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Week of 25 December 2017: The never-ending misperceptions

Email Jim at jthompson@taii.com

Headline in the Baltimore Sun, 7 Dec 2017: "Power Struggle: A Maryland paper mill burns a polluting sludge called black liquor. The state calls it green energy." The article is a bit kinder than the headline, correctly labeling the plumes emitted from the mill as "steam" (actually, it is just water vapor, but "steam" works for me). It gets whiny when it talks about the Maryland legislature lumping black liquor in with "solar panels and other clean technologies to compete with fossil fuels..."

Or perhaps you like this one from the Huffington Post, 12 Dec 17, "People in Crossett are Dying From Pollution and the EPA Knows." The story here is that a documentary film company has come to town and produced a piece titled "Company Town" which documents the "cover-up" by Georgia-Pacific and the EPA that keeps the residents from having the protections they deserve.

Unless I am the most naïve person on earth, the mills I visit and those of which I have intimate knowledge are constantly monitoring and working with the EPA to meet stringent federal requirements. I have not seen anything I would call a coverup in decades. I have seen incompetence, but it is usually quickly rooted out and issues corrected.

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Save the date! The Pulp and Paper Industry Reliability and Maintenance conference, sponsored by IDCON and Andritz, will be held March 19-22, 2018 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

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In the popular press, it sells stories to depict industry as mean, uncaring, lawbreakers and so forth. And for many of the average persons on the street, these stories fit the narrative they have been believing all their lives. These stories are bolstered by people credentialed as chemists and scientists who may or may not have their own axes to grind.

The lesson for those of us in the industry is multifaceted. First, we must make sure we are doing everything by the book--whatever the law says, we comply. It is the job of the lobbyists to fix bad laws. Second, we must be ambassadors for the industry, spreading good news about the benefits of the pulp and paper industry wherever and whenever we can. Third, we must continue, diplomatically, to counter outright misperceptions and falsehoods the enemies of the industry spread.

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: We are a large automation company that has a line of consistency transmitters, sample valves and sheet break detectors that are marketed through a rep. network. We are seeking someone with a strong background in consistency control to facilitate start-ups, provide troubleshooting and technical advice. The individual should have experience in all major types of consistency measurement technologies (blade, rotary, microwave and optical). Knowledge of sheet break detection technology is desirable as well. Willingness to travel to paper production facilities across the US is a must.

Travel & Living Expenses to be reimbursed along with an agreed upon daily per diem rate.

For more information, please contact Jim Thompson at: jthompson@taii.com Ph. 678-206-6010 Cell: 404-822-3412

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The world of journalism is deteriorating. Not only are supposedly straight reporting stories filled with bias these days, there is a move afoot to dumb down journalism education. This fall, at least two journalism schools of which I am aware have dropped the requirement for basic algebra--journalism students are no longer required to take any math at all. I don't expect popular press journalists to be steeped in math and science, but I expect them to know enough to smell a rat. Apparently, this does not serve the profession's interest any longer. So, we have to be more diligent ourselves.

For safety this week, for goodness sakes, we must know our stuff when it comes to safety. Train, train, train.

Be safe and we will talk next week. And...Merry Christmas.
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It is advertising sales season, and we have produced the best media kit we have ever put together. Ask me for a copy today and put my feet to the fire--make me explain it to you. You can get one by calling me on my cell phone--404-822-3412--or emailing me at jthompson@taii.com. As we have been saying, if you like our innovative ways of presenting the news about the pulp and paper industry, I'll suggest you do the following. If you are in a mill and like what you see here, please tell your suppliers what you like to read and who you would like to see them support with their advertising budgets. If you are a supplier, please be aware (we know) we are first in news, (we think) we have the largest audience in the pulp and paper industry worldwide and (we know) we have the lowest advertising costs.

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Jim Thompson is back again...with a new book on a taboo subject: the personalities in the pulp & paper industry. Jim has written in the past on many subjects based on his four plus decades in the worldwide pulp and paper industry. This new book is packed full of information valuable to the senior member of the industry as well as the recent entrant. A must for every pulp and paper library.

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Nip Impressions has been honored for Editorial Excellence by winning a Tabbie Award!

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