One of the most significant problems in the resurgence of classical and Christian education is the problem of trying to impart to our children an education that none of us received. Thanks to the Omnibus project, which draws expertise from many capable writers and thinkers, this goal is now within reach. Douglas Wilson
Yesterday I compared the pioneers of Classical Christian Education to the players in Monty Python and the Holy Grail who skipped across the British countryside claiming they actually rode on horseback. This morning I woke up to discover page 182 of Volume II: Church Fathers through the Reformation1 in my inbox, which I have appended below.
Please notice that the Omnibus editors used two different quotations from Monty Python and the Holy Grail — one as a pull quote; the other as a caption — and in both instances they failed to give credit. That is, they plagiarized. Wikiquote, or a simple Google search, confirms that each quotation is from Monty Python and the Holy Grail and your own eyes can see the absence of citation. Also notice how they placed both quotes on the page as though to fill space, giving no context or explanation for either. The reader does not know the point of the extracts or their connection to the lesson.
The same page also has this instruction:
Watch a parent-approved movie about Arthur and compare its portrayal of him with Geoffrey’s (either in discussion or in a short essay). Possible choices: The Sword in the Stone, King Arthur, First Knight, Monty Python and the Holy Grail or Excalibur. More obscure films, cartoons and shorts can be found by doing an internet search.
The table of contents, also appended below, says that N. D. Wilson wrote this particular chapter for the Omnibus and Natali H. Miller wrote the so-called “Sessions.” The quote above is from the last page of the sessions. Omnibus does not furnish her credentials to teach this subject.
Pastor Douglas Wilson of Christ Church, Moscow, blogged that Veritas Press published Omnibus Volume II in the fall of 2005, saying they wrote it for eighth graders:
Bookrack Notice
Topic: General RuminationsHalfway down the bookrack on the right side here, please note the release of Omnibus I from Veritas Press. We learned a lot in the production of this great textbook for 7th graders, and Lord willing, and the creeks don’t rise, Omnibus II will be ready for 8th graders by this coming fall.
Posted by Douglas Wilson — 4/12/2005 6:02:14 PM
It’s becoming clear that from the beginning Omnibus was a confidence job that Veritas Press planned to market on the strength of one man’s name — “Douglas Wilson, General Editor.” The Omnibus editors faked subjects beyond their learning to peddle their fraud as scholarship to Veritas Press’ customers. Little in these volumes suggests the editors took their responsibilities seriously, and most reveals the editor’s terrible inadequacy. Or if I may put it bluntly, Omnibus is to education what Monty Python and the Holy Grail is to King Arthur — a hilarious parody.
1 Edited by Douglas Wilson & Tyler Fischer (Lancaster, PA: Veritas Press, 2005).
With helpful tips, like “To learn about something, try Googling it.” Thanks Omnibus!
If Omnibus is a textbook, then I am Groot.
Actually by suggesting that kids ‘Google it’ the editors and publishers of the Omnibus are ensuring that a large number of children will leave the faith.
If the baloney featured in this blog entry doesn’t humiliate the jackasses involved in this faux textbook, I don’t suppose anything will. The hurrah comments from their faithful followers makes it clear they are as uneducated as the authors/editors. The series should be re-titled Omnibust!
(Actually, considering Doug’s fixation maybe it should be Omniboobs to recognize the contributions of every word thief who dared to sign his name and got paid for it while acknowledging Doug’s fantasy life as well.)
Does anyone know Marlin or Laurie Detweiler’s academic background is? I can’t find a bio that includes that information.
Rose Huskey
Marlin has a Bachelor’s degree from the North Carolina State University, College of Management. The only education I could find for Laurie is that she went to the Westminster Christian School which is K-12 only.
Thank you, Cicero. I’m not clear what a College of Management (Business?) is but I suspect Mr. Detweiler was absent from the freshman lecture on how to Cowboy Up and Own the Problem class.
Rose
Actually Rose, lying stealing and blameshifting are exactly what I’d expect from someone with a degree in management.
That illustration was knicked directly from the film, too (see the scene with Tim the enchanter), just flipped horizontally before being redrawn. So both dialogue and images were stolen from/not attributed to the copyright owners. And the “fair use” argument is not in play since the stolen IP ended up in a work intended to generate profit for the apparent thieves.
Nice job, Cobber!
Plagiarized images wouldn’t be too surprising, really, considering the print plagiarism and the fact that he’s not especially careful about IP concerns for images on Blog & Mablog. I’m pretty sure that a huge number of his pictures there are neither Creative Commons license nor public domain. Considering the amount of traffic he gets on his blog, that might cause problems for him at some point. It would probably be worth it to flip through the book images too and see if anything looks really out of place.
I believe that Rachel has found beaucoup images, just like the King Arthur image. Don’t have a number, but I would not be surprised to see if it’s as many as the plagiarism.
And traffic is irrelevant, except when the jury determines damages. Not so for the ads. He sells ads on his site, which means he profits from copyrighted works — just like Omnibus! That’s the aggravating circumstance.
I wasn’t thinking of the traffic numbers as any sort of mitigating factor, just the fact that higher traffic increases the likelihood of getting caught because more people see it, so higher statical likelihood that one of them might notify relevant parties. Yes to everything else.
It just hit me, two years later, that DW’s educational opus is recommending 8th graders watch films with sexual themes and scenes. Monty Python and the Holy Grail has the infamous visit to Castle Anthrax; Excalibur has at least two outright sex scenes, one of them fairly graphic. I wonder how much DW has tittered and sniggered at the thought of letting those images loose in the minds of unsuspecting home school parents and kids?