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Bridge: Nov. 13, 2023

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:00:57 GMT

“My life is about to become idyllic,” Cy the Cynic told me. “I found a book online titled `How to solve 50 percent of your problems.'”“So now everything will be perfect?” I frowned.“I ordered two copies,” the Cynic said.A finesse will work 50 percent of the time, though some players might dispute that notion. But some finesses can be problem-solvers whether they work or not. At today’s four spades, South ruffed the third club and next took the three top trumps. He hoped for a friendly break, but West had J-7-6-2.DOWN THREESouth couldn’t lead another trump — West would cash clubs — so he led a diamond to dummy and returned a heart to his jack. He went down three when West won and took his jack of trumps and two clubs.At Trick Four, South should lead a trump and finesse with dummy’s nine. As the cards lie, he makes an overtrick. If East had the jack, South would still be safe: If East led a heart, South coul...

Horoscopes Nov. 13, 2023: Gerard Butler, stop dreaming and start doing

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:00:57 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Gerard Butler, 54; Jimmy Kimmel, 56; Steve Zahn, 56; Whoopi Goldberg, 68.Happy Birthday: Make up your mind, embrace change and prepare to take advantage of whatever opportunity comes your way. Think about the possibilities, and don’t be afraid to do things differently. Trust in your capability and let your imagination take over. Stop dreaming and start doing, and you’ll gain respect and the support that will pave the way for future endeavors. Take your dreams, hopes and wishes to the next level. Your numbers are 9, 16, 22, 28, 30, 36, 42.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Put your head down and do what others expect of you. Completion is essential if you want others to take you seriously. Don’t let spontaneity lead to unnecessary purchases. Be tightfisted and pay down any debt you’ve accumulated. Be wary of joint ventures. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Don’t waste time. There’s plenty you can do to get ahead if you move in...

Ask Amy: I misled my host about why I wanted to stay in a hotel

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:00:57 GMT

Dear Amy: My husband and I have wonderful friends: a husband and wife, and their 20-year-old daughter.Related ArticlesAdvice | Ask Amy: Is this a creepy idea for a high school reunion? Advice | Ask Amy: I told the bride she was free to exclude me, but I’m hurt by how she did it Advice | Ask Amy: We ended up with a near-stranger’s dog, and it feels very wrong to me Advice | Ask Amy: I want flower gremlins at my wedding, and my family is furious Advice | Ask Amy: I’m devastated by the wedding snub, and my husband doesn’t have my back They live on a gorgeous island, and several times each year we vacation together in each other’s homes. These visits usually last seven to 10 days, and during this time, we shop, talk and eat meals together. We always have a lovely time.The problem is, I often feel the need each day to withdraw and recharge my batteries. After a full day of being ...

Crossroads of a crisis: The storm no one saw coming

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:00:57 GMT

Valentina Polishak, 67, a head mistress of four schools near the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, started to cry almost immediately as she sat down with journalists at Carita’s House in Eastern Poland in late August.She wanted to tell the story of the day Russian troops rolled into her town in early March of 2022.“They shot at cars and houses,” she said through a translator.Polishak also said soldiers raped women and girls who ventured out to search for water and they simply executed men because they were men.Hundreds were killed in the early days of a war that later galvanized global support for Ukrainians.Even before the start of the conflict, which has now claimed the lives more than 500,000 Ukrainians, Russian troops and countless foreign nationals, Ukraine was in the hearts, minds and, soon after, the pocketbooks of dozens of powerful allies around the world.Early intelligence provided by the U.S. and other NATO countries derailed the Kremlin’s planned on...

Sohu.com: Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:00:57 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — BEIJING (AP) — Sohu.com Limited (SOHU) on Monday reported net income of $21.4 million in its third quarter.The Beijing-based company said it had profit of 63 cents per share. Losses, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to 30 cents per share.The operator of a popular Chinese Web portal posted revenue of $145.4 million in the period._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on SOHU at https://www.zacks.com/ap/SOHUSource

Former Prime Minister David Cameron appointed U.K. foreign secretary, in unusual return to high office for an ex-leader

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:00:57 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Former Prime Minister David Cameron appointed U.K. foreign secretary, in unusual return to high office for an ex-leader.Source

Low-cost carrier FlyDubai says it will buy 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, the first wide-body aircraft in its fleet

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:00:57 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Low-cost carrier FlyDubai says it will buy 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, the first wide-body aircraft in its fleet.Source

Long-haul carrier Emirates says it will buy Boeing aircraft in a deal worth $52 billion

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:00:57 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Long-haul carrier Emirates says it will buy Boeing aircraft in a deal worth $52 billion.Source

‘It was the scariest moment of my life:’ Deputy speaks out after driver intentionally rams into him, corporal

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:00:57 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WSVN) — Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Deputy Manuel Santos narrowly escaped a life-threatening situation, recounting the ordeal that unfolded during a routine response to a mental health call near Tampa. “It was the scariest moment of my life, I will tell you that much right now,” said Deputy Santos, holding back tears as he described the terrifying moment when a speeding vehicle rammed into him and Corporal Carlos Brito. “He comes back, we see the car. Immediately I try to push corporal out of the way from what I’ve been told, I didn’t even know I did this. I pushed him out of the way, I pushed myself out of the way, and when I fell on the ground I made sure I wasn’t bleeding.”Deputy Santos, released from Tampa General Hospital on Saturday, faces a challenging recovery journey. “I’ve got some ligament damage, tendon damage,” he said. “I’m going to have to go through reconstructive surge...

Cutting 1 teaspoon of salt works as well as blood pressure meds, study finds

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:00:57 GMT

(CNN) — Cutting 1 teaspoon of salt from your diet each day can lower your top blood pressure reading just as much as a typical hypertension medication, even if you don’t have high blood pressure, a new study found.A teaspoon of salt is 2,300 milligrams — that’s the top daily limit for people over 14 recommended by the latest US nutritional guidelines. However, the American Heart Association recommends a diet with less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium a day.“This is the first study to show that people who are already on blood pressure medication can lower their blood pressure even more by limiting sodium,” said coprincipal investigator Norrina Allen, professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.“And regardless of medication, we found 70% to 75% of people are likely to see a reduction in their blood pressure if they lower the sodium in their diet,” Allen said.High blood pressure is often called the “silent killer,” because there are no sympt...