TODAY - November 10

 NIELS’ MORNING GREETINGS

ON: NOVEMBER 10

New edition

TODAY’s LENGTH:

This day is here in Belgium 7 hours and 16 minutes shorter than June 21. Its length is 9 hours and 14 minutes – from 07.50 to 17.03.

See more about where you are on:   www.dagenslaengde.dk

TODAY’s NAME:

This day is called LUTHER’s DAY.  It has its name after Martin Luther, who was born on this day in 1483 in Eisleben in Germany. He was a catholic monk, but - as is now well-known – took the initiative to the Reformation. It started, when he in 1517 put his famous 95 theses on the door to the cathedral in Wittenberg. He died 63 years old in 1546.

When you at least in Denmark call tonight Mortens Aften ( Martin’s evening ) it has nothing to do with Martin Luther. It refers to the holy Martin of Tours in France. He lived in the years 317-97 AD.  As he by all means wanted to avoid becoming a bishop he was hiding in a room with geese. But when the geese, of course, cackled loudly his hiding place was discovered, and he was nominated a bishop. And as a punishment to the cackling geese people have been eating roast goose ever since this evening.

In Belgium the day is called SAINT LÉON – after Leo I, who lived in the years 390-461. He came from an aristocratic family in Tuscany in Italy. He was pope from 440-61.  He had a lot of influence on the development of the church.

__________________________________________________________________________

 

TODAY’s EVENT:

1871:  Henry Stanley finds David Livingstone at the Lake of Tanganyika.  Dr. Livingstone, I presume, were his famous phrase at their encounter.

 

TODAY’s QUESTION:

What is the modern version of the Law of Jante?

Law of Jante – modern edition

Today’s

LAW OF JANTE

Or The Law-on-who-do-you-think-you-are

The Danish poet Aksel Sandemose wrote in 1933 the so-called Law of Jante. These are ten rules on how Danes and other Scandinavians think about others. They are all sort of negative rules, which many would recognize in their daily life.

You can read more about them on Wikipedia here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Jante

In the meantime 80 years have passed. Many things have changed – or have they?  And not necessarily changed for the better, on the contrary.

 

To make a point and to attract attention you often have to exaggerate a bit.

I have tried to do that with this new version of the Law of Jante – of today:

 

  1. You have to be scared.  People are getting at you all the time. It is dangerous for you. Life, society, food, hospitals, traffic, people from other countries – all is dangerous
  2. You have to be envious. Others have a better life than you. And probably they haven’t deserved it. It is likely they have been cheating
  3. You have to be convinced that other people are odd.  Especially those from other countries than your own
  4. You must know that the Danes are the best in all repects. World champions in everything. And if anybody is in the slightest doubt about it you have the right to be very insulted
  5. You always must buy things with a huge discount. And when you realize that you haven’t bought the best you are outraged – and make a complaint
  6. You have to be stubborn and have a “I know better” attitude. Nobody is going to teach you anything
  7. You should never say Thank You, when somebody opens the door for you or lets you pass by in a queue.
  8. You should never say Good Morning or Hello to anybody you don’t know personally. And if somebody says it to you, of course, you have the right  to look very astonished saying: Don’t disturb me. I haven’t done anything wrong!
  9. You must expect that everybody agrees about everything. Consensus is the law in this country.  And if anybody does not agree he or she is just no longer of the good company
  10. You should never be interested in other people and what they are doing. And especially not if they come from other places than you or are doing different things than you do.

( author: Niels Jørgen Thøgersen )

 

Law of Jante - for cyber-people

My good friend, Torben Riise in Arizona in the US, like me Goodwill Ambassador for Copenhagen, has made this very new LAW OF JANTE - for today's cyber people:

1. Do not believe that your smartphone is better than mine

2. Do not believe that you have as many friends on Facebook as I have

3. Do not believe that you send more text messages than I do

4. Do not fool yourself to believe that you have more broadband than I have

5. Do not believe that you have more apps than I have

6. Do not think that your blogs are interesting

7.  Do not think that your web camera has more pixels than mine

8. Do not believe that we think your web pics are good

9. Do not believe that anybody wants to "Like" you on Facebook

10. Do not believe that you can teach me anything about Netiquette.

 

QUESTION FOR TOMORROW:

Carte blanche  -  what is that? And what does it mean?

TODAY’s QUOTE & FAMOUS PEOPLE :

1.  Yesterday’s quote:

Do you say that this person is indispensable? My good man: The cemeteries are full of indispensable people!

            This was once said by general, later president Charles de Gaulle.

2.  Today’s quote:

Nature has given the woman broad hips and a big behind to make it easy for her to sit quietly and look after her home.

Who among today’s persons has said that?

3.  Famous people born on this day:

1483:  Martin Luther  ( died 1546 )

1668:  Francois Couperin  (died 1733 )

1759:  Friedrich Schiller  ( died 1805 )

1925:  Richard Burton  ( died 1984 )

 

4.  Famous people died on this day:

1891:  Arthur Rimbaud  ( 37 years )

1938:  Kemal Atatürk  ( 57 years )

1982:  Leonid Brezhnev  ( 76 years )

2001:  Ken Kesey  ( 66 years )

2015:  Helmut Schmidt  ( 97 years )

 

Niels Jørgen Thøgersen

niels4europe@gmail.com  

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

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