Taliban Stronger Than Before U.s. Troop Surge: Lawmakers

General Daily Insight for December 22, 2024 The path forward may seem to zig and zag as the day moves along. The Moon in analytical Virgo will trine change-maker Uranus in stable Taurus before opposing mystical Neptune in dreamy Pisces, encouraging us to think outside the box and follow our intuition.

Rickey Henderson, the thrilling and charismatic Hall of Fame outfielder who, with his signature crouched stance, blazing speed and unlikely home run power, was widely regarded as the greatest leadoff hitter in Major League Baseball history, died Friday. He was 65. His death was announced by his family. They did not cite a cause or say where he died, but they thanked the staff at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center. Often called “the man of steal” by sports writers, Henderson holds the career record for stolen bases with 1,406.

ORLANDO – Observations and other notes of interest from Saturday night’s 121-114 loss to the Orlando Magic: – This was no time for easing off the gas. – Not when a two-game losing streak could have turned into three. – Not with Jimmy Butler back in Miami with a stomach illness. – But, most importantly, not after what happened Monday night in Detroit. – That’s when the Pistons opened without Tobias Harris and Jaden Ivey and then lost Isaiah Stewart early. – And still found a way to beat the Heat in overtime. – Even with Butler going for a triple-double. – This time, the opposition was a Magic team lacking Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, Orlando’s three best players, also without Garry Harris and then losing Moe Wagner early, followed by a second-period ejection of starting power forward Wendell Carter Jr. – What you do, what you need to do in that situation, is stomp early, try to settle it early. – As so many opponents did last season, when the Heat struggled through their injury-plagued season. – Which the Heat tried. – So mission accomplished? – Not exactly, with closing still mattering. – So, no, this did not erase the bitter taste of Monday night. – Just added. –  Good teams seize such moments. – Then there are the Heat. – Which tells you plenty. – With Butler sidelined by the illness that had him leaving the game for good in Friday night’s first quarter against the Thunder, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra turned to a dramatically different opening lineup. – This time the Heat opened with Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson .

ORLANDO — Just when you thought any worse wasn’t possible after blowing an eight-point overtime lead in Detroit at the start of the week, it got worse for the Miami Heat at the end of the week. Against a severely depleted Orlando Magic roster, the absence of Jimmy Butler hardly appeared to register through the first three quarters for Erik Spoelstra’s team, with the Heat racing to a 25-point lead. And then, a collapse of epic proportions, and now, a three-game losing streak following Saturday night’s 121-114 loss at Kia Center. “These are tough lessons that we all have to learn,” Spoelstra said.

Keyshawn Hall and Jordan Ivy-Curry combined to score 40 points as UCF closed out its nonconference portion of its season with an 86-66 win over visiting Jacksonville on Saturday. The Knights also saw the return of guards Jaylin Sellers and Mikey Williams, who were making their season debuts. Sellers, a senior, went down with an undisclosed injury in an exhibition game against Florida Gulf Coast on Oct.