VP Biden discussed Snowden with Ecuador's president, White House says

Carolyn Kaster / AP

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden discussed self-professed NSA leaker Edward Snowden with Ecuador's President Rafael Correa, according to a senior White House official.

By Daniel Arkin, Staff Writer, NBC News

Vice President Joe Biden spoke with Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa about fugitive NSA leaker Edward Snowden on the phone, a senior White House official told NBC News on Saturday.

?They engaged in a broad conversation on the bilateral relationship. They did discuss Snowden,? said Ben Rhodes, the deputy national security advisor.

Rhodes did not disclose specific details about the phone conversation but said the U.S. government believes Snowden is still in Russia.

Snowden, 30, is thought to be hiding out at a Moscow airport awaiting a ruling on his request for asylum from the government of Ecuador. Snowden flew to Russia from Hong Kong on June 23 but has not been seen since his arrival.

Russian officials told Reuters that he remains in a transit area at Sheremetyevo airport.

The call between Biden and Correa ? the highest-level exchange reported between the U.S. and Ecuador since Snowden?s June 24 plea for asylum ? came just two days after President Barack Obama said he was ?not going to be scrambling jets to get a 29-year-old hacker? and should not have to speak personally with the leaders of Russia and China to return Snowden to the U.S.

Obama pledged not to engage in ?wheeling and dealing and trading and a whole host of other issues, simply to get a guy extradited so he can face the justice system here in the United States.?

Inside the transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport are shops, restaurants and a hotel that could make the possibility of an extended stay for NSA leaker Edward Snowden not so bad. NBC's Ghazi Balkiz reports.

Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor, claimed to have leaked details of two top-secret government data-gathering programs to the British newspaper The Guardian and The Washington Post.

The publication of the leaked information triggered a global manhunt for Snowden, who has been charged with theft of government property and two violations of espionage statutes.

Ecuadorian officials have said they cannot begin reviewing Snowden's asylum request until he arrives in the country or one of Ecuador's embassies, according to the Associated Press.

NBC News' Shawna Thomas, Jim Maceda, F. Brinley Bruton and Matthew DeLuca contributed to this report.

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Kris Perry & Sandy Stier, Prop 8 Plaintiffs, Tie The Knot In California's First Gay Marriage In Over 4 Years

Proposition 8 plaintiffs Kris Perry and Sandy Stier experienced a huge victory earlier this week when the Supreme Court left California's gay marriage ban for dead. On Friday, the couple's triumph came full circle when they tied the knot in first same-sex marriage held in the state in four and a half years. The move was prompted when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a surprise order dissolving a stay it had imposed on gay marriages during the legal challenge.

(Watch video of their ceremony above.)

Perry and Stier prepare to exchange vows in front of California Attorney General Kamala Harris:

(Photo via HuffPost's Robin Wilkey)

Perry and Stier celebrate after getting married:

(Photo via HuffPost's Robin Wilkey)

Read more from the Associated Press:

The lead plaintiffs in the U.S. Supreme Court case that overturned California's same-sex marriage ban tied the knot at San Francisco City Hall on Friday, about an hour after an appeals court cleared the way for same-sex couples to obtain marriage licenses for the first time in 4 1/2 years.

State Attorney General Kamala Harris presided at the wedding of Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, of Berkeley. The couple sued to overturn the state's voter-approved gay marriage ban along with Jeff Katami and Paul Zarrillo, of Burbank, who planned to marry Friday evening at Los Angeles City Hall.

"They have waited and fought for this moment," Harris said. "Today their wait is finally over."

Harris declared Perry, 48, and Stier, 50, "spouses for life," but during their vows, they took each other as "lawfully wedded wife."

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had issued a brief order Friday afternoon dissolving a stay it imposed on gay marriages while the lawsuit challenging Proposition 8 worked its way through the courts.

Sponsors of California's same-sex marriage ban said the appeals court's decision was "disgraceful."

Anthony Pugno, general counsel for a coalition of religious conservative groups, called the 9th Circuit's order an "outrageous act" by judges and politicians determined to overturn Proposition 8.

He called the court's decision an "abuse of power to manipulate the system and render the people voiceless."

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Wednesday that the sponsors of California's voter-approved gay marriage ban lacked authority to defend the measure in court once Harris and Gov. Jerry Brown refused to do so.

The decision lets stand a trial judge's declaration that the ban, approved by voters in November 2008, violates the civil rights of gay Californians and cannot be enforced.

Under Supreme Court rules, the losing side in a legal dispute has 25 days to ask the high court to rehear the case. The court said earlier this week that it would not finalize its ruling in the Proposition 8 dispute until after that time had elapsed.

It was not immediately clear whether the appeals court's action would be halted by the high court.

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/28/kris-perry-sandy-stier-gay-marriage_n_3519462.html

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Pope Teaches the Faithful What it Means to Be a Part of the Church, the People of God

But I would like to say in a loud voice: God is stronger! Do you believe this? That God is stronger?

To bring to the world the hope and the salvation of God: to be a sign of the love of God who calls all to be friends of His; to be the yeast that ferments the dough, the salt that gives flavour and preserves from decay, the light that brightens. Just as I said, it is enough to open a newspaper, and we see that around us there is the presence of evil, the Devil is at work. But I would like to say in a loud voice: God is stronger! Do you believe this? That God is stronger? Let's say it in a loud voice: God is stronger! Do you believe this? That God is stronger? Let's say it all together. God is stronger! All of us! And you know why He is stronger? Because He is the Lord, the only Lord. God is stronger! Good!

VATICAN CITY (Vatican Radio) - Pope Francis on Wednesday addressed the masive crowd of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square for the weekly General Audience. Please find below Vatican Radio's full translation of his address.

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Today I would like to touch briefly on another of the terms with which the Second Vatican Council defined the Church, that of "People of God" (cf. Dogmatic Constitution. Lumen Gentium, 9; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 782). I shall do so with a few questions upon which we can all reflect.

1. What does it mean to be "People of God"? First of all, it means that God does not really belong to any people; for it is He who calls us, who summons us, who invites us to be part of his people, and this invitation is open to all, without distinction, because God's mercy "desires all people to be saved "(1 Tim 2:4). Jesus does not tell the Apostles and us to form an exclusive group, an elite group. Jesus says: Go and make disciples of all nations (cf. Mt 28:19).

St Paul says that within the people of God, in the Church, "there is neither Jew nor Gentile ... for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28). I would like to say to those who feel far from God and the Church, to those who are fearful or indifferent, to those who think they can no longer change: the Lord is calling you too to be part of his people and he does it with great respect and love! He invites us to be a part of this people, the people of God

2. How do you become a member of this people? It is not through physical birth, but through a new birth. In the Gospel, Jesus tells Nicodemus that one must be born from above, of water and of spirit to enter the Kingdom of God (cf. John 3:3-5). It is through Baptism that we are introduced to this people, through faith in Christ, the gift of God which must be nurtured and tended to throughout our whole life. Let us ask ourselves: how can I grow in the faith that I received in my Baptism? How do tend to this faith that I have received and that the people of God has? How do I make it grow? And another question.

3. What is the law of the People of God? It is the law of love, love for God and love for our neighbor according to the new commandment that the Lord left us (cf. Jn 13:34). It is a love, however, that is not sterile sentimentality or something vague, it is recognizing God as the only Lord of life and, at the same time, accepting the other as a true brother, overcoming divisions, rivalry, misunderstandings, selfishness; the two things go together. We have still so far to go to be able to live concretely according to this new law, the law of the Holy Spirit working within us, the law of charity, of love!

When we see in the many wars between Christians in the newspapers or on TV, how can the people of God understand this? Within the people of God there are so many wars! And in neighborhoods, in workplaces, so many wars due to envy, jealousy. Even within the same family, there are so many internal wars. We must ask the Lord to help us understand this law of love.

How good, how nice it is to love each other as true brothers. How nice that is! Let's do something today: perhaps we all have our likes and dislikes, and perhaps many of us are angry with others. But at least let's say to the Lord: "Lord, I am angry with him or with her. I pray for him and for her. I pray to you". To pray for those with whom we are angry. It's a big step in this law of love. Let's do it today!

4. What mission does this people have? To bring to the world the hope and the salvation of God: to be a sign of the love of God who calls all to be friends of His; to be the yeast that ferments the dough, the salt that gives flavour and preserves from decay, the light that brightens. Just as I said, it is enough to open a newspaper, and we see that around us there is the presence of evil, the Devil is at work.

But I would like to say in a loud voice: God is stronger! Do you believe this? That God is stronger? Let's say it in a loud voice: God is stronger! Do you believe this? That God is stronger? Let's say it all together. God is stronger! All of us! And you know why He is stronger? Because He is the Lord, the only Lord. God is stronger! Good!

And I would like to add that reality which is sometimes dark and marked by evil can change, if we are the first to bring the light of the Gospel especially with our lives. If in a stadium, let's think of the Olympic Stadium in Rome, or that of San Lorenzo in Buenos Aires, if on a dark night one person lights up a lamp, you can barely see it, but if each of over seventy thousand spectators switches on his own light, the whole Stadium lights up. Let's make our lives a light of Christ; and together we will bring the light of the Gospel to the whole world.

5. What is the goal of this people? Its end is the kingdom of God, which has been begun by God Himself on earth, and which is to be further extended until it is brought to perfection by Him at the end of time, when Christ, our life, shall appear (cf. Lumen Gentium, 9). The goal then is full communion with the Lord; it's to enter into his divine life where we will live the joy of his love without measure. That full joy.

Dear brothers and sisters, to be Church, is to be God's people, according to the Father's great plan of love, it means to be the yeast of God in this humanity of ours, it means to proclaim and to bring God's salvation into this world, which is often lost, in need of encouraging answers, answers that give hope, that give new vigour in the journey.

May the Church be a place of mercy and of hope in God, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel. And to feel welcomed, loved, forgiven, encouraged, the Church's doors must be open, so that all may come and that we can go out of those doors and proclaim the Gospel. Thank you so much.

Source: http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=51342&wf=rsscol

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HIV drug can also protect injection drug users

ATLANTA (AP) ? U.S. health officials say doctors should consider giving a daily AIDS drug to another high risk group to prevent infection ? people who shoot heroin, methamphetamines or other injection drugs.

A similar recommendation is already in place for gay men and heterosexual couples.

The new advice was triggered by a study done in Thailand. Drug users who took the daily pill were about 50 percent less likely to become infected with HIV than those given a dummy pill.

Drug users represent about 1 in 13 new infections in the U.S. but they account for the majority of cases in Eastern Europe and central Asia.

The research was done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Thai government. The findings were released Wednesday by the journal Lancet.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hiv-drug-protect-injection-drug-users-190347482.html

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Ten found dead after boat sinks at Chevron Nigeria facility

ABUJA (Reuters) - Ten bodies have been found during a rescue operation off the coast of Nigeria after a tugboat contracted by Chevron sank on Sunday in rough seas, the vessel's owner said on Friday.

The Jascon-4 capsized early on Sunday at a mooring point around 30 km (20 miles) off oil-producing Delta state. Of 12 people who had been on board, one was rescued alive and another is still missing.

"The search and rescue operation that has been under way since 26 May has had to be stopped for safety reasons," the ship's owner West African Ventures said in a statement.

"The vessel, which is located some 30 metres under water in an upside-down position, has become so unstable that the risk of injury to our rescue divers has become unacceptably high," said West African Ventures, which is owned by Sea Trucks Group.

Chevron operates offshore and onshore joint ventures with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp and says it spends around $3 billion a year on its Nigerian operations.

The U.S. energy firm's 2012 net daily production from Nigeria was 238,000 barrels of crude oil, 165 million cubic feet of natural gas and 4,000 barrels of liquefied petroleum gas.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ten-found-dead-boat-sinks-chevron-nigeria-facility-143940868.html

albatross

May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month | Drs. North ...

May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. We encourage you to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle not only this month but all year long. Obesity is an increasing public health problem. Did you know that obesity can have an impact on your eyesight? Obesity predisposes people to certain systemic diseases that can cause vision loss. The most common are cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

While visual impairment is often linked to aging, there has been an increase in visual impairment in the 20-39 age range. We see this increase in younger individuals as children and teens become overweight and live inactive lifestyles.

The following are the most common eye diseases affected by obesity:

Glaucoma ? progressive damage to the optic nerve resulting in vision loss

Macular Degeneration ? loss of central vision due to changes or damage to the macula (a small portion of the retina in the back of the eye).

Diabetic Retinopathy ? damage to the tiny blood vessels that nourish the retina. These blood vessels can leak blood and other fluid causing swelling and blurry vision. (See our past Blog Post -November is National Diabetes Month)

Cataracts -?a cloudy or opaque area in the normally clear lens of the eye. ?This cloudiness can effect normal vision.

The good news is we can try to prevent obesity. ?Eat properly, get regular exercise, quit smoking, and have annual eye exams are all things you can do to prevent obesity and decrease your chances of developing vision loss.

?Facts and statistics from the President?s Council on Fitness, Sports, & Nutrition

Sources:
 American Optometric Association - www.aoa.org
 
 Szabo, Liz. "Obesity, diabetes are robbing people of sight."USA Today. N.p., 11 Dec 2012. Web. 29 May 2013. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2012/12/10/diabetes-obesity-vision-loss/1759777/>.

Source: http://www.northandwatson.com/1327/may-is-national-physical-fitness-and-sports-month/

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