News Reviews and Opinions - Blog by Michael Novakhov

Venezuela's Maduro globe trots: building regional ties or a domestic distraction?

On his first official trip abroad, Venezuela's new leader is visiting Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil. But a domestic dispute over the legality of Maduro's presidential victory drags on at home.

NYT > Global Opinion

Op-Ed Guest Columnist: In China, Power Is Arrogant

BY YU HUA

fines (penalties)

taxation

china

law and legislation

Wacky and arbitrary rules and laws demonstrate the arrogance of power in China.

NYT > Arts

Theater Review: ‘The Notebook of Trigorin’ by Tennessee Williams at the Flea

BY CHARLES ISHERWOOD

attic theater co

notebook of trigorin (play)

braza

laura

theater

williams

tennessee

The Attic Theater Company is presenting Tennessee Williams’s “Notebook of Trigorin,” his adaptation of “The Seagull,” for the first time in New York

NYT > Health

Undercover Video Targets Abortion Doctor

BY ERIK ECKHOLM

abortion

video recordings and downloads

live action

carhart

leroy h

The group that released the tape, Live Action, claims remarks made by a prominent provider of late-term procedures were inhumane.

NYT > Arts

Russian and Asian Bidders Buoy Christie’s Art Auction

BY CAROL VOGEL

auctions

art

manhattan (nyc)

sotheby's|bid|nyse

christie's

The total for the sale of Impressionist and modern art was $158.5 million, well below the high estimate.

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U.S. Fears Russia May Sell Air Defenses to Syria

BY MICHAEL R. GORDON

united states

russia

assad

bashar al-

cameron

david

batteries

middle east and north africa unrest (2010- )

obama

barack

missiles and missile defense systems

great britain

The delivery of the Russian S-300 missile batteries would represent a major qualitative advancement in Syria’s air defenses.

NYT > Editorials

Diplomatic Stirrings on Syria

BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD

A solution to Syria’s civil war depends heavily on Russia’s willingness to stop enabling President Bashar al-Assad.

A Jungle of Humanity — and Disorder

About 120,000 Syrians are calling the tents and trailers of the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan home for the foreseeable future.

NYT > Global Opinion

From the International Herald Tribune: 100, 75, 50 Years Ago

walt disney company|dis|nyse

Highlights from the IHT archives.

$8 Million Bail for Cleveland Kidnapping Suspect

BY TRIP GABRIEL, SERGE F. KOVALESKI AND EMMA G. FITZSIMMONS

castro

ariel

cleveland (ohio)

kidnapping

Ariel Castro, who is accused of holding three women captive for a decade, kept his head down during his first court appearance on Thursday.

A judge ordered Ariel Castro, the man accused in the kidnapping of three women a...

THE NEW YORK TIMES

A judge ordered Ariel Castro, the man accused in the kidnapping of three women and a young child, to be held on $8 million bail, $2 million for each case, on Thursday morning.

New details have continued to emerge about the women’s years in captivity. Read the latest Times report below.

$8 Million Bail for Cleveland Kidnapping Suspect
www.nytimes.com
Ariel Casto, who is accused of holding three women captive for a decade, kept his head down during his first court appearance on Thursday.

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Christian Science Monitor | World

US and Russia team up to make fresh diplomatic push on Syria

US Secretary of State Kerry and Russia's Foreign Minister Lavrov say they hope to convene an international conference on Syria later in May. The US has also stepped up humanitarian aid.

Look back on the life and work of Ottavio Missoni, whose signature zigzag stitch...

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Look back on the life and work of Ottavio Missoni, whose signature zigzag stitches became a status symbol for the ultra-wealthy and whose namesake fashion label was considered the height of Italian sophistication for decades.

Ottavio Missoni, Patriarch Who Made Zigzag High Fashion, Is Dead at 92
www.nytimes.com
Mr. Missoni’s easily recognizable multicolored knits became an insider status symbol for the ultra-wealthy.

In Senate, Efforts to Reshape, or Derail, Immigration Bill

BY ASHLEY PARKER

senate

senate committee on the judiciary

united states politics and government

illegal immigration

immigration and emigration

law and legislation

Lawmakers are considering more than 300 amendments to legislation to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws, keeping an eye out for “poison pills” intended to thwart the bill.

A growing number of parents and their children, facing poor job prospects, are g...

THE NEW YORK TIMES

A growing number of parents and their children, facing poor job prospects, are going into business together. Would you join in on the “dad/grad trend”?

With Bleak Job Prospects, Parents and Their Children Buy Into Franchises
www.nytimes.com
Some unemployed parents and their children, who have an entrepreneurial spirit but lack the experience or capital to start a business alone, are deciding to join forces.

Kerry Says U.S. Prefers Russia Not Provide Arms to Syria

BY REUTERS

The United States does not want Russia to sell weapons to Syria and has opposed transfers of missile systems to the country in the past because of the threat to Israel, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday.

Boston Police Weren’t Told F.B.I. Got Warning on Tsarnaev

BY SCOTT SHANE AND MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT

terrorism

tsarnaev

dzhokhar a

federal bureau of investigation

police

tsarnaev

tamerlan

boston marathon bombings (2013)

davis

edward

Police Commissioner Edward Davis said that had his department learned about the Russian tip on Tamerlan Tsarnaev, “we would certainly look at the individual.”

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Officials: Military Sex Assault Reports Are Up

WED MAY 8^TH, 2013

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A new Pentagon study shows that the number of sexual assaults reported by members of the military rose from 3,192 to 3,374 in 2012, while the department estimates that as many as 26,000 service members were assaulted, based on anonymous surveys, officials said Tuesday.

The "little blue pill," one of the most counterfeited drugs in the world, is now...

WED MAY 8^TH, 2013

THE NEW YORK TIMES

The "little blue pill," one of the most counterfeited drugs in the world, is now being sold directly on the Pfizer Web site. Do you think more drug makers should follow suit, especially for products that treat conditions carrying social stigmas, such as weight loss?

Facing Black Market, Pfizer Sells Viagra on Web
www.nytimes.com
The drug maker will now sell its billion-dollar erectile dysfunction drug, among the world’s most counterfeited, directly to men with a doctor’s prescription.