Aquino’s ‘personal honesty’ rare in PHL govt, opposition leader says
Posted: July 4, 2012 at 4:15 pm
Even the House opposition leader seems to be satisfied with President Benigno Aquino III for showing honesty during his first two years in office.
House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez on Wednesday commended the reputation for personal honesty Aquino has exhibited as the countrys top official.
Masaktan na yung masasaktan, pero personally, sa tingin ko, bihira naman magkaroon ng leader na honest katulad ni PNoy, Suarez said in a press briefing.
He added that this reputation has advanced foreign investors and creditor interest in the country.
When asked to grade the Presidents performance so far, the opposition leader said, Baka isipin nila si Valte or Lacierda ang nagsasalita kapag nagbigay ako.
Suarez was referring to deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte and presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda.
The House minority leader made these statements less than a month before Aquino delivers his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Congress on July 23.
Lack of vision
Despite this, Suarez said that Aquino has not yet drawn a clear vision for the Philippines during his first two years in office.
Dapat masabi niya kung ano vision niya sa air, sa land, sa maritime. Dapat may vision. Dapat nga first year pa lang, mayroon nang ganyan. Iyon naman ang kailangan niyang tutukan, the House minority leader said.
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Aquino’s ‘personal honesty’ rare in PHL govt, opposition leader says
Aquino’s ‘personal honesty’ rare in PHL gov’t – opposition leader
Posted: at 4:15 pm
Even the House opposition leader seems to be satisfied with President Benigno Aquino III for showing honesty during his first two years in office.
House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez on Wednesday commended the reputation for personal honesty Aquino has exhibited as the countrys top official.
Masaktan na yung masasaktan, pero personally, sa tingin ko, bihira naman magkaroon ng leader na honest katulad ni PNoy, Suarez said in a press briefing.
He added that this reputation has advanced foreign investors and creditor interest in the country.
When asked to grade the Presidents performance so far, the opposition leader said, Baka isipin nila si Valte or Lacierda ang nagsasalita kapag nagbigay ako.
Suarez was referring to deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte and presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda.
The House minority leader made these statements less than a month before Aquino delivers his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Congress on July 23.
Lack of vision
Despite this, Suarez said that Aquino has not yet drawn a clear vision for the Philippines during his first two years in office.
Dapat masabi niya kung ano vision niya sa air, sa land, sa maritime. Dapat may vision. Dapat nga first year pa lang, mayroon nang ganyan. Iyon naman ang kailangan niyang tutukan, the House minority leader said.
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Aquino’s ‘personal honesty’ rare in PHL gov’t – opposition leader
Viral Success Network Inputting Personal Info Getting Started – Video
Posted: at 4:14 pm
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Eric McIlquham excited for new role as Waynesboro's athletic director
Posted: at 4:18 am
For Eric McIlquham, a fresh start in Waynesboro coincided perfectly with lifes ever-changing agenda.
Appointed as the new athletic director of the district by the Waynesboro Area School Board on Friday, McIlquham leaves behind a prestigious coaching career at the University of Alabama for the small-town atmosphere that surrounds his new position.
For the 42-year-old who grew up on a farm in Massachusetts, the transition has been a long time coming.
My wife (Sharon) was born and raised in Pittsburgh and we have several relatives that live in Hagerstown, so weve been talking about moving to the area for quite some time, McIlquham said. After I found out about the position, I put a resume in, went through an interview and then found out I got the job. Its a new chapter in life and Im looking forward to getting started.
McIlquham officially takes over as the districts athletic director on July 15, replacing Dan McLaughlin, who had held the position since 1997 before retiring last month. His salary will be $72,000 per year.
While grateful for the opportunity to serve as the Crimson Tides head swimming and diving coach since 2003, the dedication required of McIlquham to oversee an NCAA Division I program left little family time for the father of two, son Brenner, 6, and daughter Breanna, 4.
With coaching in college for the last 20 years, Ive missed out on a lot of time with my family, McIlquham, who has also coached at Virginia and West Virginia, said. Growing up on a farm, I know what its like to be in a small town. Waynesboro reminded me a lot of my hometown and Im excited to raise my kids in that type of atmosphere.
Moving forward
Despite the decision bringing an end to his coaching career during which he was also the head swimming coach for Egypt in the 2000 Sydney Olympics McIlquhams new position doesnt affect his desire to succeed.
My goal is to develop something that everyone in Waynesboro can be proud of, McIlquham said. My first priority is to sit down and meet with the head coaches and let them know that we have to attack this process as a team. Im not coming in here to coach their teams, but Im willing to do everything I can to help them succeed.
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Eric McIlquham excited for new role as Waynesboro's athletic director
5 Healthy Tips To Get Fit (Britt’s Breakdown) – Video
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June-Marie Raw Food and Fitness Health misc videos 153 – Video
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Retirement age may be raised to 65
Posted: at 4:17 am
The Saudi Public Retirement Fund (SPRF) is considering raising the retirement age for government employees from the current 60 to 65, business daily Al-Eqtisadiah reported yesterday. Female employees will still be put on obligatory retirement when they complete 20 years in service, said Fatima bint Muhammad Al-Ali, director of the female section in the fund. She pointed out that new changes in the regulations of the fund, which are soon expected to be approved by the concerned authorities, would include enabling inheritors to receive both the pensions of their deceased father and mother. Now, they should choose only one of the two pensions. Al-Ali said putting women on early retirement to provide job opportunities to unemployed Saudi women is not a successful policy. This solution, according to the studies and researches of the fund, provide only a limited number of vacancies, she said. She criticized the policy of early retirement and said it would lead to a disruption in productivity, especially in the sectors of health and education. The solution to the problem of unemployment among women is not by putting working women on early retirement but by creating more job opportunities particularly in the health and educational sector and also by improving the standards of university graduates through preparing them for the labor market, she said.
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Retirement age may be raised to 65
Should You Tap Into Your Retirement Funds Early?
Posted: at 4:17 am
The past four years have seen layoffs, raise freezes, eliminated bonuses, foreclosures, upside-down mortgages, increased college tuitions, soaring gas prices, expensive groceries, wildly high credit card rates, and more. It's no wonder American household budgets have suffered.
When incomes aren't keeping up with living costs, and expenses are mounting, some savers may start to consider desperate measures, including taking money out of their retirement plans before reaching retirement age. Accessing 401(k) funds prior to retirement is tricky and sometimes confusing. Money can be removed in the form of a retirement plan loan or a hardship distribution. When considering any of these options, it's important to recognize all of the consequences, including which options are accompanied by stiff IRS penalties.
Hardship distributions from 401(k)s are subject to a 10 percent IRS penalty and regular income tax. The IRS gave you special tax benefits for contributing to your retirement plan, and they want to incentivize you to use the money for retirement, not before. To be allowed to take a hardship distribution, you must show you have an "immediate and heavy financial need" and you'll most likely have to prove you meet certain criteria. You can only withdraw enough to meet your need. In many cases, your employer may be required to stop your contributions to the plan for a specific amount of time as well.
Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) cannot offer loans, but the IRS is less stringent about 401(k) retirement plan loans. The maximum amount a participant may borrow from his plan is 50 percent of the vested account balance or $50,000, whichever is less. An exception to this limit is if 50 percent of the vested account balance is less than $10,000; then, the participant may borrow up to $10,000. Take note: Plans are not required to offer this exception, so check with your plan document for specifics. It's also important to keep in mind that while you likely made pre-tax contributions to your 401(k), you'll be making after-tax payments to repay your loan, which significantly increases the cost of the loan.
Such 401(k) hardship distributions and retirement plan loans shouldn't be a first consideration when you need money. Most financial professionals would tell you that damaging your retirement savings efforts in order to procure a one-time cash injection isn't worth it.
The truth is that it's almost always a poor choice; but every financial situation is unique. If 401(k) account dollars will just provide a temporary stopgap before you ultimately run out of money, leave your 401(k) alone. However, if you need the cash to put yourself on much better financial ground and a one-time withdrawal or loan will solve your financial fix, it may be reasonable to consider the possibilities.
Before taking either a 401(k) hardship distribution or a retirement plan loan, I'd suggest considering the alternatives below:
--Budgeting and trimming: Create a monthly budget if you don't already have one. Trim the fat from your budget to get extra dollars each month.
--Ask for a better debt deal: Banks and credit card companies may be willing to reduce your interest rates and lower your monthly payments. Oftentimes, they have repayment plans available to help you work out of debt at a reasonable rate.
--Get another job: Make some extra money with a part-time job.