Daughter buys house

Post contributed by Josue Durham

My daughter just moved into her first house. I tried to talk her into waiting, but she insisted that she needed to have a house. Even though she wouldn’t listen to my advice about not buying, she still wanted my advice about everything else. I have to admit that I was slightly reluctant, but she is still my daughter and I need to help her in whatever way I can. The house is fine. There is nothing too special about it, but she likes it and I guess that is all that matters. I was able to find her some information on alarm companies and also Reliant Energy Information. She already had the water running, so that was one less thing on my list. I gave her the names of a satellite installation guy. I am not sure she even wants satellite, but it is a good number to have. She is slowly moving in and getting everything in order. I just hope she doesn’t regret this decision. Even though I don’t think it was a good one, I don’t want her to think that.

Sister and Boyfriend Puzzle

This puzzle is from the March 8, 2009 "Ask Marilyn" column in Parade Magazine:

You suspect that your sister Eve is dating your boyfriend, so you confront them.

On her good days, she always tells the truth. On her bad days, she always lies. On other days, she alternates between telling the truth and lying.

Your boyfriend is the same way, but never on the same days as your sister.

They agree to answer a total of three questions between them.

What questions should you ask to find out?

Please click here for the answer.

Apple Picking Puzzle

Three people picked 65 apples altogether. At the first tree they each picked the
same number of apples. At the second tree they each picked 3 times as many as
they picked at the first tree. When they finished at the third tree, the group
had 5 times as many apples as they had when they started at that tree. At the
fourth tree the group picked just 5 apples.

How many apples did each person pick at the first tree?

Please click here for the solution.

Jungian Analysis More in Demand by Public

Traditionally, many people felt that jungian psychotherapy was for people with trauma or mental health issues.

jungian analysis was thought to require years of treatment. The idea was that digging up the hidden forces of unconscious emotions would cause a catharsis in patients.

However, unlike many schools of treatment that focus on mental defects or diseases, jungian analysis can also be used to make breakthroughs in otherwise "normal" people.

Now the public is beginning to realize that it is effective on healthy patients - almost as a form of scientific "hard" self-help that can help you make improvements and positive changes in your life.

Working with a jungian psychoanalyst under these conditions can be seen as a step beyond normal coaching, and does not require years of analysis.

Monte Hall Problem

I've read about the Monte Hall Problem in a few different places.

Basically, the situation is that you are on a game show, and there are 3 doors in front of you. There is a car behind one door, and goats behind the other two. If you pick the door with the car, you win the car!

So, you pick one of the doors. Now, at this stage in the game, the host always opens one of the two remaining doors, which always has a goat behind it.

Now, there are only two doors to choose from. The host now gives you the chance to either stay with your choice, or switch to the other door.

What should you do?

The answer, which generates some controversy, is to always switch, because there is a 2/3 chance that the car is behind the other door. A lot of people think the odds are 50-50, but this isn't so.

When you first picked your door, there was a 2/3 chance that the car was not behind the door you picked. For convenience, let's say that you picked door A, and the other two doors are B and C. So, there is a 2/3 chance that the car is behind B or C.

Now, the host opens door B. The key is that, when the host chooses a door to open, he always chooses a door with a goat behind it. That means the host knows where the car is, so his choice is not random. This is why there is still a 1/3 chance that the car is behind door A and a 2/3 chance that the car is behind door C.

I read somewhere that this problem is easier to understand if we consider more doors. So, let us say that there are 100 doors. The car is behind one of the doors. You pick your door, and then there is a 99/100 chance that the door is behind one of the other 99 doors.

Now, the host opens 98 of the doors, revealing goats. So, now you are down to 2 doors: the one you picked and the one that the host did not open. Now, it should be a little easier to see that there is a 99/100 chance that the car is behind the second door, and that you should switch.

In both cases, the second door survived a "test" of the host unveiling goats, while your initial choice was never subjected to a test.

Mentoring

These days, parents are caught in the middle. They want to educate their children beyond what school offers - to help their kids to compete later in life. However, they do not have the time to teach their children. These parents are busy at work were ,due to downsizing, survivors must work multiple jobs.

Therefore, companies such as "Mentoring Mind" prosper. Their website offer tools, games, and activities, along with teaching strategies, to help mentor kids to develop thinking skills and become learners for life.

For example, one of their product lines are flip charts. They have them on subjects such as critical thinking and cyber bullying. Behind all their products, Mentoring Minds have research which parents can download. For example, they describe how bullying first became a concern in Norway in the 1960's and 70's, following several deaths.

"Mentoring Mind" also helps teachers with strategies for teaching, and teacher education.

A Word Problem

I saw this in the 7/8/2007 "Ask Marilyn" column of Parade Magazine:

Kevin's wife picks him up after work every day at 5:30 pm.

One day, he leaves at 4:58 pm and starts walking home.

She picks him up along the way, and when they get home, he notices that they saved 4 minutes.

How long did Kevin walk?

Please click here for the answer.