Interesting Take on the Cava Issue

The post "No Corks Popping for Cataluña" at blog Back Seat Drivers is quite an interesting read.

Here you have a portion of it regarding the issue of the boycott against the Catalonyan Cava by disgruntled Spaniards:

Around this time last year I mentioned the boycott on cava, the sparkling wine produced mainly in Catalonia. The boycott is on again this Christmas and, while last year it was seen with amusement by many Spaniards and the Spanish media, this time around people seem to be taking it far more seriously. The catalyst is the current campaign for a new statute of autonomy for Catalonia, something which has gone from a proposal last year to a very real possibility this year. This has prompted many Spaniards to vent their ire by boycotting one of the products most associated with Catalonia.

Check it out.

Hopefully 2006 will make some Basque and Catalonyan dreams come true. With boycott to Cava and Txakoli if you want, no big deal.

Update: More on the Cava issue at post Sparkling Spain published by A Fistful of Euros.

I particularly liked this part:

Of course the real hurdle to cross in establishing a tri-national Spain is not the identity of the Catalans or the Basques. The real issue, IMHO, is that it is the Spanish themselves who need to define their identity.

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A Wet Farewell to 2005

Men and women swim in the sea at Biarritz, southwestern France, for the annual last swim of the year, Saturday Dec. 31, 2005. Some 100 swimmers took part in the celebration. (AP Photo/Bob Edme).

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Snow in Nafarroa

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Not Just a Game

It was not just another football game between Euskadi, the Basque National Team and Cameroon, with a triumph for the African team:

It was also an opportunity to tell the world that there is a lot to do when it comes to upholding the human rights and the civil liberties of the Basque society as seen in this pictures with the banners for Presoak on display by a great number of fans:

Fans wave flags and banners, demanding the re-grouping of Basque prisoners to jails in the region, before a friendly soccer match between Euskadi and Cameroon, at the San Mames stadium in Bilbao, northern Spain, December 28, 2005. Cameroon won 1-0. REUTERS/Vincent West

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Euskal Selekzioa in Action

Cesar Cruchaga, right, of the Basque Country regional team, steals the ball from Olembe Olembe of the Cameroon national team during a friendly soccer match in Bilbao, Spain, Wednesday Dec. 28, 2005. (AP Photo/EFE, Luis Tejido)

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One by Tenebris

Photo by Tenebris

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Soccer in Iruñea

There was a friendly match between the Chinese national team against the team of players from Nafarroa, here you have some pictures of that game:

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Eguberri On!

To all friends, bloggers and internet dwellers who happen to stumble upon this space today, I want to wish the best of times to all of you, and may the peace and joy of the season remain among us for ever.

Hurry up, you still have some time to do your good deeds so Olentzero can deliver those special gifts you are wishing for.

And I'm not talking about material stuff here, I'm talking about the other gifts, the ones that we need to improve the conditions of all of those around us and most important of all, the healing of our Mother Earth.

I may not believe in any structured religion, but I do respect the importance of the message that Jesus and many others like him brought us.

Eguberri On!

¡Feliz Navidad!

Merry Christmas!

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Woody in Gazteiz

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Basque Film Archive

Last nigh I saw the excellent movie "Silencio Roto" (Broken Silence) by Montxo Armendariz, the director of the acclaimed "Obaba".

Today, looking for more information about Mr. Armendariz, I ran into a quite interesting web page called the Basque Film Archive at the University of Nevada in Reno.

Check it out, they are investing a great effort into it.

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