First Evil

"Give Me a D-I-E!" Newcomers Corky and Bobbi Corcoran want more than anything to make the cheerleading squad at Shadyside High. But as soon as the Corcoran sisters are named to the team, terrible things happen to the cheerleaders. The horror starts with a mysterious accident near the Fear Street cemetery. Soon after, piercing screams echo through the empty school halls. And then the ghastly murders begin... Can Corky and Bobbi stop the killer before the entire cheerleading squad is destroyed?

The full story of how an X Factor dream became a dazzling reality – published just five days after the live final show! The X Factor is a nationwide phenomenon, unearthing some of the UK’s most dazzling talent, creating superstars and breaking television records. Not only has it brought performers like Leona Lewis, JLS and One Direction to the world, but 2011’s winners, Little Mix, have also taken the country by storm. This year, as contestants strive to impress the all-new lineup of X Factor judges including Nicole Scherzinger, the competition is already fiercer than ever. In December 2012 the show will crown a new winner. Just days later, their phenomenal story, told in their own words, will be published – alongside their first single and in time for Christmas. Packed full of unseen photographs shot especially for the book, backstage footage, behind-the-scenes gossip and the full story of a journey from X Factor hopeful to global popstar sensation, this book is a must-have for all X Factor fans. Stunningly designed, it is the perfect gift for Christmas.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A modern classic of true crime, set in a most beguiling Southern city—now in a 30th anniversary edition with a new afterword by the author “Elegant and wicked . . . might be the first true-crime book that makes the reader want to book a bed and breakfast for an extended weekend at the scene of the crime.”—The New York Times Book Review Shots rang out in Savannah’s grandest mansion in the misty, early morning hours of May 2, 1981. Was it murder or self-defense? For nearly a decade, the shooting and its aftermath reverberated throughout this hauntingly beautiful city of moss-hung oaks and shaded squares. In this sharply observed, suspenseful, and witty narrative, John Berendt skillfully interweaves a hugely entertaining first-person account of life in this isolated remnant of the Old South with the unpredictable twists and turns of a landmark murder case. It is a spellbinding story peopled by a gallery of remarkable characters: the well-bred society ladies of the Married Woman’s Card Club; the turbulent young gigolo; the hapless recluse who owns a bottle of poison so powerful it could kill every man, woman, and child in Savannah; the aging and profane Southern belle who is the “soul of pampered self-absorption”; the uproariously funny drag queen; the acerbic and arrogant antiques dealer; the sweet-talking, piano-playing con artist; young people dancing the minuet at the black debutante ball; and Minerva, the voodoo priestess who works her magic in the graveyard at midnight. These and other Savannahians act as a Greek chorus, with Berendt revealing the alliances, hostilities, and intrigues that thrive in a town where everyone knows everyone else. Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a sublime and seductive reading experience.

What is evil? Were did it come from. This is a fundamental negative aspect of the Human condition that has engaged theologians, mystics and philosophers for centuries. And more recently, psychologists. The whole evolutionary process of life entails the use of free will, in an existential sense, making mistakes, correcting such, learning, and then moving on. But evil is like taking hold of a hiking pilgrim who is just about to climb a steep hill, and filling their rucksack with rocks. Many different theories have been put forward as to where evil has come from (the Devil, the Fall, Man disobeying God, brain malfunction) but there is no universal agreement on such. The lack of agreement means that there is no universal concentration of effort to power Mankind forward onto, what should be, a faster evolutionary progression. The book explores every conceivable source of information that is know to us, with a much wider scope than most books on the subject have done in the past. All the known World religions, present and past (including so-called mythologies). Many Native spiritual belief systems. In total over sixty. The book also explores the teachings of various Western Mystical and Esoteric systems. Somewhat controversionally, it then goes on to explore the possibility of extra-terrestrial visitors to our Planet interfering with Human evolution for their own selfish ends. An examination of the development of Western Psychology over nearly three centuries has provided insights into human behaviour and the physiological workings of the brain. Conventional Society post 19th. Century has tended to develop its own set of norms as to what is evil, which sometimes feed back into a government's legislative program in respect of criminal law. The book looks at corporate evil perpetrated by governments, banks, financial institutions, the Media, religious administrative bodies, and multi-national corporations, as these are just as capable of acts of evil as any individual, although often on a vastly greater scale. Lastly the book explores the issues of morality, acts with unintended consequences, the issue of intent, and personal responsibility. Curiously, instead of the last chapter being the conclusion of all the preceding chapters, it traces out the whole history of the Cosmos from the first point of creation (spiritual "e;Big Bang"e;) right through to modern Human society on Earth. Its purpose was to examine if something untoward happened in the process of Cosmic Creation that has set up an imbalance in the functioning of the Universe, the Galaxy, the Solar System, our Planet, that has thrown Human evolution out of kilter.

Everyone at Shadyside High School remembers when Corky Corcoran destoyed the evil spirit that attacked the cheerleaders, the same one which had killed Sarah Fear a hundred years ago. No one thought it would return because the only way to defeat it forever lay hidden in Sarah Fear's grave.

Early Modern Women and the Problem of Evil examines the concept of theodicy—the attempt to reconcile divine perfection with the existence of evil—through the lens of early modern female scholars. This timely volume knits together the perennial problem of defining evil with current scholarly interest in women’s roles in the evolution of religious philosophy. Accessible for those without a background in philosophy or theology, Jill Graper Hernandez’s text will be of interest to upper-level undergraduates as well as graduate students and researchers.

The code of conduct for a leading tech company famously says "Don't Be Evil." But what exactly is evil? Is it just badness by another name--the shadow side of good? Or is it something more substantive--a malevolent force or power at work in the universe? These are some of the ontological questions that philosophers have grappled with for centuries. But evil also raises perplexing epistemic and psychological questions. Can we really know evil? Does a victim know evil differently than a perpetrator or witness? What motivates evil-doers? Satan's rebellion, Iago's machinations, and Stalin's genocides may be hard to understand in terms of ordinary reasons, intentions, beliefs, and desires. But what about the more "banal" evils performed by technocrats in a collective: how do we make sense of Adolf Eichmann's self-conception as just an effective bureaucrat deserving of a promotion? Evil: A History collects thirteen essays that tell the story of evil in western thought, starting with its origins in ancient Hebrew wisdom literature and classical Greek drama all the way to Darwinism and Holocaust theory. Thirteen interspersed reflections contextualize philosophical developments by looking at evil through the eyes of animals, poets, mystics, witches, librettists, film directors, and even a tech product manager. Evil: A History will enlighten readers about one of the most alluring and difficult topics in philosophy and intellectual life, and will challenge their assumptions about the very nature of evil.

Evil isn't simply an abstract theological or philosophical talking point. In our society, the idea of evil feeds entertainment, manifests in all sorts of media, and is a root concept in our collective psyche. This accessible and appealing book examines what evil means to us. Evil has been with us since the Garden of Eden, when Eve unleashed evil by biting the apple. Outside of theology, evil remains a highly relevant concept in contemporary times: evil villains in films and literature make these stories entertaining; our criminal justice system decides the fate of convicted criminals based on the determination of their status as "evil" or "insane." This book examines the many manifestations of "evil" in modern media, making it clear how this idea pervades nearly all aspects of life and helping us to reconsider some of the notions about evil that pop culture perpetuates and promotes. Covering screen media such as film, television, and video games; print media that include novels and poetry; visual media like art and comics; music; and political polemics, the essays in this book address an eclectic range of topics. The diverse authors include Americans who left the United States during the Vietnam War era, conservative Christian political pundits, rock musicians, classical linguists, Disney fans, scholars of American slavery, and experts on Holocaust literature and films. From portrayals of evil in the television shows The Wire and 24 to the violent lyrics of the rap duo Insane Clown Posse to the storylines of the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter books, readers will find themselves rethinking what evil is—and how they came to hold their beliefs.