Top News
EARTH's one year courtship with the Hong Kong Education and Manpower Bureau is over. This time the stated reason for not endorsing the HKLNA-Project was that it would be counterproductive to pursue a path of scientific investigation that could undermine current government policy. Neither EARTH's credentials nor the credibility of its proposed research were cast into doubt. No written confirmation was provided.

Government Relations
During a full year of government courtship much has been learned at great personal sacrifice and expense. Unfortunately, it has not been the kind of learning on which one can build; rather, the kind that teaches one what to avoid. EARTH will make no further attempts to cater to the needs of the Hong Kong government unless compelled to do so by law, or it should prove convenient to do so.

Community Relations
A first sorty of 163 personally addressed electronic letters inviting various members of Hong Kong's academic community has been largely, but not entirely disappointing. Further substantial effort will be made.

Fund Raising
Eighty additional personally addressed electronic letters were sent to various North American funding orgnisations and think tanks. The Asian Foundation was by far the most responsive, but an invitation to apply further has not been received. Negative responses were received from the US State Department and OneWorld of the Benton Foundation.

Website additions and maintenance

New additions

• Reaching Out Across the Worldwide Web - In order to spark interest in the HKLNA-Project EARTH has embarked on a major promotion campaign targeted at private individuals in key positions of influence and wealth.
  
• Viewpoint - For those with ongoing interest in President Bush's war on terror EARTH has written and posted an article (pdf document - 60 KB) on the President's cool reception at the inaugural meeting of the UN General Assembly's 58th session. The article contains several links of vital interest.
  
• Tsong Kit --Traditional Chinese Input Method for Apple Users and Chinese Language Beginners. Chapter nine was added this month.
  
• War on terror documentation - Supporting materials for EARTH's most recently posted article in Viewpoint.

Maintenance

• Various HKLNA-Project webpages have been omitted in order to adjust for the changed circumstances with which EARTH is now confronted since terminating its courtship with the Hong Kong government. More pages are likely to be revised or removed.

No new software upgrades, but some are expected soon.

Strategy Update
Some people have wondered why more has not been done to expand EARTH's translation services. There are hundreds of millions of people in East Asia compelled by their respective governments to study English. For the moment the number of those who can be served by the HKLNA-Project is far greater than the number to be served by EARTH's translation business. Moreover, income from administering the HKLNA-Project to be used in hiring bilingual Chinese staff to promote EARTH's translation business in Hong Kong has not been forthcoming.

As EARTH's second major HKLNA-Project promotion campaign widens EARTH's translation business will be promoted in tandem.

Acknowledgments
This month special thanks go once again to my brother Karl E. Stegemann, my mother, Professor Dr. Peter P. Baron, and EARTH's sponsor and landlord, Dr SIU Hin Ho, for helping EARTH to survive still another Hong Kong financial drought. Let's see what this coming month will bring from across the globe. After all, in an important but limited way English does have a universal aspect to it.

Never have EARTH and the ProZ.com translators' bulletin boards been more communicative than this past month. Top on the list of key contributors include Rebecca Holmes-Löffler, Terri Dörrzapf, Yuichi, Simon Du, and Trudy Peters. Do I dare mention Rowan again? To everyone else who contributed through their collective dialogue and chatter: Thanks! To those who contributed, but whom EARTH has yet to identify as having done so, please do not abandon hope -- there will surely be further cognitive breakthroughs ahead.

Closing Remarks
If you would like to provide support to the HKLNA-Project but are unable to donate to the HKLNA-Project Fund, then at least hire EARTH to provide you with the best in telecommuted translation. Surely many ProZ.com translators would also be greatful. See EARTH's translation services' promotion material.

Sincerely,


R. A. Stegemann
hsmr@pacific.net.hk

East Asian Research and Translation in Hong Kong
H2-30 Sunshine City, No. 18 On Luk Street
Ma On Shan, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China 04
Tel/Fax: 852 2630 0349
http://www.grammarcaptive.com