G-d rather hates Higgs particles, and attempts to avoid them - quote

[Griffin NoName]

Actually........what is a biblical storm? How does it differ from an ordinary storm?

[pieces o nine]

A 'storm of biblical proportions' (US NewsSpeak) means a gargantuan, destructive storm.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

It's hyperbole. Or, constructions in biblical times were particularly fragile so that a little rain and wind would destroy them.  Perhaps they should've used the help of the little pig that built his house of bricks? 

[Swatopluk]

What do you think all those houses and palaces and temples in Mesopotamia were built with. Even the Tower of Babel was a brick building.
And according to the Bible the Israelites were fed up with producing bricks for pharaoh and left for Palestine.

Of course I know that most of those bricks were air-dried with burned bricks only for the outer layer. The epic of Gilgamesh begins with a boast that the hero had his famous walls built from burned bricks only (singularly luxurious and expensive, that was the whole point).

[Roland Deschain]

I hear that brick buildings are a bit of a luxury in some parts of the US due to haulage costs, which is why so many are built of wood. It this true? If it is, times haven't really changed that much, have they?

[Swatopluk]

Standard US housing falls down at winds where Europeans would still discuss whether closing the windows is really necessary
I'd say the early blockhouses of the white settlements in what today are the US were far more stable than most of the modern pre-fabricated houses in suburbia. I guess in the long term the US could save huge amounts of money by building in stone or concrete in those parts of the country where strong winds, fire etc. are a regular feature instead of plywood and paper pulp.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

What?  And p**ss off the Wood Products lobby?   Never!

Here in the USA, buildings are built out of materials that are controlled by various interest groups.   Including concrete, lumber/wood and brick.  They fight each other over territory like little warring feudal lords too.

The local building codes, which govern how you may construct your buildings, are quite revealing:  they show which faction is currently in power in any given locale.

It has darn-all to do with safety, or public interest ...

Politicians are bought and sold like commodities futures.

[Griffin NoName]

What do you think all those houses and palaces and temples in Mesopotamia were built with. Even the Tower of Babel was a brick building.
And according to the Bible the Israelites were fed up with producing bricks for pharaoh and left for Palestine.

Of course I know that most of those bricks were air-dried with burned bricks only for the outer layer. The epic of Gilgamesh begins with a boast that the hero had his famous walls built from burned bricks only (singularly luxurious and expensive, that was the whole point).

And we all know the pillars were made of salt

[Swatopluk]

What do you think all those houses and palaces and temples in Mesopotamia were built with. Even the Tower of Babel was a brick building.
And according to the Bible the Israelites were fed up with producing bricks for pharaoh and left for Palestine.

Of course I know that most of those bricks were air-dried with burned bricks only for the outer layer. The epic of Gilgamesh begins with a boast that the hero had his famous walls built from burned bricks only (singularly luxurious and expensive, that was the whole point).

And we all know the pillars were made of salt

At least a Lot of them

[Roland Deschain]

Sodom, I say.

[pieces o nine]

OK, about the 2:30 mark the contestants ramp up the Lot/Salt/Sodom jokes. Bob Smeerfak's channel is, in my humble opinion, criminally under-appreciated. His Your Bible On Psychotherapy series is great.
[youtube=425,350]GTx8gtUxWfI [/youtube]



But his Bob's Notes: Matthew series is, Good Golly, Miss Molly, my favorite! Each episode begins:

Hello. I'm Bob Smeerfak. But not really. This series is designed for theological seminary students with approaching exams who have not had time to read the Bible, and for bored housewives in Duluth who want to fantasize that the resonant cadences of my voice belong to Brad Pitt.

Matthew Chapter 1.  Let's go.

(italicized "for" text changes each chapter.)
I encourage those siblings so inclined to subscribe and vote for his videos; more Bob and less Hovind would do the world a lot of good.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

What do you think all those houses and palaces and temples in Mesopotamia were built with. Even the Tower of Babel was a brick building.
And according to the Bible the Israelites were fed up with producing bricks for pharaoh and left for Palestine.

In fairness, the fact that many 'biblical' constructions are still standing is a testament () to their durability, although I imagine that the overwhelming majority of housing was made of very simple materials, hence much more susceptible to extreme weather. Regardless, biblical accounts are prone to hyperbole anyways, be it the size of the exodus or the number of children killed by Herod*.

*Two kids of his own family IIRC, absolutely no evidence of mass murder of children.

Standard US housing falls down at winds where Europeans would still discuss whether closing the windows is really necessary
I'd say the early blockhouses of the white settlements in what today are the US were far more stable than most of the modern pre-fabricated houses in suburbia. I guess in the long term the US could save huge amounts of money by building in stone or concrete in those parts of the country where strong winds, fire etc. are a regular feature instead of plywood and paper pulp.

As Bob said, business interests have cornered regulations for their own profit. Even after a number of hurricanes you can see the construction lobby in FL constantly pushing to lower the (already meager) standards. Usually the damages of the next storm that hits derail their efforts for a while but they keep trying.

I still think we are way better of than the guys in tornado alley, who keep building paper houses in lowlands, and then complain that FEMA isn't fast enough to help them. How exactly is that you get your house blown away and then go back to rebuild it with the same poor foundation, thin lumber and cardboard walls, or in the same lowlands at the bloody same elevation despite almost annual inundations is beyond me.

[Aggie]

What?  And p**ss off the Wood Products lobby?   Never!

Here in the USA, buildings are built out of materials that are controlled by various interest groups.   Including concrete, lumber/wood and brick.  They fight each other over territory like little warring feudal lords too.

Ayuh, and break international trade agreements to do so (tariffs on Canadian softwood). We have the Dairy Mafia to do that, up here.

I still think we are way better of than the guys in tornado alley, who keep building paper houses in lowlands, and then complain that FEMA isn't fast enough to help them. How exactly is that you get your house blown away and then go back to rebuild it with the same poor foundation, thin lumber and cardboard walls, or in the same lowlands at the bloody same elevation despite almost annual inundations is beyond me.

Childhood literacy is perhaps becoming inadequate... does nobody read/tell the Three Little Pigs anymore?

[Griffin NoName]

Childhood literacy is perhaps becoming inadequate... does nobody read/tell the Three Little Pigs anymore?

No idea, but my grandaughter just learnt Ba, Ba, Black Sheep.

[Swatopluk]

The most affected ones have been told that they are actually the wolf