Years ago, I used one of those mall machine to print up some parody business cards. They read

E.P. Grondine
Asssociation of American Television Manufacturers

They were a great favorite of many on the Hill, as there were no American Television Manufacturers in existence even then. A real collectors item.

Japanese lcd manufacturers drove the US manufacturers out of business years ago. There were claims of dumping, but its more than likely that it was simply a controlled currency combined with low interest rates combined with superior technology combined with...

That' why all our tv's rely on Far Eastern lcds, and why all of our laptops are equipped with them.

Originally, the HDTV standard was held up by the FCC to insure that it was digital, so that (their intent) US processors would have to be used in them. This action led to the H2, as Japan then decided that they would no longer be forced to rely on the US for either their launch services or their communication satellites.

Along these lines, the US lost or lost control of its robot manufacturers years ago. I know that very few here understand exactly what this means...

We now have the British desease of the 1950's, where higher consumer incomes lead immediately to more imports.

I'm sorry if all of this news bummed you out. If you find any good news, please share it; I coud use some cheering up.

There is a sunny beach out there somewhere just waiting for me. I need to get to it.