West Warwick Finance Director Resigns After 5 Months On The Job ...

WEST WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) ? The finance director for one of the state?s most cash-strapped communities is resigning from his post after less than five months on the job, WPRI.com has learned.

Brian Silvia, who was appointed West Warwick?s finance director in September after holding the same position in North Smithfield, told WPRI.com that he has accepted a similar job with another municipality. He said he did not wish to name the town until he is officially confirmed for the post.

?It?s just a different opportunity,? Silvia said.

Silvia?s resignation comes less than a month after the town reported that it is projecting a $1.2 million deficit at the end of the 2012-13 fiscal year and a $10.1 million budget gap by the end of the 2013-14 fiscal year. The town has proposed raising taxes and cutting benefits to help close the deficit.

?It?s an awfully awkward time to not have a finance director, but he sees better pastures on the other side,? Councilman Angelo Padula said. ?Run. Don?t look back.?

On Wednesday, the town will hold a public forum with its retirees as it attempts to repair its troubled pension fund, which town officials say was only 19.8% funded as of July 2011. In a Jan. 16 letter to the retirees, Town Manager Michael Stampfler explained that the town?s ?current and future obligations to its employees, retirees and creditors greatly exceed the town?s current and future revenues.?

Stampfler continued: ?Among other items, the town is laboring under healthcare and pension obligations that simply unsustainable on a short and long term basic.?

Padula said he hopes an agreement can be reached with the retirees and the town?s public employee unions to reform the pension system, but acknowledged that he isn?t sure what will come out of the meeting.

He said he is looking forward to a productive meeting.

?We?ve had bad investments and bad people on the pension board,? Padula said. ?We have no vested interest in the pension. We?re trying to save the pensions.?

Dan McGowan ( dmcgowan@wpri.com ) covers politics and the city of Providence for WPRI.com. Follow him on Twitter: @danmcgowan

Source: http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/w-warwick-finance-director-resigns-after-5-months-on-the-job

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White House releases photo of Obama firing gun

In this photo released by the White House, President Barack Obama shoots clay targets on the range at Camp David, Md., Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012. The White House released a photo of Obama firing a gun, two days before he heads to Minnesota to discuss gun control. In a recent interview with The New Republic magazine, Obama said yes when asked if he has ever fired a gun. He said "we do skeet shooting all the time," except for his daughters, at Camp David. (AP Photo/The White House, Pete Souza)

In this photo released by the White House, President Barack Obama shoots clay targets on the range at Camp David, Md., Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012. The White House released a photo of Obama firing a gun, two days before he heads to Minnesota to discuss gun control. In a recent interview with The New Republic magazine, Obama said yes when asked if he has ever fired a gun. He said "we do skeet shooting all the time," except for his daughters, at Camp David. (AP Photo/The White House, Pete Souza)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The White House has released a photo of President Barack Obama firing a gun, two days before he heads to Minnesota to discuss gun control.

In a recent interview with The New Republic magazine, Obama said "yes" when asked if he has ever fired a gun. He said "we do skeet shooting all the time," except for his daughters, at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland.

The White House photo released Saturday is dated Aug. 4, 2012, and shows Obama shooting at clay targets on the range at Camp David.

The rifle is cocked in Obama's left shoulder, his left index finger is on the trigger and smoke is coming from the barrel.

Obama is pushing a package of gun-control measures in response to the Newtown, Conn., school shooting.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-02-Obama-Guns/id-259125020b48404494acb907eaa5ad41

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Triangulo De Oro Paquetes De Viajes A Never Ending Faddish ...

Difficulty of touring India lies in its complexity of destinations in terms of numbers in particular. There are varied themes that also put the travelers into perplexity when it comes to choice of destinations. Indeed, Viajes India becomes hectic when it comes to the right choice.

However, with Triangulo de Oro paquetes de viajes this perplexity dims and results into simplifying of choices for the traveler. The credit solely goes to the travel companies organizing successful tours since many years. In fact, with numerous options for the purpose of touring in India, it becomes cumbersome to take into account the right travel theme and guided tour. However, things become just fine with simplifying the destinations.

Taking into account the Golden triangle tours, we find that it houses Agra that homes the great Taj Mahal. Besides this wonderful treat, there also reigns Qutub Minar, one of the UNESCO world heritage sites, on the charts along with other fascinating touring options.

Let us take into account the Delhi into consideration for example. Pondering on its cuisine culture, we find that Delhi is a place where one can get famous mouth watering cuisines. The magic melting of Bhelpuri, Gol Gappa, Tikki, tasty sweet dishes in ones mouth is just an experience beyond imagination. Get to any corner and you will find tasty and spicy chaat. Well, the story does not end here as there is no dearth of other noteworthy aspects that make things all the more significant and worthwhile from traveling point of view.

Let us turn our attention towards Agra now. As it is another city gripping attention for its Mughlai cuisine, it homes one of the best monuments of the world. Rich in spices, dry fruits and condiments, this place is more interesting than imagined. All you need to do is try any outlet that combines delicious Rajasthani cuisine with high hospitality standards.

Jaipur is the Pink City that feeds on its colourful and vibrant continuous traditional past, which makes things just gorgeous for the travelers. In terms of cuisines, the food is always rich with butter, cream, oil, etc. One cannot also forget the sweet dishes, Petha of Agra, Ghevar of Jaipur and Delhi chats. All this makes India Viajes more than significant and worthwhile.

The most important part is that all these three cities of the golden triangle tours are well connected making the journey easy and lucid for the traveler. The other aspect of shopping also holds an integral position in elevating the overall ambiance of the tour. Whats more, you can get accommodation easily in all these three cities. This is also one of the most important parts when it comes to Viajes India .

The fact is that Triangulo de Oro paquetes de viajes is extremely popular for being one of the most easily gettable tours in the Indian tours context. The other part is that there are ample of tour operators who deliver excellent services making it enjoyable and hassle free in its entirety.

About the Author:
Author is a prominent and experienced Content Writer in Travel & Tourism related topics. Author has written several articles on and India Viajes and India Tours etc. At present Author is representation service for Travelogy India.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Triangulo-De-Oro-Paquetes-De-Viajes-A-Never-Ending-Faddish-Experience/4414454

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Big insurers leave towns high and dry | thetelegraph.com.au

Experts predict devastated Bundaberg and Maryborough face astronomical increases in flood insurance that will force many residents to drop their coverage. Grafton is also on the potential list.

Mayors say it is unforgivable to kick a community while it is down. But they have seen the insurers do it before and they know it's coming, they told The Sunday Telegraph.Gerard O'Connell, mayor of the Fraser Coast Regional Council at Maryborough, said: "I think that is a real concern for residents, particularly in places that never usually see this much water, because they will now be noted by the insurers as flood-prone when they weren't previously."

Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale claims insurers are discriminating by postcodes. Anyone is fair game he says - including his own home, perched on the highest point in town.

"We've been hammered to death," he said. "They've ditched us. They've made record profits and increased everyone's premiums based on postcode, so people are paying through the nose.

"I'm seeing increases from 20 per cent to 2000 per cent. My insurance went up $3000 ... and I live on top of the highest hill in Ipswich.

"If my house floods there wouldn't be a house left in Ipswich. We would have to build Noah's Ark."

Down in the suburb of Moores Pocket, which was struck by the 2011 floods but escaped unscathed by recent floods, Vicki Ash was given little alternative but to pay a whopping $500 monthly increase in her premium.

"I've had neighbours whose premiums went up to $24,000. And they didn't even get hit ."

Maryborough resident Barry Wain's Allianz premium increased to $14,000 with flood cover. He opted out because despite the town's tendency to flood, he has been spared. His only claim in six years was a broken shower screen.

But this absurdity is now common in the mid-western townships of Roma, Mitchell and Emerald. Because of a stoush over the councils' perceived lack of flood mitigation strategies, Suncorp banned new business there last year.

After his laundry was inundated Roma man Brent Klein's Suncorp premium surged 1000 per cent to $12,000. "I looked at the letter and it was $1000 and I thought, 'S ... , that doesn't seem enough'. Then I remembered I pay by the month."They basically washed their hands of me. "I work with a lady whose premium went up to $17,000. I think they just wanted to get rid of Roma."In Emerald, Michelle Rose believes she was given a red flag because her neighbour's house once flooded. Despite her home never flooding, her Suncorp premium jumped from $2500 to $6500.

"They wouldn't even look at our property, weren't even interested," she said. "There was no negotiation,"

The towns are filled with such tales of woe, which are now popping up other south-east Queensland towns and in NSW where flood insurance premiums are also rising sharply. The average flood insurance premium offered by Allianz in Queensland is $8200, compared with the NSW average of $4704.

These insurance companies are a world away from the flood-affected communities.

Suncorp's group net profit boomed to $724 million last financial year, up from $463 million in 2010-11. Allianz's raked in $301.6 million in net profit in Australia. Executive pay at both totalled millions.

Suncorp, which also owns AAMI and GIO, denied pricing itself out of risky markets, saying premium rises were due to a global jump in the cost of underwritten insurance.

Group media executive Michelle Barry would not rule out rampant premium rises in Bundaberg and Maryborough.

"I don't think we are thinking about that yet," she said. "Our focus is on responding to our customers. We know there is concern about affordability; the cost of living is increasing.

"But pricing for risk is absolutely critical. It has to be a strong, sustainable industry."An Allianz spokesman said new flood insurance policies were determined by flood mapping. "We calculate premiums on property-by-property basis," he said.

"It is wrong to suggest that we are discriminating against postcodes or suburbs."

?

Source: http://m.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/big-insurers-leave-towns-high-and-dry/story-e6freuy9-1226567331469

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Celebs, babies and beer: its Super Bowl ad time

FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2012, file photo, Ron Blydenburgh, of Hampton Bays, N.Y., watches the broadcast of the 2012 NFL football Super Bowl. In 2013, Super Bowl advertisers are learning the art of the tease. More Super Bowl advertisers are ditching the tradition of keeping spots secret and are instead releasing shortened versions of their Game Day spots called ?teasers? to get pre-game buzz going on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2012, file photo, Ron Blydenburgh, of Hampton Bays, N.Y., watches the broadcast of the 2012 NFL football Super Bowl. In 2013, Super Bowl advertisers are learning the art of the tease. More Super Bowl advertisers are ditching the tradition of keeping spots secret and are instead releasing shortened versions of their Game Day spots called ?teasers? to get pre-game buzz going on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

This undated screenshot provided by the Milk Processor Education Program, known as MilkPep shows the company's Super Bowl advertisement. The Milk Processor Education Program, known as MilkPep and popular for its "Got Milk?" print ads, is featuring actor and professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in a 30-second ad in the second quarter that is directed by Peter Berg. (AP Photo/Milk Processor Education Program)

This screenshot provided by Kraft shows the Super Bowl teaser advertisement for Volkswagen called ?Get In. Get Happy. (AP Photo/Volkswagen)

This undated screenshot provided by PepsiCo shows the Super Bowl advertisement for PepsiCo's PepsiNext.For its halftime intro spot, Pepsi, the sponsor of the Super Bowl halftime show, created a collage of 1,000 user-submitted photos that are stitched together to create a 30-second video that looks like one person jumping to the tune of Beyonce's "Countdown." The spot introduces the pop star's halftime show. (AP Photo PepsiCo)

This undated screenshot provided by Taco Bell shows the Super Bowl advertisement for Taco Bell. Gone are the days when Super Bowl spots were closely-guarded secrets. With the growth of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, it's no surprise that more advertisers like Taco Bell are releasing ads online up to a week or more before Game Day. (AP Photo/Taco Bell)

NEW YORK (AP) ? It's showtime.

While the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens battle each other on the field during Super Bowl XLVII, advertisers will compete against each on advertising's biggest stage.

The stakes are high, with 30-second spots going for as much as $4 million this year. And more than 111 million viewers are expected to tune in.

About 28 of the 35-plus advertisers released ads early this year, trying to get a head start on capturing the buzz through social media sites. But early buzz is no guarantee viewers will remember your spot the day after the big game. And of course, some advertisers are waiting for Sunday night for the big reveal of their spots, including M&Ms, Chrysler, Oreo and BlackBerry.

"What we see on the night of the game is really important," said Kelly O'Keefe, a professor of creative brand management at the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter.

Here are some ads to look for during Super Bowl commercial breaks:

? Samsung is going big with a humorous two-minute ad starring actors Seth Rogen ("The Guilt Trip") and Paul Rudd ("Role Models") that features its Galaxy phones and tablets.

?Anheuser-Busch aims for the heartstrings with an ad showing a baby Clydesdale growing up. And Godaddy.com is showing a close up of an extended kiss between supermodel Bar Refaeli and guy wearing glasses.

? Kraft enlists Tracy Morgan from NBC's "30 Rock" to introduce its new Mio Fit water enhancing drops in a 30-second ad during the third quarter.

? Best Buy's 30-second ad in the first quarter stars Amy Poehler, of NBC's "Parks and Recreation," asking a Best Buy employee "lots of questions."

? The Milk Processor Education Program, known as MilkPep and popular for its "Got Milk?" print ads, is featuring actor and professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in a 30-second ad in the second quarter.

? Calvin Klein will show male model Matthew Terry strutting in underwear.

? Gildan Activewear's ad shows a man waking up "the morning after" and trying to get his t-shirt off his sleeping companion.

? First-time advertiser Axe's 30-second ad, in the third quarter of the game, shows a woman in the ocean getting rescued by a sexy lifeguard, but going for an astronaut instead.

? Hyundai Motor Group's Kia invents a fanciful way that babies are made, blasting in from a baby planet in its "Space babies" ad for the 2014 Sorento crossover.

? The E(asterisk)Trade talking baby will make a seventh appearance in the Big Game.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-03-Super%20Bowl-Advertising/id-d104547c5b044a3c95f1bd23a953cb61

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Video: The Night Hannah Hill Disappeared, Part 1

Dateline NBC

'Dateline NBC,' the signature broadcast for NBC News in primetime, premiered in 1992. Since then, it has been pioneering a new approach to primetime news programming. The multi-night franchise, supplemented by frequent specials, allows NBC to consistently and comprehensively present the highest-quality reporting, investigative features, breaking news coverage and newsmaker profiles.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3032600/vp/50673748#50673748

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Barak says reported Syria strike shows Israel is serious

MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) - Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Sunday an attack on a Syrian arms complex showed Israel was serious about preventing the flow of heavy weapons into Lebanon, appearing to acknowledge for the first time that Israel carried out the strike.

Israel has maintained official silence over Wednesday's raid, which Syria said targeted a military research center north-west of Damascus.

"I cannot add anything to what you have read in the newspapers about what happened in Syria several days ago," Barak told a security conference in Munich on Sunday.

"But I keep telling frankly that we said, and that is another proof that when we say something we mean it. We say that we don't think it should be allowable to bring advanced weapons systems into Lebanon."

Diplomats, Syrian rebels and security sources said Israeli jets bombed a convoy near the Lebanese border on Wednesday, apparently hitting weapons destined for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which fought a 34-day war with Israel in 2006.

Syria denied the assertions, saying the target was the Jamraya complex on the northwestern fringes of Damascus and 8 miles from the border.

Some of the diplomats and security sources said the apparently contradictory accounts might refer to the same incident, given Jamraya's proximity to the border and the fact that vehicles inside the complex were hit as well as buildings.

Syrian television broadcast footage from the Jamraya base for the first time, showing extensive damage to buildings and several heavy military vehicles which appeared capable of carrying missiles. At least one vehicle, with light desert khaki markings, was equipped with what looked like a satellite dish.

Several burnt out cars and lorries - including one with a large hole smashed through the roof of the driver's cabin - could also be seen in the footage, as well as the badly damaged interior of an office.

ASSAD SAYS SYRIA CAN CONFRONT THREATS

Until Barak's comment, Israel had maintained silence over the attack, as it did in 2007 when it bombed a suspected Syrian nuclear site - an attack that passed without Syrian military retaliation.

Syria's ambassador to Lebanon warned on Thursday that his county could take "a surprise decision to respond", but gave no details. Damascus protested to the United Nations, saying it considered the raid a violation of a 1974 military disengagement agreement which followed the last major Israeli-Syrian war.

In his first reported response to the attack, President Bashar al-Assad accused Israel on Sunday of seeking to destabilize Syria and said Damascus was able to confront "current threats ... and aggression" against it.

Assad made the remarks in a meeting with Saeed Jalili, Iran's national security council secretary, who pledged Tehran's "full support for the Syrian people ... facing the Zionist aggression, and its continued coordination to confront the conspiracies and foreign projects".

The Syrian president, Shi'ite Iran's closest Arab ally, is battling a 22-month-old uprising in which 60,000 people have been killed. Assad says the rebels are Islamist terrorists funded and armed by Turkey and Sunni Muslim Gulf Arab states.

(Additional reporting by Dominic Evans in Beirut; editing by Andrew Roche)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/barak-says-reported-syria-strike-shows-israel-serious-132218370.html

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