Below, in red, are the 22 'hidden' European countries in the fictional story I posted as a puzzle a few weeks back. I think this challenge only appealed to a rather small percentage of you anyway. My sister got 19 of the 22. Missing, Andorra is understandable - but France and Greece???? This puzzle only came to be because I couldn't sleep one night and began writing it in my head...
The Story with answers:
An interesting item I read recently. Apparently dentists can detect a certain deadly germ any time they examine dental records and see one specific pattern of decay in a specific tooth. This germ affects an (obviously) unseen gland and can be fatal. Funny, but, this was realized during a very casual chat between two drunken dentists in Stockholm- not at the ‘big official annual Stockholm dental conference, but at what's secretly deemed to be a 'wiser' bi-annual conference. One in which creative minds are truly set free to converse and compare notes via huge amounts of alcohol.
So right on the spot, in the dark spirit of Faust, 'Rialto Bridge' is what these lovable drunkards named the dental pattern- because its shape is similar to the renown bridge in Venice. Hey, great idea guys.- naming a deadly disease after a beautiful old bridge in a nice land. (Lately giving very old names to things is quite in style. A sort of 'retro-mania'.) Why don't they do the opposite sometime and label a rustic bridge after a disease? 'Ebola Bridge' perhaps??
Anyway, this sudden mark in your dental x-rays is bad news. But you only get it if you're a man who’s left handed and your ancestors were largely of 'inland decent'. What?? Ok, now that's the universe being randomly cruel. Heck I say fight back randomly-.make a voodoo brew of tiger hair, eland hoof, and eye of newt. Maybe it'll work.
Apparently, if you get this disease and it's not treated soon there's no hope nor way out of it. A guy feels pain in his gut and or racing of his heart and then turns blue. Sadly people think it's contagious so it's like 'Forget it, Al, you can't come in here...' on top of feeling. bad.
Anyway- what's up with the 'criteria' for getting this disease? Inland Descent? Left handed? What's next? Getting botulism based on nose shape?. Getting typhoid if you're like a... 'well hung' Aryan with freckles? Getting gout if you live exactly 48 miles from Atlanta, Georgia? Alzheimer’s if you smoke menthol? Land size owned determining your next stroke? If a man’s wed- endless ringing in the ears? ;>)
In this case a total ban, I assume, will be put on being left handed. If you're caught using your left hand they send you right back to ‘right hander's camp’. Gonna be tough. I know there’s one thing (other than writing) that a man could never switch hands with. Which of course all of us men know is… using a hammer.
Seriously, I agree certain efforts should be made to screen and identify candidates for weird deadly diseases like this- increasingly using the help of computers as well. I say even get advanced technical help from Interpol and such with all their technology. All of it no doubt need funding though. I guess it's a start that the writer of the article I read said lots of people he knew of ran certain races as fundraisers for this. Hope a cure comes soon.
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