Basques around the world

Today, 16^th March, it seems that Frederic Duhart discovered that our group can be a good way to know more about the Basque world. He told us that he has family in  Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego. Nice to meet you Fred!

Another friend, Alexander Amor, sent us a picture from our loved Bilbao Guggenheim Museum but seen from the air. Once you have seen it, you’ll notice why many people used to call it the cauliflower.

Food and beverage matching is more relevant than we think. It is a movement which some US gourmets started in the 80s, according to Donostia-San Sebastián Basque Culinary Center’s head, Jose María Aizegoa.

Do you want to know which are the most important upcoming concerts in the Basque Country? Enjoy this photo gallery.

On the other hand, if you’re more interested in arts, here you have some pictures on the Anish Kapoor exhibition, the latest at the Guggenheim.

…don’t forget our news on sports: soccer (Osasuna) and our Basque pelota blog to keep you updated.

And lastly, an industrial event: the Machine Tool Biennial Fair at Bilbao Exhibition Centre is nearer: 30,000 trade specialists have already joined the initiative.

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Hi Basques, is everything Ok?

Our friend John Coffey has sent us a video showing a lot of pictures of Bilbao. He came from Ireland two years ago and, according to many viewers,  his work –which he uploaded on YouTube– really captures the city!

US singer-pianist Norah Jones will be presenting her latest album release, The Fall, at the Palacio Euskalduna (Bilbao) this 11th July, concert promoters Last Tour International have informed. Sooner, (this week) The Rumble Strips (UK) and The Answer (N. Ireland) will play in Bilbao, and Donostia-San Sebastián will be also receiving the British.

Our latest news on sports include, as usual, Basque pelota and more information on Athletic Club Bilbao soccer team, whose representatives have issued a press release announcing that the construction of the Basque team’s new stadium will start towards the beginning of May.

More entertainment news: our adored Guggenheim museum hosts Hip Hop at Art After Dark party on March 12th. Art After Dark is a successful nighttime programme which combines art with music from homegrown and international DJs, designed in collaboration with Bilbao’s Fever nightclub.

…and we take a look back through history:  in 1610, 31 neighbours from the Navarre town of  Zugarramurdi were accused of witchcraft and tried in Logroño. The Spanish Inquisition sent eleven of them to the stake, carrying out the execution in the capital of La Rioja. Today, March 9th, both towns have paid tribute to the victims.

That’s all for today… we’ll come back tomorrow!

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It’s Friday Basques!

Here we go with some news to welcome the weekend. We recommend you to pay a visit to the Bilbao BBK Live 2010 festival, a party which will be held in Kobetamendi, or Kobeta mountain in the Basque city. This edition features Paul Weller, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Faith No More, Skunk Anansie, Rammstein, Jet, Basque-Argentinean duo Capsula…

Bullfighting, which is still popular in Spain and the Basque Country, has an space in our Facebook wall. A movement to outlaw it has become entwined in Spain’s combustible regional politics, with Madrid calling for the traditional spectacle to be declared cultural heritage just as Catalonia debates a ban.

Don’t miss the opportunity of getting closer to the Basque pelota world in our blog Dos Paredes.

… and we have inaugurated a new blog on Tourism and the Basque Country. Welcome-Ongi Etorri!!!

Enjoy the weekend***

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Hey Basques, everything ok?

Today, Thursday, March 4th our Facebook group shows some information on Iparraldea XXI  (Iparraldea 21), a documentary based on the French Basque youth which has been produced by Euskal Kultur Erakundea, an association on Basque culture. The work is aimed to join young people from Iparralde and Euskadi, different and alike at the same time thanks to Basque idiosyncrasy.

Furthermore, a travel agent from Waterbury, Vermont (New England-USA), offers a packaged tour to the Basque Country in its website. The advertisement includes a review made by native Basques, actual guides of the initiative.

You can also enjoy some pictures and videos on Basque weather and bands such as Elkano Browning Cream and Oreka TX, a group who fusions tradition and modernity through the Basque instrument txalaparta. Besides, they have become nominees for the Independent Music Awards. Congratulations!

Separately, Athletic Club Bilbao was defeated on Wednesday in a match against Paraguay. And a Basque citizen was the mastermind behind one of the world’s biggest networks of virus-infected computers… it was a data vacuum that stole credit cards and online banking credentials from as many as 12.7 million poisoned PCs.

Cheers!

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Hello Basques,

Today is March 3^rd and the weekend is nearer so we enclose a tiny map showing a poteo route in Bilbao taking advantage of the fact that one of the typical pintxo and txikito (little glasses of wine) streets of the city, Maestro García Rivero, will become pedestrian from summer onwards. Just go to our Facebook wall and you’ll find it.

We encourage Basque mountaineer Edurne Pasaban to reach her dream: becoming the first woman in the world to reach 14 ‘8,000s’. Tomorrow, she starts a trip aimed to reach Shisha Pangma and Annapurna summits. Aurrera Edurne!

However, we regret to tell you that former Basque PM Jose Antonio Ardanza has suffered a heart attack. Fortunately, he is said to be in stable condition.

Separately, Lontzo Sainz uploaded some news on the fact that residents of Bayonne-Baiona, a city of the French Basque County, have rejected the lack of political will of American president Barack Obama to put an end to the economic, financial and commercial blockade of his country against Cuba, while Sean Paul Artis made us remember the dates of the Jaialdi 2010 in Boise, Idaho: 7/29-8/1.

Don’t forget to get our latest news on basket (Bilbao Basket) and Basque pelota, with the Aspe pelotaris sweeping the board at Pairs Championship.

Lastly, a cultural suggestion:  the ‘Silicon Dreams. Art, Science & Technology at the EU’ exhibition at Tabakalera centre in Donostia-San Sebastián.

Cheer up!

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Hi people keen on the Basque world,

As Sally Elizabeth Cochrane is currently undertaking a dissertation project at Leeds University looking at the Basque Language, we offer you the possibility of contributing to her work by filling the survey she has carefully prepared. All the responses are anonymous and all questions are voluntary, and you can withdraw your answers at any time.  Feel free to forward the questionnaire to other people of Basque origin you may know.

It seems that we have many French-Basque origin friends in our group. Shellie A. McCreary, and Yvonne Volpe Bernard are two of them. For instance, Shellie’s mother was born in Urepel, and she thinks that Rose Ascuagas’ mother might come from the same town. For them and for you, here you have the Michelin-star restaurants in Iparralde, or French Basque Country—the latest edition was released Monday, March 1st.

Another friend, Arkaitz Correa, sends us information of a performance that the Basque Country has been celebrating for more than 30 years. It is related to Basque Mythology: the ‘Lamiako maskarada’.

In other news we tell you that some Basque short films will be on show at a cinema festival in Wisconsin, US, and we show you some pictures reflecting how British volunteers supporting liberals during the Carlist wars of the 19^th century depicted our lifestyle through art.

Separately, Bernardo Atxaga, a prominent Basque writer whose books have been translated into more than 20 languages, will teach two courses on Basque culture in the US university of Stanford during the spring quarter of 2010.

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And to end up, did you know that the typical Basque license plate in Idaho is ‘in danger of extinction’? Do you want to know more on this?

Cheers Basques!

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Hi Basque friends!

It’s Friday and we want to cheer you up from our Basques all around the world wall on Facebook with a pair of pictures of a curious Basque hotel located in San Francisco (we say curious because it is located just beside a girls club…).

And if you take a look at eitb.com website or at Basque TV via internet this weekend, you’ll enjoy amazing pictures and information on the strong winds and waves expected for tomorrow in the Basque coast and open areas.  On the other hand, if you see Basque TV from Monday to Friday you’ll find Euskadi Directo,  a new programme on ETB2 whose staff would like to offer a voice to all the Basque people all around the world, so the Facebook group can become one of the best places to show the audience what the Basques outside the Basque Country, or their descendants, do every day, how their lives are, what their connection to the Basque Country is, etc.

Furthermore, we provide you with some sports news on the results of yesterday’s matches of Caja Laboral (basket) and Athletic Club Bilbao (soccer) Basque teams.

This is everything right now… have a nice weekend!

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Kaixo Basques everywhere!

Today, Thursday February 25, we would like to tell you that Our Nevada friend Mary Culley has recommended us to visit some Basque resorts in the state of Nevada (US) such as the Star Hotel and Biltoki’s restaurant, both located in the town of Elko. As they also yearly have a Basque Festival on the 4th of July which includes parade – running of the bulls – music and dancing, she will be interviewed by eitb.com very soon. Thanks Mary!

She’s not the only one who has shared contents in our Basques all around the world wall on Facebook. Another friend, Sean Paul Artis, has posted some pictures of the Santiago Calatrava bridge, or Zubizuri-white bridge, in Bilbao, and Susan Aspitarte Mahan (Ketchum, Idaho) has told us that she’s half Basque.

We’re delighted they all got in contact with us!

Furthermore, TV cooking show of the Japanese Fuji TV channel is using the song ‘Mila galdera’ by the Basque trikitixa (little accordion) duo Alaitz eta Maider  to provide even more entertainment to the programme.

Separately, we’re glad to tell you that the Basque city of Donostia-San Sebastián will be the European capital for Ocean Initiatives 2010, an annual event convened by Surfrider Foundation in order to improve the quality of our waters.

A football match is being played in Brussels between Alderlecht and Athletic Club Bilbao soccer teams, not without controversy given that riots are expected. Unfortunately, the Basques are trailing 4-0 after the first rest. However, in case they finally lose, you can share their good humour with these images of the Manneken Pis in Brussels wearing the Athletic Bilbao team T-shirt and Basque txapela.

… and we say goodbye to you with another video in which you can hear the 2010 song of the Ibilaldia, or a festival to support ikastolas (Basque language schools). 

Cheer up!

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