Tuesday, December 24, 2019

The Greatest Person That History Forgot!

You’ve probably never even heard of this man, but he’s responsible for saving billions of lives, as well as civilization as we know it:



His name is Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov and all of humanity today owe him a bunch of gratitude.

Petrov was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Soviet Air Defence Forces. On September 26, 1983, three weeks after the Soviet military had shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007, Petrov was the Duty Officer at the command center for the Oko nuclear early-warning system when the system reported that a USAF Minuteman missile had been launched from the United States, followed by up to five more.
“If notification was received from the Russian early warning systems that inbound missiles had been detected, the Soviet Union's strategy was an immediate and compulsory nuclear counter-attack against the United States (launch on warning), specified in the doctrine of mutual assured destruction, or MAD.”
At the time, nuclear retaliation required that multiple sources confirm an attack before launching retaliatory strikes against the offending nation. Petrov knew that any nuclear strike from the US would be massive, and concluded that the system had triggered a false alarm, that no missiles had been launched from the U.S., and, disobeying orders from his superiors, stood down the retaliatory launch.
“It was subsequently determined that the false alarms were caused by a rare alignment of sunlight on high-altitude clouds and the satellites' Molniya orbits, an error later corrected by cross-referencing a geostationary satellite.”
Petrov’s quick thinking, as well as his refusal to obey orders, prevented what would have most assuredly been the start of World War III, a devastating nuclear holocaust would have ensued, and billions of people might have died, as well as ending civilization as we know it on the Earth.
Petrov had, indeed, saved the world.
So why do we not hear more about this brave man? The glitches in the Soviets’ early-warning system embarrassed military higher ups, and the entire episode was kept quiet until the incident became known publicly in the 1990s upon the publication of the memoirs of Colonel General Yuriy Vsyevolodich Votintsev, a retired commander of the Soviet Air Defense's Missile Defense Units and the officer who had been in charge at the time of the incident.
“Petrov was neither rewarded nor punished for his actions, but was reassigned to a less sensitive post, took early retirement (although he emphasized that he was not "forced out" of the army, as is sometimes claimed by Western sources), and suffered a nervous breakdown.”
Several months later Petrov received an award "for services to the Fatherland" but the incident at the control centre was kept secret for many years. A self-effacing man, Petrov never thought of himself as a hero, according to his son.

His story only came to light after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and over the years he became the subject of numerous media reports in Russia and abroad.





He was honoured with the 2011 German media award during a ceremony in Baden Baden, Germany on February 24th 2012 and the Dresden Peace Prize in 2013. He was  also honoured after 35 years at a ceremony at the Museum of Mathematics in New York, where former United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon paid tribute to him.



He died on May 19th 2017, of hypostatic pneumonia at 77 years old.

"The Man Who Saved the World", a documentary film directed by Danish filmmaker Peter Anthony and narrated by US actor Kevin Costner, was released in 2014.




Monday, January 14, 2019

The Internet and Pool of Information: Non-Restrictions and Availability to All

Happy New Year everyone.

Hope we all had a great holiday. It's been a while on here. The Writer has been up to a lot this past year but I shall do my best to post here often this year.

I was thinking about the internet has changed our lives, the way we think and do things. It has practically changed the way we function in every facet of our human endeavours. This is a god thing, to say the least but with every god thing comes its demerits. One of these has (and still is) been the availability of information especially via search engines for individuals not minding their age brackets or limitations.


This thought came to the fore last week Sunday while I was out to a house party with my nephew. Young dude should be about 12. His attention was consumed the entire time by his mobile phone, an Android. I peeped closely as he tried to use google severally to see what dude was searching for with rapt attention. Felt some relief when I saw his repeated searches centered around the Jogan adventure series and other comics. A thought went through my head in that instant - What if he was searching for adult content? Would they be readily available to him and would he be able to download? The answer to the latter is an emphatic YES!

This is the concern. And this is where the issue of availability comes in. Perhaps I will console myself with the fact that guardians will stand up to the daunting task to monitor the internet history  of their wards from time to time. This can be achieved in several ways without having to spy on their mobile phones directly and risk encroaching into their privacy even as the minors they are.

The onus is on us.

Do have a great day everyone.


Thursday, October 26, 2017

Now Available on Barnes & Noble




https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/drifter-daniel-omizu-ojadua/1125796681?type=eBook

Monday, August 28, 2017

The 'Medicine Man' Challenge

So I joined a community of book lovers recently in Abuja and attended my first meetup last Sunday at this very cosy and serene lounge in town. One of the main points of discourse was about the book Medicine Man.

Hitherto, we were supposed to read the book, write and submit a one-page review. At the end of the meetup, yours truly was announced the winner of the challenge and a cash prize followed. I was awed because I didn't see it coming considering the fact that I was in the same room with some very brilliant and bright minds.

In further appreciation to the organizers and the writer Ibeh Liedstrand Nwokocha for churning out a beautiful work of literature, I present to you my review. Please enjoy reading and don't forget to click on the links to buy a copy of Medicine Man on Amazon or GoodReads.


MEDICINE MAN 
BY IBEH LIEDSTRAND NWOKOCHA – Review by Daniel Ojadua


The story begins with a picturesque portrayal of Owerri as the writer tries to suck you into the environment.  The reader gets an instant definition of Owerri as a very busy and lively place with lots of commercial activities commencing early dawn. The writer goes on to paint a picture of Obioma’s earlier childhood days.

Primary school life formed an intricate part of Obioma’s early days in Owerri and of course Mr. Success was a very memorable part of those school years, side by side Kalu his classmate. These were about the two most striking persons Obioma knew at the time. The third striking personality in his life was his crush – Nneka. The story proceeds to Obioma’s quest for five naira (he wouldn’t have had a problem getting if his father wasn’t away to lagos), money he needed on short notice so he could participate in the singing competition at school geared at winning the grand prize of a trip to France.

Worthy of note as the plot thickens, is the subtle and constructive use of Igbo language in the entire story. The writer tries to suck the reader into the language of the story’s environment. Another twist that settles in is the wittiness, very good use of humour to lighten the plot’s progression from Obioma’s visit to the market and his everyday life starting with the long prayers at morning devotions. The positive effects of corporal punishment and strict upbringing reflects on Obioma even as a young boy and helps boost his honesty level.

Corruption once again takes the front burner as we see in Obioma’s father’s civil service career. Lobbying is seen and accepted as a norm even when you are qualified for a role or promotion.

Necessity they say, is the mother of all inventions. The remarkable Mr Success’ fraud turned out to be an eye-opener for a new business opportunity for Obioma and Kalu, his friend. This sets the direction for the story’s gravity and gradually unwraps into its main theme as we are introduced to the second protagonist – Kalu, class and age mate with Obioma who shared a lot of good traits with him. As the story proceeds, we see Obioma’s transformation into a young lad in his teens as his sexuality unfolds.
Rural life is juxtaposed with city life and the writer concludes the former is way better, more harmonious and serene. This is especially true even today.

The stylish use of traditional Igbo proverbs and their English translations at the beginning of each chapter is commendable. Reading through the book gives the reader, especially the non-Igbo who aren’t familiar with certain oriental cultures and beliefs, more insight to their traditional practices and belief systems. Also, the trend at which young men seek sudden wealth is brought to the fore. But they do not always end well as we are meant to see.


The book has a melancholic end. Deaths, missing persons, failed dreams, dashed hopes and all the ‘what would have been’. Obioma never got to become a medical and traditional doctor as his mother wanted for him or a big entrepreneur rather he deviated and set his sights on other things that eventually turned grave distractions. Key figures to his deviation were Kalu, good friend turned bad boy motivated by Benjamin’s short route to wealth. Manipulative, deceitful, arrogant sociopath. These were the best words to describe what the good boy Kalu transformed into. Bad friends will definitely prevent you having good friends.







Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Wealth Reflections

I have been reflecting a lot lately. My reflections wander in various paths but particularly on money and the strong endless need to acquire it. From a personal viewpoint, money has always been a tool of comfortability hence the need for us to work hard so we can have more than enough, so much so that we can help others. One of my long-term ambitions is to do 'heavyweight charity' as my Pastor would put it.

Amidst my involvement in charitable causes of late, I have come to see that it is very easy to effect positive change right from where you are standing, even with what you have. Everyone has something of intrinsic value to give.

This noon, as I sat down behind my desk, I tried inspiring myself with people who have allowed GOD to use them for heavyweight charity. Two of them, very remarkable persons struck me real hard and I feel inclined to adulate them.


CHARLES FRANCIS FEENEY 

He is often referred to as the “James Bond of philanthropy.” He made his fortune as a co-founder of the Duty-Free Shoppers Group. His life's ambition was to give away his entire fortune, when he made it. He has a current net worth of just $1.5 million, after already donating well over $6.3 billion to various charities. His foundations support education, science, healthcare, and civil rights across several countries.




SULAIMAN BIN ABDUL AZIZ AL RAJHI



Sulaiman bin Abdul Aziz co-founded Al Rajhi Bank in 1957 with his three brothers. The bank has grown into one of the largest Islamic banks in the world. The Al Rajhi family is considered to be among Saudi Arabia’s richest non-royal family. In 2011, Sulaiman bin Abdul Aziz Al Rajhi announced that he was donating most of his then $7.7 billion fortune to charity. So far, he has donated over $5.7 billion.





It requires massive faith to be able to live like this. I aspire to be like these men, so help me GOD.

True wealth is in how many lives you have been able to touch and not how many zillions you have stashed in your bank foreign bank accounts. I leave you with the words of American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie: “No man can become rich without himself enriching others. The man who dies rich dies disgraced.” 

Friday, November 11, 2016

Paying it Forward


A few days ago, I was privileged to meet this man with a very wonderful outlook towards life. We got talking and I was able to decipher a few things about his personality, chiefest among the fact that he was a very cheerful, easy-going, sensible and generous specie of the human-kind.

We both witnessed an incident and it triggered a narration from the past, almost ten years ago precisely. He lived in Lagos, South-Western Nigeria at the time and did some form of trading as a means of livelihood. At some point, business wasn't so good and he was in dire need of funds to inject into it. Things became so bad he could hardly afford to put food on the table. Luckily for him, he was single at the time. As fate would smile on him, his brother-in-law who lived in the Eastern part of the country heard about his ordeal and got across to him. They had not seen in five long years and this brother-in-law offered to help him with some tangible amount to start afresh but on the condition that he must show up in person to collect the money. The brother wanted to make sure someone else wasn't impersonating him. Problem was, dude didn't have a dime on him to make the trip and hadn't eaten a meal in over a day. He had to find a way to get to the East.

Same night, he got a visitor - Some dude who came home regularly from school and put up with him temporarily. On regular these, he would give this dude the thrills and treat whenever he came visiting but this time was the exception. When the dude heard his ordeal, he opened up to him that he came with N3,000 and could let go of N2,000 so his friend could make the trip. He was elated.

Next morning, brother was at Ojota Park as early as the break of dawn so he could catch the first bus. He was left with N1,900. Getting there, he found out the fare was N2,500. After pleading with the guys in charge (called 'loaders') with a promise to pay the balance as soon as they reached destination (because he was sure someone would be waiting for him at the park), they agreed. He was the first man in the bus. After about two hours, the bus filled up and the story changed. Everyone who didn;t pay the correct fare was asked to alight, so the loaders could replace them with passengers who were in a rush and willing to pay more. Brotherly was confused. As he narrated the matter to a guy sitting to his left, two young chaps sitting to his right asked what the problem was. One of them asked him not to bother finishing the story and folded N2,500 into his palms. They both saw him as the first passenger when they came and said they wouldn't want the agberos (loaders) to make him miss the trip all because of an agreement they were trying to renege on. He hadn't recovered from the shock of being bailed at quarter to go when the second young chap squeezed some more cash into his palms. He was moved. All through the trip, he said he hardly ate anything and all he could of was to get to destination.

He arrived later that night and true to his brother-in-law's words, he gave him the money and an extra sum (large at the time) for him to make his way back to Lagos with. Brother was excited. Next morning as he got to the park, he faced the litmus test that was to change his ideology forever.

This young dude singled him out and walked up to him asking if he could allow him use his mobile phone to make a call to the person who was to come pick him from the park. Young dude came to do a project and was stranded at the park when he arrived that morning via a night bus. Brother was stunned, he walked into a restaurant while the young dude followed. As soon as they sat down, he ordered food for the young dude, bought recharge card for him and told him to relax. young dude was stunned and tried to explain he wasn't a beggar and only needed a phone to reach someone whom he came to execute a project for. Brother told him not to bother explaining. If only he knew his condition just barely 16 hours ago. Right there and then, he said he felt like giving the guy all the money in his pocket. He gave the guy some cash and left.

According to him, this was an express test and he had an instant reaction to it. The incident at the park with the young dude changed him forever. Just yesterday, two young lads who were students were his guardian angels. Today he was someone else's guardian angel.

I told him that's the way life was programmed to be. We must never expect the people we do good things for to repay us. The world would be a better place when we learn to pay it forward.

He said something very intricate - Most people he helped all through his life never paid him back in same coin. A few of them rather paid him with ingratitude. But most of the people who had rendered great help to him along his life's journey were people he didn't know from Adam.

I guess that says it all.

Methinks the world would be a much better place if we show gratitude to those who help us in anyway no matter how minute, and best of all PAY IT FORWARD!


Tuesday, October 18, 2016

The Writer's Duty!


Hello all, how are you doing today? I have been away a while. Volunteering and doing community work a whole lot recently and I must say I find it enthralling to discover that I can actually do some of the things I have done over the last couple of weeks nay months. When we say we do not have the time to do the things we really want to for humanity, that is tantamount to lying to ourselves.

P-R-I-O-R-I-T-Y is the word. If you think it as important, then you will find the time to volunteer for that cause,project, or charity especially as it affects humanity positively.

Now, back to the subject of this post. I was somewhere recently,a very intellectual gathering that doubled as a Book Reading. One of the keynote speakers challenged me with his address on the duties of a writer in our today's globalized environment. I guess my view on the writer's duties and responsibilities broadened and leaped to a new horizon.

Writers are catalysts and change agents, positive change! This cannot be over-emphasized. We have a duty not just to tell the truth at all times, but to embed culture and unity in whatever we write (even when we delve into fiction). We embed all of these in very altruistic manners because we understand that they will go a long way in shaping thought patterns engendered at religious,social, economic, ethnic tolerance,etc.

Some folks even within the same geographical clime will only get to know about their countrymen that much from the stuff they read in books,journals,and newspapers/magazines. When we begin to understand all of these,we will see the importance of our duty and have a clearer vision of our responsibility.

We will be ardent at it. We are great catalysts for change!