Recipe : Poulet Basquaise

This recipe comes to us via The Independent:

The Life Kitchen

Poulet Basquaise – chicken with peppers and smoky spices

Thursday, 30 October 2008

Thought to have evolved from a dish shepherds carried across the Basque hills in clay pots, this peppery chicken stew became the traditional Sunday lunch. You can vary the colours of the peppers, add the wonderful piquillos from the Basque Country or even their Spanish cousins. But the most important ingredient remains the piment d'Espelette, a distinctive smoky, spicy chilli that will have you hooked. If you can't get this, do your own thing and give smoked paprika a try – it's available in good supermarkets.

In a large soup pot, warm the olive oil on a medium to high heat, then brown the chicken really well on all sides.

When the chicken is fully browned, add the onions, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, tinned tomatoes and wine or water. Cover and bring just to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 40 minutes.

Add peppers, olives and piment d'Espelette, then cover and simmer for another 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked and the sauce has thickened a bit.

Season with salt and pepper. If you refrigerate the stew overnight, it will taste even better the next day.

Ingredients to serve 6

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 free-range chicken, approx 2kg, cut up, or 4 legs and 4 thighs

4-5 large onions, peeled and quartered

4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped

800g tinned whole peeled tomatoes

235ml dry white wine or water

2 red and 2 green peppers, sliced

1 large tin pitted green olives

1 teaspoon piment d'Espelette, plus extra to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

From 'Trish's French Kitchen' by Trish Deseine

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Irish Basque Radio Relaunched

This info comes to us from our friends at the Irish Basque Committees:

BASQUE INFO RADIO PROGRAM RE-LAUNCHED.

Tuesday 4th of November 6.30-7pm / Wednesday 5th of November 12-12.30pm

at www.feilefm.com or 103.2 FM Belfast.

*News: more political parties banned, arrests and tortures, thousands of people take to the streets to support democracy, prisoners, Basque language, against High Speed Train...

*Interview with Gorka Elejabarrieta, Basque pro-independence movement representative in Brussels.

*Music: Fermin Muguruza's new album.

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Mexico and Euskal Herria in Berlin

This article comes to us thanks to Open PR:

Focus On Mexico and the Basque Region at interfilm Short Film Festival Berlin

Arts & Culture

Press release from: interfilm Berlin Management GmbH

(openPR) - The 24th International Short Film Festival Berlin mounts a cinematic expedition to the tradition rich film scenes of Mexico and the autonomous Basque Region.

The programme features award winning cortos by up and coming young filmmakers, world renowned directors and actors as well as a selection of the best Basque short film productions from the past ten years.

No fewer than five programmes are dedicated to Mexico’s outstanding short film output: Directors such as Guillermo Del Toro and Alejandro González Iñárritu have enjoyed distinguished careers in Latin America for some time and have gradually become established in North America and Europe. Fernando Eimbcke was still an unknown director when his film “La suerte de la fea, a la bonita no le importa” was shown at interfilm Short Film Festival a few years ago. In the meantime however, Eimbcke has managed to scoop-up the Berlinale’s FIPRESCI-Award two years running, while earning a wide audience with his films "Lake Tahoe" and "Temporada de Patos".

Even celebrated Mexican actors including Salma Hayek and Gael García Bernal began their careers in shorts as revealed in the “Before Fame and Fortune” programme. In keeping with the "Día de los muertos" festivities held on 2 November, “When the Lights Go Out” is a collection of short films that reflect the multi-facetted but rarely sorrowful relationship that Mexicans have with death.

Not only does Basque short film have a long tradition in Europe, it seems as though two Oscar nominations and numerous awards at international festivals over the past few years have secured it a promising future. One of the main reasons for the international success of Basque short film can be credited to its support and promotion by the KIMUAK project, founded in 1998 by the cultural department of the Basque Government and the Basque Kinemathek. interfilm Short Film Festival presents a selection of Basque short films in two programmes, “Forever Young” and “Amor traumático” – work that is stunning, humorous and ceaselessly engaging.

PROGRAMMES

Focus On Mexico

MEX 01 / When the Lights Go Out

Dancing skeletons with giant sombreros, skulls, alters and the so-called bread of the dead, Mexicans really do have a special relationship with death and often refer to it in the form of a joke, poem or song.

Film however, is a magnificent platform for celebrating this glorious and multi-facetted aspect of Mexican culture. While the films in this programme may have death as a common theme, it is addressed in ways entirely exotic to most Europeans. Let these Mexican directors take you on a journey to their fantastic, surreal, sarcastically humorous, tragic or sometimes completely accidental, visions of death.

MEX 02 / La vida y otras curiosidades

Show me your films and I'll tell you who you are. Even if it is impossible to represent the full diversity of Mexican film in just 90 minutes, this programme does offer an insight into the themes, techniques and stories that most occupy the filmmakers of Mexico. Haughty artists, a desperate roadside family, a robot that can't stand being watched and many other fascinating characters, powerfully transport the viewer to a variety of worlds revealing cultural aspects that leave you wanting more.

MEX 03 / Clips and Commercials

Young Mexican filmmakers are not likely to underestimate the promotional opportunity afforded by music video and commercial commissions. Even many established filmmakers exploit the genre as a creative exercise in sound and image. This collection illustrates their highly original work in this area.

MEX 04 / Before Fame and Fortune

Names such as Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro González Iñárritu and Fernando Eimbcke are known to film lovers the world over. They were able to gain a foothold in North American and European film industries, thus resulting in multi-award winning work that has been consistently celebrated at international festivals. However, aside from their prize-winning feature films, it is important to remember that these filmmakers began their careers in short film. The same can be said of such illustrious, world-class actors like Salma Hayek and Gael García Bernal, whose early work can also be enjoyed in this programme of shorts by renowned Mexican directors.

MEX 05 / Una Década en Corto: The best of 10 years Expresión en Corto

Expresión en Corto is one of Latin America's most popular film festivals. Serving as a platform for the launching of new careers, this national and international competition pits newcomers alongside the industry's most seasoned veterans. In the amazingly beautiful host cities of San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato, a wonderful atmosphere of camaraderie and respect has been created where new and aspiring filmmakers mix with industry professionals in an open, accessible and competitive environment. The 2008 edition received 1,750 competition entries from 82 countries alone. This represents a small selection of the best Mexican short films, taken from eleven years of festival history. www.expresionencorto.com

Focus On the Basque Region

BA 01 / 10 years Basque Short Film - Forever Young

Come and be amazed: A programme for anyone who has ever wondered what it’s like to be a human cannonball, who would give anything to win the lottery, or perhaps even give up their life to defend a loved one. This is for small kids and big kids with curious collections, for people who become enraged at injustice and for those who are likely to fall in love with someone because they play with words and adore absurdity. For all of you!

BA 02 / 10 years Basque Short Film - Amor traumático

What is it about love that makes us fall for it? Is it because love is so diverse that it offers something for everybody? Well that is definitely the case when it comes to this selection of Basque highlights from the last ten years. These films tell of crazy love, forbidden love, love at first sight, macabre love, motherly love, the “why are we calling this love when we actually mean sex” variety, wilting love and many others. A programme of love stories, without limits.

Contact us if you would like to be sent footage relating to any of the particular programmes. You’ll find related film stills on our web page: www.interfilm.de/festival2008/presse-fotos.php.

interfilm Berlin Management GmbH

So, if you happen to be in Berlin, don't miss it!

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Interview with Joseba Etxeberria

This heartwarming interview with Joseba Etxeberria comes to us courtesy of Sky Sports:

No place like home

Veteran midfielder keen to repay debt of gratitude to Bilbao

Last updated: 29th October 2008

Anyone who doubts the beautiful game has still got soul need only take a look at Athletic Bilbao veteran Joseba Etxeberria.

The former Spain international has signed a one-year contract extension with Bilbao that will see him play his final season for free.

Etxeberria's current deal expires at the end of the 2008/09 La Liga campaign but the 31-year-old admitted he was determined to finish his career with the club that has nurtured him from a teenager.

"I'd always indeed to end my career here and make a gesture like this," Etxeberria, who joined Bilbao from Real Sociedad, told Revista de la Liga.

"I wanted to say thanks to those involved with the club for the support they've given me over the years.

"I was only 17 when I arrived and everything was very new but the people here helped me feel at home and settle in.

"It was a great experience from the very beginning. I've been at the club for 14 years and there have been ups and down but I've played in the Uefa cup and the Champions League for Bilbao and it's been very special."

Pride

Etxeberria, who netted in his side's 3-2 defeat at reigning champions Real Madrid, has plied his trade on the international stage, featuring in the 1998 World Cup and two European Championships for Spain.

But he insists pulling on the shirt in front of Bilbao's feverishly patriotic fans still holds the greatest lure.

"There is a great deal of pride involved because all the players come from the Basque region," Etxeberria revealed, referring to the club's proudly-upheld Basque-only transfer-policy.

"Athletic Bilbao is a feeling and a state of mind. As a player here, you are part of something that's more than just a club; this is where we are all from so we're part of a big family.

"And the fact that we're all Basque also brings us closer to the fans who have come to support us.

The man the fans affectionately call 'El Gallo' is philosophical about the significance of a gesture that has raised a few eyebrows in the cash-rich game.

"Money is obviously an important part if life, it gives you security," Etxeberria added.

"But I believe that the richest man is not the man who has the most, but the man who needs the least.

"Football is a professional business and everyone of course has to look after their own interests but this club has changed my life and my family's life.

"It has made sure that I have been happy in the team and that we have been happy in the city. I wouldn't have made this gesture for any other."

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Eusko Flickr : Untitled

DSC_0093
Originally uploaded by palazio

In Gazteiz

Pro independence Basque supporters sign a paper whereby the Basque Government is asking the citizen if they want a referendum on the freedom of the Basque Country, during the 29th anniversary of the Basque Statute, in Gazteiz, Euskal Herria, Saturday, Oct.

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Eusko Flickr : Untitled

Originally uploaded by -mikel-

Essay on Self Determination

The text you're about to read was published at EUobserver, the author tries to make sense out of the way the international community sees the right of self-determination enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Here you have it:

No easy answers to the status of Ossetia, Abkhazia and others

Richard Corbett

EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - The collapse last week (on the first day!) of EU backed peace talks between Georgia and Russia to resolve the crisis in the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, with the sides unable to enter the same room, serves merely to illustrate that there are no easy answers to the question of the status of Ossetia, Abkhazia, and indeed many other territories in the world.

Ever since US President Woodrow Wilson's 14 points, borne out of the wreckage left by the First World War, the self-determination of peoples has featured as a principle of international affairs. But less clear is the definition of who has the right to self-determination.

When Yugoslavia broke up, the international community was willing to recognise the right of its internal units that had the status of republics (such as Slovenia and Croatia) to declare themselves independent, but not to recognise such a right for those that had the status of provinces (namely Kosovo, despite its having a bigger and linguistically more distinct population than some of the republics).

Recently though, after lengthy deliberations, part of the international community has changed its mind and recognised Kosovo's independence.

When the Soviet Union broke up, the 15 internal units that had the status of Soviet Socialist Republics (SSR) were recognised as sovereign states, but not the Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics (ASSR) or Autonomous Oblasts (AO).

Some of the SSRs (such as the Baltic republics) had previously existed as independent countries, but others were based on somewhat arbitrary boundaries, many of which were drawn up by Josef Stalin when he was commissar for nationalities.

Mr Stalin also determined the hierarchy of which groups were to have their own SSR, which an ASSR, and which merely to be an AO. This sometimes changed over time: the Karelo-Finnish SSR was downgraded in 1956 to the Karelian ASSR. Had this not happened, we would presumably now have an independent Karelia, possibly seeking unification with Finland.

A Transcaucasian SSR existed until 1936, when it was split into Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, the latter two including their own ASSRs and AOs. Would we now be defending the territorial integrity of Transcaucasia against Georgian demands for independence had the Soviet leader not re-designed the borders?

It is not surprising that the legacy of Mr Stalin's frontiers is now causing problems. The South Ossetians do not want to be part of Georgia and do not see why they cannot be independent.

Moreover, the Ossetians were bound to see Kosovan independence as a precedent. And if Serbia had sent its troops back into Kosovo in August, the Western countries with troops there would certainly have reacted, as Russia did when the Georgians sent their troops into Ossetia - but hopefully not have over-reacted as the Russian's have done so brutally.

Complex situation

The situation is highly complex. Georgia was wrong to attack Southern Ossetia, and Russia was wrong to have reacted unilaterally and so disproportionately.

Due recognition by the West of this complexity would go a long way to avoiding any continued flexing of muscles by Russia or other actors in the region. As would some more consistent thought on the principles at stake.

It is not as though these issues are new. When Ireland opted out of the UK, its right to do so was challenged by many in Britain. Many Irish then questioned the right of Northern Ireland to opt out of Ireland and many in Northern Ireland opposed the right of Fermanagh and Tyrone to opt out of Northern Ireland.

Divergent opinions on who or which unit has the right to self-determination are inevitable and inherent to such situations.

Indeed, the question of whether Kosovo and South Ossetia should be recognised as sovereign states is only the latest in a trend that has seen the number of sovereign countries in Europe more than double in the space of a century, with every possibility that this trend will continue.

Only 22 states in Europe prior to 1918

In the living memory of our most senior citizens, there were only 22 states in Europe prior to 1918 (and two of these by then, Albania and Norway, were only recently independent).

The break up of Austria-Hungary and the Tsarist empire at the end of the First World War saw this rise to 29, soon reaching 30 with the establishment of an independent Ireland.

At the end of the Second World War, however, this fell to 28, with the disappearance of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania hardly compensated for by the creation of the German Democratic Republic. This figure remained stable during the entire Cold War period.

Since the end of the Cold War, the break-ups of the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia saw this jump within a decade to 46.

Recognition of the independence of Kosovo, Abkhazia and South Ossetia would bring us to nearly 50 sovereign states on the territory of Europe. And, of course, some would argue that the independence of Flanders, Scotland, the Basque country, Catalonia and Corsica is not beyond the bounds of the possible.

Some of these would be strongly contested, others less so - but what are the criteria? Is it possible to have objective criteria? If so, who should define them? If not, should any group that so wishes be able to constitute its own state?

What about my constituency of Yorkshire (it's far bigger than Luxembourg!)? Should Gibraltar? What about the Channel Islands? How would Russia feel about applying the same principle they argue for South Ossetia to Chechnya or Northern Ossetia?

In any case, it is possible that a continent of 20 sovereign states in 1900 could swell to one with over 50 in the coming years. Most of them will be in the European Union, so fragmentation will have been balanced by a degree of integration. Indeed, it is this very integration that has made it plausible in some cases for smaller units to be viable states.

Arguing for independence within Europe sounds far less isolationist when you are simply making the case to upgrade your status rather than head off into the wilderness (although any area opting out of an existing EU country would require the agreement of all member states to become a separate member of the EU).

Nonetheless, a world fragmented into several hundred small countries along with just a handful of giants would not necessarily be a better place for smaller countries, nor in terms of achieving world level agreement on global issues - not least environmental concerns.

The proliferation of states could also produce an arms race as such countries seek to develop their own armies and defend themselves against real or imaginary threats from their neighbours. Much would depend on the multilateral frameworks created for integration and co-operation.

While the EU certainly remains relatively successful in balancing unity and diversity, most of the world does not.

Richard Corbett is Deputy Leader of the Labour MEPs and speaks for the Socialist Group on EU Reform in the European Parliament

If Richard Corbett things that Kosovo has all what it takes to be an independent state, then truly there is not a single reason to deny this right to Euskal Herria, if anything, the Basques have a lot more assets to sustain their claim than the Kosovars.

Oh, by the way, do you remember when smack in the middle of the recent peace process Zapataro insisted that the right to self-determination did not exist? Well, he stands corrected.

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Eusko Flickr : Nafarroa Oinez

2008_10_19_Nafarroa_Oinez 122
Originally uploaded by Duguna, Iruñeko dantzariak

Light and Dark

This article comes to us thanks to Basqueresearch:

Throwing light on the dark side of the Universe

Although we may believe humans know a lot about the Universe, there are still a lot of phenomena to be explained. A team of cosmologists from the University of the Basque Country are searching for the model that best explains the evolution of the Universe.

We usually have an image of scientists who study the Universe doing so peering through a telescope. And, effectively, this is what astrophysicists de: gather data about the observable phenomena of the Universe. However, in order to interpret this data, i.e. to explain the majority of the phenomena occurring in the Universe, complicated calculations with a computer are required and which have to be based on appropriate mathematical models. This is what the Gravitation and Cosmology research team at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) is involved in: analysing models capable of explaining the evolution of the Universe.

Supernovas, witnesses to acceleration

One of the phenomena that standard models of physics have not yet been able to explain is that of the accelerated expansion of the Universe. Although Einstein proposed a static model to describe the Cosmos, today it is well known, thanks to supernovas amongst other things, that it is, in fact, expanding. Supernovas are very brilliant stellar explosions that, precisely due to this, provide useful data for exploring very distant regions of the Universe. By measuring the quantity of light that gets to us from a supernova, we can calculate its distance from us, and its colour indicates the speed at which it is distancing itself from us – the more reddish it is, the faster it is travelling. In other words, comparing two supernovas, the one that is distancing itself more slowly from us is a more bluish colour. According to observations by astrophysiscists, besides supernovas distancing themselves from us, they are doing so more and more rapidly, i.e. distancing themselves at an accelerated velocity, just like the rest of the material of the Universe.

Looking for dark energy

The energy known to exist in the Universe, however, is not sufficient to cause such acceleration. Thus, the theory most widely accepted within the scientific community is that there exists a ‘dark energy’, i.e. an energy that we cannot detect except by the gravitational force that it produces. In fact, it is believed that 73% of the energy of the Universe is dark. The dark energy debate is not just any theory: its existence has not been proved but, without it, standard models of physics would not be able to explain many of the phenomena occurring in the Universe.

So, what is dark energy exactly? What are its characteristics and have these properties always been the same or have they changed over time? These are questions, amongst others, that researchers at the Faculty of Science and Technology at the UPV/EHU, under the direction of Dr. Alexander Feinstein, are seeking to answer.

The unique characteristic of dark energy known to us is that it possesses repulsive gravitational force. That is, unlike the gravity we know on Earth, this force tends to distance stars, galaxies and the rest of the structures of the Universe from each other. This would explain why the expansion of the Universe is not constant, but accelerated. Nevertheless, this phenomenon can only be detected when achieving observationally enormous, almost unimaginable distances. This is why it is so difficult to understand the nature of dark energy.

The theory of phantom energy

To what point can the Universe expand? If this repulsive force is ever more intense, might it be infinite? This is one of the problems that the UPV/EHU researchers are focusing on. Such powerful dark energy is known as phantom energy, with which the Universe is able to expand to such an extent that the structures we know today would disappear.

This research group considers that the phantom energy model may be the most suitable to explain the accelerated expansion of the Universe. Amongst other things, the team has come to this conclusion after analysing the distribution of galaxies and the background microwave radiation which has inundated all of the Cosmos since shortly after the Big Bang. These waves travel in every direction and enable the exploration of what occurred at tremendously remote instants in time, moments close to the start of it all.

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Dave Boling

I've posted a couple of articles regarding Dave Boling's book "Guernica", well, this is a chance to learn about the author of the book thanks to an article published by Seattle Pi:

'Guernica' puts sports columnist Dave Boling in the international spotlight

Last updated October 20, 2008 8:53 p.m. PT

By JOHN MARSHALL
P-I BOOK CRITIC

Forget the quiet writer's garret. Dave Boling's powerful debut novel was written in hotel rooms, on airplanes and in crowded concourse waiting areas, often when its author was covering sports events.

"I think I wrote half the novel at Gate C21 during layovers at O'Hare Airport in Chicago," Boling said.

The novel's unlikely gestation is hardly the only thing that distinguishes it.

The usual debut novel has the author's personal experience thinly disguised through altered dates, places and names. Boling's debut could have reflected his dozen years as a sports columnist at Tacoma's News-Tribune, or playing center on the University of Louisville football team.

His goal was grander. He focused on an infamous event in 20th-century history -- the bombing of a Basque village during the Spanish Civil War, a slaughter of civilians remembered mainly for inspiring one of Pablo Picasso's most celebrated paintings.

Boling's "Guernica" (Bloomsbury, 361 pages, $26) is an engrossing, dramatic family saga filled with engaging characters and resonant details of rural Spanish life. The fierce pride and independence of the Basque people is captured in its pages, as are their cultural traditions.

To the author's amazement, "Guernica" is on its way to becoming an international sensation. Already a best-seller in Spain, where Boling did a recent book tour, the book is being published in 11 countries, with a British edition coming in February.

Boling's visibility as a novelist in the U.S. is sure to get a boost in November when "Guernica" becomes one of 12 titles in the "Discover Great New Writers" program at every Barnes & Noble store across the country.

Boling's advance is reported to be in the "high six figures," but don't expect the down-to-earth debut novelist from Federal Way to leave newspaper work soon.

"I wouldn't say I could leave my day job -- with agents and taxes, I may only see dimes on (advance) dollars," he related. "I want to keep writing fiction and sports. This is the new challenge for me, and I like it."

Several factors persuaded Boling to consider writing a novel back in 2005. The newspaper business was starting to founder and he worried he "needed to start hedging my bets."

After all, Boling went into journalism on a whim when he was an unemployed logger in Idaho. The newspaper in Coeur d'Alene was advertising for a sportswriter.

"I'll bet I could do that," he thought.

He talked his way into the job, in part because he could be a real asset in the paper's upcoming touch football game against the local police.

Boling's venture into fiction was inspired by two writers from the Spokesman-Review in Spokane who made the transition to novels: Jess Walter of Spokane, whose "The Zero" was a finalist for the National Book Award, and Jim Lynch of Olympia, whose "The Highest Tide" earned many raves.

Boling knew what story his novel would tell. He had met a woman of Basque descent at the University of Idaho and they soon married. Their decades together with two children provided an immersion in Basque culture and history, including the 1937 bombing of Guernica.

It had been on Boling's mind ever since 9/11. Guernica had been one of the most prominent examples of the slaughter of innocent civilians in the 20th century, yet Boling saw no mention of this parallel in the coverage of the 2001 attack. He hoped a novel could bring renewed attention to Guernica.

Boling also had definite ideas about the characters he wanted: "We seem to be getting too far away from characters like Atticus Finch in 'To Kill A Mockingbird,' characters of high ideals and morals," he said. "I wanted to create characters I could look up to."

Once Boling started to write, he found that the characters fueled the novel's progress. He had no real plot outline. He built toward the daylong attack by German air force planes, which dropped 100,000 pounds of bombs on Guernica (just 15 pages in the novel), then included some years of its aftermath. Historical research provided crucial details, as did family experiences and past trips to Spain.

Finding the time

Carving out time to write, the bane of many writers, was never a problem for Boling. Road trips covering Seattle sports teams provided ample opportunities. When other sportswriters got together for a post-game libation, Boling returned to his room to write. He found he could work on the novel anywhere.

"Sportswriters operate under extreme conditions, with bands playing and Laker Girls dancing," he explained. "You have no choice but to focus on your computer and make your story happen as best you can. You develop a capacity to focus and I transferred that to fiction writing."

"When I got on a plane, I would get my laptop out and start to work. I would immediately get so involved in the novel's story that I could literally hear the people talking and I could smell their food and visualize the hills where they lived. It was almost like self-hypnosis. The next thing I knew, there'd be an anouncement to 'return seatbacks to the upright position.' "

Boling lived up to his reputation as a prodigious, fast writer, producing a manuscript of 600 pages in 18 months while also writing three or four sports columns every week.

Among the first to read the novel were Walter and Lynch, who offered advice on technical matters such as voice and scene. Both were much impressed.

Lynch recalled, "What surprised me was that Dave had not gone through the usual training wheels of becoming a fiction writer -- short stories and learning the craft and then getting 70 pages into a novel and losing faith. Dave had such great passion for the story he wanted to tell. He is fearless by nature."

Lynch recommended that Boling send the manuscript to his New York literary agent, Kimberly Witherspoon of InkWell Management. She immediately sensed it was "an extraordinary book" with commercial potential, both in America and abroad, but she had to deliver depressing news to the author: The manuscript was way too long.

Boling remembers what happened next: "Kim said she wanted to market 'Guernica' at the Frankfurt International Book Fair but that was only a few days away. Here's where my sportswriter training came in. I cut 180 pages of the manuscript over that weekend and covered a football game, too. Out went entire characters, history and culture and politics; I kept it close to the story of one family -- this is a story of relationships, a family love story; the history is secondary."

Witherspoon's mission to Frankfurt met with instant success. First to purchase Boling's novel was prestigious Picador in Great Britain. Editor Charlotte Greig only needed to read 50 pages to know she wanted to publish Boling's book. She then called her publisher in Frankfurt, urging him to make an offer.

"I haven't read a word of it," he said.

Greig replied, "Trust me on this: It is exceptional!"

In a little over a month, Boling went from undiscovered writer with a manuscript to a writer with a book bought by presses around the globe. Boling did not know then that this is warp speed in a business that often advances glacially.

Truly a dream

Boling's new life as a hardback writer has unfolded in what he calls "pinch-me moments."

His Spanish book tour had many. Boling went with trepidation, expecting skepticism for a novel by a U.S. sportswriter about the bombing of Guernica.

Several Spaniards told him, "We were ready to tear this book apart, but it rang true." That was a huge relief for Boling, who had had the book checked for accuracy by Spanish and Basque experts in the States.

Another memorable moment came on the day of publication. He was at a local Barnes & Noble when a woman approached. He recommended the book to her, which prompted her to ask, "Did you read it?"

"No, I wrote it."

She agreed to buy a copy, but added: "I want something profound inscribed. Write what you learned from this experience."

Boling was stumped. Then he thought: "Supposedly, you just can't do this -- start writing fiction at age 53 and have a novel that sells like this. I worked my ass off, had a lot of luck and help from people but it did happen."

So Boling wrote in her book: "Nothing is impossible."

But the most powerful moments came at two book readings. In Boise, he read with his son, Jake, from the University of Idaho, in the crowd. In Spain, he did a reading attended by his daughter, Laurel, who is teaching English in Madrid.

"I looked up from my reading and made eye contact with my kids," Boling recalls, "and there was this instant connection, a warm, comforting feeling.

"It was like when my kids were in bed and I was reading them a nighttime story. I could sense that both of them were proud of me -- and if you can make your kids proud of you, there is no greater reward. All of the money, all the reviews, all the attention are secondary to that."

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Canada Extradites Basque Citizen

Ivan Apaolaza Sancho, 36, was extradited to Spain despite the evidence that the charges brought against him by Spain were based on information obtained through torture.

Disregarding the many reports on the subject of torture against Basque citizens by human rights organization like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, the Canadian government acted against the rights of Ivan Apaolaza.

Ivan Apaolaza is wanted by Spanish authorities on charges of terrorism, hiding arms and explosives and collaborating with an armed group, the kind of charges that Spain always issues against Basque nationals. Just a reminder, Asier Arronategi who was extradited from Mexico to Spain has been released after more than four years of incarceration without Spain ever taking him to court for the alleged charges that prompted his extradition in the first place.

Ivan was arrested in Quebec in June 2007 carrying false identity papers. Immigration officials ordered that he be deported back to Spain in May this year. Apaolaza's supporters fear for his safety when he arrives in Spain and are calling for Spanish authorities to guarantee he will not be subject to incommunicado detention and torture.

No matter the outcome, with this decision Canada has become a country that approves the use of torture against members of minority ethnic groups, rights activist and authoritarian regimes' dissidents.

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Police Brutality

Ertzaintza (Basque regional police) officers detain an unidentified pro-independence Basque demonstrator in Tolosa, Euskal Herria, Saturday Oct. 18, 2008.

Police stopped and dispersed a street protest by several thousand supporters during the tribute in memory of two Basques activists, Jose Antonio Lasa y Jose Ignacio Zabala, kidnapped, tortured and murdered by the Spanish paramilitary group GAL in 1983, a group created and endorsed by then Spanish minister Felipe González.

Three unidentified demonstrators were detained, officials said.

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Eusko Flickr : San Fermin Txiki

2008_09_28_San_Fermin_txiki 019
Originally uploaded by Duguna, Iruñeko dantzariak

Wave Energy in Euskal Herria

Here you have another article from Basqueresearch:

Iberdrola and Tecnalia install first prototype for producing wave-sourced energy

Iberdrola and Tecnalia Technological Corporation have installed, within the framework of the Oceantec Project, the first prototype for producing energy using the movement of waves along the coast of the Basque province of Gipuzkoa - specifically Pasaia. The initiative has a budget of 4.5 million euros and aims to launch a high performance, low-cost-wave energy capture device.

This first prototype, built on a scale of 1:4, will be ready for trials within months in order to test its performance and ensure that it does not represent a risk for the surrounding area. If the technical verifications are favourable, Iberdrola and Tecnalia anticipate developing a new, full-size device and connected to the electric grid.

This second installation in which both companies are working has a power output of 500 kilowatts (kW) and can produce enough renewable energy in one year to supply the domestic consumption of 950 homes.

The Oceantec Project will enable generation of business based on developing a renewable energy source, the creation of opportunities for industrial growth and rationalisation in the Basque Country and support for making the most of energy resources along the coast of Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia, in the Basque Country Autonomous Community.

Along these lines, it can be pointed out that a number of Basque firms have taken part in the manufacture of various systems contributing to this prototype, such as Vicinay Cadenas and Metalúrgica Marina.

Iberdrola and Tecnalia Technological Corporation have undertaken this initiative through Perseo, the promotion body for R+D+i investment in electricity launched this year. With an annual budget of 6 million euros, its main aim is the support of high value technological projects in the field of renewable energy and the environment.

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Lineages in the Cantabrian Coast

This article comes to us via the Basqueresearch page:

Study confirms importance of lineages in the Cantabrian coast of the Bay of Biscay in the European genetic map

A PhD thesis at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) involved a detailed study of the maternal lines (mitochondrial DNA) of three autochthonous human populations in the Cantabrian coast area of the Bay of Biscay and which aimed to clarify the role of these populations in the postglacial recolonisation in Europe. The study, carried out by Dr. Sergio Cardoso Martín, confirmed the importance of the proposed H1 and V lines as well as considering lines J1c, U5b and T2b as significantly important demographic landmarks in the history of the evolution of European human populations.

One of the aspects that has sparked most interest in recent years in the field of Population Genetics is the postglacial repopulation of Europe that happened about 15,000 years ago. A great amount of this research has focused on the analysis of mitochondrial DNA or maternal lines, using them as a tool to assess the impact of large human migrations in the make-up of the genetic heritage of current European populations.

With his thesis entitled, “Diversity of the mitochondrial genome in autochthonous populations in the Cantabrian coast area: Traces of postglacial recolonisation in Europe”, Dr. Sergio Cardoso Martín explored the involvement of the Franco-Cantabrian populations of the Franco-Cantabrian refuge during the postglacial recolonisation of Europe, by analysing the variability of mitochondrial DNA. The Franco-Cantabrian refuge, extending from the south-east of France to the eastern end of the Cantabrian coast, is considered to have been the main settlement for groups of humans who arrived from the north of Europe during the last glacier age, in order to escape from the extremely adverse weather conditions.

Sergio Cardoso Martín has a degree in biochemistry and is currently working in postdoctoral research. His PhD thesis was directed by Dr.Marian Martínez De Pancorbo of the Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology at the Faculty of Pharmacy (UPV/EHU) and of the General Genomic Research Service: DNA Bank, and by Dr. Miguel Ángel Alfonso Sánchez, of the General Genomic Research Service: DNA Bank.

Looking for genetic markers

In order to carry out this research, an analysis was undertaken of a sample made up of 194 individuals belonging to three autochthonous populations from the Cantabrian coast: from the Arratia and Goierri valleys in the Basque Country, the Valley of Baztan in Navarre and from the Pas valley in Cantabria. The HVI and HVII segments from the mitochondrial DNA control region of the 194 participating individuals were sequenced. Moreover, the complete mitochondrial DNA for 43 of the individuals was sequenced with a twin objective: to reconstruct the development of the various maternal lines from the Franco-Cantabrian refuge area and to confirm the results of the analysis of the sequenced segments. The results of this analysis enabled the classification of the individuals under study into genetic families known as haplogroups. The frequency of the various haplogroups was also analysed - their spatial distribution throughout Europe and the age of the most recent common ancestor to the various lines was estimated.

Reduced genetic diversity

Most of the 194 individuals analysed presented mitochondrial haplogroups characteristic of the European populations. Additionally, very infrequent haplogroups were found and exceptionally individuals, carriers of a haplogroup of African origin, were found in the Pas Valley.

The most frequent haplogroup amongst our samples from the Basque Country and Navarre turned out to be H, and, more concretely, the subhaplogroup H1. Also notable amongst these two populations was the high frequency of the J1c line, and particularly in the case of the north of Navarre, lines U5b and T2b also registered notable frequencies. In the Pas Valley, on the other hand, the greatest frequency corresponded to haplogroup V. The adverse climate and the orography of the terrain would have favoured a marked isolation of the populations and, in consequence, a local genetic microdifferentiation that is reflected today in the predominance of some or other maternal lines in each of the analysed populations.

Apart from presenting caracteristic haplogroups, as regards diversity, the research showed that the three autochthonous populations studied were characterised by reduced values for genetic diversity with respect to other European populations, even with respect to the rest of the Iberian Peninsula. The populations of the Basque Country and the Pas Valley, together with that of Galicia, demonstrate the lowest diversity of lines within the European context. The population of the north of Navarre showed values within the range of European populations taken as reference. The author of this study has put forward these differences in mitochondrial genome diversity as being related to the lower isolation of northern Navarre, given the powerful influences of the presence of Romans, Arabs and Jews in the region, as well as its location on the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela.

The comparison undertaken with other European populations showed that certain mitochondrial haplogroups presented their maximum level of frequency in the area of the Franco-Cantábrico refuge. It can be deduced from these findings that the definitory mutations of these haplogrupos could have originated in the refuge zone, or otherwise could have been transported by humans who retreated from the north of Europe, thus substantially increasing their frequency subsequently as a consequence of the genetic drift, a phenomenon known as the “founder effect”.

Genetic markers of recolonisation in Europe

The study enabled the confirmation of the importance of lines H1 and V – the most abundant amongst the sample of analysed individuals – as genetic markers of the postglacial recolonisation from the refuges of southeast Europe. Also, the study’s findings showed that the T2b, J1c and U5b haplogroups constitute “paleolithic maternal lines”, well conserved to date and with relevant frequencies in the Franco-Cantabrian refuge area. This is why it is recommendable to include the area in future studies aimed at finding genetic tracks of the postglacial repopulation of Europe and at the evaluation of the impact of this grand demographic event in the reconstruction of the genetic patrimony of contemporary European populations.

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Sánchez to Stick With Euskaltel

This note comes to us thanks to Velo News:

Sánchez outsider for Lombardia

Olympic champ expected to stay with Euskaltel

By Andrew Hood
Posted Oct. 16, 2008

Despite trying to cash in on his Olympic gold medal, Samuel Sánchez says he’s likely to stay with Euskaltel-Euskadi for the 2009 season and beyond.

What is certain is that his final race in 2008 will be at this weekend’s Giro di Lombardia, with a start in Thursday’s Giro di Piemonte thrown in for good measure.

“I felt pretty good at Paris-Tours. I arrived with the front group after 252km, a good distance for me,” Sánchez told the Diario Vasco. “I will go to Lombardia with the idea of racing to win. To win? At least I will try.”

Sánchez has twice finished on the Lombardia podium (3rd in 2007, 2nd in 2006), but never won.

The hilly Italian classics suits his punchy style that led him to victory in the now-defunct GP Zurich and the Beijing Olympic medal, the only two races he’s won outside of Spain.

“The key to the race will be the Ghisallo. If you’re over the top in front, you can win,” he said of the Lombardia’s most important climb. “Last year, Riccò and Cunego got away over the top, the year before, Bettini. It’s a beautiful race, which I like a lot and that Italy really comes alive in the days before the race.”

Weeks before he won the Olympic gold medal in the road race in Beijing, Sánchez signed a contract extension to keep him in the Basque orange through the 2010 season.

All that changed when Sánchez struck gold in China and the Spanish Asturian became a hot property, with alleged negotiations with Katyusha and Cervélo (something both teams denied).

Perhaps they were scared off by Sánchez’s reported 900,000-euro buyout clause, so for now, Sánchez will remain the only non-Basque rider on Euskaltel after what appears to be a pay hike.

“I still haven’t signed, but I will continue with Euskaltel,” he said. “There remain some loose ends, but both sides have given in a little and there’s mutual interest. I see myself at Euskaltel, at least as of today.”

In an interview with VeloNews during a quick visit to the Vuelta a España in September, Sánchez said the Olympic gold medal hasn’t changed him much.

“I am still the same person and the same rider I was before I went to Beijing,” he said. “Nothing’s changed except people’s perception of me. There’s suddenly a lot more interest in what I say and what I do, but I will try not to let that change me as a person.”

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Cheap Shot

I first learned about this issue through two blogs published by English speaking fellows living in the Spanish State. Now it is the topic of an article at the Telegraph, let us analyze it:

Iron Maiden skeleton head Eddie appears in Spanish town hall

Eddie the Head, the blood-spitting skeletal mascot of the heavy metal rock group Iron Maiden, has been displayed in a Spanish town hall as part of a political war of symbolism.

By Alastair Jamieson
Last Updated: 10:30AM BST 15 Oct 2008

The demonic face, a regular feature of the band's violent album cover designs, features regularly at council meetings in the town of Villava in Navarre.

Because Basque separatist councillors insist on hanging the Basque flag on their desks during debates, upset rivals opposed to the idea of the Navarre region being treated as part of the Basque country have adopted the Iron Maiden flag as their own emblem.

Problem for the councillors who oppose the idea is that by hanging the Iron Maiden flag they can not rewrite history. Navarre is not just a part of the Basque Country, Navarre is THE Basque Country. For years Madrid has been fooling the international community by claiming that the Basque Country has never been an sovereign political entity, which is a lie for Navarre was an independent kingdom for well over 800 years, more so, it was a Basque kingdom.

Continue reading:

The Socialist leader, José Luis Uriz, said: "The Iron Maiden flag means a lot to me. If I have to put up with their flag, they'll have to put up with Eddie's face."

He does not have to put up with the flag, all he needs to do is to understand and accept that he represents a party created by people that opposes the political right of the Basque people to its self determination. And that the Basque people have the Navarrese flag to represent their political identity and the Ikurriña to represent their cultural identity. What Uriz needs to do is to stop betraying his own people and try to study and understand the historic and cultural past of Navarre.

The conservative Navarrese People's Union party has joined the protest, with its councillors now hang the flag of the local La Liga football club, Osasuna, from their desks.

If Uriz in misguided, the UPN militants are just plain idiots, they are displaying the flag of a football team that happens to be in Euskara, the Basque language. Osasuna means "health" in Basque... and they are trying to clain that Navarre is not part of the Basque Country!

Plus, Osasuna's home field is called "Kingdom of Navarre", a kingdom that was conquered by Castile and Aragon in its southern portion after a long war. If you check a map from that time you will notice how small was Navarre in comparision with Castile and Aragon (not to mention the Frankish empire) and you will understand how dear their sovereignty was for the Basques, a people that despite the odds fought till the end to preserve its independence, and independence that they still long for today.

Eddie The Head, whose first incarnation was created by an art student from a melted plastic face mask, is ever-present at Iron Maiden concerts. It has often appeared above the drummer with 'blood' spitting through its mouth.

Navarre, in northern Spain, borders the Basque Country and is divided between Basque speakers and Spanish speakers. Earlier this month, police in Navarre detained four men overnight on charges of staging acts of street violence in support of the militant Basque separatist group ETA.

Navarre can not border the Basque Country for Navarre is the Basque Country. What Navarre borders is the Basque Autonomous Community formed by three former Navarrese provinces by the names of Araba, Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia.

The article then goes on into the classic drivel against the right of the Basque people to its self determination, the same drivel that never mentions the thousands of Basques murdered because of their compromise with their country. Shame on the news outlets.

By the way, my entire support goes to the Basque councillors in Atarrabia (called Villava by the Spanish invaders) having to deal with those pro-Spain bullies resorting to cheap strategies because they are unable to conduct their political careers professionally.

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Eusko Flickr : Spain

Spain
Originally uploaded by Soniko

Osasuna : A Basque Football Team

The only reason why I am posting this note published by The International Herald Tribune is because they are calling Osasuna a Basque football team, which I am sure will enrage more than one Spaniard claiming that Navarre is not part of the Basque Country.

Here you have it:

Osasuna hires Camacho as coach

The Associated Press
Published: October 13, 2008

PAMPLONA, Spain: Osasuna hired former Spain and Real Madrid coach Jose Camacho on Monday, hours after firing Jose Angel Ziganda.

The 53-year-old Camacho agreed to lead the Basque club through the end of the current Spanish league, with financial details not offered.

Osasuna released Ziganda six games into his third season, with the club lying 16th in the 20-team standings with four points.

Camacho had largely been working in television since March when he quit Benfica seven months into his second spell at the Portuguese club.

I love it, Osasuna's name is in Euskara, the Basque language, and it means "health". In fact, from the three Basque teams playing in Spain's Premier League, is the only one with a Basque name.

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Support the Independence of Euskal Herria

The pro-Basque independence blog "Ants' Meat" has issued a call to support this initiative:

“The Basque Country or Euskal Herria, a nation constituted by the provinces of Araba, Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, Lapurdi, Nafarroa, Nafarroa Beherea, and Zuberoa, has the same right to become a united and independent state as any other nation. The North American Basque Organizations will consequently work actively to promote the right of the Basque people to achieve the goal of independence if this is the will of the majority of the population of Euskal Herria.”

Ants’ Meet is seeking your support regarding the proposal. Please voice your opinions and distribute this post.

He's got my support.

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Basque Refugee Children in Scotland

Thanks to The Courier for publishing this article:

Weekend events mark civil war

SOME OF the lost children of the Spanish Civil War who stayed in Angus were remembered yesterday with the unveiling of a plaque at the house they lived in.

Meanwhile, “missing” fallen Dundee soldier Allan Craig, rediscovered through an article on the city’s contribution to the International Brigades, is also now commemorated.

None of the surviving 24 children brought from the Basque region to Mall Park House, Montrose, were able to attend the ceremony but Tom Borland provided a moving account of his mother Encarnation Buenavente, who arrived as one of the refugees in September 1937.

Despite the British policy of non-intervention during the war, it allowed voluntary groups to arrange the evacuation of children and in May 1937 the Habana docked in Southampton carrying around 4000 in the biggest single influx of refugees in British history.

Miss May Wilson, who was fluent in the language, was put in charge at Montrose, while Basque teacher Adelina Larraga and helper Maria Blanco came with the children.

To raise funds, the children performed Spanish and Basque dances and songs across Scotland, often accompanied by accordionist Charles McNeil. One in Dundee in November 1937 attracted 3000.

By 1939 many of the children had been repatriated, but others had no home to go to so stayed in Britain.

In Dundee, Mr Craig’s son Allan jun unveiled the plaque, alongside former Transport and General Workers Union general secretary Jack Jones—at 95, the oldest surviving British volunteer.

Mr Craig died after being wounded near Madrid in February 1937 and a granite memorial will be placed alongside the existing plaque in Albert Square.

Allan (74), who lives in Glasgow, saw an article in the Scottish Local History Forum journal which said 16 men from Dundee died in Spain, though the late Tom Clarke, the last survivor, always claimed 17 volunteers from Dundee had died.

“I thought my father was born in Dundee, so I got in touch with the article’s author,” said Mr Craig.

Dundee TUC secretary Mike Arnott, who wrote the article, was delighted to have tracked down the city’s “missing” soldier.

Other events at the weekend included a Saturday march and a meeting at the Central Library.

Dundee TUC has also published a book tracing the city’s involvement with the International Brigade, available in city bookshops from next week. An exhibition is also on show at the Central Library.

The rescue operation described in this article had nothing to do with the Spanish government, it was negotiated between the Basque government and the UK.

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Eusko Flickr : Oiartzun

Oiartzun
Originally uploaded by elspannecoucque

Gotzon Garate

This article comes to us via EITb:

Obituary

Basque writer Gotzon Garate dies at 74

10/08/2008

He wrote about 30 books in Basque. He mainly became famous for his crime novels and for his works about the oral Basque language. He will be buried on Thursday in Loiola.

The Basque writer Gotzon Garate, one of the greatest exponents of the Basque language and literature, died last night in Bilbao, at the age of 74, after a long illness. Garate will be buried on Thursday in the Sanctuary of Loiola.

Gotzon Garate was born in the Basque town of Elgoibar in 1934 and he became a distinguished writer and philologist with a great curriculum: Doctor of Philosophy in Madrid, Theology Graduate in Austria, Romance Philology Graduate in Bilbao, expert of Marxist Sociology in Switzerland and Professor of Basque Literature in the University of Deusto (Bilbao) are some of his degrees.

He has made analyses about Marx, Mao or Lenin, and he even had time to write tales, crime novels or articles. Among all his awards, the one received in 2005, the ‘Argizaiola’ award, is remarkable.

After suffering a cancer during the last months, Gotzon Garate died last night in Bilbao. His burial will take place on Thursday, October 9, in the Sanctuary of Loiola and the funeral will be the same day in the University of Deusto.

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Eusko Flickr : Basque Prisoners Home Mural

Basque prisoners home mural
Originally uploaded by Soniko

Science News in Euskal Herria

This article comes to us thanks to Basqueresearch.com:

Technology, health, information science and the environment are the main topics in science news

Technology in general, health, information technology and the environment were the main topics in science news stories appearing in newspapers published in the Basque Country in the first four months of 2008. This said, the front pages of these dailies give health matters priority, followed by the environment and then technology.

These were some of the conclusions drawn from a research study and published by the Elhuyar Foundation. They analysed 11 daily newspapers (Berria, Deia, Diario de Navarra, El Correo, El Diario Vasco, Gara, Le Journal du Pays Basque, Diario de Noticias, Noticias de Gipuzkoa, Noticias de Alava and Sud Ouest) from the 1st of January to the 30th of April, 2008. The methodology of analysing the profile of science stories in the press was to gather the texts of articles published about science, technology and innovation. 6,448 texts in total were collected and a study of these led to the following conclusions:

Most texts (82%) were published in Spanish, the majority of the newspapers analysed being published in this language. The Vocento Group dailies (the El Correo Español and the Diario Vasco) published most of the articles (932 and 741 respectively); third place in this classification was the Noticias de Gipuzkoa with 715 texts.

Science is not important

Most of the texts published (1,089) were of little importance, according to the Richard Budd scale (space given over to the news, the page the news item appears on and the use of graphics or otherwise), and the number of items of especial importance was only 55.

The research results showed that the topics chosen by journalists in providing information on science, technology and innovation were focused basically on technology in general, health, information technology and the environment.

The daily newspapers usually give mere information — brief news items —, although it could not be said that they totally discard an interpretation of such items.

The study also showed that the dailies do not publish many opinion articles on science, technology and innovation and less so editorial opinion on these matters. In the period under study, the eleven newspapers analysed published only 26 editorials on topics related to science, technology and innovation.

Positive view

However, we can say that these dailies maintain a favourable attitude to science, technology and innovation, although this is not directly demonstrated. Thus, the perspective of most of the news items in these fields is positive, although in journalism bad news tends to have greater possibilities for publication than good news.

Above all, the newspapers publish news stories of an official nature related to science, technology and innovation and which are generally related to the Basque Country or to the European Union; more than half (60%) of the sources for the news stories were government bodies. It also has to be pointed out that 25% of news is of unknown origin (the source of or the person responsible for the item is not known), as the newspapers do not provide this information.

Finally, the topics chosen by journalists in the Basque Country to inform about science, technology and innovation are similar to those selected by their European homologues. Moreover, the problems Basque journalists have in trying to identify the origin/author of the news related to these topics are also those mentioned by European communication media professionals.

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Basque Writer in The Netherlands

This article was published at Radio Netherlands Worldwide:

Kristina Goikoetxea Langarika

'Twelve hours is a long time'

By David Swatling

07-10-2008

Basque writer Kristina Goikoetxea Langarika thinks the Dutch language is like the children's toy Lego: compact and colourful. The same can be said of her Radio Books story Twelve Hours is a Long Time.

"Basque is the language in which I read poetry before I go to sleep," says Kristina Goikoetxea Langarika. "Basque verses inspire me to dream. Then I get up in the morning, spill a waterfall of Spanish into my diary and feel ready to start typing Dutch words into my computer."

Goikoetxea arrived in the Netherlands in 1995 after completing a degree in Translation Studies from the University of Granada. She won a scholarship to study Dutch literature at Leiden University.

Between languages

"Living between two languages made me more open to a third," explains the author who grew up in Spanish Basque Country. "From the very beginning I learned that language is a bridge and not a wall." After her studies, she wrote for various cultural magazines in both Basque and Spanish. A desire to tell her own stories in Dutch led Goikoetxea to study at the Writers School in Utrecht.

Last year Goikoetxea's first novel written in Dutch was published. Evamar tells the story of three generations of Basque women in the fictional rural village of Uranda. "For me Uranda could be anywhere because everywhere there are generals, men in grey, mountain caves, a north and a south, and people that move from one place to another in search of something better."

Lego language

Writing in Dutch reminded her of playing Lego as a child. "We often missed many bricks," she says. "Nevertheless we always managed to make our castles with the blocks we had. It never looked like the one on the cover, but it was a castle made our own way."

Goikoetxea remains philosophical about her Dutch literary future. "Sometimes I wonder whether I will gain more and more Lego pieces over time," she muses. "What would happen if I had all the pieces; if I didn't have to be creative about using the small range I have; if I was so familiar with them that I used them as ‘one should use them'?"

She notes that the official Lego webpage says every brick has an endless number of construction possibilities, and six standard bricks can be combined in at least 100,981,500 ways. "So, I still have enough bricks for quite a few castles."

For her contribution to Radio Books, another small village is imagined - or two, to be precise. After many years of missionary work in Africa, a man returns to his birthplace for a bittersweet homecoming.

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Spain's Rome Does Not Pay Traitors

The Basque Autonomous Community government's president will be tried for meeting members of Batasuna, a Spanish court said Monday. Basque regional president Juan Jose Ibarretxe and two members of Spain's governing Socialist party — Patxi Lopez and Rodolfo Ares — are charged with committing a crime by meeting with Batasuna leaders.

Batasuna was declared illegal in 2003 after a law was created ad-hoc by the extreme right government of Juan Carlos Borbon and his assistant Jose Maria Aznar in order to deprive a portion of the Basque electorate of its right to vote, a throwback to Francisco Franco's reign of terror.

The meetings took place after ETA declared a cease-fire in March 2006. The group ended the cease-fire in December that year, after the government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero had reneged on delivering political concessions promised during peace talks, going to the extreme of incarcerating peace talks delegates in a clear violation of international treaties.

Ibarretxe — who belongs to the conservative Basque Nationalist Party (PNV)— met with Batasuna leader Arnaldo Otegi and others in April 2006 and January 2007 when optimism about ETA's cease-fire was still high. Lopez and Ares, both members of the Basque branch of Zapatero's party, met Batasuna leaders publicly in July 2006.

The Superior Court of Justice of the Basque country said the three would be tried on January 8th. The case was brought by two Spanish extreme-right groups acting as political saboteurs in Euskal Herria. Under Spanish law, private parties can ask courts to bring criminal charges, this way the central government can escape criticism by the international community, relying on these groups to carry out the dirty war against Basque society.

This is a reminder to Ibarretxe that as Rome, Madrid does not pay traitors. He, Ibarretxe, was an active colaborator with Zapatero in his efforts to derail the peace talks. Going to trial is what he gets as a reward for betraying the Basque people.

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Pyrenees' Language Summit

This note comes to us via EITb:

Organized by Euskaltzaindia

The Languages of the Pyrenees "meet" in Iruña

10/06/2008

The Basque, the Catalan, the Occitano and the Aragonese will take part in the conference. Michael Metzeltin will open “The Languages of the Pyrenees”. The past and the present of the languages will be discussed.

Euskaltzaindia, the Royal Academy of the Basque Language, will hold its 16th International Conference in Pamplona, in the “Baluarte” Convention Center and Auditorium of Navarra from 6th to 10th October .

This Conference, which will be carried out under the generic title of “Pirinioetako hizkuntzak: lehena eta oraina” (The Languages of the Pyrenees: Past and Present), will go in depth into multiple aspects of the languages and cultures of both sides of the Pyrenees mountain range.

Four historic languages of the Pyrenees will take part in the conference: the Basque, the Catalan, the Occitano and the Aragonese. A for the Basque language, Metzelin thinks, its situation is better than before, and he added that some progress has been made towards the creation of a standard language, something that, in his opinion, is essential so that a language can develop.

The conference will also mark be the beginning of the commemoration acts of the 90th anniversary of Euskaltzaindia.

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Elena Beloki

Elena Beloki, a Basque political prisoner serving a 13-year jail term has been released for IVF treatment, causing outrage among fascist minded Spaniards.

Six months after Elena Beloki, 47, was sent to prison she was released so that she could begin the fertility treatment in June.

After her first attempt a judge ruled that she could remain on conditional bail until the in vitro fertilisation course was completed. She was unable to have a baby through natural methods and sought to try IVF, which is being paid for by the Spanish State.

The judge's decision has angered members of the extreme right Association of Victims of Terrorism , known as AVT, who say there is a danger that she will run away. The prosecutor in the case also opposed her bail and doctors said that she could have received the treatment behind bars.

Beloki was sentenced to 13 years in jail in December for being a spokeswoman for Xaki, In June she was released after asking to have a course of IVF treatment, claiming that it was her last chance to become pregnant. Her boyfriend is Juan María Olano, a jailed leader of Euskal Herritarrok.

After the half-hour treatment, Beloki was granted permission by a court to remain on conditional bail.

The AVT, which acts as a front groups for the extreme right Partido Popular, a political party formed by former ministers from the Franco dictatorship, made a formal complaint to the court, claiming there was a real risk that Beloki would flee. But Judge Alfonso Guevara ruled that she should remain on bail with a surety of €3,000 (£2,330) until the treatment was completed. He said that she continued to comply with her bail conditions and was not considered a flight risk or deemed likely to reoffend.

In August there was virulent smear campaign set in place by the media outlets akin to the Spanish Ministry of Propaganda after the country's most notorious Basque political prisoner, Iñaki de Juana Chaos, was released from prison having served 21 years.

Spain has murdered dozens of thousands of Basques in its five century colonial occupation of the Basque homeland.

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March Against Banning of Political Parties

Demonstrators on Saturday marched through the streets of Bilbao, the financial capital of the Basque Autonomous Community, to protest a Supreme Court decision last month to ban two Basque independence parties. The protesters walked behind a large banner which read "Freedom for Euskal Herria," using the Basque language name for the Basque Country.

The march was organised by left-wing Basque nationalists to protest the court's decision to ban the Basque Nationalist Action (ANV) and Communist Party of Basque Lands (PCTV) because of their alleged links to Batasuna.

Among those who took part in the march was the president of ANV, Kepa Bereziartua, and the former spokesman for Batasuna, Arnaldo Otegi, who was released from jail in August after spending just over a year behind bars.

Batasuna has been banned as a party since 2003 when the Francoist government of Juan Carlos Borbon created a law that is in fact a throw back to his benefactor's regime of death and terror.

The Basque Country already enjoys considerable autonomy but most Basques want to secede from Spain and France and regain the sovereignty they enjoyed for hundreds of years.

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Demonstration in Bilbao

Thousands of Basque citizens demonstrate in the city of Bilbao. The banner reads in Euskara (Basque language), "Facing the state of emergency. Free the Basque Country."

Demonstrators on Saturday marched through the streets of Bilbao, the financial capital the Basque Country, to protest a Supreme Court decision last month to ban two Basque independence parties.

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Eusko Flickr : Niebla, Urkiola, Euskadi

NIEBLA,URKIOLA,EUSKADI
Originally uploaded by joseba garcia

Etxeberria's Gesture

This note comes to us thanks to RTÉ Sports:

Bilbao striker to play for free

Friday, 3 October 2008 13:41

Long-serving Athletic Bilbao forward Joseba Etxeberria has announced he is set to retire at the end of the 2009/10 season, and that he will play his final year in football for free.

The 31-year-old has signed a one-year contract extension which will see him receive no wages from the Basque club for the whole of next season.

At a press conference on Thursday the forward, who joined Athletic at the age of 17 in 1995, revealed he asked directors for the ground-breaking deal as a gesture to repay the club for their support throughout his career.However, he does not expect other players to follow his lead.

'I wanted to make this gesture, but at no time did I want to set a precedent,' he told reporters.

'We're in a professional world where it's legitimate for each person to defend their rights and their contracts, and I think that's how it should be.

'But this is a gesture I'm making to show my gratitude for the love I've received during so many years. It's something I've been mulling over for a long time.'

Despite being only 32 by the end of the deal, Etxeberria added he had chosen to retire because 'I've been going a long time and it's time to step aside for new people'.

Bilbao president Fernando Garcia Macua added:' Etxeberria's gesture of playing at absolutely no cost to the club is surely a unique case in world football.'

What a guy!

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Basque-phobe of the Week : Hans-Gert Pöttering

Well, just a few days ago a pro-torture Canadian judge earned the title of Basquephobe of the week, now we have a German showing his bias against the Basque people.

This note appeared today at EU Business:

European parliament head sees no need for Basque referendum

03 October 2008, 23:02 CET

(MADRID) - European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pottering said on Friday he saw no need for Spain's Basque region to hold a referendum on self-determination, a move desired by nationalists there.

"I don't see the need for a referendum in the Basque Country," he said in response to an AFP question at a conference in Madrid.

"Today in the EU we have a system where all people can live their identity. People of the Basque Country can live in Spain. I see no reason for a region to split away from the Spanish state," he added.

Last month Spain's Constitutional Court ruled that a plan by authorities in the Basque region to hold a referendum on self-determination was illegal on the grounds that only the central government could call such a vote.

The ruling was a defeat for the Basque region's nationalist president, Juan Jose Ibarretxe, who was the driving force behind the non-binding vote he had scheduled for October 25.

Ibarretxe has said he will appeal against the Spanish court's decision to the European Court of Human Rights.

The wealthy northeastern Basque Country, which has its own distinct language and culture, already enjoys a high level of self-government and polls show the majority of Basques do not want to secede outright from Spain.

The armed Basque separatist group ETA, which has killed over 820 people in its 40-year campaign of bombings and shootings for an independent Basque homeland, has long defended the Basque people's right to self-determination.

According to information easily available on the internet Pöttering is a German conservative politician who just won European Excellence Award 2008 of the Autonomous Community of Madrid ('Premio a la Excelencia Europea 2008'). Was that a bribe to get him to speak against the Basque political rights? What's next, is he sending the Lüftwaffe to bomb Durango and Gernika?

I am going to answer Herr Pöttering why there is a need for a real referendum regarding the right of the Basque people to its self-determination, and I am saying a real one because the one championed by Ibarretxe is not even a true referendum on self-determination.

The reason is there is such a thing as a United Nation's Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which reads in its first article:

Article 1

1. All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.

2. All peoples may, for their own ends, freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources without prejudice to any obligations arising out of international economic co-operation, based upon the principle of mutual benefit, and international law. In no case may a people be deprived of its own means of subsistence.

3. The States Parties to the present Covenant, including those having responsibility for the administration of Non-Self-Governing and Trust Territories, shall promote the realization of the right of self-determination, and shall respect that right, in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.

Spain signed that Covenant just like France did, oh, and Germany. By the way, Germany also recognized the right of Kosovo to "split from the" Serbian state, and since there is Albanians living their identity in Europe in a country called Albania then there was no good reason for the Albanians in Kosovo to secede, all they needed to do was to move back to Albania following Pöttering's logic.

To the coward who wrote the article I say, the Basque Country is today a continental colony to two colonialist powers, France and Spain. As if that was not enough, they Basques live in three different political entities, two of which are located south of the Pyrenees (Navarre and the Basque Autonomous Community) and one north of the Pyrenees, grouped with Pau in something called the Pyrinees Atlantiques. That is why despite living in a wealthy region that enjoys "a high level of self-government" the Basques still long for self determination, so they can leave together, with no borders dividing them and preventing them from strenghtening their culture.

And what about those polls that say that Basques do not want independence from France and Spain, wouldn't an actual referendum sponsored by the UN and/or the EU would put that discussion to rest? Why then the opposition to a referendum?

One last thing, thanks to the right of self-determination Germany is an unified country today, how strange it results that a German refuses the same right to the Basques, who live in two different states due to the current political situation. To want for some what you deny to others is called discrimination, and I still remember a certain Austrian-Catholic politician who unified all German peoples and who discriminated against the Jewish and the Roma communities.

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