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Bridge: Sept. 22, 2023

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:57 GMT

The “Rule of 11” is not why football teams are penalized for having 12 men on the field. The rule obtains when a lead is known to be fourth-highest. Subtract the spot led from 11; the remainder is the number of higher cards the other three hands hold.Against today’s 3NT, West led a low diamond, and South guessed to play dummy’s ten. He captured East’s king and led a club. East took the ace and returned the six of diamonds: three, eight, queen. When West won the next club, he cashed the jack of diamonds, but South had the rest.ORIGINALWest should have been flagged. East’s six was his original fourth-highest diamond. Applying the Rule of 11, West could find that he, dummy and declarer held five diamonds higher than the six — and West had seen all five: the king, queen, jack, ten and eight.Since South had no more diamonds higher than the six, West could unblock his jack on the second diamond. When he took the king of clubs, the defense could ru...

Word Game: Sept. 22, 2023

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:57 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — OLDSTER (OLDSTER: OLD-ster: An old or elderly person.)Average mark 32 wordsTime limit 40 minutesCan you find 38 or more words in OLDSTER? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — ABUNDANCE abed aced acne aubade baaed bade band bandeau bane banned bead bean beau bend bund unbend naan nana nuance nude dance daub dean duenna dunce dune cane canna canned cube cuedTo 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].

Ask Amy: Do we have to reimburse the couple who got COVID?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:57 GMT

Dear Amy: Four couples agreed to split a very reasonably priced vacation home – four bedrooms and four baths. Each couple paid one-fourth of the total to the owner in advance.A week before our planned vacation, one couple contracted COVID. As two of the other travelers were immunocompromised, the COVID Couple chose to cancel, even though they would probably have been well enough to travel by the time the house share was to start.The owner of the house graciously reduced the price to that for three couples and refunded the difference, but that was less than one-fourth of the total cost.Now, if it were still split four ways, the cost would be $600 to each of the four couples.Some people believe that the COVID Couple should be reimbursed the full $600. Some think the COVID Couple is out of luck since they canceled late, even though the owner reduced the total price.The money is not enough to change any of these couples’ lives in any way – that’s not the issue. (There was no travel insu...

Harriette Cole: I didn’t mean to get the Airbnb host banned

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:57 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently paid for an Airbnb rental for four days. The host was extremely attentive and accommodating leading up to my check-in date.When I arrived, the place was not what I was expecting at all. It looked nothing like the pictures. I immediately contacted the host and requested a refund, then canceled my reservation through the app.The host apologized profusely and was very kind. He said it was a big misunderstanding, and I believe him. A few days later, I received my money back from Airbnb directly, not the host.The host wrote me an email explaining that he is now banned from hosting because I took my complaint to the company and didn’t allow him to handle it himself. I feel guilty. Was I wrong?— MisunderstandingDEAR MISUNDERSTANDING: You were not wrong. The host is not your friend, even though he was kind. He is the one who used the app. That’s how you connected with him.The host knows that the space you got is different from the one he advertis...

Inside Biden’s Secret Arms Deal

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:57 GMT

The U.S. orchestrated a secret arms deal to send weapons to Ukraine, helping Pakistan reach the threshold needed for an International Monetary Fund loan to save the country’s economy, according to two sources with knowledge of the arrangement and documents leaked to The Intercept. This week on a special Deconstructed and Intercepted crossover episode, Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain discuss their reporting on the behind-the-scenes maneuvering of Pakistani arms sales to the U.S. for the purpose of supplying the Ukrainian military. Grim and Hussain are joined by Arif Rafiq, a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute and political risk analyst who focuses on Pakistan and the region. They break down the U.S.’s pressure to oust former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the IMF’s role in the country, and Pakistan’s political economy.Transcript coming soon. The post Inside Biden’s Secret Arms Deal appeared first on The Intercept.

DC salon owner says post-COVID landscape is ‘a really big relief’

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:57 GMT

WTOP is proud to spotlight the many small businesses that make up the D.C. region as part of our Small Business September coverage. The Small Business September series is brought to you by EagleBank.Running a local salon in the post-pandemic landscape can be described as a blend of relief, adaptation and renewed creativity.With the COVID-19 pandemic far less severe than it was a couple of years ago, the salon industry is recovering as clients return with an appreciation for self-care and personal grooming.“It’s a really big relief,” said Subairi, who owns a salon called By Subairi on 14th Street in Northwest D.C.Services at the business include specialized color, catered cuts, tailored styling, texturizing, straightening and perms.The return of regular foot traffic and appointment schedules has brought a sense of stability there.After going through the challenges of temporary closures, social distancing measures and capacity restrictions, salon owners and staff are...

March on Washington Film Festival tells ‘untold’ stories of Civil Rights Movement

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:57 GMT

toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Jason Fraley previews the March on Washington Film Festival (Part 1) $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); }); Next week, the March on Washington Film Festival is marking 60 years since the historic D.C. march where Martin Luther King famously delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech.The festival returns to the District on Sunday, Sept. 24 to Oct. 1.It all started around a decade ago in a church acr...

Washingtonians sign up to take the plunge in the Anacostia River Splash

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:57 GMT

It’s been a dream decades in the making — a permitted public swim scheduled for the Anacostia River.In 1971, swimming or wading in the Anacostia River was banned due to concerns about water quality.On Saturday, weather permitting, roughly 180 people will hike along a trail to Kingman Island near the river and take part in the Anacostia River Splash event. Visitors to the Anacostia River Splash will walk along a trail to Kingman Island and they’ll take the plunge from the dock outfitted with ladders, which will make getting in and out of the river easy. (WTOP/Kate Ryan) WTOP/Kate Ryan ...

Player of the Week: Chantilly’s Avery Chow

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:57 GMT

Running back Avery Chow takes a handoff for Chantilly High School. Chow has started his senior season for the Chargers by eclipsing the 100-yard mark in each of his first four games. (Courtesy Stephen Chow) Running back Avery Chow takes a handoff for Chantilly High School. Chow has started his senior season for the Chargers by eclipsing the 100-yard mark in each of his first four games. (Courtesy Stephen Chow) Each week, WTOP is picking one student athlete to be featured on air and online as our Player of the Week. This week’s WTOP Player of the Week is Avery Chow of Chantilly High School in Chantilly, Virginia.Chow is a senior at Chantilly and has played football for the school since his freshman year, lining up ...

RYDER CUP ’23: Hole by hole look at Marco Simone

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:57 GMT

GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy (AP) — A hole-by-hole look at Marco Simone, site of the 45th Ryder Cup matches that start Sept. 29:NO. 1, 445 YARDS, PAR 4: The bold play is to challenge the left bunker on the slight dogleg left and keep short of two bunkers on the right. That will leave a short iron to the green. To play it safer will leave a mid-iron to a green protected by a steep ridge in front of a large bunker to the left.NO. 2, 476 YARDS, PAR 4: A 275-yard shot should cover a bunker, with two more bunkers beyond it. The safe shot is a shorter club to the right. There’s a bunker about 45 yards short of the green, and a severe slope beyond and left of the green.NO. 3, 453 YARDS, PAR 4: The deep native grass offers two options. A safe, straight shot leaves a mid-iron to a slightly elevated green. Big hitters can try to cut the right corner of the dogleg, but the fairway is framed by the deep stuff.NO. 4, 185 YARDS, PAR 3: The hole plays slightly downhill and should be little more than...