MadAxeMurderer

I remember for example being interested in a particular model watch. Went up to the watch counter and asked: do you have the Casio xb7n34 or whatever.   I didn't get to finish my sentence before she just cut me off and told me every watch they have is on display. And she probably thought she was being helpful by telling me to just look for it.   Aren't German shop assistants supposed to be highly trained experts? But not trained enough to know what watches they have in stock, or to look it up. No much better to let a customer just scan through their display of 1000 watches to find the one he wants.

I made a mistake in publishing the first event above. While I understood it was ok, and even desired to publish it: it wasn't. Some people are upset that they were close to Gwyn and not invited to something I published and I apologize for this.   The 2nd event is open to all and published on the "All thing Gwyn" facebook page

It's always non essential services, where if the service went down for a few days because you forgot to renew it would be an inconvenience, not life threatening. But that's their argument. Continuity of essential service.    I've always thought it makes German companies non competitive because they can rely on income from people who forget to cancel, and don't have to actual improve their service or introduce better products.

My beard trimmer hasn't been retired. It's now used to give my head a crew cut. 

The youngest children are perfectly entitled to secrets. What's your doll's name? It's a secret. Great   But predators can be very clever about manipulating the minds of children kept "pure and innocent". I really hate the concept of lovely innocence   Predators will say it's our secret. Or what you did was bad, and your parents will be disgusted if they find out. You will be arrested. You will be kicked out from home. And if the parents are stupid enough to not have the talk because 5 or 8 or 12 or 15 is too young... then the child can easily be manipulated by the predator.   The predator losses their power to enforce secrecy if the child knows it can can talk about these things with their parents, and their parents can never be disgusted with them   Of course the predator can still abuse a child. But only once. And will then be locked up.    So I would prefer any child I care about indeed any child at all is protected with knowledge and to hell with the glory of pure snow white childlike innocence   In case anyone is wondering, no I was never abused and my parents didn't have the talk with me. Instead my mother gave me a book, and told me to ask anything I wanted after I'd read the book. The one criticism I have about that is that children should get the talk before they can read. If you tell them too early they won't understand, too late and they'll be shocked and resentful. And children I've had "the talk" with have lapped up the information with childlike curiosity and open mindedness   I actually didn't have any questions after reading the book. Although I do remember previously being afraid to ask if the man had to pee into the vagina to make a woman pregnant. 

  Am I missing something or is a childhood one long manipulation.

I gave my girlfriend's sons "the talk" when they were 2 and 4. I told them about homosexuality, and that women had a room for babies in their stomach.   I told them there was nothing intrinsically wrong with homosexuality, but nobody could touch them in a way they didn't want to be touched.  I said I didn't care if it was a priest, or a teacher, or a librarian, or an uncle, or even me. Nobody has the right to touch them if they don't want. I added that if something did happen they had to tell mother, or me, or a teacher. Even if the person said our secret, and threatened them they had to tell somebody.   Also used to threaten them that if they didn't go to sleep right now, Mummy would be mad, I wouldn't get sex, and they'd never have a little sister.

@SpiderPig   Why? Why should I backup off imparting wishom to idiot parents who haven't thought the whole sex education = protection through   Absolutely no intention of backing off, so go stuff it SP!   @dessa_dangerous My point exactly but in different words

A 3 year old needs sex education.   Keeping children ignorant about sex (and predators) makes them defenseless against people with bad objectives   INNOCENCE = IGNORANCE = DEFENSELESS   Stop revering this stupid bloody "adorable innocence" about sex in children

@MikeMelga You still don't get it:   If you want your children to wait until a reasonable age to drink, tell them everything about drink, and invite them to try If you want your children to wait until a reasonable age to have safe sex, tell them everything about sex, and give them condoms If you want your children to not smoke, tell them everything about smoking, and invtire them to try If you want your children to be agnostic, tell them about all religions, and bring them to a service of each.   But don't just avoid the subject hoping it will go away

Were I to have children which I don't. I wouldn't insulate them from religion.   I would expose them to all religions, explaining there is good and bad in everyone. BTW every includes: Pagan, Wiccan, and Pastafarianism.  With particular emphasis on religions close to nature like Shinto, and animist religions.   A lot of prudish parents make the mistake of thinking suppressing all talk of sex will keep their children from wanting sex, and protect their adorable innocence Instead it makes them curious but ignorant about sex, and these are the children that get unwanted pregnancies/diseases.   I fear @MikeMelga is making the same mistake. It actually prepares the children to argue back:   No grandma, the charity of Islam, the contemplation of Buddhism, the meditation of Hinduism are all admirable. You cannot just label all non Christian religions as wrong & evil.

Remember Elizabeth from Knoxville   Naive, convinced of her righteous cause.    Shocked that bad people did nasty things like macing her because she was doing the right thing.   Revolution, overthrowing the old, inefficient, corrupt system, and replacing it with your divine inspired brilliance is always attractive.

Actually I've just received the following information  

I don't think there will really be a funeral. Last Friday night's tribute was the de facto funeral.   His mother and sister don't expect to be able to travel over to Munich. The mother of his son is probably handling things like that.   At a guess he'll have a low key cremation, and get his ashes scattered in his favourite 10 beergardens.

So the Kiiwifruit will now be the Welsh gooseberry?   Show those bloody New Zealanders something. About the EU. Whatever