spirit of this remarkable civic transformation, Westfield Culver City celebrates its own renaissance with the introduction of 330,000 square feet of new retail space, featuring Target and Best Buy as new anchors. Included among the 40 new shops arriving on the property are such favorite national brands as H&M, XXI Forever, Coach, G by Guess, and Express.

The expansion also showcases a vibrant lineup of full-service restaurants, casual eateries, and a brand new café-style dining terrace with 14 restaurateurs preparing sumptuous delicacies.

Inside and out, Westfield Culver City has been thoroughly transformed by aesthetic enhancements and customer-focused conveniences. An abundant use of glass and natural light evokes a sense of openness and blurs boundaries between exterior and interior spaces. Sparkling new tile, handrails, fixtures, sleek seating areas and accent landscaping add to the property’s comfort and refinement. Customer amenities include two new family lounges, valet and reserved family parking, public art installations, an eco-friendly car wash, and more.

The 155,000 square foot Target at Westfield Culver City will be the retailer’s first pFresh store in Los Angeles, carrying fresh produce, meats, and breads (in addition to traditional apparel, jewelry, electronics, furniture and other lines). This store will also feature a Starbucks, Target Café, Pharmacy, and Photo Center.

Best Buy’s 45,000 square foot location at Westfield Culver City offers the very best in home appliances, electronics, computers and more. This location also features a Musical Instruments department, providing a wide range of quality instruments and accessories, as well as music lessons.

Lil Wayne Freestyles to Jay-Z's Run This Town

What ya think about this one????

ANchor great tattoo gallery

ANchor great tattoo gallery

Angela Simmons speaks out on her inter-racial relationship on GlobalGrind.com!

It is quite pitiful that racism still exist in today's society and will never go away. I think it is PURE IGNORANCE and none of us are better than the next. I am happy that Angela stepped to the plate and spoke for a lot of us who are in inter-racial relationships. I think it is a beautiful thing and it is so sad to see that the world is still so close-minded. Here is what Ang had to say:

Hello Global Grinders!

It has been a while since my last post but I've been super busy traveling all over the place..sheessh :)

Now that I have a moment to sit down and reflect, I wanted to talk to you about something I have recently noticed. I am a lil surprised at the number of people that seem to disapprove of the relationship with my boyfriend. I find this reality to be kind of hard to accept. There are times when I notice people giving us long hard stares and those stares are usually from my own people!

Honestly, I wish everyone could benefit from the beauty that can come from experiences that happen outside of your own comfort zone. It is truly a beautiful thing that can add so much to your life.

Give it a shot and you can learn so much from a person you never thought you'd talk to or have something in common with. I'm not just talking about dating but about all types of relationships.

Sometimes society makes it hard for us to be comfortable enough in our own skin to embrace others who are different.

I am a firm believer that we are all the same.

Basically what I'm saying is love everyone. Rise above the hate.

I don't feel like this subject gets enough attention, so I thought I would share this with my GG family.

Ok, well I'm done preaching! I'm going go back to work...

Love ya :)
Angela


KUDOS TO ANGELA AND HER LETTER SHE POSTED ON GLOBALGRINDING.COM I just went and set up my account to keep up with the Simmons' ONE OF MY FAVORITE FAMILIES!!! = ) MUCH LOVE TO YOU ALL!!!! = )

The Little Balloon Ball... The whole thing was PLANNED!!!

The mother of a Colorado boy thought to be aboard a homemade helium balloon has admitted to investigators the whole thing was a hoax, according to a court document made public on Friday.

The local sheriff had already said the October 15 "Balloon Boy" incident was a publicity stunt and expected felony charges to be filed against the 6-year-old boy's parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene. The mom told investigators she and her husband lied to authorities and knew their son Falcon was at home as rescue teams tracked the balloon believing the boy was inside.

"The motive for the fabricated story was to make the Heene family more marketable for future media interest," the affidavit states.

for the complete story...

I think felony charges SHOULD be charged against the stupid parents for 1, it was clearly a SCHOOL DAY so WHY wasn't the little boy at school in the first place?! #2, how STUPID COULD YOU BE???? For real? For further interest to the media??? GTFOH!!!!!

Thousands of runners will hit the streets of Downtown Los Angeles when the clock strikes Saturday.

Some 7,500 people are expected to take part in the Los Angeles Nike+Human Race, beginning at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.

It's just one of 24 races taking place worldwide in what organizers call the world's largest one-day running event.

The 10-kilometer race starts at USC and will end at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Nike media relations manager Jacie Prieto-Lopez says organizers chose the unique 12:01 a.m. start "to create some energy around the USC campus."

Celebrity runners set to participate include actor Wilmer Valderrama, "90210" star AnnaLynne McCord as well as Michael Rady and Shaun Sipos from "Melrose Place."

Organizers say added security and appropriate lighting will be implemented along the course.

The race also benefits a good cause as a portion of every entry fee will be donated to A Better L.A., the nonprofit organization founded by USC football coach Pete Carroll to promote peace and unity in Los Angeles.

Other cities hosting races include New York City, Rome and Buenos Aires.

CNS contributed to this report.

(Copyright ©2009 KABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

Peep out Keyshia Cole's Nose Job!

Ever noticed why Keyshia Cole is looking slightly different these days??? Well not only did she get veneers to take away her oh-so cute gap, she also had a nose job done. She enhanced her looks within the last three or four months. I think it looks quite cute on her but I just don't see why all of these celebrities find it necessary to go get cosmetic surgery when its not life or death threatening. Maybe some people aren't all the way comfy with their looks.







Here is a before and after clip:



What ya think about it?! I think she looks just as beautiful!! = )

NEW INTERVIEW

Been a while since I've posted anything. Well I have a new interview thanks to the homies over at WWW.XWHEREEAGLESDAREX.COM ..... check it out !!!

Friday Morning, October 23rd - Beijing

It is either foggy or cloudy this morning. I can't tell. This is the last day of the conference seminar. There will be several papers this morning and then after lunch we get back into the buses and travel up to the China Tibetology Research Center for a lecture by Xiong Winbin. He and I were in Tibet together two years ago for the Princeton graduate studies site seminar trip. His Research Center is in the process of building a museum of Tibetan art and artifacts. They already have a large room in the Institute set up as a gallery but they are in the process of constructing a separate building. I have images of their objects but have not yet had time to upload them to the HAR site.

Palace Doors

Lines, colours and angles of the palace doors of the 'Forbidden City.'

Thursday Night and the Makye Ami Restaurant

Here is one image of the restaurant from tonight and the the very comfortable hotel suite. It is just like a two bedroom apartment with a large living room and dining area combined. It has a separate kitchen and two bedrooms. The largest bedroom has a separate bathroom.

The morning was taken up by lectures in the conference space and the afternoon was an outing to the Palace Museum and a lecture by Luo Wen Wa, curator of the Palace Museum. We again visited the painting and sculpture collections that are on exhibit. Where we were, and what we were looking at, is not open to the general public - only to scholars and researchers. I took a lot more photos and will post them when I have the opportunity.

After the Palace we went directly to the Makye Ami Restaurant and had a sumptuous feast of hearty Tibetan food, meat, meat, and more meat, along with song and dance performances.

Game's Defamation of Character Charges were DISMISSED!!

A judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed in North Carolina against Compton rap star The Game.

The lawsuit stemmed from an incident in October of 2005 at Four Seasons Towne Center in Greensboro.

Members of the rapper’s entourage were filming The Game walking through the mall donning a Halloween mask, preparing for an appearance at Winston-Salem State University.

Security guards approached his entourage and ordered them to stop filming, per mall policy. I n the ensuing fracas, The Game was pepper sprayed and arrested.

He was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. The scuffle was videotaped by fans and widely circulated on the Internet.

The Game himself used the footage on his controversial DVD Stop Snitching/Stop Lying.

"They thought I was Rodney King," Game said. "I would play the racial card but we've done that too much. I'm here for the concert and signing a little girl's autograph got me arrested."

In 2006, five Greensboro police officers seen in the footage filed a defamation of character lawsuit against the rapper, claiming he illegally used one of the officers images during the marketing of the DVD.

The original lawsuit was dismissed in 2008 but the officers appealed their case, which was again dismissed yesterday (October 20).

By Roman Wolfe

Lil Wayne To Plead To 8 Months In Jail, Sources Say

By Houston Williams
Source: All Hip Hop
Lil Wayne will be forced to plead out to a jail term in New York City on Thursday, according to sources with AllHipHop.com.

The rapper is expected to accept an 8-month bid in jail over his alleged involvement with a loaded .40-caliber pistol gun found on his tour bus in 2007 while in New York.

The 27-year-old now faces 15 years in jail for each count of criminal weapons possession and criminal possession of a loaded weapon.

"Wayne is going to plead guilty," a source close to the case told AllHipHop.com, stressing that this was definitely going to happen. The rapper pleaded not guilty at press time and has yet to make any such public declaration. "The date is coming up and he's going to do it tomorrow."

Wayne is rumored to be willing to accept the deal to avoid a long term in jail over the gun. The same source said the term will begin in February of 2010 under the terms of the deal. "If he doesn't plead, he goes to jail for a long time," the source said.

"They told him that if he doesn't plead tomorrow, it will go to trial and then he faces a far longer jail term," the source continued.

A small amount of DNA may have changed the landscape of the case, according to a report by the Associated Press. There is a "minuscule" amount of the rapper's DNA on the gun, reports say, and that has strengthened the case for the prosecution.

Another hearing is set to resume tomorrow, where the rapper will reportedly announce his next move.

AllHipHop.com was unable to obtain comment from representatives for Wayne at press time and the rapper didn't speak to the media at a court date earlier today.

Lil' Wayne has another trial looming in March over felony drug and weapons charges from a January 2008 police raid.

TMZ is putting Brandy on BLAST for talking while driving...

Its been about 3 years now since the fatal car accident in Los Angeles. Brandy was having car issues in her Range and gets spotted by the Papz! I guess it really is hard to NOT talk WITH a HEADSET and drive for some of us... I think after that experience though, I WOULD LEARN!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kim Kardashian!

Kim Kardashian may not quite be over the hill, but she's feeling her age, she tells PEOPLE.

"I'm not going to lie, I woke up this morning feeling a little old!” she admits. "It's my last year in my 20s."

But she's not dwelling on her age – and started her day with some sweet words from her boyfriend, New Orleans Saints player Reggie Bush.

"The first person to wish me a happy birthday was Reggie," she gushes. "He called so early this morning."

So what are Kardashian's plans for celebrating the big night?

"I lived it up at Tao in Las Vegas over the weekend, then New Orleans had a special birthday celebration for me," she says. "Tonight in L.A. I'm having an all girls dinner. This will be fun and I can let loose with all my best friends."

Khloe was NOT there due to Lamar Odom having suffering some minor injuries. She stayed home to support her hubby, which they HAVE BOTH FINALLY SIGNED A PRENUP!!!! Owwwwwwwwww!

Don't forget to tune in TONIGHT to "America's Next Top Model" because it just so happens Miss Kim K. is one of the judges on the panel on the show! I can't wait to see it!

Chris Brown Speak to Angie Martinez of Hot 97 - His 2nd Interview since pleading "NOT GUILTY"!

Chris Brown sported a bow tie for his appearance with Angie Martinez on New York's Hot 97 on Wednesday (October 21) just like he did during his interview with Larry King last month, but the singer wasn't nearly as choked up.

The Martinez interview was only his second media appearance since he pleaded guilty for his involvement in a physical altercation with Rihanna in June. His first, with King shortly after his sentencing, revealed Brown was not ready to speak openly about the ordeal as he deflected a majority of the CNN host's questions. With Martinez, the singer was more relaxed, though the radio personality was just as pressing as King.

The complete article can be read @ MTV.COM

I think Chris Brown is a smart man, who has definitely grown. People make mistakes. I think everything happens for a reason and on the flip side of things, I am happy that they aren't together because with this whole secret society thing and occult movement, I'm sure they would have been trying to also have ya boy C.B. on some weird secret society type stuff!

If you would like to hear the four interviews, the link is below:

Thursday Morning, October 22nd

Yesterday was a very full day with the opening ceremonies for the conference (which they are also referring to as a seminar) 'Buddhist Aesthetics/October Seminar.' The idea is for the event to become an annual conference seminar. The well known Tibetan Lama, Gossok Rinpoche, gave the first paper in the morning. The presentation was on mandalas and their meaning. The second paper was given by Ulrich Von Schroeder on Indo-Tibetan bronzes (although mostly made of brass).

We had a boxed lunch which was really delicious and ate it in the presentation room. After that we adjourned to the Capital Museum lecture hall for a paper on Densathil sculpture from the leading curator/researcher on the subject. The hall was very impressive. Although I had been to the museum many times I had never been in the hall which is at the base of the giant ding forming the main architectural element of the building. I tried to find a good link for the Capitol Museum but wasn't able to find anything with images. It was an excellent paper/lecture and after we went upstairs to actually see their Densathil collection which is one of the finest in the world. The Rubin Museum of Art also has a good Densathil collection, not so many pieces but good quality. I remember buying the first piece from Christies and then several more through the years.

(See the Densathil Sculpture on the HAR website).

Thursday morning will follow the same format as the previous day. A Tibetan speaker will go first and talk about ritual objects and hand attributes found in the hands of the figures in painting and sculpture. After that Jane Casey (formerly Jane Casey Singer) will give a paper and then we will break for lunch following which there will be a paper at the Palace Museum in the Tibetology Institute which opened last week.

The image above is a detail from an arhat painting in the Palace Museum. All of the images I took in the museum will be uploaded to HAR site when I return to New York.

KANYE IS NOT DEAD!!!!!

Kanye West Is Not Dead! However, “RIP Kanye West” has managed to become a top trending topic tonight on twitter after rumors rotated that he was killed in a car accident in Los Angeles earlier today. According to the fake story, he was in a car crash involving two luxury vehicles. An LAPD officer “reportedly” witnessed the wreck and saw a red Ferrari and a white Porsche “spinning out of control. The Ferrari (driven by West) hit the curb and then collided with a pole while the Porsche sped away.” Two people were supposedly arrested and detained by police.

Damn, death KEEPS missing his ass...He sure does like to play with fire!!!

Dancing With The Stars Honors Michael Jackson

On Tuesday (October 20), "Dancing With the Stars" featured a performance by Norah Jones and the elimination of Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin and her partner, Alec Mazo. But the real highlight of the night came when the show's professional dancers took time out of their busy competing schedules to pay tribute to Michael Jackson, who had a tremendous influence on dance culture during his career.

Host Tom Bergeron noted that throughout the show's four-year history, Jackson's songs have been used by the contestants 17 times. Pro dancer Louis van Amstel reflected on Jackson's influence: "It's really important to do this tribute because he pretty much opened doors, and I thank him for opening doors for all of us."

Mark Ballas loved channeling Jackson the several times he danced to his tunes on the show. "It just felt so great to dance to MJ songs and feel his moves," he said. "He's just an inspiration to all of us. He will be missed."

"He gave the world so much happiness and joy, and his music will live forever," fellow dancer Kym Johnson added.

As several Jackson family members sat in the audience, including Jackson's mom, Katherine, and siblings Jermaine and La Toya, the dancers took the stage to pay a special ballroom tribute to the late superstar. "Michael Jackson was a major loss to the entertainment community 'cause he inspired them to step up," Jermaine said in a pre-taped interview. "It just wasn't about the movement, it was about the feeling. There will only be one Michael Jackson forever."

"Michael liked all kinds of choreography. He liked 'Dancing With the Stars,' " La Toya revealed. "He was a fan of the show."

Dancer Karina Smirnoff noted that his influence was far-reaching. "He influenced not only dancing itself, but choreography. We lost not only an icon, but we lost the father of dance and choreography," she said.

La Toya introduced the tribute in a royal-blue gown, noting that her brother would be proud to see his legacy live on. The dancers, decked out in MJ garb, including short pants, white socks, single white gloves, red leather jackets and sparkles, kicked things off with the vintage Jackson 5 hit "I Want You Back."

They then slowed the pace down a bit with "Man in the Mirror," performing it as a very fluid ballroom dance mixed with ballet. Then came one of MJ's most iconic dance moments as the group danced to "Thriller," even reenacting the famous zombie dance moves from the video.

Dancer Cheryl Burke, who left the show after her partner, Tom DeLay, was injured earlier in the season, returned for the big tribute. In the days leading up to the show, she gushed to MTV News about the chance to honor her hero on "DWTS."

"He was a huge influence for me in my dancing career," she said. "I think a lot of us professional dancers can say the same. So we're really excited about it. ... 'Thriller' is one of my favorites of all time."

Don't miss "Michael Jackson's This Is It" Premiere Special, airing on MTV and VH1 on Tuesday, October 27 at 8:30 p.m. ET! "Michael Jackson's This Is It" opens in a limited engagement on October 27 and wide on October 28.

Wednesday Morning, October 21st

My paper was very controversial and made some people mad while other people were very happy with it. Generally people either believed the way I was presenting the information or they didn't. It has become well established in established in China that there are three forms of late Tibetan painting: Menri, Khyenri and Karma Gardri. They can't tell you what the definition is for each nor can they account for any styles that don't fall within the three.

The next few days until late Saturday will be very busy with the 2nd conference. There are several field trips and as you know it can be difficult moving around Beijing because of the traffic and number of cars especially at rush hour which is between 8:30 in the morning to 8:30 at night.

On Saturday I will likely have to find another hotel as I won't be able to afford this place I am in now. On Monday night I am scheduled to give a lecture at the Minzu University (Nationalities University, I think formerly called the Minorities). This is being organized by an old friend of mine, the only Bon scholar that teaches in Beijing. He is now the dean of his school, or sub-school/department within the university. He has 124 PhD candidates under his supervision as Dean. Hey! Maybe I should get an honorary Phd from him?

I already feel that there is not enough time to do all of the other things I want to do. I haven't even been to a bookstore yet (except in the Capital Museum) or a Tibetan restaurant. But during this conference one of the banquets will be at the Makye Ami Tibetan Restaurant. All three of the nights of this conference will be banquet nights at three different locations and with three different styles of food: Chinese, Tibetan and Sino-Mongolian.

The first night, tonight, is a banquet at the Beijing Dadong Roast Duck Restaurant. The 2nd banquet tomorrow night will be at the Makye Ame and the day after that will be Shuan Yang Rou, sliced mutton in a hot pot, by the world famous chef of the same family name and this will be at the same location where the conference is taking place. This sliced mutton is supposed to be some special famous thing. Generally in the West mutton implies an old sheep or lamb past its prime. There will also be Mongolian performers.

It sounds more like a holiday rather than a conference doesn't it? Well its not. It has been a whirlwind of activity and meetings and talking to people and trying to get images for the HAR website. So far I have a number of promises and one proposal of collaboration on a project involving over 300 Tibetan paintings from a Chinese Provincial museum attached to an important university.

The Blackberry cell phone has been working amazingly well here in Beijing, e-mail, text messages, everything.

I will post images for this Blog later today - that is if I'm not to busy feasting, or mentally drained and already asleep.

Posts from Beijing, October 16th to 19th, 2009

From the 16th to the 19th of October I had to find a different Blog provider. In China it is often very difficult to connect to Google Blog because it is blocked by the government. The reason is likely because of some dispute with Google, probably over accessibility. I normally use Google Blogger. At my new location in Beijing, at the Marriott Hotel, I once again have access to Google, therefore have now moved back to posting on my original travel blog.

To see the Beijing conference posts from October 16th to 19th go to the Travelblog site that I used as a temporary service.

Morning Trip to the Capital Museum

Again this morning we were up early and out front at 8:00 to go on a field trip to the Capital Museum. Only a dozen or more of the conference participants chose to go. Many had flights back to Europe or the US. There were several new exhibitions at the museum. However, the excellent display of Himalayan and Tibetan sculpture is a permanent exhibit which I photographed on a previous trip to Beijing some years ago. (See the Capital Museum sculpture on the HAR site).

While wandering through the museum I did see some objects that I had not seen before. I photographed them and will add them to the other images on the HAR site. One sculpture that was impressive and already on the HAR site was a Manjushri-like sculpture, the form having three faces and six hands. It was a large format sculpture and very well done with beautiful proportions. The ornate base is unusual for the extant of Nepalese scroll work decoration not typically found on the base of sculpture.

Beijing: Marriott Hotel Excutive Apartments

I changed hotels from the Ziyu Hotel to the Marriott Executive Apartments where tomorrows conference will be held. The 'Executive Apartments' is a building complex of high rise towers with some designed for hotel style rented rooms and others as monthly rentals and then other buildings as upscale apartments.

At the first conference accommodations and food was all provided for by the conference hosts of which there were three: the Palace Museum, the Capital University and the China Tibetolgy Institute. At the 2nd conference, so far, the host is providing very nice accommodations. I am in a two bedroom suite with a full kitchen and living area. Breakfast is provided in the morning on the ground floor. I don't yet know about lunch and dinner. It should be mentioned that I am sharing the suite with a friend who is also participating in the conference tomorrow.

As I am writing this the sun is setting out the window next to me. There is a large orange ball, low on the horizon, disappearing behind a Beijing cityscape. After several attempts to photograph the sunset and post it here I gave up realizing that the tinting on the window is preventing any kind of clear image. I posted it anyway.

At the Marriott there is internet access to the Google Blog site which is why I am again posting here rather than the Travelblog site that I have been using for the last few days. Marriott must have their own agreement for internet connection with the Chinese Government since the hotel primarily deals with a foreign clientele rather than local Chinese citizens.

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Hong Kong

Due to heavy winds we arrived late in Hong Kong and I missed my connecting flight to Beijing. Flights leave all the time so it was easy to get on another scheduled for an hour and a half later. The brie and cucumber sandwiches in the Business Class lounge are the best. It is sunny and warm here. It would be nice to go into Hong Kong and spend some time, but alas no. I have the thick clouds of pollution and dust to look forward to in Beijing.

The Occult Roots of The Wizard of Oz

With its memorable story and its cast of colorful characters, the Wizard of Oz became quickly an American classic. More than a hundred years after the release of this book, kids everywhere are still enchanted by Oz’s world of wonder. Very however recognize that, under its deceptive simplicity, the story of the Wizard of Oz conceals deep esoteric truths inspired by Theosophy. We’ll look at the Wizard of Oz’s occult meaning and its author’s background.




Although the Wizard of Oz is wildly perceived as an innocent children’s fairy tale, it is almost impossible not to attribute to Dorothy’s quest a symbolic meaning. Like all great stories, the characters and the symbols of the Wizard of Oz can be given a second layer of interpretation, which can vary depending on the reader’s perception. Many analysis appeared throughout the years describing the story as being an “atheist manifesto” while others saw in it as a promotion of populism. It is however by understanding the author’s philosophical background and beliefs that one can truly grasp the story’s true meaning.

L. Frank Baum, the author of the Wizard of Oz was a member of the Theosophical Society, which is an organization based on occult research and the comparative study religions. Baum had a deep understanding of Theosophy and, consciously or not, made of Wizard of Oz an allegory of Theosophic teachings.

What is Theosophy?



The Theosophical Society is an occult organization, mainly based on the teachings of Helena P. Blavatsky which seeks to extract the common roots of all religions in
order to form a universal doctrine.

“But it is perhaps desirable to state unequivocally that the teachings, however fragmentary and incomplete, contained in these volumes, belong neither to the Hindu, the Zoroastrian, the Chaldean, nor the Egyptian religion,.neither to Buddhism, Islam, Judaism nor Christianity exclusively. The Secret Doctrine is the essence of all these. Sprung from it in their origins, the various religious schemes are now made to merge back into their original element, out of which every mystery and dogma has grown, developed, and become materialized.”
-H.P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine

The three declared objects of the original Theosophical Society as established by Blavatsky, Judge and Olcott (its founders) were as follows:

“First — To form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste, or color.
Second — To encourage the study of Comparative Religion, Philosophy, and Science.
Third — To investigate the unexplained laws of Nature and the powers latent in man.”
-The Theosophist, vol 75, No 6



H.P. Blavatsky

The main tenants of Theosophy are thoroughly described in Blavatsky works Isis Unveiled and The Secret Doctrine. At the core of Theosophical teachings are the same tenants found in many other occult schools: the belief of the presence of a “divine spark” within every person which, with the proper discipline and training, can lead to spiritual illumination and a state of virtual godliness.

Another important principle found in Theosophy is reincarnation. It is believed that the human soul, like all other things in the universe, go through seven stages of development.

“Theosophical writings propose that human civilizations, like all other parts of the universe, develop cyclically through seven stages. Blavatsky posited that the whole humanity, and indeed every reincarnating human monad, evolves through a series of seven “Root Races”. Thus in the first age, humans were pure spirit; in the second age, they were sexless beings inhabiting the now lost continent of Hyperborea; in the third age the giant Lemurians were informed by spiritual impulses endowing them with human consciousness and sexual reproduction. Modern humans finally developed on the continent of Atlantis. Since Atlantis was the nadir of the cycle, the present fifth age is a time of reawakening humanity’s psychic gifts. The term psychic here really means the realization of the permeability of consciousness as it had not been known earlier in evolution, although sensed by some more sensitive individuals of our species.”

The ultimate goal is of course our return to the state of divinity from which we’ve emerged. The same tenants (with subtle variations) can be found in other schools such as Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry and other orders teachings the Mysteries.

L.Frank Baum, a Notable Theosophist



Before writing the Wizard of Oz (and even contemplating becoming a children’s story author), Baum held many jobs – one being the editor of the Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer. In 1890, Baum wrote a series of articles introducing his readers to Theosophy, including his views on Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius and Christ. At that time, he wasn’t a member of the Theosophical Society but he was already displaying a deep understanding of its philosophy. Here’s an excerpt of his “Editor’s Musings”:

“Amongst various sects so numerous in America today who find their fundamental basis in occultism, the Theosophist stands pre-eminent both in intelligence and point of numbers. Theosophy is not a religion. Its followers are simply “searchers after Truth”. The Theosophists, in fact, are the dissatisfied of the world, the dissenters from all creeds. They owe their origin to the wise men of India, and are numerous, not only in the far famed mystic East, but in England, France, Germany and Russia. They admit the existence of a God – not necessarily of a personal God. To them God is Nature and Nature is God…But despite this, if Christianity is Truth, as our education has taught us to believe, there can be no menace to it in Theosophy.”
-L. Frank Baum, Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer, January 25th 1890

In another of his “Editor’s Musings”, Baum discusses the use of mystic symbolism in fiction, something he accomplished ten years later with the Wizard of Oz:

“There is a strong tendency in modern novelists toward introducing some vein of mysticism or occultism into their writings. Books of this character are eagerly bought and read by the people, both in Europe and America. It shows the innate longing in our natures to unravel the mysterious: to seek some explanation, however fictitious, of the unexplainable in nature and in our daily existence. For, as we advance in education, our desire for knowledge increases, and we are less satisfied to remain in ignorance of that mysterious fountain-head from which emanates all that is sublime and grand and incomprehensible in nature.”

At the end of this article, Baum goes into an all-out plead for more occultism in literature:

“The appetite of our age for occultism demands to be satisfied, and while with the mediocrity of people will result in mere sensationalism, it will lead in many to higher and nobler and bolder thought; and who can tell what mysteries these braver and abler intellects may unravel in future ages?”
-L. Frank Baum, Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer, February 22nd 1890

Two years after writing those articles, L. Frank Baum and his wife Maud Gage joined the Theosophical Society in Chicago. The archives of the Theosophical Society in the Pasadena California has recorded the start of their membership on September 4th, 1892. In 1890, the Wizard of Oz is published. When asked about how Baum got his inspiration for the story, he’re what he replied:

“It was pure inspiration…It came to me right out of the blue. I think that sometimes the Great Author has a message to get across and He has to use the instrument at hand. I happened to be that medium, and I believe the magic key was given me to open the doors to sympathy and understanding, joy, peace and happiness.”
-L. Frank Baum, cited by Hearn 73

The Wizard of Oz is very appreciated within the Theosophical Society. In 1986, The American Theosophist magazine recognized Baum to be a “notable Theosophist” whose thoroughly represented the organization’s philosophy.

“Although readers have not looked at his fairy tales for their Theosophical content, it is significant that Baum became a famous writer of children’s books after he had come into contact with Theosophy. Theosophical ideas permeate his work and provided inspiration for it. Indeed, The Wizard can be regarded as Theosophical allegory, pervaded by Theosophical ideas from beginning to end. The story came to Baum as an inspiration, and he accepted it with a certain awe as a gift from outside, or perhaps from deep within, himself.”
-American Theosophist no 74, 1986

So what is the esoteric meaning of this children’s story, which came to Baum as a “divine inspiration”?

The Occult Meaning of The Wizard of Oz


Path to Illumination

If you’ve never read or watched The Wizard of Oz or need your memory refreshed, here’s a quick sum-up of the movie:


The film follows 12-year-old farmgirl Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) who lives on a Kansas farm with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, but dreams of a better place “somewhere over the rainbow.” After being struck unconscious during a tornado by a window which has come loose from its frame, Dorothy dreams that she, her dog Toto and the farmhouse are transported to the magical Land of Oz. There, the Good Witch of the North, Glinda (Billie Burke), advises Dorothy to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City and meet the Wizard of Oz, who can return her to Kansas. During her journey, she meets a Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), a Tin Man (Jack Haley) and a Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), who join her, hoping to receive what they lack themselves (a brain, a heart and courage, respectively). All of this is done while also trying to avoid the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) and her attempt to get her sister’s ruby slippers from Dorothy, who received them from Glinda.


The said above, the entire story of the Wizard of Oz is an allegorical tale of the soul’s path to illumination – the Yellow Brick Road. In Buddhism (an important part of Theosophical teachings) the same concept is referred to as the “Golden Path”.

The story starts with Dorothy Gale living in Kansas, which symbolizes the material world, the physical plane where each one of us starts our spiritual journey. Dorothy feels an urge to “go over the rainbow”, to reach the ethereal world an follow the path to illumination. She has basically “passed the Nadir” by demonstrating the urge of seeking a higher truth.

Dorothy is then brought to Oz by a giant cyclone spiraling upward, representing the cycles of karma, the cycle of errors and lessons learned. It also represents the theosophical belief of reincarnation, the round of physical births and deaths of a soul until it is fit to become divine. It is also interesting to note that the Yellow Brick Road of Oz begins as an outwardly expanding spiral. In occult symbolism, this spiral represents the evolving self, the soul ascending from matter into the spirit world.



The spiraly beginning of the spiritual path

Here’s an explanation of the spiral as an occult symbol:

“Spiral: The path of a point (generally plane) which moves round an axis while continually approaching it or receding from it; also often used for a helix, which is generated by compounding a circular motion with one in a straight line. The spiral form is an apt illustration of the course of evolution, which brings motion round towards the same point, yet without repetition.

The serpent, and the figures 8 and , denoting the ogdoad and infinity, stand for spiral cyclic motion. The course of fohat in space is spiral, and spirit descends into matter in spiral courses. Repeating the process by which a helix is derived form a circle produces a vortex. The complicated spirals of cosmic evolution bring the motion back to the point from which it started at the birth of a great cosmic age.”
-The Encyclopedic Theosophical Glossary


Before undertaking her journey, Dorothy is given the “silver shoes”, who represent the “silver cord” of Mystery Schools (Dorothy was wearing ruby slippers in the movie due to a last minute change by the director, who thought that the color ruby looked better against the Yellow Brick Road). In occult schools, the silver cord is considered to be the link between our material and spiritual selves.

“In Theosophy, one’s physical body and one’s Astral body are connected through a “silver cord”, a mythical link inspired by a passage in the Bible that speaks of a return from a spiritual quest. ‘Or ever the silver cord be loosed, says the book of Ecclesiastes, ‘then shall the dust return to the earth as it was and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it’.

In Frank Baum’s own writing, the silver cord of Astral travel would inspire the silver shoes that bestow special powers upon the one who wears them”
-Evan I. Schwartz, Finding OZ: How L.Frank Baum Discovered the Great American Story

During her journey along the Yellow Brick road, Dorothy encounters Scarecrow, Tin Woodman and Cowardly Lion who are respectively searching for a brain, a heart and courage. Those odd characters embody the qualities needed by the initiates in order to complete their quest for illumination. Baum has probably been inspired by those words from Miss Blavatsky:

“There is no danger that dauntless courage cannot conquer, there is not trial that a spotless purity cannot pass through; there is no difficulty a strong intellect cannot surmount”
- H.P. Blavatsky

After surmounting many obstacles, the party finally reaches Emerald city in order to meet The Wizard.

THE WIZARD



Surrounded by artifices and special effects, the Wizard comes across as cruel, rude and unwise. The Wizard is in fact a stand-in for the personal God of the Christians and the Jews, the oppressive figure used by conventional religions to keep the masses in spiritual darkness: Jehova or Yahwe. It is later discovered that the Wizard is a humbug, a charlatan, who scared people into worshiping his Wizard. He surely could not help the characters complete their quest. If you read literature of Mystery schools, this point of view towards Christianity is constantly expressed.


Oh no you didn’t, Wizard

After all has been said and done, the brains, the heart and the courage needed to complete Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tinman and Lion’s quests were found within each one of them. Mystery Schools have always taught their students that one must rely one oneself to obtain salvation. Dorothy’s dog, Toto, represents throughout the story Dorothy’s “inside voice”, her intuition. Here’s a description of Toto taken from the Theosophical Society’s website:

“Toto represents the inner, intuitive, instinctual, most animal-like part of us. Throughout the movie, Dorothy has conversations with Toto, or her inner intuitive self. The lesson here is to listen to the Toto within. In this movie, Toto was never wrong. When he barks at the scarecrow, Dorothy tries to ignore him: “Don’t be silly, Toto. Scarecrows don’t talk.” But scarecrows do talk in Oz. Toto also barks at the little man behind the curtain. It is he who realizes the Wizard is a fraud. At the Gale Farm and again at the castle, the Witch tries to put Toto into a basket. What is shadow will try to block or contain the intuitive. In both cases, Toto jumps out of the basket and escapes. Our intuitive voice can be ignored, but not contained.

In the last scene, Toto chases after a cat, causing Dorothy to chase after him and hence miss her balloon ride. This is what leads to Dorothy’s ultimate transformation, to the discovery of her inner powers. The balloon ride is representative of traditional religion, with a skinny-legged wizard promising a trip to the Divine. Toto was right to force Dorothy out of the balloon. Otherwise she might never have found her magic. This is a call for us to listen to our intuitions, our gut feelings, those momentary bits of imagination that appear seemingly out of nowhere.”

As stated above, the fake Wizard invites Dorothy into his balloon to go back to Kansas, her final destination. She however follows Toto (her intuition) out of the balloon, which represents the empty promises of organized religions. This leads to her ultimate revelation and, with the help of the Good Witch of the North (her divine guide), she finally understands: everything she ever wanted could be found “in her own backyard”.

In order to obtain illumination Dorothy had to vanquish the wicked witches of the East and the West – who were forming an evil horizontal axis: the material world. She was wise in listening to the advices of the good witches of the North and South – the vertical axis: the spiritual dimension.


The Good Witch of the North, representing Dorothy’s “divine spark”

At the end of the story, Dorothy wakes up in Kansas: she has successfully combined her physical and spiritual life. She is now comfortable being herself again and, despite her family not really believing the details of her quest (the ignorant profane), she can finally say “There is no place like home”.

The Wizard of Oz Used in Monarch Mind Control
Almost all documentation relating to the MK Ultra project and Mind Control mention the importance of the Wizard of Oz. In the 1940’s, the story was reportedly chosen by members of the US intelligence community to provide a thematic foundation for their trauma-based mind control program. The movie was edited and given a different meaning in order to use it as a tool to reinforce the programming on the victims. Here are some examples taken from Fritz Springmeier’s Total Mind Control Slave:

The close relationship between Dorothy and her dog is a very subtle connection between the satanic cults use of animals (familiars). A Monarch slave as a child will be allowed to bond with a pet. The child will want to bond with a pet anyway because people are terrifying by this point. Then the pet is killed to traumatize the child.

Monarch slaves are taught to “follow the yellow brick road.” No matter what fearful things lie ahead, the Monarch slave must follow the Yellow Brick Road which is set out before them by their master.

Rainbow–with its seven colors have long had an occult significance of being a great spiritual hypnotic device.

Dorothy is looking for a place where there is no trouble which is a place “over the rainbow.” To escape pain, alters go over the rainbow. (This is a.k.a. in Alice In Wonderland Programming as “going through the looking glass”).
“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is probably the most dissociative song ever written and is often used in movies, playing during violent or traumatizing events (see the movie Face-Off). The strange effect produced, where the violence doesn’t seem real anymore, is exactly how dissociation works on mind-control victims. It is also speculated that the scene where Dorothy falls asleep in a poppy field is a reference to the use of heroin victims to relax and manipulated them. What about the snow falling from the sky that wakes up Dorothy from her slumber?…cocaine.


Does this represent heroin?

To Conclude
Allegorical stories transmitting spiritual truths have existed since the dawn of man. These simple yet extremely profound stories have been found in all civilizations, whether they be Celtic, Indian, Persian, Aztec, Greek, Egyptian or else. Consciously or not, Frank Baum has created a classical allegory which, in the same vein as Homer’s Odyssey, entertains the masses while containing mystical messages that can be understood by the “awakened”.

The Wizard of Oz’s great success confirms America’s (and the Western world’s) real spiritual dogma. Written during the 1890’s, while most of Americans were conservative Christians, Baum’s story anticipated the population’s progressive abandonment of traditional religions and the embrace of a new form of spirituality. Today’s New Age movements are gaining many adepts and, even if most of them are total shams, they all claim to be inspired by Theosophy. Can such tales be accounted for the spectacular decline of Christianity in the past decades while other movements are gaining momentum?