Violation of the Constitution

Well it appears that in North Carolina, certain political opponents of  Councilman Cecil Bothwell are trying to sue the city for accepting him for the office.

Why? Because he's an atheist.

"The question of whether or not God exists is not particularly interesting to me and it's certainly not relevant to public office" - quoth Bothwell. Bothwell won the local elections with a platform that supported limiting the height of buildings downtown and saving trees in the city center, something that obviously was of great appeal to the people down there.

When it came time for him to be sworn in, he did not place his hand on the bible but kept it at his side, and his oath did not include anything to do with "the Almighty God" as it usually does for others.

Certain conservative activists are very angry with this, citing an obscure clause of the North Carolina constitution which prohibits atheists from holding public office (which has been in place since 1868.) Now they're threatening legal action.

Bothwell is a bit amused and unsure of how he got so much attention when he hasn't even "done anything yet." He thinks it's more about them being angry that they lost the election than it is about anything else.

The best and most qualified people for the job are still the best and most qualified regardless of their religious convictions (or lack thereof.) The people elected this man, so clearly the majority did not have an issue with him being an atheist. Religion should not play a part in politics, and here in this country, we uphold the separation of church and State.

Even if Bothwell's opponents do go through with legal action, they can't win. 

For one thing, the 1st and 9th Amendments to the Constitution, yes the Constitution, prohibit this.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. - First Amendment

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. - Ninth Amendment

..and Article VI, section 3 has something to say on this as well...

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States. - Article VI, section 3 of the US Constitution 

North Carolina must bow to the Constitution, because it's own is in violation of Mr. Bothwell's rights, and so is every other state that has and enforces laws such as this.  (Those states being Arkansas, Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.)

This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding. - Supremacy Clause of the US Constitution, article VI, paragraph 2

There you have it. North Carolina must comply. Any legal action that Bothwell's opponents take will be overruled by the 'supreme Law of the Land.' There's no way around it. 

Plus, the people voted him in, so clearly the were ready for him and did not believe that Bothwell's personal convictions about religious matters made a damned bit of difference on his ability to lead them.

Hey, if those conservatives groups out there who are angry about it want to fight against the Supreme Court, let them do it. If they think it's wrong, let them argue against it all they want. If they won't acknowledge their defeat, let them fight. They will lose, and they will bow to the master.

God wouldn't care about atheists in office, he wouldn't give a damn. If he hasn't cared about murders and tyrants in office, then destroying atheist councilmen must, frankly, be very low on his list of priorities. 

Your god is not almighty, for he is legislated by my laws, and I have decided that he has no place in them. Your god bows to the people; the people do not bow to your god.

So it is written, so shall it be done.

Amen.

Hitman Gloves

I finally got the pair of leather gloves that I've been wanting for a while now.

There are a few more kinds that I want to get, but these are fine for now.

So I saw Avatar...

This isn't going to be a professional review at all, mostly because I'm sick and really tired, but I want to get this down anyways.

...in 3D.


The visuals and effects were awesome, like candy for your eyes. Very fun, brings you into the world of Avatar. This is the movies best attribute, and it's probably going to raise the bar for what we will all expect from special effects in the future.

However the rest of the movie wasn't that extraordinary. The plot was predictable and formulaic. The dialogue was not impressive at all, and the acting wasn't anything special. The characters were also nothing special.

Dialogue was unimaginative and cliche, though I wouldn't expect anything less from the flat stock characters that were used.

At the end of the day, I didn't care about any of them. None of them were compelling in any way, and the humans were the worst. Half of them I just wanted to slap so that they would shut up once in a while.

The message was a bit preachy and sort of annoying. Technology and western civilization are again evil and their human supporters are greedy and ignorant. The primitive earth-loving/in-tune-with-nature Na'vi are pure and good, and we should all be like them. Industrialization besmirches the earth, and is a curse. We know James, we know.

So Cameron spends billions of dollars on a movie to condemn capitalism an anti-industrialization. If the message is that a simpler, more in-tune with the environment time is more desirable, isn't it a little funny that he's used so much of the very technology and system, which he condemns in this film, to make it? It's not hurting anything, but it still is ironic.  

He also sure loves literalism. The Na'vi literally connect with nature through these little white tendrils growing from their hair. The precious and hard to come by mineral that the humans are trying to mine on Pandora is called "unobtainium." The final battle is resolved through a literal deus ex machina, but you know what, that's still better than "unobtainium."
         
One thing I want to give him credit for though is the Na'vi language. He hired an actual linguist (Paul Frommer) to create a viable language for them, and if you're interested in that, you can read about some of the features of Na'vi here. 

Basically, Cameron put a lot of heart and care into the CGI....shame he didn't do so for the script and the characters.

Daguerreotypes - Inherently Creepy

Daguerreotypes were the first commercially viable forms of photography ever. That's pretty special in itself, and the creepy part comes up shortly after this.

In 1839, the process of actually taking the photograph took anywhere from 15 minutes to a full half an hour because of the exposure time. If you were insistent on a portrait at this time, you'd have to sit still for awhile. To aid in this process, they even had a special clamp for your head to hold it in place. It was attached to an adjustable machine which also had a supporting iron bar for your back.

Three years later in 1842, the exposure process could be completed from 10-60 seconds. Imagine how ticked off all the people were back then when they figured out that if they had just waited a bit longer, they wouldn't have had to wait in a stuffy studio stuck in a head clamp for half an hour.

It was now a commercially good idea to take photos of people, since they had the process down to a point where the person wasn't going to fall asleep whilst you attempted to photograph them in their antebellum best.

Now the middle class (and the wealthy, of course) could afford to have a photo taken of grandma. However photos back then were no laughing matter, and smiling and acting in a stupid frivolous manner was greatly frowned upon. Only idiots smile for no reason. This resulted in a great many of the photos coming out, well just seriously darn creepy.

Half of me wants to know what he's holding, the other half just says "no."

This handsome looking fellow is John C Calhoun, 7th Vice President of the USA, S. Carolina Senator, occupier of many other offices, and here staring at you with Eyes of Death. As I promised, he is not smiling.

This portrait is proof of the inherent creepiness of many daguerreotypes, as is the following one:

Only the gods know what terrors this man is plotting for us all.

This equally attractive photograph is that of Henry Clay, another American statesman and founder of the Whig Party, created in opposition to Andrew Jackson. In this photo, he is possibly planning his vengeance for having lost the presidential elections five times. There exist many other wonderful daguerreotypes of him, such as this one and this one here.

The trends get stranger. Photography of all ages can be creepy, however "back then", things were different. Couples could now afford take pictures of their children, alive as well as dead.

The child's first and last family photo.

Postmortem photographs were taken more than any other type of photograph during the Victorian Era, the trend was especially strong in America, where lovely Calhoun and Clay both hail from. (Coincidence? I think not.) At first it was just photos of the corpse resting on a bed or chair, but then others started to get involved. The bodies were posed with family members, or in life like situations (again, with family members.) People would be "proud" of these photos and keep them in lockets, put them on mantels, and show them around to family members and send them off as post-cards of sorts.

 

 

 

 

If you'd like to satisfy your morbid-curiosity even more, please visit this site for an extensive collection of postmortem photos from Europe and North America.

As this was happening, much photography of the living was taken when they were still, not smiling.

Daniel Webster

Now I conclude my post. And, to be fair to Mr. Calhoun and Mr. Clay, here are some pictures of them looking a lot less evil/threatening. In all seriousness, they were two highly interesting figures from 19th century American politics, and you should check them out if you're interested in that sort of thing.

Calhoun:

Portrait of him when he 40.

Another portrait. 

Yet another one.

Looks a bit noble in this sculpture doesn't he? I rather like it....

Clay:

Portrait of him.

And another one.

Last one.

Sorry for making you click all that. Ah well, hope you'll get to sleep tonight!

All the Books on my Bookshelf!

Here's all the stuff on my bookshelf, as far as books go. Please share what's on your bookshelf next!

If anyone is wondering, I have a hundred and ninety something, and that's just in my bookcase... O_O

Literature:

A Woman of No Importance
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
All Quiet on the Western Front
An Ideal Husband
The Arabian Nights, Complete Tales
The Aspern Papers
Beowulf
Candide
Cat’s Cradle
Children of Dune
The Children of Húrin
The Complete Sophocles Translated Works
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Crime and Punishment
The Divine Comedy
Don Quixote
Dracula
Dune
Dune Messiah
The Emerald City of Oz
The Essential Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe
Five Children and It
Flowers for Algernon
Frankenstein
The Glass Menagerie
God Emperor of Dune
The Grapes of Wrath
The Great Gatsby
The Handmaid’s Tale
Huckleberry Finn
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Invisible Man
The Island Of Dr. Moreau
Jane Eyre
Lady Windermere’s Fan
Little Women
The Living Reed
The Lord of the Rings, Complete Series
L’étranger
The Maltase Falcon
The Martian Chronicles
Moby Dick
The Odyssey
Out of Africa
Pride and Prejudice
The Red Badge of Courage; and Selected Short Stories
Salomé
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Shadows on the Grass
The Silmarillion
Slaughterhouse 5
Sybil
The Hobbit
The Thin Man
The Time Machine
Treasure Island
The Turn of the Screw
Two Stories
Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth
The War of the Worlds

Funnies:

Apathy; And Other Small Victories
Death: A Life
Naked
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
When You Are Engulfed In Flames

History + Anthro Stuff:

A First Book of Canadian History
A Golden Age: art and society in Hungary 1896-1914
A History of Swedish Death Metal
The Anthropology of Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft
The Bonus Army
The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales
Connecting Spheres
The Egyptian Book of the Dead
Greek Myths and Legends
King Arthur
Lies My Teacher Told Me
Nordic Gods and Heroes
The People of the Volcanoes
Principles and Types of Speech, Revised edition
Russian Fairy Tales
The Sagas of Icelanders
Secret Societies
Taking Sides: Western Civilization

Biographies:

The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Che Guevara
Gandhi
The Great Triumvirate: Clay, Calhoun, and Webster
John C Calhoun: A Biography
The Life of Elizabeth I
Mary Queen of Scots
Nicholas and Alexandra
Queen Victoria

Science Stuff:

101 Simple Experiments with Insects
Astronomy Handbook
Chemistry 5th Edition
Forensics for Dummies
Geometry of Engineering Drawing
The Guide to Psychology
In Search Of Schrödinger’s Cat: Quantum Physics and Reality
Laboratory Experiments in Elementary Physics
The Leopard Gecko Manual
Life at Monterey Bay
Microbiology 4th Edition
Our Continent: A Natural History of North America
Principles of Anatomy and Physiology 7th Edition
Psychology
Sea Life
Thread of Life
Whispers: The Voices of Paranoia

No Idea:

Digital Photography
The Screenwriting Formula
Story Structure Architect
Stock Investing
Unix C Shell Desktop Reference

Reference:

Aquarium Fish
Birds of North America
The Encyclopedia of Fishes
Gem Trails of Southern California
Insects
Insects of the Los Angeles Basin
Library of Nations (China, France, Italy, the Soviet Union)
Nature Atlas of North America
Nolo’s Guide to California Law
The Old West (Gunfighters, Great Chiefs, Railroads, Indians, Trailblazers, Gamblers, Forty-niner’s, Frontiersman)
Rocks and Minerals
Traditional Chinese Designs
Volcanoes of the World
World Atlas


Language Stuff:

501 Spanish Verbs
Beginner’s Swedish
Berlitz German Dictionary
Japanese Grammar 2nd Edition
The Random House Dictionary
Webster’s Dictionary
Webster’s New French Dictionary
Webster’s Pocket Dictionary
Webster’s Pocket Thesaurus
Webster’s Thesaurus

Other Literature Stuff:

47
A Crack in the Line
A Series of Unfortunate Events, the Complete Series
A Single Shard
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Africa Dreams
Anne Frank
Anne Rice Stuff
The Big Empty
Bloodline
Cages
The Cardinal of the Kremlin
Children of the Lamp
The City of Ember
City of the Beasts
The Code of the Woosters
The Drain Curse
Eagle Strike
Ella Enchanted
Eragon 1-3
The Far Side of Evil
Firewing
Forest of the Pygmies
The Glass Key
Harry Potter Series
Hatching Magic
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
James Herriot stuff
Kingdom of the Golden Dragon
The Kite Runner
Life, the Universe, and Everything
The Light in the Forest
Memoires of a Geisha
The Midnighters, Complete Series
The Most of P. G. Wodehouse
The Oracle Prophecies, the Complete Series
The Other Side of the Mountain
Pirates, Bats, and Dragons
Point Blank
Pool
Red Harvest
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Scorpia
Shadowmancer 1-2
Silverwing
Skeleton Key
Stormbreaker
The Story Teller’s Daughter
Summer of the Monkeys
Sunwing
Tamara Pierce stuff
The Tears of the Salamander
Their Eyes Were Watching God
The Things They Carried
The Tortilla Curtain
The Tower Of Shadows
Tunnel in the Sky
Wolf Moon

I have more, they're just not on my bookcase, which is about 8 feet tall....

Mexican-American War Timeline

Here I've made a quick timeline of the Mexican-American War in a nutshell, and I also mention of 1848 election just to put it into perspective.

Image from Encyclopaedia Britannica

- 1845 -
1) Texas is admitted as a state.
2) The border should be at the Nueces River, but Texans (and many Americans + Polk ) claim it should be at the Rio Grande
3) Polk sends Slidell to try and buy Texas up to the Rio Grande
3) Mexico refuses and gets angry
4) Polk sends troops down to the Nueces River to "defend" the Texans against angry Mexico

- Late 1845 into 1846 -
5) Polk lets troops go into California to assist in the Bear-Flag Revolt in which California declares itself independent from Mexico
6) Mexico gets freaked out because of the troops in California, orders them to leave

- 1846 -
8 ) Polk gets angry at Mexico for this and commands his forces to go past the Nueces and to the Rio Grande (which is Mexican/disputed territory)
9) Some Americans die
10) Polk gets angrier, says "American blood has been shed on American soil", his true motives can now be seen, there's controversy.
- many people say that Polk wasn't telling the truth because it wasn't American soil, Lincoln writes his Spot Resolution asking Polk to clarify himself on this, expresses doubt over the fact that it was in truth, American soil (which it wasn't)

- 1846 into 1847 -
11) War happens, there's more controversy,
- Thoreau refuses to pay his taxes to protest the war, gets thrown in jail and bailed out, it inspires him to write 'Civil Disobedience'
12) Wilmot's Proviso in August, more controversy
13) America wins, gets Texas set up at the boundary of the Rio Grande

- Early 1848 -
14) The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo gives America Texas to the Rio, New Mexico, and California (this is the Mexican Cession)
15) Polk gets angry at his ambassador Nicholas Trist for accepting those terms, because he wanted all of Mexico
16) Many tell him what an extraordinarily bad idea that would be
- senator John C Calhoun opposes getting "all Mexico", as does Ralph Waldo Emerson and many Whigs
17) Polk gives in, abandons hopes to get all of Mexico
18) Expansion of slavery controversy happens way more now, ect....

- Later in 1848 -
19) Election of 1848
20) Zachary Taylor from the Whig Party wins.

Nykytyne2 - Suspended from Youtube

For allegedly "offensive" content, youtuber Nykytyne2 has had his account suspended for 2 weeks. Here's what he has to say:

People Are Strange

It is a refreshing thing to my mind, to know that they were just like us. Now, then, and presumably forever…(or at least for a very long while)…perhaps we were never that different, for beneath the elements of culture and language we all experience a same general spectrum of feeling; in this century as in the previous ones, it is the same. We merely express them in a different way using different words.

The words of those in times before us, times that have long passed out of common memory, seem eloquent and noble without having the archaic nature about them which would sever them off from the seemingly immediate relevant context and meaning for their readers. They are not ‘too’ far away to seem like some old relic of ages gone by, mere fantasy. They lie in the middle, between the present and the past. Transcending our here and now, but attainable for those who make an honest endeavor to reach…yet they often seem too sacred to dare approach.

Perhaps the people of the future will find our words as deep and expressive as we find those of the past. We are all expressing the same sentiments, only in a different manner and with different terms. Whether or not the manner of said expression has “fallen” in the eyes of our contemporaries is irrelevant, for it is not ‘how’ that matters, but the fact that what yearns to be expressed exists within each one of us and has existed for countless ages, and that does not change.

On a basic level, we are all the same. We just express ourselves differently; through the different modes of expression we may find everywhere our universal themes which link us all, and those are the tales that maintain a timeless quality and transcend the mode through which they are expressed to touch us all and make us understand:

They were just like us.

Nobody Hates Math

People don't hate math, because there's simply nothing to hate. People simply hate that they don't understand it or parts of it. People are frustrated with it for their own faults. Often times, there isn't anything wrong with the math. If there's an equation that's supposed to factor out perfectly but it doesn't, it's not the equations fault, it's your own. You did something wrong for it not to work, it's not the math, it's you. This is why I feel people "hate" math; there is no one to take the blame but themselves. There is nowhere to look for the mistakes but inward at yourself. People "hate" it because it shows them their own faults and there is no covering it up, there is no subjective answer, it is not open to interpretation. You and your English teacher can disagree on every aspect of English literature, and you can still get an A in the class because it's open to argument. No matter how "wrong" you may be in many situations, it can be covered up and you can always convince yourself that you were right. Math is harsh in that it is immune to this, it will flat out tell you that you are simply wrong. It will kick your ego in the face. There is no arguing with it. It doesn't care if you got X and not the true answer of Y. It doesn't care how well you "think" you understand how to solve the problem, it doesn't care how hard you studied, it doesn't care how well you can argue philosophy. If the answer is Y, and you put X, you are wrong.

Math holds up a mirror in which is reflected an expression of the truth. This mirror does not lie. When we look into mirrors, they often oblige to show us how we wish to be seen or how we feel we look. They gladly show us whatever we want the truth to be. The mirror which math holds up is cruel in that it shows us what is the truth, and when you search for it, you may not always like what you find. This mirror is held up against your answer and will show all as it truly is; it will not deceive you or succumb to your own ego's will to be correct. There is none of the subjectivity of a painting, where one can find comfort in hidden meanings and in the textures of a brush. For your comfort, math cares not. This, I feel, is why people hate it. People see in it the reflection of their own failures and struggles. They become so exasperated with this, that they come to hate the mirror altogether even though there is no logical reason for doing so.

It is not math that people hate; it is the Truth.

Pronounciation Helper - for those who have trouble with languages!

This post is dedicated to everyone and anyone who’s ever had trouble pronouncing a sound in another language.

The purpose of this post isn’t to tell you how to pronounce each and every sound on the planet, it’s to teach you methods for figuring them out.

Now…let’s think of how you first learned to articulate proper sound (saying the words correctly as they are supposed to be pronounced.) You didn’t just wake up one day when you were a child knowing how to say “consumerism”, “harbinger”, or “antithetical” perfectly. You had to try a bunch of times to get it right, and you had to experiment with different ways of making the sound before you found the right one.

When you’re learning another language, you must do this again. You must learn how to articulate the right sounds in the right place. This can be tough. If you’ve been pronouncing the letter “a” a certain few ways all your life, then one day you need to start pronouncing it in another, it’s going to be an odd thing to do for some people, but you’ll at least have a general idea of how to pronounce it. Or maybe it’s a sound that doesn’t exist in your language at all, like the “sj” in Swedish, and you have no idea where to start pronouncing it at all.

First, the key thing is to listen. Listen to the sound a lot and become familiar with it. Listen to music in the language you’re trying to learn or watch shows where people speak it. Do this a lot. The point is to get yourself more familiar with the sound so it won’t be as foreign and weird sounding to your ears. Try repeating what people say also, that will help you a lot.

The second thing is to experiment. So you can pronounce an “a” in a certain way. Good. Now think of how else you could pronounce the “a” in the way that you must for that language. Think about why the “a” in your language and the “a” in your target language sound different. Your mouth and tongue are in different positions right? It’s the same way for all sound.

So, if you’re trying to pronounce “a” in your target language using the same position of your tongue/mouth as you use for your native language, you won’t get the correct sound, right?

Now we must experiment to try and achieve our sound. Try moving your tongue around or holding your mouth open more or less. Try making different shapes with your lips, or try directing the air flow more out your nose than your throat. You can even change how you push the air out of your lungs to change the sound. Are you making the sound in your throat, at the top of your mouth, or does it come out at the very front? Maybe you could try saying two sounds at once, and that will give you your sound.
You’ve listened to the sound and are familiar with it, and hopefully now you’re experimenting with how to make it.

One thing you can do that works for some sounds, although some people may find it a bit creepy, is to look at the mouths of native speakers and see how their mouths move. It might sound odd, but it might help some people figure it out.

Basically, you must listen and experiment to make the sound.

For tonal languages, think of it like singing a song. Ever sing a some lyrics with a friend, and you end on the wrong note and your friend stares at you oddly because it was just, well, wrong? Just think of a tonal language like a song. The write tone is singing the song (your word, your meaning) correctly, get the wrong tone and you'll be singing something completely different or something that's just flat out wrong. With practice and patience, tonal systems will eventually come naturally to you. Make an effort to listen and experiment to get the right tone, and never give up!

Good luck!

Raising the Standards

The standards of education in California need to be raised.

For too many students, the goal is to leave school and get out of it, and for many in high places, the goal seems mainly just to get them in and get them out, to make sure that they can pass a minimum standard and then get out.

This "minimum standard" is pathetic. The expectations for average high school students in the state seem pitifully low, and are frankly just sad. What's even sadder is that many kids are just fine with their deplorable expectations.

School is for learning, as in, "one goes there to learn." To obtain knowledge. It should be appreciated, it is a privilege. Not everyone in the world has access to it, and even  if they do, the quality varies greatly. Many students I've met seem to be under the impression that their education is some sort of unnecessary burden forced upon them, and they take education for granted. They take all that we have accomplished with our knowledge for granted. They just don't appreciate education and gathering knowledge as they ideally should.

If we are to continue to support and build the society which we have built and which many of you couldn't live without and which many of you cherish, education, knowledge, and reasoning need to be taken more seriously. If we are to improve it, we must do this. If we are to change it, we must do this. 

Since when is 60%  considered passing? Does a 60% truly mean that you understand what you are doing and that you have a solid grasp of the material? On multiple choice tests where students have the option of guessing if they do not know the answer, this 60% might just be the result of lucky guesses whereas the student's real score if they did not guess might have been a 40%. So no, a 60% bloody well doesn't mean you understand jack.

Having a good solid grasp of something should be defined not as 60%, but more like 80%. Reasoning and problem solving should also have their bars raised. Science and logic need to be taken out of the lab and into the wider culture, into the daily lives and minds of the laymen. The standards for our children need to be raised, because they cannot support, improve, or bring glory to this country without a higher standard being set.

We need to look for more than just being "mildly proficient" at simple high school math. You should not be allowed to get away with believing in bogus science and faulty reasoning as you go about your daily life. Everyone should be literate and have an tough command of the English language, as well as command of others. No one should be able to get away with not knowing their history.

At the rate we're going, it looks like people will not be expected to know better than this.

The standards need to be set higher. The bar needs to be raised.

Merely "getting by" is not enough. We must excel and succeed.

A Simple Discussion

 I don't own this photo. It's from AlbertaCoins.com

Let's say you have a quarter, a standard quarter. You flip it up in the air, and it lands on the floor.

Irregardless of the side it lands on, is the outcome of this event (the side it lands on) truly random?

Discuss this, or think about it at least. Reach a conclusion, then apply your same conclusion to the idea of free will.

Now, think about the implications of your belief as they effect the coin and us.

Comment with your conclusions. 

Percieved Intelligence

The intelligence of men and women are equal. However perceived intelligence is quite a different thing.

Perceived intelligence, for those who don't know, is how people view themselves and how they perceive their intelligence to be. It's rather self-explanatory really...

Anyway, a recent British research report finds that men are far more likely to over-estimate their actual intelligence, and women are more likely to under-estimate their own. A large part of this is due to the male ego, and in the woman's case, it's a mixture of humbleness and the image (unconscious or not) that men put out that they are "superior."

So though the two are equal, the men's egos get in the way and they think they're just the greatest stuff on earth.

Well guess what guys?

You're not.

On a more relevant note, this has lamentably affected society into holding a general unspoken belief that among many (whether they admit or realize it or not) that men are smarter than women, when this is in reality, simply not the case.