African Nessie

In December the BBC published a fascinating report on the continuing search for the African Nessie. As we are always on the look-out for the weird and wonderful, this caught our attention and we thought we would share it with you. Dr Roy Mackal, a retired biologist from the University of Chicago is perhaps best known for failing to find the Loch Ness Monster. For much of his life he has been plumbing the depths of the loch hoping to track down Nessie. However, he has also been keeping his options open by being involved in the search for the Mokele-mbembe, a Nessie type animal that is said to reside in the swamps of northern Congo-Brazzaville.
The Mokele-mbembe is described as looking like a large reptile, with a long neck and tail. It is supposed to be a herbivore, but will roar aggressively at humans and might kill elephants with its single horn. So perhaps you don’t want to get up close and personal to this beast. In the 1980s Mackal led two expedition teams to the swamps - unfortunately without success. In total, so far there have been over 50 expeditions that have gone in search of the creature, again, to no avail. The monster is part and parcel of local folklore and there have been plenty of reported sightings, but kill-joy sceptics say that these apparent sightings are the result of hoaxes involving people wearing flippers and waving bits of cardboard under water. Taking foreigners on a ‘try and spot the monster’ tour has certainly brought additional revenue to the region. In fact, the worry is that a Disneyland Congo (akin to the tourist trap by Loch Ness) will be created in the area. But we say, keep looking and keep us posted!

Logic Problem # 61: Marriage Proposals

Four young women decide to propose marriage to their boyfriends on February 29th. Unfortunately, though, things don’t go according to plan. From the clues below, work out where each woman made the proposal, the song that was played, the initial response made by the boyfriend and what that boyfriend ended up doing.

Annabelle made her proposal outside the Guggenheim in Bilbao. Beatrice played the Billy Idol song ‘White Wedding’ as a romantic warm - up.

Charlotte’s boyfriend went on to have an affair with her brother. Daphne’s boyfriend’s response was a cautious ‘maybe’. The boyfriend who laughed at the proposition was not going out with either Annabelle or Beatrice.

The guy who received his proposal at the Acropolis ended up marrying his girlfriend’s sister. The boyfriend who had to listen to the song ‘Sex Bomb’ went off to join a monastery. Neither Charlotte nor Annabelle played ‘Love Me Do’.

Beatrice did not make her proposal at either the Acropolis or the Eiffel Tower. The person who listened to ‘White Wedding’ initially said ‘yes’ to the proposal. Annabelle’s boyfriend is not the person who went travelling round the world. And just to reassure our readers, eventually all the young women found happiness with far more suitable partners and they all lived happily ever after.

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