It's time to put on your party hats—Veterinary Economics turns 50 years old this year. (Cheers, applause.) Thank you very much.

Now perhaps you are confused, as I was, about how this can be, since our front cover states that this issue commences volume 51 of publication. But certain editors in this building (you know who you are, Steve Bennaka) insist that this is so. It has something to do with Y2K—you may remember hearing that the 20th century ended after the year 2000, so we shouldn't really dance and party in 1999; no one really listened, probably because there was a Prince tune involved—and how the year 1 A.D. was actually before Christ's first birthday, and other arcane details of fuzzy math and Judeo-Christian history that somehow make sense when they're explained to me but fail to do so at any other point in time.

But putting all that aside, the point is that 50 years ago (July of 1960, to be exact), an unassuming four-page pamphlet made its debut into the world bearing two articles: "Budget your way to profits" and "The doctor is ALWAYS in." A few months later it was a full-fledged 48-page magazine. I was interested to read the journal's editorial creed, a philosophy that has changed little in 50 years. Here it is:

You already receive many fine journals which give you about all the medical information you can absorb. And they take up a lot of valuable time.

Then why another magazine? Why VETERINARY ECONOMICS? ...

> This is a magazine which is different from all the rest. It brings you information not previously available to Doctors of Veterinary Medicine. Business information aimed at your specific needs. ...

> In VETERINARY ECONOMICS Magazine, you will read about new developments in business management, taxes, finance, office management, office procedures and any other business activities of special interest to veterinarians. ...

> VETERINARY ECONOMICS Magazine will study the records of successful veterinarians. It will find out what sound business practices led to that success. Results of these studies will be reported in detail so that all veterinarians can benefit. ...

This is your publication, with no strings attached. It's yours to use as a source of needed business information. Yours to use for disseminating business information to your associates in the veterinary profession. Yours to criticize and, we hope, to praise.

My predecessors said it well. I hope you see this publication as your own in the next 50 years just as you have in the past 50. Now let's party!

Kristi Reimer, Editor
ve@advanstar.com