A 16-year-old girl said she fought her way out of her car after it hydroplaned and landed in a flooded creek.It was terrifying, honestly, Anna Wimberley said. I saw it happening and I couldnt control it, so I couldnt figure out how it was going to turn out.The crash happened Friday afternoon on Highway 25 at Highway 471 in Rankin County. Wimberley said she lost control of her Honda Accord and it drifted over into the grass, off the road and into the water. As soon as I hit that water I realized that my car was going down fast, Wimberley said. I tried to break the passenger window, because at that time, I had already crawled over to the passenger side. I ripped my key out of the ignition and tried to break the window. It didnt work.Wimberley said all she could see was water filling up the front of the car.I wasnt going down with my car, Wimberly said. I threw my bag across my back and climbed into the back seat and started pushing on the door. It wouldnt open so, from there, I started kicking with my feet, holding the handle. When it started to budge, I crawled out.Wimberley said a passerby stopped and comforted her. He also gave her some towels and waited until Wimberleys family arrived.It was a miracle. She called me from the phone that was just underwater, said Annas father, Lon Wimberley. She was so full of emotion. She was terrified. She was crying. I could hear the terror in her voice. All she could say was, I wrecked the car. I wrecked the car.Lon Wimberley said his daughters car slammed into a retaining wall at the ditch, but her head didnt hit the wall.It was a miracle that she got out of the car, he said. Just a series of miracles, from beginning of this accident until now.The teenager, who is 5 feet, 2 inches tall and 110 pounds, has been a fighter for most of her life, her father said. She survived a heart attack when she was just 13.She doesnt quit. She doesnt give up. Shes always fought for what she wanted. She wanted to live, Lon Wimberley said.First responders told the Wimberley family that people dont usually survive these types of crashes. The car, which was submerged in 30 feet of water, was pulled from the waterway Monday.

A 16-year-old girl said she fought her way out of her car after it hydroplaned and landed in a flooded creek.

It was terrifying, honestly, Anna Wimberley said. I saw it happening and I couldnt control it, so I couldnt figure out how it was going to turn out.

The crash happened Friday afternoon on Highway 25 at Highway 471 in Rankin County. Wimberley said she lost control of her Honda Accord and it drifted over into the grass, off the road and into the water.

As soon as I hit that water I realized that my car was going down fast, Wimberley said. I tried to break the passenger window, because at that time, I had already crawled over to the passenger side. I ripped my key out of the ignition and tried to break the window. It didnt work.

Wimberley said all she could see was water filling up the front of the car.

I wasnt going down with my car, Wimberly said. I threw my bag across my back and climbed into the back seat and started pushing on the door. It wouldnt open so, from there, I started kicking with my feet, holding the handle. When it started to budge, I crawled out.

Wimberley said a passerby stopped and comforted her. He also gave her some towels and waited until Wimberleys family arrived.

It was a miracle. She called me from the phone that was just underwater, said Annas father, Lon Wimberley. She was so full of emotion. She was terrified. She was crying. I could hear the terror in her voice. All she could say was, I wrecked the car. I wrecked the car.

Lon Wimberley said his daughters car slammed into a retaining wall at the ditch, but her head didnt hit the wall.

It was a miracle that she got out of the car, he said. Just a series of miracles, from beginning of this accident until now.

The teenager, who is 5 feet, 2 inches tall and 110 pounds, has been a fighter for most of her life, her father said. She survived a heart attack when she was just 13.

She doesnt quit. She doesnt give up. Shes always fought for what she wanted. She wanted to live, Lon Wimberley said.

First responders told the Wimberley family that people dont usually survive these types of crashes. The car, which was submerged in 30 feet of water, was pulled from the waterway Monday.

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Teen driver describes how she escaped from car that crashed in flooded creek - WAPT Jackson

Belmont County Auditor Anthony Rocchio reports a dip in sales tax revenues, but the Belmont County commissioners said they are confident that future oil and gas investments in the area will continue to promote prosperity.T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK

ST. CLAIRSVILLE Belmont County experienced a slight dip in revenue compared to last year, but natural gas and oil investments have improved the economy in recent years and interest remains strong.

Richard Hord of Martins Ferry asked Commissioners Josh Meyer, J.P. Dutton and Jerry Echemann about the financial benefit of the gas and oil industry last Wednesday.

Im curious about the financial impact of the oil and gas industry on Belmont County for 2019. Is it similar to how it has been in the past? Is it less? Is it more? How are things coming along? Hord inquired.

I think things are coming along fairly well. I think the impact has been positive, Meyer said. Sales tax has been pretty steady over the last few years, but its increased from what it was prior to all that taking place. Lodging tax has been pretty steady this year as well. Its been a good thing for tourism in Belmont County. We anticipate more growth here in the future, depending on how things progress.

Many are also awaiting official word that an ethane cracker plant will be built in the Dilles Bottom area. They expect that development to lead to more economic prosperity.

I know thats on everyones mind, and were waiting patiently as well, Meyer said. When and if that takes place, I think well continue to grow.

According to the Belmont County Tourism Council, lodging taxes collected this year so far come to $480,686, while last year at this time the amount was $511,665 with a total of $658,642 for the year. When tourism Director Barb Ballint gave the quarterly report to the commissioners, she said she expected that revenue to increase with more gas and oil activity.

In terms of sales tax, Belmont County Auditor Anthony Rocchio said he did not have the current sales tax numbers at hand, and the December shopping season was still upcoming, but the hiatus of Jamboree In The Hills country music festival has been a blow to sales tax receipts. He added that this was cushioned, however, by the new locally originated Blame My Roots festival.

Its down this year, Rocchio said. Well see a decrease in our sales tax this year overall. The oil and gas is a little more complicated. Christmas is coming up, you want to see what that brings.

Oil and gas operations also provide for road paving through road use maintenance agreements, or RUMAs.

Theres been some work in the county. I would characterize this as being a typical year, Belmont County Engineer Terry Lively said. He did not have an estimate of the total amount of RUMA paving in 2019.

I havent added it up, but there has been steady activity throughout 2019 as far as oil and gas and RUMAs. Weve seen some improvements made on some of our roads. I would say its been a typical year from that standpoint, he added.

He said Sharon Road off of U.S. 250 in the Colerain area was updated earlier this year, with improvements made to Country Club Road ongoing.

Lively also said Equitrans Midstream has contributed $100,000 toward the replacement of a retaining wall on Colerain Pike.

We plan on doing that work next year as part of an (Ohio Public Works Commission) project, he said. Pugh Ridge was recently repaved by Gulfport in anticipation of some work theyre going to be doing out there, this summer of next year.

WHEELING The Most Rev. Mark Brennan, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, announced his ...

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Officials quizzed on financial impact of gas and oil investments in the area - Martins Ferry Times Leader

Civil infrastructure is starting to catch up to buildings in terms of adopting 3D modeling, as companies like Autodesk Inc. expand their suite of tools to include transportation. A new alliance between Autodesk and Virgin Hyperloop One (VHO) aims to push transportation route optimization, digital engineering and construction workflows for transportation even further.

The companies announced the agreement Nov. 20 at Autodesk University (AU) in Las Vegas. Virgin Hyperloop One is pushing the boundaries of transportation efficiency, said Josh Giegel, co-founder and chief technology officer for the company, in a statement. Virgin Hyperloop One and Autodesk will explore ways to optimize hyperloop routing and operations in a way that not only propels the hyperloop industry forward, but also has ancillary benefits to more traditional forms of transportation such as railway and highway route optimization.

VHOs technology features depressurized tubes that carry on-demand passenger or cargo pods at speeds of up to 670 miles per hour, powered by magnetic-levitation and electric propulsion. Rather than stations, the pick-up points will be called portals, said Min-Tak Cheung, VHO senior design architect, at a transportation summit during AU. A prototype portal has been built in India, and VHO is partnering with architects such as Foster and Partners, he adds.

BIM is already helping automate repetitive tasks on civil works, including rock bolting and tunnel cross-passages, said Jerome Chamfray, chief geodigital engineer with Jacobs. Generating and choosing options for earthwork and retaining wall construction can be done in days rather than weeks, he said.

Civil contractors spend five million hours a year measuring quantities, said Eric Cylwik, virtual construction engineer with Sundt Construction. It can take a month to revise a design. You had to document, interpret, and give feedback. If that process is streamlined through BIM tools, constructors can focus on means and methods, he said.

Owners can also use virtual tools to save money and time during the bid process, said Jamie Waller, assistant director of construction for the Tennessee Dept. of Transportation. The agency started a pilot program using PlanGrid to distribute bid documents both internally and externally, saving over 500,000 sheets of paper and 123 hours of work, she said.

As of March this year, the winning contractor on a project is required to register with PlanGrid software before preconstruction, she said.

Mohammed Al Ktaishat, digital project delivery lead for AECOM Middle East, said that reality capture using drones, 360 cameras and Lidar saved 32% in time spent inspecting a rail project.

BIM and digitization will play a major role not only in design and construction, but in asset management as Heathrow Airport embarks on a 50-billion capital program, said Nigel Stroud, expansion information management lead with the airport.

The 30-year master plan includes relocating four rivers and a motorway, building a new runway and nearly doubling passenger capacity, he said.

The airport is creating a digital environment that eliminates file-based exchanges and creates a single source of asset information, he said.

In London, a 5-billion project aims to increase motorway capacity between London, Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham by one-third using technology, said Liam Gallagher, director of digital delivery with Jacobs. The effort includes 40 million asset data attributes of the motorways, he added.

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Digitization and 3D Makes Inroads in Civil Projects - Engineering News-Record

Redland Brick, which has its headquarters in Williamsport, will become part of an Australian company if an announced deal goes through.

Brickworks North America Corp. announced this month that it had reached a binding agreement to acquire substantially all of Redland Brick Inc.s assets related to its Cushwa, Harmar, Rocky Ridge, Lawrenceville Brick and Tru-Brix product lines.

The companies expect to complete the deal in early 2020, according to a news release.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Brickworks North America is a subsidiary of Brickworks Limited, a publicly listed Australian-owned company, Australias largest brickmaker and one of that countrys leading building products companies, the release states. The Redland Brick products will join the Glen-Gery family of brands. Brickworks acquired Glen-Gery in 2018, according to the release.

Redland Brick Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Belden Holding & Acquisition Inc., a family-owned company that operates brick plants and other interests. Redland has five brick-manufacturing plants, including two in Maryland, and one each in Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Virginia. It has about 200 employees.

The hard work and success of Redland Brick and its employees gained the attention of Brickworks, an international building products leader, Robert F. Belden, Belden Brick chairman and CEO, said in the release. Redlands staff who will be joining Glen-Gery will now have the advantage of being part of this highly successful company with exciting plans for the future in the U.S. market. As part of the Glen-Gery family, these Redland staff will share a long and proud heritage of fine brick making. For Belden Brick, the acquisition allows us to focus on our operations in Ohio.

In addition, Brickworks will acquire all KF-branded products remaining in the KF yard, becoming a distributor of these products following completion of the transaction in early 2020.

Brickworks deal for Redland comes on the heels of Brickworks acquisition of Sioux City Brick in August.

We are seeing strong growth in the demand for high-quality, innovative brick products for broad commercial and residential applications. To meet this demand, investment in modernized brick plants and robust R&D efforts are essential, Mark Ellenor, president of Brickworks North America, said in the release. Consolidation of brands and facilities is the key to strengthening the market and securing the future. Brickworks is pleased to lead the industry in innovation and promotion of bricks.

Redland Brick produces handmade, molded and extruded face brick, pavers and thin brick for the architectural and residential markets.

The transaction will expand Glen-Gerys reach in the southern United States, and the addition of Redland Bricks modern manufacturing plants will strengthen Glen-Gerys ability to more efficiently meet the growing supply demands of distributors and customers, the companies reported in the release.

In addition, Redland Bricks brands will extend Glen-Gerys selection of product styles, colors and textures. In particular, Redland Bricks Cushwa brand will expand Glen-Gerys premium product line of innovative brick designs for the needs of architects, interior designers and design professionals.

Major cities in our region, including New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and Detroit all have a strong heritage of brick construction, Ellenor said in the release. We are confident the superior technical and aesthetic qualities of brick will ensure a bright future and continued strong demand.

Brickworks Limited, which traces its history to 1908, offers products including bricks, masonry blocks, retaining wall systems, pavers, roof tiles, precast concrete panels, timber products and other items. The company distributes its products throughout Australia and New Zealand. Through Brickworks North America, Brickworks Limited has a presence in the North American market through ownership of Glen-Gery and Sioux City Brick. http://www.brickworks.com.au

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Company to acquire Redland Brick - Herald-Mail Media

Photo: Decorative Stone Solutions

There are many hardscaping elements that can be added to a landscape design that are both attractive and functional.

One example of this is the gabion wall. Gabion walls can be used in landscapes as retaining walls, decorative site walls, seating walls, accent walls and more.

Randy Jurgensen, president of Decorative Stone Solutions, based in Escondido, California, says gabion walls are well suited for mid-century modern designs as they tend to be more linear in shape and its harder to make organic shapes with gabions.

This hardscape structure has seen an increase in usage over the past few years and heres what you should know if you are considering using one in your next landscaping project.

Photo: Decorative Stone Solutions

Gabion is derived from the Italian word for cage and is a wire container that can hold any sort of inorganic material. They can form flexible, permeable structures that work well in stabilizing shorelines against erosion.

Originally these cages were wicker and were commonly used for civil engineering and military purposes. Leonardo da Vinci even used gabions for the foundation of the San Marco Castle in Milan.

Gabions should not be confused with bastions, which are gabions lined typically with a geotextile allowing it to be filled with a granular soil fill, instead of rocks.

I think the big pros are theyre economic, they have little to no maintenance, theyre easy to install and they are very long lasting, and they can be created fairly quickly, says Jurgensen.

The cost of the wall depends on the wire being used as there are various grades and gauges of wire mesh available, but they are typically all galvanized. The other determining factor on the cost is the fill material being used.

Photo: Decorative Stone Solutions

Angular rock is the best gabion fill as they lock together and provide a non-moving unit. Jurgensen suggests using a heavier gauge wire if your customer wants to use a rounded river rock as the fill material to help it maintain its shape.

Jurgensen says unskilled laborers can easily learn to erect, fill and close the wire baskets properly.

Pilings, underwater drainage systems and excavations are unnecessary, he says. Theres no need to drain the site or to construct a cofferdam for underwater installation. The first layer of gabions can be laid in water or in mud.

Jurgensen says theres no need to create a foundation for gabion walls as they end up weighing so much when you fill them with rock. He says what anchors the wall is the sheer mass and weight of the structure. The longer its there, the more it settles in and the stronger it becomes.

Any gabion wall 3 feet and under does not require the calculation of loads and stress it might take on, but Jurgensen says if youre going higher than 3 feet you should get an engineer involved to make sure its safely constructed.

A gabion walls lifespan depends on the type of wire used and the amount of salt spray it is exposed to.

Something that is very coastal tends to rust out like any metal a little quicker, Jurgensen says. The further inland you go the longer these tend to last but 50 to 100 years is the typical lifespan.

Photo: Decorative Stone Solutions

Gabion walls are highly permeable and are able to bleed off any hydrostatic pressure, eliminating the need to install a drainage system.

Unlike a traditional concrete wall, gabion walls are flexible and are able to move with the earth.

Lets say youre in an area where you have a freeze thaw cycle and the earth rises and sinks as you go through these freeze thaw cycles, Jurgensen says. This has the ability to move with it so you dont have a breakdown, where in concrete walls youre going to get cracking and eventually collapsing under foundation and internal stresses of movement.

Some of the cons are typically gabions are too bulky for smaller spaces and they may provide a home for unwanted flora and fauna.

One of the drawbacks, and pro depending on what youre after, is a lot of windblown and water-carried debris and soil can end up in all the crevices inside the wall so you can actually end up with some vegetation growing in these walls. Some people like that and other people dont want to see that.

Photo: Decorative Stone Solutions

Another possible con is the industrial look of the gabion wall, which Jurgensen says some like and others prefer a more natural looking wall. He says one way to make these walls more attractive is to choose a good fill material.

The more attractive stone you use, the better its going to look overall, he says. Theres a couple ways to fill these gabions. You can use a very good looking stone as the facing material so thats whats actually showing to the viewer and then you can backfill that with a less expensive, more industrial grade stone thats not going to be visible but still acts a structural component of the gabion wall.

The fill material can vary from logs to broken concrete to slag glass.

Youll see various types of landscape glass, big chunks of colored glass, being used that makes a pretty neat design both during the day and night, Jurgensen says. The neat thing about filling it with something like a glass product is you can use lighting inside, so you can run lighting inside of a gabion wall behind the glass, and then that can be lit up at night.

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Pros and cons of using gabion walls in the landscape - Total Landscape Care

Jericho is famous both to prehistorians and Biblical scholars. It is likely the oldest continuously inhabited permanent settlement in the world, known for ancient astronomical observatories, plastered skulls, and impressive walls, and it is these walls that the city is probably most famous for. The walls of Jericho are the subject of much discussion and research due to their importance for evaluating the historicity of the Biblical narrative of the ancient Israelite invasion of Canaan.

Early archaeological work was done on Jericho in the late 1950s by investigators, such as Dame Kathleen Kenyon . Among many other things, they found evidence of walls and a city that had been attacked. This has made Jericho a place of great importance for those interested in Biblical studies.

The earliest evidence of settlement comes from 12,000 years ago when hunter-gatherers settled in the area. Although they were hunter-gatherers, the area seems to have been abundant enough that they were able to live a sedentary lifestyle. They lived in oval stone structures that were partially underground. By about 10,500 years ago, or around 8,500 BC, the people of Jericho had adopted agriculture and Jericho had become a major Neolithic settlement engaging in long distance trade. It was during this time that the famous tower of Jericho was built.

The tower of Jericho was originally discovered by Dame Kathleen Kenyon who suggested that it might have formed part of the original fortification of the town. Modern archaeologists have suggested that it is an ancient astronomical observatory . Within the tower is a staircase that leads to a position where, on what was the summer solstice at the time, the sun could be seen setting behind Mount Quruntul within the Judaean mountains.

The 8000 BC Tower of Jericho at the site of Tell es-Sultan, 2009. (Salamandra123 / CC BY-SA 3.0 )

In addition to the tower, mysterious plastered skulls have been found, where the skulls were taken out of their graves and given plastered facial features and shell eyes. They are believed to be related to ancestor worship.

Plastered Skull from Jericho from 7,000 BC discovered by Dame Kathleen Kenyon, 1957. (Merryjack, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 )

By about 7,000 BC, there was a cultural shift where the population in Jericho was reduced and architectural styles changed from round to rectangular houses. Jericho continued to exist as a small village but did not become a large settlement again until around 3,000 BC. After 3,000 BC, extensive fortifications, consisting of walls and towers, were constructed around Jericho. Large cemeteries were also built. Around 2300 BC, Jericho became occupied by the Amorites. During the Amorite period, Jericho appears to have declined as an urban center. By about 1900 BC, the site was occupied by the Canaanites and once again became a major city. It is this Canaanite Jericho that was encountered by the ancient Israelites in the Book of Joshua.

The Biblical narrative describes the city as having nearly impregnable walls, which were intimidating to anyone who tried to take the city. There is archaeological evidence that the city was once fortified and that it was subsequently attacked and burned sometime in the middle or late Bronze Age between 1550 BC and 1400 BC.

Biblical depiction of the fall of Jericho. (Otto Semler, CC BY SA 2.0 )

The city of Jericho sat atop a mound or hill, which was surrounded by an embankment. The embankment was supported by an enormous stone retaining wall. Above the retaining wall was an 8-10 meter tall and 2 meter thick mudbrick wall. The wall was directly above the retaining wall and lined the edges of the embankment.

At the perimeter of the summit of the flat-topped hill on which the city was built was another mudbrick wall, which contained the upper city. There is evidence that houses were also built on the embankment and people lived on the lower part of the hill between the inner wall and the outer wall. Since this part of the city would have been less safe in times of war, it has been suggested that this was likely the poorer part of the city. The upper city may have been inhabited by the elites, while commoners lived in the lower city.

Although the inner and outer walls were only mudbrick, they would have been impressive for the time and would have made Jericho a mighty fortress to which people from surrounding towns and villages could flee in times of invasion.

The city of Jericho appears to follow a Bronze Age tradition in which cities were built on top of artificial embankments or mounds surrounded by walls. This style of defense is found outside of Jericho at locations such Hazor, Megiddo, and Shechem. Typically, the site would consist of a mound with an artificial embankment surrounding it. Around the embankment would be a stone retaining wall. Settlements with this type of defense structure also had a mudbrick wall built atop the retaining wall as well as another wall surrounding the crest of the mound. This type of fortification is referred to as a glacis and is found all over Palestine and in large portions of the Middle East.

Citadel of Allepo, Syria, showing an example of a glacis fortification, 2007. (Brian Harrington Spier / CC BY-SA 2.0 )

Scholars have speculated about the origin of the glacis. When research into these structures began in the early to mid-20 th century, these fortifications were originally associated with the Hyksos. Originally, the Hyksos were thought to be Indo-European chariot warriors . The fortification was postulated to represent the original fortifications that they used in their homeland.

Since the mid-20 th century, this theory has been abandoned and the glacis fortifications are no longer considered to be associated with chariot warfare. Today, the Hyksos are known to have spoken a Semitic language and were likely more closely related to the ancient Hebrews than they were to Indo-European steppe warriors.

Although archaeologists had abandoned the idea that the fortification design came from the steppes of the Indo-European homeland, they were still convinced that the fortification must have come from the north, such as from Anatolia or Syria. By 1968, archaeologists had begun to suggest that the glacis was a native design invented by the Palestinians themselves. This appears to be the predominant view currently.

Another point of contention has been the use of the fortifications. Archaeologists in the mid-20 th century, originally believed that the glacis-fortifications were primarily military forts. It is now known that they were simply fortified towns and that at their summits and on the embankments were houses, temples, and other civilian structures.

The glacis first came in to use in the late 18th century BC and was widespread through the middle Bronze Age. By the Iron Age, the glacis appears to have fallen out of use. The legacy of the glacis, however, is reflected in the mound or hill-shaped structure of many archaeological sites across the Levant.

For a while, Jericho presented a problem in Biblical studies. On a broader level, there appears to be a discrepancy between the account of the Israelite settlement of Canaan in the Book of Joshua and what is known from archaeology. An initial reading of the Book of Joshua gives the impression that Canaan was taken in a sudden conquest. This is not what is reflected in the current archaeological record that suggests a more gradual settlement, which is more consistent with the account given in the Book of Judges.

However, a closer reading of the Book of Joshua shows that not all of Canaan was conquered by Joshua. Only three cities were specifically described as being burned and destroyed by the ancient Israelites, Ai, Hazor, and Jericho.

As can be seen, evidence of a swift invasion is not necessary to reconcile the Book of Joshuas account with the archaeological record. Nonetheless, the story of the destruction of Jericho, Ai, and Hazor, around 1400 BC, is consistent with what is known from archaeological excavations.

When the Bible speaks of the walls of Jericho falling down, the original Hebrew wording carries the idea of the walls falling below themselves. This is consistent with the design of the glacis since the outer wall would probably be a mudbrick wall sitting atop the stone retaining wall. Thus, if the outer wall was toppled, it would fall below to the base of the retaining wall.

During early archaeological excavations by the British archaeologist Dame Kathleen Kenyon, a stone retaining wall was found at the base of the tell associated with Jericho, but a mudbrick wall wasnt found. However, a deposit of collapsed mudbrick was found at the base of the retaining wall at certain locations around the tell. This is surprisingly consistent with the account in the Book of Joshua. This collapsed wall would have also created a ramp for the Israelite warriors to march up the embankment to take the city. In this way, the archaeological record makes the Biblical account surprisingly believable. It supports the idea that the walls tumbled below themselves as well as the statement that the Israelites went up to take the city.

Birdseye view of the unearthed foundations at Tell es-Sultan in Jericho and the surrounding area, 2008. ( Public Domain )

Another specific part of the narrative that is also made plausible by the archaeological record is the account of Rahabs house being spared. In the Biblical narrative, two spies were sent into the city and they were harbored by a prostitute named Rahab. For helping the spies, Rahab was promised that she and her family would be spared when the city was destroyed. It is implied in the Biblical text, when the walls collapsed that her house was not destroyed even though it was connected to the wall.

During an early excavation in 1907-1909, German archaeologists found that, although most of the wall had collapsed, a portion of the wall had not entirely collapsed and appeared to have been preserved. They also found evidence that houses had been built along the wall. These houses typically had a thickness of only one brick, suggesting they were built for the poorer inhabitants of the city. Although this may not have been the location of Rahabs house, it is consistent with the Biblical narrative.

Another detail that is also of interest in the archaeological site of Jericho is the presence of pots of charred grain that were burned from when the city was attacked and destroyed. What is unusual about these grain pots is that grain would probably have been eaten during a siege if it had been prolonged over a long period of time. The siege of Jericho by the ancient Israelites is said to have lasted only seven days. The fact that the grain pots were still full is consistent with a short siege. This also supports another part of the Biblical narrative, which mentions that the battle of Jericho happened in the spring, shortly after harvest time.

Biblical depiction of the battle of Jericho. ( Public Domain

These details do not prove that the Bible is true necessarily, but they do demonstrate that the Biblical narrative is plausible and makes sense. This is consistent with other archaeological finds that increase confidence in the Biblical narrative as being at least archaeologically and historically realistic.

Although there are still unanswered questions and discrepancies between the Biblical account and the archaeological record, the Bible can be thought of as a basically reliable document that does provide some useful details for archaeologists and historians interested in understanding the lifeways and societies of the ancient Levant, even if it turns out to not be true or accurate in its entirety.

An analogy is Homers Iliad. The archaeological site now considered to be the site of ancient Troy was first excavated by Heinrich Schliemann in the 1870s. Schliemann was in search of the Troy of Greek legend. During this excavation, Schliemann discovered artifacts, which he believed to be the treasures of King Priam, although this idea was later discredited. Nonetheless, in the century and a half since the initial excavations by Heinrich Schliemann, scholars have noted that the topographic descriptions of the land and city in the Iliad do seem to match what is known of the ancient city from archaeology. This is interesting in light of the fact that Hisarlik, the current Turkish name for the archaeological site, has been associated with the legendary city for thousands of years. Although it is far from clear how much of the Trojan war is history and how much is legend, it does appear plausible that there is truth to the narrative.

The Ramayana is another possible example. Although Rama, the main character, is not mentioned on any monuments or coinage, as would be expected of a historical monarch, most of the cities and places mentioned in the Ramayana are known to exist or have been discovered through archaeological investigation. This does not necessarily mean that the events in the Ramayana happened as described, but they do make the story of the Ramayana more plausible.

In the same way, these archaeological findings at Jericho do not necessarily prove that the Biblical narrative happened exactly as described, but they do lend credence to the story described on the pages of the Bible. Although sometimes archaeology casts doubt on traditional stories about the past, other times it confirms them in surprising ways.

Top Image: Bible Old Testament: Joshua and the walls of Jericho. Source: Archivist / Adobe Stock

By Caleb Strom

Hirsch, Emil G., M. Seligsohn, and Solomon Schechter. 1895. Jericho. Jewish Encyclopedia.

Available at: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8597-jericho

Hirst, K. Kris. 2019. Jericho (Palestine) Archaeology of the Ancient City . ThoughtCo.

Available at:

https://www.thoughtco.com/jericho-palestine-archaeology-of-ancient-city-171414

Jarus, Owen. 2017. Ancient Troy: The City & the Legend . Live Science. Available at:

https://www.livescience.com/38191-ancient-troy.html

Jewish Virtual Library. N.D. Jericho. Available at:

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jericho

Kenyon, Kathleen. 1954. Excavations at Jericho . The Journal of the Royal Anthropological

Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2844004

Kenyon, Kathleen. 2017. Jericho. Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at:

https://www.britannica.com/place/Jericho-West-Bank

Parr, Peter J. 1968. The Origin of the Rampart Fortifications of Middle Bronze Age Palestine

and Syria. Journal of the German Palestinian Society. Available at:

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/27930822.pdf

Strom, Caleb. 2017. Was Rama Based on a Real Historical Figure? Ancient Origins.

Available at:

https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/was-rama-based-real-historical-figure-007456

Windlebry. 2019. Biblical Sites: Three Discoveries at Jericho . Bible Archaeology Report.

Available at:

Biblical Sites: Three Discoveries at Jericho

Wood, Bryant. 1999. The Walls of Jericho . Creation Magazine. Available at:

https://answersingenesis.org/archaeology/the-walls-of-jericho/

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The Walls of Jericho: How Accurate Was The Biblical Account? - Ancient Origins

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the most fascinating motor races in the world, so it makes sense why there has been a sudden influx of great new films about the event coming to the fore recently. But I think my new favorite has to be Le Mans 1955.

An animated short film by Quentin Baillieux, Le Mans 1955 is about the infamousLe Mans disasterof that year; its also eligible to compete in the 2020 Oscars.

In 55, Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR driver Pierre Levegh died in a horrifying car accident on the front stretch of the Circuit de la Sarthe a mere three hours into the race. Mike Hawthorne cut into the pits and missed his pit stall, forcing Lance Macklin to pull across the track in front of Levegh. Moving much faster than Macklin, Leveghs car rode up the side of the other drivers Austin-Healey 100S, launched into the air, struck a retaining wall, and sent debris scattering into a densely packed crowd.

Levegh was killed after being thrown from the car. Initial news reports claimed 83 people were also killed after being struck by debris. A Le Mans official later actually noted that it was likely closer to 130 people killed.

Mercedes withdrew from its leading position in the race out of respect for the dead and didnt return to motor racing for 43 years.

Baillieuxs 15-minute long animated film touches on the subject with the gravity and tenderness it deserves. Most of the film is in English, but English subtitles are available when French is spoken.

The animation is absolutely gorgeous. Its sharp, minimalist style is not only incredible to watch simply for aesthetics sake, but it also sets a somber tone right off the bat. This isnt the kind of subject matter to be treated with ornamental flourish. Its painful, illustrating all the worst parts of motor racing.

Le Mans 1955 doesnt get into the history of the event, the significance of Leveghs crash, how he may have even saved Juan Manuel Fangios life with a hand signal letting Fangio know to get out of the way quickly. But it doesnt really need to. We see Leveghs teammate John Fitch struggling with being essentially backup for his more impressive teammates, his joy at ending up running ahead of that Fangio/Moss at the start, his pain at the loss of his teammate and friend.

Its a touching film, treading delicately on the suffering. The crash is never explicitly shown, nor is any gore. The most you see is a dead body being covered with a blanket and the cars fire raging in the background.

Take fifteen minutes out of your day to watch. You wont regret it.

See more here:
This Incredible New Film Masterfully Takes On The Worst Crash In Racing History - Jalopnik

Asheville, NC - The YardFathers have become the trusted landscapers in Asheville, NC and this is because of the quality of services offered by the company. Taking creativity and mixing it with experience combined with the use of top quality materials, The YardFathers have been able to turn boring areas into an amazing masterpiece worthy of envy. The landscapers pride themselves on being able to offer their clients the best services irrespective of the size of the project, whether big or small.

As part of their commitment to ensuring the beauty of their community, The YardFathers has a team that goes above and beyond to ensure that the clients dreams are brought to reality. The team of professional landscapers understands that each client is different in terms of their style, taste, sophistication and specific details. They offer personalized services which will see to it that clients remain 100 percent satisfied at the end of each project.

The spokesperson for the Asheville landscapers at The YardFathers, while describing their service said, The YardFathers are here to provide your home with a premier outdoor living space. If you have a vision for your outdoor space, let us bring your dreams to reality! At YardFathers, we understand the true art of creating a premier outdoor retreat, with an artisans touch of tranquil elegance. Whether you have been contemplating a retaining wall to accent your landscape plans, a beautifully designed paver patio, or an elaborate outdoor kitchen, we can manifest your ideas. We bring beautiful design to life in Asheville and the surrounding counties.

Having handled several projects in Asheville and the surrounding areas, the team at The YardFathers keeps their goal of enhancing a clients outdoor living space in a way that aligns with their creative vision by providing a wide range of landscaping services. Their landscaping services have expanded to provide custom paver solutions for patios, driveways, and walkways. Their custom Asheville patio design has been structured so that clients can choose from the large variety of sizes, shapes, colors, and textures of pavers to add to their patios for the desired outcomes.

In addition to this, the landscapers also offer solutions to clients who live in mountainous areas and are in need of retaining walls to provide structural support, prevent erosion, improve aesthetics and add other benefits to their property. With several success stories recorded, the landscapers are also the trusted contractors for outdoor kitchens, fire pits, fireplaces and other outdoor structures that extend the usage of the outdoor living space including pools, lawns and others.

The Asheville landscapers at The YardFathers also offers deck and fencing solutions to property owners, presenting clients with endless options for fencing their homes and delivering the best composite decking which guarantees durability and longevity.

The YardFathers also offers hardscape services including the installation of pillar caps, concrete countertops, concrete or stone edging, step and pool deck coping, boulder landscape, pergola installation, fence installation and design, landscape installation, outdoor furniture, drip irrigattion and more.

Whether you are in need of outdoor living lighting, landscape lighting, architectural lighting, or other types of lighting fixtures including step lights, garden and path lights, downlights, up and wall lights, deck lighting, or submersible lighting, contact The YardFathers at 13 Esek Dr, Leicester, NC 28748, call them at (828) 582-4019, send an email via yardfathersllc@gmail.com or visit their website.

Media ContactCompany Name: The YardFathersContact Person: Nick CardilloEmail: Send EmailPhone: (828) 582-4019Address:13 Esek Dr City: LeicesterState: NCCountry: United StatesWebsite: https://theyardfathers.com/

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The Yardfathers Are The Most Trusted Landscaping Company For Asheville, NC - Press Release - Digital Journal

Retaining walls often serve a very important role of preventing soil erosion and maintaining the grade of a landscape. They often hold the land back, preventing it from sliding. Retaining walls can be as beautiful as they are functional and can be the focal point of a landscape. Many different materials can be used to blend with any design and the cost of a retaining wall can vary.

A new retaining wall usually costs $3,000 $8,500. There are several factors that affect the price of a wall, mainly labor and materials needed for the project.

Labor is a significant cost for any construction project, and that cost will vary depending on the size, scale, and complexity of the landscaping project. Labor to construct a retaining wall often ranges between $50 $60 per hour, but the amount of labor needed will need to be estimated.

Consider requesting a professional retaining wall estimate to get an accurate labor cost. You may be able to complete the project yourself as well, minimizing labor costs.

Retaining wall material can range in price from $10 $40 per square foot, with some material options including cinder block, wood, interlocking concrete block, natural stone, or poured concrete.

Cinder block is a cost effective material for a retaining wall, and usually runs between $10 $15 per square foot. Cinder block is often not the most desirable choice for a retaining wall since it is not structurally designed for lateral support and to hold the land back, but may be used for short retaining walls. Cinder block can be plastered or painted to improve the cosmetic appearance. Check out our concrete block calculator to estimate how many cinder blocks you will need for your wall.

Wood timbers are a great material for retaining walls since they are beautiful and strong. Wood timbers often cost $15 $25 per square foot. Wood walls often last many years, however they do tend to rot and degrade over time and will eventually need to be replaced.

Interlocking concrete blocks are beautiful and designed and structured specifically for use in retaining walls. Block walls usually cost $20 $30 per square foot, which can vary depending on the type of block used. Concrete block walls can last a lifetime when installed correctly and add beauty to almost any landscape. Estimate how many blocks you need for your retaining wall.

Natural stone retaining walls are very attractive, and stones can range in size from a few inches to a several feet. Natural stone usually costs $25 $40 per square foot but usually cost a bit more than concrete blocks to install. Learn more about installing natural stone retaining walls.

Poured concrete has become more popular for use in retaining walls as color and patterns have become more commonly used, making them look much better than a plain concrete wall. Poured concrete is often the most expensive choice for a wall at about $30 $40 per square foot, but is also extremely durable. When installed correctly a poured concrete wall will last a very long time with virtually no maintenance.

People often overlook some additional materials needed to install any retaining wall. A proper wall installation often starts with a solid base, sometimes gravel, sand, or concrete. Walls also need a way to drain excess water from behind the wall, which requires gravel, backing, and drain materials. After the wall is constructed fill material will be needed for behind the wall, but often this is available on site. Consider the cost of these extra materials when estimating the cost of your wall project.

Other factors can affect the cost of a retaining wall. Once common factor is the amount of excavation needed for the project and the material that needs to be excavated. Removing rock and boulders will be more labor intensive then removing dirt for example. The height of a wall can also affect the cost.

Higher walls need to have a stronger base, more drainage, more excavation, and often require more planning and engineering. Adding steps to a wall can also add to the cost, so consider that when estimating your project. Every property is different so always consider getting professional estimates for a more accurate cost assessment of your retaining wall.

All pricing information on this page is based on average industry costs, and is subject to variance for project-specific materials, labor rates, and requirements.

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Cost to Build a Retaining Wall in 2019 - Inch Calculator

Get your weekend workout and an attractive, hard-working wall with this DIY-friendly project

A concrete block retaining wall is the perfect solution to control erosion, to eliminate a hard-to-mow slope, to add a planting bed, or to level an ideal patio area. These systems are easy to install, durable, reasonably priced and available in a variety of colors and textures. This article shows you how to install one in a weekend.

The wall we built was a weekend-long project and an exhausting one at that. It took a day to rip out the old, collapsing retaining wall, to dig farther into the hill to provide room for the backfill gravel and to help unload materials. It took another day to install the base, blocks and backfill.

Before launching into this concrete retaining wall project, contact your local building code official. Depending on the height and location of your wall, there may be structural, drainage and setback (the distance from the wall to property line) considerations. A permit may be required.

Unless you own a heavy-duty truck (and back!), have your blocks, compactable base gravel, sand and backfill gravel delivered. Blocks may cost slightly more at specialty landscaping stores than at home centers, but landscaping stores are often better equipped to deliver the small batches of base, sand and gravel that you'll need for installing the concrete retaining wall blocks. rolling yard.

Learn about choosing retaining wall material here.

The Versa-Lok brand retaining wall system we installed uses nylon pins to align and secure horizontal rows of 80-lb. blocks. Other block systems use lips, gravity and filled cores to connect rows and increase strength. Your system may differ, but most of the preparation and installation steps remain the same.

We used a transit level to establish a flat base. But unless you own or rent one and know how to use it properly, just use a 4-ft. level taped to a long, straight 2x4, especially for short walls. The tamper, brick tong and block chisel are available at rental yards.

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How to Build a Concrete Retaining Wall | The Family Handyman