http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_lightning_strikes_jesus_statue
6-story Jesus statue in Ohio struck by lightning
MONROE, Ohio – A six-story-tall statue of Jesus Christ with his arms raised along a highway was struck by lightning in a thunderstorm Monday night and burned to the ground, police said. The "King of Kings" statue, one of southwest Ohio's most familiar landmarks, had stood since 2004 at the evangelical Solid Rock Church along Interstate 75 in Monroe, just north of Cincinnati. The lightning strike set the statue ablaze around 11:15 p.m., Monroe police dispatchers said.
The sculpture, 62 feet tall and 40 feet wide at the base, showed Jesus from the torso up and was nicknamed Touchdown Jesus because of the way the arms were raised, similar to a referee signaling a touchdown. It was made of plastic foam and fiberglass over a steel frame, which is all that remained early Tuesday.
The fire spread from the statue to an adjacent amphitheater but was confined to the attic area, and no one was injured, police Chief Mark Neu said. The fire department would release a monetary damage estimate Tuesday, he said. Travelers on Interstate 75 often were startled to come upon the huge statue by the roadside, but many said America needs more symbols like it. So many people stopped at the church campus that church officials had to build a walkway to accommodate them.
The 4,000-member, nondenominational church was founded by former horse trader Lawrence Bishop and his wife. Bishop said in 2004 he was trying to help people, not impress them, with the statue. He said his wife proposed the Jesus figure as a beacon of hope and salvation and they spent about $250,000 to finance it.
Is this a sign?
Quote from: RecycleMichael on June 15, 2010, 08:31:30 AM
Is this a sign?
That the statue looked like "return of the living Jesus" coming at the truckers and needed to go? Probably.
Too bad Bill Maher's last show of this season was last Friday. He'd have had a field day with that one...
Quote from: Townsend on June 15, 2010, 08:44:12 AM
That the statue looked like "return of the living Jesus" coming at the truckers and needed to go? Probably.
Yeah, that was double-creepy. No wonder God wanted it removed from the roadway.
Doesn't lightning technically go up?
Quote from: sgrizzle on June 15, 2010, 08:53:34 AM
Doesn't lightning technically go up?
both way if it strikes an object on the ground. You'll get a return stroke usually.
I find it funny now that on the Wiki entry for this statue, there have been several nicknames given for it, other than 'Touchdown Jesus'.
Some of them are:
Big Butter Jesus (for its buttery color)
MC 62-Foot Jesus (like musician MC 900 Ft. Jesus)
Quicksand Jesus
Here's the statue pre-strike:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Touchdown_jesus.jpg)
Which makes some of the above relevant.
Now, here's a photo of the aftermath:
(http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/378110/Touchdown_Jesus_Afterwards.jpg)
With the indication that some people have given it the nickname 'Terminator Jesus' now...
Quote from: sgrizzle on June 15, 2010, 08:53:34 AM
Doesn't lightning technically go up?
It does. It does lots of stuff.
It can even make a big frowny face when you displease it.
(http://www.neatorama.com/images/2006-07/arc-lightning.jpg)
Terminator Jesus.... :rotfl:
So, was giant hideous Jesus a big tourist attraction (like the never gonna happen Indian is supposed to be)?
Quote from: Hoss on June 15, 2010, 09:00:58 AM
MC 62-Foot Jesus (like musician MC 900 Ft. Jesus).
Did anyone ever save any of the posters being sold around town of the "Caution 900 ft. Ahead" (with a silhouette of Jesus) highway caution sign parody near ORU?
Some local artist outdid themselves with that one.
The statue should of been grounded- Something like that would make a huge lightning rod- I was surprised it was made out of wood, if they replace it they should make it out of metal. It's sad loss.
Quote from: sauerkraut on June 15, 2010, 11:53:03 AM
The statue should of been grounded- Something like that would make a huge lightning rod- I was surprised it was made out of wood, if they replace it they should make it out of metal. It's sad loss.
On your way home from the Columbus Library, would you mind making a detour to go get some shots of it for us?
Quote from: Conan71 on June 15, 2010, 11:54:43 AM
On your way home from the Columbus Library, would you mind making a detour to go get some shots of it for us?
+ eleventybillion!
Quote from: sauerkraut on June 15, 2010, 11:53:03 AM
The statue should of been grounded- Something like that would make a huge lightning rod- I was surprised it was made out of wood, if they replace it they should make it out of metal. It's sad loss.
Hey, Einstein...last I checked wood didn't attract or conduct lightning! Metal, does.
electrical knowledge FAIL.
Quote from: Hoss on June 15, 2010, 12:21:25 PM
Hey, Einstein...last I checked wood didn't attract or conduct lightning! Metal, does.
electrical knowledge FAIL.
That's why it's recommended to find a tree in a field to be under during an electrical storm.
Quote from: Red Arrow on June 15, 2010, 12:42:46 PM
That's why it's recommended to find a tree in a field to be under during an electrical storm.
D'oh! you beat me too it.
Quote from: Hoss on June 15, 2010, 12:21:25 PM
Hey, Einstein...last I checked wood didn't attract or conduct lightning! Metal, does.
electrical knowledge FAIL.
Lightning is searching for ground, not a necessarily a conductor.
And usually strikes the tallest object (not necessarily the tallest conductor)
Which is why wooden homes with asphalt/wooden shingles have lightning rods... If it's going to strike the wooden structure... with any luck it'll hit the lightning rod.
Quote from: Red Arrow on June 15, 2010, 12:42:46 PM
That's why it's recommended to find a tree in a field to be under during an electrical storm.
Wood and being a tree are two different things, Einstein, when it comes to lightning. Lightning will find the path of least resistance (i.e., the highest point in an area..hey, trees are tall!)
So wood is NOT an conductor of electricity. You ever use wood wires?
:o
Quote from: BKDotCom on June 15, 2010, 01:41:09 PM
Lightning is searching for ground, not a necessarily a conductor.
And usually strikes the tallest object (not necessarily the tallest conductor)
Which is why wooden homes with asphalt/wooden shingles have lightning rods... If it's going to strike the wooden structure... with any luck it'll hit the lightning rod.
I guess nobody read his post in context. He's stating that it should have been made of metal instead of wood...although it was made of both, evidently (metal substructure).
Now, if he's inferring that it wouldn't have burned down had it been metal, then he'd be right..well most likely right.
But wood isn't a conductor of electricity. Either that, or I've been taught wrong all these years.
Quote from: BKDotCom on June 15, 2010, 01:41:09 PM
Lightning is searching for ground, not a necessarily a conductor.
And usually strikes the tallest object (not necessarily the tallest conductor)
Which is why wooden homes with asphalt/wooden shingles have lightning rods... If it's going to strike the wooden structure... with any luck it'll hit the lightning rod.
Its a little of both. Damp wood at a roof's apex will send up streamers seeking an opposite charge, but not as efficiently as a lightning rod or pointy metal objects (like antennas, flashing or gutters).
Anything that helps complete the circuit, it will follow.
Corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST) installed in attics of newer homes seems to be a good conductor, but lightning will punch a hole in them and ignite escaping gas, and your new home goes up like a torch.
Yes, lightning will strike a tree, and head to earth along it's skin (sap. bark). If you are standing under that tree you may be a part of the path to ground.
As far as the flaming Jesus, lightning likely had a direct path to ground via a grounded metal frame, but the flash heat from the strike and the instantly superheated frame likely ignited the foam and epoxy.
Lightning comes in different flavors. Utility companies put them in two categories. Some of it is "cold" lightning and some of it is "hot". Apparently duration (amplitude?) is a key factor in why sometimes lightning will only cause a fire while other strikes cause an explosion. This could indeed have been a "cold" lightning strike which caused the structure to simmer and catch fire. A hard hot strike would have just blown it up! And also, isn't everything a conductor? Some just better than others?
*Note: I read that in a trade magazine waiting to talk to a PSO executive. For some reason it just stuck.
I thought I read that it was made out of plastic foam and fiberglass with a metal frame. Where does the wood part come in ? since everyone started talking about trees and wood. Just curious.
Quote from: DolfanBob on June 15, 2010, 02:39:17 PM
I thought I read that it was made out of plastic foam and fiberglass with a metal frame. Where does the wood part come in ? since everyone started talking about trees and wood. Just curious.
Boiled Cabbage said it...
Quote from: Hoss on June 15, 2010, 02:09:34 PM
So wood is NOT an conductor of electricity. You ever use wood wires?
Welllll, to be pedantic it is a conductor, as most things are, once the voltage is high enough. Needless to say, the voltage involved in a lightning bolt is plenty high. You have to remember that we're talking enough energy here to turn a mile of air into a plasma, thus making it conductive.
Basically, once the voltage is high enough, nearly everything is a conductor. Just about any structure clad with flammable material is likely to go up in flames if it gets struck by lightning. Unless there's a nice lightning rod connected to the metal frame and the metal frame of the structure has a good path to ground. And then only if the lightning rod actually works, which is somewhat iffy much of the time.
That thing reminded me of the "praying hands" down on south Lewis. Kind of a "what's the point" moment.
Looks like the lord hates tacky $hit....!!!!!
Not at all...look at Tammy Baker.
And that 'woman' who is on TBN (co-founder?) - Jan Crouch.
Quote from: heironymouspasparagus on June 16, 2010, 11:51:20 AM
Not at all...look at Tammy Baker.
And that 'woman' who is on TBN (co-founder?) - Jan Crouch.
Tammy Bakker be taking the eternal dirt nap. I wonder if she was buried with her make-up trowel...
Quote from: Conan71 on June 16, 2010, 11:55:38 AM
Tammy Bakker be taking the eternal dirt nap. I wonder if she was buried with her make-up trowel...
That would be Tammy Faye to you un-believers.
Quote from: DolfanBob on June 16, 2010, 12:46:17 PM
That would be Tammy Faye to you un-believers.
I believe...I just don't believe in hucksters like Jim & Tammy Faye.
The Dayton Newspaper reported that there was a giant sign across the street promoting Hustler Hollywood that was left untouched.
Quote from: RecycleMichael on June 16, 2010, 01:25:28 PM
The Dayton Newspaper reported that there was a giant sign across the street promoting Hustler Hollywood that was left untouched.
Makes you wonder...
Larry Flynt has got to be getting a good kick out of this.
The Rio Jeebus, around 2008, I think:
(http://www.gametheory.net/disequilibrium/images/ChristLightning.jpg)
Terminator Jeebus on fire:
Wow, he even does "facepalm"
(http://www.holamun2.com/files/images/attachments/2007/12/jesus-statue.jpg)
(http://www.holamun2.com/files/images/attachments/2007/12/jesus-statue.jpg)
I can use this!
Quote from: Gaspar on June 16, 2010, 03:38:53 PM
(http://www.holamun2.com/files/images/attachments/2007/12/jesus-statue.jpg)
I can use this!
Taylor Hanson face palm?
Quote from: Townsend on June 16, 2010, 03:51:01 PM
Taylor Hanson face palm?
Val Kilmer after looking in the mirror....
Quote from: Hoss on June 15, 2010, 12:21:25 PM
Hey, Einstein...last I checked wood didn't attract or conduct lightning! Metal, does.
electrical knowledge FAIL.
Oh, I did not know that- So Mr. Expert, could you please tell me why trees get hit by lightning all the time and why standing under a tree during a lightning storm is not the best thing in the world to do? Are trees made of metal or something? Homes also have been known to get hit by lightning- how can that be? ???
Quote from: sauerkraut on June 17, 2010, 12:33:04 PM
Oh, I did not know that- So Mr. Expert, could you please tell me why trees get hit by lightning all the time and why standing under a tree during a lightning storm is not the best thing in the world to do? Are trees made of metal or something? Homes also have been known to get hit by lightning- how can that be? ???
Too obvious
(http://www.holamun2.com/files/images/attachments/2007/12/jesus-statue.jpg)
Quote from: sauerkraut on June 17, 2010, 12:33:04 PM
Oh, I did not know that- So Mr. Expert, could you please tell me why trees get hit by lightning all the time and why standing under a tree during a lightning storm is not the best thing in the world to do? Are trees made of metal or something? Homes also have been known to get hit by lightning- how can that be? ???
OK, wood is a LESSER conductor of electiricity, non0-res.
I did take electronics in HS and my brother is a journey electrician, so I feel pretty knowledgeable on the subject.
First off, lightning will take the path of least resistance, so a higher object will attract lightning.
But's let's ask you this, Nebraskan/Ohioan/whatever you are. If you have two objects of the same height standing side by side and one of them is a copper pole (that would be expensive) that stands 20 feet tall, and the other is a tree standing the same height, which one gets struck?
My money is on the copper pole.
If you have metal that's 6 inches off the ground versus a tree that's 20 feet, then it's a crap shoot. Likely the tree will get hit, just because it is taller. BUT, if the metal is more charged negatively than the top of the tree, then it might be the metal....lot of variables in play here.
But wood, by it's very definition, conducts less electricity (almost zero) than most metals. Prove me wrong. You won't be able to.
Gentlemen, please, you are making this too difficult.
Whatever God wants to hit, he's going to hit, conductance be damned. Apparently he didn't like this hideous depiction of his son.
One of my favorite lightning stories:
Lee Trevino, after being hit by lightning was asked what he'd do if he were ever caught in a thunderstorm again.
"I'd grab a one iron. Not even God can hit a one iron!"
Quote from: Conan71 on June 17, 2010, 01:43:39 PM
Gentlemen, please, you are making this too difficult.
Whatever God wants to hit, he's going to hit, conductance be damned. Apparently he didn't like this hideous depiction of his son.
One of my favorite lightning stories:
Lee Trevino, after being hit by lightning was asked what he'd do if he were ever caught in a thunderstorm again.
"I'd grab a one iron. Not even God can hit a one iron!"
I keep referencing Caddyshack in my head, and hearing the reverend scream out "Rat farts!" when I move about this thread...LOL.
Quote from: Hoss on June 17, 2010, 04:02:49 PM
I keep referencing Caddyshack in my head, and hearing the reverend scream out "Rat farts!" when I move about this thread...LOL.
The moment of combustion:
(http://paxarcana.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/ratfarts.jpg)
Quote from: Conan71 on June 17, 2010, 04:24:07 PM
The moment of combustion:
(http://paxarcana.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/ratfarts.jpg)
Knew I could count on you, man...quite possibly one of the funniest movies of all time. I know it's right up there.
I seem to remember someone saying that moisture in the trees also played some part in their being a great conductor to be struck by lightning.
Maybe I dreamed that. IDK