Iraq

Printing Impressions' Upfront Commercial Printing News for February 2009

WASHINGTON, DC—The U.S. Army said that 7,000 family members of soldiers killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were mistakenly sent letters addressing them as "John Doe." The Army said the improperly addressed letters were a result of a printing error. The letters were sent in late December to inform survivors about private organizations that offer gifts, programs and other assistance to families that have lost soldiers. Army Chief of Staff General George Casey Jr. was sending a personal letter of apology to all of the families who received the letter.

GRAPEVINE, TX—Paul Bremer, former Ambassador to Iraq and a long-time Washington insider, received a standing ovation from an audience of nearly 700 attendees following his speech that kicked off the 53rd annual Web Offset Association (WOA) conference held here recently. This was followed by a speech by Goss International CEO Robert Brown, who challenged WOA and its members to focus on increasing the share of web offset printing and to target marketing originators about the effectiveness of the printed piece. Former CIA Director George Tenet was the keynote speaker on the second day. Some of the other speakers who shared the podium during the general

Having emerged from the recent election with the first popular vote majority since 1988 and firmer control of Congress, George W. Bush is pushing ahead with some of the programs he championed during the recent campaign. Top of the list is a restructuring of the nation's creaking Social Security scheme, followed by reforms of America's tax and tort systems. All three reforms, however, will face stiff opposition from powerful, and entrenched, interest groups. The crisis in Iraq continues to sap Mr. Bush's political capital, as the Iraqi elections look less and less likely to quell the insurgency. America's economy will remain strong, despite widening deficits

Predictions for 2005 And Other Ramblings The September 11th tragedy and the growing insurgency following the U.S. invasion of Iraq have reinforced, in no uncertain terms, how difficult it is to predict the future. And while we as a collective industry cannot control world events or the state of our overall economy, I do have a few predictions about what will be in store for us in the new year. Obviously, don't expect pricing pressure to wane in 2005. There still will be further industry consolidation, with those weak, underperforming shops driving down prices for everyone as they grapple to keep work—albeit unprofitable—coming

By Erik Cagle HARTFORD, WI—Talk about a classical case of bad timing. Pat McDermott was standing in line, waiting to enter the post exchange on a peaceful Sunday at Camp Udairi in the northwest desert in Kuwait on March 30. McDermott, 45, a finishing handler with Quad/Graphics' Hartford, WI, facility as a civilian—but now stationed in Kuwait as part of the war effort in Iraq—was looking to pick up a Timex watch that featured three time zones on it. Some fellow soldiers had been sporting them, so McDermott decided to get one up for himself and shop for incidentals. Little did McDermott know that he would