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Bridge: Dec. 22, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:44 GMT

Cy the Cynic observes that by the end of that 12-day Christmas carol, your house will be overrun by almost 200 birds of various species, plus more than 100 hyperactive humans.I haven’t verified those numbers, but I know that South could have earned a gold ring at today’s slam with only a little counting. Against 6NT West led the ten of spades: king, ace. Declarer won the spade return and cashed the three top diamonds. When West discarded a spade, South tried the top clubs. This time East threw a heart, and declarer took only 11 tricks.HURRYSouth was too quick to test the minor suits. After he wins the second spade, he can cash a third spade; East pitches a heart. South then takes his three heart tricks, and West discards a spade.Next, South takes the high clubs. When East discards another heart, South has a complete count: West had five spades, four clubs and two hearts, hence two diamonds. So South can take the ace of diamonds, unblocking dummy’s ten, and lead a diamond to the king...

Word Game: Dec. 22, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:44 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — SMOLDER (SMOLDER: SMOLE-der: To burn slowly, without a flame, and often without smoke.)Average mark 29 wordsTime limit 40 minutesCan you find 37 or more words in SMOLDER? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — TRUDGES trudge true rest rude rudest rued ruse rust urge used user degust dregs drug dues duet dust duster guest gust stud sued suer suet surd sure surgeTo 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].

Ask Amy: I went behind my wife’s back to deal with her high-strung friend. Was I wrong?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:44 GMT

Dear Amy: A while ago my wife got a cellphone call from “Martine,” a very high-strung woman whom she regarded as a friend.Related ArticlesAdvice | Ask Amy: She was such a fun friend, and I’m stunned she turned on me like this Advice | Ask Amy: I’m annoyed when people give gifts to children for no occasion Advice | Ask Amy: I felt awkward when my boss made this odd comment Advice | Ask Amy: A boy reading Judy Blume, and other inspiring tales Advice | Ask Amy: I swear we will move without her if she can’t get her stuff packed in time The reception was so poor that she asked Martine if they could talk when she got home. Instead of agreeing, Martine exploded in hysterical anger, screaming that the 40-year friendship was over.This extreme and illogical overreaction left my wife so depressed that I finally wrote to Martine on my own initiative, asking what kind of person she was who would tre...

Israel’s military campaign in Gaza seen as among the most destructive in recent history, experts say

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:44 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military campaign in Gaza, experts say, now sits among the deadliest and most destructive in recent history.In just over two months, the offensive has wreaked more destruction than the razing of Syria’s Aleppo between 2012 and 2016, Ukraine’s Mariupol or, proportionally, the Allied bombing of Germany in World War II. It has killed more civilians than the U.S.-led coalition did in its three-year campaign against the Islamic State group.The Israeli military has said little about what kinds of bombs and artillery it is using in Gaza. But from blast fragments found on-site and analyses of strike footage, experts are confident that the vast majority of bombs dropped on the besieged enclave are U.S.-made. They say the weapons include 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) “bunker-busters” that have killed hundreds in densely populated areas.With the Palestinian death toll in Gaza surpassing 20,000, the international community is calling for a cease-fire. Israel vows to pr...

“No se veía desde Vietnam”: Israel lanzó cientos de bombas de 900 kg sobre Gaza, según un análisis

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:44 GMT

(CNN) — En el primer mes de su guerra en Gaza, Israel lanzó cientos de bombas masivas, muchas de ellas capaces de matar o herir a personas a más de 300 metros de distancia, según sugiere un análisis de CNN y la empresa de inteligencia artificial Synthetaic.Las imágenes por satélite de los primeros días de la guerra revelan más de 500 cráteres de impacto de más de 12 metros de diámetro, que corresponden a los dejados por bombas de 900 kilogramos. Estas son cuatro veces más pesadas que las bombas más grandes que Estados Unidos lanzó sobre el ISIS en Mosul, Iraq, durante la guerra contra el grupo extremista allí.Expertos en armamento y guerra culpan al uso extensivo de municiones pesadas como las bombas de 900 kilogramos por el creciente número de muertos. La población de Gaza está mucho más hacinada que en casi cualquier otro lugar del planeta, por lo que el uso de municiones tan pesadas tiene un efecto profundo.“El uso de bombas de 900 kilos en una zona tan densamente pob...

Gaza death toll surpasses 20,000 and Israel expands ground offensive despite pressure to scale back

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:44 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Palestinian death toll in Gaza surpassed 20,000, health officials said Friday, the latest indication of the staggering cost of the war as Israel expanded its ground offensive and ordered tens of thousands more people to leave their homes.The deaths, amounting to nearly 1% of the territory’s prewar population, are just one measure of the devastation wrought by the conflict that over 11 weeks has displaced nearly 85% of Gaza’s people and leveled wide swaths of the tiny coastal enclave.More than half a million people in Gaza — a quarter of the population — are starving, according to a report Thursday from the United Nations and other agencies describing the crisis caused by Israel’s bombardment and siege on the territory in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.Despite the emergency, a U.N. Security Council vote on aid deliveries and terms for a cease-fire was delayed again late Thursday, after days of high-level negotiations.The United States, which has veto po...

Teen hero rewarded with scholarship after rescue at Boynton Beach Inlet

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:44 GMT

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — In a heart-stopping moment of heroism, 17-year-old Jakob Thompson risked his life to save a stranger from the treacherous waters of the Boynton Beach Inlet. “I think the adrenaline took over. I didn’t have any emotions at that point,” said Thompson in an interview after the incident.Little did he know, this selfless act would not only earn him recognition from the fire department but also a life-changing reward. “When I saw Jakob’s story it just grabbed my heart, and i immediately knew i had to see him.”Thompson’s quick thinking and bravery caught the eye of Sarah Perry, a mother who tragically lost her son, Aden, in a similar heroic act. Perry, inspired by Jakob’s courage, decided to honor him in her son’s memory through a surprise scholarship.“When I saw Jakob’s story it just grabbed my heart, and I immediately knew I had to meet him, and I had to hug him because he did what my son did. ...

France’s new health minister under investigation for accepting undeclared gifts

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:44 GMT

France’s newly appointed health minister is under investigation for accepting undeclared luxury gifts while working as a pharmacist. Agnès Firmin Le Bodo is suspected of having received over €20,000 worth of undisclosed gifts between 2015 and 2020, when she was working as a pharmacist in Normandy, according to an investigation by French website Mediapart.According to the outlet, she received 21 deliveries of luxury products — including watches, bottles of champagne, smartphones and a television —over the years in question from Urgo laboratories, which she failed to declare. The heart of the case hinges on France’s anti-gift laws that impose transparency rules over both companies giving presents and professionals receiving them. Authorities opened a judicial investigation in June 2023, and a hearing is scheduled for January 2024.Le Bodo’s spokesperson told Mediapart that she “will only respond to the competent authorities” during January’s hearing.The investig...

UK waters down plan for £38,700 minimum salary to bring over foreign spouses

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:44 GMT

LONDON — The U.K. government softened its controversial plan to make it more difficult for people to bring non-British spouses to the U.K.Under a major legal migration shake-up announced earlier this month, the Home Office declared that it would significantly raise the minimum salary that British citizens or migrants already settled in the U.K. would need to show they are earning to allow relatives to join them under a family visa. The threshold is currently £18,600 but was set to rise to £38,700 — including when existing visa holders renew.That prompted warnings the policy would wrench families already living in the U.K. apart, and throw plans to bring relatives to the country into chaos.But, in a change slipped out just before the Christmas break, the department now says the threshold will rise to just £29,000 in the spring.Further rises are still penciled in, the government says, but they have no fixed implementation date. The Home Office said the threshold “will be increas...

Winter’s Chill To Milder Air

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:44 GMT

First full day of winter, feeling like winter as temps start off in the teens and lower 20s and early morning wind chills run between 5 and 15 degrees. The good news?… It’s bright, and with a dry day upon us, great weather overall for those Christmas travel plans or last minute shopping. Yes it be cold, but winds taper off too, so a manageable chilly day overall. We’ll have more clouds in the mix tomorrow as high temps recover into the lower 40s afternoon a chilly start. If there’s any chance of some precipitation, it’ll be late Saturday night into Christmas Eve. It won’t amount to much, but a few patchy light snow showers/sprinkles are possible, especially overnight Saturday and early Sunday. The best chance for the flakes will be across the interior. Christmas Eve afternoon temps run in the low to mid 40s. Christmas Day looks milder too, near 50 as we stay dry from start to finish. Temps hold near 50 mid to late week, and that means the next st...