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Bridge: Aug. 19, 2023

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:13:29 GMT

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on improving basic technique and logical thinking.Few people are willing to put all their eggs in one basket, even if they’re able to keep an eye on the basket. Declarers must be the same way; with several chances for your contract, try them all.At today’s 3NT, South took the queen of diamonds and immediately let the jack of spades ride. Alas, East produced the king and returned a diamond, and West ran the suit. Down one.SPADE FINESSESouth put all his eggs in one leaky basket. He can count seven sure tricks. If the missing clubs break 3-3 and the queen of hearts falls under the A-K, South will have nine tricks and won’t need the spade finesse.South should lead to the queen of clubs at Trick Two, then take the A-K. When the suit breaks 3-3, he cashes the A-K of hearts next with a gratifying result. If the clubs failed to break, South would be in his hand to finesse in spades, hoping for three spades, three clubs, a diamond...

Word Game: Aug. 19, 2023

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:13:29 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — CARELESS (CARELESS: KARE-les: Showing a lack of consideration; negligent.)Average mark 38 wordsTime limit 45 minutesCan you find 48 or more words in CARELESS? The list will be published Monday.YESTERDAY’S WORD — BELLWETHER beer beet beetle bell belle belt belter beret berth betel bethel blew brew ether ewer leer lethe well welt welter were whee wheel wheeler where whet tell teller thee there thew three threw treble tree heel heeler hell herb here rebel reel retellTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually e...

Horoscopes Aug. 19, 2023: John Stamos, don’t hesitate to say no

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:13:29 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Christina Perri, 37; Matthew Perry, 54; John Stamos, 60; Bill Clinton, 77.Happy Birthday: A structured approach to what you want to accomplish this year will help you reach your goal. Journey down a specific path for the right reason, and it will turn into a rewarding direction. Ignore what others do, and don’t hesitate to say no to overspending, poor behavior and spreading yourself so thin that you don’t reach your target. Pay attention, breathe and uncomplicate your life. Your numbers are 7, 15, 23, 26, 34, 39, 46.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Test your strength, courage and will to be first, and you will outmaneuver anyone who challenges you. Use your imagination, step outside your comfort zone and play to win. Your charisma and charm will attract someone who is an asset. Romance is favored. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Think big, but don’t exceed the budget. You can have fun and socialize without being overindulgent. Mix business ...

Sweden beats Australia 2-0 to win another bronze medal at the Women’s World Cup

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:13:29 GMT

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Sweden won yet another bronze medal at the Women’s World Cup, with Fridolina Rolfo and Kosovare Asllani scoring Saturday in a clinical 2-0 win over tournament co-host Australia.The Swedish women proved once again they’re tough to beat after a semifinal loss, extending their perfect record in World Cup third-place matches to four with the victory in Brisbane.It was a disappointing finish for the Matildas, who captivated the host nation during a run to the semifinals for the first time.The tournament co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand has set attendance records, had packed fan zones, and two of Australia’s matches became the most-watched programs on domestic commercial TV in 20 years.Ultimately, it ended with back-to-back losses to the No. 3- and No. 4-ranked teams in the world even with star striker Sam Kerr back in the starting lineup.Rolfo converted from the penalty spot with a low, curling left-foot shot in the 30th minute after Australia...

To prepare for World Cup, USA Basketball brought some help for practices

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:13:29 GMT

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Among the prized possessions that John Jenkins has collected in his career: a handwritten letter from former USA Basketball coach Gregg Popovich for his role on the Tokyo Olympic team, and a gold medal from those games.His medal is a replica. His effort was very real. And who knows, another shiny souvenir might be coming his way in a few weeks.As part of its preparations for big tournaments in recent years — such as the World Cup, which begins on Friday in the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan — USA Basketball has been taking a few extra players to help in practices and workouts. Jenkins, Langston Galloway and Eric Mika were the trio that got the call for this trip; they go home on Sunday, one day before the Americans leave for Manila and their World Cup run.“To have this opportunity given to me again, I’ve never been more grateful in my life than now,” Jenkins said.These aren’t some guys off the street who were brought in to be tackling dummies...

Sweden 2, Australia 0

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:13:29 GMT

Australia00—0Sweden11—2First Half_1, Sweden, Rolfo, (penalty kick), 30th minute.Second Half_2, Sweden, Asllani, (Ilestedt), 62nd.Goalies_Australia, Mackenzie Arnold, Lydia Williams, Teagan Micah; Sweden, Zecira Musovic, Jennifer Falk, Tove Enblom.Yellow Cards_Gorry, Australia, 45th+1; Rubensson, Sweden, 89th; Hurtig, Sweden, 90th+5.Referee_Cheryl Foster. Assistant Referees_Michelle O’Neill, Franca Overtoom, Marco Fritz. 4th Official_Rebecca Welch.___Source

Alexandria Restaurant Week is underway, with DC up next

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:13:29 GMT

This weekend could be the perfect time to find great dining deals in the D.C. area. Alexandria’s Restaurant Week is already underway in Virginia — and D.C.’s is coming up soon.Alexandria Restaurant Week started Thursday and runs through Sunday, Aug. 27.During the weeklong event, dozens of participating restaurants (nearly 75 to be exact) are offering prix fixe dinners for $25, $35 and $45 per person — with menus including everything from fine dining to a late-night slice of pizza.Restaurants in Old Town, Vermillion, the Chart House, Blackwell Hitch and many more have crafted special dinner menus with great deals and fun events.If dining out isn’t on the agenda this week, don’t sweat it. Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week in D.C., sponsored by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, follows on the heels of Alexandria from Aug. 28 through Sept. 3.Hundreds of participating restaurants will be offering lunches for $25 and dinners for $40 and $55.Shawn Townsend, th...

Scientists race to understand highly mutated coronavirus variant spotted in four countries, including the US

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:13:29 GMT

(CNN) — A highly mutated new variant of the virus that causes Covid-19 has countries on alert as scientists scramble to understand how far it has spread and how well our immunity will defend against it.The new variant, called BA.2.86 and nicknamed Pirola by variant hunters on social media, has more than 30 amino acid changes to its spike protein compared with its next closest ancestor, the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron, according to Dr. Jesse Bloom, who studies viral evolution at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle.“This makes it an evolutionary jump comparable in size to that which originally gave rise to Omicron,” Bloom posted on his lab’s website.The World Health Organization designated BA.2.86 a “variant under monitoring” on Thursday, a designation that encourages countries to track and report the sequences they find.A variant under monitoring that causes more severe disease or evades existing vaccines or treatments can be upgraded to WHO’s list of variants ...

Yoshida, Bello lead Red Sox over skidding Yankees, who drop sixth straight and fall two under .500

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:13:29 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Rookie Masataka Yoshida hit a three-run homer four batters into the game and drove in four runs, and Brayan Bello pitched six innings Friday night to lead the Boston Red Sox to an 8-3 victory over the skidding New York Yankees, who dropped two games under .500.Justin Turner singled in each of his first three at-bats and hit a pair of RBI singles. Alex Verdugo also had an RBI single to start Boston’s three-run second that followed a fielding error by New York second baseman Gleyber Torres.“Just to kind of step on the throats instantly was a good tone setter, especially to start the series,” Verdugo said.Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer in the eighth off Garrett Whitlock, but the Yankees dropped their sixth straight — their longest skid since losing seven in a row Sept. 4-10, 2021. New York also dropped two games under .500 this late in a season for the first time since it was 57-59 following an 11-6 win over the Angels on Aug. 31, 1995.“It’s frustrating and disappointi...

Adley Rutschman or Cedric Mullins: Who should be the Orioles’ leadoff hitter?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:13:29 GMT

In earlier eras, who to bat atop the Orioles’ lineup would’ve been an obvious decision.Cedric Mullins, with his speed and base stealing ability, is a prototypical leadoff hitter — the role he’s occupied for most of his career.Those traits are still valued in today’s game — especially this season with MLB’s new base runner-friendly rules — but it’s no longer a prerequisite to lead off games. Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber and San Francisco’s Lamonte Wade Jr. are both their team’s primary leadoff hitters despite below-average speed with little-to-no stolen base potential.The Orioles have joined that group of teams in recent weeks with Adley Rutschman, the club’s new leadoff hitter (for now), after he assumed the role with Mullins in the injured list. Rutschman, who leads the team with a .367 on-base percentage but has yet to steal a base this season, has led off Baltimore’s past 19 games.With Mullins ba...