- Thread starter Lambada
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Don't Shake Hands With Strangers In Cabarete!
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Actually the OJ analogy is kind-of the 2nd part of my theory (I suspect you were being sarcastic...but I sometimes get in trouble laughing uproarously at something someone has said that was meant to be serious...like when someone back in 2000 told me he voted for W because he was a "compasionate conservative", and was going to pursue a "humble foreign policy", and "nation building was for liberals pinheads".
Of course we all know "bad things sometimes happen to good people". And I am even willing to ignore the whole "EstrangedWife/NewBoyfriend mysteriously being killed by someone other than OJ" episode as being a coincidence. But with the Vegas deal, he brought a group of unsavory folks (some of whom happened to be armed) to reclaim his stuff from a different group of unsavory folks, and a bunch of unexpected stuff happened. Who would have thought.
In the US, the guy driving the get-away car of a bank robbery is just as guilty of murder as the rocket scientist accomplice that pulled the trigger and shot and killed someone in the bank. From what I have seen, some people (mostly stupid Americans) think they can hang out on the fringe, and not understand it can entangle them in stuff they never imagined (like the guy driving the get-away car). I am not saying that is what happened in the cases described in this post. They may have been completely innocent. But from what I have seen, guys trying to be big shots (whether it is hanging out with people they don't know...slapping them on the back...buying drinks...and putting their arms around the chicas) are usually sorry when the cuenta comes, especially if it is delivered by the police.
Of course we all know "bad things sometimes happen to good people". And I am even willing to ignore the whole "EstrangedWife/NewBoyfriend mysteriously being killed by someone other than OJ" episode as being a coincidence. But with the Vegas deal, he brought a group of unsavory folks (some of whom happened to be armed) to reclaim his stuff from a different group of unsavory folks, and a bunch of unexpected stuff happened. Who would have thought.
In the US, the guy driving the get-away car of a bank robbery is just as guilty of murder as the rocket scientist accomplice that pulled the trigger and shot and killed someone in the bank. From what I have seen, some people (mostly stupid Americans) think they can hang out on the fringe, and not understand it can entangle them in stuff they never imagined (like the guy driving the get-away car). I am not saying that is what happened in the cases described in this post. They may have been completely innocent. But from what I have seen, guys trying to be big shots (whether it is hanging out with people they don't know...slapping them on the back...buying drinks...and putting their arms around the chicas) are usually sorry when the cuenta comes, especially if it is delivered by the police.
So you're not exactly a neophyte. This is happening to tourists, first time visitors. You yourself talk about 'giving off vibes' - I would imagine the ones you give off after effectively living here a year & a half are very different from the ones a first (& possibly last :ermm
time visitor gives off. I doubt this scam would happen to me: the vibes I give off are of being quietly self-confident about living here. The only reason for posting is to aid in PREVENTION. This sort of thing really mucks up someone's holiday. Fairly soon the DR is going to be receiving less tourists because of world financial issues; we don't want even fewer because of these sorts of scams. So, we seek to prevent where we can.Just like first time visitors also get advised about driving issues here, and not drinking tap water. It's like a public service announcement.
And I hope you have a delightful trouble-free and accident-free stay on your next trip.
Don't Shake Hands With Strangers....
There was a similar scare many years ago, but not in Caberete, but in African countries, including the Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Senegal. According to popular belief, black magicians robbed innocent men of their genitals, by chanting magic spells while shaking the hands of their victims. Of course, none of these cases was ever proven. But the side effects of the superstition was deadly. There were massive witch-hunts with angry mobs chasing alleged genital thieves across town, finally stoning them to death.
There was a similar scare many years ago, but not in Caberete, but in African countries, including the Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Senegal. According to popular belief, black magicians robbed innocent men of their genitals, by chanting magic spells while shaking the hands of their victims. Of course, none of these cases was ever proven. But the side effects of the superstition was deadly. There were massive witch-hunts with angry mobs chasing alleged genital thieves across town, finally stoning them to death.
um..."similar scare"??? The handshake-drug scam doesn't scare me...but genital thievery...now that's a different story!!! :ninja:
You should have hired a better lawyer. It sounds as though the one you had got you the short end of the stick, but I guess you don't even need your stick, much, since you don't have balls to go with it.
You should have hired a better lawyer. It sounds as though the one you had got you the short end of the stick, but I guess you don't even need your stick, much, since you don't have balls to go with it.
You probably could have stated that a little more delicately, but you are substantially correct. I was my own attorney.
Man, this is a tough crowd.
You probably could have stated that a little more delicately, but you are substantially correct. I was my own attorney.
Man, this is a tough crowd.
Yeah, you're right: I could've been a little more delicate. Sometimes, when trying to be funny, I forego tact. It's nice to see your being such a good sport, though. :glasses:
For future reference, I would not mention how you represented yourself (i.e. were your own lawyer), as it takes you off the pedestal some of us put you on... :cheeky:
LOL
I didn't really mean it like that. I'm not an attorney. I just didn't want to make two lawyers rich, so I let the court decide things, which actually turned out okay.
At least I didn't have to pay for an attorney while I was getting castrated.
I didn't really mean it like that. I'm not an attorney. I just didn't want to make two lawyers rich, so I let the court decide things, which actually turned out okay.
At least I didn't have to pay for an attorney while I was getting castrated.
As far as I am aware there has been no genital theft in Cabarete. What the tourist victims lost was holiday time, extortion money & GOODWILL to the host country.
If I come across a case of genital theft I will let you know.
Koro
For those culturally challenged, here's a short description on Koro
"Koro epidemics of panic anxiety due to widespread fears of losing one's genitals, procreative ability, and even one's life, are triggered by rumors of genital disappearance supposedly caused in China by female fox spirits, in Singapore and Thailand by mass poisoning, and in Africa by sorcery, usually in the context of socioeconomic or political tension. Today, in contemporary Western societies, ideas of genital disappearance are not culturally endorsed. But historically, it should be remembered that in the late Middle Ages in Europe, a man could lose his membrum virile through magical attacks by witches. The conclusion is that the psychological disappearance of the penis is a universal syndrome that was described recently in Asia and Africa and already in Medieval Europe."
Source: Mattelaer JJ, and Jilek W. Koro?The psychological disappearance of the penis. J Sex Med 2007;4:1509?1515.
For those culturally challenged, here's a short description on Koro
"Koro epidemics of panic anxiety due to widespread fears of losing one's genitals, procreative ability, and even one's life, are triggered by rumors of genital disappearance supposedly caused in China by female fox spirits, in Singapore and Thailand by mass poisoning, and in Africa by sorcery, usually in the context of socioeconomic or political tension. Today, in contemporary Western societies, ideas of genital disappearance are not culturally endorsed. But historically, it should be remembered that in the late Middle Ages in Europe, a man could lose his membrum virile through magical attacks by witches. The conclusion is that the psychological disappearance of the penis is a universal syndrome that was described recently in Asia and Africa and already in Medieval Europe."
Source: Mattelaer JJ, and Jilek W. Koro?The psychological disappearance of the penis. J Sex Med 2007;4:1509?1515.
....and in Cabarete by the coral reef???
British Bobbit: 'I will soon be back in full working order' | Mail Online
Now, can we get back to the topic?
Going back to topic, it's not that easy to place a nickel bag of cocaine in someones hand during a handshake. Not only does the recieving hand's owner has to be very distracted and impressionable, but the maneuver requires a studied slight of hand by the perpertrator, akin to a magician pushing the limits of cognition and attention of his audience. Here's a good article in the field.
Magic and the Brain: How Magicians Trick the Mind
Ginnie, your posts are always welcome, yet some insight begs to be established...gringos that walk with their wrist bands are sitting ducks...I was approached by tigres yet when I cut them of in spanish they walked away...I had an incident few years back in Cabarete when my local pals backed me up when some drunk tigres tried to shake me down...the tigres asked "why are you siding with the gringo"..."he's our friend" they were told...and the tigres lived two hundred meters away from my friends...
A while ago there was a great post about "paraguaienos" ( hope I spelled it right ) in SD...that poster said it all when it comes for a gringo ( or even a Bronx Dominican ) behavoir rules to the DR....
Ginnie, would I be any safer going to a Millwall game wearing a WestHam shirt ?
When in Rome do what the Romans do and you'll be OK...the worst that happened to me was a seatbelt fine...but hey, a NYrker will always be ahead of...others
A while ago there was a great post about "paraguaienos" ( hope I spelled it right ) in SD...that poster said it all when it comes for a gringo ( or even a Bronx Dominican ) behavoir rules to the DR....
Ginnie, would I be any safer going to a Millwall game wearing a WestHam shirt ?
When in Rome do what the Romans do and you'll be OK...the worst that happened to me was a seatbelt fine...but hey, a NYrker will always be ahead of...others
My brother has friends who are high ranking officers in the military and one time during one of our visits there we decided to go to a house my family owns just outside of Juan Dolio ( my father is also a retired naval officer) and while on the way there we got stopped, all because the saw a nice expensive "jeepeta" and they made all of us get out (now me being me and having grown up mostly in the united states) I got scared and I was like WTF did we do cause they went at us straight ATF mode! they asked for the "papeles" and said there was a problem with the vehicle (which of course was a lie) and my brother's friend was oh so calm! he said: " oh really?!?!, what is the problem?" they replied: " the numbers do not match" they kept searching and found his guns, as well as my fathers, they asked for the "papeles" for the firearms then my father and my brother's friends brought out their military credentials and they immediately stood at attention, asking: " commanders why didnt you guys identified yourselves" they replied you asked for papers for the cars not ours. when we got into the city my brother's friend had them suspended, not because of the hassle but to lead in the example of teaching these "ladrones" a lesson, and not to be trying to take advantage of good honest people who all they want to do is to have a good time with their families without being hassled and asked for money from people to avoid their cars impounded or even worse to land in jail for not playing into their stupid games. If more officials paid attention to this and severely punished them where it hurts them ( the pocket) these types of abuses would be less common!
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