Three types of death

In Tibet ...
Budhists believe that there is life after death and that death is just one part of the ongoing circle of life. Therefore, people shouldn´t worry about death. Accordint to Tibetan´s tradition, there are three moments in the process of death or "life". First, there is the moment of the person´s physical death "Chikhai Bardo". Then, there is the experiencing reality in which deceased persons see visions of Buddha "Chonyid Bardo". Finally, there is the rebirth "Sidpa Bardo" in which new life begins for the individual.

Talking about the death ritual itself, there are two ways to do it. The first one is simply to cremate the person´s body, since there isn´t too much space for burials in Tibet´s small land surface.
The second one, and the most interesting one, is called the Sky Burial in which the person´s body is left for animals to eat it. The reason why this process is not desrespectful towards the deceased one or his family is that Buddhists believe that the body is just an "empty vessel" that should be useful for other animals after death.

In New Zeland ...
Maoris have an elaborate death ritual. When a person dies his hut is burned. Then, the body is taken care of and it is dressed with beautiful clothes to be viewed in public. While the body is exposed, mourners cry and wear green leaves around their necks. While praises are chanted in order to honour the dead, close friends of the death person´s family have a feast where they give the dead´s relatives various gifts. After some years, the deceased person´s bones are cleaned and covered in red earth.

In Muslim Countries ...
First, the body must be bathed while a piece of linen covers it´s private parts. Next, the body must be enshrouded in a white cloth, called Kafan, so that it´s dignity and privacy is preserved. Then, the body is displayed for the deceased person´s relatives to gather and show their condolences. After that, there is a prayer called the Salat al-Janazah which must be said so that the death person´s negative actions are forgiven. Finally, the body is buried in a grave and the head of the deceased is positioned so that it faces Mecca.

Death is the End

Usually when I hear about death, specially in literature or philosophy, there are always conclusions that try to highlight the importance of death as a "new beginning" or a "simple step in a person's process". Well, for me that is simply too idealistic to be true. In fact, I think that the people who wrote these kinds of conclusions are too coward to accept death as the end of life -which should be obvious-, or want to give themselves too much importance as the ones who see things in a different way.

So, if you ask me what is death, I will give you a short answer: Death is the end of material life. In my Catholic view, I strongly believe in Heaven, but I do not think that we are entering a "new life" after death. Life is over, that's all.

People shouldn't be scared about death. We are all going towards that same final destiny and no one can escape from it. Therefore, I think that people should worry about what they do in life, and how they share with other people here, in this world. Make your life pleasant and leave a good impression in this world. That´s all.

Its The Gangster Its The Legend Its Capone

Nando, I was a little inspired while doing the video. That's why it is a bit long.

Hope you like it

Final Note: The Great Gatsby

During this unit I learned the relationship between Fitzgerald's novel and the concept of the American Dream. Also, I underestood the way in which the author uses purely American language in order to describe the social and economic phenomena that were happening during the 1920's in the U.S.

On the other hand, I learned about the importance of certain events and persons during the 1920's. For example, prohibition, bootlegging, construction of skyscrapers, Louis Armstrong, Al Capone, etc. Every one of this persons was a result and at the same time a builder of the history of the United States.

In my opinion, The Great Gatsby is not such a great novel. It has historical importance, yes, but at the same time it lacks strong emotions and complex relationships between characters. It's based on a love story between Gatsby and Daisy, which is a very simple argument.

In conclusion, although The Great Gatsby is a faithful representation of what was going on during the 1920's, it is very simple when one analyzes its psychological aspects. For me, it wasn't the worst novel I have read, but it certainly wasn't the best.

Al Capone

If you think about a prominent gangster, the inevitable image that comes to your mind is the one of Alphonse Capone, wearing an elegant black or dark blue suit and a tilted fedora.

Capone was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Italian immigrants that came to the U.S. seeking a better future. He was a very smart boy at school, but he had trouble following the strict discipline codes of his Catholic school. That's why, when he turned 14, he was expelled for hitting a teacher on her face.

From that moment on, Capone started his career as a gang member. He was part of the Five Points Gang in which he met his mentor, the Mafia Don Johnny Torrio. He continued working with Torrio, building a vast criminal empire with its base in Chicago, called the Chicago Outfit.

Capone's life in Illinois was luxurious and at the same time dangerous. After enemy gangs made an attempt to kill Torrio, in which he was wounded, the Italian mobster decided to go back to his homeland, leaving the whole operations of the Chicago crime syndicate in Capone's hands. Thereafter, Capone dedicated his efforts to consolidate his criminal empire. He was involved in the bootlegging business as well as in running rackets and prostitution cabarets.

A few years later, around the end of the 1920's, Capone was regarded as a celebrity. He said that his business was just about "giving people what they wanted". In 1929, an obscure fact was the starting point of the decline of Capone's career: The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, in which he ordered the murder of seven members of a rival gang led by Bugs Moran. The massacre was a response to an attempt of killing Capone in a drive-by shooting.

After several pictures of the massacre showed everywhere, Capone's reputation began to deteriorate and the police made more attempts to capture him. Finally, agent Elliot Ness led a team that caught Capone. The mobster was indicted for tax evasion and sentenced to eleven years of prison confinement.

Capone's life came to an end in 1947 after having lived many years tormented by syphilis. Nontheless, Capone's legend never died. He represents the spirit of the 1920's in the United States; a continuous search for opportunities and wealth. When you think about Capone, you think about earning $100 million per year in revenue and about having a huge black, bulletproof Cadillac that was later on used as President Franklin D. Roosevelt's  limousine.

Capone symbolizes richness, influence and power. On the other hand, he is an icon for crime and violence. But, if there is something true about the 1920's is that they gave birth to the best (or worst) gangster of all times. He will stay in our memories forever.

When someone doesn't hear what I have to say
When there is no Internet... that is, always
When there are 3 or more quizzes the next day
Lots of homework
When I run out of gas
The old and ugly school bus
The locker  padlocks
Very fat people
Arriving home after vacations
Thursdays
School food
Dizziness in airplanes or cars
Rainy mornings
Long waiting lines
Long waiting lines in the school food store
Borussia Dortmund
When FC Bayern looses a soccer match
A baby crying in a closed place
Bad smell in the bathroom
People who criticize a lot
Insecurity

Paraphrasing

-While the Sears Tower is arguably the greatest achievement in skyscraper engineering so far, it's unlikely that architects and engineers have abandoned the quest for the world's tallest building. The question is: Just how high can a building go? Structural engineer William LeMessurier has designed a skyscraper nearly one-half mile high, twice as tall as the Sears Tower. And architect Robert Sobel claims that existing technology could produce a 500-story building. From Ron Bachman, "Reaching for the Sky." Dial (May 1990): 15-

Paraphrased :  Nowadays, the Sears (Willis) Tower is the highest exponent of skyscraper’s engineering. Nontheless, engineers won’t abandon the quest to build even taller skyscrapers. Several experts believe in the possibility that today’s technology is enough to produce very tall buildings, taller than the ones done before (Bachman 15).