Ralph Dumain: "The Autodidact Project": Esperanto Society of Washington Newsletter, Nova Serio, #1, Novembro 1986

ESPERANTO SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON NEWSLETTER, NOVEMBER 1986 PAGE 1

Nova Serio, #1 Novembro 1986

Redaktoro: Ralph Dumain

URĜAJ AFEROJ! / URGENT MATTERS!

Zamenhof Banquet - Baltimore: Sunday, December 14, 1986, 5 pm, The Golden China Restaurant, 2039 Englewood Ave., (301) 265-6777/8. The Esperanto Club of Baltimore invites all Esperantists in the Washington area to participate. See pages 7-8 for map and details. RSVP to Ralph Dumain by phone or postcard by December 8. Please let him know if you need a ride to Baltimore or can provide a ride for others (and how many others). If Ralph is not at home, please leave a message with the switchboard operator.

Zamenhof Banquet - Washington: Sunday, December 28, 1986, Chevy Chase Holiday Inn, 5520 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. 5:30 pm: informal cocktail hour in cocktail lounge, 6:30: dinner and program begin. Our featured guest speaker is Dr. Humphrey Tonkin, President of the Universal Esperanto Association. Don't miss this event! See page 9 for complete details and reservation form. RSVP to Phil Chenoweth by December 20.

Esperanto Society of Washington, Esperanto League for North America, Universal Esperanto Association: membership dues: You may pay dues for any one or all three organizations to ESW. See page 10 for the membership form (reverse side of the banquet reservation form). Please return the form with payment if you can along with your payment for the Washington Zamenhof Banquet. Otherwise, try to send membership dues by December 31.

Esperanto Book Project: pre-orders and contributions: See announcements, pages 4 and 11, and form, page 12.

Esperanto League for North America (ELNA): Special contributions to ELNA. See form, page 12.

Additional Esperanto-related subscriptions, memberships, and contributions: In case you have any money left to spend, send payments to the appropriate parties by December 31, ie. before the new tax law takes effect.

Questionnaire: Please fill out the questionnaire on pages 5-6 and return it to Phil Chenoweth.

Note: All addresses and phone numbers of ESW members mentioned in this newsletter are listed on page 2 and/or the relevant attached forms.

ESPERANTO SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON NEWSLETTER, NOVEMBER 1986 PAGE 2

KUNVENOJ / KALENDARO / MEETINGS / CALENDAR

Friday, December 12, 1986, Universala Esperanto-Asocio, 777 U.N. Plaza, New York, NY 10017. All-day conference: The Economics of Language Use, followed by Zamenhof Reception: 5-7 pm. Phone: (212) 687-7041.

Sunday, December 14, 1986, 2 - 3:30 pm, Baha'i Center, 5713 16th Street, N.W., Washington, DC: General meeting of the Esperanto Society of Washington. All welcome! Important business will be conducted, including discussion and voting on the new by-laws of the Society.

Sunday, December 14, 1986, 5 pm, The Golden China Restaurant, 2039 Englewood Ave., Baltimore, MD, (301) 265-6777/8: Zamenhof Banquet.

Sunday, December 28, 1986, Chevy Chase Holiday Inn, 5520 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, MD, (301) 656-1500: Washington Zamenhof Banquet. 5:30 pm: informal cocktail hour in cocktail lounge, 6:30: dinner and program begin.

Every Sunday, 12:45- 2 pm, Baha'i Center, 5713 16th Street, N.W., Washington, DC: Esperanto classes, beginning and advanced. Contact: John Dale.

ESTRARANO / OFFICERS & COUNCIL MEMBERS

Prezidanto / President Vicprezidanto / Vice-President

David Gaines Thomas Storck

[address blanked out] [address blanked out]

Washington, DC 20008 Greenbelt, MD 20770

[phone blanked out] [phone blanked out]

Sekretario / Secretary Vicprezidanto / Vice-President

Ralph Dumain Darryl S. Wills

1629 Columbia Road, N.W. [address blanked out]

Apt. 615 Washington, DC 20011

Washington, DC 20009 [phone blanked out]

[phone blanked out]

Estrarano/ Council Member-At-Large Estrarano / Council Member-At-Large

John Dale Joan Gildemeister

[address blanked out] [address blanked out]

Takoma Park, MD 20912 Washington, DC 20008

[phone blanked out] [phone blanked out]

Kasisto / Treasurer

Phil Chenoweth

[address blanked out]

Leisure World, MD 20906

[phone blanked out]

ESPERANTO SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON NEWSLETTER, NOVEMBER 1986 PAGE 3

MESSAGE FROM THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE ESPERANTO SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

Karaj Samideanoj,

Saluton! My name is David Gaines and I'm happy to greet you as the new President of the Esperanto Society of Washington. Some weeks ago a meeting was held at the home of Joan Gildemeister to determine the future course of the Society. Those in attendance decided that the dormant ESW needs to get moving again. A new slate of officers was elected. I'm glad to report that we are moving ahead with several Esperanto activities thanks to an enthusiastic group of officers and core members. These activities include the Bulteno you're reading, the Washington Zamenhof Banquet, and our weekly lessons. Many of us are making plans as well to attend the Zamenhof Banquet in Baltimore on December 14, to which you are all invited. We are also considering reviving the weekly Esperanto lunches in Washington.

We are proud to announce that Washington, D.C. has been selected as the site of the 1987 ELNA Conference, which will celebrate 100 years of Esperanto. The convention will take place July 18-22, 1987. We will entertain suggestions for the program after we discuss and vote on the new by-laws for the Society at our general meeting on December 14 which will precede our departure to Baltimore for the Zamenhof Banquet. We are going to have to do a lot of work to make this Jubilee convention a capital success. Your participation is vital!

The 100th anniversary of the international language will be an exciting year for Esperantists. Show your support for Esperanto in the Washington area by joining or renewing your membership in the ESW. Dues remain a tremendous bargain at $5 for the 1987 membership year, $100 for lifetime membership. It will probably be to your advantage to send in your check before the end of 1986, before the new tax law, which affects tax-deductible contributions, takes effect.

So that the Society can best plan its activities to meet your needs, a questionnaire is included in this issue. Please take a few minutes to fill it out and send it along with any suggestions you may have for future events. Dankon!

If you are rejoining us, welcome back, and if you are new to Esperanto, we're glad to have you with us and hope that you will want to become an active member. I sincerely look forward to meeting all of you at our December meeting and Zamenhof Banquet.

-- David Gaines

ACT NOW!

THE NEW TAX LAW, TO TAKE EFFECT IN 1987, WILL REDUCE FOR MANY THE AMOUNT THAT CAN BE DEDUCTED FOR CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS! PAY YOUR DUES NOW! BECOME A LIFETIME MEMBER FOR ONLY $100! The Esperanto Society of Washington is now filing for tax-exempt status as a 501(c)3 organization.

URGENT! THE ESPERANTO BOOK PROJECT

Many of you have already received a plea from the Esperanto League for North America (ELNA) to donate money for The Esperanto Book Project, the Centennial Permanent Endowment Fund, and the general fund of ELNA. I would like to urge to you give all you can before the end of 1986. The new tax law will change allowable deductions for charitable contributions.

We wish to call your attention to the Esperanto Book Project in particular. In its urgency to raise a lot of money quickly, ELNA is offering The Esperanto Book, a comprehensive up-to-date guide to the Esperanto movement, at the ridiculously cheap pre-publication price of $10 + $1 shipping per copy. You are invited to pre-order as many copies as you like. The Esperanto Book is expected to retail for approximately $15 upon publication. The book is scheduled to appear at some indefinite time in 1987. The necessary funds must be raised to make this posssible. This book is of the utmost importance: there is no current book in the English language which comprehensively covers the Esperanto movement. David Wolff, the project leader, is urging local Esperanto clubs to make a bulk purchase in order to raise funds quickly. We urge you to pre-order at least one copy directly from ELNA, more if you plan to donate copies to other people or institutions. A form is enclosed. Please write on the form that you are acting on the request of the Esperanto Society of Washington. Imagine, if 100 people in the D.C. area each ordered a copy, or if 50 people ordered two copies, ELNA would receive $1,000 in our name. We would be the talk of the American Esperanto movement! Wouldn't that make you proud!

ESPERANTO SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON NEWSLETTER, NOVEMBER 1986 PAGE 4

WHEEEEEEEEEEERE'S THE ESPERANTO?

Why the krokodilado? Why is this newsletter written almost exclusively in English? Many of our supporters are beginners or have not yet begun to learn Esperanto. The information in this issue is vital for all members and supporters of Esperanto. We do not have enough space in this issue for Esperanto translations of all the material. Our next issue will include material in Esperanto itself: descriptions of members' interests and special interest group activities, personal viewpoints not officially supported by the society, literary translations, etc. Send your contributions to the newsletter to Ralph Dumain.

BIBLIOGRAFIO / BIBLIOGRAPHY

"Language: Esperanto Lives" by James Fallows, The Atlantic, December 1986, pp. 14-24

"Book Report: The Real Paris" by Charles Monaghan, Washington Post, Book World, October 12, 1986, p. 15

ESPERANTO SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON NEWSLETTER, NOVEMBER 1986 PAGE 5

ESPERANTO SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

QUESTIONNAIRE

Please help us plan our activities by completing the following questionnaire and sending it to the Treasurer, Phil Chenoweth, 3510 Forest Edge Dr., Apt. 3E, Leisure World, MD 20906.

Please fill in the appropriate blanks indicating your interest in the following:

VERY INTERESTED SOMEWHAT INTERESTED NOT INTERESTED

Esperanto literature ____ ____ ____

Language problems ____ ____ ____

History of Esperanto ____ ____ ____

Language exercises,

puzzles & games ____ ____ ____

Esperanto instruction,

reviews of grammar,

usage, vocabulary, etc. ____ ____ ____

Discussion of serious

matters, exchange of

ideas ____ ____ ____

Discussion of special

interests & hobbies ____ ____ ____

Chit-chat ____ ____ ____

Recitation of poems,

stories, etc. ____ ____ ____

Singing ____ ____ ____

Please list your ideas for meetings, your interests in Esperanto, and any interests and hobbies you would like to discuss at our meetings:

Could you prepare something for one or more of our meetings? (Examples: grammar review, puzzles and games, cultural program, history of Esperanto, poetry reading) ______

If so, please elaborate:

ESPERANTO SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON NEWSLETTER, NOVEMBER 1986 PAGE 6

Could you write an article for this newsletter, about some area of interest to you, a hobby, a special interest organization, a personal viewpoint, etc.? ____

If so, please describe the topic:

The 1987 ELNA Congress, which will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Esperanto, will be held in Washington, July 18-22. Could you assist in the organization, programming or arrangements for this convention? (help with public relations is especially needed) ______

If you can help, what services would you volunteer?

To maximize democratic governance and member participation, we seek more members to serve in the ESW Executive Council. There are no fixed duties. We need people who would like to contribute in some way to decision-making and organizational tasks. Are you interested? _____

ESW has been meeting on weekends. Is this OK with you? _____ Would you prefer other arrangements? ____

If so, please elaborate:

Could you meet in Washington regularly for lunch and Esperanto conversation? ____

Please list the Esperanto organizations to which you belong (eg. UEA, ELNA, SAT, special interest organizations):

SOURCE / FONTO: Esperanto Society of Washington Newsletter [Bulteno de Esperanto-Societo de Vaŝingtono], Nova Serio, #1, Novembro 1986. Redaktis Ralph Dumain.