Obama picks up tab for swanky dinner with senators

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., left, Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., second left, Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., Sen. Richard Burr,??UPDATE: The president picked up the tab!

Painful spending cuts may have led the White House to halt public tours, but President Barack Obama and Republican senators may need to loosen their belts, not tighten them, after their peacemaking dinner at superswank Plume restaurant on Wednesday.

How swank? The eatery features a menu with a $1,776?per person?price tag, excluding tax and tip. However, it was unclear how much was actually spent.

After the meal, which ran about two hours and twenty minutes, the White House let it be known that Obama "paid for the dinner out of his own pocket," according to a pool report from Susan Crabtree of the Washington Times.

?The President greatly enjoyed the dinner and had a good exchange of ideas with the Senators,? a senior administration official told Crabtree.

Per the White House via Crabtree, the other attendees were:

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee
Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire
Senator John McCain of Arizona
Senator Dan Coats of Indiana
Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma
Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina
Senator Mike Johanns of Nebraska
Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania
Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin
Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota
Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia

Obama had invited the GOP lawmakers to the tony Jefferson Hotel, home to Plume restaurant, in a bid to break the partisan logjam and forge a deficit-cutting deal. Plume is widely considered among D.C.'s finest.

The group ?will be dining from the Plume menu," a hotel source told Yahoo News before the get-together began.

That hinted that they would not be ordering the actual "1776" menu, or even the more-modest-but-still-lavish $85 menu ? one dollar for every billion of the $85 billion in cuts slated to go into effect this year.

So what makes the $1,776 menu so special?

?It pairs the evening's ever-changing tasting menu with wines that date, collectively, over the past 237 years,? according to hotel spokeswoman Meaghan Donohoe.

?For instance, this could include a 20-year-old Champagne, grand cru white Burgundy, a Bordeaux from one of the five first growths, and a glass of Madeira from 1790,? she said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/amid-spending-cuts-obama-gop-dine-style-193045298--politics.html

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Path 3 Now Does Messaging

Path, the social networking app that does a little bit of everything, has added some new features in its latest update. Path 3.0 now does private messaging (one-to-one or group), has something called 'Stickers' which are like Emojis on steroids and is opening up a new shop for you to buy stuff from. Basically, more of a little of everything. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/6R3u6r3jInQ/path-3-now-does-messaging

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Is Leaked Beyonce Tracklist The Real Thing?

Leaked tracklist shows Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Justin Timberlake features.
By Nadeska Alexis

Beyonce
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1703208/beyonce-tracklist-leak-real-fake.jhtml

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Federal government closes DC offices as snow nears (The Arizona Republic)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/289414299?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Microwave Brown Sugar with Water to De-clump It On Demand

You can keep brown sugar soft in advance with the help of bread or marshmallows, but if you forget or just have some hard brown sugar lying around that you need to soften right now, redditor whitehandsinkstains notes you can solve the problem with a little water and a microwave.

Here's the process, step by step:

1. Put the rock-solid mass of sugar in a big, microwave-safe bowl. Fill another little bowl, or a coffee mug, with warm water. Put both these things in the microwave.
2. Microwave in 30 second increments until the sugar is just soft enough to break off chunks. (This usually takes me ~2-3 minutes, depending on how hard the sugar is.)
3. Break off more sugar than you need (you can pack it into a measuring cup and get a good loose estimation) and stash the rest. If you can, break your target sugar into even smaller chunks before tossing it back in the microwave, at 30 second increments again.
4. Once it's suitably soft, you might notice lingering nuggets that just won't soften. Two options here ? if you're making cookies, nuggets of brown sugar turn into fantastic caramel, so you can leave them. Otherwise, crumble things down as much as you can and fish out the hard bits.

As noted, the process isn't perfect but it does make a notable difference (and is much less stressful than stabbing the clumps with a wooden spoon for hours). I've done this a few times when baking and it definitely helps. I've found it's best to microwave on lower heat and, as whitehandsinkstains, break the process into 30 second increments. Microwaving your sugar for too long when it's too hot can provide undesirable effects.

Declumping brown sugar quickly | Reddit

Photo by Annto (Shutterstock).

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/XmX5atwzYbU/microwave-brown-sugar-with-water-to-de+clump-it-ondemand

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Rebel Dell shareholder demands more information

ROUND ROCK, Texas (AP) ? Dell's largest independent shareholder is turning up the pressure against the proposed $24.4 billion sale of the struggling personal computer maker to a group of investors that includes its CEO.

In a letter Tuesday, Southeastern Asset Management demanded that Dell Inc. provide a list of the company's other stockholders. Obtaining that information could help Southeastern rally support for a shareholder mutiny to block the deal.

Dell, which is based in Round Rock, Texas, said it will review Southeastern's request.

Dell's board of directors last month announced plans to sell the company to founder and CEO Michael Dell and others led by investment firm Silver Lake for $13.65 per share. If the sale is completed, it will end Dell's 25-year history as a publicly traded company and enable Michael Dell to attempt to engineer a turnaround without having to cater to Wall Street's desire for higher profits from one quarter to the next.

Southeastern, which is based in Memphis, Tenn., contends Dell is giving its CEO a bargain that will deprive long-time shareholders of the opportunity to share in the potential upturn in the company's performance. The investment firm, which owns an 8.4 percent stake in Dell, says the company is worth closer to $24 per share. Dell's stock hasn't traded at that level since Michael Dell returned for a second stint as CEO more than six years ago.

Michael Dell is contributing a 14 percent stake in the company to help finance the proposed buyout, which will consist primarily of debt.

Dell Inc. said its shareholders are being fairly compensated at $13.65 per share while also being insulated from future risks facing the company as it tries to lessen its dependence on the slumping personal computer market and expand into the more profitable technology sectors of business software, data analysis and storage and consulting.

Investors are betting Michael Dell and his backers will either raise their offer or another bidder will up the ante. Dell's stock gained seven cents Tuesday to close at $14.07.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-03-05-US-Dell-Acquisition/id-f1babfbd6473426c8523cee7fcacb7ba

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Before Chavez death, WH said it was looking for a "functional and productive relationship" with Venezuela (Washington Bureau)

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