Random

✽ I'm not as passionate about pennies as this guy. But I believe we could function well without them. Hey, if the Aussies can do it, so can we.

✽ The Smurfs are betting on China. ~ WSJ

✽ I'm already scared. A Shrek Halloween TV special is planned for the US -- but I heard about it from the BBC. ~ BBC

✽  Bill Kinnon: "Idiot decides to do something stupid. 1000s wail about the idiocy. Idiot thrives on the attention. But ppl, cut off the oxygen & a fire dies" ~ link

✽  Roger Olson playing with the idea of purgatory:

The question that bothers me is this: How can we picture men (and perhaps some women) who absolutely hated people entering into the joys of paradise without some kind of correction? Of course, as a committed Protestant I cannot imagine paradise or heaven as a place of completion of one’s salvation. But I can imagine a justified person being greeted at the gate by St. Peter (imagery) saying “Hello. Yes, you’re name is in the book. But before entering fully into the joys of this place you’ll need to take a class taught by [so-and-so] and experience correction and reconciliation.” And I can imagine every truly saved person saying “Yes! Of course. Thank you. Let’s get started.” In other words, I don’t envision this “purgatory” as suffering except in the sense that all correction involves some suffering. But for the truly saved person true correction is also a blessing... ~ link

✽  What's up with earthquakes in Oklahoma? ~ link | USGS background

✽  "North Korea accepts flood aid offer from South" ~ BBC