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Bridge: July 13, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:04:22 GMT

“Whoever said life is a box of chocolates was wrong, at least in my case,” Unlucky Louie told me. “It’s at best like a tin of mixed nuts.”Louie was today’s South in a penny game and roared indelicately into 3NT. (A second bid of two spades might have been better.) West led the queen of hearts.Louie won with the ace and led the jack of clubs, and East took the ace and fired back a heart. Louie won and took the queen of clubs. When West discarded a spade, Louie cashed the king of clubs and tried a diamond to his jack. West produced the king and took three hearts for down one.“Nuts,” Louie growled.MISPLAYAfter Louie wins the first trick, he should lead the ace and a low diamond. If West wins (or if diamonds broke 3-2 or if East held K-10-x-x), Louie could win four diamonds, three spades and two hearts.If West ducks the second diamond, dummy’s queen wins. Then Louie forces out the ace of clubs, winning two clubs, two diamonds, two he...

Ask Amy: I want to tell them I’m not an irredeemable pothead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:04:22 GMT

Dear Amy: I’m a 35-year-old woman. A few months ago, my brother (age 37) and sister-in-law caught me smoking pot in my home. Now they won’t let their kids (ages 6 and under) come over to my house.We used to have sleepovers once or twice a month.We live in a state where marijuana is legal, and I was using it to self-medicate and manage my mental health.After this incident, I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with bipolar 2 disorder, which, as it turns out, I have lived with (undiagnosed and untreated) since childhood.As soon as I started medication, I no longer felt the need to smoke, and all aspects of my life have changed for the better. I feel like I am waking up from a profound disability.I would like to explain all of this to my brother in hopes of reconciling. However, my doctors tell me to stay away from them, as being around their judgmental and self-righteous attitude could trigger a relapse.Should I let my close relationship with a sibling (and even closer relation...

Harriette Cole: Should I take my kids all this way to see their flaky father?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:04:22 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: When I was in my late 20s, I moved to Japan to teach English. I met a man there, and we got married and had two beautiful daughters.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: My friend hit my car while he was helping me move. Who pays for it? Advice | Harriette Cole: This is my road trip, and she keeps butting in Advice | Harriette Cole: This B-list celebrity is a drag on our event Advice | Harriette Cole: Is it a red flag that he wants me to ride a bus to our first date? Advice | Harriette Cole: People are saying my friend’s bad news is just a scam to get money Soon after my second daughter was born, we decided to get a divorce because our relationship wasn’t working anymore. I moved back to the U.S., and I was able to find a job and get back on my feet as a newly single woman with a toddler and an infant.About a decade has passed, and my ex-husband has not been interested in s...

FIFA to lift Saudi club Al Nassr’s player registration ban when debt to Leicester is paid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:04:22 GMT

ZURICH (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr will have its FIFA ban on registering new players lifted when it settles a debt with Leicester, soccer’s governing body said Thursday.Al Nassr was ordered to pay English club Leicester 460,000 euros ($513,000) plus annual interest of 5% in an October 2021 ruling by a FIFA-appointed judge at its players’ status committee. Leicester filed the complaint in April 2021 because of unpaid additional clauses due from the 18 million euros ($20 million) sale of Nigerian forward Ahmed Musa in 2018.Currently, Al Nassr – which was taken under majority ownership last month by the $700 billion sovereign wealth Public Investment Fund – can still buy new players though not register them to play.“The club Al Nassr is currently prevented from registering new players due to outstanding debts,” FIFA said Thursday. “The relevant bans will be lifted immediately upon the settlement of the debts being confirmed by the creditors concerned.”Al Nass...

General ruso en Ucrania dice que fue despedido tras acusar al ministro de Defensa de traición

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:04:22 GMT

(CNN) — Un alto general ruso al mando de las fuerzas en el ocupado el sur de Ucrania dice que fue despedido repentinamente de su cargo después de acusar a los líderes del Ministerio de Defensa de Moscú de traicionar a sus tropas al no brindarles suficiente apoyo.El general Ivan Popov era el comandante del 58º Ejército de Armas Combinadas, que ha estado involucrado en intensos combates en la región de Zaporiyia. Es uno de los oficiales de más alto rango que participó en la sangrienta campaña rusa en Ucrania.Popov dijo que había planteado preguntas sobre “la falta de combate de contrabatería, la ausencia de estaciones de reconocimiento de artillería y las muertes y lesiones masivas de nuestros hermanos por parte de la artillería enemiga”, en una nota de voz publicada en Telegram este miércoles por la noche.La grabación fue publicada en la aplicación de mensajería por Andrey Gurulev, miembro del Parlamento ruso y ex subcomandante del Distrito Militar del Sur.“También planteé una ...

Kevin Spacey has started testifying in his sexual assault trial at a London court

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:04:22 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Kevin Spacey has started testifying in his sexual assault trial at a London court.Source

Dutch sprinter Fabio Jakobsen abandons Tour de France. He’s still reeling from an early crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:04:22 GMT

ROANNE, France (AP) — Dutch sprinter Fabio Jakobsen has left the Tour de France ahead of Thursday’s 12th stage, saying it was impossible for him to reach Paris following an early crash in cycling’s biggest race.The European champion from the Soudal-QuickStep team hit the ground at high speed during the fourth stage of the three-week race and has since struggled to recover. He decided it was time to stop ahead of a difficult mid-mountain stage that will be followed by three grueling treks in the Jura and the Alps.The Tour ends on July 23 in Paris.“Due to my stage-four crash, and after discussions with the team, we decided it’s better for me to stop my Tour de France journey here,” Jakobsen said. “At this point it seems impossible for me to get to Paris, as I am not recovering, and my body is not healing from the crash.”Jakobsen had started the Tour with the ambition of adding more sprints to his tally after winning a stage last year. “I’m very sad to leave the...

El comité negociador del Sindicato de Actores de EE.UU. vota por unanimidad ir a la huelga

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:04:22 GMT

(CNN) — No hubo acuerdo entre la Alianza de Productores de Cine y Televisión (AMPTP, por sus siglas en inglés) y el Sindicato de Actores de Pantalla-Federación Estadounidense de Artistas de Televisión y Radio (SAG-AFTRA), según un tuit publicado este jueves por el gremio de actores, lo que probablemente signifique una huelga del sindicato que reúne a unos 160.000 actores.“La junta nacional de SAG-AFTRA votará este jueves por la mañana si se declara en huelga”, dijo un comunicado del sindicato este jueves temprano. El comunicado decía que un comité de negociación votó “por unanimidad para recomendar una huelga”.El resultado de esta votación de la Junta Nacional de SAG-AFTRA sobre si ir a la huelga se anunciará en una conferencia de prensa a las 12:00 p.m. hora del este de EE.UU., dijo a CNN este jueves Pamela Greenwalt, directora de comunicaciones y marketing de SAG-AFTRA.Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon y Seth Meyers apoyan a los escritores y guionistas en...

More earthquakes are hitting Virginia. Is a big one coming?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:04:22 GMT

In recent weeks, Virginia has been rattled with more earthquakes than usual, leading some experts to wonder whether a larger quake might be coming.Six quakes have been detected in the western portion of the state since mid-June, according to the United States Geological Survey, with headquarters in Fairfax County.At least three of the earthquakes were felt by people.Typically, only two or three quakes per year are felt by residents across Virginia.“It’s a little bit of a burst of activity here,” said Martin Chapman, a professor of geophysics at Virginia Tech. “When you see a series of these things in a smaller area, you have to take into account the fact that they may be foreshocks of a bigger earthquake.”For scale, a magnitude 5.3 is considered to be a moderate earthquake, and a magnitude 6.3 is a strong one. All the recent Virginia quakes have been smaller, around the magnitude 2.5 level.“We take a close look at it and we monitor our instruments...

No Powerball jackpot winner in Wednesday’s drawing, prize now an estimated $875 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:04:22 GMT

(CNN) — The Powerball grand prize is growing once again after no winning jackpot tickets were sold for Wednesday’s drawing.The big prize for the next drawing on Saturday is now an estimated $875 million, according to the lottery’s website, with an estimated $441.9 million lump-sum cash value before tax.Wednesday’s numbers were 23-35-45-66-67 and the Powerball was 20.While no tickets had all six numbers drawn, two tickets sold – one in Florida and one in Indiana – matched the first five numbers for a $1 million prize.There have now been 36 consecutive Powerball drawings without a big winner. The last jackpot won was on April 19 when a winning ticket in Ohio earned $252.6 million.The record for the largest-ever Powerball prize jackpot is $2.04 billion, which was won in California last November.And because no winners were drawn in Tuesday’s Mega Millions, there are now two jackpots that could each award more than half a billion dollars to a winning ticket. Friday’s Mega Millions jackpo...