When the first con man met the first fool

It's the 'murikin Way.

how much a lighter cost again these days

I think ultimately it will be a MAJOR failure economically. That is if the principles don't skim all the money first.

Great. So the next time I want to build a mosque in Williamstown, Kentucky, the city will have no problem issuing municipal bonds for my project.

If the bible is 100% correct, then an ark is unnecessary. The bible said God put his sign in the heavens that he would never again destroy the earth by flood.

You'll need to get your Conservative's Bible - a special edition edited to allow for stupidity, hate and discrimination.

to mess with their supporters heads. Tell them the leaders really do believe in man made global warming, and are building the ark to save themselves when the polar ice caps melt

I thought the same thing.

deviant minds think alike

about the polar caps

The Arctic is already float ice, which means that its melting will not raise the sea level (caveat later in this post). The ice displaces exactly the volume of the melted water. That's the basic physics of the deal. Only ground based ice can raise the sea level by melting. However, the Arctic Sea, when ice covered, reflects a whole lot of solar energy due to the white ice and snow. When that melts, the albedo (the amount of solar energy reflected back) is much lower. That heats up the Arctic Ocean and, as everybody knows, increases the sea level due to expansion. But the ice melting has no effect other than that.

It's complicated. What we really need to worry about are the Greenland and Antarctic ice fields, both land bound. They are both going through a bit of collapse. It will take many decades, but if it goes the way it seems it will go, people had better think about where they will move when the shorelines are under water.

Just a little correction to your post.

But if the Article ice cap melts, it will change the salinity of the north Atlantic. This will change water density, and affect the gulf stream. If that happens, the east coast and northern Europe will be seriously affected. It will not be a good change.

The Atlantic currents originate in the south oceans. As the Antarctic ice melts it puts the whole ocean currents out of balance where it originates. There are already problems with this as the Antarctic land based ice is melting. If things go awry, it could equally be because of the South, as the North.

But Greenland is a big worry! Not so much the Arctic Ocean ice cap, except the albedo.

But we'll be long into shit before then.

I happen to live in a place filled with melting glaciers and believe it or not the water is actually receding and has been for a hundred years or more. I have heard some stupid theory about the land springing upward as the glaciers melt but I think that is complete crap. Glaciers have been melting here for hundreds of years and the land would have completed its upward springing before now. Land is still rising even hundreds of miles from nearest glaciers.

"The formation of ice sheets can cause the Earth's surface to sink. Conversely, isostatic post-glacial rebound is observed in areas once covered by ice sheets that have now melted, such as around the Baltic Sea and Hudson Bay. As the ice retreats, the load on the lithosphere and asthenosphere is reduced and they rebound back towards their equilibrium levels. In this way, it is possible to find former sea cliffs and associated wave-cut platforms hundreds of metres above present-day sea level. The rebound movements are so slow that the uplift caused by the ending of the last glacial period is still continuing.

In addition to the vertical movement of the land and sea, isostatic adjustment of the Earth also involves horizontal movements. It can cause changes in the gravitational field and rotation rate of the Earth, polar wander, and earthquakes."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isostasy

Now if it was situated in one of the few flood plains in KY, it would make sense. However, they're putting it on a mountain 'cuz that's where the conservative bible said it came to rest after the flood.

Of course, that was supposedly Mt. Ararat, nearly on the other side of the planet, but fundies are generally bored by minutiae that make them look as silly as they are.

It will never, ever need to float stuck all the way up there.

If God hates gay people, why did he invent their symbol?

Perhaps they would be better off buying asbestos suits?

They'll probably charge $25 admission fee to walk through. They don't care about the religion.

The commonwealth should have looked very closely at Ken Ham's last Bible-related tourist attraction, the Creation Museum, before they committed $73 million (which will probably turn into $100 million by the time it's ready for guests) to another of his flights of fancy. The Dinosaur Museum is fixin' ta go bankrupt for the simplest of reasons: everyone who has ever wanted to go to it already has.

think of what $73 million dollars could do to help those people

This is the kind of thing the KY govt does with funds slated for Appalachia:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023147631

The ignorance!

Make sure it's big enough to fit two wax figures of each animal that ever existed....and don't forget the dinosaurs!

How many people will visit this ark and finally realize how ridiculous the story is?

Heck, I even saw one around my area which was never finished. They built it incorrectly too.



That thing is small.

I know Gov. Beshear gets a lot of love on this site because of his support for the affordable care act, and he deserves credit for that. But I don't think I will ever forgive him for giving millions of dollars in tax breaks to these con men, especially when there are so many problems facing the state.

I live in Kentucky and have been a huge fan of Steve Beshear since he was the KY Attorney General but I didn't understand this either. I suppose with the pressure from the right wing nut cases and the promise of tourism... they decided to support these
con men as you call them. And that is exactly what they are... con men. And Kentucky is getting conned again.

FOR THIS?

$73,000,000 dollars worth

Particularly when it has to store all the food they will need. And it'll be dark in there.

How is that Constitutional?

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-21/noahs-ark-replica-financed-by-unrated-muni-bonds

Could Nye be considered a useful idiot?

This'll bring the suckers in for hundreds of miles.

addition, which could be struck down by a court. Issuing bonds for this type of thing can affect the credit rating of a jurisdiction even though supposedly Kentucky is not on the hook for securing the bonds. But that will not keep them from getting sued for violation of the Establishment Clause and it will not keep cautious investors from avoiding other bond issues by Kentucky - thus forcing Kentucky to offer higher interest rates for the stuff which bond issues should be used for - to build schools, roads, etc. All in all a bad bet for Kentucky even if it were Constitutional, which it probably isn't.

Seems to me.

Think about it - what did the carnivorous animals eat? Why does anyone think this story is real?

ever since the crazies decided that Genesis was a science book. They say this will be the largest wood frame construction project in the U.S. They actually have a floating replica in Europe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johan%27s_Ark

The size is 450 ft x 75 ft x 45 ft which translates into about 42 2400 sq ft ranch style homes (assume 3 levels). About $150K to build a house so $6.3 M.

Think about having two post weaned infant animals representing every genus. Could it be done? You still have the problem of distribution afterwards (magic).

According to the Bible, four men who had neither power tools nor logging trucks built out of wood a ship bigger than an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, in the middle of the desert where trees don't grow, and NO ONE noticed they were doing it!

The average inquisitive young person might think, if these four guys were over there for 75 years pegging this thing together the cops or the ordinary townsfolk would eventually wonder what all that noise was and go over to look. Nope.

No power saws to cut the wood

No cranes to hoist the pieces in place

No safety equipment in place

animals on board, of course). And no dumping the shit overboard either.

If they pay back the bonds (which is a requirement) and are not allowed to declare bankruptcy, so be it. Bad choice for a theme, in my opinion, but the conservatives are all about market forces. Let the people decide with their dollars. If it goes under, seize all the assets(including personal assets of board members equal to their compensation), saw the boat up into furniture to reclaim the lumber.

They would probably cite exemption from taxation as a "religious organization."

It's not very likely that the personal assets of board holders would be seized when the place goes belly up either.

All around, it's a bad idea and the town should be looking to remove all local politicians that had a hand in getting the bonding passed. If they don't, then it's their money that is on the line.

It can be a fine line, but a religious theme park which charges admission is generally seen as entertainment - not specifically a church "ministry." They also would have to charge state sales taxes on any of the junk sold in the gift shop.

Thought I'd just throw out the next non sequitur for you.

One fine day I got a call from a telemarketer. He sounded like an Iowan. Either he really was from the Midwest or Indian telemarketers are taking acting training now so they can do accents.

"Hi! This is (name) from Allstate. We can save you up to fifteen percent on your car insurance! You would like to save money on your car insurance, right?"

'Well, that sounds fine.'

"Okay then, let's get started! Which car insurance company are you currently with?"

'Allstate. Since 2010.' (This is true.)

"Oh...well then I guess we'll just remove you from our list. Thanks for your time."

Don't raise it if you don't wish to defend it.

It;s a "Meh" >>> IF <<< they pay taxes, and you rush breathlessly in to say that they aren't...

Whatever.

Like the OP tag line says...There's a Sucker Born Every Minute!

Hope they don't build it over a KY Sinkhole like the Corvettes.

And did they put the job of running it out to tender before appointing Ham to design and run it?

Is it constitutional for a municipality to build a religion-themed tourist attraction? I'd have thought not.

I see that "ark" looking like this in 10-20 years.

That is pretty amazing. On the other hand, I love ruined amusement parks. I'd love to visit it

They got divorced, after Jim went to jail.

Jim Bakker is out of jail and has a new TV scam...I mean ministry.
http://americanloons.blogspot.com/2013/03/465-jim-bakker.html

Tammy Bakker died of cancer a few years ago.

Reminds me of Chernobyl.

Just look at any abandoned place after 5, 10 or more years.

SHIT FLOATS.....especially in Kentucky.

Encourage them to build said Ark.
Noah was commanded to bring 7 breeding pairs of each herbivores per species and a single breeding pair of each predators.
Supply a full complement of animals as life sized inflatables.
Ask them to place them in the ark.
Point, laugh, and make snarky comments.

Check out the "Sponsor a Piece of the Arc" and the "Lifetime Boarding Pass" Prices.

http://arkencounter.com/

I'd bet they have to cheat, throw in some steel beams to shore up the structure, iron re-rod, stuff like that, 'cause I expect that much wood to collapse on itself. It won't hinder their belief in the absolute accuracy of the Noah's Ark story, though. They'll just say he had magic wood we don't have today, and besides--God. He can just miracle them up some variances from the rules of engineering and the laws of physics whenever He wants. Makes you wonder why He didn't just make all the wicked people vanish into thin air one day, saving 39 days of rain and something like 10 months of drainage.

And while we're on the subject of what God could have done, why did He need TEN plagues to get Pharaoh to let Moses and his people go? Seems like a smarter god could have done it in seven. A really smart god would only need three. But, of course, an A-1 super-deity, the kind I believe in, would have had Pharaoh wake up one morning and find Moses and all his people gone, with a polite note from Moses telling him not to worry about them or try to find them, and to try not to act like such a prick in the future.

To have been born and bred in Kentucky, going to the first grade in Middlesboro (yeah the snake church place), this is so disheartening. Hillbillies are actually pretty smart people. I really don't know what is going on.

by building an idolic fictional boat. God didn't spend 73 million to build it.