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Bridge: Oct. 5, 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:58:48 GMT

Unlucky Louie blames his constant bad results on bad luck, despite all the evidence to the contrary.“Louie is trying to change his luck,” I told Cy the Cynic. “he’s been in his back yard looking for four-leaf clovers.”“He won’t find any,” Cy growled. “I happen to know he can’t count as high as four.”Cy said that Louie had been today’s East in a penny game.“I was West,” the Cynic said, “and led a heart against four spades. Louie took the ace and shifted … to a trump.”Declarer drew trumps and forced out Cy’s ace of diamonds. Cy led a club to Louie’s ace, but declarer had took the rest.LIMIT“We needed four tricks,” Cy said sourly. “Counting to three seems to be Louie’s limit.”Louie must assume that Cy has either a trump trick or the ace of diamonds; still, the defense will need two club tricks. At Trick Two, Louie must lead the ten of clubs. So...

Ask Amy: I’m hurt that they’re going to the wedding after what the groom’s mom did to me

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:58:48 GMT

Dear Amy: I am in a group of four women who played bridge together almost every week for more than 25 years.A year ago, one of the group abruptly cut all of us off. Through a series of texts and emails she told us that she can’t be friends with us anymore. She wouldn’t make time to see us in person.She seems to be particularly mad at me. I emailed her trying to find out what had happened.She started with a paragraph about all my wonderful qualities, and then she said that we can no longer be friends. She wrote that I’d done “1,000 things” to hurt her over the years, but she wouldn’t tell me what they were.Her son is getting married soon and she has invited the two other members of our group, but not my husband and me.As far as I know, she doesn’t see or talk to the other two, either. I’m quite devastated by this and communicated my feelings.I’m very hurt that the other two are going to the wedding when I’ve been so slighted and hurt. I don’t know if I can keep the hurt from af...

Harriette Cole: It seems like my co-workers are avoiding me. Is it because of how I got hired?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:58:48 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: A dear friend of mine recently got me a job at the company she works for. She’s one of the head supervisors.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: When she acted puzzled about my marriage, it got me thinking Advice | Harriette Cole: I’m wondering if his new wife is the reason he won’t see me Advice | Harriette Cole: People say I’m clairvoyant, but in this case it didn’t help me Advice | Harriette Cole: Why should my boss care that I’m bad at parties? Advice | Harriette Cole: I’ll never be OK with my former colleague dating my daughter Since I started at the company, I have noticed that my other colleagues haven’t warmed up to me. I am worried that because I am obviously close friends with a supervisor, the other employees don’t feel comfortable around me.It has been challenging to find my place within the team, and it seems like my c...

Lewandowski doubtful for Spanish league game after Barcelona ‘exorcise’ Champions League failures

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:58:48 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Barcelona may be without Robert Lewandowski on Sunday as it turns its focus back to the Spanish league after putting itself in a good position to advance in the Champions League following two early eliminations.Lewandowski received a knock on his ankle in the first half of the team’s 1-0 win at Porto on Wednesday and is doubtful to make the trip for the league match against Granada on Sunday. Barcelona enters the weekend one point behind Spanish league leader Real Madrid, which hosts Osasuna on Saturday.The win against Porto gave Barcelona the lead in Group H of the Champions League with six points after two victories, something the Catalan side hadn’t achieved in its first two matches since Lionel Messi’s last season for the club in 2020-21. Barcelona failed to reach the knockout rounds of the competition the last two seasons.Barcelona opened with two consecutive losses in 2021-22, and had already lost once at this point last season.“If we have been haunted by b...

Stock market today: Global shares rise, buoyed by Wall Street rally from bonds and lower oil prices

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:58:48 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Global shares advanced Thursday after a plunge in oil prices aided a recovery on Wall Street. France’s CAC 40 lost 0.3% to 6,976.60. Germany’s DAX shed 0.2% to 15,222.00, and Britain’s FTSE 100 was unchanged at 7,414.46. The futures for the S&P 500 and Dow industrials were 0.3% lower. Market sentiment was helped by a $5 decline in oil prices on Wednesday. Prices recovered slightly in Asian trading, but were down nearly $1 in early European trading. Lower energy costs would relieve inflationary pressures that have led central banks to keep interest rates high. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped 1.8% to finish at 31,075.36. Sydney’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.5% to 6,925.50, while South Korea’s Kospi was little changed, inching down less than 0.1% to 2,403.60. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong gained 0.1% to 17,213.87. Benchmark U.S. crude oil dropped 90 cents to $83.32 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchang...

These are the most expensive homes on the market right now in Greater Washington

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:58:48 GMT

If you’ve got some serious cash — like Powerball cash, or “I own a professional sports team” cash — then these homes on the market in Greater Washington might be for you.Below you’ll find a countdown of the top 20 — well, 20ish, due to ties — most expensive single-family properties currently listed on Bright MLS, the region’s listing service. We’ve got expansive suburban estates and penthouse condos, historic homes and brand new construction and a couple properties that haven’t even been built yet. The vision alone is valued at millions, at least when you toss in crystal champagne rooms and rooftop putting greens.The median time for a D.C.-area home to go from listing to contract is 18 days, according to Bright MLS. Most of the homes below have waited for a buyer for much longer, some for years. But these properties are a different breed.The dominant real estate firm for the most expensive listings? That would be TTR Sotheby’s International Realty, which is…Read the full story from ...

Nadie ganó: el acumulado del Powerball se dispara a $1,400 millones

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:58:48 GMT

Si sueñas con convertirte en millonario de la noche a la mañana, esta podría ser tu oportunidad. El Powerball se disparó a $1,400 millones, su tercer acumulado más grande en la historia de esta lotería, después de que nadie ganara el premio mayor del lunes.Los números ganadores fueron 9, 35, 54, 63, 64 y la Powerball 1.Si alguien acierta los seis números puede recibir una cantidad inferior, con base en las dos opciones de pago que hay.El ganador puede elegir entre el monto total del premio mayor repartido a lo largo de 30 años como pago anual, o un poco más de la mitad de ese monto como pago de una suma global por adelantado (unos $551.7 millones) Cayó el Powerball: un solo boleto se gana los $1,000 millones de la lotería Se acabó la espera: aquí los números ganadores de los $1,000 millones del Powerball Si escoge el acumulado total, recibirá el 52% del monto del premio mayor, según los cálculos del sitio de lotería usamega.com. M...

Xabi Alonso marks a successful year in charge at Bayer Leverkusen ahead of Rhine derby with Cologne

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:58:48 GMT

DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — From the relegation zone to the top of the standings. Not a bad first year in charge for Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen.Alonso marked his first anniversary at the German club on Thursday and has a game against local rival Cologne on Sunday, another test of Leverkusen’s credentials to challenge Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title.“That milestone means something to me,” Alonso said Wednesday. “A lot has happened in that time, mostly positive. The record is good and both the team and our game have continued to develop.”A World Cup and Champions League winner as a player, Alonso had never coached a club’s first team until he was appointed at Leverkusen on Oct. 5, 2022. At the time, Leverkusen had slumped to 17th in the 18-team league under predecessor Gerardo Seoane.One year later, Leverkusen is in first place after climbing to the top of the standings last week with a 3-0 win over Mainz as Bayern dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Leipzig. Alo...

Slippery stairs, spider bite, tackles and bad luck knock out players at the Rugby World Cup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:58:48 GMT

Since Antoine Dupont broke a cheekbone in a tackle at the Rugby World Cup, France has been feeding crumbs of positivity about its talismanic captain.Surgery two weeks ago went well, he’s rejoined the squad, he’s training lightly under medical supervision. His rehabilitation is on track, the tournament host team tells worried French supporters.The severity of the fracture hasn’t been detailed and Dupont’s surgeon will decide on Monday when the 2021 world player of the year can boost training.The outcome of previous players who have suffered broken cheekbones suggests Dupont’s availability will be dicey even for the final at the end of this month. Sam Cane’s injury last October made him miss New Zealand’s last three tests of 2022. Teammate Brodie Retallick took six weeks to return to action in August last year.“Depending on how bad it is,” Retallick said after Dupont was hurt, “it’s a tough injury. I’ve still got some numbness in m...

Mientras México toma medidas enérgicas contra los migrantes, el presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador gana influencia ante Washington

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:58:48 GMT

(CNN) — El mes pasado, mientras la administración Biden se apresuraba a gestionar la última ola de migrantes que desbordaba la frontera sur de Estados Unidos, las principales autoridades de inmigración de Estados Unidos cruzaron a México para una reunión de emergencia.Sentados alrededor de una sala de conferencias de Ciudad Juárez, los funcionarios y sus homólogos mexicanos redactaron un plan de 15 puntos para ayudar a desactivar el punto crítico, en su mayor parte una lista de verificación de acciones para el Gobierno mexicano. En particular, según un comunicado de la agencia federal de inmigración de México, México acordó llevar a cabo deportaciones más costosas de los migrantes que se reúnen en su lado de la frontera, una medida que algunos creían disuadiría los cruces desordenados.Las medidas, que también especifican los esfuerzos mexicanos para reprimir la aglomeración de migrantes que viajan hacia el norte en vagones, son los últimos de una serie de cambios de política e...