Romney campaign touts day one initiatives in first general election ad
May 22, 2012

Mitt Romney, the likely GOP presidential nominee, is using his first general election ad to highlight the policy priorities he would enact on his first day in office, asking voters, "What would a Romney Presidency be like?"
The spot, titled "Day One," began airing Friday in Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia - all battleground states. The spot says Romney, as soon as he took office, would approve the Keystone Pipeline, "creating thousands of jobs that Obama blocked."
The controversial proposed 1,700 mile pipeline would carry oil from Canada through the U.S. to the Texas coast.
President Barack Obama last January decided against issuing a permit that would have allowed construction of the pipeline. Republicans attacked the administration over the decision because they say it would not only promote energy security but also create jobs. Romney previously has said he would have approved it.
Environmentalists bitterly oppose the pipeline because of the damage the construction might cause.
The White House has said it will make a final decision on the project after the election.
The Romney commercial emphasizes some of the same policy ideas the candidate highlights on the stump, promising tax cuts that "reward job creators, not punish them."

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Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees Dead at 62
May 22, 2012

Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees once said that "an artist is an artist because he is not happy with the world, so he creates his own existence." And the singer and composer, who died Sunday at the age of 62 after a series of health issues, certainly created a memorable existence for himself.
"The family of Robin Gibb, of the Bee Gees, announce with great sadness that Robin passed away today following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery," his spokesperson confirmed in a statement. "The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time."
As one-third of the Bee Gees, Gibb was part of the sixth top-selling pop group of all time, selling more than 200 million records worldwide, notching 60 No. 1 hits around the globe and winning nine Grammy Awards, including Lifetime Achievement and Legend citations. Along with his Bee Gees siblings Barry and the late Maurice, his twin who died in 2003, Gibb has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
Gibb was also the most prolific member of the band as a solo artist with six albums including this year's "Titanic Requiem," a classical piece co-written with his youngest son Robin-John. The latter, he wrote during January in the British newspaper The Mail, "saved my life" while he was in the throes of the health crisis that ultimately killed him.

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Congressional leaders gird for 'chaos' session over tax hikes, debt ceiling
May 21, 2012

Republican and Democratic congressional leaders are stepping up their war of words over a looming lame-duck session that is already being described as "chaos in Congress," as they gird for a marathon debate tackling everything from the debt ceiling to hundreds of billions of dollars in scheduled tax hikes.
At the center of the debate is the scheduled expiration of the Bush-era tax cuts.
This, combined with other changes like the expiration of the payroll tax cut backed by President Obama, will add up to a roughly $310 billion tax hike, according to a letter penned by Senate Republicans this past week.
"This would be, without any exaggeration, the largest tax increase in American history," they wrote.
The tax provisions, though, are just part of the mix. The country could bump up against the debt ceiling by early next year, leading House Speaker John Boehner this past week to once again demand spending cuts in exchange for a vote to increase that cap. In addition, spending cuts to the military and other areas triggered by last year's debt-ceiling deal are scheduled to kick in at the beginning of 2013.
With so much clumped on Congress' plate at the end of the year, leaders in both parties are calling on one another to begin dealing with the issues now -- as in, before the November election.
They're also moving to insulate themselves politically, by claiming to take the initiative on problems that months from now could end in stalemate.

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Ron Paul Decisively Wins Minnesota and Carries Delegates in Multiple Other States
May 21, 2012

Supporters of 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul have propelled him to an historic win in Minnesota this weekend, with delegate gains having occurred in multiple other states as well. The recent achievements affirm Paul's delegate-attainment strategy, and support the notion that he and his platform will be featured prominently at the Republican National Convention in Tampa this August.
In Minnesota, Paul organizers won a decisive 12 of 13 delegates to the RNC at the Rivers Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud, wrapping up the North Star State's two-tier nominating contest. Earlier this spring, Paul supporters won 20 of 24 delegates at district conventions. In all, the Paul camp has swept the state of Minnesota winning 32 of the state's 40 national delegates.
In addition to Paul's consequential victory in Minnesota, Paul organizers won delegates in Mitt Romney's home state of Michigan. There, Paul supporters estimate that they have won eight voting slots plus one non-voting delegate and 11 alternates. Of the 14 Congressional District voting contests held this weekend, Paul organizers won RNC delegates in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 9th Districts, denying Detroit-born Romney a clean sweep of his home state. The Michigan victory occurred despite a heavy Romney campaign presence promoting a win for the establishment pick and presumptive nominee.
At the Vermont Republican State Convention this weekend, Ron Paul supporters won two of 14 national delegates, with two more considered potential allies, and they won 10 of 14 alternates. In all, Vermont has 17 delegates including super delegates.
Finally in Virginia, 11 district conventions have been taking place in recent weeks and have ended this weekend. In those contests Ron Paul supporters won 17 of 33 national delegates selected, with the remainder of the state's 49 delegates including super delegates to be selected at the June 16th state convention. Also in Virginia, Paul supporters elected a Republican Congressional District Chair in the Third District, over a dozen liberty-oriented Republican State Central Committee Members five of whom are Ron Paul supporters, dozens of Republican county and city committee chairs, and hundreds of county and city committee members.

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Deals Today From Amazon, Old Navy and More!
May 21, 2012

Old Navy: Save $5 Off $25 Purchase (Facebook)

Old Navy: Save $5/$25 Purchase - on their Facebook page

The coupon expires 05/24/2012

Get all the details HERE!

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FREE Jiffy Recipe Book

Head on over here to request your FREE Jiffy Recipe Book!

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FREE American Girl Doll Clothes Patterns!

If you've got a girl who has an American Girl doll - here are some free patterns for clothes you can make for the doll instead of paying big bucks for them!

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FREE Subscription to Living the Country Life Magazine!

If you live on 1 or more acres (or just wish you did!), request your FREE subscription to Living the Country Life Magazine!

Get started HERE!

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FREE $2 Amazon mp3 credit!

Amazon is offering another FREE $2.00 MP3 Credit. This time you will have to have Facebook to get it.

To get your credit:

:: Click here - Free Amazon MP3 Credit

:: Share you favorite song.

:: Follow steps and $2.00 Credit will be added to your account.

Upon completion of the "Share & Claim" action, a $2 MP3 credit will be automatically applied to your Amazon account. Promotional credits must be redeemed by 11:59 PM PST on May 24, 2012. Amazon MP3 music is available to customers located and with billing addresses in the United States. You must have an Amazon.com account and accept the Amazon MP3 Service Terms of Use to redeem your credit. Limit one promotional credit per customer.

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The World's First $1 Billion Home
May 21, 2012

The first pictures showing the interior of what is believed to be the world's most expensive residence have been made public in Vanity Fair magazine.
The home, which is called Antilia after a mythical island, is located in Mumbai, India. Owned by Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, the residence boasts 400,000 square feet, three helicopter pads, underground parking for 160 cars, and requires a staff of 600 to run.
Though the building is 27 storys tall, BBC News notes that many of the floors are double- or triple-height, so the building rises to 570 feet -- the equivalent of a 40-story structure.
The house is reported to be worth more that $1 billion, which will not affect Ambani's bank balance too significantly. The energy magnate is one of the top 5 richest men in the world, and is said to be worth approximately $22 billion, according to Forbes magazine.

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Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg updated his status to "married"
May 21, 2012

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg updated his status to "married" on Saturday.
Zuckerberg and 27-year-old Priscilla Chan tied the knot at a small ceremony at his Palo Alto, Calif., home, capping a busy week for the couple, according to a guest authorized to speak for the couple. The person spoke only on the condition of anonymity.
Zuckerberg took his company public in one of the most anticipated stock offerings in Wall Street history Friday. And Chan graduated from medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, on Monday, the same day Zuckerberg turned 28, the person said.
The couple met at Harvard and have been together for more than nine years, the person said.
Zuckerberg designed the ring featuring "a very simple ruby," according to the person who gave the following characterization of the wedding.
The ceremony took place in Zuckerberg's backyard before fewer than 100 guests, who all thought they were there to celebrate Chan's graduation.

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Florida hardware store says 'no more pennies!'
May 21, 2012

A Coconut Grove, Fla., hardware store has instituted a no penny policy, saying pennies -- to coin a phrase -- just no longer make cents.
Andy Haase, owner of Shell Lumber, has banished the one-cent nuisance from his cash drawers. A sign at the front door reads: "No more pennies! For cash sales, we round in your favor."
Haase told The Miami Herald he was tasked with accounting for nearly 1,200 pennies every day across 10 cash registers. Four weeks ago, he instructed cashiers to start lowering final sales amounts by as much as 4 cents, so customers could keep their cents to themselves.
"The bookkeepers used to come down and say your cash drawer was off by a penny," he told The Herald. "It was just a lot of work for nothing."

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PLU 101
May 21, 2012

What is a PLU?
PLU stands for Price Look-Up, a numbering system used by supermarkets on produce items since 1990 for easier checkout, and accurate inventory control. All stores use the same codes.

Who Administers PLU?
The International Federation of Produce Standards, as a service to growers, shippers, and food retailers to improve the supply chain efficiency of shipping fresh produce with international standards. PLU codes are used in Chile, Canada, UK, Australia, Norway, New Zealand, and in the US.

How to Buy:
Most sealed or packaged produce does not require PLU codes. Produce, sold by weight or by the unit in an unprocessed form, does require a PLU code.
Produce is defined as fruits, vegetables, dried fruits, herbs, flavorings, and nuts. The small PLU sticker will be on each item, on containers of bulk/loose produce or on the cord that holds bunched produce.

How to Read Labels: Labels have 4-5 numbers, and there are hundreds. The first number reveals the general category, the others the variety and origin, e.g. Apples/ Fiji/ Washington.

Choices: The following numbers are universal:
Beginning with 9: signifies organically grown
Beginning with 8: signifies genetically modified produce
Beginning with 4: signifies fruit
Beginning with 48 or 49: signifies fresh herbs
Beginning with 31 or 49: signifies nuts

How to Use: The PLU code sticker identifies the produce; discard sticker, wash produce as usual before eating or cooking.

Smarter Shopping: Put your kids in charge of the produce and have them select a new fruit or vegetable each week and tell the family about it.

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Super PAC's reported anti-Obama ad sparks backlash, quick denial
May 20, 2012

Predictions of super PAC-fueled campaign ugliness seemed to come to reality on Thursday when reports broke of a potential conservative group's ad campaign aimed at tying President Barack Obama to a controversy put to rest nearly four years ago.
But conservative billionaire Joe Ricketts decided against a proposal from GOP strategists that would bring up once again Obama's association with the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright, a super PAC director said.
Wright, who once ran the church that Obama attended in Chicago, became a central figure in the 2008 election when videos emerged showing some of the pastor's provocative statements involving race relations in the United States.
Obama was eventually forced to distance himself from Wright to help spare his political image.
The proposal to bring Wright back into campaign dialogue, a plan first reported by the New York Times, quickly became the story of the day.
After hours of backlash from both Republicans and Democrats, Ricketts, commissioner of the ad campaign and founder of the brokerage firm TD Ameritrade -- and whose family owns the Chicago Cubs baseball team -- said the plan was merely one of several proposals his group was considering.

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