Knowledge

All 'reading'?
Nobody mentioning 'Visit more Museums'?
And they often have bookshops too...

Maybe pick a specific subject that interests - read voraciously on that one thing, then read some more on it.
It will lead to a wider grasp as you begin following little details and cross-checking stuff.
Education is not merely remembering the facts themselves - it lies more in understanding the connections between those facts.

And quite importantly, be very cautious when asking fat old buggers on the Internet for advice. It's like giving a licence to ramble...

~A

 

Did he just call me a fat old bugger?

 

Noooooooo!

 

And be very careful what you read and accept as fact as well, sometimes an easy read is factually inaccurate at best and biased at worst. The most recent example is Bill O'Reilly's; Killing Lincoln, which is so full of mistakes it has been banned by the National Park Service and cannot be sold in Ford's Theater.

Goto:

Bill O'Reilly 'Killing Lincoln' Errors: Book Contains Plethora Of Factual Inaccuracies

 

These guys are sharp cookies. I have learned alot over the past few years, however, I can not compare to most of these guys here. I've appreciated them sharing with guys like me.

 

Everything's 'me me me' with you.
I was, of course, calling everyone a fat old bugger.

~A

 

Is he talking to me...

 

I agree your statement to "be careful what you read". It also applies to reviews and crticism, for instance the factual errors cited in the linked Huffington Post article and in the Solon article it is based on appear to be nitpicking and irrevelent to the basic story. They could indicate a poor fact checking and there could be more relevent erros in the book, but if so why were't some of them cited.

Far worse factual errors have been found in history text book used to teach our children.


The criticism from a blog on Christian Science Monitor by Jackie Hogan " the book for covering up negative aspects of Lincoln's presidency in favor of a good story. As she puts it, "style and image often take precedence over evidence and substance." She also calls the book "sensationalized, suggestive, and overly simplistic." " may be correct, but but may not. It could represent a different world view. She is not a Historian. Jackie Hogan is Chair of Sociology at Bradley University and author of "Lincoln, Inc.: Selling the Sixteenth President in Contemporary America." Her book is available from Amazon.

 

In the interests of keeping this on topic, I will not continue the discussion of O'Reilly's book, except to say that Clint and Highway70 both make some good points.

Pick a topic that interests you and reading will seem less boring. Read many different sources because all books have a bias or a point of view -- even the best historians are biased. If you read several different sources, the biases and possible errors will balance out. It's a bit like witnesses in a trial. They all may have a slightly different take on what happened. When taken together, you have a better idea of what happened. If you only read one book or one author, you will only get one perspective.

 

I began today, I read for about two hours and then here I am reading some threads. The reason I was going for two hours is because I took the advice of reading what I like so I walked to the book store with my allowance and got a book on Axis equipment, rank and weapons (My favourite subject is German ranks,equipment, uniform etc). Thanks so much for the help guys!

 

Now this can branch off...Where was the equipment used? How? Against who and why? Why is that uniform different from the other etc etc...