The Wall

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如 何 增 发, 且 不 掉 发?

如 何 增 发, 且 不 掉 发? (How can I increase more volume to my hair，or how can I avoid hair loss?)
如 何 增 发, 且 不 掉 发? (How can I increase more volume to my hair，or how can I avoid hair loss?)

You might have missed this answer from 9/26: Hair loss could have many underlying causes, many of them genetic and irreversible. (More info: bit.ly/mayo-baldness) Even treatment for reversible hair loss has only had moderate success. A particular type of hair loss (alopecia areata) occurs starting in childhood, and is the result of an otherwise benign autoimmune disorder. A recent review of the literature (bit.ly/bc-alopecia) found moderate success with some treatments for this condition. If it’s irreversible, at least know that I think bald humans look wise & sophisticated.

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Why does life seem to be out of my control?

Why does life seem to be out of my control?
Why does life seem to be out of my control?

It can be disorienting to feel out of control. If the feeling passes when you’ve finished some of the tasks on your to-do list, then let it go. If it persists, there are potentially two pieces to this: planning, and your feeling of being overwhelmed. First, try setting priorities and planning your time more carefully. (I recommend the academic coach at the CFLC: bit.ly/BC-connors.) If that takes care of it, great! If not, then it’s more of an emotional burden of feeling generally overwhelmed, and that can take some time to figure out. I recommend counseling: bit.ly/BC-counseling.

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Why is counseling so useless?

Why is counseling so useless? I know it's mean to say and they've been trained that way and they're trying their best to help, but why is there so much reflecting and paraphrasing but no real acknowledgement or advice???
Why is counseling so useless? I know it’s mean to say and they’ve been trained that way and they’re trying their best to help, but why is there so much reflecting and paraphrasing but no real acknowledgement or advice???

It’s not mean to say that you’re feeling that counseling is useless, as long as you know that that may not be true for everyone in counseling. If you don’t feel you’re getting much (or anything) from counseling, try addressing it directly and telling your counselor what you would like to gain from your sessions. This may mean adjusting your current counseling, or looking for someone new to talk to who is a better fit, but it’s worth it to feel like you’re making progress and getting what you need.

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How do I invite him to the club????

How do I invite him to the club????
How do I invite him to the club????

Straightforwardly? “Hi, would you like to go to the club?” Have some dates and times in mind, so you’re ready to answer that question. And tell a friend what you’re planning, so you have someone you can tell about The Ask whether it’s a success or not.

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My high school crush, whom I was too nervous to ask out, got touchy-feely with me at a recent party and seemed really into me, though she has had a boyfriend for the past 2 years.

My high school crush, whom I was too nervous to ask out, got touchy-feely with me at a recent party and seemed really into me, though she has had a boyfriend for the past 2 years. What should I do? I don't want to invade on her relationship, but I still really like her.
My high school crush, whom I was too nervous to ask out, got touchy-feely with me at a recent party and seemed really into me, though she has had a boyfriend for the past 2 years. What should I do? I don’t want to invade on her relationship, but I still really like her.

Be straightforward about this. Your reasons and language about it are good: “I really like you, but you have been with {boyfriend} for 2 years; I don’t want to invade your relationship. What are your thoughts?” Be prepared to find out she doesn’t think there is anything wrong with having a boyfriend and having some casual fun with you. In that case, you need to decide what your stance on that is.

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I thought they bring in dogs during test week.

I thought they bring in dogs durng test week. Where the dogs at
I thought they bring in dogs during test week. Where the dogs at

Yes! There are therapy dogs here at O’Neill during exams. But we recognize that’s not the only stressful time when humans can benefit from dog love. They’ll be here in O’Neill (in the 3rd floor Reading Room) this week. See signs in the lobby.

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What if we never find a purpose in life?

1) What if we never find a purpose in life? 2) What's the definition of beauty? What's true beauty 3) Why do we question the world?
1) What if we never find a purpose in life? 2) What’s the definition of beauty? What’s true beauty 3) Why do we question the world?

1) Trust that you will if you’re serious about finding it, 2) True beauty is simultaneously in the eye of the beholder and the heart of the beheld, even though that might cause contradictions, 3) We question the world because it’s full of contradictions and injustices.

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Why r my farts so smelly these days?

Why r my farts so smelly these days? (sad face) Serious Q
Why r my farts so smelly these days? (sad face) Serious Q

Occasional smelly farts are normal and usually caused by something you ate. If you introduced something new into your diet, that may be the culprit. If you have very foul smelling gas, it could be signs of a digestive track problem or allergy- a visit to the doctor may be in order if it persists.

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Got any books on forestry or tree farming?

Got any books on forestry or tree farming?
Got any books on forestry or tree farming?

We do have some and are collecting more titles in ag due to the growth of the Environmental Studies Program. I recommend searching our catalog (library.bc.edu). You can also browse the stacks in the SD section (3rd floor O’Neill, way over to the right), but many of the more current items are online. Connect with the Environmental Studies Librarian, Enid Karr (karre@bc.edu) for more ideas, like getting items from other libraries.

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Why is analysis so hard?

Why is analysis so hard?
Why is analysis so hard?

My assistants and I are not paragons of mathematical genius. Analysis looks like it would take some ability to visualize – or at least imagine in some way – very complex combinations of functions, ordered sets, and other such fearsome creatures, and then represent them as variables. It’s a lot to keep track of all at once, a kind of mental juggling. If you can do it, consider yourself ready for a mathematical circus.

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Do my professors want me to succeed?

Do my professors want me to succeed? Becauseeee idk about that
Do my professors want me to succeed? Becauseeee idk about that

As a whole, yes. I can’t speak for all of them. Some may set up what seem like barriers to you, but are intended as challenges to deepen your knowledge of a subject. IOW, they want you to succeed, but they want you to succeed at a challenging level. I recommend a) meeting with the professor to clarify objectives and get help, b) seeing if there’s a tutor for your class at the CFLC (bit.ly/BC-connors), and c) organizing a supportive study group.

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Thoughts on BC being a racist school?

Thoughts on BC being a racist school?
Thoughts on BC being a racist school?

BC definitely has it’s own problems with race. And it has a culture of preferring not to talk about problems. But BC is probably equally racist as most other long-extant institutions in America, no more or less – it’s a fundamental part of the makeup of this country unfortunately. The school is doing work to improve itself. The Office of Student Affairs is acting on a recent student survey that showed differences in satisfaction with BC life between students that identified as black vs. other races. Many departments (including ITS, the Provost, the Libraries, Res Life, and others) are at different stages of undertaking a renewed focus on how to better serve AHANA and other minority populations. It’s hard work that takes a long time unfortunately. But we want to be better.

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Get MBB on campus.

Get MBB on campus.

I have passed your suggestion on to the employer recruiting people in the Career Center, and I hope that McKinsey, Bain, and/or Boston will come visit us someday. But be proactive, talk to the Career Center (bit.ly/BC-career) about ways you can approach potential employers who don’t drop by. Best of luck.

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Can God make a meal so big he cannot eat it?

Can God make a meal so big he cannot eat it?
Can God make a meal so big he cannot eat it?

That is a delightful variation on a classic logic problem which lots of thinkers have addressed. It’s called the omnipotence paradox, and there are a variety of responses to it. Actually entertaining Wikipedia article: http://bit.ly/bc-omni. More technical discussion: bit.ly/bc-omni2. Aquinas argues that logic still applies: Even an omnipotent being can’t do something impossible. Augustine argues that God must act according to his nature, which means he can’t create anything omnipotent. The Wall’s favorite modern response is that the question is just a pile of words: if God is omnipotent, “could not eat” doesn’t make sense.

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Why is the 2nd Floor womens bathroom always flooding?…

Why is the 2nd Floor womens bathroom always flooding? Lol 4 stalls are unusable.
Why is the 2nd Floor womens bathroom always flooding? Lol 4 stalls are unusable.

That’s a very busy bathroom; the more people use a space, the higher the probability that someone makes a mistake, such as flushing something down the toilet that doesn’t belong there – the usual source of bathroom flooding. But I’ll also alert folks, in case it’s the other common cause: a plumbing problem that can be fixed.

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Can you freestyle?

Can you freestyle?
Can you freestyle?

If you’re referring to freestyle rapping, I’m afraid not. There’s a growing consensus amongst hip-hop fans that the days of freestyling are coming to an end or have already ended. There are probably some artists who may have the ability to do so, but you may have to do a lot of digging to discover them. One of my library friends seems to think Black Thought of The Roots may be one example of an artist who engages in what can be considered freestyling. Here’s a link to one performance done on a radio show some time ago: bit.ly/radio-freestyle