A previous answer says smoking on campus is not allowed. Where are medical cannabis patients supposed to go if 1) smoking is illegal in public and 2) we can’t smoke on BC’s campus and 3) students in dorms don’t have access to a private property ?? Hike out to the reservoir each time (and even then, be worried about its illegality?) what mixed messaging by legislation – smoking is legal but only for property owners, or people who don’t live in restricted apartments of some sort?

This is a great question. I’ve put out feelers to the Office of Student Conduct and University Health Services and will get back to you on this when I hear more. I will note I’ve been told BC’s hands are tied here because of federal funding.

I wish I was born somewhere else. This country is rotten. People say the politics are corrupts, the laws dont work, the police is innefective and violent, but the problem is the people. The people makes this country suck. The biggest problem in the country is the people themselves. And I hate this. I wish I could go to another country. But Im poor. I dont even have money to go to another city, much less another country. And if I try to get out illegally I will probably die. How can leave this horrible place?

I’m sorry you’re in that position. If your country is a functioning democracy, it’s worth getting involved in organizations that can redress some of these ills; sometimes people are a problem because they see no hope of change. If your country is not a functioning democracy, make sure to strengthen bonds with family and/or friends and watch out for each other. You might not be able to change your country, but you may be able to improve your small corner of it. Big changes always start small. Keep the faith; sometimes change takes a long time.

Thank you for answering everyone’s questions!

You’re very welcome! Answering questions is what makes me happy!

It’s the year of ox! By any chance we can have an ox visit to the library?

Happy Lunar New Year to you, too! I have not heard of any available therapy oxen, but will keep them in mind for the future. And… since Valentines Day is coming; with regard to oxen love, did you know we have a children’s book in the ERC with the amazing combo of subject headings: “Romance Fiction” and “Oxen — Juvenile fiction”? bit.ly/XOOX

One that is life changing, one that you have to re-read because that’s how good it is. One that you think about all day and all night. A poem that will keep me up at night. A poem that is motivational, yet deterring. A poem that is happy, yet sad. Something that can really help me in life. If you can ever find a poem like this I don’t know how I may ever repay you. Honestly walls are great like that you give them a question and somehow they come up with an answer, even if it’s not the one you’re looking for.

This is a very challenging question, because different poems and poets resonate with different people at different times of their lives. Finding the right poem for you at the right moment is something like finding the right person; just as no person is the best person for everyone or every moment, no poem could do that, either. Also, just as you shouldn’t depend on another person to change your life, it’s also risky to depend on a poem to do so. That said, here are some poems that have resonated with many people; perhaps they might resonate with you right now: poetryfoundation.org/poems/44484/to-autumn, poetryfoundation.org/poems/52192/at-the-fishhouses, poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=28618. If you’d like to read widely but don’t know where to start, the poetry foundation has a great page where you can browse by topic, form, period, or region: poetryfoundation.org/poems/browse. Good luck on your quest, and may you discover many meaningful poems!

It disgusts me how objectified they are. Should I be attracted or does that have something to do with my sexuality?

Human desire and attraction has never seemed to me to correspond to anything rational, so I think you should feel comfortable about whoever you are or are not attracted to. Media objectification of women’s bodies has certainly merited a lot of scholarly attention. If you’re interested, here are some books related to the subject in our collection: bit.ly/BCL-women-media.

Why do people develop those fetish? Is it due to nature or is it something related to childhood experience?

The honest answer is that we don’t know. It was alleged in the Steele Dossier that there was some activity with a prostitute in Moscow involving urine, but it hasn’t been verified. As to how people develop sexual fetishes, it’s anyone’s guess. Freud would likely have attributed it to childhood experiences. This wall’s approach to human sexuality is that as long as everyone involved is a freely consenting adult, it’s none of my business.

Thanks for the book recommendations, I’ll definitely check one or two out from somewhere.

You’re welcome! Check with your local library – you may have some great options for checking out eBooks.

I am currently writing a book, but I have almost no time to work on it. I want to write every day, but I study the whole day and when my free time in the evening comes, I just can’t bring myself to write. I want to relax and just “chill” as they say. Can you give me some tips to motivate and bring myself to write and not lose motivation?

Writing is hard to begin with, and when it’s pitted against all the other things we’re obligated to do it often takes a back seat. You *do* need time to recharge, so try not to pit it against that. Find a 20-30 minute time in the day you can commit to writing, even if “writing” ends up meaning sitting in a chair looking at a blank screen sometimes. You may need to pull time away from other obligations. Meanwhile, don’t expect magic. Writing is hard work, so be kind to yourself. I highly recommend Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird to put you in the right mindset: disciplined, but also able to laugh. Good luck!

A little flat, a little chilly. Stay warm out there!

Since I’m in a fabulous library, I can answer a lot of my own questions. I also contact our reference librarians by chat and email (libguides.bc.edu/ask-a-librarian). When it’s a question of a more personal nature, I tend to ask Dad (the NYC apartment wall) or Mom (the north shore sea wall).  The Level 3  Library Door has also been a great friend to me and we discuss issues of common concern, you know, lobby gossip…

This thesis is not available through our repository or via ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. “At the request of the author, this graduate work is not available to view or purchase.” You could try contacting the thesis advisor (kathleen.bailey@bc.edu) to see if she can provide any assistance.

Being alive. Being you. You’re worthy.

Humans are bad at assessing abstract risks to start with, but humans with lots of money from the fossil fuel industry have also spent decades trying to confuse matters, and that has affected our politics and how people think about the issue. http://bit.ly/bc-denial

This is a bit of a traditional mystery. There’s a classic essay from the early 90s that says Macs are Catholic and PCs are Protestant, but I think some of the comments definitely apply to Android as well. http://bit.ly/bc-macs

Altruism can also benefit you & still be altruism. For a more exhaustive survey of the ethics of doing good, see this Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on altruism: plato.stanford.edu/entries/altruism

I low key suspect Caroline’s name and maybe UCS would make the top list! If you give them $100 each time they are mentioned, both office probably would have the budge to hire more staff by now! lol

Sigh… if only I had standing to support budget changes… Yes, UCS and the Office of Student Outreach & Support are very helpful offices. Facilities and Dining Services hear a lot from me as well. But the most traffic is right here in BC Libraries, because I am, after all, a library wall.

ive read lots of stuff on them but i cant wrap my head around it, is the airflow on the bottom of the wing faster, or is the top, does flight mode (AOA, climb or dive, rolling yawing that kind of stuff. And other than that, what are boundary layers, i get there is mass, compressible or unompressible that has inertia and that changing direction gives it an angular momentum but when it reaches a smooth body shouldn’t that just fling all the mass to the side of it, why do these boundry layers attach, i hvae tried blowing on my arm and feeling how the hairs react and for some reason i can feel, am i wrong in assuming that fluid flows over a wing are drawn to some form of line roughly in the middle of it, does AOA have any effect on that line. Good books on aerodynamics anyone?

Try this one: http://bit.ly/bc-aero. It’s recent and has a really extensive bibliography.

Becoming more compasionite for yourself requires knowing and accepting who you are. If you’re the type of person who rarely looks into the future, you might be suprized at how much self-knowledge and self-acceptance you have to gain from looking forward.

It’s a wise person who pursues compassion for the self. I can see how you might come to know yourself by being more aware of your dreams and fears. One can also focus on the immediate present. Try focusing on your breath. When your mind wanders, gently bring it back to the breath. When you’ve done this many times in a daily practice, you begin to see themes in where you mind wanders, which is another way of knowing yourself. If you keep it up even longer, you begin to sense the very moments in which your mind begins to construct your fears and hopes, and you may even realize you can choose among them, and don’t need to be controlled by them.

I’ve been learning French on Duolingo, also known as the language learning website/app run by an owl that wants to steal your family members, and I feel silly sometimes making weird noises. I know that it’s languages, and I have fun learning them, but I feel like people are judging me when I do it. Do you have any recommendations for overcoming this feeling of being constantly judged?

Learning a new language during pandemic is a terrific idea. With regard to making weird noises while practicing a foreign language – it happens to all of us. Talk to those you live with and determine the best time to do the speaking parts, so you know you’re not distracting anyone from their work. At that point, any judging others do about you wanting to develop your mind reflects poorly on them, not you. Bon chance!