PLAY-OFF (2)

Incredible! We made it to the semi-finals.

The team we played against, Viladecans, was reputed to be much stronger and, on paper, they were. Their top four players all had much higher ratings than our top four players. Further down, the bottom four were more evenly matched. I was lucky and won in fifteen moves (anyone interested in the game can send me a mail. I'll be happy to provide it). Our top two players lost and then our player number 5 won. So, there we were, 2-2, with four games to go. Each team won and additional game. So, with 3 points to them, from the first four boards, and 3 points to us, from the bottom four boards, it looked as if the match would end up in a draw, which would have favoured them, as the top boards score more in a tie. However, Lady Luck was on out side and we managed to win the last two games, giving us an outstanding victory of 5-3.

We're now through to the semi-finals, which will be played on Sunday. Another strong opponent, apparently.

Wish us luck!

PLAY-OFF (1)

Those of you who are interested in chess will be pleased to know that our team won the first Play-off round. Our rivals were the Barcelona chess club "Peona i Peó", which means "Female Pawn and Male Pawn". They are reputed to be quite strong and, in fact, had two teams playing the first play-off round. Unfortunately for them, both teams lost their opportunity to go up a category.

In our case, the team in fact drew 4-4. However, draws are resolved by a special point system which gave us the victory (8 points for the first board, seven for the second, and so on). Boards number 1 and 2 drew. We won in boards number 3, 4 and 6 (total of 14 points), whereas they won in boards number 5, 7 and 8 (total of 8 points). My own rival, a seventeen-year-old girl with an enchanting smile, whose playing strength is similar to mine, asked me for a draw which my team leader would not allow me to accept. We both played on and, unfortunately for her she made a slight mistake which was sufficient for me to get a slight advantage. In the end, I sacrified my queen in a winning combination.

The position just prior to my sacrifice was as follows:

Whites (Joe Rahal): Re1, Kh1, Ph2, Qb3, Pg3, Re5, Pd7.

Black (Aina Delgado): Qf2, Pa7, Pb7, Rf7, Pg7, Ph7, Rd8, Kh8.

In this position, I played Queen takes Rook f7, to which she replied Queen takes Queen. I followed with Rook to e8 check, and she resigned. (After Rook takes Rook, Rook takes Rook, ckeck, she would be forced to take my Rook with her Queen and I, in turn, would take her Queen with my pawn giving checkmate). An interesting game which started off with Knight to f3, my usual opening move. For details of the full game send me an e-mail.

I drew in my other game, in the Terrassa open. So, one and a half points out of two is not at all bad for a weekend of chess. Let's see what next weekend has in store for us!

GROUP CHAMPIONS

I can hardly believe it myself. We started the championship pretty well as underdogs. We just wanted to maintain our position. In the end, we actually came top in our group.

CHESS - I'm talking about Chess of course, as anyone who knows me would quickly realise. I love the game and spend many hours analising positions and playing against my PC. Anyway, I changed clubs this year. I'm now playing for Cerdanyola Chess Club in team "D"(which shows I'm not a very good player!) Our team has eight players in it and we played in a group of ten teams from our area. Now, the champions in each group wil play the final phase to determine who will be the overall champion in our category in Catalonia.

The photo - taken outside Bar Grau in Cerdanyola del Vallès - shows only seven of us, the eighth couldn't make it. By the way, I played eight of the nine rounds ... and won seven of them!

TCHAIKOVSKY'S SWAN SONG

I don't know why, but with winter's lament dying away at last and the warm rays of spring sunshine beginning to thaw the thin layer of ice that still covers the surface of many ponds, I am suddenly reminded of Tchaikovsky and I play his music night and day.

Tchaikovsky, who was born in May and died in November, lived in a cold, very cold land. He nevertheless produced some of the best, the most beautiful, the most haunting music ever heard. The warmth that invades my soul when I listen to his symphonies is surely reminiscent of spring emerging out of the coldness of winter. There is nothing, absolutely nothing in the world of music, that compares with the sad theme that grips you from about minute 5 of the "pathetique", his Symphony nº6. The crescendo that builds up quickly in the third to fourth minute of the first movement suddenly turns into a desperately slow, agonising, lead-in to what, in my very humble opinion, must rate as the most romantic theme ever. I like to think of it as Tchaikovsky's Swan Song, performed, and conducted by him, for the first time just a few days before his death. Beauty, to be truly appreciated, must somehow be combined with sadness.

Here is the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, directed by Mariss Jansons, at the 2004 London Proms, performing that particular part of the First movement. (Posted by exponentu on youtube) Do listen to it; I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

SPRING IS HERE

Well, nearly here! Only a couple of weeks left.

But the birds don't know that... they're out there in force singing away to their heart's content.... and ours (many of them have already returned from their winter migration).

And the flowers don't know that. They've forced their way through to emerge as beautiful as ever and splash the bare landscape with their gorgeous colours.

And in the park I saw two snow white swans gliding gracefully across the mirror surface of the lake, obviously courting. Isn't life wonderful!

Yes, I know there's misery everywhere, and people are fighting and killing each other all over the world, and men and women are tortured and kids are exploited and animals are treated badly and made to suffer. This world is full of injustice, but it does have its positive side, or at least I like to think it does.

Otherwise, what would be the point of trying to do good. Oh, yes, thousands of people are out there doing good. Volunteers, medical people, missionaries, teachers. I even venture to suggest that some, not many though, politicians are trying to do good. Ordinary people, such as yourself, or humble me; in our ordinary lives and within our ordinary families and communities, surely we're all trying to do good. And that is beautiful. There's beauty everywhere, if only we stopped and looked and learnt to appreciate it. Gilbert and Sullivan expressed it so poetically in "The Mikado" when Katisha begins her song:

There is beauty in the bellow of the blast,

There is grandeur in the growling of the gale,

There is eloquent outpouring

when the lion is a-roaring,

and the tiger is a-lashing of his tail!

Gosh! That brings back memories, of school days, and operettas, and Nanki-Poo, and Jaqueline. Sweet Jaqueline. I wonder what's become of her and her sensational voice.

Youtube has a large selection of performances, including one with Groucho Marx! The first line is the title of the song. Do listen to it, it's really good. As for the words, you can get them at:

http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/mikado/webopera/mk212.html

I raise my glass to beauty.... in spite of all the horrors that surround us. For beauty is love..... and love is beauty.

.

FEBRUARY

Nice month, February. What with Carnaval (great fun) and St. Valentine's day (Love, love, love) there will be plenty to do.... I hope. Furthermore, it's a short month - only 28 days before we get paid again!

So, to all of you out there, I wish a very happy month. May the joyful celebrations of Mardis Gras bring unprecedented cheer into your life and may Cupid's arrows find their way to your heart.

CHRISTMAS 2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY! Let's hope this one will bring cheers and happiness to all of us and peace in the world.

Photos of our Xmas activities at Network can be seen at the following site:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=13125&id=1406359030&saved#/album.php?aid=13125&id=1406359030

Thanks to Maite, Teresa, Montse Sarai and Damian, who all sent the photos they took. And a very special thanks for the numerous presents I got!

GAZA

I READ THE LATEST NEWS AND WATCH THE INDISCRIMINATE BOMBINGS ON TV AND MY HEART BLEEDS AND I WEEP WITH SORROW. (SEE PHOTOS ON THE LEFT)

IS THIS WHAT WE HAVE COME TO?
WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE PERFECT WORLD WE STRIVED FOR IN THE SIXTIES? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBC3LSre10Y

- THIS WAS A BRITISH PROTECTORATE AT ONE TIME!

- SURELY WE CANNOT JUST TURN OUR BACK ON THESE PEOPLE.
- SURELY WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO VETO THE UNITED NATIONS EFFORTS TO PUT AN END TO THE ATROCITIES THAT ARE BEING COMMITED THERE.
- SURELY IF ISRAEL FEELS REPRISALS AGAINT HAMAS ARE REQUIRED THEN THEY SHOULD AIM THOSE REPRISALS AT HAMAS ITSELF AND NOT AT INNOCENT CIVILIANS WHO ARE CAUGHT IN THE MIDST OF THE SLAUGHTER.
- OR HAS THIS BECOME THE NORM NOW, AS IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAK?

I READ THE LATEST NEWS AND WATCH THE INDISCRIMINATE BOMBINGS ON TV AND MY HEART BLEEDS.

http://rainbowwarrior2005.wordpress.com/2008/12/03/will-the-world-do-nothing-to-stop-genocide-in-gaza/
http://www.debate.com/debates/UN-Resolution-1674-should-be-invoked-to-stop-the-genocide-in-Gaza/1/
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1345214/gaza_strip_genocide_israel_goes_beyond.html
http://www.debate.com/debates/UN-Resolution-1674-should-be-invoked-to-stop-the-genocide-in-Gaza/1/
AND IS THIS NEXT ONE TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2148548.stm

CHRISTMAS & OUR SOLDIERS

Today, with Christmas so close, I want to send a special Xmas wish to all our soldiers abroad.

Please be careful, watch your back and take every possible precaution. Remember that your loved ones are constantly thinking of you and praying for your safe return. May you be blessed with a specially joyful Christmas experience this year and every other year to come. GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

I posted a song, and an article against war, in my joessongs.blogspot.com blog. I hope you'll read it and maybe suppoprt the initiative.

APOLOGIES & XMAS

My most sincere apologies for the time elapsed between my last posting and this one. This academic course is proving much busier than originally expected and I really am very short of free time. I hope to remedy this next term.

Anyway, Christmas is just around the corner and, although we're all feeling the consequences of the financial crisis, the shops seem full and people appear to be spending a fair amount of time and money. To be honest though, the discount shops seem busier than ever; I wonder whether quality this year will be sacrificed in favour of quantity.

A couple of my groups are busy rehearsing their Xmas songs for the forthcoming Christmas Carol Concert. This will take place on Thursday the 18th at around 3.30 pm. If we manage to film it I'll post some clips and a few pictures.

IF YOU'RE THINKING OF DRINKING.... THINK ALSO ABOUT NOT DRIVING :-)

OBAMA

I have no doubt that the whole world feels much better, and safer, now that Barack Obama has been elected President of the USA. I was absolutely amazed by the size of his victory, but also by the almost unchanging face of the USA political map: Republicans in the centre and Democrats on the Eastern and Western coasts. Some day, let's hope, the two will meet, as did the big railway lines once.

I've just had a thought: how about renaming Bo Didley's hit song from Hey, Bo Diddley to Hey, Obama! We could just start a new rage. Or, "I come from Alabama with Obama on my knee". I do think the new president elect will be a great source of inspiration. Let's all wish him good luck in his new job and a safe and happy stay in the White House.

NEW BLOG FOR BEGINNERS

Today, I published my first session for absolute beginners whose native language is Spanish. Those interested can go to; http://lasclasesdejoe.blogspot.com/

I hope you'll find it useful. Don't forget to send your comments.

FINANCIAL CRISIS

"Laugh and the whole world laughs with you," - says the song. - "Cry and you cry alone!"
So there's a new financial crisis. I don't know about you, but I think I've had enough bad news this year, so I'm all for a good laugh. I hope you'll join me. Here are the views of two famous comedians on the on- going financial crisis (with Spanish subtitles for my Catalan and Spanish students).

WELCOME BACK TO THE NEW ACADEMIC COURSE

Well, summer came and whispered sweet things in my ear,
as it flew south across the border.
But now that autumn's chill begins and winter's near
I start to feel a little colder ...
and a little older!

Welcome back. I hope you've all had an enjoyable summer holiday (those of you who live in the northern hemisphere, that is!). Summer went by all too fast for me - which explains my little poem above - and I do feel a little colder; must be old age creeping up on me. Anyway, I managed to write a couple of stories and compose a couple of songs, one of which is my previous posting.

So, glad to have you all back and I hope you'll continue to enjoy popping in from time to time. Do post a comment now and then.

Joe.

IN A PERFECT WORLD

I started to write this song back in May. I was hoping we could include it in our End-of-Course Peace Concert (June). However, I didn't finish it in time, so we never got round to playing it. (In fact, I never even mentioned it to the others!)

Anyway, when I did finish it, I thought I'd try and do something useful with it. So, I created the accompanying video. The quality is not exactly "PERFECT", probably due to the conversion of files to an acceptable format, but it does reflect the kind of world we live in. In any case, I'm working on it. Maybe by the time I improve it enough the world WILL be a better place!

You can also access it directly at youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBC3LSre10Y

I hope you like it.

HELLO AGAIN & THANKS

Another week has gone by. We're now one week closer to August and to the month's holiday that's waiting to be enjoyed. I don't know about you, but I NEED A REST. I'm not sure yet about what I'll do or how I'll spend my holidays, but I do know that I'm going to rest,REST, REST!

This has definitely been one of the most exhausting academic years I can remember, though I must confess it has also been one of the most rewarding. Working on this blog, and on the others, has really been fulfilling. It has been especially satisfying to see the number of visits increase week by week, with visitors coming from as far away as Mexico, the States or India (you can check out the statistics yourselves by clicking on the small graph at the bottom left hand corner of the page) Thank you all; you really make it worth while. Do post a comment, however; you're thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

I thought the following song would be especially appropriate. Cliff Richard singing about a Summer Holiday in the film "The Young Ones". Lyrics below the video. Enjoy.


LYRICS - Summer Holiday by Tony Temple/Dell Clyde - Sung by CLIFF RICHARD

We're all going on a summer holiday. / No more working for a week or two. / Fun and laughter on a summer holiday. / No more worries for me or you. / For a week or two.
Were going where the sun shines brightly. / Were going where the sea is blue. / We've seen it in the movies. / Now let's see if its true.
Everybody has a summer holiday, / Doing things they always wanted to.
So we're going on a summer holiday, / To make our dreams come true, / For me and you.

END-OF-COURSE CONCERT

WHAT BAD LUCK! The evening chosen for the concert turned out to be the evening of the BIG MATCH.

Spain was playing against Russia for a place in the finals of the European Footbal Cup at the precise time that our concert was starting. There was no way we could change the dates, so we played to a reduced audience - to which, of course, we shall be eternally grateful!

I hope you like the pics (click on them to enlarge). I'll post the video just as soon as it's ready.

SPECIAL REQUEST .... & USED TO

This one's for you, Marta. I know it's one of your favourite songs, and it does bring back cherished memories of those days, long gone by, when we all thought we could change the world. Thursday night's End-of-Course concert was, in a sense, a tribute to all those young, and not so young, students, workers, thinkers and idealists, who joined forces in 1968 in what has probably been the largest ever world-wide demonstration in favour of peace, equal rights, social dignity and an end to war, exploitation and the rest of this world's injustices. We're so much older now, but.....are we really any wiser! I really think we could do with a repetition.

As far as "USED TO" is concerned, and for the benefit of my Students of English, I thought the song was a good way of illustrating that "used to" , followed by an infinitive is equivalent to "usually" in the past. Let's look at a couple of examples:
Present - I usually start work at 8 am. (A habit in the present)
Past- I used to start school at 9.15 am when I was young. (A habit in the past)
In the song, Mary Hopkin sings about the place "where we used to raise a glass or two".

What a lot of students don't know, however, is that we can use "Would" with the same result:

Present - My grandparents usually visit us every Saturday evening. (A habit in the present)
Past - My grandparents would visit us every Saturday evening. (A habit in the past)
In the song, Mary Hopkin sings "We'd sing and dance....We'd live the life.... We'd fight and never lose..."

Here's the full video from youtube. (I wonder how many of you knew it's based on an original Russian folk song!). Lyrics on the left and in the video itself. Enjoy.

MORE RIDDLES & THE FEAST OF SANT JOAN

It turned out that "INVINCIBILITY" was not the word Mike had been thinking of. HIS word was "INVISIBILITY". So in fact there are at least TWO words that contain 5 "i's" and a "y", and no other vowels. Can you think of any more?

SANT JOAN - This is, without a shadow of doubt, my favourite Spanish festivity. The shortest night of the year becomes, in fact, the longest one, since very few people actually go to bed before the dawn. Indeed, it's quite common to see thousands of party-goers in Barcelona congregating on the beaches, after celebrating all night - with fireworks, cava and the traditional "Coca de Sant Joan" - to watch the sun rising on the horizon over the mediterranean sea. ABSOLUTELY MAGNIFICENT

ANSWERS

Ok, you guys and gals, you've had more than enough time to find the answers to the riddles; so, here we go:

1. Five eyes and a why - INVINCIBILITY (5 "I"'s AND A "Y")

2. Five vowels joined together in one word - This is what "askoxford.com" says

"We know of only one word in anything like standard use which has five consecutive vowels, and that is Rousseauian 'pertaining to Rousseau or his views on religion, politics, education, etc.' Apart from this, and the large vowel clusters in queueing, there are only the Greek-derived words of the pharmacopoeia type.

3. What did the big chimney say to the little chimney? - "You smoke too much!"

*******************

While we're on the subject, here are some more pearls of the English language:

- OOLOOPOOLOO - A palindrome (A word that reads the same in both directions). This one refers to a dialect spoken in Australia. I'm not sure you can call it "English", though!

- EDUCATION - A word containing all five vowels.

- ABSTEMIOUS - A word containing all five vowels IN THE RIGHT ORDER!

For more gems like these, check out this link:
http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutwords/fivevowels?view=uk

ALSO, CHECK OUT "RIDDLES" - left-hand column - and ENJOY.