I have much respect of Roger Ebert and the few reviews of his I have read have been well done. Granted, I tend to stick to the more scathing comments over on Rotten Tomatoes instead of listening to professional critics... because I'm like that.

Ebert even agrees with me about Bond's latest movie, which is a good sign--even if he never mentions me by name. That's probably because he doesn't know who I am because he probably only reads Rotten Tomatoes and doesn't bother with IMDb, even though we could be buds there. <cough cough>

But this post isn't about Bond.

It's about Ben.

More specifically: About Ben's movie and Roger's response.

I had the opportunity to see Expelled in the theaters before reading anything about it--other than a few people who were, perhaps, a tad too excited that it was coming <smile>. During the film I noticed that Ben, or the editor, was rather brutal to Dawkins from a filmic standpoint. But the quotes and the people they had seemed bright, albeit snarky, and the points I thought were well made.

But today I came across Ebert's rant about Ben's flick.

Greg

Whoa.

It appears that this little project has created quite the uproar.

After an initial brush I see the real complaints as such:

1. Intelligent Design people are dumb because
2. Over 99% of scientists know ID is wrong.
3. The eugenics movement and Hitler are not tied to evolution because
4. Evolutionary scientists don't ascribe to Hitler.
5. Ben's a flippin' liar and scum.

As I think back to the movie, I would say that:

1. The point was that ID has some valid things to consider, and main stream media and scientists simply reject it as "dumb"--or "boring" if you watch the flick. Thus, this complaint seems to reinforce Ben's point, and not critique his film at all.
2. Appeal to majority. Who taught these guy's logic?
3. I'm no historian, but people I trust (appeal to authority <smile>) say that Ben's point has merit. And from what I can tell, this holds water.
4. The point is not what evolutionary scientists think, but rather to what this line of thought can lead.
5. It does sound like Ben may have been less than honest--which is terrible--and he may be scum--I don't know--but attack on personality and name calling are, I have observed, the primary weapons used when people can't use logic, reasoning, or actual argumentation.

But herein lies the problem: If Ben is playing dirty and his opponents are playing dirty... how do we know what's true?

What about the new research that has to do with the similarities in DNA which leads to an argument much like the one for the Q document?

This certainly is a hot topic which is convoluted by people's biases and emotions on both sides. And I'm glad that Kevin pointed this out in response to Roger.

I wish Q had given Bond a gadget that helped him arrive at truth.

Until such a marvel appears in the real world, feel free to read the snark surrounding Ben on Rotten Tomatoes and consider...

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

As I've mentioned before, my dad is a brutal good editor and really helped my writing. So, my father was--and still is^*--my writing coach.

But what if you don't have access to a professional writer? Are your children destined to be less than amazing at writing?

No.

Not at all. In fact, as one of my high school English teachers observed: Who taught Shakespeare to write? How can someone teach another to be the best writer in the world?

So, I'm confident your kids are safe. In fact, if they develop a love for writing (as I have) they can go far.

But for those who want to get a little more assistance, to have a few more resources and access to editors when it comes time to grade papers, I'm thrilled to announce that Sonlight has worked out an option... and a pretty exciting one at that.

Introducing Sonlight's partnership with WriteAtHome. Here are the things that I think are really cool about this opportunity:

• The writing coaches have the Sonlight IG your student is using. They know exactly where your student is coming from and are familiar with the assignment. The submission isn't just a random paper they are reading.
• You can pay per paper. No need to sign up for a "plan" or subscription.
• You can help your child deal with the "red pen" and not wield it yourself.

Aside: I'm guessing being your child's champion and not their torturer would be desirable to some parents. I, on the other hand, often enjoy the process of pointing out mistakes and helping people work through them. Of course, I can be a rather sick person at times <smile>.

I just heard about this new opportunity and it sounds pretty cool.

A writing coach is certainly not essential to your child's education, but it is another tool at your disposal. If you'd like a writing coach for your student, you may want to check out Sonlight's new connection with WriteAtHome.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

*My dad has helped me with many of my more intense Heart of the Matter posts. These last two I wrote at the last minute, so he didn't get a chance go catch all my errors. Even so, if you'd like to read my latest, I'd appreciate it <smile>.

There's a reason people go into such strict training for space: It's a different experience and it takes a while to get adjusted. I learned about this the first time I ever tried to use a snorkel.

I've been a competitive swimmer since I was nine. I loved baths as a kid. I know my way around water. But one day while at practice for college swimming, my coach handed me a snorkel. This plastic tube was supposed to allow me to focus on my stroke and shoulder rotation because I didn't have to think about turning my head to breathe. It was some newfangled way for coaches to look at your stroke.

Well, I knew how these things worked, so I plopped the mouthpiece between my teeth and stuck my face under the water and took a couple of strokes.

At that point it was time to breathe.

I couldn't.

My face was under water and my lungs refused to let me breathe in. It was a very odd sensation. My brain was telling me to breathe and I wasn't. I couldn't. The mechanics of breathing were off--my face was underwater, which, as any rational person knows, is a bad place to be breathing.

Now, I don't know what it's like to be in space, but if it's anything like snorkeling--or scuba diving, as my more recent experience demonstrated even more vividly--then I would guess that the first moonwalk was difficult. I wouldn't be surprised if the focus was entirely on the mechanics of walking on the moon, and not so much about how totally amazing it was to be, you know, walking on the moon.

When my scuba instructor told me that going underwater was a little "crazy" because of the bubbles everywhere, the sounds, the equipment and everything else, I smiled. 'Oh come now,' I thought. 'I've experienced the "crazy" of snorkeling. I'm ready for this.'

And then I went underwater and thought, 'Oh my! But this is crazy!'

I spent almost the entire hour feeling the craziness of the situation. I didn't focus on the fish, the sharks, the turtles, or even the octopus. I was too worried about breathing, keeping water out of my goggles, and finding a more "weightless" state.

I wonder if the first years of homeschooling are like that?

I wonder how many families are so caught up in the mechanics of homeschooling the first year or so that they can't enjoy the wonder, joy, and experience of the incredible adventure they are on.

If other families are like me, may I suggest you relax, even if you feel like you shouldn't be breathing underwater.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

While in the car at 4am yesterday morning--we were headed to watch the sunrise--my family got to chatting about Haiku. We even wrote one. Check out our early morning creation:

Good morning.
It is dark outside.
We're driving.

Bad Haiku
Holzmanns 11/23/08

Since one of my nephews was in the car, I thought it was a good "teaching moment"--or, at least, an opportunity to show off <smile>--and so I explained how in English our poetry revolves around rhyme/meter, how Haiku revolves around specific syllable use, and how Hebrew poetry involves repetition of letters at the beginning of each line. For instance, English poetry repeats sounds:

But in Hebrew, the "AA.. BB..." scheme is literal:

My dad, who had been listening, suddenly remarked, "After all these years of studying English, I just learned something: Poetry is writing using specific constraints to make it artistic."

That was a much better explanation than what I got in Junior Year's Honors English: Poetry is whatever is not prose.

My dad went on to comment that using such a definition would make even the chiastic structure a form of poetry. And that makes sense, even if no one has officially labeled it so. And so, I'll label it officially:

The chiastic structure is a form of poetry.

In honor of today's ceremony, I would like to share a poem with you:

May you enjoy poetry, of all forms, today.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

Background: I've been having a rather... "lively" discussion with my friend Cherish--and I hope I don't say anything stupid so she'll still be my friend after this (I love you, Cherish!).

You can read the posts and my comments here and here.

This is my second attempt at a response. My first post was crazy long and still hadn't addressed all the issues.

-------

A Story: So I'm in Kindergarten and we're playing musical chairs. Corrie, the cute little blond girl is the odd one out, and no matter how hard she tries, she just can't get a seat. Between one of the musical sets, Timothy comes over to me and says, "You should give up your chair so Corrie can have a chance sitting down."

I protest, "But I've been playing fairly and doing well. I'm not going to give up my chair for her."

But then Mrs. Donaldson comes over and says, "Now Luke, you've got a very nice sweater and Corrie does not. You need to give up your seat so she isn't disenfranchised. And you needn't worry: You've got a sweater."

I don't know what the word "disenfranchised" means, but I can't really argue with the teacher.

The game continues until Brandon wins. But in the next round Lisa rolls her ankle when Timothy bumps into her so she's going to be moving slowly. Mrs. Donaldson gives me a look.

What!? Corrie was bad enough, but Lisa is my arch nemesis. She picks on me on the playground and makes my young life miserable. But Mrs. Donaldson didn't see Timothy bump into Lisa, so he's not going to be held responsible.

It sit out another game. "But I've got a sweater." Whatever that has to do with this.

The next round starts and Mrs. Donaldson steps out of the classroom. When the music stops, Douglas actually shoves Corrie out of her chair to get a spot. Mrs. Donaldson returns to see Corrie sitting on the ground, sobbing.

"What happened?" the teacher asks.

"Douglas pushed Corrie out of her seat," I say.

"Did not," the guilty party replies.

Mrs. Donaldson looks at Corrie and the other children. "Did he?"

No one says anything.

"Well, Luke," Mrs. Donaldson finally says, "why don't you sit out this game too. You've got your sweater and it's the nice thing to do."

I started homeschooling the next year.

-------

Conclusion: That was a work of historical fiction, but in good old Sonlight fashion, I figured a story would be more powerful than a logical discourse.

Now, if you haven't already, please read the posts and my comments here and here. And then tell me what you think.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

Okay, I saw the same thing posted on three blogs today, so this is a hot item on the blogosphere. That being the case, I felt compelled to weigh in.

How many more metaphors can I mix there? Sales, planets and wrestling...

Weighing in on a Blogosphere Hot Item

[Aside: I crack myself up.]

I saw the article on Dawn's blog first.

'Interesting,' I thought.

Then is showed up again on JoAnn's blog and again on Judy's blog as well.

'Fine, I'll read the article.'

But all three links are now dead. It appears that the Examiner changed the url (sneaky, sneaky). Thankfully, yours truly is here to save the day. You can read the article here--unless they change the link again <smile>.

Please go give Dawn, JoAnn, and Judy a visit. My take on this will be, well, different from all of theirs (why would I say what's already been said?).

First, I'm actually surprised at the lack of really good examples. I mean, these are pretty funny, but not as good as these (my personal favorite is about Cyrus McCormick). Perhaps we study less mangle-able topics in college. But I'd be interested in a study that actually shows a decline in the quality of writing. It sounds to me that Mr. Watson has been collecting these "gems" for years, and my fear is that as his file filled he started to assume that the frequency was increasing.

Second, one of the comments I read pointed out that many of the errors are malapropisms. Which is true. There are also many atrociously misspelled words. And these problems could both be attributed to a heavy reliance on spellcheck. And while I wouldn't mind improving my spelling ability, I have become a very proficient user of spellcheck and a digital dictionary.

Third, reading could certainly help... assuming we are reading material of a slightly higher caliber than, say, "Time for Friends" (not that "Time for Friends" isn't an excellent bit of children's literature). We need books that challenge us and introduce us to vocabulary beyond our vernacular, not just the latest Twilight Potter's Shack.

Forth, for me, the most troubling part of the article is that you can ask the students what they mean, "and they can’t tell you verbally, either." And from the comments I've read, that is bothersome to others as well. Even so, I remember being completely confused as my dad "bled" over yet another of my tear-stained papers.

"It made sense when I wrote it," I would lament. And my statement had made sense. The problem was that once my dad explained how incoherent my sentence was, I was stuck. I could think of no better way of expressing myself. And, really, that's an area I'm still growing in as a writer; how do you communicate clearly this or that idea?

Yes, reading great literature will help build a vocabulary and give a foundation for excellent writing.

Yes, practice gives opportunity to improve one's writing.

Yes, it would not surprise me if the educational system's focus on the testable side of English has lead to a decline in the functional/intelligible aspect.

And, yes, apathy is not helping.

But we need so much more than "hard work" if we are to improve our writing. We need people who can help us think through our logic, our expression, as well as our typos and malapropisms.

And who has more opportunity to do that than homeschooling parents?

Here's a little anecdote as I bring this long essay to a close*:

In one of my college Mass Communication classes, I was told that the professor was really strict about papers. So I paid special attention at the beginning of the semester as he went over what he expected in our papers.

"You must," he informed us, "have proper punctuation and spelling."

...

That's it? When have we ever been allowed to use improper punctuation or spelling in papers?

I got an A on every paper in that class. And as much as it pains me to admit, I attribute my success to my dad's red pen and interrogations. So, if I'm ever reading the writing of one of my children and they explain some aspect of "uh-rithmetic" to me, I'll smile and bleed on their paper.

Like father, like son.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

*I tend to say "antidote" much to the frustration of my friends. I wonder how many times that malaprop has slipped through?

Two and a half months ago I wrote a post where I mentioned a blog I thought was funny due to "mild profanity" and ever since then it's bugged me. In fact, even when I typed the words way back then I knew I would have to revisit the concept. And the day has come.

What makes today the day?

First, I haven't run into anything more pressing to blog about.

Second, Shannon* wrote a great post on the subject. (You can read it here if you missed it in my "Other Posts of Note" ...which you all read all the time, right? <wink>).

My first thought is: What makes a profanity "mild" and what difference does that make? I mean, this goes back to the whole "a sin is a sin" issue, right? But before I can answer my own question, I have to answer a more basic question: What is a profanity, and why is it wrong to use them?

Thankfully, Shannon's husband has already told us that the "thing about bad words isn’t so much the word itself, it’s the motive and heart behind it." With that being the case, even euphemisms can be a problem. And I completely agree: The intent, more than content, determines the morality of something.

But content does matter. That's why some words in our culture are plain old profanities while others are "mild." That is culturally defined, which is why in Europe people say "bum" for the derriere, because they find "butt" offensive; the same is true of households as well: what is okay to say depends on the home.

And, yes, a "sin is a sin," but different sins have different consequences. So while it is equally sinful to hate your brother as to kill him, the consequences of murder are far more tangible and irreversible. So, a mild profanity has less of a negative impact than something more venomous.

I believe that there are three factors to determining the morality of something, and I've given you two: Intent and Content.

You'll have to wait for the third: Response. It couldn't get it to fit well in this post.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

*After much sleuthing, I think her name is Shannon.

But I just gotta say this: Not giving me at least a pseudonym drives me crazy! It's a pet peeve of mine. I hate having to refer to people with: "Why, yes, I-Am-a-Mother-of-Two-and-Own-a-Dog, I agree."

For cryin' out loud! If'n you're paranoid, at least use Elle G or something.

And maybe it's just me, but LAH doesn't cut it either. I guess my brain can't make enough of a distinction between GW and CM to be an effective nomenclature.

Rant over.

Forgive me, Woman-Wanting-What-the-Word-Welcomes; I love you dearly, but please give me something more personable to use in reference to you.

Thank you.

Your Friend and Blogger,
~Luke