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Performance --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdBmiJwhCFQ <--Performance

When I learned that Madonna – aka the Grand Priestess of the music industry – would be performing at the Superbowl halftime show, I thought: “This should be interesting”. And it was. While most were amazed by a woman in her fifties dancing around with LMFAO and others were annoyed at her lipsynching, I was amazed by something else: the flurry of symbolism flashed to billions of worldwide viewers. While most saw Madonna’s performance as an entertaining interlude to the most important football game of the year, those with symbol-literacy will probably agree: Madonna’s halftime show was a big celebration of the Illuminati industry and of its Grand Priestess, Madonna.

A week before the Superbowl, Madonna described on Anderson Cooper the spiritual importance she attributed to her Half-Time show:

“The Superbowl is kind of like the Holy of Holies in America. I’ll come at halfway of the “church experience” and I’m gonna have to deliver a sermon. It’ll have to be very impactful.”

It is rather appropriate that this Kaballah-intiate referred to the Superbowl as the “Holy of Holies” as it was the name of the most sacred place in Solomon’s Temple. No one was ever permitted the Holy of Holies but the High Priest and only on the Day of Atonement – to offer the blood of sacrifice and incense before the mercy seat. Madonna’s analogy was therefore rather telling of the mindset behind her performance. Let’s look at the main parts of her show.

Vogue or Entrance of the Priestess

Madonna entrance is an elaborate procession fit for a High Priestess or even a goddess.

Pushed by hundreds of Roman soldiers and welcomed by hundreds of women, Madonna's glorious entrance is a reflection of her status in the entertainment world.

Her first performance is highly influenced by ancient Egypt-Sumeria-Babylon and Madonna’s costume recalls an ancient Babylonian goddess.

The decor of Madonna's first performance combines elements from ancient Egypt, Sumeria and Babylon. Madonna herself is dressed in a way that highly resembles an Ancient Sumerian/Babylonian goddess, Inanna-Ishtar.

Ishtar with her foot on a roaring lion and wearing a distinctive headdress thatresembles the one worn by Madonna. Ishtar is often depicted with wings, a feature that is recalled on Madonna's "carriage".

Ishtar was a powerful and assertive goddess whose areas of control and influence included warfare, love, sexuality, prosperity, fertility and prostitution. She sought the same existence as men, enjoying the glory of battle and seeking sexual experiences. Madonna’s as Ishtar is therefore quite interesting as one can argue that the pop singer has embodied, throughout her career, the same assertive yet highly sexual qualities of Ishtar, even achieving a state of power in the music industry that is usually reserved to men. On an esoteric level, Ishtar is associated with the planet Venus, known as the Morning Star or the Evening Star – a name also attributed to Lucifer in occult schools.

So in this mythologically-charged setting Madonna performed Vogue. During the performance, we saw dancers on the covers of Vogue, a magazine that is at the forefront of Illuminati symbolism in fashion (as seen in the series of articles Symbolic Pics of the Month).

Vogue ends with a symbol that is consistent with the Egyptian-Babylonian theme of the performance. It is also highest importance in occult Secret Societies such as Freemasons, the Rosicrucians and the Illuminati: the Winged Sun-Disk.

The song ends with the displaying of the symbol of the Winged Sun-Disk.

Egyptian mystics used the winged sun for ritualistic magic and invocations:

“‘Emblematic of the element of air, this consists of a circle or solar-type disk enclosed by a pair of wings. In ritual magic it is suspended over the alter in an easterly direction and used when invoking the protection and co-operation of the sylphs.”
-Hope, Murry, Practical Egyptian Magic

The winged sun is still being used today by groups like the Freemasons, the Theosophists and the Rosicrucians.

“The Winged Globe is pre-eminently a Rosicrucian symbol, although the Illuminati may lay claim to it, and it may be admitted that it is of Egyptian origin. The Winged Globe is the symbol of the perfected soul making its flight back to the source of its creation in the Elysian fields beyond.”
-Swinburne, Clymer, The Rosicrucians Their Teachings

The symbol of the winged-sun inside a Masonic lodge.

The display of this symbol, although apparently trivial and aesthetic, emphasizes on the occult spiritual dimension underlying Madonna’s entire performance.

Give Me All Your Luvin’ or Madonna’s Sex Kittens

Later in the show, Madonna performed her new single Give Me All Your Luvin’. The song features two new industry favorites: Nikki Minaj and M.I.A. In the song’s music video and during the Superbowl performance, the featuring of these two female rappers is portrayed in a specific way:  Instead of being presented as full-fledged artists contributing to Madonna’s song, the roles they are given makes them almost Madonna’s “minions” who are cheering for the industry’s High Priestess. This “relationship” where Madonna is in power – and therefore the handler – is drenched in Mind Control symbolism, specifically Beta Programming also know Sex Kitten Programming.

In the video for Give me Your Luvin', Madonna, Nikki Minaj and M.I.A. are dressed as Marilyn Monroe, the ultimate prototype of Sex Kitten Programming.

Another symbol associated with Sex Kitten programming is feline prints clothing and textiles. The entire half-time show was an animal-print extravaganza.

Like a Prayer or the Final Sermon

Madonna closed the Halftime show with one of her biggest hits: Like a Prayer. The video of this song was always controversial due to its mixing of religious themes with sexuality. When the song starts, the show takes on a very solemn and spiritual tone as Madonna and Cee-Lo Green enter to give the final sermon. Religious figures are usually dressed in white to represent purity and godliness. The two singers where dressed in black robes and black robes are usually used in…black masses.

As the song begins, a huge eye pupil is displayed, hinting of the Illuminati-influence in this spiritual performance.

Madonna’s Half-Time show also ends in a rather symbolic matter:

At the end of her performance, the floor opens underneath Madonna's feet and she disappears.

As Madonna is swept in what appears to be the “Underworld”, Madonna sings “I hear you call my name, And it feels like home”. This is another inversion of conventional religious symbolism as “home” should be in the heavens. In Madonna’s case, she obviously didn’t go in that direction.

The show ends with a message no one can disagree with.

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Tiquan Underwood, the guy who loved being a Patriot so much that he did that to his hair, was released by the team on Saturday, just hours before the Super Bowl.

It's callous and it's cold-blooded, but that's football, and that's Bill Belichick. I'm sure that Underwood is emotionally devastated, but that's a head coach's job. If he feels like another player might help a little more on Sunday, even if it's just for one play, then it's the coach's job to make that decision. Feelings aren't a part of it.

Underwood probably didn't expect this, but he's no stranger to being released, either. It's the third time the Patriots have cut him this season.

What might make it even harder on the guy is that he didn't do anything wrong. And in an impressive four-tweet barrage following his release, Underwood put it all in perspective.

Some guys are able to see the big picture, no matter what.

That, friends, is a class act.

According to the Boston Herald, the move has no disciplinary motive behind it. The Patriots simply wanted another defensive lineman on the roster. Alex Silvestro (ironically, like Underwood, a Rutgers product) is the guy who will take his place. He's been on the Patriots practice squad all season.

Belichick recently spoke glowingly of the Rutgers players on the Patriots roster, Underwood, Silvestro, Nate Jones and Devin McCourty.

"I think all four players are very team-oriented, and they come from a great program. I think that program has, under Coach (Greg) Schiano, prepared their players well for the NFL. I think if you look around the NFL, you see a lot of players from Rutgers in the league, not necessarily all of them are high draft choices like (Devin) McCourty, also including other players who were not drafted or lower draft choices. They've made teams, and I think that speaks to the preparation of that program in terms of getting players ready to play in the NFL — how to prepare, how to work, how to train, how to compete, how to play football similar to the way it is played in the NFL. Those four players have done a good job for us. In terms of the program, you can see those types of players on a lot of teams. When they get to the NFL, most of those players end up making it, at least for a while."

In the grand scheme of things, Underwood still has to count himself lucky. He was a part of a Super Bowl team. He experienced everything about Super Bowl week except for the Super Bowl itself. And if the Patriots go on to win, he'll still get a ring, and it will be just as big and shiny as Tom Brady's or Wes Welker's.

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(NEW YORK) -- In what has become a trademark of divahood, Nicki Minaj joins the ranks of superstars who request a laundry list of seemingly over-the-top items for their dressing rooms.

In a recent interview for the February/March issue of Wonderland magazine, the 29-year-old singer revealed her demands while on tour -- not just for herself, she said, but for the entourage that hangs out with her backstage.

The magazine obtained a full tour rider list for Minaj, which includes roses, a full tea set, fine silverware, a case of Red Bull, several different kinds of fruit, a full-fledged breakfast spread and deli sandwich tray -- and that’s just for setting the table. Minaj also requests several items to help her voice, including a humidifier and throat lozenges.

Here’s a peek at the list:

• Two dozen pink or white roses and three large Baked Goods scented candles
• Hot tea setup with lemon wedges, sugar and honey. Must include teacups, saucers, spoons and napkins, and decaffeinated Lipton Tea bags
• Two packs Halls lemon honey drops and three packs of Thayers Slippery Elm lozenges (three different flavors)
• Contact lense solution with case, two space heaters -- very important -- and a cool mist humidifier
• Three packs of gum in three different flavors
• Twenty-four bottles of Dasani Water (12 at room temperature,12 on ice)
• Twelve cans of Red Bull (six at room temp, six iced)
• Twelve bottles of Martinelli’s Apple Juice (six at room temp, six iced)
• Twenty-four bottles of Snapple, 12 must be Lemon Ice Tea, 12 other assorted flavors
• Singer’s Saving Grace throat spray
• Two large bottles of assorted fruit juices and one gallon of Simply Lemonade -- please supply one small tub of clean ice and cups for drinks.
• Egg Whites (scrambled hard), turkey bacon (fried hard), white toast (grape and strawberry jelly/jam). Belgian waffles (syrup, powdered sugar, whipped cream, butter and strawberries on side), enough to serve four people
• One large fruit platter with side of mango and one large cheese platter
• Three twelve-piece buckets of fried chicken, spicy -- no thighs, lots of wings
• A deli tray with turkey breast meat, grilled chicken breast, whole wheat bread or rolls, yellow mustard and other condiments (seasoned salt, hot sauce), plates, forks, spoons, knives, napkins and straws (enough for six people)
• Salad -- iceberg lettuce, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, green olives, Wishbone Light Italian dressing, Bumble Bee tuna in water, wheat or low-fat crackers
• Carrots and dip
• Cranberries (dried), almonds (raw-not roasted)
• One set of fine silverware/stainless steel silverware

While the list seems long, the singer told the magazine the real Nicki is a “different” person from her neon-painted, latex-wearing diva self.

"They’re definitely two completely different people," she said. “Obviously, what I would wear at home is not what I would wear up on stage, and I think, when I’m at home it’s a way more introspective character and I think the person people see onstage is anything but.”

The multi-platinum rapper, who took home the best hip-hop video at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, is up for the best new artist award at this year’s Grammys. Minaj is expected to drop her new album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded on April 3.

Minaj is not the first diva to make elaborate requests while on tour -- not by a long shot. She’s pretty tame when compared to Mariah Carey, who reportedly asked for kittens and white doves when she was turning on Christmas lights at the Westfield London Shopping Center in 2009.

Also in 2009, Lady Gaga demanded lambs and hundreds of butterflies onstage for her performance on The X Factor. However, her request to have lions accompany her at the MTV Video Music Awards that year was denied.

The Smoking Gun obtained a backstage rider list from Rihanna’s 2010 tour that showed the singer had very particular demands, including specifics about the exact size of the couch she wanted in her dressing room and how she liked her flowers arranged.

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A housewife died after suffering a massive allergic reaction possibly triggered by the glue in her hair extensions, an inquest heard today.

Atasha Graham, 34, collapsed after a night out dancing at a club where her boyfriend was the DJ.

The hearing at Southwark  Coroner's Court in London was told the allergic reaction may have been caused by the glue used to attach her hair extensions - but there was no way to be 100 per cent certain. 

Home Office pathologist Doctor Michael Heath told the inquest: 'I’ve seen cases where people using solvent to apply hair extensions has actually caused anaphylactic shock. 

'There are about 10 to 20 deaths a year in this country, many more in America. I have seen four in the last three months.'

The inquest heard that 'fun-loving' Ms Graham had been fine on the night out until she stepped through the door of her home in Lee, south-east London, at 6.30am, then suddenly collapsed and stopped breathing. 

Her shocked partner, Fenton Johnson, called an ambulance and tried to resuscitate her while 999 operators told him what to do over the phone. 

Ms Graham, the third youngest of nine siblings, never properly regained consciousness and died later in hospital. 

A post-mortem failed to find any abnormalities with her organs or substances which could have caused her death.

Her younger brother Carlus, who attended the inquest with his wife Marsha, said: 'This is the most frustrating thing of all. We still don’t know what happened.'

The inquest heard Ms Graham had been drinking Hennessy brandy and Red Bull hours before she died, but only had a moderate amount of alcohol in her body which could not have caused her death.

Dr Heath did not find any kind of drugs or substances in her body.

Jamaican-born Ms Graham, who had eaten takeaway jerk pork and Chinese before going out, did not have any history of food allergies. 

Dr Heath said an allergic reaction to food would normally occur within half an hour of consumption so he did not think it could have been anything she ate. 

He then examined a hair piece Ms Graham wore to see if there could have been an allergic reaction to the latex glue used to attach it to her natural hair.

Dr Heath added: 'The hair extensions in Atasha’s hair were of a latex type. This may or may not be related [to her death]. 

'If it is the hair extension normally a reaction would occur within half an hour of applying them or if some of the latex got into the solution because of perspiration and then got into the bloodstream.'

He added that sweat, for instance if she had been dancing in a club, could potentially have caused the glue to get into her bloodstream. 

But the pathologist said he would expect an allergic reaction to occur shortly after the glue was applied and Atasha had been wearing extensions, which she got done in salons, since the age of 20.

After lengthy discussions with experts the pathologist said he was certain the cause of death was anaphylactic shock as the level of tryptase, which occurs naturally in the body during an allergic reaction, was 178 micrograms per litre of blood - up to 25 times higher than the normal amount of between two and 14 micrograms per litre.

However, he said he could not pinpoint exactly what was the trigger was.

Dr Heath added: 'The diagnosis is correct, but I am not sure what triggered it.

'If she had recovered we could have carried out tests, but the situation we have, tragically, we cannot take it any further.'

Coroner Christopher Williams recorded a verdict of death by natural causes as he said it was not possible to identify a clear link with a particular allergen that caused her body to go into shock. 

He said: 'She had an allergic reaction to something as the level of tryptase in her body was 178 micrograms, but we are not able to identify what the specific agent was that that caused this reaction.'

Speaking afterwards, Mr Johnson, Ms Graham's partner of two years with whom she had been trying to have a baby, described her as a 'wonderful person' who helped him turn his life around. 

Mr Johnson said: 'She changed me a lot. It’s so shocking this could have happened. I still have to keep looking at pictures of her on my phone.' 

Ms Graham’s brother, Carlus, added: 'She was such a nice person. She loved kids. She was fun-loving. 

'She just enjoyed her life, enjoyed doing what made her happy. 

'I was younger than her by two years, but we were like twins. She even taught me how to read and write. 

'The last time I spoke to her was the Friday before this happened. I remember her every day.'