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Time of India
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Today's TOI Mini Crossword clues for 23 May 2025
The Mini Crossword at Times of India offers a quick yet engaging puzzle challenge that refreshes daily. It's perfect for players who enjoy solving puzzles but have limited time. Whether you're new to crossword puzzles or a seasoned pro, our mini version offers the perfect mix of challenge and fun. Start your day with a brain-teasing puzzle that will sharpen your vocabulary and improve your problem-solving skills. With new puzzles updated daily, this crossword is ideal for players looking to relax or take a short break during a busy schedule. The Mini Crossword follows the classic crossword puzzle format but in a condensed form, allowing you to solve it quickly while still enjoying the thrill of figuring out the clues. Simply read the hints, enter the correct answers, and fill in the grid. The simple interface ensures a smooth and enjoyable experience for all ages. If you're looking for more games, TOI has a wide range of other puzzles and brain teasers to explore. Stay sharp with Sudoku, Word Search, and many more options available at your fingertips! How to play Mini Crossword Get going Take a moment to familiarise yourself with the crossword grid and the clues provided. Crack the clues Begin by selecting a clue from the list. Categories are Across and Down. Read the clue carefully, then think of the corresponding word or phrase that fits the grid. Input answers Click on the first box of the word you want to enter. Start typing the letters of your answer. Keep going until you've completed the word or phrase. Utilise functions Need a hint? "Reveal Character" uncovers one letter. But be wary, using it incurs time penalties which increases with every usage. It's best to use this sparingly to maintain a good completion time. Watch the clock Keep an eye on the timer displayed. Faster completions with minimum penalties fetch higher ranks. Regular practice The more you play, the better you'll become. Experiment with different solving strategies to find what works best for you. Mini Crossword today's link for 23 May 2025 Mini Crossword hints for 23 May 2025 Building for human habitation When shelter becomes home... Domestic dwelling? Residential structure Family sanctuary Final hint: Where the heart is [Think about it...] Take malicious pleasure in another's misfortune When schadenfreude emerges... Spiteful satisfaction? Vindictive enjoyment Malicious celebration Final hint: What villains do after their enemy fails [Consider the possibilities...] Deep sorrow especially caused by death When loss overwhelms the heart... Profound sadness? Overwhelming mourning Heart-wrenching pain Final hint: What follows tragic loss [Almost there...] Smoothly polite and sophisticated When charm meets refinement... Elegant demeanor? Polished sophistication Smooth charisma Final hint: James Bond-like quality [One last effort...] Ready to Complete Today's Puzzle? From domestic spaces to polished sophistication, From malicious satisfaction to profound sorrow, We've explored quite a range today! Remember, crossing letters can help illuminate your path to the solution. Keep solving! Mini Crossword related FAQs What is the Mini Crossword? The Mini Crossword is a smaller, quicker version of a traditional crossword puzzle. Typically featuring a 5x5 grid, it is designed to be completed in just a few minutes, offering a bite-sized puzzle experience that's perfect for busy players or those new to crosswords. How do I play the Mini Crossword? Playing the Mini Crossword is simple. Just read the clues and fill in the corresponding boxes with the correct answers. Horizontal clues fill the "across" spaces, while vertical clues correspond to "down" spaces. How is the Mini Crossword different from a regular crossword? The Mini Crossword is shorter and simpler than a regular crossword, usually containing fewer and shorter words. It can typically be completed within a few minutes, making it an excellent option for casual puzzle solvers or those looking for a quick brain teaser. Can I play the Mini Crossword on mobile devices? The Mini Crossword is shorter and simpler than a regular crossword, usually containing fewer and shorter words. It can typically be completed within a few minutes, making it an excellent option for casual puzzle solvers or those looking for a quick brain teaser. How often are new Mini Crossword puzzles released? The Mini Crossword is shorter and simpler than a regular crossword, usually containing fewer and shorter words. It can typically be completed within a few minutes, making it an excellent option for casual puzzle solvers or those looking for a quick brain teaser. Are the puzzles free to play? The Mini Crossword is shorter and simpler than a regular crossword, usually containing fewer and shorter words. It can typically be completed within a few minutes, making it an excellent option for casual puzzle solvers or those looking for a quick brain teaser. What if I get stuck on a clue? If you're stuck on a clue, don't worry! You can skip to other clues and return later, or use the "hint" function to reveal a letter or word, helping you solve the puzzle more easily. How do I improve my Mini Crossword solving skills? To improve, try solving puzzles regularly. As you practice, you'll start to recognize common word patterns and develop strategies to solve puzzles more quickly and accurately. You can also review past puzzles for additional practice. Already played today's game? Practice more from the archives: Also Read | NYT Wordle | Roblox Anime Dimensions codes | Roblox Shindo Life codes AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
UK spy agency MI5 reveals fruity secrets in new show
For the first time in MI5's 115-year history, the famous UK spy agency is revealing some of its secrets in a London show featuring confessions from double agents and James Bond-like gadgets. Under the spotlight is Karl Muller, one of the first major enemies captured by the domestic intelligence agency in 1915, and his fruity demise. Agents suspected Muller of being a German spy but it was a humble lemon, on show in the "MI5: Official Secrets" exhibition, that brought him down. Muller claimed he used the fruit, found in his coat upon his arrest, to clean his teeth. But he had in fact used its juice as invisible ink on a seemingly ordinary letter intercepted by MI5, informing his superiors of British troop movements during the war. He was executed shortly afterwards in the Tower of London. MI5 had been founded a few years before amid fears of a German invasion and army officer Vernon Kell was its first head. Today, more than 5,000 people work for the agency, cousin of the MI6 foreign service made famous by James Bond. "Having worked for MI5 for nearly 30 years I can tell you that the reality of our work is often different from fiction," MI5 Director Ken McCallum said at a preview of the exhibition, organised with the National Archives, in Kew, west London. "MI5 life is about ordinary human beings together doing extraordinary things to keep our country safe," he added. - 'A Woman's Intuition' - The exhibition, which opens on Saturday, does not shy away from some of the agency's less glorious episodes. The Cold War section displays a passport and a personalised briefcase left in a London club by British diplomat Guy Burgess, a Russian double agent since World War II who fled to Moscow in 1951 as the net closed in on him. The exhibition also features a note confirming that Queen Elizabeth II's private secretary had told the monarch in the early 1970s that Anthony Blunt, her art advisor, was a Soviet agent. The queen reacted "all very calmly and without surprise", read the note. Among the more recent objects on display include a mortar shell fired by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) into the garden of 10 Downing Street, the prime minister's residence, in 1991. The exhibition is interspersed with commentary from anonymous MI5 agents. "Agents continue to be one the most important sources of intelligence used by MI5," one wrote in 2024. But managing agents remains "complex", they added, listing essential questions that needed to be answered, such as "What is their motivation?", "Are they telling the truth?", "How do you assess if they're working for the other side?" While intelligence was overwhelmingly male in its early days, nearly 48 percent of MI5 employees were women in 2022. Famous agent Maxwell Knight was one of the first to suggest that women could make good spies in the 1930s. "A woman's intuition is sometimes amazingly helpful and amazingly correct," he wrote. For those dreaming of an MI5 career, tests are on hand to answer the fundamental question: "Could you be a spy?" One challenges visitors to take in as much information as possible in 10 seconds, while another mission tests code-breaking skills. The free exhibition ends on September 28. ctx-jwp/jkb/phz
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
I toured the Getty Villa weeks after 17 employees fought flames from the Los Angeles fires. Here's how it became an anti-fire fortress.
The Getty Villa survived the Pacific Palisades fire, aided by its construction and technology. The museum's staff also spent days protecting the property and its artifacts from flames and smoke. Photos from the Getty Villa after the fire show what it takes to keep an at-risk estate safe. When fire razed the Pacific Palisades in January, the Getty Villa proved itself to be practically impenetrable. Built like a fortress and outfitted with state-of-the-art firefighting infrastructure, this museum, a replica of an ancient Roman estate, remained standing as nearby homes burned down. The facility's emergency preparedness specialist, Les Borsay, gave Business Insider a tour of the villa just weeks after he and a team of about 17 employees fought the flames encroaching on the property. "It's not luck that this place is still here," he said. In an era of megafires that can threaten urban areas like Los Angeles, the Getty Villa shows what it can take to keep an at-risk estate safe. The Palisades fire sped down a hillside toward the Getty Villa on January 7, starting days of firefighting. "It was a little shocking how fast it moved," said Borsay, who was on-site when the fire broke out. The museum is closed to visitors on Tuesdays, so there were no guests to evacuate. The villa is a museum of the J. Paul Getty Trust. It houses a collection of ancient Greek and Roman art. The trust possesses the largest endowment of any museum in the world, estimated at more than $8 billion in 2023. It also includes the Getty Center, an art museum 13 miles away in the Brentwood area, which has survived its own brushes with fire. Most buildings on the property are made of concrete with a tile roof, which is quite fire-resistant. "Everybody always told me about the James Bond-like construction of our sites," Katherine E. Fleming, the president and CEO of the Getty Trust, said in a press release after the fire. "And then I actually saw it in action. It is pretty astonishing." Still, the facility staff had already sprung into action when they heard a fire had started in the Palisades that morning. They wanted to prevent as many spot fires as possible — ignitions of vegetation, cars, or smaller wood structures — and protect the museum's art from smoke or changes in humidity. Staff also moved cars into the underground concrete parking garage. They taped up doors to prevent smoke from seeping into rooms where ancient artwork is kept. The particulate matter in smoke can damage art and ancient artifacts. They shut off the museum's HVAC system to outside air. If pressure indoors was lower than pressure outdoors, the system could suck in smoke. The fire was approaching the Ranch House, which came with the property when J. Paul Getty bought it after World War II. He added a second floor and filled the house with his growing art collection. All vents into the house's attic area are fitted with mesh, Borsay said, to prevent embers from flying in and starting fires inside. Ignition-prevention experts have told Business Insider they recommend homeowners install noncombustible, eighth-inch mesh screening on all vents on the outside of their homes. Still, the fire's proximity made Borsay nervous until the Los Angeles Fire Department dropped water to snuff it out. Fire trucks went in and out of the villa that day because of its central location and 50,000-gallon underground water tank. "If we have a place that's safe, a place with water, they're going to come in and use it to be able to protect us and our surrounding area," Borsay said. Sharing the water is the neighborly thing to do, he said, but also, "if our neighbors start going down, that could impact us." Fire hydrants across the museum estate can help fight any fires on-site. They draw from the underground water tank, which feeds automatic sprinklers inside the Getty buildings. Staff members took turns putting on N95s and goggles, grabbing fire extinguishers, and spending up to 30 minutes outside spraying spot fires. None of them were trained firefighters, but they all had basic fire extinguisher training. Bushes, vines, and trees were catching fire from all the flying embers. Putting out those fires early helped prevent the flames from spreading. Borsay said everybody was allowed to leave but many people chose to stay behind to protect the estate and its ancient statues and artifacts. "This is everybody's shared cultural history that we're the stewards of," he said. Unlike the Ranch House, the villa building was "built like a vault," Borsay said. The villa's concrete and travertine construction makes its walls virtually unburnable. "Concrete's lovely. The brutalists were right," Borsay said. Getty had the villa constructed in the 1960s and '70s as a replica of the Villa dei Papiri in the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum. In AD 79, the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius buried the city and the villa. "He knew that this place burned," Borsay said of J. Paul Getty. "I think that that's part of the reason why it was built the way it was." Fire is a natural part of the Santa Monica mountains' ecosystem, so brush fires are common. Fire-rated doors also protect the artworks and artifacts inside the building. "You can imagine some of our lenders were a little concerned," Borsay said, so he sent them videos of the art inside to show it was safe. When fire burned through a corridor of trees on the estate, Borsay wasn't worried about the villa building itself. He was, however, keeping an eye on a nearby elevator shaft. "All around this elevator it was just huge flames. That was probably the part I was most concerned about," Borsay said. It's an outdoor elevator, going from the estate's entrance to the outdoor auditorium, but it's also connected to indoor areas. So if fire had gotten into the elevator, it could have spread inside an auxiliary building. Windows are another major vulnerability for any structure, so keeping them clear of foliage is crucial. Borsay said the museum groundskeepers had been careful about that. Landscaping is key to preventing the spread of fire. Wildfires often spread to new buildings through embers falling and gathering in flammable materials — like dry bushes, firewood piles, or dead leaves clogging roof gutters. That's why ignition experts recommend keeping up with yard work and maintaining a 5-foot fuel-free zone around a house or building. The museum has two gardens. Both were well watered, so even as embers rained down, they didn't burn. "We kept an eye on it, but I was less concerned about it," Borsay said. "And again, even if this area burns, it's going to be pretty safe inside." The villa emerged ashy, but none of its structures burned. The Palisades fire burned for 24 days. Getty staff members began the long process of replacing damaged irrigation and sprinkler equipment, cleaning up ash, and monitoring the facility for looters or new fires. Flames even reemerged on a hill near the parking lot a week after the fire had passed. Embers had been smoldering in the dirt. By the time Business Insider visited the facility in February, most of the ash had already been cleared. There's still a lot of work to do. Conservators are assessing the art to ensure it wasn't damaged. The surrounding area is undergoing its own cleanup and rebuilding process. It's unclear when the museum will reopen. Even so, the property is a world away from when it was covered in ash and soot. "It's amazing how clean it looks like right now," Borsay said, "because I'll tell you in the days after, it just was a serious mess." Read the original article on Business Insider
