Clancy . . . overflow . . . the best bits . . . funnies

Taken in his early 50’s, Ed’s battle with a mortal illness has left many grieving. He was one of the true visionaries in the industry and his company continues to be a leading light.

Always a good friend, he is remembered with much affection.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

There are openings and there are openings.

PacPrint05 (May 23 –29) is lucky enough to have two opening ceremonies: the first at 10.00am at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre when the chairman of the PacPrint board, Meredith Darke, president of GAMAA, Gary Donnison, ceo Printing Industries and Brian Bradford of Reed Exhibitions gather to cut the ribbon to let the hordes flood into the hall. Later that day Steve Bracks, Premier of Victoria, will make a tour of the exhibition floor before declaring the exhibition officially open at 5.00pm in the Clarendon Room just as the show closes for the first day.

Clancy is left speculating on descriptions of the two ceremonies – the ribbon cutting and the opening; the opening and the inauguration; the photo opportunity and the power launch? Either way, getting into the Premier’s gig will test the most determined gatecrasher.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

You have to love the Germans, and especially the people of Düsseldorf who organise the drupa prize. This prestigious award by Messe Düsseldorf showcases the German pre-occupation with the higher values. This year’s winner is especially apt given the nationality of the new Pope Benedict XVI. Titled The altarpieces in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, as propaganda it goes to art historian Wiebke Windorf.

In the course of her research Wiebke had to make frequent trips to Rome and haggle with the authorities to get access to the records. Letting the lady speak for herself … “Working in the Vatican Library with the original 17th century documents was truly thrilling. It was very difficult to resist the temptation to let myself be sidetracked from my thesis and dip into the ancient texts to my heart’s content.”

And you thought drupa is about printing.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

It’s not that they are trying to speed up departures, but airlines intend to stop printing tickets by 2007 and rely on electronic tags thereafter. Internet-only ticketing is on the way with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) figuring on saving over $3.7 billion a year for its 270 member airlines. Already one in five airline passengers fly with an e-ticket and this is set to double in a year.

Now if they would only stop making you take off your shoes before boarding the flight we can get back to running to catch the plane.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

It’s a new twist to the idea of folding money. A worker at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Fort Worth, Texas, was arrested after confessing to stuffing uncut sheets of $20 and $10 dollar bills into his pockets over a period of seven years. Donald Stokes got away with $700,000 before he was rumbled, which makes sense when you learn he worked as a verifier, someone who accounts for all the currency produced at the facility.

Stokes was captured in Oklahoma City earlier this month. He fled after federal authorities found stolen money at his home, and was caught three weeks later.

But here’s the scary part. The plant, one of two in USA that prints the nation’s currency, produces 18 million bills daily, worth about $169 million. (www.whattheythink.com)

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

And finally … you know the world’s economy is in good hands when … at an international conference of economists in Paris, the opening speaker concluded her remarks with the observation –

There are three kinds of economists, those who can count and those who can't.