Lech Walesa (Lehx Vau'enza), pola gvidanto, inter Esperantistoj.

http://sezonoj.ru/

Pop Jazz Song about Love and Esperanto

http://www.metrolyrics.com/copernicus-lyrics-basia.html

I discovered the song while browsing books at Colony Music Books Store in Manhattan. Copernicus talks of the goodness of the Polish people, seeking change and LOVE. "One Created Esperanto", our L.L. Zamenhof.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIZc9FRUFo8

Zamenhof Esperanto Memorials-Objects World-wide

This is a modest sampling of streets named after L.L.Zamenhoff or Esperanto. A decade ago a paper book on the subject was published. There were over a thousand Zamenhoff-Esperanto Objects or ZEO's. If you click on the city link you will see the picture of the street sign, monument or building.

http://horizonte.free.fr/esperanto/zeo-oj/zeo-oj.html

In Hungary some 210 streets and monuments are named after a 100 leading hungarian Esperanto-speakers. In many cases the monument or street sign will be bilingual

http://w3.hdsnet.hu/eszperanto/zeo-hu/eszperanto-zeo-hu.htm

Henri Masson built the following slide-show:

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/32119/album/240793/show

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/32119/album/240

Photo of the popular Dizengoff Circle, Tel Aviv from where Zamenhof St. radiates.

http://www.israelimages.com/see_image_details.php?idi=19378

This picture is probably from the early years of its existence (1930's)

http://www.jpost.com/Business/RealEstate/Article.aspx?id=248694

An article about the neighborhood around Zamenhof St., Tel Aviv, Israel. I commented there.

La artikolo cxefe traktas la valorajn domojn/maklerajxon de la strato sed ankau' priskribas la laboron de L.L.Zamenhof.

Paulo Coelho and Irina Bokova on Endangered Languages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-XozG0RSCo&feature=player_embedded

I got the transcription for Paolo Coelho and Irina Bokova from a Unesco official. Here is the original and the Esperanto translation.

Irina Bokova

Linguistic diversity is under threat. More than half of the seven thousands languages spoken in the world may die out over the next few generations. This loss not only erodes individual communities and cultures but more broadly the very make up of our societies.

LINGVA DIVERSECO ESTAS SUB MINACO. PLI OL DUONO DE LA SEP MIL LINGVOJ PAROLATAJ EN LA MONDO HODIAU' EBLE ESTINGIGXOS DUM LA VENONTAJ GENERACIOJ. TIU-CXI PERDO ERODOS INDIVUAJN KOMUNUMOJN KAJ KULTUROJN SED PLI LARGXE LA VERAN ENGREDIENTOJN DE NIAJ SOCIOJ.

Coelho

From the moment when human being was capable of sharing their feelings everything has changed. We see today most of these languages disappearing. We have one bridge left – and this bridge is called “culture”.

DE LA MOMENTO KIAM LA HOMO ESTIS KAPABLA DIVIDI SIAJN SENTOJN CXIO SXANGXIGXIS. NI VIDAS HODIAU' KE LA PLIPARTO DE TIUJ LINGVOJ MALAPERAS. NI HAVAS UNU RESTANTAN PONTON, TIU CXI PONTO NOMIGXAS "KULTURO".

Bokova

Children who start off learning to read and write in their mother tongue do better in school. Literacy programs in mother languages bring learners to self-confidence they need to participate in their communities and make informed choices.

INFANOJ KIUJ KOMENCAS LERNI LEGI KAJ SKRIBI EN SIA PATRINA LINGVO FARAS PLI BONE EN LA LERNEJO. ALFABETIG-PROGRAMOJ EN LA PATRINA LINGVO PORTAS AL LERNANTOJ PLI DA MEM-FIDO, KION ILI BEZONAS PARTOPRENI EN SIA KOMUNUMOJ KAJ FARI PLI INFORMITAJN ELEKTOJN.

(in Bulgarian) Less than a quarter of all languages in the world are used in education and in cyber space. This is why we have to assist governments in both safeguarding linguistic diversity and promoting multilingual competencies.

(EN LA BULGARA) MALPLI OL KVARONO DE LA LINGVOJ EN LA MONDO ESTAS UZATAJ EN EDUKADO KAJ CIBERNETIKA SPACO. TIAL NI DEVAS
ASISTI REGISTAROJN EN AMBAU' SEKURIGI LINGVAN DIVERSECON KAJ PROMOTI MULTLINGVAJN KOMPETENTECOJN.

Coelho

As a writer, I know importance of a language. Let’s fight to keep these languages alive.

KIEL AU'TORO, MI SCIAS LA GRAVECON DE LINGVO. NI LUKTU GARDI TIUJN LINGVOJN VIVANTAJN.

Vjetnama ambasadoro cxe UNO akceptas kopion de The Life of Zamenhof, lastatempa traduko anglen pri Zamenhof. La originalo estas de Aleksander Korzhenkov.

Neil received an invitation to meet the Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs from the deputy-ambassador after informing the deputy ambassador about the World Esperanto Convention in Hanoi this coming summer .In the picture, Neil just gave, as a gift, the new English translation of Alexander Korjxenkov's book on Zamenhof to the ambassador. Neil was among a hundred people to come to the inauguration of the New York City Vietnamese Consulate--adjacent to the UN Mission Offices on Sunday, September 25th, 2011.

51. English Comedian Discusses Esperanto at UN

Comedian, documentarian, Stephen Fry mentions Esperanto in his recent show "Planet Word" (links below), at first as something idealistic. At the end of the program he asks a UN translator/interpreter, Zaha Bustemi, if the world would be a better place if everybody were to speak Esperanto (He didn't say "only" Esperanto.) The translator responds. "Nooo---it is the beauty of languages, every language has its own beauty, its own music" and " it would be a great loss if all languages didn't exist". This is of course the opposite of the intention of most Esperanto speakers. Sadly, the tranlator is probably middle eastern, probably perpetuating the weak Esperanto movement in Arab countries in particular and negatively influencing the spread of Esperanto in Islamic countries generally. As a side-bar it may be noted that Fry is an openly gay secular Jew.

Fry menciis Esperanton. Unue kiel idealisma ideo... Je la fino de la programo, li demandas al tradukistino de la UN se la mondo estus pli bone se chiuj parolu Esperanto... La tradukistino respondas: "Neee! estas beleco en lingvoj, ĉiu lingvo havas sian propran belecon, propran muzikon" kaj "estos granda perdo se tiu lingvoj ne ekzistus!"

Mi vidis la tutan horan programon, rekomendas gxin ekster tiu lasta komento pri Esperanto. Mi aldonas precizajn minutoj de interesaj partoj. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2P6DcSyon4&feature=player_detailpage#t=570s Por elsxuti la programo Planet Word: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=AS7VXCDN Por vidi rete: http://www.putlocker.com/file/8847BA37BC6314D2 http://www.megavideo.com/?v=MKBMYH21

Mi korespondis kelk-foje kun la asocia produktorino/enscenigistino, Annie Macnee, antau' jaro kaj antau' monato, originale cxar sxi sugestis pretecon intervjui novjorkajn esperantistojn por la programo. Tiu ne realigxis. Mi petis gxisdatigon pri mencioj de Esperanto, sed sxi ne certis antau' monato.

I corresponded a few times with the documentary producer, Annie Macnee, a year ago and month before writing this letter (in September?). Annie had considered interviewing New York Esperanto speakers but that couldn't happen. Recently I requested updates from her but she still didn't have information at her writing a month before my writing this.

Mi skribis al sxi antau' kelkaj minutoj denove pri tiu-cxi/nia diskuto. Kelkaj aktivaj esperantistoj ankau' havis kontaktojn kun sxi.

Mi sugestas ke ni disvastigu la precizajn minutojn de la traktitaj temoj de intereso de pluraj esperantistoj:

56:30-gxis la fino la esprimoj de la interpretistino.
55:00 Pri UNO lingva politiko
38:40-42:39 Pri plan-lingvoj/Klingon
43:00-49:00 Internacieco de gesto-lingvoj
49:00-55:00 La indo-europa familio de lingvoj

11-23-11

I wrote this a few weeks ago and distrubuted it to a few Yahoo groups:

Since I recently had contacts with several translators/interpreters (French dep.) at the UN this past Thursday and believe that I will eventually speak with the translator, Zaha Bustemi from the T.V. program, "Planet Word", I wanted to analyse better the words of the interviewer, Stephen Fry, a minute before and after the misrepresentation of Esperanto in front of possibly milions of people.

Cxar mi sukcese havis kontaktojn kun pluraj tradukistoj/interpretistoj (franca fako) cxe UNO (pasint-jaud'e) kaj mi kredas ke mi devas eventuale paroli kun la tradukistino, Zaha Bustemi, en televida programo "Planet Word" (Planedo-Vorto)

mi volis analizi pli bone la vortojn de la intervjuanto, Stephen Fry, minuton antau' kaj post la misreprezento de Esperanto antau' eble milionoj da homoj.

Mi prezentas la anglan dialogon pli detale cxi-tie kaj eventuale volas akiri tradukon/mem traduki gxin. Cxar ili parolis iom rapide kun akcento/akcxento (ne mia usona) mi eble devis au'skulti 30 fojojn la celatajn frazojn.

(Inter malmultaj // brakoj // mi aldonas klarigajn vortojn)

Minuto. 54:53

(Post 2 minutoj pri infan-lernado de patrino-lingvoj)

Somechildren do not stop learning one language... and there are plenty of other languages to choose from.

(Stephen Fry, enirante UNO-n)

There are currently 194 member states belonging to the United Nations with over 6,000 languages spoken in them.

Maybe many of our species troubles could be avoided if we understood each other better? Would having one world language--be it Esperanto, English or to be utterly neutral and positively perverse--Klingon, even be an advantage?

Perhaps in World Forums like here in the UN Security Council, which is currently in session discussing the Libyan Crisis it would.

But then it would also put /translator's like/ Zaha Bustemi out of a job.

Stephen Fry: How many working languages are there?

Zaha Bustemi: Two: English and French

S. F. Ony two...I see. And then there are the official languages?

Z. B. Six of them

S. F. Only Six!

Z. B The official language are English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic, which is the most recent addition to the official languages.

S. F. "Zaha..it's rather wonderful watching you translate simultaneously..it seems to us like a...extraordinary..like a conductor able to read a music score..its an incredible thing that a human brain can do. I look down here //while in a UN tranlating booth// it's almost like a living symbol of the Tower of Babel...of the fact that mankind split into so many languages.

Stephen Fry: Do you sometimes think of...//that// the world would be better if everybody spoke Esperanto?

Zaha: 56:57

//Emotionally speaking//

No...there is a beauty to languages... every language has it's own beauty, its own music, it's own imagery, it's way of expressing the sentiments and the nature of the people who speak that language...it would be a loss if that language did not exist // and if everybody spoke Esperanto //

Oh...I'm very much in favor of the Tower of Babel.

//Malrapida klasika muziko au'digxas//

Stephen Fry paroladistas/narrates.

This building where the General Assembly of the United Nations meets perhaps symbolizes more than any other what happened to humankind after Babel:

Thousands of voices upraised in different mutually different, mutually incomprehensible tongues trying to comprehend to understand eachother, trying to build some kind of peace after the wreckage //li ridas iom moke al historio// of the 20th century. Well they sought to solve their problem by reducing all those lanugages to the 6 working languages of the UN in that way people do understand eachother. They understand how they think.. perhaps how they communicate a little bit of the history of each other.

Languages do so much more than that. Languages, in many respects define our identity.. who we are. And that's what I'll be looking at in our next time.

From Kenya to Israel, Ireland to Occitan, New Castle to (Brownsville (ne klare au'debla loko) I'll be looking how our 6,000 plus languges and myriad ---(actions--ne-klara vorto) are threatened with extinction as our global village becomes a reality.

Ni ne volas ataki la dialogantoj--ni konsideras ecx- inviti ilin al nia decembra programo.

Viaj opinioj estas bonvenaj.

Sincere, Nijl Blonstein
http://www.esperanto-un.org/

50.Summer-4 Country-Northern European Tour 2011

1. I only had one phone E-o contact in Hamburg (July 15th to 19th), where I arrive on July 15th.

2. In Copenhagen I began my Esperanto activitiy with a International League of Esperanto Teacher's (ILEI) Dinner. Heads of the Copenhagen University (where the conference occured) were met. Professors Tove Skutnabb-Kangas and Robert Phillipson were also greeted. (They are notable advocates of linguistic diversity.) About 40 Esperantists were present at the Ravelin Restaurant with the strongest rain beating on the roof making conversation a bit difficult.

A two-day multilingual program (for non-esperantists) was attended, organized by ILEI. Translation or interpretation was usually available.

3. During the Universala Kongreso I collaborated with Humphrey Tonkin at 4 events. a) The Club Fair on Saturday. b) Lecture on the essential bodies with the UN. c) Lecture on Esperanto at the UN where I spoke for 10 minutes. d) Esperantic Studies Foundation lecture with Martin Schaefer. At several of these events I was able to better aquaint myself with Stefano Keller, UEA Director for External Affairs, and with whom I've corresponded with a few dozen times.

Regretably I missed a program on the translation of the Tivadar Soros book. (Elsewhere, I wore a t-shirt, just made to order, with the group photo of the Zamenhof Symposium 2010 twice during the UK, a cause for a few conversations. George and Jonathan Soros are in the picture.).

After the UK I was hosted by esperantists, Jan and Lene Niemann in Elsinore (Helsinore). Jan is a leading member of the International Federation of Esperantist Railroadworkers. I returned to Copenhagen to enjoy a service at the Unitarian Church of Copenhagen with Esperantists, Arne Kasper and Tara Gregors, important organizers of the UK. The nearby cemetary spoke many words when I saw the tomb-stone with a green Esperanto star stating "Magarete Noll, Mother of the Danish Esperanto Movement". With no doubt the founder of the Danish Esperanto movement was also a Unitarian. We'll enjoy photos of this forgotton history. One of the UK conference rooms was named Noll for this founder.

4. In Gothenburg, Sweden (Goteborg-pronounced Jo-te-bu-re in Swedish written in Esperanto) a meeting occured on my behalf at the Esperanto Cafe, a few feet from the large Esperanto Place (one of the largest in the world). The Esperanto flag and that of a dozen other countries stands at the entrance). Language clubs meet there and take the flag of the respective country to there table. The Esperanto Plaza was renovated in 2008 and its glass signs in Esperanto are damaged due to crazed skate boarding which occurs in numerous plazas.

Thanks to Margareta for joining me two days.
Inga Johanson and Siv Burell were the main organizers. I could talk about the UN and Esperanto among several subject during a two hour meeting.

Inga (pronounced Inja in Swedish as written in Esperanto) is a librarian and collected some 300 E-o books at the main public library where she has worked. Because of renovations and her future retirement, this collection is at notable risk.
The library-computer time she offered me was essential in organizing the last 10 day days of my program.

5. Douglas Draper is the motor of the Norwegian Esperanto Association and the Esperanto Office in Oslo, Norway. A half an hour walk, or 15 minutes by bus or tram, this office can accept 20 people for meetings. It was aquired-purchase- in 1981 and had more numerous meetings in previous years. Thoughts for rental arrangement have been considered. As noted in a UN-NY teleconference, like Humphrey Tonkin, Douglas is an expatriate of Britain, base abroad for most of his life. Douglas has given great dedication to learning Norwegian and brought me to a Green Party meeting at a nearby communtiy garden/communty center--by bike.

Six local Esperantists, several immigrants among them, came to hear me talk about my activities in New York at the UN. I showed several enlarged pictures of meeting with UN leaders.

6. In Olso, Norway two conferences were collaboratively organized by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) and International Liason Committe of Freethinkers (ILCAF). On Wednesday ILCAF brought a hundred people together from over a dozen countries, with a French majority. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday 400 more people arrived from a total of 50 countries. Unique contacts occured with Indians, Pakistanis and Africans of several countries. ILCAF's website is partially in Esperanto, among 14 other languages. I was informed that Christian Riviere, President of ATEO (atheist Esperantist organization) provide translations.

I photographed the extensive damage to windows in about 5 square blocks of downtown Oslo by an indivdiual who later killed some 70 teenage activists of the Norwegian Labor (Workers) Party. Windows of our Convention Center were also damaged. This tragedy was referred to in several talks at the convention.

Half of the 500 IHEU conference-goers were Norwegians. Fortunately I had ample flyers on Esperanto in Norwegian, provided by Douglas.

When I brought out the large plastic Esperanto sign on Wednesday, a French 18 year old youth, Alex Meyer approached me in enthusiastic Esperanto, pointing out that he rarely used Esperanto outside of his small town on the French Swiss border. He was a friend of Mireille Grosjean, an active Esperantist of Switzerland--sometimes UN representative in Geneva. He said he met another Esperantist already at ILCAF and at lunch introduced me with Dominique Simeone, whose name I heard, and mistakenly thought was a women.

Of some note, Alex was with a group of some 10 younger participants, who undoubtedly heard of Esperanto from him.

Later at the headquarter of Norwegian branch of IHEU I met up with Jose Antonio Vergara, (a former UEA director) where we took a photo with Knut, the head librarian there and a New Yorker of Sri Lankan background and interests, Hemantha.

Speakers of the convention noted that the IHEU buildings in Oslo, Norway and Manhattan, New York (Ethical Culture) are by far the largest offices/centers of the organization.

I set up a larger exhibit of Esperanto materials on Friday, including photos taped to a nearby column of me with Ban Ki-moon and Michelle Bachelet (UN Women) seen by all 500 participants, but discussed individually by about 125 of the participants with me, Jose and Dominique. Since peace and religious tolerance, with acceptance of atheists was key to the discussions I showed literature from a variety of religions and the Esperanto atheist organization.

I estimate that I exchanged some 40 business cards, notably with Sonja, a Dutch organizer who enthusiasticaly agreed to utilize an Esperanto translation of the conference resolutions/conclusions.

I returned to the USA on August 15th with notable jet-lag.

On, Wednesday, August 18th, after a visit to the UEA/NY a teleconference was held with 5 activists, including myself, motivating me to complete this summary of my summer travels to Europe.