Gil Takes It

Well, the Euskal Bizikleta 2006 has a winner, and it was all the way for Basque rider Koldo Gil.

It was also good to see Euskaltel-Euskadi taking a stage.

Here you have the news report from EITb:

Euskal Bizikleta 5th Stage

Gil crowned overall champion, Herrero wins final stage

David Herrero, rider of Euskaltel-Euskadi, won the fifth and last stage of the Basque Cycling Contest Euskal Bizikleta 2006. Teams departed from the Basque public TV headquarters in Iurreta, in the province of Bizkaia, to finish in Arrasate, in the province of Gipuzkoa, over 157.5km with seven mountain passes on the way.

Saunier Duval's Koldo Gil, who was first in the two previous stages, was second in the final stage at six seconds, becoming the overall champion in the general classification. Herrero himself and Jesús Del Nero (3 Molinos) won the second and third positions in the podium. Peio Arreitunandia (Barloworld) was two seconds late to get the third position in the general classification.

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Legionnaires' Attack in Iruñea

Don't worry, we are not talking about the Legionnaires as in the French Foreign Legion or some military thing like that.

But still, there was a dangerous outbreak of the Legionnaires' Disease in the Basque city of Iruñea earlier today.

Here you have the report:

86 treated for Legionnaire' in Spain

Sun June 4, 11:04 AM ET

Eighty-six people were being treated Sunday following an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the northern city of Pamplona, regional authorities said.

Forty-two people were being treated in three hospitals in the city best known for its popular San Fermin summer bull-running festival. A further 44 were receiving treatment but had been released from the hospital, Navarra regional government's health department said.

Authorities said the disease broke out Friday in a city center district. More than 30 air conditioning systems were inspected in the area and eight are believed to be contaminated with the bacteria that causes the disease.

The health department said none of the affected was in serious condition.

Legionnaires' disease, a pneumonia-like respiratory illness, usually causes high fever, chills and a cough, though some victims also experience muscle aches, headaches and diarrhea.

The illness is called Legionnaires' disease because it was first reported at an American Legion convention in 1976 in Philadelphia, where it killed 34 people.

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Galiza in Sestao

Basque regional premier Juan Jose Ibarretxe (C) greets children dressed in the traditional costumes of the Spanish region of Galicia, during Galicia Day, in Sestao, June 4, 2006. REUTERS/Vincent West

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LAB's Meeting in Durango

Basque politician Arnaldo Otegi (L), leader of the nationalist Batasuna party, chats with Rafa Diez, general secretary of nationalist trade union LAB in Durango June 3, 2006. REUTERS/Vincent West

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Sinnika's Encounter with Euskera

This article about a traveler's encounter with Euskera and Basque culture appeared today at Mail & Guardian.

Without further ado about it, here you have it:

Stone-age Basque language remains a mystery

Sinikka Tarvainen San Sebastian, Spain

No frontier marks the entrance to Spain's Basque region, but the traveller passing by quaint villages on green hillsides has a clear sense of entering a distinct territory. It is not just the Basque flags here and there. It is, above all, the signs in a strange language unlike any other in the world.

A travel bureau, for instance, is marked "bidaiak". An ice-cream shop has a sign saying "izozkiak". A police station is marked "ertzainza", and an office of the Basque regional government is called "eusko jaurlaritza".

Scientists remain puzzled by the Basque people of northern Spain and southern France, believed to be the oldest Europeans, whose language appears to date from the palaeolithic age and whose origin is a mystery.

When Indo-European invaders began arriving in Europe from steppes beyond the Black Sea millennia before our era, they crushed the original European languages.

Only a few non-Indo-European languages survive in Europe, including Basque, Finnish, Hungarian and Estonian. The latter three are related, but scientists have been unable to find a relative for the Basque language, known as Euskera.

"Some believe it originated with the Berbers in Northern Africa, others say it is Caucasian, while some think it developed in southern Europe," explains Fito Rodriguez, president of an association of Basque authors.

One thing, however, seems certain: Euskera is very, very old.

Several words meaning tools such as axes or hoes begin with the word "aitz" (stone), indicating they could date from a time when they were made of stone.

Investigators have also found some physical peculiarities among the Basques, such as there being more of them with type-O blood than in the general European population.

Why Euskera resisted the Indo-European and later Roman and other invasions -- and, finally, the onslaught of the Spanish language -- is also a mystery.

It is often attributed to the isolation of Basque mountain villages, but the Basque region was also an important international crossroads, as Rodriguez points out.

Researchers are also looking into traditional Basque culture to find clues into what Europe was like before the arrival of the war-like, patriarchal Indo-Europeans.

Certain traditions, such as the strong position of women and the worship of the goddess Mari, have led some scholars to conclude that old European societies were at least partly matriarchal and that life was remarkably peaceful.

Euskera was long regarded as a barbaric second-rate language, and a nationalist movement to defend it only took off in the 19th century. At the same time, however, Euskera also lost ground because large numbers of Spanish-speaking immigrants began arriving to work in the industrialised region.

During the 1939-1975 dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, "we were even punished for speaking Euskera at school", peace activist Maixux Rekalde recalls.

A Basque Language Academy established in 1919 nevertheless managed to support the standardisation and modernisation of Euskera after 1968 in the only such process in 20th-century Europe.

The vocabulary is still not completely finished. "We continue inventing for instance technological words, borrowing elements from Spanish and English," translator Joseba Ossa explains.

Modern literature in Euskera, free of nationalist or religious connotations, only began emerging in the 1960s.

Reclaiming Euskera is an important part of a nationalist movement best known for the violent campaign of the separatist group ETA, which has killed more than 800 people since 1968.
The movement is, however, much wider, ranging from radical politicians seeking rapid independence from Spain to moderates demanding more autonomy and cultural activists.
A third of the 2,1-million residents of the Basque region are estimated to speak Euskera, which is also spoken in neighbouring Navarre and three French Basque provinces, albeit to a lesser extent.

With more than half of Basque children now schooled mainly in Euskera, the language is expanding, explains Ramon Etxezarreta, Euskera specialist at the San Sebastian city council.
About 2 000 books are published annually in Euskera, some newspapers publish all or a part of their articles in it, and there is a Euskera-language television and radio station.

Some non-Basque Spaniards speak contemptuously of efforts to revive what they see as an obscure small language, but for the Basques, it is a question of identity.

"We neglected our language for a long time, but now we are proud of it," Etxezarreta says. "It is another symbol of our specificity." -- Sapa-dpa

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Has Zapatero Reigned Grande-Marlaska In?

Could it be truth that the Spanish inquisidors have been called upon Madrid to carry out their duty with responsability and full respect for the law?

For too long judges like Baltasar Garzón, Juand del Olmo and Fernando Grande-Marlaska have behaved like if they were in charge of a witch hunt against the Basques. They did not have to prove anything, in their capability as prosecutors they would issue the most outlandish accusations and then as judges they would twist the law to make it fit their dark designs.

But even the leadership of Batasuna thinks there is a change in the way the Dark Lords of the Audiencia Nacional are behaving, perhaps because somehow they finally got it through their thick skulls that the time for peace is here.

This is the note about the issue that appeared at EITb:

Party leaders set free

For Batasuna, National Court ruling shows deep change in methods

Outlawed Batasuna leader, Karmelo Landa, has pointed out today that National Court judge Fernando Grande-Marlaska's decision to set Arnaldo Otegi and the other seven Batasuna leaders (including Landa himself) free after questioning shows "a deep change in forms, methods and ways to solve the problem."

In statements for radio station Radio Euskadi, Landa has said that we are witnessing "a cycle change" that, in his opinion, "must be noticed." "I think it's important to notice it," he has added.

Landa has admitted that the last few days have been "very intense and of much personal and collective tension" for the members of the executive committee, even if he has confessed he is "very happy" for the denouement of the case. "Not for personal repercussions, but for what it contributes to the perspective of a deep change in the forms, methods and ways to solve the problem," he has explained.

Although he has admitted that Grande-Marlaska "made a huge contradiction," he has noted that conservative opposition party PP makes just the same when they say they will cut relations with socialists because they will meet Batasuna." "Here -he has criticised- there is a trivialisation and a forgery of reality that I think we are happily overcoming."

For Landa, at the moment we are beginning to notice that "a basic and fundamental agreement is possible to leave aside these forgeries of reality that such judges as Grande-Marlaska or such parties as PP are making, and to tackle an irreversible and satisfactory way for the conflict."

Basque socialists' announcement

In turn, the Batasuna executive committee member has referred to Basque socialists' leader, Patxi López, and his announcement that his party will meet Batasuna, and has described it as a "very important fact" he interprets as a compromise to open a two-pronged scenario in the Basque Country. "The multiparty table in the Basque Country and the table for the Government and ETA in Madrid," he has listed.

Landa has insisted that he has "an optimistic attitude in the process," and has added that "this optimism could be consolidated after the last events."

In turn, he has referred to the words of PP leader Mariano Rajoy, who warned his party would cut relations with socialists if they meet Batasuna. "Batasuna has never been terrorist, and happily, is starting to leave illegality, the great condition for all political forces to take part in an integral process," he has affirmed.

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Gil Still on Top

This one comes to us via the Daily Peloton:

Euskal Bizikleta 2006 - Stage 3

By Fabio
Date: 6/2/2006

Friday's hilly stage three of the Basque contest, from Ispaster to Gatzaga over 190.9 km., had two main protagonists: Koldo Gil (Saunier Duval) and Aaron Villegas (Orbea). The latter went on the attack late in the stage, with about 20k to go, first alongside Aitor Osa (Team Würth), Jon Bru (Kaiku) and José Antonio Pecharroman (Comunidad Valenciana), and later on his own. But stage one winner and GC leader Koldo Gil proved that his legs are up to the challenge: he started his own chase of Villegas on the final ascent to the line, and brought him back with just a few hundred metres left, also thanks to the fact that Villegas' legs had basically gone.

So that, besides tightening his grip on the overall leader's mantle, which was his real target, Koldo Gil might have dropped the Orbea rider and taken line honors too; but in the end the man acted like a true gentleman, slowed down and left Villegas cross the line in first place and clinch a success that - considering the efforts the Orbea rider had sustained today - was more than deserved; It is the most significant victory so far in the short "career" of the team managed by the former professional rider Jon Odriozola Mugarza.

Kudos to Villegas for such courageous move (the second in as many days, as the guy was away for several kms yesterday too), which earned him the win and spot number two on the GC; and to Gentleman Gil, that gave a good display of sportmanship, similar to the one showed by Jens Voigt on Giro d'Italia roads no more than a week ago.

David Herrero of Euskaltel filled the other top three spot of today's stage at 38", with the Italian winner of Thursday's leg, Andrea Tonti of Acqua & Sapone, credited with the same time in spot number four, and Peio Arreitunandia getting Barloworld into today's top five places.

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I (Heart) That Map

Montenegro's independence has created a chain reaction according to several news outlets.

What seems to have been a measure by some Western powers to punish Slobodan Milosevic and Serbia may have backfired. Then, during the Balkan war, the USA and most of the European countries did little or nothing to aid the break away republics, with the possible exception of Germany's support of Slovenia.

And so we were all forced to witness the razing of Dubrovnik and the rape of Sarajevo.

After the first Balkan war, Slobodan made a huge mistake, he attacked the Kosovo Liberation Army formed by what the international media likes calling "ethnic" Albanians. What Slobo could not understand was just how powerful the Albanian lobby was in Washington, and soon NATO was dropping bombs all over what was left of Yugoslavia. And it was Belgrade's turn to be demolished.

Kosovo was not "liberated" by the NATO, but the Clinton administration seeing its failure managed to introduce a clause that would give Montenegro the chance to secede from the new version of Yugoslavia. That way, in a very sly way, the USA was providing Kosovo with an escape route. All this just to apparently punish Serbia for their refusal to let go of Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia and Bosnia in a peaceful manner. In reality, the referendum clause was a way to satisfy the Albanian lobby.

Well, the USA and its NATO allies also made a mistake. They allowed Montenegro to gain its independence through a referendum, setting a legal precedent that they won't be able to deny to all the other nations without statehood in Europe and quite possibly around the world (Hawaii anyone?).

So, Times on Line published this piece about the issue:

The Times

June 02, 2006

Calls for freedom make the jigsaw of Europe more complicated than ever

By Jeremy Page and Richard Beeston, Diplomatic Editor

MOST people would struggle to point out Pridnestrovskaya Moldavskaya Respublika on a map, let alone pronounce it.

Those who can, know it as a hotbed of smuggling, the site of a vast Soviet-era weapons dump, or perhaps the home of Sheriff Tiraspol football club.

But this tiny sliver of land, known in English as Transdniestr, is the latest European enclave to make a bid for independence following Montenegro’s decision to declare statehood last month.

Igor Smirnov, Transdniestr’s “President”, has announced that its 550,000 people will vote in a referendum in September on whether to seek formal independence from Moldova.

“The recent example of Montenegro proves that a referendum is becoming a norm for solving conflicts,”, said Mr Smirnov, 64, a former metalworker.

In the unlikely event that Transdniestr wins independence, it would become Europe’s 19th new country since the collapse of communism in 1989, and the fragmentation goes on.

From the Basques of Spain to Turkey’s Kurds, there are minorities who yearn for a country of their own, and Montenegro’s example has kindled hopes that even tiny enclaves in Europe’s forgotten corners can still become viable states.

The fear is that declarations of independence by mini-states could spark fresh instability in already unstable regions.

In the Balkans, Montenegro’s independence drive is likely to be followed by Kosovo, a predominantly ethnic Albanian province of Serbia. That could spark fresh moves by the ethnic Serb Republika Srpska to break away from Bosnia, and Herceg-Bosna’s Croats to join Croatia.

In the Caucasus, Russia is still struggling to contain the separatist rebellion in Chechnya. Georgia is split by breakaway regions in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. There is still no resolution to Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed enclave in Azerbaijan that is controlled by Armenia.

Not even Western Europe is immune. Nationalists in Northern Ireland still seek a united Ireland. Scotland is in theory closer to independence that at any time since the Act of Union with England 300 years ago. Separatist movements are active in the Basque country, Corsica, Sardinia and Italy.

As for Europe’s newest would-be state, Transdniestr broke away from Moldova in 1990 and the two sides fought a war in 1992 that left more than 1,500 people dead. Although never recognised internationally, it has close ties to Russia, which helped the ethnic Russians in the war and has maintained 1,500 troops there.

Officially, they are there to keep the peace and guard a stockpile of 40,000 tonnes of weapons stored there in case of a Nato invasion. In reality, this remains Moscow’s westernmost strategic outpost — a bulwark against the expanding EU and Nato. It is also a haven for money-laundering, smuggling and illegal weapons sales.

Mr Smirnov runs it as a personal fiefdom, financed by local oligarchs and propped up by nostalgia for the Soviet Union. It has its own currency based on the old Soviet rouble, uses the old Soviet Moldovan flag, and stages annual Soviet-style military parades. Police wear uniforms bearing the hammer and sickle.

There is no direct telephone link to Moldova and no mobile network. Shop windows display tawdry goods from the 1970s and 1980s. The only redeeming feature is Moldova’s only FIFA-approved football stadium, which is home to the country’s top football club, Sheriff Tiraspol.

Peace talks, mediated by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, have stalled over Transdniestr’s refusal to accept autonomy within a Moldovan state. Russia has backed the referendum.

Karel De Gucht, the Belgian Foreign Minister and OSCE chairman, has said that there is no legal basis for a referendum and urged both sides to return to the negotiating table.

You won't find a whole lot of extra information in this article that what has already been published in other news outlets.

But wait, what about that map I said I love?

Well, at the bottom of the article they provide the link to two maps. This one:

And this one:

Darn, do I love the second map.

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The Ban on Gerry Adams

Seems like some people just don't get it.

Such is the case of the big wigs at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. They decided that famous Irish politician Gerry Adams was not suitable for the opening of the exhibition they are to host called "Che Guevara: Revolutionary and Icon" (boy, famous Che lovers Val Prieto and Dean Esmay are going to be so happy when they find out about this exhibit).

Back to our topic.

Seems like some people in England's establishment are not too happy with Gerry Adams, a staunch defender of the Irish dream to reunite one day, leaving behind the last remnant of Brittish imperialism and tyranny in the green island.

It is then quite ironic that a revolutionary and an icon of freedom today, has been rejected from the list of guests that the exhibit's curator, Trisha Ziff, provided. Seems like she is not to happy that the zealots also decided to exercise some censorship on her work, forcing her to post the missing information on her own page.

To add insult to injury, the people at the V&A decided not to welcome Gerry Adams right when the Irish politician is deeply involved in the peaceful resolution of the Basque Country's conflict. Ironically enough, Che Guevara is of Basque background, his father's family having moved from Bilbo (Bilbao) to Argentina in the late XIX century.

Seems like some people in positions of power in England are as backwards as their Spanish counterparts, like for example, those who refuse for Picasso's "Guernica" to go to Euskal Herria.

Anyway, here you have the story as it was published by The GuardianUnlimited:

Sorry Gerry. You're just not the right sort for Che's V&A party

Curator furious as 'inappropriate' Adams barred from guest list

Duncan Campbell
Friday June 2, 2006
The Guardian

Che Guevara himself would have enjoyed the controversy. The Victoria and Albert Museum has decided that Gerry Adams, the Sinn Féin leader, should be removed from the guest list for next week's opening of its big exhibition on the "revolutionary and icon" because his attendance would not be "appropriate".

The museum authorities felt that because there was a high-profile exhibition of 60s fashion opening simultaneously, with many models and fashion photographers due to attend, Mr Adams's presence would not be "relevant". So Jerry Hall is on the guest list - but not Gerry Adams.

The decision has infuriated the exhibition's curator, Trisha Ziff. Yesterday Mr Adams said he wondered if Guevara would also have been barred, had he still been alive.

The exhibition arrives in London trailing plaudits. In Mexico City it was front-page news and increased museum attendance eightfold, while in Los Angeles it prompted protests by rightwing Cubans. Ms Ziff, originally from Leeds and now living in Mexico City, produced the exhibition of both rare and familiar photos, and was looking forward to a display in one of Britain's most prestigious venues. She submitted her guest list, which included Mr Adams, a personal friend with whom she had worked on exhibitions in the past.

She then received an email from Shaun Cole, acting head of the contemporary programme at the V&A, who told her all guests had been approved "except Gerry Adams, who is not relevant or appropriate". Ms Ziff, already unhappy that the museum had removed much of the text accompanying and explaining the images, which has now been posted on the website instead, said: "I was gobsmacked. Inviting Gerry was not a stunt and it never occurred to me there would be a problem."

After further inquiries, she was told the decision had been taken by "senior staff who won't be moved on this point". She inquired further and was then told by the museum's head of public affairs, Damien Whitmore, via email, that he needed help "with a difficult and very delicate situation".

Two other exhibitions were opening the same night, on design and fashion in the 60s, the latter sponsored by Miss Selfridge, which was bringing along "a number of models and actresses from the 60s as well as a number of fashion press".

He explained: "My difficulty is that the evening will attract a fashion crowd ... My sense is that having Gerry Adams there may not be appropriate because of this joint event ... I am sure you will understand our reasons for not inviting him."

Ms Ziff, however, does not understand, particularly as Mr Adams had jokingly told her he would have looked out his old Afghan jacket and loons for the occasion. She contacted Mark Jones, V&A director, who told her the museum had a policy of not inviting people affiliated to any political party. However, it turns out that Ken Livingstone, London's Labour mayor, has been invited.

"I find the attitude of the museum bizarre and nonsensical," said Mr Adams yesterday. "On the basis of the current 'reason' offered by the V&A of refusing to invite politicians, it would appear that if Che was alive, he would be barred from his own exhibition. The British establishment works in wondrous ways."

He would, as it happens, be in Spain, where he is due to be meeting political figures involved in peace efforts in the Basque country. But he found it odd that he was now welcome at 10 Downing Street but not at the V&A.

Ms Ziff remains dismayed. "It's extraordinary," she said. "The V&A have tried to turn it all [the Guevara exhibition] into just a design image and remove the resonance from it all.

"But you can't just turn Che Guevara into a commodity. The photo of Che by Alfredo Korda is the most reproduced image in history but it still has power. You can call it a storm in a teacup but it is really insidious. And on top of all that, the V&A shop is selling all these images of Che - there is even a Che lip balm.I'm amazed at the mindset."

Among items for sale during the exhibition will be a Che finger puppet, Che chocolate cigar, Che doll and Che cigar box as well as T-shirts, stickers, neon signs and badges.

A V&A spokeswoman said the museum had no comment. She could neither confirm nor deny a museum policy of not inviting politicians to exhibitions. A Miss Selfridge spokeswoman said about 1,000 guests from the world of fashion, design and photography were being invited to the joint opening.

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Miami Pelotari's New Hope

They don't really care about being ambassadors of Basque cuture, their sight is on the money, show them the money.

It seems like for some pelotaris in Florida there is no need to worry about how to line their pockets for the next few years, a casino from Las Vegas just injected some moola into the operation of their Jai Alai venue.

Here you have the note that appeared at the Sun Sentinel:

Jai-Alai players hope sale of Dania facility will salvage sport

By Dave Joseph
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted June 1 2006

DANIA -- When Pedro Irusta came to the United Startes from Spain as a 16-year-old to begin his jai-alai career, the frontons were full and the future was bright.

But the man jai-alai patrons at Dania Jai-Alai know simply as "Iru," has watched the sport "go down, down, down."

"When I came here there were 20 frontons [in North America]," said Irusta before his matches Wednesday evening. "Now there's, what, five? And only two are open all year."

For Irusta, Wednesday's news that Dania Jai-Alai had been purchased by Boyd Gaming Corporation for $152.5 million offered a glimmer of hope for a fading sport he so dearly loves.

"To see the sport going down and now to see a little window of [opportunity] open ... it makes everyone happy," said Irusta, 35, who also serves as president of the players' union.

Added Jose Ramon Oyarbide, another Dania player, "This is a great opportunity for the possible revival of jai-alai."

Once a popular sport in the southeast and northeast, jai-alai has struggled the past 15 years because of the expansion of other forms of gaming. Florida, which once played host to 10 frontons, has only six left, and only Miami and Dania remain open year round. Three frontons in Connecticut and one in Rhode Island all have closed.

"Even in the Basque country [of Spain] there's less people playing because they don't have the prospect of playing in America," Oyarbide said.

That's why the purchase of Dania is important, according to Irusta.

"Maybe young people will see the light," he said.

Officials from Boyd Gaming met with the players early Wednesday evening and reiterated to them their interest in maintaining the fronton at Dania even when 1,500 slot machines are placed inside Boyd's new gaming and entertainment complex sometime in 2007-08.

"They said jai-alai would be part of the showcase of their facility," Oyarbide said. "They said they're going to stick with jai-alai."

Players, who currently make between $40,000 and $65,000 a year, agreed to a new contract with the owners of Dania that allows them a $15,000 to $20,000 bonus at the end of the year. That figure would escalate, according to Irusta, depending on the growth of jai-alai and revenue once slots are installed.

"If the company makes more, we make more," Oyarbide said. "We've been making the same amount of money for the past 10 years, and we've gone along with that because we knew the place wasn't going forward.

"But it's about more than money."

Added Irusta, "Our main concern is saving the sport."

That's also the goal of Riki Lasa, president of the International Jai-Alai Players Association. Lasa would like to have more assurances from Boyd Gaming of their support of jai-alai through additional legislation.

Under gaming rules passed by legislators for the four Broward County pari-mutuels able to operate 1,500 slot machines, Dania must run 150 live dates.

The fronton currently operates nearly 400 performances.

"As soon as the state of Florida gets a taste of the money slot machines generates, we'll [jai-alai] will disappear," Lasa said. "The exact same thing will happen in Florida that happened in Rhode Island."

Lasa was referring to the fronton at Newport, R.I., which operated for 27 years but closed in 2003 when it paid a higher tax rate to the state in exchange for more gaming and a permanent end to running a fronton.

"Anytime a casino comes in, jai-alai disappears," Lasa added.

Oyarbide was a little more optimistic.

"I don't think the other pari-mutuels will allow that," he said. "There were no other pari-mutuels [in Rhode Island]."

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