reflections of Vodou

Aug 6, 2006
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I no longer own the Hyundai, I donated it to a charity five years ago. I had a Mercedes as well, and was using the Hyundai to haul some stuff around to fix up a friend's apartment. I bought it for $250 from a colleague when a previous car, a Nissan, caught fire. rather than rent a car. I kept it because it was a hatchback and useful for hauling stuff. The point is that police sometimes do really dumb stuff, like run around entering license plate numbers at random while driving in traffic and then not double checking before they pull some citizen over, which was what happened in this case.

Gates, in my opinion, is qualified to interview people. He is really quite good at it. Just watch the PBS documentary. He is quite professional in his technique and demeanor, in my opinion. He made another PBS series in which he explains DNA to celebrities and others.

I do not think it is valid to say what anyone "always" does unless you are with them all the time.

None of us is perfect, not Gates, not the cop, not anyone. How one behaves under stress is really not indicative of their ability to do research or to interview people as I see it.
 

Bronxboy

Well-known member
Jul 11, 2007
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Us2tYEQsjO0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

This movie scared the living **** out of me in 1975.
 

pauleast

*** I love DR1 ***
Jan 29, 2012
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I have a little Pin doll of captglen its quite effective...

I too have a pin doll, On one side is the anti-cop, anti-establishment guy Professor Gates and on the other side is Rev Al Sharpton both are overly concerned with skin pigmentation.
To Xavier Onassis, congratulations on your ownership of a Mercedes, truly impressive and if you have a problem with cops in Miami I strongly advise you not to live on the Island full time, as the Police play by a totally different set of rules here. Being inconvenienced will be the least of your concerns.
 

Contango

Banned
Dec 27, 2010
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look at 2:28 of the Video, the Drum has an "Apple Computers Symbol"... thats the new apple drum pad.. best voodoo experience...
 
Aug 6, 2006
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I was entirely cool and composed during the entire half hour that the moronic cop delayed me because he apparently thought I was driving a stolen ten year old Hyundai. I have not gotten any tickets for twelve years now in Florida, and have nary a point on my license.

I lived in Mexico for three years and was often stopped, apparently because I had a T Bird convertible, and was so pleasant and diplomatic that I never was issued a ticket or had to pay a mordida. Usually they would offer to buy my car, knowing that it would have been illegal for me, as I was on a student visa, to sell to them. I have no plans to drive a Mercedes or any other vehicle in the DR. I am entirely aware of macho Latino cops. The one that stopped me, however, was Chinese, or some sort of Asian.

I fail to see what Al Sharpton has to do with this discussion. On the other hand, as I said, Gates in his PBS special, did not claim to be an expert on the DR or Haiti, he interviewed people who lived on the island who had a claim to be experts, and if you are fair-minded enough to watch the program, you will see that he did a good job of this. I deem it foolish to judge the professionalism of anyone based on nonsense from the press that loves this sort of stuff, as it draws eyeballs to their programs.
 

pauleast

*** I love DR1 ***
Jan 29, 2012
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I was entirely cool and composed during the entire half hour that the moronic cop delayed me because he apparently thought I was driving a stolen ten year old Hyundai. I have not gotten any tickets for twelve years now in Florida, and have nary a point on my license.

I lived in Mexico for three years and was often stopped, apparently because I had a T Bird convertible, and was so pleasant and diplomatic that I never was issued a ticket or had to pay a mordida. Usually they would offer to buy my car, knowing that it would have been illegal for me, as I was on a student visa, to sell to them. I have no plans to drive a Mercedes or any other vehicle in the DR. I am entirely aware of macho Latino cops. The one that stopped me, however, was Chinese, or some sort of Asian.

I fail to see what Al Sharpton has to do with this discussion. On the other hand, as I said, Gates in his PBS special, did not claim to be an expert on the DR or Haiti, he interviewed people who lived on the island who had a claim to be experts, and if you are fair-minded enough to watch the program, you will see that he did a good job of this. I deem it foolish to judge the professionalism of anyone based on nonsense from the press that loves this sort of stuff, as it draws eyeballs to their programs.

I fail to see how your disdain for Police in general relates to this thread and the list of vehicles that you own, however, I see that you are a strong advocate for Professor Gates, so the last word is yours Sir..have at it.
 

K-Mel

Member
Apr 15, 2012
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What the western world called sorcery is old like mankind, in the 3 monotheist books, the cradle of brujeria is Babylone , located in actual Irak. And sorcery was practiced all over Europe in antiquity and the middle age.

In the new world European nations including Spaniards expelled their witches, crimininals, and many other nice people. However Hollywood gave to voodoo a bad name, including many racist " intellectuals" who did not know jack about this creed.

One example is the "voodoo" doll with pins, which is not an African tradition but a tradition from ancient Rome ( imported by the slaves from the middle east). This custom was passed to Europe due to the roman empire expansion and finished up in the new world ( with the brujos expelled from Spain and Portugal by the inquisition). So even sorcery in the new world is a mix between European and African traditions.

Sometimes sorcery is wrongfully labelled to native Indians creeds ( shaman of south america).

Nevertheless messing up with spirits is dangerous...Some people lost their lives. It seems strange for us " gringos" but the spiritual world is a reality. The wind is invisible doesn't mean that it's not an existing thing...Human being is more powerful though if he follows God's commandments.
 
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Aug 6, 2006
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I do not disdain police, just the clown who stopped me for no good reason.

As for Gates, I insist that a scholar should be judged for his scholarly performance, not how he reacts when accused of breaking into his own home.

Sinatra should be judged for his voice and diction, not his affiliation with gangsters, Einstein for his theories, not his hair, Hemingway for his fiction, not his boozing, Picasso for his painting, not his wife abuse.

You seem to think that my driving a humble bent Hyundai Excel in Miami was undignified. I am a Bohemian by inclination and used it to haul stuff and was unashamed to do so. I was simply indicating that cops can make mistakes and be annoying, and when they do, we should not get demerits on our professional performance for being annoyed at them. I was not present at the confrontation between Gates and the cop, and am quite happy that everyone has put this behind them and made nice.

Again, watch the video and you will see what I am referring to.
 

jabejuventus

Bronze
Feb 15, 2013
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i would not doubt that there have been thousands of benign curses cast upon me.

OsvaldoSesti says not to copy. If you do it your way, you'll be fine. That's your antidote. I've been following your work and know that you're not looking to say/do what's already been said/done. MerengueDutchie YouTube video adds real perspective. I wish someone could translate it for you. Or maybe you already know the content. Keep up the good work.