Thursday, December 31, 2009

30. Esperanto and Religions

Thousands of religious people advocate Esperanto but I can't find a seperate list of their websites and or discussion groups. This is an initial start. Contact me if there is a better one in English or Esperanto. I'm quoting the 2009 Yearbook of Universal Esperanto Association.

Bahai http://www.bel.bahai.de/

Budhist:  http://www.budhano.com/

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZcwpCgzMUk&feature=share
 ne plu valida: www.esperanto.us/budhana

Christian :
1.Catholic http://www.ikue.org/

2.Protestant/Evangelical www.chez.com/keli

3.Orthodox www.groups.yahoo.com/group/kristana-ortodoksa-rondo-esperantista
http://ortodoksio.org/

4. Mormons http://www.mvgcontact.org/esperanto.htm

5. Quaker http://www.kveker.no/ (left bottom to links in English and Esperanto)

6. Spiritism http://esperanto-spiritismo.org/

Islamic: http://www.arabujo.org/ and http://groups.google.com/group/islama-kulturo-en-la-monda-lingvo  The Kuran/Koran in Esperanto on-line. I own the paper version for several decades. http://www.lernado.it/kurano/

League of Good Will (Brazilian-based): http://www.boavontade.com/esperanto/

Oomoto http://www.epa.jp/

Unitarian Univesalists/Unitarian Universalist Esperanto Network
unitaraj-esperantistoj@googlegroups.com
http://www.grupoamikema.org/UUEN.html

Ateista Tutmonda Esperanto-Organizo (World Atheist Esperanto Organization) http://ateismo.iespana.es/ (Invalid April 2012)
2011 article:
http://gunnargallmo.hubpages.com/hub/Atheism-Buddhism-and-Religion


Atheist Esperantists (ATEO) publishes Ateismo in paper and on line.
http://www.gazetejo.org/eo/gazetoj/dato_2000/2002/2002-03 (Sample newsletter, scroll to midpage).

There is a recent book on Esperanto and Christianity. It has a few translations. The Portuguese translator hosted me in Brazil.
http://www.u-matthias.de/latino/latin_ru.htm

Esperanto, spoken by the today's (2012) German Pope, while Esperantists "demonstrate" nearby in support of Esperanto. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sahiIBTUcC4

Sunday, November 15, 2009

29. Neil on Cover of Esperanto/UEA Nov., 2009

With the collaboration of Martin Schaefer and several Mexican Esperanto speakers, I received the honor of a photo of myself going on the cover page of the paper monthly Esperanto/UEA, November 2009. A large group of mostly female volunteers of the Annual Convention of the UN Department of Public Information stand beside me. I received my copy courtesy of Martin on Oct. 21. In an inner page our group picture, taken in the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, can also be seen.
Since I am technologically challenged here are my Mexican pictures: The second picture is similar (sans guitar) to the one on the UEA monthly: www.picasaweb.google.com/neil.nachum/MeksikoDPI

HERE IS THE ARTICLE IN THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE.
UEA partoprenis la 62-an konferencon de neregistaraj organizoj en la urbo Meksiko, 09.09.09 – 11.09.09.
En la teamo estis Neil Blonstein (UEA- oficejo Nov- Jorko ) ,
Martha Cárdenas (estraranino de Esperanto-USA kaj de Meksika Esperanto-Federacio, MEF, Usono), Mallely Martínez Mateos (prezidantino de MEF, Meksiko), Daniel Moreno (ĝenerala sekretario de MEF, Meksiko), mi (Martin Schäffer, ĝenerala sekretario de Germana Esperanto-Asocio) kaj David López Rueda (estrarano de MEF, Meksiko).
La inaŭgura ceremonio okazis la 9-an de septembro en la bela malnova ekskonvento San Hipólito en la centro de Meksiko-urbo. La inaŭguron partoprenis altranguloj kiel Ban Ki-moon, la ĝenerala sekretario de UN, Patricia Espinosa Cantellano, ministrino pri eksteraj rilatoj de la meksika registaro, kaj Jody Williams, ricevinto de la Nobelpremio pri paco.
Por la kongreso ni preparis informfoliojn: La pozicio de UEA pri lingvaj rajtoj, Praga Manifesto kaj adreskartetojn.
Tuj ĉe la komenco ni komencis la laboron, informante la partoprenantojn individue pri la ekzisto de UEA kaj pri Esperanto.
Venis ĉirkaŭ 1300 delegitoj de diversaj neregistaraj organizoj el la tuta mondo.
La temo de la konferenco estis: "Malarmu nun! Ni laboru por paco kaj evoluigo".
Ĉiu el nia teamo havis proprajn spertojn kaj konversaciojn. Juna advokato de Kostariko, Roberto Zamora, sciigis ke li jam aŭdis pri Esperanto en la Monda Socia Forumo en Niĝerio. Li tre subtenis la ideon kaj miris ke ankaŭ en la universitato de Kostariko oni povas lerni Esperanton. Neil Blonstein kantis kune kun kelkaj meksikaj volontulinoj kantojn en Esperanto dum la junulara ekspozicio, kiu okazis en la parko Alameda, ni metis flugfoliojn sur oficialan informtabulon kaj malantaŭ ĝi deĵoris kvazaŭ temus pri nia tablo, ni partoprenis kun afiŝo la pacmarŝon, ekhavis kontakton kun multaj meksikaj organizaĵoj kaj informis la multnombrajn volontulojn. Ekestis ankaŭ kontakto kun lokaj ĵurnalistoj.
Dum la 3-taga konferenco ni babilis kun pli ol 400 personoj individue kaj plej verŝajne aliaj 400 eksciis pri ni pro la flugfolioj kaj informafiŝoj. Entute do tre bona sukceso! Laŭ mia sperto al du argumentoj la personoj estis speciale
perceptemaj: 1) Esperanto jam nun estas bone uzebla kiel dua lingvo post la angla; kaj 2) Esperanto estas bona alternativo kiel internacia lingvo, ĉar pli justa. Nune la malriĉaj landoj ne povas garantii al siaj ŝtatanoj lernadon de fremdaj lingvoj aŭ nur je malalta nivelo.
Internacia komunikado ne estu privilegio de la riĉaj landoj aŭ de riĉaj homoj.
La venontjaran konferencon invitis la registaro de Aŭstralio. Ni partoprenu; eble kun kelkaj novaj ideoj.
Post la konferenco mi havis la okazon partopreni la unuan internacian kongreson de WATUN (Monda Alianco por transformado de la UN). Ankaŭ tie mi parolis kun multaj homoj kaj neniam en mia vivo mi spertis tiom malferman
opinion pri la ideo de internacia lingvo.
La partopreno montras kiom gravaj estas tiaj eventoj kaj la laboro de Neil Blonstein en la novjorka oficejo de UEA. Ni subtenu tian agadon!
Martin Schäffer

In a message dated 10/21/2009 11:51:25 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, AMIKEMA writes:
Saluton,
Jen foto de la kovrilo de la novembra numero de la revuo Esperanto. En ĝi aperas la artikolo pri la kongreso de la Unuig'inta naciaro en la urbo de Meksiko. Neil Blonstein (reprezentanto de UEA en nov-Jorko) kaj David Lopez (estrarano de la Meksika Esperanto Federacio) estas bonŝanculoj. Ili eĉ aperas sur la titolpaĝo de la revuo.
Rimarku ankau la simbolo sur la saketo de David. G'i estas la simbolo de la venonta UK en Kubo.
Antauen!
Mar =)

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Friday, August 21, 2009

27. Historical Esperanto-Unitarian Connection

An early Unitarian-Esperanto connection may exist, perhaps ignored till today. It deals with an indirect relation with a leading Unitarian--Ralph Waldo Emerson and a leading Esperantist--Colonel George Brinton McClellan Harvey.The first literary journal in the United States was the North American Review, which ran regularly between 1815 to 1940. From 1818 onwards its main theme was public education.
The North American Review was initiated by the Anthology Society (or Club). The well-to-do members (of the Boston area) were led by Reverend William Emerson. Reverend Emerson was the father of Ralph Waldo Emerson, perhaps the most cited all-time Unitarian. (While living a year in Brazil, I noted numerous Esperantists and others with the name Emerson. Some acknowledged that the name was in respect for Ralph Waldo Emerson--some didn't know the history of the name.)
During the life of L.L. Zamenhof, perhaps the most famous U.S . citizen advocating Esperanto was Colonel George Brinton McClellan Harvey--sometimes called just George Harvey.
Here is a brief time-line in Harvey's life:
1. 1889 - He purchased the North American Review.
2. 1901- He purchased Harper's Weekly.
3. 1906-1908 - He advocated Esperanto regularly in the North American Review.
4. 1908-1909 - He was president of the Esperanto Association of North America.
5. 1921-1923 - He was the United States Ambassador to England.

Considering the Unitarian concerns for public education, the emphasis of the North American Review on education and eventually Esperanto, its relationship to the Emerson family and the more recent and conscious resurgence of Esperantism-Unitarianism (article # 17/"older article" below), I consider this one more historical link between the two movements.

The very well-known French Esperantist, Henri Mason, has linked friendship between Urban Planner-Esperantist, Howard Ebenezer and Unitarian Ralph Waldo Emerson. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=483587785019334&set=a.348332581878189.83013.100001043514223&type=1&theta

National Geographic once acknowledged Howard Ebenezer: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/print/2011/12/city-solutions/kunzig-text

Saturday, August 15, 2009

26. Poland and the BBC

As a consequence of the conferences in Bialystok and Malbork, in which I participated, several BBC programs have aired.

http://skirlet.free.fr/bbc27.07.2009.mp3
Istvan Ertl's interview.


http://skirlet.free.fr/breakfast_cambridge11.08.2009.mp3
Tim Morley's program.

Thanks to Istvan--Bonan aŭskultadon!

A converation with Arika Okrent, author of “In the Land of Invented Languages"
www.theworld.org/tag/patrick-cox (scroll to middle of page)
PRI's The World: The World in Words from PRI/BBC/WGBH - 5:02pm
Comment at language@pri.org
Original Broadcast:
Tuesday, July 14, 2009,
Minutes on Esperanto 15:40 for 5 minutes and 31:56 in the song Girl From Ipanema in Esperanto.
WIWpodcast62.mp3





Thursday, June 11, 2009

25. Esperanto Music Lives

I've gone to a musicians' conference for Esperanto-speakers in the year 2000 just outside the city Toulouse, France. There have been several conferences called Kultura Artista Festivalo Esperantista (KAFE) in this southern French town. About 200 people from 20 countries participated. I was the only North American participating.

I hope a similarly good conference will be held (summer 2009) in Helsingor (pronounce approximately Elsinor or just Elsinoro in Esperanto) outside of Copenhagen, to which I signed up to participate. This is one of a series of conferences on Esperanto music, in Scandinavia, known as KEF or Kultura Esperanto Festivalo. Organizers clarify that the northern conference on Esperanto music emphasizes ORIGINAL esperanto music.

Sat. August 15th, 2009: To sample the conference, which was both in Denmark and Sweden (130 participants) from 30 countries, go to www.ipernity.com/doc/fritzon/5454372/

For samples of live Esperanto music one can link up to the multi-lingual Brazilian site Music Express, based in the capital, Brasilia: MusicExpress en Esperanto . Click on "style or elektu stilon" (on the upper right), go to ESPERANTO and sample some 200 different artists. You may enjoy some diverse Brazilian music while your at it!
Retejo pri muziko kun rajtigita MP3, paĝoj de diversĝenraj artistoj, muziktekstoj kun akordoj, partituroj, novaĵoj, informoj pri albumoj, www.musicexpress.com.br/Artisto.asp?Artista=344

There are about 300 music albums or cd's available in Esperanto. Here is a fairly updated list placed at wikipedia:
La liston de tiuj preskaŭ 300 muzikalbumoj metigxis cxe vikipedio:http://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanto-muzikalbumoj :
The list was organized by Lu Wunsch-Rolshoven
Some more useful links are:
Vinilkosmo: http://www.myspace.com/vinilkosmo Muziko: http://esperanto-panorama.net/unikode/muziko.htm Muziko: http://www.kke.org.br/eo/musicas/indice Muzikeroj de Kajto: http://www.musicexpress.com.br/kajto Muzikeroj el Afriko: http://www.studio-pro.ch/esperanto-muziko.html Diversaj muzikvideoj: http://www.youtube.com/user/kosmuzik

Just to remind us of the use of Esperanto in a video of MICHAEL JACKSON (Deceased June 26th, 2009 at the age of 50).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c93o05SrWzE

In the beginning of the video appears the line:
"?? chiuj de la mondo konstruas chi tiun skulptajon en la nomo de tutmonda
patrineco kaj amo kaj la kuraca forto de muziko."

or Everyone of the world builds this sculpture in the name of the worldly motherhood and the healing force of music."

With French and Esperanto comments on Michael Jacksons History go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jfvA_Ug_qk

Tone of Brazil is a popular Esperanto rapper. Here is his rap on the history of Esperanto, sung by hundred of youth in all corneres of the world. A full translation in English appears in Karaeoke form:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FexMAmOXsj0&feature=related

In December 2010 I found this link:
http://esperanto-tv.com/vinilkosmo

For learning to sing Esperanto lyrics or plays scores or tunes here is a good start:
http://kantaro.ikso.net/akvo_fluas

Karaoke for House of the Rising Sun in Esperanto:

http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10150239480123964&id=670528963#!/video/video.php?v=243767855643119¬if_t=video_tag

Polish-born singer, Basia, sings about her homeland, mentioning Esperanto in the English and some partially Polish song, Copernicus:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ1P-ELhIEE&feature=fvsr 

About a band in Cali, Colombia calling itself Esperanto:
http://www.facebook.com/esperanto.music 

Six quality versions of the most popular "anthem" of the Esperanto movement sung at the beginning or more notably the end of the annual World Congress of Esperanto.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDF4Q54eUVg&feature=youtu.be

Esperanto and yodeling:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjmZrra2xZc

Monday, June 1, 2009

24. ESPERANTO, INDIGENOUS FORUM AND UN

1. At NYU with 4 Peruvian parlamentarians and Miriam. I addressed a group of 30 professors and other indigenous, all South Americans. Wednesday evening, May 20th, '09.


2. In an all-day week-end pre-conference (May 16-17th'09) at 777 United Nations Plaza (where Universal Esperanto Association has an office) about 250 indigenous prepared for the Permanent Forum on the Indigenous.




3. In the UN corridors.




4. At 777 UN Plaza Neil presented Universal Esperanto Association to 235 indigenous leaders and hoped for cooperation in the preservation of indigenous languages.
Sat. May 16th, 2009


Posted by Picasa

Thursday, May 28, 2009

24. Indigenous Forum at UN

Nijl parolas antau' 235 indigxenoj


Here are some pictures about my activities with indigenous groups and their arrival at the UN. In the first of five pictures (click on the above picture-sorry you may have to join the group.) I am speaking in front of 235 indigenous representatives (the capacity for the room) at 777 UN plaza, where UEA has its office. Special thanks to Professor Miryam Yataco of NYU.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

23: Esperanto and Sports: World Languages




 I've included a PICTURE of the UN top official, General Secretary Ban Ki-moon, British Ambassador John Sawyers and myself:


Additional pictures of me at the football field or the UN are here:

UN Football
April 24, 2009 -
20 ambasadoroj konkurencas por bonkoraj organizoj en militintaj landoj
View Album Play slideshow
Message from neil.nachum:

Sports and Esperanto: World Languages Monday, April 27, 2009
As a volunteer at the United Nations, Neil Blontein was pleased to know that the Lichtenstein and Chilean delegations were sponsoring a "diplomatic" soccer match on April the 25th, 2009 for charitable purposes. Upon arriving he learned that it was even better. Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General, and a dozen other ambassadors were playing soccer for peace.
This seemed as idealistic as the Universal Esperanto Association, which he represents at the UN.(There are a few thousand non-governmental-organizations with annual permits at the UN.) Wikipedia readers know that Esperanto is a widely used langauge, often among the 20 most used languages in the history of wikipedia. Esperanto initiator, L.L.Zamenhof, emphasized the application of the Golden Rule and international friendship as a prerequsite for lasting peace.
The players represented a diverse age range from men in their 30's to their 60's and one Italian female diplomat. Good feelings were present throughout the games and when the winning and losing teams posed for pictures.
Neil was in a unique position to discuss the benefits of Esperanto-it seemed only about 80 friends and family of the diplomats were present. Former Australian Ambassador Ralph Harry knew Esperanto could facilitate relations among athletes and produced 40 multilingual dictionaries and distributed many before the Munich Olympics, all including Esperanto. The UEA rep was pleased to share individual information on Esperanto with the ambassadors of Paraguay, Chile, East Timor, Lichtenstein, Austria, Great Britain, Zambia, as well as Ban Ki-moon.
Realistically many leaders still need more information to understand the usefullness of Esperanto and at the same time average people need to be more numerous in their support of Esperanto before it becomes a true Universal Language.

sources U.N. Ambassadors Kick It Around in N.Y.C. - Goal BlogU.N. Ambassadors Kick It Around in N.Y.C.. By Jack Bell. For too many people in the United States and around the world, the game of soccer is viewed as a ...April 24, 2009 - Goal

I recently discovered Wikinews, a division of Wikipedia. Wikinews has not utilized Esperanto like its parent Wikipedia but I offered the following article which may require additional editing before full publishing is allowed:

Other Sources

*
La diplomato kiu ridis / Ralph Harry ; bildoj de Vane Lindesay
Aventuroj en Esperantujo / de Ralph Harry
The North was always near / Ralph Harry
No man is a hero : pioneers of Australian diplomacy / Ralph Harry
Adventures in Esperantoland / by Ralph Henry
Malnova ligilo: http://www.lingvaj-rajtoj.org/bildoj/John_Sawyers_brita_ambasadoro__Ban_Ki-moon_Ghenerala_sekretario_UN__Neil_Blonstein_UEA-reprezentanto_UN_Novjorko.jpg&gt

http://uri.fi/HE/

Thursday, April 16, 2009

22. UEA United Nations Office/New York Photos


Ĉe la NovJorka Oficejo de UEA

www.flikr.com/photos/limako/3432873775/in/pool-esperantujo/

fotoj cxe UEA Oficejo sabate Aprilo 11a 2009

Hit the word Limako on the upper right of the Flickr page for additional pictures of the office and one at the Esperanto Cafe (http://www.esperantocafe.com/ )

A few photos from an April 11, 2009 visit by Esperantists from Italy, New York and New England.
Mauro, Margarita, Lau'ra, Sally, Steven, Sofiya, Daniel, and Neil.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

21. Forgotten World German Culture

What does Beethoven, Karl Marx, Bach, Einstein, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Mozart and Freud have in common?'
Great question. Another great question is what would most people answer as to the main language of culture from 1750 to 1900? I only get one answer: French. So what did happen to the Beethoven, Marx, Bach, and Einstein who were at the elite of world culture and music. They forgot to speak French and spoke German! Here is an excerpt from wikipedia to update people on some of the causes of a sudden international lapse of memory about the elite position of German in World Culture a short century ago:

Anti-German Sentiment
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There was a flow of German Canadians into the United States. Ironically a good number were Mennonites who immigrated to Canada under the condition that they would not be conscripted for miltary service, some who were refused entrance to the United States and nevertheless suffered prejudices following World War II. Some German
Amercans and others were jailed during the war. The mayor of Montreal (not-German) was jailed due to his opposition to conscription during World War II. Source: Canadian Encyclopedia.


In the United States between 1917-18, German-American schools and newspapers by the thousands were forced to permanently close. In cities and towns across the nation, libraries burned their German-language books in public burnings. The officials of German-named towns that had been founded by German-Americans were intimidated by county, state, and federal government officials into anglicizing their names, and into destroying all traces of their German heritage. In cities across the United States, German-sounding street names were banned. Many families with a German-sounding last name changed their surname.

Wiki and other biographical sources tell me that even a comedian's false accent that was formerly considered amusing became dangerous and self-incriminating:

For a time in vaudeville Groucho Marx and all the brothers performed using ethnic accents. Leonard Marx, the oldest Marx brother, developed the Italian accent he used as Chico to convince some roving bullies that he was Italian, not Jewish. Julius Marx's character from Fun In Hi Skule was an ethnic German, so Julius played him with a German accent. However, after the sinking of the RMS Lusitania in 1915, public anti-German sentiment was widespread, and Marx's German character was booed, so he quickly dropped the accent and developed the fast-talking wise-guy character he would be.

THOSE WHO DO NOT UNDERSTAND HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT. ENGLISH APPEARS TO BE THE WORLD LANGUAGE, BUT SADLY IT WILL DISAPPEAR AS QUICKLY AS GERMAN ROSE AND FELL.

For more info on the disappearance of German culture go to www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-German_sentiment

Few Americans would imagine the vast size of the German American community of today: German Americans (German: Deutschamerikaner) are citizens of the United States of German ancestry, with traditions and self-identity based on German language and culture. They currently form the largest self-reported ancestry group in the United States, accounting for 49 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population.[2] California and Texas have the largest populations of German origin, although upper Midwestern states, including North Dakota and Wisconsin, have the highest proportion of German-American population. (source: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/German-American

A wealthy German-Amercan, Oswald Ottendorfer, founded the first public library of New York City. Later, he returned to his childhood town in Europe to create a community center that has recently been converted partially into an Esperanto Museum and partially into a memorial for Oskar Schindler. Schindler, of Schindler's List fame, via the film, has become the best-know German individual to have saved Jewish lives during World War II.

Svitavy was best known as Zwittau' in German when Ottendorfer and Schindler were born there.
In 1930, 88.4 % of the population was
German. In the beginning of the 20th century the town saw tensions between Czech and German speaking people, resulting in the expulsion of Germans following World War II.
Here is the recent memorial to Oscar Schindler near his Svitavy homoj: 
http://www.ipernity.com/doc/181031/10029606

To get to the website and pictures of the Ottendorfer Center/Esperanto Museum (of Svitavy Czech Republic) first press http://www.muzeum.esperanto.cz/ and then go to the photo gallery and exhibition (Fotogalerie and Expozicie). (Funding: Esperantic Studies Foundation-Source:Humphrey Tonkin)

Ipernity has a page and discussion in Esperanto about the Esperanto Museum:http://www.ipernity.com/blog/181031/302426
New York City Public Library Branch History
The Ottendorfer Branch of the New York Public Library opened in 1884 as New York City's first free public library. Designed by German-born architect William Schickel, this landmark building combines Queen Anne and neo-Italian Renaissance styles with an exterior ornamented by innovative terracotta putti. The Branch was a gift of Oswald Ottendorfer, owner of the New-Yorker Staats-Zeitung. At the time, the neighborhood was called Kleindeutschland (Little Germany) and had a population of over 150,000 people of German descent. Ottendorfer wished to provide this community with books to cultivate their minds and assist assimilation into American culture. Half of the 8,000 original books were in German with the other half in English. In the same tradition, the branch continues to reflect its community and remains a vital educational and cultural resource for the East Village today. The building, which is a designated New York City landmark, has been completely renovated through the Library's Adopt-A-Branch program, through which private donors join public funders to restore branch libraries. While the original Ottendorfer Branch was designed as a bilingual library to serve the German community, the restored library can now better serve its multilingual community and provide an increased level of accessibility to all people. Highlights include restored, repointed, and cleaned façade, new elevator, new air-conditioning system, five new computer workstations, and new children's floor with story hour room.



One of the most powerful early Americans founded the first German-Language Newspaper:The German-language press in the United States has a long if somewhat faded history. It was none other than Benjamin Franklin who published the first German-language newspaper in North America, the Philadelphische Zeitung, in 1732. Although Franklin's German newspaper failed before the year was out, many others in the New World would be more successful. ( source:www.german.about.com/library/weekly/aa07/2299.htm )

Regarding Klein Deutchland--Lower East Side,  New York City, the following article indicates that German Jews were an important part of it and preceded the arrival of poorer Russian/Eastern European Jews (My grandmother and mother).
http://www.boston.com/travel/getaways/us/newyork/articles/2007/10/28/synagogues_tell_story_of_lower_east_sides_past/

The General Slocum Boat Tragedy was linked to the deterioration of Little Germany-Lower East Side-East Village areas:
http://www.nypl.org/blog/2011/06/13/great-slocum-disaster-june-15-1904

A German-American, John/Johann Jacob/Jakob Astor funded the main branch (with the lion statues) of the New York City Public Library.




John Jacob Astor (born Johann Jakob or Johann Jacob Astor) (July 17, 1763–March 29, 1848) was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States. He was the creator of the first trust in America, from which he made his fortune in fur trading, real estate, and opium
At the time of his death in 1848, Astor was the wealthiest person in the United States, leaving an estate estimated to be worth at least $20 million; according to the latest Forbes rankings, he would be worth $115 billion in 2007 U.S. dollars, making him the fourth wealthiest person in American history.

John Jacob Astor's ancestors were Waldensian refugees from Savoy. He was born in Walldorf, near Heidelberg in the old Palatinate which became part of Baden during the 19th century, Germany (currently in the Rhein-Neckar district). His father (Johann Jacob Astor) was a butcher. The son John Jacob Astor learned English in London while working for his brother, George Astor, manufacturing musical instruments.





In his will, Astor left $400,000 to build the Astor Library for the New York public (later consolidated with other libraries to form New York Public Library), as well as $50,000 for a poorhouse in his German hometown, Walldorf.


One provocative question: Could it be that the country whose language is most widely dispersed then thinks that its culture and leadership is in demand and therefore MUST lead or dominate the world. Is this what Hitler believed? Is this what the United States' leading class has believed for the past century?

Germany and Swahili
Having met the ambassador of Tanzania, Augustine Amhiga, and other speakers of Swahili in April 2009 I read about Swahili, the language and its history. I found it interesting that this commercial-business-seafaring cross between Arabic and Bantu languages was officialized by Germany in 1886 one year before Esperanto was publicly proposed for the world lingua franca. The full article in wikipedia indicates that numerous dialects of mutually unintelligible swahili exist although the ambassador suggested that 100 million people in Tanzania and neighboring countries effectively spoke the same swahili in Africa:
After Germany seized the region known as Tanganyika (present day mainland Tanzania) for a colony in 1886, it took notice of the wide (but shallow) dissemination of Swahili, and soon designated Swahili as a colony-wide official administrative language. The British did not do so in neighbouring Kenya, even though they made moves in that direction. The British and Germans both were keen to facilitate their rule over colonies with dozens of languages spoken by selecting a single local language that hopefully would be well accepted by the natives. Swahili was the only good candidate in these two colonies.
In the aftermath of Germany's defeat in World War I, it was dispossessed of all its overseas territories. Perhaps Germany made a good move with not choosing to spread German but Swahili as the Swahili speaking region (Tanzania and Kenya) seems relatively stable in Africa.
There was a relationship between German Canandians and German Americans with numerous German Canadian obtaining American citizenship and others who were denied entrance to the United States between the world wars.
German Canadian number around 3,200,000 today out of a total of 34,150,000 Canadians.
Ironically numerous German Canadians entered Canada with the written agreement that they would be exempt from military service (due to their beliefs as Mennonites). However since even the non-German mayor of Montreal was interred due to his opposition to conscription, many Mennonite Germans were interred to camps. Source below.
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0003238

In a recent discussion on Globish (May, 2010) in the Economist, Britain's most dispersed weekly we found the following comment about language policy in Spain, regarding German:
enriquecost wrote: Jun 1st 2010 12:57 GMT .

It is evident Global English is just a consequence of Domination, Colonalism and War. Invading other nations, murdering millions of natives, enslaving millions of peoples, forcing Chinese to consume drugs, destroying Indian manufacturing (to replace it by British manufacturing)...all that led to Global English.

The English language is a "survivor" by itself as it could have disappeared after centuries of Plantagenet rule since William the Conqueror. For centuries the British elite used to speak in French and even the Royal Coat of Arms is French: "Dieu et mon droit". Still today English has two kind of words: Latin (Liberty) and Germanic (Freedom) But under the Francophone domination of Britain the Anglo-Saxon people kept their culture even if heavily influenced by the French, and that´s is why today English sounds so different from German or Dutch (while German and Dutch sound very similar to foreigners)...even we can add that Quebecois did the same on the reverse and even if dominated by an Anglo elite they kept their culture.

Before WWII in Spain German was the language of Philosophy, and as much used as English for Science and Technology. The defeat of Germany and its complete submission and obligaration by the U.S. and the U.K. led also to the end of the German language which now few people study.
More than German and English, in Spain French was the language of choice, and most people until the 70s used to study the French language, not just because it ws the language of Diplomacy and Arts but also because France was a more progressive and developed nation, the gate of Europe. Now, nobody studies French. Only English. (source: http://www.economist.com/node/16213950?story_id=16213950

Hitler's thoughts on German langauge purism and anti-semitism are expressed in this article:

http://autodidactproject.org/quote/gilman_zamenhof.html

I reiterate: when a language, as German, is revered as German was in the 1900's, delusional leaders of the native speakers receive delusions of grandeur....and racist ideology.
It is, of cause not the only source of the problems but of great significance..

Here is a 2013 link on the disappearance of German in Texas where it formally thrived for 5 generations: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22490560 

One of the Social Movements I have taken most note of is called Ethical Culture, in the United States. Precisely when Esperanto was being created in 1887 the founder of Ethical Culture, Felix Adler, returned to his birth-land, Germany, to receive a quality education in German. He studied  at Heidleberg University, a campus I passed through as a bicycled along the Tauber River, in my youth (late 1970's). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Adler_%28Professor%29.

Germans founded various towns and neighborhood in Palestine/Israel. Most impressive is the preservation of the central street of Haifa, Israel's main port city where I visited during the All-Asia Esperanto Pre-Conference. A Nazi party for the Templer Society existed and the men were conscripted in the German army during WWII, leading to their expulsion.  Many arrived in Australia after time in Cyprus. Over 1000 ancesters are known in recent years.  http://www.templesociety.org.au/heritage.html

The USA Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem was build by a German missionary, Ferdinand Vester, adjacent to Zamenhof St, Jerusalem.
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Politics/History_Jeru_Consulate.html


Beyond the numerous German classical musicians that dominated the field  for centuries I note that some of the biggest instrument producers in the United States were first established in Germany ex. Martin Guitars and Steinway Pianos:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._F._Martin_%26_Company
http://www.steinway.com/about/history/
Steinway Piano's is both based in NYC and Hamburg, Germany.

Scott Montgomery comments in this new book in 2013:
Q: What have been the key factors in the rise of English as the global language of science?
A: The history here is both complex and fascinating, but I’ll just summarize some of the major points. Both the Scientific Revolution and the Industrial Revolution, centered in England, were factors early on, though there was much translation and many scientists in Europe could read French, the true lingua franca at the time. By the late 1800s, English was one of several major languages in science, roughly equal with French but well below German. A shift began in the 1920s, as German scientists were blamed for some aspects of World War I (chemical weapons) and for support some of them showed of the conflict. World War II then reduced Europe to ashes, while U.S. science was undamaged, well-funded, and in high gear.
A massive rise in U.S. publications took place, starting in the late '40s. It took a full half-century before Europe could match America in this primary area. By the 1990s and early 2000s, new and forceful elements combined: the fall of communism; globalization; millions of science students migrating to Anglophone countries; and changes in the editorial policies of international journals to English only. At some point, too, the growing use of English became self-perpetuating and expanding. That is, scientists themselves saw what language the writing on the wall was in, and many began to adapt.
The rise of English, it should be emphasized, had nothing to do with the nature of English itself. Any major language — French, German, Russian, Spanish, Japanese — would have done as well. English benefited no small amount from the collapse of its competitors (French, German, Russian). But it also helps to recall what Bismarck said when asked what the pivotal fact of modern history was: "The fact that North America speaks English."


Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/06/04/interview-author-new-book-english-lingua-franca-science#ixzz2z1B2igGH
Inside Higher Ed 


German, Bauhaus Architecture was considered superior, in no place else other than Tel Aviv, Israel, moments before the naming of Zamenhof Street in 1936 (Dizengoff Circle take in aerial photo), and a few years before the Holocaust: http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16618

German actors (Marlene Dietrich) and producers (Josef von Sternberg), some German-Austrian/Jewish
traveled back and forth to Germany until World War II. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_von_Sternberg

Neighborhoods (called Colonies in an amiable sense) in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem were founded by German Templers:
They have been renovated and preserved:
http://epo.wikitrans.net/Sarona_%28kolonio%29?src=Sarona+%28colony%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Templers_%28religious_believers%29

The founder of the most famous music school (Julliard) and concert hall (Lincoln Center) was German American (with partial Jewish blood): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Damrosch

In 2017 some dozen countries have presidents or prime ministers who are either German-speakers, German or of German origen:  

https://www.facebook.com/kartografiaekstremalna/photos/a.153692631483262.1073741826.153690641483461/684752635043923/?type=3&theater

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

20. Commercial Usage of Esperanto Words


In 2013 we learned that one of the most successful film producers, Mexican-born, Adolpho Cuaron, sympathised with the goals of Esperanto and named his company Esperanto Filmoj (Films). In 2014 his new film, Gravity brought Cuaron to the zenith of his success, winning Best Producer in the Golden Globe awards. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqXkRwm-GDU  


Alphonso Cuaron, meksika posedanto de Esperanto Filmoj, venkis unu el la plej gravaj premioj de la usona film-industrio: Ora Globo/Golden Globe Premio pri Plej Bona Regisoro:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_(film)





There are meetings for commercially oriented Esperanto speakers: https://sites.google.com/site/ikefesperanto/  

That is La Internacia Komerca kaj Ekonomia Fako.

Rarely has a major car company used Esperanto. It celebrates Esperanto's 125 birthday. Here is a recent welcome change: https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/pressclub/p/pcgl/pressDetail.html?outputChannelId=6&id=T0127055EN&left_menu_item=node__2312

This is my personal contact with Esperanto as a commercial tool. Certainly I don't know it all. While there is an Esperanto Restaurant in Manhattan(http://www.esperantony.com/), an Esperanto Cafe-- http://www.esperantocafe.com/* -- (near prestigious New York University-closed by 2009--it was vacant for many months--then boarded up for several months-a new store is replacing it summer 2010 called Saigon), and a small restaurant in Saratoga Springs called Esperanto http://www.go2esperanto.com/ , I suspect the most lucrative use of Esperanto in the United States involves the originally Swiss watch company Movado. Several adds in newspapers made note that Movado is the Esperanto word meaning "always in motion". About half of the following models have Esperanto names: Amorosa, Bela, Buleto, Certa, Corporate, Exclusive, Eliro, Elliptica, Esperanza, Exclusive, Faceto, Fiero, Folio, Gentry, Junior Sport , Juro, Kara, Kardelo, Luno, Metio, Meza, Military, Museum, Ono, Ono Due, Rava, Rondiro, Safiro, Sapphire, Sports Edition, SL, Stiri, Strato, Temo, Timema, Trembrili (from two words-shake and shine), Valor, Viro, Vivo, Vizio (source with pictures http://www.jomashop.com/movado-watches.html ) . Esperanto words have been highlighted in green. I recall Rochelle Grossman, several years back, saying that some efforts were made to get the president of Movado to speak at the Esperanto Society or make a financial contribution to the movement (La Movado) but to no avail. There is an encyclopedia on Movado in their store-branch at Rockerfeller Center, New York on page 23 it describe a time when the Esperanto movement and watch industry of Le Chaud-de-Fonds, Switzerland, were both strong. Thus the naming of the company Movado. 
A small park with huge Movado watches opposite Lincoln Center. Malgranda parko vid-al-vide de Koncertejo Lincoln Center k u n grandegaj horlogxoj de Movado: https://www.facebook.com/neil.blonstein/media_set?set=a.10152015285298964.1073742098.670528963&type=3





There is also an electronics company named Vizio. http://www.vizio.com/ Since there is only a positive meaning in Esperanto and a negative meaning (I ruin) in Italian I conclude that Esperato was the main influence. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/vizio Mirejo Grosjean states that other Swiss watch companies have Esperanto brand names: UNIVERSO and ETERNA. RADO (wheel) was named with an Esperanto word by chance. I requested information on the successful usage of Esperanto in commerce (at Reago and Informado Yahoo Groups) and Henri Masson came up with half of this article below in red. An Esperantist with the pseudonym Fajro (Fire) also contributed. I sought information on the founder of Daewoo, Kim Woo Chung, whether may have been sympathetic to Esperanto, supported the publication of his autobiography in Esperanto (I have a copy in Florida --and wanted to know how it was called), and had particular interest in the following car models: 1. Espero (oni foje sxangxis gxin al Aranos en hispanaj landoj) 2. Cielo (cxu devenas de Cxielo au' la hispana?) 3. Sens I'm curious about the company Kia? Certainly the name has an interesting meaning in Esperanto (What a!). Certe la nomo, de tiu entrepreno (Kia) havas interesan signifon en Esperanto. 1. Forte 2. Optima 3. Rondo Some may originate from identical world in Spanish. Cxiuj povas diveni de aliaj latinaj lingvoj. I've got this response based on an L.A. Times review of the car, Rondo: Kia rondo? Ne unu granda rondo familia, ŝajne. Hodiaŭ en la usona ĵurnalo L.A. Times aperis eta sed ironie amuza mencio de Esperanto kadre de anglalingva recenzo pri sud-koreia aŭto. Skribis la aŭtoro: I would have thought twice before calling it the Kia Rondo [...] Kia calls this vehicle the Carens in other world markets, but I guess that Kia Motors America thought that name was too soft and vaguely Esperanto-ish for U.S. ears. > Mi volas aldoni informojn pri sukcesa uzo de Esperanto en komerco kaj ne povis trovi konfirmon cxu fondinto de Daewoo, Kim Woo Chung eble simpatiis al Esperanto, eldonis biografion en Esperanto (mi posedas kopion en Florido-aliloke-- kiel gxi nomigxas esperante?) The name of the founders book in Esperanto mean The World is Vast, The Work is Much". Reviews follow. Temas pri "Vastas la Mondo, Multas Laboro" : http://cojo.tistory.com/5 http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/eskruco/035/u-21.html http://www.esperanto.org/internacia/UEA/gaz3.htm http://www.uea.org/dokumentoj/komunikoj/gaz03c.htm Oni tamen atentu ke Kim Woo Chung fifamiĝis kaj estas serĉata de Interpol. > , kaj nomis iujn au'tomobilojn en Esperanto, ekzemple: > > 1. Espero (oni foje sxangxis gxin al Aranos en hispanaj landoj) > bildoj pri la veturilo : Here are pictures of the Espero (Hope). http://www.google.fr/images?hl=eo&client=opera&hs=AVe&rls=fr&q=espero+daewo&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=Jd2aTMHxBZXh4AaqrLwy&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBoQsAQwAA (se ne funkcias, serĉu per "espero daewoo". > 2. Cielo (cxu devenas de Cxielo au' la hispana?) Kiel prononci gxin kutime? > same pri "daewoo cielo" kaj "daewo sens". > 3. Sens > > Mi estas scivolema ankau' pri Kia? Certe la nomo de tiu entrepreno havas interesan signifon en Esperanto. Mi trovis cxinan fonton de la vorto. > > Du au'tomobiloj estas. > > 1. Forte > 2. Optima > > Ambau' povas diveni de aliaj latinaj lingvoj. > Aliaj nomoj : http://www.webcarcenter.com/guide/kia.html > > http://esperantofriends.blogspot.com/2009/03/commercial-usage-of-esperanto-words.html Ne tre maloftaj estas Esperanto-nomoj aŭ nomoj aspektataj kiel esperantaj. En Francio estas radiostacio "Nova ", produktoj por purigado, bontenado kaj higieno "Spado" (ŝajnas ke ili ne havas retejon, sed ne mankas produktoj sub tiu nomo), insekticidoj "Kapo "... Amike. Henri *I've cut and pasted the site for Esperanto Cafe, since the link may disappear at some future point (it is still there on 9-22-10, several months after its closing): Contact Us Online: www.esperantocafe.com Email: esperantocafe@aol.com Phone: (212) 475-5000 Fax: (212) 475-4300 Address: Esperanto Cafe 114 MacDougal Street New York, NY 10012 We’d love to hear your comments or suggestions regarding our products or service. Please email the owner directly at esperantocafe@aol.com. About Us Located in the heart of Greenwich Village, Esperanto Cafe is a cafe with a unique atmosphere that offers more than a typical coffee shop. It’s an eclectic experience, where patrons come and converse with each other and amid the sounds of music playing in the background. We have over 30 different kinds of pastries, quality salads and sandwiches. We also serve the best coffee, cappuccino, Latte and other exotic drinks.



Here is rare usage of, Zamenhof, the author of Esperanto commercially:
http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/castletype/zamenhof/

Pepsico calls a drink Mirinda or "Wonderful in Esperanto". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirinda


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhIJH56YIWE Littlewoods, a large British on-line clothing announced a commercial in Esperanto, but most esperantists believe the vocabulary and prononciation was so bad it my be called a "mock Esperanto" or a "not-Esperanto commercial".

A Brazilian Esperantist, Fabricio Valle, has argued and written in favor of great commercial use of Esperanto. http://esperanto-na-midia.blogspot.com/

Another Brazilian Esperantist, Amarilio Hevia de Carvalho, has been successful in selling large quanitites of Esperanto-related t-shirts in and outside the Esperanto community (at the beach).

In the USA I've used http://www.cafepress.com/ to design a dozen of my own t-shirts touching on Esperanto. Search for Esperanto or International.

An Esperanto Restaurant in the Swedish capital: http://www.esperantorestaurant.se/en/gallery/  .

A youth/student magazine named "Esperanto Magazine":

http://esperantomagazine.com/about-us-2/

Is the publisher an Esperanto speaker? Cxu la eldonanto estas esperantisto? 

In the capital of the state of Virgina, a restaurant is named "Welcome!" in Esperanto, with a link to what is Esperanto.  Richmond, Virginia: 
http://www.bonvenu.com/
Restoracio cxe cxef-urbo de Virginio reklamas Esperanton.


The owner of the Saratoga Springs, New York "Esperanto Restaurant" has opened up a new Branch in Burlington, Vermont. Seperate Facebook pages are maintained. 
http://www.facebook.com/EsperantoSaratoga?ref=ts&fref=ts 

Some seven Hotels of commercial nature are called "Esperanto". 
http://utopia-vs-reality.blogspot.com/2012/03/esperanto-for-youth-hostels-and.html


Glee T.V. Show actress creates site http://www.varoj.com base on sympathy to Esperanto.
http://www.stylebistro.com/Fashion+News/articles/5AaL89NXRcC/Glee+Vanessa+Lengies+Launches+Charitable+E

Professional clothes-line/ Profesiaj vestajxoj "Esperanto":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6pAQ9grS9w

Two restaurants, perhaps one owner, are called Esperanto in Argentina (in Buenos Aires and Rosario):
This is what you call sexing up Esperanto:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1N_PlBOM40

A new Hotel in Macedonia "Esperanto".
Nova Hotelo Esperanto en Makedonio: 
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3094706616949&set=oa.370259696369667&type=1&theater

French communications company
http://www.esperanto.fr/

A food store in Kiev, Ukraine is called Esperanto:
Mangx-vendejo "Esperanto"-Kievo?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKMSG9vdwjE

Youth Hostel Esperanto in Brooklyn, NYC (What a surprise?) Photos
http://www.hostelbookers.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=propertyCommon.propertyImageViewer&intPropertyID=80285&intImage=2

Munich/Munchen Esperanto Lounge inaugurated in 2010:
Esperanto-ripozejo-drinkejo-Munkeno (cxirkau' 2 jaragxa):
http://www.esperanto-lounge.de/EsperantoLounge_Muenchen_afrikanisch_Essen_Hofbraeu_caribbean_food_livemusik_fufu_egussi_Nigeria_Benin_WestAfrika_Restaurant_Bar/Willkommen.html

http://esperanto-lounge.de/EsperantoLounge_Muenchen_afrikanisch_Essen_Hofbraeu_caribbean_food_livemusik_fufu_egussi_Nigeria_Benin_WestAfrika_Restaurant_Bar/Filme_%26_Fotos/Seiten/Esperanto_Eroffnung_files/Media/DSC_2204/DSC_2204.jpg?disposition=download

About a band in Cali, Colombia calling itself Esperanto:
http://www.facebook.com/esperanto.music

Esperanto Restoracio de Liverpool, Anglio/England:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3617549084511.2172905.1447400653&type=1

Here is a food store in Newport, Rhode Island (about 25 miles from the capital Providence).
http://www.manta.com/cmap/mr0b7sb/esperanto-food-market

Alcoholic beverage--Tequila:
http://www.tequila.net/tequila-reviews/anejos/esperanto-tequila-anejo.html

A feminine DILDO/Vibrator: INA (IN-fanoj sub 18...Geknaboj ne legu: Ne deca hazarda komerca Esperanto. Vibrilo nomata INA: Lelo devus nomigxi La ilo.)

http://www.lelo.com/index.php?collectionName=femme-homme&groupName=INA-2


www.lelo.com
LELO’s classic personal vibrators for women and men, perfect for solo use or sharing. Each vibrator is made from body-safe silicone and is covered by a 1-Year warranty.

A German Esperantist confirms that some Esperanto was used intensionally by this vibrator company:
Helmut Klünder Mi jam antau jaroj, kiam mi hazarde dank al Google-Alert trovis tion, kontaktis la firmanon. La nomoj de la objketoj oft le kongruas kun ilia senco. Ili respondis al mi, ke ili elektis Esperantajn nomojn, char estas belsona kaj neniu scias, de kiu la nomoj devenas. Mi iom kontrolis, multaj de la antau E-nomoj malaperis. Chu ni protestu ?

Esperanto Cafe in Tel Aviv on Zamenhof Street.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1527915513268&set=a.1527914033231.2076207.1096100792&type=1&theater

Pensiono Esperanto is owned for several generations by a family linked to Czech Esperantist Josef Hradil, who I visited in 1999. I feared no one in his family would keep an interest in Esperanto but the website is maintained in Esperanto and two other languages. The communist regime took over most of the property until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989 and the greater independence of the Czechoslavakia and the seperation into two countries, Czech and Slovakia. 

Kuracisto-esperantisto heredis hotelon suficxe grandan, cxefe post la falo de komunismo. La gepatroj de Josef (cxu Hradil) perdis la pliparton dum komunisma regximo kaj re-akiris gxin post la falo. Tiel mi memoras de mia vizito tie en 1999. Mi kontentas rimarki ke ecx post la morto de la aktiva esperantisto, la retejo restas 3 lingva, ankau' en Esperanto: http://home.tiscali.cz/penzionespero/esperanto/espindex.htm


http://ny.tv/esperanto-cafe--video-3299.html
Oni portis plurajn ekster-urbajn/landajn gastojn al Esperanto-Kafejo. Nun gxi nomigxas Saigon Shack.

The Esperanto Cafe vitrina is clearly visible in the backgraound of this solo of an Israeli artist in NYC. Kafejo Esperanto, Novjorko kun vendej-nomo klare videbla, renverse, cxe dorso de gitaristo el Israelo.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBtCJbDBFtY

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I have lived 16 years in other countries, notably, Israel and Brazil, among another 30 countries.