Smartphones, wise decisions?

'Grappler's Delight'   (Photo by Jeff777BC)

History has shown, time and again, that smart people do not always make wise choices.  Add smartphones to the mix, and decisions can be skewed even further.

Researchers in the United Kingdom studied how the use of smartphones versus personal computers can influence decision-making.  They presented 1100 people with the classic “Trolley Problem,” a moral dilemma in which

participants theoretically decide who gets to live and who gets to die.

The study showed that people using smartphones are “more likely to make rational and unemotional decisions,” whereas those on PCs favored “action based on intuition and following established rules.”  Because people are so linked to their technology these days, it’s quite likely that their decision-making will also be.

Personal computers might allow for more holistic thinking than smartphones do.  The latter often focuses users on one quick task at a time, whereas PCs entail more leeway.  If the house is on fire, grab a smartphone.  Short of that, grapple away on a PC.

Resources

http://www.dnaindia.com/technology/report-smartphones-change-the-way-we-make-moral-decisions-study-2451554

Copyright May 27, 2017 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved

Beauty and the Birthmark

(Port-wine Birthmark) 

Humans seem hardwired to shun marked differences.  Even the Bible refers to blemishes as though they were branded into the soul.

When strikingly beautiful Kgothatso Dithebe began her modeling career, she did so hesitatingly.  Convinced that the public would never accept her facial birthmark, she slathered on the make-up.  Agencies instructed her to do this.

After four years of that, Dithebe faced off with the world at large.  She decided to bare her natural skin, “making her the first model with a birthmark in the country to walk Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.”

Dithebe then experienced the perfect antidote to her long years of being “bullied verbally” as a student.  In her own words:  I had to re-learn to love myself.  The public then loved her as well.  She is now “being booked BECAUSE of her unusual looks.”  

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/whats-hot/stunning-model-with-white-birthmark-defies-industry-that-told-her-to-cover-up/ar-BBBwdCx?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=BHEA000 

Copyright May 26, 2017 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved

Let's hope Trump won't forget

Pope Francis in 2014    (Photo by Jeffrey Bruno)

During the close of his cordial visit with Pope Francis, President Trump uttered these hopeful words:  Thank you. Thank you. I won’t forget what you said.

While basking in the afterglow, Trump then added this tweet:  Honor of a lifetime to meet His Holiness Pope Francis.  I leave the Vatican more determined than ever to pursue PEACE in our world.

According to a Vatican readout, the two leaders discussed “the promotion of peace in the world through political negotiation and inter-religious dialogue,” particularly as concerns “the Middle East and the protection of Christian communities.”

Resources

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/24/trump-meets-with-pope-francis-238752