Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

Good to see you back, celadon!

Thank you Chrise - after 12 rejected posts ( even after editing out the punctuations - which incidently made very poor reading ), I was on the verge of completely giving up. Let's hope that all the the big hitters out there receive Norahs message.

FACEBOOK’S small tax bill means it is eligible for a range of benefits for people on low incomes, it has emerged.

After paying just £4,327 in tax, suggesting an income of around £20,000, the company says it is struggling to make ends meet and has been forced to apply for housing benefit, winter heating allowance and a bus pass.

Founder Mark Zuckerberg said: “I should get £700 a year in working tax credits. That may not sound much, but it’s a lifesaver when you’re on a low income.

“It felt odd going to a food bank but I’m glad I did because there was probably 15 quid’s worth of food in the box, which is not to be sneezed at.”

Zuckerberg said Facebook had also received a hardship loan from the Job Centre, several thousand free eye tests for its employees and a reconditioned fridge from a local charity.

Facebook user Donna Sheridan said: “I’ve set up a Facebook page called ‘Give some money to Facebook’. It’s the least I can do after they let me put up all those pictures of cakes.”

The sound of a whip cracking is a mini sonic boom; the loop traveling along the whip continues to gain speed until it reaches the speed of sound and breaks the sound barrier.

10 things you didn’t know you could do with Google

1. Set a timer. Type minutes/hours followed by the word timer.
2. You can draw letters instead of typing them in Google Translate. Useful when you don’t have the specific letter on your keyboard.
3. Play Zerg Rush by typing zerg rush into the search field.
4. Google food1 vs food2 to compare calories and more.
5. Type tip calculator which tool will help you calculate how much tip you should give.
6. Ngram viewer. Compare how popular words are through the history.
7. Learn how to pronounce massive numbers by typing the number followed by =english.
8. Play Atari Breakout by typing atari breakout on Google Images.
9. Browse art using Google Cultural Institute.
10. Browse old Google Doodles.

Sneezing in response to bright light exposure (such as stepping out into the sunshine after sitting in a dark theater) is called photic sneeze reflex; not only is the trait inherited genetically, but your genes even determine how many times you’ll sneeze in response to the light.

Interestingly enough, its also known as photoptarmosis autosomal dominant compelling helio ophthalmic outburst syndrome (ACHOO)...seriously!

Old Irish proverb......

Snuff at a wake is fine if there's nobody sneezing over the snuff box.


Back to the serious stuff:-

CHINA has agreed to build nuclear power stations in Britain that can be detonated from Beijing.

The first station, at Hinkley Point in Somerset, will be followed by a chain of other power plants built at sites of strategic importance, military bases and in major population centres.

President Xi Jinping said: “This is so much more cost-effective than maintaining ICBMs and warheads, and really reduces on delivery times.

“We have the option of simply cutting off power to Britain for minor infractions, and for more serious displeasure I set off a chain of 30-megaton explosions reducing the UK to ash without even leaving my office.

“Best of all, the problem of how to deal with nuclear waste is a lot less thorny when it is 5,000 miles away.”

The prime minister has reassured the public that the power stations will be operated and run by the French, who would never let anything happen to Britain.

Lucy, the most complete Australopithecus afarensis skeleton ever found and referred to in the popular press as the “missing link”, was named after the Beatles’ song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”.

Wonderful English from Around the World ..

In a Bangkok Temple:
IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN, EVEN A FOREIGNER, IF DRESSED AS A MAN.

Cocktail Lounge, Norway:
LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR.

Doctor's Office, Rome:
SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES.

Dry Cleaners, Bangkok:
DROP YOUR TROUSERS HERE FOR THE BEST RESULTS.

A Nairobi Restaurant:
CUSTOMERS, WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE, OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER.

On the main road to Mombasa, leaving Nairobi:
TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE.

On a poster at Kencom:
ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO, WE CAN HELP.

In a City restaurant:
OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND WEEKENDS.

In a Cemetery:
PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS, FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES.

Tokyo hotel's rules and regulations:
GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE, OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS, IN BED.

On the menu of a Swiss Restaurant:
OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR.

In a Tokyo Bar:
SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS.

Hotel, Yugoslavia:
THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID.

Hotel, Japan:
YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID .

In the lobby of a Moscow Hotel, across from a Russian Orthodox Monastery:
YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY, WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS, AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY, EXCEPT THURSDAY.

A sign posted in Germany's Black Forest:
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE, THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER IN ONE TENT, UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE.

Hotel, Zurich:
BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE.

Advertisement for donkey rides, Thailand:
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE ON YOUR OWN ASS?

Airline ticket office, Copenhagen:
WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS.

A Laundry in Rome:
LADIES, LEAVE YOUR CLOTHES HERE AND THEN SPEND THE AFTERNOON HAVING A GOOD TIME.

And finally, the all-time classic, Seen in an Abu Dhabi Souk shop window:
IF THE FRONT IS CLOSED, PLEASE ENTER THROUGH MY BACKSIDE.