There Is News At Every Corner
CONTRACT BRIDGE
LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP!
BYLINE: By Steve Becker
Humans are creatures of habit <00AD>– and it would be hard to find a bridge player to whom this generality does not apply.
Consider this case where West leads a club against three notrump. Declarer follows low from dummy, winning East’s eight with the ten, and returns a low diamond.
West alertly steps up with the ace of diamonds and plays the ace of clubs followed by the jack. South wins with the queen, but the best he can now do is to cash three spades and three diamonds and go down one. West scores the last three tricks with the ace of hearts and 9-2 of clubs.
The outcome seems normal, with South appearing to have bitten off a bit more than he can chew. But the fact is that South should have made the contract, and the reason he didn’t was that he made a critical error at trick one. Instead of playing the three of clubs from dummy — from force of habit — he should have played the king!
Had South done that, nothing could have stopped him from making at least three notrump after leading a diamond from dummy at trick two. If West won and persisted with clubs, declarer would score three club tricks instead of only two and would wind up with 10 tricks.
The “free” club finesse South gets at trick one by playing low from dummy is a snare and a delusion. South should realize that West must have all three missing aces for his opening bid, so that nothing can be gained — but much can be lost — by playing the three of clubs from dummy instead of the king.
The deal provides an excellent example of the principle that no play, however automatic it might seem, should be made before considering its effect upon the hand as a whole. The first priority is to look before you leap.
NOW HERE'S A TIP
BYLINE: By JoAnn Derson
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* Groceries and food shopping can be a tremendous portion of your budget if you aren’t careful. The best and most serious money-saving tip for home economists is to ALWAYS use a list. It really does make a difference to have a plan. Here are some more tips to save money while feeding your family.
* “One of the most expensive portions of your meal is probably meats. You can look for larger packages that you can break down, but you can also plan a couple meat-free meals each week. Also, meals like stew and casseroles use less meat per person but are still satisfying.” — W.I. in Arkansas
* Most stores list the unit price on the shelf tag. You can use it to compare the cost of different sizes and brands of the same item. Just because a package is bigger doesn’t necessarily mean it has the best price per unit.
* Remember that typically, the higher shelves and the lower shelves house the better deals. Compare the items on the aisle ends to the same items on their regular shelf. Sometimes, what looks like a sale is not a sale price at all, especially when compared to a store brand that’s just as good.
* “A secret of busy moms: Cook once, eat twice (or three times, if you plan well)! When you prepare favorite recipes that will freeze well, or even just elements of those recipes, make a double or triple batch so that a few nights of the month, you can just pop something in the oven easily. I cook taco meat once for the month, and we have tacos every week. I just freeze three portions of the meat, and the rest is easy to assemble.” — K.S. in Florida
Send your tips to Now Here’s a Tip, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803.
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THE RICH LOWRY COLUMN
They gave Trump the center, and he took it
FROM KING FEATURES WEEKLY SERVICE, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803
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THE RICH LOWRY COLUMN #12345_20250127
FOR RELEASE JANUARY 27, 2025
BYLINE: By Rich Lowry
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They gave Trump the center, and he took it
Donald Trump stood at the center of American politics — in both senses –when he was inaugurated in the U.S. Capitol on Monday afternoon.
Pretty much everything of import in national affairs will revolve around Trump for the foreseeable future, and he’s managed, in many respects, to occupy the political and cultural center.
Trump’s critics have long insisted that he be shunned and not “normalized.” Did someone tell Carrie Underwood, who performed “America the Beautiful” at the inauguration (spontaneously going a cappella when there was a snafu with the accompanying music)? Or the richest, most successful entrepreneurs in the country, who were on prominent display? Or, for the matter, did someone tell the Village People?
If someone had predicted that the group formed to appeal to gay disco fans in 1977 would, in the year of our lord 2025, be performing at a pre-inaugural rally for a Republican president-elect considered a troglodyte culture warrior by his enemies, he’d have been justifiably mocked and dismissed.
As it turns out, disco was never dead; it was just waiting for Trump to revive it (actually, disco-inspired music was already on the upswing before Trump came up with his trendy YMCA dance).
How did a Democratic Party that has long prided itself on its hipness and future-oriented attitude lose a coolness fight to Donald J. Trump?
Well, for one thing, the party’s primary voters renominated an octogenarian who couldn’t identify or align himself with a cultural trend if he were gently directed to it by a bevy of solicitous aides. He was then swapped out for his unimpressive vice president, who was the beneficiary of a manufactured campaign to make her fun and interesting that collapsed of its own weight by November.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had to sit awkwardly and listen in the Capitol as Trump excoriated their governing record. The harshness of his critique has led some observers to deride his inaugural address as American Carnage 2.0, a reference to the famous phrase from his first inaugural. If Trump was unsparing in his description of the status quo, though, he was soaring in his promises of “a thrilling new era of national success.”
He talked of bringing a “revolution of common sense,” positioning that wouldn’t be so easily available to him if the other side hadn’t ceded so much ground.
Trump’s urgency about securing the border wouldn’t have nearly the same political salience if Biden hadn’t been so heedless about a record-breaking influx of illegal immigrants.
Trump wouldn’t get to speak of defeating “record inflation” if there hadn’t been record inflation in the first place.
Trump’s decision to make it official government policy to only recognize two genders would be irrelevant if the Democrats hadn’t hitched themselves to gender insanity.
Trump’s call for ending the efforts to insinuate race and gender into all aspects of American life would be meaningless if DEI hadn’t become Democratic gospel.
The Democrats appeared to believe that it didn’t matter how out of touch and radical they’d become, so long as they were running against a Donald Trump who could be ruled out of bounds. But if the public concluded that Trump made more sense than his adversaries, a campaign to render him ipso facto unacceptable was going to fail.
This is not to say that Trump is an anodyne centrist. His zeal for tariffs and apparent determination to retake the Panama Canal are hardly consensus positions, and he didn’t mention his imminent Jan. 6 pardons in his address. No matter how much momentum Trump has now, controversies will pile up and events will take a hand. The current goodwill could prove quite transitory.
Still, it was Trump who was the focus of all the attention on Monday, Trump who is setting the agenda and Trump who can plausibly define himself as closer to the middle than his opponents — and they brought it on themselves.
Rich Lowry is editor of the National Review.
(c) 2025 by King Features Synd., Inc.
ARIES (March 21 to April 19) You find yourself making sheep eyes at someone who seems receptive. While the situation looks promising, you might not be ready for a long-term commitment.
TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) The delay in getting your task done leaves you pawing the ground in frustration. Be patient. The reason for the holdup will soon become apparent. Meanwhile, an opportunity to travel comes from an unexpected source.
GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Your usually sharp instincts about people should be right on the cutting edge in regard to a major decision. You might want to hold off on a commitment until (or unless) you feel like both the person and project are trustworthy.
CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Resist the impulse to tell tales about a co-worker. Even if your motives are sincere, they’ll be seen as self-serving. A personal situation remains unstable. Wait for things to settle down.
LEO (July 23 to August 22) You love to lap up compliments. But be wary of someone at work who is drowning you in an outpouring of praise. In your personal life, pay more attention to your spouse or partner.
VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) A perplexing romantic situation turns out to be less complex than you thought. A simple explanation soon clears up all misunderstandings.
LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Try to remain balanced as you cope with two emotional people. They want your advice — but at a price to your equilibrium.
SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Avoid being goaded into making stinging remarks you could later regret. Best advice: Walk. Don’t talk. There’ll be time later to deal with the situation in a way that makes you look good.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) A family matter becomes too demanding as it overflows into several areas. Try to narrow your focus to where it will do the most good with the least drain on your time and energy.
CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) It’s fix-up time. Make plans to get things repaired and repainted around your home. A relationship could also stand some patching up before the damage is beyond repair. Schedule a physical checkup.
AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) A job that seems to offer everything you’ve always wanted might require moving to a new city. Your family offers support no matter what you decide to do. Other options will also require some hard decision-making.
PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Get back into the social swim. Enjoy some fun time with old friends and be open to making new ones. A previous health problem recurs, but prompt attention makes everything all right.
BORN THIS WEEK: You have a deep reservoir of strength that you can draw from to help you get through difficult times. Your compassionate nature allows you to offer support and comfort to others. You are artistically gifted in many areas.
HOLLYWOOD
HOLLYWOOD
BYLINE: By Tony Rizzo
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
PHOTO CAPTION: Director Luca Guadagnino (“Queer” and “After the Hunt”)
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HOLLYWOOD — Fans of former Superman Henry Cavill are desperate for him to be the next James Bond, judging from their efforts to mislead people with a bogus trailer of him as 007 on social media! The trailer co-stars (thanks to AI technology) “Barbie” herself, Margot Robbie, in certain action scenes. It flooded social media, and many believed it was real.
Barbara Broccoli, who inherited the franchise from her father, Cubby Broccoli, in 1996, will probably go for a younger actor than the 41-year-old Cavill, who didn’t fare well as a CIA agent in “The Man From U.N.C.L.E” (2015). The spy film only grossed $110 million against its $75 million cost. His exposure as a ruthless, burly CIA assassin who was bested by Tom Cruise in “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” (made $791.7 million) may be hard for 007 fans to forget.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 34, is most often mentioned as the front runner to play Bond. Cavill’s more preoccupied these days with the baby girl he and girlfriend, Natalie Viscuso (vice president of Vertigo Entertainment), welcomed in January. He began filming “Voltron,” a sci-fi action film based on the animated series of the same name. It began shooting in December in Queensland, Australia, with Sterling K. Brown and Rita Ora.
Meanwhile, Margot Robbie is in the United Kingdom shooting a reboot of the 1939 MGM classic “Wuthering Heights.” She stars as Catherine Earnshaw (who was originally played by Merle Oberon, opposite Laurence Olivier’s Heathcliff). Robbie’s version of Catherine will star opposite Jacob Elordi’s Heathcliff for a February 2026 release.
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Recently, another ad hit social media for a reboot of “The Golden Girls,” starring Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler and Lisa Kudrow. Unfortunately, it also turned out to be wishful thinking by overzealous fans with AI talents!
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There are unanswered questions surrounding Jesse Palmer’s hasty exit as the host of “The Bachelor/Bachelorette.” Officially, he’ll still host “The Golden Bachelor/Bachelorette,” while continuing to host the Food Network’s “Spring Baking Championship.” The big question is … in light of Chris Harrison’s hasty exit (who Palmer replaced), why is Palmer leaving a $7- to $8-million-dollar gig, which included “Bachelor in Paradise,” to work for the Food Network?
Palmer wed Brazilian photographer Emely Fardo in 2020, and they have a daughter, Ella, who was born in January 2024. So, it’s been suggested that he’s scaling down to concentrate on fatherhood! His replacement will be 29-year-old season 21 contestant Devin Strader (head of F1 Freight Consultants), who was engaged to Jenn Tran but broke it off before the finale aired. He claimed that he no longer loved her, regretted getting engaged, and felt like something was off with their relationship.
Will Bachelor Nation forgive Strader for breaking it off with Tran? Does he have enough class to replace Palmer? Maybe he’d be more suited to host “Teen Bachelor” or “Teen Bachelor in Paradise!”
Raise a Glass to Southern Hospitality - A New Cocktail Book Celebrates the Art of Mixing Drinks with a Southern Flai
Get ready to sip, savor, and celebrate with the ultimate guide to Southern-inspired cocktails and entertaining! COCKTAILS, SOUTHERN STYLE: Pours, Drinks, Sips, and Bites by renowned chef Belinda Smith-Sullivan, brings together approximately 90 recipes for classic cocktails, innovative flavor-profile drinks, and a bonus chapter packed with delectable nibbles to pair with your beverages. The book is a toast to the unmatched charm of Southern hospitality, where no drink is ever served without a perfectly paired treat.
COCKTAILS, SOUTHERN STYLE offers a wide variety of recipes to suit all tastes for any occasion. Whether hosting a lively celebration, enjoying a leisurely brunch, or relaxing on the porch with friends, COCKTAILS, SOUTHERN STYLE provide the perfect drink to elevate the moment. Categories include:
Celebration Cocktails: Perfect for toasts and festivities.
Brunch Favorites: Start your day with a Southern twist.
Afternoon Porch Sippers: Relax with refreshing classics.
Five O’Clock Somewhere: Timeless drinks with modern updates.
Spritzes, Smashes, and Farts: Vibrant and effervescent creations.
Shandies and Beer Cocktails: Unique spins on familiar favorites.
Mocktails and Non-Alcoholic Beverages: Fun, flavorful options for everyone.
Some of the drinks found in the book include:
Swamp Water
Tennessee Iced Tea
Southern Belle Martini
Ginger Shandy
Mississippi Bourbon Punch
In addition to delightful drinks, Smith-Sullivan includes recipes for infused vodkas, simple syrups, and an in-depth look at the structure of a cocktail, complete with techniques and equipment tips to elevate your bartending skills.
But no Southern soiree is complete without snacks! The bonus chapter features mouthwatering recipes for Mini Hot Browns, Pimento Cheese and Tomato Sliders, Sausage Roll Poppers, and Crab Hush Puppies—ensuring your guests have plenty of delicious bites to accompany their drinks.
But no Southern soiree is complete without snacks! The bonus chapter features mouthwatering recipes for Mini Hot Browns, Pimento Cheese and Tomato Sliders, Sausage Roll Poppers, and Crab Hush Puppies—ensuring your guests have plenty of delicious bites to accompany their drinks.
“This book isn’t just a collection of cocktail recipes; it’s a celebration of Southern culture and hospitality,” says Smith-Sullivan. “Every drink and dish are crafted to bring people together, spark joy, and create unforgettable moments.”
BELINDA SMITH-SULLIVAN is a chef, food writer, spice blends entrepreneur, and a commercially rated pilot. She has a culinary arts degree from Johnson & Wales University and writes a monthly column for South Carolina Living magazine. She also is featured on South Carolina Living’s website with monthly how-to videos. Smith-Sullivan is an active member of the Southern Foodways Alliance, International Association of Culinary Professionals, American Culinary Federation, and Les Dames d’Escoffier. She lives in Winston-Salem, NC.
Try this delicious sip of Southern hospitality.
CIDER SIDECAR
This recipe takes the traditional sidecar combination of cognac, Cointreau, and lemon and adds one of the South’s favorite nonalcoholic beverages to the mix. Apple cider just turned into a grown-up treat.
SERVES 1
2 ounces fresh apple cider
2 ounces cognac
1 ounce Cointreau
1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
Lemon twists, for rimming and garnish
Granulated sugar, for rimming
Apple wheels (optional)
GLASS: champagne coupe
Pour the cider, cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice into a shaker, and top with ice.
Shake until very chilled. Rub the rim of the glass with a piece of lemon zest, then dip the rim of the glass into the sugar.
Strain the cocktail into the coupe and garnish with lemon twist and apple wheels (if using).
Recipe and photo may be reprinted with the following credit:
Recipe and photo reprinted with permission from Cocktails, Southern Style by Belinda Smith-Sullivan, Gibbs Smith March 2025
About FoodTrients
About FoodTrients
FoodTrients® is a philosophy and a resource dedicated to the foods and rejuvenating nutrients that help us fight the diseases of aging and promote longevity. All of the recipes combine modern scientific research and medicinal herbs and ingredients from cultures around the world. They’re loaded with flavor and superfoods, which promote wellness, increase energy and vitality, improve skin, and help people look and feel younger.
About Grace O
Over a span of 30 years, Grace O has built an impressive record of business achievement, community building, philanthropy, and community service in California. Guided by her spirit of entrepreneurship and building on a model of generosity learned from her family, Grace has spent a lifetime helping people heal through food and medicine. Grace launched FoodTrients.com in 2010 where she shares age-defying superfoods from around the world and creates delicious recipes with them. Grace is the author of three award-winning cookbooks—The Age GRACEfully Cookbook: The Power of FOODTRIENTS to Promote Health and Well-being for a Joyful and Sustainable Life; The Age Beautifully Cookbook: Easy and Exotic Longevity Secrets from Around the World, and the multi-award-winning Anti-Aging Dishes from Around the World.
For more information and recipes visit www.FoodTrients.com.