Lizards often live amongst rocks where high winds
and torrential downpours break asunder

Top news
EARTH's proposed paper "English or languish - A severe case of market distortion" (abstract - pdf document 32KB) has been accepted for presentation at the 2005 Pacific Rim Conference on Globalization and Regionalism.

This month's watchwords are Ma On (or Ma Gon) and Tokage.¹

Government relations
No change.

Community relations

When there is a common goal, self-interest can easily be set aside, and there is magic. EARTH's effort to reach out to the world's academic community have begun to pay off, as EARTH slowly begins to identify those within the community who understand the goals of the HKLNA-Project and are interested in helping EARTH to achieve them.

Website additions and maintenance

New additions

EARTH's Viewpoint

• New perspective for a new administration - In search of a comprehensive settlement in the Middle East. In anticipation of a positive outcome to the upcoming US presidential election EARTH seconds a change in perspective with regard to global security and the Middle East crisis.  (pdf document - 72 KB).
• US and extra-European energy imports of oil and natural gas in 2002. [online document] Nine annotated graphs including bar charts and pie graphs that compare USAmerican and European energy imports of oil, LNG, and pipeline gas from the Middle East and North Africa.
  

Maintenance

• Minor updates.
  

Software update

• None.
  

Strategy Update
EARTH continues to push forward with its preparation for a sophisticated electronic promotional blitz and has begun reviewing the world's literature about language policy and planning, as well as language measurement research.

In order to obtain funding one must win the support of those already knowledgeable in the field. In order to win their support one must speak their language. This requires substantial effort, as scientific knowledge is rarely made available to the general public in an easily understood format. As the HKLNA-Project is a multidisciplinary project, acquiring the special language of each respective field requires considerable time and effort. Mailing lists are a partial anecdote to this dilemma, insofar as they are a great place to exchange information and obtain time saving hints.

Word from the 18th International Language in Education Conference on The Way Forward in Language Education is still awaited.

Acknowledgments
Special thanks go once again to Professor Harold F. Schiffman for making his Language Policy mailing list available to EARTH's HKLNA-Project.  EARTH also continues to thank all of its patient funders and those others who have provided EARTH with their moral support. EARTH and the HKLNA-Project could and cannot succeed without your continued support.

This has been a difficult month for EARTH financially, but EARTH continues to struggle forward.

Closing Remarks
Please do not forget to take advantage of EARTH's quality translation, research, and new tutorial service.  EARTH's survival is the foundation for the HKLNA-Project's success!

Sincerely,

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