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Friday, November 5, 2010

Cops Subpoena Teen Mom, Amber Portwood Footage

Amber Portwood is a teen mom. On a reality show by that name. She has a bit of an anger management problem. All this is now common knowledge.

The police want to see just how bad it is, though.

Officials in Anderson, Ind., plan to subpoena MTV for the unedited footage of the decidedly one-sided fight between Amber Portwood and Gary Shirley.

Amber Threatens Gary

A typical morning in the Portwood-Shirley household.

"We're looking for any behavior that would be considered to be unlawful where the law is broken," Anderson PD spokesman Mitch Carroll told E! News.

"From what we have seen so far from the allegations, and we have to bear in mind that we're dealing with edited footage, it could be something as simple as misdemeanor domestic violence battery - a Class A misdemeanor."

That wouldn't be so problematic. However ...

"However, if it is in fact found to have occurred in the presence of a child less than 14 years of age it could be upgraded to a Class D felony."

Pretty sure baby Leah was present for this, and other meltdowns.

In any case, both Portwood and Shirley have fully cooperated with the police and both even came in last month to provide them with statements.

But while they came in together to deal with police, it's probably the last trip they'll make in tandem. According to her dad, Shawn Portwood, they split.

That would explain Gary Shirley creepin' on randoms at the club.

"They don't belong together," he said. "They just don't mix. There's not enough there. They separated. She's moving on." Well, for this week anyway.


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Trade: The 'Dalai Lama Effect'

Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama gestures during his meeting with 6000 people gathered to see him in Poland on September 22. German researchers found that when heads of state meet with the exiled spiritual leader, exports to China drop.Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama gestures during his meeting with 6000 people gathered to see him in Poland on September 22. German researchers found that when heads of state meet with the exiled spiritual leader, exports to China drop.Study: Countries that meet with the Dalai Lama lose 8.1 percent in exports to ChinaEffect lasts for two years following the meeting with the exiled spiritual leaderThe "Dalai Lama Effect" began in 2002 when President Hu Jintao took officeOnly impacts trade if meetings are between a head of state and the Dalai Lama

Beijing, China (CNN) -- Countries whose top leadership meet with the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, lose on average 8.1 percent in exports to China in the two years following the meeting, according to a recent study.

Called the "Dalai Lama Effect," the study by the University of Gottingen in Germany found the negative impact on exports began when President Hu Jintao took office in 2002.

The study is the first empirical analysis demonstrating the economic consequence of such meetings. Machinery and transportation equipment exports suffered the most consistent negative impact, following meetings with the 14th Dalai Lama, according to study authors Andreas Fuchs and Nils-Hendrik Klann.

"We wanted to find out the impact of the rising role of China in the world ... to find out what we should expect of China's role in the world in the coming years," researcher Fuchs told CNN. "It is clear that politics has played a huge role in China's commercial relationships."

China says it opposes politicizing trade and economic ties. However, prior to each of the Dalai Lama's meetings with leaders, the Chinese government often openly threatens that such meetings will lead to damaged trade relations with China.

Using data from the United Nations, Fuchs and Klann tracked exports from 159 countries doing trade with China from 1991 to 2008. They discovered that exports to China decreased only after the Dalai Lama met with heads of state, such as presidents, prime ministers, kings, queens and the Pope.

The Dalai Lama's meetings with heads of state -- including U.S. presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Nicolas Sarkozy -- have been a consistent source of diplomatic tension with China.

No negative impact was found after meetings of the Dalai Lama with lower-ranking officials, the study said.

Dalai Lama talks of retirement

In response to the study findings, Tenzin Taklha, joint secretary for the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, told CNN: "His Holiness has no intention of causing any inconvenience to the host country he visits."

Taklha added, "It is unfortunate that the Chinese government views everything His Holiness does through a political angle."

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment.

The "Dalai Lama Effect" is not permanent, according to the study. The negative impact on exports disappeared on average two years after each meeting takes place.

"China has an interest in having its commercial relationships restored. On the other hand, they have interest to really show their anger about a Dalai Lama reception or meeting," Fuchs said.

My Take: Why the Dalai Lama became a global icon

The study went on to say, "China's political leadership may be willing to bear the economic and political costs that arise from diverting trade away from the Dalai Lama-receiving countries if such 'punishment' increases the likelihood of its political survival."

The implications of decreased exports to China could hurt the Chinese economy. "Blocking trade endangers Chinese economic growth, both from a immediate short-term perspective, and longer-term perspective as trade partners seek to diversify away from a potentially-aggressive China," said Alistair Thornton, China Analyst at IHS Global Insight, a macroeconomic research firm.

Moreover, the government may not be responsible for the negative impact on exports in the aftermath of meetings with the Dalai Lama.

"The possibility remains that Chinese companies are taking it upon themselves to curb trade links, rather that it being a direct order from the highest levels," Thornton said. "As machinery tools are strongly linked to trade missions, and the government controls the trade missions, the government would appear to be in control here. But it could be less that the government has ordered a freeze on imports, rather than removed one easy way for companies to strike deals for those imports."

More than 95 percent of the Dalai Lama's visits to foreign countries are non-political in nature, says the Dalai Lama's joint secretary, but his meetings have long been the subject of intense debate in Beijing.

When the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, China threatened to sever economic ties with Norway if Norwegian leadership attended the ceremony.

In February of this year, U.S. President Barack Obama met with the Dalai Lama in Washington despite warnings from Beijing. Following the meeting, Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai summoned the U.S. ambassador to express China's discontent.

"The U.S. act grossly interfered in China's internal affairs, gravely hurt the Chinese people's national sentiments and seriously damaged the Sino-U.S. ties," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu in a statement in February.

The long term impact of the "Dalai Lama Effect" is uncertain.

"Chinese trade relations are not free of political biases ... the country seems to exploit trade ties as a foreign policy tool," Fuchs and Klann wrote. "[However] such an economic punishment mechanism will only prevail as long as the expected political gains from stabilizing the regime outweigh the losses from trade diversion."


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Saints back to life heading into second half

T1_1031_breeschuckcook.jpg Saints QB Drew Brees (305 yards, 2 TDs) picked up a victory game ball for his newly born son of 12 days, Bowen.

NEW ORLEANS -- There was ample noise in this city on Sunday night and deep into Monday morning, because it was Halloween and that is something like a junior varsity Mardi Gras around here. There was music spilling out of the storefronts of every bar on Bourbon Street and the giddy thrum of a thousand vaguely drunken conversations, every voice trying to make itself heard over all the others until none are heard at all -- and it's just a seismic blur. It's like this most nights here, but louder on some than others, and in particular when it seems like half the city is in costume.

Then there was the more subtle noise: The sound of every Saints fan in New Orleans sighing in relief.

It was just past 11 p.m. when Saints quarterback Drew Brees slipped on his sportcoat, picked up a travel bag and walked across the team's locker room with a game ball under his arm. "It's for my son," said Brees. "His first one.'' That would Brees's second son, Bowen, born 12 days earlier. The ball will eventually be inscribed with the date of the game, and also the final score: SAINTS 20, STEELERS 10. That score represents survival for the defending Super Bowl champions. Big win? "Oh man,'' said Brees, shaking his head. In fact, that barely seems to cover it.

The Saints came into Sunday night's game with a 4-3 record, having been ignominiously pounded at home by the lowly Cleveland Browns, 30-17, on Oct. 24. (It could be said that it was the Saints who wore costumes that day -- they came dressed as the Buffalo Bills). Brees threw four interceptions in that game, equaling the worst of his NFL career. Two were returned for touchdowns by the Browns' David Bowens, of all people, as if mocking Brees. (Or at least giving writers a chance to play off the irony, which was irresistible).

The season was just seven games old, less than two months removed from the Saints' season-opening, banner-raising and dull defeat of the Vikings on Sept. 9. But the Falcons and Bucs (the Bucs!) are 5-2 and the Saints face a visit to Atlanta later in the season. A loss to the Steelers would have left the Saints at 4-4 and playing the rest of the season scrambling for any shot at defending their title.

It was unfair -- or fitting, take your pick -- that the Saints were forced into the this desperate situation against the team that many regard as the best in the NFL. The Steelers had gone a well-praised 3-1 during Ben Roethlisberger's suspension and 2-0 since his return. "We knew we were playing a quality team, we knew we needed to play well,'' said Saints linebacker Scott Shanle after the game. "We haven't had this kind of energy and emotion since the opener. It was a refuse-to-lose type game, because at this point, for us, 5-3 is a far cry from 4-4.''

There was a palpable desperation that engulfed the customary Superdome sellout crowd. "This was a tough place to play,'' said Roethlisberger. "One of the loudest places that I've ever played a game in.'' The fans knew what the players knew; it could have been an elimination game.

"We put it together,'' said Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins. "We had to put it together.''

Perhaps the Saints will now string together some wins. They play at Carolina next week, then finally get their bye week before returning home to play Seattle. It's realistic to think New Orleans could be 7-3. Reggie Bush, recovering from a broken fibula, is getting better every week. "I feel like I'm close,'' he said Sunday night in the Saints' locker room. "I feel good. I just need to get out on the field and push it. Running around isn't the same thing as playing in a game.''

Running back Pierre Thomas is getting close. Cornerbacks Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter, both also injured, are getting close. That's all good news now, but had the Saints lost on Sunday night, reinforcements might have arrived only in time for the funeral. And for all the relief and celebration in New Orleans, rest assured, the Saints had ample opportunity to lose this game.

Consider this: With 11:36 left in the first half, Roethlisberger threw a 12-yard slant to Antwaan Randle El that was ruled a touchdown at the goal line. Saints coach Sean Payton challenged the call and the play was overturned, leaving the ball at -- and this is what referee Pete Morelli said over the stadium P.A. system -- at the "six-inch-line.'' (In the postgame press conference, Payton was asked if the challenge was worth making, so close to the goal line, the inference being the Steelers would score anyway. Payton was stunned by the question. "You have to challenge it, don't you?'' Payton said, incredulously). The Saints' defense stopped the Steelers on three straight plays and forced a field goal that gave Pittsburgh a 3-0 lead. It was a huge sequence.

It was also huge that just before halftime, Brees and the Saints' air game came to life. The Steelers and coordinator Dick LeBeau have the soundest scheme in the NFL, and have for many years. The Saints were cautious early, but in the 71 seconds before halftime, Brees drove the Saints to a tying field goal. He finally threw the ball down the field, 12 yards to Devery Henderson and 20 to Marques Colston. Brees would throw it more -- and deeper -- as the game wore on, finishing with 34 completions in 44 attempts for 305 yards, big numbers against a tough defense.

Consider this, as well: After the Saints had taken a 13-3 lead, sending the Dome into delirium (even more than when 68-year-old singer Dr. John was given a community service award in the first quarter), the Steelers roared back. They pulled within 13-10 on Rashard Mendenhall's 38-yard touchdown run with 10:38 to play. The Steelers forced Brees to fumble on a sack deep in Pittsburgh territory; and then Roethlisberger hit tight end Heath Miller on a 25-yard completion to the Saints' 34, but Miller coughed up the ball, which was recovered by the ever-present Darren Sharper.

The fumble was forced by linebacker Marvin Mitchell. "Tremendous hustle play,'' said Shanle. Eight plays later, with 2:37 left, Brees finished off the Steelers with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Lance Moore at the back of the end zone. The finishing touches were applied when Leigh Torrence intercepted Roethlisberger and Brees knelt three times.

In today's NFL, every week is work and any win is precious. But this one was something more. Someday Bowen Brees might look at the football in his trophy case, the one from Halloween night in 2010, and tell people that was the game that brought his father's team back to life.

Tim Layden's book, "Blood, Sweat and Chalk; The Ultimate Football Playbook; How the Great Coaches Built Today's Game,'' examines the roots of many of football's most iconic offensive and defensive systems. Buy it here.


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Read the Fed statement

November 3, 2010: 2:45 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- This is the statement of the minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting released Nov. 3, 2010. For analysis of the Fed's interest rate policy and this statement, please see: QE2: Fed pulls the trigger.

Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in September confirms that the pace of recovery in output and employment continues to be slow. Household spending is increasing gradually, but remains constrained by high unemployment, modest income growth, lower housing wealth, and tight credit. Business spending on equipment and software is rising, though less rapidly than earlier in the year, while investment in nonresidential structures continues to be weak. Employers remain reluctant to add to payrolls. Housing starts continue to be depressed. Longer-term inflation expectations have remained stable, but measures of underlying inflation have trended lower in recent quarters.

Consistent with its statutory mandate, the Committee seeks to foster maximum employment and price stability. Currently, the unemployment rate is elevated, and measures of underlying inflation are somewhat low, relative to levels that the Committee judges to be consistent, over the longer run, with its dual mandate. Although the Committee anticipates a gradual return to higher levels of resource utilization in a context of price stability, progress toward its objectives has been disappointingly slow.

To promote a stronger pace of economic recovery and to help ensure that inflation, over time, is at levels consistent with its mandate, the Committee decided today to expand its holdings of securities. The Committee will maintain its existing policy of reinvesting principal payments from its securities holdings. In addition, the Committee intends to purchase a further $600 billion of longer-term Treasury securities by the end of the second quarter of 2011, a pace of about $75 billion per month. The Committee will regularly review the pace of its securities purchases and the overall size of the asset-purchase program in light of incoming information and will adjust the program as needed to best foster maximum employment and price stability.

The Committee will maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4 percent and continues to anticipate that economic conditions, including low rates of resource utilization, subdued inflation trends, and stable inflation expectations, are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels for the federal funds rate for an extended period.

The Committee will continue to monitor the economic outlook and financial developments and will employ its policy tools as necessary to support the economic recovery and to help ensure that inflation, over time, is at levels consistent with its mandate.

Voting for the FOMC monetary policy action were: Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman; William C. Dudley, Vice Chairman; James Bullard; Elizabeth A. Duke; Sandra Pianalto; Sarah Bloom Raskin; Eric S. Rosengren; Daniel K. Tarullo; Kevin M. Warsh; and Janet L. Yellen.

Voting against the policy was Thomas M. Hoenig. Mr. Hoenig believed the risks of additional securities purchases outweighed the benefits. Mr. Hoenig also was concerned that this continued high level of monetary accommodation increased the risks of future financial imbalances and, over time, would cause an increase in long-term inflation expectations that could destabilize the economy. To top of page

First Published: November 3, 2010: 2:23 PM ET

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Mass grave in Mexico may hold tourists

Ten bodies have been pulled from the mass grave near Acapulco, Mexico. Authorities say they expect to find more bodies.Ten bodies have been pulled from the mass grave near Acapulco, Mexico. Authorities say they expect to find more bodies.A mass grave was found in a village near Acapulco, MexicoTen bodies have been recovered and more are expectedThere is speculation that the grave is linked to the kidnapping of bus passengers

(CNN) -- Mexican authorities have recovered 10 bodies and expect to pull out more from a mass grave in a village outside of Acapulco, the state-run Notimex news agency reported, citing police.

The director of the state ministerial police, Fernando Monreal, said that operations at the grave were ongoing.

There was speculation that the bodies were those of 20 Mexican tourists from Michoacan who were kidnapped from a bus in Acapulco in September. The link was made by a video that surfaced on the internet Wednesday showing two men being interrogated about the kidnappings. They say that orders were given, presumably by their drug cartel bosses, to bury the bodies locally, in the town of Tres Palos, just outside of Acapulco.

The mass grave was discovered in Tuncingo, which is adjacent to Tres Palos. The source and the authenticity of the video could not be confirmed by CNN.

Monreal said that it was too early to determine whether the kidnap victims and the bodies were the same. He said they expected to retrieve more bodies from the grave.

The kidnapping of the 20 in the resort town alarmed many, but some reports and analysts, including the global intelligence company Stratfor, have posited that the victims were not tourists after all, but members of a drug cartel.


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Dancing With the Stars: A Bristol Palin Conspiracy

Bristol Palin is now in the final five on Dancing With the Stars.

Who will she outlast next? Rick Fox's elimination last night, and Audrina Patridge shockingly getting the heave-ho the week before prove that no one is safe.

The question is how it's even possible. Sure, she's better than David Hasselhoff or The Situation. But Rick and Audrina had the moves and the flair, and Bristol doesn't even want to be there. Her words and body language have said as much.

Bristol, Mark and Mario

STILL STANDING: Week after week, Bristol Palin beats superior Dancing With the Stars competition. How long can it go on? Could she actually win this thing?!

It's still a stretch to think that she could best Brandy and Jennifer Grey to actually win DWTS, but another week or two? Doesn't seem impossible right now.

Her talent is average at best, her effort mediocre, and fan support ostensibly lacking. What gives? There has to be some sort of diabolical plot at work here.

A couple of Bristol Palin conspiracy theories:

Sarah Palin has the entire Tea Party movement and everyone on her PAC email list dialing and robo-texting like madmen after every episode.ABC rigs the results so she stays and we give the show free publicity with ridiculous articles like this one. Game, set, match, network execs!Their Russian neighbors are voting around the clock.Voters fear an attack by a swarm of Mama Grizzlies.Christine O'Donnell cast a spell on DWTS phone lines.The Teen Mom demographic is bigger than realized.

Maybe we're off base and she's more popular than we think. You can help clear that up. Who are you rooting for on Dancing with the Stars?


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Bristol Palin Forgets to Vote, Wants Mom to Run

Making it to the final five on Dancing With the Stars is hard work. So hard that Bristol Palin admitted she didn't vote in this week's midterm elections.

"I did not send in my absentee ballots to Alaska," the daughter of Sarah Palin confessed in an interview. "I'm going to be in trouble. Sorry, mom!"

Too bad for mom, since Palin-backed Tea Party favorite Joe Miller needs every vote he can get in a tooth-and-nail battle for U.S. Senate. Oops.

Ex-GovBristol the Pistol

BRISTOL THE PISTOL: Hey, give the younger Palin a break. Votin', schmotin'. She's workin' hard out there on the dance floor, all so she can support her kid.

We're guessing she'd remember to vote in 2012.

Asked if her she wants her mom to make a run for the White House, Bristol Palin said, "Of course. I know she is great, and she is great for our country."

A polarizing figure, Sarah Palin has been flirting openly with the idea but has not definitively said she will. What do you think? Should Sarah Palin run?


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