Random

• The last 149 stores in Mervyn Morris' department store empire are closing. It was a good ride but they couldn't change fast enough to keep up with the culture. Or perhaps they were misreading the culture -- thinking that labeling everything "California" added value. I worked for Mervyn's unloading trucks when I was in college. ~ link

• The British Humanist Association is on a mission to persuade people that God doesn't exist. Starting in January they're going to run a poster campaign on 30 "bendy buses" in London with the slogan: "There's probably no God. So stop worrying and enjoy your life." ~ link

No wonder they're atheists! They think that God is a worry-inducing killjoy.

• Robert Schuller, the senior, announced in a worship service a week ago that a friend of his has discovered a cure for Parkinson's disease. A lot of people are wondering how they've been able to keep the research approach such a secret -- and why? ~ link

• Persecution of Hindustani Covenant Church continues ~ link

• You'd think that economic woes and turbulence in the cost of fuel would create demand for motorcycles. But Harley-Davidson is reporting a 37% decrease in third-quarter profits citing sliding demand. Perhaps it's because they've marketed themselves as a pleasure machine rather than a functional mode of transportation. ~ link

• 10:04 p.m. is the most creative moment of the day -- 4:33 p.m., the least. Believe it or not! ~ link

• What do you think the odds are that Californians worried over the economy are going to vote for Proposition 1A -- authorizing "$9.95 billion in bonds to finance the first phase of an 800-mile high-speed rail line that would connect the San Francisco Bay Area with Los Angeles"? It's a great plan -- if people can see past their current woes. ~ link

• Quotable:

I have serious concerns with online social networks. I take issue even more with Christian online social networks. I am all for redeeming technology, using it for good, and leveraging its potential to deliver the good news of Jesus. However, and I know I'm going to get flack for taking this position, but I am really concerned that too much emphasis is being put on building community online as a substitute for building community offline. The ease and excitement that revolves around online ministry/community is understandable. The telegraph, the telephone and the television all brought similar euphoria. ~ Brad Abare

• Broadband a basic human right, eh? ~ link

• UCLA prof Samuel Culbert is arguing that there is nothing constructive about an annual pay and performance review -- "It destroys morale, kills teamwork and hurts the bottom line. And that's just for starters." Alternative: "...two-side, reciprocally accountable, performance previews." ~ link