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Bridge: June 16, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:18 GMT

“You can lead a human to knowledge, but you can’t make him think.” — attributed to a horse who thought himself a sage.Winning bridge requires knowing play techniques such as trump control and managing entries, but the essence of the game is logical thinking and problem solving. In today’s deal, North’s bidding showed a huge two-suited hand. South’s jump to six clubs was speculative at best. West led the ace of diamonds — three, nine, deuce — and shifted to a heart.HIGH HEARTSSouth could have tried to take two high hearts and dummy’s two high diamonds to pitch both his spades. Then he could lead a trump to his queen, his best chance to pick up the trumps.But East-West were experts, and South reflected that if East had K-x in trumps, West could have beaten the slam for sure by shifting to a spade at the second trick. But West apparently wanted South to have a chance to finesse in trumps.South trusted his opponent: At Trick Th...

Word Game: June 16, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:18 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — WETLAND (WETLAND: WET-land: Swamp; marsh.)Average mark 32 wordsTime limit 45 minutesCan you find 43 or more words in WETLAND? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — AGGREGATE aerate agar agate ager agree area arete gaga gage gagger garage gate gear grate great greet rage ragtag rate reata reggae eager eater egret tagger tare tear treeTo 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 explicit words are not allowed.Contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe at [email protected].

Horoscopes June 16, 2023: Laurie Metcalf, personal improvements will lift your spirits

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:18 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Abby Elliott, 36; Eddie Cibrian, 50; Phil Mickelson, 53; Laurie Metcalf, 68.Happy Birthday: It’s up to you to spin things in your favor. Giving others a chance to step in and take over will lead to setbacks. Focus on how to add stability to your life. Surround yourself with like-minded people with something worthwhile to offer. Personal improvements will lift your spirits and your appeal. Your numbers are 6, 14, 21, 24, 30, 33, 48.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Focus on lowering debt. Refuse to let emotional spending cause stress. Pay attention to looking and feeling your best without breaking the bank. Truth matters; don’t say anything if you can’t be honest. Work on yourself instead of trying to change someone else. 4 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): A steady pace will pay off. Be blunt; it will make convincing others to follow your lead easier. Don’t take a risk that might slow you down physically. Use your intelligence to decide wh...

Alessia Russo to leave Manchester United as a free agent

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:18 GMT

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Alessia Russo will leave Manchester United’s women’s team as a free agent this summer, the club said on Friday. The England international, who was the subject of a reported world-record bid of around $640,000 from Arsenal in January, continues to be linked with a move to the London club.United had hoped to convince Russo to sign a new deal at the club, but has now confirmed she will leave when her contract expires at the end of June. “It’s been the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make,” Russo tweeted.Russo joined United in 2020 and scored 26 goals in 59 appearances. “Everyone at the football club would like to thank Alessia for her service and wish her luck for the future,” United said. Had Russo’s proposed move to Arsenal gone ahead in January, it would have exceeded the fee Barcelona paid for Keira Walsh, which was reportedly in the region of $511,000 last year. ___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/...

‘Desde Ucrania con amor’: las unidades de élite de drones nocturnos que bombardean militares rusos

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:18 GMT

(CNN) — En un edificio abandonado, el piloto de un dron ucraniano bloquea su entorno y se concentra únicamente en el mando que tiene en las manos. La habitación sin paredes le ofrece a él y a su unidad cierta protección en la noche sin luna.La pequeña pantalla del mando a distancia del soldado, la única fuente de luz permitida, ilumina su mirada penetrante mientras su dron, a kilómetros de distancia, está a unos instantes de lanzar un explosivo de 16 kg sobre una posición rusa.“A este momento lo llamamos ‘desde Ucrania con amor'”, dice su oficial superior.Este ataque nocturno secreto está siendo llevado a cabo por una unidad de élite compuesta por elementos del Servicio de Seguridad de Ucrania —conocido comúnmente como SBU— y de la Policía de Patrulla del país.La operación recibió luz verde después de que el ejército ucraniano informara de la presencia de una base de lanzamiento desde la que las fuerzas rusas disparaban hacia sus tropas cohetes Kornet, misile...

Denver weather: Pinpoint Weather Alert Day for widespread showers, storms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:18 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver's weather will be cooler on Friday with mostly cloudy skies and widespread showers and storms. A Pinpoint Weather Alert Day is in effect for flooding concerns.Storm chances will stay through Saturday with dry weather finally moving in Sunday. Weather today: Scattered stormsIt will be a cool Friday with temperatures in the mid-60s in the afternoon. Cloud cover will stick around with scattered showers and storm chances increasing in the afternoon. The main storm threats on the Front Range are rainfall and lightning with the severe weather threat staying on the southeast plains. Here’s how many people were at the Nuggets parade The plains have a marginal and slight risk for severe storms that could produce hail and strong winds. Rain showers and storms will last into the late evening hours in parts of eastern Colorado with drier conditions overnight. A flood watch has been issued from noon through 10 p.m. Friday. Pinpoint Weather: Advisories on June 16. Weathe...

‘Sexist and undemocratic’: Pregnant MEPs demand ability to vote on maternity leave

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:18 GMT

STRASBOURG — With a year to go before the EU elections, four pregnant European Parliament members are leading a campaign with their male allies to make their workplace more hospitable to younger candidates by securing parental leave for lawmakers.Unlike members of national parliaments in countries like Spain, EU lawmakers cannot keep voting if they take time out to look after newborn children because there is no official procedure to permit parental leave and remote voting.“It’s 2023. If you’re forced to choose between your votes and your child that’s a really bad signal, especially for young women,” Lara Wolters, a Dutch MEP from the Socialists & Democrats group who’s expecting her second child, told POLITICO in an interview Thursday.The absence of just one MEP could make all the difference — as a recent flurry of finely balanced votes on legislation ranging from corporate due diligence to restoring natural habitats has shown. Even though MEPs are still p...

It’s official: Europe is awash with drugs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:18 GMT

“Everywhere, everything, everyone.”That’s the chilling finding of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)’s 2023 annual report, which finds that illegal drugs are everywhere, pretty much any psychoactive substance can be found on the market, and no one can escape their swelling availability and subsequent ill effects.From the colleague calling in sick, to the health care workers overburdened by extra pressure, teenagers hoodwinked into crime and governments’ welfare budgets stretched, the impact of Europe’s complex dark drugs market is felt in every corner of the Continent. The report is a “a stark reminder that illicit drug problems can be found throughout our society,” said EMCDDA Director Alexis Goosdeel in a release published alongside the report.Record amounts of drugs are being seized, existing drugs are getting more potent and newly synthesized drugs keep appearing.  European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said...

At least 15 dead in Canada highway collision

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:18 GMT

(CNN) — At least 15 people have died after a truck collided with a bus carrying senior citizens in a rural portion of Canada’s Manitoba province on Thursday afternoon, according to local authorities.The bus was headed south on Highway 5 toward a casino near the town of Carberry, while the semitrailer was headed east on Highway 1, Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer Rob Lasson said in a news conference.The semitrailer struck the bus at the intersection of the two highways north of Carberry, roughly 170 kilometers (105 miles) west of Winnipeg.“Immediately it became apparent that this was a mass casualty situation,” Lasson said.In addition to the 15 killed, 10 others have been taken to a hospital, authorities said. The injured being treated included the drivers of the semitrailer and the bus, Lasson said.Twelve ambulances responded to the collision scene, as well as an air ambulance, said Jennifer Cumpsty, executive director of Acute Health Services.Manitoba has not se...

Teamsters will likely authorize a UPS strike Friday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:18 GMT

New York (CNN) — Members of the Teamsters union are almost certain to approve a massive strike at UPS in a vote concluding Friday. A prolonged work stoppage could severely damage the economy – but a strike is still more than seven weeks away, if it happens at all.Strike votes are a common part of labor negotiations, designed to give the union negotiators leverage while trying to reach an agreement. They typically pass overwhelmingly, and the majority of contract negotiations are concluded without a strike.If a strike does come, it would be the largest against a single employer in America’s history. More than 330,000 Teamsters work at UPS (UPS), making it the largest unionized employer in the private sector. And it is crucial to the nation’s economy, with an estimated 6% of the United States’ gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic activity, moving aboard UPS (UPS) trucks. It delivered 18.7 million domestic packages a day in the fir...