Thatcher death "party" in London draws hundreds

By Maria Golovnina

LONDON (Reuters) - Several hundred people turned up for a "party" in central London on Saturday to celebrate the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as a mass protest predicted by some failed to materialize.

The British capital's mayor had warned of potential rioting as organizers promised thousands of opponents of Thatcher, who died aged 87 on Monday, would descend on London's Trafalgar Square to mark the passing of a leader who was loved and loathed in equal measure.

Current British politicians and world leaders past and present have paid tributes to the former premier, Britain's longest serving prime minister in over a century, but she continues to divide Britons over policies which saw her crush trade unions and privatize swathes of industry.

The event, which had been planned by left-wing activists in the event of her death decades ago, had been billed as "the party of a lifetime".

But in cold and rainy conditions, it attracted only several hundred jovial and noisy supporters, chanting "Maggie, Maggie, Maggie, dead, dead, dead". Some danced to drums and loud dance music, waving banners bearing messages such as "Rot in hell Thatcher".

Others held up an effigy of Thatcher, complete with light blue suit and handbag, cracked open bottles of champagne which were passed around the small crowd and burnt a mannequin head, shouting "burn Maggie burn".

"I've been waiting to celebrate this for 30 years. Best day of my life," said Simon Gardner, a wildlife photographer from central England who was wearing a top saying "Rejoice, Rejoice, Thatcher is dead".

"She was hated by at least half the population."

There were almost as many police and security personnel visibly present, and a police officer at the scene told Reuters they had expected a far bigger turnout.

SCUFFLES

Some protesters burned flares and threw beer cans at police lines but apart from a few brief and minor scuffles, the protest was largely peaceful with nine arrests mainly for drunk and disorderly behavior.

Since her death, many of the divisions which characterized her time in office from 1979 to 1990 have resurfaced as was demonstrated in a ComRes poll for two Sunday newspapers.

It found 41 percent of those surveyed disagreed with Prime Minister David Cameron's description of her as the "greatest British peacetime prime minister", with 33 percent agreeing with the sentiment.

Some 59 percent agreed she was the most divisive premier the country had had, while 60 percent thought that Wednesday's ceremonial funeral with military honors, which commentators have estimated will cost about 10 million pounds, should not be funded by taxpayers.

Codenamed "Operation True Blue", the streets will be cleared as Thatcher's coffin is taken on a procession through central London to a service at Saint Paul's Cathedral.

Opponents have denounced the plans, some suggesting it should be privatized and put out to tender, and there are concerns anti-capitalist activists and anarchists with a long record of violent protest may try to cause disruption.

Meanwhile on Sunday, the song "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead", from the from the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz", is expected to enter the pop charts following a campaign by those celebrating Thatcher's death.

"My mother once said to me 'Carol I think my place in history is assured'," her daughter Carol Thatcher told reporters outside her late mother's former home in central London.

"The magnificent tributes this week, the wonderful words of (U.S.) President (Barack) Obama, to others from colleagues who once worked alongside her, have proved her right.

"These have given me strength. But I know that this is going to be a tough and tearful week even for the daughter of the 'Iron Lady'."

(Writing by Michael Holden; Editing by Jason Webb)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/thatcher-death-party-london-draws-small-crowd-200357899.html

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'Fundamental culture change' on abortion: Conservatives make gains on restrictions

Sarah Cole / AL.com via AP file

People opposing and supporting abortion rights demonstrate outside the Alabama Women's Center for Reproductive Alternatives in Huntsville in February.

By Erin McClam, Staff Writer, NBC News

When Virginia approved restrictions that could force abortion clinics to close, it joined a rapidly growing list of states that are energizing social conservatives by making it more difficult for women to terminate pregnancies.

Four other states have tightened abortion restrictions in less than two months ? part of what abortion-rights groups say is an alarming trend since Republicans swept the 2010 elections. The American Civil Liberties Union on Friday called the Virginia restrictions ?excessive and inappropriate.?

Anti-abortion groups see evidence of a break between the relatively stable politics of abortion at the national level and the action in the states.

?There?s a fundamental culture change going on,? said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony List, which supports anti-abortion political candidates. She called the recent restrictions ?common-sense, common-ground? measures.

?The middle ground is exactly where most people are,? she said in an interview. ?They want to see clinic regulation. They want to see parental notification. They don?t like late-term abortions.?

Arkansas legislators, overriding the Democratic governor, banned abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy. The Kansas legislature blocked certain tax breaks for abortion providers and declared that life begins at fertilization.

Julie Bennett / AL.com via AP

Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard, back left, Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey, second left, and others applaud as Gov. Robert Bentley signs an abortion clinic regulation bill on April 9.

Alabama enacted a law last week requiring abortion doctors to have permission to perform the procedure at local hospitals, challenging a practice under which clinics bring in physicians from out of town.

And in late March, the governor of North Dakota signed the toughest abortion law in the nation ? a ban on abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, a restriction that even some abortion opponents say is designed to provoke a court challenge.

?Although the likelihood of this measure surviving a court challenge remains in question, this bill is nevertheless a legitimate attempt by a state legislature to discover the boundaries of Roe v. Wade,? Gov. Jack Dalrymple said.

In Virginia, the Board of Health on Friday voted 11-2 to require abortion clinics to meet the same architectural standards required of new hospitals. Abortion-rights groups say the standard is clearly designed to be so costly that clinics will have no choice but to close.

?This is a blatant attempt to impose a backdoor ban on safe, legal abortion care,? said Caroline O?Shea, deputy director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, which supports abortion rights.

The Guttmacher Institute, a research group that studies reproductive health, reported this week that 694 state provisions on reproduction have been introduced this year, about half of them to restrict abortion.

Among those are provisions in 14 states seeking to ban abortion before the fetus is viable. In recent years, the institute said, lawmakers had focused on regulating abortion, such as requiring ultrasounds for pregnant women.

?Legislators this year seem to be focusing on banning abortion outright,? it said.

Grisly Philadelphia case
Conservative bloggers, including at RedState and National Review, have lashed out this week at national media organizations for not paying enough attention to the gruesome trial of a Philadelphia abortion provider accused of killing seven late-term fetuses after they were born alive.

The doctor, Kermit Gosnell, faces the death penalty if convicted. Prosecutors say he killed some of the fetuses by plunging scissors into their necks and snipping the spinal cord.

Stephen Massof, an unlicensed medical school graduate who worked at the clinic, testified last week that women were sometimes given medicine to speed deliveries and ?it would rain fetuses. Fetuses and blood all over the place.?

The accelerated restrictions on abortion come at a time when Americans have deeply mixed feelings about the procedure.

An NBC/WSJ poll showed 52 percent of Americans say abortion should be illegal with or without exceptions. Former Gov. Ed Rendell and Republican strategist Chip Saltsman debate what that means for their parties.

An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Thursday found that 52 percent of Americans believe abortion should be illegal with some or no exceptions, compared with 45 percent who believe it should be legal most or all of the time.

Those figures have been roughly unchanged over the past decade, although the same poll found in January that only 44 percent believed it should be illegal with some or no exceptions.

Still, that January poll, timed at the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that established a limited right to abortion, found that seven in 10 Americans wanted it to stand, the highest figure since 1989.

Giving ground
The state restrictions have been enacted while national Republicans have given ground on other cultural issues.

Two Republican senators have announced support for gay marriage. Republicans are working with Democrats on a way to establish some path to citizenship for undocumented workers.

And on Thursday, 16 Republican senators joined most Democrats to overcome a threatened filibuster on a bill that would expand criminal background checks for gun sales and toughen penalties for illegal sales.

Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the Republican vice presidential nominee last year, told an anti-abortion group on Thursday that Republicans ?need to work with people who consider themselves pro-choice.?

He also said: ?We don?t want a country where abortion is simply outlawed. We want a country where it isn?t even considered.?

Ilyse Hogue, the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, pointed out that three dozen governorships will be decided in the 2014 election, and suggested the restrictions passed over the past few weeks would wake up voters.

?What we?re seeing here is an extreme position about women?s rights that was soundly rejected in the 2012 election at the federal level,? she told MSNBC. ?These governors should be watching very, very carefully.?

Related:

Kansas lawmakers pass sweeping anti-abortion legislation

Abortion worker at trial: 'It was literally a beheading'

North Dakota governor signs toughest anti-abortion package in US

Arkansas lawmakers approve toughest abortion limits in nation

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2aaacccc/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C130C177235120Efundamental0Eculture0Echange0Eon0Eabortion0Econservatives0Emake0Egains0Eon0Erestrictions0Dlite/story01.htm

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Mobile Miscellany: week of April 8th, 2013

If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week, we were treated to a peek at the Lumia 928 in white, Canada's upstart carriers made waves, BlackBerry users got a new free calling option and the Lumia 520 spread its wings to more carriers in the UK. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that's happening in the mobile world for this week of April 8th, 2013.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/8WGB7RpsYU0/

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Scott blasts House health insurance plan | StAugustine.com

St. Augustine Record

TALLAHASSEE (AP) ? Gov. Rick Scott slammed a Florida House proposal Thursday that would pass up billions of federal dollars to provide health care coverage to 115,000 uninsured Floridians in a watered down alternative to expanding Medicaid under the federal health law.

The proposal relies entirely on $237 million in state taxpayer funds and would not tap into an estimated $51 billion dollars in federal aid available under the Affordable Care Act over the next decade.

It would also offer coverage to thousands fewer residents, covering only those making 100 percent of the federal poverty level as opposed to the roughly 1 million residents that would have been covered through Medicaid expansion.

The Obama Administration has sought to increase health coverage to more Americans by expanding Medicaid to those making up to 138 percent of the poverty level ? something many state GOP lawmakers are opposed to.

Instead, House Republicans plan to expand a health insurance program pushed by former House Speaker Marco Rubio that would give residents state money to help them obtain coverage from the private insurers through the online health exchange. Rubio's plan ? known as Florida Health Choices ? has had trouble getting off the ground and currently doesn't insure anyone.

"The House's plan will cost Florida taxpayers on top of what they are already taxed under the President's new healthcare law. This would be a double-hit to state taxpayers," Scott said in a statement.

Scott made an about-face decision earlier this year saying he supported Medicaid expansion because it was the compassionate, common-sense approach, but he's said he's open to alternatives after committees in both the House and Senate rejected expanding Medicaid. Scott signaled Thursday he would support a Senate plan proposed by Sen. Joe Negron "because it protects both state taxpayers and the uninsured in our state."

Negron's bill would still tap into billions of federal dollars and use those funds for vouchers so patients could purchase private health insurance. His plan would utilize Florida Healthy Kids, an organization he says has a strong record with the state.

But House Republicans made it clear that they would not accept any health plan that relies on federal funds, worrying that if they expand the program the federal government will not make good on its promise to fund it. The federal government has promised to foot the entire bill for three years and 90 percent after that. That's a much better deal than the state currently has for Medicaid patients, with the feds paying roughly half.

"Maybe it's the $16 trillion deficit that gives me pause," said Weatherford. "The federal government is more interested in expanding a flawed program. We think this is an opportunity to lead the health care debate not just in Florida, but to take a new idea for people who don't have care and do it in a more responsible way. I don't think we should be relying, long term, on a federal solution to our health care needs in the state of Florida."

The House proposal is similar to another plan in the Senate by Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, who also wants to rely on state dollars. But the House plan is more comprehensive and would offer coverage to disabled adults and adults with children. Most of the plans would provide low-cost preventative and primary care visits, subsidized by state funds.

Negron said he still preferred the Senate proposal, but he praised the House effort as a "well-thought out plan" to provide coverage to some uninsured.

"I think it's a step in the right direction," said Negron.

Angry House Democrats have said finding an affordable way to expand health coverage is still do-able even though the Legislative session is past the midpoint.

House Democrats felt so strongly about the health care decision they initially agreed to withhold their support for the House's proposed $74 billion budget to signal their strong advocacy for action. But shortly after the House proposal was released House Democratic Leader Perry Thurston said he went to fellow Democrats and said they should vote on the budget as they deem appropriate.

Thurston, however, criticized the House proposal.

"The problem is that they've been dragging their feet, they still don't want to accept the money that's there," Thurston said. "Other states will take it. As a donor state, we'll continue to give, give and we won't receive for our residents. And it's because it's the most needy residents in the state of Florida."

Source: http://staugustine.com/news/florida-news/2013-04-12/scott-blasts-house-health-insurance-plan

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Medicare hike could also hit some in middle class

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner, left, accompanied by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, speaks during a news conference at the Health and Humans Services (HHS) Department in Washington, Wednesday, April 10, 2013, to discuss the Health Department's fiscal 2014 budget. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner, left, accompanied by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, speaks during a news conference at the Health and Humans Services (HHS) Department in Washington, Wednesday, April 10, 2013, to discuss the Health Department's fiscal 2014 budget. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, center, accompanied by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner, left, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, speaks during a news conference at the HHS in Washington, Wednesday, April 10, 2013, to discuss President Barack Obama's fiscal 2014 for the Health Department. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Retired as a city worker, Sheila Pugach lives in a modest home on a quiet street in Albuquerque, N.M., and drives an 18-year-old Subaru.

Pugach doesn't see herself as upper-income by any stretch, but President Barack Obama's budget would raise her Medicare premiums and those of other comfortably retired seniors, adding to a surcharge that already costs some 2 million beneficiaries hundreds of dollars a year each.

More importantly, due to the creeping effects of inflation, 20 million Medicare beneficiaries would end up paying higher "income related" premiums for their outpatient and prescription coverage over time.

Administration officials say Obama's proposal will help improve the financial stability of Medicare by reducing taxpayer subsidies for retirees who can afford to pay a bigger share of costs. Congressional Republicans agree with the president on this one, making it highly likely the idea will become law if there's a budget deal this year.

But the way Pugach sees it, she's being penalized for prudence, dinged for saving diligently.

It was the government, she says, that pushed her into a higher income bracket where she'd have to pay additional Medicare premiums.

IRS rules require people age 70-and-a-half and older to make regular minimum withdrawals from tax-deferred retirement nest eggs like 401(k)s. That was enough to nudge her over Medicare's line.

"We were good soldiers when we were young," said Pugach, who worked as a computer systems analyst. "I was afraid of not having money for retirement and I put in as much as I could. The consequence is now I have to pay about $500 a year more in Medicare premiums."

Currently only about 1 in 20 Medicare beneficiaries pays the higher income-based premiums, which start at incomes over $85,000 for individuals and $170,000 for couples. As a reference point, the median or midpoint U.S. household income is about $53,000.

Obama's budget would change Medicare's upper-income premiums in several ways. First, it would raise the monthly amounts for those currently paying.

If the proposal were already law, Pugach would be paying about $168 a month for outpatient coverage under Medicare's Part B, instead of $146.90.

Then, the plan would create five new income brackets to squeeze more revenue from the top tiers of retirees.

But its biggest impact would come through inflation.

The administration is proposing to extend a freeze on the income brackets at which seniors are liable for the higher premiums until 1 in 4 retirees has to pay. It wouldn't be the top 5 percent anymore, but the top 25 percent.

"Over time, the higher premiums will affect people who by today's standards are considered middle-income," explained Tricia Neuman, vice president for Medicare policy at the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. "At some point, it raises questions about whether (Medicare) premiums will continue to be affordable."

Required withdrawals from retirement accounts would be the trigger for some of these retirees. For others it could be taking a part-time job.

One consequence could be political problems for Medicare. A growing group of beneficiaries might come together around a shared a sense of grievance.

"That's part of the problem with the premiums ? they simply act like a higher tax based on income," said David Certner, federal policy director for AARP, the seniors lobby.

"Means testing" of Medicare benefits was introduced in 2007 under President George W. Bush in the form of higher outpatient premiums for the top-earning retirees. Obama's health care law expanded the policy and also added a surcharge for prescription coverage.

The latest proposal ramps up the reach of means testing and sets up a political confrontation between AARP and liberal groups on one side and fiscal conservatives on the other. The liberals have long argued that support for Medicare will be undermined if the program starts charging more for the well-to-do. Not only are higher-income people more likely to be politically active, they also tend to be in better health.

Fiscal conservatives say it makes no sense for government to provide the same generous subsidies to people who can afford to pay at least some of the cost themselves. As a rule, taxpayers pay for 75 percent of Medicare's outpatient and prescription benefits. Even millionaires would still get a 10 percent subsidy on their premiums under Obama's plan. Technically, both programs are voluntary.

"The government has to understand the difference between universal opportunity and universal subsidy," said David Walker, the former head of the congressional Government Accountability Office. "This is a very modest step towards changing the government subsidy associated with Medicare's two voluntary programs."

It still doesn't sit well with Sheila Pugach. She says she's been postponing remodeling work on her 58-year-old house because she's concerned about the cost. Having a convenient utility room so she doesn't have to go out to the garage to do laundry would help with her back problems.

"They think all old people are living the life of Riley," she said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-04-13-US-Medicare-Premiums/id-afa9f088bb3f4f46a64469d836256f7f

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Make Excellent Hot Coffee for a Crowd with Coffee Concentrate

Dilemma: You've got plenty of company coming, but your Chemex, French Press, or other favorite brewing method won't make enough servings (individual AeroPress servings for everyone? No way!). The Kitchn shows us you don't have to sacrifice coffee quality or spend all day hovering over coffee grounds; make coffee concentrate that can be served hot.

Coffee concentrate is a great way to make delicious iced coffee. You can use the same process to make large volumes of hot coffee as well. As The Kitchn attests:

Making a cold-brew coffee concentrate doesn't require any special equipment, just a big bowl or pitcher to hold the grounds and water while they steep, and a filter-lined strainer to drain the resulting liquid. I was concerned that the cold concentrate, which is kept in the refrigerator, would make the resulting cup of coffee lukewarm, so I tweaked my usual recipe to make it slightly more potent. This meant I could dilute the concentrate with two parts hot water, instead of using a 1:1 ratio. Not only did this result in a hotter cup of coffee, it was one I found even more rich and flavorful.

Make the concentrate a day or more before the party, and when your guests arrive, combine it with boiled water in a carafe. Easy!

Check out the recipe and instructions via the link below.

How To Make Coffee Concentrate to Serve Coffee to a Crowd | The Kitchn

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/TYo1vF8uvKQ/make-excellent-hot-coffee-for-a-crowd-with-coffee-concentrate

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How much is your commute costing you?

Take your commute into account when you?re shopping around for a job, Hamm writes. One of the best subtle financial moves you can make is to simply live close to your work.

By Trent Hamm,?Guest blogger / April 12, 2013

Vehicles move along a traffic jam during rush hour in Sao Paulo, Brazil. A short commute length can leaves more money in your pocket and more time in your day, Hamm writes.

Nacho Doce/Reuters/File

Enlarge

A friend of mine works at a Home Depot about ten miles from her home, which means she has a daily round trip of about twenty miles for her commute. She makes more than minimum wage ? let?s say $8 per hour?after taxes? and she seems pretty happy there.

Skip to next paragraph Trent Hamm

The Simple Dollar is a blog for those of us who need both cents and sense: people fighting debt and bad spending habits while building a financially secure future and still affording a latte or two. Our busy lives are crazy enough without having to compare five hundred mutual funds ? we just want simple ways to manage our finances and save a little money.

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As far as I can tell, she works five shifts per week, seven hours each.

She drives herself back and forth to work on each of those work days. Her car is reasonably fuel efficient and pretty reliable. We?ll say, for the purposes of this exercise, that she paid $6,000 for it and figures she?ll be able to get 100,000 miles out of it without any major repairs. That?s?really?optimistic, I know, but it gives us something to work with.

Her car gets about 25 miles per gallon, too. In the area where she lives, gas is about $3.50 per gallon. Her tires wear out at the 40,000 mile mark, so she?s going to be spending about $400 to replace them all. She has to change the oil every 5,000 miles, which costs her, say, $25 per oil change (I?m trying to use round numbers that will divide easily while still being fairly accurate). She tries to stick to her maintenance schedule, too. She also has to cover auto insurance on her car ? just liability insurance, mind you ? which sets her back about $40 per month.

So, let?s start figuring this up.?