Mephistopheles (German /MEF-ist-OF-il-eez/) is a demon in German folklore who is also known as Mephostophilis [1] and Mephisto [2].
He originated as the chief devil in the Faust legend (Faustian bargain) [3]. This demon has since become a stock character appearing in other works of arts and popular culture.
Mephistopheles never became an integral part of traditional magic [4]. More
I'll make a deal with the Devil to give me musical talent. Where's the nearest crossroads at? (Robert Johnson)
Delaney and her boyfriend had a good time at Burning Man (delaneyeva/Daily Star.co.uk)
Hi, we're Kenny and Johnny, conservative pals.
John & Ken Show Hour 1 (Sept. 5, 2023)
Burning Man flooded and stranded a bunch [64,000] festival goers.
Reading the Daily Star, a British tabloid/rag, the inseparable pair pores over the details of sex and release at this year's Burning Man 9-day festival.
Los Angeles area employees at an El Monte jewelry store beat up a super obese attempted smash and grab robber.
If Ken were a doll and John were his John
Dr. Anthony Fauci resurfaces on CNN, talking about masks. [He hasn't figured out that he said they wouldn't work, would work, and now science shows they didn't work?]
A plane had to turn around because a male passenger dropped explosive diarrhea all up and down the cabin. More
‘I joined mile high club on Burning Man s*x plane: Everyone gets to reach altitude'
Delaney and her boyfriend were given a mile high ride over Burning Man's Black Rock City.
A randy festival-goer has told how she joined the mile high club by b*nking on a special "s*x plane" at Burning Man. And Delaney Eva has described the saucy experience in detail, explaining how: "The plane stays up until everyone finishes their ride."
It's the latest crazy story to come out of the annual Nevada Black Rock Desert event dubbed the "wildest festival of the year.
From painful injuries in the orgy dome tent to getting raunchy in huge communal showers, there's always plenty of b*nkers moments at the free-spirited arts event – but Delaney's experience might have topped them all.
The online model, who lives in Hawaii, revealed she and her boyfriend had the time of their lives at Burning Man last year when they hitched a plane ride with a fellow burner. More
The peacock was kept in a cage in the temple premises. I never could understand why the monk allowed him to be caged up like that. The whole day long he used to pace back and forth, back and forth, unceasingly inside his cage.
When this gorgeous creature let out his mournful cry, which resounded through the air, I recognized the call all too well. The note of pain, grief, lamentation, and despair in the cry was unmistakable.
I realized he was suffering from the pain of separation — from his mate, perhaps, his kith and kin, his familiar haunts in the jungle and, furthermore, he was experiencing extreme frustration at being locked up in a cage.
I walked up close to the cage and observed the marvelous colors of his body. He was a majestic specimen. He stood still, posing, feeling my admiring gaze on him. At that moment I knew he was not feeling any grief or loneliness. He was finding self-affirmation in my admiring gaze, no doubt.
I lost myself in the sheer beauty of his form, complexity of design, and color. He held his arched neck in a stately fashion, its head proudly poised with its dainty coronet. From the top of his head, down over his neck to his breast and under-carriage he wore, like a coat of mail, an eye-shattering resplendent blue.
Then came a bold pattern of black and white on its wing feathers, ending in a band of buff edging. On the nape of his neck, where the blue ended, there was a scarf, as it were, of ornate embroidery in greens and golds.
I had never seen anything like it before. Not even the richest of caparisons I and my companions wore in the Esala Perahera [Sri Lankan ambulations around the temple] could compare with this. And the whole of his body had a wet glistening gold sheen to it.
The fine quills of his green tail feathers with their "eyes" seemed a-quiver as though just dipped in liquid gold.
As I contemplated this ornate bird, this mythical vehicle of a Hindu god, my admiration slowly gave way to sadness. My little one's father, too, had been a lordly, majestic specimen, but old age, sickness, and death had overtaken him in the end.
The peacock was in the prime of his life, but if I were able to telescope time into a few minutes' duration, I would see the change taking place in him very clearly revealed before me as though I were watching a film.
The change in us takes place in such slow motion that we do not notice it from moment to moment.
Once an arctic tern told me that when he looked down from way up high at the great wide ocean beneath him, he saw no motion at all. Only a frozen sheet of blue with gashes of white swirls all over like a still from a film. That did not mean there was no motion in what he saw.
So perhaps we do not see the constant flux in us and all around us, but it is there all the same.
Though the peacock's carriage was haughty, his lackluster eyes betrayed his wretchedness. I longed to comfort him. But what comforting words could I give him?
"Friend," I said finally, trying hard to swallow down the lump that had got stuck in my throat, "We must count ourselves fortunate to be in the peaceful precincts of this temple."More
ABOUT: Suvimalee Karunaratna was born in Sri Lanka in 1939 and received her early education in Washington, D.C. and in the capital of Colombo. While living in Rangoon, Burma, where her father was posted as the ambassador to Burma from 1957-1961, she received meditation instructions from the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw and the Ven. Webu Sayadaw. Her first volume of short stories was published in 1973, and several of her short stories have appeared in anthologies of modern writing from Sri Lanka as well as in literary journals. She is the author of The Walking Meditation (Bodhi Leaves No. 113, BPS.lk) and The Healing of the Bull (Bodhi Leaves No. 140).
Crescent Farm: See what all the buzzing is about The LA Arboretum's new Crescent Farm showcases modern and ancient water conservation practices and is buzzing with visitors of both the human and insect variety. This gallery of photographs provides a vivid introduction to the colorful and bountiful landscape.
HOME GARDENING CLASSES Grow Organic Fruits and Vegetables at Home
Jill Morganelli, instructor and horticultural supervisor at the Arboretum, starts the series this Saturday: 12 noon to 4:00 pm in the Palm Room ($25/$35 per class, which includes Arboretum admission). Call (626) 821-4623 to register.
Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden
301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, CA 91007, (626) 821-3222
Progress toward restoring precious Baldwin Lake Cloistered within the Arboretum, a former Tongva tribe watering hole now renamed "Baldwin Lake" has managed to survive the rapid development of the San Gabriel Valley. But accumulated sediments and collapsing shorelines have dramatically reduced water depth, severely affecting the aquatic ecosystem and species diversity.
The Fish in Baldwin Lake are predominantly the common carp, Cyprinus carpio. An "exotic" species from Europe and Asia, carp are remarkably tough fish. They thrive in low water depths, low oxygen levels, and high water temperatures. The drought has lowered water levels in Baldwin Lake, causing some visitors to be concerned...Drilling for sediment samples to help restore Baldwin Lake
The Drought: Time to Step Up With the current drought emergency in Southern California, the Arboretum is taking water savings to a new level. They’re using new high efficiency irrigation systems, further reducing turf area, and demonstrating new and old water conserving strategies called xeroscaping and the use of native plant species at the hugelculture mounds.
The Arboretum has the knowledge and experience to help everyone raise healthy plants.
In selecting the top 15 “extraordinary botanical gardens” in the West, Sunset noted they are more than just pretty flowers: “They are also engaged in important work, showcasing and propagating endangered species and teaching visitors how to create striking home gardens using very little water.”
Attracting Attention: Does the car, not the clothes, make the man? Jeffrey Fazio
“Does the male parade his charms with so much pomp and rivalry for no purpose? Are we not justified in believing that the female exerts a choice...? It is not probable that she consciously deliberates; but she is...attracted by the most beautiful, or melodious, or gallant males.” -- Charles Darwin (speaking on the attraction between peahens and peacocks)
They say that clothes make the man. I beg to differ. It’s definitely the car that makes the man, at least when it comes to attracting the opposite sex.
Just like peacocks flaunting their vast array of brightly colored feathers in hopes of attracting the peahen, so too, do human males strut their stuff in fancy and flashy automobiles to attract the eye of their female counterparts.
That’s not to say that every guy with a fancy car is trying to attract women, nor is it trying to say that all women are attracted to flashy cars. But it does happen. A lot of women are attracted to sexy cars and who could blame them? More>>
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Crescent Farm: See what all the buzzing is about
Progress toward restoring precious Baldwin Lake
The Drought: Time to Step Up
