Basques around the world

Good afternoon Basques –

Those of you who were lucky enough to attend the Jaialdi celebrations in Boise this year, how are you feeling now it’s all over?

It might be over, but it’s still not been forgotten by Basque People All Around the World…

Were you one of those following the events on Twitter? This year’s Jaialdi became a hot topic among the Boise Twitter community these last few weeks and an invaluable source of information, photos, news, schedules and funny stories.

The Basque sport of pelota played an important part at this year’s Jaialdi, though the US is usually more famed for its liking for cesta punta, or Jai Alai.

Yesterday was the 31^st anniversary of Biscay-born Ramon Areitio’s record breaking 187-mile ball at the Newport Jai Alai of Rhode Island, a record which you may remember was broken by US golfer Jack Zuback just three years ago.

Basque golfer Txema Olazábal renewed the golf-Jai Alai speed challenge and went head-to-head with ‘cesta puntista’ Imanol López to prove once and for which one was the world’s fastest ball sport… and to raise money for a good cause!

Mugalari is back on our Basque Tourism blog with a new tip for travellers to the Basque Country. This time he’s here to praise the virtues of rural lodgings and tell us where to make reservations.

Agur!

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Good afternoon,

Following up so soon on our now twice-weekly updates we just had to tell you about our interview with Emily Lobsenz, the US filmmaker who is seeking backing for her documentary Ipuina Kontatu.

The documentary takes a fascinating look at Basque culture and how it has managed to survive so many slings and arrows.

Read the intriguing interview and find out how you can take a part in the film’s release and get a sheep named after you! Plus receive some other interesting perks.

Ipuina Kontatu [Telling Stories] -promo trailer from Daggewood Films – Emily Lobsenz on Vimeo.

Other interesting news today is that Elhuyar Basque Encyclopaedia is now up and running. But don’t worry if you don’t speak Euskera – the on-line science and technology Encyclopaedia also offers definitions in English, Spanish and French.

Joe Sample and Randy Crawford play at Vitoria’s Jazzaldia tonight. Meanwhile, enjoy a video of last night’s gig with Diane Reeves.

Have a great weekend.

Ondo pasa!

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Good afternoon to our 2,245 members-

The sun continues to shine here and we’re promised a fabulous weekend of beach weather and small waves for those budding surfers!

Because of a few technical hiccups yesterday we couldn’t tell you that the video of the Athletic Bilbao squad playing against 200 school children ended up receiving 30,000 hits on the net and was voted by digg users to go on its homepage. It was also posted by an Aussie Man Utd fan onto the UK team’s official forum.

Well, there’s more… because the 20,000 spectators, raised enough money to build a football school for children in the Congo. It was Etxebe’s decision to donate the money to the children, who have been in the hearts of all Athletic players and fans since a video was made of them singing the team anthem.

Anyway, read that story and see the video here.

Remember we told you about a new tour entitled Discover the Basque Country, created by historian Paddy Woodworth and gastronomy guru Jon Warren. Well there’s another great article, this time about Jon and his company San Sebastian Food, which provides a more original experience for tourists all centred around the Community’s great food.

And we have a brand new blog! Basque internationally-acclaimed musician and trikitixa maestro Kepa Junkera is currently on a tour of the States. From time to time he’ll be writing to us about his experiences and the people he meets on his travels. His first article is about Ramon Echeveste, born in Doneztebe, Navarre. He left the Basque Country at the age of 20 with nothing but the clothes on his back.  He is now the successful self-made owner of a sheep company.

Ondo ibili!

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Good day to you from an overcast Basque Country, that promises sun, sun, sun tomorrow.

Many of you will not realize that this is an important date for the Basque Country. Today – April 23^rd – marks 30 years since the autonomous parliament was set up. Activities have been organized for the rest of the year.

We’ve got a weekend packed full of culture starting today in San Sebastian. Firstly, the Rompeolas festival has already started.This is an initiative organised to drive the city’s candidacy to be European Cultural Capital in 2016 and its 2 main ingredients are culture and citizen participation. The bells of the city were rung earlier to day, calling the people to come along and join in the fun!

Meanwhile, the 8^th Human Rights Film Festival also kicked off today, with a week of feature lengths and shorts about current social issues from all around the world.

Don’t forget to read our Dos Paredes blog as Olaizola II, twice a former winner of the Manomanista Championship is the red hot favourite as he goes up on Saturday against Patxi Ruiz.

And if you like baseball, do you remember Mark Kurlansky, who famously wrote about Basques in his book “Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World”?  In his latest book, Kurlansky traces the origins of the sport to the Dominican Republic.

And as spring is fully upon us, the Basque Country once again promises to be a great destination for a long weekend this May and into the summer – and also one of the safest!

Have a good weekend.

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Good day to you,

You’ll remember we set up the Basques Around the World group in an endeavour to bring the many Basques located around the world into a single forum. So far we’ve managed 2,200 members – good news.

Today, 11th March, marks six years since the attack in Madrid when ten explosions on the rail network left 191 people dead and 1,800 injured. The European Day for the Victims of Terrorism was set up all over the EU as a result, and today acts of commemoration took place in Madrid, the Basque Country and all over Spain.

Following the news yesterday that world-class Mugaritz chef, Andoni Luis Aduriz, had begun designing his new kitchen (destroyed by fire), it was revealed on Wednesday evening that other top Basque chef, Martin Berasategui, has designed an ‘innovative’ new type of bottle, meant for many liquids including wine. Find out what makes it so special!

If you’re into reading comics, you’ll be interested to hear that a further boost for the Basque Country today has been the news that 22 of our comic artists have been invited as guests of honour to this year’s International Comic Fair in Barcelona, the most important in the Peninsular.

Finally, we forgot to tell you yesterday that Bizkaia BB lost to Panellinios 77-70 but remain at the top of Group K.

Bihar arte..

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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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