Rhiannon

Don't burn this witch! We all have songs that reach us at soul level — magical songs that shoot us in the heart and for me, this legendary title by Fleetwood Mac is one of those. Must be some kind of universal magic that turned it into a cult song and brought the Anglo-american band to fame.

Rhiannon

Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night
And wouldn't you love to love her?
She rules her life like a bird in flight
And who will be her lover?

All your life you've never seen
A woman taken by the sky.
Well, would you stay if she promised you heaven?
Would you even try?

And he says: “Rhiannon, don't go.”
And he says: “Rhiannon, stay.”
And he says: “I still cry out for you,
Don't leave me. Don't leave me.”

Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night
And wouldn't you love to love her?
She rules her life like a bird in flight
And who will be her lover?

She is like a cat in the dark
And then she is your darkness.
She rules her life like a fine skylark
And when the sky is starless.

Once in a million years a lady like her rises
″Oh no, Rhiannon″ you cry.
But she's gone,
Your life knows no answer.
Your life knows no answer.

Rhiannon...
Rhiannon...
Rhiannon...
Rhiannon...

She rings like a bell through the night
And wouldn't you love to love her?
She rules her life like a bird in flight
And who will be her lover?

All your life you've never seen
A woman taken by the sky.
Well, would you stay if she promised you heaven?
Will you ever try?

Rhiannon...
Rhiannon...

Dreams unwind, love's a state of mind.
Dreams unwind, love's a state of mind.

Your dreams unwind and still it's hard to find, I know.
Your dreams unwind and still it's a state of mind, I know.

Take me like the wind child,
Take me with the sky,
Take me now.

Take me like the wind, baby,
Take me with the sky.

All the same...
All the same...
All the same, Rhiannon...

All the same...
Baby, all the same...

And he still cries out for her:
“Don't leave me now!”

Stevie Nicks, 1975

About this song

Rhiannon is a major figure of the Welsh mythology. The name itself comes from Rigantona which means “Great Queen”. She's an avatar of a Celtic goddess. Stevie Nicks discovered her in the early 70's, in a a novel called Triad by Mary Bartlet Leader she bought in an airport just before a long flight. Although the story which is about a woman named Branwen, who is possessed by another woman named Rhiannon, did not relate to the Welsh legend of Rhiannon, the characters still bear little resemblance to their original Welsh namesakes, and she thought the name was so pretty it inspired her this song. Which she wrote in 1974, three months before joining Fleetwood Mac and which allegedly took her only ten minutes!

“So I wrote this song and made her into what I thought was an old Welsh witch” she says. “And then I just found out — because somebody from Phoenix found a whole trilogy of books written in 1972 on Welsh mythology — that Rhiannon was a Welsh witch. Which is pretty weird because I never saw that. And yet the song is exactly about that.”

“This legend of Rhiannon is about the song of the birds that take away pain and relieve suffering. That's what music is to me” she adds.

“It is the story of a lady that is from another world called the Bright World, and she leaves her kingdom to become the wife of a mortal king. But goddesses really can't marry mortal kings. If they do they lose their magic powers. And they don't lose the knowledge of them. They know everything that's going to happen, they just can't do anything about it. Which is a much more difficult way to live than not having magic powers is to not be able to use them and know exactly what's coming and to not be able to tell anybody. So she comes down and does her whole trip, and it's just a whole story — it's a wonderful story.

“She is the maker of birds, and the goddess of steeds; she's the protector of horses. Her music is like a pain pill. When you wake up and hear her birds singing her little song, the danger will have passed. I realized that somehow I had managed to pen a song that went very much along with the mythical tale of Rhiannon. That's when everybody started saying Stevie must be a black witch or something !”

“Rhiannon”, she says, “is the heavy-duty song to sing every night. On stage it's really a mind tripper. Everybody, including me, is just blitzed by the end of it. And I put out so much in that song that I'm nearly down. There's something to that song that touches people. I don't know what it is but I'm really glad it happened.”

22 years later

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Unsustainable

All natural and technological processes proceed in such a way that the availability of the remaining energy decreases. In all energy exchanges, if no energy enters or leaves an isolated system, the entropy of that system increases.

Energy continuously flows from being concentrated to becoming dispersed, spread out, wasted and useless. New energy cannot be created and high-grade energy is being destroyed. An economy based on endless growth is unsustainable.

Unsu... unsustainable.

The fundamental laws of thermodynamics will place fixed limits on technological innovation and human advancement. In an isolated system, the entropy can only increase. A species set on endless growth is unsustainable.

Unsu... unsustainable.

Original text by MATT BELLAMY

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Moon Shaped Eyes

Gentlemen, you may now treat yourself to a coffee as this article might not be your cup of tea unless you're a big fan of home-made cosmetics or wish to surprise your partner. So now, let me say there's really nothing like a nice eyeliner effect to give your eyes more intensity and enhance their colour. Simple and effective. I'd like to share with you two easy recipes using non toxic ingredients (available online or in specialised shops) to make your own at home for a ridiculous cost.

Eyeliner Gel

Ingredients

• 1,6 g black oxide
• 6.7 ml mineral water
• 0,07 g guar gum
• 3 drops grapefruit seed extract (or 7 drops Leucidal)

QSF 9 ml

Instructions

Dilute oxide with water. Next, add the gum all at once, stirring vigorously with a mini whisk to avoid clumping. Don't stop until it turns into a liquid gel. Then you can add the preservative.

Transfer to a clean and disinfected recycled eyeliner container (using a top-filled syringe with a plastic tube instead of a needle to prevent overspill) or a small jar preferably glassware. Please note I have encountered problems using the latter type of container as it exposes the product to air and increases the risk of potential bacteria infection even if you clean your brush before use. The gel tends to harden and moulds can form while I never had any problem using the bottled version with built-in brush applicator.

NOTE: Leave to dry for 30-60 seconds before opening your eye so it won't smudge.

Recommended storage life is 3 months

.

Compact Eyeliner

Ingredients

• 1,6 g black oxide
• 1,3 g cosmetic talc
• 0.1 g lauroyl lysine
• 0,04 g acacia gum
• 10 drops pure (or with vanilla) sesame oil
• 1 drop vitamin E (optional)

Instructions

Use a mortar to grind powders and build colour. Next add oil and vitamin E and keep grinding until you get a smooth mixture. Transfer to a clean, disinfected recycled eye-shadow container or a small jar. Cover with a tissue and press hard all over the surface using a fat and heavy object preferably of same size to compact.

NOTE: Apply with a moistened eyeliner brush you'll clean-up with soap before using. For my part, I use it with a dry brush just like eye shadow after applying the eyeliner gel for a matt effect and better hold.

Storage life should be one year at least since it contains no water. However, do no hesitate to discard the product should the smell or colour change to avoid any bacteria infection.

If you wish to make a coloured eyeliner, use oxides rather than ochres (more pigments) or micas (for sparkle effect) at proper dosages. You may use activated charcoal instead of black oxide but in the gel recipe only as its granulometry and bulk density will make it impossible to compact.

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The Penguin Squad

British film maker and writer Terry Jones has discovered a colony of penguins in Antarctica, which are unlike any other penguins in the world. Miracle of nature or genetic engineering? What do you reckon?

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NSA Offers Password Backup Service to American Citizens

Under fire over more disclosures of intrusive wiretapping and in an effort to rebuild their image, the NSA provide an unprecedented service to American citizens, though at the moment, still met with mixed feelings.

Saving all your passwords for $25 per month only

“Who's never forgotten their email passwords, mobile access codes, or bank details? No more hassle, NSA takes care of that for you!” says the attractive slogan used by the now infamous National Security Agency to unveil their brand new service which goes by the malicious title of “Unlocked: we remember everything you don’t, and more.”

The idea is pretty simple: for 25 dollars per month, a special unit of NSA will automatically save all your Internet passwords and store it in its databases “over unlimited time”. Fiendishly proactive, whenever you enter two incorrect passwords they'll receive a notification and automatically resend the correct one without any action on your part required. “They'll even update the tiniest modification in your login date in real-time” says James, 28, thrilled.

“Allies should help one another”

It is with great emotion that actual head of NSA, Admiral Michael Rogers, commented back on what led to this extremely altruistic offer. During his time as eavesdropper-in-chief, he happened to witness online the mishap of a European president who could not remember the password to the secure account he used for sharing top-secret documents. “But we had it in our database all along. Besides, we're still using it today” said Rogers. “Allies should help one another, shouldn't they?” Undoubtely a much appreciated help in the digital jungle both States and private individuals are now living in. However, Richard Ledgett, Assistant Director of Operations is more prosaic regarding the original vocation of the project: “You know, storing the personal data of our citizens is our job and we've been doing it for a long time so we may as well get money and publicity out of it,” he confessed.

For the moment, the general public appears quite doubtful. According to a consumer panel, the fear that their data could be used for secret monitoring purposes would be the main argument. “We do understand  and respect this concern” said Admiral Rogers. “Our citizens have every right to reject the services of the NSA. We're a free country! Simply, they will be covertly outsourced to our British or Canadian counterparts so everyone is happy.”

Original text by LE GORAFI translated from French by EY@EL
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Like a Monster

Welcome to our wonderful world
Into the house of the Lord,
I am your new messiah.
No need to worry anymore,
I'm back, bringing you
True happiness, money and love.
I'm like a monster!

Listen and gather together to me.
You can worship me,
You can touch me, I'm your preacher.
I do love you
And shall destroy all of your miseries.
I am your maker,
I'm like a monster!

I'm your new president,
Hard pushed with all your troubles.
Both the Americans and the Chinese
Are abolishing death penalty,
I foresee happiness and joy
In our countries.
I'm your devoted friend,
I'm like a monster!

I'm your new TV host
On Bliss Channel.
I shall make you
The star of all good people
Overnight — trust me,
I am your maker,
I'm like a monster!

Original text by NICOLA SIRKIS translated from French by EY@EL
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Visits From the Other Side: When Our Beloveds Visit Us in Dreams

Last summer, I had a succession of the weirdest of dreams involving someone I've dated thirty years ago. On the first night, we were strolling around some lonely urban boulevard with huge glass and steel structures. All of a sudden, an explosion blew off all the windows of a near-by building. Some life-saving instinct prompted me to throw myself down with my face to the ground, which is how I was left unscathed. But my friend took the full blast. His face was covered in glass shards and blood. He could not see anything and was in a downright panic. I wanted to take him to the nearest pharmacy, but he said it was too late. I woke up in confusion with some sense of helplessness. The second night, we were standing in a rail yard. He looked very upset and silently kissed me goodbye before disappearing on board of some freight train. Again, I woke up with a weird sensation and profound sadness. Since I'd had that kind of dream contacts before with people of importance in my life, always for a specific purpose, whether to forgive and heal or to renew precious friendships, I spared no effort in attempt to find him, even though I expected to find hundreds with the same name in the United States alone (his home country). But as always when I'm in the flow, my research was fruitful. It was a great shock (though no big surprise) to find he had died on the previous summer, not as a result of the long illness he had been suffering from (“It's too late”), but in a car crash (the glass shards on his face). The meaning of this dream to me is all very clear and personal.

Ey@el

Life is a dream walking, death is a going home.

Chinese proverb

I just realized that my first dream visitation came from my cat. I wonder if it is easier for animals to cross over these thresholds, since they do not seem limited by our view of what is “real” or not.  My cat Aeshie (whose name came to me in a dream) often acted as my co-therapist, a grey Buddha in a fur suit.  She would come down to my office and do therapy with me (when she felt like it- she was still a cat, after all). She seemed to have an innate knowing of just who needed their leg rubbed, or to have a cat in their lap, at just the right moment.

If we allow ourselves to suspend our own disbelief in the possibility of multiple realities, we can experience great comfort and connection when our departed human beloveds visit us in our dreamworlds.  Many people I know who have lost a loved one say that they have had a sense that their dad or grandma visited them in a dream, but they weren’t sure if they could believe it.  Or else they say that they wish they could have a visit, and wonder why mom hasn’t shown up yet.

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