TODAY - August 11

 

NIELS’ SUMMER GREETINGS

ON: AUGUST 11

New edition

TODAY’s LENGTH:

This day is here in Denmark 2 hours and 13 minutes shorter than June 21. Its length is 15 hours and 22 minutes – from 0539 to 21.01.

See more – also in English – about where you are on:  www.dagenslaengde.dk

TODAY’s NAME:

This day's name is HERMAN's DAY.  He was a German Jew, who became a Christian in 1131 AD. Later he worked to convince other Jews to become Christians.

The day’s name in Belgium in SAINTE CLAIRE – after Santa Clara of Assissi, who lived in the years 1194-1253. She was one of the followers of Frances of Assissi. And the founded the nun’s order for poor women.

TODAY’s EVENT:

1999: On this day the world experienced the most total eclipse ever.

 

TODAY’s QUESTION:

The Kamaki Culture - Amore fantastico - what is that ?

We are back in the period from the 1960ies to the 1980ies. The place is Lesbos. The Greek island, which according to the ancient legend was reserved for women. The word Lesbian comes from the name of the island.  But it is not like that anymore. And certainly not in the period just mentioned. This was the start of the huge charter tourism. Thousands of tourists from the cold north came to Lesbos to enjoy the heat. And it was not only the heat from the sun they were looking for. Especially the young and the younger women, perhaps also some of the less young, were ready for more!

And if had not made a plan for it themselves they were very quickly assisted by the local dynamic men!

They had together started sort of a competition, which got the name: the Kamaki Culture. Its main ingredient was that each young man should try to "score" - to get involved with - as many of the blond tourist girls as possible.  They knew the arrival hours of the charter flights by heart, so they could be ready in the airport as soon as the planes arrived. These guys were called the Kamkaies.  They were very innovative. Flowers, compliments, joint motorbike tours in moonshine, wine under the stars, poems and phony romanticism almost as you see it in the B-films!

The Kamkaies made systematic bookkeeping on all their conquests, and there were rules on how many points each conquest gave you.  Two sisters together gave 10 points.  If you received a love letter after the girl had returned back home: 20 points.  And if a blond came back again just to visit you: 50 points.   Everything was written down and comparisons were made between the Kamakies. And the most successful of them ruled the island like old Greek kings!

At that time Greek girls normally did not go out. And if they did they had long dresses.  This was certainly not the case with the tourists!

PS: Now you probably think that this story can only have been written by a man. But no! It is written on the basis of a very entertaining article written by a female journalist in the Danish daily Berlingske Tidende on August 6, 2017.  And the headline of the big article was:  When grandpa was harpooning blond girls!  The Greek word kamaki means: harpoon !

 

QUESTION FOR TOMORROW:

King Carrot - what is behind that expression ?

47 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT EUROPE:

EUROPE AT WORK     www.europe-at-work.be

 

TODAY’s QUOTE & FAMOUS PEOPLE :

1.  Yesterday’s quote:

        Children are our most valuable natural resource.

             This was once said by the former American president Herbert Hoover .

2.  Today’s quote:

        Poverty is the richest inheritance a young man can get !

             Who among this day's persons has said that?

3.  Famous people born on this day:

1897:  Enid Blyton  ( died 1968 )

1921:  Alex Haley  ( died 1992 )

1943:  Pervez Musharraf

1950:  Steve Wozniak

 

4.  Famous people died on this day:

1919:  Andrew Carnegie  ( 84 years )

1996:  Rafael Kubelik  ( 82 years )

2001:  Jorge Amado  ( 79 years )

 

Niels Jørgen Thøgersen

niels4europe@gmail.com  

www.simplesite.com/kimbrer   + EUROPE AT WORK: www.europe-at-work.be

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