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

There they were introduced to George, a mighty tusker, who is a well-known identity. Accompanied by a rifle-toting guide the intrepid six strolled out to view George in his natural habitat, but obviously caught him on a bad trunk day.
The story goes that George began flapping his ears in that mightily unpleasant way short-tempered elephants have, rolled back his trunk to show off his tusks and started toward them. Only then did they become aware that their choice of retreat had come down to (a) crossing a hippo-infested river, or (b) scrambling over a rocky escarpment. They went for the rocks while the guide covered their retreat with the large calibre elephant gun.

They managed to get out all right, but just wait until the next industry function and hear how wild elephant stories can grow.

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The relaunch of the Heidelberg News is good news for all those who remember the industry standard publication. It is all part of the company’s seeming getting back to basics strategy. The first edition of Heidelberg News appeared in 1930 and according to Bernhard Schreier the company wants the magazine to remain true to its traditional brief of providing readers with "suggestions and advice for progressive printers."
If you want to get on the mailing list, email Heidelberg.News@heidelberg.com

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It’s a sad fact of business life that when one door closes, another usually follows. Agfa is to close a former Lastra plate plant in Jacksonville, Texas, with the cost of 200 jobs. It will consolidate US production at its Branchburg, New Jersey facility. The company says it is going to help the workers find new jobs in Jacksonville.
Makes sense – can’t see anyone trading Texas for New Jersey.

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This should be good news for the organisers of next year’s PacPrint – the recent Graph Expo in Chicago has reversed the trend of declining size and attendances at trade shows. According to organisers this month’s show was the largest since Print 01. In exhibit size, this year’s show was 12 percent larger than in 2003. Attendance totalled nearly 40,000, also an increase from 2003.

If Chicago can do it, so can we in Melbourne.

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The digital ties that bind. The Xplor conference is on presently in Dallas Texas. This year the organisers presented a founder’s award to Xerox for being . . . well the founder of the Xplor organization 25 years ago. Since then Xplor, a worldwide, not-for-profit association for document professionals has managed to carve out a fairly independent identity for itself. This year its origins are being celebrated, although it’s hard to see the founder’s award becoming an annual event.

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And finally . . . its' all Astrid's fault. She has unleashed the monster without and suddenly everyone has blonde joke. Here’s one from Paul Guilfoyle of the Uni of NSW.


There are three blondes stranded on an island. Suddenly a fairy appears and offers to grant each one of them one wish.

The first blonde asks to be intelligent. Instantly, she is turned into a brown-haired woman and she swims off the island.

The next one asks to be even more intelligent than the previous one, so instantly she is turned into a black-haired woman. The black-haired woman builds a boat and sails off the island.

The third blonde asks to become even more intelligent than the previous two. The fairy turns her into a man, and he walks across the bridge.