Or, now work with me here, maybe cities known for their collection, processing, and storage of the blobs of highly inflammable tar that float, to this day, on the Dead Sea in an era when fire was the only lighting, heating, and cooking technology available had a propensity for catching on fire *epically."
Archeological evidence shows that these proto-cities burned down many times, no doubt spawning the stories that were condensed down into a single moral lecture, but which nonetheless were rebuilt and reinhabited in what must have been one of the first (of many) petroleum industry environmental consumer misinformation campaigns. “Don’t worry, those piles of tar stacked around your home are perfectly safe. Here, take some home for the wife and kids.”
The current status of the asteroid enthusiasts’ paper is not encouraging. After two corrections, the journal editors are warning readers not to trust or cite the paper and to wait until lawyers have signed off on the formal retraction notice.
If the institution is Franciscan in Steubenville, they are accredited. HLC accreditation standards are far more lax than I would like, but they are the same body that provides accreditation to Ohio State, Oberlin, Case Western Reserve, and a personal favorite Cleveland State. The dude seems to be pushing religiously motivated garbage, outside of his field of expertise, but he has his paperwork in order.
That painting is in the Laing Gallery in Newcastle. They’ve currently got it set up with trick lighting and sound effects, so you see different sections at a time. The lightning really pops when the strobes go. It’s quite entertaining.
