People complain that V for Vendetta glorifies terrorists, promotes anarchy, and touts violence as the solution to the world's problems.

Munich cautions against using retaliation as a means to get justice.

And today I got to thinking back on American history.

In coming to the Americas "we" didn't exactly treat the Native Americans very well. In fact, many of the things "we" did were downright evil. And yet, for the most part, we let those things slide in favor of where we are today. Let's not rock the boat. And since no viable solution seems to exist, we acknowledge the wrongdoing but decide we can't really do anything more.

Then we start getting pushed around by "our" king, and decide we would rather have a say in our taxes and laws. So "we" rebel, employ some guerrilla tactics for a while, do a few public demonstrations, and eventually make enough of a nuisance of ourselves--and kill enough people--that "we" gain "our" freedom.

[Aside: I will now dispense with the "we"s and "our"s. I just wanted to make it clear that I realize that we weren't alive then, so the "we"s are much more in the informal Royal We sense... which, in reality, makes no sense, but I'm doing my best here, people.

If you are lost, please ignore this aside. I'm just reveling in the cleverness of me <smile>]

After that, some upstarts in the lower regions start making a stink about taxes and other stuff, and the upper regions start taking an interest in productivity, manpower, and the unwritten rules of our nation. This leads to war, death, and destruction.

Eventually something happens and a couple tall buildings come down, killing friends, family members, and doing a tremendous amount of harm.

And so I ask:

1. Who are the terrorists?
"V for Vendetta" points out: One man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter.

2. What are "proper warfare" tactics?
History seems to imply: Whatever was used by the winning side to win.

Which brings us to the quote that goes something like:
He who wins writes the history.

So what's with this horribly simplified--and quite possibly errant--synopsis of American history? Well, today I came across this and this after reading my feed from here (the blog of which I am no longer able to read, so if you're the author, I'd love to be on your "approved reader list" again). There are also several heated threads on the Sonlight Forums discussing the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

I've read the threads and considered the comments. I've also heard bits and pieces from "the media." But the only personal experience I have in this area is with a friend of mine who recently visited Israel. He brought me back this shirt:

Free Palestine

He said he couldn't believe how poorly the Palestinians were treated and, he admitted, he wasn't too fond of the Israelis he encountered. From the descriptions he gave me of how things were over there, I was happy to wear to the shirt and support people who were mistreated.

At the same time, I realize that terrorists groups are very real in that part of the world. I know Israel has been picked on for a long, long time. I "get" the hatred, especially since I've spent time with a couple guys from my church who had a hard time learning to get along because one is a Jewish background believer and the other is a Muslim background believer. They know the tension and issues first hand.

So, what do we make of all this?

I don't know. And so far, I have yet to talk to someone who really does. But as I look back on history, the world is only black and white if you listen to the history written by the victorious. When those powers are no longer in charge, history tends to be less glowing in their favor.

Just a few musings from my trip around the world via the blogosphere.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

I got this in a forward a week ago:

My two youngest have watched the Mathtacular DVDs 1 and 2 over and over. Well, the new 3rd edition came out so I immediately ordered it as they are wonderful supplements to any math curriculum. Christmas came and the children received a Wii from Grandma and Grandpa but what do my two youngest enjoy most and actually choose to do over the Wii - watch Justin!!!!

Fantastic! I'm glad that my children are more interested in MathTacular than the "amusement box."

THANK YOU.

Heidi F.

I must admit that every time I hear things like this I find them hard to believe. It floors me that I have been involved in producing content that is the "favorite movie" of kids all around the world. "My" DVD can bring more joy than Nintendo?

Several years ago, right out of film school, I planned to produce movies that would impact viewers worldwide. Toward this end I started my own production company. It never went anywhere. And so after a year of struggling to find clients I gave up.

That started me producing media almost exclusively for Sonlight. Sure, I was making educational videos, but my dream had died. Everything I had worked toward had fallen through.

Today, for the first time, I finally put two and two together:
I've produced media that have impacted children worldwide.

So, in a sense, my dream came true--yes, I know, I'm dense because I didn't realize this sooner. But my dream didn't come true in the way I expected at all. The same is true, I believe, of our adoption journey: We expected to get pregnant, but didn't. Now we are on a path to another way for that dream to come true.

It hasn't been easy. It isn't easy now.

But it's good.

So what's better than a Wii?

Well, the MathTacular DVDs are one of those things.

But more than that: The profoundly odd way that life so often turns so that tragedy becomes a dream come true.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

The blogosphere has included a fair number of posts about 24 in the recent days. I've only seen the first season, but I actually got to edit the pilot episode as an exercise while in film school. In other words, I don't know all that much about Jack Bauer. I do know that he's saved the world a few times in a couple twenty-four hour periods.

Which is great.

But my life isn't like that at all.

Granted, I don't work for the CTU and my name isn't Jack--which means I'm not a doctor either. So, maybe that's what's holding me back from greatness. I mean, it's been a long time since a Luke did anything super important--like bring balance to the universe.

No, my life is rather mundane. I have a pretty wife, but she doesn't work for the CIA. I don't have kids as they are currently in Kyrgyzstan. We have a pet rat, but, doesn't everybody?

In fact, most days are predictable and devoid of much more than bad weather to mix things up. I'm glad for that, in many ways. I like routine and consistency. Sure, I want a bit more--like kids--to be part of my life, but I don't need to be diffusing bombs with computer viruses, performing blood transfusions with sea urchin spikes, or saving my daughter from a cougar.

But I do want my life to be meaningful and important. And I find myself thinking that if I was just in this or that "place in life"--then, then I would be important. Then I could make a difference.

The problem is that such thinking can distract me from focusing on what I should be doing, and working on the aspects of my life that do make a difference. Nothing huge, but important. How I treat my friends, how I talk with my wife, how I go about my work... all of those things have huge implications for my life and the lives of those around me.

Every day.

So, whether you're changing diapers, pushing papers, or waiting on a government agency, don't forget:

Even Jack Bauer has to sleep sometimes.

And often the greatest heroes go unsung every single day.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

I'm adding a new feature to my blog: A Word of the Day!

As I come across words with which I am unfamiliar I will post them here. So, this will certainly not be every day--as I have some semblance of a vocabulary--but I've run across enough blogs with words that are either new to me or had slipped from my usage. This is my attempt to continue my life-long education.

Miasma: an unwholesome atmosphere; unhealthy vapors

Brought to you by Angela

Yes, I shamelessly used Sonlight's logo, but I needed an image of a book and it works very well. At least, I think so <smile>.

Now, I know that I just wrote about how we must be wary of statistics and reports. On the other hand, we shouldn't ignore them either. And it is at least interesting--if nothing else--that studies show that daycare may not be good for kids. In fact, the more time young children spend away from their mothers, the more likely they are to exhibit agression and disobedience... potentially.

Jess

If this turns out to be a verifiable fact, it wouldn't surprise me. I can think of many reasons why being put into a system is less than beneficial for a child's development. In fact, my dad loves telling about the time a librarian commented on how homeschoolers were vastly different from public schooled children. Instead of shuffling up to the desk and stating, "I need some help," homeschooled children would frequently wait until she was done with her task, look her in the eye and say, "Would you help me, please?"

Granted, I know children--even of homeschoolers--aren't always that perfect. There is plenty of evidence of this out here on the blogosphere. And so if it turns out that further studies prove there isn't a big difference in the miasma surrounding kids at home vs. those in group care options, I'll be okay with that. But my guess is that, at minimum, the amount of positive time parents spend with their children does dramatically influence their behavioral norms.

So whether you homeschool or not, be sure to spend some time with your children today.

And if you're of the praying persuasion, I would appreciate any prayers for our children still stuck in Kyrgyzstan... as we can't currently spend time with them.

If you're more of the thinking type, I welcome your thoughts as well <smile>.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

It's amazing to me how we learn about things. I mean, "bailout" wasn't part of my vocabulary until recently. And it appears that another word will soon be added to my growing internal dictionary...

Ever heard of a phthalate before?

Well, there are currently 14 posts in my reader that talk about them.

Why? Because of the CPSIA--which is currently sparking a wildfire of rants and questions from people all over the nation wondering how we will be affected by this rather vague and poorly constructed law.

I have not had time--nor do I think I ever will--to actually read this law and all the commentary on the subject. But it sure has other people worried, and confused.

[Update: Thankfully, the law was amended to no longer include books... for now. Here's the latest news where books are no longer threatened to be required as part of testing. But, at the time, there were big questions regarding what the proposed law meant for Sonlight.]

What does it mean for homeschoolers everywhere?

How do we test for phthalates anyway?

I don't have answers, but I'm keeping my eyes and ears open. I definitely don't want to be broadsided by this in a month.

The one bit of good news is that someone far smarter and more versed in the law is checking into it here at Sonlight. I don't know what I'll be able to pass on, but if I hear anything that is postable, I'll be sure to keep you all informed.

Until then, it may be time to start teaching your children about phthalates and remind them not to eat paint chips that haven't been tested under the CPSIA regulations.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

Today started off bad and didn't get better.

I'm not exactly depressed or upset, but things just haven't been good. Even so, I've keep my smile most of the time.

We'll see if I cry tonight.

I had a fight discussion with Brittany this morning, which took time out of my morning routine. This made me "late" for work [read: I came in at 7:30 instead of 6:30], and started things off on a less than pleasant note. Toward the end of our conversation, as I was heading out the door, I asked, "Why does time fly when I don't have any?"

"Because time isn't fair," my wise wife replied.

I noted that fact and tucked it away for a blog post later.

Two hours later, during our large group meeting, we got news that shattered morale. Not fun, but not public information either. Sorry.

We've long known that life isn't fair. That's one of those lessons that we learn early on but only apply toward things working against us. We rarely remember or notice when life has been unjust in our favor.

We've also known that time is a sneaky creature as well: He never waits for us and he moves more quickly when we're enjoying ourselves. He also runs away when we could really use him. Yet I had never heard, until this morning, that time itself is unfair.

Many research claims aren't exactly fair either. My mom sent me a link to an article that says homeschoolers do better academically than their public schooled peers, suggesting that I remind parents "that homeschooling works." And homeschooling absolutely does work.

Homeschooling is great!

But I've read very fascinating articles that point out that such statistics are horribly skewed. Milton Gaither points out that if we

control for variables like family income, race, and parent educational attainment level when making comparisons with the general population ...homeschoolers usually come out looking more average on things like standardized tests and college matriculation.

Mr. Gaither further responds to the report by saying:

What [Mr. Ray] ought to be saying and what other journalists and pundits who use his studies ought to be saying is not that homeschoolers outperform public schoolers. They ought to be saying that some middle-class, white, two-parent, conservative Protestant homeschoolers who volunteered for a research study that was pitched to them as a great opportunity to show off homeschooler success to the public, score in the 80th percentile or above on standardized tests.

So, yes, my mom is absolutely right: Homeschooling works. It works at least as well as any other educational system available.

Is it statistically 30% better than average?

That has, as far as I know, yet to be empirically demonstrated.

But time isn't playing fair again, and I must leave this post for now. Just remember: Just because someone has data or some other "proof," they may not be playing fair either. The difficulty is getting to the truth, since none of us are completely fair.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father