Monday, March 17, 2014 ALLEY OOP®
Comics
BY DAVE GRAUE AND JACK BENDER
FRANK AND ERNEST®
ARLO & JANIS®
BY JIMMY JOHNSON
BIG NATE®
BY LINCOLN PEIRCE MONTY®
THE BORN LOSER®
THATABABY®
Page 10
BY THAVES
THE GRIZWELLS ®
BY BILL SCHORR
BY JIM MEDDICK
BY CHIP SANSOM SOUP TO NUTZ®
BY PAUL TRAP
BY RICK STROMOSKI
ASTRO-GRAPH MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2014 by Bernice Bede Osol Listen to the advice about your career that important people are giving you if you’d like to advance this year. Implement sound strategies and expand your working methods. A detailed approach could be required. Other people can only take you so far; the final steps must be yours alone. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -Don’t feel overwhelmed by recent events. Take a step back from all the commotion in order to focus. Avoid taking your frustration out on those you love. Reassess a partnership if you have reservations. ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- It’s a good day to finish a project you’ve left dangling. Bypass personality problems so that you can keep moving forward. Working as a team player will be in your best interest. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- A promising career opportunity is apparent, although it may require a shift in vocation. Your past achievements have not gone unnoticed. Don’t let a lack of confidence hold you back. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- You need to stop romanticizing the past. The future can be just as rewarding if you think and act progressively. Take advantage of the new and exciting experiences awaiting you. CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- It’s good to have strong opinions, but don’t force your will on others. Accentuate the positive and offer people a little kindness, consideration and handson help.
CROSSWORD
BRIDGE BY PHILLIP ALDER
SUDOKU
Weak hands can still win tricks
Each row, column and set of 3-by-3 boxes must contain the numbers 1 through 9 without repetition.
William Arthur Ward, who coined many inspirational maxims, said, “A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strengths.” A bridge player with a
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- You will have to take bold steps if you want to move forward. You might need to enlist your friends and relatives to aid you. Their assistance will help you excel. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- You are in a terrific upswing right now. Hesitation at this point will only hold you back. If you keep a positive attitude, you will be able to accomplish everything you set out to do. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- It’s a great day to try something new. Shake out the cobwebs, step out of your comfort zone and investigate some different yet appealing activities. Take on a physical or mental challenge. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- You may be reluctant to take on a new project, even though you have all the skills and resources necessary for success. Believe in yourself, and you will come out on top. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Being too outspoken will lead to trouble. Take extra care when dealing with colleagues. An innocuous comment on your part may be seen as an insult. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -An issue that you thought was settled will resurface. Do whatever it takes to improve on your past performance and make a favorable impression on those involved. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -Diligence, not speed, will be the order of the day. Despite your enthusiasm for the task ahead, you should proceed slowly and carefully to avoid a costly mistake.
weak hand can sometimes do well by sounding strong. Look at today’s South hand. North opens one diamond. What should South do? The textbooks tell South that without six points, he should pass. However, he has two five-card majors -- and we love majors. He ought to bid one spade. Yes, it is not without risk, but he has a reasonable chance to improve the contract. Here, North will raise to four spades. That would perhaps give South momentary pause, but when he sees the dummy, it will ease his concerns. After West leads the club queen, how should declarer plan the play? If South had passed over one diamond and West had passed also, that contract would probably have gone down one. But maybe West would have balanced with two clubs or (better) a takeout double. Then, though, North-South would have had a second chance to find their spade fit. South has three top los-
ers: two hearts and one club. He needs to establish his heart suit. And usually, in this situation, declarer should immediately play on that suit. So, South wins with dummy’s club ace and leads a heart to, say, his nine and West’s jack. West cashes the club jack, then shifts to the diamond 10. Declarer wins with dummy’s ace and plays another heart. South trumps the next diamond and ruffs a heart high. When they split 3-3, he draws trumps ending in his hand and cashes his hearts.