“The first person to have their reputation completely destroyed worldwide via the Internet.”

The obvious point is that it wasn’t the Internet the ruined her reputation, but her actions. Gennifer Flowers became a household name before the internet age, and she slept with Bill back when he was a measly governor.

If there’s anything historically unique about the era of Ms. Lewinksy’s…uh…service in the White House that made the story much bigger than it otherwise would have been, it was the emergence of sexual harassment as one of the pressing issues of the age during the early 1990s. You remember, Bob Packwood, Tailhook, the Clarence Thomas hearings, the movie “Disclosure.” No sexual harassment awareness raising > no Paula Jones lawsuit > no depositions about who Bill was having “relations” with > no perjury > no Starr report > no impeachment. The push to get rid of lecherous bosses was clearly a good thing, to a certain extent. But considering the sanctimony of the Thomas hearings and the “Year of the Woman” baloney that the Dems ran on in 1992, it’s amusing how quickly it backfired on them, not that they would ever admit it.

It’s no mystery why a world that rejects the nameless virtue would reject heroes. At first glance, its no mystery why that same world would embrace celebrities. (more…)

One kind of creativity is making unexpected connections. Wodehouse excelled at this kind of creativity. I just read where Fink-Nottle, on a vegan diet, started weeping at a sunset, because the color reminded him of a nice, underdone slice of beef.

Most of my creativity comes to me second hand. Providence makes the connections for me. “Look on this picture, and on this,” Providence says, and all I have to do is look, and think. (more…)

Peace like a river. (more…)

This post is about discretion and legalism. It follows up on the post The Virtue with No Name, or the Best Mormon Essay You’ll Read This Month. (more…)

No, not this essay, goose. Another essay. Which will be revealed to you later.

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From WTOP:

“An elementary school in Anne Arundel County closed early Friday because animal control couldn’t catch a feral cat in the building.

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The temple presents the Garden of Eden experience as a basic archetype that underlies human life. The temple–prepare to be shocked–is right. (more…)

When you think about the conditions that make choice meaningful, the need for atonement and the inevitably of damnation both pop out. (more…)

“At the time of the ground-breaking, Mayor Michael Nutter hailed the project at 18th and Vine Streets for its projected infusion of millions of dollars into the local economy, as well as the 300 construction jobs it would create.

“Church officials contend the worship site is much-needed to serve the Philadelphia area’s estimated 35,000 parishioners.”

. . .

“The temple’s building contracts also give hiring preference to union-affiliated Mormon workers in the Philadelphia region. But none could be found, aside from one carpenter who may join the team when his skills are needed during the project’s later stages.” (link via Millennial Star)

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“Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”—John 12:24-25

Blessed are the gentiles, because of their belief in me, in and of the Holy Ghost.

3 Nephi 16:6

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O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee?

—Psalms 89:8

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Quince Rufus Pack at age 94 in 1952 remembers his life:

My dance hall was used by the people for any of the public dances, parties and so forth that they had. One night Fred Robinson had his wedding party and dance. Some of the fellows brought some liquor with them and really made a drunken brawl out of the party.

Two or three days later the Stake President came to see me and told me that if I didn’t quit selling liquor in my dance hall they would have to discontinue holding M.I.A. in my building. Now, I didn’t sell liquor in my store and like I said those fellows at Fred Robinson’s party brought their own. I tried to explain that to Lewis Pond, our Stake President, but he was angry and so was I and before long we were really having an argument.

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Ordain Women founder Kate Kelly has made a letter from her stake president public: link.