When Charles Dickens wrote A Tale of Two Cities 150 years ago, he said, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Today, the same thing can be said about two assembly plants owned by General Motors Corp. (GM, Detroit).

When was the last time that you watched a movie or read a book where an engineer was the good guy? A new film epitomizes the lone American inventor and his fight for justice despite big odds.

It won't be long before OEMs start asking their suppliers for the "Africa price."

Last year, Nissan Motor Co. (Tokyo) kicked off a campaign called the Nissan Monozukuri Caravan. The educational program provides 5th graders in Japan with hands-on manufacturing experience in a classroom environment.

Back in the 1950’s, the idea that what was good for General Motors was good for America was a matter of faith. But I wonder if that’s still the case. The same goes for the rest of the Big Three.

Back in the good old days, General Motors was often run by a person with an engineering degree and a solid background in manufacturing. Today, that's how it is at Toyota, while GM is run by a finance guy. Maybe that’s why Toyota just topped GM in worldwide sales.

American-made goods are hot commodities these days. According to the U.S. Commerce Dept. (Washington, DC), demand for exports recently experienced its biggest monthly gain in 5 years. But, some other news is a bit more sobering.

St. Patrick may have driven the snakes from Ireland, but reptiles have scored one for their side across the sea in England.