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Bridge: Jan. 1, 2024

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 21:15:18 GMT

“You lost in the penny game again last week,” I said to Unlucky Louie. “That’s how many weeks in a row?”“Every time I think I’ve hit rock-bottom,” Louie sighed, “it seems that rock-bottom has a sub-basement.”Louie blames his losing streak on bad luck, despite all the evidence. Most of his losses are avoidable; he plays without thinking. When Louie was declarer at today’s six diamonds, West led the king of spades. Louie took the ace and couldn’t lead trumps; he needed a fast discard for his spade loser. So Louie cashed three high hearts, discarding dummy’s last spade.LAST HEARTWhen both defenders followed, Louie beamed — and swiftly led a trump. West took the ace and led his last heart, and when Louie ruffed with dummy’s eight, East overruffed with the nine. Down one!After Louie takes his spade discard on the hearts, he must cash the A-K of clubs, pitching his last heart. Then when West is in wi...

Word Game: Jan. 1, 2024

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 21:15:18 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — ENCHASE (ENCHASE: en-CHACE: To cut or carve in relief or to inlay.)Average mark 15 wordsTime limit 30 minutesCan you find 19 or more words in ENCHASE? The list will be published tomorrow.SATURDAY’S WORD — HOURGLASS halo haul hoar hora hour hula hurl hussar oral ours rash rough rush gash gauss ghoul glass gloss goal gosh goulash grass gross guar gular gush lash lass lasso laugh loss lush also sash shag shoal shrug slag slash slog slosh slough slug slur slush soar solar sora sough soul sour sugar surahTo 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,...

Best home deals the week of Dec. 18 in Los Gatos

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 21:15:18 GMT

A house in Monte Sereno that sold for $460,000 tops the list of the most affordable real estate sales in Los Gatos in the past week.For comparison, the overall average price of real estate in the area during that time was $2.3 million, or $889 per square foot. A total of 8 home sales were recorded for the period with an average square footage of 2,608 square feet, 4 bedrooms, and 3 bathrooms.The list below includes the best deals on real estate priced between $10-$10,000,000.The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week of Dec. 18 even if the property may have been sold earlier.8. $4.1 million, single-family house in the first block of Whitney Ave.The sale of the single family residence in the first block of Whitney Ave. in Los Gatos has been finalized. The price was $4,100,000, and the new owners took over the house in December. The house was built in 1955 and has a living area of 2,837 square feet. The price per square foot was...

Ask Amy: I worry about affording vacations if I move out of my parents’ house

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 21:15:18 GMT

Dear Amy: I’m a 29-year-old, still living at home. I want to go back to school and get my master’s degree.Related ArticlesAdvice | Ask Amy: My in-laws stopped speaking to me, and I don’t know what to do Advice | Ask Amy: I think I might have to cancel my birthday party because of our neighbors Advice | Ask Amy: She insulted my kids, and our relationship exploded Advice | Ask Amy: Her indiscretion ended our friendship. What do I say when people ask? Advice | Ask Amy: My teen’s diary is pretty uneventful. Should I stop reading it? It would be cheaper to attend classes online, but if I lived on campus I could get my own apartment and have more privacy. I believe my mental health would improve because my parents drive me crazy.However, I probably won’t be able to afford to go on vacations since my financial aid will go mostly to room and board.What should I do?– WonderingDear Wondering: Vacations...

Harriette Cole: Find the right life story to make your new year better

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 21:15:18 GMT

DEAR READERS: Happy new year! This day always makes me think about my father, who was born on this day many years ago.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: I hurt my leg and have to stay home, and I can’t stand it Advice | Harriette Cole: College got weird, and I’m not sure I want to go back Advice | Harriette Cole: How do I get my wife’s friend to stop with the divorce talk? Advice | Harriette Cole: I feel like I ruin the vibe at parties Advice | Harriette Cole: My husband comes home late, and I think I know why I will never forget that on every New Year’s Eve, he would decorate our basement with all kinds of gold, silver and red items in preparation for the party that my parents hosted to ring in the new year. They really did it up, with a live band and guests wearing formal attire.My sisters and I would greet our parents’ guests at the front door and hang their coats a...

Girona starts new year with another chance to show it’s a genuine title contender in Spain

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 21:15:18 GMT

MADRID (AP) — The new year brings Girona another chance to show it’s a genuine title contender in the Spanish league.Girona’s first match of 2024 is a tough challenge against third-place Atletico Madrid at home on Wednesday. The Catalan club has been the surprise team in Spain so far this season, with statement wins such as the one it earned at defending champion Barcelona last month.Now it has a shot at taking down an Atletico team that finished the year with a win against Sevilla.Girona, partly owned by Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi ownership, is tied with Real Madrid on 45 points, but trails the Spanish powerhouse on a tiebreaker.“We finished the first half of the season on the same level as the top clubs,” Girona coach Míchel Sánchez said. “Our fans are proud of what we have achieved so far.”The game against Atletico should help give an idea about whether Girona has what it takes to keep competing at the top.Girona lost 3-0 to Madrid at home in September in its first big challenge...

WTOP’s Neal Augenstein: My 2024 resolution, living with stage 4 lung cancer

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 21:15:18 GMT

WTOP reporter Neal Augenstein at Bryce Resort, in Bayse, Virginia, in December 2023. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein) WTOP reporter Neal Augenstein at Bryce Resort, in Bayse, Virginia, in December 2023. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein) 2023 was a great year for me, despite starting it with stage 4 lung cancer.By now you know, after one-pill-a-day targeted therapy, and a robotic-assisted lobectomy, I’ve been cancer-free since the end of April.But, what’s in store for 2024?In a few weeks I’ll have a new type of test for the first time — a liquid biopsy — that can provide some clues of what my future treatment, and perhaps prognosis, will be.Scientists and doctors have long said that stage 4 lung cancer isn’t cur...

Sismo en Japón en vivo: noticias, réplicas, alerta de tsunami y más

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 21:15:18 GMT

Para ver las actualizaciones más recientes haz clic aquíTV screens in Osaka show news of a large earthquake hitting a wide area on the Sea of Japan coast in central Japan and subsequent tsunami warnings in the affected regions on Jan. 1, 2024. (Photo by Kyodo News via Getty Images)Se ve una casa derrumbada tras un terremoto en Wajima, Japón, el 1 de enero. Kyodo/ReutersThe-CNN-Wire™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.Source

Un hombre muere tras un ‘encuentro con tiburones’ en Hawái

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 21:15:18 GMT

(CNN) —  Un hombre murió este sábado por la mañana en Hawaii después de sufrir lo que las autoridades llamaron “heridas por un encuentro con tiburones” frente a la costa de Maui.La policía acudió alrededor de las 11:19 am, hora local, a una zona de playa junto a la autopista Hana en Paia. Los agentes utilizaron una moto acuática para llevar a la orilla a un hombre de 39 años que había resultado herido en el “encuentro con el tiburón”, dijo la policía de Maui en un comunicado de prensa.Después de llevar al hombre a la orilla, los socorristas tomaron “medidas para salvarle la vida” hasta que llegaron los médicos para transportarlo al Maui Memorial Medical Center, según el comunicado de prensa.El hombre murió más tarde a causa de sus heridas, dijo la policía. Las autoridades dijeron que ocultarían su identidad durante 24 horas “para permitirle a su familia la oportunidad de notificar a sus familiares y amigos”.Los investigadores notaron lo que parece ser una mayor pro...

Broncos QB Russell Wilson says he was asked earlier in season to adjust contract or risk benching

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 21:15:18 GMT

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — As quarterback Russell Wilson explains it, his job was in jeopardy nearly two months ago and after the Denver Broncos’ biggest win.It was then, during the bye week following a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 29, Wilson said he was facing an ultimatum from the team: Adjust his contract or risk being benched.He didn't budge. Weeks later, Wilson is now finishing out the season on the sideline. It may just be the end of his time in Denver, too.A disappointed Wilson spoke to the media Friday after practice for the first time since being demoted earlier in the week by coach Sean Payton. Wilson will be relegated to the role of backup to Jarrett Stidham on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers (5-10). Wilson was perplexed by the timing of his benching since the Broncos (7-8) still have a chance of making the playoffs, even if slim. Stidham uneven in 1st start in place of Wilson as Broncos rely on defense to beat Chargers 16-9 But the warning signs we...