Who, What, Where, When, How and Why

Sometimes it's hard to focus on studying something, even if its something you want to do. One reason is that its difficult to put yourself into a "learning" mindset. You want action, excitement or even just flavor. No matter how well written, the reproductive habits of single cell organisms is only going to have so much excitement to it.

One thing that might help you is to start thinking in terms of who, what, where, when, how and why while researching a topic. Its just a simple way to organize your thoughts, so you make sure you are grasping the point of your resource.

Who - Who can be a person, place, thing, idea, animal, cell, etc. Pretty much its what you are studying. But who can change throughout your studies. At one point who might be single cell organisms. It could then become more specific, and be an amoeba, or change entirely and be a plant cell. Always make sure you know who you are studying.
This is very important with first person accounts, where the importance of your words is that you were there to witness an event, not that you have the best grammar in the world. Always make sure you know what pronoun refers to what person.

What - What is the activity that the who is doing, causing, or being involved in. The cell divides, the horse gallops, etc. This gets a bit funny if your topic is an idea or a non-active item, since it may not be as obvious, but there will still be a what. This will show you the importance of a topic. After all, horses are great, but if you only learn they exist, not very interesting.

Where - This is the location of your subject. Is it a concept in the mind of 15th century philosophers? Or is it an insect in a stream? Maybe it's the Pacific Ocean, which would be between the west coast of North and South America, and East coast of Asia and Australia. This may seem to be important for all topics of study, but where can be as simple as a cell that is in a plant.

When - Similar to where. Did this idea develop in the 20th century? Was the ship used in 1492? At what point in the cycle of a cell's life does it reproduce? This lets you reference what you learn, and put it into a semblance of order in your mind. Knowing that WWI comes before WWII is rather important. So is knowing the time a philosopher lived.

How - What causes the topic to take place. What makes it work. This is an extremely complex question in many cases. The previous 4 can usually be picked out rather easily. How is much more detailed. What are the steps of single cell reproduction. How does a horse move in order to gallop, or even how does a horse develop the necessary energy to gallop. How does existentialism effect literature? This is a question that drives invention, philosophy and science.

Why - I've been through Why before. The big thing about why is that it takes what you've already learned, and pushes you to the next step. When you watch a show on guns in the West, and you ask yourself why did that gun become preferred over other guns, you now have the new avenue to go study. Often your why question will introduce a few new who, what, where, when and how questions.

As you study a subject, keep a notebook. Make notes based on the 6 questions, such as who - single cell organism, what - reproduction, where...
Or, if you've bought your book that you are using, write in it, circle the who's in red the what's in green, or highlight the info. Write your full why question in the margin.

Well, that's it for now.
Happy New Year!!!

Speed Reading

Well, ok, not really.
I'm a pretty fast reader. Mostly because I love to read, and do so constantly. Pretty much anything I can get my hands on, I'll read.
One thing I have learned is that reading fiction is way easier, and faster then reading non-fiction, for the most part. And the more fun the novel, the easier and faster the read.

But anyway, I do want to give you a way to "speed read." Actually it was something I learned in sixth grade, in a how to study course our school provided.

What we were taught to do is read the first sentence and the last sentence of every paragraph. This should give you a good overview of every paragraph, and therefore of the passage.

To be completely honest with you, I've never used this method, mostly because I read fast enough to keep up with someone using it. Not to brag.

From what I saw, by using this method you can get a pretty decent knowledge of the subject you are reading. While I wouldn't suggest this method for something you want to truly learn, or something that truly needs your full attention, its a great method to use with Magazine articles, reports at work, or any other reading material that you must review, but isn't necessary that you are an expert with it.

ok, see ya later!

US Civil War

So I was reading my flags of the Civil War book, and learned something I didn't know before. Evidently the Confederate Flag, the red/orange with the blue starred X on it wasn't the official Flag of the Confederate States of America. It was a battle flag used by regiments of the Southern Army, primarily the Army of Northern Virginia. The Confederate States had 3 different flags throughout its tenure as a country.
The original Flag, which had 2 red and 1 white stripe, with a field of blue with a circle of 13 stars was considered to easy to confuse with the Union Army Flag, and so some of the armies wanted another flag that was obviously different. The second flag, the stainless banner, had the battle flag as a small square in the corner on a white field. That flag, when there was no wind, looked too much like a white flag of surrender. So there was a third flag designed.
This flag was the stainless banner, but it had a vertical bar of red on the end of it, to keep it from being all white.
Ok, it may not seem that interesting, but I wonder now why the battle flag survives to this day and the others didn't.
See that, another why!

New Year's Resolution

Well, I wanted to share an idea with everyone for a New Year's resolution that shouldn't be hard to keep, and is actually two in one!
Why don't you resolve to increase your fitness level by walking for 10 min a day in ADDITION to what you do now. Also resolve to read a book for 10 min a day. I'll bet you see where I'm going with this.
Anyway, I've found that if you walk in place, it is pretty easy to carry a book and read at the same time. If that is really too much movement while reading for you, then look into books on tape and a comfy walkman tape/CD player.
While reading and walking choose a light book, paperback if possible. Try to hold it with one hand, and do movements with the other arm/ hand, switching back and forth periodically, so that you use your whole body.

While 10 min a day isn't necessarily the most strenuous workout available, it will definitely add to your overall fitness level. Also reading for 10 min a day may not seem like a big deal, but I bet you'll surprise yourself. And, some books maybe so interesting that you'll continue reading them even after your ten minutes is up.

You should always check with your physician before starting any workout routine.

Until next time!

US Civil War Flags

I'm currently reading some books I got for Christmas on the Civil War. One is about the flag bearers of the Confederate Armies at Gettysburg. The other is a rather nice book on the flags of both North and South in the Civil War.
I've pretty much just started, so not much to share yet about the specific books, though I thought I'd share a little of what I'm learning.

The big thing I'm learning is that the South, unlike the North, did not have an official flag throughout the entire war. There were 3 National flags in throughout the war. The US of course had the one national flag.

Something I already knew, and am happy to say the one book looks like it covers in detail, are the different regimental flags for both sides. For many companies, there was an individual flag that was unique to that company.
These were varied in color, design, and details. I'm hoping to learn a lot about the different flags, and why there were so many!
Ok, gonna go now.
See ya next time!

Merry Christmas

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
No post today!

Book Review - Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea Why the Greeks Matter by Thomas Cahill

Recently I finished Sailing the Wine -Dark Sea Why the Greeks Matter by Thomas Cahill. Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea is book 4 in his series The Hinges of History. This is the first book by him that I have read. I definitely enjoyed the book, found it easy to read and understand, as well as very informative on Ancient Greece. I am looking forward to picking up some of his other books as well.

The book is laid out with 5 basic chapters, a short history of Greece before the time covered in the book, and a history of how the civilization passed as well. The book covers primarily from 800 BC to about 140 AD. Give or take.

Each chapter 1 - 5 is a complete history of the time period from viewpoint of different social aspects of the culture. In order they are The Warrior, The Wanderer, The Poet, The Politician and Playwright, The philosopher and the Artist.

Within each chapter is a delightful personal trip through the society and history of the culture. Cahill takes what could be a difficult and boring subject and turns it into joy and a pleasure.

I obviously recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about the Greeks, or just is looking for something a bit different to read.

Thanks all!

The heading is a link to where you can buy the book, if interested.

Museum Trip

We are planning a museum trip for the first week in January. One of my favorite Museums, the Museum of Natural History in NYC.
It's pretty cool, our jobs get us free admission, though we still have to pay for any special events. But when admission is free, its a lot less painful to pay for these special exhibits. So ask your employer if they offer any special discounts or free admissions to museums in your area. Often if your employer is a corporate sponsor, employees get some nice deals.

Anyway, they are going to have a live frog exhibit, so we are going to go see the frogs! This may seem odd, but I love how the poison dart frogs look, and some will be there. So I plan to go, and check out some frogs, and see how they look up close and personal!
I'm not sure if we'll be able to walk around inside where the frogs are or not, but even so it should be pretty cool.

By the way, the site has some cool info on the frogs (and other topics as well), as well as a frog cam, which seems to show you some lovely foliage. Ok, I'm sure the frogs wander over every now and then, and it is 10:00 pm, most are snuggled up for the night, I'm sure.

Even without the frog exhibit, this has always been my favorite museum in NYC. I love seeing all the animals and the different cultures represented there. I love going to see the dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. So this is an exciting trip for me. After we go, I'll give you all a report on what I thought of everything.

Oh, and I just figured it out. If you click on the heading of this post (Museum Trip) it will take you to the American Museum of Natural History site! ENJOY!

More on tips for how to learn stuff

Just some random thoughts here:
I was just at a drug store, and saw cliff notes on different subjects like statistics, and marketing. gonna go back and pick some up probably. Never realized the company had branched out into other topics.
Wonder how useful they are. Never used cliffnotes in highschool, so nothing to go off of there.

Finished the second study unit in my distance course. This was about study habits, how to figure out what type of learner you are, and tips on best practices. Thought some of the concepts would help others.

The cool suggestion they gave was to keep a vocabulary book. What they suggest is getting a notebook, and when you find a word you don't know, write it in your book. Then write the sentence it was in that you found it, then got to a dictionary, look it up, and write the definition in your book as well. Not only will you learn new words, but you'll have a great resource to use for reviewing your new words. Make a point to start using them in conversation, and eventually you will increase your vocabulary.

Well that's it for now. More tomorrow!

Primary sources

What is a primary source, and why is it important?

A primary source is a source of information on your topic of study that is first hand. A secondary source is one that discusses primary sources.

For example, if you were going to research me, this blog would be a primary source. But if you were going to research WWII this blog would be a secondary source (well probably even more removed then that, but hopefully you get the idea).

Basically, if you wanted to learn about wolves, a real live wolf, a dead wolf, a portion of a wolf, one of its kills, some of its fur, recordings of where it travels, a paw print, data on height, weight, length, age of wolves in one area, etc would all be primary sources about wolves.
However a book that was interpreting the data collected would be a secondary source.

So a primary source is one that comes directly from the subject being studied. Why is this important?

Well, and this is all opinion at this point, so keep that in mind, but primary sources are important to research because all secondary sources are subjective. While that doesn't make them false, or improper, it does mean that once you want to start asking and answering your why questions, it is important to actually see and study the primary source first hand, so that you can make your own conclusions, and not just what others, no matter how expert, tell you.

So while this is all well and good, where do you find primary sources? And how do you get to work with them?

Well, working with them can sometimes(though not always) be tricky. Not many museums will let you waltz in and examine a Grecian urn under a microscope. But first you have to decide what your primary sources will be.

Check the library and your local government for how to get statistics, public records, etc. Much data is publicly available to researchers on a multitude of topics, you just have to try to find it. Visit your local museums, the exhibits are usually made up of primary sources of materials, and while it may be behind glass, you still have a large source of material. Go to zoos, and ask to take part in any volunteer programs they have (this may cost a lot of money). Basically, go to where the primary sources are, and get as much access as legally possible. Keep in mind that detailed photographs can sometimes be almost as useful as the original. As can reprints, molds, etc. As long as there is the same level of detail as the original, it usually can be considered, for a layman, the same as a primary source.

But, what can you do, if the primary source is unusable for you. For example, you don't read ancient Sumerian, and you want to research their culture. Well, in that situation, you have some choices. You can always decide to limit your research to what is readily available, or you can try to make up for your lack of primary sources.

The method I use to make up for a lack of primary sources, is to amass a LARGE selection of secondary sources. Then, when I review them, I try to take sources together, and compare and contrast. With this method, I may not know EXACTLY what the original looks like, but I can see where others who have seen it agree and disagree in their descriptions. This takes a lot of work, finding, reviewing and comparing different sources. But if you are trying to answer your why questions it is well worth it.

Now, just because a source is secondary, doesn't mean it's useless. Actually the opposite is true. Without works explaining primary sources, often those primary sources become meaningless. If you look at a wolf, you may be able to tell by its size if its eating well or not. But would you be able with stacks of figures on sizes, to figure out what years were leaner then others? Or if there was a disease ravaging the population 10 years ago? Experts of course can, and through secondary sources explain to us the meaning of the data, and, hopefully, how to get that meaning out of the data ourselves.
Also when you want to study US Presidents, being given every speech each president ever gave is of course useful, but only goes so far. Even a list of all bills signed into law, or every order given is still only data. Plus it would bury you. A secondary source gives you a slice into that data, of what is important, or pertinent to your subject. It also puts data into perspective of the big picture for you.

So both sources are important to a researcher, just in different ways.

Ok, that's all for now. Hope that made sense.

Quick note on new course

Read my first study unit and took my first test. Since everything is open book I did get 100% on the first exam.
Good points -
some very detailed information. Explains the basics of the position, how to get certified, and what a "typical" day in a doctor's office will look like.
Very easy to read and understand.
Can take tests online, don't have to mail in results.

Bad points -
really only one, and for now isn't that big of a deal. Right now the information is too basic, and simple for me. For someone who knows nothing of the position it would be good, but for my personal advancement, need something a bit more involved.
However since this was the introduction study unit, I think I'll forgive them this time.
LOL.

BYE!

New course

I just received a course today in the mail I signed up for by Thomson Education Direct. I am taking their Medical Office Assistant program.
I'm not really worried about getting a certificate in Medical Office Assisting, but I've worked in a large medical company for a few years now, and thought it might be nice to have a course that would enhance my on the job training.
I've heard good things about Thomson Education Direct and the program looked like one I could use to improve my skills. Also the cost is very reasonable.
This is a distance learning course, so I will be sent my course materials in the mail, and will send my tests and any other work in to be graded. I've also taken some college courses for credit through distance learning, and while it is a great way to learn, I suggest you only use it for topics you are interested in. If its something that you will have difficulty paying attention to - like math for me - then I suggest you got through a more structured environment.
This is of course assuming that you are looking for a certificate, college credit or a degree from the classes. If you are taking a course just for your own amusement, so to speak, don't worry about the possibility of losing interest. But then I'd also suggest not sinking a lot of money into the course either.
I've started the first study unit, I hope to be done with it and the second unit by Saturday (ooh Christmas!). Hopefully then I'll accomplish about one study unit a week, depending on how quickly they are sent to me. I'll try to keep you all updated, and let you know if I would recommend the course, or the company to you.
yay! Been waiting for this to show up.
Later!

How I learned about WWII

Ok, time to continue on, but first a quick note about the site. You may have noticed the google ads, I've also just signed up with Amazon.com. Feel free to go to Amazon from my site, or not, I really just wanted to offer it as a service to my readers! That should be it for advertising, unless I find another company to link to, that I think will offer a nice service to my intended audience.

Back to WWII.
Now that I've gotten my basic knowledge about WWI from a few books, and some TV shows, I started to work on WWII.
First I AGAIN got an idiots guide (or dummies, can't remember which) to WWII. I also started taping all shows I could find on WWII, especially in WWII in Europe, and Nazi Germany.
I also started buying some books on different topics in WWII. Since this was my first major undertaking in self-education, and I was basically just winging it, I ended up with a lot of books I only read part of, or still haven't bothered with due to lack of true interest. This is why I say first figure out what specifically you want to study from your base. Saves time, money, and other resources.

What is important though, while at this stage of research, is to remember that just because you thought something was interesting, doesn't mean it really will be. If you want to learn about tanks in WWII, and then find out you really want to learn about tactics of using tanks in battle in WWII, and not the schematics of each type of tank, don't force yourself to finish a book, show, whatever on how tanks were built. Walk away when you realize it isn't what you want to study.
Now this isn't an excuse to stop researching because its "hard" to do. Even when you love something, it gets difficult at times, but don't give up. But if you truly find learning the names of all the officers in the Germany Army is making you go cross eyed, don't go nuts, just move on.

At this point I started reading books and watching shows on Nazi Germany, the concentration camps, the atrocities, Hitler, the SS, Rommel, Africa (both in WWI and WWII), Roosevelt (Franklin), Stalin, codes, code breaking. I tried to learn about the Japanese and the other theaters of war as well, but mostly Europe. I found a college course on tape on the rise of Hitler, the period between the World Wars that was a tremendous help to my understanding of what happened in Germany.

Then I started to pull things together in my head, and try to make sense of it all.

One of the most important things to realize when teaching yourself about a topic is that this is not just a memorization of fact. Learning the facts is VERY important. Without facts, there is no knowledge. BUT, more important to us is our understanding and interpretation of the facts that we receive. To truly understand WWII, to me, is to understand the following:
Why did facist Germany ally themselves to the Japanese?
Why did the German people allow the atrocities to occur, and how does the nation claim ignorance?
Why didn't Germany invade England?
Why did Roosevelt make a pact to concentrate on Europe before Asia if and when they entered the war, and why was it kept AFTER Pearl Harbor?
Why did Churchill, the great failure of WWI suddenly become the great man we all remember?
Why did Germany turn on the Soviet Union BEFORE Europe was under control.
Why was Rommel killed?
Why was war in Africa so different from other areas?(ok, you don't really need that one, but it drives me nuts, I still can't figure it out, but I'm trying).

Now, can I answer these questions? Not really, I have some answers. And keep in mind, that there are really HUNDREDS of questions that need to be answered before you can truly claim to understand WWII.

But notice one thing about these questions. The word why. Why is the part that matters in understanding history.
I need the what, where, who, when, how in order to even find the right why questions to ask. But the why is what matters in history. And in a lot of other things as well.

Why is the world round?
Why is the sky blue?
Why do people from different places have different accents?
Why are there so many languages?
Why is 2+2=4?
Why did Jesus die on the cross?
Why did Greeks tie up their foreskins?(ok that's for my friends, but I still don't know why).
Why does electricity travel through wires?
Why do we care about these things?

See. Why is important.
ok, enough lecture, see ya next time!

PBSYOU

PBSYOU - http://www.pbs.org/pbsyou/schedules/calendar.html
Wanted to take a separate post to talk about this station.

PBS YOU is a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week program service offering viewers the best formal and informal education programming on television-- including adult learning, foreign language instruction, How-To, and educational documentaries.
PBS YOU is dedicated to those Americans who see education and self-improvement as an ongoing process that continues from cradle to grave. As a viewer, you have the option of becoming as involved in the educational content as you wish -- you can simply watch the programs for entertainment and self enrichment, you can self-teach without formal interface, or for many of the series, you may enroll and obtain college credit through a variety of options made available through the Web. Such enrollment can lead to college degrees from the more than 1,000 colleges that offer PBS courses.
PBS has a long history of providing high quality video-based, course programming for distance learning. Over the past 18 years, more than 5 million Americans have earned college-credit from PBS courses. In addition, PBS YOU offers informal educational programming ranging from Julia Child's cooking instruction to home renovation projects on "This Old House" and "Hometime."
PBS YOU is made possible by your support of your local PBS station.

Quote from the site for PBS YOU

This is a station I found one day, and that I love. It carries telecourses - college level courses - on various subjects. I have watched courses on geology, microbiology, history, sociology, economics and history, and that is only a fraction of what is offered.

What I did not know until recently, is that some colleges will allow you to use this resource for college credit. http://www.pbs.org/campus/002_College/index.html

That means you can sit at home, and instead of watching Survivor, you can watch Introduction to Marketing, and possibly earn college credit.

From my own experience these courses are fun and well crafted. I've always enjoyed the courses, because rather then having to do the work of finding good sources and researching on my own, this gives me a reputable source, that comes to me.

One thing I'd like to mention, I have TiVo. TiVo makes watching these courses much easier, since I can record them whenever they are on, and watch when I have time. Of course a vcr can do the same. Taping them is, to my way of thinking, better for fitting into a busy schedule. After all, do you really want to be tied to your TV at a certain time of day or week?

see ya next time!

whee Christmas

Family did Christmas early. Got some fun stuff, but also got some nice looking books.
Nice thing is that my parents got me and my husband an atlas of WWII, so I've started moving my markers of where my Grandfather was during the war to that.
By the way, that is another great way to learn about more recent events, history, discoveries, at least if you have access to the people involved, is to ask those who were involved directly about it. If you can't do that, search for written, or recorded interviews with people involved in the topic you want to learn about. First hand accounts can be amazing sources of fact and atmosphere.
Another thing I was thinking about was literature. Even if you don't want to learn about facts, dates, or what have you, there is a wealth of great literature that you can read, and broaden your outlook that way.
Much of the great literature that is out there is considered that because it is timeless.
Jane Eyre, Pride and Predjudice, Red Badge of Courage, Animal Farm, the picture of Dorian Grey, etc are tales that speak to our wants, dreams, fears, wishes and instincts today as well as in the time they are written. In their own way, they can educate us by challenging our thoughts and conventions, by showing us styles and rules, and formulas in a different, easier to comprehend format.
The best part, is that reading is one of the best ways I know of to increase your vocabulary. Most times you can deduce the meaning of a word in a paragraph easily, and it when you can't do that, you'll usually have enough of a reason to make yourself look it up.
Well that's all for now - gotta run for a party. Have fun!

SORRY

Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I'm working on a large post that should go up tonight.
Thanks!

WWII Nazi Germany - how I learned about the topic

Ok, back to here...
So I decided to first learn a bit about WWII before trying to study WWII. To do so I got an Idiot's guide, and some basic books about WWI, and read my Idiot's Guide from cover to cover.
This was pretty interesting, since WWI by itself is pretty exciting.
Hitler fought in WWII and achieved the rank of Corporal (I think). Japan fought on the same side as the US, England & France.
Russia was in the war, until the revolution that put Lenin and the communists in charge of Russia. Lenin agreed to a separate peace with Germany, and pulled out of the war. Previously Russia was allied with England, France and the US.
much of Africa was colonial when the war started. So along with in the continent, the war was also fought throughout Africa.
One of the coolest parts of the war in Africa, was German East Africa, where Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck was commander of forces, and he led a defense of the colony that lasted until after the Armistice, and he was undefeated when he finally surrendered at the end of the war.
According to one source, the allies said in 1917(I think) that they were willing to discuss peace talks with Germany, but in order to even to come to the table, the first thing that must happen, was that von Lettow-Vorbeck must surrender immediately.
OOPS....

Anyway, at the start of WWI, most countries in Europe thought it would be over by Christmas 1914. Which was a slight miscalculation, it lasted until 11 am November 11, 1918.
The war, was started by a combination of factors, including multiple treaties. When the war started, the US did not want to be involved in the European war, it was isolationistic.
A few factors made the US enter the war in April 1917.
May 7, 1915 the Germans sunk the Lusitania. I always thought that this was the final thing that pushed us into WWI, similar to the bombing of Pearl Harbor for WWII. It turns out that this really wasn't the catalyst. Instead it was a combination of factors, including the sinking of US ships, the appearance of Germany trying to incite Mexico to declare war on the US, along with other factors.

Anyway, lets not go through a whole history of the War here. Most of what is usually is referred to as the causes of WWII, at least in my opinion are really what happened at the end of WWI, and in between the 2 wars. The reparations against Germany, the creation of a new government, with no real support for the infra structure.
Germany's population was unhappy, its government unstable and the financial situation was a mess.

But anyway, I am done for now.
next time we'll move to what I studied/ learned about WWII.
Later all

I digress

yup, off on another tangent. hope you all don't mind.
Wanted to take a few minutes to mention a few ways to learn, without doing "research".

1. Museums. Museums are a great way to learn about different topics. There are museums all over, infact there is probably one in easy driving distance of your home. No really.
Many museums are small scale, famous, or rich dead people's homes. They are all over, usually houses that you tour and learn about the time the person lived, and what that person did to become rich/famous. Finding these and exploring them is a wealth of information. You normally have to make a "donation" for admission to the museum, but it usually is a small amount, and goes to support the museum.
Other museums are larger scale. You may have to pay more to visit, but the exhibits are more involved, and typically the topic of the museum are broad, involving more then one time, place, specialty, etc.
Going to a large scale museum should be a day long event. Bring money for food and souveniers (some won't let you bring in your own food). Expect to do alot of walking. Often the museum will offer tour guides, some offer audio tours, where you bring a tape player around with you, or written tours guides. Take advantage of this opprotunity, for some in depth information you won't get just wandering.

Public Parks. Visit local National, State, county and town parks. A great way to learn about nature is just to watch it happen. you may not learn all the proper names and terms, but you'll see first hand what rain does to an environment, or what animals are out in the winter, or just how frogs sound. Also some parks have museums, nature tours, and field guides available. Your town may have a memorial park, which will have names of local firefighters, police, military who served, or died while serving.

Just some more thoughts on how to broaden your horizons.
till next time!

How I learned about WWII Nazi Germany

To start, I guess I should think back and remember what I did know before I started actually studying the topic. Keep in mind this is a bit fuzzy.

WWII Nazi Germany.

I knew that Nazi Germany was a facist state, run by Adolf Hitler. I knew that he was a dictator, and that there were no resistance movements in Germany. I knew that there was a Gestapo, and the SS, and were pretty sure they were the same thing.
There were concentration camps, and millions of Jews and Homosexuals, and others were murdered.
Durning WWII Nazi Germany fought England, France, Russia, and eventually America. Their allies were Italy and Japan. War was across the entire globe. Rosevelt was president, and Churchill was Prime minister of England, and France was occupied.
Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, and that action brought the US into the war.
American tanks were easily exploded, but we had so many, we still won. In America we had internment camps for the Japanese Americans, even though many Japanese Americans fought as soldiers.
America bombed Japan to end the war. We split Europe with England and Russia, The soviet Union was formed by this split. Germany was split into East and West, as was Berlin.

One other thing I was always told was that the causes of WWII were in WWI.
I'm sure I had some other bits and pieces, and am not remembering, but that is basically what I knew when I started to research my topic.

Now when I started, I knew I wanted to learn about WWII, and knew I wanted to especially learn about Hitler and the Nazi's, and how they controlled Germany.
But to start, I figured I needed to learn about WWI first. So I got an Idiot's Guide, and a few other basic books and started to read. At the same time, I used my tivo (great tool for this kinda thing) and started recording shows on Hitler, WWII, WWII, Stalin, etc.

Actually I'm going to start the rest of this in the next post.

I would like to make the point that some of what I "knew" was not even neccesarily the truth, or at the very least not the complete truth. One of the things that I stressed in an earlier post about the internet, is true for any research medium you use. Don't always accept something presented as a fact, as an absolute fact. Try to verify it with another source first. And the more basic your source, realize that while the words may be true, there are probably whole levels to what you are finding out that are missing.
This doesn't mean that you shouldn't believe ANYTHING, just use some caution. All sources (as far as I know) are created by human beings. And we all make mistakes.
See ya next time!

quickie post on where to find educational resources, without spending your money

Since you may not have the money to build your own multimedia library on topics of interest, some ideas on where to find resources. This is all off the top of my head, if anyone has other suggestions, please post in comments.

1. Internet - this is a decent source, but be careful what you accept as fact and fiction. Try to verify with another source, when possible. ESPECIALLY be careful about taking any advice from anyone trying to sell you something, or encouraging you to purchase something, even if it seems that they are not connected.

2. Libraries. Local libraries often have a lot of resources, from books, books on tapes, internet connections, video libraries, local history/ information and much, much more. Best of all, they often know what local community groups are running courses. Before spending money on something, check and see if the library has it. In my area, county libraries are banding together, so even if the local library doesn't have it, they can tell you what library in their system does, and sometimes even have it brought to your library for you.

3. Stores pertaining to the topic you are interested in. Want to learn how to do some crafts, check a craft store's coming events. Want to learn about wine? Try a winery or a liquor store for wine tastings and courses. Having a baby, and want to learn something about what to expect? Try a toy store, or baby store. Many retail stores want to encourage people to come in, so offer these "courses" for free. While some are nothing more then a sales presentation, some will really teach you something.

4. Local Hospital. For any topic having to do with your health or a family members, contact your local hospital to learn about courses, day seminars, or even just brochures they may offer for free.

5. Book Store. Often Large bookstores have book clubs, and guest speakers, ask to learn about upcoming events.

6. Your employer. Depending on your company, you may be entitled to Tuition reimbursement. Some places are very broad in the type of course that qualifies as well. Also, you may find courses that your company offers on various topics that you are entitled to. Check your health and life insurance group, to see if they offer any free brochures on topics related to health, emotional well being, eating right, or anything else you may want to know. Also see if your 401K manager will offer handouts on financial planning. Finally, some companies have agreements with groups to offer all kinds of life training and education to their employees. Find out if yours does, and ask what is offered.

Just some thoughts on how to get your personal education for free.

Later!

How to create a base, again

Ok, so real quick, why is educating yourself on topics that won't affect your learning potential worthwhile?
Last night, with a group of my husbands friends, I announced, in Ancient Greece, athletes competed naked. While competing, some of them would tie up their foreskins.
Then I got to watch them squirm.
What, you thought I'd say something about personal achievement, and that kinda thing?
well, that too, I guess...

Back to topic.

You've now decided what type of media you are going to use to create your base of knowledge in your topic. Before you start, I realized I should explain some of the other reasons why creating a base of knowledge is important, other then knowing what specifically you want to learn about.

First is true interest. After all, you may love golf, and play golf every Saturday, and watch it on TV, but as soon as you start to go any deeper into history, statistics, creation of courses, or what have you, you may go bleah! So one reason for setting up a base is to make sure that you this is something you want to learn about.

An extention of that, is simply, you may want to know more, and find it interesting, but you may not want to become an "expert" on the topic. You may find after a few TV shows that you know more then your friends, and that's all you wanted anyway, so why keep going.

Another reason is to have a good background on your topic. Often when studying a specialized area, you need to know the basics first. Currently I'm reading a book on Ancient Greek athletes. If I didn't know who Zeus, Athena, Achilles, Homer, Alexander, Aristotle, and others were, quite a few of the references wouldn't make much sense. While I could still read the book, and get quite a bit out of it, I wouldn't get as much as I can with the knowledge of who these people were.

Now that you know why, lets talk some more about how.

I personally, do not take notes when reading or watching shows. Most people like to though, so I'm going to so with the idea that you will be doing this. Its probably best to take notes and such, I'm just lazy, and have a decent memory.

Before you start reading, watching a show, or your course, make sure you have your supplies.
For any course, you will probably be told what you need for the course.

For less structured resources, I'd suggest a note pad, pens AND pencils (or different colored pencils/ pens) so you can differentiate/ rank notes. Try to cut down on distractions, and make sure you are comfortable. If you want, make sure you have snacks and a drink (non alcoholic is probably easiest for the brain) on hand.

While you are studying, remember to see what really interests you. And what doesn't. Write the majority of your notes in pencil, but keep a list on the side of the things you really find interesting in pen.

And I'm not going to say this with later research, but unless you decide this entire topic is stupid, and you hate it, completely finish the course/ book/ set of TV shows/ whatever. Its perfectly alright to walk away after that, to never go back to the topic, but you never know if the last section will be the gem you were looking for.

After you are done with your first resource. Its time to sit back and think about what you've learned, and decide where to go from there. Do you want to continue with this topic? Where do you want to go first. And if you don't want to continue with this topic, is there another you want to start with, or are you done?

Assuming that you are reading to move on to something more specific, we'll go on to that next.
I'm going to switch gears a bit, and describe how I started to learn about one of my favorite topics, WWII in Europe, specifically Nazi Germany. Then I'll go back and break down how you can move on in your topic.
See ya!

Magazines

Setting up a bonus extra post here for everyone.
Wanted to discuss the magazines I get, or rather two major ones.
Discover Magazine and Time Magazine

I read both of these in the same manner. Being slightly busy with my life, I don't have time to read every article that every issue has.
So I do the following.
Time Magazine -http://www.time.com/time/
This magazine I flip to the back, and read the short blurbs in the back on Movies, entertainment, health, society - the mishmash articles. I then flip to the front and read the 10 questions, and the quotes, and short articles in the front on world events. Then I skim the rest of the magazine, only reading articles that I find of interest.
This keeps me reasonably informed about world events, while not bogging me down with information I'm not truly concerned with. Saves time...
Discover magazine - http://www.discover.com/
This is how I keep track of the science world. This I do front to back. I skim through most articles, even short ones, only reading those that I find of interest. The one column I ALWAYS read is Vital Signs. The obscure diagnosis (not sure what the plural is for that) always amazes me. Again, it keeps me informed of things, while not taking up too much time with articles I'm not interested in.

Actually there is a third major magazine I read - US (hehe). While not of major import, it serves the purpose of being mind candy, always important. Again, I skip articles about people I could care less about, but you do have to have some fun in life.
And the dresses...

Ok, how to create a base

Well, actually before we start the base there is the need to pick a topic you want to learn about.
Now you may already know what topic you wish to learn more about, but lets say you just want to learn in general, and don't know where to start.

First, start with what you love. Learning in an unstructured environment is much easier when you are studying something you love. So what are your interests. Do you love nature, and love to hike? Do you collect toy trains, and are always trying to watch real trains go by? Do you collect weapons? Teddy Bears? Stamps? Do you love celebrity watching?

Once you have the general topic, then you need to create a base of knowledge. This is important for many reasons, but the main one to start, is to help you decide what about your topic you want to study.
If you love trains, you may want to learn the history of railroads, or about the mechanics of the trains, or the sociological impact trains have in society, or may want to learn how toy trains are created to look like the real thing, or the history of toy trains, or about the companies that make toy or real trains.
Or you may want to learn all of this and more.
The point though, is that the base is what tells you either what specifically you wish to know, or at least where you want to start.

So how do you get this base of knowledge?
Well, here are my suggestions. Keep in mind that you may learn differently then I do, so your best method may not be mine.

1. TV shows. Watch some TV shows on the topic you want. Some stations I like are
http://www.thehistorychannel.com/
http://www.discovery.com/
http://www.pbs.org/pbsyou/
watch a few shows on topics you are interested in and you will get a decent base of knowledge. Keep a healthy sense of cynicism with you as you watch, sometimes its hard to see the difference between fact and opinion, but for a starting point, this works well.

2. Children's books. Yes children's books. Goto your library and see if the Children's Non Fiction section has a book on your topic. May seem silly, but its an easy read, with basic information. Try to get a middle school level book, too young and there will be little information.

3. Get some books written for beginners on your topic. My personal favorites are
http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/
http://us.penguinclassics.com/static/packages/us/about/adult/alpha.htm - seems the real site is being updated right now.
Anywho...
there are others I'm sure that you can find, that are nice basic overviews on a topic.
Both of these series are my favorites though. You can find a HUGE range topics, from computers, to law, to religion, to pets, to sports, to... Well I think you get the idea.
Anytime I find a book by one of the two companies that sounds like a topic I want to learn about I buy it. Even if I don't read it right away, they are handy easy to use reference books as well.

4. Take a course. Yes I know, I said this is how to learn in an unstructured environment. But still, an introductory college course is sometimes a good way to get some basic knowledge. But there are other ways of taking courses then going into an institution of higher learning. Check out your local Adult Education Courses. These are typically a few sessions, and are run by high schools, and community colleges. You can stop at a store that sells items that pertain to your interest, and see if they offer courses (wineries come to mind as an example). If you want to learn about wildlife, see what your local state or national park offers. http://www.teach12.com/teach12.asp?ai=16281- this is one company I know of, but there may be others. The Teaching Company provides College courses on CD. This means that while you don't get credit, you can take the course at your own pace, in your own time. I often listen to them while traveling to and from work.

My personal favorite method for getting a basic knowledge of a topic are the Complete Idiot's Guides® and the For Dummies® books. To me these are easy to understand, comprehensive guides to any topic. Sometimes, after reading one, I realize that is all the information I really want on a subject. Other times, it leads me into subtopics, and specifics that I truly want to know more about.

Well this is my where to go to create a base of knowledge. Hope it helps. Next will be how to use the resource you choose to get the most out of it.

before I go, a quick list of my current reading - non fiction book variety.

New American Standard Bible
The Ancient Mediterranean World
Ancient Greek Athletics
Later all!

Day one, or why I'm doing this

Well, I thought this would be a nice way to share my thoughts on how to learn things, and share some knowledge with others.
unfortunately, I'm off to bed, so this isn't going to be a big post.
but basically, I want others to realize that you don't need a college degree, or a structured plan to learn and become an "expert" on a topic that interests you. All it really takes is dedication, and the drive to learn.
So this will be a two-fold blog.
Some entries will cover my suggestions for how to learn. Others will be about what I'm reading now, or learning about now. I'm also sure that from time to time I will get personal about my life, but I'll try to keep that to a minimum.
For those who want to know where my interests lie, and what types of topics I research and learn about, a quick list.

Wars - WWII in Europe is a specialty, but most wars are interesting
History in general
archeology
wildlife - if I find an animal interesting - pangolin comes to mind, though I can be pretty broad with that.
religions
biology/ medicine - mostly for my own health, though general as well.

that's just a quick list, as time goes on you'll see that I'm pretty broad in my interests.

so I'm signing out. Next post will be about how to set a basic foundation in any topic, that you can build on later.
see ya!