Comments on:

By: Chas S. Clifton

Chas S. Clifton — Sun, 11 Sep 2005 14:35:00 +0000

Tom Masland is badly confused about the Christian ritual calendar if he mixes Mardi Gras (spring, preceding Lent) with All Saints’ Day (November).

But, yes, voodoo in its many forms is not being mentioned. There has been some Pagan-specific charity stuff going on, though, both in terms of collecting money for secular charities like the Red Cross and on a coven-to-coven level, I hear.

By: Inanna

Inanna — Sat, 10 Sep 2005 19:36:00 +0000

Wonderful post. Thank you.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 10 Sep 2005 00:26:00 +0000

I appreciate Masland's understanding of New Orleans' cultural diversity, and I lived there for 25 years.

I wonder, though, how really familiar he is with the music.

For example, he uses the term Mississippi Delta. Musically, that refers to the flat area of cotton plantations stretching from Vicksburg up to Memphis--200-390 miles north of New Orleans.

That's the area Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson are from, and that's considered the birthplace of the blues.