CHARACTERISTICS:
Breed: Tabby - Grey
Size: Medium
Petfinder ID: 19368059
ADDITIONAL INFO:
Pet has been spayed/neutered
CONTACT:
We Care For Paws Foundation | Saint Petersburg, FL | 727-798-1037
For additional information, reply to this ad or see: http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=19368059
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WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama says it's unacceptable for some congressional Republicans to "hold middle-class tax cuts hostage" because they don't want tax rates to rise on the wealthy.
In his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday, Obama says the average middle-class family of four could pay $2,200 more in taxes next year after the fiscal cliff. He says Republicans could give families "a sense of security going into the New Year" by extending tax cuts for the middle class.
In the Republican address, Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch accuses Obama of a "classic bait-and-switch on the American people" amounting to a tax increase twice the size of what he campaigned on.
Hatch says Democrats are pushing what he calls a disastrous strategy.
___
Online:
Obama address: www.whitehouse.gov
GOP address: www.youtube.com/gopweeklyaddress
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-dont-hold-middle-class-tax-cuts-hostage-110519174--politics.html
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Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham, top center, of England, waves as he stands with his sons, from left, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz before the MLS Cup championship soccer match against the Houston Dynamo in Carson, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham, top center, of England, waves as he stands with his sons, from left, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz before the MLS Cup championship soccer match against the Houston Dynamo in Carson, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham takes a fall during the first half of their MLS Cup soccer match against the Houston Dynamo, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012, in Carson, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham, of England, walks with his sons, Romeo, background, left, and Cruz before the MLS Cup championship soccer match against the Houston Dynamo in Carson, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Houston Dynamo defender Kofi Sarkodie, left, and forward Will Bruin celebrate a goal by forward Calen Carr during the first half of the MLS Cup championship soccer match against the Los Angeles Galaxy in Carson, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Los Angeles Galaxy goalkeeper Josh Saunders is scored on by Houston Dynamo forward Calen Carr during the first half of their MLS Cup soccer match, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012, in Carson, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
CARSON, Calif. (AP) ? Landon Donovan scored the tiebreaking goal on a penalty kick in the 65th minute, and David Beckham left MLS as a two-time champion with the Los Angeles Galaxy's 3-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup on Saturday.
Omar Gonzalez tied it in the 61st minute with a long header for the Galaxy, who defended their title in a rematch of last season's championship game.
With a stirring second-half surge capped by Robbie Keane's goal on another penalty kick in injury time, Los Angeles won its fourth MLS Cup, tying D.C. United for the MLS record.
The Galaxy also gave an appropriate farewell to Beckham, the 37-year-old English midfielder who transformed the league and his team over six seasons in Los Angeles. Beckham will play elsewhere in the new year before eventually returning to MLS as a team owner, but he hasn't disclosed his immediate plans.
After Calen Carr put Houston ahead in the 44th minute, Beckham and his high-scoring teammates systematically broke down the defense of the Dynamo, who lost the MLS Cup 1-0 to Los Angeles on the same field last year.
Keane played another stellar attacking game for Los Angeles before earning his own penalty kick when Houston's Tally Hall knocked him down in the box, while Gonzalez got the equalizer on a cagey play by MLS' top defender last season.
Donovan even redeemed himself for missing an open net in the 13th minute by burying his penalty kick after a Houston handball in the box. The U.S. national team star, who is also contemplating a departure from soccer, won his record-tying fifth MLS title while scoring his fifth career MLS Cup goal and the record 22nd goal of his postseason career.
After Keane's goal clinched it, Beckham left the game to a raucous standing ovation from the packed stadium amid chants of "Thank you, David!" Beckham hugged Galaxy coach Bruce Arena, who won his fourth MLS title, and just about everybody on the Galaxy bench before the game ended moments later.
Beckham streamed onto the field with his teammates and waved thanks at the fans before he was joined by his three sons, all clad in No. 23 Galaxy jerseys.
The pregame rain cleared long enough for MLS' sunny farewell to Beckham, who arrived in Los Angeles in 2007 from Real Madrid with designs on changing the American perception of the world's most popular game. The league has grown steadily during his tenure, with most MLS franchises on sound financial footing and in excellent stadiums, although the sport's popularity and TV ratings haven't matched the other American pastimes.
Beckham was wildly cheered by many of the same diehard Galaxy supporters who booed him three years ago after his loans to AC Milan and an injury-riddled start to his Galaxy career. The Home Depot Center souvenir stands were loaded with Beckham shirts, including one that said "Take Me With You!"
Beckham has been in outstanding form for the past two years, patrolling the Galaxy's midfield and launching his usual sharp setup passes. He played aggressively for Los Angeles until the end, diving into the box and nearly converting a long pass for a goal in the 85th minute.
These two franchises have combined to win eight of the last 12 MLS titles, dating back to the Dynamo's days in San Jose. Houston seems stuck as a supporting player in the Galaxy's story, although the departures of Beckham and maybe Donovan will trigger big offseason changes in Los Angeles.
After winning the title last year on a Beckham-to-Keane-to-Donovan beauty of a goal, Los Angeles nearly had another storybook goal in the 13th minute when Beckham launched a long, high pass to a sprinting Keane, who slipped behind the defense and centered it perfectly for Donovan.
But he inexplicably pushed his shot inches wide of the post, leaving him with both hands on his head while the stadium released the usual post-goal confetti anyway.
The Dynamo improved their pressure late in the first half, and Adam Moffat's long pass eventually set up Carr's impressive near-post goal past Josh Saunders.
Carr leaped the corner flag in celebration of a rare score for the forward, a Bay Area native who joined the Dynamo last season and managed just four goals this year.
With Keane and Beckham leading the second-half charge, the Galaxy finally broke through when Gonzalez stuck around the box after a failed setpiece and managed to bounce a looping header past Hall. Gonzalez was MLS' top defender last year, and his late return from injury this season sparked the Galaxy's late-season surge.
Ricardo Clark was then called for a handball in the box in the 65th minute after an extended defensive scramble by the Dynamo. Donovan squatted down to prepare for his penalty kick before burying it in a back corner.
Houston frantically pressed for an equalizer in the final minutes, but Saunders and his defense repeatedly denied the Dynamo. After Hall wrapped his hand around Keane's thigh to stop a chance in the box, Keane confidently buried his sixth goal of a spectacular six-game postseason run in the Irish national team captain's first full MLS season.
Associated Presskristin chenoweth Robert Blake BLK Water ESPYs daniel tosh kate upton Jason Kidd
Jeff Bagwell gave the Hall of Fame voters an easy way out. Sure, his body of work leaves him qualified for Cooperstown based on the standards for first basemen, but he didn?t bat .300 for his career or hit 500 homers. His one MVP season came in strike-shortened 1994. That?s also the only year he led the league in a Triple Crown category.
Thus, a Hall of Fame voter can look at Bagwell?s record and say it?s not quite Hall of Fame worthy, all without getting into the messy steroid issue.
Will they be able to do the same for Mike Piazza? A career .308/.377/.545 hitter with 427 homers in 16 seasons, Piazza is pretty obviously the greatest offensive catcher the game has ever seen. His 143 OPS+ is well in front of any other player to catch at least 70 percent of his games. Joe Mauer is next at 135, and he?s yet to enter his decline phase. Mickey Cochrane is third at 129, followed by Bill Dickey and Johnny Bench.
Of course, Piazza?s defensive reputation was shaky at its best, dreadful at its worst. But that was mostly (almost entirely?) due to his arm. It doesn?t seem like he ever held back his his teams. Here are the NL ERA ranks from all of Piazza?s staffs in his years as a team?s primary catcher:
1993 Dodgers: 3rd
1994 Dodgers: 9th
1995 Dodgers: 2nd
1996 Dodgers: 1st
1997 Dodgers: 2nd
1998 Mets: 4th
1999 Mets: 5th
2000 Mets: 3rd
2001 Mets: 5th
2002 Mets: 5th
2005 Mets: 3rd
2006 Padres: 1st
So, how bad of a defensive catcher could he have been? In 12 years as a primary catcher, his pitchers finished in the top third of the league in ERA 11 times.
(And whether it?s worth pointing out or not, the 1994 Dodgers, the one odd ball on the list, had a 3.97 ERA with Piazza catching and a 5.28 ERA with Carlos Hernandez and Tom Prince behind the plate.)
All of this has been a long-winded way of saying there?s absolutely no way to justify leaving Piazza out of the Hall of Fame based on performance. We can argue whether Piazza is inner-circle or not, but he?s certainly a Hall of Famer according the numbers. Still, I?m guessing he?ll be left off 35-45 percent of the ballots when the votes are counted in January, despite never having failed a drug test.
And for that reason, I?m challenging Hall of Fame voters; if you don?t vote for him, call him out for using steroids. Say ?I?m not voting for Piazza because I think he was a cheater.? Preferably present some evidence if you have it, but whether you do or not, make the reason clear. No wishy-washy stuff. There?s no excuse for leaving him off the ballot otherwise.
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VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican hailed the United Nations' implicit recognition of a Palestinian state on Thursday and called for an internationally guaranteed special status for Jerusalem, something bound to irritate Israel.
The 193-nation U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution to upgrade the Palestinian Authority's observer status at the United Nations from "entity" to "non-member state," the same status as the Vatican.
"The Holy See welcomes with favor the decision of the General Assembly by which Palestine has become a Non-member Observer State of the United Nations," a statement said.
But it also said it was a "propitious occasion" to recall a "common position" on Jerusalem expressed by the Vatican and the Palestine Liberation Organisation when the two sides signed a basic agreement on their bilateral relations in 2000.
Thursday's statement called for "an internationally guaranteed special statute" for Jerusalem, aimed at "safeguarding the freedom of religion and of conscience, the identity and sacred character of Jerusalem as a Holy City, (and) respect for, and freedom of, access to its holy places."
The Vatican's re-stating of its position on Jerusalem, which has remained mostly dormant for years, was bound to irk Israel, which says there is no need for an international status for Jerusalem because those guarantees already exist.
Israel declared Jerusalem its "united and eternal" capital in 1980 after annexing East Jerusalem in the Six Day War in 1967. World powers have not recognized the annexation.
Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of an eventual state.
Israel has always resisted the concept of any form of international mandate over Jerusalem.
It has been some time since the Vatican re-stated its position on the city so forcefully, and Thursday's statement was bound to be received negatively by Israel, a diplomat with direct knowledge of their relations said.
Israel has always maintained that it already guarantees the city's special nature as sacred to the three great monotheistic religions - Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
Thursday's statement called on both sides to seek an "effective commitment to building peace and stability, in justice and in the respect for legitimate aspirations, both of the Israelis and of the Palestinians."
The Vatican and Israel established full diplomatic relations in 1994. Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict visited the Jewish state and Palestinian territories.
(Reporting By Philip Pullella, Editing by Stacey Joyce)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/vatican-hails-un-palestine-vote-wants-guarantees-jerusalem-001747925.html
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NEW YORK (AP) ? Word of a settlement agreement between former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and a hotel maid who accused him of trying to rape her could bring an end to a saga that has tarnished Strauss-Kahn's reputation, ended his hopes for the French presidency and renewed a debate about the credibility of sexual assault accusers.
But it might not mean the end of legal troubles for Strauss-Kahn. He is awaiting a ruling on whether he is linked to "pimping" in connection with a French prostitution ring.
A person familiar with the New York case said Thursday that lawyers for Strauss-Kahn and the housekeeper, Nafissatou Diallo, made the as-yet-unsigned agreement within recent days, with Bronx Supreme Court Justice Douglas McKeon facilitating that and a separate agreement to end another lawsuit Diallo filed against the New York Post. A court date is expected next week, though the day wasn't set, the person said.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private agreement.
Details of the deal, which comes after prosecutors dropped related criminal charges last year, weren't immediately known and likely will be veiled by a confidentiality agreement. That could prevent Strauss-Kahn and Diallo from speaking publicly about a May 2011 encounter that she called a brutally sudden attack and he termed a consensual "moral failing."
Strauss-Kahn lawyer William W. Taylor III declined to comment. Lawyers for the housekeeper didn't immediately respond to phone and email messages.
Diallo, 33, and Strauss-Kahn, 63, crossed paths when she arrived to clean his luxury Manhattan hotel suite. She told police he chased her down, tried to yank down her pantyhose and forced her to perform oral sex.
The allegation seemed to let loose a spiral of accusations about the sexual conduct of Strauss-Kahn, a married diplomat and economist who had long been dubbed the "great seducer."
With DNA evidence showing a sexual encounter and Diallo providing a gripping description of an attack, the Manhattan district attorney's office initially said it had a strong and compelling case. But within six weeks, prosecutors' confidence began to ebb as they said Diallo had lied about her past ? including a false account of a previous rape ? and her actions after leaving Strauss-Kahn's room.
Diallo, who's from Guinea, said she told the truth about their encounter. But the district attorney's office dropped the charges in August 2011, saying prosecutors could no longer ask a jury to believe her.
Diallo had sued Strauss-Kahn in the meantime, with her lawyers saying she would get her day in a different court. Strauss-Kahn called the lawsuit defamatory and countersued her for $1 million.
Her lawsuit against The Post concerned a series of articles that called her a prostitute and said she sold sex at a hotel where the Manhattan DA's office had housed her during the criminal case. The News Corp. newspaper has said it stands by its reporting; a spokeswoman declined to comment Thursday.
In helping resolve the cases, McKeon averted what could have been an ugly court drama.
Strauss-Kahn initially said he had diplomatic immunity, an argument the judge turned down in May. Strauss-Kahn's lawyers had since asked McKeon to throw out part of her claim for other legal reasons. Court records show the judge had yet to rule on that and several other legal issues, and it appeared that a high-stakes step ? depositions, or pretrial questioning under oath ? had not yet been taken. Depositions can give both sides information and a better picture of how strong the key parties and other witnesses might be in court.
While the vast majority of civil cases end in settlements, some legal observers were surprised that the deal between Strauss-Kahn and Diallo came before the legal arguments were resolved.
"I really expected it to go a little farther," said Matthew Galluzzo, a criminal defense lawyer and civil litigator who has been following the Strauss-Kahn case closely.
Still, the case likely had taken a toll on both Diallo, a single mother of a teenage daughter, and Strauss-Kahn, who has found himself plagued by accusations of sexual misconduct that further sullied his reputation. The Socialist had been seen as a potential leading candidate for the French presidency before his New York arrest.
In France, judges are to decide by Dec. 19 whether to annul charges linking him to a suspected prostitution ring run out of a luxury hotel in Lille. He acknowledges attending "libertine" gatherings but denies knowing that some women present were paid.
In August, a separate case against Strauss-Kahn, centered on allegations of rape in a Washington, D.C., hotel, was dropped after French prosecutors said the accuser, an escort, changed her account to say she wasn't raped.
Soon after Strauss-Kahn's arrest in New York last year, French writer Tristane Banon accused him of attempting to rape her during an interview in 2003, a claim he called imaginary and slanderous. Prosecutors said they believed the encounter qualified as a sexual assault, but the legal timeframe to pursue her complaint had elapsed.
The Associated Press does not name people who report being sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Diallo and Banon have done.
Strauss-Kahn has separated from his wife, journalist and heiress Anne Sinclair, who stood by him through the allegations in New York. The two said they were filing a lawsuit this summer against a French magazine, citing invasion of privacy, for reporting they had split, but Sinclair later acknowledged it was true.
The New York Times first reported the agreement between Strauss-Kahn and Diallo.
___
Associated Press Writer Colleen Long contributed to this report.
___
Follow Jennifer Peltz at http://twitter.com/jennpeltz
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-source-strauss-kahn-ny-hotel-maid-settle-002203518.html
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