Thursday, February 26, 2009

Anti-Democratic Campaign

This article was published at WW4 Report:

Spain escalates anti-democratic campaign in Basque Country

Submitted by WW4 Report

Having already barred two pro-independence parties (3DM and Askatasuna) from taking part in the Basque Country's regional parliamentary elections March 1, Spanish judge Baltazar Garzón last week went further and banned all their activities and ordered the closing of their offices and websites. Eight people remain in prison for trying to organize pro-independence election platforms.

Despite being barred from the elections and the continuous attacks against their activities, the pro-independence parties are carrying on with their campaigns. They have called on the Basque people to carry out a massive action of civil disobedience by voting for the "illegal" slates.

The repression has also prompted an armed response. In the early hours of Feb. 23, an ETA bomb destroyed the Socialist Party's offices in the Basque town of Lazkao. There were no casualties. ETA claimed responsibility in a phone call to the authorities before the blast. The Socialists, who rule nationally, stand a good chance of unseating the Basque Country's long-ruling moderate Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) in the upcoming elections. (Euskal Herria News, Feb. 26; DPA, Feb. 23)

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Beyond the Mass Media Blockade

According to this article appeared at the Seacoast On Line the young film maker Anna Bruning has made a documentary that goes hand in hand with the goal of this blog, to demolish the wall of lies and misconceptions that the international main stream media has built around the Basque people. Here you have it:

UNH senior debuts documentary at film gala Feb. 28

DURHAM — Don’t be surprised if one day you see Anna Bruning at the Cannes Film Festival. The University of New Hampshire senior debuts her first documentary film this weekend, a project that took her to Spain to film and had her rubbing elbows with some of the most accomplished editors and writers in the business at Ken Burns’ Walpole studio.

Bruning, a communication major who also is studying Spanish and cinema studies, unveils her film “Omendu Basques: Beyond the Bombs” Saturday, Feb. 28. The gala, sponsored by UNH’s International Research Opportunities Program (IROP), begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Building, Theatre II. It is free and open to the public, and will include a question-and-answer session following the film.

Bruning’s film is about the Basque people, who live in northern Spain and southwestern France. She tells the story of a people whose rich culture and history have been overshadowed by the Euskadi Ta Askatasuna or ETA, a terroristic organization that has been advocating Basque independence since the 1950s.

“This film is about the people who aren’t involved in terrorism. It’s about their culture, with the primary focus on their language because it is one of the most significant parts of their culture. It is now how they identify themselves. In the past, Basque identity was tied to hereditary traits, but today, identity is much more about the will to be Basque,” Bruning says.

“The Basques were the first to circumnavigate the world. They were the first commercial whalers. It was a Basque crew who helped Columbus sail to America, and they were here fishing for cod before Columbus arrived. Their language – Euskera – is particularly unique, with it and their culture surviving through invasions and Romanization. We have all of these facts, yet if people have even heard about the Basques, it’s usually been about the ETA,” she says.

Bruning first learned about the Basque people during a trip to Spain with her family as a teenager and became interested in documentary filmmaking in high school. After she arrived at UNH, she was encouraged to apply for an internship with noted documentary filmmaker Ken Burns’ Florentine Films. She spent the summer between her sophomore and junior years in the Walpole studio.

“That internship was one of the best summers I ever had. I was so excited to go to work every day. The executive editor went through a number of films with me, explaining – shot by shot – how the editing decisions were made. I also met Ken Burns, who talked to me about his inspiration. The internship really gave me a good background to go into this documentary. I don’t think I would have had enough experience to do it if I hadn’t interned with Ken Burns, and I don’t think IROP would have given me the grant to do the documentary if I hadn’t had the internship,” Bruning says.

After receiving an IROP grant for her documentary film project from the UNH Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research, Bruning spent the summer between her junior and senior years in Spain interviewing Basques and filming. She talked to students, citizens, Basque government officials and organizational leaders who were eager to tell her about the significance of their culture and what it means to be Basque.

“I met a man who, after an hour interviewing with me, told me I should contact his brother. His brother and wife a took day off from work to show me around town, interview with me, and make dinner for me. It demonstrates how proud these people are of their culture and how much they want to share it with others,” Bruning says.

After returning from Spain, Bruning began editing her project and putting it together, again with financial assistance from the UNH Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research. She also received advice and guidance from the experts at Florentine Films. However, the film truly has been an independent effort for her and she hopes it will lead to a career as a filmmaker.

And like any first-time filmmaker, she’s a bit nervous about the film gala.

“My friends say it’s very normal to be very nervous when you get this close to the end of a film project. I have friends and family coming from out of state to the gala, and I’m excited to share this with everyone who has known about it for so long. I am excited about the opportunity to experience the whole filmmaking process and share my love of this culture with other people,” Bruning says.


To be precise, ETA is not overshadowing the Basque people, it is the mass media the one being paid by the Spanish government to reduce the Basque identity to the eventual ETA action. Just one example, when has the main stream media gone crazy about one of the many torture cases against Basque activists over the past years? Never.

This is why Spain and France can get away with their violence against the Basque people, thanks to the operators in the big news agencies who make sure to censor it so the public does not get to learn what is really going on.

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Eusko Flickr : Leitza Herria


Leitza herria
Originally uploaded by palazio

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Boycott Against Israeli Products

This article was published at the Worker's World page:

Movement grows to boycott israeli products

Published Feb 23, 2009 10:12 PM

Furious at Israel’s horrific siege of Gaza and inspired by the courageous people of Gaza, workers, students and progressive activists are organizing sit-ins, demonstrations and other acts of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Many groups are getting on board and endorsing the Palestinian-led call for an international campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel.

From South Africa, where union dockworkers heroically refused to unload an Israeli ship, to Irish activists, Basque unionists and students in Britain and the United States, momentum is growing in the struggle to cut ties to Israel.

Students across Britain, including Palestinian and Arab youth, have taken direct action and occupied 21 campuses to protest Israel’s military assaults on Gaza and to demand their schools end links to the Zionist state and to the British weapons maker BAE Systems, which arms Israel.

In London, students held sit-ins at Goldsmith University and the London School of Economics, among others. Similar protests spread through England to Birmingham, Sussex, Norwich, Warwick, Oxford, Leeds, Cambridge and elsewhere. Some protests have won concessions from university officials.

At Manchester University, 1,000 students equated Israel with apartheid-era South Africa and called on the administration and student union to boycott Israeli companies and support Gaza and the BDS movement. The student union agreed.

Strong sit-ins have been held in Scotland at the universities of Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh and at Strathclyde.

Other solidarity actions continue. British MP George Galloway and 300 volunteers left Ramsgate Feb. 14 in a 110-vehicle caravan, whose vans, fire truck and ambulances were filled with community-donated food, medicine, clothes and toys to be donated in Gaza. Viva Palestine, Stop the War Coalition, Muslim groups and trade unions organized this 5,000-mile journey.

Irish organizations join BDS campaign

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions, with 600,000 members in 55 unions, is prepared to start a boycott of Israeli goods. The Jan. 31 Irish Times carried a full-page ad, headlined “Irish Call for Justice for Palestine,” sponsored by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Its 350 signers called for the Irish government and people to boycott Israeli products and to support the BDS campaign.

When thousands of Irish marchers in Derry commemorated the 37th anniversary of Bloody Sunday—when British soldiers killed 14 unarmed people in 1972—they carried 1,000 Palestinian flags in tribute to the Palestinians killed by Israeli bombs in Gaza. The names of children killed were posted at the Children’s Wall. Sinn Fein’s banner read, “Solidarity with People of Gaza, Stop the Blockade.”

Welsh activists were arrested in Swansea at a Tesco’s grocery store after they seized produce grown on illegally occupied Palestinian land. The media reported their message calling on Wales’ people to support a countrywide boycott of Israeli goods.

Demonstrations in more than 30 cities in Basque Country, with 30,000 participants, have called for BDS and linked the Basque and Palestinian struggles. Trade unions joined a Bilbao demonstration calling for a boycott of Israel. Ten municipalities called for breaking ties to Israel.

In Catalonia, protesters leapt onto a basketball court to disrupt a Barcelona-Maccabi (Tel Aviv) game, waving Palestinian flags and signs saying “Boycott Israel.”

Professors and university employees in Quebec also endorsed the Palestinian Federation of Unions of University Professors and Employees’ call to boycott Israel.

The BDS campaign is growing in the U.S. As Hampshire College students successfully campaigned for school divestment from Israel, a University of Rochester sit-in was organized by Students for a Democratic Society. They demanded no school ties to U.S. and Israeli militarism in the Middle East and aid for Gaza schools. Iraq Veterans against the War and Rochester Against War took part.

Macalester College students occupied the Minnesota Trade Office in St. Paul last month, then picketed there on Feb. 6, demanding that the state end all trade with Israel.

And New York University students began a divestment campaign at their school.

A 24-hour demonstration outside the World Zionist Organization’s New York office, from Feb. 12-13, drew 900 Jewish activists. Jews Say No targeted Israel’s blockade of Gaza and the ongoing occupation and demanded justice for the Palestinians.

Meanwhile, thousands of e-mail endorsements from the U.S., Canada and worldwide have poured in to the Jews in Solidarity with Palestine campaign. (See IACenter.org)

A cultural boycott is also underway. Chicago protesters wearing bandages stained with red paint, symbolizing Palestinian casualties, recently picketed the Israeli Batsheva Dance Company. The International Solidarity Movement and the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel plan protests wherever the dance company performs.

The Palestinian BDS National Committee has issued an international call for a Global Day of Action in Solidarity with the Palestinian people and for concrete and bold BDS actions on March 30 to make this mobilization “a historic step forward in the new movement.”

Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.
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Friday, February 20, 2009

Basque Language Revival

The article that you're about to read was posted at McClatchy's page:

As the world's languages disappear, Basque revives

By Julie Sell | McClatchy Newspapers

ST. JEAN DE LUZ, France — The world is losing languages at an alarming rate, a United Nations agency reported Thursday, with thousands of tongues expected to disappear by the end of this century.

Yet amid the losses, one community — the Basque people, who live in the mountainous region of southern France and northern Spain — is reviving a language that many once feared would die out.

In St. Jean de Luz, a seaside town near the Spanish border at the western edge of the Pyrenees, efforts are under way to revitalize the Basque language, which 30 years ago was rarely heard outside mountain villages. Among a population of about 3 million in the Basque region, which comprises seven provinces in Spain and France, an estimated 700,000 people speak Basque today.

Bilingual signs dot the roads and mark storefronts, and an annual festival celebrates the Basque language, music and culture. Public and private schools full of children and adults learn Basque.

Every Sunday, a mass is celebrated entirely in Basque — complete with Basque music — at the local church, Eglise Saint Jean Baptiste.

At the week's major food market here, Bixente, a 32-year-old man in jeans, tennis shoes and a tight wool cap, was selling such regional specialties as ewe's milk cheese, black cherry jam and spicy pimento powder from his stand to a steady stream of customers in the early morning chill.

"I grew up speaking Basque, and did all my baccalaureate exams, even biology and philosophy, in Basque," said Bixente, who hails from Bayonne and declined to identify himself further. "My parents' generation built private Basque schools in the 1980s. They gave their money, their energy, their efforts to make it happen."

In contrast, he said, when his mother was young, she "was punished at school for speaking Basque."

Fabienne Perrin, a 37-year-old woman employed by the local tourism office, grew up speaking Basque in a small mountain town a half-hour's drive from St. Jean de Luz. She recalled that her grandfather spoke only Basque, never French. Now, though, "the generation that spoke only Basque is gone," she said. "To work, you have to speak French."

France recognizes Basque as a distinct regional language — the departmental government has an office dedicated to the Basque language — but Basque doesn't have official status in France, meaning that it can't be used in a court of law, for instance. On the Spanish side of the border, Basque has been one of two official languages in the Basque autonomous region since 1979.

Many locals acknowledge that foreigners mistakenly associate all Basques with the extremist group ETA, whose members are known to slip back and forth across the rugged mountain border.

"There are lots of cliches," Perrin said. "But when people get here, they find we're really interested in something authentic. This isn't just folklore."

As successful as this region has been in preserving its unique language, however, others aren't as lucky.

The language report, released by UNESCO, the U.N. agency based in Paris, provides vivid detail of the linguistic diversity that still exists in the world — more than 6,000 languages are spoken on the planet — and the threats that it faces.

India, the United States, Brazil, Indonesia and Mexico have the greatest linguistic diversity, it says, but also the greatest number of languages at risk.

Among 2,500 endangered languages in the agency's online atlas, 538 are classified as "critically endangered." Seventy-five of these are in the United States, many of them obscure American Indian tongues found in the Western states. They include Tubatulabal, spoken by just three elders in California's Kern River Valley in the southern Sierra Nevada, and Lushootseed, spoken by fewer than five people on reservations in Washington state.

Beyond Basque, which UNESCO labeled "unsafe," the agency notes that some endangered languages can be saved through a combination of government intervention and community will.

Welsh, for instance, has made a comeback in the past few decades after nearly dying out when Wales was exclusively under English rule.

UNESCO's most recent estimate of Welsh speakers: 750,000.

(Sell is a McClatchy special correspondent.)

ON THE WEB
UNESCO Interactive Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

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Monday, February 16, 2009

Bilingual Education in Navarre

This essay was published at Basque Research:

Study on attitudes of students at the Public University of Navarre to bilingual education

The Public University of Navarre (UPNA) has presented the book, “Attitudes and beliefs of students of the UPNA to bilingualism and bilingual education”, a report on the research work undertaken by the University teachers Mr Pablo Sotés, Ms Nekane Oroz and Mr Carlos Vilches. The work, 1,000 copies of which have been published at a selling price of 12 euros, was financed by the Government of Navarre.

In order to gather information, the authors carried out interviews with 2,048 students - out of a total of 7,410 – over the 2005-2006 academic year and, moreover, used the technique of group discussion. The level of reliability of the study is 95.5%.

The principal aim of the work was to find out the linguistic skills of the student body at the Public University of Navarre and analyse the attitudes to bilingualism and bilingual education in the educational system of the Autonomous Community of Navarre. The results provide a linguistic map of the student body which should contribute to the task of linguistic planning within the various strategic plans of the University.

Linguistic profile of student body

According to the research results, 84% of students interviewed have Castilian (Spanish) as their mother tongue while 14% have Euskara (the Basque language) or both simultaneously, and the remaining 2% have a mother tongue other than Basque or Spanish. As regards linguistic skills, nearly 40% state that they have knowledge of Basque to a greater or lesser extent, comprehension skills being rated higher than those of oral and written expression. A similar percentage of students (40%) have knowledge of French, although here the percentage of those stating they have difficulties is greater than with Basque.

Linguistic skills in English present special characteristics, according to the study. In general, it can be said that the immense majority of students at the UPNA has a high or intermediate knowledge of the English language, scoring over 90% in each of the four linguistic skills (aural comprehension, reading writing and speaking). The highest scoring, nevertheless, is in written and oral comprehension and the lowest in oral expression. Of the five modern European languages, German is, on the other hand, the language with the least presence amongst the students (less than 10%).

About 20% of students have an elementary or higher qualification in Basque and more than 40% have a certificate in English. About 15% of students have qualifications in French and less than 2% in German.

Taking different languages into account

English is the language deemed by most students as the most appropriate for scientific and educational communication, followed by Spanish, German, French and Basque in that order of importance. This order changes when sociocultural transmission is involved (Spanish, English, Basque, French and German) or which are considered socially the best (Spanish, English, Basque, German and French).

Also, more than 90% of those surveyed consider that the knowledge of a second language facilitates the learning of a third. And to the question as to what linguistic model (in the Basque-Spanish bilingual educational system) they would choose for their primary/secondary school studies if they were making the choice now, women opt primarily for model D (Basque), followed by A (Spanish with Basque as a subject) and G (Spanish) and models in English or in French, in that order. In the case of men, however, the order varies, being model G the most popular choice, followed by D, A and then models in English or in French.

As regards legal aspects there exists a great lacuna in knowledge about linguistic zoning, established by the Navarre Autonomous Community Law on the Basque language. Nevertheless, 43% consider that Basque should have a new deal for the future regulated by Law, which would enable greater rights in the use and the teaching of this language. 14%, however, defend the validity of zoning.

Languages in the educational system

The study also reveals the opinions of students about the treatment of languages in the educational system. 60% of those surveyed consider that Basque is still not normalised nor has it been spread throughout the educational system as it should. More than 35% believe, however, that this language does not need any treatment differentiated from the other languages, given that they believe it to be fully normalised.

With respect to the linguistic models (see above) in the educational system, the majority of those surveyed who come from model A believe this model does not guarantee the achievement of obtaining the linguistic skills sufficient for undertaking university studies in Basque. In the case of model D, the majority who have been through this educational linguistic model hold that this immersion model in Basque enables them to carry out their university studies in either Spanish or Basque. However, ex-model G students believe this model does not guarantee a sufficient level in Spanish.

Regarding the EC languages, students justify the predominance of English as a majority foreign language in the non-university educational system of Navarre, linking fluency in this language with access to high socio-economic status.

As regards French, almost 50% of those surveyed believe it will continue to be taught as up to now, although 25% do not augur a good future for the tongue and consider that its teaching will gradually disappear. On the other hand, most students state that German will grow in the educational system of Navarre.

Languages in the University

The research revealed that students consider knowledge of English fundamental to starting their university studies (88%), followed at a distance by Basque (36%). French and German score significantly low in this respect.

At the time of undertaking the survey, the professional teaching qualifications in Basque included the Teaching Certificate in Infant Education and the Teaching Certificate in Primary Education and certain subjects in other qualifications. Students enrolled in subjects in the Basque language came to 10% of the total, most of which are women who study at the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, have Basque as their mother tongue and have been through model D schooling and this, to a great extent, in the Basque Autonomous Community (Euskadi).

Students not enrolled for subjects through this language state the reasons as being the lack of opportunity to learn the language or lack of linguistic skills therein, incompatibility with timetables, misleading information, preference for Spanish, etcetera. The percentage of ex-model A students opting for subjects through Basque does not come to 4%.

The study indicates that the provision of subjects/courses in Basque is classified as “insufficient” by more than half of the students. In this sense, 76.5% are in favour of including some subjects in Basque within a degree course; 30% prefer the provision of a complete degree course in Basque, together with the existing provision in Spanish and 15.7% would not offer any subject in Basque on a degree course.

Regarding EC languages, the University prioritises the linguistic training of the students - in the academic year in which the survey was undertaken, subjects were offered in English and in French, above all in the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences.

Given this situation, the survey indicates that English is the foreign language most required by students as a language of instruction. 79.2% of those surveyed believe it a good thing to provide subjects in this language, compared to 13.8% who opt for French and 12% for German. Nevertheless, only 19.40% would offer a whole degree course through English. The majority prefer this language to be offered in the following: a selection of subjects; optional subjects; certain core and obligatory subjects, free choice subjects - in that order. The demand for French and German in this respect is much less significant.

Finally, the research measured the level of satisfaction expressed by students at UPNA with how the University treats languages: poorly in the case of Basque and very poorly in the cases of French and German; and medium-high with respect to English.

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Our Irish Cousins

This article was published today at Irish Times:

Genetic studies show our closest relatives are found in Galicia and the Basque region

DICK AHLSTROM

ANCESTRAL LINKS: WHAT DO pygmy shrews, badgers, mountain hares, pine martins and Irish people have in common? All probably originally came to Ireland on boats from northern Spain.

Our closest relatives are found in various parts of Galicia and the Basque country according to genetic studies led by Prof Dan Bradley of Trinity College Dublin’s Smurfit Institute of Genetics. He presented his research over the weekend at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Chicago.

He was joined by Queen’s University Belfast archaeologist and linguist Prof James Mallory who talked about efforts to link these DNA studies with the transmission of languages across western Europe.

The chair of the session was the Government’s chief scientific adviser, Prof Patrick Cunningham.

Prof Bradley and colleagues have done extensive genetic analysis into where the Irish came from and how they got to Ireland. He studies genes associated with the Y chromosome, a genetic inheritance that comes via the father.

By tracking the presence of certain Y chromosome markers he can travel back in time to map our relatedness to others across Europe. He explained how he had also done this with the two main species of cattle, the familiar flat-backed cattle and the hump-backed cattle seen in India and Africa.

The human data definitively showed that our strongest relatedness was with the northern Iberian peninsula, with this genetic signal strongest for the Irish living today in the west of Ireland. These in turn were likely the closest relatives of the migrants who originally settled in Ireland.

Genetic studies of Irish fauna also showed this distinctive signal, he said. “The Irish badgers are Spanish, but the British badgers are not. The fauna of Ireland seems to be divergent. How does one explain this,” he asked.

The most likely explanation was that the island was settled by migrants from northern Spain as the glaciers that covered Ireland from the last ice age melted away. “It seems to me that most animals in Ireland came by boat. There seems to have been some communication with southern Europe.”

The Book of Invasions from the 8th century talked about an invasion by the Spanish king Milesius, he said.

His group also looked for genetic linkages between people sharing a common surname, something passed along from the male lineage like the Y chromosome.

They found linkages that traced back, to the famous Ui Neill kindred, from whom Niall Noigiallagh, Niall of the nine hostages was descended.

Prof Mallory described attempts to match up the transmission of languages with the dispersal of DNA as people migrated across Europe. It was extremely difficult however due to confounding influences including language transmission via “elite dominance”.

Settled areas with a unique language later taken over by invaders would see language displacement, with the newcomers imposing their own language. However, the local gene pool would remain and would dilute the genetic influence of the newcomers.

This was possibly the reason why when one looked for genetic evidence of the Celts in Ireland these Celtic genes could not be found. Studies of this dynamic has occurred in what is now Hungary showed a mismatch between the dominant language and the dominant genetic influence. “Modern DNA is no predictor of the modern Hungarian language,” Prof Mallory said.


Maybe that's why the Irish are so adamant at defending their identity from their meddling and often violently invasive neighbors, they got that from their Basque ancestors.

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Saturday, February 14, 2009

Ballots of Dignity

Pro-independence Basque citizens show ballots of the outlawed Basque party, Democracy 3 Million or D3M, in Bilbao. The Spanish government has ordered the General Attorney to outlaw D3M, in order to ensure that the ruling party's candidate, Patxi Lopez, stands a chance to win the Basque Autonomous Community's presidency. Since there is no separation of powers in Spain like in other advanced and democratic states, judge Baltasar proceeded to obey and resorted to an Apartheid like law that enables Spain to outlaw any Basque political party they want, which is why no one can understand how is it that Nadine Gordimer decided to become such an ardent opponent of the Basque right to self determination after everything she allegedly did in her own country, South Africa.

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Police Brutality in Bilbao

Ertzaintza's officers acting on direct orders from Madrid attacked demonstrators and arrested five people Saturday at a protest over the banning of pro-independence parties from regional elections next month.

The demonstrators set fire to rubbish bins and blocked roads in the protest in the Basque city of Bilbao, held in defiance of a ban on the gathering by authoritarian Judge Baltasar Garzon.

Leftist Basque activists called the demonstration to protest a Supreme Court decision last week to ban two pro-independence parties, Askatasuna and the Democracy Three Million (D3M), from March 1 regional elections.

Among the protesters Saturday were some ex-leaders of Batasuna and the spokesman of the D3M.

Spain has been blamed for the deaths of dozens of thousands of Basques in a five-century genocidal colonialist occupation.

Basque parties that favor both independence and complete sovereignty draw support from approximately 10 percent of Spain's Basque voters. Those voters have been denied access to the democratic principle known as universal suffrage due to an Apartheid style Spanish law designed exclusively to restrict the civil and political rights of the Basques living in Hegoalde, the southern portion of Euskal Herria.

We have to remember that those civil and political rights are protected by an UN treaty and that just a few days ago the UN's Highs Commissioner for Human Rights issued a report in which it stated that Spain applies the term "terrorist" too liberally and that in doing so violates the rights of the Basque people.

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I'm Contaminated

This letter was published at An Phoblacht:

Repression of Basque independence movement

I am a Basque and I might be contaminated. The Spanish authorities haven’t yet named the virus but myself and another 84 Basque citizens are under strict surveillance in case we have it.

On the 1 March elections will take place in the Basque country and we are all on the list of candidates for the Askatasuna party.

But the Spanish government has decided that we cannot take part in these elections because of that nameless virus.

We have been accused, as many people before us, of helping a terrorist organisation. The reasoning is that we are nationalist.

The ‘evidence’ consists of taking part in pro-independence rallies, visiting or writing to friends in jail or even socialising in the same bars as known pro-independence militants.

I am not a member of ETA but because of this ‘evidence’ I might be considered one soon or at least a collaborator. Today there are over 700 Basque prisoners in Spanish and French jails – all of them under imprisoned under similar allegations. The truth is that most of them have never seen a gun except for movies on TV or maybe in the hands of a heavily armed police officer at a checkpoint.

The Spanish state has launched a new inquisition because it knows that the Basque pro-independence movement is strong in political debate and its position is clear and democratic. They have seen how big Sinn Féin has become in the decade since the Good Friday Agreement. They know the risks of letting Basques decide their own future by peaceful and democratic means.

So they chose war. They use the police and special courts, ban political parties and close newspapers.

But the pro-independence movement wants to move forward. It does not want war. We look on with envy to Ireland, Scotland, Greenland and other countries that have democratically decided to take their future into their own hands. We don’t want to impose our views on anyone. We just want the right to defend our political project and to be assured that whatever road the Basque people decide to take it will be respected.

Irish republicans have long been great friends of the Basque Country. Once again we cry for help. In 2009 we face an attempt an inquisition to exterminate the pro-independence movement. One way we can stop this is with the aid and solidarity of the international community.

I hope one day we can work in our cities, towns and villages freely for the Basque independent socialist republic. That is our goal. And while we recognise it might take years to become a reality it needs to be the Basque people who decide their own future, peacefully, democratically and free from outside interference. Our day will come too.

Basque political activist

(named withheld for security reasons)
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Eusko Flickr : More snow!?


More snow!?
Originally uploaded by kieron roberts

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Learning to Play Mus

This article was published at The Buffalo Bulletin:

Calling a spade an espada

Preserving a tradition is in the cards for Mus players
Grant Smith

Last Sunday something important was happening.

As decks of cards were cut and idle chatter filled the Catholic church’s recreation hall, it was difficult to see the event as anything more than a typical afternoon gathering.

But like a slow drifting evening fog, Basque words began to fill the room, and it became apparent that it wasn’t just another church card tournament.

It was a continuation of a deeply cherished tradition.

“A lot of our players are dying off, it has been over a century since the Basque people started coming to Buffalo and we’re beginning to be stirred right into the melting pot,” stated Big Horn Basque Club member Mick Camino. “I think it’s very important for people to learn the game of Mus. The Basque government highly encourages us to promote all aspects of the Basque Culture and we basically have a directive to pass it on, and also it’s a great way to spend time with family.”

The Basque card game Mus is more than an important tool for promoting the culture, it’s a fun and easy game to learn.

Incorporating the traditional language into the game, players learn Basque numbers and simple phrases, while experiencing first-hand a favored pastime of their sheepherding ancestors.

Taking a break from the action, several storied Mus players weighed in with tips on the nuances of the game, noting that a full explanation of the rules can be obtained easily over the Internet or by contacting Camino with the Big Horn Basque Club at 217-1575.

Starting out

“It’s a really easy game to learn,” noted Camino who has been playing for more than 20 years. “It’s just like learning a board game but the great thing about it is that no matter how far down you are, you still have a chance to bet the entire game and win.”

The game is played with four players making two teams and a special Mus deck that can be obtained at a Basque tournament or by contacting Camino.

For someone just starting out, club member Daniel Escoz recommends contacting the club to find out about local tournaments or instructional events.

“Back in December, we had a gathering at the VFW that featured Basque dancers and they taught Mus,” noted Escoz. “Currently we are trying to organize a group of kids to get together and learn how to play.”

As far as the best way to be introduced into the game Camino and Escoz are split.

“The game is not difficult at all to learn if you learn it in English,” noted Camino who learned the game that way at a North American Basque Organization music camp. “It takes some patience and for someone just starting out they don’t need to know all the ins and outs like facial signals and such.”

Escoz prefers the full immersion method.

“I learned Mus about 20 years ago from my dad in the sheep camps,” he stated. “I think it’s easier just to learn it in full with the Basque terms so that you’re playing it right, and you just get it all done with at once.”

Picking a partner

For Mick Camino and his partner Jason Camino, a good balance is what they seek when choosing their teammate.

“I would classify myself as a little more of a wild player, I take more chances, where as Mick is more conservative,” noted Jason. “I think that balance helps make us a good team.”

Mick agrees.

“Really what makes a good partner is someone who gets good cards all the time,” he noted. “But if you can’t find that, you want someone that is not going to make the big mistakes like betting the whole game when they don’t have the cards to do it. It really helps to have someone that plays a little different from your style just to keep your opponents on their toes.”

Bluffing

While it always helps to have a pat hand, fate might not fall in your favor. In such a case, there is always the opportunity to bluff your way to a win.

“Bluffing is a pretty big part of the game,” explained Jason. “If I don’t have a good hand but come out pretty strong I might bluff the other team to fold, but sometimes it can backfire on you.”

Mick uses his conservative style to make his bluffs more believable.

“I really don’t like to do it that often, so that when I do they think I’m telling the truth,” Mick stated.

Escoz is on the other side of the spectrum from Mick.

“I bluff every chance I get,” he stated. “It’s just a matter of having a good poker face.”

Giving the sign:

You can communicate with your partner about your hand via facial signals — or kenuak — throughout the game. The only problem is the signals are fixed the same for everyone and open for your opponent to steal.

“That’s when it helps to have a really heady uncle for a partner like Mick,” Jason said. “He knows what’s going on at the table and is good about giving a single when it is necessary.”

“If I have a high hand or a low hand I can give my partner a signal to let him know what I’m playing with,” noted Mick. “You really only want to use them if you can sneak it by your opponent. There’s a time to use it and a time to not. But you can never lie on the signal to try and throw off your opponent.”

Caminos claim local Mus title

On Sunday, Feb. 9, the annual Big Horn Basque Mus Tournament was held featuring eight teams of two players competing in an elimination style contest lasting well into the evening.

“This card tournament is sponsored by the North American Basque Organization,” noted a press release issued by the Big Horn Basque Club. “The game, unique to the Basque people has a list of official rules. Rule number one is that during the game a player may speak with his partner, may ask his partner any question and may answer any question as he sees fit — whether those answers be truthful or not.”

The winning team on Sunday was made up of Mick Camino and Jason Camino who have the opportunity to travel to Chino, Calif., to compete in the national tournament in July.

In the youth bracket, Baileigh Rodriguez and Tommy Fieldgrove beat out Ana Fieldgrove and Micheala Rodriguez.


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Wednesday, February 11, 2009

International Week of Solidarity in Ireland

This week there has been a series of events around the world as part of a call to show solidarity with Euskal Herria.

This information comes to us thanks to the Irish Basque Committees:

INTERNATIONAL WEEK OF SOLIDARITY WITH THE BASQUE COUNTRY 6TH-15TH FEBRUARY

EVENTS IN IRELAND


Friday 13th

DUBLIN

Public talks: Repression and Resistance in the Basque Country. Speaker from Kamaradak, Basque internationalist youth network.

12.30 noon UCD, Montrose (near Donnybrook) Student Centre, Rooms 1 & 2.

3.00pm Trinity College, Dublin Arts Block Room 5039

8.00pm Teachers' Club, 36, Parnell Square, Dublin 1 (has bar)

DERRY

8.30pm Dunloe Bar Food, DVD's, talk and live music £3 Organised by Friends of the Basque Country & Derry Sinn Féin


Saturday 14th Solidarity protests

DUBLIN 11.00am GPO, O'Connell St

CORK 12noon Daunt's Square

DERRY 3.30pm Free Derry Corner

BELFAST 12.30pm City Hall and immediately after first hand perspectives with representative from Kamaradak, Basque internationalist youth network upstairs Kelly's Cellars (Irish stew & drinks available).






THE BASQUE COUNTRY DOESN'T WALK ALONE TOWARDS DEMOCRACY AND SELF-DETERMINATION!!


ORGANISED BY IRISH BASQUE SOLIDARITY COMMITTEES


Keep up to date on Basque struggle news at: http://www.irishbasquecommittees.blogspot.com/

Listen to Basque Info at www.feilefm.com on line on Tuesdays from 6.30-7pm and Wednesdays 12-12.30pm

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Eusko Flickr : Merindades


merindades
Originally uploaded by unai pascual

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Ignored Identity

As it usually happens with an occupied nation, the identity of Wales has been overlooked by a travel guide and bunched together with the English identity, this article regarding the issue comes our way thanks to Wales Online:

Welsh castle is moved into England!

by Martin Shipton, Western Mail

A FULL-PAGE picture of Cardiff Castle appears in First Great Western’s on-board magazine for rail passengers – to advertise walks in England!

Last night the train firm apologised for the gaffe, which appears in the latest edition of Go to ... magazine, read by thousands of travellers between London and South Wales.

Beneath a colour picture of the castle’s medieval keep – and with the Red Dragon flag limp and barely visible against its pole – a caption reads: “Walks of life – Seeing England by foot is the best way to sample other people’s experiences of life. We set the pace with five of the best themed walks.”

The first of the walks, featured on the opposite page, is a stroll around the parks and gardens of Cardiff – without once mentioning Wales or that Cardiff is its capital city.

Plaid Cymru councillor Neil McEvoy, the Deputy Leader of Cardiff County Council, said: “It’s good that they are giving Cardiff’s parks and gardens publicity, but ridiculous that they’ve put us in the wrong country.

“It says quite a lot about the mindset of those who put this magazine together. Too many people classify Wales as being part of England. If you go to the Continent – unless it’s places like Brittany and the Basque Country, where they know better – people usually assume when you say you’re from Wales that you’re actually from England.

“It’s very important that we have our distinctive identity as a nation, and that the message is got across that we are a different country from England.

“I’ll be writing to the magazine to point out their mistake.”

Newport West Labour MP Paul Flynn, a frequent traveller on First Great Western’s trains between his constituency and London, said: “We’re used to this crass kind of mistake, but that doesn’t make it excusable. One would have thought the penny might have dropped by now.

“A little while ago someone told me he had met a lady visiting from California. She asked him three questions: Is it true that people set fire to your home if you don’t speak Welsh? Is it true all the pubs and clubs are shut on Sundays? Is it true that everyone works in coal mines or steelworks?

“He asked her whether that’s what people in California thought Wales was like. She said no – that’s what they had told her about Wales in London.

“They either ignore Wales or resort to old stereotypes.”

'Errors may occur'

A First Great Western spokesman said: “We attempt to check the accuracy of the information contained in our on-board magazine Go To but, in some instances, errors may occur for which we apologise.

“We have a rigorous copy checking procedure internally and externally with our agencies and partners, but sometimes things may slip through the net. We promote our products, services and fares in campaigns all over Wales and the West Country. The fact we gave precedence to Cardiff Castle in the feature with a full-page image is testament to this.

“First Great Western is fully committed to its role in Wales where we are a significant employer. This commitment to Wales and the language is further strengthened through our deep support of the National Eisteddfod.”

Ignoring Wales

* The index of the original 1768 edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica states in its index: “For Wales see England”.

* Wales is not represented on the Union Jack.

* Unlike the other UK nations, Wales is not represented on a new set of coins issued by the Royal Mint – at Llantrisant – last year.

* President Nicolas Sarkozy of France omitted to mention Welsh combatants who died in two World Wars at a commemorative battlefield event last November.


At least the editor apologized for the so called gaffe, in the case of Euskal Herria, Catalunya, Galiza and the Canary Islands it is the Spanish government the one that orders media outlets to divest those nations from their identity and insist that they are portrayed as Spanish.

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Monday, February 09, 2009

Defending Diversity

This analysis about how the so called "stateless people", meaning, the nations that do not count with statehood and therefore are denied a number of rights that happen to be protected by a number of international treaties, have to put forward the defense of diversity has been published at The Morung Express:

‘Stateless Peoples’ defend diversity

Mario Osava

The immense diversity of peoples was apparent at the World Social Forum (WSF), which ended Sunday in Belém, the capital of the state of Pará in the Brazilian Amazon region. The presence of 1,900 indigenous people representing 190 ethnic groups as well as 1,400 Quilombolas (people of African origins living in traditional communities) was conspicuous among the 133,000 participants from 142 countries. They had their own tents, discussions and celebrations at the event.

For the first time, there was also a tent for the Collective Rights of Stateless Peoples, initiating a reflection at the WSF about a "radical democracy" that upholds the self-determination of peoples, said Arnau Flores, a Catalonian journalist responsible for communication at the Escarré International Centre for Ethnic Minorities and Nations (CIEMEN).

A map showing 32 of these peoples-without-states was displayed in the tent, but "there are many more," Flores told IPS. Some are well-known - like the Palestinians, Basques, Roma, Kurds, Tibetans and Saharawi. Others are seldom thought of in this context, like the South American Mapuche and the Australian Aborigines.

More than 20 organisations of such peoples took part in the activities organised by CIEMEN, with discussions ranging from strategies for emancipation and building their own institutions, to topical questions linked to the main themes of the WSF - such as the crisis of civilisation and globalisation.

The seeds of a global network of "stateless peoples" claiming their collective rights were sown at this WSF, aiming at a new kind of decolonisation and running counter to the "idea of the imperialist nation-state" as the only institution possible in the world, said Quim Arrufat, a Catalonian political scientist in charge of CIEMEN's international relations.

The Centre is based in Barcelona, the capital of the Spanish region of Catalonia - a nation-without-a-state. CIEMEN does not itself advocate, for instance, a Palestinian state - the issue at the centre of the bloody conflict with Israel - but the right of the Palestinian people to make their own decision about this concern, Arrufat told IPS, making a careful distinction. The "plurinational state" established in the new constitutions of Bolivia and Ecuador is one way forward, but "perhaps it is not the path for other" peoples who need, for example, to return to their homeland, like the Saharawi, he said.

At the root of the problem is the "single legal framework" exported by Europe to the whole world, which determines the constitution of even international institutions like the United Nations - made up exclusively of nation states - which "is neither representative nor logical," he claimed. One of the consequences of the nation-state model is wars and conflicts, but the issue of peoples-without-states is a new one. Twenty years ago it was a "prohibited" subject, and changing the present system "is not at all easy," Arrufat said.

The WSF opened the way to bringing together organisations from different regions to debate the issue and promote an international movement for the "collective rights of peoples" who have had their own identities suppressed, he said. The legal system of national states does not recognise these collective rights, focusing instead on the rights of individuals, Flores said.

Spain grants a certain amount of autonomy to its regions, but Catalonia cannot carry out its own referendums, which must be exclusively national, and in the Basque Country - another Spanish region - any independent party is "outlawed and accused of being terrorist," he said. Paradoxically, Europe, the cradle of the nation-state, is experiencing a number of conflicts and tensions because of its many "stateless peoples": the various Spanish regions, Corsica (in Italy), Brittany (in France), and Scotland and Wales (in the United Kingdom).

The European Union sparked hopes among marginalised peoples that integration would open the doors to their collective rights, but these hopes were dashed. The bloc of 27 countries was built on the idea of statehood, preventing the acceptance of, for example, multilingualism. Thus the language spoken by seven million Catalonians is official neither in Spain nor in the EU, while in contrast Maltese - an official language of the Mediterranean island state of Malta with a population of 400,000 - is recognised.

The assembly on collective rights decided "to potentiate its participation in the WSF" by promoting this issue which had previously been considered almost solely in relation to indigenous groups, Flores said. Self- determination and sovereignty, among the goals of the 2009 Forum, were the core themes of the discussion. The diversity of groups with identities of their own was highly visible at the Social Cartography by Traditional Peoples and Communities tent in Belém. This project begun by the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM) and the Association of Amazonian Universities (UNAMAZ) has expanded throughout Brazil.

Dozens of maps of their territories have been made by indigenous peoples and the residents of "quilombos" (communities that were refuges for escaped African slaves) themselves, as well as by communities and social movements. These serve to increase knowledge and awareness of their own reality, and to appropriate information to use as the basis of autonomous initiatives and public policies.

These studies highlight an amazing diversity of communities with their own lifestyles, customs and methods of organisation, including riverside dwellers in the Amazon, fisher folk on large rivers, and the different communities who extract forest products, like natural rubber tappers. Another example are the "faxinais", peasants in the south of Brazil who pool their land for livestock raising purposes only and have their own techniques of environmental management. The diversity of WSF participants at Belém was visible too at the Federal Rural University of Amazonia (UFRA), where the Youth Camp and members of social movements were accommodated. The multitudes of people on this campus for the six days of the Forum were visibly poorer than those who attended the non-governmental organisations' activities at the nearby Federal University of Pará (UFPA).

The large numbers of indigenous Amazon peoples who attended, at a time when neoliberal (free market) globalisation is in crisis, provided "new inspiration for renewing the search for another world," said Cándido Grzybowski, one of the founders and organisers of the WSF and head of the Brazilian Institute of Social and Economic Analyses (IBASE). According to the figures he quoted at a press conference at the conclusion of the Forum, out of the 133,000 participants in Belém, 15,000 people were at the Youth Camp and 3,000 were children or teenagers. This is a guarantee of the continuity of the WSF, he said.

In all, "nearly 150,000 people were involved" in the global meeting of civil society, including 4,500 accredited members of the media -2,000 of whom were journalists, 1,000 artists who put on cultural performances, and over 10,000 people who worked in organisation, cooking food and other services. Security was provided by 7,000 police officers, and health care by 900 professionals, according to Ana Claudia Cardoso, a representative of the state government of Pará.

The next WSF, to be held in 2011, will take place in Africa, said Taoufik Ben Abdallah, a Senegalese member of the African Social Forum. But this has not yet been officially agreed by the WSF International Council, which will consider the question on Monday and Tuesday. There are proposals for the next WSF to be held in the United States, and for the biennial character of the Forum to be waived by holding another world meeting in 2010, in order to analyse and respond to the new circumstances created by the global financial crisis.


It is a good thing that now we count with these alternative forums so we can hear the voices silenced by the mega-nations and their hegemonic designs that often go against diversity in order to control their citizens and provide them with an artificial patriotism.

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Sunday, February 08, 2009

Spain Bans D3M and Askatasuna

Like I mentioned in the previous entry about how the UN has unmasked Spain as a human an political rights' violator, yet Zapatero has ordered two more Basque political parties banned.

You can read about it at this article found at Google News:

Spanish top court bars two parties from Basque polls


MADRID (AFP) — Spain's supreme court backed Sunday a government request to bar two Basque pro-independence parties from regional elections next month, judicial sources said.

The justices "have annulled the candidacies of the D3M and Askatasuna" in the March 1 elections, the sources told AFP.

The government and prosecutors charged that Democracy Three Million (D3M) and Askatasuna have links to the armed Basque separatist group ETA and its political arm Batasuna, which the court outlawed in 2003.

Anti-terrorist Judge Baltasar Garzon is to hand down a separate decision Tuesday on whether to suspend the parties' political activities.

Radical Basque separatist parties draw support from approximately 10 percent of Spain's Basque voters.

Spanish courts blocked two radical Basque parties, PCTV (Party of Basque Lands) and ANV (Nationalist Basque Action), from running in legislative elections last March over alleged links to ETA.


What Zapatero want is for the candidate for his own party, Patxi López, to win the elections so they can both dismantle what Basque society has built in the Basque autonomous community for the last 30 years.

Funny thing, the Zapatero's PSOE deployed the terrorist group known as GAL but somehow his party is not being banned, talk about Apartheid.

.... ... .

The UN Sets The Record Straight

Spain is a human and political rights' violator.

Who says that?

No other than the UN.

Here you have an article about this development published by World War 4:

UN blasts Spain's repression of Basque political parties

Submitted by WW4 Report on Sun, 02/08/2009 - 20:07

A United Nations official said Feb. 5 that Spain's Law of Political Parties violates fundamental freedoms in the name of countering terrorism. According to Martin Scheinin, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, the law criminalizes as "support of terrorism" conduct that does not relate to any kind of violent activity.

In a 26-page report based on a fact-finding mission to Spain last year, Scheinin finds that the Law of Political Parties might be interpreted to include any political party which through peaceful political means seeks similar political objectives to those pursued by the armed group ETA. The report reiterates that all limitations on the right to political participation must meet strict criteria in order to be compatible with international standards of freedom of speech.

Audiencia Nacional, incommunicado detention, torture The Special Rapporteur also calls upon the Spanish government to consider placing terrorism cases under the jurisdiction of ordinary district courts, instead of a single central specialized court, the Audiencia Nacional, with exclusive jurisdiction over terrorist crimes. The report finds that judgments issued by the Audiencia Nacional are only subject to review by the Supreme Court.

The report also recommends the "complete eradication of the institution of incommunicado detention" and assurance of "prompt, independent, impartial and thorough investigations are conducted in any case where there is reason to believe ill-treatment may have occurred." (Euskal Herriko News, Feb. 6)


But just like Israel has disregarded many UN reports and resolutions, Spain did the same and just a few hours ago banned D3M and Askatasuna.

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Saturday, February 07, 2009

BBC : Basque Shepherding in California

This magnificent photo essay is part of a BBC feature about the Basque shepherds in California:


Basque tradition

For more than a century in the western US, shepherding has been the domain of Basques and their descendants.

They originally came from the mountain slopes of the Pyrenees of Spain and France.

Today, immigrants from Chile, Peru and Mongolia are taking their place, and mobile phones and other modern devices are part of the herders' kit.


Third generation

Phil Esnos, 42, (right) is a third generation Basque shepherd in California's Kern County.

His family traces its roots of herding in this region to 1910, when Phil’s grandfather emigrated to the US from Spain.

Phil, who bought his first sheep from his father for $65 at age 18, now has a flock of more than 2,500.


Lonely fields

Not far from the interstate that runs through California, down a dirt road past the small town of Lost Hills, you find a modest shepherd's dwelling.

It is here that a shepherd can pass many days, tending his sheep or watching his flock graze on the dusty green brush of the desert.

It is a way of life that dates back more than 150 years.


Social interaction

But if you drive 100km (60 miles) though fertile farmland to Bakersfield, you find a place where the herders, past and present, go for food and company.

This is Woolgrowers restaurant, which has been catering to shepherds and their families since 1954.

Spanish-born Basque Luis Rementegui has worked here for more than 32 years.


Steady migration

Tending the bar at the Woolgrowers is JC Coscarat.

About a dozen restaurants once catered for the stream of Basque immigrants who headed west after World War Two.

But the immigrants' numbers slowed in the 1980s, when the economy picked up back in Europe.

Until then, almost every herder in California was Basque.


New faces

These days, traditional Basque shepherds mostly own the herds, while the workers come from Chile or Peru.

Today, Phil employs three immigrant herders from Peru.

"Since 9/11, it has been difficult for workers to come to the US, so when I get a hard worker, I want to do everything possible for the relationship to work for a long time," he says.


Vast terrain

Together, they move the entire flock over vast areas throughout the year, covering some 1,125km and crossing into other western states like Nevada.

"We've only been in Nevada for two years, but there is so much room to run our sheep, it feels like California used to be," says Phil.


Better wages

In 2001, California passed state legislation requiring that immigrant herders on the H-2A agriculture visa be paid $1,200 (£825) per month.

It also requires employers to provide suitable room and board.

It marks a sharp break from the past, when the herding industry was largely unregulated and living conditions were poor.


Precious water

These days, water is becoming a sought-after commodity in the western states, as farmers and herders compete with the sprawling housing market for the precious resource.

Herders like Phil must sometimes travel large distances just to fetch water for his flock.

"Because of so little rainfall, I can spend more than half my day picking up water and taking it to my sheep," he says.


Uncertain future

This century-old way of life may soon disappear as California's sheep industry has been hit by grazing restrictions and tough competition globally.

Young generations of Basques are also losing interest in the traditional family business.

"I will just have to see what my 15-year-old boy wants to do," says Phil. "This type of hard work just doesn't seem to appeal to that generation."

Photos and words: Micah Albert

.... ... .

Spanish Flag Insults Basque People

Juan Carlos Borbón and his minister Rodríguez Zapatero are bent on denying the Basques all of their political rights. To do so they have corrupted the own Spanish institutions and all but erased the separation of powers, a concept that is cornerstone to any democracy.

This is why, do to an order by Spain’s Supreme Court, Spain's flag, along with the Basque and EU flags, must be raised ‘permanently’ outside all public buildings which includes the Basque parliament.

Bowing to a Spanish Supreme Court order in order to avoid more state sponsored violence, the authorities in independentist-minded Basque country on Thursday hoisted the Spanish flag outside the Basque parliament in Gazteiz.

Without ceremony, the Franco era red and yellow flag was raised alongside that of the Basque country and the European Union near the main entrance to the regional parliament building in the centre of the Basque capital.

It marked the first time that all three flags were "permanently" raised outside the building.

Spain's Supreme Court ruled in November that the Basque parliament had to display the Spanish flag next to the red, white and green Basque flag. It argued that the law requires the flag to be displayed at all public buildings.

But the Basque parliament, dominated by the colaborationist Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) which faces regional elections on 1 March, had argued that the parliament building had no mast and had never displayed any flags. So the Basques were forced to install masts just to abide by this new imposition of colonialist power by Spain.

The Basque flag, known as "Ikurriña" was created in the 19th century by Sabino Arana, and it is much more commonly seen in the Basque country that its Spanish and French counterparts. Around the world it is largely considered as a symbol of resistance against colonialism.

.... ... .

Eusko Flickr : Foz de Lumbier. Nafarroa.


Foz de Lumbier. Nafarroa.
Originally uploaded by lluis58

Friday, February 06, 2009

Journalism Prize Discriminates Against Nationless Languages

Oh poor Europe, always trying to portray itself as the flagship of democracy, liberty and progress only to find itself making the same all mistakes again and again and again. The main problem being that the Europe of the nations has a bad case of stunted development do to the meddling of a few former colonialist powers, name it Spain, France, Great Britain and Italy.

Those countries impose their borders, their flags, their anthems, their homogenized culture, their law, all what they are upon the nations trapped in an out of context concept of statehood, including of course, imposing their language.

This is why time and again we learn about issues like the one published at EurActiv:

Parliament journalism prize 'illegal', say MEPs

Six MEPs have accused the EU assembly of "illegally" discriminating against particular journalists by only admitting submissions for a prestigious EU prize if they are produced in one of the bloc's 23 official languages.

'The European Parliament Prize for Journalism' is awarded to journalists "who have displayed excellence in covering major European issues and/or promoted better understanding of the EU institutions and/or policies," according to a statement on the institution's website.

"We're fully supportive of this prize, but as things stand it excludes the first-rate journalism produced in many languages that don't have official status in the EU," said a spokesman for the group of European Free Alliance (EFA) MEPs.

Prizes are awarded across four categories - print media, radio, television and the Internet – and are open to either individuals or teams of up to five. The winner in each category receives €5,000. But the eligibility criteria clearly state that "contributions eligible for the award of the European Parliament Prize for Journalism shall be in one of the official languages of the European Union".

This prevents works from "major publications in the many languages that do not have official status at EU level" from entering, lament the EFA members, citing Catalan, Russian, Welsh and Basque among others.

In a letter, MEPs from Scotland (Ian Hudghton and Alyn Smith), Wales (Jill Evans), Latvia (Tatjana Ždanoka), Romania (László Tőkés) and the Basque country (Mikel Irujo) call on the Parliament's president, Hans-Gert Pöttering, to amend the rules because "they may in breach of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights".

"If we are to encourage honest and open reporting of the EU and its work then it makes no sense at all to discriminate against certain journalists or publications based on language," the EFA spokesman added, highlighting the "important contribution" of works in unofficial languages to furthering European debate.

The letter to Pöttering is not the first time EFA members have sought to draw attention to minority languages at EU level. Last September (EurActiv 25/09/08), Irujo, Evans and Tőkés complained that the European Commission was not "courageous" enough to set out concrete initiatives to promote minority languages in its new multilingualism strategy, launched earlier that month (EurActiv 19/09/08).

The Parliament has been accepting submissions for the 2009 journalism competition, now in its second year, since 15 January. The deadline for applications is 31 March. To be eligible, works must have been published or broadcast between 1 May 2008 and the closing date.

Now, let us remember that not too long ago Hans-Gert Pöttering earned the title of Basque-phobe of the week for denying the Basques their political right to self determination, so something tells me that the initiative put forwards by the MEPs will crash against a wall of intolerance.

.... ... .

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Spain's Political Apartheid

Although they somehow managed to hire Nadine Gordimer to take part in their anti-Basque campaign, Spain's political class indulges in the kind of behavior that she allegedly fought against back in her own country, South Africa

Judge Baltasar Garzon charged 13 members of two electoral lists, D3M and Askatasuna, who are planning to stand in upcoming regional elections, to do so, once again, Garzon alleged that the Basque politicians work for ETA.

Garzon, who is well-known in the world for his repressive campaign against Basque activists, said he will question the 13 at the National Audience, the country's top criminal court and a remnant of Franco's regime, on Friday.

He has said the two new parties are simply fronts for Batasuna, which was outlawed by Spain's Supreme Court in 2003 for its ties to ETA, something that has not been proved before a court of law yet.

Polls show the moderately nationalist Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), which has ruled the Basque region since 1980, largely in coalition with other parties, is at risk of losing power to the Socialists in the upcoming polls. This is why Juan Carlos Borbon and Zapatero ordered Garzon to violate the political rights of the Basque electorate.

In national elections last March, two other Basque political parties were prevented from running for the same reason.

The last major crackdown on Batasuna was in October 2007 when 20 of its alleged leaders were arrested, after two years they have not been charged, in clear violation of the law principles observed by democratic states.

.... ... .

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Studying the Urumea River

The article you are about to read was published at Environmental Expert:

A flood study of the Urumea River in The Basque Country

Source: DHI Water & Environment

The Urumea river catchment area which is located in the Basque Country in the northern part of Spain has historically been seriously affected by flooding. The districts most affected by the frequent inundations are the municipalities of San Sebastian, Astigarraga and Hernani. As recently as October 2008 a minor flood was experienced in Hernani. In 2006 and 2004 major flood events with significant damage occurred.

To improve this situation, the Department of Environmental Affairs of the Basque government will in the coming years invest 60 million € in construction of 18 preventive measures. The overall objective of the project is to 'Let the river breathe' and consequently reduce the frequency of flooding of the Urumea River.

The preventive measures include substitution of a number of exciting bridges, which at the moment are obstructing the river flow, establishment of by-pass channels, enhancements of the riverbed in defined sections, and creation of public recreational areas. All actions amid at increasing the flow capacity of the river, while respecting the environment and natural flow path of the river.

In order to investigate in detail these 18 predefined interventions, DHI was contracted to set up a 2D model (MIKE FLOOD) of the 15 km stretch from Hernani in the south to San Sebastian in the north.

In the First phase of the study a model of the actual situation was established, incorporating all relevant bridges and hydraulic structures. The model was calibrated against observed data from the flood event that occurred in the winter of 2004 and it was verified against the smaller flood event in 2006.

Following the calibration/verification the model was executed for the three return periods T=10, 100, and 500 years.

In the second phase the 18 corrective measures was incorporated into the model, and simulations of the T=10, 100, and 500 years return periods was carried out.

The projects design return period was set to T=500 year, which means that the planed flood protection measures should be capable of withstanding a flood that statistically should happen once every 500 years. (Which could be tomorrow!)

The result of the 500 year event simulation is shown below: The green color shows the extent of the flood in the actual situation, while the blue color represents the future situation with the improvement in place.

Comparison of the simulation results of the actual situation and the future situation when all the improvements are in place.

It is obvious that the flood prevention measures will have the desired effect; - the simulated 500 year flooding will not extend beyond the defined floodplain (yellow line).

The third phase of the study consisted in visualization the results as video animation, which was used for the Basque government press releases and information material. The videos were generated partly by incorporating the results in Google Earth using the DHI GE plug-in and partly by using the Result viewer.

Notes regarding the model configuration.
The bathymetry/topography of the floodplains was defined using available LIDAR data (1x1m), while the description of the riverbed was based on HEC-RAS cross section data. The HEC RAS data was first converted into a MIKE11 model, which then was used to create a bathymetry specifically for the riverbed. This riverbed bathymetry was then “burnt” into the floodplain bathymetry, and thereby generating a bathymetry that integrates the LIDAR data with the detailed data from the HEC RAS model.

Fifteen bridges were incorporated into the model. The description of the flow through (and over) the bridges was accomplished either by directly incorporating the bridge pillars into the bathymetry or by modeling the bridges in MIKE11 and then linking then dynamically to the 2D model via MIKEFLOOD. The decision on which one of the two methods to apply was taken based on the physical dimensions and the design of each bridge.

The model was calibrated against observed data from the flood event that occurred in the winter of 2004 and it was verified against the smaller flood event in 2006.

The model displayed an excellent correspondence with the observed data, except in the lower part of the river. This inconsistency was suspected to derivate from erosion of riverbed that will occur in the real life situation. Meaning that, the concrete erosion of the riverbed material will increase the rivers flow capacity and thereby function as natural flood prevention measure.

The phenomenon was investigated a bit further by use of a simple relation between the calculated maximum water velocity and the erosion depth. The figure below shows a specific river cross-section without erosion (the brown line) and with erosion (grey line). The red line represents the flow velocity.

The river cross sections with sedimentation and without sedimentation.

The results of the two simulations for the 2004 event are shown below, - without erosion to the left and with erosion to the right-. As it can be observed, the situation without considering erosion exhibits a much larger inundation than the situation where the erosion is taken into consideration.

If we compare the simulated flood maps with the actual flood event of 2004, the simulation with erosion (right) correspond almost perfectly to what was observed during the flood, while the simulation without, overestimates the floods.

Results of the simulations of the 2004 event: Left: without erosion, right: with erosion.

The conclusion of the analysis was that the suspicion is largely supported by the modeling results, but considering the very simple erosion description applied, the phenomenon should be investigated more thoroughly using real sediment data and a more sophisticated model 3 dimensional model (MIKE 3 FM).

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