text:
Bulgarian Spatial Data Infrastructure (BSDI)
Land cover – Reference layer - Bulgaria
Reference layer for the territory of Bulgaria
The Bulgarian initiative for development of a national land cover database, using the methodology of Food and Agriculture Organization – Land Cover Classification System (FAO-LCCS) is an example for applying of best international practices in supporting decision making at local (national) level. The reference database – land cover layer of the territory of Republic of Bulgaria is entirely developed by experts from the Agency for Sustainable Development and Eurointegration – Ecoregions (ASDE) and the Remote Sensing Application Center – ReSAC.
The reference land cover layer is developed, based on satellite images from Landsat satellite (USA) from 2009 with spatial resolution 30 m. Towards every land cover spatial object, information about altitude and slope is provided. A check of reliability of interpreted data has been done and thematic accuracy of 85% has been achieved.
Bulgaria is the first member state of the European Union, which has started land cover database, based on the worldwide methodology LCCS (Land Cover Classification System) throughout the territory of Bulgaria and updated from 2009 – 2010. Another member state, which has built similar database, relying on the Bulgarian experience, is Romania.
Referent layer is in continuous upgrading in regard to degree of details - monitoring of changes, spatial resolution and number of classes, in depend of various use cases, national level projects, where is implemented served as a basement for comparative analysis of existing administrative vector information.
Follow-up activity of the above initiated elaboration of detailed Land cover thematic maps of all major regional cities (NUTS3), by the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, which elaboration concerns intersection of various thematic data, such as city cadaster, administrative boundaries from regulation, infrastructure, agricultural and forest cadaster.
At this stage, regional and municipal authorities could exploit this opportunity where to integrate their own information, such as municipal cadastre, and other raw administrative data which need to be updated and harmonised with up to date reference data. This outcome aims to support regular monitoring activities on regional cities, especially dedicated to risk mapping - detailed land use mapping, exposure and loss (damage) information. This action will enhance the Disaster Risk Management related actions, will increase the resilience of communities to disasters and will contribute to their effective preparation, monitoring and response to various hazards. Similarly, this information will be used to assess their vulnerability and coping capacity to natural disasters.
Assessment of potential impacts of natural disasters (hazards) on anthropogenic activities and assets requires understanding on which specific elements are exposed. These elements could be any of the following: people, households, living districts, infrastructure (critical, transport, other), as well as agricultural and environmental assets.
Referent Layer - BULCOVER
The reference database – land cover layer within the territory of Republic of Bulgaria – "BULCOVER" is entirely prepared by experts from the Agency for Sustainable Development and Eurointegration - Ecoregions (ASDE) and the Remote Sensing Application Center (ReSAC), executive supported by experts from the FAO-UN. Referent Layer is representative for the LC/LU in Bulgaria for the year of 2010. At next level, it is expected overbuilding of database in larger cartographic scale and including of more land cover classes.
The product is available in vector format, with specifications, corresponding to cartographic scale 1:50 000. It is accessible from the "Web GIS environment" menu, where a User name and a Password for access must be submitted.
Database is submitted to the Executive Agency "Electronic Communication Networks and Information Systems" (ECNIS) to Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications and it can be used when building a National geoportal for the needs of harmonization of spatial data and other purposes.
The reference database for Bulgaria, developed using LCCS, is one of the first attempts the global approach for management and observation of ground and landuse being combined with a similar approach at local and national level.
This database is in accordance with the international project GLOBCOVER, in which the European Union, USA, Russia, Canada and other countries all over the world take part.
The reference land cover layer will be used in accordance with the implementation of Directive 2/2007/EC, Directive 60/2007/EC, as well as other Directives and European Union programs. The reference layer includes updated information on relief (from SRTM v4, from DG JRC) and main land cover types, as in that way an appropriate product for planning and management of the territory is created.
WARNING: Using of this product for different applications is a paid service and in this way it is protected by copyright law.
Please, contact us for access to the service!
Land Cover of the 27 regional cities in Bulgaria
Creating the capacity for operational phase of the programme Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (currently – COPERNICUS) and development a reference database on land cover to support the elaboration of a national spatial data infrastructure and transportation/application of the Directive 2007/02/EO - INSPIRE.
In partnership with the State administration, municipalities, civil groups, research organizations, universities and research institutes of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, ASDE participate in the progressive development of operational capacity to implement the requirements of the Directive 2007/02/EO and the Programme Global Monitoring for Environment and security (GMES), currently as Programme "COPERNICUS".
One of the results is the mapping of land cover for the regional cities in Bulgaria on the basis of satellite images with high resolution. The maps are in scale 1:5 000, using images with spatial resolution of 0.5 to 1 meter from different satellites - "Ikonos", "Quickbird" and "Eros". The research/development project has been finalized in 2010 and published on the web-site of BSDI.
Digitalized maps and databases are available to the beneficiary - Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works – Department "Technical rules and regulations." The maps were are developed in coordination with the State Agency for Information Technologies and Communications (currently Executive Agency "Electronic communications networks and information systems"), which started the development of an information system of the harmonization of the spatial data and risk & crisis management.
At this stage, the regional and municipal authorities can verify aggregates in urban areas, by the main areas - industrial zones, residential quarters, green areas, etc. It is possible to explore differences between agricultural, urban and forest cadastre and to identify measures to clean up the errors, ambiguities, missing or unregistered property changes and activities. A regular monitoring of the regional city LC/LU maps is proposed to state and municipal authorities.
Under local municipalities orders, work is going on for preparation of more detailed maps of land cover for the regional cities that will enable to verify the cadastral map of the city, regulatory maps, thematic maps of infrastructure, as well as maps of land, environment and agricultural land around the city.
All this activity is in compliance with the Directive 2007/02/EO (also known as Directive INSPIRE), which requires the harmonization of spatial data in Bulgaria, and the next priority - spatial data in border areas, especially where there are bilateral and international infrastructure projects . The Directive is in force and obligatory for Bulgaria from 04.2007.
Each district and municipal administrations (district of the city), which provide cadastral map in digital form at the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works - Department "Technical rules and regulations" will get back an analysis of land cover and attached to a satellite image cadastral map, so can verify the possible differences or omissions.
With the permission of the beneficiary, ASDE presents the maps of the district towns in pdf format for free use by citizens and organizations on its website, as well as experimentally elaborated portal - Bulgarian spatial data infrastructure.
Risk Mapping Related Activities
Since 2005, ASDE is collaborating with the EC scientific hub – the Joint Research Centre. One of the priority areas of partnership is data accuracy and harmonization, regular monitoring of changes, as well as risk prevention and strengthening resilient society. ASDE concept for data harmonization includes the establishment of a reference land cover/land use data layer, as fundamental for integration of other thematic spatial data bases. Such reference layer is of crucial importance for risk and crisis management as determining the potential impacts of natural or human made hazards on communities requires an understanding of which specific elements are exposed and objective information on these elements.
Since exposed data includes spatial location information, once the hazard footprint is determined, therefore spatial analysis could be used to quickly identify risk components. Possible use case could be estimation of the number of buildings and infrastructure assets, replacement costs of building assets, population estimation, vulnerable demographic society estimation (poor societies, ghettos), agriculture assets which are highly exposed to potential impact within a hazard footprint.
Vulnerability assessment is explicitly linked with the attributes/metrics of exposure (build up space, land use, infrastructure, demography, environment etc.). This information is often available only at local scale part of cadastral plans, critical infrastructure engineering, = etc., and administrated by different institutions at national level which supposes difficulties in estimation and is hard to be accessed on time or within short interval after disaster occurrence
Therefore, we are looking to develop a specific SDB - Local Exposure and Damage Information Dataset ( a quotation from texts of DG JRC E1 - Disaster Risk Management Unit), which in case of Bulgaria, is an added value and a complementary action to the spatial information activities that are already under development; this activity will increase the access to essential information at local scale for disaster risk assessment/prevention and will enhance Disaster Risk Management related actions.
— Choose City — Blagoevgrad Burgas Varna Veliko Tarnovo Vidin Vratsa Gabrovo Dobrich Kardzhali Kjustendil Lovech Montana Pazardzhik Pleven Pernik Plovdiv Razgrad Ruse Silistra Sliven Smolyan Sofia Stara Zagora Targovishte Haskovo Shumen Yambol
Please, just click with left mouse button over the red polygons of the cities to show the map
The general aim is the following three maps to be prepared for each city in Bulgaria:
"Land Cover Map - LCCS (FAO) for the city of Sofia
from LANDSAT-ETM (15 m)."
from SPOT-5 (5 m)."
от IKONOS-2 (1 m)."
Thematic maps of Referential database - land cover of the trans-European transport corridors, through the Republic of Bulgaria:
"Referential database - land cover of the trans-European transport corridors, through the Republic of Bulgaria, from Landsat ETM (30m) satellite imageries and classified on LCCS-FAO"
"Referential database - land cover of the trans-European transport corridors, through the Republic of Bulgaria, from SPOT 5 (5m) satellite imageries and classified on LCCS-FAO"
National Database of the Standing Water in the Republic of Bulgaria
Services in support to Danube Strategy - SmartCover
Web GIS Information Environment
Riskwatch
RiskMan
Eurowatch
Land Cover - Reference Layer
Urban Teritories Management
Flood Simulation Models
Copyright АУРЕ / ASDE , Център-РЕСАК / ReSAC © 2019


text:
What is TA?
About EPTA
Comparison of EPTA Members
Interactive Table
Contact / Current Presidency
TA Portal
EPTA News
EPTA News Archive
News from Members
Documentation (Meetings)
EPTA Logo
Category: Full members
The dutch Rathenau Instituut
Science, technology and innovation are essential for our society to prosper. Knowledge based on independent, quality assured information helps people to develop ideas and innovate, to engage in discussions, influence policy and make decisions that address Europe's grand challenges. At the Rathenau Instituut we research the public impact of science, technology and innovation. Our work, for Dutch and European political decision makers and citizens, aims to promote excellent science policy and provide the best available knowledge for supporting opinion forming on public concerns.
The Rathenau Instituut is an independent organisation for research and dialogue based in the Hague. The institute was founded in 1986 and falls under the administrative responsibility of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). The institute has a multidisciplinary staff of over fifty. It includes social and political scientists, physicists, biologists, statisticians, information specialists, engineers, trend watchers, innovation experts, philosophers, economists and legal and policy experts. There are two research departments and a communications unit. The Technology Assessment (TA) department explores, identifies and analyses the impact of science and technology on society. It provides unbiased and independent advice to political decision makers and the public. Our TA department has over twenty years' experience of participation methods, public dialogue and stakeholder processes that assist political and societal opinion forming and decision making. The Science System Assessment (SciSA) department conducts high-quality research into Research & Innovation systems and their effects on policies using both quantitative and qualitative data to enable evidencebased decision-making. It provides analyses, indicators and evaluation methods for public and private investment in R&D, innovation, and strategies for excellent science policy. Our SciSA staff also has a thorough knowledge of academic careers and mobility, knowledge transfer and collaborative research projects. The Communications Department includes journalists and media experts. Their knowledge also encompasses participation and public dialogue methods, stakeholder meetings, valorisation processes and creative and effective dissemination strategies. The Rathenau Instituut is independent in both status and spirit; critical, flexible, and focused on delivering high quality research with impact. We have a large international network of scientific, innovation and industrial experts, policymakers and NGOs. We work according to a quality review protocol. International cooperation is crucial for understanding and addressing developments in science and technology. The Rathenau Instituut has a strong relationship with its many sister organisations in Europe and is a prominent member of the European Parliamentary Technology Assessment network (EPTA). It works for the European Commission, the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and its Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA). The Rathenau Instituut has additional international partnerships in China, Japan, India, Korea and the United States.
Visitors: Anna van Saksenlaan 51
2593 HW The Hague
Director: Dr. ir. Melanie Peters
EPTA Reports
2019: Technologies in care for older people
2018: Towards a digital democracy opportunities and challenges
View all EPTA reports
New Projects from EPTA members
Bioelectronics (TA-SWISS)
Inter- and Hyperconnectivity (TA-SWISS)
Focus Climate (TA-SWISS)
Intellectual Property: Additional Agency Actions Can Improve Assistance to Small Businesses and Inventors (STAA)
Agile Assessment Guide: Best Practices for Agile Adoption and Implementation (STAA)
Science & Tech Spotlight: Agile Software Development (STAA)
Science & Tech Spotlight: Consumer Electronics Recycling (STAA)
Recent Policy Briefs from EPTA members
Autonomous weapon systems (TAB)
Light pollution – extent, effects and approaches (TAB)
Actualitat COVID-19. Estat de la recerca, 6 (CAPCIT)
Programmed trust: Opportunities and risks of blockchain technology (TA-SWISS)
Programmiertes Vertrauen: Chancen und Risiken der Blockchain-Technologie (TA-SWISS)
Confiance programmée : Chances et risques de la technologie blockchain (TA-SWISS)
View all policy briefs
Imprint | mail to webmaster

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Queens of the Stone Age, who have a new album—'Villains'—coming out in a few weeks, released some new music today. Be sure to check out "The Evil Has Landed," their new single (also available on iTunes), via the charmingly semi-creepy lyric video below.
Queens of the Stone Age, who have a new album—Villains—coming out in a few weeks, released some new music today. Be sure to check out "The Evil Has Landed," their new single (also available on iTunes), via the charmingly semi-creepy lyric video below.
The undeniably catchy tune, which benefits from a mid-period Led Zeppelin vibe before morphing into a straight-ahead blues-rocker, was produced by Mark Ronson.
It also happens to be packed with guitars; oddly enough, the band recently told NME that guitars are "going extinct."
Villains will be released August 25.


mPower VLM from Milan Tally Services is a dedicated solution built on Tally.ERP9 for Vehicle Finance and micro-finance institutions.
The vehicle financing market is rapidly growing. In order to address business and profitability challenges, lenders must be efficient, and responsive to both Auto Dealers and their Customers.
The most successful vehicle financers focus their operations on managing risk exposure; leveraging size and scale to optimize processing efficiency; and meeting the needs of their customers. Milan offers solutions that help you manage the complete lending life cycle and maximize the lending experience. We continually invest in technology solutions and services that meet both market demands and consumer expectations.
Loan Management – Registered Customers are provided with loans based on their financial requirement and qualification criteria.
Dealer Transaction – Dealers are given lending business support for their customers. Hence a Customer can directly approach finance companies or come through Dealer to repay the loans.
Registration Certificate – Registration certificates are maintained and given to customer. It remains as Hypothecated to status until recovery of the loan.
Insurance – Insurance coverage information along with renewals are maintained in the system for easy recovery in case of an accident.
Milan offers end-to-end software and services that support all of your vehicle financing and business needs, from loan application through settlement. We also offer high-tech outsourced services for web development, customer support, and partner marketing. A business partnership with Milan helps make your lending operation more versatile and gives you a competitive edge that will position you for future growth.
Detailed record of members ranging from KYC to their Family, Residence and Occupation details.
Loan disbursement and repayment schedules.
Loan Recovery Plan like Monthly, Bi-Monthly, Quarterly and Half-Yearly.
Automated EMI calculator to determine interest and installments.
Member Instalment Receipt with PDC as well as reverse entry in case of cheque bounce.
Loan recovery and Pre-closure settlement.
MIS information and reports like Disbursement Summary, Approval & Unapproved Report, Ledger Card, Arrear Report, Loan defaulters as well as Collection Due reports.
Additional service products like RC and Insurance are available as add-ons in the solution.
Automated entries reduce staff time in data entry and also improve accuracy.
MIS reports that warn of doubtful debts and defaults that help improve debt collection.
Reduced cycle time for loan recovery, thereby reducing recovery costs.
The solution integrates with specific SMS services and Handheld POS printer devices.
In all, improved efficiency, more control, better services and higher earnings! For more information on mPower VLM, please download the Brochure & Presentation and also call +91 33 4006 9434/ 4065 3152, Email info@milantallyservices.com or fill out the Enquiry form.


RANCHO SANTA FE — The Village Community Presbyterian Theater offers one of America's classic Christmas stories, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," by Barbara Robinson, at 7 p.m. Dec. 4 and Dec. 5 and Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. at 6225 Paseo Delicias. Admission is free but donations are accepted.
A cast of 34 is in rehearsals for this well-loved play that tells how the Herdmans, the worst kids in town, decide to take over the annual Christmas pageant. None of them has ever heard the Christmas story before. Their interpretation of the tale, that the Wise Men are a bunch of spies and Herod needs a good beating has a lot of people up in arms. But it will make this year's pageant the most unusual anyone has seen and just possibly, the best one ever.
The play is directed by the Village Church drama director, Margie Wood and the stage combat scenes have been choreographed by Chris Williams. Barbara Adams is featured in the role of Mrs. Bradley, the mother who has been suddenly recruited to direct the annual pageant, Avelino Cortina as her husband with Alexa Sorensen and David Worsey as her children. The Herdmans are played by Parker and Kate Mitchell, Albert Shepherd, Rachel Waite, Kylie Duncan and Clark Brown.


text:
2019 Honda Insight Is Basically A Civic Hybrid With More Premium Aspirations (With Video)
The Honda Insight returns as a more premium hybrid positioned above the Civic.
Honda has announced at the 2018 New York International Auto Show the return of the Honda Insight, which debuts in production form at New York.
With a body that looks similar to the 10th generation Honda Civic, it is no surprise then that the Honda Insight shares the same basic architecture as the Civic, only this time, it carries a more cohesive and bolder front end, with its large "flying wing" grille, sleek LED headlamps with LED daytime running lights, sharp and dynamic character lines, and a sleek coupe-like profile. Compared to the Civic, the Insight gets numerous engineering enhancements to further improve ride quality, and cabin quietness, which is achieved by the use of sound insulation in the engine bay, front fenders, front firewall, and front and rear floor. Unique to the Honda Insight is its aluminum hood for less weight which leads to greater fuel efficiency.
Inside the Insight, a more upscale and premium cabin over the Civic is presented. The dashboard is trimmed with real stitching details, soft touch materials, leather, and a mix of shiny and matte finishes. A 7-inch TFT LCD digital gauge cluster presents driver information in a legible and easy to read manner. Front and center is a new generation of Honda's Display Audio infotainment system, which is now 8 inches in size, and first appeared in the Accord midsize sedan. The new infotainment system gets a customizable app tile menu system and smartphone-like usability. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is fitted to the new infotainment system.
Thanks to the car's excellent packaging, Honda says that its trunk space isn't compromised by the battery, as it offers 427.5 liters of space, which Honda says "rivals gasoline versions of midsize cars". 60/40 split rear seats further aid the Insight's practicality.
Underneath the hood of the Insight is a third generation of Honda's hybrid powertrain. It is comprised of a 1.5-liter Atkinson cycle engine, electric motor, and a lithium-ion battery pack. Total system output is 151 hp and 267 Nm of (electric motor) torque. This hybrid system is different from usual hybrid systems, as Honda's hybrid system does not use a conventional gearbox. Instead, the electric motor directly powers the wheels. It is only during high speeds when a lock-up clutch connects the engine to the wheels, in which Honda says provides "the most efficient operation duraing highway and freeway driving". This powertrain combination, based on Honda's internal testing, achieves 23.3 km/l (55 US MPG) in the city, where a hybrid is normally at its most fuel efficient.
As usual with many modern cars nowadays, the Insight is equipped as standard with the Honda Sensing suite of active safety technologies, which include Forward Collison Warning (FCW), Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Assistance System, Road Departure Mitigation, Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow and Traffic Sign Recognition. EX and Touring models get Honda's LaneWatch blind spot camera, and all variants receive a multi-angle rear view camera.
The Honda Insight is positioned between the Honda Accord and Honda Civic, with sales to being in early summer of 2018. Do you wish for Honda Cars Philippines Inc. to offer the Insight here?
TagsHonda Cars Philippines Inc • Honda Motor Company • New York Auto Show
0 comments on "2019 Honda Insight Is Basically A Civic Hybrid With More Premium Aspirations (With Video)"


Categories: Performance Light, LED Moving Head Light. Tags: LED Moving Head Spot Light, VG-LM150S.
We have designed this new item 150W led moving head spot light to meet the market need, this light is very good for night bar, stage, TV, and other entertainment place.
Temperature protect function, when the internal Temperature is up to 40° and ·then the fans begin to work, when the internal temperature is up to 70°and the brightness reduce half.


text:
Education Case Study
Students are expected to comply with a set of rules that regulate interactions in the learning environment. In this case, any bad behavior, such as disrespecting other students or instructors, attracts the institution's punishment. Fixed-term exclusions are some of the consequences imposed on students who fail to uphold the outlined behavior standards in the learning environment. Notably, the headteacher issues fixed-term exclusions after establishing that a student cannot fit in the institution because of their bad behavior. The affected student is exempted from attending school for a specified duration, during which parents are expected to engage their children to streamline their behavior. Students from a specific population group were the most affected by the fixed-term exclusions in Preston Manor School, compelling the institution to review its approach towards the punishment. Therefore, effective policy formulation enables learning institutions to develop inclusive outcomes that enhance the quality of education offered to students and expose them to opportunities that mold them into responsible citizens.
The Preston Manor School identified that Somali and African-Caribbean students were the most affected by the institution's fixed-term exclusions. In 2011, 45 students out of the 122 learners given fixed-term exclusions were from the Somali and African-Caribbean community groups (Jackson & Berkeley, 2020). Fixed-term exclusions harm a student's learning capacity because of the time taken to catch up with the rest of the class on a broad spectrum of learning courses. In the same vein, punishment has a mental impact on the affected students because of the students' inability to connect with the outside world. Facing retribution at school and home can worsen the situation, where the student may develop a different perspective towards life. However, imposing racial discrimination on the punishment's issuance has a far-reaching impact on the student's nature of interactions with other people. Since the outcome would taint the institution's image, the school's authority sought to find a way of correcting the practice. Through the Public Sector Equality Duty compliance, the institution aimed to reduce the fixed-term exclusion among the Somalis and African-Caribbean students by 40%.
The Preston Manor School's decision was a well-timed decision that demonstrated the institution's intention to produce responsible students who can respond to the community's issues. Having identified the problem, the school's administration aligned its response with the equality concepts where the affected student population would be exposed to an enabling environment that could change their perspectives towards life. While the Preston Manor School's main objective was to reduce the high rate of exclusions amongst the Somali and African-Caribbean students, it also projected a long-term commitment that would change the school's perspective towards the punishment (Demie, 2019). Notably, the school's administration anticipated an overall reduction in fixed-term exclusion cases from all students because of the impact of the learning institution's direction. Likewise, the proposed directive would create an enabling environment where students would experience the result of complying with regulations by learning from the corporate world.
The launch of the Black Boys Council (BBC) demonstrated the school's approach in reducing the fixed-term exclusions among the Somali's and African-Caribbean students in the learning environment. The BBC's composition was made up of successful black students and their unsuccessful peers who were at the risk of facing the exclusions. BBC's objective was to expose the affected students to successful black men from established corporations such as KPMG, Deloitte, Ernst & Young. In the school's business training day, BBC was allocated a budget and given the freedom to make independent decisions on how the money would be spent. Importantly, students within the BBC were peer leaders who were expected to use their influence to encourage other learners about the importance of adhering to the school's discipline standards. From this regard, students from the Somali and African-Caribbean backgrounds would listen to their peers and emulate their behavior, which led to a reduction in their exclusions.
Alternative Solutions to the Case
Many critics of fixed-term exclusions focus on the strategy's ineffectiveness by citing the subsequent involvement of students in destructive behavior. Importantly, learning institutions should develop whole-school thinking that exposes the administration to a range of vices that affect their ability to comply with the recommended behavior standards. In this case, the school head should ensure that different learning environment components are coherent to create a homogenous context that supports learning (Parsons, 2018). Since the problem at Preston Manor School appeared to affect students of Somali and African-Caribbean descend, the administration would have developed an understanding that highlights the significance of compliance in the corporate world. Notably, creating a supportive class environment encourages students to focus on achieving the expected learning objectives and incorporating them into their moral compass (Kay & Middleton, 2020). A supportive class environment builds a culture of responsibility where students understand the impact of their actions and contribute to other students' development in their surroundings.
The Preston Manor School can prioritize professional learning and staff development where instructors are made aware of the approaches they should use when interacting with students from different backgrounds. On many occasions, international students encounter difficulties adapting to the new learning environment because of their perspectives towards life. In this regard, teachers should be willing to help students adjust to the new environment by offering coping insights and mechanisms that enhance their learning experience. Likewise, instructors should maintain the same energy when interacting with domestic students to avoid creating a rivalry between the two student groups. In the same vein, staff members should be aware of the importance of mental health education and how it can affect learning within the institution (Parsons, 2018). By examining students' overall well-being and exposing them to conducive learning, the setting is one of the approaches that Preston Manor School can adopt to regulate the frequency of issuing fixed-term exclusions to domestic and international students.
Effective policy formulation enables learning institutions to develop inclusive outcomes that enhance the quality of education offered to students and expose them to opportunities that mold them into responsible citizens. Students from Somali and African-Caribbean backgrounds were the most affected by the fixed-term exclusions compelling the institution to review its approach towards the punishment at the Preston Manor School. The consequence is issued to learners who fail to meet the school's behavior students when interacting with their peers and instructors, among other individuals in the learning environment. By adopting the Black Boys Council (BBC), the school demonstrated its intent to streamline the affected students to become responsible individuals within the school and beyond. However, the institution could have developed whole-school thinking that would extend beyond students of Somali and African-Caribbean descend.
Demie, F. (2019). The experience of Black Caribbean pupils in school exclusion in England. Educational Review, 1-16.
Jackson, E., & Berkeley, A. (Eds.). (2020). Sustaining depth and meaning in school leadership: Keeping your head. Routledge.
Kay, L., & Middleton, T. (2020). Inclusion and school exclusion–Key Issues for SENCos in England.
Parsons, C. (2018). Looking for strategic alternatives to school exclusion. In The Palgrave International Handbook of School Discipline, Surveillance, and Social Control (pp. 529-552). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Parsons, C. (2018, August). The continuing school exclusion scandal in England. In FORUM: for promoting 3-19 comprehensive education (Vol. 60, No. 2, pp. 245-254). Symposium Books Ltd.


I was fed up of making just cards so i decided to do something a bit different for me.
I decided to get the inks, paints, & stamps out etc & get messy!!!
So here's what i made but first i will show you the MDF Cog Frame before it was altered.
Isn't it gorgeous, i just love the look of MDF before it's painted.
This is Available from That Craft Place Ltd and there are LOT'S more shapes available and they offer a Bespoke Cutting Service too.
So onto the finished piece.
Don't you just love that Brass Frame with the Butterfly & Swirls on! ( from That Craft Place) I put a Clock Die inside the Frame.
Close Up of some of the Texture i Created with Frantage & Texture Paste. ( the brass Zip Pull was from my Stash).
I have used Inka Gold in 3 Different Colours, Tim Holtz Ink Pads for ageing the edges of the Die Cuts once i had sanded them all. 3 Different colours of Frantage.
Quirky Crafts - Frame It) ends 25th Oct) Won 1st Prize!
Wow, this is stunning, love the shape, love the image, love all the details, so much to see.
oooh, I think I "need"some of those mdf frames!!!!
It is just gorgeous!! Love the card!
Wow, your frame is so beautiful, love the colors and the textures. This is stunning. Thanks for playing with us over at Loves Rubberstamps!!!


And when that happened, how did you feel?
How did you feel when you witnessed that birth?
And when your father died, how did that make you feel ?
How did you--? When did--?
Brandon, how did you feel? When?
-Yes. -And how did that make you feel?
Ellie and Jack? When did that happen?
And he spoke. How did that happen?
How did you feel when you walked out on the committee this morning?
And how did yourself feel about that?
How did that feel when I tore that up?


If there's such a thing as a socialite in the start-up community, Chris McCann, the co-founder of Startup Digest, would be it.
A little more than a year ago, he arrived in Silicon Valley, fresh out of college at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where he graduated with an entrepreneurship degree (a degree, of course, that he helped develop). Knowing few people in the Bay Area, McCann started hitting the start-up event circuit and networking with Silicon Valley's finest. Some events were useful. Some, not so much. To keep track of each one, McCann logged his experiences in a journal of sorts, which he emailed to a group of 22 friends back in November.
Since then, what started as an informal email chain has grown into a weekly newsletter with more than 64,000 subscribers in 51 cities, from Houston to Tokyo. Startup Digest, as it's now called, has representatives around the world, who seek out the most important events for entrepreneurs and recommend them to subscribers. Though McCann's a little too busy these days to attend every lecture and meetup in and around Palo Alto, where the company's based, he recently spoke with Inc. reporter Issie Lapowsky about Startup Digest's growth and the crucial need it fills for entrepreneurs.
When did you realize you might be able to turn your networking skills into a service for other people?
I got to know my co-founder Brendan McManus about three years ago when he was working on a start-up called UpDown. I was one of the early users of it. We both independently moved up the Bay Area, and he randomly Facebook messaged me and was like, 'I'm in Silicon Valley, do you know any place to stay?' Coincidentally, I was being kicked out of the sublet I was in, so we came together to look for a house. What I loved about him was when we moved in together it was like 9 o'clock at night and he was like, 'Well? What are we going to work on?' I was like this is awesome. So we just tried a whole bunch of ideas out, and Startup Digest was one of those things.
How'd you get the word out about it?
The thing with the Digest is, I was actually going to the events I was featuring. At the event, I'd always ask the organizers if they'd let me talk for a minute afterward to tell people about Startup Digest. So I remember the first time, I gave a little thing about it, and we originally didn't have a website. The only way you could sign up was you had to either email me or Twitter me, and that was the only way I could put you on the list. The first time I said it at an event, I had 20-30 people come up to me asking to be on the list. Silicon Valley's a very small place, so word spread quickly.
Now that you have newsletters going out all over the world, how do you maintain quality control?
We have curators in each city. Most of them are startup entrepreneurs themselves. Some of them are investors in startups, and some of them have cashed out of their startup, but they have to be somewhere along that chain. We pre-screen people, and then they're the ones who pick the events in their city. And it's not like we pick specific cities and try to find someone there. People come to us and say, 'I'm a founder in Seattle, and I heard about you guys. I really want to do it here.' We have a little form where they can apply on the website, then we do a quick call with them to make sure they're doing it for the right reasons and get to know them a little bit, and then we have an internal wiki to set them up.
Were you surprised by anyone who contacted you?
Actually, one of our fastest-growing cities was Capetown, South Africa. This guy has a company called Personera, which is really freaking cool. He heard about us because he had an investor in San Francisco, and he was like, 'Hey we need something like this in Capetown.' He just applied through the online form, just like anybody else, and he went from like 1 to 81 members in a week or two. Now, I think it's at almost 1,000 people signed up.
What's the cost of running a newsletter on this scale?
The start-up costs were basically nothing. We started with Gmail to send the emails and Excell to manage the list. All we had was the website cost, which was, all in all, less than $100. Now the costs to operate are less than $1,000 a month. We're spending $500 a month on emails, then the rest on hosting, travel, events, etc. The biggest cost is Brendan and my living cost. We make the majority of our money through advertorial emails and sponsorship.
Which events get the most attention?
The ones that are always the most popular are private events, the ones you have to apply to get into. We usually feature the event and say, 'Here's how you can get in touch with the people.' Those do really well. Also, launch parties do really well. We feature events from huge conferences all the way down to really small meetups, and you find that the smaller meetups that are usually more technical and skill-focused, actually perform surprisingly well.
You guys host your own events, too, right?
We only do one event, and it's more fun and silly for our subscribers. It's called Startup Waffles. It's free waffles, and whenever we travel, we do one for our subscribers, and we do it once a month in San Francisco.
At least for now, it's all event listings. The Silicon Valley one is still the biggest of all the cities, and we're transitioning that one slowly into more of a daily newsletter, sort of like Daily Candy, because people have been demanding more content from us.
Why do you think Startup Digest has become so popular so quickly?
As much as I use Facebook, Twitter and all that stuff that's out there, there's nothing that's going to replace person-to-person interaction. You go and meet an investor or customer face-to-face, and you're excited about it. You make a stronger connection really quickly. Then it's a lot easier to follow up on these other channels, but that person-to-person feeling can never be replaced.


text:
God's Big World
WorldKids
WorldTeen
Subscribe Alexa Flash Briefing
Subscribe Alexa WORLDRadio
World Journalism Institute
Radio Transcripts
Weapons-grade crisis
Escalating tensions with Iran have roots in new data on its nuclear capacity showing the regime could develop a 'fully functional' nuclear missile in under a year
The Anglican Church in North America turns 10 as the battle for Biblical fidelity continues
A man over the moon
The historic Apollo moon landings still marvel scientists a half-century later, but astronaut Charlie Duke says he's also learned the heavens declare the glory of God
Three other R's
Scottish evangelicals of the 19th century can teach us about revival, reformation, and reunion
Andrée Seu Peterson / Janie B. Cheaney / Joel Belz / Marvin Olasky / Mindy Belz / The Editors /
Science / Lifestyle / Money / Sports / Religion / Politics / Technology / Law / Media / Medicine / Education
Metro Minute / Snapshots of China / Sophia's World / Whirled Views /
Movies / Music / Television / Children's Books / Books / Q&A
Quotables / Human Race / News / Quick Takes
Cambodian casinoville
Chinese wealth is transforming the formerly sleepy beach town of Sihanoukville, Cambodia, into a tourist and gambling hot spot—and many locals aren't happy about it
by Angela Lu Fulton in Sihanoukville, Cambodia
Post Date: March 14, 2019 - Issue Date: March 30, 2019
A new casino under construction behind the Golden Lions Roundabout in downtown Sihanoukville (Jack Kurtz/Zuma Press/Newscom)
Second in a series on changing cities
Walking along the long narrow stretch of Ochheuteal Beach on the Cambodian coast of Sihanoukville is like walking between two worlds. On one side, a small boy runs gleefully into the waves as the golden sun dips down to the ocean, the sky awash in purples and pinks. On the other, trash piles up on construction sites as the skeletons of buildings and tower cranes stretch to the sky.
At the center of town, the garish statues of two golden lions in the middle of a roundabout watch over what once was a quiet beach town popular among Western backpackers, expats, and local Cambodians. Yet today, large cement trucks rumble past high-rise Chinese hotels and casinos, the ocean air is polluted with dust, and the noise of construction continues day and night. Restaurant signs prominently feature simplified Chinese rather than Khmer or English and advertise food from different regions of China: Sichuan, Shanxi, Beijing. Walking down the street in Sihanoukville feels more like being in China than in Cambodia.
Although gambling is illegal for Cambodians, the city currently boasts about 30 casinos for Chinese tourists, with 70 more currently under construction. The largest is Jin Bei Casino & Hotel, lit up at night with multicolored lights and decorated with a 3D model of playing cards and dice in a clamshell above the entrance. Inside, patrons walk through a metal detector into a bright, spacious casino with a patterned carpet. Past rows of electronic slot machines, chain-smoking Chinese men place bets at green-felted baccarat tables as Cambodians deal the cards.
Chinese investors hope to turn Sihanoukville, named after the late Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk, into a gambling and vacation destination for Chinese tourists. But more than the promise of a new Macao, Sihanoukville is also the only deep-water port in Cambodia and an important part of China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to create a network of transportation, energy, and telecommunications infrastructure across Asia, Europe, and Africa.
In the tax-free Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone, which spans 4 square miles, Chinese companies run most of the existing factories. The goal is to open 300 factories and employ 70,000 workers to make garments and consumer goods at low costs. China is Cambodia's closest ally and largest foreign investor, funneling $5.3 billion into the country between 2013 and 2017. At the same time, Cambodia's reliance on China is growing: The West cut off aid after Prime Minister Hun Sen dissolved opposition parties and jailed political leaders ahead of last July's elections.
While Sihanoukville's construction boom has created more jobs for Cambodians, resentment toward the Chinese newcomers is also growing. The massive overdevelopment has destroyed beaches, priced locals out of the area, and increased crime as the casinos attract money laundering and Chinese gangs. Cambodians complain that Chinese money ends up back in Chinese pockets: Tourists stay in Chinese-run hotels, eat at Chinese-run restaurants, and hire Chinese drivers, putting locals out of business.
Fahrettin Korhan (left), owner of Olive & Olive, and Cheon Thavet, manager of the restaurant. (Angela Lu Fulton)
ON ONE SIDE OF THE ROUNDABOUT, Western and Chinese tourists enjoy fresh-baked pizzas, flatbread dipped in hummus, and large bowls of spaghetti bolognese at Olive & Olive Mediterranean Restaurant. Ethnically Turkish owner Fahrettin Korhan opened the restaurant seven years ago when the town was still small. At the time, he felt frustrated that he couldn't find any restaurants in the area with good food and good hygiene, so he opened his own, hiring local employees and cooking with imported ingredients. Since then Olive & Olive has become one of the most popular restaurants in town.
When Chinese workers came to town three years ago, Korhan was prepared. Olive & Olive was the first restaurant to feature a Chinese-language menu, and he was excited that the Chinese wanted to invest in Cambodia and its people. He had grown tired of unambitious Western expats who staffed their restaurants and guesthouses with backpackers (Western, low-budget travelers) in exchange for food and shelter rather than hire locals. Korhan even had some of his employees learn Mandarin in order to interact with their new customers.
But after the Chinese arrived, Korhan's tune changed: "We realized these people are invading the country and not even employing Khmer staff or buying construction material from this country." While Cambodians could earn low-paying jobs at the casinos or construction sites, the Chinese brought over their own materials and workers. Other enterprising Chinese businessmen opened up their own restaurants, grocery stores, and taxi companies. While Chinese money has reached the hands of Sihanoukville landowners, laborers can no longer afford to live in the city.
Olive & Olive (Angela Lu Fulton)
The nonstop construction has also cost Korhan, as workers are building a giant hotel on a plot of land next to the guesthouse he owns. Day and night, construction workers dig into the ground with jackhammers, cracking the walls of his guesthouse. He's recently filed a petition for the construction to stop since he's no longer able to rent out the rooms due to the racket next door.
"The problem here is there's no infrastructure, no control over the construction," Korhan said. "They just come and do as they wish. They think money can buy everything."
As Chinese swoop in with suitcases full of cash, rent has skyrocketed: In the past, Olive & Olive staff could rent an apartment to share between two or three people for $50 a month. Today, the same apartment costs $800. The high rent has forced thousands to move and shut down hundreds of Cambodian-owned businesses. Bars, nightclubs, and restaurants once lined the beachfront, but most have been forced to close as backpackers—their main clientele—have stopped coming. One- and two-star reviews fill the TripAdvisor page for Ochheuteal Beach, with tourists complaining about broken glass, trash, and even dead rats found in the sand.
The crime rate also has increased as the casino business naturally attracts other vices: money laundering, prostitution, kidnappings, drunk driving, and fights. Police are easily swayed by bribes, so many of the perpetrators are not caught. Last July, a Chinese gangster shot four men from a rival gang in the legs during a drunken brawl at a Chinese restaurant. Shortly afterward, five Chinese tourists kidnapped another five tourists and held them for ransom to cover gambling losses.
The tensions between local Cambodians and the influx of Chinese prompted provincial Gov. Yun Min to write in a report to the Ministry of the Interior in January 2018 that the large number of foreigners in the city "gives opportunity to the Chinese mafia to commit crimes and kidnap Chinese investors due to increased insecurity in the province." He added that "some foreigners do not respect the traffic laws; they drink alcohol, get drunk, yell, have arguments, and are fighting each other at restaurants and in public places."
Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has forged close ties with China, reassured Sihanoukville residents that the rough-edged Chinese workers were only in the country temporarily because of the shortage of skilled Cambodians. Once all the construction is finished, he suggested, a different sort of Chinese tourist would be coming to the country. China promises to send 2 million visitors a year by 2020.
Only a few Chinese families came to the Sihanoukville beach during the Chinese New Year holiday in February. Even at Jin Bei Casino, just a few tables were occupied. Korhan noted that this was because the casinos in Sihanoukville make most of their money from live-dealing online gaming. This means the casino has a separate pit or room where dealers pass out cards with a high-definition camera pointed at the table. Players can place bets and make moves from the comfort of their own homes. These online gambling sites share the gaming license of the brick-and-mortar casino.
Because Cambodia does not yet have strict gaming rules in place, it's easy for gamblers to launder money or skirt currency controls, especially through online gaming. Money-laundering watchdog Financial Action Task Force announced in February that it had placed Cambodia back on its gray list of "jurisdictions with strategic deficiencies" as the country had never prosecuted a money-laundering case and its judicial system had "high levels of corruption."
OLIVE & OLIVE is considered lucky: While business has dropped by 30 percent, Korhan's preparation for the influx of Chinese nationals and the fact that he's locked into a nine-year lease on the building means that he may be the last non-Chinese restaurant to remain standing. In order to attract more customers, he asks his Chinese customers to rate and review his restaurant on Chinese social media platforms.
Across the street from Olive & Olive, Western tourists wait outside the Koh Rong Dive Center for a bus to take them to a ferry that will speed them away from Sihanoukville construction to the tranquil islands off the Cambodian coast. Inside the dive shop, Katerina Zelenova sits behind a table reminiscing about what life in Sihanoukville was like when she arrived from Russia in 2013: "It was a sleepy, slow, and very friendly town." Now the town is polluted, the old expat haunts are gone, and she feels like a stranger in her own home.
She remembers when finding a place to live was as easy as biking around and looking for "room for rent" signs, but now it's impossible to find any available rooms. The landlord of the dive shop is also tripling the shop's rent, and she believes it's only a matter of time before they have to move. "I love the company I work for and I make good money, but if I got a chance to leave, I would take it," Zelenova said.
Katerina Zelenova (Angela Lu Fulton)
Further from town, Otres Beach has managed to stay relatively clean and quiet. Only a few Chinese-backed hotels are under construction there, but the beachfront restaurants say that business is bad because the Chinese influx has scared away their usual Western clientele. At the Ren Hotel's restaurant, Cambodian manager Reach Heng noted that since the Chinese came, the price of seafood has increased while the number of customers has decreased.
He complains that Westerners have stopped coming to Sihanoukville because the Chinese tourists are loud, they smoke, and they get into drunken fights. Locals like him are vexed because the Chinese seem to look down on Cambodians.
"They don't want to learn about our culture," Reach Heng said. "They only want to come here to look rich."
Hun Sen (Heng Sinith/AP)
Quid pro quos
Beijing's model of giving out loans with a promise of nonintervention has been a boon to Cambodia's strongman, Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has remained in power for the past 34 years. While the West had always given funds on the condition Cambodia move toward democracy, Beijing writes blank checks regardless of Hun Sen's crackdowns on political opponents. In exchange, Hun Sen has supported China's South China Sea territorial claims and has banned Taiwan's flag from Cambodia, treating the island as a province of China.
Yet Chinese loans have higher interest rates than those of other countries and typically require countries to hire state-owned Chinese companies to build the infrastructure. Cambodia also owes half of its $6 billion in public foreign debt to China, with $3.5 billion more in the Belt and Road Initiative lending pipeline. It's one of 23 countries at high risk of debt distress due to Belt and Road loans, according to a report by the Center for Global Development. But Hun Sen is upbeat, announcing after a recent meeting with China's President Xi Jinping, "The President said the relationship between China and Cambodia is very special, compared to other countries."
Chinese tourists are now Cambodia's largest source of foreign visitors, making up 32 percent of international arrivals. More than 1.27 million Chinese tourists visited Cambodia during the first eight months of 2018, up 72 percent from the same period in 2017. At the popular tourist destination of Angkor Wat, a temple complex built in the 12th century, Chinese tour groups swarm the grounds. Chinese women in flowing dresses and heels snap selfies in front of intricate carvings on the sandstone walls. One woman spent 10 minutes throwing her willowy scarf into the air again and again, hoping her friend could capture the moment in a perfect portrait. —A.L.F.
Angela Lu Fulton
Angela is a reporter for WORLD Magazine who lives and works in Taiwan. She enjoys cooking, reading, and storytelling. Follow Angela on Twitter @angela818.
Rugged pioneers settled a desolate landscape in the plains of north Texas nearly two centuries ago. So, it seems fitting for a group of Christians who fled an arid spiritual landscape more than a ...
Moments before astronaut Neil Armstrong steered a lunar module onto the surface of the moon, Charlie Duke wondered if he might have to abort one of the most spectacular missions of the 20th century. ...
(828) 435-2981 • Become a Member
WORLD News Group
WORLD Kids
WORLD Teen
God's Big WORLD
© 1986-2019 WORLD News Group. All Rights Reserved.


Creative V E R B O S I T Y: "rain (2001 remix)"
We live always with rain.
Soft rain. Hard, driving rain.
Rain which cools, annoys, drenches, surprises.
to your hot face in relief.
flapping, ready to take off.
Rain a kind of voice.
and singing of its own arrival.
Gift of rain. Summons of rain.
of servicemen on night patrol.
heads of our buried dead.
upon row, a city of rain.


This blog was started to chronicle the adventures of a 20-year-old something cubicle dweller with a renewed passion and thirst to rediscover the world.
Title was inspired by one of her favorite songs: "Change" by Deftones.
Thanks for the enthusiasm and energy towards my blog! I could already tell that we can relate to one another! 🙂 Hope you enjoy all my future posts! See you around!


text:
Archived Content Hot or Not: The Chris Ivory Story
What do we really know about Christopher Lee Ivory? Well, first off, did you know his middle name is Lee? Does that make you want to draft him more or less than before? The answer shouldn't really matter, because Ivory is one of the hottest and most highly debated names in the fantasy football community right now.
For years, we kept wondering what would happen if Ivory was given a chance to be the lead back for a team. He's been stuck on a New Orleans depth chart behind the likes of Reggie Bush, Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas, and Mark Ingram. And New Orleans never seemed to treat him right. Now, our wishes have come true. The Saints traded Ivory to the Jets for a fourth round draft pick, and it's changed the fantasy football landscape.
The small glimpses we've seen of Ivory have made us salivate at his potential. Just take a look at this 2012 Chris Ivory highlight reel for some insight.
Did you watch it? Good. Now watch it again.
Aren't you a little mesmerized by his running style? I liken Ivory to, quite obviously, Marshawn Lynch. He's got a vicious nasty streak in his running style, similar to Lynch, but really, he also has some finesse. And he's fast, too. Maybe not breakaway Chris Johnson fast, but he's certainly fast. It's pretty amazing considering his 220-plus pound frame. I couldn't help but stare in wonderment as to how quickly he was blowing by, as well as bowling over, defenders.
There's no doubt that Ivory passes the eye test. But unfortunately, that's not all we care about with fantasy football.
As much as we want to find the next big thing in the fake sport – and Ivory sure is shaping up to fill that void this year – we don't really have much to go on with Ivory. Since signing with the Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2010, Ivory has appeared in just 24 games, with 8 starts to his name.
In those 24 games, Ivory accumulated 1,307 yards rushing and 8 rushing touchdowns with a 5.1 yards per carry average. He caught just 3 passes for 32 yards.
It's a pretty small sample size, but it does show promise, which is sometimes enough for some fantasy football owners. But is it enough for a high fantasy draft pick?
With any newly acquired football player, be it through free agency, a trade, or the draft, we also have to account for opportunity and situation. With Ivory headed to the Jets, both seem to be ideal.
When we look at the Jets' running back depth chart, the first thing to notice is that Shonn Greene's name isn't on it; he left for Tennessee earlier in the off-season. The Jets signed former Panther turned Raider Mike Goodson earlier in the off-season to be the team's new starter, many assumed, with Bilal Powell as their only other option at the position. The Ivory trade clearly changes that though, as he's the obvious best back on team entering the 2013 season.
Now, taking a look at Greene's career as a New York Jet can shed some light on Ivory. When the name Shonn Greene is tossed around in fantasy football circles, the word "plodder" or "slow" are often brought up. Many would probably coin him overrated, too.
But do you know what else we can say about Greene? That he's been fantasy football dependable. No, really, he has been! Last season in fantasy football, Greene was the 15th highest scoring fantasy running back in standard scoring leagues. And the year before he was the 18th ranked one. That's two back-to-back RB2 seasons as the Jets' starting running back. Oh, and Greene outproduced his pre-season ADP both years, as his 2012 ADP was 70.16 (RB24) and 47.30 (RB20) in 2011.
Does that have to do more with volume than talent? Maybe. Last season Greene carried the ball 276 times, which was the 10th most attempts for a running back in the NFL. He had 253 carries in 2011, which was the 12th most at the running back position. So, yeah, Greene can qualify as a volume runner, but what's wrong with a volume runner in fantasy football? As long as he produces, it can be a fine thing. Not every productive fantasy football player has to be sexy.
Can part of Greene's success be attributed to the Jets' offensive line? Probably. Pro Football Focus ranked the Jets' 2012 O-line as the third best offensive line overall last year, with the the run blocking unit also being ranked third overall. Stalwarts D'Brickashaw Ferguson (7th highest rated Offensive Tackle by PFF) and Nick Mangold (6th highest rated Center by PFF) are still blocking for the Jets. However, they did lose both of their starting guards from a year ago, one of which was Brandon Moore, who graded out as PFF's 4th best Offensive Guard in 2012.
Ivory's injury history also leaves a bit to be desired, which might have played a small part in why the Saints traded him. It seems that every year he's has been in the league, he's nicked up. In his rookie season (2010), Ivory was ruled out for two games due to a knee injury. And he also suffered a concussion that season, to go along with shoulder, hamstring and foot issues. Ivory was eventually put on the IR with a left foot injury at the end of the season. He then started the 2011 season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, and in 2012, he missed the Saints' 2012 Week 15 contest because of hamstring issues.
Three seasons in the NFL, and Ivory hasn't been able to shake off the injury bug, which should have us a bit concerned.
I wanted to take a look at Ivory using RotoViz's custom RB similarity scores app, but that can't really shed much insight into his future, as there are only six 2012 games to look at. For fun, I used his Week 9 and Week 10 performances, as those were his two best box scores. The results that came back were kind of eery.
Out of all the comparable players, only seven of the players played a full 16-game season: 2006 and 2007 Marion Barber, 2008 DeAngelo Williams, 2008 LenDale White, 2009 Jonathan Stewart, 2010 BenJarvus Green-Ellis, and 2010 Tim Hightower. But that's not even the eery part though.
What was really interesting was that only two of those players, 2006's Barber and 2010's Green-Ellis played a full 16-game season the following year. Is RotoViz trying to tell us that Ivory has a future as an injury-riddled running back? I hope not, but given his history, it makes sense. There is a silver lining though. Barber's 2007 saw him finish the season as RB7 in standard scoring leagues, and Green-Ellis ranked as RB23 in 2011. Even though we only have two players to predict Ivory's 2013 potential, they both finished their following season as RB2's.
Even though he has a not-so-pretty injury history, and we don't have a large sample size on him, I love Ivory as a fantasy football option in 2013. His current early May ADP of 167.48 (RB58) is surely to rise, but I still think he's going to have, at least, excellent flex value this season. Being a high-end RB2 at season's end isn't even close to out of the question.
If a plodder like Greene can amass back-to-back fantasy RB2 campaigns, why can't the explosive Ivory, at minimum, do the same?
Tagged as chris ivory, shonn greene