Biography of Shakira… Vincent Van Gogh… Immanuel Kant… Nicolas Machiavelli…

Biography of Shakira

(1977/02/02 - Unknown)

Shakira
Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
Colombian singer

He was born on February 2, 1977 in Barranquilla, Colombia.
Only daughter of William Mebarak, American of Lebanese origin who emigrated to Colombia at age five, and Nidia de el Carmen Ripoll Torrado, Colombian of Catalan descent. It has eight half-brothers over a previous marriage of his father. When Shakira was two years more stepbrother died in an accident when his motorcycle collided with the car of a drunken driver. She was raised as a Catholic.
Shakira in Arabic means "thankful" or "full of grace". Fluent in Portuguese, Italian, English, Spanish and Arabic. Very girl composed songs and assists children's competitions. His Lebanese grandmother taught him the art of Arabic belly dance. He was a big fan of singer Gloria Estefan and appreciate everything he did for Latin music.
When you have 13 years, a representative of Sony Music gets its first recording contract. He made his debut with the album, 'magic', published only in Colombia in 1991 Shakira and thanks to this work was chosen to represent his country in the OTI Festival in Spain, although he could not participate in the competition by not having the minimum age, which was 16-year-old. In 1993, Shakira launches 'danger', their second album and appears as an actress in a TV series called 'The Oasis', on Caracol Televisión. Their third album, 'Pies descalzos' (1996), sold more than 4 million copies worldwide and gave began a world tour that lasted two years. In 1998 appears where are the thieves? he composed after being stolen at an airport all the songs that had been composed for a new drive.
Steven Spielberg offered him a role in his film 'the mask of Zorro' in 1998, but did not accept because their English was not good enough. Finally Catherine Zeta Jones played the role.
In 2000 the Colombian Government named Goodwill AmbassadorShakira. A year later, appears 'Laundry service' (2001), also translated as 'Laundry Service' that it sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. On September 25, 2002 Shakira announced a new world entitled 'Tour of the Mongoose' tour in New York. Since the year 2000 he maintained a relationship with Antonio de la Rúa, son of former President of Argentina Fernando de la Rúa.
Shakira released two LP in 2005: one in Spanish, 'Fijación oral vol.1', and the other in English 'Oral fixation vol.2'. Fijación oral Vol. 1 was released in the month of June 2005 in Europe, North America, Australia and Latin America. The disc reached first place in sales in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Spain and several countries in Latin America. On August 28, 2005, became the first singer to interpret a song in Spanish during the ceremony of the MTV Video Music Awards, held in Miami, Florida.
With the collaboration of the Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz played 'La Tortura'. On 28 February she was awarded his second Anglo Grammy in the category of Best Latin Rock Album. In November 2005 he launched 'Oral Fixation Vol. 2', which debuted at number five in the United States within theBillboard 200[]. In 2006 published a new edition of 'Oral Fixation Vol. 2', which included a new item, 'Hip's don' t lie'. The single, Sung in English with the former Fugees Wyclef Jean, became the greatest success in his career.
On April 3, 2006 Shakira receives an honorable mention in a ceremony of the United Nations for the creation of the Foundation 'Pies Descalzos' call, which is in charge to help and protect children who suffer from domestic violence in Colombia. On April 27 of that same year Shakira won six Billboard Latin Awards and was chosen to sing his song 'Hips Don't Lie' at the final ceremony of The FIFA World Cup, Germany 2006. In 2007, working with his friend Alejandro Sanz, on the album 'the train of the moments' in the song 'thank you, but not', and in the same year, in a song and video musical entitled 'Beautiful Liar' with the American singer Beyonce, corresponding to his album "B'Day "".
October 12, 2009, his sixth studio album launches 'She Wolf'. June 29, 2009 he released the version in Spanish of the first single titled 'she-Wolf' ('She Wolf' in English). The album was a success in the lists and disk of gold in Russia, Ireland, Switzerland, Poland, France, Argentina, Greece and Hungary, Platinum in Spain, the United Kingdom and the Middle East, 2 X Platinum in Colombia and Mexico, and 3 times Platinum in Taiwan.
During the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Shakira became the singer of the official song of the event, the so-called 'Waka Waka' (This Time For Africa), which uses fragments of an African military song, interpreted with the help of the South African Group 'Freshly Ground' and becomes one of the greatest successes of Shakira in Latin America and Europe. 'The Sun', their new album, is presented in September 2010 as well as the first single 'crazy'. January 4, 2011 is officially launches "Sale el sol" the second single from the album.
Her tenth Studio album, of eponymous title (Shakira), was released on March 25, 2014. On July 13, 2014, he interpreted La La La with the Brazilian musician Carlinhos Brown in the closing ceremony in Maracanã Stadium for the World Cup of 2014 FIFA.
In November 2011, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and at the Latin Grammy Awards that year, Academy awarded him as the winner of the prestigious prize for their artistic achievements as well as his philanthropic contributions.
January 10, 2011, Shakira announced on its website that after 10 years together, she and her fiancé Antonio De la Rúa had separated in August 2010. A few months later was made public his relationship with the player of FC Barcelona, Gerard Piqué.
The singer gave birth at a clinic in Barcelona to the 21.36 hours on Tuesday, January 22, 2013, accompanied by the father of the creature, Gerard Piqué. In an official statement confirming the news, the name of the shoot and the correct way to pronounce it: "is pronounced my-lan, the accentuation of the name falls on the first syllable" and explained its meaning: "wanted, gracious and loving in Slavic; in Roman antique, enthusiastic and laborious; "and in Sanskrit, unification". On January 30, 2014, Shakira and Gerard Piqué returned to be parents to give birth to her second child at the Teknon clinic in Barcelona. Sacha Pique Mebarak, weighed 3 pounds at birth after a caesarean birth attended by a team made up exclusively of women.

Biography of Vincent van Gogh

(1853/03/30 - 1890/07/29)

Vincent van Gogh
Dutch painter

He was born on 30 March 1853 in Groot-Zunder, son of a Dutch Protestant pastor.
With 27 years old he had already worked in an art gallery, had given French lessons, he had been studying theology and evangelist among the miners in Wasmes, Belgium. His experiences as a preacher can be observed in their first compositions on peasants, of which the best known is the tosca and direct the potato eaters (1885, Vincent van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands), one of ten unique prints made by the painter throughout his career.
Dark and grim, sometimes stark, his first compositions demonstrate the intense desire to express the misery and sufferings of humanity as he lived them among the miners in Belgium.
In 1886 he travelled to Paris to live with his brother Théo van Gogh, who was art dealer, and there became acquainted with the new artistic movements that were in full development. He was greatly influenced by the works of the Impressionist and by the of Japanese engravers as Ando Hiroshige and Hokusai, began experimenting with the techniques of the time. He later adopted the bright pictorial nuances of French such as Camille Pissarro and Georges Seurat artists.
In 1888, I leave the French capital to move to the South of France with the hope of attracting some of his friends there and found them a Noon workshop. Under the blazing sun of Provence, he painted rural scenes, cypresses, peasants and other features of life in the region. During this period where he lived in Arles, began using the undulating brushstrokes and the yellow, green and deep blues related works as well known as bedroom in Arles (1888, Vincent van Gogh Museum) and starry night (1889, Museum of modern art, New York, United States). They are also of this era of stevedores in Arles (1888) and Les Vessenots en Auvers (1890), both at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid (Spain). For all visible phenomena, paint them or drew them, seemed to be endowed with spiritual and physical vitality. He managed to spread their enthusiasm to the painter Paul Gauguin, who he had met in Paris, so go see him to Arles. Just lasted them two months peace and harmony since then began to have violent clashes which culminated in a bout in which Van Gogh, beside himself, threatened Gauguin with a razor; that same evening, plunged into a deep remorse, Van Gogh cut off part of the ear.
He spent some time admitted to a hospital in Arles and one year in the asylum of Saint-Rémy, located in the same region. During that period he continued to work between several attacks of madness that suffered. Later spent three months in Auvers , run by a friendly physician whose portrait painted (El doctor Paul Gachet, 1890, Musée d'Orsay, Paris). Vincent van Gogh suffered many physical problems due, in part, to poverty and malnutrition. He was addicted to the shank of Wormwood, dangerous narcotic beverage popular at the end of the 19th century. It seems that he suffered syphilis, tinnitus, poisoning by lead, Meniere's and epilepsy syndrome. His two brothers died young and his sister, Wilhelmina, spent most of his life in a mental asylum.
Immediately after finishing his disturbing crows over the wheat field (1890, Vincent van Gogh Museum), a shot in the stomach was fired on July 27, 1890. Despite his wound crept back to the House in Auvers-sur-Oise, where he died two days later in the arms of his brother Theo.
"I took a risk my life for my work, and my reason was always impaired": these are the words of Vincent in his last letter found in his pocket on July 29, 1890. He made about 750 paintings and 1600 drawings.
The Vincent van Gogh Museum was opened in Amsterdam in 1973.

Biography of Immanuel Kant

(1724/04/22 - 1804/02/12)

Immanuel Kant
German philosopher

"Work as if the maxim of your action could be erected, by your will, in universal law of nature."
Immanuel Kant
He was born 22 April 1724 in Königsberg (today Kaliningrad, Russia).
He studied at the Collegium Fredericianum and at the University of Königsberg. At school he studied Classics and in University, physics and mathematics. He was forced to leave college and earning a living as a private tutor, in 1755, and with the help of a friend, resumed his studies and obtained his doctorate.
He spent 15 years serving as Professor at the University and giving lectures. Although these lectures and writings during this period gave him reputation as original philosopher, it was not Professor at the University until 1770, when was appointed Professor of logic and metaphysics. More than forty years, he devoted himself for entire activity docente, philosophical research and the writing of his works, which marked an important milestone in the development of the history of philosophy. He was a teacher beloved by his students, who knew to stimulate their desire to know and learn more.
His religious teachings were based more on than rationalism in divine revelation, and created it problems with the Government of Prussia. In 1792 William Frederick, forbade you teach or write about religious affairs. He complied with the order for five years, until the death of the King, and he was then released from its obligation. In 1798, now retired from University teaching, he published an epitome is where contained an expression of his ideas of religious matters.
He is considered one of the most influential thinkers of modern Europe, the last period of the enlightenment and universal philosophy. His philosophy is collected in critique of pure reason (1781), which examined the foundations of human knowledge and created an individual epistemology . He distinguished the modes of thinking in analytic and synthetic propositions. An analytic proposition is the one in which the predicate is contained in the subject. Called analytical because the truth is discovered by the analysis of the concept itself. Synthetic propositions, on the other hand, are those that can't be reached by pure analysis. All common propositions resulting from the experience of the world are synthetic.
In the metaphysics of ethics (1797) exposes its ethical system, based on the idea that the reason is the last moral authority. Their ideas ethics are result logical belief in fundamental individual liberty, as he said in his critique of practical reason (1788).
In perpetual peace (1795), it proposes the establishment of a Federation world of Republican States. He also wrote history of nature and theory of heaven (1755), Prolegomena to any future metaphysics (1783), natural philosophy metaphysical principles (1786), critique of judgment (1790) and the religion within the bounds of pure reason (1793).
The life of Kant, sedentary and methodical man, was marked by a great regularity; theirs was a routine, special events, free existence that was always in his hometown, without ever traveling to other places or countries. From a young age, Kant especially is a daily program of activities that complied with such precision and method that the inhabitants of Königsberg could set their watches just to look at their entrances and exits. Not aware of love: there is a letter from a young woman, Maria Charlotte Jacobi, dated in 1762, in which appears an erotic innuendo, and there is also speculation about possible visits to a brothel and his alleged homosexuality.
Immanuel Kant died, likely victim of Alzheimer's disease, on 12 February 1804 at his home, surrounded by friends and disciples. The University and the city of Königsberg, buried him with honors of a Prince.

Biography of Nicolas Machiavelli

(1469-05-03 - 1527/06/21)

Niccolò Machiavelli
Italian political philosopher and historian

"No attack power if you do not have the security to destroy it"
Machiavelli
Born May 3, 1469, in an old family Florentine.
Son of Bernardo dei Niccolò Macchiavelli, Jurisconsult, and of Bartolommea dei Nelli.
He worked as a civil servant when he began to emphasize was proclaimed in the year 1498 the Republic in Florence.
He was named the twenty-five years Secretary of the Dei DieciGovernment, responsible for the second Chancellery Foreign Affairs and war of the Republic. He carried out diplomatic missions before the French King (1504, 1510-1511), Holy See (1506) and Emperor (1507-1508). From 1503 to 1506, he organized the military defences of the Republic of Florence. In the year 1512 the Medici resume power in Florence and it is private office and imprisoned for conspiracy. Released, it retires to its properties close to Florence, where he writes his most important works.
His writings talk about the principles on which is based a been ideal and the media to keep them. His most outstanding work is the Prince, which brought him fame of amoral cynic. It describes the method by which a ruler can acquire and maintain political power. The writing has often been considered a defense of the tyranny of leaders such as Cesare Borgia. He claimed that the ruling should be concerned only the power and surround yourself with those who would guarantee him success in their political actions.
Other of his works are: on the art of war (1520), where is the advantages of troops recruited from the mercenary. The Florentine histories (1525). Life of Castruccio Castracani (1520). In addition to a series of poems, and several plays, among which excels the Mandrake (1518), obscene satire on corruption in the Italian society. Despite their attempts to win the favor of the Medici family, never again to hold a prominent position.
In 1502 he married Marietta Corsini, of which five children were born.
Nicolás Maquiavelo died the June 21, 1527, in his hometown.