#102nd international cooperatives day

[coopsday]

What do you want to do and accomplish on #CoopsDay?

 "Cooperatives Building a Better Future for All." International Day of Cooperatives 2024. Cooperatives generate decent work, practice gender equality and provide strong opportunities for youth. We innovate and connect users, producers and consumers, in a responsible, supportive and inclusive manner. We manage resources in a transparent and democratic way, putting communities in control of their capital We take care of ecosystems, because the environment and people, They are at the center of our socio-business model We promote positive peace, because the cooperative economy is synonymous with harmonious relations between peoples. For all this and much more, cooperatives build a world better for all people. This July 6th let's take advantage of our Day to boost this global recognition in different countries on all continents. For the journey to 2025, proposed by the United Nations as the International Year of Cooperatives, let us take the call of the UN to the states to support our model, as we continue to build a sustainable world in social, economic and environmental matters. Together with the more than one billion members of three million cooperatives on all continents, let's show how we are transforming the societies we live in, day by day. On July 6th, the cooperative movement will celebrate the Day. The worldwide cooperatives will have the opportunity to showcase their current and historical contributions to building a sustainable future, accelerating efforts to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030. Learn more on how Cooperatives help to move forward the United Nations 2030 Agenda and make SDGs a reality. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #coops4sdgs, #CoopsDay, #6july, #Sustainability, #Cooperatives.

[thisdaynews]

UN deputy chief describe Nnamdi Kanu as Nelson Mandela Freedom fighter for justice

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/un-deputy-chief-describe-nnamdi-kanu-as-nelson-mandela-freedom-fighter-for-justice/

UN deputy chief describe Nnamdi Kanu as Nelson Mandela Freedom fighter for justice

UN Deputy Secretary-General, Nigeria’s Amina Mohammed, has hailed Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first dark President, portraying him as embodying “fortitude, empathy and a steadfast obligation to social equity and correspondence”.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

Mohammed told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday in New York at a unique meeting held to observe Mandela, the one who drove the battle that finished the bigoted politically-sanctioned racial segregation framework in South Africa.

Observing Mandela International Day –formally recognized on July 18 – the UN vice president said that he typified the most noteworthy desires of the United Nations and the human family.

Warmly known as Madiba, she said that the 2021 festival would have been Nelson Mandela’s 102nd birthday.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

Disdain discourse and the refusal of realities are becoming “standard in liberal vote based systems and tyrant systems the same,” Mohammed said, “obscuring reality, addressing science and sabotaging popularity based foundations”.

She highlighted a disturbing pattern that individuals with practically no information on chronicled realities were tainted by the infection of disinformation and bending, and accepting brutal belief systems.

“Coronavirus has heightened this, moving back long stretches of progress in the worldwide battle against neediness and unfairness, leaving the underestimated and disappointed experiencing the most, and frequently being faulted for issues they didn’t cause.

“It is our individual obligation to follow Madiba’s illustration of quietude, pardoning and sympathy,” Mohammed said.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

Individuals of African plunge, native, ethnic or strict minorities – and the individuals who have escaped their homes as displaced people – endure the worst part of bigotry, xenophobia and related narrow mindedness, as per the UN authority.

“These are the ills that Nelson Mandela faced to make his enduring inheritance,” the UN vice president said.

In September 2018, the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit at UN Headquarters accumulated government and common society agents who focused on increasing endeavors for a prosperous, comprehensive and reasonable world and pronounced 2019 to 2028 the Nelson Mandela Decade of Peace.

“It is our individual duty to follow Madiba’s illustration of modesty, pardoning and empathy, while pushing for vote based system and harmony all through the world.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us the fundamental significance of human fortitude and solidarity, values supported and exemplified by Madiba in his long lasting battle for equity.

“Furthermore, with a job for everybody, she asked the social occasion to be propelled by Madiba’s message that ‘every one of us can reconcile, basic liberties, congruity with nature and nobility for all’,” she said.

The delegate secretary-general shared that since the time her childhood, when she was attempting to discover her way, Mandela had been an individual motivation.

“As we ponder Madiba’s life and work, let us each speak out. Allow us to acquire a leaf from his difficult positive thinking in the human undertaking.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

“Allow us all to respect his source of inspiration and be empowered by his heritage,” she encouraged.

In his comments, General Assembly President, Volkan Bozkir, said that throughout everyday life and inheritance, Nelson Mandela pushed for “the innate pride and uniformity of individuals”.

“Both inside and between countries, paying little mind to race, identity or conviction – all inclusive qualities, set out in the UN Charter and basic liberties arrangements.”

As the Assembly is entrusted with maintaining and ensuring these qualities, he said it is simply right to “gather here today, to celebrate, elevate these beliefs and to respect Nelson Mandela”.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

Bozkir said the Mandela name was inseparable from the battle for equity and correspondence which should be recalled while considering the predicament of 82.4 million coercively dislodged individuals around the world.

“The predicament of 82.4 million persuasively uprooted individuals around the world, ladies and young ladies exposed to sexual and sex based brutality, and the prejudice and racial segregation that take steps to dissolve the advancement he contended energetically to progress.

“As a global local area, we should make an aggregate move. For we won’t accomplish the objectives of the 2030 Agenda while prejudice and separation endure,” said the Assembly President.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

As indicated by him, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused incredible languishing over people and countries, putting wellbeing frameworks under tremendous strain, making an unrivaled financial emergency and capturing our improvement direction.

“In recuperating, common freedoms should be maintained for everybody, all over and multilateral endeavors excited for reasonable and fair immunization access for all.

“Set forth plainly, we should act in the soul of Madiba, in case we are to work back better.”

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

Naledi Pandor, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, told the gathering that fundamental prejudice has perniciously affected networks all over.

Reminding the Assembly that Mandela utilized the Swahili world ubunti to clarify that “to be free isn’t only to push off one’s chains” however to live such that improves the existences of others, she offered the extra expression, Mimi ni kwa sababu wewe ni – which deciphers as “I’m since you are”.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

“We are totally associated, and that one can just develop and advance through the development and movement of others,” she said.

[armeniaitn]

Russia Defense Minister Denies Reports Of Arms Shipments To Armenia

New Post has been published on https://armenia.in-the.news/society/russia-defense-minister-denies-reports-of-arms-shipments-to-armenia-52917-26-08-2020/

Russia Defense Minister Denies Reports Of Arms Shipments To Armenia

An official visit by Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu to Azerbaijan brought attention to several pressing issues, including the future of the relationship between Baku and Moscow, Russia’s role in regional peace and recent reports about deliveries of military cargo from Russia to Armenia.

Shoigu discussed the latter in detail during a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Zakir Hasanov on August 25. He denied that recent Russian cargo shipments to Armenia were carrying weapons and military equipment. 

“We know about the worries related to the flights to our base. I want to say right away: all our actions have never been directed and are not directed now against Azerbaijan, our neighbor and our partner. Russia is not interested in escalating tensions in the Transcaucasia [South Caucasus],” Shoigu said, according to TASS.

He said that Russia is building social facilities at its 102nd base in Armenia. The cargo flights delivered construction materials used to carry out work on the base and also returned some rotating military personnel serving there.

Russia’s 102nd military base in Armenia’s Gyumri city, just 120 kilometers north of the capital city Yerevan, was deployed in 1995. It includes a motorized rifle brigade reinforced with operational-tactical missile systems, multiple rocket launch systems and air defense systems.

Around 4,000 servicemen are stationed at the base, along with additional personnel. The mission of the base is to protect Russia’s southern borders, in cooperation with the armed forces of Armenia. The Russian base is believed to be way stronger and more capable than the Armenian Air Force.

In a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on August 12, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev discussed reports about Russia sending military supplies to Armenia. The shipments were reportedly carried out starting from July 17, immediately after clashes on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border ceased. The volume of military cargo delivered to Armenia through the airspace of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran, exceeded 400 tons, according to the report.

Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan spiraled in the wake of Armenia’s heavy artillery fire on Azerbaijani positions stationed in the Tovuz region on the border with Armenia on July 12. Uninterrupted fire by the Armenian troops triggered a full-blown war that ended on July 16. The four-day war claimed the lives of 12 Azerbaijani servicemen, including one general. A civilian was also killed by Armenian fire. Although Armenian authorities confirmed four deaths on its side during the clashes, they have been denounced by civil society who believe the losses to be over 30.

Following the phone call between Aliyev and Putin, Moscow has neither confirmed nor denied the news about military supplies to Armenia. However, Baku-based media outlet 1news.az claimed that at the height of fighting in Tovuz, Russia delivered modern weapons to Armenia’s military. In total, according to the data available at that time, eight flights were operated including two flights on July 17 and one flight each on July 18, 20, 27, 29 and August 4, 6.

The Russian military cargo planes were forced to make a detour on their way to Armenia after Georgia refused to give them permission to use its airspace. The Il-76 heavy cargo-carrying aircrafts were forced to take a much longer route stretching from the cities of Rostov and Minvody in Russia, to the cities of Aktau in Kazakhstan, Turkmenbashi in Turkmenistan and Nowsher in Iran. The last leg of the flight was from Armenia’s southern town of Meghri, near the border with Iran, to its capital Yerevan.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a decades-long conflict in South Caucasus which began after Armenia kicked off an armed attack on internationally-recognized Azerbaijani lands following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The full-scale war lasted until a ceasefire was reached in 1994. Since then, Armenia has illegally occupied the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts, making up 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally-recognized territory. One million ethnic Azerbaijanis were forcibly displaced from these areas and 30,000 were killed.

Armenia has been refusing to fulfill four UN resolutions that demand unconditional withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied lands and return of internally-displaced Azerbaijanis to their houses.

Read original article here.

[ramsybaby]

  Truth be told, the existence and frequency of crimes being committed aren’t as mind boggling as I tend to express. The true riddle lies in what type of reward executors of the worst infractions could possibly be dedicating their lives, our lives, towards getting. With obvious and typical financial benefits aside (and threats of murder for noncompliance) there isn’t much room left to imagine other motivations.

What surprises me, I suppose, is that hundreds in power appear to not care what consequences will befall their own families, as a result of being connected to those who participated directly in the destruction and deceptions.

Especially when the hooves of their high and mighty stallions of “justice” are heard thundering across the broad quilt of our faces, each and every day.

In a world chock full of indignant “do-gooders” and exploited child spokespeople who are trained and rewarded to parrot those who hate us with every fiber of their being.

In the future (if there’s one left to be reached) the progeny of today’s criminals will more than likely suffer much of the same humiliations that current descendants of infamous figures have to endure.

I don’t see this habit changing much in the next few generations. As a matter of fact, with average IQs dropping as they are, we’re on a return trip towards average mindsets ruled by dark aged suspicions and fears; still throwing salt over our shoulders and ogling others for traces of  “bad joo joo” from the carriers of such deep-rooted corruption. What an unfair and heavy burden for any human being to carry. When they’ve struggled to build reputations amongst their clans and colleagues..only to be dashed on the grounds of historical evidence and assumptions of genetic tyrannical “cooties”.

Revenge. Disgust. Repulsion. Avoidance. These are the “gifts” those who knowingly destroy vital evidences leave their children. Lifetimes of opportunities dashed for the sake of single lifetime of kicks and privilege great grandpas Bush or Obama couldn’t shake and jollies which great-grand hyenas Clinton and Pelosi refused to drop from their sharp and dentured jaws.

From mortified sons and daughters, related to formerly esteemed editors of magazine dynasties to the innocent grandchild of a doctor forced to answer for tens of thousands of mothers bullied into the forced sterility and insanity. Be it by trial or the final and depressed contemplation of suicide. They will all suffer from this lack of foresight that all, who could have helped us, seem to be struck with.

The following is what I have determined are truths which will eventually drop into the light-with the aid of collectively restored mental functioning. I mention restoration because the ability to “think right” must be restored; or else we’ll never understand nor see the obvious things which we sadly struggle to see now. The things which are killing and sickening  us.

And will continue to kill and sicken us.

The following is a sampling of damages and the “odd and unexplained events” sure to be studied -along with other ongoing “trivial “ and serious offenses that I neither have the time nor the heart to address.

Lack of assistance re critical news for deaf citizens https://www.wcpo.com/news/national/fake-sign-language-interpreter-behavior

http://limpingchicken.com/2017/09/11/deaf-news-new-fake-interpreter-storm-over-hurricane-irma-emergency-newsflash/

An international corporation being forced to offer decent and necessary assisted services for the deaf. Although it’s an older article, there are still ongoing issues. https://www.cnet.com/news/netflix-sued-by-deaf-group-over-lack-of-subtitles/

Mercury, admitted by even the World Heath Organization https://www.who.int/ipcs/assessment/public_health/mercury/en/ as being extremely dangerous, being injected into millions of human beings and infants.

Their echoed assurance of Ethyl mercury being “quite different” from mercury; exposed as a lie thanks to scientific testimonials, including a 2017 report which specifically confirmed the two act in identical ways as far as damages are concerned, with differences being in the time of shelf life and residual tracing.

(Needless to say, this has been the worst and most publicized abuse)

  The increased crippling and damage caused to newborn babies by induced labor https://www.michigancerebralpalsyattorneys.com/causes-and-risk-factors-of-cerebral-palsy/labor-and-delivery-problems/cerebral-palsy-pitocin-cytotec-labor-inducing-drugs/

under the World Health Organization internationally pushed policies https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/44531/9789241501156_eng.pdf;sequence=1

The refusal of assistance for the stopping of genital mutilation https://www.cbsnews.com/news/detroit-federal-judge-dismisses-charges-female-genital-mutilation-case/

  although we are obligated to numerous “women’s rights” laws , with the United Nations making worn out decades of promises to end such violence…which even their own soldiers are immune from being prosecuted under.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/announcement/frontline-uncovers-new-cases-of-sex-abuse-by-united-nations-peacekeepers/

View at Medium.com

(you will have to input the following article’s link-from top of the search bar area- manually)

The following are a few laws and instructions that can, at wretched least, be easily tied to the aforementioned insults and abuses. (Something that may have been worth investigating if we would have had enough human beings in positions of influence, strong enough and fearless enough to have put millions of children’s lives in front of their own narrow interests.)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Which leads us to one parallel factor that is commonly shared by the majority of this worlds’ leaders. And which should evaporate any arguments which begin with idiotic “Bi-partisan” huffing and puffing. ..Ronald Reagan, as both governor and president, frequently referred to the tradition, whether as a moral principle or a reason for specific policies on issues such as abortion. John Kasich, then the governor of Ohio, wanted to set up a new agency to promote Judeo-Christian values. Mitt Romney saw it as “central to America’s rise in global leadership.” President Barack Obama invoked it to eulogize Shimon Peres. Then-candidate Donald Trump vowed he would be “stopping cold the attacks on Judeo-Christian values.” And Stephen K. Bannon repeatedly invokes it in his plans to promote European and American nationalism….

(taken from complete Washington Post article which can be read here https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/04/17/once-judeo-christian-tradition-united-americans-now-it-divides-them/) One can plainly see the spirit of agreement and cooperation includes all parties and differing POVs.

Agreements which include actual legislation that our politicians have been free to make decisions upon , in blatant and unchecked monarchial fashion, for many years. The most shameless molestation of our Constitution-marrying religious matters into the very heart of state affairs.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/102nd-congress/house-joint-resolution/104/text

Finally, we have a last, but not least , “hint” of things not being as we’ve been forced to believe. A “clue” as to things not being as we depended on them being in order to operate within this “loving and respecting one another” snow globe. Choosing to look on the brighter side of matters, it’s a “hint” which can help us better maneuver what precious little is left of our lives, in order to avoid future and oncoming assaults. https://religiondispatches.org/holy-spit-why-do-ultra-orthodox-jews-spit-at-christians/

Never mind this bug eyed and open mouthed  “spit” into our face, regarding the witholding of “assistance” from “unworthy” human beings. 

When an entire fabricated piece of fiction of zombies in the land was vomited out from the guts of CDC instead of real and useful information (that used to be displayed so we could better save our lives) in the event of a true emergency.

https://www.cdc.gov/cpr/zombie/index.htm

It is these obvious damages and evils resulting from these types of connections which will plague the reputations and pain the consciences of the descendants- of the hundreds of leaders, academics, media monopolists, celebrities, clergy and all others…who have decided “to hell” with even the very children they promised to “love and provide” for.

Never mind us -the “dirty and revolting human beings that infect the earth” they rule over and claim embarrassing “superiority” over.

It’s simply a shame to see how many human beings, of supposed impeccable status and reputations, have ended up safeguarding the condition of their legacy with no better regard than pet waste scraped from the bottom of their well-heeled and “Louboutin”ed feet.

The “celebrated” multitude who bare their ugly teeth and have the naked nerve to dare accuse scores of us of “anti-Semitism” ; when in our own families we carry the DNA of mothers who had to watch their babies skulls get crushed in land stealing massacres, fathers who had limbs chopped off in attempts for freedom and those millions of families who carry the wounds of countless extermination programs…where their “betters” used them like any coward who has the audacity to use human shields.

If we were to be a bit more honest and a LOT less vain, we would see that the spiritual obligation to deceive us means we’ve NEVER been protected nor “loved” in the first place..by these all too mortal “men”.

Note;(As he predicted and as tyrants insist we remain terrorized by, as if we’re forever doomed to stay in the 200 B.C.s instead of 2020 A.D., he was murdered in the period before the Bolshevik uprising) The author is slandered (in a Wikipedia article) as being so ignorant as to have compiled a controversial translation of the Judaic documents, risking his very life, with the poorest understanding of the ancient language. As one can see, on occasion, he did include original text-meaning the door is closed on any such careless “fact” It is important work which resulted in one of the bravest moves a human citizen could have even imagined risking in the 15th century..especially while working under the severe eyes of the most dangerous merger of institutions that this world has ever been forced to suffer and exist under.)

photo By Sergey Nivens

  An Extreme and Wicked Lack of Concern Truth be told, the existence and frequency of crimes being committed aren't as mind boggling as I tend to express.

[junker-town]

Butch Davis is back in Miami and has maybe the country’s most experienced roster

Now can he give FIU a winning identity?

Florida International University sits approximately three miles from Miami Columbus High School, four from Miami Southwest, nine from Coral Gables High, and 13 from Miami High.

It is 14 from Booker T. Washington, Jackson, and Westminster Christian, 17 from Miami Northwestern, and 19 from Miami Central.

Et cetera. Carol City High: 21 miles away. South Dade: 24. Norland: 24. St. Thomas Aquinas: 34. Piper: 37. Dillard: 38.

You would need a hefty scroll to write down all of the high-caliber football players produced by high schools within 40 miles of FIU’s campus.

And FIU has won 17 games in the last five seasons. In its 13-year FBS existence, the Panthers have finished better than 5-7 twice.

If you remember three things about FIU football, they're probably these:

This spectacular brawl.

T.Y. Hilton.

Firing Mario Cristobal, the engineer of FIU's two winning seasons, after a single-year step backwards.

Six years ago, Cristobal took over a program that predecessor Don Strock left in a mess. He inherited NCAA sanctions not of his doing (as Al Golden similarly would with the crosstown Hurricanes). But he worked through the lean years and saw the program finally begin to gain stability, a local footprint, a bit of national credibility.

Then came the off-year AD Pete Garcia would not abide.

A “total collapse,” he called it.

The 3-9 record included five losses by one score.

That’s ... less than vaunted. FIU is smack in the middle of some of the most prime real estate in the country — even if you aren’t going to fight it out with FSU and Florida and Miami, the leftovers are pretty impressive, too — and has yet to establish itself in the slightest.

Rumor had it that, upon dismissing Cristobal, Garcia would end up bringing in his friend Davis as the replacement. The idea made sense, at least as far as good decisions to compensate for terrible decisions go. Davis remains a South Florida legend for what he did at the University of Miami about two decades ago.

At The U, he took over a sanctions-riddled program in 1995 and, after a few shaky years of surfing scholarship limitations, sculpted a devastating squad. His 2000 Canes finished 11-1 and No. 2 in the polls and featured linebacker Dan Morgan (of Coral Gables), receiver Santana Moss (Miami), and offensive lineman Joaquin Gonzalez (Miami). He sealed the State of Miami borders.

Though Davis' glory days appeared to be behind him — after a stint in the pros, he had gone just 28-23 in four years at North Carolina, then got fired amid NCAA allegations — if he was still capable of something spectacular, it would probably be in South Florida.

So that's the move Garcia made. Four years later. First, he brought in another friend, veteran Ron Turner.

When Garcia made the decision to dump Cristobal, he cited FIU's 8-14 record over its previous 22 games. That's missing plenty of context — losing a bunch of stars from 2011, losing a bunch of close games in 2012 — but it's a win percentage of 0.364 all the same.

In the four years since Cristobal's ouster, FIU's win percentage is 0.292.

But whatever. Davis is finally here. And he's wasted no time circling the wagons. From the time of his mid-November hire to National Signing Day, he roped in 13 commitments, seven of whom went to school within 30 miles of FIU and two more from 80 miles up the road in West Palm Beach.

Davis is quickly doing Davis things, and he’s going to be part of a fascinating plot in the coming years. With Lane Kiffin getting hired by FAU and Charlie Strong at USF, Florida mid-majors have gone all in on hiring ace recruiters. Which will end up with the upper hand? And how will this affect other programs that rely on supplementing their rosters with three-star Floridians? Will there be as many left to nab with Strong, Davis, Kiffin, and UCF’s successful recruiters on patrol?

Of course, there’s another question: can Davis still coach? It’s been more than six years since he was run out of Chapel Hill, and it’s been more than 16 since his last nine-win season. (Well, he won nine games with the Cleveland Browns in 2002, but you know what I mean.) Corralling South Florida talent is step one. Doing something with it is step two.

Davis inherits one of FBS’ most experienced rosters in 2017, but that might only mean so much of a makeover is due.

2016 in review

2016 FIU statistical profile.

I feel it would be unfair to Turner to not mention that he did come reasonably close to getting this program off the ground. After a 1-11 debut in 2013, he improved the Panthers to 4-8 and 109th in S&P+ in 2014, then held steady at 5-7 and 110th despite horrible injuries luck in 2015.

The offense appeared ready to improve at least a bit last fall, and if the defense could account for turnover up front and at cornerback, it wasn't out of the question that the Panthers could threaten for a bowl bid.

The offense was awful early, scoring 14 or fewer points in each of the first four games. The defense, meanwhile, allowed 34-plus in three of four. Following a 53-14 loss to a UCF team FIU had beaten a year earlier, Turner was gone.

Ron Cooper (long-ago head man at EMU and Louisville) took over as interim, and FIU began to show some of the potential I thought it might have. But the defense never came around. And it was far too late anyway.

First 4 games (0-4) — Avg. percentile performance: 16% | Avg. score: Opp 37, FIU 14 | Yards per play: Opp 6.2, FIU 4.6 (-1.6)

Last 8 games (4-4) — Avg. percentile performance: 31% | Avg. score: Opp 34, FIU 29 | Yards per play: Opp 6.4, FIU 5.8 (-0.6)

Offense

Full advanced stats glossary.

FIU's offense was decent at not moving backward in 2016. That's something. But as was the case for most of Turner's tenure, it also didn't really move forward. This was the Panthers' best offense since 2012 (Cristobal's last year), but it still ranked only 96th in Off. S&P+, and it didn't show much potential until Cooper was gone.

Still, FIU did improve offensively, and it did so with both youth and injury getting in the way. Starting quarterback Alex McGough missed the last three games of the year, the two most dangerous receiving weapons (according to yards per target) missed a combined six games, and the offensive line was missing its only two-year starter (guard Jordan Budwig) up front.

In 2017, McGough and sophomore backups Maurice Alexander and Christian Alexander all return, as do the top three running backs (including Alex Gardner, who averaged 5.1 yards per carry and nearly topped 1,000 yards), seven of the top eight receiving targets (plus a 2015 contributor in slot receiver Julian Williams), and, including Budwig, four linemen with starting experience.

Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images

Alex Gardner

That's a decent amount for new coordinator Rich Skrosky to work with.

Davis looked to a pair of veterans to serve as his coordinators. Skrosky and defensive coordinator Brent Guy bring more than 60 years' worth of experience, and while that isn't all good experience, it's something.

Skrosky's last two gigs left different impressions. From 2011-13, he served as Pete Lembo's OC at Ball State and led what I'll call a high-caliber dink-and-dunk offense. The Cardinals ranked 34th, 19th, and 34th in Off. S&P+ in his three years, and quarterback Keith Wenning completed 64 percent of his passes for 78 touchdowns.

From Ball State, Skrosky went to Elon, where he served as head coach for an outmanned football program. The Phoenix moved to the powerful Colonial Athletic Association but had no chance; Skrosky went 7-27 in three years.

Because Elon was relatively hopeless, we won't bother to attempt to glean anything from his time there. We'll just say that Skrosky's last FBS offense was efficiency-based. And since it’s hard to glean too much from the other offensive assistant hires — running backs coach Tim Harris, Jr. (a holdover), and receivers coach Kevin Beard are well-regarded locals and potentially fantastic recruiters, but that’s about all we know — we’ll stick with that.

Gardner and a pair of sophomores could be key. Forty percent of Gardner's carries gained at least five yards last year, and while more frequent targets like Thomas Owens and Stantley Thomas were all-or-nothing last year, backups Austin Maloney and Darrius Scott caught 42 of 64 passes for 476 yards. There is a lot of experience, but we'll see who steps up.

Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images

Alex McGough

Defense

When Turner debuted at FIU, the Panthers' defense offered promise. In 2014, they improved from 107th to 52nd in Def. S&P+, one of the best mid-majors, under coordinator Josh Conklin. But despite extreme experience in 2015, the Panthers, without Conklin, plummeted to 102nd. In 2016, they fell further.

FIU's 2016 defense was decent at preventing big plays ... and that's about it. And the Panthers weren't even good enough at that to claim a bend-don't-break identity. It was just a bad defense.

First-year impact is something Guy knows about. In 2011, his first year as Tulsa coordinator, he moved the pieces around well enough for the Golden Hurricane to improve from 99th to 30th in Def. S&P+. From there, they fell to 51st, 51st, and 119th, and he spent 2015 as Memphis' safeties coach.

Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images

Fermin Silva

For now, let's focus on the 2012 unit. Guy's TU defense that year was super-aggressive up front and had the pieces to make it work. The top three defensive ends had 24.5 tackles for loss, the top two tackles had eight, and the top three linebackers had 20. The secondary was active, too.

Guy appears to like havoc, but will he have the pieces to wreak it in 2017? We'll optimistically say maybe.

Here's a list of assets:

Senior linebackers Treyvon Williams and Anthony Wint combined for 13 TFLs and 3.5 sacks last year. They are especially solid in run support, though they haven't really proven much in pass defense. They'll be without their three biggest tackles (Imarjaye Albury, Marques Cheeks, Leonard Washington), though.

If Williams and Wint are able to make some stops against the run, junior end Fermin Silva (5 sacks) could be dangerous on passing downs.

A harried quarterback who is rushing throws might play into the hands of cornerbacks Emmanuel Lubin and Isaiah Brown, who combined four interceptions and 12 breakups last year. And a foursome of safeties (Niko Gonzalez, Shermarke Spencer, Xavier Hines, Tyree Johnson) certainly has experience, at least.

The reinforcements could be interesting. Davis brought in two three-star defensive backs, three three-star linebackers, and three three-star defensive linemen. If a couple can make a quick impact, the Panthers might have depth.

That would put the onus back on Guy, then. This is fifth stint as a DC after stops at Boise State (1998-2000), Arizona State (2001-04), Louisville (2009), and Tulsa. He was also Utah State's head coach from 2005-08. He has a lot of experience, but it's been a while since he was in charge of a truly interesting defense. He's got all the experience you want, but that needs to translate.

Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images

Treyvon Williams

Special Teams

When you're struggling on defense, and your offense isn't good enough to make up the difference, special teams can keep you afloat to some degree. It can also just weigh you down even more. FIU was decent enough from a returns perspective -- Thomas Owens averaged 12.5 yards per punt return, and Alex Gardner averaged 22.4 yards per kick return -- but punts and kickoffs were ... suboptimal.

Stone Wilson didn't kick many returnable punts, but he also only averaged 37.6 yards per kick. Meanwhile, under 20 percent of Austin Taylor's kickoffs were touchbacks.

Special teams was a field position disaster for the Panthers. Whoever replaces Taylor on kicks and field goals probably needs a bigger leg.

2017 outlook

2017 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 2-Sep at Central Florida 78 -11.3 26% 9-Sep Alcorn State NR 31.5 97% 16-Sep at Indiana 39 -20.4 12% 23-Sep at Rice 120 0.3 51% 30-Sep Charlotte 127 12.0 76% 7-Oct at Middle Tennessee 89 -7.1 34% 14-Oct Tulane 94 0.2 50% 28-Oct at Marshall 101 -4.6 40% 4-Nov UTSA 91 -0.7 48% 11-Nov Old Dominion 93 -0.2 49% 18-Nov at Florida Atlantic 99 -4.9 39% 25-Nov Western Kentucky 51 -12.1 24%

Projected S&P+ Rk 104 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 88 / 108 Projected wins 5.5 Five-Year S&P+ Rk -14.3 (120) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 92 / 100 2016 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* -9 / -5.5 2016 TO Luck/Game -1.5 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 85% (85%, 85%) 2016 Second-order wins (difference) 3.1 (0.9)

The last act of Howard Schnellenberger’s career was getting FAU off the ground. Granted, he didn’t keep it afloat long, and granted, it hasn’t done much since he left either. But the 65-year-old Davis now has a chance to attempt a similar feat. FIU has been unable to make a sustainable mark in college football despite all the talent in the world in its backyard. Is Davis the man to move this program forward?

Davis’ FIU engine will be powered by recruiting. He has experienced hands at the wheel for offense and defense, but his hires weren’t stunning from a tactical standpoint. Davis is going to try to win by having a more athletic team on the field. And his odds of pulling that off are pretty decent.

That makes 2017 interesting. FIU ranks first in returning production, which correlates to about a touchdown of improvement from seasoning alone. Plus, the Panthers were definitively better over the last two months of 2016. These would be beneficial for pretty much any coach to inherit. But Davis’ first years in his given stops haven’t been particularly amazing. Will he be able to take advantage of the experience?

If so, there are certainly wins to be found.

And if not, is he prepared for another long-term rebuild?

Team preview stats

All preview data to date.

[coopsday]

My cooperative vision board.

Cooperatives build a better future for all

How is your cooperatives buiding abetter future for all?

What do you want to do and accomplish on #CoopsDay?

[coopsday]

Get ready the 2024 CoopsDay will be on july 6th.

Celebrate the 30th edition of the International Day of Cooperatives and the 102nd anniversary of the International Cooperatoves Day with us.

[coopsday]

Las cooperativas construyen un futuro mejor para todas las personas.

- Dia Internacional de las cooperativas.

Mi tablero de vision cooperativa.

De que manera tu cooperativa construye in futuro mejor?

Que quieres hacer y conseguir en #coopsDay?

[coopsday]

Preparate para la edicion del 2024 #COOPSDAY en el 6 de Julio.

Celebró el Día Internacional de las Cooperativas.

Las cooperativas construyen un futuro mejor para todas las personas.

[coopsday]

Les coopératives construisent un avenir meilleur pour tous.

Le tableau de bord de ma vision coopérative.

Comment votre coopérative construit-elle un avenir meilleur?

Que voulez-vous faire et réaliser à l'occasion de la Journée des coopératives?

[coopsday]

Soyez prêts pour l’édition 2024 de #coospday le 6 juillet.

Célèbrons la Journée internationale des coopératives 2024.