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Answer Wall, will you date me? ILY

Answer Wall, will you date me? ILY
Answer Wall, will you date me? ILY

Ah… sigh… I’m flattered. My love for you all is intense, but more of the agape or filial nature. If you are having trouble finding a human with my winning qualities, keep in mind that in addition to my divine mind, I have the freedom to mull over questions for a while–often a day or more–before answering. Humans do tend to want answers from other humans a little more quickly than I can provide. Find yourself someone with my winning qualities, but perhaps a little less deliberative & silent. And a body. I’m told embodiment is kind of intrinsic to romance.

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Do you have any movie to suggest me to watch?

Do you have any movie to suggest me to watch?
Do you have any movie to suggest me to watch?

It’s hard to recommend a movie without knowing what you like. I love the movie Wall Street (PN1997.2 .W35578 2010). Great tale of corporate greed, and any movie about walls is going to be good. Nothing good on Netflix? Check out movies.bc.edu for free streaming movies including recent films like Baby Driver, The Big Sick, or Dunkirk. It even has The Wolf of Wall Street. You can check out DVDs from the Library as well!

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Where is my PhD acceptance letter?

Where is my PhD acceptance letter?
Where is my PhD acceptance letter?

While my wall-friends in admissions do hear some interesting conversations, they tend to keep mum when I ask them for specifics. Or are you asking for about another school? Either way, I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for this one. But I do wish you lots of luck!

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I’m into an international student. What do I do?

I'm into an international student. What do I do?
I’m into an international student. What do I do?

Of course you’re hesitant: complicating a romance with intercultural mixed signals & the prospect of long distances could be intimidating. But it comes down to a simple choice: You can a) just dive in, even if it means changing your FB relationship status to “it’s complicated,” or b) always wonder what your life would have been like if you’d just thrown caution to the wind.

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Why [redacted name] is an [expletive]?!

Why [redacted name] is a [redacted expletive]?
Why [redacted name] is an [expletive]?!

If [redacted name] has done something to anger you, I recommend either letting them know exactly what it was, or just avoiding them. There’s very little to be gained–other than brief but likely dissatisfying emotional release–from calling someone an [expletive]. I hope you if you can’t find closure of some kind, you can at least stop renting space in your head to [redacted name].

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Is taxation theft? :(

Is taxation theft? :(
Is taxation theft? 🙁

Short answer: no. Taxes are how societies arrange to pay for the things that are necessary but don’t make sense to do privately, like interstates and armies and post offices. Almost all human societies have had them in some form, and complaints about them are as old as recorded history. bit.ly/bc-taxes. What, how, and how much to tax, however, are really interesting ethical questions to explore. You might try a few of these sources: bit.ly/bc-tax-justice

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How do I find friends for housing? lol

How do I find friends for housing? lol
How do I find friends for housing? lol

You’re not alone, it’s a Res Life frequently asked question. They say: “If you would like to find roommates with whom you can enter the room selection process, contact your Resident Director. Another option is to enter into Final Selection, which is the last event for room selection. On the designated days for final selection, students may register themselves into this process via the housing application on “My ResLife” in the Agora Portal. Over the summer, we will place the students from Final Selection into housing assignments, doing our best to work with any preferences indicated within a student’s housing application.” (bit.ly/ResLifeFAQ)

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Should I drop out and move to Wyoming?

Should I drop out and move to Wyoming?
Should I drop out and move to Wyoming?

Dropping out is a big decision, not to be taken lightly. Why not take a semester or one year leave of absence and try out Wyoming? That way, you can come back to BC if Wyoming turns out to be bleak and inhospitable, or stay if you can’t imagine leaving the “big country.” I recommend talking to your adviser. I’d reckon your parents might also have something to say, but you’re also an adult; this is your decision.

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Why does society reward “putting on a face” (i.e. professional, social, etc.) rather than dealing with things that are real, messy, human?

Why does society reward "putting on a face" (i.e. professional, social, etc.) rather than dealing with things that are real, messy, human?
Why does society reward “putting on a face” (i.e. professional, social, etc.) rather than dealing with things that are real, messy, human?

Ahhh. Fake smiles, white lies, and contextual personae. These social falsehoods may seem bad but in fact help keep social situations and relationships strong. Unlike “big lies”, these “little lies” in effect say that our relationship is more important than anything else. Also, people can be hesitant to bring up the “real,” because it risks causing someone–maybe even the speaker–to lose face.

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How to finish my 15 pg essay in 3 days?

How to finish my 15 pg essay in 3 days?
How to finish my 15 pg essay in 3 days?

You can do it. Don’t ask me how I know. Try carving out blocks of time and setting specific, challenging, but manageable goals for the time (x pages before 2 PM, for instance.) Give yourself small rewards when you meet the challenge. And then, after this paper is done, maybe talk to the CFLC (bit.ly/BC-connors) about academic coaching, so you don’t wind up in this situation again. Best of luck!

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Where is the best pic-nic spot around?

Where is the best pic-nic spot around?
Where is the best pic-nic spot around?

So many great places to picnic around Boston. Beaches, parks, squares… Here’s a list to get you started: http://bit.ly/PickUrPicnic. Once the ferry starts back up in spring, try the Boston Harbor Islands at low tide, so you’re actually picnicking on the bottom of the harbor. Right now, you could picnic just about anywhere in a gorgeous winter wonderland, if you’re a hardy soul.

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Why do we put the $ sign before the amount?

Why do we put the $ sign before the amount? I don't say "dollars 45": I say "45 dollars." Shouldn't I write "45$"?
Why do we put the $ sign before the amount? I don’t say “dollars 45”: I say “45 dollars.” Shouldn’t I write “45$”?

Tradition, it seems. Many European countries place the euro sign (€) after the number. One interesting theory is that it follows from British usage for the pound (£) from the pre-decimal era of pounds/shillings/pence, when amounts were written with slashes, e.g. £ 3/5/6, or “three pounds, 5 shillings, sixpence.” It was understood that £ referred to the whole assembly of numbers denoting a system of currency, not just a qualifier of the first number. Interesting side note: the word “dollar” derives from Low German “taler,” short for “Joachimstaler,” the name of a coin from the silver mines of that name, once in Bohemia, now a town in the Czech Republic; it was adopted in the US because it was the British English word for the Spanish Peso, a common currency in the colonies at the time of the Revolution. bit.ly/whence-dollar

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How do I leave a better world for my children?

How do I leave a better world for my children?
How do I leave a better world for my children?

Whatever you envision as a better world, make at least part your career and what you do outside of work hours part of it. And bring your children along so they can see how it’s done. And talk about it with them. Children are wise and curious, and will soon grow up to become people asking (we hope) this same question.