Yes, Virginia, There Is Good News

Published: December 01, 2001, By Yolanda Simonsis, Associate Publisher/Editor

The title of this column alludes — tongue in cheek — to a classic editorial that appeared during the Christmas season of 1897 in The New York Sun newspaper. Editor Francis P. Church usually was handed the more controversial subjects to address in his column.

So when eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote to the The Sun and asked if her friends were telling the truth that there was no Santa Claus, the veteran editor answered her, “Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. Yes, Virginia, there really is a Santa Claus.”

At a time when so many of us are at a loss for such inspiration, considering the recent terrible events that rampaged the US as well as its (and the world's) economies, this issue of PFFC offers some encouragement as we exit 2001 and enter a new, surely better, year. Despite the events that will forever mark this past year as one of tragic loss, many of the leading companies in the converting industry upon which converters can count have shared with our readers their GOOD NEWS from 2001 (see p. 38). We hope this good news will help lead the way into a better new year.

And PFFC has its own good news to share. From an electronic standpoint, the magazine has met with enormous success in introducing the E-Clips newsletter. If you're not receiving it, sign up from our web site at pffc-online.com. And, starting in January, you can find an exclusive column on our web site, contributed by Raine Consulting, addressing the effects of technology on the converting, printing, and packaging industries. Also on-line, you'll be able to find this year's International Distributors Directory.

On yet a further encouraging note, the recent international vacuum web coating technical conference of the Assn. of Industrial Metallizers, Coaters and Laminators (AIMCAL) was an overwhelming success. With a record 170 attendees, the program was held Oct. 22-24 at the Crowne Plaza Resort on Hilton Head island, SC.

Finally, on a bittersweet note, we say thanks and fond farewell to Bill Hawkins, author of the “Web Solutions” column. Having shared his technical expertise with our readers over the past few years, he has decided to commit his full time to retirement and personal pursuits. We wish him well. Bill's successor will be named in February.

You'll find no pessimism from me — I'm a four-time cancer survivor. There's nothing that can't be accomplished if you put your mind to it. We should all adopt editor Francis Church's personal motto: “Endeavor to clear your mind of can't.”