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Bridge: June 27, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:19 GMT

If you think top experts are sound and solid bidders, you must have recently returned from an extended stay on a desert island. If you watched any of the Vanderbilt Teams at the Spring NABC (as shown on Bridge Base Online), you may never have seen so much uninhibited bidding.A player held QJ10742,753,J,1082. His partner opened one diamond, he responded one spade, partner raised to two spades and he … bid four spades. As you might expect, he went down.In today’s deal from the Vanderbilt final, WOLFSON vs. BERNAL, West opened one diamond. North for BERNAL cue-bid two diamonds, presumably showing length in both majors. When East doubled, South jumped to three hearts with no points visible to the naked eye. That induced North to bid four hearts, which East was happy to double.FOUR TRICKSWest led the king of diamonds, and the defenders operated to best advantage and beat the contract four tricks for plus 800. At the other table, WOLFSON’s East-West pair overreached to six diamonds and we...

Horoscopes June 27, 2023: Tobey Maguire, don’t fear being different

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:19 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Ed Westwick, 36; Drake Bell, 37; Tobey Maguire, 48; J.J. Abrams, 57.Happy Birthday: Being observant will enrich your life by helping you make better decisions. Don’t be a follower; do what you enjoy most. Take pride in what you do, and don’t fear being different. Learning as you go will help you build a strong base for your future. Minimize your goals to fit your budget, and ensure you put your effort where it brings the highest return. Your numbers are 5, 18, 22, 27, 30, 38, 41.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Make decisions based on facts, not impulse. Gather information, listen, learn and prepare diligently to ensure your success. Finishing what you start is vital if you intend to leave a lasting impression that leads to connections that offer more significant opportunities. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Keeping your eye on your goal is good if you don’t neglect the small but essential details. A change of plans will disrupt your sched...

Arlington Co. Schools employee arrested for alleged May sexual assault

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:19 GMT

A man who works with Arlington County Public Schools was arrested in connection with a sexual assault that allegedly took place last month, according to the Arlington County Police Department.Julio Basurto, 42, of Arlington, has been charged with abduction and forcible sodomy. He was arrested on June 22 without incident after detectives reviewed evidence and interviewed witnesses, police said in a news release.Around 6:40 a.m. on May 21, police met with a woman who reported a sexual assault inside an unknown black vehicle. According to a police investigation, the victim was in the 3100 block of Clarendon Boulevard after leaving a bar, when the suspect approached in the vehicle.The victim entered the vehicle, and alleged that the suspect — later identified as Basurto — sexually assaulted her before she was able to exit.Basurto was not working as a rideshare driver or in any for-hire capacity, police said.Basurto is listed as a staff member with Arlington County Public Sch...

Fast bowler Tongue replaces spinner Ali in England side for 2nd Ashes test

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:19 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Worcestershire fast bowler Josh Tongue was surprisingly recalled by England for the second Ashes test against Australia at Lord’s after Moeen Ali injured his spinning finger.The only change by England after losing the first test at Edgbaston by two wickets has set up an all-seam attack in the second match starting on Wednesday.Tongue made his test debut this month against Ireland on a slow pitch at Lord’s and took 5-66 in the second innings of a 10-wicket win.He’s been chosen ahead of Mark Wood, England’s fastest bowler who hasn’t played a test since December, Chris Foakes and Matthew Potts.Ali badly blistered his right index finger at Edgbaston because of a heavy workload after coming out of test retirement. Coach Brendon McCullum said he would play if fully fit and Ali appeared to prove it on Monday at training.But England will use Joe Root’s part-time off-breaks beside a seam attack of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson ...

US ambassador dismisses claims of interference in Thailand’s elections that were won by reformists

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:19 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — The U.S. ambassador to Thailand dismissed claims of American interference in recent elections as a “disservice” to the Thai people, saying Tuesday that Washington does not support any individual candidate or political party. Claims of the U.S. meddling in the May 14 vote have swirled since the opposition Move Forward Party emerged as the top vote getter and another opposition party came in second, raising the possibility of a new coalition government that could take power from Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.The Move Forward Party is seen as nominally more pro-American than Prayuth, a former general who initially came to power in a military coup nine years ago, and the claims of American interference in the election are widely seen as originating from supporters of the current status quo. A small group of protesters even demonstrated in front of the U.S. Embassy in April, accusing Washington of interfering in Thailand political affairs. At a roundtable with doz...

Russian President Vladimir Putin hails military and law enforcement for ‘stopping a civil war’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:19 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin hails military and law enforcement for ‘stopping a civil war.’Source

Un curioso cetáceo sigue un kayak mientras Australia se deleita con un excelente conteo anual de ballenas jorobadas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:19 GMT

(CNN) — Casi 5.000 ballenas jorobadas han sido avistadas en aguas australianas durante un censo de migración anual récord, dijo un grupo conservacionista, mientras un cetáceo curioso fue visto siguiendo a un kayakista cerca de la famosa playa Bondi de Sydney.Cada año, expertos y miembros del público se dirigen a la costa de Nueva Gales del Sur para realizar un conteo anual. El censo de este domingo resultó en 4.792 ballenas, la cifra más alta jamás registrada, lo que se suma a un raro avistamiento de “megápodos” en 2021 que cautivó anteriormente a los observadores de ballenas.Muchas de las ballenas fueron vistas a pocos metros de la costa, según Steve Trikoulis, vicepresidente de la Organización para el Rescate y la Investigación de Cetáceos (ORRCA).“Estaban viajando a Queensland y Hervey Bay para hacer bebés”, le dijo a CNN. “Fue emocionante para la gente (en la costa) verlas… saltando”.Mejor clima y agua más limpia fueron solo algunos de los fac...

Deliberations continue in the trial of ex-school resource officer who stayed outside during Parkland shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:19 GMT

(CNN) — Deliberations are continuing for a second day Tuesday in the trial of Scot Peterson, a former school resource officer who stayed outside during the February 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.Prosecutors say Peterson, 60, ignored his training and common sense and chose to do nothing while students and adults at the Parkland, Florida, school were shot. Seventeen people died – 14 of them students.“His job was to go and investigate and make his presence known, and that simply did not happen,” Assistant State Attorney Christopher Killoran said in closing rebuttal arguments Monday.Peterson is accused of failing to confront the gunman according to his active shooter training, instead taking cover for more than 45 minutes outside the school’s three-story 1200 building during the deadliest high school shooting in US history.“In that moment, while he stood at those doors, every student and every teacher on the third floor was still alive,” Assistant State Atto...

Florida homeowner captures dozens of invasive cane toads threatening community, pets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:19 GMT

NAPLES, Fla. (WSVN) – Lee Smith, a Florida homeowner, has taken it upon himself to embark on a relentless mission to hunt down dozens of cane toads in his neighborhood. His actions are motivated by the potential harm these invasive species pose to both people and pets.The toad eradication endeavor began when Smith’s wife experienced sleepless nights due to the cacophony created by the loud noises emanating from the cane toads. Determined to alleviate the problem, Smith decided to intervene.“I thought I’m just gonna go out there and see if I can catch ’em,” Smith stated.Within a mere 15 minutes, Smith managed to capture an astonishing 30 to 40 toads in his backyard alone.“And I thought this is a good way to get rid of cane toads, to just go out and catch ’em. That’s how it started, and now it’s been like a challenge,” Smith shared.However, Smith’s objective doesn’t end with the capture. Cane toads are consi...

Boris Johnson ruined UK’s ‘good chaps’ theory of government, says watchdog

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:19 GMT

LONDON — The idea that “good chaps” in British politics can be relied on to do the right thing is dead — and the country’s revolving door watchdog pins part of the blame on Boris Johnson. In a letter to the government Tuesday, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) argued that the former prime minister’s repeated breaches of the rules show the current set-up to police politicians taking on lucrative post-government jobs is “out of date.” It comes just days after Johnson — recently censured and effectively stripped of his parliamentary pass after a damning report into his conduct — was admonished for taking on a job as the Daily Mail’s new star columnist without clearing it with the ethics watchdog.ACOBA ruled that, in failing to wait for the body’s advice before taking on the writing gig, Johnson broke the ministerial code. He submitted his application for advice 30 minutes before the appointment was announced on Twitt...