Iron Lady

COMBATIVE and determined to get her way, Margaret Thatcher divided opinion down the middle in life - and in death. Many leaders lauded Thatcher, 87, for her steely determination to modernize Britain's industrial landscape, even at the cost of strikes and riots, and to stand beside the United States as the West triumphed in the Cold War vs. the Soviet Union. Others saw a pitiless tyrant who preferred conflict to compromise. British Prime Minister David Cameron lauded his 1980s predecessor as "a great Briton," but others - particularly Europe's socialists who often clashed with her - were less enamored in their reactions to the death Monday of the conservative icon.

LONDON - Love her or loathe her, one thing's beyond dispute: Margaret Thatcher transformed Britain. The Iron Lady, who ruled for 11 remarkable years, imposed her will on a fractious, rundown nation - breaking the unions, triumphing in a far-off war, and selling off state industries at a record pace. She left behind a leaner government and more prosperous nation by the time a political mutiny ousted her from No. 10 Downing Street. Mrs. Thatcher's spokesman, Tim Bell, said the 87-year-old former prime minister died from a stroke Monday morning at the Ritz hotel in London.

It was a long time developing, but someone from the Irish government has finally found the moral courage to stand up to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Attorney General John Murray stunned the so-called Iron Lady yesterday by refusing her demand that an Irish priest be extradited to England to stand trial on terrorism charges. Murray said the decision not to extradite Father Patrick Ryan, 58, was prompted by fears that the Tipperary-born priest could not receive a fair trial in England - an assertion Thatcher huffily described as "a great insult to all of the people of this country.

Academy Award winners announced last night: 1. Cinematography: "Hugo. " 2. Art Direction: "Hugo. " 3. Costume Design: "The Artist. " 4. Makeup: " Iron Lady. " 5. Foreign Language Film: "A Separation," Iran. 6. Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, "The Help. " 7. Film Editing: "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. " 8. Sound Editing: "Hugo. " 9. Sound Mixing: "Hugo. " 10. Documentary Feature: "Undefeated. " 11. Animated Feature Film: "Rango.

LOS ANGELES - Shortly after Meryl Streep beat out Viola Davis for the lead actress Academy Award on Sunday night, Disney / ABC Television President Anne Sweeney bumped into Octavia Spencer, Davis' co-star in "The Help. " Sweeney was overheard in an elevator leaving the awards telling Spencer that she was "upset. I feel bad for Viola," Sweeney said. Spencer, who had just won an Oscar herself for supporting actress, asked Sweeney how she thought the upset had happened. "I have my theories," the executive said, without elaborating.

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died early Monday of a stroke, her family announced. She was 87. "It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announce that their mother Baroness Thatcher died peacefully following a stroke this morning," the family's statement said, according to the BBC. Baroness Thatcher was Conservative prime minister from 1979 to 1990 and was known as the Iron Lady. She and President Ronald Reagan worked together closely in promoting free markets and in challenging the former Soviet Union.

With Philadelphia's Eagles soaring to new heights, Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.) decided it was time to place a friendly wager on the hometown team with his colleague, House Democratic leader Richard A. Gephardt, who is from that town, St. Louis. Fattah will be accepting Gus's Pretzels if - make that when - the Eagles go on to the Super Bowl. On the off chance that the Rams prevail today, Fattah will be donating Philadelphia's finest hoagies to Gephardt. "Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles are peaking at the right time," Fattah said.

The Mark Wahlberg thriller Contraband stole the top of the weekend box office, smuggling away $24.1 million, say preliminary studio stats. It just pipped the 3-D version of Beauty and the Beast ($18.5 million). The rest of the top 10: (3) Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol , $11.5 million; (4) Joyful Noise , $11.3 million; (5) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows , $8.4 million; (6) The Devil Inside , $7.9 million; (7) The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo , $6.8 million; (8)

Music Jonathan Wilson. The dreamy, laid-back sound of Wilson's excellent solo album Gentle Spirit, and the harmony-heavy records he has produced for Dawes owe much to the roots that the North Carolina native put down in Los Angeles, first in the mythical musical neighborhood of Laurel Canyon and now in Echo Park. On Gentle Spirit, Wilson's sound ranges from the Allmans-on- Quaaludes ramble of "Desert Raven" to a trippy treatment of Gordon Lightfoot's "The Way I Feel.

Margaret Thatcher was the most remarkable female political figure of the 20th century. The longest-serving prime minister in a century, the Iron Lady - as the Soviets named her for her opposition to the Iron Curtain - Thatcher left an indelible mark on British and world politics. A new film about Thatcher, however, is unfortunately typical of modern filmmaking. Despite having a great true story to tell, its writer and director preferred instead to contrive a fanciful tale that is politically and culturally correct.

LONDON - Love her or loathe her, one thing's beyond dispute: Margaret Thatcher transformed Britain. The Iron Lady, who ruled for 11 remarkable years, imposed her will on a fractious, rundown nation - breaking the unions, triumphing in a far-off war, and selling off state industries at a record pace. She left behind a leaner government and more prosperous nation by the time a political mutiny ousted her from No. 10 Downing Street. Mrs. Thatcher's spokesman, Tim Bell, said the 87-year-old former prime minister died from a stroke Monday morning at the Ritz hotel in London.

COMBATIVE and determined to get her way, Margaret Thatcher divided opinion down the middle in life - and in death. Many leaders lauded Thatcher, 87, for her steely determination to modernize Britain's industrial landscape, even at the cost of strikes and riots, and to stand beside the United States as the West triumphed in the Cold War vs. the Soviet Union. Others saw a pitiless tyrant who preferred conflict to compromise. British Prime Minister David Cameron lauded his 1980s predecessor as "a great Briton," but others - particularly Europe's socialists who often clashed with her - were less enamored in their reactions to the death Monday of the conservative icon.

By Max Boot It is a common conceit of age to imagine that giants roamed the Earth in one's youth while today the political scene is populated by pygmies. But I still cling to that view, for my formative years occurred while Ronald Reagan was president and Margaret Thatcher was prime minister. Naturally, as an American, I was more focused on Reagan. But Thatcher, whose exploits were covered in the newspapers and magazines that I read (the Los Angeles Times, National Review, Newsweek)

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died early Monday of a stroke, her family announced. She was 87. "It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announce that their mother Baroness Thatcher died peacefully following a stroke this morning," the family's statement said, according to the BBC. Baroness Thatcher was Conservative prime minister from 1979 to 1990 and was known as the Iron Lady. She and President Ronald Reagan worked together closely in promoting free markets and in challenging the former Soviet Union.

Reagan and Thatcher The Difficult Relationship By Richard Aldous W.W. Norton & Company. 342 pp. $27.95 Reviewed by John Rossi Otto von Bismarck, who forged a united German nation from an array of German-speaking states in the late 19th century, once observed that the key to the 20th century would be that Americans spoke English. The so-called "special relationship" between the two largest branches of the English-speaking world proved decisive in two world wars.

LOS ANGELES - Shortly after Meryl Streep beat out Viola Davis for the lead actress Academy Award on Sunday night, Disney / ABC Television President Anne Sweeney bumped into Octavia Spencer, Davis' co-star in "The Help. " Sweeney was overheard in an elevator leaving the awards telling Spencer that she was "upset. I feel bad for Viola," Sweeney said. Spencer, who had just won an Oscar herself for supporting actress, asked Sweeney how she thought the upset had happened. "I have my theories," the executive said, without elaborating.

Academy Award winners announced last night: 1. Cinematography: "Hugo. " 2. Art Direction: "Hugo. " 3. Costume Design: "The Artist. " 4. Makeup: " Iron Lady. " 5. Foreign Language Film: "A Separation," Iran. 6. Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, "The Help. " 7. Film Editing: "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. " 8. Sound Editing: "Hugo. " 9. Sound Mixing: "Hugo. " 10. Documentary Feature: "Undefeated. " 11. Animated Feature Film: "Rango.

IT'S REPUBLICAN primary season so that means every day some musician is complaining that his/her/their song is being used without permission. A few days ago, the fellow who wrote "Eye of the Tiger" was upset that Newt Gingrich had appropriated his song (which may be replaced by Beck 's "Loser"). Now K'Naan is annoyed that Mitt Romney used his song "Wavin' Flag" during his Florida primary-victory speech. The Somali-born, Canadian-based rapper said in a statement that Romney's campaign hadn't sought approval to use the song and that he would not have granted permission if it had. He says he wants to make sure Romney does not use his song again and is seeking legal action.

Margaret Thatcher was the most remarkable female political figure of the 20th century. The longest-serving prime minister in a century, the Iron Lady - as the Soviets named her for her opposition to the Iron Curtain - Thatcher left an indelible mark on British and world politics. A new film about Thatcher, however, is unfortunately typical of modern filmmaking. Despite having a great true story to tell, its writer and director preferred instead to contrive a fanciful tale that is politically and culturally correct.

The Mark Wahlberg thriller Contraband stole the top of the weekend box office, smuggling away $24.1 million, say preliminary studio stats. It just pipped the 3-D version of Beauty and the Beast ($18.5 million). The rest of the top 10: (3) Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol , $11.5 million; (4) Joyful Noise , $11.3 million; (5) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows , $8.4 million; (6) The Devil Inside , $7.9 million; (7) The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo , $6.8 million; (8)