53 bicycles: A lateral thinking puzzle

Thread Games
2822

KK

2823

Just to provide closure, I will post the answer now.

Rex worked at a bank and stole money(cash) from the vault. He used it to play the lottery. If you can believe it, he won the lottery and had enough to pay back the cash that he had stolen. No one caught on.

Rex, being a complete idiot, thought to do the same “investment” again. He worked with a colleague this time. They stole money, played the lottery. Did NOT win much. Were unable to pay back the theft. Went on the lam and ran.

Got caught. Both were executed.

Based on true story: Dude stole $26,000(USD) the first time. Second time? He and his colleague stole $4.3 million(USD). Yeah, they got caught and were executed. Morons. Almost Darwin award worthy dumbness. In fact, last Sunday was the 10th anniversary of their execution. Happy Easter!

There is even a Wikipedia article on it.

2824

Oh well, we weren’t that close. I had been wondering if it was something to do with the milk scandal in China around the same time, for which people were also executed in punishment.

Good story.

2825

**What do you get if you cross a zebra with a pelican and Karl Marx?

According to something I just read, you would probably get a similar result as they did when folks crossed a zebra with a pelican and Ludwig van Beethoven.

What do you get?**

2826

A crossing. Both zebra and pelican are types of crossing. Marx has a crossing in the X of his name, and Beethoven famously is said to have crossed out Napoleon’s name from his Eroica symphony.

2827

This reply makes me cross. :wink:

You can’t cross a zebra with a pelican with Tex Ritter, for instance (at least I don’t think so!). But you can cross a zebra with a pelican with Karl Marx. Unless the pelican is a puffin. I’m not sure actually.

2828

But seriously, the point I am making is that you can cross a zebra with a pelican (or perhaps it is a puffin?) and Karl Marx. If you physically do all this you will get… what?

It has nothing to do with whether Karl Marx has an X in the name. Remember at one time some others actually did this experiment with Beethoven. This is a true riddle. I got a link. Napoleon is irrelevant.

2829

A thing that’s black, white and red all over?

2830

No

Good answer. Not the right one, but a good answer.
I didn’t think too much of the implications of the colors, but I see where if you imagine Karl Marx as red you might justifiably get the idea of blood. :eek:

Not sure what colors one associates with Beethoven.

2831

In this question:

  • Does *cross *refer to creating offspring with features from each parent?

  • Does *zebra *refer to the animal?

  • Does *zebra *refer to the road crossing?

  • Does *pelican/ puffin *refer to the bird?

  • Does *pelican / puffin *refer to the book publishing house?

  • Does *Beethoven *and *Karl Marx *refer to the famous people by those names?

  • Does *Beethoven *and *Karl Marx *refer to works created by those people?

  • Does *Beethoven *and *Karl Marx *refer to works about those people?

  • Does *Beethoven *and *Karl Marx *refer to objects or places named after those people?

  • Does *Beethoven *and *Karl Marx *refer to non-famous people with the same names as the famous ones?

  • Does the answer involve someone crossing a road carrying a copy of Das Kapital published by Pelican books?

2832

answer to Peter Morris:

  • Does *cross *refer to creating offspring with features from each parent? No

  • Does *zebra *refer to the animal? No

  • Does *zebra *refer to the road crossing? Yes

  • Does *pelican/ puffin *refer to the bird? No

  • Does *pelican / puffin *refer to the book publishing house? No

  • Does *Beethoven *and *Karl Marx *refer to the famous people by those names? Yes

  • Does *Beethoven *and *Karl Marx *refer to works created by those people? No

  • Does *Beethoven *and *Karl Marx *refer to works about those people? No

  • Does *Beethoven *and *Karl Marx *refer to objects or places named after those people? No

  • Does *Beethoven *and *Karl Marx *refer to non-famous people with the same names as the famous ones? No

  • Does the answer involve someone crossing a road carrying a copy of Das Kapital published by Pelican books? No

2833

Just to make sure, the word *cross *refers to the act of crossing a road on a zebra crossing?

Does this have anything to do with the Beatles?

2834

Just to make sure, the word *cross *refers to the act of crossing a road on a zebra crossing? Yes

Does this have anything to do with the Beatles? No

2835

Do Pelican and Puffin refer to the road crossings?

Is it some sort feature designed for deaf people?

2836

reply to Peter Morris

Do Pelican and Puffin refer to the road crossings? Yes

Is it some sort feature designed for deaf people? No

2837

Anyone got any ideas?

How about a hint?

2838

You guys already got the zebra and the pelican (and the puffin).

So really, the problem is why can you cross a road with Karl Marx, but not with, for instance, Vladimir Lenin?

And for the same reason why have people crossed a road with Ludwig van Beethoven, but not with Johannes Brahms?

2839

If Karl Marx had some other name, would it still be true that you could cross a road with whatever his other name was?

Same question with Beethoven?

Are any of Marx’s deeds relevant?

Are any of Beethoven’s deeds relevant?

2840

reply to Chronos

If Karl Marx had some other name, would it still be true that you could cross a road with whatever his other name was? Yes

Same question with Beethoven? Yes

Are any of Marx’s deeds relevant?** Yes**

Are any of Beethoven’s deeds relevant? Yes
+++++

Hint: In addition to Marx and Beethoven, for the same reason you can also cross a zebra with a pelican and Kate Sheppard.

2841

Is Beethoven’s deafness relevant?
Is Beethoven’s music relevant?
Are Marx’s political/philosophical writings relevant?
Is the fact that they are dead relevant?