Refining the World View of Reality

Books Books are one of our greatest resources, but many times in history books have been written which are misleading or untrue. In some cases this has lead to widescale death and destruction and evil governmental regimes. This is a list of ten of the worst books of this type – books that have done more harm than good. I have intentionally left off some of the more obvious choices – as they will almost certainly come up in the comments. Malleus Maleficarum Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger, 1486 On the list because: It inflamed witch hunts across Europe Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of Witchraft) was a manual for witch hunters and judges to catch witches and stamp them out. Coming of Age in Samoa Margaret Mead, 1928 On the list because: it turned out to be a creation of her own sexual confusions and aspirations The Prince Niccolò Machiavelli, 1532 On the list because: it was the inspiration for a long list of tyrannies (Stalin had it on his nightstand) Mein Kampf Adolf Hitler, 1925 Unknown

10 Metal Covers of Non Metal Songs Music There are many genres of music and, as a result, many fusions. We have all heard of the rap-rock hybrids emerging today. There are also country-rock, techno-rock, techno-rap and, in a shameless act of contradiction, country-rap. While the fusion of musical genres continues to evolve and extend, we are also being treated to a different kind of musical fusion: cross genre covers. Original: Tears for FearsCover: Disturbed Their 2000 album The Sickness was Disturbed’s debut album, and contained their first hit ‘Down With the Sickness’. Original: CameoCover: Korn 1986 saw the release of funk/R&B group Cameo’s Word Up! Original: Wu-Tang ClanCover: System of a Down [WARNING: offensive language.] Original: Afrika BambaataaCover: Rage Against the Machine The 80′s were a good decade for coverable music, as evidenced by 1983′s Renegades of Funk. Original: BerlinCover: System of a Down I hate to hit you guys with more SoaD already, but this their last cover on this list. Again with ’83!

Top 10 Misinterpreted Song Meanings Music Inspiration for song lyrics can come from an infinite number of places, but sometimes the ambiguity of their meaning is the best part. Here are 10 well known songs that fans have misinterpreted over the years. Of course there are many more (and perhaps some with better stories), but these songs were chosen simply because of their widespread popularity. Bob Dylan Mr. Misconception: A song about drugs As evidenced in the movie Dangerous Minds, this song has widely been speculated to be an ode to mind-altering drugs, with Mr. Bryan Adams Summer of 69 Misconception: Autobiographical band story In the summer of 1969, Bryan Adams was 10 years old. Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Misconception: Describes singer’s struggle with AIDS Queen’s classic was once rumored to reference Freddie Mercury’s battle with AIDS. Police Every Breath You Take Misconception: Sweet love song Dave Matthews Band Crash Into Me Misconception: Sexy love song Eagles Hotel California Misconception: Song about devil worship Bruce Springsteen

The Legend of Captain Jack: From Birdy to Sparrow In the late 16th century a young boy collecting scraps of wreckage from the docks wondered if he’d ever leave Faversham in the borough of Kent, the hottest place in the entire United Kingdom. It was a marshy place of little importance to anyone but the brigand. Its docks were a haven for smugglers and pirates and other such unsavory folk. That boy was John Ward, whose dreams would one day come true, though perhaps not in the way he had wanted; he would become Jack Birdy, the most fearsome pirate in the world, and towards the end of his life, Yusuf Reis, penitent Muslim, wealthy beyond any man’s dreams, spending the remainder of his life in his Tunisian palace. The legendary Captain Jack Birdy, once sung about by every balladeer in England, might have all but been forgotten, yet his memory remains as the spirit behind the fictional character Captain Jack Sparrow played by Johnny Depp in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film franchise. “You see, mate. “Oh dear me. “No, you dinghy rat! “ ?