text:
MY FIRST IMPULSE was to tell her of my love, and then I thought of the helplessness of her position wherein I alone could lighten the burdens of her captivity, and protect her in my poor way against the thousands of hereditary enemies she must face upon our arrival at Thark. I could not chance causing her additional pain or sorrow by declaring a love which, in all probability she did not return. Should I be so indiscreet, her position would be even more unbearable than now, and the thought that she might feel that I was taking advantage of her helplessness, to influence her decision was the final argument which sealed my lips.
"Why are you so quiet, Dejah Thoris?" I asked. "Possibly you would rather return to Sola and your quarters."
"No," she murmured, "I am happy here. I do not know why it is that I should always be happy and contented when you, John Carter, a stranger, are with me; yet at such times it seems that I am safe and that, with you, I shall soon return to my father's court and feel his strong arms about me and my mother's tears and kisses on my cheek."
"Do people kiss, then, upon Barsoom?" I asked, when she had explained the word she used, in answer to my inquiry as to its meaning.
"Parents, brothers, and sisters, yes; and," she added in a low, thoughtful tone, "lovers."
"And you, Dejah Thoris, have parents and brothers and sisters?"
"And a—lover?"
She was silent, nor could I venture to repeat the question.
"The man of Barsoom," she finally ventured, "does not ask personal questions of women, except his mother, and the woman he has fought for and won."
"But I have fought—" I started, and then I wished my tongue had been cut from my mouth; for she turned even as I caught myself and ceased, and drawing my silks from her shoulder she held them out to me, and without a word, and with head held high, she moved with the carriage of the queen she was toward the plaza and the doorway of her quarters.
I did not attempt to follow her, other than to see that she reached the building in safety, but, directing Woola to accompany her, I turned disconsolately and entered my own house. I sat for hours cross-legged, and cross-tempered, upon my silks meditating upon the queer freaks chance plays upon us poor devils of mortals.
So this was love! I had escaped it for all the years I had roamed the five continents and their encircling seas; in spite of beautiful women and urging opportunity; in spite of a half-desire for love and a constant search for my ideal, it had remained for me to fall furiously and hopelessly in love with a creature from another world, of a species similar possibly, yet not identical with mine. A woman who was hatched from an egg, and whose span of life might cover a thousand years; whose people had strange customs and ideas; a woman whose hopes, whose pleasures, whose standards of virtue and of right and wrong might vary as greatly from mine as did those of the green Martians.
Yes, I was a fool, but I was in love, and though I was suffering the greatest misery I had ever known I would not have had it otherwise for all the riches of Barsoom. Such is love, and such are lovers wherever love is known.
To me, Dejah Thoris was all that was perfect; all that was virtuous and beautiful and noble and good. I believed that from the bottom of my heart, from the depth of my soul on that night in Korad as I sat cross-legged upon my silks while the nearer moon of Barsoom raced through the western sky toward the horizon, and lighted up the gold and marble, and jeweled mosaics of my world-old chamber, and I believe it today as I sit at my desk in the little study overlooking the Hudson. Twenty years have intervened; for ten of them I lived and fought for Dejah Thoris and her people, and for ten I have lived upon her memory.
The morning of our departure for Thark dawned clear and hot, as do all Martian mornings except for the six weeks when the snow melts at the poles.
I sought out Dejah Thoris in the throng of departing chariots, but she turned her shoulder to me, and I could see the red blood mount to her cheek. With the foolish inconsistency of love I held my peace when I might have plead ignorance of the nature of my offense, or at least the gravity of it, and so have effected, at worst, a half conciliation.
My duty dictated that I must see that she was comfortable, and so I glanced into her chariot and rearranged her silks and furs. In doing so I noted with horror that she was heavily chained by one ankle to the side of the vehicle.
"What does this mean?" I cried, turning to Sola.
"Sarkoja thought it best," she answered, her face betokening her disapproval of the procedure.
Examining the manacles I saw that they fastened with a massive spring lock.
"Where is the key, Sola? Let me have it."
"Sarkoja wears it, John Carter," she answered.
I turned without further word and sought out Tars Tarkas, to whom I vehemently objected to the unnecessary humiliations and cruelties, as they seemed to my lover's eyes, that were being heaped upon Dejah Thoris.
"John Carter," he answered, "if ever you and Dejah Thoris escape the Tharks it will be upon this journey. We know that you will not go without her. You have shown yourself a mighty fighter, and we do not wish to manacle you, so we hold you both in the easiest way that will yet ensure security. I have spoken."
I saw the strength of his reasoning at a flash, and knew that it were futile to appeal from his decision, but I asked that the key be taken from Sarkoja and that she be directed to leave the prisoner alone in future.
"This much, Tars Tarkas, you may do for me in return for the friendship that, I must confess, I feel for you."
"Friendship?" he replied. "There is no such thing, John Carter; but have your will. I shall direct that Sarkoja cease to annoy the girl, and I myself will take the custody of the key."
"Unless you wish me to assume the responsibility," I said, smiling.
He looked at me long and earnestly before he spoke.
"Were you to give me your word that neither you nor Dejah Thoris would attempt to escape until after we have safely reached the court of Tal Hajus you might have the key and throw the chains into the river Iss."
"It were better that you held the key, Tars Tarkas," I replied
He smiled, and said no more, but that night as we were making camp I saw him unfasten Dejah Thoris' fetters himself.
With all his cruel ferocity and coldness there was an undercurrent of something in Tars Tarkas which he seemed ever battling to subdue. Could it be a vestige of some human instinct come back from an ancient forbear to haunt him with the horror of his people's ways!
As I was approaching Dejah Thoris' chariot I passed Sarkoja, and the black, venomous look she accorded me was the sweetest balm I had felt for many hours. Lord, how she hated me! It bristled from her so palpably that one might almost have cut it with a sword.
A few moments later I saw her deep in conversation with a warrior named Zad; a big, hulking, powerful brute, but one who had never made a kill among his own chieftains, and so was still as an o mad, or man with one name; he could win a second name only with the metal of some chieftain. It was this custom which entitled me to the names of either of the chieftains I had killed; in fact, some of the warriors addressed me as Dotar Sojat, a combination of the surnames of the two warrior chieftains whose metal I had taken, or, in other words, whom I had slain in fair fight.
As Sarkoja talked with Zad he cast occasional glances in my direction, while she seemed to be urging him very strongly to some action. I paid little attention to it at the time, but the next day I had good reason to recall the circumstances, and at the same time gain a slight insight into the depths of Sarkoja's hatred and the lengths to which she was capable of going to wreak her horrid vengeance on me.
Dejah Thoris would have none of me again on this evening, and though I spoke her name she neither replied, nor conceded by so much as the flutter of an eyelid that she realized my existence. In my extremity I did what most other lovers would have done; I sought word from her through an intimate. In this instance it was Sola whom I intercepted in another part of camp.
"What is the matter with Dejah Thoris?" I blurted out at her. "Why will she not speak to me?"
Sola seemed puzzled herself, as though such strange actions on the part of two humans were quite beyond her, as indeed they were, poor child.
"She says you have angered her, and that is all she will say, except that she is the daughter of a jed and the granddaughter of a jeddak and she has been humiliated by a creature who could not polish the teeth of her grandmother's sorak."
I pondered over this report for some time, finally asking, "What might a sorak be, Sola?"
"A little animal about as big as my hand, which the red Martian women keep to play with," explained Sola.
Not fit to polish the teeth of her grandmother's cat! I must rank pretty low in the consideration of Dejah Thoris, I thought; but I could not help laughing at the strange figure of speech, so homely and in this respect so earthly. It made me homesick, for it sounded very much like "not fit to polish her shoes." And then commenced a train of thought quite new to me. I began to wonder what my people at home were doing. I had not seen them for years. There was a family of Carters in Virginia who claimed close relationship with me; I was supposed to be a great uncle, or something of the kind equally foolish. I could pass anywhere for twenty-five to thirty years of age, and to be a great uncle always seemed the height of incongruity, for my thoughts and feelings were those of a boy. There was two little kiddies in the Carter family whom I had loved and who had thought there was no one on Earth like Uncle Jack; I could see them just as plainly, as I stood there under the moonlit skies of Barsoom, and I longed for them as I had never longed for any mortals before. By nature a wanderer, I had never known the true meaning of the word home, but the great hall of the Carters had always stood for all that the word did mean to me, and now my heart turned toward it from the cold and unfriendly peoples I had been thrown amongst. For did not even Dejah Thoris despise me! I was a low creature, so low in fact that I was not even fit to polish the teeth of her grandmother's cat; and then my saving sense of humor came to my rescue, and laughing I turned into my silks and furs and slept upon the moon-haunted ground the sleep of a tired and healthy fighting man.
We broke camp the next day at an early hour and marched with only a single halt until just before dark. Two incidents broke the tediousness of the march. About noon we espied far to our right what was evidently an incubator, and Lorquas Ptomel directed Tars Tarkas to investigate it. The latter took a dozen warriors, including myself, and we raced across the velvety carpeting of moss to the little enclosure.
It was indeed an incubator, but the eggs were very small in comparison with those I had seen hatching in ours at the time of my arrival on Mars.
Tars Tarkas dismounted and examined the enclosure minutely, finally announcing that it belonged to the green men of Warhoon and that the cement was scarcely dry where it had been walled up.
"They cannot be a day's march ahead of us," he exclaimed, the light of battle leaping to his fierce face.
The work at the incubator was short indeed. The warriors tore open the entrance and a couple of them, crawling in, soon demolished all the eggs with their short-swords. Then remounting we dashed back to join the cavalcade. During the ride I took occasion to ask Tars Tarkas if these Warhoons whose eggs we had destroyed were a smaller people than his Tharks.
"I noticed that their eggs were so much smaller than those I saw hatching in your incubator," I added.
He explained that the eggs had just been placed there; but, like all green Martian eggs, they would grow during the five-year period of incubation until they obtained the size of those I had seen hatching on the day of my arrival on Barsoom. This was indeed an interesting piece of information, for it had always seemed remarkable to me that the green Martian women, large as they were, could bring forth such enormous eggs as I had seen the four-foot infants emerging from. As a matter of fact, the new-laid egg is but little larger than an ordinary goose egg, and as it does not commence to grow until subjected to the light of the sun the chieftains have little difficulty in transporting several hundreds of them at one time from the storage vaults to the incubators.
Shortly after the incident of the Warhoon eggs we halted to rest the animals, and it was during this halt that the second of the day's interesting episodes occurred. I was engaged in changing my riding cloths from one of my thoats to the other, for I divided the day's work between them, when Zad approached me, and without a word struck my animal a terrific blow with his long-sword.
I did not need a manual of green Martian etiquette to know what reply to make, for, in fact, I was so wild with anger that I could scarcely refrain from drawing my pistol and shooting him down for the brute he was; but he stood waiting with drawn long-sword, and my only choice was to draw my own and meet him in fair fight with his choice of weapons or a lesser one.
This latter alternative is always permissible, therefore I could have used my short-sword, my dagger, my hatchet, or my fists had I wished, and been entirely within my rights, but I could not use firearms or a spear while he held only his long-sword.
I chose the same weapon he had drawn because I knew he prided himself upon his ability with it, and I wished, if I worsted him at all, to do it with his own weapon. The fight that followed was a long one and delayed the resumption of the march for an hour. The entire community surrounded us, leaving a clear space about one hundred feet in diameter for our battle.
Zad first attempted to rush me down as a bull might a wolf, but I was much too quick for him, and each time I side-stepped his rushes he would go lunging past me, only to receive a nick from my sword upon his arm or back. He was soon streaming blood from a half dozen minor wounds, but I could not obtain an opening to deliver an effective thrust. Then he changed his tactics, and fighting warily and with extreme dexterity, he tried to do by science what he was unable to do by brute strength. I must admit that he was a magnificent swordsman, and had it not been for my greater endurance and the remarkable agility the lesser gravitation of Mars lent me I might not have been able to put up the creditable fight I did against him.
We circled for some time without doing much damage on either side; the long, straight, needle-like swords flashing in the sunlight, and ringing out upon the stillness as they crashed together with each effective parry. Finally Zad, realizing that he was tiring more than I, evidently decided to close in and end the battle in a final blaze of glory for himself; just as he rushed me a blinding flash of light struck full in my eyes, so that I could not see his approach and could only leap blindly to one side in an effort to escape the mighty blade that it seemed I could already feel in my vitals. I was only partially successful, as a sharp pain in my left shoulder attested, but in the sweep of my glance as I sought to again locate my adversary, a sight met my astonished gaze which paid me well for the wound the temporary blindness had caused me. There, upon Dejah Thoris' chariot stood three figures, for the purpose evidently of witnessing the encounter above the heads of the intervening Tharks. There were Dejah Thoris, Sola, and Sarkoja, and as my fleeting glance swept over them a little tableau was presented which will stand graven in my memory to the day of my death.
As I looked, Dejah Thoris turned upon Sarkoja with the fury of a young tigress and struck something from her upraised hand; something which flashed in the sunlight as it spun to the ground. Then I knew what had blinded me at that crucial moment of the fight, and how Sarkoja had found a way to kill me without herself delivering the final thrust. Another thing I saw, too, which almost lost my life for me then and there, for it took my mind for the fraction of an instant entirely from my antagonist; for, as Dejah Thoris struck the tiny mirror from her hand, Sarkoja, her face livid with hatred and baffled rage, whipped out her dagger and aimed a terrific blow at Dejah Thoris; and then Sola, our dear and faithful Sola, sprang between them; the last I saw was the great knife descending upon her shielding breast.
My enemy had recovered from his thrust and was making it extremely interesting for me, so I reluctantly gave my attention to the work in hand, but my mind was not upon the battle.
We rushed each other furiously time after time, 'til suddenly, feeling the sharp point of his sword at my breast in a thrust I could neither parry nor escape, I threw myself upon him with outstretched sword and with all the weight of my body, determined that I would not die alone if I could prevent it. I felt the steel tear into my chest, all went black before me, my head whirled in dizziness, and I felt my knees giving beneath me.


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Victorian 9ct Gold Amethyst Oval Pendant, 11.35ct
This divine Victorian 9ct Gold Amethyst oval pendant will look sublime when suspended from your favourite Gold chain. Perfect for adding a flash of vibrance to your outfit, the purple orchid hue of this 11.35ct Amethyst is sure to impress!
Gleaming beautifully from every angle, this antique Amethyst pendant is the perfect wearable size, making her the ideal choice to add to a necklace stack.
Spread your payments:
Layaway - Partial payments until it's ready to ship. Bag a treat.
This divine Victorian 9ct Gold Amethyst oval pendant will look sublime when suspended from your favourite Gold chain. Perfect for adding a flash of vibrance to your outfit, the purple orchid hue of this 11.35ct Amethyst is sure to impress!
Gleaming beautifully from every angle, this antique Amethyst pendant is the perfect wearable size, making her the ideal choice to add to a necklace stack.
Item Details
ERA: Victorian (1837-1901)
MEASUREMENTS: Pendant is 28mm long, including jump-ring.
Amethyst is 20mm long x 14.5mm wide, weighing approx 11.35ct.
Weight: 3.9g
MATERIALS: Tests as 9ct Gold throughout, Amethyst (11.35ct).
HALLMARKS: Since we have dated this piece as being made prior to 1950, a hallmark is not required in order for it to be sold in line with UK hallmarking legislation.
VERY GOOD. This 9ct Gold Amethyst pendant is in very good condition. With a wonderful faceted form, she only has some subtle wear to the culet and she feautres a couple of small natural inclusions inside - a testament to mother nature's beauty! Snugly encased within the 9ct Gold, she is complete with a solid 9ct Gold jump-ring, allowing you to hang her from a fine chain with ease.
All orders are shipped using DHL express and are securely padded in transit, with full tracking and insurance for your peace of mind. Alternate couriers are available by special request.
- FREE EXPRESS DELIVERY on all orders worldwide!
- NEXT-DAY delivery to the UK and EU
- Delivery to the USA in TWO WORKING DAYS
- Orders placed by 1pm (GMT) will be dispatched the same day
You can return your item for a full refund for any reason by simply getting in touch to let us know within 14 days of receiving it.
This item will arrive beautifully gift wrapped in a Lillicoco presentation box, tied up with a pink ribbon. You'll also receive a handwritten information booklet and free polishing cloth too!
Please message us or call +44(0)117 925 4798 if you have any questions!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some answers to the questions that we are most commonly asked here at Lillicoco.
If you can't find the answer you are looking for then you can find our contact details here. Please give us a call and we'd be happy to help!
What are my payment options?
We accept payment directly by credit and debit card as well as Paypal. If you wish to make a payment via direct bank transfer (BACS) then please contact us by email.
For private viewings we are happy to accept cash payments of up to £1,000.
Can you reserve an item for me?
Yes. We are happy to reserve an item for up to 30 days with an upfront, non-refundable deposit of 15%. If this is something that you'd like to arrange then please email us at firstname.lastname@example.com
Do you offer layaway?
Absolutely! We can arrange a flexible payment plan for any piece you wish to purchase over a number of weeks or months. Most customers opt for three equal payments over three months. We set it up on a PayPal invoice, and all of our usual terms apply, although 15% of the invoice total is nonrefundable in case of cancellation or return.
Do you offer credit?
Unfortunately, we're not able to offer a credit facility, interest-free or otherwise.
How is my payment secured?
All card payments are processed through Shopify Payments (powered by Stripe) which keeps your details safe and secure. We don't ever have access to your Credit or Debit card details.
If you choose to pay with PayPal then you can read about their security here.
What happens to my personal information?
To process your order we are privy to some of your personal information such as your name, address, telephone number and email address. We will only use this information to ensure your item is delivered safely to your door, and will never share it with any third parties. However, we would love to stay in touch by email with your permission!
Does my order come boxed?
All jewellery bought through our website will come beautifully presented in a powder pink Lillicoco box, along with an item information booklet and a free polishing cloth! Our boxes are made from 100% recycled paper.
When will my item arrive?
See here for our deliveries page.
All deliveries within mainland UK are sent by guaranteed special delivery completely free of charge. Orders placed before 1pm will arrive the next working day.
All international orders are delivered by DHL Express. If you are ordering from anywhere other than mainland UK then your item will normally be with you in 2-5 working days.
Can you source something specific for me?
Yes! If you're looking for something specific or unusual then let us know what you need and we'll do our best to source it for you through our network of partners. We have access to the highest quality antique and vintage jewellery which aren't available anywhere online!
Can you value my jewellery for me?
Yes, we work in partnership with clarity valuations for honest and accurate third party valuations. See here for more information.
How can I be sure my item is genuine?
All items are inspected thoroughly before being put up for sale. There are a number of checks that we complete including:
1) Checking the style and materials match those used in the era.
2) Checking hallmarks. Hallmarks tell us a lot about items for instance where something was Assayed, which metals were used (ie Gold, Silver, Platinum), the purity of the metal (ie 925 Sterling Silver or 18ct Gold), & the date the item was Assayed which indicates the item's age.
3) Checking the condition. We check for any damage to the item prior to sale; for instance scuffs, dings, missing or loose stones. We always clearly state any damage or cause for future repair clearly in the item description,as well as any piece of the item know to be or suspect to be non-original.
We buy items on good faith from reputable jewellery dealers. In any instance where we are not 100% certain of the Material used in the item a series of tests are conducted which identify the metal. By doing this we can identify whether an item is Silver, Sterling Silver, 9ct, 14ct, 18ct Gold, Platinum or base metal.
All our Diamonds are genuine earth-mined Diamonds unless clearly stated otherwise.
If it is a synthetic or simulated Diamond we will make this very clear to our customers.
In the event there is any doubt over the provenance or dating of an item the said item will always be referred to an independent jewellery valuer prior to the item being made available for sale.
Do you offer resizing?
If you've spotted a ring you love but it's not your size please get in touch so we can talk you through your options.
We are happy to give our expert opinion on whether a specific ring can be sized or not, and how many sizes it can be altered. It's useful at this stage for us to know your ring size.
We do offer a quick and easy re-sizing service if you should need it, but we would always recommend viewing the ring before committing to any work being done on it.
Please note we do not offer any returns or exchanges on rings we have had re-sized at your request, nor do we accept refunds or exchanges of rings sold that have been re-sized or altered in any way by third parties.
Estimates for re-sizings are based on case by case basis as the cost will differ depending on the material and work to do done.
Please note in some instances a ring is not suitable for re-sizing due to its construction or age, and we may recommend against re-sizing to safeguard a rings structural & stylistic integrity.
I've bought the wrong ring size!
If you've bought a ring that does not fit you we would recommend taking it to a reputable jeweller. They will be able to advise you on whether the item can be sized to fit you correctly. Sizing is always best done when an experienced jeweller and the customer can have a face to face meeting, so that the jeweller may complete a professional ring fitting.If the item cannot be sized, or you wish to return it please do so within 14 working days for a full refund.
Who are Lillicoco?
Lillicoco Limited is based at 17-18 Berkeley Square Lillicoco, Square Works, Clifton, Bristol, England, BS8 1HB. Company number 10307096.

subset: commoncrawl


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FRT53540BS is a complete pre-piped single wall instantaneous steam/water shell and tube heater. The assembly includes a535 instantaneous Flo-Rite-Temp water heater with a Digital Recirculating Valve (DRV40) and BS - Connectivity Module.
Digital technology provides enhanced water temperature control accuracy and enhanced user safety in a single control component. BS - Connectivity Module technology to remotely view and adjust set point, datalog and monitor inlet hot, inlet cold/return and mixed water outlet with multiple BAS interface options.
Operational Specifications
- +/-2°F water temperature control at points of use 25' downstream during demand
- +/-2°F water temperature control during zero system demand "idling" periods
- 2°F minimum valve inlet to outlet temperature requirement (system recirculation temperature loss)
- Automatic shutoff of hot water flow upon cold water inlet supply failure
- Automatic shutoff of hot water flow in the event of a power failure
- Programmable set point range of 81-158°F (27-70°C)
- Programmable 1st level hi/lo temp alarm display
- Programmable temperature error level for double safety shutdown.


text:
Washington – Haleh Sahabi is the latest Iranian woman to die in political violence.
On Wednesday, security forces attempting to cut short the Tehran funeral of her father scuffled with Sahabi, 55, who died of an apparent heart attack.
Sahabi had been let out of prison, where she was serving a two-year term for human rights activism, to attend the funeral. A photo of her holding a picture of her father – Ezatollah Sahabi, a prominent dissident in his own right – just before her death has now joined other iconic images of Iran's simmering discontent.
Across the Middle East, the role of women in political protests is striking and expanding. From Cairo's Tahrir Square to Tehran's Azadi Square, they have marched side by side or even in front of men, chanting slogans demanding democracy and greater personal freedom.
In Iran, since protests erupted following disputed presidential elections two years ago, 10 percent of those jailed for political reasons have been female, said Hadi Ghaemi, director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. That amounts to 100 of the 500 Iranians prosecuted and serving sentences and an additional 500 in pre-trial detention, he said.
Several of those who have died in street clashes or been executed by the regime over the past two years have been women. The best known is Neda Agha-Soltan, a 27-year-old philosophy student who was fatally shot Jun. 20, 2009 on the streets of Tehran. Footage of her death went viral on social networking sites.
Among the most prominent political prisoners in Iran is Nasrin Sotoudeh, 48, a civil rights lawyer sentenced in January to 11 years in prison for defending others. Sotoudeh wrote in a letter last week to her husband Reza that was posted on opposition websites that far from being lonely in prison, she was experiencing "a new environment" created by her fellow female inmates.
"This existence is at times happy and upbeat, at times calm and demure, at times watchful and analytical, but always tolerant and willing to compromise; a tolerance that will eventually lead us to achieve our goals," she wrote.
Women have participated and died in all of Iran's major political upheavals, from the 1905-11 Constitutional Revolution to the 1978-79 Islamic Revolution.
However, in the past they tended to walk behind or separate from men, said Haleh Esfandiari, director of the Middle East programme at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. In 2009, they were together if not in front, egging on the men.
Esfandiari, herself jailed for four months in 2007 on nebulous allegations of promoting a "velvet revolution" in Iran, noted in a 1997 book called "Reconstructed Lives" that women had to reinvent themselves after the 1979 revolution.
Despite the fact that they lacked legal equality, they often become breadwinners and household decision-makers when their husbands lost jobs, became too demoralised to function or were sent off to fight during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.
Encouraged, even obliged to take part in pro-government demonstrations, women developed a habit of political activism. They figured prominently in the successful 1997 and 2001 presidential campaigns of Mohammad Khatami, a reformist cleric, and in the 2009 campaign of Mir Hossein Mousavi, a former prime minister who ran against incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Mousavi promised to end inequality of women in inheritance, court testimony and child custody – restrictions placed on women by the Islamic regime. The fact that his accomplished wife – former university president Zahra Rahnavard – campaigned alongside him was also a major factor in attracting women's support.
Other Iranian women, such as human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi, who in 2003 became the first Muslim woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, have led efforts to regain equal rights. An online petition campaign – the Million Signatures Campaign – was started in 2006 by women seeking legal equality.
The expanding profile of women in Iran is the culmination of a number of factors, said Farzaneh Milani, a professor of Persian Literature and Studies in Women and Gender at the University of Virginia. While Iranian women have seen their rights constricted since 1979, they have also experienced "collateral benefit", she said.
Women from traditional religious families who had shied away from higher education under the Shah began attending in greater numbers once all women were forced to wear the veil and many public spaces became segregated by sex. Now 64 percent of those attending higher education in Iran are female, Milani said Wednesday during a lecture at the Woodrow Wilson Center. "This was not the intention [of the authorities] but the outcome," she said.
The paradoxes and contradictions of Iranian society in regard to women are a spur to activism.
Milani notes in a new book on Iranian women writers, "Words, not Swords", "Women can vote and run for some of the highest offices in the country but they must observe an obligatory dress code. They can drive personal vehicles, even taxis and trucks and fire engines, but they cannot ride bicycles…
"They have entered the world stage as Nobel Peace laureates, human rights activists, best-selling authors, prize-winning film directors and Oscar nominees, but they cannot enter governmental offices through the same doors as men."
The fact that so many women are incarcerated in Iran demonstrates that they are a growing threat to the regime, Milani said. "No one can stop this movement. The genie is out of the bottle."
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Popular Excuses to Avoid Salvation
by D.L. Moody
Some people are always making excuses for not doing their duty, and especially for not coming to Christ. If I asked you to come to Christ, you would be ready to give some excuse for not accepting the invitation. I never saw an unsaved man in my life but had some excuse – never! and if you don't have one ready, Satan will be right by you to help you to make one. He is good at that sort of thing. That has been his occupation the last six thousand years – helping men to make excuses.
"And they all with one consent began to make excuse." (Luke 14:18)
Just bear in mind, these men were invited to a feast, and not to funeral. They were not invited to go to prison. They were not invited to a hospital, or to a madhouse; but they were invited to feast. Now, when a man prepares a feast, there is a great rush to see who will get the best seats; but when God prepares His feast, the chairs would all be empty, if His disciples did not go out to compel people to come in. No sooner did the King send out His invitations than the excuses began to rain in. "And they all, with one consent, began to make excuse."
All at it, and always at it. Did you ever stop to think, my friends, what would take place if God should take every man at his own word who wants to be excused? If He were to say, "I will excuse you" and with the next breath take them all out of the world? If every one in this audience should be taken at his word, who makes excuses in this respect, and if God should say, "Cut him down, let him cumber the ground no longer, hew him down," (Luke 13:7) there would be a very terrible state of things in London. If every man in London, and every woman who wanted to be excused, and is saying so, – if God should take them at their word, and say, "I will excuse you," oh! my friends, there would be a great many shops not opened tomorrow.
The public-houses [bars], for instance, would be closed; for I never saw a publican [bar-keeper] in my life, but what wanted to be excused. He knows he cannot go on with his hellish traffic, if he accepts this invitation. He would have to stop that at once. Many of your cabmen [taxi drivers] do not want to come to the feast, because they would have to stop their business on the Sabbath. There would be a great many of your princely merchants that would be gone. They do not want to accept the invitation, because they think, if they do, they cannot make money so fast. They are carrying on some business which would then have to be stopped, because they accepted this invitation. There would be a very sad state of things taking place. Those that were left would have to be busy burying the dead. It would be a very solemn time, if God should take men at their word, and just excuse them. You let some terrible disease lay hold of a man, and half his excuses are gone at once.
Every kind of excuse is given; but that man does not live who can give a good excuse.
Let any man get an invitation from Queen Victoria to go down to Windsor Castle, to some banquet; and there is not a man but would consider it a great honor to receive such an invitation. But only think of the invitation that I bring tonight! It comes from the King of kings. The marriage supper of the Lamb is going to take place, and God wants every man in this assembly to be present. I cannot speak for the rest of you; but if I know my own heart, I would be rather torn limb from limb – I would rather have my heart torn out of me – than be absent from that marriage supper. I have missed a good many appointments in my time, but, by the grace of God, I mean to make sure of keeping that one.
These men all began to say, "I pray thee have me excused." Let us take up that first man's excuse. What was it? He had bought some ground, and he must needs go and see it. Why did he not, if he were a good business man, go and look at the ground before he bought it? It was not going to make the ground any better for him to go and look at it. He had not made a partial bargain and might withdraw. He was not afraid that some one might step in ahead of him and get the ground from him, and so he would lose it: it was not anything of this kind; but he had bought the ground, and must needs go and see it. It is a strange time to go and see ground, just at supper time. I think the ground would have looked all the better after he had been to the feast. But the fact is, my friends, he did not believe it was a feast; and that is the trouble to-day. Men do not believe the Gospel is a feast.
The second man is approached by the messenger, who says, "My lord has made a great feast, and he wants to have you come to it." "Take back to your lord the message, that I cannot be there. I have bought five yoke of oxen [for plowing], and I have got to go and prove [test] them." Why did not he prove his oxen before he bought them? That is the time to prove oxen; but now he has bought them, let them stand in the stall. The trade is already closed; the bargain is already made; the oxen are bought. They are his, and now he can go and prove them at any time. A queer time to prove oxen, at supper time! He had better have proved them in the morning, and so have been ready to go to the feast in the evening.
The third man had married a wife, and therefore he could not come. Why not take his wife along with him? A young bride likes to go to a feast – no one better. He might have taken her: and if she was not willing, then let her stay at home. You smile, you laugh at this, but you can see plainly what these excuses were. They were simply falsehoods, just manufactured to ease their consciences.
That boy down in the audience sees how absurd these excuses were; for the fact was, they did not want to go to the feast; and it would have been a good deal more honest for them to have said; "I don't want to go to your lord's feast, and I will not go."
Now, I would just like to take up some of the popular excuses of the present day. I do not doubt but there are hundreds of you who say to-night, "If I could accept that invitation, Mr. Moody, I would like to be a Christian; but, sir, I have tried, and I find it is a very hard thing." Well, now let us look at that excuse. Do you mean to say that God is a hard Master? Do you say it is a hard thing to serve God? and do you say that Satan is an easy master, and that it is easier to serve him than God? Is it honest, – is it true? If it is, then I must confess that I have not read my Bible right; because I read it this way: – "The way of the transgressor is hard." (Prov. 13:15)
If you doubt it, young men, look at the convicts in that prison; right in the bloom of manhood; right in the prime of life. He has been there for ten years, and must remain there for ten years more, – twenty years taken out of his life, and the thought that when he comes out of that miserable cell, be comes out a branded convict! Do you think that man will tell you "the way of the transgressor has been easy"?
Go and ask the poor drunkard, – the man who is bound hand and foot, and is a slave to the infernal cup, and is hastening on to a drunkard's grave and to a drunkard's hell, – ask him if he has found the way of the transgressor easy, and the devil an easy master. Go ask the libertine – go ask that gambler – go ask the most abandoned man you have got in London, – ask them all, if they have found the devil an easy master.
Suppose we were to take the most faithful follower of the devil, and put him into the witness-stand, and let him testify; do you think the most faithful follower of the devil would tell you that he is an easy master? Why, there is not a young man here but knows in his heart the devil is a hard master.
The best way to settle this question is to find out by the testimony of those that have served both masters. I do not think any man has a right to judge until he has served both masters. If I heard a man condemn a master, I should be very apt to ask if he had served him; and if he had not, he could not very well testify. I am speaking to many to-night who have served both masters. Many of you have served Christ; and many of you, before you were brought into the fold of Christ, served the devil. I would like to ask the young men here to-night that are Christ's, – that have served Christ, – I would like to ask you, who have been brought into the kingdom of God and found Christ, – is Jesus a hard Master? [Loud cries of No.] I thought you would say no. I knew you would. I never heard a man say, "I have served Christ for five years, or more, and found Him a very hard Master." You never will say that.
One of the greatest lies that has come out of the pit of hell is, that Christ is a hard Master. It is a lie, and has been so from the foundation of the world. Oh, young man, I beg of you, do not believe the devil when he says that God is a hard Master. It is false, my friends; and to-night let me brand that excuse as one of the devil's own lies, that lie has been retailing up and down the earth for six thousand years.
Look how poor Adam suffered, because he believed the devil's lies! Look at poor Judas! Did he find the devil an easy master? See him throwing down the thirty pieces of silver! (Matt. 27:5) Why, he got so tired of the devil's service that he hanged himself twenty-four hours after he entered it.
Then there is another very popular excuse. I can imagine a good many would say; "Well, Mr. Moody, the fact is, I want to be saved." Of course you do! You would not be coming here at this time – at some inconvenience, many of you – if you did not want to be saved. But you say, "The fact is, Mr. Moody, I don't know that I am elected. If I thought I was elected I would come. I know that I cannot come unless I am elected and I really want to come very much, but I don't know that I am one of the elect." Now, I have heard that till I have got sick and tired of it. I want to say to every unconverted man in this hall to-night that you have no more to do with the doctrine of election than you have with the government of China. I am not saying this in haste; I weigh well my words. I say that no unconverted man has anything to do with the doctrine of election. You have to do with the word whosoever. Now, the invitation is, "Whosoever will, let him come to this feast." (Rev. 22:17)
To-night, my friends, let me say that you are invited, every one of you; and if you don't come, it will be because you won't, not because God does not want you, or has not given you the power to come. With the invitation there comes the power. Christ said to the withered man, "Stretch out thy hand." (Mark 3:5) The man might have said that he had not the power; but with the invitation there came the power. And so it is here.
Suppose I walked up the street to-night, and I stepped up to the door of this Camberwell Hall to go in, and a man stopped me, and I said to him, "Why not let me in?" "Where's your ticket? " "I have got none." "But no one is admitted without a ticket." "Then I cannot go in, I suppose?" "No; it is for a certain class – those that have got tickets." I go along farther – up to the Exeter Hall and there is an anniversary meeting of some society. I step in, and a policeman pushes me back. I say, "I want to go in"; and he says, "You cannot go in here unless you have got a ticket. None but members can be admitted to-night." I do not happen to be a member of the society, and I cannot go in. I go an along a little farther, and come to another meeting; and there, perhaps, they are Quakers. The policeman stops me, and says, "Nobody admitted but Quakers." I am not a Quaker, and cannot go in. Farther on I find a soldiers' meeting. I cannot go in because I am not a soldier, and none but soldiers are admitted. But I go farther on, for I find written up in great big letters, "Whosoever will, let him come in." In I go: that means me. Now God has headed His invitation with whosoever, in great burning letters; and if you will go in, God will receive you to-night. He wants you to come this hour – this very minute.
"Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." I have an idea that the Lord Jesus Christ saw how men were going to stumble over that doctrine of election; for, after He had been back in heaven for thirty or forty years, and John was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, in the Isle of Patmos, Jesus came to him and said, "John, write this," and he wrote. Again He said; "John, before you close the book, put in this – The Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." (Rev. 22:17) That for ever has settled in my mind, the doctrine of election.
Another excuse is: "I can't understand the Bible." Men are giving that as the reason why they do not accept the invitation to be at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Now, I want to say I never met a skeptic or infidel who had read the Bible through. I heard a man say the other day to another man, " Have you read such a book?" "Yes." "What is your opinion of it?" "Well, I only read it through once, and I would not like to give my opinion without reading it more carefully." But men can give their opinion about God's Book without reading it. They read a chapter here and there, and say, "Oh, the Book is so dark and mysterious!" and because they cannot understand it by reading a few chapters, they condemn the whole of it. The Word of God tells us plainly that the natural man cannot understand spiritual things. It is a spiritual book, and speaks of spiritual things; and a man must be born of the Spirit before he can understand the Bible. What seems very dark and mysterious to you now will all be light and clear when ye are born of the Spirit.
You say, "If that is so, how am I to understand how to be saved?" I will tell you. When God puts salvation before a sinner, He puts it so plain that a man who runs can read, and a wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein. There are a great many things in the Book which are dark and mysterious; but when it comes to the plan of salvation, God has put it so plain that that little girl ten years old can understand it, if she will.
You understand what it is to come. "Come unto me, all ye that labour." (Matt. 11:28) You know what it is to take a gift. "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God." (John 1:11-12) "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life." (Rom. 6:23) You know what it is to believe in a man. Well, "believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." (Acts 16:31) You know what it is to put trust and confidence in a man. Now, put your trust and confidence in the living God, and you are saved. You are saved by casting yourself unreservedly upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
When God puts salvation before a man, He puts it so plain and simple that if he is willing to come as a little child, he can come.
Suppose I should send my little boy, five years old, to school to-morrow morning, and when he came home I should say, "Can you read, write, spell? Do you understand all about arithmetic, geometry, algebra?" The little fellow would look, at me, and say, "Why, Papa, why do you talk that way? I have been trying all day to learn the A B C." Supposing I replied "If you have not finished your education you need not go to the school any more," – what would you say? You would say; "Moody has gone mad." Well, there is about as much sense in that as in the way that infidels talk about the Bible. They take it up, read a chapter, and say "Oh, it is so dark and mysterious, we cannot understand it."
This blessed Book is given to be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psa. 119:105) to guide the way to those eternal mansions (John 14:2). It never was given to keep men out of the kingdom of God. That is the devil's work – trying to make you believe the Word of God is not true. I tell you the only way we can overcome the enemy of our souls is by the written Word of God; and the devil knows that, and so he comes up, and says – "it is full of lies; it is dark and mysterious; it contradicts itself: don't you believe it." He knows the moment a man goes to the Word of God and believes it, he finds liberty to his soul, and gets beyond Satan's reach; he gets a weapon in his hand with which to conquer the devil; he overcomes the enemy of his salvation.
The devil does not want you to find that out, and whispers this lie; and you believe it rather than the Word of God. Young man, your mother is right: the Bible is true, and you had better accept it.
Keep this in mind : you will never stand up before the bar of God, and say, the Bible kept you out of the kingdom. It may sound very well here, now; you may be satisfied to give that for an excuse down here, to-night; but you will not be satisfied to give it in the Courts of Heaven; – you will not stand up in the great Judgment Day and say the Bible kept you out of the kingdom.
Then there is another class. Some people say "I haven't any doubt about the Word of God; but the fact is, there are some men in the Church who are hypocrites; therefore I don't purpose to go into the Church." I am not asking you to come into the Church – not but what I believe in churches – but I am asking you to the marriage supper of the Lamb; I am inviting you to this feast; we will talk about the Church by-and-by.
We want you to come to Christ first; then we will talk to you about the Church. But you say; "Here are some hypocrites." So there are; and I can imagine you saying; "Oh yes – there is a man up here in one of the churches that cheated me out of £5 a few years ago; you are not going to catch me in the company of such hypocrites," Well, my friend, if you want to get out of the company of hypocrites, you had better get out of the world as quick as you can. One of the twelve apostles turned out to be a hypocrite; and there is no doubt there will be hypocrites in the Church to the end of time. But "what is that to thee?" says Christ to Peter: "follow thou Me." We do not ask you to follow hypocrites, we ask you to follow Christ; we do not ask you to believe in hypocrites, we ask you to believe in Christ.
Another thing – if you want to get out of the company of hypocrites you had better make haste and come to Christ. There will be no hypocrites at the marriage supper of the Lamb; they will all be in hell, and you will be there with them if you do not make haste and come to Christ. That excuse would sound strange, would it not? We very often hear men give it down here, but it would sound very strange before Jehovah – a man saying, "I know You invited me to be at the marriage supper of Your Son, but I did not accept it because I knew, there were some hypocrites that professed the Gospel."
There is another class who say; "I know there are hypocrites. but they don't have any influence over me." If I could go to the door as you go out to-night, and take you by the hand and say, "My friend, why not accept of the invitation to-night?" If you would say, "I pray to be excused to-night; I have not time. I have got some very pressing business to-morrow morning to attend to, and I have to go home to bed as quick as possible, to get my night's rest. You will have to excuse me." And the mothers here would say, "I have to go home and put the children to bed; you really must excuse me";- "very pressing business";- "no time." Thousands of men in London say they have not time. Thanks be to God! it don't take time: it takes decision.
But what have you done with all the time God has given you? Your locks [hair] are turning grey, your eye is growing dim, and that temple of your body is coming down: what have you done with all those years? Is it true you have not time? What did you do with the three hundred and sixty-five days last year? No time? – what have you done with it all? Have not you had time to accept of this invitation? Why, men spend fifteen or twenty years to get an education, that they may go out to earn a living for this frail body that is soon to be eaten up with worms; or five years to learn a trade, that they may earn a living; and yet they have not five minutes to seek their souls' salvation!
You "have no time." Is it true? You know it is a lie; and if you go out to-night unsaved, it will not be because you have not time, but because you won't accept the invitation. God says, "Seek first the kingdom of God." (Matt. 6:33) That is the first thing to do. Supposing you do not get so much money to-morrow, and get Christ, is not that worth more than money? Better for a man to be sure of salvation than to have the wealth of the world rolled to his feet!
But there is another excuse coming up from some one in the gallery. A man says, "My heart is so hard." Well, that is just the very reason you ought to come. If you had not a hard heart you would not need a Savior. Can you soften your heart? Can you break your heart? Did not God invite the hard-hearted? Did not Christ come to seek and to save that which was lost? It is just because men's hearts are hard that they need a Savior. That is no excuse at all. God invites you, and you won't stand tip and tell the Great King you did not accept His the invitation because you had a hard heart. He invites "whosoever"; and you can come along with your hard heart.
In the North there was a minister talking to a man in the inquiry room. He said, " My heart is so hard, it seems as if it was chained; and I cannot come." " Ah! " said the minister, "Come to Christ, chain and all"; and he just came to Christ, and Christ snapped the fetters, and set him free right there. If you are bound hand and foot by Satan, that is the work of God to break the fetters; you cannot break them. Thanks be to God! He can break the fetters and set the captive souls free to-night. I do not care how hard the heart is: the Lord can save to the uttermost; He bids you come just as you are. Oh, this old excuse – "I am so bad!"; Away with it! Paul said he was the "chief" of sinners; and if the chief has obtained mercy there is hope for everybody else.
The devil makes us believe that we are good enough without salvation, if he can; and if he cannot make us believe that, he says, "You are so bad the Lord won't have you"; and so he tries to make people believe, because they are so bad, Christ won't have anything to do with them. God invites you to come just as you are. I know a great many people want to come, but they are trying to get better and to get ready to come. Now mark you, my friend, the Lord invites you to come just as you are; and if you could make yourself better, you would not be any more acceptable to Him.
Do not put these filthy rags of self-righteousness about you. God will strip every rag from you when you come to Him, and He will clothe you with glorious garments. When our [civil] war was going on, we would sometimes go to the recruiting office and see a man come in with a silk hat, broadcloth coat, calfskin boots – his suit might be worth $100; and another man would come in whose clothes were not worth a pound; but they both had to strip, and put on the uniform of the country. And so when we go into Christ's vineyard we must put on the livery of heaven, and be stripped of every rag of our own. However bad you are, come just as you are, and the Lord will receive you.
Some say; "I would like to become a Christian; but I have a prejudice against these special meetings, and against Americans, and against a layman too. If it was a regular minister, if it was our regular minister, I would accept the invitation." If that is your difficulty, I can help you out of that. You can just get up, and go out of the hall, and run right over to your minister, and have a talk with him; your minister would be most glad to see and talk and pray with you. And if you say do not want to be converted in a special meeting, there are regular meetings in all the churches throughout London.
But if you say There is a great awakening here in London," and you do not want to be converted in that way; then jump into a train, and go to some town where there is no revival. We can find you some place where there is no revival, and some church where there is not much of the revival spirit. If you really want to go, don't give that for an excuse. How wise the devil is! When the Church is cold, and everything is dead, men say, " Oh, well, if there was only some life in the Church I might become a Christian, – if we could only just have a wave from heaven." Then when the wave does come, they say, " Oh no; we are afraid of excitement, and afraid of these special meetings. We are afraid there will be something done that won't be just in accordance with our ideas of propriety." – My friend, it is God who is working. He prepares the way.
There is another class here who say: "I would like to come, but then I do not feel." That is, I think, the very worst excuse, and the most common excuse we have. I wish sometimes the word could be abolished, – feel! feel! You go into the inquiry room. "Well, Mr. Moody, I do not feel this and that." Why, supposing my friend, Mr. Stone [organizer of the meeting] should invite me to go to his house to-morrow to dinner, and I say to Mr. Stone, "I should like to go very much, but I don't know that I feel right." "Well", he says, "what do you mean? Do you mean you don't want to go to my house?" "Oh no, I want to go." (That is what men say: "Oh yes, we want to be saved.") "What do you mean, Mr. Moody? Do you mean that you do not know you will be well to-morrow? Do you think you will be sick?" "I expect to be well to-morrow, if I live." "Well, what do you mean by feeling?" "Well, I do not know just how I'll feel. I would like very much to go to your house to dinner tomorrow, but I don't know that I will feel just right." "I don't understand you, Mr. Moody – I am not talking about feeling; I invite you to come to my house to dinner." "Well, I would like to come very much, but the fact is, I do not know how I will feel to-morrow."
I can imagine my friend saying, "What has come over Moody? I think the fellow has gone mad. I asked him to my house to dinner, and he says he would like to come, but he does not know that he will feel right; he talked about feeling all the time." Of course you would say be has gone mad. But that is the way people talk now. You speak to them about coming to the kingdom of God, and they say; "I do not know that I feel just right." Away with your feelings. God is above feeling. We cannot control our feelings? If I could, I would feel good all the time – never catch me feeling bad at anything! I am sure if I could control my feelings I never would have any bad feelings; I would always have good feelings.
Bear in mind, Satan may change our feelings fifty times a day, but he cannot change the Word of God; and what we want is to build our hopes of the kingdom of heaven upon the Word of God. When a poor sinner is coming up out of the pit, and just ready to get his feet upon the Rock of Ages, the devil sticks out a plank of feeling and says; "Get on that"; and when he puts his feet on that, down he goes again.
Take one of these texts – "Verily, I say unto you, he that hearest my word and believeth on Him that sent me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death into life." (John 5:24) My friend, that is worth more than all the feelings that you can have in a whole lifetime. I would a thousand times rather stand on that verse than on the best frame of feeling. I took my stand there twenty years ago. The dark waves of hell have come dashing up against me; the waves of persecution have surged around me doubts, fears, and unbelief have assailed me; but I have been able to stand right there. It is a sure footing for eternity. It was true eighteen hundred years ago, and it is true to-night. That Rock is higher than my feeling. What we want is to get our feet upon the Rock, and then the Lord will put a new song into our mouths.
There is another class, who say they cannot believe. Not long ago, a man said to me; "I cannot believe." I said "Who?" "Well, I cannot believe." I said, "Who"' He stammered and stuttered, and I said; " Who cannot you believe, – God?" "Oh yes, I believe God. I cannot believe myself," "Well, you do not want to believe yourself. Your heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9). Put no confidence in the flesh. Don't believe yourself; call yourself a liar, and let God be true. Believe in God, and say as Job said; 'Though He slay me I will trust Him.'(Job 13:15)"
Some men seem to talk as if it was a great misfortune that they do not believe. Bear in mind, it is the damning sin of the world. "When He, the Comforter, is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me." That is the sin of the world – "because they believe not on me." Why, that is the very root of sin – the very tree, and all the fruit! This is the tree that brings forth this bad fruit – it is the tree of unbelief.
I wish I had time to go on with these excuses; for they are as numerous as the hairs on our heads. But if I could go on and exhaust them all, the devil would help to make more. You can just take them, tie them up in one bundle, and mark them lies – the whole of them. Not one of them is true. If your excuse is a good one, if it will stand the light of eternity; do not give it up for anything I have said. Hold it firm, take it to the bar of God, and tell it out to Him. But if you have an excuse that won't stand the piercing eye of God, I beg of you, as a friend, give it up – let your excuses go. Let them go to the four winds of heaven, and accept of the invitation now. It is a very easy thing for a man to excuse himself into hell, but he cannot excuse himself out.
Dare you make light of the invitation? Suppose you should just write out an excuse to the King of Heaven: "While sitting in the Camberwell Hall, July 10th, 1875, I received a very pressing invitation from one of Your messengers to be present at the marriage supper of Your only-begotten Son. I pray Thee have me excused." Would you come up and sign that? Would you take your pen and put your name down to that excuse? I can imagine you saying, you would let your right hand forget its cunning, and your tongue cleave to the roof of your mouth first. I doubt whether there is a man in this room who could be made to sign this excuse: but what will you do? Many of you will get up and go out of this hall, making light of the preacher, laughing at everything you have heard, paying no attention to the invitation. I beg of you, do not make light of this invitation. It is a loving God that invites you; but God is not to be mocked. Go, play with the forked lightning, trifle with any pestilence, any disease, rather than with God. God is not to be trifled with.
Just let me write out another reply "To the King of Heaven. While sitting in the Camberwell Hall, July 10th, 1875, I received a pressing invitation from one of Your servants to be present at the marriage supper of Your only-begotten Son. I hasten to reply, By the grace of God I will be present." Who will sign that? (Many replies of "I will!" "I will!") Who will set to their seal to-night that God is true? Be wise to-night and accept of the invitation. Make up your mind now: do not go away till the question of eternity is settled.
July 10th, 1875


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Facial Services By Appointment Only - Aiken. SC - 803 747-2255
alice p 06/2020
You can be assured that you will get the upmost care and attention when you enter A Younger You! Lois is a professional who strives to give you a wonderful experience with expert results. I am a monthly customer and I look forward to each session. I leave with my skin feeling and looking younger. I highly recommend Lois for anyone looking for an Aesthetician who is knowledgeable and caring!
Holly W. 12/3/2019
I have visited Lois monthly for at least 10 years now and am so thankful that I found her. I'm 67 years old, work full time and am under constant stress. She's a fanatic about skin - constantly researching products, services and mixing it all with lovely relaxation techniques. I feel wonderful when I finish my facial, and I look so much younger. My friends and clients cannot believe my age - wrinkles? age spots? blocked pores? Nope, don't have any of that! Thank you Lois! You're the best!
annette 11/2019
My experience with Lois has always been excellent. My skin has visibly changed due to the treatments and products. So pleased with the results!
Nikki P. 11/15/2019
My sister referred me to Lois, her facials are amazing. They are almost as relaxing as a massage. I finished my treatment series and I'm very happy with my results. I joined her monthly membership program so I can keep seeing her. I recommend her to my friends now.
Hope M. 12/20/2017
Lois has been my esthetician for about 20 years. Her service and knowledge is impeccable and I have not been able to find another esthetician that can offer the same. I still contact Lois for any skin issues I may have and she ALWAYS is able to treat and cure the skin issues especially the issues the dermatologists could not resolve.She is the best and puts in alot of time for research to make sure she offer the best products and services to her clients based on the client's skin and symptons.
Nashia F. 10/19/2016
I went to A Younger You Skin Care for help for my dry skin. Lois, the skin care specialist went out of her way to help me. I was impressed with her knowledge of skin care. Her recommendation of Rhonda Allison products helped my skin. My skin looks better every day. If you want the best skin care advice, go see Lois at A Younger You Skin Care Center.
Sharyn W. 9/3/2015
I knew when I first started getting regular facials with Lois that I would enjoy it as a "treat" for myself and find it relaxing, which it certainly has been, every time! However, what I have been really pleased about is all the comments I have been getting on how nice, smoother, younger, and healthier my skin looks. At least five people in the last month alone have told me that my skin looks great! Thank you, Lois! ----Sharyn


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Body Material: Plastic
Trim: Plastic
Nib material: Felt
Price: £7.50
Where to buy: Bureau Direct J. Herbin Calligraphy Markers
These calligraphy markers are packaged in a simple cardboard box. I think a little guide along with them would be ideal, because these are geared towards beginners and one might not have any clue what to do with them! A guide that shows a new user what they could do with them and how to use the marker tips would be easy to include. The Pilot Parallel Calligraphy Pens include a small guide, which is easy to follow, and not intimidating.
These are very basic plastic pens with round bodies, short, blocky, black plastic clips, and short caps. There are three matte facets on the end of the barrel and on the cap, but the rest of the pen is a shiny black plastic. Uncapped, there is a narrowing nose towards the felt tips. The barrel of the pen is stamped with Calligraphy and the tip sizes - M 2.5 (medium), B 3.6 (broad), and XB 4.8 (extra-broad).
These aren't the most beautiful pens ever, but there's nothing wrong with them for what they are.
For about $10, you can play around with some felt tip calligraphy markers with black ink. The ink is decent enough - it dries really fast and doesn't smudge around. It isn't a deep, super saturated black, but it's black. No sheen, no spectacular qualities, just a black marker. Nothing wrong with that, because it's simple, doesn't smell funny, and it's affordable.
Chances are you want pens like these to try them out - perhaps to try your hand at calligraphy, or to add simple flourishes to something you're already doing. Addressing letters to friends? Addressing envelopes?
You can flip them on their corners for finer lines, but be gentle because this will dent the somewhat pointed corners.
The marker tips write fairly smoothly, and have even ink coverage. So far, they're still going and have not dried out or run out of ink. They are also pretty forgiving if you do not keep them perfectly aligned with the paper, which makes them great for getting the hang of what calligraphy feels like.
My favorite is the 2.5 - it feels the most crisp and versatile. A light hand is sufficient for ink flow, and it also keeps the tips of the markers in the best shape possible for as long as possible. If you press down, you may get a little more ink flow, but it doesn't make much of a difference and it will just wear out your tips faster.
- Affordable.
- Great gift.
- Good idea for trying calligraphy.
- Easy to use!
- Minimal packaging.
- Ink is pretty water resistant - some washes away but it remains legible.
- Forgiving tips.
- For left- and right-handed writers!
- Disposable
- Plastic.
- Not super precise tips, but that's ok.
These J. Herbin Calligraphy Markers are well suited to new users, or for those who don't feel like mucking around with dip nibs or fountain pens. They're easy and safe to carry (no leaks), easy to use, and affordable. Great for simple flourishing, pretty italic handwriting, for testing the calligraphy waters, or just for fun.
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WATCH: Big Country Performs 'Inwards' Live @ The Pier in New York City – 1986
Hailing from Dunfermline, Scotland, Big Country literally roared onto the world stage in 1983 with their debut album, The Crossing. The album sold over one million copies in the UK alone, and due to the success of its single 'In a Big Country' the album quickly climbed into the US Billboard Top 20 and achieved Gold Record status.
Lead singer/songwriter Stuart Adamson (formerly of The Skids) brilliantly incorporated traditional Scottish music (including bagpipes) around his distinctive guitar-work, giving Big Country a truly unique sound for the times. His guitar sound became modeled by U2's The Edge, R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, and even Metallica's James Hetfield.
After The Crossing, Big Country would go on to release one EP and seven more albums over the course of twenty years, many of which garnered wide critical acclaim in the UK, and topped the UK charts. But in the US, none of these later efforts would come close to matching the success of their debut album.
The band was eventually dropped by their record label Phonogram in 1991, but they remained a favorite opening band for iconic groups like The Who, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Robert Plant & Jimmy Page. Mick Jagger called Big Country "one of the best opening bands we have had".
When not working on side projects, Big Country continued to release albums and tour together, though these later recording efforts failed to achieve anything close to the commercial success they enjoyed in the 80s. Adamson who had had a long battle with alcoholism, dating back to the 80s, suffered from acute depression, and by the end of the 90s he'd resorted to sudden disappearing acts without notice.
His second marriage began to crumble in 2001, and shortly after his wife commenced with divorce proceedings, Adamson disappeared again. On December 16, 2001, Adamson's body was found in a hotel room in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he had hanged himself. He was 43 years old at the time of his death. He is survived by two children from his first marriage.
The way Big Country stormed into the US charts in the early 80s only to seemingly vanish by the decade's end, might leave some younger Americans — largely unfamiliar with them — to believe Big Country was just another 80s 'one-hit wonder' group. This is most definitely not the case. The Crossing itself is one of the best albums of that era, full of fabulous songs. I cannot recommend it enough.
Here is a video of Big Country in 1986 performing 'Inwards' (from The Crossing) at The Pier in New York City. Though, Adamson has to stop abruptly for a moment to quell some fan on fan violence, this video, in my opinion, succeeds in capturing the band's live energy.
Some other fabulous songs worth checking out from The Crossing LP include Fields of Fire, and Adamson's personal favorite The Storm.


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Precision, Professionalism, Perfection: NJ's Commercial Painting Authority!
Would you believe that the color of a business premises can affect customer behavior? Studies have revealed that a property's aesthetic can directly influence the perception of a brand, which makes the choice of a commercial painting company in New Jersey an integral part of any business's success strategy. With a reputation for excellence, professional painters in New Jersey offer a blend of aesthetic appeal and lasting durability that goes a long way in fortifying a business entity's physical allure.
Selecting the ideal painting company in New Jersey is no mere decorative decision—it's a strategic investment. A premium commercial painting company NJ boasts a portfolio of work that transforms commercial entities into landmarks of professionalism and style. In New Jersey, where first impressions matter, the quality of your commercial space's paintwork could be the silent ambassador of your brand.
Why Choose a Premium Provider for Your NJ Commercial Painting Needs
When it comes to enhancing the visual appeal of your New Jersey business, the expertise and finesse of professional painters are unrivaled. Opting for premium painting contractors NJ isn't purely about aesthetics; it's an investment in the durability and reputation of your commercial entity. The wealth of experience held by commercial painting contractors in New Jersey makes them the partners of choice for discerning businesses seeking reliability and exceptional results.
The Benefits of Professional Painters NJ Businesses Trust
Trustworthy New Jersey painting contractors bring more to the table than just a fresh coat of paint. By employing local painting contractors in New Jersey, businesses benefit from a track record of accountability and professionalism. These seasoned professionals understand the unique climate and environmental challenges in New Jersey, ensuring they pick the most suitable materials and approaches for every project.
- Dependability: Schedules are sacred, and sticking to them is a hallmark of true professionalism.
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The difference is clear when working with those who paint with passion and precision.
Quality and Durability: The Mark of Top Commercial Painting Contractors in NJ
When it comes to long-lasting results, commercial painting contractors set themselves apart with a promise of durability. High-traffic areas require more than a standard paint job; they need coatings and applications that stand the test of time and use.
Feature | Benefit |
Advanced Material Use | Superior protection against wear, ensuring longevity and luster for years to come. |
Modern Techniques | A blend of artistic touch with innovative methods equals unprecedented quality. |
Meticulous Preparation | Careful planning and prep work translate to a flawless application and finish. |
Post-Application Follow-Up | Assurance of satisfaction with services that don't just end after the paint dries. |
The core of commercial painting contractors New Jersey prides itself on is not just the immediate shiny outcome, but also the years of resilience and brilliance that follow. As businesses evolve, their facades and interiors can stay vibrantly reflective of their growing success, all thanks to the diligence and expertise of their chosen painting contractors.
Commercial Painting Company New Jersey: Services Offered
Seeking reliable house painting in New Jersey? Look no further. Uncover the suite of services provided by top-notch painting contractors in New Jersey. From lustrous interior refreshes to robust exterior makeovers, these professionals deliver excellence at every stroke.
- Interior Painters New Jersey: Expertise in transforming indoor spaces with precision and finesse, utilizing the latest color trends and quality paints for beautiful, lasting interiors.
- Exterior Painters New Jersey: Durable solutions to withstand harsh weather, using top-grade materials for a remarkable curb appeal that elevates your commercial presence.
- Specialty Coatings: High-durability coatings for increased protection and longevity, addressing specific needs of commercial facilities.
- Custom Textures and Finishes: Textural painting techniques to create unique visual effects, tailoring the ambiance of a space to your brand's identity.
- Branding and Custom Graphics: Services extend beyond traditional painting to include brand-aligned graphics and logos, making your space an extension of your corporate identity.
Championing a vibrant and professional aesthetic, the painting contractors in New Jersey offer a comprehensive approach to breathe new life into commercial entities. Their unrivaled skill in house painting New Jersey premises is matched by their commitment to industry-leading standards.
Understanding the Painting Process with NJ's Finest Professionals
Embarking on a commercial painting project in New Jersey can seem daunting, but with the right team of house painters NJ businesses can transform their spaces effortlessly. Recognizing the elaborate process that these professionals follow can provide peace of mind and assurance of quality. Below, we explore the meticulous steps involved, from initial consultation to the final brushstroke.
Expert Consultation and Planning with New Jersey Painting Contractors
Success in painting begins long before paint meets wall. It starts with a comprehensive consultation—where seasoned house painter NJ specialists assess the work required and discuss your vision. They provide valuable insights, recommend suitable color palettes, and create an action plan tailored to your commercial needs, thus setting the stage for a flawless execution.
Meticulous Preparation and Execution by Skilled Exterior Painting Contractors NJ
Renowned as thorough exterior painting contractors NJ, these professionals pride themselves on pristine preparation. They know the importance of surface preparation, weather considerations, and timely execution. Proper scaffolding setup, surface cleaning, and detailed taping and covering are imperative steps to ensure the paint not only looks exceptional but also endures over time.
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When it comes to the interior, decorative painting company New Jersey experts showcase their meticulous attention to detail. Their work often includes intricate decorative finishes and custom design work that require steady hands and precise techniques. The end result? A commercial space that radiates your brand's identity and ethos with every stroke.
- Consultation: Personalized solutions and planning
- Preparation: Safety measures, surface prep, and prime work
- Paint Application: Using advanced techniques and premium paints
- Detailing: Fine touches that elevate the aesthetics
- Final Inspection: Ensuring every inch meets the highest standards
How to Select the Right Painting Company in New Jersey
Embarking on a residential painting project can be a significant undertaking, so selecting the right professionals is fundamental to achieving the desired outcome for your New Jersey home. With a considerable number of painters for hire New Jersey offers, it can be challenging to discern which NJ painting company will provide the premium service your home deserves. Here are some pivotal considerations to guide you through this vital decision.
Evaluating House Painters New Jersey Based on Experience and Portfolio
Experience is a hallmark of a reputable painting company. Check the number of years the residential painters New Jersey homes frequently enlist have been in operation, suggesting a level of stability and expertise in the field. Assess their portfolio to observe the variety and quality of their work. Look for diverse projects that demonstrate a adaptability and a keen eye for detail, ensuring the local painters New Jersey homeowners rely on align with your specific esthetic preferences and project requirements.
Reading Customer Testimonials and Reviews for Local Painters NJ
No one tells the story of a NJ painting company better than its previous clients. Gain insights from customer testimonials and online reviews for local painters New Jersey residents have worked with. Positive feedback and high ratings can be a strong indicator of the provider's commitment to customer satisfaction and quality craftsmanship. Be mindful of how companies respond to any negative reviews as well, as this showcases their dedication to resolving client concerns and maintaining their reputable standing in the community.
- Investigate years of service indicating reliability and mastery in the industry.
- Examine the portfolio for a wide-ranging showcase of style and attention to detail.
- Scrutinize customer testimonials for insights on work ethic and customer rapport.
- Observe the handling of feedback and resolution of any issues, reflecting accountability and service excellence.
Finding the right team of residential painters New Jersey homeowners trust can transform your property and enhance its value. By thoroughly evaluating the experience, portfolio, and customer testimonials of potential painting companies, you'll be well-equipped to make an informed decision. A top-notch NJ painting company will not only meet but exceed your expectations, leaving you with a beautifully painted home to take pride in for years to come.
Innovative and Decorative Painting Company NJ Solutions
Searching for a painting company in New Jersey that transcends the ordinary? Look no further. New Jersey is home to some of the most innovative painting contractors, specifically those offering creative and decorative services tailored to refine and redefine commercial spaces. These NJ painting contractors are not just applying paint; they're bringing walls to life with the latest trends in design and aesthetics. By infusing your business environment with cutting-edge decorative techniques, they play a crucial role in elevating your brand's visual appeal and customer perception.
A distinguished decorative painting company NJ businesses turn to will have a portfolio that captures a spectrum of styles – from the subtle elegance of faux finishes to the bold statements of mural work. These advanced techniques transform a company's space into a canvas that tells a story and amplifies its corporate identity. It's more than a service; it's an artisanal craft that binds the ethos of a brand to its physical presence, ensuring that every stroke is in harmony with the business's vision and values.
When choosing a painting company in NJ, consider one that offers these specialized decorative options. This factor can be the defining difference between a standard refresh and a transformative experience. Not only does it stand as testament to the company's expertise and innovation, but it also is a testament to your own commitment to quality and aesthetics. By partnering with NJ painting contractors who excel in decorative work, you actually invest in your business's future, crafting an atmosphere that inspires both your workforce and clientele with every hue and texture.
What makes a commercial painting company in New Jersey 'premium'?
A premium commercial painting company in New Jersey is characterized by its exceptional service standards, use of high-quality materials, advanced painting techniques, and a team of experienced professional painters. They ensure a top-notch finish and look for any commercial project they undertake.
Why should I choose a premium provider for my commercial painting needs in NJ?
Choosing a premium provider ensures that your NJ business benefits from credible, reliable, and professionally executed painting services. Premium providers offer detailed workmanship, durability, and a superior finish that can positively reflect on your company's reputation.
What services do commercial painting companies in New Jersey offer?
Commercial painting companies in New Jersey offer a broad range of services including interior and exterior painting, high-durability coatings, custom textures, branding-related painting, and other specialized services to meet the unique needs of businesses of all kinds.
How do I know I'm hiring the best professional painters NJ has to offer?
The best professional painters in NJ are known for their expert consultation, meticulous planning, and careful execution of painting projects. Look for a painting company with a track record of success, excellent reviews, and a portfolio that demonstrates their capability and attention to detail.
What should I consider when selecting a painting company in New Jersey?
When selecting a painting company in New Jersey, consider its experience, quality of portfolio, customer testimonials, and online reviews. A reputable company should have a demonstrated history of providing excellent services and a strong local reputation.
What are some innovative and decorative painting solutions offered by NJ painting companies?
Innovative and decorative painting solutions can include faux finishes, murals, customized brand colors, thematic painting, and the integration of unique textures. These services are designed to enhance the branding and environment of a business, making it stand out and providing a customized aesthetic.


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What misconceptions? LOL, did I miss something?Quote:
Originally Posted by hiss srq
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What misconceptions? LOL, did I miss something?Quote:
Originally Posted by hiss srq
[quote="hiss srq"]Just to clear up misconceptions on the Huey it actually belongs to the State Police, they brought her in for the open.
These are former NYDEC ships who merged with the NYSPD some ten years ago. N19SP and N129SP are two that I know of.
Is it bunking at Atlantic or on the State PD pad?
Caught N19SP at FRG a while back:Quote:
Originally Posted by Gerard
i really, really like the colors of the NYSP helo fleet. are they the same on the King Airs?Quote:
Originally Posted by moose135
Nah someone confused it for a guard bird. I was just clearing it up. The 106 got rid of their Huey's about 12 years ago or so. That is all. And it is flying from the State ramp.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gerard
Not to argue, but since I've been watching it take off and land from outside my window, I can state they are using Atlantic's ramp. I grabbed a shot yesterday evening, will post sometime this week.Quote:
Originally Posted by hiss srq
4 years ago they were using this same ship to drop bait or whatever for rabid racoons in the county. I saw themQuote:
Originally Posted by moose135
flying real low not far from my house.
That shot was from the summer of 2007, and I believe they were doing the same thing then.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gerard
The NYSP Bell430 stayed the night last night. Both the Huey & Bell430 are stuck here due to the rain....and they are still on Atlantic's apron. ;)
Originally Posted by lijk604
One or both will probably be here for the whole Open. Back in 2002 they used a 430 and a 407 to supplement the County Air
Bureau. Whenever there is an event on State park property they bring in one or two State copters. They did this for the Air
Show and usually for the July 4th fireworks. And if I'm correct they stage at an LZ at the State Park PD HQ at the golf course
area when the rounds are in action.
Since I was in the area tonight, I stopped by to see Snoopy.
Nice shot John,
Must be kind of cool to land that thing and see the ground below you start to glow :)
I saw that one flying along the shoreline the other day when I was in the area of Bayswater.
I wonder if they have a lav on board that bad boy.
Yup...called the side window. :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by hiss srq
LOL remind me to never stand below a blimp. :shock:Quote:
Originally Posted by lijk604


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Now a look at some changes occurring in a small country that's often in the spotlight, the United Arab Emirates. It's been known at times for harsh legal punishments. Foreign couples have been jailed for a kiss in public. Businesspeople have faced prison for a bounced check. Citizens face restrictions on free speech. Well, now the UAE has overhauled some of its laws, promising big changes. And NPR's Ruth Sherlock is following this.
Ruth, tell us about what these new laws say.
RUTH SHERLOCK, BYLINE: Well, it's a drastic overhaul that applies to both foreigners and Emiratis. And this is a country where foreigners outnumber locals almost 9 to 1. So now unmarried couples can live together. Alcohol has been decriminalized. There are harsher punishments for sexual harassment and rape. There are new attempts to end so-called honor killings. And, Ari, there's more (laughter). Civil marriage is allowed not just under Islamic law. Having a child out of wedlock could get you jail time before. Now it's less likely to. Drug laws have been relaxed. And there's also a raft of new financial legislation. So for example, foreigners can own businesses without Emirati partners. I spoke with Ludmila Yamalova. She is a U.S. citizen and the managing partner of a UAE-based law firm. And she's been going over the new rules.
LUDMILA YAMALOVA: It truly feels like living in the thick of the history in the making. I have never seen such an extraordinary volume of progressive legislative amendments.
SHERLOCK: So some versions of these laws were introduced in late 2020, and others were announced last year and are being implemented this month.
SHAPIRO: Ruth, it sounds almost like a total cultural overhaul. Why is the UAE doing this now?
SHERLOCK: Well, look; you know, some of the new regulations are basically this reflection of the reality of the country now. So for example, alcohol is already widely available. But analysts say that this is also an attempt by the UAE to try to improve its image and make itself more attractive to foreigners. And that's because it's competing now with Saudi Arabia to be this international financial hub in the region. So for example, they've also done things like shift to a Monday-to-Friday working week as opposed to Sunday to Thursday. That's to fit in with global financial markets. Habib Al Mulla is a lawyer and has also held many government positions there. He says even if parts of Emirati society still remain very conservative, these progressive social reforms are necessary for the economy.
HABIB AL MULLA: I believe you can't have a country which is liberal from an economic perspective but not from a social perspective or vice versa. It's sort of flipped there right now (ph).
SHERLOCK: So he notes that the new laws are being brought in to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the country.
SHAPIRO: The UAE has been criticized for a record of human rights violations. Are these new laws going to leave that record in the past? Is this really a substantive change?
SHERLOCK: Well, analysts say, look; it may be years before we know the real effect of these laws. Some of the new legal code is open to lots of interpretation. And courts in more conservative parts of the UAE - for example, outside of the glitzy cities like Dubai - may be less keen to implement the more liberal aspects of these new regulations. Rights groups I've spoken with say it's too early to tell how helpful the new law - new employment laws could really be for migrants, who are often forced to do unsafe and low-paid work. And it's important to remember that the UAE remains a monarchy, where dissent isn't really allowed. Critics of the government continue to be jailed or forced to flee the country. And there isn't much sign that this overhaul would change that.
SHAPIRO: That's NPR's Ruth Sherlock.
Thank you very much.
SHERLOCK: Thank you very much.
[POST-BROADCAST CLARIFICATION:The audio of this story, as did an earlier web version, does not note that the changes concerning premarital sex and couples living together appear to apply only to heterosexual couples. Same-sex couples could still be subject to punishment.]
(SOUNDBITE OF KELPE'S "POLYMAR E") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.