Includes video of snow felling a pine tree and a photo of a municipal bus which almost skated its way down-town.

Some historical advice from an Irish perspective for Esperanza Aguirre on the pitfalls of attempting to demonstrate by symbolic means the virile and libertarian spirit of Madrid in the invented and regrettable conflict between it and doldrummed Barcelona.

An anti-intellectual French horticultural fable.

Public auctions of wrecks in Barcelona, Pontevedra and Algeciras, with thoughts on how to reduce blogging competition.

With the Anglo-Saxon plot in tatters and Jewish machinations a non-starter, some strategic paranoia for Mr Zapatero. (Like: Is Mendelssohn’s Elijah a secret weapon of German subversion?)

From this month’s Barcelona Connect:
Win a 13 Litre Jug of Margarita Cocktail at Pippermint Bar!
Probably the biggest jug of cocktail in the city, and certainly not one to be tackled without a good group of friends! Pippermint offers a delicious variety of cocktails, plus student night on Thursdays, and you can catch the big sports [...]

The artist speaks.

Scratch a libertarian and you’ll discover a totalitarian, so keep scratching.

Or was the Second Anglo-Afghan War actually fought in the Pyrenees?

On this day in 1466, one Juan Sort, aged 70, was beheaded for the misappropriation of public funds. Millet is said by the auditors to have stolen around 30 million and has fessed to around 10%, but has not been anywhere near a prison, and indeed seems to think that by looking old and grey [...]

But getting there is still a pain in one’s posterior end.

What is the man doing? Why is step 4 missing?

There’s nothing your neighbourhood phenotype dream team can’t fix.

One for your diary: The excellent Martin Hug is presenting his latest super-instrument in a show with the dancer Juschka Weigl this Friday at 19:00 at Hangar, Barcelona.

Hera can no longer afford the dragon and has installed security cameras to stop the Hesperides stealing her golden apples. (Pomegranates, actually, which I believe some people also view as possible candidates. On this walk.)

–Hello.
–Hello, is that the Department of Tourism? Yes? Hello, a week ago I sent you an email asking if this Friday you could let me and a group in to see the crypt of blah blah blah, and I was wondering whether this would still be possible.
–Oh yes, I read the email.
–So?
–Yes, that should be [...]

A not particularly serious assault on Prosper Mérimée.

Its teachers are raging butterflies, says a 16th century music publishing entrepreneur.

It’s not what you steal, it’s the way that you steal it.

Don’t believe the wine pundits.