Mental Math: Office Social Question (posted by Accounting Principles)

Question:
Of the 80 colleagues in an office, 25 are going to an event, 15 are working late and 13 are volunteering. 3 are going to an event and working late; 4 are working late and volunteering; 2 are going to an event and volunteering; and none are doing all three. How many colleagues are not going to an event, working late, or volunteering? Answer using Mental Math
Part One: Understand the Language

The hardest part is to understand this sentence in the question: "25 are going to an event, 15 are working late and 13 are volunteering."


"25 are going to an event" DOES NOT MEAN "25 colleagues are only going to an event and not take part in other activity".

"25 are going to an event" MEANS "25 colleagues are going to an event and some of them may also take part in the other one or two remaining activities.  In other words:
Employees GOING TO AN EVENT ONLY + Employees GOING TO AN EVENT and working late + Employees GOING TO AN EVENT and volunteering + Employees doing all three: GOING TO AN EVENT, working late and volunteering = 25

Therefore,
Number of Employees GOING TO AN EVENT ONLY = 25 - (Employees GOING TO AN EVENT and working late + Employees GOING TO AN EVENT and volunteering +  Employees doing all three) = 25 - (3 + 2 + 0) = 20
The same interpretation should apply to the rest of the sentence. 

Number of Employees WORKING LATE ONLY = 15 - (Employees WORKING LATE and going to an event + Employees WORKING LATE and volunteering +  Employees doing all three) = 15 - (3 + 4 + 0) = 8

Number of Employees VOLUNTEERING ONLY = 13 - (Employees VOLUNTEERING and working late + Employees VOLUNTEERING and going to an event +  Employees doing all three) = 13 - (4 + 2 + 0) = 7
Once you understand the language used in the question correctly, finding the answer is easy.

Part Two: The Solution

The total number of colleagues in the office is 80.

80 = number of employees who ARE NOT taking part in ANY ACTIVITY (Group Zero) + number of employees who ARE TAKING PART IN ONE ACTIVITY ONLY (Group One) + number of employees who are taking part in TWO ACTIVITIES (Group Two) + number of employees who are taking part in ALL THREE ACTIVITIES (Group Three)
Calculating Group One (number of employees who ARE TAKING PART IN ONE ACTIVITY):
Group One = Number of Employees Going to An Event ONLY + Number of Employees Working Late ONLY + Number of Employees Volunteering ONLYGroup One = 20 + 8 + 7 = 35Calculating Group Two: (Number of Employees Who Are Taking Part in Two Activities)
Group Two = Number of Employees Going to An Event and Working Late + Number of Employees Working Late and Volunteering + Number of Employees Going to an Event and VolunteeringGroup Two = 3 + 4 + 2 = 9Calculating Group Three: (Number of Employees Who Are Taking Part in All Three)
As stated in the question, number of employees who are doing all three equals ZERO (0)Group Three = 0Group Zero = 80 - (Group One + Group Two + Group Three)Group Zero = 80 - (35 + 9 + 0) = 36

Answer: Number of colleagues not taking part in any activity (going to an event, working late or volunteering) is 36.

Answer to Office Social Question

Question:
Of the 80 colleagues in an office, 25 are going to an event, 15 are working late and 13 are volunteering. 3 are going to an event and working late; 4 are working late and volunteering; 2 are going to an event and volunteering; and none are doing all three. How many colleagues are not going to an event, working late, or volunteering?

Answer using Mental Math
Part One: Understand the Language

The hardest part is to understand this sentence in the question: "25 are going to an event, 15 are working late and 13 are volunteering."


"25 are going to an event" DOES NOT MEAN "25 colleagues are only going to an event and not take part in other activity".

"25 are going to an event" MEANS "25 colleagues are going to an event and some of them may also take part in the other one or two remaining activities.  In other words:
Employees GOING TO AN EVENT ONLY + Employees GOING TO AN EVENT and working late + Employees GOING TO AN EVENT and volunteering + Employees doing all three: GOING TO AN EVENT, working late and volunteering = 25

Therefore,
Number of Employees GOING TO AN EVENT ONLY = 25 - (Employees GOING TO AN EVENT and working late + Employees GOING TO AN EVENT and volunteering +  Employees doing all three) = 25 - (3 + 2 + 0) = 20
The same interpretation should apply to the rest of the sentence. 

Number of Employees WORKING LATE ONLY = 15 - (Employees WORKING LATE and going to an event + Employees WORKING LATE and volunteering +  Employees doing all three) = 15 - (3 + 4 + 0) = 8

Number of Employees VOLUNTEERING ONLY = 13 - (Employees VOLUNTEERING and working late + Employees VOLUNTEERING and going to an event +  Employees doing all three) = 13 - (4 + 2 + 0) = 7
Once you understand the language used in the question correctly, finding the answer is easy.
Part Two: The Solution

The total number of colleagues in the office is 80.

80 = number of employees who ARE NOT taking part in ANY ACTIVITY (Group Zero) + number of employees who ARE TAKING PART IN ONE ACTIVITY ONLY (Group One) + number of employees who are taking part in TWO ACTIVITIES (Group Two) + number of employees who are taking part in ALL THREE ACTIVITIES (Group Three)
Calculating Group One (number of employees who ARE TAKING PART IN ONE ACTIVITY):
Group One = Number of Employees Going to An Event ONLY + Number of Employees Working Late ONLY + Number of Employees Volunteering ONLYGroup One = 20 + 8 + 7 = 35
Calculating Group Two: (Number of Employees Who Are Taking Part in Two Activities)
Group Two = Number of Employees Going to An Event and Working Late + Number of Employees Working Late and Volunteering + Number of Employees Going to an Event and VolunteeringGroup Two = 3 + 4 + 2 = 9
Calculating Group Three: (Number of Employees Who Are Taking Part in All Three)
As stated in the question, number of employees who are doing all three equals ZERO (0)Group Three = 0

Group Zero = 80 - (Group One + Group Two + Group Three)
Group Zero = 80 - (35 + 9 + 0) = 36

Answer: Number of colleagues not taking part in any activity (going to an event, working late or volunteering) is 36.

Saturday Circuit Fuse

My apartment home has recently experienced power outage in one power outlet. So I phoned in to the maintenance office. When the janitor arrived, he PULLED OUT HIS TOOL and OPENED MY POWER SOURCE CLOSET. He said, "Wow, you have 6 circuits in this housing; that is a lot of power for the house, dude! But one of the circuit fuse got burnt."

I responded, "There are 6 ...of them here. They all look same-same to me. I am not familiar with electrical engineering. Can you please just point out the one that is burnt?" He replied, "The Red one".

I said, "Now, it's easy. There's only one RED. I could identify it. Can I touch it?"

He responded, "Normally, you would't be able to touch it as you might get shocked. But I have turned off the power. So yeah, you can go ahead and touch it."

I asked, "Am I supposed to pull or push it here?"

He instructed, "You just rotate it 360 degrees".

So I managed to take it out. My apartment home is cold, but this fuse feels so warm in my palm. I asked him "Can I smell it?"

He smiled astonishingly, "I don't see why not!?"

So I placed it near my nose, and it smells like burned iron or magnet of some sort. A little bit weird...

I WEIGHed UP ON THIS WITH HIM, "Is this smell bad for my health?".

He laughed, "Of course, it wouldn't be bad for you, unless you spend 24 hours staying in this closet and smelling this stuff. I do it all the time, and LOOK, I feel quite like a dandy - pretty GOOD SHAPE here isn't it?

I FELT SATIFIED WITH HIS ANSWER, so I placed the fuse back to its housing." I asked, "So when are we able to FIX THIS?

He said, "This thing needs to be special ordered. It is not a common piece of hardware. The part will COME IN ON SATURDAY."

I advised him, "My TV is hooked to the power outlet without power. I need to watch a special show AROUND 11:00 PM on Saturday. Hope IT WILL BE FIXED AT THAT TIME."

He assured, "Sure thing! You can TRUST* my track record of getting things done. May I ask for the name of that show."

I revealed, "Five Sheeps and a Red Witch".

Powerball #Broken_Dream #Empty_Promise #Blood_Greed #Stuck_Like_Glue #Incredible_Machine #Organized_Crime_Ring

Exactly what I need to drill this small hole

A very small hole...It will be very tight- trust me. I could do this, but I am looking 4 the right TOOLs. I am sure my neighbor, he, has this!

Yeah, I would get to it immediately. I've been looking forward to this quick fix, and just need that tool if the guy next door could offer.

Where am I fixing this small hole? In the bathroom, right at the bathtub. If you were here I could show it to you. This job is not an issue.

Oh yeah, just a medium size, sharped tip screwdriver could do this job perfectly. It doesn't have to be one with long and big handle. Thanks!

I am feeling so good. Now my shower liner could hang nicely to full length! I am so proud of... myself!

The light yellow see-thru hand tool I got, straighting my bathtub rod, that I borrowed from the guy next door, was StanLey, made in Russia...

ALL TIME LOW - Time Bomb

ALL TIME LOW – TIME BOMB

This is a story of two teenage friends in a simulated battlefield, playing with toy guns.  But this doesn't stop your imagination, does it?

From the get-go, I knew this was HARD* TO HOLD (Ricky Le: My expectation is that yours is ________ )

Like a crash, THE WHOLE* THING SPUN OUT of control

Oh, on a WIRE*, we were DANCING (Ricky Le: wire = condom; dancing = _______ )

TWO KIDS, no consequences (Ricky Le: two guys having no girls)

PULL THE TRIGGER without thinking (Ricky Le: what are you waiting for dude; we can complement one another!)

There's only ONE WAY DOWN THIS ROAD*! (Ricky Le: Yep, you know it!)

It was like a TIME BOMB set into MOTION; (Ricky Le:  Keep going; faster, faster, faster)

We knew that we were DESTINED TO EXPLODE*…  (Ricky Le: Yeah, yeah, yeah!)

And if I have to PULL YOU OUT OF THE WRECKAGE* (Ricky Le: If I feel hurt there and you* have to get out, ____________ )
You know I'm NEVER GONNA LET YOU GO (Ricky Le: _______,  I still have other ways to possess and entertain you; no worry, dude)

We're like a TIME BOMB

- Gonna LOSE IT, let's DEFUSE IT! (Ricky Le: Can’t hold it; let’s release this jittery)

Baby, we're like a TIME BOMB,

But I need it

- Wouldn't have it any other way!

Well, there's no way out of this; (Ricky Le: It feels so good, but I am not there yet)

So let's STAY IN…

Every storm that COMES,

Also comes to an END* (Ricky Le:  I am almost getting there.  Decide which end, dude!)

Oh, resistance is useless (Ricky Le: I try to let our game last longer, but this is it!)

Just two kids stupid and fearless,

Like a BULLET, SHOOTING a lesson;

There's only ONE WAY DOWN THIS ROAD…

It was like a TIME BOMB set into MOTION;

We knew that we were DESTINED TO EXPLODE…

And if I have to PULL YOU OUT OF THE WRECKAGE,

You know I'm never gonna let you go…

We're like a time bomb

- Gonna lose it, let's defuse it!

Baby, we're like a time bomb,

But I need it

- Wouldn't have it any other way!

Got MY HEART* in YOUR HANDS, like a time bomb TICKing

It GOES OFF, we start again (Ricky Le: Yes, we can take a 5 minutes break and start over again)

When it BREAKS*, we FIX it (Dude: it’s easy to get UP; I also have several “ready-to-go” plastic containers)

Got YOUR HEART* in MY HANDS, like a time bomb TICKing

We should know better,

But we won't let go…

It was like a time bomb set into motion;

We knew that we were destined to explode…

And if I have to pull you out of the wreckage,

You know I'm never gonna let you go…

Like a time bomb

- Gotta lose it, let's defuse it!

Baby, we're like a time bomb,

But I need it

- Wouldn't have it any other way!

No Language Barrier

Venegas stays close to home

Mexican superstar Julieta Venegas finds fans around the world - no English required
By Jess Righthand (Washington Post Express)
Nov. 4, 2011
Grammy-winning Mexican singer-songwriter Julieta Venegas could easily have the universal name recognition of an Enrique Iglesias or a Shakira.
But who needs it?
The 40-year-old singer is already a mega star throughout Latin America, and she tours all over the world. She hasn't put out an English-language crossover album, but her music - an accessible hybrid of traditional Mexican ranchera and more modern electronic and mainstream elements - is instantly recognizable, regardless of language. Besides, translating her songs into English is something she has simply never wanted to do.
"My music is very personal, and my way of working is also very personal," Venegas says from a hotel room in Los Angeles, one stop on the second tour for her 2010 album, "Otra Cosa."
"Spanish expresses who I am emotionally. . . . I think to translate an album into English or any other language, you have to be a different sort of artist."
Venegas is a different sort of artist. While many of her songs will entice you to get up and dance, there is also an intimacy to her work that comes through even for those whose Spanish doesn't go much beyond "hola."
That intimacy, at least on "Otra Cosa," largely comes from the fact that Venegas wrote, arranged and recorded almost everything by herself, from the comfort of her home in Mexico City.
"I like doing nothing but writing," she says. "I barely leave my house. I'm not the kind of writer who's like, 'Oh, I'm inspired, let me write a song.' I'm more, like, everyday on the piano. I really love that process."
After five studio albums and one "MTV Unplugged" album, Venegas is still incredibly shy about exposing new material to other musicians. By the time she went into the studio to finish recording "Otra Cosa" with Argentine producer Cachorro Lopez, she had dozens of completely fleshed-out songs, some of which would never even make the album.
"Sometimes I lose objectivity when I'm working by myself too much," Venegas says. "I don't know what's good and what's awful, and I really just need somebody else to listen to what I'm doing, and [Lopez] really helps me out with that."
In the case of "Ya Conoceran," a punchy yet tender meditation on loss and living in the moment, Venegas also enlisted the help of a "listener friend" in Mexico City, who she says "isn't afraid to be mean."
"I was like, 'What do you think? . . . Do you think I should throw it out? Or should I keep working on it?' " Venegas played the song and was surprised to see her friend's emotional reaction.
"He made me like the song more," she says.
Venegas may be something of a lone wolf when it comes to writing and recording, but her live shows bring all hands on deck. Venegas, though primarily a pianist, also plays accordion and guitar, and she expects the same versatility of her bandmates. Her current band may have only seven members - far fewer than the 15 or so who played on her 2008 "MTV Unplugged" album - but each plays multiple instruments.
"I've always wanted that kind of band, people who just kind of dare to play around," she says.
Although a melancholy, introspective tone permeates several songs on "Otra Cosa," the album still glows with Venegas's characteristic playfulness. "Despedida" (which translates to "goodbye") might be the least angry breakup song out there. On the chorus, Venegas croons: "Para lo que tuvimos tu y yo / Y se acabo / Por eso brindemos hoy," which translates roughly to "For what you and I had / Though it's finished / Let's toast to it today."
"Otra Cosa" is, in many ways, a response to Venegas's last studio album, the 2006 smash hit "Limon y Sal," which won a Grammy for best Latin pop album. (Venegas has also won several Latin Grammys.)
"I think there was a lot of 'desencanto,' or disillusionment, in this album," Venegas says. "When I wrote 'Limon y Sal,' it was very passionate and running off to things and throwing yourself at them. [On 'Otra Cosa'] I wanted to give it a different feel, and I didn't really feel like writing stories about falling in love and all that. It was more like falling out of love and just getting kind of tired of love."
After nearly a year of touring and the birth of her daughter, Venegas says she is ready to get back into the rhythm of writing. She hopes to try something entirely new and different, but she still has both feet firmly planted on the ground.
"I think change is always good," she says. "Sometimes it will take you in one direction, sometimes in another. I guess my attitude is much more laid-back now. When I put out my first album I didn't know who I was, I didn't know what I really wanted to do or what kind of career I wanted. Now I'm pretty clear about it."

Thanks, but "No, thanks"

Thanks to President Obama's Healthcare Reform Act, now you have to schedule a doctor appointment up to 4-6 weeks in advance and wait in the lobby for up to 2 hours in order to see your family doctor or a heathcare practitioner. I remember one day I attended a rally supporting healthcare reform, they gave out campaign T-shirts.  Wanting to support a "good cause" (huh?), I asked for medium size, since I am a small Asian guy.  The organizer decisively gave me an Extra-Large size instead, explaining to me, "The medium size is reserved for female supporters, so I can only give you the XL at this time" - knowing clearly that I would not fit in that baggy shirt.

Thanks to the American CARD Act of 2009, the National Bankers Association (Bank of America, Chase, Citibank, Wells Fargo, etc) become an EVIL CONGLOMERATE, while the TRUE EVIL LOAN SHARKS suddenly become Americans' saviours.  After banking regulation to the extreme, Advance America (offering pay day cash advances at cut-throat interest rates like 36% APR or much higher) and Cashed Check stores have not just GROWN IN SIZES near military bases in North Carolina.  Instead, these loan sharks have THRIVED and ERECTED across America.

Ouch, I've got more than what I bargained for.  Thanks, but "No, thanks"...