 [Shropshire]. Research has revealed that only five copies of it have been found in the world.
In a recent survey Kandy was selected as, the most visited city by tourists, in the Island. The cool climate of this Hill country location and the many historical sites and the beauty of the setting of this ancient Capital may have contributed immensely to achieve this distinction.
Pics show hand crafted wooden elephants in a window of a souvenir shop in the city.
Kandy is a UNESCO World Heritage City, picture shows school children and teachers among devotees at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic of The Buddha.
era building that until recently housed Kandy High Court.
turned in to the National Museum of Kandy run by the Department of Archeology.
the last native kingdom of the island.
TAMPA - Nineteen members of Tampa Fire Rescue have applied to become fire chief, and a committee of city officials hopes to recommend three of them as finalists to Mayor Pam Iorio within two weeks.
Iorio has said she intends to look first for a new chief within the fire department and will look outside only if she doesn't find the right candidate within.
``There is no intention right now to look outside,'' said Iorio's chief of staff, Darrell Smith, who's leading the searches for a city fire and police chiefs.
Charles L. Brown, district chief; Betty A. Coleman, fire marshal's office inspector; Thomas E. Forward, captain, Station 14;James L. Gary, captain, Station 5; Michael M. Gonzalez, arson investigation supervisor, fire marshal's office; Roland G. Gonzalez, fire marshal; Aria R. Green, division chief; Timothy J. Ippolito, inspector, fire marshal's office; Milton Jenkins, inspector, fire marshal's office; Dennis W. Jones, division chief; Willie C. Miller, district chief; Dennis L. Phillips, district chief; James P. Phillips, district chief; William D. Ryan, inspections supervisor, fire marshal's office; Bruce E. Savage, acting deputy chief; Todd A. Spear, assistant fire marshal; James D. Taylor, division chief; William C. Wade, captain, public information officer; and Richard Weich, district chief.
Six of the candidates are black, including three of those regarded by fire officials as leading candidates - Brown, Green and Miller. Iorio has promised to increase diversity among top city officials.
Smith said Iorio wants to name the new fire chief before Chief Pete Botto retires June 21. But he said the hiring process has been delayed by the difficulty of finding a firefighting expert with no links to the applicants to serve on the search committee.
Other members of the committee include interim City Attorney Fred Karl, City Clerk Shirley Foxx-Knowles, Ron Ibarra of the city accounting department and Sarah Lang, city personnel chief.
TAMPA - A selection committee has recommended four officers of Tampa Fire Rescue as finalists to become Tampa's next fire chief, and Mayor Pam Iorio said Wednesday she will choose the new chief from among them.
They are Fire Investigations Supervisor Michael M. Gonzalez, 40; Rescue Division Chief Aria Ray Green, 52; Airport Fire Chief Dennis W. Jones, 46; and District Chief Dennis L. Phillips, 50.
Green is the department's highest-ranking black officer, and Gonzalez is the highest- ranking Hispanic applicant.
The four were chosen from 19 applicants by a six-member committee led by Iorio's chief of staff, Darrell Smith.
The committee included city administration and personnel chief Sarah Lang; chief accountant Ron Ibarra; City Attorney Fred Karl; City Clerk Shirley Foxx-Knowles, Iorio's top-ranking black appointee so far in her administration; and Dwaine Booth, deputy fire and rescue director for Pinellas County.
The committee sought applicants only from within the fire department, in accord with Iorio's pledge that she would hire from outside only if she couldn't find a the right candidate from inside.
Iorio said she now thinks that going outside won't be necessary.
Smith said the selection committee narrowed the 19 applicants to eight and interviewed all of them Wednesday.
He said all were asked the same 10 questions, and each committee member ranked them from one to five on each question. The committee members then gave applicant rankings of one to five in two categories concerning their personal impressions of the candidates.
Smith said Green had the highest score, Jones and Phillips were next in a tie, and Gonzalez was fourth, only one point below Jones and Phillips. For that reason, Smith said, the committee decided to include Gonzalez, although it had intended to recommend only three finalists to Iorio.
Iorio said she will interview the four next week and expects to name a new chief prior to the June 21 retirement of Chief Pete Botto.
Aria Ray Green joined the department in 1978 as a firefighter, ascending to fire division chief in 1994.
TAMPA - Tampa's new fire chief, Aria Ray Green, has 25 years of experience, multiple master's degrees and works - when he's not with Tampa Fire Rescue - as a psychiatric nurse.
"His record with Tampa Fire Rescue is spotless, his integrity unquestioned," said Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, who made the announcement Tuesday at City Hall.
Green, who replaces retiring Chief Pete Botto, is the department's first African-American fire chief.
"I want to see this department be the most known, most respected and the most emulated department in the country," he said.
He said when Tampa Fire Rescue comes on a scene, "there will be a collective sigh."
Green wants to revamp training. "A complete makeover," he said. And he has already started talks with Iorio about response times near the county-city borders.
Iorio said Tuesday that one of the goals for the new chief will also be "streamlining the management" to free up money to be spent on "personnel that directly reflect quality of service to the public." Green said he's the kind of leader who likes "to have people participate in the process as much as possible, but if I have to be authoritarian, I will do so."
Originally from Massachusetts, Green started with Tampa Fire Rescue in 1978 as a firefighter. He has also been driver engineer, captain and fire district chief. In 1994, he became fire division chief.
Green, 52, has master's degrees in public administration and management from Troy State University, and in theology and pastoral counseling from Life Christian University. He is currently working toward a doctorate in theology from Life Christian University.
He works as a psychiatric nurse for Memorial Hospital during off-hours.
Green was one of four applicants recommended to Iorio by a six-member committee of city and Fire Rescue personnel. The other three finalists were Dennis Jones, Dennis Phillips and Michael Gonzalez. The panel reviewed 19 applicants, all from Tampa Fire Rescue.
Green starts Monday.
Botto's last day is Saturday. A Tampa native, he has been with the department since 1968, and was a backer of former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco, who made him his chief.
Botto has been popular with the rank and file. But his 35 years with the department have not always been stellar.
Last year, Botto was criticized when he took his family in a fire department van to Tennessee. He has also used the van during work hours to take firefighters to jai alai games in Orlando.
A jovial and personable man, Botto made headlines again when he unbuckled his pants and showed a Bucs tattoo on his right hip, live on the noon news during Super Bowl hoopla in January. He said it was done to show his loyality and love of Tampa Bay.
Botto's last day as fire chief will be spent at a charity event.
TAMPA - Working as a janitor at University Community Hospital as a young man, Aria ``Ray'' Green could not imagine racing into burning buildings to fight fires and save people.
But a firefighter who was hospitalized for back surgery turned Green's life around. Conversations about the fire service sparked an interest, and by the time the firefighter was discharged, Green was heading to Tampa Fire Rescue.
On Tuesday, Green culminated his 25-year career by being named Tampa's next fire chief - the first black selected to lead the department in its 108-year history.
But change eventually will come, he said. Training programs will be evaluated to determine what works, what does not and what needs upgrading. He also wants to streamline the department by paring some senior-level management positions.
Specifics weren't mentioned during the 20-minute news conference in Mayor Pam Iorio's conference room Tuesday afternoon. Both the mayor and Green said it is too early to talk about specifics, such as how he will upgrade the training program or what positions are on the chopping block. Iorio and Green agreed that money saved from cutting management positions will be used to hire front-line firefighters and paramedics.
Both have a common goal for the department, they said.
Green has a bachelor of science degree in adult technical education from the University of South Florida. He holds master's degrees in public administration and management from Troy State in Alabama and theology and pastoral counseling from the Life Christian University in Tampa.
He is married to Wylene Thornton and has two adult children and three grandchildren.
Green was one of four in- house candidates considered for the job. Iorio interviewed each Monday, she said.  Botto retires Saturday.
Botto was all smiles Tuesday afternoon when he presented to Green the chief's jacket, decorated with ornate gold stripes on the forearms.
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