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Jefferson Academy: Off to a Great Start
Jefferson Academy was buzzing with activity the morning of Saturday, June 9. Twenty-five students, faculty and parents were cheerfully devoting their full day at Book-A-Palooza, cataloguing books found in the basement to be used in classroom libraries next school year.
At the Academy's first awards assembly, sixth-grader Ajani Young, gave a short speech that demonstrating maturity, concepts and vocabulary worthy of a high school valedictorian. The positivity and enthusiasm of Principal Natalie Gordon and the easy comfort of the students in this welcoming environment tell the visitor that this school is a productive and engaged place of learning.
The new Jefferson Academy is one of two currently operating in the Jefferson building, Jefferson Middle School being the second. According to plans, the Academy is adding one grade level each year and the Middle School closing a grade each year.
Jefferson Middle School Principal Patricia Pride proudly graduated her last eighth-grade class at a wonderful ceremony at Eastern High School. In accord with the phase-out plan, Chancellor Kaya Henderson announced that, for 2012-13, the full Jefferson building will be under the leadership of Gordon and two assistant principals, Widelene Desarmes and Patrick Rottman. This experienced leadership team will ensure strong attention to the final cohort of Middle School students next year, as well as the continued success of both schools.
This fall the Academy is expected to grow to meet its target of 195 students, with a long-term goal of more than 450 students in grades six, seven and eight. By 2015, after a three-year accreditation process is complete, Jefferson Academy will be an International Baccalaureate (IB) school, and serve as a feeder to the Eastern High School IB Program.
Specially trained faculty will be involved in curriculum development this fall and, by spring 2013, will be teaching the first IB classes. IB standards will include the addition of electives in art, instrumental music, physical education and Chinese language.
The Academy is the third principal post for Gordon, chosen by a collaboration of parents and D.C. Public School (DCPS) officials to found the new school at Jefferson. Her previous assignments were in charter schools, a particularly good preparation for starting a new school. Gordon has enjoyed the challenge of learning the DCPS system, and has been pleased by the many resources, larger facility, more rooms, books and partnerships available.
"This has been a fun year," she said. "We have a very strong school culture, as the kids 'get' that they are at Jefferson Academy to learn. Our truancy rate and referral rates are very low."
She attributes the positive school culture in part to the excellent three-day Summer Bridge Program last August that helped students learn about school system routines, the advisory model, and how to form teams. This summer the Bridge Program will be a full week in July, giving the faculty a chance to teach the children valuable lessons in "how to be JA Trojans," anticipate the skill levels of incoming students and also get an early view of any areas to address with attendance or behavior.
Teachers will visit homes this summer to meet their new students, and be able to offer special supports as needed. Both new and returning teachers will teach Summer Bridge.
Growing the Academy
Although Chancellor Henderson has announced that a number of small DCPS schools are likely to be closed in coming years, Jefferson Academy expects to grow. The word is out about the positive school culture and expected good academic performance. Gordon is confident the full enrollment of 195 will be reached or exceeded. The 30 out-of-boundary slots are already full, with a waiting list from students citywide. Students from feeder schools of Amidon-Bowen, Brent and Thompson — schools whose students can attend by "right" — have not yet enrolled sufficient numbers to fill the allotted spaces. Traditionally, the numbers applying from Brent and Thompson have been low. If this year's pattern continues there will be strong enrollment from Amidon-Bowen.
The Academy has a high re-enrollment rate, with more than 80 percent of sixth graders continuing on to seventh grade.
Enhancing Faculty with Partnerships
To build upon the talents of the small faculty, Gordon moved rapidly to build a range of partnerships. Partnerships already under way include those with Arena Stage, D.C. Sail, Washington Kastles, U.S. Department of Education, Kid Power, D.C. Scores, Model United Nations, and the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.
One of the newest potential partnerships is with the Edgewood/Brookland Family Support Collaborative (EBFSC), a city-funded social service agency that has some staff located in St. Augustine Episcopal Church. The Community Benefits Coordinating Council (CBCC) brought together leaders from EBFSC and the school in response to some priorities identified during the 2011 Southeast-Southwest Summit.
EBFSC has experience in partnering at the Ron Brown Middle School, where they have provided training programs, parenting classes and social work services to students and their families. Gordon hopes for their presence at the Academy to supplement social services now in the school.
Another emerging partnership has been forged with the Flamboyan Foundation, which will help train teachers to increase parent support and build parent relationships.
–By Eve Brooks and Ruth Hamilton
Community Benefits Coordinating Council
Posted in Education Tagged Jefferson Academy,Jefferson Middle School
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Watch Dave Grohl Blow Pharrell's Mind With the Surprising Inspiration for 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' (Video)
The rocker discusses his Nirvana years in an episode of his Paramount+ series, "From Cradle to Stage"
Alex Noble | July 1, 2021 @ 3:33 PM
"Nevermind," the seminal Nirvana album, had some funkier inspirations than you might expect. In a recent chat with fellow musician Pharrell Williams, Dave Grohl revealed that many of his drum beats for the band were ripped directly from a genre that hasn't held much respect among rock fans over the years – disco.
A clip from the Foo Fighters frontman's Paramount+ series, "From Cradle to Stage," in which he insists to Williams that he was never a great drummer nor an original one began to make the Twitter rounds on Thursday.
we all steal drums. this is crazy tho pic.twitter.com/QLwZRdPkyC
— TERRANCE OUT NOW (@tcarriermusic) July 1, 2021
Ricky Schroder Calls Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl 'Ignorant Punk' for Supporting Vaccines
"I wanted to be a drumline kid," Grohl says at the beginning of the clip, "But I can't read music. I couldn't then, still can't now. All I wanted to do was be in a line of drummers all playing drums."
"I was decent, I wasn't your level," Williams replies to which Grohl says, "Stop saying that I'm a good drummer because I'm the most basic f–king drummer."
Williams makes a "he's got to be kidding" face to the camera.
"If you listen to 'Nevermind,' the Nirvana record," Grohl continues, "I pulled so much stuff from The Gap Band and Cameo and Tony Thompson on everyone of those songs."
Tulsa Race Massacre: How The Gap Band Was a Tribute to the Former 'Black Wall Street'
"It's all disco," he says with a laugh, "That's all it is. Nobody makes the connection."
"That's straight-up Gap Band," a stunned Williams says, recalling the familiar "Smells Like Teen Spirit" beat.
The Gap Band, known for chart-toppers like "Outstanding" and "Burn Rubber on Me," is one of the most-sampled groups in music, with everyone from Tina Turner to Tyler, the Creator taking cues from their infectious grooves. However, the band typically has been a source of inspiration for R&B artists, less so for a grunge act such as Nirvana.
The clip ends with a cool, full-circle anecdote from Grohl involving Tony Thompson of the band, Chic.
Dave Chappelle Rocks Out With The Foo Fighters, Covers Radiohead's 'Creep' (Video)
"I told Tony Thompson that," he said, "He came to my house for a barbecue with somebody and I was like, 'man, I just want to thank you because I owe so much, I've been ripping you off my whole life' and he goes, 'I know.'"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu v Dr. Sampson Ogah (2016) LPELR – 40845 (CA)
Olumide Babalola > Article > Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu v Dr. Sampson Ogah (2016) LPELR – 40845 (CA)
Posted by	OBLP
in Article
Even inspite of interlocutory appeal, lower court has jurisdiction to hear substantive suit: a new judicial perspective in Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu v Dr. Sampson Ogah (2016) LPELR – 40845 (CA). By Olumide Babalola
In a decision handed down on Thursday 18th August 2016, a full panel of Abuja division of the Court of Appeal seemed to have taken a novel but progressive position on interlocutory appeals when the court had the singular opportunity of interpreting the provision of Order 4 Rules 10 and 11 of the Court of Appeal Rules 2011 (which is impair materia with 2016 rules).
A proper understanding of Ekpe, JCA's holding in the case can only be best appreciated in the light of the facts of the case which decided one of the judicial battles for the governorship seat in Abia State.
In Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/71/2016, the 1st Respondent (Dr. Sampson Uchechukwu Ogah) approached the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja for declaration that the Appellant (Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu) was not eligible or qualified to participate in the gubernatorial election conducted in Abia State in 2014 because he submitted false information to INEC concerning payment of tax and its assessment, inter alia.
After hearing the parties, Okon Abang, J. gave judgement to Dr. Ogah (the 1st Respondent) on the 27th day of June 2016 consequent upon which the Appellant filed his Notice of Appeal on the 1st day of July 2016 with Appeal No. CA/A/390/2016.
Upon delivery of the judgement, the Appellant filed a motion for stay of execution before proceeding to compile and transmit the record of appeal. When on the 8th day of July 2016, Counsel for the Appellant (Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN) and the 1st Respondent's Counsel -Dr. Alex Iziyon, SAN appeared before the Federal High Court, the former informed the court that, the record of appeal had been transmitted and urged the court to transfer whatever was left of the proceedings before it to the Court of Appeal since it was fully seised of the matter upon entry of appeal.
Dr. Alex Iziyon, on his own part, had an application seeking to set aside an order of the High Court of Abia State for being an abuse of court process and he also sought a consequential contempt order.
While Chief Olanipekun argued that, since appeal had been entered, the Federal High Court was bereft of jurisdiction, Dr. Iziyon urged the court to hear the pending application for contempt albeit, oral (as borne by the Court of Appeal's judgement).
However, after hearing both learned silks, Abang, J. disagreed with them and suo motu adjourned all applications to abide the outcome of the main appeal in CA/A/390/2016; in other words, the Federal High Court would hear the applications before it upon conclusion of the pending appeal.
Again, not unexpectedly, Dr. Victor Ikpeazu (the incumbent Governor of Abia State) appealed the Federal High Court's adjournment of the pending applications which appeal led to the judgement under review.
Before delving into the nub of the learned Justices' decisions, it is desirable to set out the relevant ground of appeal as distilled by the Appellant thus:
"The learned trial judge erred in law and came to a perverse decision by holding that Order 4 Rules 10 and 11 of the Court of Appeal Rules 2011 only apply to final and not interlocutory to continue with the proceeding before him after the Court of Appeal has been fully seised of the entire proceedings."
Not minding the fact that the appeal was already academic at the time it came up for hearing, since the previous appeal number CA/A/390/2016 had already been resolved in favour of Dr. Ikpeazu, for the purpose of resolving the knotty and to-a-large- extent, novel issues raised in the appeal, the Court of Appeal nevertheless graciously empaneled 5 Justices of the court to settle the issues, for whatever it was worth, at the Court of Appeal level of judicial hierarchy.
On whether a lower court still possesses jurisdiction to hear a substantive matter during the pendency of interlocutory appeal, the court, per Philomena Ekpe, JCA held thus:
"I am indeed not enthused by that decision of the trial court. It appears that the lower court has made a somersault of the law and his decision to continue until the application based on a final decision of a lower court is indeed most appropriate. In an application against a final decision, once the appeal is entered in the appellate court, there is indeed nothing before that court to be heard or determined as the records would have left the court below having been transmitted to the appellate court. I do not agree with the learned senior that there is no distinction between interlocutory and final decisions as envisaged in the rules. It merely stands to reason that the lower court could have jurisdiction to continue with the substantive suit even when an interlocutory appeal is pending in the appellate court. (Emphasis mine)
In the same vein, Abubakar Datti Yahaya, JCA held in his lordship's concurring judgement thus:
"Once an appeal is entered in this court, all courts below should hands off. When a court makes a ruling in the course of hearing a substantive suit, a party dissatisfied may appeal it. The record in respect of the ruling is then transmitted to the Court of Appeal for determination once that is done, the court will cease to have the jurisdiction in respect of the subject of the ruling but would have jurisdiction to continue with the substantive suit as the record of it has not been transmitted to the Court of Appeal. (Emphasis mine)
From the foregoing decision, it appears the Court of Appeal has, by its interpretation, bifurcated entry of interlocutory appeals from final appeals vis a vis the effect they have on a lower court's jurisdiction to continue to entertain a case at any given stage.
Happily, it is hoped that, the courts' continued reliance on this 2016 decision of a full panel of the Court of Appeal will represent a lasting panacea to the scourge of delay in justice-delivery in Nigeria which is partly attributable to incessant interlocutory appeals with their attendant stoppage of lower courts' proceeding.
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Stocks end 2nd best week of 2013
by Maureen Farrell @maureenmfarrell March 8, 2013: 4:21 PM ET
Click chart for more market data.
Stocks wrapped up one of the best weeks of the year. The Dow Jones industrial average and S&P 500 closed higher for the sixth straight trading day and ended the week up more than 2%.
The Dow has closed at record highs for four consecutive days, and the S&P 500 is only about 1% below its all-time high. On Friday, the Dow gained 0.5%. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 also rose about 0.4%.
Friday's robust jobs report capped off a string of positive labor reports that have given investors reason to believe the economy is finally on firmer footing.
The U.S. government reported early Friday that 236,000 jobs were added to the economy in February, and the unemployment rate dropped to 7.7%. The employment gains beat analysts' forecasts by a wide margin.
"The employment numbers offered some confirmation that the economy is getting better," said Giri Cherukuri, a portfolio manager at Oakbrook Investments. As long as economic data continue to show the recovery is gaining steam, Cherukuri bets that stocks will keep marching higher.
All three major indexes are already up between 7% and 10% so far this year.
Related: Betting on boring stocks pays off
The Dow's records come just ahead of the fourth anniversary of the market's bottom following the financial crisis.
Frank Davis, director of trading at LEK Securities, is "cautiously optimistic" that stocks will keep going up, but said he expects the pace of the gains to slow down.
In corporate news, online music streaming firm Pandora Media (P) reported better-than-expected quarterly sales and announced that its CEO will be stepping down. Pandora's shares soared 18%.
It's a McMarket: Mickey D's up on bad news
Athletic shoe retailer Foot Locker (FL) reported a significant increase in sales and profit for the fourth quarter. But its stock fell more than 7%.
Citigroup's (C) shares gained nearly 4%, after the Fed released results from its stress tests. The Fed said Citi was the big bank best prepared to weather another recession.
Morgan Stanley (MS), JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Goldman Sach (GS)s also passed the stress tests, but shares of all three banks fell.
Shares of Skullcandy (SKUL) sank more than 20% after the headphone maker forecast a 30% drop in sales and said it expects to post a loss for the current quarter.
Herbalife (HLF) shares edged higher after activist investor Carl Icahn increased his stake in the nutritional supplement company.
Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCL) sank 3%, after the cruise operator revealed that more than 100 passengers fell ill during a Caribbean cruise.
Related: Fear & Greed Index is in extreme greed
European markets closed up between 0.6% and 1.6%, fueled by the U.S. jobs data.
Asian markets ended mixed. The Shanghai Composite lost 0.2% and the Hang Seng added 1.4%. Japan's Nikkei increased 2.6% after the yen extended losses, and revised data showed the country's economy has pulled out of a shallow recession.
The dollar rose against the euro, the British pound, and the Japanese yen.
Oil prices dropped, while gold prices moved slightly higher.
The price on the 10-year Treasury fell, pushing the yield up to 2.06% from 1.99% Thursday.
CNNMoney (New York) First published March 8, 2013: 9:42 AM ET


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Dr Michelle Bellon
Associate Professor, College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Research Biography
Michelle Bellon is a Senior Lecturer in the Disability and Community Inclusion Unit, and Course Coordinator of the Bachelor of Disability and Developmental Education in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. She began her career working as a Developmental Educator providing education, community integration and counselling support to adults with acquired brain injury (ABI) within community-based and private consultancy services. Her research, teaching and professional involvement combine interests in epilepsy, acquired brain injury and family/care-giver supports. She has held a range of management roles including President of the Epilepsy Association of SA and NT, Director of Epilepsy Australia, and Board member of the Community Re-entry Program. Michelle is currently an Epilepsy Ambasador, and member of the Editorial Board of Brain Impairment.
Michelle is the Principal Investigator on a 2 year research study examining Postivie Behaviour Support following Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): A Family-Directed Approach. This project has achieved $155,000 in funding from the Lifetime Support Authority (2017-2019), to examine the feasability of a family-directed behaviour support training proram for caregivers following a TBI. M Bellon, A Fisher, S Lawn, M Sohlberg, J Douglas.
Other research roles include:
Evaluation of Brain Injury SA's SSAYiT program for young people aged 15-24 with an acquired brain injury or other cognitive disability which aims to connect youth into employment, education and their community (2016-2018).
Supporting Upper limb reCovery through Exercise for Stroke Survivors (SUCCESS): group constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) (2016-2017) S Lennon, M Bellon
Disability-related stigma in African communities in SA (2017-2018) R Crocker, L Mwani, G Carey & M Bellon
Principle Investigator, Families4Families: evaluating longitudinal effects of a peer support network for families following acquired brain injury in South Australia ($100,000 funding from Julia Farr MS McLeod Benevolent Fund; 2014-2015) M Bellon, J Farnden, R Crocker
Principle Investigator, Families4Families: exploring the experiences and neds of families following acquired brain injury in South Australia. ($162,500 funding from Julia Farr MS McLeod Benevolent Fund; 2012-2014) M Bellon, J Farnden, R Crocker, J Gardner
research relating to epilepsy and seizure disorders with research teams from the Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria on the Australian Epilpesy Longitudinal Survey and Epilepsy management in the disability sector (NDIS Practical Development Fund); Reducing epilepsy-related deaths (Epilepsy Australia); and Seizure-related hopsitalisations: comparisons with asthma and diabetes (Epilepsy Centre).
Dive into the research topics where Michelle Bellon is active. These topic labels come from the works of this person. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Brain Injuries Medicine & Life Sciences 100%
brain Social Sciences 40%
South Australia Medicine & Life Sciences 39%
Epilepsy Medicine & Life Sciences 28%
Disabled Persons Medicine & Life Sciences 21%
Caregivers Medicine & Life Sciences 21%
Intellectual Disability Medicine & Life Sciences 18%
Seizures Medicine & Life Sciences 15%
Community in the pandemic: experiences and strategies by people with acquired brain injury and their families during COVID-19
Bellon, M., Idle, J., Lay, K. & Robinson, S., 21 Mar 2022, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Disability and Rehabilitation. 8 p.
Social Isolation 46%
Geography 23%
Implementing a behavior management approach in the hospital setting for individuals with challenging behaviors during acute traumatic brain injury
Block, H., Hunter, S. C., Bellon, M. & George, S., 2022, In: Brain Injury. 36, 9, p. 1176-1186 11 p.
hospital setting 100%
Length of Stay 57%
"The bucket of gold at the end of the rainbow": personal experiences of hope after acquired brain injury
Bellon, M., Kelly, J. & Fisher, A., 2022, In: Disability and Rehabilitation. 44, 25, p. 7974-7984 11 p.
Hope 100%
Foster Home Care 8%
Family perspectives on the acceptability and usefulness of the FAB Positive Behaviour Support program: A pilot study
Fisher, A., Bellon, M., Lawn, S. & Lennon, S., 2021, In: Brain Injury. 35, 5, p. 609-619 11 p.
Brain injury, behaviour support, and family involvement: putting the pieces together and looking forward
Fisher, A., Bellon, M., Lawn, S. & Lennon, S., 2020, In: Disability and Rehabilitation. 42, 9, p. 1305-1315 11 p.
Rehabilitation 13%


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Inspiringly Eclectic Hairstyles and Their Origins Across Africa
African braids and threading |©Juliana Kasumu
Cynthia Okoroafor
Updated: 4 October 2017
There's more to African hairstyles than their obvious elaborate and attractive designs, styling, and ornamentation. However, knowledge of the origins, inspirations, cultural beliefs, and development of these hairstyles remain limited to some individuals who choose to adorn them. This leads us to the present exploration of this fascinating aspect of widely admired African hairstyles.
As African hairstyles such as braids and cornrows continue to witness increased popularity across the globe and issues such as appropriation in popular culture arise, it becomes pertinent to understand how and from where they came about. A key objective with this is to help substitute blatant cultural appropriations of these hairstyles for appreciation, just as with various innovative trends cutting across fashion, lifestyle, and culture that are also rooted in the continent, but have been shared with the rest of the world.
African Braids
African braids (more popularly known as Cornrows) are a form of hair plaiting/weaving done to lay flat on the scalp. This intricate style notable for its geometric and oftentimes complex designs is believed to have originated in Egypt around the Nile Valley, from where it spread to other parts of Africa, including among the Fulani, Bantu, Hausa, Yoruba, Maasai, and Wolof.
It is one of the oldest African hairstyles known for using its designs to symbolize the age, social, or marital status of the wearer, especially around the fifteenth century. The Wolof men, for instance, wore the traditional African braids to go to war.
© Rod Waddington/Flickr
Single braids have evolved to feature a plethora of styles including box and bob hair braids. This particular hairstyle is famed for its function which transcended hair care to become a means of socialization for the African women who were involved in the art. Socialization by means of hair braiding was inevitable because of the many hours—sometimes up to a day or more—which the routine required. As the women sat to achieve the braids, conversations would start and extend beyond the work at hand. Thus, as time went on, getting single braids done was seen as another way for women to meet and pass the time conversing while grooming and styling their hair.
Braiding of any kind is one aspect where hair ornamentation can be appreciated, as they can be finished off with beads, cowries, clips, jewelry, and so on. Also, braiding can be done with or without hair extensions to suit the tastes and purpose of the wearer.
© Golubovy/Shutterstock
African Threading
Nigerian photographer Juliana Kasumu delicately captures this traditional hairstyle in her famous compilation titled "Irun Kiko"—Yoruba translation for "threaded hair." Irun Kiko pays homage to hair threading, which originated among the Yoruba people of Nigeria. As with braids, threading hairstyles were used to depict sociocultural affluence, as some of the styles are made to resemble crowns or skyscrapers. This hairstyle involves the use of cotton, rubber, silk, or wool threads to completely cover sectioned hair from root to tip. Ms. Kasumu, in turn, received some inspiration for her acclaimed work from a similar compilation undertaken by famous Nigerian photographer JD Okhai Ojeikere.
Irun Kiko (Threaded hair) / Juliana Kasumu.
Senegalese Twists
Twists are similar to single braids in their origins and styling. However, unlike braids, which use a three-strand format, they are achieved by taking small sections of the hair, dividing them into two, and twisting them around each other, usually while or after twisting the individual strands around themselves. This particular hairstyle is believed to have originated in Senegal, hence the name. These are also usually decorated with hair ornaments and made with or without extensions.
© ShabakaJames/Shutterstock
Bantu Knots
These outstanding knots can be traced all the way back to 17th Century southern Africa among the Zulu ethnic group. With bantu knots, hair is sectioned into as many parts as desired, twisted, and then rolled wrapped around themselves to form tire-like knots on the head. The knots are then either decorated with ornaments or jewelry or are simply left to stun in their rolled up glory.
© Laeti Ky
In Contemporary Times
Today, all of these African hairstyles can be seen making impressive "comebacks" in film, television, music videos, and fashion, with recent instances such as Rihanna rocking Bantu Knots, and threaded hair making a big feature in Beyonce's visual album, Lemonade, among many others. However, parallel to the joy and pride in the re-popularization of these hairstyles is the issue of cultural appropriation which threatens to overshadow the wave.
While braiding, in general, can definitely trace its origins back to different civilizations from centuries ago, certain hairstyles—starting with Bantu Knots and ending with African braids—are deeply rooted in African origins, thus making it impossible to ignore appropriation in popular culture.
Yet, this problem aside, African hairstyles continue to dazzle with their innovative designs and purposes, including serving as means to protective delicate Black hair, or prep hair for a restyle, as in the case of twist or braid outs.


At the present time, Dr. Fonrose is collecting names of those interested in joining a weekly adult anger management class at Multicultural Counseling & Consulting Center, LLC. The group will meet on Tuesday evenings for one hour from 8:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. The class will meet in Beltsville, MD and the fee is $40/session. If you are interested in joining or learning more about the class, please fill out the appointment form or call (301) 474-0060 to reserve your space.
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Kalu Uche, född 15 november 1982 i Aba, Nigeria, är en nigeriansk fotbollsmittfältare och anfallare. Han spelade senast för ATK. Tidigare klubbar är bland andra RCD Espanyol, UD Almería, Neuchâtel Xamax FC, Wisła Kraków och Bordeaux.

Uche debuterade i nigerianska landslaget mot Angola den 21 juni 2003, och har spelat 35 landskamper och gjort 4 mål. Han deltog i Afrikanska mästerskapet i fotboll 2010, där Nigeria slutade trea. I VM 2010 gjorde han två mål, ett mot Grekland (1-2) och ett mot Sydkorea (2-2), men Nigeria, som dessförinnan förlorat mot Argentina med 0-1, slogs ut i gruppspelet.

Uche är äldre bror till fotbollsspelaren Ikechukwu Uche.

Källor

Nigerianska fotbollsspelare
Spelare i Enyimba International FC
Spelare i Wisła Kraków
Spelare i FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Spelare i UD Almería
Spelare i Neuchâtel Xamax FC
Fotbollsspelare i RCD Espanyol
Spelare i Kasımpaşa SK
Spelare i El Jaish SC
Spelare i Al Rayyan SC
Spelare i Levante UD
Spelare i FC Pune City
Spelare i Odisha FC
Spelare i ATK
Spelare i afrikanska mästerskapet i fotboll 2010
Spelare i VM i fotboll 2010
Födda 1982
Levande personer
Män

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text:
Mem û Zîn Study
You Are Here: Home » Barzani, KDP, KRG, Kurdistan, PKK, Rojava, Yazidis, YPG » Islamic State in Şengal: How PKK and YPG taught Barzanî what 'independence' really means
PKK Should Realise Their Armed Struggle is Futile
KRG: Release the unlawfully detained journalists and human rights activists immediately
Kurdistan Region: The Scope of Electoral Reforms and its Implications – Report
Gebze Women's Closed Prison – Political Prisoners Distress Call
Turkey and Erdogan's Dream of Empire
The Endless Cycles of Betrayals and Killings of the Kurds
"Freedom is always and exclusively freedom for the one who thinks differently."
~Rosa Luxemburg
Islamic State in Şengal: How PKK and YPG taught Barzanî what 'independence' really means
Written on August 24, 2014 by Editor in Barzani, KDP, KRG, Kurdistan, PKK, Rojava, Yazidis, YPG
By Dilar Dirik:
This article first appeared on Kurdish Question
One day, the world woke up and suddenly realized that a religious community called the Yezîdîs exist and that a radical jihadist group called the Islamic State, IS, (formerly known as ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) is slaughtering people in Iraq. Apparently, the warnings of the Kurds in Rojava ("Rojava" is the Kurdish word for "west", i.e. West Kurdistan/Northern Syria), who have been fighting against radical Islamist groups such as al-Nusra and IS since 2012, and who have been victims of mass-murderous jihadist attacks ever since, without anybody listening or caring, did not matter. Supposedly, IS "swept through the region", catching us off guard, without warning, unforeseeably, unpredictably, out of nowhere! And the next best thing that comes to mind in terms of a solution to the crisis are Western intervention and bombs…
They say that in times of crisis, one should not play the blame game – a very convenient way out for all of those parties, institutions, and states that have actively or passively contributed to the rise, spread, and establishment of the Islamic State. What a morbid sugarcoat to blur an unjust war in Iraq, the international hijacking and instrumentalization of the so-called "Arab Spring", global arms trade, sectarianism, Islamophobia, and "the war on terror" into one dark, obscure mess, and throwing responsibility far, far away until the next "unpreventable" tragedy comes along! On the contrary, respecting the victims of this modern-day genocide means to speak openly and critically, so that those responsible can be held accountable. How much of this inferno that currently blows through the Middle East was really unpreventable? Did IS really emerge out of nowhere? And how realistic is it to believe that IS will disappear after a few U.S. airstrikes?
Understanding the current crisis as the result of the policies of the dominant international order, which frames governance in terms of states, power, and hegemony, can help us understand the hypocrisy of the American savior-complex and the wickedness of "European moral duty" to arm their allies against IS, after having enthusiastically been selling arms to countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which openly support the jihadists, while NATO-ally Turkey provided the Islamists with opportunities to freely cross the border and get medical treatment in private Turkish hospitals. It will further help us make sense of how the same U.S.-backed Kurdish party, which has been propagating independence from Iraq in an arrogant and chauvinist manner at the expense of Kurds in other regions for a long time, was so quick to withdraw its forces from Şengal (Sinjar) without fight, leaving the Yezîdîs at the mercy of IS, and how it was instead the Kurds without any foreign support, who have been internationally marginalized, that rescued ten thousands of Yezîdîs, while yet being labeled as terrorists. In what ways does the humanitarian catastrophe in Şengal illustrate the real face of the status quo, more specifically, that of the nation-state paradigm with its capitalist, chauvinist, patriarchal foundations? And how come the Kurdish "independence" party ended up being so dependent on others, while those Kurdish parties that no longer fight for a state because they reject statehood as inherently oppressive, and who have therefore been accused by nationalists of giving up on "independence", rescued an entire community by displaying an alternative, more meaningful form of independence through operating outside of the preset parameters of the state?
First of all, some context: The Islamic State is not new. There were several massacres in Rojava over the last two years, committed by the exact same jihadist group, without any sign of outrage within the international community. The absolute silence and the complete lack of awareness of the public on the humanitarian catastrophe in Rojava, in spite of tireless attempts by activists to engage the public and political actors, are indicative of the fact that not much of this current concern is based on genuine ethical commitments to human rights.
After having barbarically massacred thousands of civilians in Syria, and especially in Rojava, IS currently commits unbelievable massacres in another part of Kurdistan, as well as in Iraq and Syria. People are beheaded, crucified, shot, tortured, and forcibly displaced. Women are raped, kidnapped, and sold on slave markets, and children are left to die of hunger and thirst. Homes and sacred sites are burnt, plundered, destroyed, and sullied. Systematic ethnic and religious cleansing are threatening to destroy entire communities and cultures in the Middle East. One feels ashamed to write about these inhumane massacres in a factual manner.
As a result of IS-attacks in early August, thousands of Yezîdî Kurds, members of an ancient religious community that has already faced 72 massacres in its history and now faces yet another genocide, were victims of mass murder campaigns by IS in Şengal, a sacred site for this community. Ten thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes and flee into the nearby Şengal mountains. Many people, especially children and elderly people, died on the run and ten thousands were stranded in the mountains for days, where they faced death by hunger and dehydration. IS continues its vicious murders in surrounding villages. There are shocking reports of sex slave markets and mass-suicides by women, who prefer to kill themselves, in order not to fall into the hands of IS. The death toll increases with each day…
The Yezîdîs in Şengal were supposed to be protected by the peshmerga units (Kurdish fighter units, literally meaning "Those who confront death") of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which is the ruling party of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in South Kurdistan (Northern Iraq). However, when IS launched an attack on Şengal, these forces immediately withdrew without fight and without warning, leaving the population at the mercy of IS and, according to witnesses, refused to supply the people with weapons to defend themselves.
Instead, it was the People's Defense Units (YPG) and the Women's Defense Units (YPJ), who have been defending Rojava against the Assad regime forces, as well as against jihadists such as IS for the last two years, that crossed the fading Iraqi-Syrian border, in order to defend the Yezîdî people, who were supposed to be protected by the much better equipped KDP. By creating a humanitarian corridor, the YPG/YPJ were able to rescue ten thousands of stranded refugees. Now, they have set up the Newroz Refugee Camp in Derik, Rojava, where countless refugees await further humanitarian aid. Shortly after the YPG/YPJ intervention, the guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) also entered the area from the Qandil mountains to join the fight against IS and protect the people and regions under attack.
The PYD, the Democratic Union Party, in Rojava, which has been the driving force in the establishment of the autonomous cantons in Rojava in early 2014, as well as in creating the YPG/YPJ as defense units, is ideologically affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party, PKK, which is a guerrilla organization that has been fighting against the Turkish state and that struggles for the recognition of Kurdish identity and equal rights. In spite of having dropped the aim of creating a Kurdish state, declaring several unilateral ceasefires, as well as currently engaging in a peace process with the state, the PKK is still considered to be a separatist group and is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU, and the USA, due to Turkey being an important NATO member. This has been a reason for the criminalization and marginalization of the progressive Rojava cantons by the international community. An example for this is the exclusion of the Kurds from the Geneva II peace conference to resolve the Syrian crisis, despite the fact that Rojava is the only region in Syria that has managed to create secular, democratic, inclusive self-governance structures in the midst of a civil war and in spite of attacks by the Assad regime and jihadist groups.
Now the Yezîdî refugees, shocked and disappointed at the withdrawal of the highly idealized peshmerga forces, curse the KDP and say things such as "God and the PKK saved us", "If the PKK didn't save the Yezîdîs, you wouldn't see a single one alive" or "Those, who don't know the PKK, let them find out. They liberated Sinjar mountain". Many have joined the ranks of the YPG/YPJ to retake and liberate their sacred homelands.
Much to the benefit of the KDP, mainstream media applauded "Kurdish fighters" for rescuing Yezîdîs from the mountains, lumping "the Kurds" into one monolithic category. Even though the peshmerga forces are now achieving strategic victories with U.S. backup, the KDP, which had just recently laughed at the Iraqi army for deserting Mosul and Kirkuk upon IS-attacks in June, abandoned the Yezîdîs in Şengal. There are some news articles and TV programs that have miraculously managed to release entire reports on the situation of Şengal, without mentioning once the key role of the YPG/YPJ and the PKK guerrillas, who have, by all accounts, displayed an impressive rescue mission and who are unilaterally praised by the refugees. Some articles marginally mention "Syrian Kurds" in one or two sentences, before moving ahead to discussing why the "US-allied, pro-Western Iraqi Kurds deserve to be armed" against IS. In one report, one witness's account of the YPG/YPJ and PKK fighters was translated as "peshmerga". A surprising amount of articles came out about peshmerga women with no combat experience, who want to fight IS. Even though the intentions of these peshmergas are brave, it is interesting that women in the YPG/YPJ ranks, who have intensive experience in the fight against IS, because they have been dying doing so for almost two years, did not receive this much quick coverage.
Primitive Nationalism, Fratricidal Sell-out Politics, and (In)dependence
For a long time, the KDP and their leader, the KRG president Masoud Barzanî, have been engaging in a campaign for Kurdish independent statehood. In doing so, they actively marginalized the Kurds in Turkey, Syria, and Iran. One of the closest allies of the KDP is Turkey, a country in which 10.000 Kurds are held as hostages in prisons and where Kurds still struggle to be recognized as equal citizens. Another state that dominates the KRG's policies is Iran, where Kurdish activists are executed on a regular basis. The KDP's opportunism to consolidate its own power reached its peak, when it adopted a very hostile attitude towards Kurds in Rojava, who have, in the midst of the Syrian civil war, created three autonomous cantons for regional self-governance. Apart from aggressive propaganda language, the KDP closed the border to refugees from Rojava fleeing from IS-massacres and held humanitarian goods back. In April, the party even went as far as digging a border trench between West and South Kurdistan and had peshmerga fighters point weapons at the people protesting the border. The people perceived this as a major manifestation of treason, calling it a "Second Lausanne" [The Treaty of Lausanne in 1923 divided Kurdistan into four]. How ironic to advocate Kurdish independent statehood and being called a Second Lausanne by fellow Kurds.
The KDP's concept of liberation is based on economic, capitalist growth, idealized through "independent" oil sales, luxury hotels, and shopping malls, while actively reinforcing the borders drawn in Lausanne by contributing to the oppression of other Kurds. With that in mind, the withdrawal of the peshmergas does not seem to be too surprising either. The peshmergas have been instrumentalized for the independence propaganda, to symbolize the masculinity of the "undefeatable" de-facto state. There is a mystification of peshmerga-ness that associates this identity with Kurdish courage and the freedom struggle. But what once used to be truly "confronting death" against the army of Saddam Hussein has been turned into a regular job tied to a salary. Apart from that, the peshmerga units largely operate along partisan loyalties, leading to the two dominant Kurdish parties, KDP and PUK having their own militias. Hence, it is not surprising that many elderly retired peshmergas listed themselves to fight IS, while the younger generation with no combat experience had fewer motivations, especially since many of them have not been paid regularly, due to the central Iraqi government's budget cuts to the KRG. The protection of the people, otherwise glorified when its suits the propaganda, is reduced to yet another ordinary part of the apparatus of the state institution.
Ideologically, the tribal-feudal, conservative KDP stands in stark contrast with the leftist-feminist ideology of the Kurdish political movement affiliated with the PKK, the KDP's traditional rival. The revolution in Rojava is ideologically close to the PKK and the system that is being established there is founded on the PKK's ideological representative Abdullah Öcalan's concept of "Democratic Confederalism". Though the PKK started out with the aim of an independent Kurdish state in the late 70s, it has long transformed its vision and now promotes radical local grass-roots self-governance, gender equality, and ecology, which aims at deeming existing arbitrary borders as meaningless. It rejects the institution of the state as inherently oppressive and hegemonic and discards nationalism as a primitive, backward concept. This move away from statehood as the ultimate manifesto of "independence" has made nationalist sections like the KDP accuse the PKK-affiliated movement of having given up on the "Kurdish dream".
But is it really true that ideology doesn't matter in politics, as many claim? No. Even if critical situations often require some pragmatism, in many ways, the events in Şengal illustrate the failure of the nation-state paradigm and the implementation of democratic confederalism in action. In trying to define liberation in terms of capitalist growth, leading to odd pride in oil sales that really only benefit a few multi-millionaire tribes, instead of developing society in a meaningful way, and in trying to assert independence only within the restrictive parameters of the nation-state, which necessitates reliance on some larger power for backup, the KDP has enslaved itself completely and was left absolutely dependent on others. In spite of its macho attempts to declare independence on the backs of other Kurds and other peoples in the region, it failed to protect its citizens and illustrated that the subscription to the dominant order means the opposite of independence.
Those who are now in complete denial over the fact that their heroes withdrew now try to save their face by shunning any kind of criticism against the KDP by appealing to this mysterious thing called "Kurdish unity". Of course it is very convenient to portray criticism of the KDP as promoting disunity. But in reality, it is very open and clear, who has been dividing the Kurds with their opportunistic policies. The KDP has contributed to the rise of IS with its hostilities against Rojava. When IS massacred Kurds in Rojava, the KDP dug a border trench and pointed guns at the people. And now that IS threatened the KRG, it was not the border-trench-digging, oil-selling, wealthy, established, and internationally favored Kurdish party of statehood, the KDP, which rescued ten thousands of lives in its sphere of control, in spite of its arrogant independence campaign. The ones that reject the nation-state independently started a rescue mission, independently fought IS without foreign political, economic, or military support, and independently set up a refugee camp for ten thousands of Yezîdîs, because their understanding of self-determination, freedom, autonomy, and independence recognizes the restrictive, oppressive framework within which the institution of the state operates. Their focus on self-reliance and self-sustainability displayed a more meaningful concept of independence, while, though criticizing nationalism as a backward principle, also illustrating real unity. After all, the PKK guerrillas and their affiliated fighters, i.e. YPG/YPJ from Rojava and PJAK guerrillas from Rojhelat (East Kurdistan/Western Iran) had also previously declared their support for the people in South Kurdistan immediately, when Mosul and Kirkuk were attacked, just as they are now protecting South Kurdistan, regardless of the KDP's opportunistic actions. Their ideology and political practices also commit to the unity of all peoples, not just nationalist unity among Kurds. Clearly there is a massive difference between different understandings of "independence" and "unity" at hand.
The KDP's policies exploit the understandable emotional attachment of people, who have lived through a genocide under Saddam Hussein in their living collective memory. This mentality distorts the consciousness of the people so much that every challenge to its corrupt rule is painted as "trying to destroy what we hardly earned". This understanding of freedom is to have what everyone else does, power, establishment, and hegemony, when in reality, absolutely no state in the Middle East is autonomous and independent in a meaningful way. What makes people think that the KRG, which is still bound to the Iraqi government, a government which itself is a puppet of the US, will be anything worthy of being called independent? If the people want to subscribe to a system like this, based on chauvinist empty nationalism and complete dependency by being a puppet of foreign powers, in the illusion of being independent, then they should accept the nation-state paradigm with all the ugliness and corruptions that come with it. They should decide whether it is a worthy "Kurdish dream", when an Iranian embassy in the KRG can issue a statement that says "Kurdish is not a language". Or whether it should be a source of pride to see Turkish foreign minister Davutoglu address the people in South Kurdistan in Kurdish, when there are thousands of political prisoners in Turkish prisons, because they want the Kurdish language to have a legal base in Turkey.
If this is the kind of Kurdistan people dream of, they should be less surprised that this sort of "independence" means having to desperately wait for American aid, when Yezîdî citizens are massacred. But then they also should not have laughed at the Iraqi army for deserting Mosul and Kirkuk. Or perhaps they should just stop abusing the word independence. But the KDP's clever backstabbing propaganda of statehood, which uses terms like "independence" – clever terminology no reasonable Kurd would seem to say no to – to assert its power, should be an insult for people, who have been bravely fighting against Saddam Hussein, in the hope for freedom.
It is no surprise that the same statehood-obsessed mentality enthusiastically praised Netanyahu for his support for Kurdish statehood in June. Although one would think that Kurds would understand the suffering of the Palestinians under the apartheid fascist occupation of the state of Israel very well, it is yet again the dogma of the state that defines morality in terms of interest, leading to the odd conclusion of having to ally with Israel. Perhaps the Kurds, who had applauded Netanyahu, felt ashamed of themselves, when the mass murderous military campaign on the Palestinian people was launched by Israel, briefly after Netanyahu's statement in support of Kurdish statehood.
This same mentality that relies on the illusion of independence as statehood puts the people into such a deep state of false consciousness that they almost scream "Thank you for your bombs, America!", as if U.S. foreign policy was out there handing out bombs out of their random, unconditional love for the Kurdish people. First of all, the current discourse in international media, which treats Kurds as discardable objects, while calculating whether or not they are deserving of support, based on how "loyal" to the West they could be, is absolutely shameless, ruthless, and degrading. Over the top of the heads of people, who stare in the face of a genocide, Western analysts speculate which people would be more available to serve Western interests and whether they are deserving of being blessed with the same weapons that they had previously sold to other corrupt governments which have passed them on to the jihadists. Secondly, global arms trade and US policies are some of the factors that created this horrible situation that is World War III in everything but in name, in the first place. Thus, it is hard to conceive how they could be the solution. The heavy weapons in the possession of IS were mostly captured when they invaded Mossul; they are mainly American weapons. Believing that IS will be eradicated with a few air strikes or the arming of puppet regimes on the ground is wishful thinking. At least it is for those, who want to feel like they have accomplished something useful, in order to be able to sleep with a better conscience. But for the dominant powers, it is the cleverest way of reproducing their interests in the region. Just let that sink in for a moment: After having started an unjust war in Iraq, playing the second Cold War in Syria, ignoring the Kurdish cantons in Syria, which have established very progressive structures in spite of their extreme situation, and closing eyes to obvious support for jihadists by its allies, the US now bombs the area again to destroy a jihadist group which holds American weapons and which would have never come so far without foreign support (esp. from US allies like Turkey, Saudi and Qatar) and so many deliberately closed eyes – the U.S. is yet again engaging in military action, still labeling the ones who rescued the Yezîdîs as terrorists – and we are expected to stage standing ovations! The Americans are yet again praised as the saviors of the Middle East, even though their aid arrived on mount Sinjar, long after those that they designate as terrorists had already rescued the people! How kafkaesque!
Apart from that, air strikes are an extreme short-term attempt of a solution and will only defer the decline of the region to a later date. Blunt military action ignores the fact that the IS enjoys a decent support base especially among Sunnis, who have been alienated and marginalized from Maliki's Shiite regime, as well as Assad's Alawite regime. U.S. and European policies have actively exploited these existing sectarian divides. IS was able to seize heavy US artillery in Mosul so easily, partly because of these sectarian tensions. It ignores the fact that IS does not consist of a bunch of crazy, irrational bandits, but that it is a well-organized group that uses rhetoric and technology in a very sophisticated manner. It ignores the fact that the so-called "collateral damages" in unjust wars in Muslim-majority countries were actually losses of the lives of hundred thousands of real people, whose communities now want to take revenge. It ignores the fact that many of the jihadists join from European countries, after Islamophobia and xenophobia have discriminated against them in societies that teach equal opportunity. Of course absolutely NONE of these aspects justify the barbaric mass murders of IS, but it becomes obvious that a mere bombing of the symptom will not get rid of the disease. A disease which has been fueled by U.S. and European foreign policy, global arms trade, and support for jihadists by NATO-allies, on top of the existing sectarian tensions. The peoples of the Middle East, as well as EU and US citizens deserve to know that.
The solution cannot be just to bomb IS, the solution must be radical and political and must include the recognition of actors such as the cantons in Rojava, as well as the PKK, who have been the main parties to rescue the Yezidis and who have been fighting jihadists for two years. Not because they "deserve" support, but because they have the people's legitimacy through popular support from millions of people, who regard them as their representatives. This must include the delisting of the PKK from the EU and US lists of terrorist organizations. As with many other cases of "terror listing", the labeling of the PKK as "terrorist" is a foreign policy of appeasement and control, an inter-NATO present for Turkey. At least the delisting would relieve the confused public and media who scratch their heads over how terrorists could be fighting terrorists, after they have been conditioned to subscribe to a black-and-white world. Terror listings make no distinction between cruel, barbaric, inhumane thugs or political actors, who challenge the interests of the status quo. And in the case of the PKK, the terror designation criminalizes entire communities of ordinary people. Similarly, Rojava has to be recognized. The co-presidents of the PYD in Rojava have been trying to engage in diplomatic contacts with political actors, but have been refused visas into some EU countries as well as the USA several times.
Independence and Freedom
Bombing the area for a short-term solution, but still engaging in the same political strategies will perpetuate the same corrupt, sectarian system of dependency in the region and just prolong the process of the slow death of the Middle East. Letting go off the dogma of the nation-state and hegemonic power thus also has the potential to liberate the peoples of the Middle East from the Stockholm syndrome-like straight jacket, which looks Westward whenever a crisis emerges. Of course the state of statelessness makes entire communities vulnerable, in a system that denies entire lived realities by recognizing only a few institutionalized forms of power, called states. The Kurds know this best. However, the problem is not statelessness, but the state. Rejecting the state does not mean surrender, because the state is not to be confused with autonomy, freedom, or independence. On the contrary, the events in Şengal clearly show the shortcomings of this idea. As PKK commander Duran Kalkan puts it: "The essence of the state is a force for organised suppression and exploitation. The state is a system, to be a state means to be a part of the system. This means dependence and collaboration. Small states are dependent on larger states, and they are all dependent to the state system. It is very clear that the state cannot be free and independent. The statist paradigm has no room for independence and freedom. Only societies with a free and independent consciousness can truly be free and independent. This can only be achieved through the organised individual and society, which will lead to a democratic individual and society."
The institution of the state has indoctrinated our thought patterns so much that we are unable to conceive of an alternative system. However, when we look at the cantons in Rojava, we can see a hopeful example of how, in spite of some shortcomings due to inexperience and the lack of resources due to economic and political embargoes, democratic, secular, and gender-egalitarian structures of self-determination can evolve. In the midst of the Syrian civil war, the people of Rojava have declared three cantons with 22 ministries each, where each minister has two deputies, one Kurd, one Arab, one Assyrian, at least one of which has to be a woman. They have built people's councils in cities, villages, and neighborhoods, as well as farming and living cooperatives, women's councils, and women's academies. The PKK-inspired co-presidency principle, which splits the chair between one woman and one man, as well as a 50-50 split among women and men in all administrative levels are enforced. Even if media perpetuates this claim, the Rojava revolution does not aim to secede from Syria, because it no longer considers the borders of Sykes-Picot as valid. This sort of independence and autonomy relies on itself, regardless of the arbitrary statist structures imposed from the outside. Hence, in spite of international marginalization, while fighting Assad and IS under bad conditions, it was fighters from Rojava, who came to the rescue of the Yezîdis in South Kurdistan. This should be a much more desirable aim than being able to say "I have a state, I am part of the system".
And last but not least, the feminicidal IS-groups wage a war on women. They specifically dehumanize women as means to an end, enslaving them for one or two hour-long lasting so-called "jihad marriages" to rape them with so-called "religious approval". In their war on women, they have declared it as "halal" (i.e. "permissible") to rape the women on the side of their enemies, using sexual violence as a systematic tool of war. It is estimated that thousands of women have been kidnapped, raped or sold in slave markets by IS. According to delegations that visited Şengal, hundreds of women have committed suicide, in order not to fall into the hands of IS. Against this ultra-patriarchal hell, the concept of democratic confederalism and the PKK's women's liberation ideology are also a strong and radical counter-force to the disgusting mentality of IS. According to YPG/YPJ fighters, jihadists believe to lose their status as martyrs when dying from a woman's hand. The Kurdish women's movement however does not only struggle against the ultra-patriarchal jihadi mentality on the military terrain; the struggle is a wider social emancipatory project and has already challenged and changed patriarchy in Kurdistan to a remarkable degree. Transforming society's gender awareness and founding its freedom on fundamental principles like gender equality, as manifested in all elements of the movement, [be this in Rojava's administration or in North Kurdistan (East Turkey), where Kurdish women make up more than 60% of all women mayors in all of Turkey (more than 80% if the co-presidents are counted), thanks to the movement's efforts to transform society – something which again, stands in stark contrast to the KDP's feudal-patriarchal tribal characteristics], is a much more sustainable form of struggle against the mentality of IS. After all, IS exploited the conservative notion of "honor" as the control over women's sexualities and bodies, which was already prevalent in the region, to assert its feminicide.
Challenging the state as the institutional extension of patriarchy has contributed immensely to the liberation of women in Kurdistan. This is the ideology behind the women fighters, who cause so much fear in IS jihadists that they wage a war on women.
The fighters of the Kurdish defense forces from Rojava (West Kurdistan/Syria), who have been internationally marginalized and ostracized for two years, and guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party PKK, which is labelled as a terrorist organization, have taught the international community a lesson in humanitarian intervention. They have further taught the KDP, the macho of statehood, what real independence and autonomy mean. The people can only liberate themselves and these past couple of days have illustrated that being a puppet of the global capitalist, nation-state-oriented order, a policy of Barzanî's party, leads to complete dependency and unfreedom, while those outside of the dominant system have efficiently and impressively saved thousands of lives. It is high time that we reconsider what kind of freedom we envision. I believe that we owe this to all the human beings that now suffer in this hell on earth.
11 Comments - Leave a comment!
11 Responses to Islamic State in Şengal: How PKK and YPG taught Barzanî what 'independence' really means
August 24, 2014 | 20:14
This is the worst article, I ever read on Kurdistan Tribune! Israel's "mass murderous military campaign on the Palestinian", this is a blatant lie, disinformation and incitement against Jews and Israel. West, Israel and the Kurds (ALL Kurds) were never so close as today, its just a few steps and we could open a new chapter in history, but Antizionist Kurds want to sabotage this efforts at all costs. Tell me, how will it be helpful for Kurds, PKK to spread lies, conspiracy theories and idelogical myths in face of a genocidal threat! Tell me! Know there are many people in the West working hard to defend the Kurds' cause, ALL Kurds, in Iraq and Syria; they are not leftists, they just understand the meaning of Islamic-facism and massmurder. Nobody except of Dilar Dirik believes that US had a good policy in ME or that IS can simple be defeated by bombs. It was just necessary to stop them in Iraq. The same defenders of Kurds in the West also recognize PKK, therefore PKK was in every Western media as savers of the Yezides. Antizionism is a barbaric and primitive ideology, it lies in the core of Jihadism and Arab supremacy, unfortunately many Kurds are brainwashed by centuries of Arab propaganda. Antizionism is the strategic debility of the PKK-movement. This war has just begun, Kurds are not hanged in US, Europe or Israel, there is no genocidal policy against Kurds by the West. The West has to confront Turkey and Jihadists in Europe; PKK must abolish Antizionism. The West made many grave mistakes, but they are not enemy of the Kurds. If the approach between Kurds and Israel/West fails, there is no hope for anyone in the Middle East. While Dirik is blogging this propaganda from Turkey, IS seized masses of heavy weapons, they will probably attack Rojava very soon and very hard ! But Anti-zionist Kurds sitting behind their PC are inciting Kurds against West, Israel and US military strikes! Guess what? US-strikes may be crucial if IS attacks Rojava again with masses of weapons, US-strikes could probably save many Kurdish civilians, but Antizionist Kurds dont care about such things, they just want to promote their sick ideology at ALL costs. What a mess!
November 5, 2014 | 00:17
"IS seized masses of heavy weapons, they will probably attack Rojava very soon and very hard ! But Anti-zionist Kurds sitting behind their PC are inciting Kurds against West, Israel and US military strikes! Guess what? US-strikes may be crucial if IS attacks Rojava again with masses of weapons, US-strikes could probably save many Kurdish civilian."
So Michael was finally right…
I do like your articles and one can see that you studied Apo well, but when it comes to Israel and "the imperialist" West, you just write pure ideology.
And by the way, every german newspaper from left to conservativ wrote that it was the PKK indeed that saved lives in Sinjar. The "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" even quotes a saved Yazidi man with the words: "without the PKK we would all be dead."
As a last point: Calling Israel "fascist" should itself be labelled as a form of antisemitism. The Country is very obviously not "fascist", but itself a consequence of the murderous campaigns against Jews by real fascists. If it would not be hardcore Jew-haters on the Palestinian side, there would have been peace a long time ago. I might just remind you of the first leader of the palestinians after WW II: Amin Al-Husseini, who lived a nice Exil in Germany until 1945, shaking Hitlers hand and inspecting the "good work" in a german concentration-camp.
It would be great if you skip ideology for a clear thought when it comes to Israel as Apo did when he reflected about old mistakes (Stalinism, Executions..).
I close this with a friendly: Biji Kurdistan!
It's funny, PDK do a lot of propaganda as well as you. They're nationalist but you're much more ideological. They say a lot of lies as well as you (you completely ignore the importance of US bombing in shifting the game, and put all the honor on shoulders of PKK and YPG/J).
Analysis based on pre-defined IDEOLOGY and CONSPIRACY THEORY is very very simple and ignorant. There are tons of detailed dynamics here. the problem is very complicated and your conspiracy approach just makes it simple.
Dear Dilar, believe me, your analysis is very much what Basij Militia in Iran are saying. You know why? bcz of predefined left oriented ideologies. Bunch of justifications. You said about your very democratic Rojava, but let it take more time, I hope your cantons spend more time and you'll see how corporations arise. Your side are just justifying, just as Basij. The difference is you take for granted and consider sacred whatever APO says and they take whatever RAH.BAR says.
Middle east: Iran, Turkey, Iraq, All arab countries are corrupted. This is also true about PDK, PUK, HPG, YPG,…
And Michael, Israel is an apartheid regime (towards Arabs) and I don't want to get involved in any reason why israel has gone this direction…whatever the cause, apartheid is apartheid.
Yasin Aziz
This is an old leftist outdated recycling of internationalism, that pleases the enemies of the Kurds. Self-determination and independence is the basic human rights of any nation, Dirik's views is wrong and misleading, we are grateful to anyone who gave a hand to stop genocide and against IS people who tried to repeat Saddam's Anfal campaign against Kurds, wake up mate you are wrong.
Wouldn't say it's 'old leftist' (as in the Stalinism the PKK once espoused). That's a bit of a knee-jerk reaction, Yasin – the old leftism was very focussed on state power. Also, the nation state is arguably potentially becoming out-dated in this globalised era. The democratic confederalism concept derives partly from writings of Murray Bookchin, a social anarchist who was somewhat ahead of his time, at least on ecological issues. However, a question for Dilar: how does this libertarian socialism sit in practice with the PKK's near-cult of Apo? Yasin: sure it's a time for unity – but don't suspend your critical faculties. For example, don't forget that Barzani invited Saddam's forces back into Kurdistan in the 1990s ..
Adan Tahir
How come that people still believe there is apartheid when there are many Arabs in the Israeli parliament,army,education,entertainement industry or science? Your media probably doesn´t tell you,but there are many Israeli Arabs-Muslims,Bedouins,Druze etc, who are enjoying all of their human rights in Israel. Here are some famous examples:http://elderofziyon.blogspot.co.at/p/eoz-posters-for-apartheid-week.html#.U_tlimPlfx8
Just listen to this young Arab Israeli,Mohammed Zoabi:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSCL9sYoL-s
There are currently around 1,6 million Arabs living in Israel,which makes more than 20% of the population.Here you go:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_citizens_of_Israel Israelis and jewish people in particular feel very deeply in their heart the plight of the Kurdish people because they have faced similar discrimination,persecution and wars on their culture and population like the Kurdish people and they can relate to the suffering more than anyone else. There have been many occasions where Israel cooperated with Kurdistan on military and security issues and also through trade. I hope there will be even more cooperation between Israel and Kurdistan in the future.Only through working together in a spirit of friendship and solidarity we will acchieve long-lasting peace!
RandomAmerican
I just wanted to let you know that the US media has been talking very much about how YPG/ YPJ saved the Yezidis and are fighting hard on the front line. Please know that Americans truly want all people to be free from oppressors and to have peace. Also, know that we are seeing the images of YPG/ YPJ fighters and that their strength and honor is not going unnoticed.
Hiwa
It was a wonderful article, don't listen to idiots like Michael Fuchs and Ahmet.
Excellent article sister Dilar.
U nailed it.
Tiha kurdska revolucija? | na obrobju
September 4, 2014 | 20:25
[…] Ne moremo mimo dogodkov na severu Iraka v zadnjem mesecu, kjer so Barzanijeve pešmerge povsem (namerno?) odpovedale in dobile pomoč prav od PYD (YPG/YPJ) in PKK (HPG/YJA STAR). PYD/PKK sta zaslužni, da jazidska/jezidska skupnost ni trpela še bolj, kot je. Dilar Dirik ugotavlja: […]
Steve Tidey
I think all decent people in Britain and elsewhere sincerely wish the best for all the Kurdish groups mentioned. We can only admire the courage of all the women fighters whether experienced or not.There is no more touching photo than that of women fighter rescuing the mother with child.
Sadly,none of us can trust the devious satanists that lead all goverments dispite the good will of ordinary people.
i.e. militarily,Why is the USA, UK, and France not flying in large quantities of these countries 1960s cheap small Panhard 90mm gun etc armoured cars to give ground based assistance to defeat suicide Hummers?
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alexander modenos on France Grants Asylum to Yezidi Families under President Macron's Promise
Jamal Fuady on Tribunal Rebukes Turkish President Erdogan For War Crimes Against His Own People
Kurdish groups accuse Theresa May of 'racism' in the House of Commons - Turkey Agenda on Kurds Are Not Terrorists
Stranger on Ocalan v. Barzani: Two contradictory worlds
Howard D Rowland on Afrin and its People Will Never Surrender to Fascist Turkish Invaders and their Terrorist Lackeys!
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text:
Widdowson launches investment boutique
By Ellie Duncan
Stuart Widdowson has launched boutique asset manager Odyssean Capital in a joint venture with Harwood Capital.
The former manager of the Strategic Equity Capital trust left GVQ Investment Management in February 2017 and signalled his intention at the time to start a small-cap focused investment business in partnership with Harwood.
The investment strategy at newly-launched Odyssean Capital will seek to capitalise on the pricing anomalies and engagement opportunities in UK smaller companies and will only offer closed-ended products.
He said: "In our view, closed-ended funds or locked up capital is essential to invest with conviction in less liquid smaller companies over the long term.
"The problem with managing less liquid assets through the Oeic [open-ended investment company] structure is demonstrated by the challenging times that the Oeic property funds experienced post Brexit."
A press release seen by FTAdviser stated: "Odyssean will combine long-term public and private equity investing expertise to launch a highly focused, unconstrained, long-only strategy investing in quoted UK smaller companies."
Mr Widdowson said: "We believe the introduction of Mifid II legislation will lead to many more opportunities to find mis-priced UK smaller quoted companies over the next few years, so timing could not be better to launch our investment strategy.
"Smaller companies have significantly outperformed their larger counterparts over the long term but generally remain under-researched, undervalued and often overlooked."
Asked when his first investment trust launch at Odyseean Capital was planned, Mr Widdowson said: "We have had expressions of interest from both our business and personal networks and are considering launching a limited capacity product to cater to these needs.
"We would like to be able to offer something for sophisticated long-term retail investors."
Odyssean Capital plans to cap its strategy.
Mr Widdowson said: "We intend to raise up to £500m progressively over several years from like-minded, committed investors. The quality and alignment of that investor base is far more important to us than how quickly we raise the capital.
"We follow a niche strategy which is not infinitely scalable – and premium long-term returns can only be sustained by capping capacity."
Those hired to join Mr Widdowson at Odyssean include Ed Wielechowski, a former principal in the technology investment team at HgCapital, who will be on the fund management team at the new firm.
As has previously been reported, former Hg Capital chief executive Ian Armitage has been named non-executive chairman at Odyssean.
Kate Reid, formerly at Algebris Investments, has been appointed to oversee investor relations.
Dennis Hall, chartered financial planner at Yellowtail Financial Planning, said he believed there was room for another investment trust entrant in the UK small-cap space.
He said: "If you consider the number of small-cap companies compared to the number of mid- and large-cap companies listed on the stock exchange, and then compare the number of investment trusts covering each of those sectors, you could argue quite convincingly there is room for more players.
More on Investment Trusts
Scottish Mortgage adds £188m of debt
Fundraising from investment trusts hits all-time high
Investment trusts raise record funds in October
Trust managers U-turn on gearing tactics
Number of new trusts dwindles
The investment trusts set to benefit from a Brexit deal
Investments UK Brexit Closed ended Investment Trusts Small Caps Mifid II


text:
Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie: Over The Rainbow
AnimationMusic
This is an excellent movie, Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie: Over The Rainbow is a timeless piece of art... If the watcher does not like Animation type of movies, he will watch the whole movie and have great fun. It is not just a simple film, it has an everlasting message. It is a sensational, tense movie from start to finish. The direction is very sublime. Excellent pictures, tempo and scenes. It is proof of that - a movie to be very good need spectacular special effects. - just made of great acting. I loved Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie: Over The Rainbow from the first sight. I'm certain that Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie: Over The Rainbow will continue to live for centuries. Tweet this movie on twitter or share it on facebook with your friends.... Show more
What happens in Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie: Over The Rainbow
If Kanan slide and disappear during a visit to the Mari Italy, Chika Aqours and the rest have no choice but to reach to "Belpaese" and the look for them.
Watch Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie: Over The Rainbow (2019)	Online Free on FMovies
Watch Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie: Over The Rainbow (2019) Online Free. Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie: Over The Rainbow is one of the best movies available in HD quality and with English subtitles for free. Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie: Over The Rainbow is one of the greatest Animation Movies.
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Winter is coming: ensure your business is prepared.
In Colorado, winter can come quickly. We all know that.
Around these parts, it might not seem like that big of a deal. Ice and snow is part of life. However, not being prepared for this weather can have an impact on both the health and safety of your employees.
And that's true even in an office setting.
Winterizing your office is a practical way to reduce workplace injuries as well as save time and money on maintenance and repairs, all good things for your bottom line.
Winter is coming, here's how to make sure you're prepared.
First things first, consider your workplace. Your area might have more mild weather with less snow in the winter which requires different needs from heavy snowfall areas.
Knowing your own situation can help you make a plan for what you need.
As part of your assessment plan, understand where potential hazards might lie. Know if your parking lot is easy to navigate through snow removal. Check your supplies when it comes to ice melt or salt and if you hire out these sorts of services get confirmation before the first flakes fall.
Also as part of your preparedness plan, make sure people are clear on who is in charge of specific tasks. Don't wait until it's too late!
Make sure you let employees know your plans when it comes to winter weather. Sometimes, the roads are too dangerous to drive. Know what type of alert system you'll have for employees to get updates and when they get posted.
An easy place to start is having a 'winter weather' email list with a canned message ready to go so it gets sent right away. Don't forget to assign this task (or keep it on your own to-do list).
Also, in situations like these letting your employees work remotely from their home offices can reduce risk without losing any productivity for the day.
If you have employees that spend any time out of the office during winter weather give them the information they need to perform their jobs safely. If they work outdoors, schedule ample time for indoor breaks so they can warm up or provide heaters, for example.
Also, make sure your employees know which tools, workspaces or machines might be more dangerous in the winter. Add in extra layers of protection that safeguard employees from potential equipment hazards.
The Occupational Safety and Health Organization (OSHA) has a good basic checklist you can use as a guide for winter preparedness for employees.
Slips and falls are some of the most common workplace injuries. So why risk more of these during the winter? There are simple things you can do to cut down on accidents.
As part of your hazard plan, know which walkways, sidewalks and concrete areas will need extra attention during the winter months. Set up mats in the doorways and hallways that see the most outside traffic.
As part of an annual maintenance regiment, your business should take a look at all your major heating, air and ventilation systems. The last thing you want in the middle of winter is to have the heating system break that's both expensive and can create a poor working environment for your employees.
It doesn't take much time to have the peace of mind that your building and systems are in good shape before the winter arrives.
During the winter months, Colorado has specific driving laws that apply to commercial and passenger vehicles. If you use vehicles as part of your business pay attention to these laws and make sure you have the right equipment on hand to comply and not face any fines.
It doesn't take much to ensure your office is ready for winter. And just putting in a little bit of planning up front can end up saving you time and possibly thousands of dollars over the long run.
Serious workplace injuries can put a significant financial strain on your business so you want to protect yourself and your employees where you can.
This is where Cake can help. We have all the information you need to you comply with Colorado workers' comp requirements.
Start a quote, and we can get you a workers' comp policy in less than five minutes.


Friday November 6th: 9:45 to 11:45 am at The Yoga Garden at 82 Prospect St in White Plains.
Friday December 4th: 9:45 to 11:45 am at The Yoga Garden at 82 Prospect St in White Plains.
Thursday October 15th: 6:30 to 8:00 pm in Larchmont, NY.
Thursday November 19th: 6:30 to 8:00 pm in Larchmont, NY.
Thursday December 10th: 6:30 to 8:00 pm in Larchmont, NY.


text:
Caroll K. Bassett (1905 – March 24, 1972) was an American jockey. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1972.

He died on March 24, 1972, in Gordonsville, Virginia at age 66.

References

1905 births
1972 deaths
American jockeys
American horse trainers


text:
Q: TikZ decorations.pathreplacing and lineto curve ignored Why the decoration option is ignored ?

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A: You are missing the decoration name show path construction and the action decorate that makes the decoration active. Finally, the second path overdraws so it is invisible you need to move it a bit to see
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Review: 'The Riot Club' inspires conversation, but is it the right one? Special
By Sarah Gopaul Mar 27, 2015 in Entertainment
The authentic performances in 'The Riot Club' make it difficult to watch, but it does not add much to the conversation of inequality.
With all the indignation currently directed at white men in power and people of privilege around the world, it's interesting to view a movie that exemplifies all the qualities despised in the advantageous. This film particularly takes aim at the old boys clubs and secret societies that purportedly allow and encourage disrespectful behaviour because their members have the resources to "make it go away." The Riot Club begins as a group of boys united by their love of women and trouble, but gradually turns ugly as their above average station in life becomes a weapon against the less fortunate.
The Riot Club was established when Lord Riot (Harry Lloyd), a young, adventurous man, was murdered by his lover's husband. To celebrate their friend's untimely demise, his cohorts established the club in his honour to love and live life to the fullest as he did. More than a century later, the tradition endures at Oxford University. The current membership requires two more bodies to meet its quota so they begin to scout the first-year students. Miles Richards (Max Irons) and Alistair Ryle (Sam Claflin) could not be more different from each other, but each has qualities the club admires; namely they are wealthy, smart and attractive. Their initiations are followed by an annual dinner, which is transformed into a drunken rally for supremacy.
This movie is a darker version of The Skulls in that it deals with a similarly rooted secret society, but without the sexy soundtrack or cool heist sequence. The behaviour of these young men is generally appalling. Their utter disregard for material things, expecting everyone to be effortlessly bought and boundless egotism only scratch the surface of what is inherently wrong with them. Miles is the only member with any redeeming qualities, though even he is complicit until their underlying superiority complexes begin to show through.
On the other hand, the overt prejudice and ease with which they are incited to live up to the club's name is somewhat heavy-handed. This is clearly a condemnation of the upper class from the moment audiences are introduced to the characters and one's father is demanding his son be assigned their family's traditional dorm room. The flexing of their affluent muscles remain restrained until the dinner, but it's also clear from the moment they step foot in the establishment that the party will get dangerously out of hand.
Nonetheless, credit must be awarded the actors who portray these despicable young men for not holding back and embracing even their characters' worst moments to the fullest. This is a feat of particular distinction for Claflin, Sam Reid and Douglas Booth who have been far more charming in recent film history as heroes and love interests rather than pompous brats. Not to be forgotten, Holliday Grainger is admirable, essentially portraying the film's sole female voice. She not only confronts the pitfalls of the company of entitled men, but must also face the derision of belonging to a lower class.
Laura Wade adapted her play for the screen and under Lone Scherfig's direction, the film does not attempt to extend the story world further than is required. After all, the key decisions are mostly made behind closed doors or away from the prying eyes and ears of commoners anyway.
Director: Lone Scherfig
Starring: Sam Claflin, Max Irons and Douglas Booth
More about The Riot Club, Max Irons, Sam Claflin, Sam Reid, Douglas booth
The Riot Club Max Irons Sam Claflin Sam Reid Douglas booth Holliday Grainger Lone Scherfig Laura Wade Movie Review


text:
Paralyzed, a former motocross racer hasn't slowed down: New device giving him new lease on life
By Jenna Sachs
Paralyzed, a former motocross racer hasn`t slowed down: New device giving him new lease on life
MILWAUKEE -- Something can happen in an instant -- and it can change your life forever. A Hartford man knows this firsthand. Now, the former athlete is taking a huge step forward, and FOX6 News was there to see it happen.
Matt Maier
You could hear the determination in Matt Maier's breathing, and see it in his firm grip and strained arms.
"I'll be feeling it tomorrow! Pulling 160 pounds uphill with just your arms!" Maier said.
Maier is paralyzed from the middle of his chest down.
"I think I'm a better rock climber now than I was before I got hurt. Just because my upper body is a lot stronger," Maier said.
Maier was a competitive athlete for 23 years. Not in climbing -- but in motocross.
"It was kind of an addiction," Maier said.
For a decade, Maier competed professionally in the Midwest.
"Locally, for the last few years, I was usually top three or winning at most of them," Maier said.
On February 1st, 2014, Maier was competing at the U.S. Cellular Arena (now the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena).
"It happened like, so fast," Maier said.
Riding over a series of sharp peaks known as a 'whoop section,' Maier's front tire missed a peak.
"Went over the handle bars forward, and I landed chest first into the peak of a jump. I hit the ground and then I knew right then and there, something was wrong," Maier said.
Matt Maier injured at U.S. Cellular Arena
Maier had fractured his spine and sternum.
In rehab, Maier was told to focus on what he could do.
"I'll be able to do anything I could before -- I just do it a little bit differently. It might take a bit longer. I may have to adjust a few things, but like the rock climbing, I still do it," Maier said.
Just because Maier has an active lifestyle doesn't mean he doesn't aspire to walk again, and that's what brings him to Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin.
FOX6 News was there as, for the first time since his accident, Maier stood up and started to walk.
Matt Maier using ReWalk device
"I really never thought that I would walk down the hallways," Maier said.
The device that helps him walk is called a "ReWalk."
"It's pretty much like walking on stilts," Maier said.
The device is controlled by a watch, and it is a wearable robotic exoskeleton. It powers motion in the hips and knees.
"With just a little bit of practice I got it figured out pretty quick," Maier said.
The device was cleared by the FDA about a year ago.
"It's kind of like riding a bike, and once you've got it, you'll be able to do it moving forward," Craig Peters said.
Patients need to pass a few tests with the ReWalk before they can take one home. They cost about $70,000. Some insurance companies will not cover the device.
"I would definitely like it for exercise and just to go on walks outside," Maier said.
Maier was shocked to learn his insurance company will cover a ReWalk.
"It was pretty overwhelming," Maier said.
And if you think Maier's racing days are over -- think again!
Matt Maier racing RC cars
"I don't like to lose -- no matter what I do," Maier said.
These days, Maier is shifting gears, and he's back on the leaderboard.
"It's almost exactly like motocross. You get the same adrenaline rush," Maier said.
It turns out, his motocross background makes Maier a natural when it comes to another kind of wheels.
"It just kind of filled the void of not being able to race," Maier said.
Maier now spends a lot of Fridays racing RC cars.
"When it comes to racing I'm pretty competitive," Maier said.
That attitude got Maier back on an adapted bike, though he admits his motocross days are over.
"There's plenty of other things you can do. No matter how bad I have it, or you have it, there's someone out there who has it worse. That's kind of the philosophy I live by," Maier said.
Maier says he's already seeing benefits from the ReWalk device -- particularly when it comes to digestive improvements, and muscle elasticity.
He won't be able to use the ReWalk daily to get around, but the hope is that over time, he'll be able to use it more often and travel longer distances. For now, it's just for exercise and special occasions.
CLICK HERE to learn more about the ReWalk device.