Goodlife Mojo

We are surrounded with people who can read our palms, study our stars, use a parrot or a tarrot... whatever and millions are being spent to understand what the future holds for us. Am I saying this is wrong or right? Thats not the issue, though I have had animated discussions with my friends on the futility of such an exercise. For long I look at this entire subject from a very religious eye glasses and condemned it with the belief that God holds the future. Off late I am trying hard to look at things very differently, as a human being with no eye glasses at all. After all when you are trying to talk to your friend its best to be like them, understand them and deal the way they want to be dealt. I have removed these glasses now and I have plunged myself into having a normal vision. The best source of my understanding comes from reading. And Shakespeare influenced the climate of modern thought. Macbeth gives us an excellent way to handle superstition. I am not using the word sup

Magic 1: Puck is introduced, epitomizing the very nature of magic in the play. He is a fairy with special powers to transform his voice and appearance so that he may "lurk in gossip bowls" Act 2, Scene 1, line 47 and cause mischief. His conversation with the fairy is very magical and fantastical and sets the scene for the rest of the play. Magic 2: Titania's story of the origin of the Indian boy is very fantastical in nature. She talks about magical events in nature and immortality. Immortality is a magical characteristic that only the fairies possess. Magic 3: Oberon tells Puck of the magic flower juice that when placed on sleeping eyelids, makes that person fall in love with the first creature it sees upon awakening. The flower is magical because it was hit by one of Cupid's arrows and now contains this fantastical love-transforming juice. Magic 4: Oberon places the magic juice on Titania's eyes to play a trick on her. Here, magic is used as a tool for him to ge

Love's Foolishness 1: The mockery made of love in this play is evident from the first scene until the last. The play opens as a wedding is supposed to take place, the realization of a holy union of bliss. However, that union is interrupted by a plea from outside. The very fact that the symbol of love, a wedding, begins the play, but never truly takes place sets a precedent for the illustration of the foolishness of love for the rest of the play. Love's Foolishness 2: Young Helena is unabashedly in love with Demetrius, a man who not only despises her, but is in love with her close friend, Hermia. The roles seem to reverse in this "couple," for Helena is the person who pursues an unwieldy Demetrius, while he chases another. This is a game of cat and mouse. These characters have turned love into a game. Love's Foolishness 3: This time, love is mocked in a play within a play. The commoners (and comic relief of this Shakespearean play) decide to put on the lamentable t

Jealousy 1: This first hint of jealousy is seen as Egeus claims to Theseus that Demetrius has stolen Hermia's obedience and love. He is slightly jealous of the new man in his daughter's life. This father/daughter jealousy is of course natural, but is taken to extremes is the play. It is also just one type of jealousy explored in the five acts. Jealousy 2: Helena is deeply in love with Demetrius, who is in love with Hermia. Therefore, Helena is jealous of Hermia's beauty and she claims that she too is as beautiful. She wonders what Hermia has that she doesn't that makes men follow her everywhere. So, out of jealousy, Helena tells Demetrius that Hermia and Lysander plan to escape to the woods so that he will follow them and she will follow him. Act II, Scenes 1-2: "Night, A wood near Athens" & "Another part of the wood" Jealousy 3: Oberon and Titania bicker over many issues, including their supposed "other" loves and the possession of the

Dreams 1: The title holds the word "dream," inferring that the play will be either a dream or will talk about dreams. The interpretation is up to the audience member or reader. However, the title foreshadows so many events that occur in the play and also subconsciously sets a mood before the first line is even uttered. Act II, Scenes 1-2: "Night, A wood near Athens" & "Another part of the wood" Dreams 2: As Oberon explains the nature of the magic flower juice, he mentions that it must be placed upon sleeping eyelids. Dreams come to life during sleep. So, the magic juice works in collaboration with dreams and only works when the person is asleep, perhaps dreaming or perhaps awaking to a new dream. Dreams 3: This is the first placement of the magic juice on sleeping eyelids. Oberon uses the flower juice on Titania to play a trick on her/teach her a lesson. He whispers into her sleeping ears that when she wakes, she will fall in love with something vile.

The play opens in a palace in Athens one hour before the wedding of Theseus, Duke of Athens, to his newly conquered Amazonian queen, Hippolyta. Their nuptials are interrupted by Egeus, an Athenian father begging help of Theseus. His daughter, Hermia, is in love with young Lysander, and wants to marry him. Egeus already bequeathed her to Demetrius, who is also in love with her. Hermia's childhood friend, Helena, is in love with Demetrius, and follows him around like a lost puppy. Theseus tells Hermia that she has until morn to decide to marry Demetrius, join a nunnery, or die. Lysander and Hermia decide to run away together into the woods and elope near his aunt's home. They get ready to leave as they see Helena ranting about her love for Demetrius and her unhappiness that he puts her down all the time. They tell her of their plan to escape. In a room in the carpenter Quince's house in Athens, six commoners discuss their plan to put on the play, Pyramus and Thisbe, at the Du

Macbeth is a Scottish general who is loyal to Duncan, the Scottish king. But after Macbeth meets three witches who prophesy that Macbeth will be king, the general is no longer satisfied to remain loyal to his king. Macbeth and his wife hatch a plot to kill the king under their own roof and frame the guards outside the king's bedroom for the murder. Although Macbeth has misgivings about killing the king, his wife convinces him that it is the thing to do. Macbeth kills Duncan with his wife's help, but he is plagued with guilt for the crime. When Duncan's murdered body is discovered, Macbeth immediately kills the accused guards so that he can cover his tracks. Duncan's sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, flee Macbeth's castle in fear for their lives, and they are suspected of bribing the guards to kill their father. Macbeth assumes the Scottish throne. In order to secure the throne for his descendants, he must kill Banquo, the other army general, and Banquo's son because

Quote 1: "When shall we three meet again / In thunder, lightning, or in rain?" Act 1, Scene 1, lines 1-2 Quote 2: "screw [his] courage to the sticking-place." Act 1, Scene 7, line 60 Quote 3: "not confessing / Their cruel parricide, filling their hearers / With strange invention." Act 3, Scene 1, lines 31-3 Quote 4: "Things without all remedy / Should be without regard: what's done is done." Act 3, Scene 2, lines 11-2 Quote 5: "And you all know, security / Is mortals' chiefest enemy." Act 3, Scene 5, lines 32-3 Quote 6: "Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn / The power of man, for none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth." Act 4, Scene 1, lines 79-81 Quote 7: "Macbeth shall never vanquished be until / Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill / Shall come against him." Act 4, Scene 1, lines 92-4 Quote 8: "The flighty purpose never is o'ertook / Unless the deed go with it: from this moment / Th

Guilt 1: Guilt has a large part in manipulating how Macbeth and his wife act after they have committed their crimes. It is their guilt that drives them both mad. Before they have even killed Duncan, Macbeth feels guilty and considers backing out of the murder, but Lady Macbeth won't let him. Act 2, Scene 1 Guilt 2: Once again Macbeth sees that what he is doing is morally wrong, but he doesn't let that stop him. He kills the king despite his misgivings. Act 2, Scene 2 Guilt 3: Macbeth begins hearing things as soon as the murder is completed. He cannot even pray because he is so guilt-ridden over his crime. Act 2, Scene 3 Guilt 4: Lady Macbeth faints at the news that Duncan is dead. Whether it is a trick on her part to throw the others off the trail, or if she has finally seen the weight of the crime that she and her husband have committed is unspecified in the text. Either way, this action is either a realization of guilt or a disguise of it. Act 3, Scene 2 Guilt 5: Lady Macbeth

Foreshadowing:To present an indication or a suggestion of beforehand; presage. Foreshadowing 1: Foreshadowing plays an important role in Macbeth because most of the action of the play is hinted at before it happens. The three witches have a heavy hand in the foreshadowing because their prophecies are the motivation for Macbeth's actions. Appearing in the first act of the play shows the significance of the witches and their prophetic powers. Act 1, Scene 2 Foreshadowing 2: When Duncan awards Macbeth the title that has been taken from a traitor, Shakespeare hints that Macbeth will follow in Cawdor's footsteps and betray the king. Act 1, Scene 3 Foreshadowing 3: Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches and hear their predictions. This is Shakespeare's way of preparing the audience for what is going to happen. Act 2, Scene 3 Foreshadowing 4: Lennox tells of the mourning cries of birds that were believed to foreshadow death. These cries kept them awake all night, and signaled Duncan&

Betrayal 1: Betrayal is an important part of the play because that is how the changes in power occur. Macbeth is rewarded for his loyalty to the king while the Thane of Cawdor is stripped of his title because of his betrayal. Act 1, Scene 3 Betrayal 2: Both Banquo and Macbeth are slightly disturbed by the witches' predictions because they are afraid that it will trick them into betraying the king. Act 1, Scene 4 Betrayal 3: Duncan is shocked by his misplaced trust in the Thane of Cawdor. He is hurt that someone close to him could turn on him like that, and this sets the stage for the disappointment and tragedy of Macbeth's betrayal. Betrayal 4: Macbeth begins to plan his treachery against Duncan as soon as he sees that Malcolm stands in the way of Macbeth gaining the throne. Act 1, Scene 5 Betrayal 5: Lady Macbeth happily jumps on the bandwagon to kill the king and take the throne. She has no qualms about the betrayal because it will lead to power. Act 2, Scene 1 Betrayal 6: Ba

1st Chapter One weekday afternoon in May 2004, General George Casey bounded up the stairs to the third floor of his government-furnished quarters, a beautiful old brick mansion on the Potomac River at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. His wife, Sheila, was packing for a move across the river to Fort Myer, in Virginia, the designated quarters of the Army's vice chief of staff. "Please, sit down," Casey said. In 34 years of marriage, he had never made such a request. President Bush, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the Army chief of staff had asked him to become the top U.S. commander in Iraq, he said. Sheila Casey burst into tears. Like any military spouse, she dreaded the long absences and endless anxieties of separation, the strains of a marriage carried out half a world apart. But she also recognized it was an incredible opportunity for her husband. Casey saw the Iraq War as a pivot point, one of history's hinges, a conflict that would likely define America

THE WAR WITHIN A Secret White House History 2006–2008 By Bob Woodward The Bob Woodward rollout is always strictly scripted. His books are “held back,” meaning that no advance ­copies are available for reviewers and that pain-of-death secrecy vows are extracted from book review editors. His “bombshells,” those fly-on-the-wall details from inside the power dome and classified memos impossible to obtain (for all except Woodward), are disclosed in multipart, front-page articles in The Washington Post, where for decades the author was an assistant managing editor. (He is now an associate editor.) Then there is the bump from exclusive interviews on “60 Minutes” followed by more televised amplification, an éclat that almost always results in a No. 1 best seller. This time, with the arrival of “The War Within,” the final volume in his four-part Bush oeuvre, the script is the same, but the headlines mask what is really newsworthy about the book. The reported bombshells — that the Bush administr

Demonic Muse ..By LIESL SCHILLINGER In this satirical, erotic allegory of the post-Soviet and post-9/11 world, Victor Pelevin gives new meaning to the words “unreliable narrator.” The story is told by a shape-shifting nymphet named A Hu-Li, a red-haired Asiatic call girl who is some 2,000 years old but looks 14. Her name, said aloud, sounds like a Russian obscenity, but it derives from the Chinese expression for fox spirit, huli jing — an epithet that doubles in China as a put-down for a lascivious home-wrecker. By day, A Hu-Li lives in a dark warren under the bleachers at an equestrian complex in Bitsevsky Park in Moscow; by night, she works the high-end Hotel National, hunting investment bankers. While she may look like an ordinary (albeit exceptionally alluring) sex worker, A Hu-Li is a supernatural creature, a “professional impersonator of an adolescent girl with big innocent eyes” who ensorcells her clients by whipping out her luxuriant fox tail before each tryst and setting it a-

THE FATHER. Pastor Pagán knows how to wink. He's a professional at winking. For him, winking an eye — just one — is a way to be courteous. All the people he deals with conclude their business with a wink. The bank manager when he approves a loan. The teller when he cashes a check. The administrator when he hands it to him. The cashier when he plays the fool and doesn't inspect it. The chief's assistant when he tells him to go to the bank. The porter. The chauffeur. The gardener. The maid. Everybody winks at him. Headlights on cars wink, traffic lights, lightning in the sky, grass in the ground, eagles in the air, not to mention the planes that fly over the house of Pastor Pagán and his family the whole blessed day. The feline purr of the engines is interrupted only by the winking of the traffic on Avenida Revolución. Pastor responds to them with his own wink, moved by the certainty that this is dictated by good manners. Now that he's on a pension, he thinks of himself a

HAPPY FAMILIES Stories By Carlos Fuentes. Translated by Edith Grossman Did Tolstoy really believe the throw-down challenge with which he began “Anna Karenina”? Are happy families really all alike? Is every unhappy family unhappy in its own way?Carlos Fuentes’s new story collection not only takes its title and epigraph from Tolstoy’s famous opening, but also makes us reconsider the bold statement the Russian writer uses to draw us into his novel. It’s true that the households at the center of these 16 stories could hardly be gloomier or, on the surface, more dissimilar, as each labors under its own burden of tragedy and grief. Yet as we read through this offering from one of Mexico’s most celebrated literary figures, the author of more than 20 books, certain patterns emerge, likenesses suggesting that the wildly dysfunctional may share more in common than do their harmonious neighbors. Children repeat and compound the mistakes that have ruined their parents’ lives; loving marriages devo