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from the same article at NCSE website – right before the conclusion, it draws the curvature of the earth into the equation of what a "worldwide" flood might look like to those present on the ark. I don't see where you get the idea it refutes a regional flood as described in Genesis. "Effects of the Curvature of the Earth Because of the curvature of the earth, the horizon drops from where the viewer is standing. However, the drop is proportional to the square of the distance between the viewer and an object on the horizon (Young nd). From these relationships, it can be seen that a tribal chief (or Noah) standing on the deck of a large boat (Ark), perhaps 7.8 meters above the water, would not be able to see the tops of any hills as high as 15 m from as little as 24 km away across flood plains covered with water because the curvature of the earth prevents it (See the Appendix for examples of calculations). Most hills in this region that are as much as 15 m high are more than 95 km away from the river levees. Therefore, the survivors of the Flood could see only water in all directions while they were floating down the Tigris River and over the flood plains. Many of these hills would also be partly covered with water which would make their tops project less above the water level, and therefore, the curvature of the earth would make them disappear from the line of sight in even a shorter distance than 24 km. Northeast and southwest of the nearly flat surface that contains the two rivers, the topography rises to more than 455 m in Saudi Arabia and in Iran. Calculations show that elevations of 455 m high cannot be seen beyond 86 km away, and these places are more than 160 km from the Euphrates or Tigris Rivers. Therefore, none of the high country in Saudi Arabia or Iran would be visible to a tribal chief (or Noah). On that basis, the "whole world" would definitely appear to be covered with water during the Flood, and that was the "whole world" for the people in this part of southeastern Mesopotamia at that time." NCSE article Hey I hear yah on priorities Raf. And maybe I'm starting to realize why debate isn't really my thing. There's a lot of time and effort that goes into clarifying ideas; just the couple of times I burned the midnight oil and stealing a few minutes here and there at work during some down time has shown me that. Between that and getting ready to go on vacation I'm not sure if or when I'll get back to this thought-provoking discussion. you have a good night too!