The administrator of this punishment is the most culpable person in the story. Not the sophomoric sophomore who's only crime is making a joke in poor taste. 
I think not. 
Ah, this ship of fools we're on ...
joefromchicago wrote:OCCOM BILL wrote:Thanks again Joe. (Now I know what Q.E.D. means too! :wink:)
You have learned much, grasshopper.
Joe is one of those rare people who'll react to a compliment with scorn. Don't think this means he is stoic about what people think of him - laugh at him and he'll be indignant.
Ah, this ship of fools we're on ...
scoates -- But when bald guys are ridiculed, they resort to the dreaded comb over!!!
).
Hint: the total electorate does not actually break up into equal parts of Dems, Reps and Independents.
Ahhh, but it does, Grasshopper. Observe:
timberlandko wrote:Quote:Hint: the total electorate does not actually break up into equal parts of Dems, Reps and Independents.
Ahhh, but it does, Grasshopper. Observe:
Trip out! Whodathunk.
)Combining martial arts, capoeira, hip-hop, and an eclectic musical score, it's a saga based on the Shaolin Temple of 17th-century China and a renegade monk who allies herself with Manchu invaders to destroy the temple. Voice of the Dragon is also an allegory about the bitterness of betrayal and opportunism and the strength of loyalty and integrity. It is the latest work from composer, artistic director, writer,
and conductor, Fred Ho.
Story Synopsis
The narrator, a time-traveling host, appears and magically creates the orchestra and characters, introducing us to the history of the Shaolin Temple. As the story unfolds, a baby girl, Gar Man Jang, is brought to the Shaolin Temple, abandoned by her father. The monks of the temple adopt the orphaned child. As she grows, the monks educate Gar Man in the mystical martial arts of the Shaolin. She learns quickly and receives her black belt - a high level of achievement in the martial arts - earlier than most other students.
Though Gar Man's skill is advancing rapidly in the temple, she grows impatient with the time-honored traditions of the Shaolin way. Her pride and ambition begin to take command of her personality. As punishment for her vanity, the elders of the temple order her to perform the menial duty of cleaning the monastery floor, a humbling task usually left to novices. Insulted, but too afraid to defy her elders, Gar Man begins to clean. But she is careless and breaks an ancient lamp. The sound of the crash causes an uproar in the temple. Gar Man is harshly reprimanded
by the elders for this carelessness and then left alone to clean up the mess. Gar Man's soul explodes with rage.
Meantime, Eunuch Chow Mae Ngai, a sly member of the Manchu imperial court is on a mission to infiltrate the Shaolin Temple and steal its secrets. Choe Mae Ngai disguises himself as a common beggar and sets himself outside the temple in hopes of finding a way in. He accosts Gar Man as she is sneaking out of the temple in the dead of night. He promises her riches and power if she will divulge the secrets of the Shaolin Way and plot with him to attack the temple. Gar Man, still seething from her disgrace, agrees.
The monks of the Shaolin Temple awake amid a massacre led by Gar Man and Chow Mae Ngai. A brutal battle ensues as the temple is burned to the ground and its treasures ravished. Five disciples manage to escape the slaughter and flee toward the safety of the marshes while Gar Man goes in search of the temple's secret scrolls.
Exhausted from their escape, the five disciples collapse under a peach tree far from their demolished temple. They vow loyalty to the Shaolin Way and agree to split up for safety and reunite years later to take revenge upon the traitor Gar Man Jang. While the temple burns above her, Gar Man Jang discovers the vault of the Shaolin Secret Scrolls. Reading them is forbidden for any but the highest elders of Shaolin.
(The Shaolin martial arts tradition is taught through an oral tradition, teacher to student.) Gar Man commits the ultimate betrayal and reads all the scrolls. The awesome power of this martial knowledge is too much for any human to handle at once and Gar Man undergoes a terrifying transformation. Her soul is turned inside out and she becomes a beast focused on killing the five who escaped her madness.
Ten years later, the five disciples reunite as they vowed under the peach tree. They learn that Gar Man has stolen the knowledge and power of the scrolls. Knowing that she has as much or more martial knowledge than they do, they set about creating a new tradition. Inspired by the lower classes, the five disciples invent a new form of martial arts they call Drunken Fist. They use this new form in a final battle against the beast Gar Man.
After the defeat of Gar Man Jang, the five disciples rebuild the temple and harmony is restored. But as the lights dim, the narrator reminds the audience that this story of loyalty and betrayal has been repeated throughout every century. As long as there is ambition without the honor and respect of tradition, this story will continue to be told.
