text:
Horror story: Torture of captive elephants in Kerala
Fate of Kerala's temple elephants is far worse than their counterparts in the wilderness
Published: June 10, 2020 17:26 Last updated: December 30, 2020 12:07 Gulf News Team: , Shyam A. Krishna, Senior Associate Editor , Jaya Chandran, Online Editor , Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor , Akhel Mathew, Correspondent , Dona Cherian, Assistant Online Editor and Anupa Kurian-Murshed, Senior Digital Content Planning Editor
File photo: Volunteers hold colourful umbrellas from atop caparisoned mammoths as they indulge in 'Kodaimattom', during the annual Thrissur Pooram Festival held in Thrissur District in the South India state of Kerala Image Credit: PTI
The tragic death of a pregnant wild elephant in Kerala after reportedly eating an explosive laden fruit has resulted in an outpouring of grief on social media. From gross misreporting to imparting communal colour to the incident, the story has taken many forms. However, it has also brought to focus the issue of mistreatment of animals in India.
Elephants are used all over Asia as work animals but nowhere in the world is their role central in religious ceremonies as in Kerala. There is a whole industry out there, from trapping wild elephants (which is now banned) training them, buying and selling, mahout training schools to making glittering traditional ornaments or chamayams for them.
Gulf News is focusing on the treatment of Kerala's captive elephants, which are primarily used for religious ceremonies and for logging in forest areas.
Elephants and Kerala
Shyam Krishna, Senior Associate Editor
Elephants are a quintessential part of the culture and traditions of Kerala. No temple festival is complete without the attendance of at least one elephant to carry the idol of the deity. The tuskers are no longer a preserve of Hindu temples, having crossed the religious divide. The caparisoned jumbos now make regular appearances at Muslim and Christian festivals. Even the marketing people too have tapped into the appeal, employing them for promotional activities and tourism.
Elephant sightings are common on the streets of Kerala. There are at least 700 of them in captivity, and more than 7,000 in the wild. Captive elephants are mostly owned by temples and individuals (it's considered a status symbol), while the wild ones roam the wildlife sanctuaries in the state.
With elephants playing such a central role in Kerala, it's little wonder that it occupies the pride of place as the state animal. Even the state government's emblem sports a pair of elephants.
The lives of these gentle giants have been celebrated in Kerala's folklore and fiction, some even personifying them. Vyloppilly Sreedhara Menon's Sahyante Makan (Son of Sahya/Western Ghats), narrates the life of a captive elephant, who yearns to return to Sahyadri or the Western Ghats. Kottarathil Sankunni's Aithihyamala (Garland of legends) portrays the lives of legendary elephants in Malabar, Kochi and Travancore. Chowalloor Krishnankutty, Puthoor Unnikrishnan and others wrote extensively on the lives of tuskers.
An elephant feeding ceremony in front of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvanathapuram Image Credit: PTI
Origin of elephant use in Kerala temples
The origins of elephants' association with Kerala temples are largely unknown. The oldest available record refers to Arattupuzha pooram in Thrissur where more than 100 caparisoned elephants were paraded regularly, according to researchers Sreedhar Vijayakrishnan and Anindya Sinha. Dating back 1400 years, it is also called the devamela or devasangamam (rendezvous of the gods and goddesses).
The annual cultural feast has echoes in the present-day Thrissur Pooram where two temples face off in an exhilarating contest headlined by parasol-sporting tuskers and an array of drummers.
A mention of caparison on an elephant in Melpathoor Narayana Bhattathiri's Aṣṭamiprabhandha is deemed to possible proof of elephant parades in temples in the late 1500s to early 1600s. An anecdotal account referred to the pageantry of 15 elephants at the Thripunithura Temple, and there are several written accounts of similar temple festivities between 1700 and 1800, researchers say.
The tradition continues to this day. The presence of at least an elephant has become mandatory for temple festivals in the state.
Mahouts spend almost all their time with their elephants. Image Credit: Cpver Asia Press
A captive elephant's life
Capturing and taming wild elephants are fraught with risks and involves plenty of torture. Wild elephants are trapped by using pens or stockades (they are traps) and female decoys. Other methods include chasing and lassoing them from atop trained elephants, employing nooses concealed in the ground, and pit traps.
Elephants caught in traps are dangerous, so they are broken before being brought out. Their skins are slashed with knives, and trained elephants are used to push the captured beasts into submission. The wounded, hungry and exhausted animals are hauled by tame elephants and slammed into wooden cages. And 'elephant crushing' begins.
The mind and spirit of elephants are crushed by employing horrendous techniques. The crush cages allow for only minimum movement. Unable to move and deprived of sleep, the starved animals are rewarded with food only when they accept harnesses without a struggle.
Subdued elephants are ready for sale and training. Repetitive and systematic training methods teach the animals to respond to simple commands. The capture of tuskers is banned in southern India, and the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve protects the elephants in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Kerala now has to rely on elephants caught in the northern parts of the country, and the animals are taught to respond to commands in Malayalam. Aanakkoodu in Konni is a well-known training centre in Kerala. After training, the elephants are ready to be deployed in temples or timber yards.
The tortured life of a Kerala temple elephant
Jaya Chandran, Assistant Editor
Elephants are always wild and the notion that those in man's custody are friendly with us is only as strong as the weakest link in the chain that binds the animal. The elephant is not a big dog awaiting. We cannot domesticate it. We can only tame it by breaking its will. And we do it by unleashing excessive, brutal and unjustifiable violence on the hapless animal that has been trapped.
Elephants are wild animals but they are born and brought up in the security of large groups that sometimes can be as big as 30 or more in the case of Asiatic ones. They are intelligent social beings with very strong family bonds and relationships within the group that they remember. They have been known to ensure safety of all animals in their group when moving around, they take care of the young ones and the elderly and they mourn their dead and sometimes even perform burial like actions.
The trauma of an elephant separated from its group, fell into man's trap and forced to live with its torturer is unimaginable, to say the least. What we then build is a relationship of fear and obedience. And to extract obedience from such a fearsome magnificent animal, we need to constantly remind it of the pain it will go through otherwise.
Hind legs of a captive elephant in chains with unhealed wounds Image Credit: Twitter/Diana Romanos @romdia
Breaking-in
The first step in disciplining the animal is to instill fear in its mind. Physical pain and mental torture are the ways used to inject this fear, of course. The training sessions are held in specially crated cages. Baby elephants are tied up and beaten mercilessly without giving food or water for days until they wilt and become ready for obeying commands. Once the elephant is seen receptive, mahouts give them food and water and the training continues in this cruel fashion until the animal is ready to obey every commands that the trainers give. By that time the animal must have become familiar with all the weapons the trainers use and the punishments he will get if disobeyed.
Generally, it is the bull elephants that are destined to endure much of this torture as they are the ones that are in demand in religious events because of their tusks and height.
A number of torture/training tools are used to discipline and manage captive elephants in Kerala.
Bull hook
The bull hook is used by mahouts and helpers to control elephants. Using this, a mahout sitting atop an elephants can stab at or pull its skin near various vital pain points of the animal such as eye, ears, etc. and stun it with excruciating pain. Traditional guidelines say the use of hook should only impart pain, not injure the animal, but it is never strictly followed and there are many incidents of wanton use of the tool resulting in grievous injuries to the elephant.
Image Credit: Courtesy of CUPA, Bangalore
As per the latest order, hooks with metal parts are banned, but even this has been violated many times, often during prestigious festivals such as Thrissur Pooram, observers say.
Sticks – Long and short
There are different types of sticks used to beat up the elephant.
The short one is slightly fat at one end and normally used to beat the elephant without injuring it. It is applied at places where it feels pain. But some mahouts have used it on the eyes
The long one is about 10 feet in length and is used for stabbing at the joints to impart pain. The sharp end can pierce the skin and cause serious injury.
Both these types of ticks are profusely used during disciplining and training of the elephant that the animal carries the fear for them throughout its life. The mortal fear that the animal has of the stick is so much that if mahout wants to leave the elephant for a short while and doesn't want to tie it to a tree, all he has to do is lean one of these sticks against the animal's body. The elephant would stand right there for hours for fear of the stick falling down if he moves as much as an inch.
The height of an elephant with deity on its head is a prestigious affair in festival circuit and this becomes obvious during ceremonial arrangement when elephants stand together. The tallest one is considered a winner and mahouts and trainers employ devious tricks for this. One common trick is to beat the elephant's feet with these sticks. The elephant, in pain, would lift its head further. The fans are delighted. Owners are happy. No one sees the elephant's pain.
Mahouts and helpers always carry knives and the usage is plain and obvious.
Chatta vranam or a wound that teaches discipline
It is a deliberate wound inflicted on an elephant so that it can be controlled easily by applying an object like stick or chain on it later. These wounds appear at the back of the elephant mostly on hind legs and chains are wrapped over it so that it is always in pain, fear and in control.
Chains and Hobbles
Most of the temple elephants are chained in more than one part of the body. Fore legs, hind legs, middle of the body and neck are the usual places. Apart from this, hobbles are often used to prevent their free movement. The chaining duration was found to be 18-22hrs in a major study on Kerala temple elephants by animal protection group CUPA India.
The blind elephant that killed 13 people
One of the most popular elephant in Kerala festival circuit, Thechikkattukavu Ramachandran, is a prime example of what happens to an elephant in captivity. Reportedly the second tallest Asiatic elephant alive, he has killed a total of 13 people including 6 mahouts and four women.
Like most of the human work force in Kerala, this elephant is also an import from the northern Indian state of Bihar. Originally named Mothi Prasad, he was brought to Kerala at the age of 18 and finally received the name Ramachandran when he was bought by Thechikkotukavu temple, in Kerala.
In between, he had lost sight in one eye after one of the helpers allegedly got drunk and beat him up. The other eye is now affected by cataract. Now about 56 years of age, the elephant can barely see the surrounding. The nearly blind elephant with the history of abuse reportedly gets frenetic easily amid the crowd and while in ceremonial procession and has killed even a fellow elephant. The dangerous elephant is however still very much in demand among the so-called elephant lovers due to his height and domineering stance.
Hindu priests and devotees open the door of the southern gopuram of the Vadakkumnathan temple to formally announce the beginning of the Thrissur Pooram
He is the one who heralds the opening of the most famous of Kerala temple festival, Thrissur Pooram. There are even official orders against him participating in crowded festivals, but organizers manages to flout them with abandon.
Elephant in limbo
While Ramachandran's tragedy is playing out in front of an exuberant albeit indifferent fan base, the plight of Nandan, a 45-year old elephant kept in Punnathoor Kotta, the elephant stable of Guruvayoor temple, the biggest owner of elephants in Kerala, is well worth a Guantanamo comparison.
A file picture of Nandan, from a video taken in 2015.
Reportedly tied in one place for the last 20 years, the emaciated elephant was not able to sit, stand or lie down properly, precariously balancing its body on three legs, as seen in a video released by Liz Jones, of Save The Asian Elephants (STAE) in 2015.
A pet only in your wildest dreams
Every moment spent with human beings is torture for the elephant. We are unknowingly subjecting them to untold cruelty when we drag them into our midst. Because biologically they are not made to live among humans. Their bodies are designed to live a completely different life, in a completely different environment.
Here is what happens to them when we forcibly make them our pets
Sensitive feet
Elephants don't have hoofs and instead they are covered in a soft padding. This is useful for leafy forest floor but not the tarred city roads where they are forced to walk kilometres in scorching heat. The sensitivity of their feet can be understood from the fact that they can hear the vibrations on earth using their feet and this is often used as a means communication between elephants.
Watch: How they listen with their feet
It is a severe condition that has led to the death of many captive elephants in Kerala. Called Erandakettu in Malayalam, it is caused by undigested food that blocks the intestine. If undetected and untreated in the early stages of the disease, impaction of the colon leads to the painful death of the animal. Captive elephants are usually fed with leaves of palm and coconut tree which are full of indigestible fires. It has been pointed out that these leaves should be replaced with fodder grass to no avail. There is also the strange belief among Kerala elephant keepers that the animals love what humans eat – like a proper meal with boiled rice and vegetable curries. It has been recorded that, out of 56 elephants that died in the state in the last two years, 34 had impaction as cause of death.
Lack of sweat glands and standing in scorching heat
Elephants have very few sweat glands and they are located on the feet, near cuticles. Lack of glands means they are not able to control body temperature like other mammals and it was thought that flapping of ears is a means to cool itself in the scorching heat. However, latest studies have indicated that the largest mammal on earth can actually control blood flow to specific areas of its body which can be used to control body temperature.
Fire, explosives and loud noise
It is the fate of the captive elephants to live with what they fear the most. Being wild animals they are afraid of fire, loud noises and explosives. When wild elephants wander into areas of human areas, people chase them away with loud noises and firecrackers. It is the same elephants that have to endure relentless high decibel sound throughout the temple procession while standing under the glare of spot lights and traditional fire torches for hours.
People use firebombs to chase away elephants wandered into an Indian village
Life during musth period
Musth is a phase that bull elephants go through every year. During this period, when the testosterone levels will be upto 60 times higher than the regular period, the elephants tend to be markedly aggressive and easily turn violent. During the period of musth, they are banned from doing work, including taking part in any ceremonial events that endangers public life.
However, greedy elephant owners and event organisers ignore or hide that fact and force the hapless animals appear at as many events as possible for huge fees. During musth, the elephant will be in a highly distressed state due to secretion from its temporal ducts and can turn violent at the slightest provocation. Elephants becoming violent and trampling or goring the mahouts and spectators are not an unfamiliar sight in many Kerala religious festivals because of this callous attitude of its handlers.
An elephant goes berserk during a temple event in Kerala Image Credit: Gulf News Archive
African, Asian and pygmy elephants
Elephants are the largest land animals with massive bodies, large ears, and long trunks. Females generally lead herds, and the matriarch is usually the biggest and oldest in a group of cow elephants and calves. Bull elephants most often roam on their own or form smaller all-male groups.
The African elephant is the largest of the species, weighing up to 8,000kg and can be as tall as 4 metres. They are categorised into savanna elephants and forest elephants due to their physical and genetic differences. Forest elephants are smaller.
Asian elephants are significantly smaller than their African cousins, tipping the scales at 5,500kg. Smaller, rounded ears are a distinct feature of these elephants which have three subspecies: the Indian, the Sumatran and the Sri Lankan. Unlike the Africa species, only the bull elephants in Asia grow tusks.
The pygmy elephants of Borneo are the smallest of the Asian elephants. And the gentlest. With oversized ears, plump bellies, straighter tusks and long tails, these baby-faced animals are genetically different from other Asian elephants, WWF studies show.
- Shyam Krishna, Senior Associate Editor
Elephants in circuses and tourism
Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor
Circuses have been a mode of entertainment for many years around the world, and India has been no exception. During their hay days, animals and human beings entertained large crowds that had limited exposure to other forms of entertainment. While elephants, lions, tigers, monkeys, dogs and other animals were used to perform in front of enthusiastic crowds, outside the arena their lives were miserable.
Animals, including elephants, were abused using sticks with nails, whips with metal wires and metal rods with sharp tipped hooks. They were severely injured and forced to train or travel with little or no veterinary support. Following numerous reports about the abuse of animals, the government implemented regulations to prohibit the training and exhibition of animals protected under the Wildlife Protection Act. In 2018, India's federal government banned the use of animals in any sort of mobile entertainment.
While the ban on the use of elephants in circuses was welcomed, when it comes to using elephants for tourism, there are two distinct views. On the one hand, some feel that tourists should only observe elephants, and not ride, walk or feed them. However, to achieve this, elephants would first need to be broken using cruel measures. On the other hand, others say elephants can be ridden in an ethical way and that riding does not harm them if the payload and the number of hours is regulated.
India has around 3,500 captive elephants, most of them used to entertain tourists. They are found in zoos and temples and are used to carry tourists at forts and in forest reserves. But there are also some organisations which take care of injured and sick elephants. The Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Centre in Mathura, the Kipling Camp in Madhya Pradesh and the Smiling Tusker Camp in Assam are examples of places where one can interact with elephants.
Asiatic elephants in a circus. (File photo for illustrative purposes only)
Efforts to ban use of elephants in religious events and where it stands now
There is no clear understanding about how the practice of using elephants in temples started. It is believed that they helped carry heavy stones used to build pillars in the temples, while in some places the elephants carried water for the sactums. Over time, the temple deity was carried on the forehead of the elephant thrice a day as party of a daily ritual. While this can be done by a human being or another animal, such as a horse, it is likely that elephants were preferred because its height increased the visibility of the deity.
In 2019 Kerala's government banned the tallest tusker in India, Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran, or Raman, from opening the Thrissur Pooram, Kerala's biggest temple festival. Raman is a celebrity, both in the real world as well as on social media, with thousands of fans. But he has also killed a dozen people and three other pachyderms and is partially blind. However, the communist government's efforts to ban the superstar were given a spin, with many saying Hindu customs and traditions were now under threat. The ban was eventually revoked.
Whether elephants are used in temples or in the tourism industry, the fact remains that mahouts often torture them and the majestic creatures live a life chained to misery and brute force. A few years ago, following reports that captive elephants, including those owned by the temple body in Kerala, suffered silently due to neglect, India's Supreme Court directed that tuskers in custody be registered and covered by insurance. The court has also issued guidelines to protect the elephants at religious events.
A total ban has been imposed on involving a 'musth' elephant during celebrations, they cannot be chained or hobbled with spikes and organisers must ensure sufficient food and water for the pachyderms. Also, during the celebrations, the flaming torch must be held away from them. Despite these rules, elephant owners have been parading them in extreme weather conditions and during high-decibel bursting of firecrackers.
A handler washing an elephant in an elephant sanctuary in Kerala, India Image Credit: Girish/Gulf News reader
Tuskers that stand out for sheer grandeur
Akhel Mathew, Correspondent
From the broadness of their foreheads to the hairs on their tails, elephant lovers go into every feature of tuskers to rate them on the handsomeness index. Some of the basic considerations include a trunk that is long enough to hit the ground and curl up a bit when the tusker is standing, and cream-coloured nails that are in good condition.
Across all those parameters, some elephants simply stand out.
The most famous of them all in Kerala was Gajarajan (elephant king) Guruvayur Keshavan (1904-1976) which was donated to the Guruvayur temple by the Nilambur royal family in 1922. The majesty of Guruvayur Keshavan which stood a shade over 3.4 metres tall, is still the standard against which elephant lovers benchmark other tuskers.
Among the present crop of captive elephants in the state, seven that are considered the most majestic and grandiose are: Thechikottu Ramachandran, Chirackal Kalidasan (both Thrissur), Pambadi Rajan, Puthupally Kesavan, Erattupetta Ayyappan (all Kottayam), Thrikkalavur Sivarajan (Kollam) and Mangalamkunnu Ayyappan (Palakkad).
These gajarajas, or elephant kings, can command anywhere upwards of Rs 100,000 for a single appearance at a festival or important occasion. These superstars do not normally undertake more than 40 such public events a year, making their presence at a function so much more prestigious. Even among the highly rated, some like Thechikottu Ramachandran command a higher premium than the others.
Ravindranathan Nair, treasurer and acting secretary of the Kerala Elephant Owners' Federation told Gulf News that the daily food expenses for these tuskers can cost anywhere between Rs 4,000 and Rs 5,000, besides the mahout's wage of a shade under Rs 1,000.
Interestingly, the elephant craze as well as the locations of some of the state's best elephants are mostly towards the south of the state, more specifically from Palakkad to Thiruvananthapuram. Elephant lovers say this could be because this is the geography which has the most number of temple festivals each year.
Kerala's elephants and their fan clubs
Talk of superstars in Kerala and the names Mammootty and Mohanlal spring to mind immediately. They are indeed stars in tinsel town, but there are others who can match them in fan following, hero-worship and even having statues erected for them, namely Kerala's stately tuskers.
Kerala's elephant fan clubs are now organized on social media, with exclusive groups for each tusker.
"There are so many social media fan groups for these tuskers that it is difficult even to keep track of all messages in the groups. It has come to a stage where there are 4-5 fan groups for elephants in each ward of a panchayat", P.V. Gireeshkumar, a pharmacist and elephant lover based in Kidangoor, Kottayam district told Gulf News.
"Unlike fan clubs for movie stars, we rarely have a get-together, but that does not take away the keen interest of the fans towards the elephants they admire", says Gireeshkumar.
The elephant has always been part of Kerala's culture and tuskers are an unavoidable fixture at festivals, despite the courts having laid strict guidelines about parading the pachyderms. In the past, elephants were widely used by the logging industry to haul timber but now that job has mostly been taken over by cranes.
Elephant fan clubs on social media groups believe that it was their cumulative efforts that attracted wide attention to the recent death of a wild elephant in Kerala. The jumbo had accidentally eaten a country cracker-laden coconut that was targeted at wild boar.
Court rulings and protests by animal welfare groups have made it increasingly difficult to keep and raise captive elephants, but elephant lovers and owners feel that the jumbos are safer in human custody than in the wild.
Referring to the increasing restrictions, Kerala Elephant Owners' Association treasurer and acting secretary, Ravindranathan Nair quotes statistics of elephant deaths in the wild versus those among captive elephants. "Over the last ten years, only 160 captive elephants died while there have been roughly 860 elephant deaths in the wild", he says.
- Akhel Mathew, Correspondent
Animal welfare activists, elephant fans differ
Following the death of a pregnant elephant in Kerala's Mannarkad forest division, arguments have flown thick and fast between wild life protection activists and lovers of captive elephants.
BJP leader and well-known animal protection activist, Maneka Gandhi said, "The forest secretary should be removed and the forest minister must resign".
There were others like the Humane Society of India, an NGO that works against cruelty to animals, which offered Rs 50,000 to anyone helping to bring the culprits to book. Police later arrested a person who is accused of having placed a country cracker inside a coconut, apparently targeted at wild boar that destroy crops.
Elephant fans on the other hand, disagree with arguments that captive elephants suffer cruelty. "Some time back there was a movement to free all circus animals from the ring. It is worthwhile to inquire how many of the freed animals survived", says Ravindranathan Nair, treasurer of the Kerala Elephant Owners' Association, who owns two elephants himself.
A general argument against NGOs that work for animal protection is that they are heavily funded by international agencies and that the NGOs are merely obliging their funding agencies and making money. This is strongly refuted by the NGOs.
P.V. Gireeshkumar, who is an elephant lover and a member of the forest task force for elephants, says captive elephant owners are unfairly targeted. "You find cows tethered in the sun, and dogs caged in numerous homes in the state, but NGOs point fingers at captive elephant owners. It is probably because elephants are big that they attract attention of the NGOs", he says.
What an owner says
Sunil Kumar (44), an elephant owner and mahout from Vaikom, spends his days taking care of his 45-year-old pachyderm Mavellikara Ganapathi. He first started getting interested in the care of elephants when his elder brother started the job of a mahout. At the age of 15, Sunil would accompany his brother to his job.
Ganapathi has been with Sunil for the last 20 years, and over the course of his life, Sunil Kumar has taken care of three elephants.
"It is almost a full time job. I feed him thrice a day, and bathe him every day," he said. When bringing his elephant out for festivals, Sunil Kumar spends 24 hours working to ensure the elephant's safety and comfort.
"For an elephant with a good temperament and based on size, the average price of an elephant can go up to one crore (Dh500,000). And bids for temple processions start at around Rs 20,000 (around Dh1,000) and go up to Rs 2-2.5 lakhs (Dh10,000 to Dh12,500)," the elephant lover added.
Speaking about the truth to widespread sentiment about cruelty to elephants in captivity, he said, "Times have changed, earlier one would never think about hurting the elephant. Nowadays, there are some who would hurt them, so there is truth to these allegations."
Sunil however felt that the laws in place currently covered all possible instances of cruelty well. He added things were better nowadays because there is a stricter enforcement of laws by authorities.
- Dona Cherian, Senior News Editor
Laws in place for the protection of captive elephants
Dona Cherian, Senior News Editor
In Kerala, the laws designed for the protection of captive elephants and penalties for proven cruelly are laid down in Kerala Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules 2003. From feeding regulations and space to rules to be followed by the mahouts or elephant caretakers and trainers, this document lists several rules when it comes to the maintenance of captive elephants. We look at some of these rules here:
Mahouts
The person who trains and takes care of the elephant, the mahout, has to be someone with certified experience of at least 3 years according to the document. He ensures that the elephant is fed, bathed daily and also alerts the owner to any illness, parasitic infection or musth. Mahouts have to be certified and trained periodically while also being tested for diseases that could be passed on to the animals. Mahouts should not drink when caring for the elephant.
Musth
Musth is a periodic surge in testosterone – up to 60 times than normal – in bull elephants characterized by aggressive behaviour. During this time, even well-trained mahouts maintain their distance so as to not aggravate the elephant. Elephants in this phase should not be made to work or participate in events. A vet should be notified by the owner when musth phases occur so proper care can be given to the mammal.
A mahout walking with an elephant on the road in Kochi, Kerala Image Credit: Shutterstock
Space regulations
The minimum floor area for captive elephants according to this rulebook are as follows:
- Weaned calf shorter than 1.5 metres: 5 metres by 2.5 metres
- Sub adult elephant of height 1.50m to 2.25m: 7m by 3.5m
- Adult elephant of height above 2.25m: 9m by 6m
- Cow elephant with unweaned calf: 9m by 6m
Apart from this, if the space has a covering, the structure should be at a height of at least 5.5 metres. In case the top of the structure uses iron sheets, it should be covered with gunny sacks, mats made of coconut palm leaves and/or grass.
Transport regulations
- Before transportation, the owner must get permission from an authorised officer such as the Chief Wildlife Warden and also get a valid health certificate from a vet to ensure that the elephant is fit to travel by rail or road.
- The rules state that the elephant should be fed and watered before loading on to the vehicle. It should also be ensured that there is enough food and water to consume en-route.
- Elephants should be not be made to walk more than 3 hours at stretch and not more than 20 kilometres in distance in a day. Any distance over 50 kilometres must be in a vehicle.
- Elephants carried on trucks should get at least 6 hours of rest for every 8 hours of travel.
- Trucks with lengths below 12 feet cannot be used to carry adult elephants. Calves of height shorter than 1.5m can be transported in these.
- One truck can carry either two weaned calves (shorter than 1.5m), or one cow elephant with unweaned calf or one adult or sub adult elephant of height above 1.51m.
- Pregnant cow elephants in advanced stages of pregnancy should not be transported on trucks.
- Each truck should be accompanied by two assistant mahouts.
- Any sedation given to control nerves should be prescribed by a vet.
- The journey should be as stable as possible with least number of jerks and sudden shocks while driving.
- During night travel, reflectors should be attached to tail and forehead of elephant
An elephant being transported in a truck Image Credit: GN Archive
Based on height, the green fodder supply rules are as follows:
- Weaned calf of height lower than 1.5m: Not less than 100 kg
- Height of 1.5m to 1.8m: Not less than 150kg
- Height of 1.81m to 2.25m: Not less than 200kg
- Height above 2.25m: Not less than 250kg or 5 per cent of body weight
Potable water from a river or running source should be provided along with succulent foods during hot summers.
Work and carrying weight
Elephants with height lower than 1.5m cannot be used for carrying loads while elephants shorter than 2.10m should not be used for logging operations. In terms of carrying loads, the maximum weight that can be carried for elephants is based on their height.
Height between 1.5m and 1.8m: Not more than 150 kg (only fodder and the mahout himself) and no logging
Height from 1.81m to 2.25m: Not more than 200 kg in load
Height from 2.26m to 2.55m: Not more than 300kg
Height from 2.55m up: Not more than 400 kg
As for logging, no elephant of height below 2.10 metres can used for logging. Elephants between height of 2.10m and 2.25m should not carry logs exceeding 750 kg in weight while those taller than 2.25m should not carry logs heavier than 1000kg.
Other than this, logging rules include good-quality harnesses that not expose the animal's back and chest. Timber logging over steep and rocky areas is prohibited and so is the use of the elephant's tusks or jaws constantly for dragging logs.
The rules also state that elephants should not carry loads for more than 8 hours a day. They should be given two hours to rest after five hours of continuous work. They should be given water after every three hours of work.
Elephants are often mistreated at the Thrissur Pooram festival. Image Credit: Shutterstock
An elephant over 65 years of age is considered as retired and should be exempted from work. However, a healthy elephant older than 65 can undertake light activities and work, but only under the strict watch of a vet who will issue periodic health certificates.
Temple processions
In a 2008 directive to the Devaswom board, the government lays out specific rules for elephants being used for temple functions and processions.
The directive starts off with instructions to not create more annual festivals than the ones traditionally being celebrated and to also not increase the number of elephants used in these festivals. Only elephants that are insured, fitted with microchips and those with certified ownerships registered with authorities in Kerala can be used for any temple procession or function. The vet who issues the health certificate for each event should ensure that these conditions are met before issuing the certificate.
Details of all events that includes elephant processions should be submitted at least 72 hours prior to the event with relevant Forest Rangers and Station House Offices. Each elephant being used should have a fitness certificate from relevant authorities.
Once at the venue, the elephant[s] should be given a security circle with the help of local police and event volunteers. They should be well fed and watered, and wet gunny sacks should be placed under their feet to protect them from heat. The mahouts should not be intoxicated while at the event taking care of the elephant.
In addition to these, a 2007 directive from the Forest department in the state also lays out the following rules:
- A minimum standing space of 4m by 3m for each elephant. Between each elephant, there should be a distance of 1.5 metre measured belly to belly and 4 metres measured head to head or head to tail to avoid accidental body contact which could injure or scare the elephants.
- Firecrackers should not be burst within a 50 metre radius of where the elephant[s] stand.
- During night events, power outages can wreak fear so generators are a must.
- When transporting elephants, adequate sun and rain coverage should be provided and speed should average 40 km/hour with no sudden jerks or stops.
- Each festival location should have a sheltered space for elephants or temporary thatched sheds must be erected for this.
- Event organisers should appoint a volunteer to always be around the elephants so he or she can avoid people from teasing or frustrating the mammals.
- In festivals where more than 5 elephants are set to participate, event organisers should take up a public liability insurance policy.
- If an elephant that has acted out and been uncontrollable at an event, it should not be used for any other such events.
This elephant which ran amok in Thrissur last week killed a mahout and a motorcyclist and damaged several houses and vehicles. Image Credit: Picture courtesy: Anup K. Venu
All these rules and directives also lay out that all kinds of cruelty starting from using unsuitable and heavy chains or not feeding as required to physically hurting the elephant to do its owner's or mahout's bidding is illegal and punishable by law.
Several of these regulations have been amended slightly over the course of the years but these fundamental rules apply since 2003.
"The Indian elephant is said sometimes to weep…."
Anupa Kurian-Murshed, Senior Digital Content Planning Editor
Animal cruelty is psychopathy. There is no other way to describe it. Abuse is a sign of what psychologists call Zoosadism, because it is driven by the intent of torture, no matter how subliminal.
When the science of behavioural profiling began to emerge in the 1970s, in the US, they found animal cruelty to be a common psychopathic trait among criminals characterised by a distinct lack of remorse.
Remorse, guilt - are guiding factors in our actions – no matter the circumstance or need. It is what, supposedly, puts us higher on the evolution chain.
"If India truly has to be a democracy, then its animals, too, need to be ensured of their right to safety, dignity and choice, otherwise it is just thinly veiled psychopathy."
It's been over 150 years since the first Indian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) was set up in 1861.
It's been 60 years since India's first national animal welfare law, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1960), which criminalizes cruelty to animals, was established.
But, looking at the recent cases of animal abuse emerging from India, makes you wonder if we are a society that has lost all capacity for remorse or guilt. We are so driven by our selfish needs that how we treat those who cannot speak for themselves has become irrelevant? And, truly, what is the point of these laws?
A wild elephant had its mouth blown off by eating a pineapple stuffed with crackers, left as a trap for wild boar in Kerala. Stop, for a second, and imagine yourself in a similar situation – the bloodied pain, the helplessness, the desperation. Can it be justified?
The carcass of a dead wild elephant is retrieved following injuries caused when locals fed the elephant a pineapple filled with firecrackers as it wandered into a village searching for food. Image Credit: AFP
A dog gets tied to a bike and dragged around in Delhi, till passersby react and the man runs away.
A freshwater dolphin gets attacked and cut up for entertainment in the North East.
All of this has happened within the past few weeks. Distinct cases of abuse that shocked many, but we, as a nation have been doing this for long, embedded within religious traditions, ancient monarchy and industry.
I remember, as a pre-teen seeing an old elephant being marched through the streets of Mumbai, begging for its mahout, with open sores near its ears from the constant brutality and legs covered in oozing lesions. People would stop, give money and the elephant had to touch its trunk end on their heads, because it was symbolic of a highly revered deity – Ganesh. But, nobody saw the pain the living form of the deity endured, as it moved slowly from one worshipper to the next. We see what we want to see.
Be it the Thrissur Pooram, probably the largest temple festival in Kerala, wherein nearly 50 or so elephants stand heavily adorned for hours in extreme humidity, among massive crowds and unbearably loud percussion sounds emanating from drums and cymbals – enough to make many collapse, but here they are the showcase. Do they have a choice?
I do not even want to venture down the path of the logging industry in the South, the hardship and abuse faced by elephants there has been chronicled so many times, that most seem to have become immune.
And therein lies the fundamental problem – animal rights is at a superficial level, there is reaction, never any true action to stop these centuries of untold violence and captivity. They live in a daily battlefield, enduring continued abuse.
If India truly has to be a democracy, then its animals, too, need to be ensured of their right to safety, dignity and choice, otherwise it is just thinly veiled psychopathy.
What are the fraud claims against billionaire Adani?
Do I need a sleep coach to sleep well?
Why chocolate is so delicious?
From blondes to gangsters: Dating app scam in Dubai
Still using an old phone? Expect 2G/3G shutdowns
Most difficult exams in the world
Novak Djokovic reclaims top spot in ATP rankings
RTA, Emirates Parkings ink deal on towing of vehicles
Multiple vehicles collide near Delhi, 29 injured
IHC to invest Dh1.4 billion in Adani's FPO
Show jumping: Vranken claims victory in Abu Dhabi


In order to meet the growing demand for its high performance motorcycles, the company is setting up second manufacturing unit at Oragadam near Chennai at an investment of Rs 150 crore. It has bought 50 acres land for the purpose. The plant will commence production during the first quarter of 2013, Shaji Koshy, senior vice president, sales and marketing, Royal Enfield said.
Talking to reporters after the launch of Thunderbird 500 and all-new Thunderbird 350 in Bangalore on Thursday, Koshy said the company would have a combined manufacturing capacity of 150,000 units in 2013. The company has also increased its dealer network in the country to 237 outlets. The company will start delivering the newly launched bike from end of November and the customers, who have booked Thunderbird 350 would be given a choice to shift to Thunderbird 500 before commencing the booking for new customers, he added.
The company plans to export about 5 per cent of its total capacity next year. It currently exports its bikes to USA, UK, Canada, and Latin America among other markets.


You many have noticed that I have been quiet on my blog lately. It's not that I've given up on it – I haven't. I have just needed to be silent. I don't write just for the sake of writing. I want to make sure that I have something to say. I want to encourage, inspire and empower people to live a life filled with hope. So, if I don't have the words, I don't write publicly. That may surprise some of you that know me. I mean, I talk…a lot! I always have something to say. So, when I don't feel I have anything to say out loud (or in a blog), I know it's time for silence.
If you remember, my one word for 2014 is Stillness. I wrote about that here: One Word I have tried to respect that. To be still, I need to be disciplined. So I have been quiet lately, in my stillness, reflecting, renewing, re-energizing.
Since returning from Guatemala, I haven't had many words to write. No, I haven't fallen into a depression. I'm thankful for that. I feel great. I feel strong. I feel inspired. I feel God is leading me on a new path, on an unknown journey. I trust Him. I'm excited (and a little scared), about what He has in store for me next. I mean, seriously, look at where he's lead me so far! Where will I be lead next? I don't know. But I do know that I will follow.
Even though I feel good right now, I do also feel sad. I feel weighed down. I feel tired. Not only did I experience sadness in Guatemala, but the hurt and pain that people are in at home, can sometimes be a lot to bear. I wish I could do more. I wish I could take on their suffering. I wish I could wrap my arms around the world in a great big hug. Unfortunately, I can't do that. All I can do is offer my words of hope to encourage others in whatever their struggle. You will overcome it. You will beat it. You will. There is hope and joy in this world.
I'm sure my words will return to me soon. I will continue to pray for those suffering (in whatever capacity) at home and around the world. I will continue to lean on God to give me strength. I pray that you too get your strength from God, or even find God in the process.
Sometimes silence can give you all the words you need to hear. I'll wait patiently in my silence.


text:
Meet Trevor Noah: The most vocal African in America
Since arriving America in 2011 Trevor Noah has risen to be one of the most visible native-born Africans in America as host of The Daily Show. But his comedy belies his strong liberal beliefs and he has used that global platform to show the world what a gifted intellectual he is, albeit a funny one. This biography by cutfm tells us more about his years in South Africa and his sojourn in America so far.
WHO IS TREVOR NOAH?
Trevor Noah is one of the top stand-up comedians from South Africa. After smashing the local charts. he began touring internationally. After having made appearances on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and The Late Show With David Letterman, Noah took on a correspondent role on the popular American show, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. Upon Stewart announcing his departure from the show in 2015, Noah was named as his replacement and has been ever since.
Trevor Noah as a small boy
Trevor Noah was born on the 20th of February, 1984 in Johannesburg. His father Robert is of white Swiss German ancestry, and his mother, Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah, is of a Xhosa bloodline. She became converted to Judaism when Trevor was just 10 or 11 years old, but did not have him convert, although she introduced him to some aspects and practices of Judaism.
Given the times they lived in, according to apartheid legislation, Trevor's mother was classified as Black, and his father was classified as White. His parents' interracial relationship was then classified as illegal. The Interracial sexual relations and marriages were not legalized until the amended Immorality Act of 1985, which was a year after Trevor Noah's birth.
As a result, Patricia Noah was jailed and fined by the South African government. She and her mother, Nomalizo Frances Noah, raised Trevor.
At the age of three Trevor started pre school, then at the age of five he went to primary school, a Catholic school in Johannesburg. This saw him attending the Roman Catholic church every Sunday during his childhood. He spent his early youth at the private Maryvale College.
In 2002, aged 18, Trevor had a bit role on an episode of the South African soap opera Isidingo. He then began hosting his own radio show Noah's Ark on Gauteng's leading youth radio station, YFM.
Noah dropped his radio show and acting to focus on comedy. He managed to perform with South African comedians such as: David Kau, Kagiso Lediga, Riaad Moosa, Darren Simpson, Marc Lottering, Barry Hilton and Nik Rabinowitz, international comedians such as Paul Rodriguez, Carl Barron, Dan Ilic and Paul Zerdin, and as the opening act for Gabriel Iglesias in November 2007 and Canadian comedian Russell Peters on his South African tour.
Trevor went on to host an educational TV programme, Run The Adventure in rhe years 2004 to 2006 on SABC 2. In 2007, he hosted The Real Goboza, a gossip-themed show on SABC 1, and Siyadlala which is a sports show also aired on SABC 1.
In 2008, Noah co-hosted, alongside Pabi Moloi, The Amazing Date (a dating gameshow) and was a Strictly Come Dancing contestant in the fourth series. In 2009, he hosted the 3rd Annual South Africa Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) and co-hosted alongside Eugene Khoza on The Axe Sweet Life, a reality competition series. In 2010, Noah hosted the sixteenth annual South African Music Awards and also hosted Tonight with Trevor Noah on MNet (for the second series, it moved to DStv's Mzansi Magic Channel). In 2010, Noah also became a spokesperson and consumer protection agent for Cell C, South Africa's third-largest mobile phone network provider.
Trevor has performed all over South Africa in The Blacks Only Comedy Show, the Heavyweight Comedy Jam, the Vodacom Campus Comedy Tour, the Cape Town International Comedy Festival, the Jozi Comedy Festival and Bafunny Bafunny (2010). His stand-up comedy specials in South Africa include The Daywalker (2009), Crazy Normal (2011), That's Racist (2012), and It's My Culture (2013).
He relocated to the United States in the year 2011. On the 6th of January 2012, Trevor became the first South African stand-up comedian to appear on The Tonight Show. Shortly after that, he became the first to appear on the Late Show with David Letterman. In the very same year, he gave the world hes one man show Trevor Noah:The Racist, which was based on his similarly titled South African special That's Racist.
In the year 2013, he performed the comedy special Trevor Noah: African American. This saw him steadily climbing up the ranks as a comedian. On the 11th of October 2013, he was a guest on BBC Two's comedy panel show QI. Just a month after that, he was a panelist on Channel 4 game show 8 Out of 10 Cats and appeared on Sean Lock's team in 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown on 12 September 2014.
The Daily Show – Trevor Noah
In December 2014, Trevor Noah became a recurring contributor on The Daily Show. On 30 March 2015, Comedy Central announced that Trevor would succeed Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show; his tenure began on 28 September 2015. Within hours after announced as Stewart's successor, attention was drawn on the Internet to several jokes that Noah had posted on his Twitter account, which were criticized by some as being offensive to women and Jews,and to be making fun of the Holocaust.
Noah responded by tweeting, "To reduce my views to a handful of jokes that didn't land is not a true reflection of my character, nor my evolution as a comedian." Comedy Central stood behind Noah, saying in a statement, "Like many comedians, Trevor Noah pushes boundaries; he is provocative and spares no one, himself included… To judge him or his comedy based on a handful of jokes is unfair. Trevor is a talented comedian with a bright future at Comedy Central."
Mary Kluk, chairperson of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), said that the jokes were not signs of anti-Jewish prejudice and that they were part of Noah's style of comedy. Noah's debut received positive reviews. James Poniewozik of The New York Times praised Noah and the shows writers saying, "Mr. Noah's debut was largely successful, it was also because of the operating system – the show's writing – running under the surface".
From Nigeria to Toledo, Richard Olekanma has lived quite a journey
Nigeria, Canada hold talks despite new measures against migrants
Thirteen Africans among NBA stars for 2018
Dr. O Boachie-Adjei: The Ghanaian who is a world leading orthopedic surgeon in New York

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Career Opportunities – Horgan General Contractors, Inc.
Horgan General Contractors, Inc. is growing. We're looking for additional people who want to grow with us as we build our staff of project managers, assistant project managers, superintendents, estimators, and field crews. We also offer career opportunities in marketing, safety, accounting, purchasing, information technology and human resources.
Applications are always being accepted for employment openings. If you're interested in a work environment that offers stability? Send us your resume here.
We enjoy a relaxed atmosphere of casual clothes, a comfortable offices and camaraderie at our headquarters, located in just West of town in the commerce park area of Jupiter, FL. Simply put, we all like working together.
At Horgan General Contractors, Inc., everyone we hire takes on responsibility right from the start. We recognize your potential at the outset and let you grow. You won't be shipped around on an endless circuit of projects; we understand the importance of stability when you're building a career.


Since its world premiere in 1984, The Toxic Avenger has become a world famous icon! Legions of fans around the world have followed the adventures of Tromaville's favorite hideously deformed hero of superhuman size and strength through four films, comic books, video games, action figures and even a children's cartoon series. Now, Troma has packaged Toxie's greatest films together into THE COMPLETE TOXIC AVENGER! Follow Toxie's entire history in this amazing seven disc set, which includes the unrated Director's cut versions of The Toxic Avenger, The Toxic Avenger Part II, The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie and Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger Part IV! The Complete Toxic Avenger also includes the never-before-released complete series run of the Toxic Crusaders animated series and the feature length behind-the-scenes documentary Apocalypse Soon: The Making of Citizen Toxie!


text:
Mom Wants Answers After St. Louis Cop Daughter Dies Playing Russian Roulette
A grieving mother has serious questions about the shocking shooting death of her police officer daughter. "We need more answers!" Aimee Chadwick told Inside Edition. "How it went down, I don't like it." Officer Katlyn Alix, 24, lost her life while allegedly playing a game of Russian roulette with another officer. Alix was laid to rest just months after she got married. She was off duty when she was shot in the chest at her fellow officer's apartment last week.


text:
Blažo Đuričić, bosansko-hercegovski agronom, politik in general, * 26. april 1914, † maj 1991.

Življenjepis
Pred vojno je bil inženir agronomije. Leta 1941 je vstopil v NOVJ in KPJ. Med vojno je bil politični komisar več enot (11. divizije, 3. korpusa, ...).

Po vojni je bil sprva politični komisar divizije in 6. armade do 1947, nato pa je vstopil v politiko. Postal je pomočnik ministra za kmetijstvo FNRJ in BiH, podpredsednik Izvršnega sveta BiH (1955–62), organizacijski sekretar Centralnega komiteja Zveze komunistov BiH, podpredsednik Zvezne skupščine (1967–1980.), član Centralnega komiteja Zveze komunistov Jugoslavije (1964–69) in član Sveta federacije.

Odlikovanja
 Red narodnega heroja
 Red ljudske osvoboditve
 Red partizanske zvezde

Viri in sklici

 Vojna enciklopedija, 2. izd., 1978, Zvezek 2, str. 611-2.

Glej tudi

 seznam generalov Jugoslovanske ljudske armade

Bosansko-hercegovski generali
Bosansko-hercegovski partizani
Bosansko-hercegovski agronomi
Bosansko-hercegovski politiki
Bosansko-hercegovski politični komisarji
Generali Jugoslovanske ljudske armade
Veterani druge svetovne vojne
Člani Komunistične partije Jugoslavije
Narodni heroji
Nosilci reda ljudske osvoboditve
Nosilci reda partizanske zvezde
Prvoborci
Podpredsedniki Zvezne skupščine SFRJ
Poslanci Skupščine Socialistične republike Bosne in Hercegovine
Poslanci Zvezne skupščine SFRJ

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


A Welsh photographer who came to Spain around 1850 to work as an illustrator in El Museo Universal, a periodic publication that used his pictures as bases for future engravings. In 1858 he started to work in the service of her majesty Isabel II, travelling with her to various places in Spain and making very interesting and important photographic reports.
In 1856, he arrived to Guadalajara while he was making a photographic trip organized by the duke of Osuna who wanted to have a picture collection of his palaces in Madrid and Guadalajara. It was then when he shot his pictures (ten) of the Infantado palace. Between 1851 and 1858, he made another report in Madrid and Guadalajara about the construction of the Pontón de la Oliva dam and other engineering works in the Isabel II Canal.


text:
4 Among List of White House Initiative Executive Director Candidates
Jamaal Abdul-Alimcmaadmin (EDU)
President Donald J. Trump stated recently that he looks forward to selecting an executive director for the White House Initiative on HBCUs.
Since that time, Diverse has obtained the names of four individuals whose names have been floated for the post, including two who held it under previous administrations. However, two of those individuals — including one who set the office up under President Jimmy Carter — have indicated they have no interest in the position.
The four individuals being considered for the post include:
Dr. Gwendolyn Boyd, an engineer and self-described "STEM advocate and higher education and civic leader" who served as president of Alabama State University until her ouster from the university late last year.
Meldon Hollis, a visiting political science professor at Savannah State University, an HBCU, who served as the first executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs under President Jimmy Carter (D) and who helped to transfer the initiative to the administration of President Ronald Reagan — the first Republican administration to adopt the initiative. Hollis also served as associate director of the initiative under President Barack Obama.
Linda Chastang, an 1890 liaison coordinator at the U.S. Department of Agriculture who previously served as a special adviser to the president's HBCU advisory board under President Obama and as former NAFEO vice president. (The "1890" in Chastang's title refers historically Black universities established under the Second Morrill Act of 1890.)
Dr. Leonard Haynes, a recently retired U.S. Department of Education official who served as executive director of the White House HBCU Initiative under President George W. Bush.
Observers say no matter who is ultimately selected for the position, that person is in for a rough ride given the mercurial nature of President Trump and some of his administration's early missteps
Dr. Leonard Haynes
regarding HBCUs. Trump questioned the constitutionality of a program that provides low-cost capital finance loans to HBCUs, and his education secretary — school choice proponent and billionaire philanthropist Betsy DeVos — recently referred to HBCUs as "real pioneers when it comes to school choice," when in fact the schools were founded at a time when Blacks were largely denied access to White institutions.
"Whoever is selected will find themselves between a rock and a hard place!" one longtime HBCU leader who now works as a consultant said in an e-mail statement to Diverse.
"Trying to convince the Trump administration that the HBCU community deserves support when Blacks voted overwhelmingly for Secretary Clinton will be a monumental challenge," the consultant said. "Similarly, winning the support of a skeptical HBCU sector will be equally as challenging."
The consultant observed further that the recent statement that President Trump made regarding the federal loan program that helps support HBCUs, coupled with the controversy surrounding U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos' commencement speech at Bethune-Cookman University, an HBCU, are "negative starting points."
"These observations notwithstanding, I believe that a skillful and experienced communicator with a deep appreciation for the political process can be helpful," the consultant said.
Diverse reached out to all four individuals whose names were floated as possible candidates to lead the White House HBCU Initiative.
Haynes did not respond to a reporter's request for comment.
Chastang was initially recommended by NAFEO (National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education), an umbrella advocacy organization for the nation's HBCUs and for which she once served as vice president. She indicated that she is not interested in the position.
"I did not express an interest in joining the White House initiative and would not be interested at this time, although I do wish the initiative well," Chastang said during a phone interview Friday. "I am excited about the things that Trump has said about his commitment to HBCUs, but it's not a position that I wish to be considered for. I would not do that at this time."
Asked if "at this time" was a qualifier that technically left the door open to the possibility, Chastang said: "Let me be clear: I would not be interested in that position."
Dr. Gwendolyn Boyd
Boyd — the ousted Alabama State University president — could not be reached for comment. Her LinkedIn profile indicates she is in the Washington, D.C., area but has not been updated to reflect the fact that she is no longer president at Alabama State University. Boyd is an engineer who for decades did mostly classified research testing and evaluating submarine navigation systems for the Department of the Navy at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
Lezli Baskerville, president of NAFEO, released a statement saying the organization recommended Boyd for the position of executive director of the White House HBCU initiative because of her "sterling record as a senior executive, her keen understanding about HBCUs from the inside-out, her knowledge and understanding of the federal and some state laws, regulations and policies regarding HBCUs, higher education funding, pipeline programs…" It also stated "her leadership in the global STEM community … would all well serve this Administration and those in the HBCU Community."
"Dr. Boyd's proven ability to listen and process a wealth of information from diverse and sometimes divergent stakeholders and to move people to consensus, would be additional invaluable gifts she would bring to the position," Baskerville's statement added.
Dr. Marybeth Gasman, professor of higher education in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania and an expert on HBCUs, said although Boyd is a "highly capable leader with a proven record of success," that Boyd would not likely flourish in the Trump administration as she could otherwise.
"I'd love to see her lead the White House Initiative on HBCUs — under anyone but Trump," Gasman said in an e-mail to Diverse.
"There's no succeeding if you work with him and his crew," Gasman said. "They lie, manipulate and I worry that they won't respect her and they will blame her for any issues that surface (of their making)," Gasman wrote. "Boyd deserves a healthy work environment that understands her value."
Hollis told Diverse that the position is extremely taxing and that he wants no part of it.
"Stressful would be a severe understatement," Hollis said. "It is a very stressful position."
Linda Chastang
Hollis attributed the difficulty of the position to challenges of dealing with HBCU presidents, who have been beset with challenges of their own as of late.
Asked if he had any interest in serving again as executive director of the White House HBCU initiative, Hollis, 72, said: "I'm not interested in going back to Washington."
"I just moved to South Carolina and I like it, and I like teaching these students," he said of his visiting professor position at Savannah State University, which is located in Georgia near the state's border with South Carolina.
"I have not been contacted. I don't expect to be contacted," Hollis said. "I expect to teach at Savannah State."
Still, he said, he was "interested in being helpful" to the Trump administration.
Being of assistance would come rather easily for Hollis. Previously, his job at the initiative has been to track federal financial assistance to HBCUs.
"My job was to track money that went from the largest federal agencies — HHS, Agriculture, DoD, the National Science Foundation, any federal agency that was making significant financial transfers to HBCUs — my job was to sort of track that," Hollis said. "Those are the keys to the kingdom."
Now, he teaches in the political science department as well as in an emergency management program at Savannah State, which he said probably has more Black students than any other emergency management program in the country.
Meldon Hollis
A former FEMA employee, Hollis said there is an ongoing need to get more members of diverse communities into emergency management because disasters — such as hurricanes and floods — tend to take a more devastating toll on low-income individuals and members of minority groups. He touted an outreach program at FEMA that works with HBCUs, Hispanic Service Institutions and Tribal Colleges to get more diverse students into emergency management.
Although Hollis specializes in emergency management, he said he is not interested in dealing with the leadership emergencies that have engulfed HBCUs as of late.
He cited the high turnover rate of HBCU presidents as an indication of the problems the institutions face and which will inevitably affect the executive director of the White House HBCU initiative.
"When the turmoil begins to reach into Howard, and you get turnover at Spelman and turnover at Morehouse, and FAMU and Alabama State, we're talking about pressures having moved into the stronger HBCUs, and so significant pressures are at work within the group that we call HBCUs," Hollis said.
Jamaal Abdul-Alim can be reached at jabdul-alim@diverseeducation.com or you can follow him on Twitter @dcwriter360.
Study Finds Racial Discrimination in Responses to Emails Asking for Help
Black Feminist Icon, bell hooks, Dead at 69
Fifty Years of 'Soul Train'
Hidden in Plain Sight, A Discovery on the Campus of William & Mary
Dean, College of the Arts
Assistant Professor of Film & Media Arts
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
A.T. Still University


text:
Laughter can encourage self-disclosure and closeness with mentees
by KarenD | Jan 18, 2017 | Making Mentoring Work | 0 comments
by Jeremy Dean
Laughter encourages people to open up and this is the secret to how to make friends, a new study finds.
People in the study were more likely to disclose something personal about themselves after laughing together, although they didn't realise it.
Self-disclosure is usually critical to how to make friends, as the study's authors explain:
"Self-disclosure has long been regarded as critical to relationship development and is typically considered as an exchange, where intimacies are traded as a means of deepening and developing relationships.
Indeed, people tend to like those to whom they disclose as well as those who disclose to them, and disclosure intimacy typically increases as relationships develop."
So the study may explain one way that laughter can help people connect.
For the research, published in the journal Human Nature, 112 people watched one of three videos in groups of four (Gray et al., 2015).
The researchers were careful to make sure people in the groups were strangers to each other.
Some groups watched a comedian, another a boring golf video and a third a nature documentary.
The results showed that when the groups laughed together more, they also shared more intimate information with each other.
Alan Gray, who led the study, thinks the effect is about more than just feeling good.
Laughter releases the 'happy hormones' endorphins, which are what may encourage people to share intimate details of their lives.
The authors write:
"Given laughter's ability to trigger endorphin activation and the role of endorphins in the formation of social bonds, laughter may increase willingness to disclose intimate information because the opioid effect of endorphins makes individuals more relaxed about what they communicate."
One of the fascinating findings of the study was that people did not seem aware they had shared more with others.
Although objective observers rated the disclosures of people who'd been laughing as more intimate, people themselves did not.
Mr Gray said:
"This seems to be in line with the notion that laughter is linked specifically to fostering behaviors that encourage relationship development, since observer ratings of disclosure may be more important for relationship development than how much one feels one is disclosing.
These results suggest that laughter should be a serious topic for those interested in the development of social relationships."
From The Chronicle of Evidence-Based-Mentoring; By Jean Rhodes March 25, 2015


Natalie Spitz is a Senior Analyst and member of Canalys' channels department. As part of her role she leads research in all aspects of channels intelligence. She also engages in custom channel research around the world. Recent projects have included studies on channel marketing and competitive analysis in India, Taiwan and Malaysia, as well as projects focusing on other regions. Natalie also contributes to Canalys' unique Candefero research, including channel 'health check' reports. Previously, Natalie ran the company's worldwide Netpad Analysis service portfolio.
Prior to joining Canalys, Natalie worked for Gartner for more than 10 years, where she held various analyst positions and worked on a broad range of market and channel research programs. She initiated Dataquest's research activity for Central and Eastern Europe and was responsible for the PC service for that region. During her time at Gartner, she also contributed to numerous consulting projects.
Natalie also worked for the French Trade Office in Cologne, Germany, following developments in the chemical and cosmetics industry and helping SMBs find trade partners.
She is based in France and is fluent in English, French and Dutch, and proficient in German. She has a degree in International Business Studies from the ILERI in Paris, France.


text:
Садр ад-ди́н Абу́ Та́хир А́хмад ибн Муха́ммад аль-Исфахани, известный как аль-Ха́физ ас-Силафи́ () и Абу́ Та́хир ас-Силафи́ (; 1085, Исфахан, Персия — 1180, Александрия, Египет) — исламский богослов, хадисовед, шафиитский правовед.

Биография
Его полное имя: аль-Хафиз Садр ад-дин Абу Тахир Ахмад ибн Мухаммад ибн Ахмад ибн Мухаммад ибн Ибрахим (Силафа) аль-Исфахани аль-Джарвани аль-Искандарани. Он родился в Исфахане в  году (или , ,  г.) и умер 5 раби ас-сани 576 г. х. (28 августа 1180 года) в Александрии. Абу Са'д ас-Сам'ани даёт сокращённую генеалогию его имени, упоминая Силафа в качестве прозвища его деда Мухаммада ибн Ибрахима. Следует отметить, что он иногда подписывался как Ахмадом ибн Мухаммед ибн Силафа, иногда как Ахмад ибн Мухаммад ибн Ибрахим. По разным версиям, он умер в 98 или 106 лет; в любом случае он относится к числу долгожителей, но также является одним из «обновителей» (муджаддидов) вместе с аль-Газали.

По некоторым данным, ас-Силафа было прозвищем его прапрадеда Ибрахима. Это слово в переводе с персидского означает «человек с тремя губами» (си — «три», лаби — «губа»), так как у него была расщелина на губе, о чём сообщает Абу Тахир. По другой версии, также со слов самого Абу Тахира, его дедушка и бабушка предположительно принадлежали клану бану Силафа, племени химьяритов. Существует также версия, согласно которой это прозвище произошло от квартала Исфахана, известного как Силафа. Ас-Силафи также называют его внука, традиционалиста (хадисоведа) Абу аль-Касима Абд ар-Рахмана ибн аль-Хасиба Макки ат-Тарабулуси аль-Искандарани. Сообщается, что хадисовед Абу Джа'фар ас-Сайдалани (ум. ) также имел прозвище ас-Силафи, потому что оно принадлежало его деду Силафе.

Дедушка Абу Тахира был суфием, учеником ас-Сайида аз-Захида Абу Хашима аль-'Аляви; его отец, со своей стороны, был известным хадисоведом, учеником Ибн аль-Туюри (ум. ), а также одним из учителей Абу Тахира в Багдаде. Тот факт, что он родился в Исфахане должно было благотворно сказаться на его судьбе великого хадисоведа, которым стал Абу Тахир, так как в этом городе много долгожителей, и, следовательно, наименьшее возможное число для передатчиков в цепи. Кроме того, жители Исфахана имеют ярко выраженный интерес к прослушиванию (сама') хадисов, а в самом городе была резиденция великого сельджукского султана Малик-шаха, который даже основал там медресе.

Его первым учителем по хадисоведению был Ризкуллаху ат-Тамими аль-Багдади аль-Ханбали (ум. ). Он также посещал занятия других учёных Исфахана, в том числе аль-Касима ибн аль-Фадля ас-Сакафи. Там же он получил знания по чтению Курана. Своим образованием он был обязан своему отцу (ум. ), с которым он совершил паломничество в  году. Сообщается, что число учителей, чьи занятия он посещал в Исфахане, превысило шесть сотен. Он также составил словарь своих учителей в этом городе, озаглавленный «Му'джам ас-сафар/Му'джам Исфахан/ас-Салифа аль-Исфаханийя»; аз-Захаби многократно цитирует эту (потерянную) работу, а также заимствует её без
упоминания.

Паломничество было для него возможностью получить знания, познакомившись с учителями Мекки и Медины; с той же цель он посетил Куфу и Багдаде, где он оставался до  года. Именно там он посещал занятия по праву (фикху), проводимые ведущими шафиитами Низамийи: Илькия ат-Табари (ум. ), Абу Бакр аш-Шаши (ум. ), Абу Закарийя аль-Тибризи (ум. ) и Али аль-Фасихи (ум. ), а также занятия Ибн Фахира (ум. ) по арабскому языку и литературе (адаб). В том же году он отправился в Басру и затем в Васит. Посетил Дербент, где учился у Абу Бакра ад-Дарбанди. В  году он был в Дамаске, где он оставался в течение некоторого времени. Именно там он столкнулся Ибн аль-Акфани (ум. ) и составил резюме на Китаб Макарим аль-Ахляк аль-Хараити. Аз-Захаби составил огромный список учителей, включая женщин, у которых он получал знания. Список его учеников, особенно в Александрии, не менее впечатляющий.

В  году он отправился в Тир под Александрией, где он поселился и оставался до своей смерти, в течение шестидесяти пяти лет, и это не только по просьбе учёных этого города, но и потому что он женился на богатой местной женщине Ситт аль-Ахль бинт аль-Халвани ( г.), которая отдала своё состояние в его распоряжение. У них родилась дочь Хадиджа (ум. ), которая вышла замуж за учёного Абу-ль-Харама Макки ибн Абду-р-Рахмана ат-Трабулси. Кроме того, Ибн Саллар аль-'Адиль построили школу и религиозное учреждение от его имени. Выбор Александрии был важным, поскольку там он мог встретиться с мусульманскими интеллектуалами Востока и Запада, например, ат-Туджиби из Тлемсена (ум. ), который, согласно его предсказанию, должен был стать главный хадисоведов Магриба. Он покинул Александрию только один раз для поездки в Каир в  году (хотя, согласно другому источнику, он находился там с  по  год). Его библиотека была впечатляющей, так как он вложил всю свою собственность в приобретение литературы, но после его смерти было обнаружено, что эти тома были серьёзно повреждены влажностью Александрии. В Александрии Абу Тахир ас-Силафи подготовил множество учеников, среди которых были многие представители будущей политической элиты Айюбидского султаната: основатель государства Салах ад-Дин, аль-Азиз и аль-Афдаль, сыновья и преемники Салах ад-дина, его брат аль-Адиль и племянник Умар, а также визирь султаната ас-Сахиб ибн Шукр, канцлер (катиб) , начальник почтовой службы (диван аль-ишта) Яхья ибн Мансур аль-Джаррах, занимавший множество позиций, включая начальника департамента религиозных сборов (диван аль-Авка), Абу-ль-Касим Хамза ибн Аби аль-Хасан Усман аль-Макзуми и начальник армейского ведомства .

Его выдающееся положение как великого традиционалиста (хафиза) демонстрируется, в частности, бесчисленными брошюрами, сборниками хадисов, иногда называемые аль-Аджза ас-Силафийят или ас-Силафийят. Они были созданы на основе источников багдадцев, таких как аль-Анмати (ум. ), ат-Туюри и другие. Как и многие другие учёные, он посвятил сборник хадис ар-Рахма («Хадисы милосердия»).

Среди его многочисленных работ — «Му'джам ас-сафар» («Словарь путешествий») — биографический словарь, охватывающий период с  по  годы. Этот труд можно рассматривать как сборник интеллектуальной жизни поздней Фатимидской Александрии.

Примечания

Литература

 Ma 'rūf, B. A. Mu'jam al-safar li-Abī Ṭāhir al-Silafī. al-Mawrid, 8 (1979): pp. 379—383
 Rizzitano, U. Akhbār 'an ba'ḍ muslimī ṣiqilliya alladhīna tarjama la-hum Abū Ṭāhir al-Silafī // Annals of the Faculty of Arts, Uni. Of 'Ayn Shams, 3 (1955): pp. 49-112
 Ṣāliḥ, Ḥ. The life and times of al-Ḥāfiẓ Abū Ṭāhir al-Silafī accompanied by a critical edition of part of the author's Mu'jam al-safar. PhD thesis, Univ. of Cambridge, 1972
 Zaman, S.M. Abū Ṭāhir al-Silafī al-Iṣbahānī. His life and works with an analytical study of his Mu'jam al-safar. PhD thesis, Harvard Univ., Cambridge (Mass.), 1968

Хадисоведы
Шафииты


On this page I list my formal educational training as a clinical psychologist.
(Note: The Clinical Psychology Ph.D. requirement includes internship training).
My original research was in two areas: measuring human temperament (Master's thesis) and testing alternative theories of depression (Ph.D. dissertation). The dissertation formed the basis of a research paper and a theory paper I presented to the annual convention of the American Psychological Association.


text:
Brutal Knockout Attack at Upscale Mall Results in Cracked Ribs, Broken Ankle and Knocked Out Teeth
by Jim Hoft December 30, 2013
The knockout victim lies on the ground during a brutal assault in Virginia.
A Charlottesville, Virginia couple were assaulted on Friday night by three young black men at an upscale mall. But don't expect the Obama DOJ to look into this. After all, the victim was white.
C-Ville reported:
A couple's late night stroll on the Christmas-lit Downtown Mall turned to terror in the early morning hours of Friday, December 20, when they were brutally assaulted by three men in what appears to have been a random act of violence.
Even though one of the victims, Jeanne Doucette, managed to take photos that appear to show the assailants as they kicked and pummeled her boyfriend Marc Adams to unconsciousness, Charlottesville Police still do not have any suspects. Doucette says there were other witnesses to the crime, which allegedly occurred just outside the Wells Fargo building at around 1am as she and Adams walked from Miller's to Rapture, and she is baffled as to why the police haven't shared her images more widely with people who could have seen the suspects earlier in the evening.
"I cannot understand why they didn't let people know what happened," said Doucette, who still bore injuries from the assault when she met for an interview a week later. "Those pictures might have prompted some tips."
The images she captured are blurry but nonetheless appear to corroborate her account of the night's events, including the brutality of the beating, during which she says the assailants joked and laughed, even stopping to hug in the midst of the onslaught.
Doucette said the assault occurred after she and Adams, both 39, had met for a drink at Miller's after Adams finished his shift as chef for a downtown food cart. They headed east up the Mall toward Rapture to end their night with music, when Adams tripped and fell in front of Derriere de Soie lingerie store, a block from Miller's. As he was getting up, a man approached quickly, said something that Doucette couldn't make out, and kicked Adams while he was on the ground, before being joined by his friends who beat Adams severely, breaking his ankle, cracking ribs and knocking out one of his teeth.
The grainy photos that Doucette took with her phone (posted below story) show the faces and clothing worn by the three alleged assailants, all black males.


text:
Hans Hagen, gebürtig Hans Köstelbauer (* 4. Februar 1915 in Heiligeneich, Niederösterreich, Österreich-Ungarn; † 14. Mai 1979 in Tullnerbach, Österreich) war ein österreichischer Kapellmeister, Orchestermusiker, Dirigent, Komponist und Filmkomponist.

Leben
Der Sohn des Cafébetreibers Köstelbauer besuchte ein humanistisches Gymnasium und erhielt seine künstlerische Ausbildung an der Hochschule für Musik in Wien, ehe er in den Jahren 1940 bis 1945 zur Wehrmacht eingezogen wurde. Wieder zurück im Zivilleben, war Hans Hagen ab 1945 drei Jahre lang als Kapellmeister am Landestheater von Linz angestellt. 1948 wechselte er zum österreichischen Rundfunk, wo er sich seinen Lebensunterhalt als Dirigent verdiente. Zu dieser Zeit kamen auch erste Aufträge für die Komposition von Filmmusiken hinzu.

Das Gros seiner Partituren untermalte österreichische Produktionen des Heimatfilm-Genres bzw. Filme aus bäuerlichem Umfeld. Gelegentlich komponierte Hans Hagen auch für Dokumentationen sowie für eine beträchtliche Anzahl (bis Ende der 1950er Jahre über 70 Stück) an Hörspielen. Hagen nahm auch eine Fülle von Schallplatten auf und arbeitete mit der US-Produktionsfirma Columbia Pictures, der BBC-London und dem Hollywood Radio City Orchestra zusammen. In den 1960er Jahren konzentrierte er sich bei seiner kompositorischen Arbeit auf Fernsehfilme.

Hagen war von Mai 1953 bis zu seiner Deckung im Juni 1954 Mitglied der Freimaurerloge Gleichheit.

Filmografie

Literatur
 Ludwig Gesek (Hrg.): Kleines Lexikon des österreichischen Films, S. 18. Wien 1959
 Johann Caspar Glenzdorf: Glenzdorfs internationales Film-Lexikon. Biographisches Handbuch für das gesamte Filmwesen. Band 2: Hed–Peis. Prominent-Filmverlag, Bad Münder 1961, , S. 647.

Weblinks

Einzelnachweise

Dirigent
Komponist (Österreich)
Filmkomponist
Pseudonym
Freimaurer (20. Jahrhundert)
Freimaurer (Österreich)
Österreicher
Geboren 1915
Gestorben 1979
Mann


text:
15 James Naismith's Facts You Should Know
SportyTell Editors Updated December 9, 2020 Biography No Comments
Looking for some interesting James Naismith Facts?
If you're a fan of basketball and sports in general, it certainly would be in your best interest to know more about James Naismith. He is the man who brought about the game of basketball.
In this article, we would be taking a look into the basketball inventor's life and some facts about him you probably didn't know.
Dr. James Naismith with a basketball and a basket. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
RELATED: James Naismith's 13 Original Rules Of Basketball
Some Interesting James Naismith Facts You Should Know
James Naismith Facts: Early Life
James Naismith Facts: Basket ball Invention
James Naismith Facts: Personal Life
1. He was from Canada
James Naismith was born on the 6th of November 1861, in a town called Almonte in Ontario, Canada.
He did not move to the United States until he was 30 years old when he took a job as a Physical Education Instructor.
2. He was an orphan
He lost his parents at a tender age, so he had to go live with his aunt and uncle on a farm at Almonte, where he stayed for many years.
3. He never had a middle name
Though some people add an 'A' initial in between his first name and last name, Naismith never had a middle name. Neither did he sign his name with an 'A' initial.
The letter was added by someone who was part of the admin department when he started working at the University of Kansas.
4. He struggled with school
Yes, Naismith was a genius who had a BA in Physical Education and a Bachelor's degree in Medicine.
So it may seem like he had a smooth sail with straight A's from grad school to college. But that couldn't be farther from the truth.
While growing up, he enjoyed farm work and was very good at it, and preferred playing 'catch' and 'duck on the rock' (a game which later became instrumental to his invention of basketball) to studying back then.
5. He was a college athlete
From his very first year in college at the Mc Gill University of Montreal, Canada, Naismith proved to be a really versatile athlete.
He had exceptional talents and was on the school's football team, soccer team, rugby team, lacrosse team, and gymnastics team.
He made his first ear paddings for his personal use while playing football as a center and won several medals for his incredibly outstanding performances in gymnastics.
6. Basketball was meant to be a distraction
Yes, you heard, right. This beautiful game we love so much was supposed to be an athletic distraction to keep the students indoors from the harsh elements of New England's winter.
To keep his rowdy young charges indoors, Naismith was tasked with creating a game.
After studying the characteristics of all the major sports at that time and using two peach baskets and a soccer ball, he created a game and called it "Basket Ball."
7. The first basket ball game was bloody
The First Basketball Court – Springfield College. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While he was working on his newfound game, he was also self-conscious of injuries and wanted to reduce the risk of getting injured to the barest minimum.
So he placed the baskets ten feet high to make the post unguardable.
After introducing the game to the students and telling them what they had to do to score points, he blew a whistle, and the first game of basketball began.
In the spirit of competition, the players started punching, tackling, and kicking.
By the end of the game, there were more than a few black eyes; a student ended up unconscious, and another ended up with a separated shoulder.
8. 13 rules of basket ball
After the disaster that was the very first match of the game of basket ball, Naismith had to work on the rules and came up with the 13 Rules of Basket Ball.
The original copy of the rules that was typed by his secretary was bought in an auction by David Booth for $4.34 million.
Booth is a graduate of Kansas University, and he really wanted the original copy of Naismith's 13 laws to be in the same city where Naismith was buried.
9. People wanted the game to be called Naismith's ball
Just a few months after the first set of basket ball games were played, the game was already spreading like wildfire.
The game, along with photos of the 13 Rules, was published in the YMCA magazine, which helped to spread the game even more.
With more and more people enjoying the game of basket ball, they wanted to honor its inventor by naming it 'Naismith's Ball,' but Naismith vehemently refused.
10. He was the first college basketball coach
When Naismith moved to the University of Kansas, about six years after the Invention of basket ball, the university immediately began an official basketball program for college athletes, and Naismith was made coach.
However, though he was the inventor of the game, Naismith had the worst record as a basketball coach in the program with (55-60).
11. He invented the football helmet
The name Naismith is synonymous with basketball and will always be celebrated among the basketball community, probably till the end of time.
But he also made a massive contribution towards football when he invented the football helmet.
12. He preferred other sports
The game of basketball had become really popular and was already being included in the 1904 summer Olympics as a demonstration sport.
Though he invented the game and coached the sport for more than 30years, Naismith was not interested in getting recognition.
He even preferred gymnastics and wrestling, which he considered as better forms of Athletics.
13. He hated segregation
James Naismith lived in a time when segregation was the order of the day, with blacks having little to no rights at all.
It was impossible for black athletes to get into the Jayhawks team, but that didn't stop Naismith from trying repeatedly.
However, he was able to get black students to use the pool for swimming lessons, which was a significant win, considering the fact that black students were given automatic passing grades and were never allowed to use the pool at all.
14. He was married twice
On the 20th of June 1894, Naismith got married to Maude Evelyn Sherman, and their union produced five children.
But Maude died in 1937. She was 67 years old at the time of her death, thus ending their 43-year-old marriage.
By 1939, he got married again, this time to Florence B Kincaid on the 11th of June.
15. He died of a brain hemorrhage
Just a little over four months after getting married to Florence, James Naismith was diagnosed with a major brain hemorrhage and died nine days later at his home in Lawrence.
He was 78 years old at the time of his death.
Naismith was buried in Lawrence Memorial Park next to his first wife, Maude.
There you have it, the 15 interesting about James Naismith that you should know.
Hope you had fun reading about the legend and all his contributions to sports in general.
Please let us know what you think about this article in the comments section below.
Simone Biles Biography Facts, Childhood, Life, Net Worth
Andy Ruiz Biography Facts, Childhood, Career, Net Worth, Life
Bernardo Silva Biography Facts, Childhood, Life, Net Worth
Christian Pulisic Biography Facts, Childhood, Life, Net Worth
Stephanie Gilmore Biography Facts, Childhood, Career & Personal Life
Marcus Rashford Biography Facts, Childhood, Net Worth, Life
Maria Sharapova Biography Facts, Childhood, Personal Life
Sadio Mané Biography Facts, Childhood, Life, Net Worth
Paulo Dybala Biography Facts, Childhood, Net Worth, Life
Floyd Mayweather Biography, Facts, Childhood, Career, Life
Phil Mickelson Biography Facts, Childhood, Net Worth, Life


Benjamin Franklin. Paul McCartney. Kurt Kobain. Barack Obama. Leonardo de Vinci. All of them incredibly accomplished, historical individuals – all of them left handed people.
HERE ARE 25 THINGS THAT ONLY OUR LEFT HANDED COMPANIONS WILL UNDERSTAND.
1. WRITING CAN BE A PAIN.
When lefties write, the must (obviously) move their hand left to right. When writing with a pen, they have to be careful not to smear ink!
2. LEFTIES HAVE THEIR OWN STUFF.
Since so many things are designed for righties, left handed people have some things specially designed for them. Notepads, pens, scissors, and even can openers and boomerangs!
3. SITTING CAN BE UNCOMFORTABLE.
Walk into any lecture hall and odds are that every desk has the writing platform on the right side. At dinner, lefties have to explain they're left-handed to sit somewhere that's comfortable for everyone.
For those lefties who love video games, we know there's some pain here. PlayStation, X-Box, Wii, and other electronic controllers are all made for righties. This hasn't stopped them from dominating folks in this regard, however.
It's not just stick-shifting that requires some learning; the majority of important car switches and levers are on the right side of the wheel. This hasn't stopped them from being better drivers, according to some sources.
More and more keyboards have a number pad. This is a welcome addition for students and professionals who no longer have to use a separate calculator…unless you're a lefty. Nearly every number pad is on the right side of the board.
Let's do this, lefties. The next time a well-meaning person sticks that hand out to shake, look 'em straight in the eye and proudly extend your left arm. That'll teach 'em.
How about those attached pens to that annoying phone cord? Lefties have to stretch most of them to capacity just to sign their name!
Can openers are some of the worst enemies of left handed people. Any righty that's tried to open a can with a manual can opener understands that it's rarely smooth. Now, multiply this frustration by 10.
Everything, from necklaces and bracelet clasts to belts, watches and coat buttons are annoying for lefties. Nearly every clothing item – even jeans – can be a nuisance to put on. T-shirt's, sweatpants and hoodies are some of a lefty's best friends.
Remember those handy, spiral pages that we all carried around in school? Lefties do…because in addition to them having to worry about smearing their own writing, spirals don't let them to write without getting a wired imprint on their hand.
"Nope… its self-improvement month and I've decided to become ambidextrous." Yes, righties, we know that left-handers are cool and rare, but they do exist. And just a bit of advice: lefties strongly dislike answering this question all the time.
Okay, so this is a minor annoyance. But some of us enjoy having logos, text and other stuff on our writing instruments that we can read. Lefties have to read this stuff upside down.
It's rare to be a lefty. It's even rarer to become a celebrity or someone famous. The odds of someone being a lefty and a celebrity are pretty much insane. So, when our left-handed friends find out someone they admire is a lefty it can be an exciting moment.
When eating at a restaurant, lefties must re-arrange their entire setup. The silverware is always placed on the right side, as is the glass. At least lefties get their way at the buffet…unless the servers set the table, of course.
BUT'S IT NOT ALL A PAIN…LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT 5 BENEFITS OF BEING A LEFTY.
Researchers aren't quite sure why, but lefties have a better chance at being highly intelligent. Some experts think that this may be because lefties are forced to use both sides of their brain more often. 20% of Mensa – the largest, oldest high-IQ society in the world – is made up of lefties, while counting for only 10% of the general population.
This is especially true in boxing, baseball and tennis. Opponents simply don't face left-handed competition often. When they do, it can throw them through a loop. An example: Manny Pacquiao is one of the great boxers of all time because his southpaw approach is so hard to defend.
This is another area where researchers aren't quite sure why, but lefties are better at managing multiple tasks. Again, experts say it could be because lefties must use both hemispheres of their brain more often.
Research has shown that lefties are more likely to make the creative arts a career. So, to those left-handed artists, we extend our thanks in making the world a more aesthetically pleasant place to live!