soaring crane

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Posts posted by soaring crane

  3. Posted · Edited by soaring crane

    What?  I was stationed in Bamberg.  Back then it was a peaceful, religious town.  No groping of women.  We Americans weren't even allowed to grope the women.

     

    Times have changed!

     

    Don't worry, Buddy. Bamberg is still a great, beautiful city, and World Heritage Site, too. I'd be living there except for family issues (mother-in-law ...)

     

    The Sandkerwa is a wild festival that has always been known for its excesses. But it's true that the groping and lewdness in general has been getting worse. People's moral thresholds are changing, and I do think social media is playing a big role in that. The depravity of the net is seeping into real life.

    • Like 1

  4. Posted

    i think anybody who has recently moved to a country and is found to be involved in violence like this should be deported.

     

    absolutely. What happened in Köln demonstrates very clearly that these asylum seelers can not/should not be integrated, and that they should be cordoned off from the rest of the population, for a number of reasons, until they can be returned to relative safety in their own countries (which honestly is exactly what almost all them want anyway). 

     

    i want to try and make really, really clear that my posts on these topics are not about welcoming all and sundry to my home. The refugee crisis is a huge mess and it's got to be sorted out soon. 

     

    but the flip side to this is even more frightening, among other reason because it gets zero attention in the discussion forums and the foreign press. The nazi movement is growing and becoming bolder every day here. These Arab teenagers are pipsqueaks compared to the tsunami of evil that is swelling up to wash them away. And once they're gone, the nazis will remain. 

     

    this image shows a small collection of Facebook posts since New Year's eve:

     

    post-1311-0-70183400-1452263396_thumb.jpg

     

    I can translate them later but basically, the fact that people now feel safe writing/saying those things in public, under their real names, is something that should be getting a lot more attention than it is.

    • Like 1

  5. Posted

    "Die Bundespolizei habe in der Silvesternacht 31 Verdächtige namentlich identifizieren können. Unter ihnen seien 18 Asylbewerber, deren Nationalität er allerdings nicht aufschlüsselte. Insgesamt seien unter den Verdächtigen neun Algerier, acht Marokkaner, vier Syrer, fünf Iraner, ein Iraker, ein Serbe, ein Amerikaner und zwei Deutsche."

     

    From the Süddeutsche Zeitung

     

    What I'd really like to see is a strict screening process and secure housing. There are many many now empty US military bases here that are perfect for this use. They've finally begun using the one in Bamberg, something I brought up at least a year ago.

  8. Posted

     SoaringCrane testified with gusto that happened.  And also in the same breath, whatever that did not happened in Koln was criminal  organised.  Nothing whatsoever to do with North Africans and Arabs and must not be allowed to tarnish them at all.  

     

    yes, I can most certainly testify with gusto that the Oktoberfest has become a place where women are routinely and aggressively groped, on an epidemic level. Same as the Sandkerwa in Bamberg, which you may have heard of (not far from Erlangen, and not far from me).

     

    And I only said that the organised aspect of these crimes in Cologne make them especially disturbing to me. I've read in the meantime that they probably planned this through social media (which I blame in part for the rise in extreme behavior in many areas of "real life").

     

    Deportation rules are being vamped up as we speak, and I welcome that. I'm not part of the Willkommenskultur.

     

    You asked for a lovely solution to the problem:

     

    Let the country be small,

    And the inhabitants few.

     

    Although there are weapons

    For tens and hundreds of soldiers,

    They will not be used.

    Let people take death seriously,

    And not travel far.

    Although they have boats and carriages,

    There's no occasion to use them.

    Although they have armor and weapons,

    There's no occasion to wear them.

    Let people return to making knots on ropes,

    Instead of writing.

     

    Their food will be tasty.

    Their clothes will be comfortable.

    Their homes will be tranquil.

    They will rejoice in their daily life.

     

    They can see their neighbors.

    Roosters and dogs can be heard from there.

    Still, they will age and die

    Without visiting one another.

     
     
    Reverse globalisation. But until that day arrives, I don't really know what to do. I am however convinced that fascism isn't a solution.
    • Like 8

  10. Posted · Edited by soaring crane

    Same thing happens every year at the Oktoberfest, albeit not in an organised fashion. But since the perpetrators in Munich are good boys wearing Lederhosen, and tourists from the right countries, it doesn't make the news.

     

    What happened in Cologne is scary nonetheless. It's the organised crime aspect that makes it something to really worry about. And for anyone who may be wondering, evidence is pretty strong that, no, this wasn't done by refugees. The attackers were north African and speaking German for the most part, and the ones who have been arrested so far have been here longer.

     

    Btw, any stories referring to the "Bild" should be viewed with heavy skepticism. I think the British equivalent is the Sun, and I don't know any national US publications that are as slimy as either of them.

     

    Edit - I want to add that reporting this is no simple situation in Germany. There's a hardcore Nazi movement on the rise and they're certain to exploit any event to their advantage. Anyone who can't understand why that would be a issue in Germany has got his head stuck in the ground, or someplace else.

    • Like 7

  19. Posted

    I'm reminded of people in groups who start to yawn and automatically do their best to suppress the urge, and even cover their mouths with one hand. It's very much the worst way to react as it on the one hand only prolongs the urge to yawn, while very probably shifting the cause of the urge even deeper, and on the other hand totally disrupts the practice which had triggered the release in the first place! Yeah, this is actually quite an issue, and the replies to the thread so far have been a pleasure to read :-)

    • Like 2

  20. Posted · Edited by soaring crane

    The threads concerning the recent events involving the Mo Pai and More Pie factions on the forum have been locked. The Mo Pai faction has been banned from the forum and although a Moderation Log has been opened for this it also is locked.

     

    We appear to have had a "Night of the Long Knives" and I for one await an explanation.

     

    I believe it's the MoPai's faction's enemies who have been banned (not without justification, one must admit).

    • Like 1

  21. Posted

    Moved to the abyss... which I think you are aware of   :)

     

    They contain information which includes the reasons for the recent banning as well as many references to member's names.

     

    no, I don''t see it anywhere (???).

     

    Regardless, there were productive posts in that thread from various members who aren't (always) involved in the dramtics. Those posts are now gone, too.

    • Like 1

  22. Posted

    Speaking of missing threads, it's been my understanding, and my experience behind the scenes, that admin here doesn't edit or delete posts let alone entire threads. But that seems to have happened today, in conjuction with a moderation announcement which was locked for comment, in contrast to established policy.

     

    Bodes not well for the new year, imo.

    • Like 1

  25. Posted

    Yawning is one of the most common, perhaps the most common, reaction to qigong practice. I used to hold to a few mainstream explanations for it but now feel that the causes can be quite complex, and individual. I suggest going with it. I mean don't hold back or suppress it. The better approach could be to exaggerate it, yawn deeper than usual, and make cliche yawning sounds while doing it.

     

    If you find it distracting from your practice, you can try intentionally utilizing deep yawning as a warm-up to your session. Get it out of your system so to speak.

     

    Do try to savor it. All animals yawn, so it's obviously a necessary function for life.

     

    It should abate after a while. How long have you been practicing?

    • Like 5