National News from Muncie Free Press

UPDATE: It appears the video may have first been noticed by /b/ at 4chan.

Graphic Video Prompts Police Investigation

CHICAGO, IL - What started as a post on the popular website Reddit has quickly gone viral. While the actual video has been taken down by YouTube, it keeps reappearing.

CBS is reporting that local police are investigating the beating of an Asian teen in an alley. The video shows several masked teens beating someone while hurling profanities.

The comments posted at Youtube claimed that the people behind the masks were already identified and their names were posted on the Internet for all to see.

The problem of bullying - online and off - is a serious problem across the nation. While the exact specifics of the beating are not known, the Asian teenager tries to protect himself as other teens repeatedly punch and kick him.

At one point an attacker takes off their shoe and hits the Asian boy in his face while another holds him down.

The videotaped assault happened shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday in the 2800 hundred block of South Princeton Avenue, Chicago police told CBS 2.

They also reported that the victim was treated and released at Mercy Hospital.

Area 1 detectives are investigating, according to local police.

Members of Reddit posted about putting together a virtual posse to track down those responsible.

Louis CK Live At The Beacon Theatre and more on the Beacon Theater 2012 Schedule

INTERNET - In typical Louis CK style, you can download his latest live performance with, "No DRM, no regional restrictions, no crap. You can download this file, play it as much as you like, burn it to a DVD, whatever." This is posted as a little note on the Louis CK website where you can "buy the thing." (You can almost hear his voice when you read the words.)

The show is only available on that site (for now) at a cost of $5, worldwide, paid via PayPal. Outtakes from the special are available on YouTube. The outtakes are not on the digital download. Following entertainers like Radiohead is a big step for Louis CK and may continue to catapult his career into the stratosphere.

In a season 2 episode of his television show, it was like the old series MASH had been redone for the war in Afghanistan rather than the one in Korea.

While only on the second season, fans and critics alike love the show... and the way the love of his life in the show says to, "Wait for me..."

Or was that wave to me? (Watch the season 2 finale to understand more!)

In any case, Live at the Beacon Theater by Louis CK is a great way to spend $5.

US President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were on hand at beginning of game

LANDOVER, Maryland - The President praised the US military at the annual Army Navy game in Maryland. This comes before he is set to begin to focus heavily on ending the war in Iraq. After the Navy won, the brigade of Midshipmen chanted in unison: “Ten more years, ten more years!” according to the Washington Post.

Over 80,000 people (in addition to the US President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden) were at FedEx Field to enjoy the game. According to many, Jon Teague, place kicker for the Navy team, was one of the instrumental players in the 10th consecutive win over the Army.

According to a report at Reuters, "Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki visits the White House on Monday and will travel with Obama to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on Wednesday, where the president and first lady Michelle Obama will thank U.S. service men and women returning home from Iraq."

Since President George W. Bush ordered the invasion or Iraq more than 8-1/2 years ago, over 4,000 US soldiers have died.

Virginia Tech locks down campus after police officer, 1 other shot to death

BLACKSBURG, Va. - According to officials at Virginia Tech, a police officer was shot and killed after a routine traffic stop. Additionally, another body was found in a parking lot. A white male last seen wearing a maroon hoodie is thought to be responsible.

Local and national TV coverage has shown  heavily armed officers walking around the Virginia Tech campus, as well as caravans of SWAT vehicles and other police vehicles with emergency lights flashing.

"The campus community should continue to shelter in place and visitors should not come to campus," the school said.

The shooting comes on the same day that Virginia Tech appealed a $55,000 fine by the U.S. Department of Education because of the university's response to the 2007 Virginia Tech Shooting rampage, when a gunman killed 32 students and faculty and then shot himself on campus. They were being sued because they did not give students enough warning that there was a gunman on campus.

By Rick Yencer
Everybody knows Republican Congressman Mike Pence is generally pro business and con labor. That was evident in recent days on House bills that would reduce regulations on small businesses and speed up elections for labor unions. In the coming days, Pence and other members of Congress, particularly House Republicans, will face some big middle of the road votes on extending tax cuts, and unemployment insurance while preventing cuts in Medicare reimbursements. House Republicans are badly split over these issues especially Tea Party Republicans like Pence.  The congressman. usually outspoken with national and local media, guards comments about whether he will vote to extend middle class tax cuts or unemployment insurance. Last summer, Pence told reporters that he understood how some families were struggling and would support extending unemployment if there was a way to pay for it and not add to the federal debt. Given his race for Indiana governor, lots of people besides business and labor are watching Pence and his votes that are seldom covered by big media in Indiana. The tax cut that impacts 160 million people means about $1,000 a year or $2,000 for someone who earns $100.000. Then there's 43,500 Hoosiers that could lose their unemployment benefits if Congress does not act before the end of the year, according to the Indiana AFL-CIO. Unemployment remains particularly high among African-Americans, Hispanics and youth. And Medicare reimbursements to doctors could be cut by 27 percent, if more congressional action is not taken. It's no wonder that Congress has a single digit approval rating. Pence seemed tuned into the economy on Wednesday when he spoke in favor of Regulations from the Executive in Need of Security Act 2011 that requires Congress to approve an regulations that would have an annual economic impact of $100 million or more. "With so many American families struggling, with so many Americans struggling to find work, and businesses struggling to hire unemployed Americans, it is time to resign in the federal government," said Pence. One of the congressman's most popular sayings is how small business is the lifeblood of the economy which is true. Small business represent 99.7 percent of employer firms and generate 65 of net new jobs since 1994, Pence said. According to the Small Business Administration, a small business pays about $10,585 in federal regulations per employee every year. And Pence, like other congressman, believe less regulations mean more jobs and a stronger economy. When it comes to labor, Pence voted to block the National Labor Relations Board from instituting new rules to speed up union elecions and grant unions personal information of employees. "The recent NLRB action to allow union elections as little as 10 days after a petition is filed fails to provide enough time for adequate debate and information considered by workers," said Pence, who believed faster union elections would cost jobs. The rule also allows unions to obtain home and cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses of employees. 

FTC  and FDA Joint action is first step in halting sale of the products

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Tuesday, December 6, 2011 issued seven Warning Letters to companies marketing over-the counter (OTC) HCG products that are labeled as “homeopathic” for weight loss.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is a hormone produced by the human placenta and found in the urine of pregnant women. HCG is FDA-approved as an injectable prescription drug for the treatment of some cases of female infertility and other medical conditions.

The letters warn the companies that they are violating federal law by selling drugs that have not been approved, and by making unsupported claims for the substances. There are no FDA-approved HCG drug products for weight loss.

The joint action is the first step in keeping the unproven and potentially unsafe products from being marketed online and in retail outlets as oral drops, pellets, and sprays.

The labeling for the “homeopathic” HCG products states that each product should be taken in conjunction with a very low calorie diet. There is no substantial evidence HCG increases weight loss beyond that resulting from the recommended caloric restriction.  Consumers on a very low calorie diet are at increased risk for side effects including gallstone formation, electrolyte imbalance, and heart arrhythmias. 

“These HCG products marketed over-the-counter are unproven to help with weight loss and are potentially dangerous even if taken as directed,” said Ilisa Bernstein, acting director of the Office of Compliance in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “And a very low calorie diet should only be used under proper medical supervision.”

“Deceptive advertising about weight loss products is one of the most prevalent types of fraud,” said David Vladeck, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Any advertiser who makes health claims about a product is required by federal law to back them up with competent and reliable scientific evidence, so consumers have the accurate information they need to make good decisions.”

According to the Warning Letters, the companies have 15 days to notify the FDA of the steps they have taken to correct the violations cited. Failure to do so may result in legal action, including seizure and injunction, or criminal prosecution. 

Consumers and health care professionals are encouraged to report adverse events (side effects) that may be related to the use of these products to MedWatch, the FDA's voluntary reporting program, by calling  800-FDA-1088, or electronically at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm.

The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.

NASA's Kepler mission has confirmed its first planet in the "habitable zone," the region where liquid water could exist on a planet’s surface. Kepler also has discovered more than 1,000 new planet candidates, nearly doubling its previously known count. Ten of these candidates are near-Earth-size and orbit in the habitable zone of their host star. Candidates require follow-up observations to verify they are actual planets.

"This is a major milestone on the road to finding Earth's twin," said Douglas Hudgins, Kepler program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Kepler's results continue to demonstrate the importance of NASA's science missions, which aim to answer some of the biggest questions about our place in the universe."

Scientists do not yet know if the planet has a predominantly rocky, gaseous, or liquid composition. It's possible that the world would have clouds in its atmosphere, as depicted here in the artist's interpretation.

Previous research hinted at the existence of near-Earth-size planets in habitable zones, but clear confirmation proved elusive. Two other small planets orbiting stars smaller and cooler than our sun recently were confirmed on the very edges of the habitable zone, with orbits more closely resembling those of Venus and Mars.

"The tremendous growth in the number of Earth-size candidates tells us that we're honing in on the planets Kepler was designed to detect: those that are not only Earth-size, but also are potentially habitable," said Natalie Batalha, Kepler deputy science team lead at San Jose State University in California. "The more data we collect, the keener our eye for finding the smallest planets out at longer orbital periods."

Kepler discovers planets and planet candidates by measuring dips in the brightness of more than 150,000 stars to search for planets that cross in front, or "transit," the stars. Kepler requires at least three transits to verify a signal as a planet.

"Fortune smiled upon us with the detection of this planet," said William Borucki, Kepler principal investigator at NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., who led the team that discovered Kepler-22b. "The first transit was captured just three days after we declared the spacecraft operationally ready. We witnessed the defining third transit over the 2010 holiday season."

The Kepler science team uses ground-based telescopes and the Spitzer Space Telescope to review observations on planet candidates the spacecraft finds. The star field that Kepler observes in the constellations Cygnus and Lyra can only be seen from ground-based observatories in spring through early fall. The data from these other observations help determine which candidates can be validated as planets.

Kepler-22b is located 600 light-years away. While the planet is larger than Earth, its orbit of 290 days around a sun-like star resembles that of our world. The planet's host star belongs to the same class as our sun, called G-type, although it is slightly smaller and cooler.

Of the 54 habitable zone planet candidates reported in February 2011, Kepler-22b is the first to be confirmed. This milestone will be published in The Astrophysical Journal.

The Kepler team is hosting its inaugural science conference at Ames Dec. 5-9, announcing 1,094 new planet candidate discoveries. Since the last catalog was released in February, the number of planet candidates identified by Kepler has increased by 89 percent and now totals 2,326. Of these, 207 are approximately Earth-size, 680 are super Earth-size, 1,181 are Neptune-size, 203 are Jupiter-size and 55 are larger than Jupiter.

The findings, based on observations conducted May 2009 to September 2010, show a dramatic increase in the numbers of smaller-size planet candidates.

This diagram below compares our own solar system to Kepler-22. The diagram includes the habitable zone where water can exist in liquid form. Kepler-22's star is a bit smaller than our sun, so it's habitable zone is slightly closer in. The orbit of Kepler-22b around its star takes 289 days and is about 85% as large as Earth's orbit.

Both images credit: NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech

Black Friday Shoppers in Indiana Prepare for Battle

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - As you know, Black Friday is a crazy time of year. It is a time of great savings and great frustration for many people. Full of Thanksgiving feasts, shoppers around the country descend on stores to battle each other for low prices on a variety of products. More and more people are waiting until Cyber Monday to get the big deals online, but when it comes to Black Friday 2011, we think there are two basic ways to approach it - ninja style and pirate style. We are going to take a look at a typical Black Friday for both so that you can see which you are!