From the Editor

You tell me whar a man gits his corn pone, en I'll tell you what his 'pinions is."

When devising business strategy or making a career move, one always looks for growth. That's precisely what has brought me to BioPharm International.

BioPharm International is about to embark on another new beginning. You'll remember the magazine (along with the primers, supplements and media kit) had a drastic new beginning in February of 2004 when we launched the major redesign. There were other new beginnings in the past two and one-half years, like five new columns (StreetTalk, Operations Excellence, BioPartnerships, Compliance Briefing and Final Word.) You'll even see a sixth column about legal issues in 2006.

Idon't have many colleagues who react with joy when management announces strategic planning meetings. Do you? After all, it means hours, nay days, of discussion and debate while your day-to-day obligations lag woefully behind.

Hurricane Katrina is slamming into the Gulf Coast of the US at the moment, with wind gusts of up to 140 mph. As many as 10,000 residents of New Orleans, LA have taken shelter in the city's Superdome, while others obeyed the mandatory evacuation order and fled to safer ground earlier.

Shortly after London's ordeals, I heard of a new piece of intelligence suggesting that a large pharmaceutical company is on a short list of possible Al Kaeida targets. Since I'm sure all pharmaceutical facilities are securely buttoned up, I wonder more about our industry as a whole becoming a focus of attack by these maniacal extremists.

One of the very last sessions on the very last day of BIO 2005 drew quite a crowd. It was titled, "The Five Worst Mistakes You Can Make When Creating a Collaboration or Strategic Alliance."