Deer pancetta man,

I wondered which would stop first--your parachute, or your blabbing.

--AF

Dear Mask,

I feel like it would be a lot easier to throw someone out of a plane if you shot them first. 

Peace,

Tipperary

Dear Maskaritta,

Eh, depends on what your goals are. If you simply want to kill someone, you probably don't want to be doing it on a plane in the first place. Thus, there are probably other incentives at work which justify shooting and then throwing.

~Anathema

Dear Double M,

Because they're afraid this might happen.

-guppy of doom

Dear Ben,

I've failed you. I can't find the first black student at BYU. I did find some other facts that may interest you though (remember that the priesthood and temple ban was lifted in 1978):

• While BYU was never formally racially segregated, there certainly was opposition to welcoming black faculty and students. In 1954 Apostle Mark E. Peterson told a CES audience at BYU, "I think the Lord segregated the Negro and who is man to change that segregation?" In 1960 President Ernest L. Wilkinson stopped a subordinate from hiring a black professor, saying “I wish we could take him on our faculty, but the danger in doing so is that students and others take license from this, and assume that there is nothing improper about mingling with the other races. Since the Lord, himself, created the different races and urged in the Old Testament and other places that they be kept distinct and to themselves, we have to follow that admonition.” 
• In 1965 Darius Gray became one of two African American students at BYU. (This is the first reference I can find to African American students being at BYU, though none of the sources indicated that Gray was the first.) That same year President Wilkinson wrote that Harold B. Lee was "protesting vigorously over our having given a scholarship at the B.Y.U. to a negro student from Africa. Brother Lee holds the traditional belief as revealed in the Old Testament that the races ought to be kept together and that there is danger in trying to integrate them on the B.Y.U. campus."
• In 1966 Gray started a relationship with a white girl. He was summoned to meet with his dean and was told that, if he continued that relationship, he would have to drop out. This may be due in part to Harold B. Lee telling President Wilkinson in 1960, "If a granddaughter of mine should ever go to BYU and become engaged to a colored boy there, I would hold you responsible." Gray transferred that year.
• In 1970 Wynetta Willis Martin became the first African American faculty member at BYU.
• In the 1980s, Keith N. Hamilton became the first African American graduate of BYU Law school.
• In 2002, Robert Foster became the first black student body president of BYU.

Judging by the quotes from 1954 and 1960, I'm guessing the first African American student enrolled around 1960-1965? 

If you want to have a fun "Where's Waldo" moment, here's a picture I found from the 1950s. People are grouped geographically, which may help you see if there was an African American student at BYU at that time. I may be mistaken, but the student to the bottom right of the "Peru" sign might be black...?

Unfortunately there isn't a concrete date on this picture, so that doesn't help a ton.

If anyone knows the answer, please leave a correction!

-guppy of doom

Dear Captain Capsaicin, 

If you're sad like me, everything is too spicy. Personally, I think the spices in Indian food are the hardest to handle. #mildsalsalife

Cheers,

Guesthouse

Dear you,

In my opinion Thai food has the spiciest. A lot of that does come from peppers, but a good Thai chili has so much more. Many Thai recipes use Thai basil, lime leaves, lemongrass, coriander, galangal, garlic, and so much more! That's not even including all the other sauces and flavors they use. If you're looking to spice up your life I highly recommend Thai.

Peace,

Tipperary

P.S. Make sure to order some mango sticky rice or coconut ice cream to offer respite from the intense spiciness you may be consuming.

Dear swazey,

Nigerian food is flavor-packed and rich in spices, and ranges from mild to wildly hot. Pepper soup, for example, combines a variety of flavors and textures with sweltering heat.  Other West African cuisines—Senegalese and Ghanaian, among them—also aren't afraid of spice. While I don't know of any Nigerian or Ghanaian restaurants in Utah, there very well may be; alas, my restaurant knowledge is lacking. There is, however, a Senegalese food truck in Salt Lake City and a wide variety of East African (especially Somali) eateries thereabouts as well. 

Happy eating!

--Ardilla Feroz

Dear HR, 

PAID PARENTAL LEAVE. For some reason, this country professes to believe in families (we can see this in how upset people were when they split families up at the border) but then has some of the most laughable parental leave laws ever. And that's pretty lame. Even BYU has an utterly ridiculous maternal leave policy, and pretty much a nonexistent paternal leave. What does that say about our priorities? 

I don't want to hold this answer over by spending a lot of time researching, but suffice it to say that there is plenty of evidence from other countries (Canada, Denmark, etc.) and even some trial states (New Jersey, Rhode Island) that paid parental leave definitely benefits families, and does NOT have detrimental effects on the business (and can even be positive!). Families are happier and closer knit, and businesses experience less turnover and higher productivity. Basically, paid parental leave is good for everyone. 

It's pretty terrible that this is an unusual perk to ask for... but that's definitely something I will try for when looking for a job.

Cheers, 

Guesthouse

Dear HR,

If it's an unusual perk I would definitely ask for a Segway. How cool would that be to zip around the office on a Segway? I mean, I already have heelies, but a Segway would be the next level up.

For a less unusual perk I would love for a job to pay for me to learn Chinese. Knowing Chinese would be really useful for a career in engineering, but alas I've not been able to fit it into my time here at BYU. If I could learn it as part of a job that would be amazing.

Peace,

Tipperary

Dear HR,

I would love for a job to pay me to go on sabbatical. I would work for them for a few years to qualify, then they would pay all expenses for me to go on a vacation to a different country for about a month, and continue to pay my salary while I was there.

-Alta

Dear Hiring Radicals,

I'm totally with Guesthouse on paid parental leave. Only three countries don't mandate it, and we are one of them.

I'd also love a paid vacation every few years. I know someone working at BYUH who gets paid once every three years to take a trip to the mainland to visit their family. While BYUH just pays for airfare, I would love to have a company pay for a vacation for me every few years.

-guppy of doom

Dear Wonderer, 

If you look at some metrics, the world is getting worse - most notably, the environment. By other measures, like the ones from the charts I mentioned in Board Question #91983, the world is definitely much better than it has been in the past. It just depends what you're talking about, I think. 

Also, bad news sells. It's easier to pay attention to drama and the things we need to change than it is to remember all the good things. I highly doubt that people would watch the news as much if there was only good news to read. So people are more aware of the terrible things and they talk about them more. 

It's just a reminder that happiness and a positive attitude are a personal choice. 

Cheers, 

Guesthouse

Dear Thought,

Though the world is getting better by many metrics, I think global consciousness of where we fall short has been growing. We are recognizing more and more that there are certain ideals which society should achieve, and are painfully aware when society does not. 

~Anathema