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Bridge: Oct. 11, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:45 GMT

“You’re an expert,” Cy the Cynic said to me. “How would you play four spades?”Cy displayed today’s North-South cards.“West leads three high hearts, and you ruff. What next?”“I see at least five trump tricks,” I said cautiously, “four diamonds and a club. If I take the A-K of trumps and a defender discards, I can’t get all four diamonds and must rely on the club finesse. So I take the ace of trumps, unblock the Q-J of diamonds, then lead a low trump. If a defender wins, dummy’s ten is an entry to the diamonds. I’m sure of 10 tricks.”SATISFIEDCy looked satisfied.“Where did this deal occur?” I asked.“Minnie was declarer in a penny game.”Minnie Bottoms, my club’s senior member, wears old bifocals that make her mix up kings and jacks, often to her opponents’ dismay.“She thought dummy’s jack of trumps was the king,” I laughed.“She made an ex...

Ask Amy: I know my friend took a photo without my permission, but she won’t hand it over

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:45 GMT

Dear Amy: I have a question concerning etiquette.Related ArticlesAdvice | Ask Amy: Am I wrong to display photos where he is she? Advice | Ask Amy: These are the five reasons I don’t want to go to Paris with my wife Advice | Ask Amy: The neighbors’ girl was crying in the street, and what I saw in the house scared me Advice | Ask Amy: They kept talking during the minute of silence. What should I have done? Advice | Ask Amy: I want to change my children’s names, but one of them may not be happy about it Is it OK for a friend to take a photo of you while you’re eating and to not even let you know?My friend did this. I called her the next day to ask could she send me the photos she took (as I always share photos), but she didn’t send the one she took of me eating.I asked her about that specific photo and she said she couldn’t find it.What do you think?– UpsetDear Upset: No, it is not OK to t...

The 10 most expensive homes reported sold in Alameda, Piedmont and Oakland in the week of Sep. 25

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:45 GMT

A house in Piedmont that sold for $5.5 million tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Alameda, Piedmont and Oakland in the past week.In total, 21 residential real estate sales were recorded in the area during the past week, with an average price of $2.1 million. The average price per square foot was $762.The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week of Sep. 25 even if the property may have been sold earlier.10. $1.9 million, detached house in the 1900 block of Asilomar DriveA sale has been finalized for the single-family home in the 1900 block of Asilomar Drive in Oakland. The price was $1,855,000 and the new owners took over the house in August. The house was built in 1954 and the living area totals 2,136 square feet. The price per square foot ended up at $868. The house features three bedrooms and three bathrooms.9. $1.9 million, single-family home in the 6200 block of Rockwell StreetThe 2,280 squa...

The Gaza Cauldron

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:45 GMT

The Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu has initiated a total blockade of Gaza amidst a merciless scorched-earth bombing campaign. The country’s defense minister said Israel will operate with an iron fist in its war against “human animals” following the well-coordinated surprise attacks over the weekend led by Hamas. The unprecedented raids into Israel over the weekend killed scores of both Israeli military and civilians. Hamas has vowed to execute Israeli hostages in retaliation for Israel’s bombing of civilian sites in Gaza. This week on Intercepted, Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara joins Jeremy Scahill and Murtaza Hussain for a wide-ranging discussion on Hamas’s strategy, Netanyahu’s possible attempt to draw the U.S. into a war with Iran, and the prospects for a wider Middle East war. They also discuss the difference in media coverage of Palestinian and Israeli violence and the deaths of civilians, as well as the Biden administration’s role in the crisi...

What to know on the fifth day of the latest Israel-Palestinian war

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:45 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The war between Israel and the militant group Hamas raged for a fifth day on Wednesday, as Israeli warplanes hammered neighborhood after neighborhood in the Gaza Strip, reducing buildings to rubble and sending people scrambling to find safety.As authorities in Gaza warned that rescue teams were unable to reach many areas and that electricity supplies would run out within hours, humanitarian groups pleaded for the creation of corridors that would allow them to deliver aid.The war, which has claimed at least 2,100 lives on both sides, is expected to escalate.Israel has vowed an unprecedented offensive against Hamas, after the Islamic militant group’s fighters broke through the border fence and stormed into the country’s south on Saturday, gunning down hundreds of Israelis in their homes, on the streets and at an outdoor music festival. The Israeli military said more than 1,200 people, including 155 soldiers, have died in Israel since Saturday’s incursion. In Gaz...

M-DCPS board to address controversy over new social studies standards

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:45 GMT

The Miami-Dade County Public School Board is set to convene to tackle a classroom controversy. In Wednesday’s meeting, board members are expected to approve new social studies books to align with recently adopted state standards.These standards were given the green light by the Florida Board of Education in July, marking a shift away from the Common Core curriculum. However, Florida’s new standards stirred national outrage due to their inclusion of teachings about how African Americans benefited from slavery.The pivotal meeting is scheduled to commence at 11 a.m., and it holds significant implications for the future of social studies education in the county.

Google looks to do away with passwords, making ‘passkeys’ the default option

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:45 GMT

New York (CNN) — Google is looking to make passwords obsolete by prompting users to create passkeys to unlock accounts and devices with a fingerprint, face scan or pin number.Google said Tuesday that passcodes are easier to remember, quicker to use and offer more security. The company unveiled support for passkeys in May but announced in a blog post that the technology will now become the go-to option during password creation.“[W]e’ll continue encouraging the industry to make the pivot to passkeys — making passwords a rarity, and eventually obsolete,” Google wrote.Google will continue to support traditional passwords, and users can dodge passkeys altogether by disabling their account’s “skip password when possible” option.Passkeys are now used as password alternatives for apps including YouTube, Search, Maps, Uber and eBay. WhatsApp is also adding capability, according to the blog.The FIDO Alliance, a security consortium that counts many tech firms as members, previously developed s...

Woman facing OUI charge after crash involving Dighton police cruiser

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:45 GMT

A 30-year-old woman is facing a drunken driving charge after police say she crashed into a Dighton police cruiser in Taunton on Monday night.Officers responding to a reported crash at the intersection of Winthrop and Burt streets around 9 p.m. found a Dighton Ford Expedition Police Cruiser with its airbags fully deployed and a 2014 Honda CRV with damage to the driver’s side and airbags deployed, according to Taunton Police Chief Edward J. Walsh.Michelle Sousa, of Taunton, was arrested on charges of negligent operation of a motor vehicle and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.The officer was taken to a nearby hospital, where they were treated and released.Police allege a half-empty bottle of liquor was found on the driver’s side of the car.Sousa is slated to be arraigned in Taunton District Court.

Animal Rescue League of Boston caring for 3 neonatal kittens after mother found injured in Fall River

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:45 GMT

The Animal Rescue League of Boston is currently caring for three neonatal kittens and their mother after a Fall River resident reported the mother cat was unable to care for the kittens due to severe wounds.Community cats can be found in any city or town in Massachusetts, and it’s estimated that there are 700,000 community cats living throughout the Commonwealth, 70,000 in Boston alone. ARL’s Field Services routinely works in the Fall River area, an area with countless community cats, and immediately responded when receiving the call about these three kittens.Due to her wounds, the mom cat was unable to care for her kittens, which drastically increased the urgency. At just 4 weeks old, the kittens would’ve been in grave danger without intervention and care.The kittens and the mom were trapped and transported to ARL’s Dedham Animal Care and Adoption Center, where they immediately received veterinary care. The mom cat, now named Kiki, was suffering from multiple puncture wounds, and w...

Police searching for 3rd suspect wanted in Holyoke shooting that claimed infant’s life

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:45 GMT

State and local police are turning to the public for help as they work to track down a third man wanted in connection with a shooting in Holyoke last week that left a pregnant woman hospitalized and her infant dead, officials said.Kermith Alvarez, 28, of Holyoke, is being sought on a murder charge in connection with the Oct. 4 shooting on Sargent Street, according to a statement issued by the Hampden District Attorney’s Office.If you have any information about Alvarez, you are asked to contact the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit at (413) 505-5993 or the Massachusetts State Police: Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section at 1-800-KAPTURE (1-800-527-8873).Police say he should be considered armed and Dangerous.   Johnluis Sanchez, 30, of Holyoke, has been ordered held without the right to bail on a murder charge for his suspected involvement in the shooting. Alejandro Ramos, 22, of Holyoke, was also arraigned on a murder charge and is being held without the ...