October 2009

October 31st

Morning everyone and happy Hallowe'en day!
You see, I'm still struggling with my cold, which is bothering me more than I thought, but hopefully I will be fine by Tuesday. I mean, on Thursday, right after the class I had completely lost my voice and had a slight chest infection, but fortunately there was a long weekend ahead to get over it ...
Anyway, Ana Navarro has asked me to publish something terribly interesting. This is what she has to say:

By sheer chance I watched this talk on the Internet and as it is related to module one of our book I thought it would be a good idea to share it with all of you.

Oxford Professor Ian Goldin explains his idea of globalisation. According to him, globalisation may mean a new renaissance. In technology, there is no doubt whatsoever, there will be an amazing development, as well as in medicine and genetics.

However, he emphasizes two main drawbacks, two “Achilles heels” as he calls them: On the one hand, globalisation is not inclusive, and as a result many people feel that they have been left out in one way or another. On the other hand, there’s the idea of complexity, a growing fragility, that is, what happens in one place quickly affects everything else. And he gives us two examples of it: the first one is the financial crisis and the other one is the pandemic flu.

Therefore, he recommends us to mobilize ourselves in a new way, to come together as a community to deal with problems such as climate change or the already mentioned financial crisis. And the main tools to come together as a community are innovation and understanding.

Luckily, dear Ana, I've been able to embed this thought-provoking video by Mr Goldin. I was wondering if we might use it on Tuesday for a class debate that sort of concludes module 1, what do you think guys? You'd better watch it first and then you can even write in more opinions on this blog, OK?

October 29th

Javi Becerro has written two film reviews:

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Released in 2008, this movie won 3 Oscars for special effects and make up. The feature was directed by David Fincher (“Fight Club”, “Seven”) and stars an acclaimed cast of actors and actresses such as Brat Pitt, Cate Blanchet and Julia Ormond.

This is a gripping drama about an abandoned baby who was born old (quoting a funny statement from one of the oldest women of the retirement home: “the baby looks like my former husband”). However, he will end his life like a baby.

It strikes me that, behind this weird tale, we are watching a perfect love story with plenty of adventures that actually remind me of the movie “Forrest Gump”.

It's worth making a remark about the fantastic performances.

“This is England”

Two weeks ago, I watched the movie “This is England”. I had great expectations about this film before seeing it.

The script is about a group of skinheads from the north of England (I am not sure, though ) in 1983 during the Falklands War.

The main character is a 12 year-old boy who is suffering from the loss of his father in the war and his mother spends most of her time working, regardless of the lack of affection given to her son so, consequently, he joins the group of skinheads.

The movie is an excellent portrait of the British society in the Thatcher period and an interesting criticism of the rise of nationalism and racism in England.

However, personally I feel that only the child and the gang leader are well drawn characters.

Regarding the language, I believe that is difficult to follow because there are plenty of colloquial and slang expressions.

Without revealing any clues, the end is obvious.

Well done, Javi! I'd just like to add that, personally, I felt slightly disappointed by Benjamin Button after all the hype, even if I must admit that it's a truly original script. Moreover, at nearly 3 hours, the film is just too long. But an interesting story, all in all.
As for This is England, it's a brutal yet brilliant portrait of Thatcherism, which indeed gives you food for thought. Perhaps you forgot to mention the fantastic soundtrack, which I found captivating.

By the way, the title Antonio is referring to in his comment is the 2008 French film directed by Jean Paul Salome's, Les Femmes de l'ombre (The women in the shade?).

Well, I'm overwhelmed (pleasantly, I must say), as comments keep coming in! This is what Cristina wants to say in reply to Ana Galache's review of Lies of Silence:

I totally agree with Ana Galache. I read “Lies of Silence” last year and I liked it a lot.

I’m not used to reading in English, so at first I thought it was going to take me a great effort but this book is easy to read.

When I borrowed it in the EOI library I wasn’t sure I would be able to end it because of several reasons. One of them was the novel's principal issue, the IRA. I have to recognise I know just a little bit about it. And another reason was that in that time I’d just bought a monolingual dictionary and I thought that I was going to spend more time with the dictionary than with the book because I didn’t know how to use it very well.

But this book has a good plot and a medium vocabulary level so when you start to read it, you want to continue with another page and then another one, and so on, till you finish it.

I recommend it to start this new course and get your brain ready for more and more English.

October 28th

Ana Galache says:

Thank you for all the recommendations, I wish I had the time to watch and read much more than I do, but now I’m looking for a book that grabs me, because otherwise I usually give up before ending it. I’m interested in Ana’s recommendation: "The curious incident of the dog in the night-time" by Mark Haddon, it sounds good.

By the way, after reading her article I remembered one book in English that I read last year and I enjoyed a lot. The title is ‘Lies of silence’ by Brian Moore, and I got hooked on it from the beginning. It’s a thriller about the IRA (Irish Republic Army) in Northern Ireland. The story takes place in Belfast, where Michael, the principal character, works in a hotel as a manager. One night, members of the IRA break into his house, while Michael and his wife are sleeping, and kidnap them. Funnily enough, that day Michael was about to tell his wife that he is in love with another woman.

I love this book for two reasons: first, because it mixes the main argument about the problems related to the IRA, with suspense and a love story, and you cannot put it down until you know the end. And second, you don’t need to have a dictionary by your side to understand almost all, which, in my opinion, is quite important.

For all those who want an interesting, easy read, I strongly recommend this book.

Thanks a lot, Ana, for your review. By the way, your interest in Ana's recommendation reminds me that we still have to set up a class library. You know, I'm forgetful by nature and sometimes there are so many things I want to do ... Anyway, we should discuss how to organize this ASAP!

October 25th

Dear all,
As you all probably know, on Friday the award ceremony of the Premios Principes de Asturias was conducted in Oviedo amid great pomp and circumstance, as it traditionally happens. Queen Sofia and their Royal Highnesses were present, but seemingly the highlight of the event was Russian athlete Elena Isymbayeva, who stole the show with her spectacular night dress and her natural charisma and spontaneity. But to me that wasn't so. Although I love sport and admire sporting achievements, to me the real interest (and the reason I watched the recorded programme on RTVE's web) was the accolade awarded to an extraordinary British naturalist, BBC broadcaster and film-maker, whose illustrious career has spanned five decades; so to speak, the equivalent in the UK to our own, sorely missed, Feliz Rodriguez de la Fuente: SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH, yes, with capital letters.
If there's someone who truly deserves this and any other award (he's got dozens across the world, actually) for his love of nature and his mind-boggling legacy to the future generations as regards the environment, that is Sir David. Boy, was it great to see him collect the prestigious prize from the hands of Prince Felipe and, with that proverbial British dignity, holding the scroll with both hands, slowly walk with his limp (he's 83 now) to the front of the stage, greet Queen Sofia with a respectful bow and then the audience with a gentle smile.
I cannot emphasize enough how much I've always looked up to Sir David's work through his countless wildlife documentaries (I've watched so many both in the UK and here in Spain) and, from the point of view of an English teacher, relished his almost Victorian English, his eloquence, his perfect pace of delivery.
That's why you will allow me to pay a modest yet heartfelt tribute to Sir David Attenborough on this humble blog of ours by embedding the clip (just part 1 of the first programme) of one of his most celebrated series: Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life. I've chosen this one in particular because, apart from the its scientific value, you can a young Sir David way back in the 70s. Funnily enough, it's subtitled in Spanish, when it'a virtually I-M-P-O-S-S-I-B-L-E not to understand what he's narrating with his unmistakable voice. Each sentence, if pressed I'd say each word he utters, is a prounciation lesson. Surely many of you will be thinking "If only they used subtitles in stuff like Eillis Quinn's Lonely Planet guide of Beijing ..."
So, without further ado, here's Sir David courtesy of, as usual, YouTube (and available in HD). Of course if you, more than likely, get hooked on his beautiful English you can see the subsequent parts.
Happy Sunday everyone!



Ana Navarro says:

I´m happy to read in the blog that Jose Luis and his family enjoyed the film “The Visitor”. After reading his opinion about it and watching the YouTube trailer I´m willing to watch it.
Well, lately I have not enjoyed the films I have watched that much. Last week I borrowed from him “Before sunset”. It is about an American writer and a Frenchwoman working for an environmental protection organization who meet in Paris when he goes there to talk about his new book. Nothing happens in this film. There are just two characters (the writer and the Frechwoman) who stroll through Paris talking about their experiences, views, …
As they keep talking all through the film and there is no action at all, it may be a good listening practice. However, it was extremely boring for me. In Jose Luis´s film list it is said that it is a romance, so I expected something more than just talking. In addition it has got an open ending. So, what the hell happens at the end? Does he take the plane to the USA o not?




The other film I watched was “How to lose friends and alienate people”/ “Nueva York para principiantes”. It is supposed to be a criticism of gossip journalism (or yellow press?) nowadays. It is a comedy. I recommend it to you. Unlike “Before sunset”, many things happen in this film so it is easy to know what is going on. I did not understand every single word but I laughed at the silly English journalist and that´s what matters, isn´t it?



Thanks so much, Ana (Navarro, that is) for your comments. I just hope your review on Sunset doesn't discourage your peers from watching it, because as far as I'm concerned it's a film I enjoyed immensely. But as the saying goes - and all the more as regards cinema - there's no accounting for taste, is there? This is the way to go, guys. KEEP BLOGGING!


October 24th

Happy Saturday evening everyone!
OK. Let me start by saying this: The US (and the whole world for that matter) will never be the same after 9/11 in NY. "Gosh, Jose Luis is in the mood for talking politics", you must be thinking. Nope. It's only one of several reflections I had after watching - with my wife and kids, who also loved it - a delightful film last night: Tom McCarthy's The Visitor (incidentally, I don't think much of the translation of the title into Spanish, Visita inesperada, which doesn't necessarily, in my humble opinion, reflect the movie's spirit)
It's often said you never know how a complete stranger can awaken you to a completely new life. This is what happens to Walter (superbly played by veteran screen actor Richard Jenkins), a disillusioned, widowed university teacher who, sick to death of his professional career, tries to fill his otherwise void life by taking, to no avail, piano lessons. Quite by chance he's sent to a conference in NY, where he will bump in his flat into a young couple of illegal immigrants, who have taken up residence, victims of a scam. Tarek, a talented Syrian drum musician, and his Senegalese girlfriend Zainab, a flea-market jewellery seller, have nowhere else to go or live. Rather reluctantly at first, Walter allows them to stay, but this decision will change his faltering life forever. Tarek teaches the bored academic to play the drum, which opens Walter's eyes to a whole new world of Central Park buddies and local jazz clubs, and as the friendship between the two grows stronger, their initial differences in age, personality and cultural background gradually fall apart.
Drama begins when, after an incident in the NY underground, the police arrest Tarek and hold him as an illegal citizen for deportation. Angered by what he feels is a flagrant injustice, Walter is compelled to help his new friend with a commitment and passion he thought he's lost long ago. When Tarek's mother turns up at Walter's flat out of the blue, there's romance in the air ...
And I reckon, guys, this is what I should tell you if I don't wish to kill the rest of the plot. Because I'm positive some of you will be interested by now, after my passionate review, to see this wonderful, well-crafted, superbly-acted bittersweet film. If it's not encouraging enough, how about this extraordinary YouTube trailer - subtitled with Spanish captions - which hopefully will end up watering your appetite.
"The Visitor" is the best proof of how a brilliant script and a cast of virtually unknown yet extremely talented actors and actresses, smartly directed by Tom McCarthy, can compensate for the apparent lack of Hollywood glamour which too often fills our movie theatres with high-budget productions, heavily dependent on mindless violence or visual effects.

October 22nd

Hello again!
I'm back after a short while, this time to insert some stuff that Cristina has written for our blog. Thank you so much, Cris (can I call you that name, maybe not?), it's such a great feeling when any of you guys collaborate with this modest web!
Anyway, she has recently watched Ocean's 13 (borrowed from my nice DVD collection) and has penned this small review. But first, here's the related trailer, courtesy of YouTube:

Last weekend I watched the film Ocean’s 13, thanks to Jose Luis, who lent me the DVD last week.

The film is directed by Steven Soderbergh and stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Al Pacino and other famous actors. It has been a bit difficult for me to undertand the characters. I think it wasn’t only because of their accents, but also because these good-looking boys kept me amused too long!

The film is about a group of friends; one of them is a businessman called Reuben who joins Mr. Bank (Al Pacino) to build a great casino-hotel. Reuben invests all his savings but Bank betrays him and steals all of Reuben’s money.

This situation makes Reuben suffer a heart attack that keeps him in bed, unable to walk or speak. Here is where the group decides to take revenge.

They prepare a plan to steal, during Bank’s fantastic hotel's first opening, a high amount of money and some valuable diamonds. This plan is so complicated that they have several problems to do it but they find surprising solutions to sort them out.

It’s worth watching the film if you want to have a good time and enjoy these handsome guys.

October 14th

Hello guys! How are you doing?
Your mail is flooding my inbox, which is great, I must say, though I'm slightly overwhelmed. The thing is that I cannot possibly reply to all your messages instantly, can I? Sorry!
Anyway, I've got a couple of requests from Antonio and Ana, respectively, to write in some stuff. Thanks a lot for your commitment and effort! First, this is Antonio's "what-you-should-know-about-me". Is he buttering me up, I hope not!:

My name is Antonio, I’m 24 years old (yeah, I’m getting on in years but alive and kicking, like in a song), I’m from Salamanca and I live there too. What I do for a living is working as an English Primary teacher (I love it!).
I’ll tell you a little more about this precious job:
I work at “Misioneras de la Providencia” school, in Ciudad Rodrigo (it’s a lovely village!), teaching English to 5th and 6th Primary children (apart from some Maths lessons for the 3rd and 4th Primary lads). I don’t know whether I’m a good schoolteacher, but I love it. By now, children are that happy with me (will they have been bribed so as to pretend to be in that mood? He, he!).
Only a couple else of things and I’ll stop this “boring” stuff:
There’s a “secret” which, when come up, I explain about it very proudly: José Luis is partly to blame for my high interest in English (it’s true, I’m not buttering him up!); should it depend on me, I would be at the Official Language School everytime (maybe I would hit the sack there).
And moving on another topic: Films? I don’t usually go to the cinema that often, but, the film should draw my attention very powerfully for me to go to watch it. The movie I’m waiting for to be released is “Saw 6”. The “fucking” doll (sorry about the swear word) is very sadistic!
Well, I’d better “cut” this “roll” (end) my history with my “cruel” joke:
What did number 7 say to number 9? “7, 8, 9” (Seven, eight, nine) (Seven ate nine).
See you on Thursday, folks!!

Then, Ana seems to really like a song (though she hasn't told me why just yet) and hopefully she'll send some comments to accompany the music. Whatever, this is called "I'm yours" by American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz (pronounced /meraz/, as he's of Czech descent), which has been massively popular on radio stations across the world. First you can find the audio clip courtesy of goear.com plus the lyrics scroller:

Jason Mraz is one of my latest discoveries through my best advisors: my students. I heard of him around six months ago and now you can listen to him every time you turn on your radio (specially this song entitled “I’m yours”)

I did research into his music and discovered that he’s a singer-songwriter from California (USA) although his family comes from the Czech Republic.

His stylistic influences include pop, rock, jazz, reggae and hip hop and he has played with big stars like Alanis Morissette, James Morrison, Jewel and Ximena Sariñana (a Mexican girl-singer who he sang the song “Suerte”, in Spanish, with)

I think he’s an honest musician, I mean, he has a serious musical education, and he doesn’t seem to have sold out to commercial music, which is the key to his success.

Mraz started to work in 1999 and released his debut album “Waiting for my Rocket to come” in 2002, but not until the second one, “ Mr. A-Z” in 2005, did he achieve commercial success. His latest album is “We sing, we dance, we steal things” in 2008.

The first single “I’m yours” reached number one on AAA radio charts in the USA. I like this song because it is fresh, with a catchy rhythm and, in my opinion, Mraz gets an appropriate mix of different styles of music.

I hope he carries on this way.

Then the Youtube video, featuring one of Jason's live gigs in Japan - with Spanish subtitles (some of them sound a bit contrived, I must admit). Thanks a million for the music, Ana!



Well, this is all for now. See ya tomorrow and ... keep clicking!

October 13th

Hello there! Lourdes apparently tried to write something on our blog yesterday but she couldn't, so no worries, this is her review of "Agora". Thanks a lot, Lourdes!

Yesterday I went to the cinema and watched "Agora", the last film from Amenabar. I admire him because he’s capable of doing many different films and the result of them is always a surprisingly perfect work.

The most interesting point of this film is the conflicts among the politic power, religion and Science. This topic is so current that many wars of today have the same roots. On the other hand, the idea of freedom is represented by Hipatia, a cultivated woman who choose the thinking as the target of her life.

The story takes place in Alexandria, a province of Egypt, in the IV siècle, when it existed its famous library. I think the virtual reproduction of it is breathtaking.

I strongly recommend it to you.

October 7th

Hi folks, how are things going?
Well, little by little you start emailing me, and in English, which I really appreciate. Someone even wrote a comment today for our freshly-inaugurated blog. Way to go, my dear Ana! She's my #1 fan, you see.
Now, yesterday I forgot to talk about last Friday. After all the fuss, as the Shakespearean saying goes, it was "much ado about nothing" (mucho ruido y pocas nueces, that is). I mean, not many of you attended Rosa's lesson at six, did you? Apparently only two did. And this is only the beginning of term, goodness me! What will happen as exams loom, I wonder ...
For my part, I had a staggering 11 students in my class (only joking), but with the honourable exception of Antonio, none of you came along, thank you very much. The thing is I didn't ask if anyone attended the morning lessons in order to control your asistencias. I guess you would have told me if you had.
Anyway, I can tell you what I did with the daring few who chose to spend their time with me. I used a Powerpoint presentation to know about their profile as advanced students and the needs they have using a questionnaire you will find in unit 1, and even suggested some online resources that you guys can benefit from. At the end of the lesson I played a music DVD featuring a very talented young British musician you may have heard of called Jamie Cullum and the song that shot him to stardom, Twentysomething. So I thought you might like to watch the clip and do the related gap-filling activity (that you will find when you open mail), which is dead simple. Perhaps we'll say a thing or two about Jamie in class ... hopefully you guys will have read this stuff!
OK, I must close now. See ya tomorrow and keep clicking!

Jamie Cullum - Twenty Something

October 6th

Hello guys,
Welcome to our new blog for the 2009-10 academic year. Blogging is something that I started a bit unconvincingly last year but, even if with its ups and downs, the web has grown little by little. My intention is to continue the "project" this year and make it more participatory. Will you please help me?
Well, I've barely met most of you, so to speak, but I feel there's going to be a pleasant atmosphere in class. Today we had the first lesson with Jackie, and the initial impression is really positive. Hopefully you will keep coming throughout the year and so benefit a lot from the activities she carries out every other week.
Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to watch the YouTube clip I had sent Jackie, a rough guide to Philly (Philadelphia, that is), the City of Brotherly Love as it is popularly known. No big deal, I have embedded it down below (this is only the first part, the rest is then easy to find) so that you can watch it more attentively at home. You should be able to understand most of it; remember the important thing is to work regularly and practice the language outside the class as much as you can. At your level, learning autonomy is key and there are so many resources available!
OK, I have to close now. Listen: if you ever want to send in your comments, videos, articles, you name it, you can do so either by clicking on the "PUBLICAR UN COMENTARIO" button at the end of my entries or, alternatively, you can forward your own stuff to me and I'll do the job for you, OK? Anyway, I'll help with all this in weeks to come.
Sweet dreams. Cheerio. Jose Luis