The U.S. and Global Security Review - Blog by Michael Novakhov

MIKE NOVA'S STARRED ITEMS Russian judge rejects challenge against dead lawyer's trial via  Russia News Headlines - Yahoo! News  on 3/22/13 MOSCOW (Reuters) - A court-appointed defense lawyer tried to scuttle the posthumous trial of Russian whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky on Friday, saying the state had no right to prosecute a dead man without the consent of his family. But the judge rejected the lawyer's challenge, paving the way for a trial that is seen by President Vladimir Putin's critics as politically motivated and intended to discredit fraud accusations made by Magnitsky, who died in jail in 2009. ... Opinionator | Disunion: Walt Whitman's Boss via  NYT > Opinion  by By RONALD S. CODDINGTON on 3/22/13 The story of Lyman Hapgood, a Boston abolitionist who gave the poet his first job in the capital. Russia' Putin Meets With New Chinese Leader via  Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty  by RFE/RL on 3/21/13 Xi J

“Sir, you are a free man.” via  The New York Times's Facebook Wall  by The New York Times on 3/22/13 “Sir, you are a free man.” Man Jailed in 1990 Killing of a Rabbi Is Released cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com After spending more than two decades in maximum-security prison, David Ranta walked out of State Supreme Court in Brooklyn on Thursday a free man. “Our sons and daughters are not born to hate, they are taught to hate. The state... via  The New York Times's Facebook Wall  by The New York Times on 3/22/13 “Our sons and daughters are not born to hate, they are taught to hate. The state of Israel does not exist because of the Holocaust but in the survival of a strong Jewish state of Israel the Holocaust will never happen again.” — President Obama, speaking at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem on Friday. Read more: http://nyti.ms/ZhoUH6 (Photo Credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times)

MIKE NOVA'S STARRED ITEMS Before he became Pope Francis, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio navigated the poli... via  The New York Times's Facebook Wall  by The New York Times on 3/20/13 Before he became Pope Francis, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio navigated the politics of gay marriage by advocating that the church in Argentina support the idea of civil unions for gay couples. On Gay Unions, a Pragmatist Before He Was a Pope www.nytimes.com By suggesting in 2010 that the church in Argentina support civil unions for gay couples, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio revealed himself to be a deal maker willing to compromise. Pope Francis Meets With Other Religious Leaders via  NYT > Home Page  by By JIM YARDLEY on 3/20/13 Pope Francis described the spiritual bond between Catholics and Jews as “very special” and expressed gratitude to Muslim leaders. Moscow Court Rejects Punk Band’s Appeal via  NYT > World  by By ANDREW ROTH on 3/20/13

MIKE NOVA'S STARRED ITEMS Despite US change, Russia sticks to missile-shield demand - The Star Online via  Russia - Google News  on 3/18/13 RT Despite US change,  Russia  sticks to missile-shield demand The Star Online MOSCOW (Reuters) -  Russia  reacted coolly on Monday to a change in U.S. plans for a European missile shield that Moscow has vehemently opposed, saying it would stick to its demand for binding guarantees that the system would not be used to shoot down  ... Russia  attacks US missile defense plans, says no concessions possible RT Russia  unfazed by US missile defense UPI.com Russia  unmoved by US missile defence shift The Hindu Alaska Dispatch  - Press TV  - PanARMENIAN.Net all 46 news articles » Russian Region’s Hijab Ban Puts Squeeze on Muslims via  NYT > Europe  by By ELLEN BARRY on 3/18/13 Torn between education and their faith, Muslims in the Stavropol region find themselves at the center of an emerging debate over rel

On Top Magazine Andrew Sullivan: Many Catholic Cardinals Are Secretly Gay Andrew Sullivan: Many Catholic Cardinals Are Secretly Gay www.ontopmag.com Blogger Andrew Sullivan states that many Catholic cardinals are secretly gay Like · · Share · 4 3 · Yesterday at 1:41pm · On Top Magazine Anderson Cooper: I've Always Known I Was Gay Anderson Cooper: I've Always Known I Was Gay www.ontopmag.com CNN host Anderson Cooper has said that he cannot recall a time when was not aware of being gay Anderson Cooper: I've Always Known I Was Gay By On Top Magazine Staff Published: March 12, 2013 CNN host Anderson Cooper has said that he cannot recall a time when was not aware of being gay. “I've always known I was gay from the time I was a little kid,” Cooper told The Huffington Post Gay Vo