Internationally, people are ducking into mangers and swiping away the baby Jesus

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Authorities were asking for the public’s help Tuesday in recovering a baby Jesus figurine stolen from a nativity display at the Westfield Valencia Town Center.

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For many, putting together or visiting nativity scenes is one of the core activities to the celebration of Christmas. The scene cannot be too large or too small, nor can there be too many, as some decorate their windowsills and mantelpieces with all of the crèche’s they have collected throughout the years.

Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

The crèche was believed to have been created in a stand against rampant materialism by Saint Francis of Assisi as a reminder that the “King of Kings” was not born into great riches but into a manger to his parents who had little means. So, it may seem a little odd that all over the world, little baby Jesus’ are being nabbed from their cradles.

According to the Washington Post today, “It’s the ultimate crime against Christmas,” and it’s an activity that takes place more often than any of us might think. In one of the latest instances, the sweet baby Jesus wasn’t just stolen but replaced by a “freshly-severed pig’s head,” which is being considered as a possible “hate crime,” rather than simply a prank. Add to that, possible animal cruelty charges, since the pig doesn’t seem to have come from a butcher shop. It’s a particularly heinous instance of baby Jesus theft and far from being the only one.

In another instance, an especially pricey baby Jesus statue ($3,000 pricey) which was stolen straight from the town common of Greenfield, Mass., still has not been returned. It’s something many locals don’t understand, even though it has happened before.

Other instances include a baby Jesus being stolen numerous times from a nativity scene outside of the Washington state capitol, another being stolen from a Baptist Church in Asheville, N.C. (which in the interim of the loss, has been replaced by a lamb), and a pro-choice activist who during a protest, ran bare-breasted and with the words “God is Woman” into a manger scene to snatch up the baby Jesus in Rome.

All of these instances have caused quite a stir, frustration for many, and often, pure and utter anger. Around Christmas time, it may very well seem that the theft of baby Jesus dolls happens enough that many more should follow in the footsteps of the Indiana Masonic Home of Franklin, Ind. and install a GPS tracking device in case someone should ever try to steal the statues again.

Have you ever been in a town that had their nativity scene pranked or vandalized? Were there any solutions found? Did the thieves ever return the baby Jesus to the cradle?

*originally published on the now defunct Examiner.com

Pet tattoos and piercings are not fashion statements

Pet tattoos are not fashion statements but cruel and unreasonable acts, no matter how cool they might look.

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Pet owners have many choices when it comes to taking care of and pampering their beloved pets. From doggie cafes and bakeries to pet massages at doggie spas and even gym memberships, it seems some pets receive the royal treatment even when their human counterparts may not. Many pets also get to wear the hottest fashions. There are endless clothing lines designed to make your dogs and cats look super hip or cute. In fact, pet fashion has become so popular that there are even pet fashion shows which feature colorful and glittering adornments, along with their accompanying accessories. Pearls for your poodle, anyone? How about chains for your bulldog?

Some pet owners have gone so far as to tattoo and pierce their pets for cosmetic purposes, as well. However, these are accessories that New York officials have banned, reported TIME on Dec. 16. Pet owners can still get their beloved pets tattooed onto their own skin, of course, but body art is not for animals. "It's simply cruel," said New York State Assembly member Linda Rosenthal to the Associated Press. Humans can choose to get ink, but pets have no say in the matter.

In New York, a cosmetic tattoo or piercing on your pet could land you up to 15 days in jail, as well as fines up to $250. “It’s animal abuse, pure and simple,” states Governor Andrew Cuomo, who signed the law on Monday to begin taking effect in about four months time.

This ruling does not ban the kinds of tattoos and piercings that are used to identify pets in the case they are lost or in instances where medical issues need to be noted. Though a set of crossbones and roses on the backside of your pooch may add to his or her uniqueness, the New York government has ruled that tattoos for pet identification “should include only numbers and letters allotted for a tattoo identification registry.” The numbers and letters used follow a pre-approved format. That means that no area code tats in graffiti font are allowed. Your pup will have to represent in some other way. How about a hoodie?

New York isn’t the first to implement such a ruling. New Jersey “is a step closer to making the punishment for piercing a cat’s ears greater than the penalty for piercing a child’s,” reported NJ.com. In the New Jersey Assembly’s eyes, a cosmetic tattoo on an animal is just needless and cruel. It’s solely “for the entertainment and amusement of an unscrupulous pet owner,” and therefore an animal cruelty offense that is punishable by up to eighteen months in jail. If animals die as a result of a tattoo attempt, owners could earn 3-5 years in prison for what is considered a third degree crime. With these laws in place, it feels as if the New York ruling is a little lax, albeit, a step in the right direction that definitely sends a message to selfish pet owners who would even think of inflicting such pain upon their pets.

A report from four years ago told the story of a woman who was piercing the ears and necks of kittens and selling them as “gothic cats.” She was selling the poor things for hundreds of dollars online. Her work actually maimed the animals, causing disfigurement and hearing loss and could have caused death. These actions were considered so reprehensible that the Pennsylvanian woman was charged with animal cruelty. Her story also prompted legislation against such actions. While animal cruelty laws exist in all fifty states, it evidently became necessary for specific laws to be created in regards to pet tattoos and piercings. Need we say it again? This kind of accessory is not cool; it's completely and utterly cruel. Just, don’t.

*originally published on the now defunct Examiner.com

The National Audubon Society launches the 115th annual Christmas Bird Count

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Learn about how the Christmas Bird Count came to be.

About the National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count

During the holiday season, many do more than simply sing their birds (as in a partridge in a pear tree, two turtle doves, three French hens, four calling birds, six geese a-laying, etc. from the carol, “Twelve Days of Christmas”). Many also do more than simply eat their birds at their holiday feasts. Every year, between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, the annual Christmas Bird Count takes place. For many this has become a holiday tradition which is also what Popular Science calls “the oldest citizen science project in the world.”

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

It’s the “longest-running wintertime tradition” that the National Audubon Society (NAS) hosts, reported CBS News, Dec. 12. Every year, tens of thousands of pro and beginning birders alike volunteer to put their birding skills to use. They count and record every individual bird they see during the course of one day and within a certain defined distance by the NAS’ stipulations. The information gathered becomes a part of the Audubon Society’s extensive database that has tracked early winter bird populations across the Americas for the past 114 years.

According to NAS (via Popular Science), the Christmas Bird Count followed a holiday tradition called “the Christmas Side Hunt.” Essentially, hunters would go out in two separate teams and bring back piles of birds and other animals. The team with the highest stack of birds and animals would win. It was ornithologist Frank Chapman who had proposed a “Christmas Bird Census” in 1900 as an alternative to the Side Hunt which promoted over hunting. Conservation was in its fledgling state then, but the “Christmas Bird Census” caught on. Researchers and scientists had been noticing the decline of bird populations. This was a way to get the public involved.

The NAS notes on their website that the findings from the Christmas Bird Count are processed into data that aids in conservation efforts. “The data collected by observers over the past century allow researchers, conservations biologists, and other interested individuals to study the long term health and status of bird populations across North America,” they add. It’s a very important part of the research needed in creating a whole picture of how the birds are doing in the Americas. Put alongside other studies such as the Breeding Bird Survey, researchers can really get a greater picture of what’s happening in bird populations and then move forward to find solutions for and inform the public about things such as diminuating habitats and environmental threats.

So, how about it? Want to take part? Popular Science tells us that anyone can participate in the annual count. However, in order for the data to be usable by researchers and conservationists, birders must register and follow a “specific methodology.” “Each ‘count’ takes place in an established 15-mile wide diameter ‘circle,’ and the circle is organized by an experienced count compiler.” That means, if you are are an enthusiasts or beginning birder, you can find a group that follows the methodologies put into place by the NAS and that has at least one experienced birdwatcher.

Here is a searchable map to find out where bird counters are gathering to take part in the census. If one of these locations is near you, you are encouraged to register at this link. Participation in the Christmas Bird Count is free.

*originally published on the now defunct Examiner.com

The criminalization of homelessness and the hands that feed them

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The city of Ft. Lauderdale recently enacted an ordinance banning the feeding of the homeless in public places. 90-year-old Arnold Abbott has been doing just that for over 20 years, and his arrest made headlines around the country. On December 3,...

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Last month, a 90-year old-veteran named Arnold Abbott was arrested, twice in one week, for feeding the homeless. It wasn’t something he had done on a whim, nor was it some charitable holiday tradition that put him up to it. For 23 years he’d met many of the local homeless community in local parks through his nonprofit organization, Love Thy Neighbor Inc., but the City of Fort Lauderdale Commission had recently passed an ordinance that “banned public food sharing.” This meant that more than once, Abbott was arrested, cited, and his efforts were shut down on the basis of the new ordinance.

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Yesterday, Watchdog.net sent out a petition to those subscribed to speak out against what seems to be a definite injustice. “Homelessness is not a crime -- neither is feeding the hungry!” their website states. They go on to say that while these laws claim to “prevent government-run anti-homeless programs from being diluted,” the truth is that the reason so many nonprofits and homeless advocates exist is because the system is broken.Some statistics say close to two million people are currently homeless in the United States, and at some point during the course of every year,approximately 3.5 million people experience homelessness. This is a number that the current government run programs can’t seem to handle,and may even be exacerbating as laws are made to control homelessness and implement programs. Further, banning “public food sharing” adds to the criminalization of homelessness that has been occurring in our cities for quite some time. “Cities think by cutting off the food source, it will make the homeless go away,” said the National Coalition for the Homeless’ organizing director, Michael Stoops, “It doesn’t, of course.” It’s not just a problem that can “go away.”

Abbott faces up to 60 days in jail or a $500 fine for his transgression against the ordinance. You may wonder what this has to do with you. Many consider Abbott a hero. He’s stated more than once that he will not stop feeding the homeless, and he has gone to court many years in the past (and won!) to fight the law from keeping him from feeding the hungry. He would do it again and he has many supporters.

You may be surprised to find that your city may also consider publicly feeding the homeless a criminal act.According to Mother Jones, 71 cities in 33 states across the nation have also criminalized feeding the homeless.

This is something that the UN finds worrisome. In a human rights report, the UN points out that the criminalization of homelessness “raises concerns of discrimination and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.” It’s baffling and incomprehensible, “that people can be without shelter in a country, and then be treated as criminals for being without shelter," states Sir Nigel Rodley, human rights lawyer and member of the UN Human Rights Committee. And then for those to help them to be treated as criminals, too? Abbott told the Sun-Sentinel that "a policeman pulled [his] arm and said, 'Drop that plate right now,' like it was a gun."

The homeless have become marginalized and are often treated as an eyesore instead of the humans that they are. Charity work is much needed, “essential,” according to Watchdog.net. “Charity work like sharing food with the homeless is essential in a country where protecting the poor and needy is never at the top of the list, and is found to help those without shelter get back on their feet.” Nixing such programs can snap the lifeline of those who would not otherwise have any resources at all. It’s important to speak up to this and to help find solutions. Watchdog.net’s petition is one small step in the right direction, as is getting letters in to the governmental offices of each of the cities that have criminalized homelessness.

Play

The city of Ft. Lauderdale recently enacted an ordinance banning the feeding of the homeless in public places. 90-year-old Arnold Abbott has been doing just that for over 20 years, and his arrest made headlines around the country. On December 3,...

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Last month, a 90-year old-veteran named Arnold Abbott was arrested, twice in one week, for feeding the homeless. It wasn’t something he had done on a whim, nor was it some charitable holiday tradition that put him up to it. For 23 years he’d met many of the local homeless community in local parks through his nonprofit organization, Love Thy Neighbor Inc., but the City of Fort Lauderdale Commission had recently passed an ordinance that “banned public food sharing.” This meant that more than once, Abbott was arrested, cited, and his efforts were shut down on the basis of the new ordinance.

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Yesterday, Watchdog.net sent out a petition to those subscribed to speak out against what seems to be a definite injustice. “Homelessness is not a crime -- neither is feeding the hungry!” their website states. They go on to say that while these laws claim to “prevent government-run anti-homeless programs from being diluted,” the truth is that the reason so many nonprofits and homeless advocates exist is because the system is broken.Some statistics say close to two million people are currently homeless in the United States, and at some point during the course of every year,approximately 3.5 million people experience homelessness. This is a number that the current government run programs can’t seem to handle,and may even be exacerbating as laws are made to control homelessness and implement programs. Further, banning “public food sharing” adds to the criminalization of homelessness that has been occurring in our cities for quite some time. “Cities think by cutting off the food source, it will make the homeless go away,” said the National Coalition for the Homeless’ organizing director, Michael Stoops, “It doesn’t, of course.” It’s not just a problem that can “go away.”

Abbott faces up to 60 days in jail or a $500 fine for his transgression against the ordinance. You may wonder what this has to do with you. Many consider Abbott a hero. He’s stated more than once that he will not stop feeding the homeless, and he has gone to court many years in the past (and won!) to fight the law from keeping him from feeding the hungry. He would do it again and he has many supporters.

You may be surprised to find that your city may also consider publicly feeding the homeless a criminal act.According to Mother Jones, 71 cities in 33 states across the nation have also criminalized feeding the homeless.

This is something that the UN finds worrisome. In a human rights report, the UN points out that the criminalization of homelessness “raises concerns of discrimination and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.” It’s baffling and incomprehensible, “that people can be without shelter in a country, and then be treated as criminals for being without shelter," states Sir Nigel Rodley, human rights lawyer and member of the UN Human Rights Committee. And then for those to help them to be treated as criminals, too? Abbott told the Sun-Sentinel that "a policeman pulled [his] arm and said, 'Drop that plate right now,' like it was a gun."

The homeless have become marginalized and are often treated as an eyesore instead of the humans that they are. Charity work is much needed, “essential,” according to Watchdog.net. “Charity work like sharing food with the homeless is essential in a country where protecting the poor and needy is never at the top of the list, and is found to help those without shelter get back on their feet.” Nixing such programs can snap the lifeline of those who would not otherwise have any resources at all. It’s important to speak up to this and to help find solutions. Watchdog.net’s petition is one small step in the right direction, as is getting letters in to the governmental offices of each of the cities that have criminalized homelessness.

*originally published on the now defunct Examiner.com

Izzy the Chihuahua becomes a foster mom to abandoned baby squirrels

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Izzy the Chihuahua takes care of two abandoned baby squirrels as if they were her own babies.

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It’s another heartwarming story that shows that interspecies friendships can and do happen, and quite possibly more frequently than one might think. Sure, you have all heard something similar more than once: often, pet owners who house both cats and dogs, also see them become the best of friends. But who has seen a baby elephant befriend a sheep, a deer who has become best friends with a cat, a cat fostering some ducklings, geese nurturing hungry fish, or dogs who have adopted abandoned baby squirrels? It’s the sort of story that makes hearts melt every time because of the beauty and seeming impossibility.

Izzy the Chihuahua, is the newest addition to such stories, reported One Green Planet, Dec. 6. She had taken on the motherly care of two orphaned squirrels. “When the neighborhood kids found two orphaned baby squirrels, Izzy the Chihuahua and her Dad came to the rescue,” One Green Planet wrote. This was lucky for the babies. Izzy’s Dad had experience with wildlife and was able to provide proper care.

And it seems the chihuahua took to them straight away, treating them as she would have her own. She cleaned them and kept them warm until they were ready to be let back into the wild.

Even though the squirrels are now fully grown, they still come back to visit Izzy. “ We could learn a thing or two from these beautiful friendships,” wrote One Green Planet.

This story is very similar to another that surfaced last fall about a chihuahua named Mimi who had also adopted baby squirrels that had been felled from a tree. In this case, the chihuahua vied for the job of foster mom. Her motherly instincts had taken over. She cleaned and kept the babies warm and even nursed them, despite her last litter of pups being four years old, last September.

*originally published on the now defunct Examiner.com

A Christmas story that will make you smile: The abominable snowman is adorable

This abominable snowman would rather be called adorable.

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The abominable snowman is maybe not so ... abominable. At least, not when we are speaking about any one of the variations seen in cartoons such as Looney Tunes’ Lenny, who names all of his captures “George” and essentially loves them to death (if anyone actually died in Looney Tunes). We don’t think anything ill of the more recent Abominable from "Monster’s Inc.", either. He’s a chatty, hospitable character who would much rather welcome visitors to the Himalayas with an exuberant smile and be called adorable or even agreeable rather than abominable. Add to that a Bumble from the Christmas classic, "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer", who while once being a formidable and dangerous character who would have eaten dogs, goes out for winter walks in Wisconsin with her pet poodle.

Okay, so maybe it’s not really a Bumble, per se from the Island of Misfit Toys, but one woman dressed as the abominable snowman (ehr, woman) and who introduces herself as “Bumble,” has been going out for winter walks with her poodle in tow, reported Fox 2 Now, Dec. 6. Her appearances create quite a spectacle, making many laugh uncontrollably and of course document the accounts with their cell phones.

According to the Fox Now report, residents really love seeing Bumble walking the streets because it gets people into the Christmas spirit. Bumble has promised to continue doing so through the holidays as long as the weather does not get too cold.

According to other news reports, Bumble doesn’t just walk aimlessly or solely for attention. When asked why she has made a visit to Allouez all the way from the Island of Misfit Toys, she reportedly replied, to "Bring joy, happiness." And it certainly seems to be the case. She waves to many onlookers and even gives hugs. When asked if she’d like to leave any other messages to those looking on, she replied "Love all, care about all, beyond holidays."

Perhaps abominable snowmen are collectively on a mission. News hit last November that another person dressed as an adorable snowman was spotted riding the subway in Toronto. In the picture for the article, he was reading the book "How to Win Friends and Influence People".

*originally published on the now defunct Examiner.com

Faith leaders from all over the world gather to help eradicate modern slavery

Faith leaders from all over the world gathered in Rome today to actively put an end to slavery for good.

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Today is the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. The day was put into place on Dec. 2, 1949 by the General Assembly of the United Nations. The day does not come without an aim. Leaders are focused on eradicating modern forms of slavery which include “trafficking in persons, sexual exploitation, the worst forms of child labour, forced marriage, and the forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict.”

All of these issues and more are still pressing in 2014. The 2014 Global Slavery Index estimates that nearly 36 million people are currently trapped within the binds of modern slavery.

Today, through the Global Freedom Network, faith leaders from all over the world gathered in solidarity in Rome to make a commitment to eradicating slavery by 2020, reported Sys-Con Media. Faith leaders got together and signed a joint declaration that states that modern slavery which is “any relationship that fails to respect the fundamental conviction that all people are equal and have the same freedom and dignity, is a crime against humanity.” They further state that it is important to recognize across all nations that slavery’s complete obliteration is of the utmost importance and a prime responsibility of us all.

“It is clear in this age of globalization, what happens to one of us, happens to all of us. We are all interconnected and we are all co-responsible,” read a statement from Thich Nhat Hanh, as read by Venerable Bhikkhuni Thich Nu Chan Khong.

The monumental event today marked movement within one of the six “fields of action” that the Global Freedom Network has in place towards slavery’s eradication. Other things on the list include “ supply chain proofing to promote ethical purchasing arrangements,” an improvement of support for survivors who have been victimized by slavery, advocacy for law reform and then the enforcement of anti-slavery laws, education and awareness programs, and fundraising.

The faith leaders who joined in commitment today aim to go forth and inspire spiritual and practical actions in all “people of goodwill.” Those who signed were Pope Francis (Catholic), Mata Amritanandamayi (Hindu), Thich Nhat Hanh (Buddhist), Datuk K Sri Dhammaratana (Buddhist), Rabbi Dr Abraham Skorka (Jewish), Chief Rabbi David Rosen (Jewish), Patriarch Bartholomew I (Orthodox), Mohamed Ahmed El-Tayeb (Muslim), Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi al-Modarresi (Muslim), Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Basheer Hussain al Najafi (Muslim), Sheikh Omar Abboud (Muslim), and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (Anglican). Many leaders from international business and organizations supporting the eradication of slavery were in attendance as witnesses to the signing of the declaration.

*originally published on the now defunct Examiner.com

Modern day indentured servitude claims to empower the homeless

Homelessness is on the rise and there don't seem to be any easy solutions.

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Close to 2 million people are homeless in the United States, according to some statistics, and at some point, roughly 3.5 million people will experience homelessness in any given year. These numbers are quite grim and due to many issues, including an individual’s or family’s inability to afford housing, access to proper care for physical or mental disabilities, addiction and other factors.

There are many programs out there to help those in need, including innovative organizations that aim to empowerthose who would otherwise be grasping at the last strings of survival and hope. And there are maybe others, as reported by The Tampa Bay Times on Nov. 29, that hopefully mean well but have struck a discordant note with the public on account of their seeming exploitation of those in need.

In Tampa, Florida, one such program called New Beginnings operates, bringing in numerous homeless, most of whom are veterans, to work at places like construction sites, football games, fairs and race car races. People work in landscaping, home repair and upkeep, telemarketing and even grant-writing.

What these people would be paid goes to the organization that finds them the jobs. That’s right. The workers leave just as “penniless as they arrived” in some sort of scheme that the organization’s CEO, Tom Atchison calls “work therapy.”

It seems shady, and homeless advocates and labor lawyers are calling Atchison into question. The way the organization runs may very well be, not only exploitive, but illegal.

This isn’t a new organization and while the public is currently naysaying New Beginnings’ efforts, it looks as though people who have been “employed” by the organization are very much provided for. “When people enter the program, their most immediate needs are for shelter, food and/or clothing,” states the organization’s website. New Beginnings aims to cover these fundamental needs. The site continues, “Once here, they begin to address other issues that may have contributed to their homelessness,” like mental, emotional or physical health issues, addictions, and trouble with the law. As a part of the program, it looks as though the organization also provides job training and recovery programs for its residents. From the looks of the testimonial page on the New Beginnings website, there have been significant successes.

This all sounds pretty good. It’s hardly illegal to compensate workers in the way New Beginnings has been, as long as said compensation is proven to be equal to or more than what the workers would earn at the current minimum wage. It’s something that The Salvation Army has been doing for a long time, pointed out The Atlantic. The Salvation Army’s model is the one that New Beginnings claims to have based its own.

But then, there are many other glaring issues, as uncovered by The Tampa Bay Times. For one, New Beginnings hasn’t kept track of the hours that the workers have put in, nor have they commented on how much money the workers have earned for the non-profit.

The Times “reviewed thousands of pages of public records about New Beginnings, including police reports, bank statements, grant documents and court proceedings, and interviewed more than 20 current and former New Beginnings residents and employees,” and found that employees and residents of New Beginnings handed over their Social Security checks and food stamps “even if they amounted to more than residents owed in program costs.” It was also found that while the non-profit claims to supply counseling to residents who may need help in the way of mental illness or addiction, no one employed by the organization was trained or qualified to do such work.

One has to wonder. Will New Beginnings meet the same fate that a similar New York organization met in the ‘90s? “The "Pathways to Employment" program — run by the Grand Central and 34th Street Partnerships, business organizations — provided shelter, food and counseling and put its residents to work clearing other homeless people from bank vestibules,” reported the Tampa Bay Times, “While taking in hundreds of thousands of dollars, the partnerships paid their homeless employees $1 to $1.50 an hour.”

The more you look at it, the more the whole thing reeks of indentured servitude, a term that perhaps no one thought would turn up again after the last bits of institutionalized slavery had been taken out of public consciousness. But the issue at hand brings up many more questions in the realm of ethics. For example, what is a better solution that works to empower those who have been disempowered by their circumstances? Ending a program like this without supplying another answer could very well cut off someone’s lifeline. But with illegal activities coming to the fore, one has to wonder if the organization can be fixed at all.

*originally published on the now defunct Examiner.com

A meteorite came crashing down in Alabama and utterly changed lives

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Next: Myrtle Beach is under a long-term no-swim advisory

November 30, 20142:36 PM MST

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PHOTOGRAPH BY JAY LEVITON, TIME & LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES

Though meteorites and the damage they have caused have been reported throughout the ages, none have been proven to have killed humans and there has only been one documented to have struck somebody. There was a report in 1911 about an Egyptian dog being killed by a meteorite and a Ugandan boy who had been seriously injured in 1992. In even more recent news, more than 1000 Russians were injured as a result of an impact event that was much larger than any that had been reported in 20 years. That event lit up the sky as an approximated 7,700 ton meteorite disintegrated and rained onto the city of Chelyabinsk.

Slate reported that 60 years ago today, a woman from Sylacauga,Alabama named Ann Hodges had been struck with a grapefruit sized, eight pound hunk of meteorite. She was lying on her couch, taking a nap when it happened. It was an incident that brought much unwanted media attention.

According to Slate, the meteorite itself was pretty big and when it broke up in the atmosphere, it created quite the light show that was visible across three whole states. While most of the meteorite bits turned to vapor, at least one bit survived, speeding to the earth at hundreds of kilometers per hour. The speed was such that it crashed through the roof of Hodges’ home, bounced off of the radio furniture and then, hit her in the hip, leaving a doozy of welt that would make news headlines and magazine articles.

Not only did that incident make headlines but skirmishes over who actually owned the meteorite also hit. Ann Hodges and her husband Hewlett were renting their home at the time. The owner of the premises was the one who legally owned the space debris despite public opinion, which held that the meteorite belonged to the Hodges. There was a long dispute in the courts that followed that was all too public. In the end, Ann Hodges used the meteorite as a doorstop for a span of time, despite having received monetary offers from The Smithsonian and other venues. Hewlett thought that they could hold out for more money, and did. However, after bad press squelched any chances of larger offers coming through, Ann Hodges finally donated the meteorite to the Alabama Museum of Natural History, two years after the incident.

The story of the Hodges didn’t get much better. The husband and wife split as a result of the troubles that came after the bit of meteorite had crashed and the legal battles. The media attention and lawsuits caused a regretful emotional impact that the two of them were not able to overcome. Ann Hodges, suffered mental and physical ailments as a result. She never seemed to have recovered.

It’s a shame, too. The Hodges really could have made a small fortune if perhaps they’d known better how to haggle with the press and venues vying for the chunk of rock. Another meteorite had crashed not far from the Hodges and was found by a farmer named Julius K. McKinney. He was able to sell the piece he found to The Smithsonian for enough money with which to buy a small farm and a used car. His hunk of rock was smaller than the one that had busted through the Hodges’ home.

It’s a brush of fame that turned tragedy for the Hodges. That is perhaps why the University of Alabama has marked the event with a special exhibit which features the rock that utterly changed the Hodges’ lives.

*originally published on the now defunct examiner.com