Àngels Amat

JOAN BAEZ

BIOGRAPHY

Joan Chandos Baez, known as Joan Baez, was born on January 9, 1941 in Staten Island, New York (USA). She is a singer and activist.

She started her brilliant carrer in Boston in 1959. Joan Baez sang on political actions like «The March on Washington» for civil rights and she fought against Vietnam War. She was married to Davis Harris, and they had a son. Nowadays, they are divorced. She has performed concerts around the world, and this summer she is going to be in Cap Roig Garden in Palafrugell, Girona (Spain). She is a famous singer of protest and justice songs. She is known as «The Queen of Protest song». I admire her because she is an activist woman defender of people rights.

Some of the songs she sings are:

Blowing in the wind

 Where have all the flowers gone

Don’t cry for me Argentina

Vicky Crous

MAGDALENA AULINA I SAURA

BIOGRAPHY

Magdalena  Aulina i Saura was born on December 12 1897 in Banyoles, near Girona. She died on May 15 1956 in Barcelona. She was a secular nun and she joined the Irish Secular Institute of Parish  Workers.

She was the sixth daugther to Narcís Aulina. Her father was a wool and a coal merchant. Her mother was a housewife and a deeply Catholic woman. When Magdalena was  a little girl, she accompanied her older sister to do charity work. Later her older sister became a Carmelite nun. Another Aulina's sister was also a nun in Maria – Lestonac order.

When Magdalena was 15 years old, in 1912, she red Gemma Galgani´s biography and she was impressed, so she decided to become a God`s servant.

In 1921 she got a heart disease and her family and her doctors believed she would die. Then, Magdalena prayed to Galgani and wrote a novena dedicated to Galgani. On Abril 23 1923, Magdalena felt healthy and thought it was thanks to Galgani. So, in 1934 Aulina became an ardent promotor of devotion to Galgani.

In 1922 she founded  the Patronat d'Obres, in Banyoles, for girls' education,  so girls could improve their lives.

In 1926 Aulina collaborated with the families in her village to organize activities for women's liberation. Afterwards with some donations by wealthy families, she organized homes and schools for young women workers. Their name was Casa Nostra. 

In 1929 Aulina began to teach morning and evening lessons. and she opened a healh center with other fourteen people in the summer.

In 1939, Josep Cartaña, bishop of Girona forbade Magdalena's community of women, but then the bishop of Pamplona mediated and Magdalena and succeded. So in December, she signed an abjuration of her errors.

In 1941 after her conflict with the bishop Cartaña, Aulina had to move her Institute to Navarra, where she continued her activity and education to the poor people.

She founded houses in Aragon, Valencia and Rome.

I admire her became she devoted her life to the poor.

April 2018

Àfrica Garriga

COCO  CHANEL

BIOGRAPHY

Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, known as Coco Chanel was born on August 19,1883 in Saumur, La Loire (France). She died in Paris on January 10, 1971 when she was 87 years old. She was a fashion designer.

When Gabrielle was twelve years old, her mother died and she was sent to a boarding orphanage school.

When she was 22 years old, she became a cabaret singer, but she dreamt of becoming a dressmaker.

She married Paul Iribe and, later, Étienne Balsam.

In 1909 she moved to Paris and opened a hat shop named “CHANEL MODES”.

Coco created comfortable clothes for women, straight straight and simple, but elegant.

She also made tanning fashionable in the mid 20s. Some years later, Coco created “CHANEL-5”, her famous perfume.

Coco Chanel is probably the most important fashion designer in the world of style and fashion history.

Some of her best known quotes are:

“Less is more”

“Everything that is fashionable is going out of style”

“Dress up elegant and people will see the woman”

I admire Coco Chanel because of her courage.

April 2018

Pol Serrano

MICHAEL JACKSON

BIOGRAPHY

Michael Joseph Jackson (Gary, Indiana 1958 - Los Angeles 2009) was an American Pop-Rock Singer.

He grew up in Indiana and when he was five he formed a band with four of his brothers called ‘The Jackson 5’. A few years later, when he was older, the band was renamed ‘The Jacksons’. Michael had a humble childhood with no luxuries.

In 1979 he released his first CD as a solist, ‘Off the Wall’, and in 1982, his album ‘Thriller’ was the world best selling album with over thirty million sold copies. In 1985 he sang the solidarity song ‘We are the world’ with other famous artists.

I admire him because he fought for peace, equality, genders and all humanity rights.

Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009 in Los Angeles of a ‘Propophol’ sedative overdose. His last song was ‘This Is It’.

To me, his best song is: Speechless 

April 2018

Mercè De Arce

ELISABETH  EIDENBENZ

BIOGRAPHY

Elizabeth Eidenbenz was born on June 12, 1913 in Wila, Swizerland. She died on May 23, 2011. Elisabeth was a teacher and a nurse.

She moved to Spain in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War, where she was a volunteer to help Spanish children.

After the second Spanish Civil War was over, she helped exiled republicans when they were in concentration camps in the south of France. There, she founded the Maternity Hospital in Elna. In that hospital, she helped pregnant women from the concentration camps and their babies.

From 1956, and for many years on, she devoted all her time to rehabilitating working women.

In 2006, she was given the Catalan award Creu de Sant Jordi.

I admire her because she saved nearly 600 Spanish Refugees, women and children, travellers and Jewish during World War II.

April 17 2018

Javier Lima

 MOTHER TERESA OF CALCUTTA

BIOGRAPHY

Anejezë Gonxhe Bojoxhv, known as Mother Teresa of Calcutta, founded “The home for dying” in Calcutta in 1946.

She was born in 1910 in Albania. When she was a child, she went to a nun´s school. When she was 18 years old, she travelled to Ireland to join the Sisters of Loreto at the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a nuns’ community with missions in India. Six weeks later, she travelled to India to work as a teacher for a long time in the order’s school in Calcutta. There, she founded a religious order: “The missioners of charity”. Very soon the order became a non governmental organization and now there are 727 missions spread in a several countries.

She received some prizes, among them: The Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

In the 80s his health was bad. She had a heart disease, malaria and pneumonia. Finally, she died on September 5, 1997.

The Pope Jean Paul II changed the church rules to beatify her earlier on October 19, 2003. She’s now a saint and a lot of people are following her example.

I admire her because when I was in India and when I saw what she did I was really impressed.

Granollers, April 29, 2018

We need an adaptor socket (1 per bedroom, at least-com a mínim):

Dublin Map

Dublin Map

Molly Malone (Cockles & Mussels)

Drunken' Sailor - Irish Rovers

Dirty old Town

The Wild Rover

Visit Dublin - Top 10 places to see in the city

Biography of PAU CASALS (by Fina Iglesias)

I’m going to write about a musician man who was the best one in his period.

He was born in El Vendrell in 1876. He started studying piano, flute and violin when he was five years old.

One day, he saw a person who was playing an instrument in a special position. It was a cello, he became keen on that instrument and decided to learn violoncello. When he was studying, he met Isaac Albeniz who helped him to get some contacts. Afterwards he could continue his classes in Madrid. He got a degree very early and he played the cello on a particular and personal way.

He travelled around the world giving concerts and played side by side with other musicians. 

In 1971 he composed “The Hymn of United Nations” and received the Peace Medal.

Pau Casals always fought to give support to freedom for Catalonia and he participated in several concerts for peace.

Biography of Victòria dels Àngels (by Roser Riudor)

          

Victòria dels Àngels (Barcelona 1923-2005) was a Spanish singer who highlighted as a lyric and opera soprano. She was born Victoria de los Ángeles López García and lived her childhood and youth in the porter’s lodge of the University of Barcelona where her father was a caretaker. The soprano married Enric Magriñà in 1948 and they had two sons, one of them with Down’s syndrome.

She always admitted her humble origins despite her success in her professional carreer. She was a model of an anti-diva.

Victoria studied at Barcelona Conservatory. In 1941, while she was still a student, she made her operatic debut at the Liceu, as Mimí, in La Bohème but it was in 1945 when she returned to the Liceu to make her professional debut as the Countess in “The marriage of Figaro”. After winning first prize in the Geneva International Competition 1947, she sang “Salud” in Falla’s La vida Breve in 1948.

She played around the world. In 1949 she made her first apparance at the Paris Opera as “Marguerite” (Fausto) and, a year after, she made her debut in Salzburg and, after that, at The Royal Opera House (London), Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Opera (New York), Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires), La Scala (Milán), Viena State Opera, etc. In 1961, Victoria de los Ángeles became the first Spanish singer who had performed at the Bayreuth Festival, as “Elisabeth” in Tannaüser.

Her farewell to opera was at the theater La Zarzuela, in Madrid in 1982, but in 1992 she sang at the Barcelona Olympic Games. Her last concert was at the National Theater of Catalonia, in Barcelona in 1997.

Once again, the Hospital of Sant Pau is hosting the “Victoria de los Ángeles Lied Festival”, from 20 to 29 november 2015.

Her life can be included in her sentence “I’m just someone singing and I would like to be remembered well”.

Biography of Malala Yousafzai (by Montse Vilà)

Malala Yousafzai is an activist for the right to education, especially female education. She was born in Mingora, Pakistan on July 12 in 1997. Her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, was the owner of a chain of schools known as the Khushal Public School and an education activist in Pakistan. Now he is the United Nations Special Advisor on Global Education and also the educational attaché of Pakistan in its consulate in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Her mother, Tor Pekai Yousafzai, is a housewife. Recently she has learned to read and write, and to speak a bit of English. Malala has two younger brothers, Khushal and Atal.

Although her family didn't have much money and life was difficult in Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai had a happy childhood. She went to school in Mingora, one of her father's schools. She was a very good student because she loves learning and going to school. She wanted to become a doctor.

She became interested in girls education and got involved in it because of the injustice that was happening in her country and with the support of her family, especially his father, who always encouraged her. She began speaking about education rights in September 2008, when her father took her to Peshawar to speak at the local press club. In January 2009, Malala began writing a blog under the pseudonym Gul Makai for the BBC detailing her life under Taliban occupation. At that time the Taliban banned television and music, women were prevented from leaving home alone and girls were forbidden to go to school. In summer 2009, a journalist for the New York Times made a documentary about her life in Pakistan. Then she was revealed as the author of the BBC blog. Malala and her father received death threats but continued to speak out for the right to education. Since then she has become more known by giving interviews in print and on television. In 2011 she received Pakistan's first National Youth Peace Prize and was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize.

On October 9, 2012, when Malala and her friends were going back home by the school bus, a masked gunman got on the bus and shot her. The bullet went through her head, neck and shoulder. Two other girls were also wounded in the shooting. Malala survived but was in a critical condition. She was quickly moved to a military hospital in Peshawar where doctors operated her as an emergency because her brain was swollen. Two days later the doctors decided to take her to a military hospital in Rawalpindi. On October 15, she was moved to Birmingham, United Kingdom for treatment at a hospital that specializes in military injuries. A few days later she came out of the coma and was responding well to treatment. On October 25, she was reunited with her family. Until then, she had not cried, but when she saw them, she collapsed. They all ended up crying. On 3 January, 2013, Malala was discharged from the hospital to continue her rehabilitation at her new home. The Taliban's attempt to kill Malala received worldwide condemnation and led to protests across Pakistan. While she was in hospital she received much support from people around the world.

In March 2013, she returned to school in Birmingham. On July 12 2013, Malala's 16th birthday,  she spoke at the United Nations to call for worldwide access to education. The UN dubbed the event "Malala's Day". In that speech she said: "One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world". Since then this sentence has become her motto. In that same month, Malala met Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. In October her autobiography was published and she met Barack Obama and his family. In that year, Malala and her father co-founded the Malala Fund, a nonprofit association to bring awareness to the social and economic impact of girls' education and to encourage girls to raise their voices, to unlock their potential and to demand change. In May 2014, she participated in the campaign for the release of the young Nigerian, who was abducted while studying by an Islamic group that rejects women education. 

On 10 December, 2014, Malala won the Nobel Peace Prize. She is the youngest person ever to win a Nobel Prize. She contributed her $1.1 million prize money to financing the creation of a secondary school for girls in Pakistan. On 12 July 2015, her 18th birthday, she opened a school in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, near the Syrian border, for Syrian refugees. On 20 August she got good grades in her GCSE exams. She had achieved six A*s and four As. In October a documentary entitled ""He named Malala"" was released. In November, she met Emma Watson. During the interview Malala told her that thanks to Emma Watson's speech at the United Nations , she had become feminist.

She plans to remain in the UK for the rest of her education. She wants to go to a good university and study politics. She hopes to become prime minister of her country some day. She and her family hope to return to his beloved Pakistan.

I admire her a lot because she has been and still is very brave. It is a role model and an inspiration. Her effort and dedication encourages me to be care more for other people and a better person. We need more people like her in the world. I wish her all the best in life because she deserves it.

Biography of Ona Carbonell Ballestero, by Mireia Guimerà

Ona Carbonell Ballestero

Captain of Spanish synchronized swimming team.

Ona Carbonell Ballestero was born in Barcelona on 5 July, 1990, but now she lives in Mallorca.

She began her sport education in rhythmic gymnastics and when she has 10 years old, she changed her preferences to synchronized swimming and at the age of 14, he trained in Car Sant Cugat, the high efficiency sports center of Barcelona, where the elite athletes of Spain train. Now she is 25 years old and is the captain of Spanish synchronized swimming team.

She has participated in three junior world championships, four absolute world championships, and an Olympic Game, and has won 40 gold medals, 26 Argent medals and 24 bronze medals in her life.

Her most important victory was the Olympic medal in London, 2012, and the last awards were silver and bronze in Kazan world championships in 2015.

Now she trains very hard to participate in next Olympic Games Brazil 2016.

Today, Ona is one of the best and most renowned figures in the Spanish sport,

Biography of Elvis Presley, by Montse Zamorano

ELVIS AARON PRESLEY was born in Tupelo,Mississippi the US, on January 8,1935. His parents were Gladis Love and Vernon Elvis Presley. When he was 13 years old, he and his family moved to Memphis, Tenessee.

He studied at L.C. Humes High School. Presley received only a C in music in eighth grade, When his music teacher told him he had no aptitude for singing. He joined the United States Army (1958-1960) with a rang of Sargent.

His music career began in 1954. Presley's first single HeartbreakHotel was released in January, 1956. It was a number-one hit in the US.  He became his music career as a rock and roll figure. In November 1956, he made his film debut in Love me Tender .

Elvis sang in different genres: Rock and Roll, Rockabilly, Pop, Country and Gospel.

He married Priscilla Beaulieu in 1967 and they had a child, Lisa Marie Presley. In 1973,

 Priscilla and Elvis got divorced, he had become addicted to many drugs.

Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977 (aged 42) in Memphis, Tenesse, US.

Biography of Joan Manuel Serrat, by Júlia Morente

Joan Manuel Serrat was born in Poble Sec, a neighbourhood of Barcelona, on December 27, 1943. He is one of the most important figures of modern, popular music, in both the Spanish and Catalan languages, who started the Nova Cançó Catalana (new Catalan song) together with other Catalan musicians. Josep, his father, was an anarchist, member of the CNT, and he worked at the Gas Company as an electrician. His mother, Ángeles, was born in Belchite, Zaragoza. She was a housewife and also worked as a dress-maker.

His childhood and environment in his neighbourhood impacted him as he described Catalonia, after the Spanish Civil War. He studied agricultural engineering, but he became involved with music when he was 16 after his father gave him a guitar. He dedicated him one of his firsts songs: La guitarra.

In 1960 the young artist participated in a pop band. In 1965 he joined the group Els setze Jutges, which defended the Catalan language during the Franco’s dictatorship. ElsVells Amants i Els Titelles, which Serrat sang at the Palau de la Musica Catalana, served to establish him as one of the most important artists in the Nova Cançó Catalana.

In 1968, he was chosen to sing the song La La La at the Eurovision Song Contest. He asked to sing it in Catalan, but the Spanish authorities didn't agree, so he refused to sing it in the Spanish version, and he was replaced by the singer Masiel. As a result, Serrat's music was banned in Spain.

In 1974, he was exiled in Mexico, after he had condemned the arbitrary executions under Franco's Regime. He was acclaimed in South America and the USA. He came back to Spain before Franco's death, and he sang Catalan songs as well as Spanish songs.

In 1969, his first child, Queco, was born. In 1978, Serrat got married to Candela, a well being family's daughter, and in 1969 was born their daughter Maria was born.

Since his beginnings, he was the best photographer of the Spanish reality with his irony and sensitivity. In his songs, he gave voice to poets like Machado, Miguel Hernández, Rafael Alberti and some others, and his own lyrics are always poetry.

Nowadays, in Spain, he has been recognised as a very important musician. Not long ago, he overcame a cancer, however, nowadays he continues singing and acting.

Biography of Johann Sebastian Bach, by Javier Lima