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Recently there have been a few discussions about Thomas Aquinas and how he is or isn't a semi-pelagian. Shane first brought up the topic here, and was closely followed by Bobby's dissenting view, here and here. I myself weighed in on the debate and finally cracked a bit further into my copy of the Summa. And I must definitively side with Shane, that the Angelic Doctor, difficult as he may be in certain aspects of theology, is not in any way a semi-pelagian. Here are some notes and quotations that I hope will help us bring some clarity to this debate, and the ways in which the 'semi-pelagian' label is flung around too flippantly in theological circles today.Here is the definition of semi-pelagianism according to The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church:
The name given to doctrines on human nature upheld in the 5th century by a group of theologians who, while not denying the necessity of grace for salvation, maintained that the first steps toward Christian life were ordinarily taken by the human will and that grace supervened only later.
J.N.D. Kelly describes semi-pelagianism as the view that:
"…all sinned in Adam, and no one can rescue himself, but the initial movement of faith (credulitas) is the sinners own. Grace surely assists the man who has begun to will his salvation, but does not implant that will" (Early Christian Doctrines, 170).
Now, Aquinas does say that the natural powers of the soul (intellection, affection, and will) are "neither destroyed, not diminished by sin" (ST 1a2ae, Q. 85, a.1). And on that note, many passionately protestant detractors are quick to arm their semi-pelagian shotguns and start a theological fire fight. But, Aquinas is clear that he does not believe that the natural powers of the soul, even before Adam fell, could have brought man into beatification (or maturity/fullness of communion with God). In fact, Aquinas even says that Adam would not have been able to do anything good whatsoever without God's grace to move him to do the good:
Human nature may be looked at in two ways: first, in its integrity, as it was in our first parent before sin; second, as it is corrupted in us after the sin of our first parent. Now in both states human nature needs the help of God as first mover, to do or wish any good whatsoever, as stated earlier (…). But, in the state of integrity, in terms of the sufficiency of the power of action, human beings by their natural endowments could wish and do the good that was in proportion to human nature, such as the good of acquired virtue, though they could do no good that surpassed human nature, such as the good of infused virtue. In the state of corrupt nature, however, hey are unable to fulfill it by their own natural powers. Yet because human nature is not completely corrupted by sin, so as to be deprived of every natural good, even in the state of corrupted nature it can, by virtue of its natural endowments, work some particular good, such as building dwellings, planting vineyards, and other such things. Yet it cannot do all the good natural to it, so that if falls short in nothing. It is like a sick person who can make some movements by himself, he cannot move fully like the movements of a healthy person, unless cured by the help of medicine.
And thus in the state of nature in its integrity, on needs a strength from grace that is added to natural strength for one reason, namely, in order to do and wish for supernatural good. But in the state of corrupted nature one needs this grace for two reasons: in order to be healed and, beyond this, in order to carry out works of supernatural virtue, which are meritorious. Furthermore, in both states human beings need divine help in order to be moved to act well." (ST 1a2ae, Q. 109, a.2 body)
In other words, Aquinas believes that even Adam, in his condition of innocence needed grace in order to move him toward any supernatural good (i.e. salvation as full communion with God). The only "good" that Aquinas sees corrupted humanity as being able to is stuff like "building dwellings, planting vineyards", etc. This is materially no different than the Calvinist who says that even though man is totally depraved, man is not as utterly horrible as he could be. All Aquinas is saying is that basic "goods" about human nature like doing work, building things, and cultivating land are not destroyed by sin. And his point is that it is only those sort of "goods" that man's "undiminished" reason can attain on its own. Aquinas believes that salvation lies totally outside the realm of anything that human reason could even begin to desire if not moved by grace. Thus he says explicitly:
A person's turning to God is by free will, and for this reason one is commanded to turn oneself to God, But free will cannot be turned to God unless God himself turns it…
A person can do nothing unless moved by God… Therefore when one is said to do what lies within oneself to do, this is said to be in that person's power inasmuch as he or she is moved by God." (ST 1a2ae, Q. 109, a.6, r.1&2)
I hope this will help to clarify the fact that Thomas did not believe human will can begin the process of salvation, which is what semi-pelagianism purports. Rather, he held that for humankind to even will to do good or even to wish to will to do good, it had to first be moved by God's supernatural grace. This is not semi-pelagianism, it is orthodox Christian theology. We may not agree with his anthropology, or his conception of grace and its relation to the soul, but that doesn't make him semi-pelagian.
(See also Justo Gonzalez, A History of Christian Thought: From Augustine to the Reformation, 57-65; Jarolsav Pelikan, The Christian Tradition: Volume 1,319-24 for further discussions of semi-pelagianism.)


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op Rank's Bob Arum, Crawford's promoter, "We believe Terence Crawford is ready to win the title and take it home to Omaha."
First comes the trip to Glasgow, where Burns will be fighting for the fourth consecutive fight and where he got a draw in a highly disputed result against Raymundo Beltran, another Top Rank fighter, in his last fight Sept. 7.
In that fight, Mexico's Beltran badly broke Burns' jaw in the second round and dropped him in the eighth round of a dominant performance but was saddled with the draw.
Burns (36-2-1, 11 KOs) was recently cleared by his doctor to begin training again.
In the fight before the draw with Beltran, Burns also struggled mightily against Jose Gonzalez of Puerto Rico and was down on all three scorecards before Gonzalez retired on his stool after the ninth round with a wrist injury.
"I have a point to prove [against Crawford]. I've had two bad performances. We've made a few changes and some adjustments," Burns said. "We're going to be doing things differently, and fingers crossed that we see a new Ricky Burns on March 1. As soon as the jaw injury happened against Beltran I went into survival mode. Everybody knew that something was wrong, even if they didn't know exactly what it was.
"When the final bell went, I wasn't caring about the decision. I just knew that I had done damage. The first couple of months after the operation were a nightmare. They told me to watch what I was eating and I could hardly open my mouth. I couldn't speak."
Although many will pick the younger, faster, fresher Crawford to win, Burns, who will be making his fifth title defense, is confident.
"Everybody is writing me off again with Terence but that doesn't bother me," said Burns, 30, a former junior lightweight titlist. "I like being the underdog and I can't wait to get back out there again in front of another great Glasgow crowd."
Arum and Hearn were headed for a purse bid on the fight before making a deal to bring Crawford to Scotland.
"This is a must-win fight for Ricky and perhaps the toughest of his incredible career," Hearn said. "Ricky is more determined than I've ever seen him, and to have that frame after the injury that he suffered during the Beltran fight is testament to the type of character and fighter he is.
"Crawford is hot property in the States but we managed to bring him here, out of his comfort zone. And right now Ricky needs the people of Scotland behind him more than ever. March 1 will be a special night at the SECC, the latest chapter of the remarkable Ricky Burns story."
The 26-year-old Crawford (22-0, 16 KOs) had a breakout year in 2013, winning all three of his fights on HBO and moving into the mandatory position for a title shot.
In March, as a late substitute, he moved up to junior welterweight out and easily outboxed hard-punching Breidis Prescott before returning in June for a sixth-round knockout of Alejandro Sanabria in a one-sided fight. In October, Crawford scored a 10-round shutout decision against previously undefeated Andrey Klimov.
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Alvaro Onieva - The Artist
(This is PART 1 of a three part interview feature taken from issue 40) I remember watching Alvaro Onieva ride for the first time at a PKRA contest in Sardinia in 2005. His unique 'skate style' was unlike anything I'd seen before a...
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WORDS ? Jim Gaunt INTRO ? A lot of people think he's from another planet, some think he just visited one for a while. Whatever your view on Lou Wainman, he's the first name on most top riders' lips when it comes to inspiration. Sy...
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Words: Hugh MillerAdam Koch is growing up. When I join him at a café in Paia on Maui's north shore, the Naish ripper is drinking green tea, fielding calls on his phone, and talking about his upcoming wedding plans with his fiancée...
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By LYNN ELBER
AP Television Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The stakes are high, the tactics are fierce and the rhetoric is heating up.
Obama versus Romney? Nope. It's the contest between "The Voice" and "The X Factor," which escalated after NBC abruptly moved to pit its "Voice" against Wednesday's second-season debut of Fox's "X Factor."
The two singing contests already faced a tussle over audience votes when NBC scheduled a fall cycle of "The Voice" after it proved itself as a solid spring performer.
Then, in a post-Labor Day surprise, an apparently mischievous NBC said it was expanding the show's first week from Monday and Tuesday to include a third episode, which happens to air opposite the first hour of the "X Factor" bow at 8 p.m.-10 p.m. EDT Wednesday. Fox's show also airs Thursday.
Suddenly, the battle of the talent shows is much more interesting.
Or make that infuriating, if you're "X Factor" creator, executive producer and judge Simon Cowell. Known for his creative critiques as an "American Idol" panelist ("You sound like a cat jumping off the Empire State Building"), he was simply blunt about NBC's move.
Cowell took off the gloves when he told a teleconference last week that he was angry "because I think there's a kind of gentleman's agreement."
The implication: Networks can slap each other around by putting dramas and comedies head-to-head, but a talent show is in a class of its own, like PBS' "Downton Abbey" but with a record contract and hot modern blondes named Christina, Britney and Demi.
"I think it's mean-spirited and I hope and I pray that it backfires on them, because it's one of the best shows we've ever made," Cowell said, adding that three consecutive nights of "Voice" is "too much" and viewers will choose "X Factor."
"But I've learned, don't make any predictions," he said, tempering bravado with caution.
Season two represents a sophomore reboot for "X Factor," which did well last season but failed to pull the 20 million viewers he'd grandly predicted. Instead, it averaged about 12.6 million for its performance and results episodes, which Cowell saw as a "wake-up call" for how to handle the U.S. version of his British hit.
("The Voice" averaged 15.9 million last season, with results shows coming in at 11.3 million.)
"I was a bit cocky," he said in a recent interview. "I was feeling bullish coming off the U.K. show. And I don't think I really read the (American) market that well" and how a strong show could let "massive social network power" make it a hit.
So is "X Factor" sharper now that first-year judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul are out and Britney Spears and Demi Lovato are in? Also gone is host Steve Jones, to be replaced before live episodes begin in November by a likely male-female duo yet to be chosen (Kevin McHale of "Glee," Kelly Osbourne and Khloe Kardashian are among the rumored candidates).
Yes, said Cowell, with the new judges and new producers making a difference.
"The show looks better and feels better than what we did a year ago. I can see an improvement. I'm happy with it," he said.
Spears and Lovato are "doing great," according to Cowell. "With Britney, everybody expects there's going to be some kind of car crash with her. But it's not. She's very switched on, very focused. ... She has good taste and from working with her you can understand why she's lasted so long in the industry.
"She totally understands the music business and understands the difference between a good singer and a potential star."
As for Lovato, she's a "revelation," he said. "She's very smart, she's a brat and that's probably why I like her."
Lovato, 20, also is "a very hot recording artist," Cowell said, and one who's closer to the age of the audience that Fox wants to attract, the young adults for whom sponsors pay higher ad rates.
All that optimism, and then came the decision by NBC that Cowell labels a "spoiling tactic."
NBC declined to comment. "Voice" executive producer Mark Burnett, who told TMZ last week that he was unaware of his show's added night and that it never occurred to him the two shows would compete, didn't respond to a request for comment.
He's not afraid of a little verbal hardball, however. Recently, Burnett pointedly noted that there are format changes for "The Voice," but he's sticking with original mentors Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine as long as they're available _ in obvious contrast to Cowell's musical chairs.


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Arts & Entertainment: Biography & Profiles: Page 2
Jane Gilmor & Friends (#113)
posted on June 14, 2007 at 12:00 AM
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posted on June 14, 2007 at 12:00 AM


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Then the leaders decided, just divide it in the middle. And a wall was raised in the middle of the madhouse. I have heard that still the madmen sometimes climb up on the wall and they laugh. The whole thing seems to be so ridiculous. They are exactly in the same place, but some have become Pakistanis and some have become Indians - and just a wall in between. And they still talk about it: "What happened? - because we are the same, you are the same, we don't see any difference! But now we are enemies - we really should not talk."
Differences are not there. Or, if they are there, very small differences like.
Do you know how many Indians it takes to screw in a light bulb? Four. One to hold the bulb, and three to screw him round.
Or, do you know how many Californians it takes to change a light bulb? Four. One to change the bulb, and three to share in the experience.
The third question:
Osho,Today I saw clearly that I really am causing my own suffering and that I don't have to, and something heavy lifted from my chest when I saw that I was not just going around in circles!Thank you, thank you, Osho.But oh, I am so afraid of becoming light and permeable. It is all so embarrassing!
The first experience of freedom is always embarrassing. The first ray of light to the blind is bound to be embarrassing. One who has always lived in chains, a sudden message from the king that he is freed is embarrassing. He had become accustomed to live a certain kind of life, he had evolved a certain style of life. There was security in the prison; he had settled. Now everything unsettles. It is not only the question that the chains are being taken away; now he will have to face the great wide world again. He will have to learn all that he has forgotten, he will have to relearn. It is going to be difficult, and he will look a little amateur compared to others. Even walking on the street without his chains of which he has become accustomed will be a little odd; he will not feel at ease.
When the French revolutionaries freed the prisoners from the great French prison of the Bastille, they were surprised: the prisoners were not ready to go out. And that was the biggest prison in France, where only people who had been sentenced for their whole life were kept. There were people who had been in the prison for thirty years, forty years, even fifty years.


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Which is taking place tomorrow at Lotus. Yes, Lotus. The festivities begin at the usual time, but apparently the "real party is starting around ten," which is when John Mack will be showing up, after having pregamed with us at Tortilla Flats, because, you know, when in Rome. Anal_yst will be TiVo'ing "Gossip Girl," and he doesn't even work at Morgan, so you know the expectations are high.
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Holiday Party
Holiday Party Watch:There Will Be Unlimited Mike's Hard Lemonade At The Morgan Stanley IBD FIG Holiday PartyBy John Carney
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Hipster Theme Party: Wall Street, Circa 1987By Bess Levin
Among the more amusing items in our inbox this morning was an invitation to a party in Williamsburg, Brooklyn sporting the theme "Wall Street Circa 1987."
"Two dark events are upon us: the end of my 20s and the beginning of the recession," the woman throwing the party writes. "Let's fight both Brooklyn style with a giant dirty bomb of a party."
We're taking this as a hopeful sign. If Steve Schwarzman's lavish $5 million birthday party rang the bell at the top of the credit driven leverage buyout boom, a party thrown by Williamsburg hipsters build around downbeat market sentiment might be a sign of the bottom.
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Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch Can't Stop, Won't Stop Dissing Stan O'NealBy Bess Levin
Dow Jones's Evelyn Juan reports that Winthrop Smith Jr., son of the Merrill Lynch founding partner of the same name, is planning a little party next month for firm alums in New York. Mostly because he's spent the last couple of years holed up in Vermont (running Sugarbush) and "really, really needs to get out" but also because it's time to start reminiscing about the days when Merrill still gave out bonuses and wasn't a stupendous failure. John Thain's been invited, as has most of Citi (in order to make the MER guests look good), but guess who's name is decidedly not on the list? Starts with an 'S', ends with a 'tanley O'neal' (also: starts with a 't,' ends with an 'ech sector,' and a 'J,' 'ohn Carney,' though he plans on crashing and I may even come with, because I love the Time Square Doubletree). The burn isn't really that surprising, considering that Stan got the job Smith wanted, but it nonetheless chafes, according to a receptionist from the office of O'Neal proctologist, who violated a host of ethics rules when she snuck a peak at his chart and called us with the results. Stan is said to be planning his own Merrill reunion for the same night, to be held in the office space the board's letting him use for the next 3 years. Who will go where? We guess it really comes down to a matter of preference—Smith will have a piñata, Stan will be jumping out of a cake naked and serving Chex MixTM. Which one would you attend?
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Why Trickle Down Economics WorksBy Keith Hahn
Record bonuses for a good cause (the Keith Richards blood infusion program) From the Huffington Post:
THE ROLLING STONES played an intimate gig for 500 bankers in Spain – and were paid $5.4 million (GBP2.7 million) for their private stage show. The rockers' two year A Bigger Bang tour is said to be one of the longest and highest grossing ever, having pulled in over $436 million (GBP218 million) to date. But that didn't stop the musicians supplementing their income with an 80-minute set at a party organised by Deutsche Bank in the Catalan National Art Museum in Barcelona, Spain last week (12Jul07). And frontman Mick Jagger admitted he was delighted to be earning so much from the wealthy bankers. He told the crowd, "Thank you for having us. The best part is, it's coming out of your bonuses."
I guess someone had to clean up after the band, and bankers, after the set (and by this we mean all the underwear DB bankers threw on stage). Beautiful economic gears in motion…
Rolling Stones Play Private Deutsche Bank Gig, Paid $67,500 A Minute [Huffington Post]
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The Schwarzman Party Favor – DeathBy Keith Hahn
If you happened to skip out on the Schwarzman party before his 30-minute self-tribute, before the hired orchestra did the Zeppelin cover, or before party favors were handed out, the Schwarzintor has a pocket full o' reckoning to issue your lowly $5 per crab-claw eating self. After all, what is there left to live for after attending Schwarzman's 60th Birthday Party to End All Parties (La Fiesta Terminal)?
This was the reasoning of party planner Philip Baloun, who passed on 6/28, shortly after losing all sense of purpose in the grim spectre of Schwarmapalooza. New York Social Diary commemorates Baloun's passing by adding him to "The List."
Baloun, pictured here with a girl wearing a purple tablecloth, ninja Martha Stewart and fashion designer Edna Mode from the Incredibles, was the go-to submissive when it came to Wall Street ragers.
Some background – Baloun started out as a high school English teacher and completely freaked out when he turned 30 (in 1976). He ditched his students (right in the middle of the Heart of Darkness unit), "changed his life," and moved to New York to become a theatrical director (translation – out of the closet, with a punctuation mark). A short three years later, Baloun started his own design firm in New York and the rest, as they say, is
inanity history.
According to New York Social Diary, Baloun "became a pioneer in combining forestry, interior design, lighting, exfoliates, carpenters, pipe cleaners, painters, early Bowie LPs, seamstresses, livestock, epidermis and funnel cake into transforming an ordinary room into a palatial confection."
Baloun's catalogue of notable ragers included George Soros' Millennium Party, Saul Steinberg's $1mm 50th Birthday Bash, a Sandy Weill Sock Hop, a Richard Lefrak C'est Chic Fete, an Alfred Taubman Date Auction, a Steve Cohen Bris and an Evening with Journey featuring Jamie Dimon.
Baloun was not a stranger to his own "artistry," frequently decorating his own residences (notice the plural). For instance, Baloun acted as contractor, landscape designer, hedge trimmer, decorator and freshly manscaped lawn boy for his own East Hampton house.
Philip Baloun, dead at 61. R.I.P.
Old Rich People Are Productive Normal Members of Society [New York Social Diary's "The List"]
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Blackstone Group
The Blackstone Bash
By John Carney
Pete Peterson Parties On Eve Of BX IPO
On the eve of the company he co-founded with Stephen Schwarzman going public in the sixth largest IPO in US history, Pete Peterson threw a party for his daughter Holly at the Four Seasons. The party, ostensibly to celebrate the publication of Holly's debut novel The Manny, attracted a host of notable guests from the world of finance and media. It was a lavish affair in the grill room of the Four Seasons, defying expectations that Blackstone's founders would be shying away from public exhibitions of their wealth after recent attention on Schwarzman's wealth seemed to provoke a public backlash.
Our invitation must have been sent to the wrong address because we're pretty sure Pete and Holly wouldn't have neglected to invite DealBreaker. After all, they had invited riff-raff from New York magazine and "Page Six." So we crashed the party. And promptly got tossed out into a raging storm.
We'll forgive the Petersons because they have far more money than we do. Besides, being outside gave us the chance to pall around with CNBC's Bertha Coombs and her team, and snap some pictures of the arriving guests. And eventually Holly stopped by to speak with us. She mentioned that she was proud of her father and that she thought that video for the Manny was "very funny." But we wanted to know the answer to the most important question: was the publication of her book and the scheduling of this party the reason the Blackstone IPO was moved up an entire week.
"That's just a coincidence," Holly said.
A long time after all the important guests arrived, the party crash team from Gawker showed up, dressed in costumes that were part Eastern European goth and part Williamsburg drunktard. They tried to sneak into the party. No dice. Security and the PR girls blocked them like a third-rate Jersey City hedge fund trying to buy into the BX IPO. Instead, they hung around in the rain with us, chatting up the wealthiest cougars they could find.
[After the jump we bring you a slide show of Scott Bressler's photos from the Peterson party.]
More coverage of the events from around the internet:
Crashing The 'Manny' Book Party [Gawker]
Liz Smith Gets Grabby at 'Manny' Celebration [New York Magazine]
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Caption Contest: What's On This Hedge Fund Manager's Mind?By Bess Levin
[Photo: Lauren Lancaster, Veras]
Tell us and we'll get you wet. Details:
Posted in:
Hedge Funds
Rock Out With Your Stock OutBy Bess Levin
Ever wondered what it would be like to party with a bunch of hedgies? Besides the obvious—Loeb is a mean drunk,* Hudson claims he has no idea why he woke up wearing a skirt and heels,* Griffin is always suspiciously missing when it's his turn to pick up the round*—there's not that much in the public records about what doing lines off of a HF manger's girlfriend's girlfriend's exquisitely sculpted (and handsomely paid for) breasts feels like (Stevie Cohen owns the rights to publish those photographs).**
Until now!
Thanks to hedge fund manager Saleem Siddiqi, who threw a soiree for his HF friends (in the name of charity) we've now got a hazy picture of what a bitchin' time we're scheduled to have with James Simons next Thursday (quant guys always have the best acid). Let's take a look.
*Libel lawyers please note : We're kidding around here. Obviously we've never actually seen Loeb drunk, Hudson in drag and, for all we know, Griffin might totally be generous when it comes to buying shots for the table.
**Yeah, sorry, we also made up that thing about Cohen. The guy has lots of pictures but we don't really think he owns the rights to those ones.


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Landscape-Fusion was selected to provide design and build services for two A&E episodes of Fix This Yard. Check out the photos below. Check back soon to see the video.
Overgrown shrubs, old paneling, a mustard yellow paint job, ill manicured lawn and a cracked and stained driveway were all obstacles standing in the way of making this home stand out. Landscape-Fusion's first task was to bust up the old driveway and relay with a carefully drawn pattern out of pavers. Next we built a large and inviting front porch fit for entertaining, complete with fountain, pottery and bistro seating. Adding a small arbor over the garage created interest to the existing flat paneled facade of the house. Sweeping landscape beds full of life and color meet up with the lush turf grass for a look that's signature to Landscape-Fusion's professional design team.
Thomas & Nicole's home was a challenge that Landscape-Fusion was ready to tackle. This beautiful deco home's exterior facade and large corner front landscape had been neglected for far too long. Landscape-Fusion's team of designers created a masterpiece which ensures that Thomas & Nicole have the most eye-catching home in the neighborhood! By creating a multi-tiered wall system to the front yard we took an unattractive slope and transformed it into a layered garden full of surprises! The expanded front porch appears to be breaking down into the lush lawn area as pieces of the paving split off and fall away. A fountain system beginning with a sheer wall waterfall, expanding into differing blue colored penny tiles and meeting up with a recirculating water basin, spills down the sloped front yard breaking the walls as plants with blue flowers cascade down the lawn. Landscape-Fusion was proud to be a part of this exciting transformation and is eager to try their hand with your landscape.


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EL PASO -- Police arrested an 18-year-old woman in a shooting Wednesday in Northeast El Paso.
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Book your room at Courtyard Cleveland Airport South
Standard Double Room, 2 Double BedsMax Occupancy: 5 guests (up to 4 children, 4 infants)
Standard Room, 1 King Bed with SofabedMax Occupancy: 4 guests (up to 3 children, 3 infants)
3-star hotel with free airport shuttle and free area shuttle
Situated near the airport, this hotel is 1.7 mi (2.8 km) from Baldwin Wallace College and within 6 mi (10 km) of International Exposition Center and NASA Glenn Research Center. Memphis Kiddie Park and Westfield Great Northern Mall are also within 12 mi (20 km).
Hotel Features
Along with a restaurant, this smoke-free hotel has an indoor pool and a bar/lounge. Free WiFi in public areas, free self parking, and a free airport shuttle are also provided. Other amenities include a spa tub, a 24-hour business center, and coffee/tea in the lobby.
Room Amenities
All 160 rooms provide free WiFi and free wired Internet, flat-screen TVs with cable channels, and conveniences like refrigerators and microwaves. MP3 docks, coffee makers, and free weekday newspapers are among the other amenities available to guests.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!
Courtyard Cleveland Airport South7345 Engle Rd Middleburg Heights OH 44130
Hotel Amenities
Courtyard Cleveland Airport South features an indoor pool and a spa tub. The hotel offers a restaurant. A bar/lounge is on site where guests can unwind with a drink. A computer station is located on site and high-speed wired and wireless Internet access is complimentary.
This 3-star property offers access to a 24-hour business center and meeting rooms. 3 meeting rooms are available. This business-friendly hotel also offers barbecue grills, a picnic area, and coffee/tea in the lobby. An area shuttle within 2 mi and a roundtrip airport shuttle are complimentary for guests. Complimentary self parking is available on site.
Courtyard Cleveland Airport South is a smoke-free property.
- Television in lobby
- 24-hour business center
- Free Wi-Fi
- Complimentary newspapers in lobby
- 24-hour front desk
- Airport transportation (complimentary)
- ATM/banking
- Number of floors - 5
- Bar/lounge
- Barbecue grill(s)
- Coffee/tea in lobby
- Elevator/lift
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Express check-out
- Grocery/convenience store
- Computer station
- Laundry facilities
- Meeting rooms
- Total number of rooms - 160
- Picnic area
- Luggage storage
- Restaurant
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Area shuttle (complimentary)
- Number of meeting rooms - 3
- Free self parking
- Smoke-free property
- Spa tub
- Indoor pool
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Free wired high-speed Internet
Family Friendly Amenities
- Indoor pool
- Free Wi-Fi
- Area shuttle (complimentary)
- Grocery/convenience store
- Laundry facilities
- Refrigerator
- Microwave
Available in all rooms: Free Wi-Fi , Free wired high-speed Internet
Available in some public areas: Free Wi-Fi , Free wired high-speed Internet
Room Amenities
- Free Wi-Fi
- Premium TV channels
- Pay movies
- Complimentary weekday newspaper
- Air conditioning
- Phone
- Free local calls
- Coffee/tea maker
- Refrigerator
- Microwave
- Complimentary toiletries
- Hair dryer
- Iron/ironing board
- Daily housekeeping
- Cable TV service
- Desk
- Cribs/infant beds available
- Flat-panel TV
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- MP3 docking station
- Free wired high-speed Internet
Where to Eat
Full breakfasts are available for a surcharge and are served each morning between 6 AM and 11 AM.
The Bistro - This restaurant specializes in American cuisine and serves breakfast, dinner, and light fare. Guests can enjoy drinks at the bar.
Nearby Things to Do
An indoor pool and a spa tub are on site.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
- Golfing nearby
To make requests for specific accessibility needs, complete the "Special or Accessibility Requests" section of "Trip Preferences" when you book your hotel.
- Accessibility equipment for the deaf
- Accessible bathroom
- Accessible path of travel
- Braille or raised signage
- Accessible parking
- In-room accessibility
- Roll-in shower
Hotel Policies
Minimum check-in age is 21
Check-in time starts at 3 PM
Check-out time is noon
Payment types
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.


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After being in the news for much of the year because of high levels, oil prices are now garnering attention after slipping measurably in the last couple of months. On Nov. 17, the futures price for the December contract for West Texas Intermediate crude on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) hit a low for 2006 at $55.81/bbl. Somewhat paradoxically, the January contract for WTI settled that same day at $58.97/bbl, up 40 cents. The steep difference between the immediate and second-month prices is a sign of a well-supplied crude market in the short term, said analysts. However, while the market is showing weakness now, these same analysts expect it to tighten up as the year comes to an end. They point out that once refiners come out of maintenance projects and increase runs, the drawdown on crude will firm up prices. Furthermore, any worsening of weather will also provoke...
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Smallscreen News
Reality TV 2013 forecast: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's rich rapper reality baby
By April MacIntyre Jan 2, 2013, 8:36 GMT
Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Stephane Rolland - © Pixplanete / PR Photos
Sperm and egg collide to create TV's super reality baby: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are pregnant, and all sorts of 'Keeping up with the Kardashian' episodes are planned to capitalize on this fertilization.
After announcing that he and Kim Kardashian are expecting their first child during a concert in Atlantic City last weekend, the two hung out with John Legend and his fiancee Chrissy Teigen at the Mirage Hotel club in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve for a hefty appearance fee.
Kim is reportedly twelve weeks along in her pregnancy. Her estranged husband Kris Humphries is still in the midst of their messy divorce. If it is not resolved, Humphries, who claimed Kim cheated on him during their brief marriage, will be a father, sort of.
Like this article? Please share on Facebook and give Monsters & Critics a "Like" too!
Further Reading on M&CKim Kardashian Biography - - Kim Kardashian Movies -
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Castel Gandolfo
Brothers and sisters of the World Federation of Christian Life Communities,
YOU HAVE been so good as to come to see me at the beginning of your General Council Meeting. I am happy to meet you and to assure you of my prayerful interest as you undertake a period of reflection on how to work for a world community at the service of one world.
This aim of yours means making people open out in order to enter into communication with others, saying to them, as Jesus said to the deaf mute in today's Gospel reading "Ephphatha", that is, "Be opened." We must break out of the narrow limits of self-centredness, questioning our life-style in order to see in what way it fails to respond to God's call to live as the one human family of which we are all members, and trying to discern the spiritual and material needs of our brothers and sisters throughout the world that require our assistance.
This task is not an easy one. But through the power of Jesus it is not impossible. I invoke his assistance on your deliberations and on the efforts of the individual Christian Life Communities to achieve this aim. And in his name I bless each one of you and the other members of your movement.
© Copyright 1979 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana


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The weekend we've been waiting for since it was announced back in April: Pro Wrestling: EVE v Ice Ribbon, featuring some of the best wrestlers in Europe against some of the best joshi talent in Japan. Later of this evening, EVE Champion Jenny Sjodin (who became a double champion in August when she defeated Aurora Flame for the NWWA Championship) will defend against her Northern Shooters tag team partner and European Empire teammate April Davids.
However, before the three #EVEvICE (as it is being hashtagged on Twitter) events take place, with the first starting this evening, Southside Wrestling Entertainment are holding a matinee show at the same venue – Gym Combat in Nottingham – with the four Ice Ribbon competitors facing each other in tag team action, with Emi Sakura and Hikari Minami defeating Hikaru Shida and Tsukasa Fujimoto, with Sakura getting the pinfall on Shida following a moonsault.
Click after the jump for more photos from this afternoon's exhibition tag team match as well as the results and subsequent thoughts of night one.
1. Shanna pinned Kay Lee Ray with a top rope crossbody.
Jetta pulled the Jenny Sjodin/April Davids match, only for Rhia O'Reilly to challenge Sjodin for the EVE championship, which Jetta refused, but Jenny chose to accept.
2. Jenny Sjodin made Rhia O'Reilly tap out to a cross armbreaker to retain the EVE Championship.
3. Rhia O'Reilly pinned Super Janey B by reversing a victory roll.
4. In an "EVE potentials" match, Viper beat Kirsty Love with an electric chair into a faceplant.
5. Em Jay pinned Sara Marie Taylor following a Bombs Away.
6. Nikki Storm beat Tsukasa Fujimoto with the Perfect Storm.
7. Alpha Female beat Hikaru Shida with a bridging back suplex.
8. Emi Sakura and Hikari Minami beat Erin Angel and Shanna when Minami pinned Angel with a bridging fallaway slam. Afterwards, Shanna challenged Minami for the ICEx60 Championship, which will take place tomorrow.
9. Jenny Sjodin retained the EVE Championship by making April Davids tap out to her cross armbreaker. Looks like Jetta's word isn't as strong as the Northern Shooters' desire for competition.
Nikki Storm proved herself as the real deal with a tremendous performance against Ice Ribbon's dynamo Tsukasa Fujimoto in the announced "main event" of the first half of the show. Storm, who had been suffering from a pretty annoying stuffy cold earlier in the day, showed no signs of it as she produced what may well have been her best match ever. The dynamic was good, the work was good and both girls came out looking strong. In other Ice Ribbon related matches, Hikaru Shida went down swiftly to Alpha Female in a match that was short, sharp and to the point. Emi Sakura brought a fun levity to proceedings in her tag team match with Hikari Minami against Erin Angel & Shanna – dancing and playing in the early going. The fans didn't quite know how to take Shanna in this match, coming out as a hand-slapping babyface following her earlier heel performance. We think Shanna would be best served as a babyface in the promotion's main storylines in any event – and that was borne out here – at least until the end, when the Shanna/Erin team broke up with recriminations over the loss. The Ice Ribbon girls were all eminently likeable and personable – and despite the language barrer, we were approached by a humble Emi Sakura post show asking whether we enjoyed their matches. Needless to say, we did.
In the EVE only portion of the show, the standout match was the EVE Championship Match between Jenny Sjodin & April Davids, who progressed their usual catch division match with a longer, more epic encounter which included a significant amount of submission based grappling before building to high risk manoeuvres. On a personal level, I preferred the Storm/Fujimoto pure pro match as my match of the night, but these two are to be commended on an enthralling battle that ended the show with a standing ovation. The rest of the show was hit and miss – Kay Lee Ray vs Shanna was a pretty perfect opening match, though Sara-Marie Taylor vs Em Jay didn't really click at all. Rhia O'Reilly's booking was weird – she'd just turned heel, yet came out as a pseudo-babyface to challenge heel champion Sjodin (and failed) only to end up facing a second opponent immediately, the babyface Super Janey B. Despite having already faced and lost a major match, O'Reilly was able to beat Janey (which really doesn't do a lot for Janey). Given that she cheated to win, it seems O'Reilly is cemented as a heel, though frankly EVE is a promotion crying out for good babyfaces right now to face off with the European Empire and The Glamour Gym. In an "EVE Potentials" match between two Scots, Viper pinned Kirsty Love in a match that was an absolute ton of fun. Viper offers something different on the heel side with her size and power, and I really enjoyed Love's performance. I understand that she's really not been wrestling very long, but from that match, I think she's got a load of potential. Lots of fire – albeit a bit hammy at times (though I like that) – she had the crowd responding throughout – no mean feat for a rookie. I'd be happy to see both of these two brought back.
So… day two only has two confirmed matches for the evening show and nothing for the afternoon event. EVE are 2-1 up on Ice Ribbon in their series, and it's double title action in the evening as Hikari Minami defends ICEx60 against Shanna, and Emi Sakura challenges Jenny Sjodin for the EVE Championship. Join us back here at Ringbelles for continuing coverage all tomorrow!


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Blog Post
'Groundhog Day' for Health Care--The Profit Nightmare
This year's report from the Commonwealth Fund on the cost of U.S. health care compared to the rest of the developed world whould be a shock if we hadn't seen it over and over. We pay far more, and aren't healthier overall because of it. The report issued this week finds that the U.S. manages to spend $8,000 a year per person on health care, even as a quarter of American adults lack insurance at some point in the year, most of them for the whole year or more.
The report is jammed with statistics about what seems to be driving this disaster--higher use of expensive technology like MRIs and scanners, much higher hospital costs and higher doctor and drug costs. The U.S. also has higher obesity rates than any of the other countries measured, from Japan to most of Europe to Canada. But the costs of obesity are canceled out because the U.S. is younger overall, which reduces health costs.
So it comes down to technology and medical costs. Plus, though it's not part of the report, a unique U.S. health insurance system run by for-profit companies (like Anthem) and 'nonprofits' (like Blue Shield) that simply put their profits in the bank instead of distributing them to shareholders.
What do they all have in common? The drive for profit:
- Technology: In the U.S., MRI and CT scanners and other costly machines are largely owned by for-profit doctor groups and hospitals, which are also increasingly for-profit. The doctors and hospitals have every incentive to keep the machines in use, and little to think twice about whether the scan is actually needed.
- Drugs: Pharmaceutical companies exist to make money, period. They spend more on marketing than research. Other countries control this appetite for profit by bargaining on price at a national level. Even Medicare is banned from doing in this U.S., due to the pharmaceutical lobby's power in Congress.
- Doctors. In the U.S., doctors are largely paid by the piece, like seamstresses. The more pieces they sell--tests, procedures, surgeries--the more they earn. Time and diagnostic expertise are poorly paid. U.S. efforts to change this by paying for better health outcomes rather than more MRIs, are slow and partial, also for political and lobbying reasons.
- Hospitals. See "Doctors" above. Why else would hospitals itemize a $5 aspirin? Hospitals profit at a much higher rate from their machines than from skilled nursing. For-profit hospitals also market themselves to attract patients with private insurance, which pays better than charity care or even Medicaid. Some have been caught doing costly, unnecessary and dangerous surgeries, unnecessarily hospitalizing insured patients, to boost profits, and literally dumping the unprofitable on the sidewalk. These examples seem extreme, but they're the logical extension of medicine for profit.
- Insurance companies. Medicare's overhead and administrative costs are no more than 5%. Private insurance overhead and administration ranges from about 12% to 20% (including multimillion-dollar executive salaries), even after all kinds of creative accounting and deductions. Insurance companies have little incentive to demand more efficiency from doctor groups and hospitals, because they just pass on the cost to policyholders. This is especially true in states like Alabama, Georgia and California, with no power to say "no" to even the most extreme double-digit premium increases before they go into effect. Insurance companies also hoard and profit from excessive billion-dollar surpluses without any regulatory oversight. Again, that's a result of corporate lobbying power.
Add all this up, and you'll understand why it's hard to keep a straight face when opponents of health reforms say that all the U.S. health system needs is more market competition and less regulation.
Hospitals and medical groups will always see mergers and acqusitions as the right way to make more money, along with keeping their scanning beds full and billing as much as possible for every line item. Insurance companies are also deeply into the merger bsuiness and intent on charging the largest premium that the market will bear, no matter who ends up with no health care at all. The Commonwealth Fund report gives us the numbers. To change them, we just need to understand how they got so big.
Action Alert
11/12/2014Courtroom CaseAnthem Blue Cross's 'Bait & Switch' Misrepresentations of Doctor and Hospital Networks, and Delayed Enrollment in Affordable Care Act PlansFelser, et al. v. Blue Cross of California, Los Angeles Superior Court Case No. BC550739 Consumer Watchdog has filed a class-... More >
1/31/2014News ReleaseConsumer Watchdog Campaign: Anthem Increases Rates 25% As It Spends $12.9 Million With Parent Company WellPoint To Defeat California Ballot Initiative To Regulate Rate HikesSanta Monica, CA – Anthem Blue Cross and its parent company WellPoint have given $12.9 million to defeat a California... More >
4/22/2014News ReleaseHealth Insurers Pump $25 Million Into Campaign To Continue Price-Gouging And Passing On Unreasonable Costs to ConsumersSANTA MONICA, CA –Health insurance giants Kaiser, Blue Shield, Wellpoint/Anthem Blue Cross, Health Net, United Health and... More >
7/8/2014News ReleaseBlue Cross Sued for 'Bait & Switch' Misrepresentations of Doctor and Hospital Networks, and Delaying Enrollment in Affordable Care Act PlansSanta Monica, CA - Blue Cross vastly misrepresented the size of its physician and hospital networks and other key health plan... More >
8/3/2014News ReleaseSANTA MONICA, CA – Six health insurance companies financing the No on Proposition 45 committee have donated $37.3 million... More >


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- Venice Italy - Doge's Palace - Bridge of Sighs - La Fenice Theatre - Via XXII Marzo - Calle larga XXII Marzo
fax +39 041 5207131
mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
VAT Nr. 00184360279
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Venice Italy
Hotel Saturnia is positioned in Via XXII Marzo, one of the widest and most elegant streets in the city centre, also aptly known as Calle larga XXII Marzo (the date recalls the 1848 rising against Austrian rule); the street connects Piazza San Marco to the Accademia and goes through some of the most historically-important areas of Venice. It was widened in 1880 by the then-mayor Dante di Serego Alighieri.
In this Section information on Venice Italy will be available such as monuments, areas, bridges, and some general history of Venice.
Ca' Pisani Hotel
La Caravella
Restaurants in Venice: Historical property near St. Mark's Square
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Availability & Booking
The city tax will be applied in Venice Hotels with new charges in October 14 (4,50€ in peak season 3,15€ in January per person, per night)
Use our on-line reservation system to check availability and rates, you will find our best rates, special offers, all available in seconds!


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Click on the form name to view any form.
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» AccountingTravel and Professional Leave formsGo to Business Affairs Forms » Accountability & TestingAccountability & Testing formsGo to Accountability
» Administrative FormsGo to Administrator Central
» Adult & Continuing EducationAge Waiver formGo to Adult & Continuing Ed.
» Auditing & School AccountsGo to Business Affairs Forms
» Benefits & PayrollGo to Business Affairs Forms
» Child Nutritiongo to Child NutritionGo to ApplyforLunch » Child Welfare & AttendanceGo to Child Welfare & Attendance
» EvaluationSBLC Forms & Procedures
» Exceptional Student ServicesGo to Exceptional Student Services
» Facilities ManagementUse of Facilities formGo to Business Affairs, Facilities Management
» GrantsGrant Procedures formsGo to the Staff > Educator Central > Grants
» Graphic Arts & DesignRequest for Print Services formGo to Business Affairs, Graphic Arts» Human ResourcesGo to Human Resources Forms
» Media ReleaseGo to Media Release Form
» PurchasingGo to Business Affairs Forms
» Professional DevelopmentGo to Professional Development, CLU Forms
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A SACS Accredited School System


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FootJoy Contour Casual Golf Shoes - (Closeout)
$79.99 $99.99*
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Product Information:
The Contour Casual by FootJoy ® is versatile footwear which utilizes a spikeless outsole, super-soft premium leathers, lightweight underfoot for supreme comfort. Waterproof protection, industry-leading size options and world-renowned fit round out the array of features that this shoe offers. Enjoy your golf game just a little more with the FootJoy ® Contour Casual Golf Shoe.
For additional information relating to the Manufacturer's Warranty, please contact 1-800-224-8501.
- Based on Men's sizes
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For additional information relating to the Manufacturer's Warranty, please contact 1-800-224-8501.
Country of Origin: ChinaWeb ID: 12610634
Customer Reviews:
FootJoy Contour Casual Golf Shoes - (Closeout) 156 156
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Contour casual. The Shoes that arrived do not match the photo on the website or the box at all. Same model number on inside of shoe as the photos but instead of having a nice brown leather trim around the bottom of shoe and along the lace eyes they had a cheap looking black man made material. This trim really makes the shoe look cheap and ugly. I plan on sending them back. October 13, 2014
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Very comfortable, stylish and well-made, Perfect. Just what I was looking for. Good support and, so far, wearing well. September 22, 2014
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York Beach Cinema
6 Beach Street,
York Beach,
6 Beach Street,York Beach, ME 03910
No one has favorited this theater yet
The York Beach Cinema closed after Labor Day 2006 and was demolished at the end of October 2006.
Contributed by Troy Williams
Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
Ron Newman on August 15, 2006 at 4:30 am
Can you say more?
longislandmovies on August 16, 2006 at 4:10 am
we need pics………….
longislandmovies on August 16, 2006 at 10:49 am
looks like a neat theater
rdetzler on September 7, 2006 at 10:21 am
Take note New England, another piece of your history just went away. Sad that this had to happen. As an owner in the shallower pool of independent cinemas I know what a loss this is to everyone involved. The staff of the IOKA salutes all of you that worked so hard to support this cinema over the years. You will be missed.
kencmcintyre on December 4, 2006 at 10:23 am
Here is a photo of the demolition:
Here is a photo of the demolition:
kencmcintyre on March 31, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Here is a 1987 photo:
Here is a 1987 photo:
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Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater


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Statement of Arthur A. Garcia
Administrator, Housing Programs
Before the House Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
March 19, 2003
Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, thank you for this opportunity to testify on the President's Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 proposed budget for the USDA Rural Development rural housing and community program.
Rural Development assists in making rural America a better place to live and work. Our rural housing loan and grant programs help to revitalize small towns and rural communities. Most of our customers are first-time homebuyers who turn to us because we, in many instances, provide the only opportunity to share in the benefits of homeownership. As Secretary Veneman said last fall, "homeownership strengthens our rural communities and contributes to the overall quality of life for rural families. USDA works with community organizations, lenders and individual residents to provide opportunities to the millions who seek the dream of owning a home." We are called upon to be citizen-centered in President Bush's management agenda. We have responded to this call with programs that help rural families purchase homes and gain access to affordable rural rental housing, and we provide financing for essential community services, such as facilities for health care, police and fire protection, adult day care, child care, and educational institutions.
For more than 50 years, Rural Development has assisted some of our Nation's poorest people who reside in the most remote areas of our country. Whether on Indian reservations in the Dakotas; the Colonias along the Mexican border; the isolated pockets of the Appalachian mountains in West Virginia; or the Mississippi Delta, our programs provide the essential link to individuals, communities, and financial markets so that all rural residents may share in our Nation's prosperity and enjoy the basic human dignities of housing and community facilities.
Let me share with you how we plan to continue improving the lives of rural residents under the President's FY 2004 budget proposal for our rural housing programs.
With the $5.67 billion total program funding, more than $4 billion will be used to make guaranteed and direct Single Family Housing (SFH) loans. This includes an increase of approximately $400 million more for direct loans. These funds will assist nearly 49,000 rural families to purchase homes, and most of them will be first-time homeowners. Of the SFH funds, $2.5 billion will be available as loan guarantees with private partners to help approximately 28,500 low- and moderate-income families become new homeowners. An additional $225 million in loan guarantees will be used to refinance loans for approximately 2,500 rural families in order to make their payments more affordable. We will fund another $1.4 billion in direct loans and assist nearly 18,000 low and very low-income families who cannot obtain credit to purchase homes without a down payment, or who cannot meet the loan terms offered through most lenders. In addition, the FY 2004 budget includes $35 million in direct loans and $31.5 million in grants to approximately 12,000 elderly and disabled families or individuals to repair or rehabilitate their homes to decent, safe, and sanitary housing.
The subsidy cost of operating the SFH direct loan program will be less expensive in 2004 due primarily to lower interest rates which reduce the Government's cost of borrowing and more accurate projections of the financial status of our borrower population. This cost savings will enable Rural Development to help more families obtain homeownership and lowers the cost to taxpayers to about $7,000 per home financed. The loans that we guarantee in the private sector cost slightly less than $1,500 per home. For rural Americans with very-low, low, and moderate incomes, the SFH direct and guaranteed loan programs continue to be the most cost-effective housing programs available.
Five-Star Commitment to Increase Minority Homeownership
President Bush has made a commitment to remove the barriers that stand in the way of our Nation's minority families obtaining homeownership.
According to the 2000 census data, minorities represent about 13 percent of rural Americans. In FY 2002, 32.2 percent of the direct loans and 12.1 percent of the loan guarantees administered by Rural Development made for single-family home purchases went to minorities. More than 60 percent of the loans and grants were made to women or female-headed households. We also help disabled families remodel, build and afford barrier-free access to housing.
We can do even better.
To implement the President's vision, Rural Development's Under Secretary Tom Dorr recently announced the USDA Five-Star Commitment to expand rural minority homeownership. This commitment will help make housing available to all rural Americans by:
Lowering Fees to Reduce Barriers to Minority Homeownership
To encourage more minority participation in the guaranteed single-family housing loan program, Rural Development recently reduced the guarantee fee to make homeownership more affordable. Our goal in reducing the up-front costs is to increase homeownership opportunities for low- and moderate-income borrowers, particularly minorities. The fee was reduced from 2 percent to 1.5 percent for purchasing a home, representing an average savings of $435 per family. Also, the fee was reduced from 2 percent to 0.5 percent for refinancing a guaranteed loan, representing an average savings of $1,305 per family.
We closely monitor the other fees charged by participating lenders in our SFH guarantee program to ensure that fees charged are reasonable. Further, we work closely on the local level with local non-profits, which provide our first-time buyers with homeowner education training, credit counseling, and assistance in obtaining grants for closing costs and other basic homeowner assistance.
Doubling the Number of Self-Help Participants by 2010
The FY 2004 budget request includes $34 million for the section 523 Mutual Self-Help Technical Assistance grant program. In FY 2002, Rural Development partnered with more than 140 groups to help provide homeownership opportunities to rural families through this 'sweat equity' program. Last year, nearly 1,500 families built their homes through the Self-Help program, representing about 10 percent of the total SFH direct loans. Self-Help grantees assist groups of six to twelve families as they work together to build their own neighborhoods. They provide homeowner education, guidance through the loan application process, and supervision and technical assistance in building their homes.
The individual successes of our Self-Help borrowers are proof of the life-altering effect of this program. One example is the Elsie and George Phillips family of Birdsong, Arkansas. This couple, now in their 80's, recently moved into the new home they helped to build - after living in a dilapidated trailer for the past 24 years.
Increasing Participation by Minority Lenders in Rural Housing Programs
Rural Development works with more than 3,000 lenders and other partners in our direct and guaranteed loan programs. Lenders in the guaranteed program range in size from small hometown banks to large nationwide lenders. One of our largest lenders, J.P. Morgan Chase (Chase), recently committed $500 billion to increasing minority homeownership, in part through our rural housing loan guarantees. Chase is the largest participating lender and services almost 40,000 rural housing guaranteed loans, totaling over $3 billion.
Rural Development field employees are trained to reach out to their respective communities, develop relationships, and enhance partnerships with lenders and others serving the housing needs of minorities in rural America.
Promoting Credit Counseling and Homeownership Education
Rural Development has partnered with the FDIC to use its MoneySmart program to provide homeownership education to our applicants. FDIC has provided training to our field employees on their program. MoneySmart provides an additional tool to assist in creating successful homeowners.
Locally, rural housing partners with many federal and state agencies to assure low-income applicants have access to homebuyer education. These programs, many funded through HUD's HOME program, provide homeownership education and credit counseling. We have established effective working relationships with public and private groups offering these services to rural communities. Our goal is to assure that homebuyer education programs are available in all rural areas.
Monitoring Lending Activities
Increasing minority homeownership is a serious matter for us. We have established goals at the National and State Offices. These goals are performance-based and at each level of the organization, performance will be rated, in part, by achievement of the goals.
Rural Housing Programs More Important Than Ever Before
The Home Repair Loan and Grant Program helps very low-income families whose homes are in need of repair. The program is for those families who own a modest home in a rural area, but are unable to obtain financial assistance to repair their homes. The average annual income of households obtaining home repair assistance last year was under $10,000. Funds are used to make substandard homes decent, safe and sanitary through repairs and rehabilitation, including installation of indoor plumbing, new furnaces, weatherization, safe wiring, new roofs, and making homes accessible for persons with disabilities.
In its October 2000 report, Opening Doors to Rural Home Ownership: Outcomes from the National Rural Housing Coalition Rural Home Symposium, the National Rural Housing Coalition stated, "Although poverty has decreased to its lowest level in 20 years, almost all of the changes occurred in central cities and metropolitan areas. Rural homeowners are more likely than homeowners as a whole to live in substandard housing."
In its December 2002 report Taking Stock: Rural People, Poverty, and Housing at the Turn of the 21st Century, the Housing Assistance Council stated: "Minorities in rural areas are among the poorest and worst housed groups in the entire Nation, with disproportionately high levels of inadequate housing conditions. Non-white and Hispanic households are nearly three times more likely to live in substandard housing than white rural residents."
The FY 2004 proposed budget contains $66.5 million to assist up to 12,000 families with incomes below 50 percent of the area median income. This includes $35 million in home repair loan funds for 6,000 very-low income families and $31.5 million for grants to assist a comparable number of elderly homeowners.
Jaime Morales moved to the United States in 1990. In 2002, he and his wife, Maria, were able to purchase their own modest home in Horizon City -- near El Paso, Texas -- for less than $20,000. However, as with many homes in the Colonias, their house lacked adequate plumbing and needed other repairs. Jaime could do much of the work needed on the house, but with limited income from work at a pallet shop, the plumbing would have to wait. A Rural Development grant of $3,320 has changed that by paying for a connection to a public water system, the Lower Valley Water District. We provided funding for piping, a sink, commode, water heater inside the house, and installation of an individual septic system. This grant has truly improved the living conditions of Mr. and Mrs. Morales and their son, Jaime, Jr.
We have a very successful record of working with private and nonprofit organizations to increase homeownership in rural communities. In FY 1996, only about 8 percent of the SFH direct loans were leveraged with funds from additional sources, such as other bank loans, or were provided with down payment assistance and other grants. In that year, these other funding sources provided only 3 percent of the total cost of the home purchase. Last year, more than 55 percent of the loans were leveraged, with other sources contributing more than $120 million. This enabled us to assist an additional 2,000 families to own their home - an expansion of tax dollars of more than 12 percent.
Rural Development's Multi-Family Housing (MFH) program together with Rental Assistance provide decent, safe, and affordable housing to families who need it the most. The MFH direct loan program is the largest of the MFH programs, and is a principal source of multi-family housing for the elderly in rural America. Elderly households make up approximately 55 percent of the residents in the MFH program. In this program, we make 1 percent interest loans to private individuals, state and local housing agencies, and non-profit organizations, who build apartments and offer them as rental housing, primarily to very low-income senior citizens and working mothers. The incomes of these households average about $8,100, well below the poverty level. Currently, we have a MFH portfolio of about 17,500 projects, which contains about 450,000 units. The total outstanding indebtedness of these projects is about $11.9 billion. Approximately 70 percent of the portfolio is over 15 years old and in need of repair.
The FY 2004 budget proposes that $70.8 million in MFH direct loans be used to provide much-needed repairs or rehabilitation to approximately 5,900 projects in the current portfolio. We are not proposing FY 2004 funding for new construction, however the budget includes $100 million in guaranteed loans that may be used for new construction. MFH guarantee loans will build 2,400 apartments and repair, rehabilitate and pay incentives to owners on 5,900 apartments. In addition, the request includes $42 million in loans and $17 million in grants for section Farm Labor Housing (FLH) living units - most of which will be new construction. These funds will finance over 1,700 apartments for migrant and farm workers. Providing adequate housing to these workers is essential to having a dependable and available workforce.
The President's FY 2004 budget requests $740 million for Rental Assistance (RA) to ensure the integrity and financial stability of MFH and Farm Labor Housing loan and grant programs. In FY 2004, well over 93 percent of the RA budget will be used to renew more than 42,000 RA contracts so that elderly, disabled, and female-headed resident households remain in safe and livable rental apartments they call home. The remainder of the RA funding will be used to keep rent affordable when repair and rehabilitation are needed for existing units. Rental assistance reduces the cost of housing for rural Americans with very low incomes to no more than 30 percent of their income.
Over the past year and a half, we have faced the possibility of losing affordable housing due to borrower prepayment. In 1979, 1988, and 1992, Congress passed legislative changes to the MFH programs to restrict a borrower's ability to prepay their loan, thereby protecting residents from displacement. Recent legal actions brought by borrowers have challenged the statute that governs the MFH prepayment process. The future of the MFH program will require continued strategic and tactical planning and execution to keep affordable housing available to our residents. Our methods will include a combination of changes to the program, program incentives to owners, and the establishment of new partnerships with state and local housing agencies, non-profits, and faith-based organizations, whose commitment to rural communities is long-term.
We look forward to working closely with you and your colleagues as we address the MFH program needs.
Rural Development's MFH program has a long proud history of working with faith-based organizations to provide housing to rural America. In fact, since 1975, we have made 125 loans to faith-based organizations and affiliation of faith-based organizations to construct more than 4,253 units of rental-assisted properties located in 24 states. More recently, several large national faith-based housing organizations have been very active in acquiring Rural Development-financed MFH properties that were in danger of being lost as affordable housing through prepayment. We encourage nonprofit organizations such as these to take over preservation properties, as the organizations often bring additional resident services to the properties. Additionally, their charters anticipate that they will remain owners in the program for a significant time period, thereby reducing the chance that a property will, again, be taken out of the affordable rural housing portfolio.
We are also examining industry-wide asset management practices to develop our MFH property's capital needs, such as roofing, exterior siding, major mechanical systems, window and door replacement, flooring, and rehabilitation of common areas such as laundry rooms, meeting rooms, and parking lots. Additionally, we have examined several asset management protocols developed by HUD, and incorporated those concepts into our recently implemented Multi-Family Information System (MFIS III). As a result, we can focus more closely on specific asset management attributes of small, rural apartments.
Based on housing industry standards and our own reserve requirements, owners will typically need about $10,000 per unit in rehabilitation funds every 8 to 12 years. Reinvestment of capital in these properties assures continued modernization of multi-family housing and protects the value of the property as collateral for the loan. Timing of these investments and adequacy of additional funding sources are aspects of capital risk management that must be considered. It is important to note that capital replacement is needed due to the normal aging of the physical building. We are working to determine the best methods to achieve these housing goals and will have a one-time comprehensive study of our portfolio conducted. We anticipate that the study will allow us to develop short-term and long-term strategies to manage and protect this $11.9 billion national asset.
Along with decent and affordable housing, many communities also have a need for essential community facilities, such as educational buildings, fire, rescue, and public safety facilities; and child care centers, health care facilities, and day care and assisted living facilities for their increasing senior citizen populations. Having adequate community facilities not only impacts the quality of life for community residents, but also makes easier for communities to attract and retain businesses. Rural Development's Community Facilities (CF) direct and guaranteed loan and grant programs provide funding for these essential facilities.
The FY 2004 budget includes a program level of $477 million for the CF program: $250 million for direct loans, $210 million for loan guarantees, and $17 million for grants. This level of funding will allow us to continue the commitment to educational facilities, which are especially important in preparing rural children and adults to compete in the global economy.
In FY 2002, Rural Development assisted 134 communities by investing $46.7 million in buildings to house public schools, charter schools, libraries, museums, colleges, vocational schools, and educational facilities for the disabled. Rural Development also helped finance the purchase of computers and other technological equipment. Public safety is often a need in rural communities. In FY 2002, we invested $105.7 million in 537 facilities, including communications centers, police, fire and rescue stations, civil defense buildings, and related vehicles and equipment. An example is the recently opened Central Shenandoah Criminal Justice Training Academy in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Rural Development invested $3.8 million in direct loan funds and $2.3 million in guaranteed loan funds in this 56,000 square foot facility, which can train 280 students at one time. The curriculum ranges from basic law enforcement through the most technical and sensitive issues of homeland security and emergency preparedness. The academy's membership comprises 57 agencies, including local police and sheriffs' departments, emergency operations centers, regional jails, and private police departments. The facility is also made available to State and Federal agencies for independent training.
In partnership with local and state governments and Indian Tribes, the CF budget will support more than 140 new or improved health care facilities, more than 130 new or improved fire and rescue facilities, and about 50 new or improved child care facilities in FY 2004. These essential community facilities will create or preserve more than 30,000 jobs in rural America.
Centralized Service Center
The USDA Centralized Service Center (CSC) in St. Louis, Missouri, provides all written and oral communication to customers in either English or Spanish to better serve the needs of these customers. At the CSC, we have used aggressive recruitment and retention initiatives in order to create a workforce that is 11 percent bilingual. The CSC also works closely with the National Industries for the Blind and provides monthly mortgage statements in Braille for blind customers. National TDD phone service is also available from CSC, as well as e-mail customer responses for customers with hearing disabilities. Over 10 percent of the CSC employee population have a disability and are provided special equipment to enhance their productivity and ability to serve customers.
Rural Development's commitment to helping people become self-sufficient is also evident in their ongoing Welfare-to-Work initiative. CSC has worked with the St. Louis Transitional Hope House and the American Red Cross to employ former welfare recipients. Twenty-six employees referred through this effort started out as worker trainees. Eighteen have since been promoted into permanent loan processor positions. New worker trainees are provided with mentors, and may later become mentors themselves as they become proficient in the work environment. One employee who started in the Welfare-to-Work program is now enrolled in college and pursuing an accounting degree. Another has obtained rural housing financing and is now a proud single-parent homeowner.
The CSC has received several individual and Government agency awards for its initiatives. These include awards from the Council for Employment of Individuals with Disabilities, the Hispanic Employment Council, and the Black Employment Council.
Rural Development is actively supporting the President's eGovernment initiative. We are engaged in implementing a department-wide electronic government strategy, which calls for greater integration and collaboration across USDA and across government in developing and delivering services to citizens and businesses.
When I arrived last year at Rural Development, electronic loan processing for our SFH direct loan program was performed by a commercial, off-the-shelf software system. This software, called UniFi, improved rural housing loan processing nationwide, but was limited by requiring dedicated computers in each office.
In FY 2002, $1 million was allocated to 'web enable' the UniFi software. The primary objective of the project was to convert the personal computer-based UniFi system to a centralized, web based server application that allows for multiple-user access and uniformed system maintenance. All field offices have successfully converted to the centralized database.
In our SFH guaranteed loan program, the primary platform that allows guaranteed lenders to interact with us is the Lender Interactive Network Connection (LINC). LINC was launched in 2001 and we are continuing with enhancements to improve the transfer of information between lender-partners and Rural Development.
Rural Development has also implemented an Electronic Data Interchange and a web-based reporting system that greatly enhances the ability of our lender-partners to report the status of the guaranteed loans they service. Lenders can report more data, more frequently, more accurately, at less expense.
We are very excited about the Automated Loss Claims system that will be implemented this spring. This web-based system significantly reduces the paperwork burden on our lenders, allowing them to submit their loss claims electronically. The Automated Loss Claims system will significantly speed up the process, saving the government interest expense. In addition, the Automated Loss Claims system will enable lenders and Rural Development to gather more comprehensive data on loss claims -- data that will be used in our risk management efforts to continually reduce the cost of our programs.
Another technology-driven development is our Automated Underwriting system for guaranteed loans, scheduled for release this summer. This web-based system will automate the property and applicant eligibility determinations, streamline the underwriting process, allow for better and more fair underwriting decisions, improve the quality of our data, increase our risk management capabilities, and decrease processing time and costs for both lenders and Rural Development. Lower processing costs will lead to more affordable mortgages for rural home loan applicants.
We have developed two databases in MFH that provide accounting and management information. In FY 2002, a major upgrade converted the existing system to a web-based format. The upgrade provided additional eGovernment capabilities by enabling borrowers to submit information electronically.
Rural Development has played an important role in the USDA's county-based agency eForm initiative. The eForms website was developed in response to the requirements of the Freedom to E-File Act (P.L. 106-222) passed by Congress in June 2000. Through collaboration with the Farm Service Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Rural Development, customers, producers, partners, and others have electronic access to forms related to USDA programs. The website permits Rural Development customers to access and download forms to apply and participate in our programs.
Rural Development employees and management recognize the tremendous positive impact of homeownership on the economy, its impact on families' lives, and on the strength of rural communities. We recognize that Rural Development cannot address the homeownership and rural community facilities issues alone, and will continue to identify and work with partners who have joined with the President to improve the lives of rural residents. Rural Development will continue to reach out to and partner with lenders, the many faith-based groups and other non-profit organizations, as well as federal, state, local, and Indian Tribal governments to meet the housing and community needs of low income families and individuals in rural America.
I hope I have illustrated for you the many ways that Rural Development's rural housing and community programs improve lives in rural areas. Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, with your continued support, Rural Development looks forward to improving the quality of life in rural America by providing housing opportunities and building competitive, active rural communities.
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