Government Relations
No change. Although further research
has been conducted, it has not been enough to warrant the submission
of a new research proposal.
Community Relations
After a full week's additional effort to satisfy further
demands from a potential funder for EARTH's joint research project
with Civic-Exchange, Civic-Exchange has announded that no money
has been forthcoming. The resulting absence in earned income
has placed an important damper on EARTH's future including a
severe loss in near term financial credibility and failure to
obtain appropriate justification for a universal library pass
to Hong Kong's government-funded, private research institutions.
Fund Raising
Without government endorsement no further fund-raising with
regard to the HKNLA-Project has been attempted.
Though some possibility of funding from a special government
program devoted to small- and medium-size businesses exists,
the prospects are not bright. A recent government advertisement
announcing a special meeting for those wishing to participate
in the program stated that the meeting would be conducted in
Cantonese only. Once again, the Hong Kong government has demonstrated
what it means to be bilingual in East Asia.
Still no word has been heard from the EPSON Corporation.
Website additions and maintenance
EARTH has not sat on its hands, while waiting for others
to get off theirs. In an effort to make the commercial branch
of EARTH's endeavor more attractive to the foreign business community,
a complete overall of EARTH's
website was undertaken. If you have not visited EARTH
in a while, then it would be well worth your while to do so now.
So as to complete EARTH's multi-dimensional mission in East Asia,
an entire new section devoted to the study of Cantonese was added.
Apple Computer users with facility in English, but lacking sufficient
Chinese to understand the mysteries of Apple's Chinese Language
Kit, can now learn
how to write Cantonese online while studying it in the
classroom. It's completely free!
Weekly upgrades to EARTH's tracking of Hong Kong's SARS
epidemic have been maintained, and new graphs added.
No software Upgrades
With no funding prospects no further upgrades could be made.
Strategy Update
Embattled by government resistance and lack of community
interest EARTH will once again turn its attention toward the
commercial aspects of its mission. Once commercially secure EARTH
can then better afford the additional time required to overcome
the cultural and institutional prejudices that have nearly strangled
it to death.
Acknowledgments
Many thanks are given to Peter MANN of PM Consulting Ltd.
for his friendly and cooperative spirit while preparing the funding
proposal for our joint research effort with Civic-Exchange. Special
thanks are also given to Doris and Karl STEGEMANN for their continued
life-saving financial support and the 9th Floor staff of the
Hong Kong Central Library for making EARTH's research there both
an enjoyable and productive effort. Hopefully, this month EARTH
will be able to make good on all the help and encouragement that
it has received from the ProZ.com bulletin board.
Sincerely,
R. A. Stegemann
hsmr@pacific.net.hk
East Asian Research and Translation in Hong Kong
Post Office Box #385
Ma On Shan Post Office, Hong Kong, China
Tel/Fax: 852 2630 0349
http://homepage.mac.com/moogoonghwa/earth/