Beer - A Sign of God's Love!

With the Oktoberfest nearing its end, Memoirs thought it good to remind all "why malt does indeed offer convincing proof that God does indeed love us":

And yet, I can offer something about beer-brewing that proves, to my pagan mind, why malt does indeed offer convincing proof that God does indeed love us. In the process of brewing beer, there is a critical temperature. It is the temperature of the "sparge" water, the water used to wash the sugars out of the barley malt, and it must be 167 degrees. A few degrees lower, and you won't get all the sugars, a few degrees higher and you will get unpleasant tannins along with the sugars.

Yet, in the days before thermometers, which include most of the days during which mankind, Christian and pagan alike, have brewed beer, how did they possibly know when the water had reached that critical number? Boiling point is easy to find, but boiling water will ruin the wort. So how did they know? As it turns out, there is a sudden change in the reflectivity of water just at this critical temperature; that is to say, you can detect the change in temperature just by looking at the water, no thermometer required. Now, one can invoke mere coincidence to explain this. But to invoke coincidence is to reject not just God but science. For if we can attribute such miracles to coincidence, then we never need look for the cause of anything. And I think it quite reasonable, nay, quite scientific, to attribute such an amazing "coincidence" to the care and concern of God for his creation.

[via The Distributist Review]

God's Intention for Man

First of all, one thing must be clear to us: God has created us not for sorrow, but for joy. Where do we see man for the first time? In Paradise!

According to the testimony of the Holy Bible, especially of the New Testament, man is intended for Paradise, not for hell. The fact that many are perishing does not yet mean that such were God's intentions for man.

God is love.

He does not want the death of the sinner, but on the contrary, "will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth".

The following situation is very significant: on Judgment Day, the Saviour will say to the righteous: "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world". And He will say to the sinners: "Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."

From this, it is clearly seen that, according to God's plan, Paradise was prepared for men, and hell - for the demons.

Archimantrite Seraphim Aleksiev, 'The Meaning of Suffering', The Christian Message from Moscow

Choosing a Wife

A resident of the state of Chu had two wives. Another man tried to seduce the two women. First, he tried his tricks on the elder one, but was sworn at. Next, he approached the younger one, who easily fell prey to his charms.

Before very long, the husband of the two women died. Both of them were ready to remarry.
The go-between asked the interloper, "Which of the two women do you wish to marry?"
"I prefer the elder one."
The matchmaker replied, "Didn't the elder one curse you? And didn't the younger one comply with your wishes?"
"What you say is true. As long as the younger one was another man's wife, I was glad to have her as my lover, but I prefer a fierce woman who knows how to swear and is unlikely to become another man's lover."

Ding Cong, Wit & Humour from Ancient China (Asiapac, 1997), translated by Ma Mingtong & Xu Hui

"We Can Still Be Friends"

A friend's advice regarding a phrase that continues to haunt me, three weeks after it was said.

.:Раде Брдар:. says:
well when girls tell you that

.:Раде Брдар:. says:
they try to be nice, even though they have chosen the other guy, then they are hoping that u never call them again or try to talk to them, but when that other guy @#$% them over they fly to you

.:Раде Брдар:. says:
thats when u tell her to @#$% off

Who Would You Marry?

Two unedited excerpts from two conversations with two girls (one of whom I'm currently seeing, and the other whom friends tried to set me up with) recently:

A) Another reason why i shouldn't marry or have kids. They only serve as irritating accessories that bog down my mobility and freedom of choice.

B) ya kids are the best!!! they are so sincere, they just do what they realy want and tell what they realy think

Чем выше любовь, тем ниже поцелуи

A line of a popular Russian song goes, "The less the love, the more the kisses".

I ask those who have experienced being in a relationship: is this true?

Fuss-Free Wedding

Like most men (except those seeking alcohol binge opportunities), I have an utter distaste for large, lavish weddings - particularly the obligation involved and the tendency to focus on attendants other than the bride and groom.

A Moscow couple had the ideal alternative. They held their wedding in the metro (subway for some of us) and had the "reception" at a fast food joint:




And that's how weddings ought to be.
Pity about the church ceremony (or lack thereof), though.

More HERE.

February 14

There's nothing wrong, of course, with delighting in love and honoring friendship and stopping in the bleak midwinter to tickle the people we love. But it's also a good sign of psychosocial health if the day just saunters by and winks, and you feel no need to pay attention. The minute it feels like a duty, it has lost its purpose. "Love sought is good," Shakespeare observed, "but given unsought is better."

Nancy Gibbs, A Day to Forget
TIME February 18, 2008

A Remarkable Story

NOTE: The following article was pieced together from the original Russian with an online translator and my crummy Russian. Apologies for any mistakes!

Almost three years ago, the event shook the entire country: an 11 year old student become pregnant! She has now given birth; the father of the child is a young Tajik named Habib.

Now 14 year old Valya Isayeva continues her studies in seventh grade, while bringing up little Amina.

"I study in the day, coming home at five. I do my homework, play with Amina and then I make supper." says Valya.

Habib now works in construction, and contributes to the upbringing of his daughter. He lives in a working hostel, but visits regularly. He plans to marry Valya as soon as it is legally possible.

Valya diligently works on her assignments.

The young parents with Amina as Valya's grandmother, Antonina Aleksandrova, looks on.

Little Amina is now 2 years and 2 months old.

- Komsomolskaya Pravda, 19th September 2007

Now, this story strikes me as remarkable not because of the young age at which this girl has become a mother, but rather, how this story has unfolded. I do not find a young mother particularly shocking - bear in mind that girls in times past would be married early on to far older men and would probably conceive before the age of 18.

In any other society, most men who impregnate a girl of that age (or any other age for that matter) outside marriage would probably either vanish completely, or cough some money for an abortion before deciding whether to leave or stay. Habib, on the other hand, has decided to act responsibly - by earning for his little family, and seeing them as much as time permits.

That the couple is probably Muslim, and, owing to their culture (especially in parts of the former Soviet Union), have primitive ways is beside the point, however.

For all our "civilised" ways in the West (and societies aping the West, i.e. Singapore), how many of us are willing to display similar maturity and responsibility in the face of such an event?

Dedicated to Alina

Who will grieve for this woman? Does she not seem
too insignificant for our concern?
Yet in my heart I never will deny her,
who suffered death because she chose to turn.

Anna Akhmatova, Lot's Wife

Indulging in Fantasy

It's the middle of the week. With my chores and homework conveniently relocated to the back of my mind, I sit down in front of the computer and check my email. One message in particular stuck out from the rest - titled "hello and smiles, dear", it was from a certain "Nastenka". Curious, I clicked on it.

Its first lines betrayed its source from a marriage agency. However, seeing as how the message was directed to me and only me, I read oAttrition n. A link to the lady's profile was provided at the end of the letter. And what a profile!

This agency has managed the remarkable feat of actually sending me a profile of someone who is actually my 'type', so to speak (I've received millions of such emails before - none even came close).

So this lady - her name is Anastasia. She is my age, and studying psychology. A Ukrainian from the city of Poltava, she has a striking appearance: possessing both brown hair and green eyes (anybody who knows me personally would know what a sucker I am for green eyes). She likes to cook and wants children.

In addition, under "The type of man I desire", she stated that she would like a "mature, handsome, supportive, without bad habits, reliable, interesting man".

Yep, she's referring to me alright.

Maybe I should respond to that email.