| The Problem Of Evil: Why Do “Good” People Do Bad Things?
One of the interesting things about "The Lucifer Effect" is how a secular psychologist is embracing a theological term like "evil." The secular world has many psychological and medical terms to describe the various human conditions. But "evil" conjures up images of the supernatural, a throwback to an age of ignorance, where there was a lack of "understanding" about simple psychiatry. "Evil" is a place with many unopened doors and untraveled, darkened corridors of the mind — something that's out of control. And in a sense, that's what Zimbardo means: the turning of a screw can happen so slowly. The vast distance that one travels, from a place of goodness and safety, to a place of horrors and mayhem, is almost imperceptible. Evil is a term theologians know very well. In fact, it was an atheist who admitted to me that religion was discovered long before science, the pervasiveness of man's evil nature.
Stars Tune Into 'Idol's' Top 12 Performances
He thinks he's a cheerleader at a popularity contest. His attempts at dissing Simon fall as flat as his personality. It's so obvious that the only opinion any of these contestants care about(after all this time)IS Simon's. He tells it like it is - a rarity beyond rarities in hollywood. .
Running on Blade Runner
Mystery Pollster vs. Kos: On bogus charges of Lieberman "push polls." 12:50 A.M. "Progressive Realism": My colleague Robert Wright's bigthink foreign policy op-ed is currently #4 on the NYT's most e-mailed list, and gaining on Shamu! Here are some questions I hope to take up with Wright on bloggingheads.tv tomorrow: 1. Isn't it crude and unfair to accuse President Bush of failing to understand "the perspective of the other," including "why some people hate America, and why terorists kill"? As E.J. Dionne notes, one premise of the neocon "Big Bang" theory on which Bush acted in Iraq was precisely that "authoritarian regimes bred opposition movements rebelling against the conditions under which too many people lived." Sounds like empathy to me! 2. Wright discounts the short-term costs --in terms of frustrated aspirations and resentment--of delaying the introduction of democracy while we wait for its inevitable natural triumph in the wake of free markets and free trade.
Macatawa Bank Corporation Reports 2007 Annual and 4th Quarter Results
HOLLAND, Mich., Jan. 14, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Macatawa Bank Corporation (Nasdaq: MCBC) today announced its results for the fourth quarter of 2007 and for the full year. In December, the Company announced that its 4th quarter earnings would be impacted by the need for additional loan loss provisions of $9.5 million because of a growing weakness in residential development loans. This brought the Company's total 4th quarter provisions to $10.3 million and led to a net loss of $2.80 million, or a $0.16 loss per share, for the fourth quarter of 2007. This compares to net income of $2.85 million, or $0.16 earnings per diluted share, for the same period in 2006. For all of 2007, net income was $9.08 million, or $0.53 per diluted share, compared to net income of $19.83 million, or $1.14 per diluted share, for 2006.
Kidman's pregnancy confirmed
The New York Post overnight reported that Kidman dropped plans to shoot a major new film in Germany to protect the health of her unborn child. Kidman's representatives last week attempted to shoot down the pregnancy reports, describing them as "gossip", but the Post quoted "extremely well-placed sources" as saying Kidman was expecting. "Of course, everyone knows she's pregnant and lying about it," the source told the Post. Kidman was to begin shooting the Stephen Daldry-directed post World War II drama, The Reader, with Ralph Fiennes this month. The Post said Kidman, who has suffered miscarriages in the past, is "so concerned about the welfare of her unborn child" that she quit the film. The film is produced by Hollywood studio Weinstein Company and is based on Bernhard Schlink's prize-winning book about a man who carries a long-time sexual obsession with an older woman who is later prosecuted for war crimes after it emerges she was a member of the SS and a guard at Auschwitz.
Instant Analysis: California
Lap 173: Caution No. 6 as David Gilliland spins coming out of Turn 2. Lap 172: After a tense battle earlier, Gordon has opened up a 1.346-second on his teammate Busch. Lap 169: Kahne is up to 15th, Martin 21st. Lap 166: Gordon retakes lead from his teammate Busch. Lap 164: Kenseth passes Earnhardt for third. Kahne, meanwhile, has passed eight cars and is all the way back to 16th. Lap 162: Kyle Busch takes lead back after going three-wide with Gordon and Earnhardt. Kenseth is fourth. Lap 160: Green flag. If the track stays green the rest of the way, the cars will only have to make one more pit stop. Lap 159: Kahne has to make a second stop for entering pit road too fast, which drops him to the end of the green-lap cars. He will restart 24th and this has huge implications for his Chase hopes.
Fighting for Survival
Instead, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff asked the judge to "consider, along with the jury verdict, my whole life." In the end, Walton said he respects those who choose to pursue public service but, "I also think it's important we expect and demand a lot from people who put themselves in those positions." Libby now faces the prospect of becoming the first high-level White House official to go to prison since Watergate. The threat became even more real when Walton said he was not inclined to allow Libby to remain free on bail during any appeals because his conviction is unlikely to be overturned, but the final decision will be made next week. The Los Angeles Times says Walton's reluctance to let Libby go free on bail, "appeared to throw the defense team off guard." USA Today emphasizes that Libby and his attorneys now have to show there is at least a chance that an appeal would be succesful.
'Free-spirited' Joss in Flake debut
Singer Joss Stone looks set to melt hearts with her new role as the latest Flake girl. Stone was announced as the first celebrity to take the role after a string of models starred in the commercials, including a former Miss World. The soul singer from Devon has developed a personal rendition of the jingle "Only the crumbliest flakiest chocolate, tastes like chocolate never tasted before". The 20-year-old stars in the new campaign which will air on ITV1 for the first time during the premiere of Rock Rivals on Wednesday evening. "She was chosen because she is very free-spirited," said a Cadbury spokesman. "Joss will bring something different to the previous adverts - the jingle has never been sung by one of the girls before." The Flake girls have developed notoriety for their highly sensual adverts which started in 1959.
One-on-one with UFC heavyweight Heath Herring
Heath Herring is a colorful personality in the world of mixed martial arts, known for his Dennis Rodman-esque hairstyles, entertaining fights and a New Years Eve kiss in 2005 from an unlikely person his opponent Yoshihiro Nakao. Though he grew up in Amarillo, Texas, Herring has traveled the world fighting in promotions such as Pride and K-1. Herring will return to his home state April 7 to fight Brad Imes in a heavyweight matchup at UFC 69 in Houston.
I spent 20 minutes talking to Herring by phone on March 27. We discussed his UFC debut earlier this year -- a stunning loss to Jake O'Brien at UFC Fight Night 8 -- his upcoming match against Imes, and the news that the UFC owners had just purchased Pride.
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