As the summer of 2008 comes to a close, we say goodbye to the Beijing Olympics. I think China, despite all its problems and critics, put on a fabulous show. Can you imagine all the meticulous planning and hard work that went into organizing these Games? The opening ceremonies will likely go down as the most spectacular in history – on par with the performances of Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt and U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps. It was also a great Olympics for Canada. We won a total of 18 medals, 3 of them gold – a definite improvement over the 12 won in Athens and 14 in Sydney.
It’s estimated that China poured $43 billion into the Games. Toronto, who bid for the 2008 Summer Olympics and lost, is a rich city, but I think it would have had a problem finding that kind of money for the games. Bring on Vancouver 2010.
We’ve heard a lot of doom and gloom about the economy and the newspapers are full of foreclosure, subprime mortgage disasters, etc. But the reality is that Canada’s economy is quite different from the United States right now and only half of one percent of mortgages go under in Canada. Coupled with our more diligent lending policies, we didn’t suffer the same fate as many homeowners south of the border. The world needs what we have – food, fuel and fertilizer. So take heart, Canada is still a great place to be in 2008.
Trade Secret Printing Inc. of Toronto, Ontario, had an Open House Aug. 21 showcasing a very impressive 104,000-sq.-ft. production facility and a state-of-the-art equipment repertoire. But the real news, other than the graciousness of our host and his staff, was the state-of-the-art equipment showcased, not the least of which was a GOSS Sunday 2000 24-page, 5-colour web press with sheeter. When you combine this with the company’s Heidelberg 10-colour SM102 Perfector, two Heidelberg 6-colour AQ CD102 sheetfed presses, a 21-pocket perfect binder and other equipment, it’s clear that this trade printer, in a relatively short time, has become a major player in the industry. Congratulations to President Dave Harb and his hard working team. We wish them the best of luck in the future.
I’d like to welcome our new Associate Editor, Professor Natalia Gilewicz of Ryerson University. Natalia’s mandate is to further improve the editorial content and to make strategic changes within the magazine. She’ll also be taking on this challenge with Mandy Bayrami. Together they will be adding valuable insights and improvements.
Please make sure to read Gail Nickel-Kailing’s article on large format printing. Also, look out for Tony Curcio’s informative preview of the Chicago Graph Expo show being held in October.
Until next time, stay positive and stay focused.