The ELM, an e-letters service, begun its release on July 4, with the purpose of communicating among first generation of Chinese-Americans who have retired or are about to and others who are interested in such communication. Dr. Paul Hong-chao Tai founded The ELM and serves as its editor. Back in 1994, Dr. Tai talked with several people about starting a newsletter, but their response was something memorable, ranging from polite silence to outright rejection. On May 26, 2002, after a more encouraging talk with a number of friends during a trip in Switzerland, Dr. Tai decided to launch The ELM through the email. It will begin as E-Letters for a period of twelve weeks. It starts on July 4, 2002, with "A Land Closest to Heaven" as the Premiere issue. Each issue afterwards features one article of three-to-five-page length and newsletter items, if there is any; it will be e-mailed to friends every two weeks. At the end of the period, decision will be made as to whether the venture has won enough support to warrant a continuation of The ELM as E-Letters or as a full-fledged E-Magazine. Dr. Tai is Professor of International Political Economy Emeritus, University of Detroit Mercy. He has published several books.