Occidental Development Foundation International

 

 

Investor’s guide

 

 

Budget, holdings, projects and grand strategy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2003 

ODFI:  A Fresh Wind in a Stagnant Culture

 

            In the immortal words of Niccolò Machiavelli, perchè sempre una mutazione lascia l’addentellato per la edificazione dell’altra.  And so it is with the Occidental Development Foundation International (ODFI), an incubator for startling and innovative projects aimed at the edification and diversification of American local cultures.  Our mission, simply phrased, is to heighten the awareness of the absurd, unique, or otherwise memorable aspects of local folk cultures; to preserve and develop such aspects; and to lead a full intellectual assault on the forces which seek to implement some form of cultural homogenization.

            ODFI’s work takes place on several fronts.  The two most visible signs of ODFI activity are with The Invader, a small tabloid/satire magazine developed in 1995, and the Edenville Council for the Humanities, a local organization devoted to promoting cultural events in the hamlet of Edenville, started in 2002.  In 2003, however, many changes have taken place.  In recent months, ODFI has established an editorial letter-writing bureau, provided direction and assistance to the newly-founded Friends of Al Turi network, organized a campaign to save the Orange County Government Center and set up the Global Alliance for Development, an international politics think-tank.  Further plans include publishing The Invader online, streamlining and reforming the Edenville Council for the Humanities to better represent the interests of ODFI and initiating a film series in the Warwick area.

            Communities have a right to a unique and independent culture.  It is not ODFI’s policy to favor or denigrate any ethnic culture, tradition or heritage through its work.  Rather, ODFI aims at creating new cultures and traditions in the locations it operates.   

 

ODFI:  Part Corporation, Part Conspiracy

            A vital goal of ODFI is to achieve official status, most likely through one of its subsidiaries.  Official status will bring many improvements to ODFI, mainly the increased facility to raise and spend funds.       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contents

 

I.                   Holdings 2002 – 2003

A.     The Invader

B.     The Edenville Council for the Humanities

C.     Save the Orange County Government Center

D.     Friends of Al Turi

E.      Editorial Letter-Writing Bureau

F.      Global Alliance for Development

G.     Utwo/Seisear Irish band

H.     East Coast Protest Supply Company

 

II.                ODFI 2002 Budget (Edenville Council for the Humanities, The Invader, Utwo/Seisear, East Coast Protest Supply Company)

 

III.             ODFI 2003 Budget (Edenville Council for the Humanities, The Invader, Save the Orange County Government Center, Friends of Al Turi, Editorial Letter-Writing Bureau, Global Alliance for Development)

 

IV.              2003 Activities and Innovations Schedule

A.     Edenville Council for the Humanities

B.     Editorial Letter-Writing Bureau

C.     Friends of Al Turi

D.     Save the Orange County Government Center

E.      Global Alliance for Development

F.      The Invader

 

V.                 Grand Strategy

 

VI.              2004 Projected Budget and Activities

 

VII.           Conclusion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I.                  Holdings 2002 – 2003

 

a.      The Invader

 

Founded by Jeff Doolittle in 1995, The Invader is the longest-running project in the ODFI family.  Over 25 issues have been released of the popular newsmagazine in its standard folded two-page format.  Starting as a spoof of sensational tabloids, The Invader has matured into a publication of political and social satire.  Now entering its eighth year, The Invader is poised to become the flagship enterprise of ODFI, becoming the main vessel for transmission of ideas and events.   

 

The Invader has pursued numerous side projects over the course of its existence.  Most notably, the newsmagazine founded an ad hoc political party (The Invader Party) in 2000, organized a political convention and nominated Theodore Garrett Dawson to run for President of the United States.  This stunning move brought recognition and notoriety to The Invader, and resulted in the most successful fundraising campaign in ODFI history to date. 

 

The Invader also supported and funded the creation of the Alternative Student Parliament at Warwick Valley High School from 1996 to 1997.  The Alternative Student Parliament was an abortive attempt to wrest power away from the official WVHS Student Senate.  The Invader directed the petition drive to gain recognition for the ASP, publicized ASP policies and goals, and served as the official font of ASP information.

 

Other minor projects included several contests, prize giveaways and parties. 

 

b.      The Edenville Council for the Humanities

 

The Edenville Council for the Humanities, although technically only a year old, is currently the widest-known and highest-respected branch of ODFI.  The ECH, founded by Jeff Doolittle, began as a shadow organization to lend legitimacy to a series of lectures given by Doolittle and a small coterie of friends and colleagues in the summer of 2002.  However, the ECH grew into a bona-fide community arts organization, sponsoring numerous lectures, musical events, political discussions and open mike events.  The mission of the Council is now understood as an attempt to infuse a degree of culture into the Edenville area.     

 

Over the past year, the Edenville Council for the Humanities has organized nearly 30 cultural events.  Highlights include lectures by three university professors, performances by four highly-regarded musical acts, literary readings in German, Italian, Ancient Greek and Ancient Akkadian as well as in English and four hotly contested political debates on current policies in Iraq and Afghanistan.  

 

Council events are generally well-attended, with an average audience of around thirteen people.  However, music events normally draw many more, with an all-time high of sixty-five people for a concert in November of 2002.  Lectures, especially those of an esoteric nature, typically draw much smaller audiences.  Political discussions and Open Mike events are rather popular and audiences usually number between fifteen to twenty people. 

 

The Edenville Council for the Humanites has not pursued many side projects.  At its inception, the Council was interested in reaching out to the Edenville community for involvement, but such initiatives were quickly abandoned when it was apparent that interest remained dismally low. 

 

c.       Save the Orange County Government Center

 

d.      Friends of Al Turi

 

e.      Editorial Letter-Writing Bureau

 

f.        Global Alliance for Development

 

Founded in April 2003 by Jeff Doolittle and Gonzalo Salvador, the Global Alliance for Development is an international politics think-tank, with a special focus on the Andean region in South America, Central Asia, and Central Africa.  With special attention paid to issues of corruption, narcotics trafficking, the dynamics of extremism and US policies, the GAD aims to make complicated issues accessible to average Americans, disseminating information through publications, lectures, and other media.

 

Much of the Global Alliance for Development remains in the planning stages, although initial research has been started regarding Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ecuador. 

   

g.      Utwo/Seisear Irish band

 

The band Utwo came together in late January of 2002, but consisted solely of Chris Schadt as lead singer, Matt Schadt on bodhran and Jeff Doolittle on guitar.  Flautist Lonni Peterson was then invited to join, and she came with her brother, Eric Peterson, who became a backup vocalist and guitarist.  Playing primarily Irish folk music of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Utwo was established with the object of playing a St. Patrick’s Day concert in the Goshen branch of the national Friendly’s Restaurant chain.

The concert was very much an embodiment of the ideals of ODFI.  in effect, it was a spontaneous cultural expression in open defiance of the homogenizing effects of institutions like Friendly’s.  It was modification of cookie-cutter American culture to local, particular interests. 

 

With a large audience and cooperation from the Friendly’s staff, the concert was an unexpected success.  The band decided to continue practicing with the hopes of performing in even more obscure or bizarre locations.  Renamed Seisear by Matt Schadt and joined by Tim Hull on various percussive instruments, the band practiced well into April.

 

However, by that time, several members of the band became jaded with the effort.  Tim Hull, Eric Peterson and Jeff Doolittle attempted to continue with practices, but with the departure of half the band, Utwo/Seisear could not survive.  By August, the band was effectively dead.  Talk periodically surfaces about a reunion or a renewed dedication to practicing, but most of these rumors prove unfounded.

 

ODFI still retains the rights to Utwo/Seisear, and should the band reform, ODFI shall again manage and promote the act.

 

h.      East Coast Protest Supply Company

 

Intending to capitalize on growing anti-war sentiments in the months leading up to the conflict in Iraq, ODFI decided to diversify to produce goods for protesters at a low cost.  EC Protest Supply Company planned to provide posters, effigies, banners, stickers, etc. for all protesting needs.  Unfortunately, the project never got off the ground due to a lack of funding.  A catalog was developed, but money was needed to distribute it to the right individuals.  The protests, both for and against the war, went on, and someone else made the money.

 

However, ODFI recognizes that protests are an ever-present part of democracy, and so retains the rights to the EC Protest Supply Company in order to provide high quality protesting materials in the future.

 

II.               ODFI 2002 Budget

(Edenville Council for the Humanities, The Invader, Utwo/Seisear, East Coast Protest Supply Company)

 

Activity

Expense

Income

Edenville Council

$158

$0

Utwo/Seisear

$20

$0

The Invader

$8

$12

ECPS Co.

$0

$0

Total

$186

$12

The ODFI Annual Operating Budget was $186.  The Edenville Council for the Humanities purchased a Compaq Printer/Fax/Copier Machine for around $150, and two reams of paper for about $4 each.  Utwo/Seisear purchased about $20 worth of gear and clothing.  The Invader purchased two reams of paper for about $4 each.  The aborted East Coast Protest Supply Company spent no money.

 

Of all ODFI projects in 2002, only The Invader turned a profit, making $12 off of sales of the newspaper versus the $8 spent on supplies.

 

ODFI lost about $174 in 2002.  Approximately $178 remains in a bank account nominally intended for ODFI use, but in the names of Tim Hull and Jeff Doolittle.

 

In terms of time spent on each project, The Edenville Council for the Humanities absorbed the greatest amount of time, although only from July through November.  Utwo/Seisear also took up a great deal of time, primarily from February through May, with slight involvement all the way until mid-August.  The Invader was attended to from July through early September, and the East Coast Protest Supply Company was only worked on during May and early June.  

 

III.           ODFI 2003 Budget

(Edenville Council for the Humanities, The Invader, Save the Orange County Government Center, Friends of Al Turi, Editorial Letter-Writing Bureau, Global Alliance for Development)

 

Activity

Expense (est)

Income (est)

Edenville Council

$62

$10

Save the OCGC

$0

$0*

Friends of Al Turi

$0

$0

Letter-Writing

$0

$0

GAD

$0

$0

The Invader

$12**

$10

Total

$74

$20

The estimated Annual Operating Budget for ODFI in 2003 is $74.  The Edenville Council for the Humanities purchased two ink cartridges for $50 and three reams of paper at $4 each.  If printed, The Invader is expected to purchase three reams of paper at $4 each.  No other entity is expected to have an

 expense.

 

The Edenville Council for the Humanties raised $10 during the months of February through March, when a tip bowl was introduced at the events.  If printed, The Invader can be expected to raise at least an  additional $10. 

 

*It is unknown at this time whether the Save the Orange County Government Center movement will make any money through fundraisers, etc.

**The Invader may or may not be printed at all this year. 

No profits are expected from any ODFI entity.

 

ODFI stands to lose at least $54 in this fiscal year.  The bank account, still technically in the names of Tim Hull and Jeff Doolittle, remains at $178, since much of the expense of the year has thus far been absorbed by Mr. Doolittle.

 

Over the past two years, ODFI has lost a total of $228.  Total expenses were $260, with total profits a dismally low $32.   

 

Time investments were heaviest for the Edenville Council for the Humanities, the Letter-Writing Bureau, and the Global Alliance for Development, and this trend will probably continue through the second half of 2003.  Thus far, time investments for the Save the Orange County Government Center, Friends of Al Turi and The Invader have been slight.  Of the three, only the Save the OCGC and The Invader will probably have any substantive time demands through the rest of the year.

 

IV.            2003 Activities and Innovations Schedule

 

a.      Edenville Council for the Humanities

2003 was a very busy year for the ECH, both in terms of programming and innovations.  Beginning in January, there have been twelve events over the course of the year thus far, compared with fourteen events for all of 2002.  Attendance has varied widely, as the following table will show.

 

Event

Performer

Date

Est. audience

German Dada Poetry

William Seaton

1/18

13

EC Benefit Concert

Various

1/25

55

Iraq: Open Forum

ECH

2/1

15

Life After Death

Michael Grosso

2/22

10

Iraq: Open Forum

ECH

3/15

15

Cheese Tasting

Bobolink Farm

3/22

5

World Peace Promise

Kathy Grammer

6/6

14

Grain Thieves

Grain Thieves

7/12

25

Gothic Am. Lit.

Ed Shannon

7/18

5

Sappho:  Greek Lit.

William Seaton

7/19

4

Colombia

Charles Carreras

7/25

6

Afghan:  Open Forum

ECH/GAD

7/26

0

2003 Total (January – July)

12

167

 

Events are also planned for the fall, but a solidified calendar has not yet been published.  Through the final event of the year thus far, the publicizing methodology developed in late 2002 had been utilized, and had been mostly satisfactory in attracting audiences up until the dismal showings at the five summer events.  Compared with this summer’s cumulative total of forty people, summertime events in 2002 attracted over twice that number, for a cumulative total of ninety-five people through six events. 

 

The 2002 publicizing methodology

Events were “clustered” together at certain points of the calendar, held every weekend (or in some cases twice a weekend) for several weeks in a row.  Announcements were made a week or two in advance through the growing email list (now over 100 members), and in local papers, including the Warwick Advertiser (regularly) and the Warwick Dispatch (infrequently).  As well, flyers for each individual event and calendars for the particular “cluster” of upcoming events were distributed at the Edenville Country Store and at select locations in the Town of Warwick.  Flyers were posted in various store fronts in the Village of Warwick, the Village of Florida, and the hamlet of Pine Island.

 

Up until April, 2003, Jeff Doolittle, founder and coordinator of the ECH, was able to practice “personalized publicity” for his events.  Working weekends at the Edenville Country Store greatly facilitated publicizing efforts, as Mr. Doolittle was able to inform customers of upcoming events in a face-to-face manner.

 

This system of planning and advertising events broke down during the summer of 2003.  With Mr. Doolittle out of the Edenville Country Store, no one took his place in terms of stoking general interest in the weekend events, and no effort was made by the Council to make up for that deficit.  Attendance plummeted, and the Edenville Council for the Humanities had to change its methodology.

 

The New Methodology (The Salvador Initiative)

The new system streamlines the Edenville Council for the Humanities, making it more accessible to the community, more routinized in its presentation and possibly more profitable in its operation.  Outlined below, the Salvador Initiative requires more work, but will make the Council much more successful if implemented correctly.

 

Gonzalo Salvador made the following recommendations to the Council

 

1.      Goal:  Achieve official Not-for-Profit Status

2.      Calendar changes:  no more than two events per month, preferably two weeks apart—break year into two or three month “blocks” of Council activity periods

3.      Programming:  Make a booklet outlining events for each block; alternate high-drawing events (concerts; open mike events) with lower drawing ones (lectures, open forum discussions)

4.      Fundraising:  sell sponsorship/advertising space in the block booklet

5.      Expand the Council:  Extend membership in the Council to regular attendees, business leaders, politicians to increase activism, visibility and participation

 

Over the next few weeks and months, the Edenville Council for the Humanities will try to implement this new Initiative.  Achieving official Not-for-Profit Status remains a vital goal, and of all ODFI entities, the Edenville Council for the Humanities seems most likely to realize it.

 

b.      Editorial Letter-Writing Bureau

 

 

c.       Friends of Al Turi

 

 

d.      Save the Orange County Government Center

 

 

e.      Global Alliance for Development

 

 

f.        The Invader

 

 

V.               Grand Strategy

 

 

 

VI.            2004 Projected Budget and Activities

 

 

 

 

VII.        Conclusion