Thursday, April 04, 2013

The Gates of Hell


Scientists are always looking for new and interesting things, but sometimes along the way, they discover old and interesting things ... like the Gates of Hell.

Yes, Dear Readers, according to this article, scientists excavating the site of Hierapolis in Turkey have discovered the location once known as Pluto's Gate: Plutonium - the very gates of hell. It's a cave that exudes poisonous vapors, as documented thousands of years ago when Greek historian Strabo wrote that:

“This space is full of a vapor so misty and dense that one can scarcely see the ground. Any animal that passes inside meets instant death. I threw in sparrows and they immediately breathed their last and fell.”

I've been in men's locker rooms that were like that.

Although the scientists believe that this site is the actual location of the fabled Gates of Hell, there are other sites which lay claim to this honor. One of them, according to the article, is a fiery pit in the depths of the Karakum Desert. Another is the Biblical valley of Gehenna. And yet another is Detroit, as immortalized in the classic film Kentucky Fried Movie ...



And Pyongyang is probably up there on the list, too, but Kim Jong-Un will be getting around to threatening it with nuclear destruction before too long, so we'll pass on it.

Just a little note on places you may wish to avoid when planning your next vacation.

Have a good day. See you back here for Cartoon Saturday.

Bilbo

6 comments:

eViL pOp TaRt said...

Thanks for these tips, Bilbo. I'll avoid those places. Detriot's airport seems safe, if boring, but I'll avoid the PRNK, Hieropolis, Gehenna, and downtown Atlanta.

Mike said...

The Kentucky Fried Movie is not available on Netflix. Darn.

KathyA said...

I've been in middle school cafeterias like that!

Bilbo said...

Angel - Good idea.

Mike - it's available on DVD. Buy it. It's hysterically funny. Agnes hates it, but has finally stopped threatening to throw away my copy.

Kathy - did we go to the same middle school? By the way ... I don't recall the term "middle school" being used until I was well out of high school. Do you know how long the term's been in use?

Duckbutt said...

Bilbo, here's a map of what the Canadians think are safe places to visit, where to be extra careful, and where to avoid.




http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/travel-warnings/

The Mistress of the Dark said...

Bilbo..I'm pretty sure the gates of hell have move to DC...