Monday, January 16, 2017

Three Inspiring Stories To Brighten a Gloomy Monday

by Nomad


Suffice to say, the recent days haven't done much to bring much happiness in our lives. I don't know about you but I am finding it hard to find much in the way of silver linings in the present fiasco. It's difficult to stay positive when every day there's some new trauma to contend with.

The really unfortunate part is that we currently live in a world where a person like Anne Coulter or Rush Limbaugh (or a hundred others like them) can effortlessly grab the attention of millions with some divisive and discouraging remark.

It's time we took a break and heard a little good news about good people.
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Teacher Retires After 38 Years, But Students’ Heartfelt Send-Off Leaves Him Speechless



Last month, the students at College Paul Fort– a junior high school in Courcouronnes, France- decided to give a proper send-off to their teacher who was retiring after 38 years.

The 63-year-old gym teacher, Alain Donnat, was leaving his final class and heading towards the doors of the school to leave, when.. well, I will let you watch the video to learn what happens next.



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Muslim-Owned Eatery Making News For Very Un-America-Like Business Practices



Marché FerdousWelcome to Marché Ferdous, a small restaurant in Montreal, with a very unusual policy. The co-owner, Yahya Hashemi, offers free food to anyone who is hungry and cannot afford to pay. In an interview, Hashemi said:
“We do not ask any questions, we do not judge people. They want to eat, [we] give them the food. That’s it, that’s all.”
Hashemi told a local reporter that they've been giving free meals to the hungry for about five months now. He added that they consider it as a business expense. The idea began when Hashemi, who also owns the currency exchange service next to the restaurant, realized how often he would be asked by people in the area for spare change to buy food.
As one report noted:
Originally from Iran, Hashemi said it is part of his faith to help those in need and he wanted to give back to Canada since he says it has given him so much.
He does not believe people will take advantage of the restaurant's generosity.
Just to check to see if this was actually true, a  curious customer, Sean Jalbert, went to the establishment undercover. He posted what he found on his Facebook page:
“Curious enough I walked in and pretend I had no money and asked for food. She didn't ask anything, but said we welcome you and pick whatever you like, including anything I wanted to drink.”
It's a comment on the world we live in that this idea should be met with such shock and doubt.
It used to be a fairly common thing.
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And finally, some positive news out of India.


14-Year-Old Gujarat Boy Signs Deal For Production Of His Anti-Landmine Drone


In the Western Indian state of Gujarat, 14-year-old Harshwardhan Zala has put his mind to work, after reading about high army casualties due to landmines. The young inventor has developed a prototype of the landmine-detecting drone.

The craft is capable of detecting the buried mine through an infrared sensor, a 50-gram detonator will detonate the bomb from a distance to humans and to the drone itself.


Said Harshwardhan:
"I first created a land mine detecting robot but realised that since the weight is heavy it would trigger a blast and damage it so I thought of creating a drone which will be at a safe distance while detecting the mines."
The state government had even part financed his final prototype and government experts will now be exploring the possibility of its commercial production.

Such a device is long overdue. Last year, an official report found that even as international funding to clear mines has sunk to the lowest level in a decade, the number of the number of people killed and injured by landmines and improvised explosive devices has hit an alarming 10-year high.

If Harshwardhan's solution proves practical, the world owes this young man a pat on the back.