B+VE : ‘World’s Oldest Man’ Turns 146 #HappyBDayMbahGotho

International

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.                —The Buddha

‘World’s Oldest Man’ Turns 146 #HappyBDayMbahGotho
Celebrating his 146th birthday, Mbah Gotho, an Indonesian citizen is claiming to be the oldest person in the world. Mbah has reportedly outlived his four wives, his ten siblings, and all of his children. The old farmer spent his special day with his grandkids and their relatives. Mbah owns official identification stating that he was born on December 31, 1870. Though the local  government has confirmed the documentation, it still has to be verified by a third party before it can qualify for a Guinness World Record. When asked about the secret of his longevity, all the widower had to say was “the recipe is just patience”..     

New York City Subway Stations Now Provide Free #Wifi
Starting on New Year’s Eve, all 279 New York City subway stations now have free Wifi. Transit Wireless, the internet company responsible for the newly-accessible network, partnered with the Metropolitan Transit Authority in 2010 in order to provide internet for their annual 2.6 billion passengers. The network has enhanced connectivity for public safety, NYC Emergency Services, New York City Transit personnel and businesses while allowing the top wireless carriers globally to extend critical connectivity to their
customers. Full coverage will reportedly be provided near the end of 2017.               

Montreal Restaurant Offers #FreeFood
The Marché Ferdous, a small Mediterranean restaurant in Montreal, runs on a single stern belief that no one deserves to be hungry because they don’t have any money. That’s why they now give free meals to anyone who needs it. They put up a sign in their window reading: “People with no money welcome to eat free”. Sean Jalbert, a city local, posted a photo of the restaurant’s sign on social media that went viral. “Made me smile and warm inside. I paid for my food and told them they were awesome for doing this,” Sean wrote on Facebook. “They said it wasn’t for the holiday season, but all the time because they want to encourage helping each other through tough times. Absolutely incredible.” “We do not ask any questions, we do not judge people,” the restaurant’s co-owner, Yahya Hashemi, told Canadian media. “They want to eat, [we] give them the food. That’s it, that’s all.”          

#DonaldTrump appoints Indian-American to key White House position
US President-elect Donald Trump appointed young Indian-American Raj Shah, who played a leading role in the Republican party’s anti-Clinton campaign during polls, to a key White House position. Shah, whose parents immigrated to the US from Gujarat, has been appointed as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Communication Director and Research Director, as per an announcement made by the Presidential Transition Team. Shah, who is in his early 30s, is currently head of Opposition Research in the Republican National Committee. A second  generation Indian American, Shah's parents are from Mumbai having origins from Gujarat. First his father came to the US for studies in 1970s then moved back to India. But after marriage his father and mother moved back to the US in late 70s.     

National

Vegetable Vendor Promotes #SwachhBharat
A 45-year-old vegetable vendor from Koppal district, Karnataka, has Swachh Bharat on her mind even while trudging through her village's winding roads selling vegetables. She hands out a
kilogram of tomatoes free if a family has constructed a
toilet in its house. Sharanamma Bakar, from Danapur village of Gangavati taluk, thought of this unusual incentive when she realized that about 500 of the village's 1,300 families don't have a loo of their own. “I've been selling vegetables for 25 years to eke out a living. I am a fan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who's encouraging people to build toilets in their houses as part of the Swachh mission,” she said. The woman vendor has handed out nearly 300 kg of tomatoes as part of her campaign, suggesting she has seen at least as many families having built a toilet in their house.                                         

 #ReconRover to help rescue workers at disaster sites

The Class VIII students of Delhi Public School in Bengalaru, Shlok Jhawar, 13, and Anuj Verma, 14, were moved by the challenges to rescuing victims of the Nepal earthquake in 2015. So they decided to build a robot to help rescue teams. Their recovery and surveillance robot, Recon Rover, can scour every nook and corner of disaster sites to locate trapped victims. The robot has an infrared sensor that can pick up the presence of humans, and three ultrasonic sensors to avoid obstacles also. The boys took a year and eight months to build the robot. They first showcased plans for the robot during instrumentation software National Instruments' annual graphic design competition, Niyantra 2015. The two boys aim to join Massachusetts Institute of  Technology (MIT) and pursue robotics and engineering.                Brain-dead #Muslim Farmer Keeps a #Hindu’s Heart Beating

Till 47-year-old Arjan Ambaliya lives, he would be thanking this Muslim farmer and his family from Bhavnagar District, Gujrat, from the bottom of his heart. The heart of brain dead Asif Juneja, a native of Sod Vadla village in Sihor taluka, has been transplanted in Ambaliya, thus giving this critically ill man a new life. Juneja's heart was flown in a chartered flight from Bhavnagar on January 2, 2017 for the transplant done at an Ahmedabad-based private hospital. Moreover, this is the first heart transplant done in Gujarat. Juneja was critically injured after being hit by a speeding car while crossing the road on December 17.                                                                                                       Muslim Youths Turn #GauRakshaks

Prompt action by Shamsuddin Chaudhary and his friend Mubeen saved an injured stray cow bleeding profusely in the middle of the road on chilly December night. The incident took place at princely town of Malerkotla, the only area of Punjab with a sizeable Muslim population, which has elected only Muslim candidates in every assembly election since 1962.