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Bridge: April 22, 2023

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:34:26 GMT

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking.“Something to fall back on? If I’m falling, I want to fall forward.” — actor Denzel WashingtonA common approach in dummy play is to seek multiple chances for your contract. If one doesn’t work, you have some to fall back on. At today’s 3NT, South counted seven top tricks: two spades, two diamonds, three clubs. He could surely get one heart trick and had a chance for an extra trick in hearts, diamonds and clubs. The idea was to try everything.LAST STOPPERSouth started by winning the first spade in dummy and leading a heart to his king. West took the ace — one chance gone — and led another spade to force out the ace. South next took the A-K of clubs. A 3-2 break would have seen him home, but West threw a diamond.South had one fall-back left. He led a diamond to his ace and back to dummy’s jack, and his last chance came home. The finesse won, and the...

AI Art Sites Censor Prompts About Abortion

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:34:26 GMT

Two of the hottest new artificial intelligence programs for people who aren’t tech savvy, DALL-E 2 and Midjourney, create stunning visual images using only written prompts. Everything, that is, that avoids certain language in the prompts — including words associated with women’s bodies, women’s health care, women’s rights, and abortion.I discovered this recently when I prompted the platforms for “pills used in medication abortion.” I’d added the instruction “in the style of Matisse.” I expected to get colorful visuals to supplement my thinking and writing about right-wing efforts to outlaw the pills.Neither site produced the images. Instead, DALL-E 2 returned the phrase, “It looks like this request may not follow our content policy.” Midjourney’s message said, “The word ‘abortion’ is banned. Circumventing this filter to violate our rules may result in your access being revoked.”DALL-E blocks the AI image generator prompt of “abortion pills.”Photo: DALL-EJulia Rockwell ha...

Stormy Saturday in DC region with possibility of high winds, hail, tornadoes

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:34:26 GMT

Heavy downpours and thunderstorms are expected to blow through the D.C. region on Saturday afternoon.The thunderstorms with damaging winds ranging 15-20 mph will likely come after lunchtime. There’s also a possibility of hail and brief tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service.A strong cold front approaching the area will increase the risk for showers & thunderstorms, some of which may become severe. The main threat will be damaging winds. However, the stronger storms may pose the risk of large hail & even a few brief tornadoes. #MDwx #VAwx #DCwx #WVwx pic.twitter.com/RjXOpF93VM— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) April 22, 2023Meanwhile, the D.C. area continues to be in a moderate drought.Highs will top out in the middle to upper 70s and temperatures are forecast to drop into the 50s Saturday night.NWS warned boaters that conditions on the waterways, such as the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay, could be dangerous from 1 p.m.-8 p.m.Anyone with plans o...

¿Cuándo y cómo ver la lluvia de meteoros de las líridas?

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:34:26 GMT

(CNN Español) — Cada año, en su trayecto alrededor del Sol, la Tierra coincide con una nube de partículas de polvo, provenientes del cometa C/1861 G1 Thatcher, que al chocar entran en la atmósfera terrestre y se desintegran para dar lugar a la lluvia de meteoros de las líridas, un fenómeno astronómico sorprendente que ilumina el cielo nocturno en el mes de abril.La lluvia de meteoros de las líridas, que lleva el nombre de la constelación de Lyra, alcanzará su punto máximo alrededor de las 9:06 p.m. (hora de Miami) el domingo 23 de abril, según EarthSky.Eclipse solar híbrido: qué es, a qué hora y cómo ver en vivoPero ¿cuándo es el mejor momento para ver este espectáculo y cómo seguirlo?Según la Sociedad Estadounidense de Meteoros, las líridas se verán mejor en el hemisferio norte, donde el radiante está alto en el cielo al amanecer. También es posible ver la lluvia desde el hemisferio sur, pero a un ritmo menor.¿Quieres una mejor vista? EarthSky sugiere intentarlo entre la noch...

Sudanese army: Evacuations of foreign diplomatic missions from the country expected to begin as fighting persists

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:34:26 GMT

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Sudanese army: Evacuations of foreign diplomatic missions from the country expected to begin as fighting persists.Source

Hungarian president vetoes anti-LGBTQ law

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:34:26 GMT

Hungary’s president has vetoed a law widely seen as being discriminatory toward LGBTQ+ people, urging parliament to strike a controversial paragraph that would make it legal to anonymously report certain same-sex couples to the government. The Hungarian parliament approved a law earlier this month that in theory transposes an EU directive protecting whistleblowers, but would also allow make it possible for people to report on those who challenge the “constitutionally recognized role of marriage and the family” and those who contest children’s rights “to an identity appropriate to their sex at birth.”This, Hungarian President Katalin Novak said in a letter to the National Assembly, goes beyond transposing EU law, as the controversial chapter “does not strengthen but rather weakens the the protection of fundamental values.”Lawmakers can still override Novak’s veto, Bloomberg reported. Regardless, this constitutes a rare rebuke of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor...

Biden announces new environmental justice initiatives

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:34:26 GMT

 (CNN) — President Joe Biden announced new environmental justice actions on Friday, including an executive order that the White House says will make environmental justice a central mission of federal agencies.“Under this order, environmental justice will become the responsibility of every single federal agency — I mean, every single federal agency,” Biden pledged at a White House Rose Garden signing ceremony surrounded by climate and environmental justice advocates just before Earth Day.He continued, “Every federal agency must take into account environmental health impacts on communities and work to prevent those negative impacts. Environmental justice will be the mission of the entire government woven directly into how we work with state, local, tribal, and territorial governments.”The executive order, which will still be up to agencies to implement, will create a new Office of Environmental Justice inside the White House Council o...

Do the Chicago Cubs need to explore different closing options after Michael Fulmer’s rocky start?

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:34:26 GMT

Michael Fulmer can’t lose the Chicago Cubs closer’s role if he’s not officially the closer.And if they have no official closer, you can’t really have a closer controversy.But that won’t stop Cubs fans from blaming manager David Ross when a game is blown late, as happened again Thursday in a 6-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.After his second blown save in three opportunities Thursday, Fulmer’s status has gone under the microscope.“I trust Michael Fulmer, I’ll make that statement for sure,” Ross said Friday. “When you feel like you’re not at your best, and you care a lot, which Michael Fulmer (does) about this team and performing for this team and organization, you might try a little bit harder.“I don’t know that trying harder in our game is the best formula for success. Getting back to making sure he has a plan to execute what he’s good at and continue to look at the information and see if we can fi...

NFL Draft 2023: Bijan Robinson and 7 potential Patriots running back picks

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:34:26 GMT

Welcome to Potential Patriots!Each day leading up to the NFL Draft on April 27, the Herald will introduce prospects the Patriots are likely targeting position by position. The Pats have 11 picks this year, starting at 14th overall, their highest selection in more than a decade. As for their other picks, the Patriots could pad their depth at virtually any position.Below is a breakdown of the Patriots’ best prospect fits at running back.Day 1Bijan Robinson, TexasHt/Wt: 5-11, 215Projected round: 1stScouting report: Arguably the most talented prospect in the entire class, Robinson is regarded as the best running back to enter the draft since Saquon Barkley. He’s armed with 4.4 speed, tremendous power, burst and running instincts, but that’s hardly all. Robinson forced 104 missed tackles last season, per Pro Football Focus, far and away the highest total in major college football; a stat that reflects Robinson can create yards on his own, the top trait that separates el...

Five years after Toronto van attack, ‘incel’ threat is growing: expert

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:34:26 GMT

Five years ago, after a man deliberately drove a van down a busy Toronto sidewalk in one of Canada’s worst mass murders, the country was confronted with a previously obscure extremist movement, which experts say remains a growing threat.The attacker, Alek Minassian, had claimed to be angered by women who wouldn’t sleep with him and inspired by“incels,” or involuntary celibates.While Minassian later cited various motivations for the violence and the presiding judge at his trial ultimately found he carried out the attack to achieve notoriety, his rampage on April 23, 2018 forced renewed attention on the capacity of misogynist movements to inspire violence.Arie Perliger, the director of security studies at the University of Massachusetts – Lowell, said law enforcement agencies now see incels and groups with misogynist ideology as a rising concern.“The threat is growing,” he said. “It will continue to be a problem.”Canada has not see...