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Bridge: Sept. 20, 2023

Published Mon, 17 Feb 2025 16:15:31 GMT

Cy the Cynic is my club’s resident procrastinator. Cy divides his obligations into three categories: things he won’t do immediately, things he won’t do later and things he won’t do ever. When Cy is declarer, his approach to drawing trumps lies in the first category — which is often a good thing.Cy played at today’s four spades. North issued a “support double” at his second turn, conventionally showing three-card spade support. (A bid of two spades would have shown four.) West led the king of clubs, and Cy took dummy’s ace; if he ducked, a heart shift might be fatal.MISSING TRUMPThe Cynic next took the Q-J of trumps but put off drawing a third round. He led the queen of diamonds: king, ace, deuce. Cy then took his ten and jack.When East, with the missing trump, had to follow, Cy led a trump to dummy’s king and pitched a club on the nine of diamonds. Making four. But unless Cy procrastinates by waiting to draw the last trump ...

Horoscopes Sept. 20, 2023: Gary Cole, step ahead of the competition

Published Mon, 17 Feb 2025 16:15:31 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Phillip Phillips, 33; Kristen Johnston, 56; Gary Cole, 67; Sophia Loren, 89.Happy Birthday: A positive change will help you fulfill your dreams. Get on the information highway and discover what’s possible. Add to your skills, knowledge and insight by looking into what’s trending. You’ll be a step ahead of the competition. Use this year to broaden your scope and find your niche. Participate in life instead of watching it pass you by. Make health a priority. Your numbers are 6, 10, 24, 29, 35, 41, 49.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Socializing will offer an intro to someone who can show you a diverse way to use your skills to get what you want. Get whatever you agree to in writing to avoid fighting for what you want when it’s too late. 5 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Keep busy, finish what you start and initiate a change that helps you gain momentum in your race to the top. An open mind and compassionate heart will be your passage to n...

Ask Amy: Should I tell them their grandfather isn’t who they think he is?

Published Mon, 17 Feb 2025 16:15:31 GMT

Dear Amy: You have had a number of letters regarding disclosure of DNA results to relatives, etc.I am 84, and I have just learned through DNA testing that I am illegitimate.My biological father and brother are dead, and my biological nephew does not answer my efforts to reach out via the DNA site.Since there is no way to obtain health information, should my children be told? They loved their “grandfather” and I’d hate for them to feel “disinherited.”– DNA DudDear DNA: First of all, I think you should reconsider some of the language you are using to describe your situation. I’d love to retire the word “illegitimate” to describe people born outside of marriage. (If anything, maybe it’s the parents who are “illegitimate.”)And, yes, in my opinion you should disclose this to your children. They have as much a right to know about their DNA as you have to know about yours.I hope you will remove all the “quotation marks” from your narrative – and your beliefs – about your own life.You...

Harriette Cole: I abandoned my home, and now I’ve come back to a huge mess

Published Mon, 17 Feb 2025 16:15:31 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I spent the summer out of town and have just moved back home. What I am facing here is more than I can handle.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: A random man was staring in my window, and I’m upset the police let him go Advice | Harriette Cole: Her dress made me upset, and it didn’t even stick to my wedding theme Advice | Harriette Cole: How do I keep my employee from leaving? Advice | Harriette Cole: It was a bad moment on Zoom. How can I smooth things over? Advice | Harriette Cole: How can I get my co-workers to let me go out with them? I basically abandoned my home, packed up my essentials and left without tidying, organizing or anything. I have been fighting with my husband for the entire year, and my house looks like it. It’s a total mess. I don’t even know where to start.He is of no help, but I need to climb out of this mess.I don’t really want to...

UK inflation falls unexpectedly, though Bank of England still set to raise rates

Published Mon, 17 Feb 2025 16:15:31 GMT

LONDON (AP) — U.K. inflation has fallen unexpectedly to its lowest level since Russia invaded Ukraine, raising hopes that the Bank of England’s widely expected interest rate increase Thursday will be its last — for now. The Office for National Statistics said Wednesday that price rises, as measured by the consumer price index, moderated to 6.7% in the year to August, down from 6.8% in July. The decline took inflation to its lowest level since February 2022, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to soaring energy and food prices.The agency credited lower hotel and airfare costs and a moderation in food price rises for the decline. That helped offset an increase in energy costs on the back of higher crude oil prices.The decline was unexpected. Most analysts had expected inflation to increase to around 7% in light of the increase in prices at the pump.Though the surprise drop was encouraging, inflation is still way above the Bank of England’s target rate of 2% and hig...

Azerbaijan and Armenian forces reach cease-fire deal for breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh, reports say

Published Mon, 17 Feb 2025 16:15:31 GMT

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Armenian news reports said a cease-fire agreement with Azerbaijan was reached Wednesday to end the two days of fighting in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region. Thew deal was announced by the authorities of the separatist region of Azerbaijan and would take effect at 1 p.m. local time, the reports said. The agreement was reached through negotiations with the Russian peacekeeping contingent in the region and envisages the withdrawal of Armenian military units and equipment from Nagor-Karabakh and disarming the local defense forces, the reports said.No further details were immediately available.The development came after explosions rocked parts of Nagorno-Karabakh earlier in the day, after Azerbaijani forces on Tuesday launched used heavy artillery fire on Armenian positions in the region . Local officials said scores of people were killed or wounded.Azerbaijan has called the artillery fire an “anti-terrorist operation” and said it will continue until the sep...

Armenian news reports say a cease-fire agreement with Azerbaijan has been reached in Nagorno-Karabakh fighting

Published Mon, 17 Feb 2025 16:15:31 GMT

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Armenian news reports say a cease-fire agreement with Azerbaijan has been reached in Nagorno-Karabakh fighting.Source

On 50th anniversary of Billie Jean King’s ‘Battle of the Sexes’ win, a push to honor her in Congress

Published Mon, 17 Feb 2025 16:15:31 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Billie Jean King’s victory in the “Battle of the Sexes” was a milestone moment as women pushed for equality on the playing field and beyond. On the 50th anniversary of that match against Bobby Riggs — still the most-watched in tennis history — King will move toward becoming the first female individual athlete to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.Three U.S. senators will introduce a bill Wednesday that would award the honor to King, the tennis Hall of Famer and activist who was a driving force behind the creation of the women’s pro tour and equal prize money for men and women.“She’s both a role model for women and girls everywhere, but she’s also a battle-tested warrior for women’s rights and equality,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, one of the bill’s leaders in the Senate along with Sens. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.King has already celebrated the 50th anniversaries this year of the WTA Tour a...

Michal Probierz succeeds Fernando Santos as coach of Poland’s national soccer team

Published Mon, 17 Feb 2025 16:15:31 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Michal Probierz has been appointed as coach of Poland, the president of the national soccer federation said on Wednesday.Probierz, who is promoted from the under-21 team, takes over from Portuguese Fernando Santos.Santos was fired last week with Poland fourth in its five-team European Championship qualifying group. Santos, who led his native Portugal to the Euro 2016 title, was dismissed after almost nine months in the job. “The Poland team coach is Michal Probierz,” federation president Cezary Kulesza wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “This is the best possible choice. I wish the new coach good luck.”Probierz, who will be 51 on Sunday, previously coached a string of teams including Greek side Aris Salonika and Polish clubs Gornik Zabrze and Widzew Lodz.A news conference with Kulesza and Probierz is due to take place in Warsaw at noon local time. Poland is behind leader Albania, Czech Republic and Moldova in Euro Group E qualifying after losing three of...

Will this computer lab do for the DC area what the PC did for Silicon Valley?

Published Mon, 17 Feb 2025 16:15:31 GMT

The ribbon cutting event for the National Quantum Lab on Sept. 19, 2023. (WTOP/John Domen) The ribbon cutting event for the National Quantum Lab on Sept. 19, 2023. (WTOP/John Domen) Quantum computing is the next big technological breakthrough and will likely be used to radically define people’s lives, helping to solve problems and make technology even smarter. But it’s not like the regular computer that you’re used to.In fact, there’s only a handful of legitimate quantum companies in the world, and none of them have labs like the one that just opened at IonQ in College Park, Maryland.It’s why University of Maryland President Darryll Pines called the D.C. area “the capital of qua...