Positive Quote for Today

"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."— Maya Angelou


The Thuita Doctrine

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This is the Enola Gay plane dropping an atom bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945. The Thuita doctrine is about a possible use of the atom bomb to save the human civilization from extinction. (Photo courtesy of History.com.)

Recently, I have been thinking about the atom bomb and its possible potential to save the human civilization from extinction. Are you ready to hear my idea? Okay... On your mark... Get set... Read!

The creation of the atom bomb was first thought possible by a team of scientists that included the great particle physicist, Albert Einstein. In a letter written in 1939, Einstein advised Franklin Roosevelt, the then President of the United States, that the government sets aside funds to construct the bomb. Mark you, 1939 was one of those years preceding World War 2 when enemy nations were rising against the United States, such as Japan which in 1941 bombed Pearl Harbour in the U.S. state of Hawaii.

Roosevelt acceded to Einstein's request. His administration provided the funds for the construction of the potentially lethal bomb. After a few years of work, the created atom bombs were secretly tested and turned out to be as lethal as Einstein had predicted.

And you know what? In 1945 when Japan continued being a pain in the [insert body part here] to the United States, Harry Truman, the then President of the United States who had succeeded Roosevelt, ordered two atom bombs to be dropped in Japan. The effects of the bombs were so devastating that Japan quickly surrendered. That ended World War 2, the most disastrous conflict in human history.

It's interesting to note that Albert Einstein, who was among those that masterminded the construction of the atom bomb, had fled Germany, another enemy nation of the United States during World War 2. He left Germany in the 1930s to avoid the injustices that were meted out to the Jews by the barbaric Nazi regime headed by Adolf Hitler.

Einstein's escape from Germany turned out to be a blessing in disguise because had he stayed in Germany, he would have assisted the barbaric Nazi regime in creating the first atom bomb, which would have made the world take a dangerous turning point. God be thanked that it is the just and fair United States, with its tenets of liberty and justice for all, that created the first atom bomb.

The United States was lucky to have been the only nation in 1945 with the intelligence and resources to create an atom bomb. So when it dropped the lethal bombs in Japan that year, no opposing nation could counter the aggression.

Today, things have changed because every major power has an arsenal of atom bombs. The Soviet Union, for instance, built an even more lethal hydrogen bomb a few years after the end of World War 2.

So if the United States decides to drop an atom bomb in Moscow now, ten minutes later, Chicago and New York City will be annihilated. It's now not an issue of dropping the atom bomb on somebody; it's now an issue of dropping the atom bomb on everybody.

That's probably why in 1949, Albert Einstein quipped, "I do not know with what weapons World War 3 will be fought but World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones."

Of course Einstein's point, I think, was that World War 3 would involve the use of advanced atom bombs that would wipe out all civilized men on Earth, sparing only bushmen in remote areas who would use sticks and stones to fight World War 4.

Upon realizing how lethal the atom bomb is, I remembered reading in an old international news magazine (either "Time" or "Newsweek") when I was in high school at Starehe Boys' Centre, of a massive celestial body that bombarded Jupiter circa 1994.

Astronomers opine that the impact didn't affect Jupiter that much since the planet is gigantic. But if the same celestial body had bombarded our beautiful Earth, which is far too smaller than Jupiter, it's effect on the planet would have been so catastrophic that it would have led to the extinction of some living species.

I therefore thought to myself as a wise man would think, "Aha! How about using the atom bomb to prevent such a catastrophe?" From that line of thinking, I came up with what I call the Thuita doctrine which states as follows:
The international community should team up to create seven lethal atom bombs that should be rocketed to the international space station in readiness to dismantle into dust any massive celestial body that might be detected to be on its way to bombard the Earth.
That Thuita doctrine could save the human civilization from a similar extinction that befell on dinosaurs after a huge meteorite struck the Earth during the Mesozoic Era. So the atom bombs, which after World War 2 worried some world leaders that they could end the human civilization, could actually save it from extinction. See?

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Part 1: High School Memories

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These are my classmates in my high school stream, The Mighty 4F, playing football during a PE lesson. Those football matches strengthened a spirit of brotherhood and liveliness among us that I have treasured over the years.

Sometime in 2003 when I was in Form 2 at Starehe Boys' Centre, I switched my classroom sitting position so that I could become the deskmate of a bright and handsome classmate named Martin Wamoni. At one time in the second term of that year, Wamoni together with two classmates behind me (Kevin Maina & Lawrence Sikuku) started to criticize me for having a layer of dirt behind my ears.

Back then, I didn't understand why I was dirty as my classmates put it because I used to shower everyday. Recently, I have been thinking the dirt behind my ears resulted from playing volleyball on a dusty court that was later tarmacked, I think in 2006, thanks to persistent follow-up by my volleyball teammate called Obadiah Mwangi.

Anyway, coming back to that time in 2003 when my classmates accused me of being a dirty ratbag, Kevin Maina stretched my hand during one lesson and began scrawling some stuff on it with a biro. It felt nice to have him scrawl on my hand, so I let him do it.

Guess what! The following day, Kevin Maina stretched my hand again only to see the scrawlings he had drawn on it the previous day were still visible which made him to tease me in Swahili, "This Thuita doesn't shower properly!"

Haiya! I hadn't realized that Kevin Maina's motive for scrawling on my hand was to test whether I showered effectively. But thanks to him, I began to be more thorough in scrubbing my body during shower-time, a habit I have renewed in the past two months, and which I will strive to maintain in each day of the rest of my life on this planet.

That time we were in Form 2, we were taught Geography by a soft-spoken lady whose name I have forgotten. All I recall is that she was the wife of Mr. Juma, another teacher at Starehe back then. So let me call her Mrs. Juma.

One Friday afternoon, Mrs. Juma happened to have been teaching us on the last lesson of the day. As she was walking out of the classroom after she was through with that lesson, she said to us, "Do have a wonderful weekend."

Seated on a desk near the front of the classroom, I shouted back, "And you too teacher. Rest in peace!"

Mrs. Juma turned to look at me, and she was like, "What the hell?"

Then when I was in Form 4 in 2005, a classmate of mine named Mwiti Makathimo accused me twice of having bad breath. Again, I didn't understand why Mwiti smelled bad breath in me because I used to brush my teeth every morning after breakfast. But at least he made me more disciplined in brushing my teeth, a habit I have maintained to this day.

For the past two years, I have gotten into the habit of brushing my teeth every day after supper. And whenever I skip that habit, as I have at times done when feeling overly exhausted, I have made up for it by brushing my teeth in the morning on waking up the following day. I will keep up that habit in each day of the rest of my earthly life not only to avoid the toothaches that I have heard some of my friends complain bitterly about but also not to discourage my future wife from kissing me. Oh, how I thank Mwiti for pointing out my bad breath back in those days!

By the way, that time I was in Form 4 in 2005, I developed an interest in reading Time, Newsweek and Reader's Digest magazines which my father used to buy and bring home. Mwiti spotted me carrying one of those magazines on a lovely afternoon of that year. He asked me to let me have it. I obliged. He looked at its cover page, then perused through it while asking, "Are there pictures of beautiful women in this magazine?" When he realized there weren't any, he handed it back to me. I am not sure if Mwiti recalls that incidence but I do.

Yes, I have some wonderful memories of the times I bonded with my classmates in the Mighty 4F. And I continued interacting with those classmates even after our high school years ended in November 2005. Sometime in 2011 for instance, I disclosed to my 4F classmates in a Facebook group I had created that I was feeling emotionally disturbed. Muthusi Muoma responded to my post by suggesting I needed "chemotherapeutical trivilis".

I didn't know what "chemotherapeutical trivilis" means, so I decided to request Muthusi to expound on its meaning. But to show him that I also know some hard English, I told him to "abjure sesquipedalian obfuscatory argot". To his credit, he took my comment in good humor.

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed the above story on my high school memories, you might also enjoy another one on "Leadership Lessons" which I wrote some time back. Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.

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Bible Quote

"Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, rejoice! Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all you do... Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand."

~Phillipians 4:4-7 (TLB)

About the Author

Name: Thuita J. Maina
Nationality: Kenyan
Lives in: Kiserian, Rift Valley, Kenya
Mission: To inspire the world to godly living, one person at a time.

Just for Laughs

There was this drunkard named Azoge who loved drinking at Josiah's Bar. On being told a certain Hon. Nanga was flying to America to be conferred a law degree so that he could be admitted to the bar, Azoge replied, "Why fly all the way to America to be admitted to the bar while you can get into Josiah's Bar any time?"



The 7 Deadly Sins

  1. Pride
  2. Envy
  3. Gluttony
  4. Lust
  5. Anger
  6. Greed
  7. Sloth

Author's Note

I am learning to treat life as a journey, not a destination. So I am striving to enjoy each moment even as I anticipate to fulfill my dreams, especially meeting my soulmate and traveling abroad. Tomorrow may never be mine.

Fun Facts

  1. The fear of having no cell-phone service, running out of battery, or losing sight of your phone is called Nomophobia, reportedly affecting 66% of people.
  2. A single Google search needs more computing power than it took to send Apollo 11 to the moon. The Apollo computer was less equipped than a modern toaster.
  3. Besides being some of the biggest names in the tech industry, HP, Apple, Google and Microsoft share another commonality. They all started in garages.
~Extracted from Codingforums.com

Health Tip

So many of us take for granted the wonderful construction of the human body and the workings of its various parts. Some of us even expect it to function efficiently with less than the minimum care and attention. Learn the much you can about your body and how the care of it can help to give you that greatest blessing of all - good health.


Wonders of the Modern World

  1. The Simplon Tunnel
  2. The Sky-scrapers of New York
  3. The Boulder Dam of Colorado
  4. The Panama Canal
  5. The Golden Gate Bridge
  6. The Taj Mahal at Agra in India
  7. The North Sea Oil Drilling Rigs

Great Example for Politicians

"My life in politics was a joy. I loved campaigns and I loved governing. I always tried to keep things moving in the right direction, to give more people a chance to live their dreams, to lift people's spirits, and to bring them together. That's the way I kept score."

~Bill Clinton

Scientific Marvels

  1. Space travel
  2. Heart surgery
  3. Fibre-optics communication
  4. Concorde
  5. Radios
  6. Computers
  7. Anesthetics

My Supreme Desire

Although I'd like to be rich and famous, my supreme desire is to be radiant: to radiate health, cheerfulness, calm courage and goodwill. I wish to live without hate, guilt, worry, jealousy, cynicism and envy. I wish to be honest, natural, confident, clean in mind and body - ready to say "I do not know" if it be so and to treat all men with kindness - to meet any loss, failure, criticism and rejection unabashed and unafraid.



Greatest American Presidents

  1. Abraham Lincoln
  2. George Washington
  3. Thomas Jefferson
  4. Franklin Roosevelt
  5. Theodore Roosevelt
  6. Woodrow Wilson
  7. Andrew Jackson

Making Peace With the Past

"Dwell not on your past. Use it to illustrate a point, then leave it behind. Nothing really matters except what you do now in this instant of time. From this moment onwards you can be an entirely different person, filled with love and understanding, ready with an outstretched hand, uplifted and positive in every thought and deed."

~Eileen Caddy

Toughest Colleges to Get Into

  1. MIT
  2. Princeton
  3. Harvard
  4. Yale
  5. Stanford
  6. Brown
  7. Columbia

Why You Should Trust God

"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will find out that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities and pour out peace."

~Ezra Taft Benson

The 7 Greatest Scientists

  1. Albert Einstein
  2. Isaac Newton
  3. Galileo Galilei
  4. Nikola Tesla
  5. Aristotle
  6. Archimedes
  7. Charles Darwin

You Matter

"Always be yourself. Never try to hide who you are. The only shame is to have shame. Always stand up for what you believe in. Always question what other people tell you. Never regret the past; it's a waste of time. There's a reason for everything. Every mistake, every moment of weakness, every terrible thing that has happened to you, grow from it. The only way you can ever get the respect of others is when you show them that you respect yourself and most importantly, do your thing and never apologize for being you."

~Unknown

The Most Industrialized Nations

  1. United States
  2. Japan
  3. Germany
  4. France
  5. United Kingdom
  6. Italy
  7. Canada

Keys to Success

"...in his effort to withstand temptation, to economize, to exercise thrift, to disregard the superficial for the real - the shadow for the substance; to be great yet small, in his effort to be patient in the laying of a firm foundation; to so grow in skill and knowledge that he shall place his services in demand by reason of his intrinsic and superior worth. This is the key that unlocks every door of opportunity, and all others fail."

~Booker T. Washington

The 7 Social Sins

  1. Politics without principle
  2. Wealth without work
  3. Pleasure without conscience
  4. Knowledge without character
  5. Commerce without morality
  6. Worship without sacrifice
  7. Science without humanity

Cherish What You Love

"Cherish your visions, cherish your ideals, cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts - for out of them will grow all heavenly environment, of these if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built."~James Allen

The World's Largest Cities

  1. London in England
  2. New York in the United States
  3. Tokyo in Japan
  4. Berlin in Germany
  5. Chicago in the United States
  6. Shanghai in China
  7. Paris in France

Benefits of Optimism

"In terms of success, optimistic people out perform their pessimistic colleagues. Research shows that they are consistently promoted higher and make more money while working fewer hours than those who think pessimistically. Optimists also contribute more significantly to social progress. It is the optimists who start and run successful companies, who win elections and carry out reforms, and who make breakthroughs in the realms of science and technology."

~Pepe Minambo

The World's Greatest Lakes

  1. Caspian Sea in the Commonwealth of Independent States, C.I.S. (formerly U.S.S.R)
  2. Lake Superior in North America
  3. Victoria Nyanza in Central Africa
  4. Aral Sea in C.I.S.
  5. Lake Huron in North America
  6. Lake Michigan in North America

Demonstrating His Love

"Take your communication for instance - the way you address others. It ought to be with loving, gracious and edifying words. Never talk people down. Never use words that hurt and demean people. Communicate excellently with others without destroying their self-image or making them feel sorry for themselves. Talk to people in a way that they never forget the excellence of your words, the love and grace of Christ that you communicated. It's how God wants us to love."

~Dr. Chris Oyakhilome

World's Longest Rivers

  1. Missouri-Mississipi (U.S.)
  2. Amazon (Brazil)
  3. Nile (Egypt)
  4. Yangtse (China)
  5. Lena (Russia)
  6. Zaire (Central Africa)
  7. Niger (West Africa)