Ruta graveolens

Ruta graveolens, commonly known as rue, common rue or herb-of-grace, is a species of Ruta grown as an ornamental plant and as an herb. It is native to the Balkan Peninsula. It is now grown throughout the world in gardens, especially for its bluish leaves, and sometimes for its tolerance of hot and dry soil conditions. It is also cultivated as a medicinal herb, as a condiment, and to a lesser extent as an insect repellent.

Uses

Traditional use

The Tacuinum Sanitatis, a medieval handbook on wellness, lists these properties of rue:

The refined oil of rue is an emmenagogue and was cited by the Roman historian Pliny the Elder and the gynecologist Soranus as a potent abortifacient (inducing abortion).

Kat DeLuna

Kathleen "Kat" Emperatriz DeLuna (born November 26, 1987) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Born in The Bronx to Dominican parents, DeLuna began pursuing a career as a singer when she was a teenager. After signing with Epic Records, she released her debut single "Whine Up" in 2007. The single went on to become a commercial success, entering the Top 40 in numerous countries and topping the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Her debut studio album, 9 Lives (2007), failed to see the success of its lead single. The album's third single, "Run the Show", became a hit in various territories, and reached number two on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.

Following the commercial performance of her first album, DeLuna was dropped from Epic Records. DeLuna continued to record both collaborations and soundtrack singles. DeLuna later began working on her second studio album, Inside Out (2010), which received a limited release through Universal Music Belgium. The album spawned a number of singles, notably "Unstoppable", "Push Push", and "Dancing Tonight" featuring Lil Wayne, Akon, and Fo Onassis respectively. Viva, the North American edition of the album, was slated to be released later that year; however, this never materialized. DeLuna is currently working on her third studio album, slated to be released in 2015.

Robert Desnos

Robert Desnos (French: [dɛsnɔs]; 4 July 1900 – 8 June 1945), was a French surrealist poet who played a key role in the Surrealist movement of his day.

Biography

Robert Desnos was born in Paris on 4 July 1900, the son of a licensed dealer in game and poultry at the Halles market. Desnos attended commercial college, and started work as a clerk. After that he worked as a literary columnist for the newspaper Paris-Soir.

The first poems by Desnos to appear in print were published in 1917 in La Tribune des Jeunes (Platform for Youth) and in 1919 in the avant-garde review, Le Trait d’union (HYPHEN), and also the same year in the Dadaist magazine Littérature. In 1922 he published his first book, a collection of surrealistic aphorisms, with the title Rrose Sélavy (based upon the name (pseudonym) of the popular French artist Marcel Duchamp).

In 1919, he met the poet Benjamin Péret who introduced him to the Paris Dada group and André Breton, with whom he soon became friends. While working as a literary columnist for Paris-Soir, Desnos was an active member of the Surrealist group and developed a particular talent for "automatic writing". He, together with writers such as Louis Aragon and Paul Éluard, would form the literary vanguard of surrealism. André Breton included two photographs of Desnos sleeping in his surrealist novel Nadja. Although he was praised by Breton in his 1924 Manifeste du Surréalisme for being the movement's "prophet", Desnos disagreed with Surrealism's involvement in communist politics, which caused a rift between him and Breton. Desnos continued work as a columnist.