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Fake Plastic Surgeon To Face Prison Term
ARSEILLE, France (Reuters) - A French court sentenced a doctor on Monday to three years in jail for posing as a plastic surgeon and endangering patients by operating on them illegally in a derelict Marseille clinic.
Michel Maure went on trial in June accused of luring hundreds of patients to the dirty premises under false pretences between 2002 and 2004 and carrying out painful, unhygienic operations on them.
Maure was also sentenced to pay a 75,000 euro ($107,600) fine and to compensate his victims, about 100 of whom had complained of disfigurement and permanent damage to their health.
He went on the run while the court prepared its ruling and was arrested in Spain on August 19 after being spotted on a luxury yacht. Spain is expected to hand him over to France within days.
Maure was a qualified doctor but not a trained plastic surgeon. He was struck off the list of recognized French doctors in 2007 over his activities at the Marseille clinic.
French media have reported that the disgraced doctor had proclaimed himself "one of the greatest surgeons in the world." ARSEILLE, France (Reuters) - A French court sentenced a doctor on Monday to three years in jail for posing as a plastic surgeon and en... more -
Republicans for Obama Web Site
Senator Obama is the one candidate who can unite the American majority that wants to move forward and improve the long-term economic well-being and independence of our nation. Senator Obama is the one candidate who can unite the American majority that wants to move forward and improve the long-term economic w... more
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Fakery at the Olympic Games
The Opening Ceremony we all gushed over was not what it seemed.
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Obama now supports tapping oil reserve
In a reversal, Barack Obama is proposing the government sell 70 million barrels of oil from its strategic petroleum stockpiles.
The Democratic presidential candidate says that move could help in the short-run to drive down gasoline prices that now top $4 a gallon. The proposal came in a major energy speech Obama has delivered Monday in Lansing, Mich. Previously, Obama opposed tapping into the reserves, located in caverns in Texas and Louisiana.
The Illinois Democrat says releases from the reserve in the past have lowered gas prices within two weeks.
Obama said U.S. politicians have failed for three decades to deal with the energy crisis, and he said his GOP rival John McCain has been part of that failure.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
CHICAGO (AP) — In a reversal, Barack Obama is proposing tapping the nation's strategic oil reserves to help drive down gasoline prices, his campaign said Monday.
Obama supports releasing light oil from the emergency oil stockpile now and replacing it later with heavier crude more suited to the country's long-term needs, according to a campaign fact sheet. Light crude oil is easier to refine into gasoline than heavier oil.
Also on Monday, the Obama campaign unveiled a television ad that criticizes Republican John McCain's energy policies.
"After one president in the pocket of big oil we can't afford another," says the ad, referring to President Bush's previous work in the oil industry.
Obama is emphasizing energy and the economy in campaign stops this week in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, beginning with a speech Monday in Lansing, Mich. Gas prices over $4 a gallon have become a top issue in the presidential contest.
In the past, Obama has not advocated tapping the oil reserve, but campaign spokeswoman Heather Zichal said he has reconsidered. "He recognizes that Americans are suffering," she said.
The nation's strategic petroleum reserve contains 707.2 million barrels in salt caverns in Texas and Louisiana. It was last tapped shortly after Hurricane Katrina. Otherwise, President Bush has refused to use the reserves, saying they need to be left intact as an emergency stockpile. However, in the face of strong congressional pressure, Bush in June stopped filling the reserve until oil prices decline.
Obama's call for using the government reserve mirrors a proposal that has been pushed by congressional Democrats, but opposed by Republican leaders and the White House.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for weeks has called for Bush to withdraw a "small amount" of oil from the government reserve to add to supplies and try to force down prices.
Both candidates have energy proposals to reduce U.S. dependence on oil. Obama's was first, and its centerpiece is a 10-year, $150 billion spending plan focusing on clean coal technology, further development of plug-in hybrid cars, commercialization of wind and solar power and other measures.
McCain's, which is called the Lexington Project, includes building 45 new nuclear power plants; offering a $300 million prize for major advancement of low-cost, plug-in hybrid or electric car technology; and "encouraging the market" in wind, hydroelectric and solar power. Both he and Obama would cut use of fossil fuels to combat climate change.
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is capable of releasing about 4 million barrels a day. It's unclear what impact such release might have on global oil prices, or costs of gasoline at the pump. But a clear signal by the United States to use its emergency reserve to a significant extent could put downward pressure on oil markets at least for a time, energy experts say. In a reversal, Barack Obama is proposing the government sell 70 million barrels of oil from its strategic petroleum stockpiles. ... more -
Obama: says sorry for 'Sweetie' comment
Barack Obama has personally apologized to a Michigan television reporter for referring to her as "sweetie" as she tried to ask a question.
The comment came earlier Wednesday when WXYZ reporter Peggy Agar asked Obama at a campaign stop, “How are you going to help the American auto workers?”
Obama told Agar to "hold on, sweetie," and said he would address that issue with her later. Agar said she never got an answer to her question.
According to WXYZ, Obama personally left a voice message for Agar Wednesday afternoon, apologizing for both not answering the question and for calling her "sweetie."
"That's a bad habit of mine," Obama said in the message. "I do it sometimes with all kinds of people. I mean no disrespect and so I am duly chastened on that front.
"Feel free to call me back. I expect that my press team will be happy to try to make it up to you whenever we are in Detroit next," he added.
Obama also took some heat in Pennsylvania last month for referring to a factory worker as "sweetie." Barack Obama has personally apologized to a Michigan television reporter for referring to her as "sweetie" as she tried to a... more
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