The Last Song

I will save the movie analysis for later. Right now I want to focus on the subject of Miley Cyrus' mouth.

It's weird. She has a snaggle tooth, lisp, overbite and her lips alternate which one will be bigger than the other at any given time. She can't close her mouth. In serious times, you can certainly count on Miley to let her jaw hang open.

Apart from the fact that her two front teeth are crossed, she has vampire teeth that go in the opposite direction. Instead of fangs coming down. Her fangs go into her gums. This makes it impossible to take her seriously. Which brings me to The Last Song.

Horrible. Absolutely horrible. In the entire cast there are only two people I like. One dies. The other is heart broken. But no matter, Miley gets the guy! I mean, I should have known. It IS Nicholas Sparks.

Set in the beautiful Tybee Island, Georgia, The Last Song follows Ronnie (Miley Cyrus), an angsty, black skinny jean wearer with multiple necklaces and spikes on her belt. She has purposely flunked her classes, SATs and refuses to go to Julliard because her parents got divorced. So her mom sends her and her adorable brother to stay with her dad for the summer. Not only does she act like a stuck up brat for the first 45 minutes, but she acts the part of a stuck up brat poorly. Overbite and all, Miley's random outbursts and violent mood swings are more comical than anything.

SHOCKINGLY! She meets this guy. SURPRISINGLY! There are a couple of not so complicated complications. SADLY! They break up. MIRACULOUSLY! They get back together.

He probably stayed with her because...well how do I put this to the Hannah Montana fans?... she looked like a nightwalker. In every outfit she wore, her bra was an outward accessory. She consistently wore belly shirts, nasty huge black boots (note the teen angst) and her hair in some "thrown together" fashion.

When Scenes

WHEN the brother is trying to finish the stain glass window.

WHEN Miley's boyfriend's ex-girlfriend comes to the funeral, says 'sorry for your loss' in a monotone and leaves.

WHEN the brother brings Miley and her man friend breakfast, soldier style.

WHEN the brother and the dad interact at any point.

QUICKIES

"I don't want to be just another girl in the parade of girls..." — Ronnie (Miley Cyrus)

Fun Facts:

Taylor Lautner was considered to play Miley's love interest....and just when you thought it couldn't get any worse....

Top 10 Restaurants in America You’ve Never Eaten At

10. Standard Diner (American)

Address: 320 Central Ave SE, Albuquerque, NM 87102
Phone: (505) 243-1440
Website: www.standarddiner.com

This place is like a roadside diner turned upscale. They take traditional American cuisine and bring it up just a notch. From their burgers and fries to their mashed potatoes & gravy with meatloaf you are sure to leave here a happy camper. That’s not even mentioning their lobster Caesar salad, country fried tuna with a wasabi guacamole, green chile turkey melt or mac & cheese with a Guinness and Irish cheddar sauce. One of their specialties is their butter bourbon burger that will be one of the best burgers you’ll ever eat. The meat is of the highest quality and seasoned perfectly. Topped with a generous dab of bourbon infused butter and sandwiched between a delicious bun, you’ll be wanting to come back here every day for lunch. The added bonus to the burger are their amazing sweet potato fries. You may just have to come back later in the day though for home-made desserts, from five flavors of ice cream, four of sorbet, a Tiramisu cheesecake, a chocolate cake, an apple pie with butterscotch and fig, amongst others.

9. Arcaro & Genell’s (Italian)

Address: 443 S Main Street, Old Forge, PA 18518-1608
Phone: (570) 457-4262
Website: www.arcaroandgenell.com

They serve a very nontraditional version of pizza here known as Old Forge-Style but rest assured you won’t be disappointed. You can get it with red sauce or white sauce and single layered or double layered (almost like a gourmet Hot Pocket) with the perfect amount of Parmesan and rosemary sprinkled on top. Any way you decide to get it will leave your tastebuds singing. They have all of your traditional Italian options as well starting with their antipasti (they serve everyone a delicious bean salad) and fabulous versions of veal parmigiano to linguine with a White Clams sauce. Make sure to stick around for their home-made cannoli.
 
8. Mary Mac’s Tea Room (Mom’s Home-made)

Address: 224 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30308-1938
Phone: (404) 876-1800
Website: www.marymacs.com

The moment you sit down you’ll be in heaven from their bread basket of cornbread, yeast rolls & cinnamon rolls. You literally could eat these all night long and be fully satisfied. That is unless the rest of their food wasn’t equally impressive. From their fried chicken to their chicken fried steaks and their mashed potatoes or mac & cheese, there is not a single person that won’t be able to find something they truly love here. You’ll need to pace yourself though as they also bring it home in the dessert category. The home-made pecan pie and peach cobbler are absolutely to die for.

7. Harry’s Roadhouse (All-Around)

Address: 96B Old Las Vegas Highway, Santa Fe, NM 87505
Phone: 505-989-4629
Website: N/A

They have several dining areas and they’ll let you choose where you’d like to sit. Chose the front room near a window and you’ll have a nice breeze coming in. They have all of your New Mexican breakfast staples (Huevos Rancheros, Chile Omelets, etc) but also delicious pancakes including their Lemon Ricotta pancakes. They are also known for their barbecue, burgers and steaks. There is not any time of day that is not a good time to eat at Harry’s Roadhouse. Just make sure you save room for their chocolate peanut butter ice cream sandwich.

6. Blue Moon Cafe (Breakfast)

Address: 1621 Aliceanna St, Baltimore, MD 21231-2925
Phone: (410) 522-3940
Website: N/A

If you’re looking for a delicious and filling breakfast this place will do you good. Serving all of your typical breakfast items you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. But the real secret is what’s off the menu. You’ll have to ask the fantastic staff what their secret menu consists of but I’ll let you in on the best item. It’s Cap’n Crunch French Toast. It looks like a piece or art and tastes as good. The Cap’n Crunch “breading” is the perfect amount of sweetness and the fruit adds a nice touch (bananas, strawberries and blueberries) with the whipped cream being home-made and extremely fresh. This is the perfect way to start the day.

5. Iggy’s Doughboys & Chowder House (Chowder)

Address: 889 Oakland Beach Ave, Warwick, RI 02889-9616
Phone: (401) 737-9459
Website: www.iggysdoughboys.com
This place is absolutely phenomenal. From the view, to the food, to the prices. They’re known for their doughboys (basically fried dough with sugar), clam cakes & clam chowder. The clam cakes are delicious, not overly greasy and not too heavy. The doughboys are amazing too (sugar, cinnamon sugar & powdered sugar). But if that weren’t enough, where they really shine is their chowder. It is so simple, cream, potatoes and clams but my goodness is it delicious. It will be the best bowl of chowder you’ve ever experienced.

4. Juan in a Million (Breakfast Taco)

Address: 2300 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX‎, 78702
Phone: (512) 472-3872‎
Website: www.juaninamillion.com

You may have to wait a little to get a seat but it will be worth it. Make sure to order the Juan in a Million breakfast taco. It is loaded with the perfect blend of eggs, cheese, bacon and potatoes all piled high on a warm flour tortilla. The quality and freshness is unrivaled. Word to the wise, order a few extra tortillas as the filling from one taco can actually make three. The chips and salsa served beforehand are extremely delicious as well. Be sure to come here with an empty stomach as you will leave with it filled to the brim.

3. Lo-Lo’s Chicken & Waffles (Southern Food)

Address: 10 W Yuma St, Phoenix, AZ‎ 85003
Phone: (602) 340-1304
Website: www.loloschickenandwaffles.com

Lo-Lo’s is a Phoenix institution. It was started by Mrs. White and is currently run by her son Larry White. They are known mainly for their chicken & waffles and this is what you should be going there for. Their list of sides is daunting but you can’t go wrong with anything here, whether it be the mac & cheese, the fried okra, the mashed potatoes & gravy or their cornbread. And the same goes for the desserts especially the red velvet cake (if they’re still got any left for the day). Don’t forget to get a glass of their endless Red Kool-Aid too.

2. Al’s Place (Burger & Fries)

Address: 13943 Main St, Walnut Grove, CA 95690
Phone: (916) 776-1800‎
Website: N/A

Walking in here you’ll have to let your eyes adjust, it’s dark and dingy, almost like a cave but don’t let that stop you. They’re known for a few things here, their steak, burgers, peanut butter & marmalade. The menu doesn’t stretch much beyond that but that’s all you need at Al’s as they make those few items as good as anyone. The portions are huge and the tasty as all get out. Each table is set with a jar of peanut butter & marmalade to be applied to the thick slab of gridded toast they’ll serve you. This is a treat you won’t find anywhere else and something that sets Al’s apart.

1. Hoover’s Cooking & Catering (Comfort Food)

Address: 2002 Manor Road, Austin, TX 78722
Phone: (512) 479-0889
Website: www.hooverscooking.com

From the Cajun coleslaw to the garlic grits, home-made French fries and mac & cheese to the fried catfish or the pulled pork sandwiches, not to mention the jalapeno cornbread or sweet potato rolls served at every table, there is something here to please everyone. The only thing you’ll wish for here is that you had a bigger stomach, because they give you so much food you’ll be bringing home a doggy bag. Be sure to ask for their home-made Jerk BBQ sauce and try it on all their delicious entrees.

A Serious Man

One thing is certain about this movie. This guy's life sucks. His wife is leaving him for a creepy jerk named Sy Ableman. His son's a pot head. His daughter is an annoying brat. His brother is crazy and in trouble with the law. When Sy dies he has to pay for his funeral. And everything still seems to get blamed on him.

I think I liked this movie. But I don't know why. It was strange. It ended on a completely negative note. And there was no justice. But something about it just worked. Created by the Coen Brothers (O Brother Where Art Thou?) it followed the story of Larry Gopnik, a Jewish professor who was experiencing a rough patch.

Larry, played by Michael Stuhlbarg, was easy to relate to and sympathize this. Because of this, I basically hated every other character. However, one of my favorite characters was Sy Ableman played by Fred Melamed.

There was a short nine minute scene at the beginning of the movie that didn't seem to make any outward sense. There was also a strange scene with him next door neighbor's wife, Mrs. Samsky (the creepy Amy Landecker) where she invites him in and they smoke pot. Despite what the preview implied nothing happened. In fact, not much happened at all. My main complaint was false advertising. The previews for this movie indicated that it was a comedy. After listening to the soundtrack for more than a minute, you can tell that it's not. This man's life is sad and in some cases unfixable.

Random:

Any scenes with Clive, the South Korean student who is trying to bribe Larry for a good grade, are hilarious.

When Scenes

WHEN Sy is trying to calm Larry down saying "You know Larry I find that sometimes when I could to ten....one...two...three" and he nuzzles Larry's hand closer.

WHEN Larry's racist neighbor says "Is this man bothering you?" When the South Korean father of one of his students comes to talk to him. You see the neighbor continue to stare at the South Korean even as he walks away.

WHEN Larry comes home to check on his wife and his kids answer the door. He hears his wife sobbing and they casually say 'Oh Sy Ableman' died in a car crash.'

WHEN Larry has a mental breakdown in his lawyer's office.

WHEN The Rabbi's secretary has a man voice.

WHEN Larry is dreaming and his racist neighbor shoots his brother in the head. "There's another Jew son!"

WHEN Larry's son, Danny, is at his bar mitzvah high.

Quickies

"Things aren't so bad, look at the parking lot Larry. Just look at that parking lot."— Rabbi Scott (Simon Helberg)

"Don't worry. Doing nothing is not bad. Ipso facto." — Arlen Finkle (Ari Hoptman)

"I don't want Santana Abraxis! I've just been in a terrible auto accident!" — Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg)

"When the truth is found to be lies, and all the hope within you dies. Then what?" — Rabbi Marshak (Alan Mandell)

Fun Facts

In his argument with the Columbia House records employee over the phone, Larry Gopnik repeatedly rejects the album Abraxas by Santana, in a variety of ways. He did not order Abraxas, he doesn't want Abraxas, he won't listen to Abraxas. Abraxas is a Gnostic term for God, particularly a God who is encompasses all things from Creator of the Universe to the Devil, and an etymological root for "abracadabra." It is thus implied that Larry Gopnik is vehemently rejecting God and magic.

The names of the characters who ride the school bus with Danny Gopnik are the names of children that the Coen brothers grew up with.

10 Most Alien and Weird Places on Earth

1. Aurora Borealis (North Pole)

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Auroras sometimes called the northern and southern (polar) lights or aurorae are natural beautiful light displays in the sky, usually observed at night, particularly in the polar regions. They typically occur in the ionosphere. The Cree people call this phenomenon the “Dance of the Spirits. Its southern counterpart, the aurora australis or the southern polar lights, has similar properties, but is only visible from high southern latitudes in Antarctica, South America, or Australasia.

2. Spain Rio Tinto

Image Source: Unknown

The vast mines of Rio Tinto give a hypnagogic, almost martian landscape. Its growth has consumed not only mountains and valleys but even entire villages. This river has gained recent scientific interest due to the presence of extremophile aerobic bacteria that dwell in the water.The extreme conditions in the river are analogous to other locations in the solar system thought to contain liquid water, such as subterranean Mars. Río Tinto is notable for being very acidic (pH 2) and its deep reddish hue. It is metal soluble and surely not human-friendly!

3. McMurdo Dry Valleys (Antarctica)

Image Source: Unknown

The McMurdo Dry Valleys are a row of valleys in Antarctica located within Victoria Land west of McMurdo Sound. The terrain looks like something not of this Earth; The region includes many interesting geological features including Lake Vida and the Onyx River, Antarctica’s longest river. The valley’s floor occasionally contains a perennially frozen lake with ice several meters thick. It is also one of the world’s most extreme deserts Under the ice, in the extremely salty water, live mysterious simple organisms, a subject of on-going research. Scientists consider the Dry Valleys perhaps an important source of insights into possible extraterrestrial life.

4. The Richat Structure, near Ouadane, Mauritania

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The Richat Structure is a prominent circular feature in the Sahara desert of Mauritania near Ouadane. It has attracted attention since the earliest space missions because it forms a conspicuous bull’s-eye in the otherwise rather featureless expanse of the desert. The structure, which has a diameter of almost 50 kilometres (30 miles), has become a landmark for space shuttle crews.

5. Rotorua, New Zealand

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Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. Rotorua city is renowned for its unique “rotten eggs” aroma, which is caused by the geothermal activity releasing sulphur compounds into the atmosphere. Geothermal activity is at the heart of much of Rotorua’s tourist appeal. Geysers and bubbling mud-pools, hot thermal springs and the Buried Village (Te Wairoa) – are within easy reach of the city.This thermal activity owes itself to the Rotorua caldera on which the city lies. Waters of ivid colors, from yellow to orange to green which is partially possible to visit it.

6. Fly Geyser, Reno

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Fly Ranch features two geysers, one of which is dormant. The other, Fly Geyser, was accidentally formed by a water well drill that hit a geothermal source, and continuously sprays hot water. Fly Ranch is private property and does not allow visitors.

7. Spotted Lake, Osoyoos, British Columbia

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Spotted Lake is a saline endorheic alkali lake located northwest of Osoyoos in British Columbia. In the summer, most of the water in the lake evaporates leaving behind all the minerals. Large “spots” on the lake appear and depending on the mineral composition at the time, the spots will be different colors. The spots are made mainly of magnesium sulfate, which crystallizes in the summer. Since in the summer, only the minerals in the lake remain, they harden to form natural “walkways” around and between the spots.

8. The Bermuda Triangle

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The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil’s Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean in which a number of aircraft and surface vessels are alleged to have mysteriously disappeared in a manner that cannot be explained by human error, piracy, equipment failure, or natural disasters. Popular culture has attributed these disappearances to the paranormal, a suspension of the laws of physics, or activity by extraterrestrial beings. Apparently it doesn’t seem alien but it is really scary!

9. Kauai, Hawaii

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Kauaʻi is the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands, it is the fourth largest of the main islands. Seaside lava ledges make for otherworldly experiences on this often-overlooked Hawaiian island.

10. Mount Roraima (Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana)

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Since long before the arrival of European explorers, the mountain has held a special significance for the indigenous people of the region, and it is central to many of their myths and legends It is a pretty remarkable place. It is a tabletop mountain with sheer 400-metre high cliffs on all sides. There is only one ‘easy’ way up, on a natural staircase-like ramp on the Venezuelan side – to get up any other way takes and experienced rock climber. On the top of the mountain it rains almost every day, washing away most of the nutrients for plants to grow and creating a unique landscape on the bare sandstone surface.

Erin Brockovich

What a great movie. Based on the true story of Erin Brockovich-Ellis, Julia Roberts shines in her lead role as a scantily clad, foul mouthed mother of three. Through determination and a fiery personality, she is able to land a job at a law firm conducting research. After looking deeply into a case, she finds that a major corporation, PG&E, is polluting the water system in a local town. The families in the town suffer from multiple disease from simple migraines to severe stages of cancer. Erin's interaction with these families and determination to seek justice and monetary compensation for them is incredibly heart-warming. Erin suffers with exhaustion and the guilt of not seeing her children.

Roberts proves she deserves her Oscar as she battles the corporation. Her interactions with Donna Jensen, a cancer patient, are beautiful and completely "tear worthy." Erin's love interest, George, played by Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight..."I believe in Harvey Dent") is comforting as well. Though his outward motif is that of a tattooed motorcyclist, he has a good heart and looks after Erin's kids for a long time.

My only complaint was that the movie focused less on Erin's family and more on the case. She gave up spending time with them, but I completely understood why mostly because I didn't really connect with her family. Her older daughter is barely even in the movie. The baby is more like a purse Roberts holds on her hip than her own child. That being said, there's no question of her heart's purity. The compassion she shows to the townspeople she helps goes above and beyond the call of duty.

When Scenes

WHEN Erin finds out that her daughter said her first word when she wasn't there and starts crying.

WHEN Erin shows up at her lawyer's office and demands a job.

WHEN the Donna Jensen's cancer shows up malignant and begs Erin saying, "We're going to get them aren't we? We're going to get them?"

WHEN Erin tells off the PG&E lawyers. The indignant stare she gives at the end could melt steel.

WHEN Ed gives Erin a big check with a note that says: "Erin hire a nanny, look outside, and cheer up."

WHEN Erin's son finally understands her work and supports her by the simple act of getting her breakfast.

WHEN Erin tells Donna Jensen that her family was awarded $5 million.

WHEN Ed gives Erin her bonus check of $2 million.

QUICKIES

"How many numbers you got?" — George (Aaron Eckhart)
"Oh, I got numbers comin' outta my ears. For instance: ten." — Erin (Julia Roberts)
"Ten?" — George (Aaron Eckhart)
"Yeah. That's how many months old my baby girl is." — Erin (Julia Roberts)
"You got a little girl?" — George (Aaron Eckhart)
"Yeah. Yeah, sexy, huh? How 'bout this for a number? Six. That's how old my other daughter is, eight is the age of my son, two is how many times I've been married - and divorced; sixteen is the number of dollars I have in my bank account. 850-3943. That's my phone number, and with all the numbers I gave you, I'm guessing zero is the number of times you're gonna call it." — Erin (Julia Roberts)

"By the way, we had that water brought in specially for you folks. Came from a well in Hinkley." — Erin (Julia Roberts)

"Okay, look, I think we got off on the wrong foot here..." — Theresa Dallavale (Veanne Cox)

"That's all you got, lady. Two wrong feet in fucking ugly shoes." — Erin (Julia Roberts)

"NOT PERSONAL! That is my WORK, my SWEAT, and MY TIME AWAY FROM MY KIDS! IF THAT IS NOT PERSONAL, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS!" — Erin (Julia Roberts)

"Wha... how did you do this?"- Kurt Potter (Peter Coyote)
"Well, um, seeing as how I have no brains or legal expertise, and Ed here was losing all faith in the system, am I right"- Erin (Julia Roberts)
"Oh, yeah, completely. No faith, no faith..." — Ed Masry (Albert Finney)
"I just went out there and performed sexual favors. Six hundred and thirty-four blow jobs in five days... I'm really quite tired" — Erin (Julia Roberts)

Fun Facts

The waitress in the diner is the real Erin Brockovich.

Julia Roberts won the Oscar for Best Actress as Erin Brockovich. When giving the acceptance speech, she forgot to thank the real Erin Brockovich.

The real Erin Brockovich is right handed and Julia Roberts is not so she had to practice which taking notes and signing papers.

This role made Julia Roberts the first woman to break the $20 million barrier.

The case was the largest direct action suit in US history.

10 richest cities in world

A list of the richest and most influential cities in the world in 2010 was released by British real estate agent Knight Frank and Citibank of U.S. on Wednesday.

The ranking is based on the comprehensive analysis of four indexes: Economic vitality, political influence, research ability and living standard.

New York, London and Paris occupy the top 3 positions. Beijing is listed in the ninth place.

However, no city is the all-rounder. For instance, New York took the lead at the ranking of indexes of "economic vitality" and "research ability", but its political influence came in second place and living standard even No. 8!

Meanwhile, some metropolises have had markedly progress, such as Beijing，whose political influence advanced to No. 4, and Berlin, which is the runner-up in the ranking of living standard.

No. 1 New York

No. 2 London

No. 3 Paris

No. 4 Tokyo

No. 5 Los Angeles

No. 6 Brussels

No. 6 Brussels

No. 8 Berlin

No. 9 Beijing

No. 10 Toronto

8 Famous Quotes That Were Never Actually Said

1. Let Them Eat Cake

This phrase is often brought up to exemplify how far-removed from the masses the leaders can be. The popular story claims that Queen Marie Antoinette said this when she heard that her people were starving because of lack of bread. The nonchalant attitude embodied by this phrase lead to the French revolution during which Marie Antoinette and her husband Louis XVI were decapitated.

However, Marie Antoinette never utter this phrase, the author of the famous quote being most likely the wife of king Louis XIV who was also named Marie. Even more, the phrase is interpreted by some historians as a direct reference to a French law forcing bakeries to sell their cakes cheaper if their supply of bread was sold out. It might very well be that this phrase, used as a criticism of monarchy was actually uttered as a way to help French people purchase something, anything to eat.

2. Elementary My Dear Watson.

This famous phrase is recognized worldwide as belonging to Sherlock Holmes, and is considered as much a staple of the British detective as his pipe and hat are. However, the character of Sherlock Holmes never utters this quote during the whole book series. The closest we ever come is in a long dialogue where after a brilliant deduction by Sherlock, Watson exclaims:
“Excellent”

“Elementary,” said he [Sherlock].
While catchy, this sentence is clearly not the highlight of the book or even the highlight of this particular dialogue. In fact there is somewhat of a mystery as to how this phrase became as popular as it currently is. One explanation might be the 1929 Sherlock Holmes movie where the quote is first mentioned in its modern version. However, the movie might have just been using an already popular quote to make the character more memorable.


3. GOD Helps Those Who Help Themselves.

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This phrase is often mentioned as a passage from the Bible, however nowhere in any translation of the book does the quote appear. It’s also attributed to Ben Franklin, however that is also wrong the most likely author being the British political theorist Algernon Sydney in 1698 in an article titled Discourses Concerning Government. Although he never actually uses these exact words, the idea conveyed is that divinity cannot replace human actions.

What is really interesting about this phrase is that the Bible repeatedly goes against this quote, saying that salvation lies only in God, who will save the helpless.


4. Beam Me Up Scotty.

When mentioning the series Star Trek people are very likely to say the famous phrase “Beam me up Scotty,” even if they have no clue who Scotty is or what it’s referring to. This is presumably the phrase captain Kirk uses at the end of a show, when Mr. Scott teleports him back to the ship. However, the phrase is never really uttered on the show or in any of the movies. The closest version of the quote can be heard in the Star Trek IV movie when Captain Kirk says “Beam me up, Mr. Scott.” The difference is very small, merely a more formal usage of Scott versus Scotty, but fans of the show have argued for years that Captain Kirk would never use the diminutive Scotty.

In the same category of slightly mispronounced quotes we have the famous: “Luke, I’m your father,” which should be: “No, Luke I am your father.” Once more the public remembers the contracted, more informal version of the phrase, which would be out of character in the actual movie. While these small differences seem trivial, fans of both the Star Trek and the Star Wars series can be very adamant about the correct versions of their favorite quotes.

5. That's One Small Step For Man.

The famous phrase uttered by Neil Armstrong as he first stepped on the moon should have originally been “That’s one small step for a man…” However, static from the transmission cut out the “a”. Normally this wouldn’t have been very notable but the sentence delivered by Armstrong doesn’t really make grammatical sense. By using “man” instead of “a man” Armstrong’s quote is nonsensical if carefully analyzed.

The mistake was quickly discovered and Armstrong made several public statements trying to change the phrase to its correct and intended form. However, as we should already know, by reading the other entries on this list, the public doesn’t really care about perfect grammar and the incorrect sentence entered the pantheon of famous phrases.

6. The Ends Justify The Means.

This quote from Machiavelli is actually completely opposed to the actual phrase used in the original text of the Prince. In his original essays Machiavelli says: “”Si guarda al fine” – “One must consider the end result,” which is the equivalent of him saying: “the ends don’t always justify the means.” A single phrase changes the whole meaning of the text instead of arguing that politicians must be ruthless as long as they meet a greater goal, Machiavelli e tries to say that we must always consider if things are worth the sacrifices and hardships we must endure.

This is an extremely interesting example or misinterpretation. Based on this miss-quote as well as rumors and misinterpretation of his works Machiavelli has come to embody the very concept of evil tyrant, while the man was most likely a political visionary and a promoter of enlightened ideas such as representative rule.

7. Religion Is The Opiate Of The Masses.

This is another example of a famous political thinker whose words were misinterpreted by following generations. Not only does Marx never say directly that religion is the opiate of the masses; his words might have had a completely different meaning at the time they were said. The original quote from Marx’s critique of Hegel’s work is as follows: “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.”

The phrase is a bit ambiguous, but it should be pretty obvious that Marx doesn’t see opium as a mind clouding substance as we think of it today. Considering that at the time this was written opiates were legal and widely available, it becomes obvious that Marx meant something different with this passage. Some interpretations of the passage, based on the fact that Opium was considered a useful medicine in some parts of Europe, even suggest that Marx meant that religion is a positive thing which can help humans elevate themselves above their current position.

8. Money Is The Root Of All Evil.

This phrase is a loose interpretation of the original “The love of money is the root of all evil,” which is a phrase used the New Testament by Apostle Paul. However, even this slightly different phrase is a miss-translation of the original Greek which says: “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil.” It’s easy to see how this is actually not referring to actual money or wealth, but greed. Furthermore, this sentence doesn’t claim that greed is the source of everything evil; instead it just causes some problems.

The stronger meaning of the sentence probably came by during the industrial revolution as our society became more and more capitalistic and focused on accumulating wealth.

Needlessly to say this is not the only example of phrases being translated poorly from Greek to English. The Bible is filled with words that could have double meanings, such as the old Hebrew for Earth, used in the story of Noah’s ark. Earth could also mean land or nation, an interpretation that would make the ancient flood that wiped out all life on Earth a much less epic event.