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Bridge by Steve Becker

A defender should assume, as a matter of course, that the contract he’s defending against can be defeated. If he does not cultivate this attitude as a regular habit, many opportunities to defeat opposing contracts will pass him by. Let’s say you’re East on this deal and partner leads the heart four against three notrump. Should you take the ace or withhold it? If you do take the ace, is it better to return a heart, or should you shift to another suit? If you do shift, should it be to a spade or a club? To find the answers to these questions, you must start by assuming that the ...

Tangy dressing flavors this recipe for chicken thighs

My kids love this dish from my cookbook "Familia" because of the crispy chicken skin. You are essentially creating a confit where the chicken cooks in its own fat. The flavor comes from the smoky and tangy dressing, which you don't have to make in a molcajete, but if you have one please use ...

Women take the lead in whiskey as industry changes

SHOREHAM, Vt. — Meghan Ireland always loved chemistry, but as a college freshman studying chemical engineering, she didn’t know she could channel her passion for science into the art of making whiskey. It took stumbling across an article about a female chemical engineer who became a master whiskey distiller for something to click: Ireland’s fellow students could go into plastics and pharmaceuticals; she was going into whiskey. “It was kind of like a connection of, ‘hey, I can see someone who looks like me, who has the same exact kind of education and background doing this ...

Lovina enjoys her time at a family wedding in Indiana

Thursday was the wedding of my great-niece, Sarah, and her husband, Samuel, in Bryant, Indiana. The van driver started picking up for the wedding at 5:30 a.m. He began at daughter Elizabeth's house and picked up her and her four children. Then they headed to daughter Susan's and picked up her and her seven children. Then they came here. The eight school-age children had stayed over with daughter Verena, and she put them on the bus at 6:40 a.m. I went with Elizabeth, Andrea, Susan, Ervin Jr. and Sharlene, and we picked up my sister Verena. Then we headed to pick up nieces Elizabeth and ...

DEAR ANNIE: Holding firm on boundaries with estranged family

DEAR ANNIE: I am a woman in my early 40s, living several states away from the town where I grew up. My relationship with my parents has always been complicated, especially with my mother, and for the last 25 years I have also been estranged from my older sister. She still lives near my parents, while I built my life far away. The issue comes up whenever I consider visiting. If my parents know I’m coming, my mother almost always tells my sister and tries to arrange some kind of family get-together. What she doesn’t seem to accept is that I do not want contact with my sister. Our ...

HINTS FROM HELOISE: Shopping carts need wiped down

DEAR HELOISE: This is in regard to the reader who says that they don’t understand why people use antibacterial wipes when entering a store and suggests that they only use them on their hands after shopping. The reader obviously doesn’t know that grocery carts can be dirtier than a public restroom. The most cited data on this comes from a study conducted by the University of Arizona. Here is the breakdown of what they found: ● About 72% of carts tested positive for coliform bacteria, which is a primary indicator of fecal matter. ● About 50% of carts specifically tested ...