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Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association, Inc. (STERA, Inc.)
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Welcome to the home page of the Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association, Inc. (STERA, Inc.). This organization is dedicated to publishing fact-based information about the Shroud of Turin through its award-winning website, www.shroud.com. In addition to this extensive online resource, the Association maintains a large collection of scientific and historical material crucial to the continuing study of the Shroud. It is our goal to insure that a continually increasing portion of these materials is made available indirectly to the public via the website, and directly to qualified researchers on request. As the process of curating and archiving continues, more and more of these extensive materials will be made accessible. Below are some important links you should find useful:
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News From STERA, Inc.
Our Once-a-Year Fundraising Drive Starts Today
November 27, 2023
STERA, Inc. Secure Contribution Form As regular visitors know, STERA, Inc. holds only one fundraising event a year, and today's update launches our 2023 annual fundraising effort to support the website and our other long term projects. As we have stated previously, with the large number of visitors we have each year, we could generate substantial revenue by allowing advertising on the site (like most websites do), but we have never allowed ads in our 28 year history and have no intention of allowing them in the future! That means that we need your support to help make up the difference and every contribution is fully tax deductible. As President of STERA, Inc., I am obligated to solicit contributions from our viewers and subscribers, just like every other non-profit in the world. However, unlike most non-profits, we prefer not to bombard you with continuous requests for contributions (which I am sure you appreciate). But now, that time has come again so here are some reminders of the ways you can support STERA, Inc.
The newest method for supporting STERA, Inc. is via "Deal Aid," which allows you to shop and save money at thousands of popular online retailers while they donate to STERA, Inc. at no cost to you. Unlike some other platforms that only donate 0.5% of their proceeds to the charity of your choice, Deal Aid will donate up to 50% of sales on each order. This is a great new way to support STERA, Inc. without spending anything beyond your normal online purchases.
Another means of supporting STERA, Inc. is via "Giving Assistant," which allows you to shop at more than 3000 of your favorite brand-name stores and receive cash back for all your purchases. You can then specify what percentage of your cash back earnings you would like to have automatically donated directly to STERA, Inc. We already have several supporters using this method and we encourage our viewers who shop online to help support us this way. You can save money and help STERA, Inc. at the same time!
We have also joined with eBay For Charity to provide an additional way to support Shroud.com and STERA, Inc. You can use it whether buying or selling on eBay and a percentage that you designate is donated to STERA, Inc.
You can also support STERA, Inc. and Shroud.com by purchasing items directly from our Website Store page. With the holidays fast approaching, you might want to review some of the items we make available, including a miniature Shroud replica, a set of high quality lithographic prints, several different Shroud transparencies in backlit PhotoGlow frames, a new, fine art print of the Shroud face and a number of DVD's. Any of them would make great gifts for your favorite Shroudie! Order by December 1st for Christmas delivery.
Of course, we have also made it very easy to safely make a tax deductible contribution online using PayPal or your credit or debit card via our Secure Contribution Form (or by clicking on the graphic at left or at the top of this article). Once on the page, just click the orange "Donate" button and follow the simple on screen instructions.The form also includes details on how you can contribute by Mail via check or even by telephone. Naturally, we hope many of you will contribute generously since we must rely in part on our viewers for financial support. We understand that you are constantly being asked to donate to many worthwhile organizations and hope you will consider STERA, Inc. and Shroud.com worthy of your support. As further incentive and to express our gratitude for your contributions, we are offering contributors a number of excellent gifts for their support. We thank you in advance for your consideration and generosity.
Barrie Schwortz
President, STERA, Inc.
News From STERA, Inc.
Our Once-a-Year Fundraising Drive Starts Today
December 5, 2022
STERA, Inc. Secure Contribution Form As regular visitors know, STERA, Inc. holds only one fundraising event a year, and today's update launches our 2022 annual fundraising effort to support the website and our other long term projects. As we have stated previously, with the large number of visitors we have each year, we could generate substantial revenue by allowing advertising on the site (like most websites do), but we have never allowed ads in our 27 year history and have no intention of allowing them in the future! That means that we need your support to help make up the difference and every contribution is fully tax deductible. As President of STERA, Inc., I am obligated to solicit contributions from our viewers and subscribers, just like every other non-profit in the world. However, unlike most non-profits, we prefer not to bombard you with continuous requests for contributions (which I am sure you appreciate). But now, that time has come again so here are some reminders of the ways you can support STERA, Inc.
The newest method for supporting STERA, Inc. is via "Deal Aid," which allows you to shop and save money at thousands of popular online retailers while they donate to STERA, Inc. at no cost to you. Unlike some other platforms that only donate 0.5% of their proceeds to the charity of your choice, Deal Aid will donate up to 50% of sales on each order. This is a great new way to support STERA, Inc. without spending anything beyond your normal online purchases.
Another means of supporting STERA, Inc. is via "Giving Assistant," which allows you to shop at more than 3000 of your favorite brand-name stores and receive cash back for all your purchases. You can then specify what percentage of your cash back earnings you would like to have automatically donated directly to STERA, Inc. We already have several supporters using this method and we encourage our viewers who shop online to help support us this way. You can save money and help STERA, Inc. at the same time!
For the past few years we have participated in a non-profit program from Amazon called "Amazon Smile," which allows you to shop as you normally do and Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price directly to STERA, Inc. They charge no fees for this service and you can even adjust your settings to automatically enter Amazon Smile every time you log on to their website. It provides an easy way to support our work and this website without spending anything extra. [NOTE: If you are an AmazonSmile customer, you can now support STERA, Inc. in the Amazon shopping app on your Android device! Simply follow these instructions to turn on AmazonSmile and start generating donations: 1: If you have the latest version of the Amazon Shopping App, open the App on your Android device. 2: View Settings and select AmazonSmile. 3: Follow the in-App instructions to complete the process.
We have also joined with eBay For Charity to provide an additional way to support Shroud.com and STERA, Inc. You can use it whether buying or selling on eBay and a percentage that you designate is donated to STERA, Inc.
You can also support STERA, Inc. and Shroud.com by purchasing items directly from our Website Store page. With the holidays fast approaching, you might want to review some of the items we make available, including a miniature Shroud replica, a set of high quality lithographic prints, several different Shroud transparencies in backlit PhotoGlow frames, a new, fine art print of the Shroud face and a number of DVD's. Any of them would make great gifts for your favorite Shroudie! Order by December 1st for Christmas delivery.
Of course, we have also made it very easy to safely make a tax deductible contribution online using PayPal or your credit or debit card via our Secure Contribution Form (or by clicking on the graphic at left or at the top of this article). Once on the page, just click the orange "Donate" button and follow the simple on screen instructions.The form also includes details on how you can contribute by Mail via check or even by telephone. Naturally, we hope many of you will contribute generously since we must rely in part on our viewers for financial support. We understand that you are constantly being asked to donate to many worthwhile organizations and hope you will consider STERA, Inc. and Shroud.com worthy of your support. As further incentive and to express our gratitude for your contributions, we are offering contributors a number of excellent gifts for their support. We thank you in advance for your consideration and generosity.
Barrie Schwortz
President, STERA, Inc.
News From STERA, Inc.
2021 Fundraising Campaign Launched
November 22, 2021
STERA, Inc. Secure Contribution Form Once a year, STERA, Inc. launches its annual fundraising effort to support the website and our other long term projects. Frankly, with the large number of visitors we have each year, we could generate substantial revenue by allowing advertising on the site (like most websites do), but we have never allowed ads in our 26 year history and have no intention of allowing them in the future! That means that we need your support to help make up the difference and every contribution is fully tax deductible. As President of STERA, Inc., I am obligated to solicit contributions from our viewers and subscribers, just like every other non-profit in the world. However, unlike most non-profits, we only have one annual fundraising effort near the end of each year. We prefer not to bombard you with continuous requests for contributions like most other non-profits do (which I am sure you appreciate). But now, that time has come again so here are some reminders of the ways you can support STERA, Inc.
The newest method for supporting STERA, Inc. is via "Deal Aid," which allows you to shop and save money at thousands of popular online retailers while they donate to STERA, Inc. at no cost to you. Unlike some other platforms that only donate 0.5% of their proceeds to the charity of your choice, Deal Aid will donate up to 50% of sales on each order. This is a great new way to support STERA, Inc. without spending anything beyond your normal online purchases.
Another means of supporting STERA, Inc. is via "Giving Assistant," which allows you to shop at more than 3000 of your favorite brand-name stores and receive cash back for all your purchases. You can then specify what percentage of your cash back earnings you would like to have automatically donated directly to STERA, Inc. We already have several supporters using this method and we encourage our viewers who shop online to help support us this way. You can save money and help STERA, Inc. at the same time!
For the past few years we have participated in a non-profit program from Amazon called "Amazon Smile," which allows you to shop as you normally do and Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price directly to STERA, Inc. They charge no fees for this service and you can even adjust your settings to automatically enter Amazon Smile every time you log on to their website. It provides an easy way to support our work and this website without spending anything extra. [NOTE: If you are an AmazonSmile customer, you can now support STERA, Inc. in the Amazon shopping app on your Android device! Simply follow these instructions to turn on AmazonSmile and start generating donations: 1: If you have the latest version of the Amazon Shopping App, open the App on your Android device. 2: View Settings and select AmazonSmile. 3: Follow the in-App instructions to complete the process.
We have also joined with eBay For Charity to provide an additional way to support Shroud.com and STERA, Inc. You can use it whether buying or selling on eBay and a percentage that you designate is donated to STERA, Inc.
You can also support STERA, Inc. and Shroud.com by purchasing items directly from our Website Store page. With the holidays fast approaching, you might want to review some of the items we make available, including a miniature Shroud replica, a set of high quality lithographic prints, several different Shroud transparencies in backlit PhotoGlow frames, a new, fine art print of the Shroud face and a number of DVD's. Any of them would make great gifts for your favorite Shroudie! Order by December 1st for Christmas delivery.
Of course, we have also made it very easy to safely make a tax deductible contribution online using PayPal or your credit or debit card via our Secure Contribution Form (or by clicking on the graphic at left or at the top of this article). The form also includes details on how you can contribute by Mail via check or even by telephone. Naturally, we hope many of you will contribute generously since we must rely in part on our viewers for financial support. We understand that you are constantly being asked to donate to many worthwhile organizations and hope you will consider STERA, Inc. and Shroud.com worthy of your support. As further incentive and to express our gratitude for your contributions, we are offering contributors a number of excellent gifts for their support. We thank you in advance for your consideration and generosity.
Barrie Schwortz
President, STERA, Inc.
About the STERA, Inc. Facebook Page
June 30, 2021
Link to STERA, Inc. Facebook Page I have to admit that I have never been a huge fan of Facebook. Although we have had the page since May, 2012, over the years it has been an added burden on my time, which I would rather spend working on this website. However, I did make occasional posts until about a year ago, when I suddenly could not access the page at all (and I am its administsrator). I could see the page, but as soon as I logged in I got the following error message: "Account Temporarily Unavailable. Your account is currently unavailable due to a site issue. We expect this to be resolved shortly. Please try again in a few minutes." That went on for months and we tested it with three different browsers on two different computers with no success, but I found that using an old Internet Explorer browser still allowed me access to the page. However, that all changed earlier this year and I haven't been able to access the page or post anything since March 3, 2021. None of my technical advisors can figure out what the problem is and I can't log into Facebook to ask for their help. Fortunately, over the past few months Joe Marino has been guest posting on the page so until the issues are resolved, I will send Joe any important update notices and he will post them on the Facebook page for me. Also, please don't try and communicate with me via Facebook, since I can't log in and answer your questions. Please send all correspondence directly to my e-mail address (which you can find using the Open E-mail Form link on the Send Us E-mail page of this site. Thank you for understanding. - Barrie Schwortz
News From STERA, Inc.
2020 Fundraising Campaign Launched
November 7, 2020
STERA, Inc. Secure Contribution Form Once a year, STERA, Inc. launches its annual fundraising effort to support the website and our other long term projects. This year the COVID-19 issues impacted us so we definitely need your support to continue our work. Frankly, with the large number of visitors we have each year, we could generate substantial revenue by allowing advertising on the site (like most websites do), but we have never allowed ads in our 25 year history and have no intention of allowing them in the future! That means that we need your support to help make up the difference and every contribution is fully tax deductible. As President of STERA, Inc., I am obligated to solicit contributions from our viewers and subscribers, just like every other non-profit in the world. Of course, unlike most non-profits, we only have one annual fundraising effort near the end of each year. We prefer not to bombard you with continuous requests for contributions during the course of the year like most other non-profits do (which I am sure you appreciate). But now, that time has come again so here are some reminders of the ways you can support STERA, Inc.
One means of supporting STERA, Inc. is via "Giving Assistant," which allows you to shop at more than 3000 of your favorite brand-name stores and receive cash back for all your purchases. You can then specify what percentage of your cash back earnings you would like to have automatically donated directly to STERA, Inc. We already have several supporters using this method and we encourage our viewers who shop online to help support us this way. You can save money and help STERA, Inc. at the same time!
For the past few years we have participated in a non-profit program from Amazon called "Amazon Smile," which allows you to shop as you normally do and Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price directly to STERA, Inc. They charge no fees for this service and you can even adjust your settings to automatically enter Amazon Smile every time you log on to their website. It provides an easy way to support our work and this website without spending anything extra. [NOTE: If you are an AmazonSmile customer, you can now support STERA, Inc. in the Amazon shopping app on your Android device! Simply follow these instructions to turn on AmazonSmile and start generating donations: 1: If you have the latest version of the Amazon Shopping App, open the App on your Android device. 2: View Settings and select AmazonSmile. 3: Follow the in-App instructions to complete the process.
We have also joined with eBay For Charity to provide an additional way to support Shroud.com and STERA, Inc. You can use it whether buying or selling on eBay and a percentage that you designate is donated to STERA, Inc.
You can also support STERA, Inc. and Shroud.com by purchasing items directly from our Website Store page. With the holidays fast approaching, you might want to look at some of the items we make available, including a miniature Shroud replica on cotton canvas, a set of high quality lithographic prints, several different Shroud transparencies in backlit PhotoGlow frames and a number of DVD's. Any of them would make great gifts for your favorite Shroudie! Order by December 15, 2020 for Christmas delivery (in the U.S.).
Of course, we have also made it very easy to safely make a tax deductible contribution online using PayPal or your credit or debit card via our Secure Contribution Form (or by clicking on the graphic at left or at the top of this article). The form also includes details on how you can contribute by Mail via check or even by telephone. Naturally, we hope many of you will contribute generously since we must rely in part on our viewers for financial support. We understand that you are constantly being asked to donate to many worthwhile organizations and hope you will consider STERA, Inc. and Shroud.com worthy of your support. As further incentive and to express our gratitude for your contributions, we are offering contributors a number of excellent gifts for their support. We thank you in advance for your consideration and generosity.
Barrie Schwortz
President, STERA, Inc.
Important Update from STERA, Inc.
June 1, 2020
Important Update from STERA, Inc.
(Link to Secure Contribution Form)The COVID-19 virus has definitely had an effect on STERA, Inc. Most people are locked down at home and can't work. I work at home so I'm locked down at work! Of course, that has allowed me to devote the time necessary to make this the single largest website update in our history (I have been working on it non-stop since mid-March). It has also given me the opportunity to update you on our current projects. Once I recover from the marathon of producing today's update, I will finally be able to start work on the scanning and digitizing of the more than 5000 35mm slides in the Paul Maloney Collection, which we discussed in detail in our November 6, 2019 update. Paul was able to examine and make photomicrographs of the Max Frei tape samples during the years they were in his possession and the result was a huge collection of important images that we hope to make available to researchers in the future.
Unfortunately, the virus has had one negative effect on STERA, Inc. All of my scheduled lectures and presentations this year have been cancelled. All the modest honorariums charged for my appearances are paid directly to STERA, Inc. and not to me personally. It is one of the few revenue streams STERA, Inc. has since we permit no advertising on this website and do not monetize our visitors the way most other websites do. Historically, we only do one fundraising drive each year, usually in our fall update. However, with the financial impact the virus has had, we are asking for your support early this year. If you want to help, you can safely make an online contribution via our Secure Contribution Form, where you can use your credit/debit card or PayPal account to support our work. Also, if you are an Amazon shopper (and who isn't?), you can support STERA, Inc. without spending one extra penny via Amazon Smile. Just use this link STERA, Inc. link to Amazon Smile (or the above graphic) and shop normally. Amazon will donate .5% of your purchase to STERA, Inc. and charges no fees for this service. You can even set your browser so you always enter Amazon via that link. That way, you can support both STERA, Inc. and Jeff Bezos! Seriously, trust that your ongoing support is truly appreciated. Thank you again.
Barrie Schwortz
President, STERA, Inc.
News From STERA, Inc.
Archiving the Paul Maloney Collection
November 6, 2019
Paul Maloney at the 2001 Dallas Conference When highly respected archaeologist and Shroud scholar Paul Maloney died in 2018, we had been working together on a number of Shroud projects based on the Max Frei tape samples, which he had had in his possession for a number of years prior to them going to the late Dr. Alan Whanger. Paul had just completed a paper that mapped Max's tape sample sites based on the photodocumentation images I made of Frei in 1978 and amazingly, sent it to me early in the morning on the day that he died! We published that work posthumously and included links to it (and several videos of Paul) in the Paul Maloney Memorial we posted in our October 8, 2018 update. In that Memorial I started to describe the final, unfinished (and largest) project Paul and I were undertaking. Here is part of what I wrote at the time:
"...The third project Paul and I were working on was the digitizing of over 5000 photomicrographs on 35mm color slides that Paul had made of the Max Frei tape samples when they were in his possession. He was in the process of annotating the slides but had not yet completed the task when he died. Once he had completed that phase I was to start digitizing the images. Since this was the most important (and the largest) of the three projects, Lois has agreed to allow STERA, Inc. to take up the work and finish as best we can what Paul began."
More than a year has passed since Paul's death and I am now happy to report that the archiving of the Paul Maloney Collection is beginning in earnest this month. In fact, before I finish this update I will be traveling to Pennsylvania to evaluate the materials and start the process of what will definitely be several years of work. The great value in these photomicrographs is that they were made more than twenty years ago, when the tape samples were that much younger and "fresher." (All tapes will degrade over time). Also, Paul was well experienced with the microscope and meticulous in his work, so I fully expect the slides to be consistent in quality and properly exposed. That will make the digitizing process easier and more efficient and the results more useful. It will also minimize the need for future access to the original tape samples themselves, so they can remain preserved and intact, while still allowing access to the photomicrographs by any researcher interested in studying them.
UPDATE: Since I wrote the above article, I traveled to Pennsylvania and collected the entire collection of more than 5000 35mm slides and shipped them to my house here in Colorado. I am happy tu report the entire collection is now safely here at STERA, Inc. and the archiving process will begin in earnest early in 2020 (after I complete our 24th Anniversary website update on January 21, 2020). I wish to extend my sincere thanks to Paul's widow, Lois Maloney, for graciously allowing me into their home to sort through Paul's Shroud materials and computer, where we also found and archived around 600 files relevant to the Shroud and Frei's samples. Thanks also to Ed Maloney, Paul's son, for his very valuable assistance during my stay and to our good friend, Shroud scholar Massimo Paris, who graciously picked me up at the airport and served as my transportation throughout my entire stay in Pennsylvania (at his own expense). We will keep you posted on our progress in future updates. See the next article for details on how you can provide much needed help to support our work.
Barrie Schwortz
President, STERA, Inc.
News From STERA, Inc.
2019 Fundraising Campaign Launched
November 6, 2019
STERA, Inc. Secure Contribution Form Once a year, STERA, Inc. launches its annual fundraising effort to support the website and our other long term projects. This year we begin the archiving of the Paul Maloney Collection of more than 5000 35mm slides taken of the Max Frei tape samples during the years when they were in Paul's possession. (See above article) This will incur travel and shipping costs and other expenses that will stretch our budget dramatically, so we really need your help this year more than ever before. Frankly, with the large number of visitors we have each year, we could generate substantial revenue by allowing advertising on the site, but we have never allowed ads in our 23+ year history and have no intention of allowing them in the future! That means that we need your support to help make up the difference and every contribution is fully tax deductible. As President of STERA, Inc., I am obligated to solicit contributions from our viewers and subscribers, just like every other non-profit in the world. Of course, unlike most non-profits, we only have one annual fundraising effort near the end of each year. We prefer not to bombard you with continuous requests for contributions during the course of the year like most other non-profits do (which I am sure you appreciate). But now, that time has come again so here are some reminders of the ways you can support STERA, Inc.
Our newest means of supporting STERA, Inc. is via "Giving Assistant," which allows you to shop at more than 3000 of your favorite brand-name stores and receive cash back for all your purchases. You can then specify what percentage of your cash back earnings you would like to have automatically donated directly to STERA, Inc. We already have several supporters using this method and we encourage our viewers who shop online to help support us this way. You can save money and help STERA, Inc. at the same time!
For the past few years we have participated in a non-profit program from Amazon called "Amazon Smile," which allows you to shop as you normally do and Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price directly to STERA, Inc. They charge no fees for this service and you can even adjust your settings to automatically enter Amazon Smile every time you log on to their website. It provides an easy way to support our work and this website without spending anything extra. [NOTE: If you are an AmazonSmile customer, you can now support STERA, Inc. in the Amazon shopping app on your Android device! Simply follow these instructions to turn on AmazonSmile and start generating donations: 1: If you have the latest version of the Amazon Shopping App, open the App on your Android device. 2: View Settings and select AmazonSmile. 3: Follow the in-App instructions to complete the process.
We have also joined with eBay For Charity to provide an additional way to support Shroud.com and STERA, Inc. You can use it whether buying or selling on eBay and a percentage that you designate is donated to STERA, Inc.
You can also support STERA, Inc. and Shroud.com by purchasing items directly from our Website Store page. With the holidays fast approaching, you might want to look at some of the items we make available, including a miniature Shroud replica on cotton canvas, a set of high quality lithographic prints, several different Shroud transparencies in backlit PhotoGlow frames and a number of DVD's. Any of them would make great gifts for your favorite Shroudie! Order by December 15, 2019 for Christmas delivery.
Of course, we have also made it very easy to safely make a tax deductible contribution online using PayPal or your credit or debit card via our Secure Contribution Form (or by clicking on the graphic at left or at the top of this article). The form also includes details on how you can contribute by Mail via check or even by telephone. Naturally, we hope many of you will contribute generously since we must rely in part on our viewers for financial support. We understand that you are constantly being asked to donate to many worthwhile organizations and hope you will consider STERA, Inc. and Shroud.com worthy of your support. As further incentive and to express our gratitude for your contributions, we are offering contributors a number of excellent gifts for their support. We thank you in advance for your consideration and generosity.
Barrie Schwortz
President, STERA, Inc.
News From STERA, Inc.
June 10, 2019
Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association, Inc. First, we want to extend our sincerest condolences to the family, friends, colleagues and students of Raymond Schneider, respected educator and Shroud scholar who also served as a member of STERA, Inc.'s Board of Directors until his passing on January 28, 2019. Ray was a highly respected researcher whose contributions to Sindonology and our organization were always thoughtful, clearly stated and thorough. I always believed that Ray had a better understanding of the Shroud's image properties than most. He certainly will be missed by all of us that knew him.
Policy Change: For the first fourteen years of this website's history, I personally decided which original papers would be published on Shroud.com. Shortly after STERA, Inc. was founded in 2009 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and the legal ownership of the website was transferred to the non-profit, I established a new policy and created an Editorial Review Committee so the decision of which original materials we published was made by a group of Shroud scholars. We used that method for a number of years, but it presented us with another problem. Some viewers mistakenly thought our committee was the same as formal peer review. It was not. In fact, one of the biggest problems we encountered was that often, there was no one on our committee of the necessary discipline to properly evaluate a paper. The underlying value of peer review is that the research is evaluated by equally qualified scientists of the same or related disciplines. Since Shroud research covers such a wide range of disciplines and it is impossible for us to properly evaluate all of them, we are changing our policy effective immediately and will no longer accept unsolicited manuscripts for publication on Shroud.com. Instead, we encourage researchers to submit their papers to appropriate peer reviewed journals whenever possible. We would much rather link to an article in a refereed journal than publish it here on Shroud.com. The more credible the journal that publishes your work, the more value your work has to Sindonology in general. We need all the good science we can get.
Barrie Schwortz
President, STERA, Inc.
News From STERA, Inc. - New Board Member Added
2018 Fundraising Campaign Launched
October 8, 2018
STERA, Inc. Secure Contribution Form At the July 15, 2018 Board of Directors Meeting, the STERA, Inc. Board accepted the retirement and emeritus status of Board member Joan Rogers, who will continue to remain available for consultations if needed. This created the need to select and approve a new Board member to take her place. In evaluating potential candidates, one name came to mind immediately, and I recommended Raymond Schneider to fill the position. For those who might not know Ray, he is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics and Information Technology at Bridgewater College, a contributing member of the online Shroud Science Group and a highly respected Shroud scholar. I am pleased to announce that the Board approved his selection unanimously and Ray is now the newest member of the STERA, Inc. Board of Directors. Here is a link to a list of the Current STERA, Inc. Board of Directors. Congratulations Ray! We look forward to working with you.
As I have stated in the past, I love the work I do as editor of this website and as President of STERA, Inc., but one of the most difficult (and uncomfortable) responsibilities I have is raising funds each year in the form of tax deductible contributions to support the website and our other long term projects. Frankly, with the large number of visitors we have each year, we could generate substantial revenue by allowing advertising on the site, but we have never allowed ads in our 23 year history and have no intention of allowing them in the future! That means that we need your support to help make up the difference. As President of STERA, Inc., I am obligated to solicit contributions from our viewers and subscribers, just like every other non-profit in the world. Of course, unlike most non-profits, we only have one annual fundraising effort near the end of each year. We prefer not to bombard you with continuous requests for contributions during the course of the year (which I am sure you appreciate). But now, that time has come again so here are some reminders of the ways you can support STERA, Inc.
Our newest means of supporting STERA, Inc. is via "Giving Assistant," which allows you to shop at more than 3000 of your favorite brand-name stores and receive cash back for all your purchases. You can then specify what percentage of your cash back earnings you would like to have automatically donated directly to STERA, Inc. We already have several supporters using this method and we encourage our viewers who shop online to help support us this way. You can save money and help STERA, Inc. at the same time!
Last year we announced our participation in a non-profit program from Amazon called "Amazon Smile," which allows you to shop as you normally do and Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price directly to STERA, Inc. Amazon charges no fees for this service and you can even adjust your settings to automatically enter Amazon Smile every time you log on to the Amazon website. It provides an easy way to support our work and this website without spending anything extra. As soon as we instituted it last year, it quickly became a great success. We thank all of you who logged in and began supporting us this way. We truly appreciate it!
We have also joined with eBay For Charity to provide an additional way to support Shroud.com and STERA, Inc. You can use it whether buying or selling on eBay and a percentage that you designate is donated to STERA, Inc.
You can also support STERA, Inc. and Shroud.com by purchasing items directly from our Website Store page. With the holidays fast approaching, you might want to look at some of the items we make available, including a miniature Shroud replica on cotton canvas, a set of high quality lithographic prints, several different Shroud transparencies in backlit PhotoGlow frames and a number of DVD's. Any of them would make great gifts for your favorite Shroudie! Order by December 15, 2018 for Christmas delivery.
Of course, we have also made it very easy to safely make a tax deductible contribution online using PayPal or your credit or debit card via our Secure Contribution Form (or by clicking on the graphic at left or at the top of this article). The form also includes details on how you can contribute by Mail or by telephone. Naturally, we hope many of you will contribute generously since we must rely in part on our viewers for financial support. We understand that you are constantly being asked to donate to many worthwhile organizations and hope you will consider STERA, Inc. and Shroud.com worthy of your support. As further incentive and to express our gratitude for your contributions, we are offering contributors a number of excellent gifts for their support. We thank you in advance for your consideration and generosity.
Barrie Schwortz
President, STERA, Inc.
News From STERA, Inc.
January 21, 2018
Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association, Inc. First, I want to extend a sincere "thank you" to all of our friends and supporters who made contributions to STERA, Inc. during our recent fundraising campaign. Your generosity, friendship and continued support are truly needed and deeply appreciated!
STERA, Inc. held their second 2017 Board of Directors meeting on Sunday, December 17, 2017 via conference call. Due to the holiday season, the meeting was limited to just one important topic. Because of the sudden and unexpected passing of our fellow Board member, Diana Fulbright, the Board had to approve someone as her replacement. I proposed Kelly Kearse as an excellent candidate for this position, as he has a superb background in science, particularly in blood and DNA analyses, and is also a thoughtful and careful researcher whose work has appeared on this website numerous times. I am pleased to announce that the Board approved his selection unanimously and Kelly is now the newest member of the STERA, Inc. Board of Directors. Congratulations Kelly! We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship.
Barrie Schwortz
President, STERA, Inc.
An Important Comment from the STERA, Inc. Board of Directors
October 10, 2017
An Important Comment from the STERA, Inc. Board of Directors The STERA, Inc. Board of Directors has asked me to publish the following comment:
In 2015, after fulfilling all of STERA, Inc.'s formal requirements for accessing materials in our various collections, the Board of Directors voted to approve Giulio Fanti's request for access to three of the remaining tape samples from the Ray Rogers Collection. These were hand delivered to him in Turin in May 2015 by Barrie Schwortz. It should be noted that Barrie does not have a vote on the Board of Directors so did not participate in the decision to grant Giulio access to the samples. That decision was made solely by the Board of Directors.
In the STERA, Inc. Materials Access Request form that Giulio completed, he stated that, "The material will be returned AS it will be furnished without impact of any kind. Possible minimal alteration will be agreed before any operation." This indisputably implied that the testing he would perform would be completely NON-DESTRUCTIVE and was one of the critical considerations STERA, Inc. used in their decision to grant his request and make the samples available to him. When Giulio submitted a copy to the board of the first paper he produced based at least in part on the samples we provided, titled, "Mechanical Characterization of Linen Fibers: The Turin Shroud Dating," the Board of Directors reviewed it and made a series of comments and recommendations to improve the paper and make it more accurate.
The board letter made the following points: (Read the entire comment here)Barrie Schwortz
President, STERA, Inc.
STERA, Inc. Launches 2017 Fundraising Campaign
October 10, 2017
STERA, Inc. Secure Contribution Form I love the work I do as editor of this website and as President of STERA, Inc., but one of the most difficult (and uncomfortable) responsibilities I have is raising funds each year in the form of tax deductible contributions to support the website and our other long term projects. Frankly, with the large number of visitors we have each year, we could generate substantial revenue by allowing advertising on the site, but we have never allowed ads in our 22 year history and have no intention of allowing them in the future! That means that we need your support to help make up the difference. As President of STERA, Inc., I am obligated to solicit contributions from our viewers and subscribers, just like every other non-profit in the world. Of course, unlike most non-profits, we only have one annual fundraising effort near the end of each year. We prefer not to bombard you with continuous requests for contributions during the course of the year (which I am sure you appreciate). But now, that time has come again and this year we are offering some new ways to support STERA, Inc.
Our newest means of supporting STERA, Inc. is via "Giving Assistant," which allows you to shop at more than 3000 of your favorite brand-name stores and receive cash back for all your purchases. You can then specify what percentage of your cash back earnings you would like to have automatically donated directly to STERA, Inc. We already have several supporters using this method and we encourage our viewers who shop online to help support us this way. You can save money and help STERA, Inc. at the same time!
Last year we announced our participation in a non-profit program from Amazon called "Amazon Smile," which allows you to shop as you normally do and Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price directly to STERA, Inc. Amazon charges no fees for this service and you can even adjust your settings to automatically enter Amazon Smile every time you log on to the Amazon website. It provides an easy way to support our work and this website without spending anything extra. As soon as we instituted it last year, it quickly became a great success. We thank all of you who logged in and began supporting us this way. We truly appreciate it!
We have also joined with eBay For Charity to provide an additional way to support Shroud.com and STERA, Inc. You can use it whether buying or selling on eBay and a percentage that you designate is donated to STERA, Inc.
You can also support STERA, Inc. and Shroud.com by purchasing items directly from our Website Store page. With the holidays fast approaching, you might want to look at some of the items we make available, including a miniature Shroud replica on cotton canvas, a set of high quality lithographic prints, several different Shroud transparencies in backlit PhotoGlow frames and a number of DVD's. Any of them would make great gifts for your favorite Shroudie! Order by December 15, 2017 for Christmas delivery.
Of course, we have also made it very easy to safely make a tax deductible contribution online using PayPal or your credit or debit card via our Secure Contribution Form (or by clicking on the graphic at left or at the top of this article). The form also includes details on how you can contribute by Mail or by telephone. Naturally, we hope many of you will contribute generously since we must rely in part on our viewers for financial support. We understand that you are constantly being asked to donate to many worthwhile organizations and hope you will consider STERA, Inc. and Shroud.com worthy of your support. As further incentive and to express our gratitude for your contributions, we are offering contributors a number of excellent gifts for their support. We thank you in advance for your consideration and generosity.
Barrie Schwortz
President, STERA, Inc.
STERA, Inc. Launches 2016 Fundraising Campaign
November 23, 2016
STERA, Inc. Secure Contribution Form As much as I love the work I do as editor of this website and as President of STERA, Inc., one of the most difficult (and uncomfortable) responsibilities I have is raising funds each year in the form of contributions to support the website and our other long term projects. Frankly, with the large number of visitors we have each year, we could generate substantial revenue by allowing advertising on the site, but we have never allowed ads in our 21 year history and will never allow them as long as I am here! Fundraising is my least favorite part of this job and is very difficult for me, since I was self-employed for more than forty years and always earned what I needed. In fact, I supported the website for its first fourteen years at my own personal expense. Since the founding of STERA, Inc., I have dedicated myself full time to this work, and trust me, producing Shroud.com and operating a non-profit organization by yourself is definitely a full time job! Yet, as president of a formal non-profit organization, I am also obligated to solicit contributions from our viewers and subscribers, just like every other non-profit in the world. Of course, unlike most other non-profits, we only have one fundraising effort each year and prefer not to bombard you with continuous requests for contributions (which I am sure you appreciate). But now, that time has come again and this year we offer several new ways to support STERA, Inc.
In September we announced our participation in a new non-profit program from Amazon called "Amazon Smile," which allows you to shop as you normally do and Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price directly to STERA, Inc. Amazon charges no fees for this service. You can even adjust your settings to automatically enter Amazon Smile every time you log on to the Amazon website. It's an easy way to support our work and this website without spending anything extra. We want to thank those of you who have already logged in and started supporting us this way. It is truly appreciated!
We just joined with eBay For Charity to provide an additional way to support Shroud.com and STERA, Inc. You can use it whether buying or selling on eBay and a percentage that you designate is donated to STERA, Inc.
You can also support STERA, Inc. and Shroud.com by purchasing items directly from our Website Store page. With the holidays fast approaching, you might want to look at some of the items we make available, including a miniature Shroud replica on cotton canvas, a set of high quality lithographic prints, several different Shroud transparencies in backlit PhotoGlow frames and a number of DVD's. Any of them would be great gifts for your favorite Shroudie! Order by December 15, 2016 for Christmas delivery.
Of course, we have also made it very easy to safely make a tax deductible contribution online using PayPal or your credit or debit card via our Secure Contribution Form (or by clicking on the graphic at the top of this article). The form also includes details on how you can contribute by Mail or by telephone. Naturally, we hope many of you will contribute generously since we must rely in part on our viewers for financial support. We understand that you are constantly being asked to donate to many worthwhile organizations and hope you will consider STERA, Inc. and Shroud.com worthy of your support. As further incentive and to express our gratitude for your contributions, we are offering contributors a number of excellent gifts for their support. We thank you in advance for your consideration and generosity.
Barrie Schwortz
President, STERA, Inc.
STERA, Inc. Begins Annual Fundraising Campaign
November 1, 2015
STERA, Inc. Secure Contribution Form As much as I love the work I do as editor of this website and as President of STERA, Inc., one of the most difficult (and uncomfortable) responsibilities I have is raising funds in the form of contributions to support the website and our other long term projects. Frankly, with the large number of visitors we have each year, we could generate substantial revenue by allowing advertising on the website, but I consider that totally inappropriate, have never allowed it in our 20 year history and will never allow it as long as I am here! Fundraising is my least favorite part of this job and is very difficult for me, since I was self-employed for more than forty years and supported the website for its first fourteen years at my own personal expense. Since the founding of STERA, Inc., I have dedicated myself full time to this work, and trust me, producing Shroud.com and operating a non-profit organization is definitely a full time job! However, I must admit that I am just not very good at asking people for money. Yet, as president of a formal non-profit organization, I am obligated to solicit contributions from our viewers and subscribers, just like every other non-profit in the world. But unlike most other non-profits, we only have one fundraising effort each year and prefer not to bombard our readers with continuous requests for contributions (which I am sure you appreciate). But now, that time has come.
Naturally, we hope many of you will contribute generously since we must rely in part on our viewers for financial support. We understand that you are constantly being asked to donate to many worthwhile organizations and hope you will consider STERA, Inc. and Shroud.com worthy of your support. As further incentive and to say thank you for your contributions, we are offering contributors a number of excellent gifts for their generosity, including Shroud lithographic prints, posters, DVDs and much more. We have made it easy to safely contribute online using PayPal or a credit or debit card via our Secure Contribution Form. You can also contribute by Mail or by telephone. Of course, any purchases made from the Website Store page of the site also directly support STERA, Inc. We thank you in advance for your consideration and generosity.
Barrie Schwortz
President
News From STERA, Inc.
January 21, 2015
Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association, Inc. First, I want to extend a sincere "thank you" to all of our friends and supporters who made contributions to STERA, Inc. last year. Your generosity, friendship and continued support are truly needed and deeply appreciated.
STERA, Inc. held their second annual Board of Directors meeting on Sunday, December 21, 2014. Due to the holiday season, the meeting was limited to several important topics. We first reviewed a request from a noted Shroud researcher for access to some of STERA, Inc.'s materials, which was unanimously approved by the board. The next order of business was a discussion of the upcoming 2015 Shroud Exposition in Turin and the details of STERA, Inc's involvement with Canterbury Tours (for the 4th time since 1998) and my meeting with their tour groups in Turin. This will serve as our major fundraising event of the year. Some of the details are still being finalized, but several tours are already scheduled (see the Tours to Turin: The 2015 Exposition page for details) and more will be added in the coming weeks. I also presented the 2014 Financial Report as of the date of the meeting.
Once again, thank you for your support last year! Our best wishes to you and yours for a joyous and healthy New Year!
Barrie Schwortz
President
December 1, 2014
It's That Time of Year Again!
STERA, Inc. Secure Contribution Form This update marks the beginning of STERA, Inc.'s once-a-year fundraising effort. As you know, we are 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and contributions are fully tax deductible here in the U.S. and in some countries overseas. Any contributions received by December 31, 2014 can be deducted as a charitable contribution on your 2014 tax returns. All contributors will receive a formal written receipt and those who make contributions of US$100.00 or more will also receive a special gift for their generosity. You can safely make an online contribution with a credit or debit card or with PayPal by using our Secure Contribution Form. Contributions can also be made by mail or telephone (see the form for details). Your ongoing support is truly appreciated and will help us keep Shroud.com free of any advertising and dedicated solely to providing you with the best information possible about the Shroud of Turin.
At this time of year, with the Christmas holidays rapidly approaching, we understand that not all people can afford to make contributions. However, you can still support STERA, Inc. and the website by purchasing any of the items we make available on our Website Store page. And some of them would make perfect Christmas gifts, like our set of two Shroud Lithographic Prints or the Schwortz 35 Years DVD. To insure delivery by Christmas, please place your U.S. order by December 18th. Overseas orders should be placed by December 10th. Thank you for your continued support!
Important 2015 Tour News From STERA, Inc.
Tours to Turin: The 2015 Exposition In our June 7, 2014 update we introduced our new Tours To Turin: The 2015 Exposition page and announced that STERA, Inc. would again be working with Canterbury Pilgrimages (as we have three times in the past), by way of my direct participation in a number of their pilgrimage tours. This would also serve as STERA, Inc.'s major fundraiser of 2015. If you visit the Tours to Turin page today, you will find that a number of additional tour companies have been added to the page, broadening the range of options available to our viewers. You will also find that Canterbury has now created a number of new itineraries, some of which include me spending time with your group while you are in Turin to see the Shroud. I typically have meals and spend quality time with each group, give each a private two hour presentation and then go to see the Shroud with them the following day. It gives everyone the opportunity to get to know me a little better and me the opportunity to finally meet some of our website viewers. Not only that, but those who participate in one of these particular pilgrimages will receive a receipt for a tax deductible contribution for a portion of their tour costs directly from STERA, Inc.
The three currently available itineraries are all for tours scheduled to be in Turin later in May, but if the interest is there, Canterbury will create additional itineraries for earlier in the month. If you prefer not to take one of the existing tours and would rather create your own dates and personal itinerary, Canterbury will be happy to accommodate you. Finally, if you are interested in putting together a group of your own friends and family, or members of your church or other organization, Canterbury will be happy to work with you in designing a memorable pilgrimage that meets your specific needs. And the personal pilgrimage expenses are waived for those individuals who organize their own local groups. And, as an added bonus, if you mention STERA, Inc. or the Shroud of Turin Website when you schedule any tour, Canterbury will make a generous contribution to STERA, Inc. after the exhibition. I truly look forward to meeting many of you in Turin next year!
Barrie Schwortz
President, STERA, Inc.
June 7, 2014
News From STERA, Inc.
Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association, Inc. Naturally, the biggest news for STERA, Inc. is the upcoming Shroud exposition in 2015. As we did in 2010, STERA, Inc. will again be working directly with Canterbury Tours, who are already in the process of creating the itineraries for a number of different specially designed tour packages in which I will personally participate. I will be in Turin for about two weeks, during which time I will meet (and hang out with) each group. Since we will all be staying in the same hotel, we will have some time to socialize and I will give each group a private presentation and visit the Cathedral with them to see the Shroud. The tours not only allow me to meet and spend time with some of our website viewers, but to see the actual Shroud of Turin with them! It will also serve as a fund raising event for STERA, Inc., and each participant will receive a tax deductible receipt for a portion of their tour costs. The funds raised in 2010 provided STERA, Inc., with the necessary resources to begin formal operations that year. Also, if you choose to work with Canterbury Tours and can organize a group of 20 people or more, you can get your own tickets gratis and still help STERA, Inc. Just let them know that you learned about Canterbury from the Shroud of Turin Website when you contact them directly and they will donate a portion to STERA, Inc.
In other news, the STERA, Inc. Board of Directors will be having their first meeting of 2014 sometime in July. At this moment, the agenda is still being planned so the date has not been set. We will include a full report in our next regular update.
Barrie Schwortz
President
January 21, 2014
News From STERA, Inc.First, I want to extend a sincere "thank you" to all of our friends and supporters who made contributions to STERA, Inc. last year. It was the best year we ever had and, although the final numbers won't be in until after this update goes online, I believe we set a record for contributions in 2013. Your generosity, friendship and continued support are deeply appreciated.
STERA, Inc. held their second annual Board of Directors meeting on December 22, 2013. Due to the holidays, the meeting was a brief one and only a few items of business were discussed. We first reviewed STERA, Inc.'s activities for 2013, including the various venues I spoke at during the year and the public appearance I made on EWTN in November. The next order of business was a discussion of the recently announced 2015 Shroud Exposition in Turin and the impact it will have on STERA, Inc. I was able to report that we would again be working closely with Canterbury Tours (for the 4th time since 1998) and meeting with their tour groups in Turin. Details are yet to be worked out. I also presented the 2013 Financial Report as of the date of the meeting. There were several other issues and suggestions brought up at the meeting that are still being discussed by the board, so it would be premature to mention them here at this time. We will report on them later in the year.
Thank you again for your support!
Barrie Schwortz
President
December 14, 2013
News From STERA, Inc.
Secure Contribution Form We would like to thank those of you who have already contributed to STERA, Inc. this year for your gracious and generous support and remind those of you who have not yet contributed that you can quickly and easily make an online contribution using our Secure Order Form, which now also accepts PayPal. All contributions to STERA, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, are tax deductible and any contributions received by December 31, 2013 can be deducted as a charitable contribution on your 2013 tax return. Remember that it is your support and contributions that allow Shroud.com to grow while keeping it free of any advertising. We hope you can help.
And don't forget to visit our Facebook page during the holidays. We try and post something every week.
On behalf of STERA, Inc. and its Board of Directors, we would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a joyous and healthy New Year! See you in January.
Barrie Schwortz
President
August 31, 2013
News From STERA, Inc. - PayPal Comes to Shroud.com
We are very happy to announce that we have added PayPal as an additional payment method on our Secure Contribution Form, so you can now safely use your PayPal account to make online contributions to STERA, Inc. At this time, we are testing this only on our Secure Contribution Form, but are considering adding PayPal to the Secure Order Form on our Website Store page in the future, depending on viewer response. Just go to the Secure Contribution Form and click on the "Donate" button to make a contribution using your PayPal account. Of course, you can continue to use your credit or debit cards or even make contributions by phone or postal mail. See the form for details.
On August 18, 2013, the STERA, Inc. Board of Directors held their first annual meeting of the year. As always, the meeting was held by telephone via a free conference call service and all board members were present, along with Barrie Schwortz, President. The Meeting Agenda included:
- Update on recent STERA, Inc. activities
- Report on upcoming website update
- Update on bandwidth issue
- 2013 Winter Travel and Lecture Schedule
- Fundraising efforts
- Some future projects
- Financial Reports
Barrie Schwortz
President
June 3, 2013
News From STERA, Inc. - The High Price of Success
Website Statistics for Shroud.com As I said at the beginning of this update, a "perfect storm" of events recently led to massive international media coverage of the Shroud, the most in many years. The effect on STERA, Inc. and Shroud.com was immediate and I think the above graphic chart says it all. We had nearly 150,000 unique visitors in March (nearly triple our norm) and 90,000 in April. Consequently, our bandwidth tripled in March to 87GB and was double the norm in April at 50GB. Although we receive very reasonable rates from our service provider and a gracious allowance of free bandwidth (which we only rarely exceed), we dramatically exceeded our allowance over March and April. This put an unexpected burden on our operating expenses and we have to ask our viewers for assistance. We are hoping to raise at least $3000.00 to help offset these recent expenses and you can help by making a safe, online tax deductible contribution to STERA, Inc. using our 256 bit encrypted Secure Contribution Form. Please help us manage the high price of success.
Barrie Schwortz
President
January 21, 2013
News From STERA, Inc.First, I want to extend a very special "thank you" to all of our friends who made contributions to STERA, Inc. last year. Your generosity, friendship and continued support are deeply appreciated.
STERA, Inc. held their second annual Board of Directors meeting on December 16, 2012. Due to the holidays, the meeting was a very brief one and only a few items of business were attended to. One topic of discussion was the upcoming 17th anniversary update and the continued growth of the website, including the first issues of Shroud Spectrum International. Another topic was fundraising, and once again the board encouraged me to actively pursue it as part of my daily operations. As I've mentioned before, fundraising is probably the hardest part of this job for me. But I have an obligation to STERA, Inc. to appeal to our viewers for support. Since we have just started a new year, let me remind you that you can safely make contributions online using our Secure Contribution Form. You can also contribute by Mail or by telephone at 719-689-2217 (between the hours of 12:00 noon to midnight, M.T.). Of course, any purchases made from the Website Store page of the site also directly support STERA, Inc.
As further incentive and to say thank you for your contributions, we offer contributors a number of excellent gifts for their generosity:
Contribution - - - - - - Free Gift
$100.00 - $299.00 - Double sided Sepia Shroud Poster
$300.00 - $599.00 - Full Color Shroud Lithographic Poster
$600.00 - $999.00 - Both Posters
$1000.00 (or more) - All the above plus Miniature Shroud Replica on Cotton CanvasThank you again for your support!
Barrie Schwortz
President
November 21, 2012
STERA, Inc. Needs Your HelpAs you can see from the dramatic growth in the content of the website this year, along with the redesign of our pages to better accommodate smart phones and tablets, STERA, Inc. is working very hard to bring added depth, value and functionality to Shroud.com. The materials and news in today's update are further examples of our efforts to make this website the definitive internet resource of Shroud information. We are also very proud to have kept this site free of any advertising for seventeen years and we are dedicated to keeping it that way. We even pay an extra monthly fee to keep ads from appearing on our search engine results pages.
Although we work very hard to be self-sufficient, we still need some support from our viewers to make ends meet. This year, perhaps because of the economy or the elections here in the U.S., our contribution levels have fallen short. So STERA, Inc. really does need your help. And there are a number of different ways that you can do so. Since we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, you can make an online tax deductible contribution directly to STERA, Inc. using our Secure Contribution Form or by mail using our Mail Contribution Form. We even offer a selection of gifts to those who make contributions over $100.00. Remember that donations made by December 31, 2012 can be claimed as a deduction on your 2012 income tax return. You can also visit our Website Store page and order some of the Shroud materials we offer for sale. With the holidays approaching, some of the items we offer might be the perfect gift for someone on your list. Like our beautiful, hand signed Lithographic Poster bearing both color and black & white high quality reproductions of the Shroud. With around 600,000 visitors to the site each year, we hope that some of you can support us in our ongoing work. We would truly appreciate your help!
Barrie M. Schwortz
President
August 26, 2012
A New Project and a Note on FundraisingWith the extensive traveling and lecturing I have done since January and two major updates to the website, this has already been our busiest year on record. And it's not over yet! At the end of August, after this update goes online, I am leaving for Tucson, Arizona to visit the University of Arizona Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, one of the three labs that dated the Shroud in 1988. I have been granted permission to photograph and document what remains of the 1988 C-14 dating samples used by the Arizona lab to date the Shroud. As you probably know, they saved some of their original samples and kept them in reserve. I will be making a series of digital macro photographs of the remaining samples with adjacent millimeter scales to allow for pixel based measurements to be made from the resulting 4000 x 3000 pixel images.
Several months ago, STERA, Inc. was contacted by Helmut Felzmann, German Shroud researcher and author, who asked if I would be willing to go to the laboratory in Arizona and make these photographs. Helmut was researching the samples and had already contacted Dr. Timothy Jull, the current Director of the laboratory, to make the preliminary arrangements for the samples to be photographed. In addition to Helmut, I was also contacted by Dr. Charles Mader, who had a parallel interest in the research Helmut was doing and Holger Kersten, noted Shroud researcher and author. Helmut, Charles and Holger each made tax deductible contributions directly to STERA, Inc. to fund the travel and other expenses of the project and ultimately, I agreed to make the photographs as an official project of STERA, Inc., with the understanding that we would simply make the images available to the researchers but would not participate directly in any research in which the images were used. This is the first such project that STERA, Inc. has participated in and we appreciate Dr. Jull giving his consent for the work to be done. We will first provide a complete technical report and share the results with the Arizona lab and those who contributed to sponsor the work. We will then share the results publicly on the website, hopefully in our January 21, 2013 update.
With fall rapidly approaching and the end of the year in sight, I am obligated to bring up the subject of fundraising. As you can see from the size and scope of this update, the work we have already done this year and the other projects we are working on, STERA, Inc. is growing and becoming even more active in the Shroud world. Of course, our continued success depends on a number of factors, not the least of which are contributions from our viewers. As you know, STERA, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization so all contributions are tax deductible as allowed by law. And we offer some special gifts for those who contribute. In case you have forgotten my comments on fundraising from last year, here is a link back to my November 1, 2011 article titled, Fundraising: I Hate It! Thank you all for your continued support and participation.
Barrie M. Schwortz
President
January 21, 2012
On December 18, 2011 STERA, Inc. held its annual Board of Directors meeting. The first item on the agenda was a presentation of the first draft of STERA, Inc.'s official access policy that will establish the procedure to eventually allow qualified researchers direct physical access to various STERA materials. Board member Bill Meacham created the first draft and the board members will now review it and make any necessary corrections or additional suggestions. These will be compiled into what will become our "official" policy and voted on by the Board of Directors at our next meeting, to be held in July or August 2012. Once formalized, a set of STERA, Inc. Access Guidelines will be published on the website.
Next on the agenda was an update on the STERA, Inc., archiving project. We currently hold the collections of a number of STURP team members and other noted Shroud researchers, including Ray Rogers, Bob Dinegar, Mark Evans, William Mottern, Jean Lorre and Rev. Albert "Kim" Dreisbach, Jr. among others, and our goal is to digitally archive all of those materials and ultimately make them available on shroud.com. This was followed by a comprehensive report on our end-of-year fundraising efforts.
We then discussed the design and use of the new STERA, Inc. Flyer, which is now available as a free download to the general public as part of today's update. This was followed by a review of the changes being made to the design and navigation of the website that would comprise this, our 16th anniversary "facelift." Finally, I presented our 2011 Financial Report, after which the meeting was adjourned.
Barrie M. Schwortz
President
November 1, 2011
We are honored to announce that Dorothy Carter, widow of Shroud researcher Giles Carter (who passed away in 2010), recently donated her husband's Shroud materials to STERA, Inc., where it will be permanently designated as the Giles Carter Collection and become part of our permanent archives. A complete inventory has not yet been taken but the collection includes books, papers, articles and letters. Of course, STERA, Inc. continues to work towards archiving all of the materials in our various collections (including those of STURP team members Ray Rogers, Robert Dinegar, William Mottern, Mark Evans and Jean Lorre and Shroud scholar Rev. Albert "Kim" Dreisbach, Jr.), and the Giles Carter Collection is a welcome addition. Our deepest appreciation to Dorothy for choosing STERA, Inc. as the repository for her husband's Shroud research.
On August 7, 2011, the STERA, Inc. Board of Directors held one of their two annual board meetings. Due to the long distance (and number of time zones) between members, our meetings are done via telephone using the FreeConferenceCall.com system. It actually allows us to record the meetings as mp3 audio files, creating a permanent and accurate digital archive and eliminating the need for note taking. Each member of the board can download a copy of each meeting as soon as the meeting has ended.
On the agenda for this meeting were a number of important items. The first was the acceptance of the Giles Carter Collection materials (as mentioned above) and of course, the board approved unanimously. We then had a lengthy discussion about the development of our grant proposal for the archiving of our various collections. It was determined that a preliminary overview of all the materials had to first be created before the grant development process could begin and that this would be totally dependent on future funding and fund raising efforts. That was followed by a discussion regarding the formal creation and establishment of a STERA, Inc. "official policy and guidelines" for allowing researchers direct access to Shroud materials in our various collections. Board member William Meacham took the responsibility of writing a preliminary draft of the document, which I just received recently and which I will put before the board at our next meeting for further discussion and revision. That was followed by a financial report from the President and an even more in-depth discussion about fund raising, the results of which can be found elsewhere in this update. Our next Board of Directors meeting will be held in December.
Barrie M. Schwortz
President
July 18, 2011
As I mentioned in my introduction to this update, I was honored to have several noted Shroud scholars pay me a visit here in Colorado. First to arrive and stay here for five days was my dear friend Kevin Moran, well known to those in the Shroud world as an optical engineer and researcher who has devoted over 30 years to his Shroud studies. I took the opportunity to sit Kevin in front of my video camera and record two hours of high definition video conversation with him for the STERA, Inc. permanent archives, in which he discussed his research, his motivations and his beliefs about the Shroud and its image.
My next visitor was Joe Marino, known to everyone in the Shroud world for his work with his late wife, Sue Benford, that led Ray Rogers to reexamine his conclusions about the 1988 radiocarbon dating. Of course, Joe also serves as a member of STERA, Inc.'s Board of Director's so it was a double honor to have him visit with me. I also planted Joe in front of my video camera and got several hours of conversation with him as well, again, for the STERA, Inc. permanent archives. I learned long ago that getting people to discuss their work and the impact it has had on their lives in their own words can be of critical value for both historians and scientific researchers alike.
We were also scheduled to have a STERA, Inc. Board of Directors meeting in June, but I had to postpone it due to my busy schedule, so we'll have that meeting in the next few weeks and I'll report on it in my next website update in the fall. The agenda for that meeting will include the development of a set of research guidelines and the establishment of a formal procedure for requesting access to STERA, Inc. resources. The board will also vote to accept the contribution of a recently deceased Shroud scholar's papers into the STERA, Inc. archives. As you can see, there is a lot on our agenda and things are very busy.
Since we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, fund raising will also be on the agenda. At this moment, STERA, Inc. is supported by the sales of materials from the Website Store page, the licensing of images from the various STERA Inc. collections, the honorariums received when I lecture and of course, your generous and much needed contributions. I think it is quite evident that the website has grown and blossomed under STERA's guidance and this update is a perfect example of the quality content we strive to deliver. If you wish to support this website and the work of STERA, Inc., you can safely make online contributions using the Secure Contribution Form or by mail using the MAIL a Tax Deductible Contribution to STERA, Inc. form. With all the ambitious goals we are trying to achieve, we could really use your assistance and support
Barrie M. Schwortz
President
January 21, 2011
On New Years day 2011, STERA, Inc. celebrated its 1st Anniversary, as we originally started operations on January 1, 2010. On November 28, 2010 STERA, Inc. held its annual Board of Directors meeting and one of the first orders of business was to hold an Election of Officers. Barrie Schwortz was elected as President, Joe Marino was elected a First Vice-President/Treasurer and Larry Schauf was elected Second Vice-President/Secretary.
Other items on the agenda included the formal establishment of the Editorial Review Committee, that will review all papers submitted for publication on this website. It was unanimously agreed that the committee would remain anonymous, as is typical with most journals and publications. Four new highly qualified researchers were selected and approved as members of the committee. The meeting topics also included a discussion of the STERA, Inc. Archiving Project and the development of a Grant Proposal to fund the work. Other ongoing projects that were approved included the new STERA, Inc. Image Library page (premiering in today's update) and the editing and completion of the Ray Rogers In His Own Words interview videos that will allow the creation of a two disc DVD set of the Complete Interviews (hopefully before Christmas 2011).
Since we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, fund raising was also on the agenda. At this moment, STERA, Inc. is supported solely by the sales of materials from the Website Store page, the licensing of images from the various STERA Inc. collections, the honorariums received when I lecture and of course, your generous and much needed contributions. I think it is quite evident that the website has grown and blossomed in the past year under STERA's guidance and this update is a perfect example of the quality content we strive to deliver. If you wish to support this website and the work of STERA, Inc., you can safely make online contributions using the Secure Contribution Form or by mail using the MAIL a Tax Deductible Contribution to STERA, Inc. form.
Barrie M. Schwortz
President
September 7, 2010
I am very happy to report that STERA, Inc. has been operating with great success since it formally began on January 1, 2010. This year, in association with Canterbury Tours, a professional pilgrimage tour company, and many of you, our website viewers who took those special tours, we successfuly completed our first official fundraising effort. Our sincere thanks to those of you who participated (and you know who you are)! I met several hundred of you there, and it was a truly wonderful opportunity to get to know some of our website viewers better.
However, fundraising is an ongoing process for every non-profit organization, and we are no exception (especially in such troubled financial times). Now that the Shroud is no longer in the news, we still need your participation and support to continue the work we have begun. And of course, we still need your fully tax deductible contributions. As many of you already know, you can safely contribute online using our Secure Contribution Form. And, in taking a lesson from the Public Broadcasting System here in the U.S., and as an encouragement for your support, we are now offering a range of gifts for those of you who make contributions to STERA, Inc. Much like PBS, these are offered on a sliding scale, based on the size of your contribution:
Contribution - - - - - - Free Gift
$100.00 - $299.00 - Double sided Sepia Shroud Poster
$300.00 - $599.00 - Full Color Shroud Lithographic Poster
$600.00 - $999.00 - Both Posters
$1000.00 (or more) - All the above plus Miniature Shroud Replica on CottonProbably the most exciting news however, is the next project we have planned, which we are simply calling our Archiving Project. As most of you know, the operation of this website and keeping it free of any advertising is not the only work supported by STERA, Inc. One of our major goals is to begin the archiving of the important collections that have been donated to STERA, Inc., including the materials of STURP researchers Raymond Rogers, Robert Dinegar and William Mottern. In addition, we have the extensive collection of Fr. Albert "Kim" Dreisbach, Jr., a world renown Sindonologist and Shroud scholar until his untimely death on April 29, 2006. Fr. Dreisbach's collection alone includes nearly one hundred and fifty boxes of books, correspondence, papers, articles and other Shroud related materials. And of course, my own collection of photographs and other Shroud materials is also rather extensive.
Our goal is to digitally scan and archive all of the important materials in these collections and ultimately make them available via a special gateway page and searchable database we will create on shroud.com. Our hope is that in the future, these important scientific and historic materials will be readily accessible to Shroud scholars around the world. To support that effort, we are in the preliminary stages of developing a grant request that will be submitted to the appropriate funding entities so the project can move forward simultaneously with maintaining the website, etc. We anticipate that the Archiving Project alone will be a 3 to 5 year effort. I feel very fortunate to have working with STERA, Inc. a wonderful Board of Directors that includes Shroud scholars, historians, academics and scientists. With their help and your support, I believe we will realize our goals and then some!
Barrie M. Schwortz
President
January 21, 2010
On January 1, 2010, STERA, Inc. assumed complete legal ownership of this website. This will ensure the continuity of www.shroud.com into the future. All of my legal interests and intellectual property rights in the Barrie M. Schwortz Collection (and all other Shroud related collections) have been formally transferred to STERA, Inc., which is now the permanent administrator and owner of all the copyrights and other materials, including all Shroud photographs, papers, correspondence and other research materials.
Also effective on January 1, 2010, all proceeds from the sale and/or licensing of Shroud photographs, DVD's and other materials from the Barrie M. Schwortz Collection currently being sold on the Website Store page of this site will go solely and directly to STERA, Inc. There is now a Secure Contribution Form where viewers can securely use a credit or debit card online to make tax deductible contributions directly to STERA, Inc. Contributions can also be made by mail. Use the link below for instructions on how to do so. The future of this website is now in your hands and your support will make it possible for the site to grow and flourish.
Over the next few months, as we create the structure of the organization and make it work, this page will be updated to keep you abreast of our progress.
Barrie M. Schwortz
President
You can support STERA, Inc. directly:
The Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association, Inc. (STERA, Inc.), a non-profit corporation registered in the state of Colorado and a tax exempt public charity granted 501(c) (3) status by the Internal Revenue Service. Contributions are tax deductible as allowed by section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code.
