I've often said that being a plenary speaker at the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly (GA) is the closest I'll ever come to being on an Oscar stage.
When I spoke at a GA plenary in 2007, a federation representative explained that music chosen carefully for me would play in the background as I walked onto the stage under the bright lights. Between my own dramatic score, the booming voice that welcomed me to the audience of several thousand, the jumbo screens, and teleprompters, I felt detached from the highly produced, performative nature of each and every moment. At the same time, I felt honored to be addressing the largest annual gathering of Jews anywhere in the world.
Four years later, at the recent 2011 GA in Denver, I felt this same mix of connectedness and alienation.
Unlike some young adults, I am not cynical about the role of federations in Jewish communal life. I believe federations serve a vital purpose for local communities and for the Jewish people worldwide.
My own organization, Keshet, has received funding from CJP, the Jewish Federation of Greater Boston, for over ten years. I trust that federation leaders and professionals are largely sincere in their desire to engage young adults, women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Jews (LGBT), and others who have been historically marginalized in the organized Jewish community.
And yet, there were many people at this year's GA who, like me, felt the social and socioeconomic limitations of the federation world. One Jewish communal professional in her late 30s told me privately, "Even though women are here, it still feels like an old boys' club." Another colleague, a Hillel professional in his 40s shared, also confidentially, "I'm part of the 'organized' Jewish community, but I feel turned off when I'm at the GA. There's a clear message that the more money you give, the higher your status.
1. Showcase an authentic portrait of Jewish communal leadership.
At the 2011 GA, the first several speakers at the opening plenary were white, Ashkenazi men in their 50s and older. Is this what the North American Jewish community looks like in 2011? Thankfully, we know that our community's leadership is increasingly diverse with more women, gay and lesbian Jews, and young adults running organizations.
While both lay and professional leadership remain dominated by men, we're moving in a more inclusive direction. The GA should reflect this movement. In fact, federations should go further and lead this movement. At the GA, JFNA (Jewish Federations of North America) should not only showcase its current leaders but leverage the leadership to which it aspires. Jewish women, Jewish young adults, LGBT Jews, Jews of color, Jews by choice, and Jews in interfaith relationships are increasingly part of the culture and structure of organized Jewish life. JFNA must bolster the powerful platform of the GA to represent a full picture of Jewish life in the 21st century.
2. Address how economic privilege shapes the experience of Jewish life. Wealth is on conspicuous display at the General Assembly. Lion of Judah, the women's philanthropy arm of the federation system, offers golden Lion of Judah pins adorned with rubies, diamonds, sapphires, and emeralds to communicate the value of a woman's financial contribution to federations. I support celebrating those who contribute financially to Jewish life. But if financial generosity is the only contribution we esteem publicly, we eclipse the commitment and hard work of so many others. I propose that in addition to honoring philanthropic leadership, JFNA should honor leadership that is measured by time and wisdom invested in Jewish community. Imagine a GA in which the golden Lions of Judah are joined by the glimmer of some symbol of contributed time and labor. The honor we give our philanthropists will only be heightened by widening the circle of distinction.
3. Engage with the broader socioeconomic reality and understand that affluence comes with social responsibility. The GA must move beyond the bubble of its own privilege. This year's GA devoted virtually no attention to the Occupy Wall Street movement that is sweeping the country, and arguably, the world. To be sure, the Occupy movement raises complex questions that discomfit the affluent. But if JFNA wants to be relevant and appeal to 99 percent – or even 51 percent – of the Jewish community, it cannot ignore the throngs still filling city squares long after the GA's bright lights dim. At next year's GA, let's be sure that these issues of wealth and inequality are part of our communal conversation. Many of us who are proud to be part of the organized Jewish community are also working for a more just, egalitarian society in the clear light of day.
Idit Klein is the executive director of Keshet, an American Jewish organization working for the full inclusion and equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Jews in Jewish life.
This article originally appeared in The Jerusalem Report; reprinted with permission. Image by Avi Katz.
As past president of a small congregation with mainly working-class members, we are totally ignored by our local Federation, except for Jewish Family Service which does help individuals in need. Our Rabbi, who is an accomplished scholar, writer of two published books on theology, and a superior speaker, is not included as a speaker or teacher in Federation adult education programs. He is also the son of a Holocaust survivor, yet he has not been included in Federation Yom Hashoah events. We even have trouble getting our events posted in the monthly Federation e-newsletter. It seems to be a situation of "he who has the gold makes the rules," and we don't have the gold.
Hi Idit – – The GA can certainly be improved, but here are a few snippets of my experience at the GA. The Covenant Awards dinner on Sunday night: three extraordinary Jewish educators were honored – – not for their wealth or their fundraising prowess – – but for their exceptional work on behalf of the Jewish people and the way that they inspire Jews in their teens, twenties and beyond. The Jewish Futures Conference on Monday afternoon: three hours of dynamic, inspirational, risk taking Jewish social entrepreneurs sharing their work and their ideas. Interactions with college students from Michigan, Brown and other schools who were funded to attend by Hillel and who were inspired by their attendance and more than willing to share their point of view on what's working and not working. I can't judge how you feel, but I can say that their are other ways to experience the GA!


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A medieval timber-framed building sitting on the church green at Clare, an unspoilt Suffolk market town. This welcoming and comfortable house exudes history.
Logs available
A local Landmark
Standing at the south-west corner of St Peter and St Paul's churchyard, the Ancient House is a picturesque medieval timber-framed building in this remarkably unspoilt market town. Its elaborate pargeting (raised plaster decoration), is a distinctive form of vernacular decoration in East Anglia and bears the date 1473. This is one of the most celebrated examples of the art in the country. There is a handsome moulded timber ceiling in the ground floor chamber, and elaborately carved oriel windows there and in the first floor bedroom. Staying here you will have an enviable close-up view of the great wool church and keep time by the chimes of its clock.
Tudor Suffolk
Close by is Clare Priory, founded for the Austin Friars in 1248, the earliest house of the order in England, and The Cliftons, a building whose exuberant 16th-century brick chimneys are richly decorated with circular shafts, Tudor patterns and star tops. Beyond there is a wealth of little-changed Suffolk villages to discover, with some of the country's finest Tudor brickwork.
On the south-west corner of St Peter and St Paul's churchyard, the Ancient House stands in picturesque Clare, a historic market town in the rolling Suffolk countryside.
Somerleyton Hall and Framlingham Castle are both in driving distance from Clare if you are looking for a historical day out during your stay. Somerleyton Hall is considered to be an archetypal Tudor-Jacobean manors. Framlington Castle is a magnificent 12th-century fortress and one-time refuge of Mary Tudor.
The nearby medieval village of Lavenham is worth a visit. Look out for their art and literary festivals, as well as enjoying their shops and cafes.
The historic market town Bury St. Edmunds is only a half hour drive from Clare. Ickworth House, with its impressive Rotunda, is worth a visit, as is Moyse's Hall Museum, which has looked out over Bury St. Edmunds for almost 900 years.
For more ideas for things to do during your stay at the Ancient House, have a look at our Pinterest Map.
Directly from the main road.
Sudbury – 9 miles
No, but there is unrestricted parking in the surrounding streets.
There are electric night storage heaters and also wood-burning stove.
* Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only. We do not endorse any such websites and we are not responsible for the information, material, products or services contained on or accessible through those websites. Your access and use of such websites remains solely at your own risk. For further information, visit our website terms of use.
There is also an electric cooker.
There is one bathroom with a bath.
The stairs in the property are steep and narrow. Due to the age of the property the floors do slope considerably.
Does this Landmark have low headroom?
Yes, some of the doorways have low headroom.
Yes, the clock on the church opposite The Ancient House has a quarter chime through the night.
There is an enclosed garden.
Plaster decoration covers its north facade
The Ancient House is one of the best known houses in Suffolk, situated on the High Street in Clare opposite the main entrance to the parish church of St Peter and St Paul. Its chief glory lies in the rich, boldly moulded pargeting - the plaster decoration that covers its north facade. Supporting the chamber window is a finely carved oak bracket containing the arms of the Hamelden family, supported by two leaf-clad woodwoses (wild men of the woods).
The Hameldens probably built the house and they may have installed a chantry priest or perhaps lived here themselves. It has been known as the Ancient House since about 1810 when an engraving with that title appeared in the Antiquarian and Topographical Cabinet.
No one can be sure about the original form of the Ancient House. It seems likely that a 14th century house, possibly incorporating a shop, lay along the High Street. At the north end of this there was a cross wing (now the front room of the Museum). At the end of the 15th century an architectural show piece was added behind the cross wing and the orientation of the house changed so that it faced the church rather than the street. The newer part comprised the massive front door and hall, the parlour with its very fine ceiling and a chamber above, each with a room behind. The carved leaf stops on the ends of the floor joists are similar to ones in Clare Priory and the Bell Hotel, and may have all been carved by the same family. Access to the first floor chamber was probably by a steep staircase winding down from the archway immediately to the south of the present bedroom door.
The older part along the High Street was probably replaced in the 17th century with a two-storey wing incorporating the chimney. Later on, certainly before 1810 and possibly about 1767, the original staircase serving the chamber was removed; a new door was made into the chamber, the front door was blocked up, and a new staircase serving the first floors of both parts of the house was inserted.
There are two types of pargeting - raised and incised work and the Ancient House has both. The craft was particularly popular in the 16th and 17th centuries and it was often used to cover timber-framed buildings in Suffolk. Alec Clifton-Taylor, in The Pattern of English Building, mentions watching two elderly pargeters working on repairs there with a compound of lime and sand, horsehair and horse fat. The nature of lime plaster means that eventually it has to be renewed and as a result the designs and date on the Ancient House have changed over time. On the west gable there is the date 1473, but it had read 1672 at the beginning of this century. The shield of three chevrons is that of the de Clare family.
In the 1920s an American offered to buy the Ancient House with the intention of shipping to the USA, but Charles Byford pre-empted this offer and subsequently presented the house to Clare Parish Council. In 1978 the ground floor of the Ancient House opened as a local history museum, with the curator's flat above.
For a short history of The Ancient House please click here.
To read the full history album for The Ancient House please click here.
Finding a new use
By 1992 the building needed major repairs to enable the Museum use to continue. Clare Parish Council approached the Landmark Trust to see if it could help in any way. It became clear that if the Trust took over part of the building for holidays, the Museum could stay in the other half. A successful application was then submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund and in 1999 work began re-ordering the Ancient House to provide a Landmark in the eastern half, with the Museum on the High Street side.
The most significant change to the appearance of the front of the house has been the re-instatement of the front door. When the present staircase was put in, the front door was blocked up and another opening made to the side of the parlour window. We blocked this later door, thereby improving that room, and made a new oak front door. A brick floor was discovered at the entrance and this was extended into the hall. The door from the hall to the parlour had been lowered, but we found the original doorhead and, with difficulty, fitted a new door. The internal restoration has been done with a light touch by working with Philip Orchard of the Whitworth Co-Partnership as our architect and F. A. Valiant & Son as our builder.
The parlour with its large fireplace has been made into the sitting room. Later window sills were removed in here (and the bedroom) to reveal the knurled and knobbly originals. The asphalt floor was taken out and re-laid with reclaimed pamments. The fireplace bressummer was badly damaged, but has now been carefully repaired by splicing in a new piece of seasoned oak into the gap. A kitchen has been made in the room behind the parlour, which had been a Museum storeroom.
Upstairs, the chamber with its view of the church is now the bedroom. We removed a ceiling that had been put in earlier this century at a lower level than the original, and replaced it with a new one of three coats of lime and haired plaster on riven chestnut laths following the profile of the original. There are new doors to the landing and bathroom and a new floor in the little closet - the original staircase opening. There had been two doors on either side of the fireplace, leading to the caretaker's kitchen on the left, and a bathroom on the right. We took out this later partition and thereby restored the room to its original medieval form. The door to the left we blocked off and made the airing cupboard.
In the bathroom, overlooking the garden, we discovered the original window with its diamond mullions, which we repaired and gave new elm wooden shutters just as it would originally have had. This meant that the later windows were not only unnecessary but also out of place and so we blocked them all up by reinserting studs, green hazel wattles and daub. We discovered the original, steeply sloping floor under years of later flooring and this we have renovated. This whole room is a testament to the concept that timber-framed buildings move and breathe. The whole house was limewashed inside and out, and the gutters removed to improve the appearance. Clare Ancient House Museum is still housed on the ground floor.
Designed and constructed by James Mansergh and ...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Why does Hollywood hate future technology?
Analysis, Entertainment, Science & Technology News
Hollywood seems to hate technology.
Chris Dixon tweeted something thought-provoking a few weeks ago:
What were the last Hollywood movies you saw about technology & the future that were optimistic? They seem to be systematically dystopian.
I happened to be sitting in a movie theater waiting for Iron Man 3 to start, so I tried to come up with a good counter-example. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be. Then the pre-movie trailers starting playing. The new Will Smith (and son) flick, After Earth: dystopia. The new Guillermo del Toro flick, Pacific Rim: dystopia. Even the new Superman flick, Man of Steel, could be classified as a technological dystopia (more below).
Sure, there are some films — mainly smaller indies — that in some ways are starting to buck the trend. But overall, Dixon (and Peter Thiel, who Dixon says he got the idea from) are right: Hollywood seems to hate technology. Why?
My initial thought is simply that dystopia sells. It's the same reason why the mainstream media covering technology tends to harp on the downsides of new tech, sometimes to the point of fear mongering. They are tracking you! They want to know your location! They want to record you going to the bathroom!
Most people are predisposed to fear what they do not understand. Hollywood's futuristic films are simply playing to this fear in the same way that horror films are packed with moments meant to startle you.
This is nothing new. In 1927, Fritz Lang's Metropolis — the very first feature-length science fiction film — told of a 2026 where the lower class workers power the technology for the upper class. In 1951, The Day the Earth Stood Still saw aliens bring a giant robot to Earth that would destroy the planet if humans couldn't get their act together. The 1960 version of The Time Machine (based on the H.G. Wells book) had technology (nuclear weapons) destroying civilization. 2001. A Clockwork Orange. Soylent Green. Alien. Blade Runner. The list goes on.
The difference is that we now live in a society where advanced technology permeates all of our lives. Nearly everyone now walks around with computers in their pockets that are far more powerful than the computers that filled up rooms just a few decades ago. Nearly the entirety of human knowledge is now just a few clicks or swipes away at any given moment. The vast majority of our recent technological breakthroughs, I think everyone would agree, have been overwhelmingly good for society.
And yet, Hollywood still seems sure that this is going to change. That at some point, our meddling with technology will create HAL 9000 or Skynet, and technology will turn on us.
The example I ended up tweeting back at Dixon as an answer to his thesis was Star Trek. AsGrantland noted recently in looking back at the 25th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation:
Gene Roddenberry's guiding vision of the Star Trek franchise was, famously, that it would offer an optimistic vision of humanity's future.
And that largely held true through The Next Generation television series:
The Soviet Union collapsed a couple of years into the filming of The Next Generation, and the show's optimistic future became startlingly coterminous with the optimistic present of the George H.W. Bush administration. Where else but space could you find a thousand points of light? The grand adventure of the NCC-1701-D was no longer to spread civilization, or even defend it; it was just to keep the machinery oiled. Remember 1991, America?
But the recent Star Trek films are a bit different. While I always liked how plot of Star Trek First Contact revolved around making sure a man takes the first flight at warp speed in space to usher in an era of peace on Earth, the actions are kicked into motion by the threat of the Borg — perhaps the ultimate in dystopian technology — taking over the Earth.
The latest Star Trek franchise seems to take a mainly glitz and glam approach to technology — bright white decks on giant starships accentuated with lens flares galore! But there also exists plenty of tech that is also horribly destructive. "Red Matter", for example.
I saw the latest film, Star Trek Into Darkness, last week. While I enjoyed it, many Trekkie diehards did not. Certainly there are plenty of elements that are more Top Gun than the idea of using technology for exploration. I mean — minor spoiler alert — we have some sort of ultra weapons developed in secret and powered by some vague futuristic technology. And the man with the most technological know-how gets booted off the ship at one point for not wanting to mess around with these things.
Iron Man is another interesting example. It's seems to be about technology used for good — but only to combat technology used for evil. So it's basically neutral.
Then there's the forthcoming Man of Steel. You might think this has little to do with technology (or at least what we commonly think of as technology), but as The New York Times reveals in a profile of the film's director:
The film also emphasizes the world of Krypton before its annihilation — a bleak, utilitarian planet with sophisticated if downright creepy technology — and the treachery of the Kryptonian villain Zod (Michael Shannon), who finds Kal-El on earth. The result is an unapologetic science-fiction spin on Superman, and while that may shatter audiences' expectations for pure, unalloyed realism in "Man of Steel," Mr. Snyder said this approach was built into the DNA of the character.
Why is Superman on Earth? Because technology has led to the destruction of his home planet. I can't wait to see what the author views as "downright creepy".
Minority Report is one of my favorite recent sci-fi films. While the future envisioned there doesn't seem so bad (and the filmmakers went out of their way to make the futuristic world as feasible and realistic as possible), the underlying premise is still pretty dystopian. Also: eye-scanning tech to show you ads. Spider-like robots that scan everything. This sure sounds like The New York Times' idea of hell.
Another Spielberg film, A.I., paints a peaceful, yet melancholy future where technology tries to but can't quite replace elements of humanity. It's far from Utopia. Especially when you consider that ultimately — again, spoiler alert — all our technology can't save the human race from extinction at the hands of another ice age. Even though our technology, the robots, live on!
Speaking of robots, one of the best sci-fi films I've seen recently is Robot & Frank. It's a decidedly smaller type of science fiction that focuses on an elderly man's relationship with his caregiving robot. The film is actually quite sweet, but again, hardly a full-on endorsement of technology.
In Gattaca, we again find a fairly peaceful and advanced futuristic society. But the core technology of the film, DNA sequencing — something rapidly becoming a reality in our actual world — has led to a world with a whole new level of prejudices.
The Matrix, Avatar, Prometheus, now I'm just looking over films I own that fit the mold. All are either dystopian or a net-negative for technology. The most positive one I can find is Contact, which still has plenty of negative technological elements (and this is a film based on a book written by perhaps the quintessential science/technology optimist, Carl Sagan).
Where is the It's a Wonderful Life set in 2150? Are a few scenes from Back to the Future Part II really the best we got?
Again, I think the answer is that we already live in a technological utopia of sorts. No, the world isn't perfect, but the recent advances in technology have given us so much. And people go to the movies to escape reality. It's just too bad that science fiction films have essentially become horror movies.
Photo credit: Pat Dollard
Via Tech Crunch
Tag: future, hollywood, movies, Technology
Inside the Prison..


sacklunch had the most liked content!
The above comments are spot on. You are overestimating the credentials of the average adjunct. Having a doctorate period will qualify you for such work at many small colleges, especially CC. As for your cake-eating-it-too: tier 1 PhD and pastoral/adjunct prep. No, honestly, I don't think that's realistic--but see marX's rec. above for other options.
It's good that you're addressing these issues now. If you are not willing to pay and your interests are pastoral leaning, then I honestly don't think you have a chance at any of the top UK schools (for a doctorate). I could very well be wrong here, so please someone correct me if you think differently. But, perhaps more to the point, none of the UK programs you have mentioned are meant to prepare you for your primary interest (pastoral work) and actually will not help you much if at all for your secondary interest (teaching). There is plenty of good, funded programs in the US that suit your two interests, but they are not PhDs, but rather DMins, ThDs, and the like. For better or worse, the latter are less often offered at tier 1 schools (and if they are, those degrees can often require very different things of their students), so you may be left applying to those outside.
As said above, there is little point in doing this because a) funding is zero and b) time is inadequate. If you find yourself needing a second M*, you are far better off applying to another MTS/MAR, obviously elsewhere. This is not uncommon and many of us here have done so (myself included).
As pathos said, you are aware of the potential, or perhaps inevitable problems, so I suppose you can apply and see what happens. Your best bet is to find current US students/recent alums in both programs and ask them; beyond actual specifics, you will get closer to the reality than here. Either degree will get you high fives in a local cafe, but, as already said, neither has much hope of getting you a tenure track job at many (most?) research universities (including those well outside the R1) in North America.
These are fair worries; but really if you have studied religion/religious studies/history/classics/et sim. at a good (rigorous) undergraduate school, I think you will find that all US divinity schools are a bit lacking in this regard. Because many of the students have no background in this and related fields, the courses may necessarily feel too "introductory." Mileage varies, of course, and depending on what courses you take (dependent largely on requirements that may/may not let you opt out of certain courses) you may have a very different opinion on the "rigor" of your school vs others in your program. Speaking purely from the gut (so others please correct me if you feel differently), I think many students interested in pastoral ministry do not, generally speaking, share your concern (or at least not as much?), which leads me to think you may be somewhat disappointed with the level of challenge no matter where you go. But I may very well be wrong about this. MarX may have some good insight.
If you are or think you will largely remain in the field of theology (I admit I'm not entirely sure what that means), then PTS being more "seminary-y" could be a good thing; my experience is Duke Divinity is more or less similar to PTS in that regard. Duke's Graduate Program in Religion (PhD) is a different animal entirely; there is room for interest in 'theology', but most of the subfields (my own included) have absolutely zero interest in 'theology'; we consider ourselves historians, classicists, etc., but most of us, as most folks in religious studies PhD programs elsewhere, consider 'theology' something unfit/inappropriate for non-seminary degrees. But, really, my .02 is put most of that out of your mind. Your interests will certainly change wherever you go; and not only that, but the job market is so hilariously bad in all subfields of higher learning in the humanities that there is no real way to prepare yourself. Excluding money et sim., you should just go where you feel comfortable. In the end, the academic route will probably not work out for you, just as it will likely not for myself and most others; but you might as well be happy and enjoy your learning environment while doing so.
Go to Chicago. For what it's worth, Chicago Div has a reputation of being less-seminary-y than all other divinity schools/seminaries in the USA (including HDS), which in your case is a plus. But, really, a full ride + stipend is rare anywhere, and especially so at Chicago, which is notorious for giving less money than the other R1's.
I disagree with some of the above comments. Of course, it depends on the PhD program and one's subfield, but many 'top tier' programs accept students with an MDiv (and without any other M* degree). Many also accept students with only (one) MTS/MAR. If you decide to do another masters, my advice is not to do a ThM or similar degree, since: 1) they are usually completely unfunded and 2) a year isn't enough time given your current 'problem' (i.e. uncertain what you want to specialize in). Again, it depends on your subfield (or what you think you want), but you are far better off doing an MTS/MAR or an MA in religion/religious studies (or related field). Either way, it is essential that your second M* allow you freedom in coursework, since you have already done all the MDiv 'fluff' and you don't want to repeat (and repay for that). A ThM will allow that freedom, but if you hope to transition straight from the program, again, you will be applying to PhD programs before the end of your first semester at said program (and, again, consider the funding issue). In the end, you may well end up having to pay (loan) for much of the degree. Anyways, without more information on what you (think you) want to do, we can't really help you.
ND's MTS is hands down the most competitive 'top' program of the kind, followed I would say by Yale's MARc. ND's MTS is fully funded and comes with a small stipend. As for posted numbers, consider the kind of person who even posts on this forum; it attracts a certain kind of applicant and all the more so for the results page. For most of us, it's too painful to type out those average/bad scores. Or people are misrepresenting their numbers (lying). Prolly a bit of both.
Your GPA is fine. Divinity schools, even those at the top, regularly accept students with such grades, especially for the MDiv. I don't know the stats, but I would say you have a better chance at getting into Duke or Harvard's MDiv than, say, a religious studies MA at University of Kansas. Last stats I saw, MDiv acceptance at such schools wavers between 40-60% year to year.
I have also studied at JTS and it's far from a yeshiva. It's fairly close to the environment you might encounter at e.g. PTS, but obviously the interests at JTS lean rabbinic rather than, say, biblical studies. I can't say that I know anyone with a PhD from JTS. It has a very good reputation, but is so closely associated with Jewish Studies/rabbinics that I suspect having a PhD from there would limit you to certain kinds of jobs. This may be fine for you, but it's something to consider. If the funding situation is as DavidMM says, then you might consider/apply elsewhere. If you want to do rabbinics, you could very well apply to Columbia and take lots of coursework over at JTS; and there are of course lots of top rabbinics scholars at other unis without any official religious affiliation.
Your interests are very wide, which is understandable given your background. Attending GC will have wildly different outcomes, as far as your interests and future prospects, than will say BC. I can't speak to the field(s) of Ethics, but I can for biblical studies. Distance learning for languages is difficult, though less so for ancient languages, since most of what they teach in divinity schools is a passive form of learning within a very narrow literature (i.e. only reading the Hebrew Bible or Greek New Testament). I can't say for certain, but my guess is that if you're limited to distance learning, Catholic and secular schools have less biblical studies than Protestant schools. Well, before I ramble more here, tell us what you want out of this, end game.
If you're from the USA (assuming you are), then, yes, you will likely get in; it's just you have to pay for it. I don't know your situation with the military, but I doubt they would pay for any of it (not covered under G.I. Bill?), since it is unrelated to internal, military advancement (e.g. becoming an officer). Don't let the prestige fool you. It is, of course, a great school; but American academics know that Oxford and the like almost always accept Americans (esp. for a masters), since we can take US federal loans to enroll. This means that when they (PhD admissions folk) look at your CV and see Oxford, they will immediately assume you paid for it and then wonder whether you went there because you weren't 'good enough' to get into a good school here for an 'elite' MA. I should be clear that I don't think such assumptions apply to students with impressive backgrounds: e.g. if you went to a well-known UG school in the US (or simply had good grades) and/or the same for your first MA, they (PhD admissions folk) might indeed assume you paid for the Oxford masters, but what follows--that you weren't 'good enough' to get into a program in the country and thus had to pay your way into an elite school--would not cross their mind. This is all rather speculative, and it is actually probably wrong if you intend to apply to PhD programs outside the usual R1 schools. Tell us more about what you actually want to study (or think you do) and where for the PhD.
Anyone at Duke familiar with the application process for applying to both the ThD and the PhD?
As already said, the admission process is very different. I'll add that while you are competing for a limited number of spots in the ThD, it's more or less the same for the PhD. Each year the number of accepted students changes for each subfield of the PhD and there is no way to know beforehand how the subfields are divided. It's not purely luck, but it's nothing you can control.


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OF THE NCDP
HOMEABOUTBY-LAW and MEMBERSHIPCONTACTStarting A County ChapterResource GuideArticles Statements of Support on IssuesGoal of Chair CommanderMilitary Code of The United States
VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES CAUCUS OF THE NORTH CAROLINA DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Article I: Name and Logo
Section 1. Name of This Organization.
The name of this organization shall be the Veterans and Military Families Caucus of the North Carolina Democratic Party. It may be abbreviated to 'VMFC-NCDP'.
Section 2. Organization's Logo.
The logo of the VMFC-NCDP shall be that of a solid NC Map outline, bordered in gold and with an image of the branch of services in the middle.
Section 3. Use of Logo by Chartered Chapters.
VMFC-NCDP properly chartered veterans and military families chapters of County Democratic Parties are permitted to utilize the logo of the VMFC-NCDP.
Article II: Mission Statement
It shall be the mission of the VMFC-NCDP to work within and through the North Carolina Democratic Party, providing a strong voice and representation within the party structure; and promoting the welfare of veterans, and military families both through effective legislation and encouraging veterans to participate fully as Democrats at all levels of policy making and public service.
The VMFC-NCDP will participate in the policy decisions and the outreach programs of the North Carolina Democratic Party and its endorsed candidates. The VMFC-NCDP will recruit and support Veterans and members of Military Family candidates for elective office. The VMFC-NCDP will support only Democratic elected officials and Democratic nominees in partisan races. The VMFC-NCDP will recruit and support Veterans and members of Military Family candidates for leadership positions at the state and local levels. The VMFC-NCDP will recruit and support Veterans and members of Military Family candidates for the delegation to the Democratic National Convention and Committees.
Article III: Membership
Section 1. Values.
The VMFC-NCDP shall maintain the following four core values: Leadership, Honor, Service and Democratic values.
Section 2. Members.
Membership in the organization shall be open to any registered Democrat who supports the mission of the VMFC-NCDP.
Section 3. Voting Members.
Only Veterans and Military Family (as per DOD definition) are permitted to vote in the manner prescribed for the vote they are present for. No member has the right to vote unless they are found to be in good standing at the exact time and place they wish to do so. Good standing shall be defined as being current on membership dues and compliant with the requirements of membership immediately prior to a vote. Further, VMFC-NCDP recognizes its obligations under the General Policies/Provisions of the North Carolina Democratic Party and its Plan of Organization.
Section 4. Membership Dues.
a) Membership is due in January of each calendar year.
b) Dues are set by the Executive Board annually.
Section 5. Membership Termination.
a) Membership in the VMFC-NCDP is a privilege. This privilege can be revoked for conduct that is deemed harmful to the organization.
b) Any member may voluntarily resign their membership at any time. Members who resign are eligible for return to the VMFC-NCDP at any time by paying their dues and updating their information.
c) The Executive Board may automatically remove any member if, during his/her term of membership, such member affiliates with or registers as a member of another party; publicly avows preference for another party; publicly advocates that the voters should not vote for the endorsed candidate of the NCDP for any office; or who publicly gives support to or avows a preference for a candidate nominated by another party.
d) Any member can request that another member be reviewed for potential disciplinary action, up to the termination of their membership.
1. Such a request must be submitted in writing to the Organizational Development Committee Chair.
2. The Chair then has a period of no more than 72 hours to inform the Chair or Acting Chair of the VMFC-NCDP of the request.
3. The Chair or Acting Chair of the VMFC-NCDP then appoints a Special Committee for Review.
4. The Special Review Committee is tasked with investigating the request and all parties involved.
5. This Committee presents their findings to the VMFC-NCDP Chair in writing in a timely and efficient manner.
6. The VMFC-NCDP Chair will then decide if the findings require a Special Meeting or can wait for presentation to the membership at the next regular scheduled meeting.
7. At the time the findings are presented to the membership, a motion for the recommended disciplinary action is needed. A seconding of the motion is required and the motion must pass by a two-thirds majority vote of the voters present. It is the right of the accused member to address the membership in their own defense prior to the presentation of motions for disciplinary action(s).
8. Once passed, the execution of disciplinary action(s) is delegated to the Chair, who then carries out the action(s) prescribed.
Section 6. Levels of Organization.
The caucus shall have two levels of organization – Executive Council, and Main Body.
a) Executive Council.
This board serves as the steering committee of the Caucus and acts on its behalf when a vote of the membership is not available.
A) The Executive Council will consist of:
State Chair/Commander
State Senior Vice Chair/Commander
1st Junior Vice Chair/Commander
2nd Junior Vice Chair/Commander
State Treasurer
State Adjutant/Secretary
County Chair/Commander of County Chapters
The Chairperson of all standing committees
b) Main Body.
The Main Body shall be the entire body of membership of the Executive Council and all paid members. Who have a right to vote as per Section 3.Voting Members
Section 7. Policy & Procedure Requests.
The Main Body may request that an approved Executive Council Policy & Procedure be brought to the floor for debate and vote for possible repeal. Should a motion, second and majority vote repeal the Policy & Procedure, it is repealed effective on the certification of the vote. Repealed Policies & Procedures may not be re-approved by the Executive Council during the same term.
Section 8. Endorsements.
SECTION ONE: The Executive Council may, at its discretion, by a majority vote, develop a policy regarding the support or endorsement of candidates.
Section 9. ANNUAL REPORT TO THE STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
In the first quarter of every year, the VMFC-NCDP shall present the NCDP with a report of its membership, attendance and activities for the preceding calendar year.
Section 10. COMPLIANCE WITH NORTH CAROLINA STATE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, PLAN OF ORGANIZATION The VMFC-NCDP will abide by the Plan of Organization of the Democratic Party of NCDP By-Laws and any additional policies as established by the NCDP
Article IV: Officers
Section 1. Qualifications.
Officers must be a Veteran or a direct member of a Military Family as defined by the DOD. Veterans are defined as a veteran of the United States Armed Forces, which shall be broadly construed to include the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines, Filipino Veterans who served with our allies during the Bataan Death March and resistance in World War II, Native American Indians who provided the communications code for our allies during World War II. This shall include all current members of the Armed Forces who have served at least 30 days of duty beyond their initial training and shall have continued forward with their service. Additionally, military service members who were released from service due to medical conditions, regardless of the length of their service, qualify as a veteran.
Active duty military service members are prohibited from being an officer in accordance with the Hatch Act of 1939 and Department of Defense Directive 1344.10, Political Activities by Members of the Armed Services, which states that "A member of the Armed Forces on active duty shall not service in any official capacity with or be listed as a sponsor of a partisan political club; speak before a partisan political gathering, including any gathering that promotes a partisan political party, candidates, or cause; participate in any radio, television, or other program or group discussion as an advocate for or against a partisan political party, candidate, or cause."
Section 2. Officers of the VMFC-NCDP. The officers of the VMFC-NCDP shall be State Chair/Commander, Senior Vice Chair/Commander, 1st Junior Vice Chair/Commander, 2nd Junior Vice Chair/Commander, State Adjutant/Secretary, State Treasurer, and Immediate Past President. The term of office for the officers shall be two (2) years. There are no term limits.
Section 3. OFFICERS' DUTIES.
SECTION ONE: The State Chair/Commander, shall preside at all meetings of the VFMC-NCDP and the Executive Council, shall appoint Ad Hoc committees, shall represent the VFMC-NCDP with the North Carolina State Democratic Party Executive Council, and shall perform other duties that are pertinent to the office.
The State Senior Vice Chair/Commander shall assume the duties of the Chair during any absence, incapacity, or temporary disability of the Chair and perform such duties as may be assigned by the Chair. Chair the new Chapter Committee.
The State 1st Junior Vice Chair/Commander shall recruit new members for the caucus.
The State 2nd Junior Vice Chair/Commander shall be in charge of web site and communications, such as press releases.
SECTION TWO: The State Adjutant/Secretary shall maintain the membership and mailing lists, keep the minutes of all meetings of the VMFC-NCDP, send out notices of all meetings, and perform other duties that are pertinent to the office. The State Adjutant/Secretary shall be the custodian of all the papers of the VMFC-NCDP. The State Adjutant/Secretary, at the expiration of his/her term, shall surrender all property of the VMFC-NCDP in his/her possession to the Chair.
SECTION THREE: The Treasurer shall be responsible for insuring that the VMFC-NCDP complies with the regulations and financial requirements of the State Board of Elections. The Treasurer shall make a report of the income and expenses of the VMFC-NCDP at each meeting of the Executive Council, and make a financial statement to the members at the annual meeting of the VMFC-NCDP. The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all the financial records of the VMFC-NCDP. The Treasurer, at the expiration of her/his term, shall surrender all records and property of the VMFC-NCDP in his/her possession to the Chair.
ARTICLE VI: RESIGNATIONS, REMOVALS, AND VACANCIES
SECTION ONE: Resignation of the Chair shall be effective upon receipt of such resignation, in writing, to the remaining members of the Executive Council. Resignations of the other members of the Executive Council shall be effective upon receipt of such resignation, in writing, to the Chair.
SECTION TWO: If a grievance is filed and a person is found guilty of an infraction where it warrants removal from the membership for malfeasance or for conduct clearly contrary to the purposes or best interests of the VMFC-NCDP. A ¾ vote of the Executive Council will be required for removal.
SECTION THREE: Any member of the Executive Council who is absent from two (2) consecutive meetings may be subject to removal.
SECTION FOUR: The Executive Council shall fill by appointment, pending special election upon due notice of the membership.
ARTICLE VII: STANDING COMMITTEES
SECTION ONE: The Chair shall appoint the members of each standing committee from the membership of the VMFC-NCDP. Each standing committee may appoint from among its own members a committee chair. Meetings of any standing committee shall be called by the chair of the committee by giving notice of the time and place of meeting to each member of the committee.
SECTION TWO: The Chairperson of all standing committees shall sit as a member of the Executive Council, and shall not be counted for the purpose of determining Executive Council meeting quorum under these bylaws.
SECTION THREE: Fundraising Committee – the Fundraising Committee will raise funds to further the Purpose of the VMFC-NCDP. The Treasurer shall be a member of and may chair the Fundraising Committee. The Fundraising Committee is empowered to solicit monetary and in-kind contributions and to sell items promoting the VMFC-NCDP.
SECTION FOUR: Membership Committee – The Membership Committee shall recruit members, greet new members, and maintain the membership list in coordination with the State Adjutant/Secretary . The 1st Junior Vice Chair/Commander shall be a member of and may chair the Membership Committee. The Membership Committee may staff booths at Festivals and political conventions and organize participation in Parades. In coordination with the Secretary, the Membership Committee shall provide regular reports to the membership regarding the activities of the VMFC-NCDP.
ARTICLE VIII: LOCAL CONSTITUENT ORGANIZATIONS
SECTION ONE: The VMFC-NCDP Executive Council may, at its discretion, recognize organizations representing VMFC-NCDP concerns at the County and District levels, call chapters as constituent organizations of the VMFC-NCDP. Such recognition shall not be dependent on recognition by any other Democratic Party committee.
SECTION TWO: The County Chair/Commander of each recognized organization will serve as a voting member of the Executive Council of the VMFC-NCDP.
SECTION THREE: Representatives of local constituent organizations shall be counted for the purpose of determining Executive Council meeting quorum under these bylaws.
SECTION FOUR: One representative of each recognized organization shall be elected by its members to serve as a voting member of the District Executive Committee and the County Chair/Commander shall serve on the County Executive Committee.
ARTICLE IX: MEETINGS
SECTION ONE: The Executive Council shall meet at least four (4) times during the year. At least one such meeting shall be held on a face to face basis. Other such meetings may be by teleconference, email or other similar communication. Participation by such means shall constitute presence at such meetings. A quorum for the Executive Council shall be a majority of its membership, excluding vacancies, heads of standing committees, and representatives of local constituent organizations.
SECTION TWO: Special meetings may be called by a 2/3rds vote of the Executive Council and may be by teleconference or email.
SECTION THREE: The membership shall convene annually at a time and place(s) to be determined by the Executive Council. The membership shall receive at least thirty (30) days' notice of the annual meeting by mail, email or telephone. A quorum for the annual meeting shall be ten percent (10%) of the voting membership. The quorum requirement may be waived by a 2/3 vote of the Executive Council. The annual meeting may be held in person and/or electronically, to be determined by the Executive Council. Voting by valid caucus members may occur in person and/or electronically, as determined by the Executive Council. The membership shall receive at least thirty (30) days' notice of the means by which the meeting will be held.
ARTICLE X: NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
SECTION ONE: Names of proposed officers will be placed in nomination from the floor during the annual meeting.
SECTION TWO: Elections shall be held at the annual meeting held in odd calendar years starting in the next odd calendar year after approval of the NCDP SEC.
ARTICLE XI: AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS
The Bylaws for the VMFC-NCDP may be amended at the annual meeting by a 2/3 majority vote of the members present, providing that a copy of the proposed amendments has been sent to the members at least thirty (30) days prior to the annual meeting of the VMFC-NCDP.
ARTICLE XII: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The most recent edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the VMFC-NCDP where those members present exceed 20. Otherwise, the current edition of Roberts Rules of Order, Newly Revised, for Small Boards shall govern the VMFC-NCDP and its Committees.
ARTICLE XIII: ANTI DISCRIMINATION PROVISIONS
The VMFC-NCDP shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, ethnic or national origin, age, disability, veteran status, social or economic status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other factor unrelated to membership and the mission of the VMFC-NCDP.
Pending approval of the SEC of the North Carolina Democratic State Party
Rewritten and Final Approval August 19th 2017 at Burlington, NC
Rev. Dr. Wendy Ella May U.S. Army Disabled Veteran
Interterm State Chair/Commander VMFC-NCDP.
Membership Application 2019


text:
Bishop's Conversation
by WTC and Bishop Patrick J. Zurek
Editor's Note: The following is the beginning of a series of interviews with Bishop Patrick J. Zurek regarding Our First, Most Cherished Liberty—A Statement on Religious Liberty, released April 12 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
Bishop Zurek: I would like to call attention to a very important aspect of our Catholic Christian faith: we are called to be not only good Catholics in faithfully following the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but also to be the very best citizens of the particular country in which we reside. It does not matter if we were born here or if we came as a migrant to the United States—there is an obligation through good citizenship to first learn the issues that are important to the local Church of a given area. Obviously, religious liberty is a very important issue for the entire Church in the United States right now.
Secondly, not only to know the issue, but to be informed about the issue. Through articles such as what I am offering you in The West Texas Catholic or the internet at www.amarillodiocese.org, I try to clarify the issues and explain why they are so important to us and the danger of not defending those freedoms.
Thirdly, to bring it to prayer and most importantly, after all of this, to actually go out and vote. Remember that you, the Faithful of the Church, have an obligation as Christians, and as American citizens, to vote for the Common Good of all peoples—not just one group or another group, but keeping in mind the big picture. I offer a prayer also at the beginning of each portion of this series, a prayer for Religious Liberty (see prayer on the right hand bottom of this page). I ask that you pray it, in whatever language you are comfortable in, but pray for our Church, pray for our government and pray for our country.
The West Texas Catholic: Bishop Zurek, on April 12, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement, Our First, Most Cherished Liberty—A Statement on Religious Liberty. It's a general statement on religious liberty, but I must ask: why are we so involved with this statement?
Bishop Zurek: I can tell you as Cardinal (Timothy) Dolan said, we have bigger fish than this to fry, but the issue has come to us and now we have to deal with it.
First of all, it's not our doing. We never wanted to be in this controversy, we did not invite it. As a matter of fact, we never thought there would be a controversy because President Obama explicitly told then-Archbishop Dolan twice—in November and again in January, once on the phone and once in person—that he would not change anything in the law. He said he was proud of all that the Catholic Church did and was doing in regard to Education, Health Care and Charity. However, in mid-January, he called Cardinal Dolan and told him that everything has changed.
Why are we involved? It was forced on us! We would rather be involved with other issues that are more pressing to us in a sense, but this is so foundational that we will deal with it and we will fight against the mandate of the Department of Health and Human Services. We want to protect our constitutional guarantees of the Freedom of Conscience and the Freedom of Religion.
WTC: It's not directly discussed in the document, but the separation of church and state is addressed…
Bishop Zurek: There's nothing in the document regarding that, however, as a general principle, we do support the separation of church and state. It is useful and helpful, both to the government and to the church. We only wish that both the Church and the State always realize and acknowledge that they operate within their own competencies; however, with the same goal in mind: the Common Good of all. The church will not try to impose anything on the government, but neither should the State impose anything on the church, especially something that is contrary to its nature. There should not be the subjugation of one against the other. We just want to be free to follow our conscience, we want to be free to adhere to our beliefs of the Catholic Christian faith and for others to be able to do the same. We want to be able to live our faith. We want to guarantee Article One, of the Bill of Rights: Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Conscience.
WTC: The statement begins, "We are Catholics. We are Americans." Is this a complimentary statement or one in opposition?
Bishop Zurek: No opposition whatsoever. As a matter of fact, I want to go back to one of the first articles I wrote and to my preaching, in regard to the matter.
There's a letter that was written at the end of the first century, at the beginning of the second century of Christianity, the Letter to Diognetus that speaks about the Christian wanting to be the finest citizen of the land in which he lives. We still adhere to that. We are Catholic and we are proud of it, but we are also Americans and we are also proud of that. We want to be able to live our faith and we want to be the best of citizens, and we don't see that as being in opposition at all. Rather we see that as being complimentary. Our allegiances are distinct, but again, the mission really is the same: we are constantly working for the Common Good. This is the teaching of our Catholic Faith. It obliges us to work together with other citizens, fellow Catholics, fellow Christians, those who are not Christian, those who have no faith. We are in a sense mandated to work with them for the Common Good of all who live in this land.
This issue that we are speaking of is freedom. We consider that our special heritage in America. We look at the American people and ourselves as Catholic Americans, as stewards of this gift of freedom, but not just for ourselves, but for all nations and all peoples who yearn to be free, and let's face it: who does not yearn to be free? We see the battles around the world; we see it in the Middle East, and even in other countries.
In 1887, when the Archbishop of Baltimore, Archbishop James Gibbons, was in route to Rome to be made a Cardinal, he defended the American heritage of Religious Liberty during that visit. Speaking of the great progress that the Catholic Church has made in the United States up to that point, he attributed it to this freedom.
He attributed it to "civil liberty that we enjoy in our enlightened republic." A little later on that same visit, he would say more specifically and maybe more boldly, that in the "genial atmosphere of liberty, the Church blossoms like a rose." Liberty helps all good things flourish and blossom and makes so many things possible that are for the Common Good of a particular country.
We, the Bishops of this country, see very clearly, as American citizens, the need to address our fellow Catholics and fellow Americans to be on guard for Religious Liberty, to protect it, for it is under attack, not just here in the U.S., though—it is under attack even abroad. It's been very interesting during this year of our Ad Limina visits to Rome, that Pope Benedict spoke about his concern that "Religious Liberty in the United States is being weakened". He referred to our experience of religious liberty as "the most cherished of American freedoms." We believe that! This is why we're so concerned.
Let me conclude this with an excerpt from Pope Benedict's address to the American Bishops in regard to Religious Freedom:
"Of particular concern are certain attempts being made to limit that most cherished of American freedoms, the Freedom of Religion. Many of you (American Bishops) have pointed out that concerted efforts have been made to deny the right of conscientious objection on the part of Catholic individuals and institutions with regard to cooperation in intrinsically evil practices. Others have spoken to me of a worrying tendency to reduce Religious Freedom to mere Freedom of Worship without guarantees of respect for Freedom of Conscience.
"Here once more we see the need for an engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholic laity endowed with a strong critical sense vis-à-vis the dominant culture and with the courage to counter a reductive secularism which would delegitimize the Church's participation in public debate about the issues which are determining the future of American society."
The Pope is speaking to us, but he's well aware that what happens in America will have an effect throughout the world. If Religious Freedom is weakened in America, it will be more difficult for other cultures and the Church to defend Religious Freedom elsewhere.
In the May 20 issue of The West Texas Catholic, Bishop Zurek continues his discussion on Our First, Most Cherished Liberty, with concrete examples of religious liberty in the United States under attack.


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Details of seven 'bi-lateral' trips over the last eighteen months reveal no expense was spared in hosting visiting delegations to Ireland with swish hotels, swanky restaurants, and day-trips all organised.
The costs are all footed by the Oireachtas but in return, Irish TDs and Senators get their hotel, dining, and entertainment bills paid when the inevitable return visit takes place.
Last November for the visit of a delegation from Hungary, the Oireachtas paid out €600 per night for luxury accommodation for the speaker of the National Assembly Laszlo Kover.
His three night personal bill of €1,800 was part of a €4,410 bill for four Hungarian politicians to stay at the Merrion Hotel in Dublin's city centre.
Another €1,744 had been spent on platinum services at Dublin Airport for the eight-strong Hungarian delegation along with €5,126 on limousine and minibus transfers.


text:
VeloNews News Road
The Trek-Livestrong time trial machine
The U23 squad fields favorites for Utah TT, signs Craddock, Eastman, Jones for next season
August 20, 2010 Brian Holcombe
Three National Racing Calendar time trial wins is impressive for any domestic team in the U.S. Throw in a European U23 time trial championship and the prologue and TT at the Olympia's Tour, and you have a dominant group against the clock – and each of them is under 23 years old.
Taylor Phinney nailed the prologue at the Tour of Utah
Trek-Livestrong director Axel Merckx has built a time trial powerhouse with his RadioShack development program this year. Is he surprised by the team's results?
"More than surprised, I'm really proud of this team and how far we came in three years," said Merckx on the eve of the TT at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah. "But surprised? Yeah, I wasn't expecting us to be that solid and winning as much on the NRC circuit. It's been really successful and hopefully we can continue here to the end of Utah and next year also."
Team members Taylor Phinney and Alex Dowsett went 1-2 in the prologue at the State Capitol Tuesday night. Phinney is a two-time world pursuit champion at the elite level with a world junior time trial title to his credit as well; Dowsett is the reigning Euro and Great Britain champ and wore the leader's jersey after stage one this week. Both are favorites headed into the stage.
The 9.2-mile circuit suits Phinney particularly well. The 20-year-old is a tall, powerful rider who excels on exposed, fast tracks like the Miller Motorsports Park. The Boulder, Colorado, native rode grupetto to Mt. Nebo Thursday and should enter the stage somewhat fresh.
Dowsett took the overall lead into stage 2 and rode Thursday to maintain his GC placing. The Briton is suited better to TT tracks that include varying terrain. His Euro win came on a rolling course in Turkey and he won the final stage of the Cascade Classic by riding away from the peloton on a rolling descent two miles from the finish.
Dowsett said after the Utah prologue that the team's results this year against the clock have to be expected. "With Taylor being pursuit world champion, Jesse being pursuit second world champion and my background in time trialing, I think it's not a surprise how fast we are on the time trials. I don't know. Maybe it's something to do with Boulder. It's where we've been living all year."
When Merckx put his roster together for 2010, he built the squad around Phinney's run at the U23 classics in the spring – and the time trial results followed. "I'm trying to get a bit of everything," he said. "I'm trying to get a good solid team with fast guys, strong guys, time trialists, climbers. The focus obviously this year was around Taylor for the classics."
Phinney won his second consecutive Paris-Roubaix Espoirs in May. Two weeks later he won the Olympia's Prologue and the team put five riders in the top 10. Dowsett said that Sergent's Tour of the Gila win in April got the squad rolling. "I mean, the TT's just been real consistent and even abroad, like at Olympia's Tour, Taylor, Jesse and myself were first, second and fourth and everyone else was top 15," he said. "It just seems to work really well."
According to the team's world champion leader, the program builds successful athletes through a holistic dedication to quality. "I don't know man. We have the best bikes, the best skinsuits, the best equipment, just everything at our disposal," he said. "The only thing we have to work on is our legs. We have great energy in the team and success breeds success. We started out well at Gila and everything sort of dominoed from there."
For Phinney, it comes down to the simple pleasure of handing out hurt to riders that are sometimes almost twice his age. "It's cool to come out here and kind of stick it to the old guys."
Opening it up in 2011
For 2011, Merckx has widened his net. Phinney will join the Radioshack ProTour team, while Sergent and Dowsett are set to move to the top division as well. "Now the focus is a little bit more wide open since Taylor is leaving us," said Merckx. "I'm not really focusing on one thing in particular, I'm focusing on talent and my gut feeling tells me where the talent is and what the talent is and also the networks, the people that are offering me riders, the riders that are emailing me results, it's a constant research to find new talent."
That new talent will in part come in the form of new recruits Lawson Craddock, Ryan Eastman and Carter Jones. Jones won a stage of the Vuelta Tarragona in June and finished fifth in the GC at the Redlands Classic. Craddock swept Men's 17-18 nationals in June and shared a team time trial win with Eastman at the Regio Tour this month.
"I'm really looking forward," said Merckx, who is not finished recruiting for 2011. "We had a good team this year and it always worries me a little bit, looking at next year, you lose some pretty big talent, but then looking at those guys coming up, I'm really looking forward to helping develop them even more."
Twelve months from now, Merckx may be back in Utah with a new crew of young world-beaters. If the three talented all-rounders he's picked up so far are any indication, it may be a road stage and not the time trial where his team is favored.
Dylan Groenewegen opens 2023 out to impress
Andrew Hood
Celebrations, superstitions, stunning successes: Here are Peter Sagan's greatest hits
Brandon McNulty wants to focus on one-week races in 2023
Sadhbh O'Shea
How Peter Sagan rewrote the script of modern pro cycling
Jim Cotton
Trek-Livestrong
EF Education-EasyPost signs Stefan de Bod
Alex Dowsett steps back from WorldTour to plan next phase of his racing career
Opinion: Lotto-Soudal needs Axel Merckx, but does he need them?


Monster Monpiece PS VITA VPK is a card battling RPG featuring anime-styled cute girls as the lead fighting figures. Players can interact via touch with the characters.
This game based on an authentic card battle of deep strategies, this title depicts an adventure story of charming characters.


Unless you've been living in The Upside Down, you'll have noticed that a little Sci-Fi Horror show called Stranger Things has returned to Netflix with its second series. With a bigger budget, an extra episode and new characters this was always set to be a bigger season than it's 2016 debut! Time to dig in deeper with my thoughts on Stranger Things 2!


Practical Christian in the community.
The other day I was invited to a half hour prayer meeting in Clover Park, on behalf of St Johns and St Philips and also in my role as a Board member of Presbyterian Support Northern. The meeting was a response to the events which have occurred in the area. Nine local church leaders turned up. The interesting feature was that this disparate group all shared one common feature, they were actively engaged on the ground in Manukau City.
We, as a congregation support Presbyterian Support FamilyWorks through our giving and our practical gifts of food and items which they indicate they need. Recently, when dropping off the food parcels to the Manurewa branch of Family works [used to be called James Family] one of the social workers told me about a young girl, expecting the birth of a child, who had no one to support her and absolutely nothing for the child. From St Johns' response to the request, I was able to take to them a complete, mainly new and little used, complete wardrobe of clothes for a newborn to three months old, with a bassinet, bath and other necessary items for a baby. The social worker's delight and almost tears of joy, on being able to give such a practical and beautiful gift were moving and I wished the givers could see the way their gifts were received. Family works also has SWIS [social workers in schools] workers in a number of local schools from Clendon to Papatoetoe. Funding comes for the government, but this is minimal and our donations to Presbyterian Support are necessary for much of the preventative and intervention work they are doing. One of my main objectives when I became a Board member, seven years ago, was to help bring about a closer relationship between Presbyterian Support and the Presbyterian church. Social action and community initiatives by churches can easily gain a life of their own and they can forget the source of their reason for being and become just a government social agency. The Board are very definite that Presbyterian Support is a Christian body, carrying out the work they do following Jesus' example. They are our social agency and we need to realise that many people, when they see PSN at work, assume that this is the Presbyterian church in action.
The gift I took the other day and the food parcels we send are doing more than just helping Family works meet the needs of children and families. A group of people who work for Support are gradually realising that they have a connection to a specitic congregation in Papatoetoe who care about their work.
There is of course also the service to enable elderly people to have the choice of staying in their own homes if they wish - Enliven -and it is consolidating after PSN ran pilot programmes for the Government and District Health Boards. A new service for those younger people with disabilities is underway and developing also.
Along with the work in our community centre, which is gearing up for courses as the year begins, we continue to be a church where not only do the members reach out in their own work and spheres of influence to be the "salt of the earth" but also one where as a community we show we care about others in our local area.
I had travelled to attend the Clover Park meeting from the pools at Parakai where Angela had ably organised a fun afternoon for our lively and energetic young people and their families, and I reflected that how great it would be if the children who are at present growing up in our area with no sense of beauty, no feeling for what is good or bad, and no knowledge of God's love in Christ knowledge and parents who struggle, who have lost faith and given up hope, often turning to methods which dull out the world and other people, could experience the love and care which is so deeply present in our church.
Let us not take for granted or undervalue what God gives us as a community and let us remember that we are called to share that goodness and joy with others.


Gentle On My Mind.. Written by John Hartford and of course made famous my Glenn Campbell.
Looking pretty good, Sweed, definitely well on the way. Impressive feat to be able to keep the left hand, right hand going so smooth and consistent throughout, while singing. And you did a fine job of the vocal, laid back and relaxed. Accomplishment to be pretty pleased about, I'd say.
Hey, Sweed, I really enjoyed that. Very relaxing vibe going on. I truly admire your finger style playing. I can picture you on stage entertaining. Really nice.
I'm with you on working something up from 60 BPM. I'm just finishing up one that I started at 60. It was agonizing浪.
Lots of practice finally resulted in some consistency. After about 8 weeks of practice I was able to play with some confidence and getting the guitar close to being on automatic as of Friday evening Singing along on this song actually makes it easier to stay in rhythm. There's so much going on with the fingers that it's easy to lose my spot, singing helps me keep focus on just where I'm at.
S for Sweed, S for smooooooth. You've captured the fluid movement Sweed and your voice provides a solid anchor for the stream of guitar sounds as they ripple over the stones. Your practise has paid off. This is most pleasing to mah ears.
I'm not familiar with this particular song (I don't really know many Glenn Campbell songs to be honest). I had a good listen to your cover and then had a look over on YouTube for the original and on the version I found he plays at a million miles an hour! I prefer your slowed down take as I feel it lets the song breathe and let me truly digest and appreciate what I was listening to.
Along with your vocal you made that guitar sing too all the time whilst making it look extremely easy in your performance. A really nice song to listen to and watching you perform so effortlessly and fluidly has left me in awe.
It just needs more banjo like the original.
Congratulations on a good performance Sweed, impressed with your fingerstyle playing cant be easy... Dont know the song but I liked it, the laid-back vocals sounds just fine.
It was a huge song back in the day and Campbell was about as good as it gets on guitar. That was 40 some years ago so not surprised that you have'n't heard it.
Thanks for your kind words and while a banjo is not in the works I've started to tinker with an electric guitar version. Though I can't promise anything will come of it, we'll see.
Thanks for listening and commenting. Finger style is a lot of fun but it takes many repetitions to ingrain it to where you no longer think about what you're doing. It's kind of like riding a bike, you just keep trying and crashing until you suddenly don't.
Looking ultra comfortable and fluent there Sweed. The playing just seems to flow which is how it should be. I'm sure you've had to practice plenty to get to this stage so well done.
Nice vocal as well. Perhaps need to boost the volume of the recording a little. Always difficult I know to get the balance right.
Most enjoyable and very relaxing performance Thanks for sharing this beautiful piece!
Very nice --you stylized it! You added a bit of a "lilt" with your vocals that makes it truly unique and all yours. Playing was smooth and steady as well. Cudos all the way around.
Thanks guys for listening and the nice comments.
Great cover. I remember this when it came out and I think you did a nice take on it. It had a nice laid back feel and like CT said, the "lilt" really gave it a personality.
I've always loved this song and you're doing great on this. I love the nice relaxed picking with the continued emphasis on the high e, your deep voice is nice and rich against it.


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House seeks control over new tax forms
The release of New Hampshire's new scan-friendly business tax forms for 2011 will be a crucial step in paving the way for electronic filing, but that step might become a stumble if the Legislature slows down the process by asserting its control over regulators.House Bill 564, endorsed last month by the House Ways and Means Committee, would require that business tax forms would have to go before the Joint Legislative Committee on Rules (JLCR) — a process that could take months.The state Department of Revenue Administration, New Hampshire Society of Certified Public Accountants and Democrats in the Legislature are concerned that it could prevent software vendors from including these forms in time.And if JLCR ends up tweaking the forms at the last minute, "we would have a major problem on our hands, and business would have a major problem," said Rep. Sue Almy, D-Lebanon, the leading Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee. In the House Calendar, she said requiring JLCR approval would be "bad for business."But committee leaders countered that they got an earful of complaints from businesses after the DRA's decision to require the filing of separate business profits tax and business enterprise tax 2010 forms. So they want to make sure that lawmakers have the final say on forms in the future.Business tax forms "should be subjected to the highest level of transparency and accountability whenever changes to their structure or associated tax forms are contemplated," wrote Rep. Norman Majors, R-Plaistow, for the majority of the committee.The House might vote on the amended bill in the legislative session on Dec. 14, though more likely they won't get to it until January.'Modernization' savingsWho would think that what seemed like a technical fix would become a hot political issue?The DRA was attempting to update its forms — which had not had a serious overhaul in decades — to make things easier on the department, taxpayers and accountants, according to DRA Commissioner Kevin Clougherty."Modernization" would save the state money and staff time, process the returns (and refunds) quicker, uncover errors sooner, put them in synch with federal returns, make it easier for accountants and software companies, and enable the department to capture more information to satisfy the curiosity of lawmakers, journalists and think tanks, he said.The DRA receives as many as 30,000 documents a day, and half of its staff is devoted to keying in the data during crunch time. A scanner can process 15,000 documents in an hour, he said.But that's not the end of it. Once the department can scan its paper forms, then it will be better able to switch over to electronic filing, saving even more time, he said.That's what both accountants and businesses that file their own taxes want. After all, federal filing is electronic, so it's very frustrating "to break out the paper and pen. It's much more time-consuming" to fill out New Hampshire tax forms, said Judith Labbe-Huard, president of the CPA society.But integrating state tax forms with federal forms is easier said than done, since New Hampshire's tax system is unique — and that's not just because it doesn't have an income tax.One issue is that state taxes businesses differently, and putting that difference into the forms requires various interpretations. In addition, the DRA concluded that the old forms sometimes don't even match state law.That was the reason it wanted to separate the BET and BPT forms last year, and was even considering eliminating the summary form that taxpayers and accountants found so helpful.Thus, for the past few years, the DRA, with the CPA society's help, has been going though the forms line by line, trying to solve painfully complicated questions.Here's one "simple" example given by Jim Usseglio — a CPA who authored a white paper on the subject:"Say a business in New Hampshire, organized and taxed as a partnership, makes $100,000 in 2011, and has a $100,000 net operating loss carryforward from 2010. The question is, can the partnership claim a personal services compensation deduction for 2011, for say $100,000, before deducting its NOL carryforward and therefore preserve and carryforward its 2010 NOL to 2012, or does the law require that the NOL be deducted in 2011 before the comp deduction (and therefore no comp deduction can be claimed since can't create a loss), and thus eliminate any NOL carryforward?"That's the simple example, according to Usseglio."Not having tax practitioners involved in this process would not serve the public well," Usseglio said.Clougherty agreed."We encouraged criticism to clarify issues," he said. "And sometimes you have to balance the input of the practitioner with efficiency for the department. But we want them looking over our shoulder, to have a good working relationship, to say what doesn't work."Thus far, it has been an informal process, one that has been working well, Labbe-Huard said."We are not so much working with the DRA," said Labbe-Huard. "We don't have any control over it. We are not writing the forms. All we are doing is making comments."The society wouldn't mind formalizing that process, as an alternative to HB 564.Originally, the bill would have required that all 344 of the state's tax forms go through JLCR. The Ways and Means amendment narrowed it to the BPT, BET and interest and dividends taxes. While the society supported the goal of accountability, it was "still very concerned that the JLCR process would be much too lengthy to properly serve the taxpayers of New Hampshire," said Labbe-Huard in a prepared statement.As an alternative, the committee could set up a statutory committee, made up of practitioners, regulators and lawmakers, suggested Bruce Berke, a lobbyist who represents the CPA society.Such a committee would turn around forms in a matter of weeks, not months. And while having practitioners on the committee might not add to the timeliness, "it could add to the quality of the product," he said.But Ways and Means Committee Chair Rep. Stephen Stepanek, R-Milford, said he thought that JLCR would provide more legislative oversight. Besides, the JLCR committee could use its emergency powers to accelerate the process, he said.


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The University of Wales, Swansea was founded in 1920 and is one of the six constituent institutions of the University of Wales. All degrees are conferred by the University, which exercises a general control over university education in Wales and which is second in size only to the University of London.The University of Wales Swansea is situated in the centre of the South Wales coastline. The main campus lies within Singleton Park on the broad sweep of Swansea Bay, between the City of Swansea and the old fishing village of Mumbles. The beautiful Gower Peninsula, with its famous beaches and tranquil countryside, lies immediately to the west. The Singleton Campus is well known for its marvellous coastal location.
Here you will find details of Private rented accommodation in Swansea including student houses, student flats/apartments in Swansea, bed-sits in Swansea, larger housing schemes in Swansea.


12 April 2006, Gallatin, Missouri – WideBand Corporation announced today that it has chosen Interop Las Vegas as the place to launch its new Intelligent Networking system. Interop is the industry's largest and most respected enterprise IT event, taking place April 20 – May 4 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.
The concept of an Intelligent WideBand Network has been under development for several years. The brain of these networks is a hardware device called the nMU, which stands for Network Management Unit. With an nMU installed in an organization's network, the network manages itself. Hardware failure that would normally cripple or even completely shut down a network is sensed by the nMU, which immediately re-routes the network around the trouble spot without interruption of performance to users.
The Intelligent WideBand Networks are even able to continue to operate when a server storing critical organization data malfunctions. In that case, the nMU automatically switches all traffic over to a mirrored server that contains all of the current data and users continue to operate while the nMU notifies service personnel of the need to repair the defective unit.
In addition to the other self maintenance functions, the nMU can also detect faults in the network cabling system. If a bad cable causes even a 1% error rate in data transmissions, the usable bandwidth of the network is reduced by 80%. This is one of the main reasons that networks rarely perform up to the designed performance. The nMU constantly monitors all of the cabling in the network. When a faulty cable is detected, the nMU informs the repair team of exactly which cable needs to be repaired and how many feet down the cable the defect is located. This is a real timesaver.
The nMU also supports a feature called "ESP" which allows it to interface with computer diagnostic equipment and engineers at WideBand Corporation. This feature immediately notifies the factory if an equipment fault occurs. Often, replacement equipment is shipped out and received by the customer before they are even aware that a failure has taken place.
The WideBand Intelligent Network and the nMU will be competing for the annual "Best of Interop Awards", presented by Network Computing magazine and CMP Media. These prestigious awards are given to the companies that introduce the leading products and technologies at Interop Las Vegas 2006.
As part of Interop Las Vegas 2006, WideBand President Dr. Roger Billings will present a technical session, which will cover methods for securing and adding reliability to networks and storage using WideBand Networking and the nMU.
WideBand will offer live product demonstrations and educational presentations throughout the show at their booth, number 2155. The exhibition runs from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday and from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm on Thursday, May 2-4, 2006.
About Interop® – Interop®, now part of the CMP Media family of global brands, has led the revolution and evolution in IP networking for the past twenty years, and is dedicated to promoting and demonstrating the interoperability of the converged network, applications and devices to seamlessly exchange and use information to address the full range of business challenges facing IT organizations today and tomorrow. As the leading destination for technology buyers and sellers, Interop has fostered the growth and evolution of the IT industry for the past two decades, and remains the most anticipated and only comprehensive IT event. Through in-depth educational programs, workshops, real-world demonstrations and live technology implementations in its unique InteropNet and InteropLabs programs, Interop® provides the forum for the most powerful innovations and solutions the industry has to offer. Interop® Las Vegas will take place at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, April 30-May 5, 2006, and Interop® New York 2006 will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, September 18-22, 2006. For more information about these events, visit www.interop.com.
WideBand Corporation is the leading manufacturer of secure high availability solutions based on WideBand Networking. Their products are manufactured in the United States to strict standards of quality assurance. WideBand markets its products to intermediate-sized businesses, the education sector, and to state and federal government. More information on WideBand Corporation and its products is available at www.wband.com.


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MEPs reject Commission plan on GMO opt-outs
Market in Venice: If Italy opted-out from GMOs, how could it enforce the ban? (Photo: Eric Parker)
By Peter Teffer
Brussels, 28. Oct 2015, 14:18
Food safety commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis failed on Wednesday (28 October) to convince the European Parliament to adopt a plan which would give member states the power to ban the use of genetically modified food ingredients.
In a Strasbourg plenary vote Wednesday afternoon 579 of 751 MEPs said the Commission should withdraw it, which the Commission refused to do. Following the Commission's refusal, the plenary voted again, inching towards unanimity, with 619 MEPs rejecting the plan.
By rejecting the legislative proposal, the parliament put one of two required nails in the proposal's coffin. The plan needs approval from both national governments and the European Parliament before it can become law.
It followed a debate in which the proposal received widespread criticism, from all corners of the political spectrum.
The Commission wants to allow national governments to opt-out from the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) even if they have an EU-wide stamp of approval. Despite the EU's scientific authorisation process, many European citizens are sceptical of the safety of GMOs.
But the Commission's plan was written off from left to right as "wrong", "a serious mistake", "half-baked", "shoddy work", full of "legal loopholes" and posing a "risk of undermining the single market".
MEPs could not see how national governments could ban GMOs that are allowed in other EU states, since there is freedom of movement in the bloc.
"If we now go back to national authorisations, we would have to have border controls again. We have enough discussions about border controls", said German centre-right MEP Albert Dess, referring to the pressure migration has put on the EU's internal borders.
Green MEP Bart Staes from Belgium also noted he could not see the plan work in practice, considering that the EU imports genetically modified animal food for European livestock.
"If a boat of 50,000 tonnes of [genetically modified] soya arrives in the port of Antwerp, but France has decided to opt out, how will a truck be prevented from travelling to France?", Staes said.
MEPs said governments will miss the tools to enforce a ban.
"We'd have to have checks at every farm", German centre-left MEP Susanne Melior noted.
Other MEPs criticised the lack of an impact assessment, saying the proposal was no example of "better regulation", which the Commission of president Jean-Claude Juncker promised would be a guiding principle when it started work almost one year ago.
But Andriukaitis said it would be up to member states to carry out impact assessments for opt-outs.
"It was meaningless for the commission to carry out an ex ante impact assessment on a proposal which only gives a legal basis to the member states to act. ... The proposal has no impact in itself", he said.
During the morning's debate, Andriukaitis pleaded with MEPs to embrace the plan, because otherwise it would be a "lost opportunity to give a concrete answer to a genuine and legitimate concern of European citizens, which undermines not just the GMO authorisation system, but also confidence in the EU itself".
According to the Lithuanian commissioner there is no "alternative approach" to the current deadlock surrounding the authorisation of GMOs.
Because the issue is so divisive, member states never reach a qualified majority position, leaving the Commission to take the decision to approve a GMO (and receive the criticism).
One source from an anti-GMO country recently explained the current situation allowed member states to blame Brussels.
"The Commission wants to simply dump this back on the member states to get out of the difficulty", said French centre-right MEP Francoise Grossetete.
The EP's rejection wasn't unexpected and followed calls for withdrawal from its environment and agriculture committees.
Andriukaitis noted after the debate, ahead of the vote, he saw "a very real possibility the parliament may reject the proposal". However, he said the Commission will not budge.
"I would like to confirm the commission believes this proposal is the right way of addressing the challenges in relation to the decision-making proces on GMOs at European Union level. The commission will not withdraw its proposal", he said.
If the Commission does not withdraw the proposal, the legislative file goes back to the parliamentary committee.
However, the more likely scenario is that national governments will kill the proposal by also rejecting it, following heavy criticism from their side.
A source close to the presidency of the Council, which represents governments, told this website earlier this month it had not received new arguments from the Commission, which it requested after ministers said they were unconvinced.
"If the Commission does not provide a new justification, there will be considerable pressure on us to do the same", and call for a withdrawal, the contact said.
Vytenis Andriukaitis, 28.10.2015, Strasbourg
EU agriculture ministers pummel GMO opt-out plan
EU states prefer to 'blame Brussels' on GMOs
More than half of EU countries ask for GMO opt-out
EU in 'no rush' to finalise GM food opt-outs
Commission tries to revive GMO opt-out proposal
GMO opt-out plan remains in waiting room
The EU commission wants to give countries the power to ban GMOs. "It's not useful, it's impracticable, and it's likely to bring a large majority against it", was one reaction.
EU sources say anti-GMO countries prefer the current system because they can "blame Brussels" for authorising the "hot potato".
Fifteen member states want to ban the cultivation of genetically modified organisms on their soil. The deadline is Saturday.
Dutch presidency sees no use in discussing Commission plans to allow states to opt out of GM food rules, since ministers are strongly against them.
6. Dec 2016, 19:20
The European Commission has sent a legal analysis of its plan to member states, which heavily criticised the proposal. The EU parliament has already rejected it.
The commission wants to give the power to member states to reject EU-approved genetically modified organisms, but the Maltese presidency is unlikely to approach the issue any time soon.
Migration and climate are EU's top priorities, Macron says
In a speech aimed at quelling yellow vest unrest, French president did not come with radical new European proposals.
Greens commit to air quality 'super commissioner'
Following an investigation into the Dieselgate scandal, the European Parliament recommended a single commissioner should be responsible for both air quality and setting industrial standards. But only the Greens want to commit to carry out that advice.


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The dramatic increase of electronic components and devices in passenger cars tends to result in a further miniaturization of these components. In this context the chip on board technology of semiconductor devices and semiconductor light sources without extern housing and without extern optic devices gains importance. Not only the required space of further developed optoelectronic devices could be critical but also the consumption of electrical energy must be decreased. As this paper shows a direct encapsulation of Light emitting diodes (LEDs) by dint of an injection molding tool is possible. Forming the optical geometry to gain the required radiation pattern within this encapsulation process has been proofed to be feasible. In a first approach we investigated a two step encapsulation process but with the further development we ascertained a similar drop out rate for a single step encapsulation process. In particular with regard to the processing of temperature sensitive semiconductor devices specific knowledge on the thermal load is required for product life-time estimation. Therefore temperature measurement during the encapsulation process is a key point.


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Home » Home + Design
Turtle Creek townhome wows with midcentury appeal
On the Home Front
Dallas favorite Forty Five Ten opens new home store in familiar space
Meet the Dallas artist turning out one-of-a-kind dyed tapestries
Boho by Lauren wall hangings feature dip-dyed yarn hung in strands from a wooden rod. Courtesy of Boho by Lauren
Each wall hanging is one-of-a-kind. Courtesy of Boho by Lauren
Lauren Williams crafting one of her tapestries. Courtesy of Boho by Lauren
Dallas artist Lauren Williams was staring at a blank wall in her dining room when inspiration struck. "I knew I needed a large piece of art — something special," says Williams. "Instead of buying a giant canvas, I had the idea to suspend single strands to a wooden dowel."
So, she dyed more than 400 strands, hung them from a wooden rod — and voilà — her proprietary medium, dubbed "canvas with movement," was born.
"Ultimately, it was my love for modern design and beautiful textiles that led to this modern, bohemian style of fiber art," says Williams.
Officially launched in 2015, Boho by Lauren has since taken off. Williams has sold more than 500 pieces to admirers across the globe. Recently, she began working with interior designers, bringing her boho flair to boutique hotels.
From the California coastline to fashion, she finds inspiration in myriad ways, working with unexpected color combinations often evocative of vegetation and the beach. From the length of the strands to variations in saturation levels, no two pieces are alike.
"I create pieces I would want to hang on my own wall," says Williams. "I think, 'What would be the perfect addition of color and design for this wall?' Then I make it."
Ultimately, Williams envisions the brand growing into a full home-decor line. To wit, she's launching a line of handcrafted home products complementing the tapestries this spring.
"I'll continue to create innovative wall art, while working to develop unique pieces for art lovers' homes."
A new collection of Williams' one-of-a-kind tapestries — starting at $450 — is released each month. And don't hesitate to press buy — the last one sold out in 17 minutes.
What to see — and skip — on a magical West Texas journey to Marfa
Trailblazing editor inspires Dallasites to give big at luncheon
Whopping $100K donation from Reliant grants last wishes for moms