Monday, October 31, 2005

Of Light and Darkness








Today is an extrange day for the Basque soccer teams, one of them rejoices in the clear air that you can get only when you are on top, one more suffers the torturing heat of a team that is all the way in the bottom of the chart.
With seven victories and 21 points, Osasuna, leaded by Xabier "El Vasco" Aguirre is two points ahead of Barcelona, a team that defeated Real Sociedad with a final score of five-null.
Real Sociedad seats on 10th place with ten wins and 16 points. And they are in trouble outside the pitch.
And it is Athletic de Bilbao, the all-Basque team, the one that hold the infamous last place in the competition. They have only one victory and 6 points out of 30 disputed so far. Today they announced that they are replacing the coach José Luis Mendilibar with the old warrior, Javier Clemente.
Worst part is, Alaves is not exactly out of harm's way, today they saw the sun rising counting just one win like the bilbotarras, and standing on position number 18.
A bad year so far.

.... ... .

The PP and its Dark Ways

Via the International News Alliance we learn that the president of the ruling PSOE said loud and clear about the way the PP has been behaving regarding the proposed new statut.
Here you have the note:
Draft reform to receive first reading in Congress this week
El Pais Spain ANDREW EATWELL

Madrid

The president of Spain's governing Socialist party downplayed on Sunday the possible implications for the future of Spain posed by a Catalan bid for increased home rule, accusing the opposition Popular Party of "nonsensical" and "foolish" scaremongering.

Speaking at a congress of the Basque Socialist Party (PSE) in Vitoria, Socialist party president Manuel Chaves declared that the government is merely permitting a "reform and modernization of the state" that is needed if the system of autonomous regions is to be adapted to "modern times": "We are the guarantors of the equality of all Spaniards," Chaves, the Andalusian premier, declared.

The reform of Catalonia's autonomy statute, which was approved by the regional parliament in Barcelona last month, is due to undergo its first reading in Congress on Wednesday amid fierce opposition from the Popular Party, which accuses the government of doing nothing in the face of an attempt to "balkanize" Spain.

"With this statute of division, Spain is faced with the first instance of a government actively working in favor of the disappearance of its powers," former PP Prime Minister José María Aznar declared on Friday.
Through appeals in Congress and to the Constitutional Court, the PP has sought to prevent the Spanish parliament from debating the text.

Chaves denounced the PP approach as blatantly "antidemocratic." He noted nonetheless that Congress has the power to "change" the text, a message apparently directed at the reform's architect, Catalan Socialist premier Pasqual Maragall, who was also present at Sunday's meeting. The reform has also sparked criticism outside political circles, with Toledo archbishop and Spanish Episcopal Conference vice president, Antonio Cañizares, warning Saturday that "Spain's unity is undoubtedly under threat."

© 2005 El Pais
The truth is, we could not expect anything different from the neanderthals that thinly diguise their Francoist leanings each time something moves forward.

.... ... .

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Biarritz Obliterates Ulster



Biarritz's scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili(L) vies with Ulster's Irish winger Kevin Maggs(C) during their European Cup Rugby Union match at the Aguilera stadium in Biarritz. Biarritz won 33-19.(AFP/Daniel Velez)

.... ... .

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Civil Disobedience

When a government like the one that ruled from Madrid until last years decides to ban a political party, the least they should expect is some sort of dignified disobedience from politicians bred in the oldest European democracy.
Too bad the government that seats in Madrid today is doing nothing to drop the charges against these Basque politicians. They become sidekicks to the fascists that form the PP.



Former Basque regional parliamentary president Juan Maria Atutxa (L) awaits trial in the High Court in Bilbao with United Left deputy Kontxi Bilbao (C) and ex-deputy Gorka Knorr, October 26, 2005. The three are accused of disobedience after refusing to oust the parliamentary representation of illegalised Basque pro-independence party Batasuna while acting as members of the regional parliament's board. REUTERS/Vincent West

.... ... .

Fishing Rights in Pasaia






Two Basque fishermen sit on their boat, with a Basque flag in the foreground, as they block the port of Pasejos with others in northern Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2005, for the second consecutive day. Spanish fishermen blocked ports and fish markets in several parts of Spain keeping up protests against fuel prices. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

.... ... .

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Two Faced Snakes

Now, this news item will show you just how the Spanish politicians (both from the ruling PSOE and the falangist PP) are nothing but a team of hypocrites.
This is what Middle East Online tells us:

Spanish parliamentarians endorse sovereignty of Spain over north African enclaves.

MADRID - Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos called Tuesday for a "just and definitive" settlement for Western Sahara based on the will of the people, diplomatic sources said.

Moratinos and Peter van Walsum, UN envoy for the former Spanish colony, met for some 45 minutes before the latter prepared to head for talks in Paris and Washington, having already toured Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania, as well as Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf, southwestern Algeria.

Van Walsum told Moratinos that the Polisario Front and Algeria were backing the Baker Plan, based on five years of autonomy for Western Sahara, annexed by Morocco in 1975.

After that period the plan, named after former US secretary of state James Baker, envisages a referendum on self-determination.
So, Madrid refuses to recognize the right of Euskal Herria and Catalunya to its self-determination, but on the international arena it sides with those who want for Morocco to let go of Western Sahara, talk about double standard.
But Madrid does not stop there, check out the second part of the same note:
Meanwhile, Spanish parliamentarians Tuesday endorsed the sovereignty of Spain over the country's north African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.

The vote, which saw the conservative opposition Popular Party join the ruling Socialists, but Catalan and Basque nationalist groups vote against the motion, came after the enclaves have been targeted in recent weeks by thousands of sub-Saharan African immigrants seeking to reach Spanish soil.

Several hundred made it across border razor wire fencing but 14 died in the process.

Morocco has in the past laid claim to the enclaves, each of which has a population of around 60,000, but they have been Spanish for some 500 years and the debate concluded that "the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla form an unquestionable part of the Spanish nation."
There you have it, as I said it before, Spaniards, no matter what political party they vote for or belong to, tend to cling to their colonialist past, what a shame, because in the mean time, they suffocate other nations still under their boot as a result of the international community's lack of interest in defending the most basic human rights of those who today yearn for independence.

.... ... .

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Preserving Our Cultural Heritage

Thanks to the International Herald Tribune we had the chance to read an essay called "Losing the gift of tongues" by C.J. Moore about the importance of preserving and strenghtening our languages despite the increased pressure by our constant process of globalization which imposses the need to speak a few "practical" languages.
In this essay, Mr. Moore tells us what can lead to the demiss of a language:
Reasons for this linguistic decline range from natural disasters that severely reduce a population, to social neglect or downvaluing of a tongue or dialect. Attitudes play a role here, sometimes the simple fear of appearing unlettered.

Even well-meaning literacy and education programs can be significant factors in the disappearance of a tongue. Where children are removed from their ethnic background to study elsewhere, as happened with rural communities of Scotland and Wales, and with indigenous peoples in the United States, Canada and Russia, they may grow to perceive their mother tongue as "backward" and disadvantaged.

If parents, too, join in this shift of cultural perception, transmission from parent to child, the most vital factor of all in language survival, can be suspended or stopped forever.
For a long time Euskera (the Basque language) suffered from the perception that it could not measure up to Spanish and French, and so, mainly in the cities, Basque people renounced to communicate in their own language.
Gladly that changed, although those who support the creation of more spaces for Euskera have to fight against some policies by Madrid and mainly by Paris that constitute real roadblocks.
Thanks to a number of ikastolas and eukaltegis, more and more Basque descendants present in coutries all over the world, are today learning and speaking the language.
There is a lot to do, but seems like Euskera is on the right track.
* You can read the entire article at Artxiboak.

.... ... .

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Border Meeting

No, this has nothing to do with the Minuteman and hunting down those pesky Mexicans trying to find jobs in the USA.
Nor has to do with the waves of Subsaharian immigrants crashing against the cyclonic fences of the colonialist Spanish outposts of Ceuta and Melilla.
But it does have to do with the Basques, the Catalonians and the border between Spain and France. And is quite simple, if Euskal Herria (including the BAC and Navarre) and Catalunya were to become free and independent, well, that border would change quite a bit, mostly because there is parts of Euskal Herria and parts of Catalunya that are today under French occupation.
One can only imagine what the big wigs discuss in meetings like these.
Something tells me that the issue of easing the right of Basque and Catalonians to achieving their self determination is not one of the top priorities. They talk about one Europe and yet, they keep these two nations sojusgated and divided.
Will Europe ever see this discrepancy?



Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero (R) talks to (L-R) Catalan President Pasqual Maragall, Basque President Juan Jose Ibarretxe, Navarrese Miguel Sanz and Aragon's Marcelino Iglesias before a Hispanic-French meeting of cross-border cooperation in Barcelona October 17, 2005. REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino

.... ... .

Monday, October 17, 2005

Jon Gets Published

I just got this via email from my friend Jon whom I met during the Jaialdi in Boise earlier this year:

I wanted to let you know about something exciting that's happened. I've had a series of pictures from the Jaialdi Basque Festival (in Boise this Summer) published in a French Magazine called "Pays Basque". All of the photos (except 1) are mine and I got a nice 4-page spread & photo credit. I luckily was traveling in Europe for work and able to get a copy. I hadn't previously heard if they were accepted, so I was quite excited to see they made it in!

I've attached some photos of the pages (as I'm on the road & don't have a scanner).

If you haven't seen the full album, it's here.

Some other exciting things are in the works for these photos, I'll keep you posted when they happen.

(Thanks for letting me self-promote)

Take care,

Jon











.... ... .

Batista = Good, Che = Bad

You have to love the Gusanos.

In his review of a movie called "The Lost City" by Andy Garcia, Val Prieto demonstrates his love for Fulgencio Batista quite openly, check this out:

It was raining when Maggie and I arrived at the theater. We were early and we sat down at a table to wait. A gentleman came up to us and asked if he could join us, he looked familiar, was very cordial. "Sure," we said. And for some reason, while we were discussing the weather, my wife mentioned that she freaks out sometimes because I like to swim in our pool when its pouring rain.

"There's nothing like being underwater while it's raining," I said.

The gentleman agreed. "I love it." He said.

We chatted for another while and learned that this gentleman was actually Juan Fernandez and played the role of Fulgensio Batista in the film.

Now, imagine my surprise, while sitting there watching the movie, and in the very first scene where Batista appears, he is shown swimming in a pool while it's raining. It was surreal. After the film, Luis told us that he had taken that conversation with us as a sign and that hehadn'tt told us of that scene because he wanted us to truly appreciate it.

How cute and whimsical, just imagine, Fulgencio Batista swimming in the rain, awww.

Just like that, without a mention of the evil that Fulgencio Batista represented.

He does not stop there, he then splurges in his favorite past time, Che Bashing:

You will hate Che. Jsu Garcia does a masterful job at catching the murderers true colors. So good is his interpretation of Che that you find yourself wondering if Andy Garcia had any trouble trying not to strangle him while on set. Finally, a film that depicts the truth about the murderous bastard.

Murderous bastard would be the way any intelligent and educated individual would call Fulgencio Batista, but pathetic little worms seem to do the exact opposite.

Now, regarding that hate for Che, well, I think I would bestow that feeling on Andy Garcia first, for aligning himself with people that yearns for American imposed dictators back in Cuba and the rest of Latin America.

But why should I hate him?

Who is he anyway?

I mean, be real, dude has not been in an important movie in how long? Twenty years?

Because besides his sidekick role in "The Untouchables" and losing his head in "Dark Rain" he has been in series of Hollywood duds.

And what about the mention to Cuban music?

Shall we remind Val that the Latin Grammys had to be removed from Miami due to the constant threat to Cuba based musicians by the Gusanos?

And as if issuing statements regarding the possible harm to Cuban musicians and singers was not enough, let us remember here how not too long ago Carlos Santana, a Mexican-American, received the same treatment.

Hee, we know that Gusanos have not a lot of love for the rest of the Latino/Hispanic community, earlier this year another Cuban-American blogger published a post in which he supported the Minutemen. Yet, post after post Val tells us about how brutal the "Wet Foot/Dry Foot" policy is.
Hypocrites.

Of course, he tells us about the tragic death of a six year old Cuban boy.

Which begs some questions.

Is the Clinton policy to fault?

Or is it the criminal embargo by the USA against the sovereign nation of Cuba?

Or is it all the money that the Gusanos spend in fooling the Cuban people into taking the risk of crossing the Florida Strait?

Because let me tell you, the Gusanos are the best allies Fidel Castro can ask for.

Why?

Simple, the entire world knows that embargos are the best way to keep a dictator in power, they provide them with an excuse to rally the citizenry behind them.

.... ... .

Sunday, October 16, 2005

Euskaltel Wins Montjuich



Spanish Samuel Sanchez rides during the 42th time trial 'Escalada a Montjuich ' cycling race in Barcelona October 16, 2005. Sanchez won the race and Carlos Sastre was second. REUTERS/Carmelo Eseban

.... ... .

Saturday, October 15, 2005

Catalunya Says It


Demonstraters carry a banner reading 'Catalunya with Cuba and Venezuela' during a protest in Salamanca, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2005, on the second and final day of the of the XV Iberoamerican summit. Different groups of demonstrators protested in favor of leftists leader Fidel Castro of Cuba and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

.... ... .

Today in Baiona





About 600 people from France and the Spanish Basque region demonstrate in the centre of Bayonne, southwestern France, October 15, 2005. They were demonstrating against the use and existence of the European Arrest Warrant. The banner reads 'No to the European Arrest Warrant'. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

.... ... .

The Guernica in the News

There is a small not about the "Guernica" at Guardian Unlimited today:
Guernica: The Biography of a 20th-Century Icon, by Gijs van Hensbergen (Bloomsbury, £8.99)

In early 1937 Picasso agreed to paint something for the Spanish Republican pavilion at the forthcoming Paris Exposition. He came up with a few doodles, but was otherwise uninspired. Then, on April 26, 60 Italian and German planes bombed the Basque town of Gernika in wave after wave until there was nothing left. Picasso leapt into action, covering almost 30 square metres of canvas in just under six weeks. "Painting is not done to decorate apartments," he growled. "It's an instrument of war for attack and defence against the enemy." In this excellent study, Van Hensbergen argues that Guernica sounded the death knell of European art, especially after it was shipped to Moma in New York and inspired such people as De Kooning and Pollock. He also points out that "Guernica has become synonymous with indiscriminate slaughter in whatever corner of the world such tragedy takes place." There's a tapestry of Guernica at the United Nations, though oddly enough it was covered up when the Americans arrived to argue the case for invading Iraq. The official reason was that Guernica was "confusing the viewer" on the TV news.
IP
It is interesting that the author refers to the episode in which the "Guernica" was hidden from the public eye during the buildup to the invasion of Iraq, when Powell was forced to lie about WMD's that where never there.
Why?
Because I said it a couple of years ago, right here at Ingeleraz.

.... ... .

Friday, October 14, 2005

New Fascist Logo

Thanks to Dean's World and blogger Mary Madigan we learn about the logo that some Americans and their Gusano (Right wing Cuban-American) underlings use now a days in support of military dictatorships.

Here you have it:



Memorize it, that way, whenever you see someone in the street or at a posh coffee shop, you know that the pearson that so proudly displays it wants people like Franco, Batista, Pinochet or Somoza to run a country as to ensure that the most backwards policies out there can be applied by the USA as to rape the resources of any given society.

These nuckledraggers support the invasion of countries that have never been a threat to the USA, clear example, Iraq. Their morals are so low that they think that the criminal embargo against Cuba is actually the right thing to do.

What is hilarious is the these Gusano characters are trying to hijack the Latino/Hispanic identity as we can see in this note via Sun Sentinel:

By Scott Wyman Staff writer Posted October 5 2005

Plans to show a critically acclaimed movie about Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara's youth as part of Hispanic Heritage Month have placed Broward County's library system under siege, facing charges of insensitivity and censorship.

The Motorcycle Diaries was supposed to run Monday evening as part of the heritage festival's lineup. After an attack by Hispanic activists who say Guevara killed and tortured their friends and family, the library is now under fire from civil liberty advocates for deciding to yank the film.

Library director Bob Cannon defends his actions as appropriate. He has rescheduled the movie to early November so it no longer is part of Hispanic Heritage Month.

"In my mind, this isn't censorship," Cannon said Tuesday. "The film is readily available, we are still showing it. But this is a celebration of Hispanic culture, and some felt it was insensitive to show the film since it shows him in a positive light.

"Valentín, a film about a young boy who lives with his grandmother in Argentina, was shown in its place. The Motorcycle Diaries will now be played at 6 p.m. Nov. 7 at the Southwest Regional Library, 16835 Sheridan St. in Pembroke Pines.

The Motorcycle Diaries, produced by Robert Redford, is based on diaries Guevara wrote during a 1952 road trip across South America. It ends before he unites with Fidel Castro to take over Cuba.The movie was nominated this year for an Academy Award for best foreign film and won honors internationally. It drew no opposition when it hit theaters in 2004.

On Monday night, when the movie was supposed to be shown at the Pembroke Pines library, about 20 people concerned about its removal protested outside. "Basically, the library is saying that if you put enough pressure on us, we'll censor," said Zeina Salam of the Broward chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. "If the library is not the bastion of free speech, what is?"
Excuse me, but since when right wing Cuban-Americans represent the broader Hispanic community?

We all know that most of them are heirs to the mafia style families that use to run Cuba as a gigantic whore-house. Many of them long for "strong" men (Batista style) to impose their iron fist on Cubans in behalf of some group of greedy politicians in Washington.

If you want more information about how fascistoid these Gusanos are, just visit blogs like Babalú Blog, that will give you an idea. And that way you will understand why conservative nuts like Dean Esmay in the USA or Franco Alemán in Spain support them.

.... ... .

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

I (Heart) Catalunya

Thanks to Xavier from Buscaraons for keeping me up to date about what is going on in Catalonia.
And what's new?
Well, for the last week or so the news and the political stablishment have been heads over heels as a result of Catalonia's new charter.
Here you have what Yahoo News says about it:
Fri Sep 30,10:41 PM ET

MADRID, Spain - Catalonia's parliament approved a new charter Friday that called the wealthy region in northeastern Spain "a nation," wording that has some worried that the region is heading toward a break with Spain.
Catalonia's semiautonomous parliament had gone through weeks of heated debates on changes to the charter, which defines its status within Spain.

"Catalonia is a nation," according to the first article in the 52-page charter, which the regional parliament approved with a 120-15 vote.

Spain's national parliament needs to approve the charter in order for it to become valid, but some constitutional experts warn that it may be unconstitutional. Opposition conservatives argue it represents another step toward the dismemberment of Spain.
He, the phrase "Catalonia is a nation" must be like rubbing Habanero peppers directly into the rear of fascistoid Neo-Francoists like José María Aznar, Mariano Rajoy and their puppets at the Partido Popular. And I bet it is also making some members of the PSOE quite upset.
But why?
Well, Spain clings to its colonialist past. They believe that once they were among the big shots in Europe. It was back then when they owned most of the American continent, islands in the Pacific Ocean and large swaths of land in Africa. They also had some colonies in Europe itself: Navarre, Catalonia, Montenegro.
Today Spain is just one more country in Europe, and if today they have an economy that moves to awe and respect, they owe it, ironically, to Catalonia and Euskal Herria (formerly known as Navarre).
One freakish consequence of this is that today there is Spaniards that believe in the freedom and independence of places like Tibet, Palestine and Chechnya, but for some reason, they strongly oppose the same for the continental colonies that Spain refuses to let go.
Even worst, Spain has been catching some flak lately due to the waves of Subsaharian immigrants swarming the cyclonic fences of Ceuta and Melilla, their enclaves in Northern Africa.
Many Spanish youth recriminate their government for its treatment of this immigrants, yet, not too many demand from their government the hand over of this two cities to Morocco.
Rodriguez Zapatero and many others (this morning I saw José Bono being interviewed by TVE), insist on the violation to the Constitution, as if constitutiosn could not be amended.
The members of the PP refer to the Constitution and also put special emphasis in concepts like territorial integrity and Balkanization. Remember, the worst crimes during the Balkan wars were commited by Belgrade against Sarajevo and Dubrovnik, not the other way around. So, if tomorrow Madrid unleashes war and terror against Catalonians, Basques and Galizans, it will be the One Spain Under God bunch who will be at fault.
One last thing, this whole issue debunks one more misconception of the situation in Spain, until today the most backwards sectors in that country insisted that the Basque were crazy and against the will of the rest of the Spaniards when demanding self determination, now we can see that there is other "Spaniards" that think the way the Basques do.
Time always proves right those who stand on the side of justice and reason.
In the mean time:
Gora Catalunya Askatuta!
Vica Catalunya Lliure!

.... ... .

EuskoSare

There is a great new web site dedicated to help the Basques around the world to both come together and to reach out.
The name is EuskoSare.
It is published in Euskera (Basque), Spanish, French and English.
This is what they say about themselves:
EuskoSare means “Basque Network”. It is a venture that promotes the growth of the Global Basque Community by increasing communication and cooperation amongst all the Basques in the world, their friends and their organizations, through the Internet and outside it.

EuskoSare’s online communities, contents, services and programs are developed and administrated collaboratively by Basques all over the world.

It is the open, decentralized, horizontal and plural network, of all Basques at the service of all Basques, based on the spirit of cooperation and on the conviction that the combination of efforts and an effective articulation of collaborative actions around the world contain an enormous potential that exceeds the possibilities of the individual members of the network.

We believe that the increase of cultural, educational, social and economic exchanges through a rich interweaving of personal and institutional relationships around the world will favor the development and growth of Euskal Herria and all the countries in which Basques reside.
I'm adding the link to this site to the list of Basque Sites.
Check it out!

.... ... .

Monday, October 10, 2005

"¡Viva La Revolución!"

I believe in the right of every nation to its self determination.

I believe in the right of the Basque people to its independence as much as I wish it for Catalunya, Tibet, Corsica, Galiza, Brittany, Tibet, Palestine.

That is why I'm glad to lear that there is people that still believes:

HAVANA, (AFP) - The daughter of Cuba's revolutionary hero Che Guevara told AFP that socialism is still possible in Latin America, and that leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez inspires hope.

Aleida Guevara March, daughter of Argentine-born Ernesto "Che" Guevara, said in an interview that 38 years after the death of her father, it is still possible to remove the right-wing from the region, specifically in Bolivia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru.

"All that is needed is a good scalpel," said Guevara March, 44. Like her father, she studied medicine.

Her father joined the Cuban revolution, led by Cuba's current president, Fidel Castro, helping to topple the Havana government in 1959. Guevara died trying to export socialist revolution to Bolivia.

His daughter said the United States "has unleashed so much propaganda against Cuba and against socialism that many people are afraid of it."

Chavez, then, means "hope, because Latin America is very afraid of socialism," she said.

"Hugo Chavez today could be an alternative, a possibility, but if one looks at the evolution of his Bolivarian Revolution, one sees that circumstances have forced him to be more and more radical because of US pressure," she said.

Chavez' political program is based on the writings of South America's "Liberator" from Spain, Simon Bolivar, who urged Latin American unity.
One thing though, I do not agree that Chavez is a hope, as long as he continues to exchange Basque refugees for trade deals with Spain he is no more than all the other Latin American leaders that sold their souls to Aznar and company.

.... ... .

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Arzak's Cuisine




Basque three-star chef Juan Mari Arzak (R) tastes a new dessert as his daughter Elena Arzak looks on at the kitchen of his famed restaurant in San Sebastian,northern Spain, September 19, 2005. Picture taken September 19, 2005. FOR RELEASE WITH FEATURE LIFE-SPAIN-ARZAK REUTERS/Pablo Sanchez

.... ... .

On the Wall


Courtesy of Diáspora Vasca (with a new look!).

.... ... .

Monday, October 03, 2005

Iruñea and the Eclipse



Several children look at a reflection of the annular eclipse outside the planetarium in Pamplona, Spain Monday Oct. 3, 2005. Thousands of people gathered across Portugal and Spain on Monday morning to catch a glimpse of something that hasn't happened here for more than 200 years, a rare and spectacular type of eclipse which began to dim the Iberian peninsula shortly before 10 a.m. (0800GMT). (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

.... ... .

Gernika and the Eclipse



Television aerials are silhouetted against a darkened sky as the sun is covered by the moon during a solar eclipse in Gernika, northern Spain, October 3, 2005. An annular eclipse differs from a total eclipse in that the moon appears too small to completely cover the sun. As a result, the moon is surrounded by an intensely brilliant ring or annulus formed by the outer perimeter of the sun's disk. The last annular eclipse visible from Spain took place on the 1st of April 1764 and the next one will occur on the 26th of January 2028. REUTERS/Vincent West

.... ... .

Saturday, October 01, 2005

Bilbo, Demanding Dialogue





Thousands of people from the leftist Basque nationalist movement march through the streets of Bilbao, northern Spain, October 1, 2005. The banner reads, 'In favour of civil and political rights- the people and peace now'. The Spanish government has repeatedly refused to maintain dialogue with armed Basque separatists ETA until they declare an unconditional ceasefire, while radical Basque pro-independence party Batasuna, accused of being ETA's political wing, remains illegal. REUTERS/Vincent West

.... ... .