Empires, rulers and warfare – Leeds's Singing Organ-Grinder

The Spanish economy as A Clockwork Orange

The ayes have it?

Artur Mas: ¡Estamos a punto de llegar a Itaca!

Someone’s been eating my porridge, growled daddy bear, before sinking in the surf.

Atlantic waves, <a href='http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gentle_waves_come_in_at_a_sandy_beach.JPG'>CC by Johntex</a>. Hand of the prodigal son-shines-out-me-arse, legitimate satirical use from <a href='http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/apuntala/victoria/apelando/cambio/compromisos/concretos/elpepuesp/20101126elpepunac_35/Tes'>TEJEDERAS@El País</a>.

Alboraya Council’s tinker books

The reforms of the Council of Trent led to parishes registering in five books–quinque libri–the baptisms, confirmations, communions, marriages, deaths and excommunications celebrated there. Quinquilleros, hojalateros and other itinerant pot-breakers and -menders were nominally Catholic but frowned on and frequently persecuted by the establishment, so it’s good to see the Ajuntament de Alboraya drawing them…

Pinochet, the last man up?

Apparently he’s made his way along a secret passage from Hell and is lying in wait in the San José mine. BoyNamedSue says the cage will jam in the shaft and Jack Straw will release him.

Modifications to Slovak language law

Bulbul on spasmodic change in another ethno-polity which gets a kick from auto-strangulation. At least Mishima didn’t manage to drag the whole of Japanese society into his heroic belly-op.

Alien meets Eroski girl, best 21st century Spanish short film?

Unlike most subsidised official festival crap, it’s fast, funny and real. Well, kind of.

Nick Clegg’s Spanish

Includes several therapeutic tongue-twisters.

Paradise and town-planning

The Turks and Jews of Istanbul demonstrate that co-existence is not impossible.

“2012 possible predictions”

Three Anno Domino 2010 hints for survivalists in the Pyrenees.

Aneto, just how did it get this big? Photo <a href='http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aneto_01.jpg'>CC by Avh at Wikimedia Commons</a>.

Le Monde ditches Gordon Brown, sticks pig’s nose on him

Bad enough the Guardian throwing in its lot with the Comment is Free mob, but even the French left establishment seems to be deserting the Sheriff of Rochdale, who is heading rapidly down this page. Looks like a superimposed Flash-type console, but ain’t. Strange. Re Mandelson: if someone else can arrange a stake, I’ll procure…