Are you growing spiritually? Can you love others? Can you feel oneness with others? Have you peace within yourself? And do you radiate it around you? This is called spiritual growth.
—Swami Ranganathananda
#AmyCraton 94-year-old Woman Graduates from College
Amy Craton will tell you it’s never too late to finish what you’ve started, even if it takes more than five decades to do it. The 94-year-old great-grandmother this week celebrated receiving her college degree, which she earned with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Craton had put her education on hold in 1962 to return to work and raise her four children following a divorce. “It feels good to graduate, to finish that part of my life, but I feel that I’m still on the road,” she said in an interview released, Southern New Hampshire University. “I have much more to learn.” She enrolled in a master’s degree program and has already started classes. “As long as I get good grades, I’ll be happy,” she said.
Afghan girls fight prejudice by practicing #MartialArts
Afghan teens face oppression and prejudice every day – but now, they’re fighting back with martial arts. The Shaolin Wushu club of Kabul has decided to teach young females the art of Wushu; a Chinese sport derived from Kung Fu. The students, ranging in age from 13 to 20, derive benefits beyond just learning selfdefence. “I am working with Afghan girls to strengthen their abilities and I love to see Afghan girls improve in a way that other girls have improved around the world,” Sima Azimi, the 20-year-old woman responsible for teaching the group, told Reuters.
Argentina’s first teacher with #Down’sSyndrome
Despite being rejected from a nursery school as a “monster” when she was young, Noelia Garella now has a classroom of her own. Overcoming prejudice, Garella is the first person with Down’s syndrome to work as a Nursery Teacher in Argentina, and one of only a few in the world. She was offered the position at the Jeromito Kindergarten in Co?rdoba through her dedication to a profession she
felt she was born to adopt. Garella, now 31, said: “I adore this. Ever since I was little I have always wanted
to be a teacher, because I like children so much.” “I knew I was starting to have feelings for him because he was so kind and caring. And he has an u n b e l i e v a b l e smile.”
Hundreds of stranded New Zealand #Whales swim free
In one of New Z e a l a n d ’ s largest mass whale beachings, over 240 pilot whales were saved by the coming
tide. For over a week, hundreds of the oceanic mammals
were washing up at Golden Bay near the northwest tip of the South Island. While many were lost despite dozens of volunteers offering assistance, conservationists are relieved that the most recent beached pod were able to free themselves.The shallow muddy waters of the bay are notorious for confusing whales’ sonar, trapping them on the shores when the tide recedes.
National
Metro stations adopt #GreenRules, get top rating
Thirteen elevated stations in Phase-1 of Chennai Metro Rail received a platinum rating and global leadership recognition
from Indian Green B u i l d i n g Council (IGBC) for its incorporation of green concepts in the design, construction and operation of the transit system. The 13 stations received a total of 72 points of a maximum of 90. To achieve Green MRTS rating, the project must satisfy certain mandatory requirements and achieve a high number of credit points.
#Stent prices slash by up to 85%
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority fixed the ceiling price of drug eluting stents (DES) and bioresorbable
stents at Rs 30,000 and those of bare metal stents at Rs 7,500. The prices will be effective from notification on February 14. This comes as a huge relief to lakhs of patients who have to undergo coronary angioplasty+ to insert stents to open up clogged arteries. Over six lakh stents were estimated to have been used in angioplasties in India in 2016.
Pakistani boy reunites with mother at #WagahBorder
A five-year-old Pakistani boy, who was taken to India on the sly by his father an year ago reunited with his mother in
Pakistan at the Wagah border after the Indian authorities handed him over. The boy, Iftikhar Ahmed, was handed over to Pakistan Rangers at Wagah where his mother had been waiting for several hours. “I am extremely happy to have my son back. I am thankful to the Pakistani Government for its help for return of my child,” Iftikhar”s mother Rohina Kiyani told reporters at Wagah. “I had
totally lost hope of getting my child back. It”s not a less than a miracle for me,” she said. n
#GangotriWomen build their own road
After being denied a say in the decisionmaking process, the rural women of the Uttarakhand Mahila Manch are building a road at Daang village near Gangotri with their own sweat and toil. According to reports, these women have taken it upon themselves to build their own road by cutting a hill. The government has finalised another route without consulting the villagers, which is longer and needs felling of hundreds of trees along the way. As a way to express their distress and to compel the political parties to deliver, these women have decided that they won’t vote unless one of the parties helps them build their road. The Manch, which has representation from all districts, demands that women be given “farmer status” and “farmland rights”.
