42 minutes ago, Biffen said:

They encourage the children to think outside the square .

Then they [censored] them if they do.

It's a uniquely German approach to innovation.

I don't mean to be pedantic or anything, but Steiner was Austrian, a citizen of that other pointless empire, the Austro-Hungarian. Some people, including the bloke with the toothbrush moustache, didn't think that distinction meant much, though.

18 hours ago, Dr John Dee said:

I don't mean to be pedantic or anything, but Steiner was Austrian, a citizen of that other pointless empire, the Austro-Hungarian. Some people, including the bloke with the toothbrush moustache, didn't think that distinction meant much, though.

Croatian actually.

If we are splitting hairs.

2 hours ago, Biffen said:

Croatian actually.

If we are splitting hairs.

Not factually kosher, Mr Biff. His mother was Croation...

7 minutes ago, dieter said:

Not factually kosher, Mr Biff. His mother was Croation...

half croation, half austrian born in croatia......take your pick

55 minutes ago, daisycutter said:

half croation, half austrian born in croatia......take your pick

Croatia at that time was part of Austria...Also, German was Steiner's mother tongue, a bit of a giveaway as to who he felt he belonged to.

 

Edited January 14, 20178 yr by dieter

Born in what WAS Austria at the time but NOW Croatia. He however is deemed Austrian 

21 hours ago, Dr John Dee said:

I don't mean to be pedantic or anything, but Steiner was Austrian, a citizen of that other pointless empire, the Austro-Hungarian. Some people, including the bloke with the toothbrush moustache, didn't think that distinction meant much, though.

By the way, my mother and grandparents were part of 'that other pointless empire, the Austro-Hungarians' as you so kindly put it, and put entirely in a way I've come to expect from people descended from British so-called culture. Some good things came out of Austria-Hungary, not the least Mozart and Schubert. And Bruckner and Mahler. Stefan Zweig, Sigmund Freud,it could also claim Kafka.

Britain at that time gave us Lord Balfour, Churchill, Gordon of Khartoum, mainly war mongers, all told.

Oh, and Rudyard Kipling and great rhyming couplets about all good things British, and all the while, while inventing concentration camps during the Boer War, and stripping India and China bare, and Malaya of its rubber, well, what else did the British leave behind? Oh yes, railways so they could pilfer more productively.

1 hour ago, dieter said:

By the way, my mother and grandparents were part of 'that other pointless empire, the Austro-Hungarians' as you so kindly put it, and put entirely in a way I've come to expect from people descended from British so-called culture. Some good things came out of Austria-Hungary, not the least Mozart and Schubert. And Bruckner and Mahler. Stefan Zweig, Sigmund Freud,it could also claim Kafka.

Britain at that time gave us Lord Balfour, Churchill, Gordon of Khartoum, mainly war mongers, all told.

Oh, and Rudyard Kipling and great rhyming couplets about all good things British, and all the while, while inventing concentration camps during the Boer War, and stripping India and China bare, and Malaya of its rubber, well, what else did the British leave behind? Oh yes, railways so they could pilfer more productively.

Sorry dieter, no insult intended. I only meant that the empire (as empire) was pointless, being as it was a series of political settlements called an empire and serving only to prop up the Habsburgs for another 50 years or so. Its cultural contributions can't be denied although Mozart and Schubert might be stretching the point since they were born well before 1867. And never mind Mahler. Check out Alma Mahler's 'career' some time. She seems to have slept with most of Vienna.

Happy for you to claim Kafka. I wouldn't trade him for a thousand Kiplings. And if you really want to boast you could add Robert Musil. Extraordinary writer.

By far the most interesting thread here on DLand.

Meanwhile back at the Gat.....

1 hour ago, dieter said:

Croatia at that time was part of Austria...Also, German was Steiner's mother tongue, a bit of a giveaway as to who he felt he belonged to.

 

Germany?

52 minutes ago, dieter said:

By the way, my mother and grandparents were part of 'that other pointless empire, the Austro-Hungarians' as you so kindly put it, and put entirely in a way I've come to expect from people descended from British so-called culture. Some good things came out of Austria-Hungary, not the least Mozart and Schubert. And Bruckner and Mahler. Stefan Zweig, Sigmund Freud,it could also claim Kafka.

Britain at that time gave us Lord Balfour, Churchill, Gordon of Khartoum, mainly war mongers, all told.

Oh, and Rudyard Kipling and great rhyming couplets about all good things British, and all the while, while inventing concentration camps during the Boer War, and stripping India and China bare, and Malaya of its rubber, well, what else did the British leave behind? Oh yes, railways so they could pilfer more productively.

Pointless is too harsh a description. Much as I generally like putting the boot into Poms, a fairer comparison might be the Britain that gave us Britten, Vaughan-Williams, Elgar, Beecham and the Proms concerts, Tolkien, CS Lewis, JM Barrie, Tennyson, PG Wodehouse etc. And, to be really nasty, in which part of the world was that master warmongerer named Adolf born?

1 hour ago, Dr John Dee said:

Sorry dieter, no insult intended. I only meant that the empire (as empire) was pointless, being as it was a series of political settlements called an empire and serving only to prop up the Habsburgs for another 50 years or so. Its cultural contributions can't be denied although Mozart and Schubert might be stretching the point since they were born well before 1867. And never mind Mahler. Check out Alma Mahler's 'career' some time. She seems to have slept with most of Vienna.

Happy for you to claim Kafka. I wouldn't trade him for a thousand Kiplings. And if you really want to boast you could add Robert Musil. Extraordinary writer.

Yes,I'll take Musil as well. And Joseph Roth. My ancestors descended on Banat during Maria Teresa's reign. They came from  Alsace and the Black Forest. - hence the Donauschwabs as both those areas are populated by Schwabian Germans.  Maria Teresa was a Hapsburger, if you like, that's why I threw in Schubert and Mozart.

37 minutes ago, Red and Bluebeard said:

Pointless is too harsh a description. Much as I generally like putting the boot into Poms, a fairer comparison might be the Britain that gave us Britten, Vaughan-Williams, Elgar, Beecham and the Proms concerts, Tolkien, CS Lewis, JM Barrie, Tennyson, PG Wodehouse etc. And, to be really nasty, in which part of the world was that master warmongerer named Adolf born?

I was referring more to the pre-WW1 era. Britten especially post dates, here. You could get away with Elgar, Vaughan Williams just. 

To counter, I could claim Arnold Schonberg as well. He, ironically, was going to 'ensure the dominance of 'German' music for the next 100 years'.

1 hour ago, beelzebub said:

Born in what WAS Austria at the time but NOW Croatia. He however is deemed Austrian 

Did you boys wikipedia the [censored] out of your knowledge or what...incredible!

heard our own earl hood was spotted at portsea for the big polo gig, gallantly standing in for julie bishop who mysteriously couldn't make it. i always wondered whether earl might be a closet hooray henry. i do hope he had a good chat to gillon while he was there and can fill us in on the latest afl shenanigans

Edited January 14, 20178 yr by daisycutter
spellink

2 hours ago, beelzebub said:

Born in what WAS Austria at the time but NOW Croatia. He however is deemed Austrian 

at the time,bub i believe it could accurately be described as either the kingdom of croatia or the austrian empire

so either croatian or austrian would be correct

point being it was still croatia at the time, not a country per se but a kingdom

1 hour ago, Danelska said:

Did you boys wikipedia the [censored] out of your knowledge or what...incredible!

We're just proof that Demonland acknowledges that Australian culture is more than Agriculture.

On 13/01/2017 at 6:53 PM, Biffen said:

You would think so but it's attracted many willing to see it unfurled.

Run it up the flagpole and see who salutes

2 hours ago, Red and Bluebeard said:

Pointless is too harsh a description. Much as I generally like putting the boot into Poms, a fairer comparison might be the Britain that gave us Britten, Vaughan-Williams, Elgar, Beecham and the Proms concerts, Tolkien, CS Lewis, JM Barrie, Tennyson, PG Wodehouse etc. And, to be really nasty, in which part of the world was that master warmongerer named Adolf born?

Main thing is.... 

There is still a place for people to be weird."

1 hour ago, daisycutter said:

heard our own earl hood was spotted at portsea for the big polo gig, gallantly standing in for julie bishop who mysteriously couldn't make it. i always wondered whether earl might be a closet hooray henry. i do hope he had a good chat to gillon while he was there and can fill us in on the latest afl shenanigans

Say what you will about The Briiish Deits.

But they won.

Twice.

Move on slowly like the many futile overs you bowled.

21 minutes ago, Biffen said:

Main thing is.... 

There is still a place for people to be weird."

That's why I love ya, Mr Biff, despite your tendencies to exaggerate.It's the weird factor.

Are you, by chance of Slavonic Origin?

12 minutes ago, Biffen said:

Say what you will about The Briiish Deits.

But they won.

Twice.

Move on slowly like the many futile overs you bowled.

They in fact lost both wars in big ways, especially the second, Mr Biff, because the idiot Churchill put the Empire on the line and it vanished in a poof of smoke, not cigar smoke either.  They lost the First because through their sheer greed and stupidity they made the second inevitable. Serves them right because it was mainly their idiotic notion that they were the world's top dog and it ought to stay that way that caused the First.

16 minutes ago, Biffen said:

Say what you will about The Briiish Deits.

But they won.

Twice.

Move on slowly like the many futile overs you bowled.

Hey man, what would you know about my futile overs? I only bowled them in my later years. At my best I was as fast as Charlie Griffiths.

2 hours ago, Danelska said:

Did you boys wikipedia the [censored] out of your knowledge or what...incredible!

Wife and i do some fetes with Steiner schools. Sorry if my knowledge of them is disconcerting.

21 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

Wife and i do some fetes with Steiner schools. Sorry if my knowledge of them is disconcerting.

Beelzebub, do you really reside in Hades?