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Bridge: Nov. 29, 2023

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:53 GMT

When I watched today’s deal in my club’s penny Chicago game, East was the dreaded Grapefruit, who owns and operates an acid disposition with a tongue to match. He berates his partners mercilessly.Grapefruit was East, and West led the king and then the queen of diamonds against South’s four spades. At the third trick West shifted to a heart: deuce, queen, ace. South ruffed his last diamond in dummy and led a trump, losing to West’s ace. He took the rest, making four, and Grapefruit informed West that a one-celled organism could outscore him on an IQ test.RUFF IN DUMMY“Shift to the ace and a second trump,” Grapefruit roared, “to stop the diamond ruff in dummy.”“That’s no good,” West protested. “Then declarer takes six trumps, a heart and three clubs.”Grapefruit told the kibitzers that if West had a brain transplant, the brain would reject him.Everybody was wrong. To beat four spades, West must lead a low tru...

Horoscopes Nov. 29, 2023: Don Cheadle, rely on yourself

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:53 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Anna Faris, 47; Don Cheadle, 59; Andrew McCarthy, 61; Howie Mandel, 68.Happy Birthday: Stay focused and take care of responsibilities swiftly and without drama. Communicate explicitly to ensure nothing gets misconstrued. Filter through options and handle others with respect. Rely on yourself and avoid disappointment and setbacks. It’s up to you to prove you have what it takes to reach your destination using experience, knowledge and skills. Substantiate what’s doable based on facts, and carry on until you are satisfied with the results. Your numbers are 3, 7, 20, 24, 37, 44, 49.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Don’t let mixed emotions take you down the wrong path. When in doubt, take a breather and review what’s transpired. Put your money and possessions in a safe spot, and question anything that sounds suspicious. Don’t count on others; initiate opportunities and follow through. 2 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Keep communicatin...

Ask Amy: My wife has big-league dreams for our son, but I think he should give up the sport

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:53 GMT

Dear Amy: My son, age 15, has been playing baseball at a high level since he was quite young. There is no doubt that he is talented.Related ArticlesAdvice | Ask Amy: We’re not inviting her, but it will be hard to tell her why Advice | Ask Amy: This teen mom is trying to manipulate my son Advice | Ask Amy: I’m being punished for refusing to give in to my child’s spouse Advice | Ask Amy: Now I’m expected to sew a custom quilt for a stranger as a gift Advice | Ask Amy: I heard my teen bragging about her trickery. I’m furious; my husband thinks it’s cute. A couple of years ago, his coach told us that he believes our son has major potential. My wife seized on this and seems to believe that he could play pro one day.I am more skeptical.Our son sustained a tough injury last spring, tearing a tendon. The surgery was painful and his recovery has been slow.Given what this has be...

Prisoners, Propaganda, and the Battle Over the Gaza War Narrative

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:53 GMT

Despite a temporary pause in Israel’s massive bombardment and ground operations in Gaza, the humanitarian catastrophe continues to worsen. With more than 15,000 dead Palestinians and whole neighborhoods and towns left in ruin, Israel’s defense minister has defiantly vowed to dramatically escalate the attacks inside Gaza the moment the truce ends. This week on Intercepted, Jeremy Scahill and Murtaza Hussain discuss the state of the war as well as the propaganda campaigns being waged by each side. Then Roy Yellin, head of public outreach at Israel’s leading human rights organization B’Tselem, discusses recent developments on the hostage and prisoner exchanges, how the crisis has impacted Israeli society, and describes the conditions faced by Palestinians when they are thrown into Israel’s military justice system. Yellin also explains the state sponsorship of violent Israeli settlers, the mass detentions underway of Palestinians in the West Bank, and the dangerous nature of Israel’s ...

A Hong Kong court hears final arguments in the subversion trial of pro-democracy activists

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:53 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court started hearing the final arguments Wednesday of some of the city’s best-known pro-democracy activists tried under a law imposed by China’s ruling Communist Party to crush dissent.The activists’ subversion trial is the biggest prosecution yet under the national security law. They may face up to life in prison if convicted.The defendants were among 47 activists arrested in 2021 under the sweeping law imposed by Beijing following massive anti-government protests in 2019. They were charged in connection with an informal 2020 primary election to pick candidates who could win control of the territory’s Legislative Council.Prosecutors accuse the activists of trying to paralyze Hong Kong’s government and topple the city’s leader by securing a majority to veto budgets.Prosecutor Jonathan Man argued that unlawful means to subvert state power didn’t necessarily imply the use of force or physical violence. “(In) the 21st century, social medi...

Washington’s London Fletcher advances to semifinal stage for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:53 GMT

FILE - In this Sept. 16, 2012, file photo, Washington Redskins inside linebacker London Fletcher (59) celebrates an interception in the end zone during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams in St. Louis. Tony Gonzalez, Ed Reed, Champ Bailey and London Fletcher are first-year eligible players among the 102 modern-era nominees for the class of 2019 for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, announced Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam, File)(AP/Tom Gannam) FILE - In this Sept. 16, 2012, file photo, Washington Redskins inside linebacker London Fletcher (59) celebrates an interception in the end zone during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams in St. Louis. Tony Gonzalez, Ed Reed, Champ Bailey and Lo...

Bilibili: Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:53 GMT

SHANGHAI (AP) — SHANGHAI (AP) — Bilibili Inc. (BILI) on Wednesday reported a loss of $185.2 million in its third quarter.The Shanghai-based company said it had a loss of 45 cents per share. Losses, adjusted for stock option expense and non-recurring costs, were 29 cents per share.The Chinese video sharing website posted revenue of $795.7 million in the period.Bilibili expects full-year revenue in the range of $3.08 billion to $3.22 billion.Bilibili shares have dropped 44% since the beginning of the year. The stock has climbed 6% in the last 12 months._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on BILI at https://www.zacks.com/ap/BILISource

VAR official removed from Champions League game after Mbappé’s late penalty for PSG vs. Newcastle

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:53 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — A video review official has been removed from his Champions League game on Wednesday, one day after having a key role in a disputed decision to award Paris Saint-Germain a stoppage-time penalty for handball against Newcastle which contradicted UEFA’s own advice to referees.The VAR specialist from Poland, Tomasz Kwiatkowski, is no longer listed to work at the Real Sociedad-Salzburg game and has been replaced by a German match official.In Paris on Tuesday, Kylian Mbappé scored in the eighth minute of stoppage time to salvage a 1-1 draw after a ball struck Newcastle defender Tino Livramento in the chest and then deflected off his arm, and a penalty was awarded by Polish referee Szymon Marciniak following a VAR review.Marciniak refereed the Champions League final last season and the 2022 World Cup final with Kwiatkowski in his team. Marciniak initially allowed play to continue Tuesday but awarded the penalty after he was advised by his video assistant to review the inciden...

US life expectancy rose last year, but it remains below its pre-pandemic level

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:53 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. life expectancy rose last year — by more than a year — but still isn’t close to what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.The 2022 rise was mainly due to the waning pandemic, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers said Wednesday. But even with the large increase, U.S. life expectancy is only back to 77 years, 6 months — about what it was two decades ago.Life expectancy is an estimate of the average number of years a baby born in a given year might expect to live, assuming the death rates at that time hold constant. The snapshot statistic is considered one of the most important measures of the health of the U.S. population. The 2022 calculations released Wednesday are provisional, and could change a little as the math is finalized.For decades, U.S. life expectancy rose a little nearly every year. But about a decade ago, the trend flattened and even declined some years — a stall blamed largely on overdose deaths and suicides.Then came the coro...

Ward 1 residents voice concerns about crime to DC police, city leaders

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:53 GMT

Troubled by the city’s violent crime, Ward 1 residents gathered Tuesday night for a town hall-style meeting with D.C. police Chief Pamela Smith.Smith told residents meeting at 8th and Florida Avenue NW that the department is working diligently to hire more officers as residents voiced support for anti-crime measures recently proposed by Mayor Muriel Bowser.“We are mad. We are scared in this community. There was a murder in our building just 10 days ago. A woman was shot in the face across the street on Saturday,” said Tarak Shah, who lives near 8th and V streets NW, in an interview with WTOP. “There was a gangland-style shooting in LeDroit Park this weekend. What are the police and the council doing about that? And we didn’t hear a lot of answers tonight.”The D.C. Council’s Judiciary and Public Safety Committee will be holding a public hearing Wednesday on Mayor Bowser’s Addressing Crime Trends Now Act (ACT Now) bill. The mayor says th...