Category: Random

I’ll miss you too. Thanks for spending time here, and thanks for sharing how much it meant to you.

No one. 🙁 An occasional staff or faculty member might pop by to say hello, but I will miss you all and your wonderful questions. But don’t worry. I was quietly biding my time for nearly 3 decades before deciding to answer questions, and I will be patiently waiting to do so again soon. I look forward to having you all back! Please stay safe and wash your hands!

I’m OK, trying to keep myself clean. I’ll miss you all, but it’s really for the best.

Big oof. Both guys and gals (and anyone in between) can be “gross”. Why does anyone think it’s OK to be gross? Could be a whole host of things: cultural background, life experience, necessity, etc. If someone’s hygiene is affecting your relationship with them, you need to either politely point out the issue or decide that you can live with it given their other attributes.

That really depends on how you complete the question!

And if you drink your beer cold, does that make you immune to colds?

The truth is probably somewhere in the wide middle. People sometimes suck. Men sometimes suck in ways related to power, which men tend to have more of, and base some of their behaviors on. I hope you find the ones who don’t suck. They’re out there, often not attracting attention to themselves.

Matthew 5-38:40 has always been a favorite of mine, even though I don’t have a cheek or a shirt, and the only coat I have is paint.

BC has made no announcement yet about switching to online courses. For BC updates straight from the source: bc.edu/coronavirus. I’m sorry to say that given the number of other major area institutions now going online (Harvard, Northeastern, BU), and the MA state of emergency, it’s likely that BC will as well. COVID-19 infection growth has been exponential. A steep curve will overwhelm hospitals unless people take actions (social distancing, hand-washing, etc.) to slow the curve. BC going online would achieve a lot of social distancing quickly, and can help protect the most vulnerable, as your respondents suggest. Timing is complicated by the fact that the beginning of an exponential curve is shallow, and gives the appearance of a minor problem, but if there is no response before it begins to accelerate, that’s a sure way to overwhelm hospitals. #FlattenTheCurve

BC has made no announcement yet about switching to online courses. For BC updates straight from the source: bc.edu/coronavirus. I’m sorry to say that given the number of other major area institutions now going online (Harvard, Northeastern, BU), and the MA state of emergency, it’s not unlikely that BC will as well. By all indications from other countries, infection growth is exponential. A steep curve will overwhelm hospitals unless people take actions (social distancing, handwashing, etc.) to slow the curve. BC going online would achieve a lot of social distancing quickly; if it does, it will be in order to protect the most vulnerable, as your respondents suggest. Timing is complicated by the fact that the beginning of an exponential curve is shallow, and gives the appearance of a minor problem, but if there is no response before it begins to accelerate, that’s a sure way to overhwelm hospitals. #FlattenTheCurve

And as you now know, events surpassed the Answer Wall’s wisdom & knowledge, and BC is closing down classes and going online. #FlattenTheCurve

It’s impossible not to have mixed feelings about all of this. I feel great about all of the people who will be safer, but sad for all the upheaval in everyone’s lives. It’s just a very, very hard time. Take care of yourselves, be kind to your neighbors.

I’m glad you asked. It’s always wise to be critically aware of information sources. My assistants are librarians, who tend to be pretty good at finding information and try hard to adhere to a librarian code of ethics of neutrality. The news media is a complex mix. The most important thing: When you agree wholeheartedly is when you’re at your most misinformation-vulnerable. Pause & reflect before clicking like or share. To find out more about finding dependable information in the news environment, visit library.bc.edu/know-news.

Sadly, humans are destroying the orangutan’s environment to create plantations for palm oil, so it wouldn’t likely be orangutans. Most of the other apes are endangered or already on the brink. The hard truth is that it already happened a few million years ago when one group of primates stood up, and overran all the others. Now we’re in an era many are calling the anthropocene, and the apes in charge are kind of making a mess.

You look amazing! But I think you want one of my other distant cousins, the shiny one, for a definitive ruling.

Satanist is a broad and varied category: some are theistic and believe in the existence of a literal Satan, while others use Lucifer as the original symbol of resistance and bringer of enlightenment to humankind. Much like any religion or worldview, there’s a huge variety in what Satanists believe (and how scary they may be). A good place to start would be learning about mainstream American satanism as practiced by LaVey’s Church of Satan or The Satanic Temple. Or enjoy the OG Satan that inspired the religious movements by reading Milton’s Paradise Lost!

Be your authentic self. I am sure you will attract a mate who is equally authentic. Authentic is sexy.

Either you’ll just know (for some people and relationships it works that way), or you’ll make a choice to be with them until you can no longer picture your life without them. Love is a choice.

Ice Age baby is a character in an enjoyable animated film. In order to attract attention to themselves, some social media accounts decided to express violent remarks about the character, and as these things go, the tweets captured some attention for a while. That’s the full extent of my thoughts.

While not super helpful in the short term, time will do the trick. For now try exploring the neighborhoods of Brighton, Newton, and Brookline by foot with Neko Case, Florence + the Machine, and Gloria Gaynor on repeat. Sending hugs.

Why not?

Yes.

The wall has always been interested in self discovery and I have found this title invaluable over the years – An introduction to melamine, by Ashley Harris – bit.ly/bc-melamine. Caution: perhaps a little obscure and hard to acquire.