THIS is one of those very few times we will allow us to talk about us! We, The Egyptian Gazette, have just turned 130 years of age! Happy birthday, and all that are in order. But how can you maintain your status for such a long time with all that mix of innovation and development going around? The short answer is: with difficulty! If that was the upside of the story, are there downsides? You might ask. Of course, yes! And nobody is going to utter the word “perfect” unless they are very imperfect. Other than the typical business issues of paper and printing cost, editors and writers, ads, and those typical matters with all publications, the change with the time has been a major challenge. The world of media has opened all its gates to opportunities for development. This publication was no different. We started asking our readers the eternal question “How are WE doing?” with objective of trying to improve. The main concept was simply to listen and acknowledge the “voice of the customer”. The website established yet another channel for you and us, to extend our hands and say the magic word “Hi!” That open communication between the two parties, whom we'd really like to see as ONE party, has given us a greater window to learn and develop. One should be realistic, and accept the fact we are not there yet. There is no “there” in any business. As long as you have someone waiting for your output, that someone will always be demanding and expecting things. This is possibly the one case where “too demanding” is a positive thing. The more we listen, the more we learn. The more we learn, the more we improve. The more we improve, the more we listen! That is an endless formula that keeps the good business rolling. Over the years, we have been gettingcomments. If you think 130 years, you probably guess, “Wow, that's a lot of comments”. This is very true in all levels. I am not claiming I spent 130 years with the paper (even though I wouldn't mind that! Heard that Ed?), but the truth is that I felt the obligation to interact with each and every piece of comment I received. I still believe in the famous Japanese word/culture, Kaizen (roughly translated as continuous improvement). Under my capital letter K, I keep an attitude of searching for better ways to make it better. One should never ever stop. Why should we? Sharing is a good thing. It has always been, and it pays off as well. So if you really want to blow our birthday cake candles with us (yes, we could squeeze in all 130 on one huge cake!), munch a piece of our birthday cake, a piece of the action: you know where to find us. Final words: The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind. – William James Success is just a matter of attitude. – Darcy E Gibbons Train, share values, share information, and invite “outsiders” to participate in everything. – Tom Peters I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, the first of which is to be flexible at all times ñ Everett Dirksen Success is 99 per cent failure – Soichiro Honda
