Community Magazine August 2006

 ”  76 Community Magazine  ”  The Pessimistic Professor A college class was led by an atheist professor who made no secret of his beliefs and was always eager to try spreading them to his students. One day, he asked his students, “Has anyone ever actually seen Gd?” Nobody answered. He continued, “Has anyone here ever felt Gd?” Again, nobody answered. Finally he asked, “Have any of you ever heard Gd?” And like the other times, nobody answered. He then concluded, “If none of you has ever seen, felt or heard Gd, isn’t it obvious that there is no Gd?” The class remained silent for a few moments, until one student from the back of the class spoke up. “It’s hard to argue with your logic professor. With your per- mission, I’d like to take your argument one step further.” Proud of himself, the professor agreed and turned the floor over to the student. “There are many things that we may believe exist, but how do we really know? For example, I can think of one thing in par- ticular that up till now, everyone assumed existed, yet none of us has ever seen, felt or heard it. And thanks to the professor’s logic, I can now safely say that this thing does not in fact exist. Does anyone know what I am talking about?” The student waited for someone to respond, but when no one did, he looked to the professor. Proud of his new prodigy, the professor encouraged the student, “Please share with the class what else it is that we can’t see, feel or hear – and which therefore does not really exist.” The student answered, “The professor’s brain.” B. Dweck. Send Your Solutions! email: riddles@communitym.com • fax: 718-504-4246 mail: 1616 Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11223 Correct submissions will be featured in the next issue along with your name. Riddle: Cork and a Coin Submitted by: Yosef Erani You have a bottle, a cork, and a coin. You drop the coin into the bottle and close the only opening of the bottle with the cork. How can you get the coin out without breaking the bottle or taking out the cork? Last month’s riddle: : The Gold Box There were once three brothers: Alfred, Nissim, and Jacob. Each one thought that he was the smartest. To decide which of them was really the most intelligent, they asked their fourth brother, Nathan, to give them a test. Nathan instructed them as follows: “In a separate room I will paint a red or blue dot on each of your foreheads without you seeing which color I’m using. When you walk out to join your brothers, if you see at least one red dot on someone else’s forehead, you must put your hands up. Then, whoever says first what color dot is painted on his forehead, wins.” Nathan then painted only red dots on everyone. When they went out, of course everybody had their hands up, but after deep concentration, Alfred, the smartest one of them said: “I have a red dot on my forehead.” How could he be so sure? Solution: Alfred knew that he had a red dot because he realized that if he had a blue dot on his forehead, Nissim or Jacob would each know that they have a red dot because they are both raising their hands. Since neither Jacob nor Nissim called out that they have a red dot, Alfred was sure that he did not have a blue dot. Solved by: David Dabah, Elliot Dabah, Nadi Cohen Submitted by: Rachel Sharon Esther is one of 3 sisters. The name of the oldest is April and the youngest is called June. What is the name of the other sister? Last month’s junior riddle: Ball in a Hole A table tennis ball fell into a deep pipe. The pipe was only a bit wider then the ball, so you would not be able to fit your hand inside. How could you take out the ball without damaging it? Solution: Fill the hole with water and the ball will rise to the top. Solved by: Jennifer Massre, Yehoshua Harary, Zalman Cohen A new book is published every 13 minutes in America. The length of time the average American spends waiting at red lights throughout their lifetime is: A. 6 days B. 6 weeks C. 6 months D. 6 years Useless Trivia: National Pride Answer C Junior Riddle: Calendar Sisters