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Bridge: Sept. 26, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:16 GMT

I found Cy the Cynic in the club lounge, writing an alimony check — feeding hay to a dead horse, he says.Diamonds is Cy’s least favorite suit. He says it’s no coincidence that diamonds, the hardest substance in nature, is a symbol of marriage, which he tried once and found hard to endure.When Cy was declarer at today’s 3NT, he won the first heart with the king, pondered, led a diamond to the ace, returned the ten … and let it ride! West took his jack and led another heart. Cy then claimed nine tricks.OVERTRICK“You’ve lost your mind,” North said. “You were cold for an overtrick.”“I don’t trust diamonds,” the Cynic growled.Cy can go down only if he loses a diamond and four clubs. That can happen only if East gets in and leads a club from A-x-x. Cy can never lose four clubs if the first lead comes from West. So Cy executed an unlikely avoidance play to make sure East couldn’t win a diamond trick. Cy wou...

Word Game: Sept. 26, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:16 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — HOMILIES (HOMILIES: HOM-ih-lees: Short sermons or lectures.)Average mark 21 wordsTime limit 30 minutesCan you find 27 or more words in HOMILIES? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — PICAYUNE pace pain pane panic pecan pica pine piney puce puna puny cane cape cyan acne yuan uncap nape neap nice epicTo 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 Sept. 26, 2023: Serena Williams, get the ball rolling

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:16 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Manny Montana, 40; Christina Milian, 42; Serena Williams, 42; Jim Caviezel, 55.Happy Birthday: Don’t hesitate; get the ball rolling and finish what you start. Keep life simple and doable. Refuse to be led by those pushing lies. It’s up to you to think for yourself and make decisions you can live with moving forward. Put your energy where it counts. Personal growth will be gratifying and point you in a positive direction. Your numbers are 6, 19, 22, 25, 34, 39, 48.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Pay attention and act fast. Monitor what’s happening and refuse to let situations get blown out of proportion. It’s up to you to change what isn’t working for you and to gravitate toward what soothes your soul. Take a deep breath and do what’s necessary. 4 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Don’t skirt issues. Be honest with yourself and others, do what’s best for you and have no regrets. Discipline will pay off, and intelli...

Ask Amy: Momzilla threatens to stomp on the wedding because of the groom’s request

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:16 GMT

Dear Amy: My daughter is engaged to a great guy. She is finishing college and heading to grad school, so the wedding is likely 18 months away.I like the groom, but he has some strong opinions about the wedding!He wants a small wedding with only clergy, the couple and parents present.He says he organized his brother’s wedding by himself, and it was fine (why was the bride’s family not involved?).Also, he wants to have the wedding in his home state, in the Midwest. (We live in the West.)When my daughter has noted that the bride and her family “traditionally” organize the wedding, his response is: “But it’s my wedding, too!”When I mention hiring a wedding planner, he disagrees (wait, who is paying for this?).I could plan the wedding myself, but I dread the hours online, phoning, or how many plane trips this will take! (However, I am willing to sample the champagne locally.)My compromise is a wedding out West, with a second reception in his hometown with his family or him in charge.He i...

Sale closed in San Jose: $2.4 million for a four-bedroom home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:16 GMT

1428 Sandringham Way – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 1400 block of Sandringham Way in San Jose has new owners. The 2,310-square-foot property, built in 1996, was sold on Aug. 18, 2023, for $2,350,000, or $1,017 per square foot. This two-story home presents a roomy floor plan, featuring four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Additionally, the house features a two-car garage.These nearby houses have also recently been sold:On Rosecrest Terrace, San Jose, in July 2023, a 2,636-square-foot home was sold for $2,585,000, a price per square foot of $981. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.A 3,223-square-foot home on the 1400 block of Rosecrest Terrace in San Jose sold in August 2022, for $2,775,000, a price per square foot of $861. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In March 2023, a 2,538-square-foot home on Chapman Street in San Jose sold for $2,350,000, a price per square foot of $926. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. 

AP PHOTOS: Bavarian hammersmith forges wrought-iron pans at a mill more than 500 years old

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:16 GMT

BAD OBERDORF, Germany (AP) — Andreas Rohrmoser has been forging thousands of wrought-iron pans the old-fashioned way in his centuries-old hammer mill in the Bavarian village of Bad Oberdorf near the Austria border.The 53-year-old German hammersmith took over the mill from his predecessor two years ago but had been working there for 15 years already.The red-roofed mill itself, nestled in a valley in the foothills of the Alps, is more than 500 years old, he said in an interview on Monday. It sits on a canal of the Ostrach river that was built centuries ago specifically to power the mill.The canal’s water power, channeled through a mill wheel, drives a gigantic hammer inside the building punching down on the anvil. There, in his blacksmith shop, Rohrmoser flattens and shapes his famous skillets.“The secret of my pans is that they don’t have any kind of coating and therefore you can heat them to a much higher temperature than most other industrially made pans,” Rohrmoser said.Rohrmoser ...

Marlins visit the Mets to begin 3-game series

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:16 GMT

Miami Marlins (81-75, third in the NL East) vs. New York Mets (71-85, fourth in the NL East)New York; Tuesday, 7:10 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Marlins: Braxton Garrett (9-6, 3.53 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 154 strikeouts); Mets: Joey Lucchesi (3-0, 2.88 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 29 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Marlins -130, Mets +109; over/under is 8 runsBOTTOM LINE: The New York Mets host the Miami Marlins to open a three-game series.New York is 71-85 overall and 39-36 at home. The Mets have hit 205 total home runs to rank fifth in the NL.Miami is 81-75 overall and 35-40 on the road. The Marlins have a 40-13 record in games when they did not give up a home run.The matchup Tuesday is the 11th time these teams match up this season. The Mets have a 7-3 advantage in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Pete Alonso leads the Mets with 45 home runs while slugging .506. Brandon Nimmo is 15-for-43 with four doubles, a triple, a home run and eight RBI over the past 10 games.Jorge Soler is second on the...

Cardinals visit the Brewers to open 3-game series

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:16 GMT

St. Louis Cardinals (68-88, fifth in the NL Central) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (88-68, first in the NL Central)Milwaukee; Tuesday, 7:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Cardinals: Zack Thompson (5-7, 4.57 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 67 strikeouts); Brewers: Adrian Houser (7-4, 4.35 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 86 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Brewers -157, Cardinals +134; over/under is 8 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Milwaukee Brewers host the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday to begin a three-game series.Milwaukee has an 88-68 record overall and a 45-30 record in home games. Brewers hitters have a collective .319 on-base percentage, the ninth-ranked percentage in the NL.St. Louis has a 68-88 record overall and a 35-43 record in road games. The Cardinals have hit 206 total home runs to rank fourth in the NL.The teams square off Tuesday for the 11th time this season. The Brewers lead the season series 6-4.TOP PERFORMERS: Christian Yelich has 33 doubles, two triples and 19 home runs while hitting .276 for the Brewers. C...

Phillies play the Pirates in first of 3-game series

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:16 GMT

Pittsburgh Pirates (74-82, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (87-69, second in the NL East)Philadelphia; Tuesday, 6:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Mitch Keller (13-9, 4.25 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 204 strikeouts); Phillies: Aaron Nola (12-9, 4.57 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 194 strikeouts)BOTTOM LINE: The Philadelphia Phillies host the Pittsburgh Pirates to start a three-game series.Philadelphia has an 87-69 record overall and a 47-31 record at home. Phillies hitters have a collective .440 slugging percentage to rank third in the NL.Pittsburgh is 74-82 overall and 36-42 in road games. The Pirates have a 55-7 record in games when they out-hit their opponents.Tuesday’s game is the fourth meeting between these teams this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Bryce Harper has a .292 batting average to lead the Phillies, and has 27 doubles, a triple and 20 home runs. Nicholas Castellanos is 13-for-35 with six home runs and 16 RBI over the past 10 games.Jack Suwinski leads Pittsburgh with 26...

Giants bring 1-0 series advantage over Padres into game 2

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:16 GMT

San Diego Padres (77-80, fourth in the NL West) vs. San Francisco Giants (78-79, third in the NL West)San Francisco; Tuesday, 9:45 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Padres: Seth Lugo (7-7, 3.79 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 133 strikeouts); Giants: Kyle Harrison (1-1, 4.85 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 31 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Padres -126, Giants +106; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The San Francisco Giants lead 1-0 in a three-game series with the San Diego Padres.San Francisco has a 44-32 record in home games and a 78-79 record overall. The Giants have the fourth-ranked team ERA in the NL at 4.08.San Diego is 77-80 overall and 33-43 in road games. The Padres have the second-ranked team ERA in the NL at 3.87.The matchup Tuesday is the 12th time these teams square off this season. The Padres have a 6-5 advantage in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Wilmer Flores leads San Francisco with 22 home runs while slugging .509. LaMonte Wade Jr is 8-for-24 with three home runs and six RBI over the past...