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Bridge: Nov. 3, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:51 GMT

Most of us would define a good contract as one that will succeed more often than not. (It’s right to bid vulnerable games with under a 50-50 chance.) Cy the Cynic’s definition of a “good contract” is one that makes.Today’s North-South bid boldly to slam. West led the ace of trumps (“to see dummy,” I guess) and a second trump. South won and took the A-K of clubs. When East-West followed, South cashed the A-K of diamonds to pitch dummy’s last club and ruffed a club.DIAMOND LOSERSouth then drew the missing trump and took two club winners, but he had a diamond loser. He finessed with the queen of hearts — and went down two.Six spades was a fair contract (but by Cy’s definition it was terrible). South succeeds with better timing. After he wins the second trump, he takes the top diamonds to pitch a club from dummy, ruffs a diamond, cashes the top clubs and ruffs a club.South then takes the ace of hearts, ruffs a heart and draws t...

Horoscopes Nov. 3, 2023: Dolph Lundgren, leave nothing to chance

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:51 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Elizabeth Smart, 36; Gemma Ward, 36; Colin Kaepernick, 36; Dolph Lundgren, 66.Happy Birthday: You’ll score big this year by focusing on what’s important. Leave nothing to chance or up to someone else, and you’ll gain respect and the momentum you require to go above and beyond your goal. Don’t let any opportunity go by the wayside. It’s your turn to explore the possibilities and to utilize your skills and expertise to get ahead personally and professionally. Your numbers are 5, 16, 24, 28, 33, 42, 47.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Let go of what isn’t working and embrace what excites you. It’s time to eliminate stress and focus on what makes you happy. Engage in learning new skills and fine-tuning how you present yourself to the world. Please yourself and sport a new look. 2 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Pave the way for new beginnings by eliminating unfinished business. Reach out to those who can speed up the proce...

Ask Amy: She sent me your advice column and told me I did something unacceptable

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:51 GMT

Dear Amy: My question is about calling someone out when they do something offensive.Related ArticlesAdvice | Ask Amy: My sister asked these teens a question I found thoughtless Advice | Ask Amy: I was upset about what they were eating, and they laughed when I objected Advice | Ask Amy: My parents aren’t really fighting, but it makes my husband uncomfortable Advice | Ask Amy: Yes, I drink too much, but here’s why I won’t do AA Advice | Ask Amy: My wife’s family is horrible to me, and she pretends it’s not happening What would you say is a reasonable amount of time for this to be done?My friend “Shari” emailed me about a letter in your column. The letter was about the propriety of a friend taking a photo of someone while they were eating.In her email, Shari stated that she remembered me doing the same thing and told me to stop taking pictures of people without their permission...

Four-bedroom home in Pleasanton sells for $1.8 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:51 GMT

1959 Valdosta Court – Google Street ViewThe property located in the 1900 block of Valdosta Court in Pleasanton was sold on Sept. 22, 2023. The $1,800,000 purchase price works out to $999 per square foot. The house, built in 1975, has an interior space of 1,802 square feet. This single-story house presents a roomy floor plan, featuring four bedrooms and two baths. Outside, the home presents roofing composed of wood shake roofing / shingles materials. Inside, a fireplace enhances the ambiance of the living area. The property is equipped with forced air heating and central A/C. In addition, the home includes a garage.These nearby houses have also recently been purchased:In April 2023, a 1,919-square-foot home on Morganfield Court in Pleasanton sold for $1,550,000, a price per square foot of $808. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 1,439-square-foot home on the 4100 block of Morganfield Court in Pleasanton sold in September 2022, for $1,571,500, a price per square foot of $1,092....

Harriette Cole: The trait that got me this far isn’t working anymore

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:51 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: As a perfectionist, I have always striven to do my best in school and in life. Now that I have entered the workforce, I am starting to realize that my perfectionist tendencies are causing undue stress at work.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: I’m seeing a huge red flag in my new marriage Advice | Harriette Cole: I chose this job for the money, but now I dread going to the office Advice | Harriette Cole: All the doors were locked, but there she was in my kitchen Advice | Harriette Cole: I’m jealous of my friend’s magic pixie dust Advice | Harriette Cole: Is he just using this as an excuse not to marry me? Despite this, it is difficult for me to let go of the need to be perfect, as it has been a part of my identity for so long. I am wondering how I can learn to be OK with not being perfect and still feel satisfied with the work I do at the end of each day.— Pe...

Local Construction Firm for Secret U.S. Base in Israel Also Built an Illegal Settlement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:51 GMT

The U.S. military’s recent $35 million contract to do construction at its secret base in Israel went to a joint venture that includes an American firm and an Israeli one. The Israeli company, Y.D. Ashush Infrastructure, has been involved in many large-scale infrastructure and public works projects — including building an illegal settlement in occupied Palestinian territory.In a section on its website touting its projects, Ashush mentions construction work in the settlement of Leshem. Originally planned to include nearly 700 homes, Leshem was constructed in the 2010s as a satellite of Alei Zahav, a settlement established in 1982. “I estimate that Leshem has tripled the number of settlers in Alei Zahav.”“Leshem is an Israeli settlement that was established in 2010, officially as a ‘neighborhood’ of an older settlement called Alei Zahav,” Dror Etkes — founder of Kerem Navot, an Israeli organization that monitors Israeli land policy in the West Bank — told The Intercept. Etkes said...

Storm Ciarán kills 5 people as it brings record rainfall to Italy, taking European death toll to 12

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:51 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Record-breaking rain produced floods in a vast swath of Italy’s Tuscany region as Storm Ciarán pushed into the country overnight trapping residents in their homes, inundating hospitals and overturning cars. At least five people were killed, bringing the storm’s death toll in western Europe to 12 on Friday.Italian Civil Protection authorities said 200 millimeters (nearly 8 inches) of rain fell in a three-hour period, from the city of Livorno on the coast to the inland valley of Mugello, and caused riverbanks to overflow. Video shows at least a dozen cars getting pushed down a flooded road.“There was a wave of water bombs without precedence,” Tuscany Gov. Eugenio Giani told Italian news channel Sky TG24 as he tried to describe the downpour. He reported the five deaths on social media and posted photos of vast inland areas inundated by the flooding. The dead in Tuscany included an 85-year-old man found in the flooded ground floor of his home near the city of Prato, n...

Credicorp: Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:51 GMT

LA MOLINA, Bermuda (AP) — LA MOLINA, Bermuda (AP) — Credicorp Ltd. (BAP) on Thursday reported third-quarter net income of $337.2 million.The bank, based in La Molina, Bermuda, said it had earnings of $4.23 per share.The Peruvian finance company posted revenue of $1.69 billion in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $1.27 billion, which met Street forecasts.Credicorp shares have declined slightly more than 5% since the beginning of the year. The stock has decreased 11% 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 BAP at https://www.zacks.com/ap/BAPSource

Anthony Albanese will soon be the first Australian prime minister in 7 years to visit China

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:51 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Anthony Albanese will become the first Australian prime minister in seven years to visit China in recognition that bilateral relations have improved after crashing to unprecedented depths over trade and security differences that remain largely unresolved.The 2022 election of Albanese’s center-left government after nine years of conservative rule created an opportunity for a reset. He arrives Saturday on a three-day visit that will take him to Shanghai then Beijing, where he’ll meet with President Xi Jinping.Xi had two meetings in six months with an Australian prime minister in 2016, but China severed top-level ministerial contacts with Australia after that. Official and unofficial trade sanctions stacked up since 2020 to cost Australian exporters up to 20 billion Australian dollars ($13 billion) a year for commodities including coal, wine, beef, barley and lobsters.Many say the trade boycott hurt an economically troubled China while Australia showed ...

Interface: Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:51 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — ATLANTA (AP) — Interface Inc. (TILE) on Friday reported earnings of $9.9 million in its third quarter.On a per-share basis, the Atlanta-based company said it had profit of 17 cents. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs and amortization costs, came to 28 cents per share.The carpet tile company posted revenue of $311 million in the period.Interface expects full-year revenue in the range of $1.25 billion to $1.26 billion._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on TILE at https://www.zacks.com/ap/TILESource