TODAY - November 11

 

NIELS’ MORNING GREETINGS

 

ON: NOVEMBER 11

 

New edition

 

TODAY’s LENGTH:

This day is here in Belgium 7 hours and 19 minutes shorter than June 21. Its length is 9 hours and 10 minutes – from 07.52 to 17.02.

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

 

TODAY’s NAME:

This day is called MARTIN’s DAY. It has its name after Martin of Tours in France.  He was born in Pannonia  ( in present day Hungary ) around 316 AD and died in Candes on November 8, 397 AD.  First he lived and worked in Pavia in Italy, then he travelled through Gallia ( France ) on missionary work. In Tours he became so popular that people wanted him as their bishop. He did not want that, so he was hiding in a room with geese.  When they were cackeling he was discovered – and he was elected. The day of his funeral – today, November 11, is therefore the day for slaughtering geese.

Martin is the patron for domestic animals and for beggars.

 

In Belgium the day’s name is ARMISTICE DAY.  A reminder of the armistice after World War I on November 11 at 11 o’clock in 1918.   8 ½ million soldiers had been killed during the war from August 1914 to November 1918.

 

 

TODAY’s EVENT:

1843: Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Ugly Duckling was published for the first time.

_________________________________________________________________

TODAY’s QUESTION:

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

 

This term comes from French and means white card or white paper.  In was used in the old days in connection with negotiations – political, economic or military negotiations. The person who was given the mandate to negotiate and to make the final agreement received a piece of white paper ( a carte blanche) only with the signature of the top boss (the king, the prime minister, the general). Then he or she could fill out the rest with the agreement made – and it was all done.

 

Today the expression carte blanche is still used meaning full power of attorney.

In the EU Commission the president receives a carte blanche letter from each member of the Commission only with their signature on. Then he alone can decide when they have to step down.

 

QUESTION FOR TOMORROW:

Hamburger – what is that ?  And where does the word come from?

 

TODAY’s QUOTE & FAMOUS PEOPLE :

 

1.  Yesterday’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.

 

                  This was once said by Martin Luther.

 

2.  Today’s quote:

 

     To make the truth more likely you always have to mix it with some      lies.

 

     Who among today’s personalities has said that?

 

3.  Famous people born on this day:

    1821:  Fjodor Dostojevski  ( died 1881 )

    1869:  Viktor Emmanuel 3.  ( died 1947 )

    1885:  George Patton  ( died 1945 )

    1920:  Roy Jenkins  ( died 2003 )

    1929:  Hans Magnus Enzensberger  

    1945:  Daniel Ortega

 

4.  Famous people died on this day:

    1855:  Søren Kierkegaard ( 58 years )

    1945:  Jerome Kern  ( 60 years )

    2004:  Yassir Arafat  ( 75 years )

    2010:  Baby Marie Osborn  ( 99 years )

 

Niels Jørgen Thøgersen

 

niels4europe@gmail.com  

www.simplesite.com/kimbrer   

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

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

TODAY - November 29

  NIELS’ MORNING GREETINGS ON: NOVEMBER 29 New edition TODAY’s LENGTH: This day is here in Belgium 8 hours and 7 minutes shorter than June 21. Its length is 8 hours and 22 minutes – from 08.20 to 16.42. Se more – also in English – about where you are on:   www.dagenslaengde.dk TODAY’s NAME: Today’s name is SATURNINUS’ DAY .   He was a missionary in Toulouse in the southwest of France. And later he became a bishop there.   In the year 250 AC the non-Christians decided to kill him. He was tied to the legs of a bull. And the bull was then pursued down the stairs from the local capitol.   Later a church named Notre-Dame-du-Tours was built on that spot. The day’s name in Belgium is SAINT RADBOD – after a Frisian king, who was also bishop in Utrecht in the Netherlands.   He was fighting with the Franconeans and defeated Karel Martel near Cologne.   He died in 719.   TODAY’s EVENT: 1814: The newspaper The Times in London star...
Read more

TODAY - FEBRUARY 8

Image
  NIELS’ MORNING GREETINGS ON: FEBRUARY 8 New 2021 edition TODAY’s PERSON: I have chosen the French author JULES VERNE .   He was born on this day in 1828 and died 77 years old in 1905.   He was and still is very well know for his many book about adventurous travels to many places.   His point of departure was the many new scientific discoveries in his lifetime.   Based upon them he tried to imagine how their use would develop in the future – what they could be used for.    For many he   considered to be the father of science fiction.   In his special way. Among his many famous books are the following: Five Weeks in a Balloon   ( in Africa ) Journey to the Centre of the Earth   ( taking place in Denmark and Iceland ) From the Earth to the Moon In Search of the Castaways / The Children of Captain Grant Twenty-Thousand Under the Sea: A Tour of the Underwater World Around the World in Eighty Days His books were ...
Read more

TODAY - July 12

NIELS’ SUMMER GREETINGS ON: JULY 12 New edition TODAY’s LENGTH: This day is here in Denmark 28 minutes shorter than June 21. Its length is 17 hours and 7 minutes – from 04.47 to 21.54. See more – also in English – about where you are on:   www.dagenslaengde.dk TODAY’s NAME: This day is called HEINRICH’s DAY .    It has its name after Holy Heinrich , who was German-Roman emperor in the years 1002-24. He created the diocese Bamberg and initiated the building of many churches and monasteries. In Belgium the day’s name is SAINT JEAN GUALBERT – after an Italian abbot, who lived in the years 985-1073.   He started the Vallumbrosa order. TODAY’s EVENT: 1920:   The Panama Canal is opened by US president Woodrow Wilson . TODAY’s QUESTION: Sandwich - what's the history of that word? And what is it? We all know what a sandwich is: two pieces of bread put on top of one another and with some nice stuff like meat, ...
Read more