Guan Yu (关羽) was a historical person who lived in China during the Three Kingdoms period, (三国) (CE 220-CE 280).
Historical background
Towards the end of the Han dynasty (汉朝), the emperor had been reduced to a nominal ruler. Powerful clans and court officials fought against each other to become the power behind the throne. Meanwhile, disenfranchised peasant began series of uprising. The most severe of these movements was the Yellow Turban Rebellion (黄巾起义).
As the political disintegration intensified, regional warlords were no longer contented to be the power behind the throne. They aspired to be rulers of their own empire. Nevertheless, others remained loyal to the Han dynasty and sought to restore the power of the Han Emperor.
Guan Yu belonged to the group who aspired to restore the Han Dynasty. He had met two other persons with the same ideal; Liu Bei, (刘备)a distant member of the Han royal family and Zhang Fei (张飞). They became sworn brothers at the Peach Garden (桃园结义) and vowed to work together towards the revival of the Han Dynasty. Liu Bei was the eldest of the three brothers; Guan Yu was the second brother and Zhang Fei the youngest.
When the regional powers Cao Cao (曹操) and Sun Quan (孙权) proclaimed themselves Emperors Wei (魏) and Wu (吴), Liu Bei declared himself the Emperor of Shu (蜀) with the aim of restoring the Han dynasty, often referred to as Shu-Han (蜀汉). With this development, Chinese history entered the Three Kingdoms Period, (三国时代) a political scene that lasted for 60 years from CE 220 to 280.
As a General, Guan Yu was well known for this integrity, and bravery. As an individual, he was respected for his loyalty and righteousness. During a battle with Wu forces, Guan Yu was captured and beheaded.
Guan Gong culture
After his death, General Guan Yu became the embodiment of loyalty, righteous, bravery and benevolence(忠义勇仁) . Guan Yu’s brotherhood pact with Liu Bei and Zhang Fei provides strong imagery and symbolism for friends to look after each other in times of hardship. This idea offered motivation and role model for Chinese migrants when they arrive in their host society.
His popularity and the respect he commanded are reflected by the list of posthumous honors bestowed on him by subsequent emperors. During the Ming dynasty, Wu Cheng En wrote the novel San Guo Yan Xi (三国演义), Romance of the three Kingdoms, using the Three Kingdoms period as a backdrop and immortalized Guan Yu and his sworn brothers.
The Taoist worshipped Guan Yu as the god of literature、god of war and god of business and is referred to as Guan Gong (关公), Guan Di (关帝) and as a sign of respect. There are also spirit mediums or Tangkis who can manifest the spirit of Guan Yu.
In southern China and overseas Chinese community in Taiwan and South East Asia, Guan Gong is also manifested via spirit mediums.
The Chinese Buddhist regarded him as Sangharama Bodhisattva (伽蓝菩萨). As Sangharama Bodhisattva, Guan Gong is usually found in the Bell Tower of forest style Chinese Mahayana Buddhist Monastery. In the Hokkien temple Thian Hock Keng in Singapore, Guan Gong can be found both in his Taoist and Buddhist form.
Guan Gong is often depicted in paintings, sculptures and many art forms. When he is depicted with his sworn brothers, Liu Bei as the eldest brother is seated with Guan Gong and Zhang Fei by his side. If Guan Gong is the central figure, his two assistants, Guan Ping (关平) and Zhou Cang (周仓) stand by his side. He is also represented alone either standing with a saber or seated and at times reading. In many temples, a sculpture of his horse can usually be found.
Globalization of Guan Yu culture
Many overseas Chinese communities worship General Guan Gong and dedicated temples or set up altars in his memory. Such practices reflect the importance these communities placed on social solidarity and the need for mutual support in a foreign land. The notion of brotherhood has also been appropriated by triads to emphasize the group identify and brotherhood of triad membership.
The Buddhist worship of Guan Gong as Sangharama Bodhisattva is also practiced in some Theravada Buddhist temples and Guan Gong is also one of the pantheons in Vietnam’s Cao Dao religion.
The history and continuous popularity of Guan Gong reflects the collective ideals of the Chinese over time and how these ideals are manifested as they migrate overseas. Among the overseas Chinese community, the temples dedicated to Guan Gong also demonstrated how the traditional social ideals provided a model for migrants as they leave their homeland to seek opportunities. At the same time, Guan Gong’s appearance in Theravada cultures and Cao Dao in Vietnam also reflect the universality in the values he embodies.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Guan Gong Culture
Hungry Ghost Festival
The Chinese believe that on the 7th lunar month of each year, spirits of the deceased return to the human realm for a month. The seventh month is sometimes referred to as the ghost month, 鬼月, and the festival is commonly known as the “hungry ghost festival”.
Many people avoid important events during the 7th month. Activities to avoid include moving to new homes, weddings, and opening ceremony of new businesses.
Ullambana, Yulan Jie, 盂兰盆
The hungry ghost month is known to the Buddhist as the Ullambana, Yulan Jie, 盂兰盆. The background story told of the Maudgalyayana (Mu Lian), a disciple of the Buddha, who attempted to help his mother who was reborn into the realm of the hungry ghost. The Buddha instructed Maudgalyayana to perform acts of merit and to transfer the merits to his mother.
Following the Buddha’s advise, Maudgalyayana managed to transfer merit to his mother and to help her reborn into the human realm.
During Yulan Pen Jie, 盂兰盆, Buddhist offer prayers to deceased ancestors and wandering spirits to help them in their rebirth in higher realms. There are also prayer sessions in monasteries to pray and to dedicate merit to wandering spirits.
Zhong Yuan Jie, 中元节
The Hungry Ghost Festival is known to the Taoist as Zhong Yuan Jie, 中元节.
During this period, clan associations, temples, monasteries, businesses and families organize prayers and make food offerings and burn paper made clothes, daily necessities and luxury items to these spirits.
These paper items include credit card, clothes, cosmetic, XO cognac, beer, laptop, DVD players, mobile phones and larger items such as Mercedes, houses, planes, and ships.
Prayer events often end with a dinner for all participants and during the dinner, auctions are held to raise funds for charities. So while the rituals are meant for spirits visiting the human realm, the activities benefit the socially disadvantaged through charity auctions.
In Singapore and Malaysia, Zhong Yuan Jie includes a dinner for all participants complete with entertainment for both spirits and humans. In the past, it used to be Chinese operas but these days, the trend has shifted towards pop Chinese music on a makeshift stage known as Gei Tai 歌台.
In 1992, the Hungry Ghost festival rituals at the Kobe Kanteibyo (Guan Gong Temple) was designated as Kobe (Japan) City Community Folklore Intangible Cultural Asset.
Although there are some differences in the rituals and beliefs of between Buddhist and Taoist, it is not uncommon for Chinese to participate in both forms of worship or rituals during this period.
Qu Yuan 屈原
Qu Yuan's hometown
Qu Yuan's memorial Hall
Qu yuan'a TOMB
Quan yuan's coffin
Qu Yuan 屈原was born to a Chu nobility family in Zigui, 秭归，around 340 BCE and served in the court of the state of Chu.
He lived during a period known as the era of the Warring States, 战国时代 in Chinese history. The era of the Warring States was a transitional period between the Zhou Dynasty 周朝 and the Qin Dynasty 秦朝. Towards the end of Zhou Dynasty, the nobilities became stronger and began building their state mechanism and developing their military capabilities.
Areas outside of Zhou domain also developed their state infrastructures and became emerging powers. As a result, the Zhou King became a nominal figurehead and eventually abolished.
The various regional powers expanded by conquering smaller and weaker state until 7 major principalities emerge to compete for the ultimate control of China. The 7 states were Qi (齐), Chu (楚), Yan (燕), Han (韩), Zhao (赵), Wei (魏) and Qin (秦). The rulers of the 7 states were often known as Dukes 公 or Marquis 侯 but eventually declared themselves as Kings 王.
The State of Qin through a series of reforms emerged as the most powerful of the 7 states and began exerting their power on neighboring states. The 6 state’s response alternated between alliance against Qin, 合纵and allegiance to Qin, 连横. The alliance strategy was unsuccessful because of mutual suspicion among the 6 states and the state of Qin was able to expand by attacking neighboring states while maintaining friendly ties with distant states, 进攻远和.
Qu Yuan who served in the Chu court advocated allegiance to resist the Qin expansion. The state of Chu was a major power but weaken because of political infighting and corruption. Qu Yuan himself became the victim of court politics, expelled from the Chu court, and lived in exile.
While in exile, he composed collections of poetry expressing patriotism for the state of Chu. In 278 BCE, the state of Qin attacked Chu and managed to sack the Chu capital Ying 郢, forcing the state of Chu to shift their capital.
When Qu Yuan heard about the fall of Chu capital, he was devastated and committed suicide by drowning himself in the Milo River 汨罗江.
The State of Chu managed to survived for another 25 years until 223 BCE when it was finally conquered by the state of Qin. By 221 BCE, the state of Qin managed to conquer the remaining states Yan and Qi to establish the Qin Dynasty 秦朝. The King of Qin proclaimed himself the First Emperor of China, 秦始皇.
The Qin dynasty lasted for only 15 years and was one of the shortest dynasties in the history of China. Despite its short rule, it produced the political model of central rule for subsequent dynasties and laid the foundation for the emergence of a homogenous Chinese culture.
These developments created a wider and broader collective identity that encompassed previous regional notions of identity. In the process, the legacy of Qu Yuan was transformed from loyalty to a regional kingdom into a symbol of patriotism for the Chinese ethnic group in its earliest sense.
The subsequent dynasties built a memorial and a tomb for Qu Yuan in Zigui County, his hometown. Unfortunately, these structures were submerged during the construction of the three gorges dam.
A new memorial hall to Qu Yuan is located on the Phoenix Hill.
Qu Yuan's legacy is commemorated through the consumption of Dumplings 粽子 or Zong Zi and Dragon Boat race 龙舟 every year on the day he committed suicide; the 5th day of the 5th lunar month.
The Kitchen God
Traditions assert that a mortal named Zhang was a wealthy farmer who owned an acreage of fertile land with great harvests and livestock. He had everything he needed and had a good family. However, one day he became attracted to a concubine and his wife eventually left him. He lived a vicarious life until he exhausted all his wealth. His concubine left him and he was left to wander the streets as a homeless beggar.
One day in the winter Zhang became too weak and fainted while knocking on a door begging for food. The lovely lady who answered the door took him in and nursed him back to health. When he awoke he found himself in a small kitchen next to the warm hearth. When he looked out the window he had seen his host. To his surprise it was his old wife. Embarrassed and not being able to look her in the face he jumped into the hearth. She tried to douse him with water but the fire kept on blaring and in a flash his ashes went to the heavens.
Upon receiving a report of Zhang's story, the Jade Emperor declared and appointed Zhang to be the Kitchen God. The heavenly ruler declared that someone who learned such a lesson would be all knowing and could influence the heavens for eternity.
Spring Festival traditionally begins on the 23rd or 24th of the 12th month of the lunar calendar. This day, called Xiao Nian which occurs about 7 days before the Chinese New Year, marks the beginning of the holiday as the households begin "Spring Cleaning" to prepare for the New Year Celebration. This also marks the day the legendary Kitchen God is sent to everyone's house to oversee the affairs of the household. It is said that the Kitchen God on the last night of the twelfth month, returns to heaven to report back to the Jade Emperor about the harvest and behavior of the families.
It is therefore a tradition to offer sacrifices of sweet candies and/or cakes made of Lotus to the Kitchen God so that he has difficulty speaking and passing on any negative reports. Interestingly enough the sacrifice is a compromise since the Kitchen God never minds the sweet candy and usually accepts it.
On New Year's Eve (the last evening of the lunar year), the Kitchen god and various other gods will come down to earth to spend the New Year's Day with the mortals. On New Year's Eve people of all walks of life hold a feast to usher in the Gods. After the feast they burn kitchen God Prints, paper chairs, and paper horses while sprinkling over the flames three cups of liquor to bid the gods farewell. It is then responsibility of every family to pay respect to their ancestors. They might have a family tree with some food, drink and incense burning to their honor.
The Kitchen God is represented by a rice paper print and hung in the kitchen near the stove. He is considered the soul of the household and is usually placed near the hearth for that reason. After making sweet sacrifices to the Kitchen God, Qingdao locals burn the print so that the Kitchen God can go to the heavens and meet with the Jade Emperor (keep in mind that this is a Taoist tradition even though many non Taoist mainland Chinese have assimilated it into their culture).
There are many nationalities in China, and traditions vary from county to county and province to province. For instance, in Shandong many people burn the Kitchen God Print to send him to the Jade Emperor on Xiao Nian. In other places they wait untill New Year's Eve. Today, many people may have a wood version that sits near the stove as a permanent fixture. They also sell prints at temple fairs and cultural stores. These versions are not intended to be permanent fixtures in your kitchen and Kitchen God prints are sold separately for this annual burning.
The Kitchen God is an important deity in China. It is considered the soul of the kitchen in many households. Sacrifices are made to this deity in the belief that the Kitchen God will ensure that there is abundant food, good harvests, and good health. No matter where you are, if the locals believe in the Kitchen God, they will post a new print in the kitchen and a Door God on the door symbolizing that the Spring Festival is starting. The Kitchen God is always welcomed back to Qingdao!
Friday, May 14, 2010
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kana Scalded By my father !!! Was pan friedinnnnn dory fish.. the boil splash onto my ARM ...
Flickin Pain sia !!!! :(
2 hours later .. it became like tat...
MY NEW TAI KO HANDS... get well soon my hand .....:(
Had You ever Seen Bruce's lee family members pictures??? the foundation of Lee's
Bruce lee,Chinese name 李小龍,Birth name 李振藩
Bruce Lee
Chinese name 李小龍 (Traditional)
Chinese name 李小龙 (Simplified)
Pinyin Lǐ Xiǎolóng (Mandarin)
Jyutping lei5 siu2 lung4 (Cantonese)
Family Names :
Bruce Lee was born on 27 November 1940 at the Chinese Hospital in San Francisco's Chinatown. His father Lee Hoi-Chuen was Chinese, and his mother Grace Ho (何愛瑜), a Catholic, was the daughter of a German father and Chinese mother. He was the fourth child of five children: Agnus, Phoebe, Peter, and Robert. Lee and his parents returned to Hong Kong when he was three months old .
Family
Bruce's father, Lee Hoi Chuen was one of the leading Cantonese opera and film actors at the time, and was embarking on a year-long Cantonese opera tour with his family on the eve of the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong during the Second World War. Lee Hoi Chuen had been touring the United States for many years performing at numerous Chinese communities.
Although a number of his peers decided to stay in the US, Lee Hoi Chuen decided to go back to Hong Kong after his wife gave birth to Bruce. Within months, Hong Kong was invaded and the Lees lived the ensuing 3 years and 8 months under Japanese occupation. The Lee family survived the war and had actually done reasonably well. After the war ended, Lee Hoi Chuen would resume his acting career and become an even bigger star during Hong Kong's rebuilding years.
Bruce Lee's mother Grace belonged to one of wealthiest and most powerful clans in Hong Kong, the Ho Tungs. She was the niece of Sir Robert Ho Tung, patriarch of the clan. As such, the young Bruce Lee grew up in an affluent and privileged environment. Despite this advantage of his family's status and because of the mass number of people fleeing communist China to Hong Kong, the Hong Kong neighborhood he grew up in became over-crowded, dangerous, and full of gang rivalries.
Post war Hong Kong was a tough place to grow up. Gangs ruled the city streets and Lee was often forced to fight them. But Bruce liked a challenge and faced his adversaries head on. To his parents dismay Bruce's street fighting continued and the violent nature of his confrontations was escalating.
After being involved in several street fights, his parents decided that Bruce Lee needed to be trained in the martial arts. Lee's first introduction to martial arts was through his father, Lee Hoi Cheun. He learned the fundamentals of Wu style Tai Chi Chuan from his father.
Brandon lee, Chinese name 李國豪
Shannon lee (bruce's daughter),Chinese name 李香凝
Bruce's lee father
李海泉 (Traditional)Lee Hoi-chuen
Bruce lee's brother
Chinese name 李振辉 (Simplified)
Pinyin Lǐ Zhènhuī (Mandarin)
Jyutping lei5 zan3 fai1 (Cantonese)
Ancestry Shunde, Guangdong, China
Origin Hong Kong
Born 1943 (age 66–67)
Hong Kong
Occupation Musician
Genre(s) Rock
Instrument(s) Vocals, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Years active 1966 - 1974
Associated acts The Thunderbirds
Parents Lee Hoi-chuen (1901-1965)
Grace Ho
Thursday, May 13, 2010
The Legend Of Mother Teresa
Yo Teisha! Sup! Joan Rivers once said that Mother Teresa looked like E.T. without the makeup. This is the woman who would not die. Just going through her file – December 91 – clogged arteries. July 93 – exhaustion. November 96 – breathing problems. December 96 – kidney and lung problems. She makes it all the way to September of 1997, then dies the night before Diana’s funeral. It’s like God’s big joke. I mean, at any other time, she would have been TOP STORY. Well, she always dug humility.
Interestingly, while she was in the hospital for heart troubles, shortly before her death, she was having sleeping problems. No biggie, you say? Not for her. They gave her an exorcism. Yes. This is the explanation, given by some Archbishop, "Mother Teresa was not possessed – it did not hurt her sanctity." Heh heh. He said titty. "Human dimension in a saint is quite normal. There was no medical reason for (her sleeping problem) and it struck me that there could be some evil spirit that was trying to disturb her. He said that he had subsequently asked – with the nun’s consent – for a priest to perform and exorcism. Mother Teresa participated in a "prayer of perfection" (as you do) and slept peacefully after that." Most people would take a Sominex.
On Friday, the 5th of September, she died in the hospital of a heart attack. Her last words were, "I can’t breathe." She couldn’t. She was only 87.
Her body was put in an open casket was taken to the chapel on the grounds of her order on Sunday the 7th, and taken by ambulance to St. Thomas’s Church in Calcutta, where she lay in state for a week, until her funeral. She was placed under a glass case on a four-foot platform, draped in white and blue tea towels. Thousands of people filed passed her open casket. If seeing a dead person freaks you, don’t click it. It’s no big deal, though.
On the 13th of September, her funeral was held.
The gun carriage that carried Mahatma Ghandi and Nehru’s bodies was used to carry Mother Theresa to a service in Netaji Stadium. Tens of thousands of people lined the streets. Guests included Hillary Clinton (she was in the neighborhood, with Diana just the week before), Spain’s Queen Sofia, Italy’s President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, Jordan’s Queen Noor and India’s President K. R. Narayanan and Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral.
Hymns were sung in Bengali and Hindi, and "Abide with Me" was sung in English.
Hymns were sung in Bengali and Hindi, and "Abide with Me" was sung in English.
Military pallbearers lifted took her back to her Missionaries of Charity Order, where she was entombed in an antechamber. Soldiers fired volleys. I don’t get that. That and Diana’s funeral. What’s with the guns?
Trivia: In March of 1997, The Bongo Java coffee house in Nashville, which makes cinnamon rolls, discovered one that looked a lot like Mother Theresa. They call it the "nun bun," and put it in a display case. Hundreds flocked in to see this odd apparition, or to steal a joke, Immaculate Confection. Teisha’s people get wind of it, and Teisha herself sends a letter stating, "My legal counsel… has written asking you to stop, and now I am personally asking you to stop." No sense of humour, her.
More: She had a free travel pass on Indian railways and Indian Airways.
Even more: She was 4 foot 11.
Cut to 2001 – Aggie is up for Sainthood. Usually there is a 5-year waiting period after the person dies, but the Pope waived it, and put her on the fast track. Just like Heathrow.
One miracle – and I think this is a stretch, but I’m pessimistic – involves a woman named Mrs. Besra. In May of 1998, Besra had a giant tumor in her uterus. She left her husband and kids, and hobbled to the Charity that Teresa founded. She says, "For two months I had severe pain, terrible pain, and I was crying. I was not able to sleep (don’t get me started. Why was it good enough for the nun?), and I couldn’t stand straight. The sisters gave me medicine, but the pain was still there. So after awhile, none of this works, and the sisters try their own voodoo.
On the first anniversary of Teresa’s death, the nuns tied a silver oval shaped medallion that graced Teresa’s dead body, on to Besra’s stomach, using a piece of black thread. I would be like, "What is that? What? WHAT?!!! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" Besra thought otherwise. As she fell asleep, the nuns prayed and wept, holding Besra’s stomach. When she woke up the next morning, the tumor had miraculously disappeared. TA DA! Sounds like a saint to me. Number two?
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Elvis Presley Death Story
Elvis Presley, king of rock and roll, died in 1977. His death was a sudden one, and many speculations have been made about his death to this day. Some of which, absurd like news of him being abducted by aliens. Or faking his death. Many conspiracy theories but non were as plausibly substantial as this one by his long time friend and physician, Dr George "Nick" Nichopoulos. Did Elvis' death result from a cardiac arrhythmia brought on by drug dependency and other factors like obesity and a weak heat? Or was it chronic constipation that killed
the King? According to Dr Nick:
“After he died we weren’t sure (of the exact cause of death) so I continued to do some research and I had some doctors call me from different places and different med schools that were doing research on constipation and different problems you can get into with it. I just want to get the story straight – it all made sense with the new research that was done,”
He went on to say that constipation was just as bad in the autopsy. For many people, it simply means infrequent stools. For others, however, constipation means hard stools, difficulty passing stools (straining), or a sense of incomplete emptying after a bowel movement.
“We didn’t realize until the autopsy that his constipation was as bad – we knew it was bad because it was hard for us to treat, but we didn’t realize what it had done," the doctor explains of Elvis' condition. "We just assumed that the constipation was secondary to the meds that he was taking for his arthritic pain and for his insomnia.”
He ADDED :
“The constipation upset him quite a bit because Elvis thought that he could handle almost anything, he thought he was really a man’s man and he wasn’t going to let something like this … he thought that this was a sign of weakness and he wasn’t going to be weak,” Nichopoulos said. “And it’s not the kind of thing you table talk. Back in the ‘60s and ‘70s you didn’t’ talk about constipation much, you didn’t’ hear people complaining about it, or saying what they did or how much trouble they had with it.”
Brandon Lee Death
Two weeks before he was due to be married, actor Brandon Lee was tragically killed on the North Carolina movie set of the motion picture The Crow. A scene in the movie called for Lee to enter a room where actor Michael Massee was to shoot him using a revolver loaded with blanks. When the handgun was fired during the filming of the scene, a projectile penetrated Lee's abdomen and lodged next to his vertebrae. He was rushed to hospital but died in the operating room.
An investigation into his death revealed that several weeks prior to the fatal night of March 31 1993, the same handgun had been loaded with dummy cartridges for a close-up shot of cartridges being loaded into the chambers. (A dummy is a fake cartridge that contains a bullet but no gunpowder.) To make the dummies for this production, real cartridges were purchased from a local gun shop, the bullets removed, the gunpowder dumped out and the bullets reinserted into the empty cases.
The inexperienced crew did not realize the hazards inherent in this dangerous practice and were being pressured to finish these scenes on time and under budget.
According to the investigation, the handgun that was loaded with the dummy cartridges for the close-up scene was then used to fire blanks two weeks later. At some point during the previous scene, a bullet had become accidentally lodged in the barrel so that when the handgun was fired with a blank, the previously stuck bullet was propelled out the barrel with explosive force.
How the bullet became lodged in the barrel was never conclusively proven, but some witnesses stated they saw an unsupervised actor playing with the gun and pulling the trigger. This would have caused the one of the primers to discharge, leaving the bullet stuck part way up the barrel.
Experienced firearms professionals always check a barrel for obstructions before and after any weapons handling expressly because of the rare possibility of a bullet becoming accidentally lodged in the barrel when a cartridge is fired without gunpowder. This is referred to as a "primer pop" as the primer alone only has enough energy to silently propel the bullet forward and inch or two. But the production company had sent the weapons specialist home early to save money and turned the firearm over to an inexperienced prop assistant who did not bother checking the barrel for obstructions when the handgun was put away.
On the night of Lee's death, again no one thought to check the barrel for obstructions before loading it with blanks. (A blank has more gunpowder than an actual cartridge in order to create the bright flash out the muzzle.) The gun was loaded, pointed directly at Lee during the scene and fired. When he collapsed, it took a few seconds for the crew to realize he had been seriously hurt. He was rushed to the hospital and died 13 hours later.
Brandon Lee's mother sued the production company for negligence, and eventually won an undisclosed settlement. No criminal charges were laid and actor Michael Massee was deemed not responsible for Lee's death.
A chain of errors, ill advised cost cutting, lack of adequate supervision, and pressure from the production to finish a scene with an inexperienced crew were all found to be contributing factors in the death of a promising young actor.
The production saved themselves about $100 by sending the weapons specialist home early that fateful night.
It seems simple enough. Dummy cartridges are needed for a close-up scene. The firearm is empty and the dummy cartridges are totally safe.
But are they?
Even the most experienced actors and crews underestimate the potential danger of this seemingly simple scene if not done properly.
Dummy cartridges have to look real but must NEVER contain gunpowder or real primers. Experienced safety specialists never purchase dummy cartridges but make them personally by hand.
Are these real or are they fake? There is NO way to tell!
Dummy cartridges with real primers have no place on a film set.
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The ONLY acceptable way to make dummy cartridges is to remove the primers completely. This way everyone knows that they are safe and there is no possibility of ever mixing live rounds with dummies.
Diagrams showing his injuires
USE TO BE HAPPY FAMILY TOGETHER.....
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Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The Mystery of Bruce Lee's Death
Bruce Lee, dressed in the traditional Chinese outfit he wore in the movie Enter The Dragon, was laid to rest in Lakeview Cemetery in Seattle in late July of 1973. But long before Lee's sudden and tragic death in a Hong Kong apartment at age 32, rumors were rife throughout the Orient that he had been wounded or killed in fights.
"One day, I got a long-distance call from Hong Kong's largest newspaper," Lee recalled. "They asked me if I was still alive. 'Guess who you are talking to?' I replied."
Thus, when Lee actually did die, speculation abounded as to the cause. The rumors ranged from Lee being killed by Hong Kong triads (gangsters) because he refused to pay them protection money - —something that was common for Chinese movie stars to do at that time —to his being killed by an angry martial artist's dim mak (death touch) strike. Some people claimed Lee was cursed—he had just bought a house in Hong Kong that was supposed to be haunted—or that he had died while mking love to actress Betty Tingpei, or that he had angered the Chinese martial arts community by teaching foreigners, and that he had been killed in a challenge match.
Many Chinese believed Lee was the victim of too much gum Ilk (intensity) in his training, while others cited drug use as the cause for his sudden demise. Still others believed that Lee's fate was sealed at birth, that it was in the stars. And, finally, there are those who think Lee's death was staged, and that he is merely waiting for the right time to return to society.
The facts of the case are this: Lee died after falling into a coma. The coroner's report was inconclusive, and medical authorities came up with five reasons for Lee's untimely death. However, they all agreed that it was caused by a cerebral edema (a swelling of the brain caused by a congestion of fluid). But what caused the edema became a matter of speculation. For the most part, the course of events on that fateful July day in 1973 can be pieced together. According to Lee's wife, Linda, Bruce met film producer Raymond Chow at 2 p.m. at home to discuss the making of Game of Death. They worked until 4 p.m., and then drove together to the home of Betty Tingpei, a Taiwanese actress who was to also have a leading role in the film. The three went over the script at Tingpei's home, and then Chow left to attend a dinner meeting.
A short time later, Lee complained of a headache and Tingpei gave him a tablet of Equagesic—a kind of super sapirin. Apart from that, Lee reportedly consumed nothing but a couple of soft drinks.
At around 7:30 p.m., Lee lay down for a nap and was still asleep when Chow called to ask why he and Tingpei had not yet shown up for dinner as planned. The actress told Chow she could not wake Lee. The ensuing autopsy found traces of cannabis in Lee's stomach, but the significance of this discovery is debatable. Some believe the cannabis caused a chemical reaction that led to the cerebral edema, but the coroner's inquiry refutes this theory. In fact, one doctor was quoted as saying that the cannabis being in Lee's stomach was "no more significant than if Bruce had drunk a cup of tea that day."
Dr. R.R. Lycette of Queen Elizabeth Hospital viewed Lee's death as a hypersensitivity to one or more of the compounds found in the headache tablet he consumed that afternoon. Although his skull showed no injury, his brain had swollen considerably, from 1,400 to 1,575 grams. None of the blood vessels were blocked or broken, so the possibility of a hemorrhage was ruled out. All of Lee's internal organs were meticulously examined, and the only "foreign" substance to be found was the Equagesic.
Chow came to the apartment and could not wake Lee either. A doctor was summoned, and he spent 10 minutes attempting to revive the martial artist before sending him by ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. By the time he reached the hospital, Lee was dead .
Foul play was immediately suspected as having a role in Lee's passing. Chow appeared on television to try to settle the public furor that quickly developed. He explained what happened, omitting only the fact that Lee had not died at home. The press soon uncovered the truth, however, and demanded to know what Chow was trying to cover up. R.D. Teare, a professor of forensic medicine at the University of London who had overseen more than 90,000 autopsies, was called in and declared that it was basically impossible for the cannabis to be a factor in Lee's death. In Teare's opinion, the edema was caused by hypersensitivity to either meprobamate or aspirin, or a combination of both. His view was accepted by authorities, and a determination of "misadventure" was stamped on Lee's death.
Strangely, an early death was a conceivability that Lee had contemplated with surprising frequency. According to his wife Linda, he had no wish to live to a ripe old age because he could not stand the idea of losing the physical abilities he had strived so hard to achieve.
"If I should die tomorrow," he used to say, "I will have no regrets. I did what I wanted to do. You can't expect more from life." 
