The Answer to Life- Phoenix 42

Cardinal Sin · Post by **Cardinal Sin** » Mon May 14, 2007 11:41 am

Right. So you're now asking me to guess the incorrect answer to a question.

The Phoenix truly has plummeted to new depths.

Right, other countries mentioned include Egypt, Japan, Denmark, Sweden, Eire, Finland, and Holland.

Am I right?

Istenem · Post by **Istenem** » Mon May 14, 2007 11:44 am

no, no, no.

wikipedia wrote:Dana International (Hebrew: &#1491]Yemenite[/b] origin, who won the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest for her song "Diva".

so:

Weyland · Post by **Weyland** » Mon May 14, 2007 11:51 am

It appears Ofra Haza had the same issue!

Ofra Haza (Hebrew: עפרה חזה, IPA [ʕafˈraːʔ hazˈzaːʕ]) November 19, 1957 – February 23, 2000) was a popular Israeli singer, actress and international recording artist. Of Yemenite Jewish ancestry...

I think the confusion arises because of the way Wikipedia descibes the ancestry of these two individuals. It's like a bloke living in London describing himself as Scottish becuase his parents are, despite the fact he was born in England.

Cardinal Sin · Post by **Cardinal Sin** » Mon May 14, 2007 11:52 am

Am I too late?

Istenem · Post by **Istenem** » Mon May 14, 2007 11:57 am

ta-da. Yemen wins. all yours YE.

Cardinal Sin · Post by **Cardinal Sin** » Mon May 14, 2007 12:04 pm

I should have been on the look out for a Yemen-based question.

Right. Scottish Premier League football now...

In all but one of the last few years, the team finishing in 7th place has more points than the team finishing in 6th...

For example, 2003-2004, the league table looked like this...

6th - Motherwell, played 39, 49 points
7th - Dundee, played 39, 57 points

Why does this happen nearly every year?

Istenem · Post by **Istenem** » Mon May 14, 2007 12:10 pm

is there some sort of bizarre weighting for games against the big two?

stuart4010 · Post by **stuart4010** » Mon May 14, 2007 12:12 pm

After 33 games the league splits into 2 "mini-leagues", top 6 and bottom 6. Assuming the gap between 6th and 7th placed teams isn't great, then as the 6th place team has, according to the league structure, 5 harder games to play. The team in 7th has 5 easier games to play, and invariably wins more than the 6th place team.

Weyland · Post by **Weyland** » Mon May 14, 2007 12:13 pm

Er... the extension of the Duckworth-Lewis system to football?

Is it something to do with matches being cancelled and the score guessed?

Cardinal Sin · Post by **Cardinal Sin** » Mon May 14, 2007 12:24 pm

What's Duckworth-Lewis?

Stuart is bang-on, the league splits in 2 before the last 5 matches of the season, so the team in 7th will play easier matches than the team in 6th.

Which is a complete farce. But not as much as the farce that goes on at the end of most seasons to prevent the team finishing 1st in Division 1 being promoted (usually cos of trivial stadium issues). The teams in the SPL can basically vote to not allow the team up from Division 1, hence the SPL getting referred to as the "Self-Preservation League".

As a result of this, some of the teams who've no chance of getting back into the SPL are proposing a new league called SPL2. Quite how you can have a second Premier league is beyond me.

Anyway, rant over!

Over to Stuart

stuart4010 · Post by **stuart4010** » Mon May 14, 2007 12:42 pm

It was only a matter of time before another scotsman got in there first, i thought I might as well be first!!

Ok, mental arithmetic time.

what does the following equal?

The number directly opposite 20 on a dart board

x

The number to the left hand side of 0 on a european roulette wheel

+

The number of "Heinz Varieties"

x

The number of the Police Academy Movie "Citizens on Patrol"

-

(16 squared)

=???

Cardinal Sin · Post by **Cardinal Sin** » Mon May 14, 2007 12:50 pm

Bloody hell. A poser, not helped that I don't really know the layout of a roulette wheel...

Or Police Academy films for that matter.

Still, I'll guess 176

(whereabouts in Scotland are you from btw?)

Istenem · Post by **Istenem** » Mon May 14, 2007 12:55 pm

3x (guess)10 = 30
30+57 = 87
87x (guess) 4 = 348
348 - 256 = 92

so 92. i am quite sure i am right but just in case do i get points for showing my working?

stuart4010 · Post by **stuart4010** » Mon May 14, 2007 12:57 pm

nope, although 3 figures are reuired for the answer (not much help that really!).

Perhaps i should stipulate that the roulette part is if you were looking from the inside of the roulette wheel outwards - in other words it's not 32 i'm looking for, it's the other side of that.

Good effort, only your roulette number is wrong UP. As ever, full marks will only be given where appropriate working is shown.

Cardinal Sin · Post by **Cardinal Sin** » Mon May 14, 2007 1:08 pm

And in swoops the Cardinal with...

Dartboard = 3
Roulette = 17
Heinz = 57
Police Academy = 4 (cheers UP)
16 squared = 256

Therefore, 3 * 17 + 57 * 4 - 256 =

176.

Which is the same answer I got last time.

Nutsacks.