The Esperanto Association of Britain runs a programme called Springboard which offers teaching to primary schools using Esperanto as a faciliating device to create language-awareness.

Along similar lines, the Springboard staff asked me to give a presentation to a primary school in Leicestershire in recognition of the European Day Of Languages last September. It went pretty well. Here is the report that I provided to them. (more…)

Alveninte malfrue al Ni Festivalu 2007, mi ege esperis alveni ĉe la ĉi-jara evento je pli taŭga horo. Bedauxrinde, malgraŭ la plej bonaj intencoj, mi denove malsukcesis alveni antaŭ la sabata matenmangxo Audante tion, certa amiko mia diris al mi ke li tute ne miras, ĉar se mi iam havas elekton inter la plej simpla kaj la plej komplika maniero ion fari, mi ĉiam elektas la plej komplikan, por aldoni intereson al la vivo. Tion mi kompreneble disputas; ne estas mia kulpo se de tempo al tempo strangaj aferoj okazas al mi, kaj certe ne estis kulpo mia sabaton ke mi devis trajne veturi de Birmingham al Barlastono tra Leicester kaj Derby. (more…)

Five British Members of Parliament recently undersigned a nomination to have the Universala Esperanto-Asocio considered a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

They were approached by activists from the UK’s “Esperanto Lobby”.

The five original signatories are Roger Gale, Mike Hancock, Oliver Heald, Brian Iddon, and Austin Mitchell. They were later joined by Rob Marris and Lord Teverson.

The nomination they submitted reads:

The International Language Esperanto is regular and relatively easy to learn, is currently in use by a worldwide community and is employed in world travel, correspondence, cultural exchange, conventions, literature, language instruction, radio broadcasting, and on the internet. Esperanto already serves as a common auxiliary language, fostering effective and fair international communication.

The Universala Esperanto-Asocio (UEA) supports linguistic diversity, democracy, human emancipation, and a global culture for peace.

Because Esperanto contributes to, education for international understanding, and because understanding is essential for peace, I wish to nominate the Universala Esperanto-Asocio for the Nobel Peace Prize 2008.

Wouldn’t it be poetic for UEA to win the award during the International Year of Languages

January 3^rd, 2008

We had to vacate our rooms by 09:00, so there was no chance of a lie-in. As had become par for the week, I dragged my sorry carcass out of bed after far too little sleep, this time feeling like death after my cold decided to bookend the holiday. (more…)

January 1^st, 2008 - Part 1 - Midnight till the early hours

Happy New Year!

So, I went downstairs leading up to the stroke of midnight. Cue “The Final Countdown”, and everybody singing along with it. It amazes me that foreign people actually know the lyrics, whilst I and the other English folk have to make do with loudly voicing “La-la-la laaa, la-la-laaaa”. (more…)

It would appear that circumstances have led me to already cease updating every day. That’s not very good, I know.

So, rather than wile away the three hours leading to the stroke of midnight over here in the disco, I figured it appropriate to sit down, take advantage of nobody else being around to leach the net connection, and play catch-up.

Now just to hope that I can remember everything … (more…)