You lead the five of hearts, dummy plays the nine, East the three and declarer the queen. South leads a diamond, which you win with the ace. What do you play next and why? * * * 1. To try to ruff a club in dummy by playing the K-A and another club would subject you to a possible overruff ...
DEAR ANNIE: My husband and I have been married for eight years, and every vacation we take somehow turns into a group trip. He used to only invite his brother or his parents, but now the expectation is basically that we travel as one big extended family. The problem is, I don’t enjoy these trips. His family is kind but overbearing. I feel like I can’t relax. They also bicker, constantly arguing about where to eat, what to do and who’s paying. I’m dying for a peaceful getaway with just my husband. I’ve hinted that I’d like a trip for just the two of us, but he says, ...
DEAR DR. ROACH: Could you please explain the percentages that are given when a study indicates an increase for a particular risk? For example, say a person with mild coronary artery disease is at an increased risk of having a heart attack when taking certain drugs like meloxicam. It is confusing and possibly frightens a person away from beneficial therapy when there isn’t a full explanation of what these numbers mean. — B.C. ANSWER: Understanding worsening risks in a medical context can be challenging because advertisements often talk about relative risks, whereas most people ...
Card-reading is the art of deducing how the opponents’ cards are divided. Each bid made and each card played by the defenders tells a story. The trick is to read the story, interpret it correctly, and then find a way, if possible, to take advantage of the knowledge gained. Take this case where South wound up in four hearts after West had overcalled with one spade. West led the queen of spades, and East took dummy’s king with the ace. East returned a spade, taken by West, who then led his singleton diamond to dummy’s jack. Declarer’s problem now was to avoid the loss of more than ...
DEAR HELOISE: Cinco de Mayo is one of my favorite excuses to feed a crowd — chips, salsa, tacos, the works! The aftermath? Less exciting. Greasy platters and salsa-covered dishes took the better part of an hour to clean after guests left. Now every serving tray and basket gets lined with parchment paper before the food goes out. When the party’s over, just lift the paper and toss it out; the tray underneath doesn’t need anything — no soaking, no scrubbing, and no dried salsa waiting for you the next morning! The parchment handles grease and moisture without sticking or tearing, ...
Slow-cooked pork ribs, grilled with a sticky glaze… you just can't beat it! This recipe is from the "Quick Prep, Slow Cook" chapter of my cookbook, "Sam's Eats." It's a very versatile chapter. The idea behind these recipes is that they take very little time to prepare, but are left to cook ...
