[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he week is here! THE week! Our favorite Singaporean resident, Josie Gleave, is with us from across the world to bring us some international news, as well as her singular form of comedy.

Last month, the Salt Lake Temple closed for its four-year major overhaul. Renovating a temple means, of course, that the temple can no longer be a dedicated building, as it would be unrealistic for construction workers to hold temple recommends and conduct the work in the appropriate reverence. So when does a temple under revamp cease to be a temple? The Church let us know!

http://www.thisweekinmormons.com/2020/01/when-exactly-does-a-temple-cease-to-be-a-temple/

There's much in the world of women's issues this week. First of all, the Herald Extra has been kind enough to let us know that women who serve missions typically develop better leadership skills and gain in overall quality development. That's according to science!

Next up: the forthcoming edition of the New Era magazine has a section on feminism! What could go wrong?! Actually, there's not a ton to it, although it does make a point that feminism = equality is a good thing, but feminism = agitation outside of a woman's divine role is a bad thing. And no, none of this is in response to recent heightened awareness of the Equal Rights Amendment.

And how about some blogs on women's role in the Church? Our good friend, Carolyn Homer, sounds off about her fear of having kids. Elsewhere, the Church's own eternal marriage manual needs some serious updating, as it contains language about women that has been contradicted directly by more recent leadership. The Harvard Political Review also has a thoughtful piece on "More for Mormon Women," weakening the entire argument outright by using such a sinful term as "Mormon."

On a healthy note, the section on unwed mothers and unplanned pregnancies has been mercifully updated in a new Gospel Topics page to reflect the times a bit more. No longer are father and mother encouraged to wed or give up the kid for adoption. Those options remain, but being a single mother is also now considered a respectable choice.

Also, some history of how Utah women received the right to vote when some at the time in Utah (i.e. male leadership) thought such a thing was absurd.

Geoff got really excited when the Church announced an application for a "multicultural" choir at the next General Conference might have revealed the location of the mysterious event.