Happy birthday :)

Happy birthday :) Stay Strong + Smart
Happy birthday 🙂 Stay Strong + Smart

Thanks! I’ll stay strong & supportive. With the collective help of a small army of librarians and all the books in here, I can’t help but seem smart, right?

Why does question mark shape this way?

Why does question mark shape this way?
Why does question mark shape this way?

No one knows! There are a few different theories, but probably the most legitimate one is that it is a stylistic variation of a middle ages mark designed to show interrogative annunciation. That mark was a dot next to a lightning-bolt-shaped line (to see the image check out bit.ly/OriginalQuestionMark). This potentially morphed into today’s question mark. Another popular theory online is that the question mark comes from the Latin word for Question, “quaestio”. This would be abbreviated “qo” and the q eventually migrated over the o creating the modern “?”. I am unable to find any primary or high quality secondary sources that back this theory, however.

Why did Tinder date ghost me?

Why did Tinder date ghost me?
Why did Tinder date ghost me?

I’m sorry to hear this happened to you. In the Wall’s humble opinion, online dating apps have become so game-ified that users tend to forget that their actions affect real people. Fortunately, though, your date made your decision easy on you–you wouldn’t want to go out with someone who treats people like that anyway, right?

Some people just use Tinder for the ego boost, or they just get lazy It's hard to remember there's a person behind the screen
Some people just use Tinder for the ego boost, or they just get lazy It’s hard to remember there’s a person behind the screen

?yes. that.

Should I write a thesis?

Should I write a thesis? (Studying philosophy + biology B.A.)
Should I write a thesis? (Studying philosophy + biology B.A.)

Some questions to ask yourself: is there a topic you’d really like to investigate in depth? do you have the time in your schedule senior year to do this and do it well? are you planning on graduate school or a job in academia? Being able to point to a well-executed and written thesis, gives you an advantage. Also, talk with your major advisors about this.

I hope second semester is treating you well because it sure is not treating me well!

I hope second semester is treating you well because it sure is not treating me well ! Other than going to the gym and eating healthy is there another way to lose weight?
I hope second semester is treating you well because it sure is not treating me well! Other than going to the gym and eating healthy is there another way to lose weight?

I recommend meeting with a health coach at the Office for Health Promotion. The staff there will be able to help you establish and maintain a healthier lifestyle that fits your needs. Although taking an hour out of your day can seem like a nuisance, talking to a health professional can give you strategies to lose weight and keep it off (if that’s what you need) through personalized assessments. They can also help you figure out other ways to be happier and healthier! bit.ly/BC-health-promo

how to make friends with native people as an international student?

how to make friends with native people as an international student?
how to make friends with native people as an international student?

Find interests you have in common and focus on those. If you like sports, join an IM team. Board games? Join a club for that. Academically oriented? There are plenty of discipline-based clubs on campus to join. You’re going to have to get out of your comfort zone and meet new people. Note also: your English is probably better than you think it is. Don’t stress about the language as much and focus on the interaction. Good luck! I believe in you!

Why did you assume English is not the above writer's first language? LOL
Why did you assume English is not the above writer’s first language? LOL

Ah! You’re right. I was wrong to assume that. Please accept my apologies.

I am watching The Crown …

I am watching The Crown and I'm wondering why Q. Elizabeth II is such a $#cu? #StopMonarchies
I am watching The Crown and I’m wondering why Q. Elizabeth II is such a $#cu? #StopMonarchies

Well, it’s a dramatized reenactment of conversations, interactions, and decisions that the writers have no actual insight into. For example, the episode where LBJ is kissed by Princess Margaret is nearly entirely false (although there was a party in the White House during her visit to the US and the US did eventually support bailing out the Pound). If she were a perfect person, she would make for pretty boring television. Second, she’s in a pretty difficult spot being the sovereign of a nation that has viewed a sovereign as less and less necessary over time. As you see in the show and in headlines from this past week, controlling her very large family is rather difficult.

I think I’m over my fear of nuns!

I think I'm over my fear of nuns! I talked to one today, glad she didn't eat me! =)
I think I’m over my fear of nuns! I talked to one today, glad she didn’t eat me! =)

Sceniscophobia is a thing, but an irrational one. Nuns are much much more likely to feed you or teach you something than do anything scary, and BC is a great place to meet them. Western nuns don’t wear the habit since Vatican II, but Asian and African ones often do, and there are lots around campus.

Actually, lots of Western nuns do wear habits! :) Sisters of Life, some Dominicans, Salesians, Benedictines ... tons!
Actually, lots of Western nuns do wear habits! 🙂 Sisters of Life, some Dominicans, Salesians, Benedictines … tons!

Ha! That’s excellent. I did not know that, and I’ll remind my helper to check their facts a little more closely.

I can’t finish my readings :(

I can't finish my readings :(
I can’t finish my readings 🙁

If this is a new problem, I’d suggest getting your vision checked. Otherwise, Academic Coaching from the Connors Family Learning Center (bit.ly/BC-connors) can help you develop skills and learn to better use your time so you get more (or all) of your reading done.

How do I let a guy know I like him

How do I let a guy know I like him
How do I let a guy know I like him

Men are baffling. Capable both of interpreting any possible hint as interest and of missing the most obvious signs. Ultimately you’re going to have to tell him and see how he responds. If you’ve been just hanging out, maybe invite him on something that is unmistakably a date?

How many lives were lost under socialist regimes during the 20th century?

How many lives were lost under socialite regimes during the 20th century?
How many lives were lost under socialist regimes during the 20th century?
Is this really a question, or are you trying to make a point to people who read these?
Is this really a question, or are you trying to make a point to people who read these?

That number would be markedly different depending on what you mean. If you mean deaths of citizens directly attributable to their socialist governments (i.e., what one might call state-sponsored murder, or “democide,”) it’s one number. If you mean deaths of citizens *indirectly* (i.e. owing to military campaigns or resource management) that’s a quite different number. Also, is your definition of socialism narrow (only including totalitarian socialist states) or broad (also including countries briefly governed by democratically elected socialists, such as Allende in Chile?) I recommend searching “democide” in the Historical Abstracts database.