Latest numbers from the Interpreter Foundation

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_Gadianton
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Re: Latest numbers from the Interpreter Foundation

Post by _Gadianton »

Apologist A: "Alright boys, if there are no further matters of business, I believe some editing of Cosmos, Earth, and Man is in order. Everyone in?"

Apologist B: "A prudent suggestion brother. I can think of no better way to consecrate our talents to the building of the kingdom at this time."

Apologist C: "Woo-hoo! PAR-TY!"

Apologist B: "Brother! Let us not bring upon ourselves Charges of levity!"

Apologist C (quietly, to himself): "you've gotta fight, for your right, to edit-cosmos-earth-and-man -- har har har!"
Lou Midgley 08/20/2020: "...meat wad," and "cockroach" are pithy descriptions of human beings used by gemli? They were not fashioned by Professor Peterson.

LM 11/23/2018: one can explain away the soul of human beings...as...a Meat Unit, to use Professor Peterson's clever derogatory description of gemli's ideology.
_Tom
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Re: Latest numbers from the Interpreter Foundation

Post by _Tom »

The Interpreter Foundation's financial numbers for the third quarter of 2016 have been posted. Spending dropped a bit from the record-setting spending during the second quarter. Of the $36,145.22 spent during the quarter, $11,922.92 went to a "Media Project," $11,400 went to "Critical Text Project Vol. III," $4,143.47 went to "Book Editing," and $3,213.13 went to "Web Design, Digital Publications & Set-up." Almost $800 was spent on a party providing "smoked meats" for 75 people in August. The posted financial summary does not provide any information about contributions.

Some notes: Through the third quarter of 2016, the Foundation has spent a total of $75,708.75 on Royal Skousen's Critical Text Project volume III, which is currently scheduled for completion in 2018 (parts 3-4 are scheduled to be published in 2017 and parts 5-6 in 2018) . The recipient of the $4,100 for book editing is not identified on the financial summary sheet. There is also no information provided about the nature of the "media project" listed on the financial summary. It may be a movie project focused on Richard L. Anderson and Karl Ricks Anderson, but that's conjecture.

Spending for the third quarter of 2016 compared to spending in previous quarters/months:

3rd quarter of 2016: $36,145.44 (average: $12,048.48 each month)
2nd quarter of 2016: $41,290.62 (average: $13,763.54 each month)
1st quarter of 2016: $27,711.07 (average: $9,237.03 each month)
4th quarter of 2015: $36,100.08 (average: $12,033,36 each month)
3rd quarter of 2015: $16,588.13 (average: $5,529.38 each month)
2nd quarter of 2015: $25,878.40 (average: $8,626.13 each month)
1st quarter of 2015: $25,090.92 (average: $8,363,64 each month)
4th quarter of 2014: $18,595.83 (average: $6,198.61 each month)
3rd quarter of 2014: $16,678.84 (average: $5,559.61 each month)
2nd quarter of 2014: $7,389.98 (average: $2,463.33 each month)
1st quarter of 2014: $5,903.04 (average: $1,967.68 each month)
4th quarter of 2013: $16,137.86 (average: $5,379.29 each month)
3rd quarter of 2013: $7,511.55 (average: $2,503.85 each month)
2nd quarter of 2013: $5,682.12 (average: $1,894 each month)
1st quarter of 2013: $5,093.08 (average: $1,697.60 each month)
December 2012: $3,056.94
November 2012: $989.95
October 2012: $297.33
September 2012: $1,108.54
August 2012: $240

So-called time donations by Foundation volunteers during the third quarter of 2016 compared to those of previous quarters/months:

3rd quarter of 2016: $43,885 ($14,628.33 each month on average)
2nd quarter of 2016: $45,385 ($15,128.33 each month on average)
1st quarter of 2016: $61,200 ($20,400 each month on average)
4th quarter of 2015: $45,405 ($15,135 each month on average)
3rd quarter of 2015: $45,610 ($15,203.33 each month on average)
2nd quarter of 2015: $40,860 ($13,620 each month on average)
1st quarter of 2015: $41,570 ($13,856.66 each month on average)
4th quarter of 2014: $48,130 ($16,043.33 each month on average)
3rd quarter of 2014: $56,050 ($18,683 each month on average)
2nd quarter of 2014: $39,545 ($13,181 each month on average)
1st quarter of 2014: $46,230 ($15,410 each month on average) (time donations for book publishing not included in the total here)
4th quarter of 2013: $48,255 ($16,085 each month on average) ($14,640 in time donations for book publishing not included in the total here)
3rd quarter of 2013: $18,120 ($6,040 each month on average)
2nd quarter of 2013: $31,335 ($10,445 each month on average)
1st quarter of 2013: $56,475 ($18,825 each month on average)
December 2012: $7,000
November 2012: $9,750
October 2012: $10,250
September 2012: $12,600
August 2012: $13,395
“A scholar said he could not read the Book of Mormon, so we shouldn’t be shocked that scholars say the papyri don’t translate and/or relate to the Book of Abraham. Doesn’t change anything. It’s ancient and historical.” ~ Hanna Seariac
_Tom
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Re: Latest numbers from the Interpreter Foundation

Post by _Tom »

A few news items pertaining to the Interpreter Foundation:

1. The Interpreter Foundation seems to be building a new website: http://interpreterfoundation.org ("Increasing understanding of scripture one article at a time"). Notice that "Mormon" is no longer a part of the address (http://www.mormoninterpreter.com). (Daniel Peterson recently reported here that the Foundation is "flourishing," that he "ain't done yet," and that "[t]here are other things (some of them fairly big) in the oven.")

2. The Interpreter Foundation spent $44,190 during the 4th quarter of 2016, including $20,766 for an unspecified "media project," $12,100 for Critical Text Project Vol. III, $4,533 for book editing, $1,838 for a temple symposium, and $500 for the (now discontinued) Ruth M. Stephens Award.

Spending for the first quarter of 2017 was lower. Total expenses were $26,653, including $14,000 for Critical Text Project Vol. III, $2,553 for a "media project," $2,237 for technical editing, and $1,250 for a festschrift (the person being honored is not identified).

3. Through the first quarter of 2017, the Foundation has spent $101,808.75 on Royal Skousen's Critical Text Project volume III, which is currently scheduled for completion in 2018 (parts 3-4 are scheduled to be published in 2017 and parts 5-6 in 2018).

4. According to the Interpreter Foundation's 2015 990, contributions and grants in 2015 greatly exceeded the figures for 2014. The Foundation pulled in $265,510 in 2015, compared to $100,700 in 2014. However, subscription and royalties fell sharply between 2014 and 2015, going from $15,010 in 2014 to $8,985 in 2015.

Total expenses for 2015 were also way up from the previous year. The Foundation reported $103,617 in total expenses for 2015 and $46,219 for 2014. The 2015 990 reports these functional expenses: $95,779 for other fees for services (non-employees), $2,686 for advertising and promotion, $1,529 for office expenses, $2,126 for "[p]ayments of travel or entertainment expenses for any federal, state, or local public officials," and $1,497 for conferences, conventions, and meetings.

Cash at the beginning of the year: $132,474
Cash at the end of the year: $303,352

For 2015, Daniel Peterson worked an average of 5.6 hours per week (7.6 hours per week in 2014), J. Bradshaw worked an average of 16.2 hours per week (13.8 hours per week in 2014), D. Oswald worked an average of 0 hours per week (2 hours per week in 2014), and K. Flack worked an average of 1.4 hours per week (3.6 hours per week in 2014). In 2013, the same individuals worked an average of 15, 15, 5, and 5 hours per week, respectively. (The 2012 990 indicates that Peterson worked an average of 40 hours per week, while trustees W. Hamblin, B. Haymond, and A. V.P. Coutts each worked an average of 10 hours per week in 2012.)
Last edited by Guest on Mon Feb 12, 2018 6:29 pm, edited 2 times in total.
“A scholar said he could not read the Book of Mormon, so we shouldn’t be shocked that scholars say the papyri don’t translate and/or relate to the Book of Abraham. Doesn’t change anything. It’s ancient and historical.” ~ Hanna Seariac
_Gadianton
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Re: Latest numbers from the Interpreter Foundation

Post by _Gadianton »

Some interesting information, Tom. The critical text project is one of the more interesting outputs linked to mopologetics. It's also one of the only projects. So on the one hand, I would think it's future is guaranteed, but on the other, suppose Smoot were to begin publishing theories? With some competition, I have to wonder to what degree the critical text will need to up its game and increase the suggestions of spirit-world intervention to keep investors intrigued.
Lou Midgley 08/20/2020: "...meat wad," and "cockroach" are pithy descriptions of human beings used by gemli? They were not fashioned by Professor Peterson.

LM 11/23/2018: one can explain away the soul of human beings...as...a Meat Unit, to use Professor Peterson's clever derogatory description of gemli's ideology.
_Tom
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Joined: Mon Jun 11, 2007 5:45 pm

Re: Latest numbers from the Interpreter Foundation

Post by _Tom »

The Interpreter Foundation's financial numbers for the third quarter of 2017 have been posted. Spending went through the roof during the last quarter, running nearly $17,000 more than the previous high. As an aside, the Relief Society sister in Parowan—a regular contributor to the Foundation despite being on a fixed income—has recently expressed concerns to me about spending patterns at the Foundation. I hesitate to send her the latest numbers because they may come as a shock. (For similar reasons, I won't share with her Dr. Peterson's unkind treatment of a one-time fellow congregant in California; she would be mortified.)

Of the record-setting $61,101.65 spent by the Foundation during the quarter, $30,112.50 went to an unidentified "Media Project," $13,050 went to "Critical Text Project Vol. III," $7,142.51 went to a "Festschrift" (presumably the John Welch volume), and $3,881.97 went to "Technical Editing." For the 24th straight reporting period, the financial summary fails to disclose information about contributions.

The financial summary claims time donations from Interpreter Foundation volunteers equivalent to $56,226 for the quarter, including $43,500 in time donations from members of the executive board.

A few notes:

1. Dr. Peterson, the Interpreter Foundation's chairman, has used his personal blog several times this month to ask for donations to the Foundation.

2. Through the third quarter of 2017, the Foundation has spent a total of $128,258.75 on R. Skousen's Critical Text Project volume III, which is currently scheduled for completion in 2018. Speaking of the Critical Text Project, Skousen's collaborator, S. Carmack, recently published a snippy review essay devoted to a paragraph written by P. Barlow on the language in the Book of Mormon.

3. As I stated, the financial summary furnishes no information about the nature of the listed "media project." However, reliable sources tell me that the project is a short documentary focused on Richard L. Anderson and Karl Ricks Anderson.

4. The Foundation's new website is up and running, although clicking on links to Interpreter papers sends the user back to the old website. I suspect it's a bug.

Here is how spending for the third quarter of 2017 compares to spending in previous quarters/months:

3rd quarter of 2017: $61,101.65 (average: $20,367.22 each month)
2nd quarter of 2017: $25,549.47 (average: $8,516.49 each month)
1st quarter of 2017: $26,653 (average: $8,884.33 each month)
4th quarter of 2016: $44,190 (average: $14,730 each month)
3rd quarter of 2016: $36,145.44 (average: $12,048.48 each month)
2nd quarter of 2016: $41,290.62 (average: $13,763.54 each month)
1st quarter of 2016: $27,711.07 (average: $9,237.03 each month)
4th quarter of 2015: $36,100.08 (average: $12,033,36 each month)
3rd quarter of 2015: $16,588.13 (average: $5,529.38 each month)
2nd quarter of 2015: $25,878.40 (average: $8,626.13 each month)
1st quarter of 2015: $25,090.92 (average: $8,363,64 each month)
4th quarter of 2014: $18,595.83 (average: $6,198.61 each month)
3rd quarter of 2014: $16,678.84 (average: $5,559.61 each month)
2nd quarter of 2014: $7,389.98 (average: $2,463.33 each month)
1st quarter of 2014: $5,903.04 (average: $1,967.68 each month)
4th quarter of 2013: $16,137.86 (average: $5,379.29 each month)
3rd quarter of 2013: $7,511.55 (average: $2,503.85 each month)
2nd quarter of 2013: $5,682.12 (average: $1,894 each month)
1st quarter of 2013: $5,093.08 (average: $1,697.60 each month)
December 2012: $3,056.94
November 2012: $989.95
October 2012: $297.33
September 2012: $1,108.54
August 2012: $240
“A scholar said he could not read the Book of Mormon, so we shouldn’t be shocked that scholars say the papyri don’t translate and/or relate to the Book of Abraham. Doesn’t change anything. It’s ancient and historical.” ~ Hanna Seariac
_Dr Exiled
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Re: Latest numbers from the Interpreter Foundation

Post by _Dr Exiled »

Gadianton wrote:Some interesting information, Tom. The critical text project is one of the more interesting outputs linked to mopologetics. It's also one of the only projects. So on the one hand, I would think it's future is guaranteed, but on the other, suppose Smoot were to begin publishing theories? With some competition, I have to wonder to what degree the critical text will need to up its game and increase the suggestions of spirit-world intervention to keep investors intrigued.


I know I am intrigued by spirit-world intervention. Why not make it as wacky as possible? Why not look to see if it was first translated into the pure adamic language prior to Early Modern English?
"Religion is about providing human community in the guise of solving problems that don’t exist or failing to solve problems that do and seeking to reconcile these contradictions and conceal the failures in bogus explanations otherwise known as theology." - Kishkumen 
_Kishkumen
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Re: Latest numbers from the Interpreter Foundation

Post by _Kishkumen »

Tom wrote:I hesitate to send her the latest numbers because they may come as a shock. (For similar reasons, I won't share with her Dr. Peterson's unkind treatment of a one-time fellow congregant in California; she would be mortified.)


Typical.
"Petition wasn’t meant to start a witch hunt as I’ve said 6000 times." ~ Hanna Seariac, LDS apologist
_Tom
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Re: Latest numbers from the Interpreter Foundation

Post by _Tom »

It appears that Dr. Peterson's "#GivingTuesday Fundraiser for Interpreter Foundation," which launched at the end of November 2017 and ran through the first two weeks of January 2018, came up about $9,000 short of its $15,000 goal.

In related news, the Foundation's financial numbers for the fourth quarter of 2017 are out. The quarter's major expenses: $15,871.48 for web design, digital publications, and set-up; $15,127.50 for Critical Text Project Volume III; $2,745.00 for an unidentified media project; and $1,896.07 for technical editing. Total expenses for the quarter were $38,750.49, which is the fourth-highest total for a quarter in the Foundation's history.

Through the fourth quarter of 2017, the Foundation has spent a total of $143,386.25 on Royal Skousen's Critical Text Project Volume III. To put this figure into more concrete terms, I am reliably informed that $140,000 would enable Cassius University to construct a library wing just big enough to hold a complete collection of Dr. Peterson's forthcoming books (alas, there would be no room for his published works). The remaining $3,000 would cover the costs of adding an artful ziggurat-shaped decoration to the wing's roof.

Incidentally, the Foundation reported $157,165 in contributions and grants for 2016. Subscriptions and royalties of $9,059 were a bit higher than the figure for 2015. Total revenue for 2016: $166,224. Expenses rose from the previous year: $147,491 ($103,617 in 2015). The indispensable J. Bradshaw did the work of 75 Interpreter Foundation volunteers in 2016, putting in an average of 16 hours per week in 2016. Hat's off to him.
“A scholar said he could not read the Book of Mormon, so we shouldn’t be shocked that scholars say the papyri don’t translate and/or relate to the Book of Abraham. Doesn’t change anything. It’s ancient and historical.” ~ Hanna Seariac
_Doctor Scratch
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Re: Latest numbers from the Interpreter Foundation

Post by _Doctor Scratch »

Tom wrote:It appears that Dr. Peterson's "#GivingTuesday Fundraiser for Interpreter Foundation," which launched at the end of November 2017 and ran through the first two weeks of January 2018, came up about $9,000 short of its $15,000 goal.


Tom:

This is remarkable news. Devastating—no doubt about that. I’m sure you recall Dr. Peterson flouting his prowess as a fundraiser in his enraged email to Gerald Bradford after being dismissed from the Review. Indeed, one of Professor Peterson’s most vicious verbal lobs was his threat to steal away donors from the “new” Maxwell Institute. Well, now! Given these latest revelations, it now seems like DCP may have been dismissed because he had lagged behind in his fundraising duties. The FARMS crew were once well-known for their fundraising acumen (recall their “Ziggurat” venture). Could it be that DCP’s “firing” was merely the culmination of a slow decline into decadence and neglect on the part of the Mopologists’ fundraising forces?

Maybe so. I guess the other, rather banal alternative, is simply that Dr. Peterson was simply misrepresenting the extent of his importance. Perhaps one day we’ll know the truth.
"[I]f, while hoping that everybody else will be honest and so forth, I can personally prosper through unethical and immoral acts without being detected and without risk, why should I not?." --Daniel Peterson, 6/4/14
_Kishkumen
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Re: Latest numbers from the Interpreter Foundation

Post by _Kishkumen »

Ah, the FARMS Ziggurat. How I regret they did not pull that one off! What a monument for the ages that would have been! You’re making me wistful here, Doctor.
"Petition wasn’t meant to start a witch hunt as I’ve said 6000 times." ~ Hanna Seariac, LDS apologist
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