This morning, following a long sleepless night of illness, I laid on the sofa and watched the HBO documentary, The Trial of Ted Haggard. I’d been meaning to see it but hadn’t found the time – especially considering that I usually have to share the tv, and I was definitely the only one in the house who had any interest in watching it.

Religion has always fascinated me; regardless of what “type” of religion, I’ve always found it extremely interesting. I was actually brought up in the United Church of Canada, and while I currently don’t have time to attend (thank you, work schedule) I look forward to getting a new schedule in the future that will allow for attendance. (For those unfamiliar with the Christian church spectrum, the UCC is somewhere in the middle – not exactly hardcore evangelism, but more structured than the really laid-back churches.)

Ted Haggard, Pastor Ted as he was once known, was the founder of the New Life Springs Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. In November of 2006, Pastor Ted was fired or stepped down from (depending on your source) ministering in Colorado Springs, and was “exiled” out of the state. The reason behind this? Ted admitted to soliciting homosexual sex from a “masseur” named Mike Jones, and also buying methamphetamines from Mike Jones’ friend. Drug use and homosexual activity, of course, being a contravention of the evangelical church, it was obvious that Pastor Ted could no longer be in a position of authority over his flock.

The documentary followed Ted and his family during part of their exile, as they moved from safe house to safe house, unable to return to their home in Colorado Springs until receiving the green light from the New Life Springs Church. During this time, Ted was supposed to be dealing with his spiritual crisis, while also trying to find a job to support his wife and two children. As you might imagine, Ted was not very successful at finding any work; most people know his face from his televised evangelical program. He solicited financial support from a few friends, which was leaked to the media, and according to Ted, spun into something it was not, which cost Ted more “points” with his public.

Ted has since been permitted to return with his family to Colorado Springs, but is forbidden to set foot in the church he helped create. He is working now as an insurance salesman, and identifies as a “heterosexual with issues.” This documentary was interesting, because it highlights one of the pitfalls of the evangelical church: a willingness to allow their own to fall, and not help them back up. Ted’s faith, and the faith of his followers, says that Ted’s affair and drug use was wrong; he committed some grave sins. However, faith also commands forgiveness and support, which in my opinion, Ted has not received from his church. The whole point of faith and church, as Ted points out in the documentary, is to help those who are suffering and who are in need of help; who is helping him now? His own people exiled him out of the state (can they even do that?) and he has been forced to begin anew, without anyone to lean on besides his wife and children. Some friends he has.

While I don’t agree with the philosophy of the evangelical church on the issue of homosexuality, I respect their right to believe what they want to believe. However, by casting Ted aside, publicly humiliating him and refusing to allow him to return to their fold, they have proven to be extremely unforgiving and un-Christian. Those in need of help should be at the front of the church, not left outside its doors.

Police in Los Angeles, California say that a serial killer is on the loose. This scary notion was announced recently but the killing has been going on for some time now. The killer has claimed the lives of as many as 11 people over the past 23 years. DNA evidence in the 11 slayings collected by police in both Los Angeles and Inglewood points to the same person, police say. The most recent killing was in 2007.

All of the victims were prostitutes or drug users. They were all sexually assaulted and shot and left in alleyways or in dumpsters. Even though this killing spree has spanned 23 years, the police say they are confident that they can solve the case. There are apparently many connections between the different cases. Authorities are examining over 50,000 inmates in state prison that have committed similar crimes.

All of the victims were black and only one out of the 11 was a man. Police believe that the killer may have been in and out of prison which is why there is such a huge gap between the killings. The first murder that police believe was committed by this killer is that of Debra Jackson, a 29 year old woman who was shot multiple times in 1985.

The gun that was used in the Debra Jackson slaying was used in seven more slayings. Unfortunately, it took the police three years to figure that out. A sketch was given by a woman that was sexually assaulted and shot in 1988 but police said it was not substantial enough to create a composite.

The cases were cold until police detectives made connections between those slayings and three more murders that have occurred since 2002. Fluid samples of the killer were reserved from victims. Similarities on the bodies of three victims also helped police make the connection.

A number of other suspects have already been ruled out. Police are also wondering if the suspect left the state of California and is committing similar murders in other states. This would also explain the gaps in-between the murders.

It is unfortunate that these murders involved people that were on the fringe of society. Prostitutes and drug users are some of the most vulnerable people and when they are murdered, it is often hard to figure out what really happened. Many of them live in the streets and have dealings with strangers on a regular basis. It is very hard to track their whereabouts and find out who they were keeping company with.

While many people that are not drug users or prostitutes may be at ease because they think this killing is targeting a group they are not a part of, they should think again. You just never know when serial killers are going to start branching out to other parts of the population. When someone is a maniac, their next move is anybody’s guess. Hopefully police will catch this killer as soon as possible.

Casey Anthony, the Florida woman who’s daughter went missing in June, but was not reported missing until July, is in custody for a second time. This time the charges have to do with forgery and writing bad checks.

Casey Anthony has been under suspicion since the story about Caylee, her daughter broke. The fact that the woman did not report the little girl missing until a month later is not even the biggest problem with the scenario. The evidence of human decomposition in the trunk of her car and the inconsistencies in her story continue to point towards her being the chief suspect in her daughter’s disappearance.

Cindy Anthony, Casey’s mother and Caylee’s grandmother told the police that Casey’s trunk smelled like a dead body had been in it. This, coming from the suspects mother is pretty damning evidence in my book. Not to mention, I think that locking someone up for simply not reporting their child missing for a month is perfectly fine. Why there was a bond set and Casey Anthony was released if beyond me.

It must be hard for Cindy Anthony to accept the fact that her daughter, someone that she raised, has done something wrong to her granddaughter. She appears to still be in denial about the whole situation but she is coming to understand a few things. Before Friday, Cindy Anthony said she had “high hopes” that her granddaughter was still alive. After Friday, she admitted that those hopes were somewhat diminished.

The problem with this case moving forward is that there is no body. This little girl was most likely murdered and the murderer, as cunning as they seem to be, has hidden her body very well. This is a terrible case that will not have a happy ending, even after justice is done. Of course Casey Anthony has pleaded not guilty but the evidence is mounting up. What will it take for this woman to come clean?

Other evidence that points towards Casey Anthony being the woman that caused little Caylee Anthony to disappear. Before Caylee was born, her mother tried to do the right thing and give her up for adoption. However, Cindy Anthony would not let Casey do that. Casey, who is now 22 seems to be at best and unstable person. Initially when her face was shown on television she appear without affect. This woman was not showing the signs of a person who’s child was missing.

No one has been able to locate this little girl. Casey Anthony, who got pregnant at 19 wanted to give her up for adoption. She obviously did not want to be a mother and was trying to do the right thing. The fact that her mother stopped her is such a shame. Someone could be loving and taking care of this little girl who was not even allowed to see her fourth birthday. I would how Cindy Anthony feels about forcing her unstable daughter to keep this baby? Hopefully Casey Anthony will remain in custody this time for good.

A bright light was reported in Alberta and Saskatchewan Thursday night. It crashed somewhere close to the Red Pheasant First Nation, near Battle ford Saskatchewan. Several people on the reserve said they saw the light. They reported that the band office was shaking when it passed overhead. People across Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan saw it. It was an apparently part of an asteroid and weighed around 10 tonnes! It penetrated the earth at 60 degrees from the horizontal. A reward is being offered in the form of 10,000 for any pieces that are found. Those that did see it said it was as bright as daylight and only lasted a few seconds. No one really knew what it was.

The fireball may have crashed into the ground 200 kilometers south of Calgary. Eyewitness Rob Westland was driving along with his son when they spotted a massive light! The Alberta resident explained that the object was as big as a house. Imagine seeing a house in the sky! The object then crashed into the ground with a boom. Dr. Alan Hildebrand of the University of Calgary is on the case. He expects to collect video tapes from the Lloyd minister region. He expects that pieces of the meteorite will be found in the Manitou Lake rural municipality in northwest Saskatchewan. He compared the fireball was light a billion watt light bulb.

The pieces are expected to be the size of a football and maybe larger. Those are big pieces. They have probably made a crevice in the ground where rock can be seen. The rock probably has a dark grey or black coating. The surface could be dimpled. It is denser then most rocks and could have some magnetic energy. The chunks will belong to the owner of the property where they fall so there will undoubtedly be some plans to work out as far as the movement and investigation of the pieces. Another researcher Dr. Chris Herd wants to take a different approach. He wants to use laser technology, which can clear objects like trees from aerial shots to reveal the crevices.

The laser is mounted in an aircraft and beamed towards the ground. Since there will be pieces of this fireball lying around Dr. Herd also has advice for any person or children who may come across the debris. His advice is that you not handle it with your hands. Pick it up with something else like a bag and store it in that. You could even wrap it in some tin foil. Of course, after that you should notify the proper authorities as to what to do with the fragmented asteroid. Researchers are hoping that the winter snow holds off. If it snows that chance of finding, a fragment is extremely unlikely. A few tips to tell if you have actually found a piece.

-it should have a thin, dark, glassy, black color
-test it to see if it is magnetic

If those two indicators are in line then chances are you have a piece of a monster asteroid!

A place of holy worship was turned into a massacre site in Iraq. Dried blood stained the walls and the floors of the mosque in Baghdad. Over two dozen bodies were found on the site. The news reports describe a disgusting scene of murder and mayhem that sounds like something out of a horror film. People were mutilated and tortured in the mosque.

The people that have been blamed for these acts are called the Mehdi Army. They are a Shia militia who have been in control of the mosque, Adib al-Jumaili for more than a year. Residents of the nearby neighborhood says that they have heard screams coming from the building.

A local group, Sons of Iraq, is now watching the mosque. They are an armed group that is in part financed by Americans that are working with the Iraqi Police. Their goal is to keep the peace in the neighborhood.

The dead are elderly and college graduates. There seems to be no boundaries as far as who lives and dies when it comes to this group. Homes are raided and families are torn apart. The majority of residents left the neighborhood. Those that stayed were among the people that were massacred.

Some of the people who are still at the mosque are searching for any clues about what may have happened to their loved ones. The deserted streets lay quiet and full of gloom. The terrible deeds that have been done to the victims include beheading and dismemberment. One mother had a video of her son’s dismembered, decapitated body delivered to her doorstep. This kind of cruelty goes far beyond any type of war or anarchy. The people that committed these crimes can not be punished enough.

Iraq has experienced a great number of changes over the past few years. The promise of peace and democracy have not been delivered to this point and in some ways, things seem worse. There are neighborhoods in Iraq that have to live with the threat that their loved ones may be massacred on a daily basis. Having a counter militia does not seem like the best answer but at least there is someone to offer some protection.

The future for Iraq is blurry at this point. No one knows when all of the fighting and killing is going to cease. While there is a government in place there is not necessarily order in the neighborhoods. Splinter militia must work hard to keep the people in their neighborhoods safe. If not for average citizens taking up arms, there could be more destruction. However, when ordinary citizens pick up arms and work to fight off insurgents, separate agendas often arise. This is the danger that is faced when militias are the law one must respect.

The tortures that went on in the mosque have shattered an entire neighborhood. The vicious killings have left families and areas of Iraq torn forever. Some of the families may never even get the bodies of their loved ones back for proper burials.