I was reading through some e-mails and journals recently, sorting through some of the scientific happenings in the nanotech world, and something started to resonate with me that played out fully when I was at the SPIE Photonics and Optics Conference in San Diego a couple weeks ago. Although there’s great interest from the investor side in nanotech, US industry isn’t moving very quickly into this space.

At the SPIE conference, there were about 4,000 scientists from around the world. And after spending four days going to poster sessions, plenary sessions and presentations, I have to say US scientists were in the minority of presenters. That’s not to say the scientists represented foreign institutions and companies. On the contrary, many were doing research in US university labs. But the fact remains that many of these folks were on student visas, doing post-doc work overseas and--in one way or another--weren’t doing the work with the expectation of landing a job with a big US firm because it’s the only place to find opportunity.

Science has no borders. A friend of mine shared the following words of wisdom that his old fashioned, Greek father always told him, “Learn as much as you can because even if you lose your possessions, no one can take your knowledge.”

I continue to see this adage played in the hunger of some scientists willing to leave their worldly possessions in an attempt to gain a knowledge that will make them assets to any organization to which they choose to belong. And no single country provides the opportunities for them as it might have a generation ago. Hopefully, a generation from now, we won’t be sending US children to Bangalore, Beijing or Bonn to stay on par with the globalized, knowledge-based labor force in order to keep US industry competitive.

Granted, in a world of multinationals, borders are somewhat antiquated already. But I would say most people--rightly or wrongly--still see General Electric or Microsoft as US firms even if they’ve built universities in India before they build any here. I still hear investors talking about wanting to “buy American stocks,” and I wonder what that means since Siemens (NYSE: SI) is quickly becoming the operational structure of the US Postal Service. There are plenty of similar examples of US icons that are US in name only. The sturdy American Westinghouse brand is now owned by Toshiba (OTC: TOSBF). RCA is owed by a French company. Likewise, the UK’s iconic Land Rover is owned by an Indian company.

Getting back to my jumping-off point, one of my relatives was talking about her daughter the other night, a US-based division vice president at Siemens. She said her daughter told her, “Everything is about nanotechnology now.”

The VP isn’t in a scientific division, nor is she a scientist. This was more like the line from the movie The Graduate, “I have one word for you son, plastics.” However absurd it was to hear this in the late 1960s, it may seem just as absurd for investors to hear “nanotechnology” now. But the fact remains: Plastics did pretty well for quite a while and continue to fill our world with products, packaging and equipment.

How To Protect Your Portfolio From the Coming Election

No matter which candidate makes it into the White House, almost every portfolio in America will take a hit. Here’s why… post election changes to the tax law could wipe out companies profits and most investors portfolios.

Follow this link and see what specific stocks and industries will thrive under either administration.

But the connection hasn’t been made in US yet. There are some small companies making some very interesting inroads, but most of the major players are foreign-based multinationals that are operating on a much more global model than many US behemoths. In the past decade, Siemens has gained 144 percent; GE has lost 5 percent. You can play the same game with a number of different companies.

The point is, don’t be as parochial as the suits in the boardrooms of old-fashioned companies. Don’t wave a flag and think it means the same thing it did one, two or three decades ago. Science and knowledge will proliferate because it’s human nature, and no one can subjugate progress.

In my own experience, I believe in good ol’ American Motorola (NYSE: MOT). This company has been the poster child for the US brash, high-tech can-do attitude for generations. But management can’t get out of the way of R&D. And I know a former director of one of its R&D divisions who admitted as much. A few years ago, I thought the company had put troubles in this area behind it; it was the No. 2 maker of mobile phones, its cable boxes were being installed in homes across the US and there was some very exciting carbon nanotube work relating to display screens. And then the innovation came to screeching halt.

The mobile division imploded, the cable division has notoriously finicky boxes and nothing is showing up from any R&D pipeline. The stock has plummeted, management is in utter disarray and the business is foundering. But for some stupid reason, I keep thinking it will all work itself out. But when a company is drowning, the competition doesn’t throw a lifeline; it throws bricks.

In the past year, Moto’s mobile market share has gone from 20 percent to 7.5 percent. Ironically, the only market in which it’s still No. 1? The good ol’ US.

But my American optimism always finds a silver lining. Late last week, Moto put former Qualcomm Chief Operating Officer Sanjay Jha into the saddle of its mobile services division, and he’s moving fast out of the gate. He’s promised 50 new models in the next year and has a lot of experience in code division multiple access (CDMA) and Global System for Mobile (GSM) technologies, which means all major US carriers can have a crack at some exclusive phones for their services. Also, being a veteran of the exploding Asian mobile markets, he’s launching new models there as I write.

Perhaps some of this has to do with Carl Icahn’s power play on the board. I can’t imagine how you grade a talent like Jha unless you promise him a wide berth and plenty of action. The jury is still out, but hey, it’s a bargain.

The five countries to watch: China, India, Australia, Germany and Singapore. And maybe, just maybe, the US. The markets are there as well as the consumers; let’s see if the companies get the message.

Breaking News – Another Canadian Trust Has Just Increased Their Dividend by 21.4%

This brings the total of Canadian Trusts in my portfolio of 32 that have increased their distributions in 2008 to 17!

That’s not all… some of these trusts are giving back monster yields as high as 20.82%!

This is a sure-fire indication these trusts are thriving and will continue to hand investors’ fat profits, like the 63.3% my readers have made since the start of 2008.

Go here and start earning safe monthly income now.

Speaking Engagements

Fall is the perfect time to enjoy Washington, DC’s outdoor treasures and catch a glimpse of nature’s splendor. And this year you can enjoy the immediate aftermath of the Presidential election in the seat if the federal government.

Join Neil George, Roger Conrad and Elliott Gue for the DC Money Show, Nov. 6-8, 2008, at The Wardman Park Marriott.

Go to www.moneyshow.com or call 800-970-4355 and refer to priority code 011374 to register as our guest.

We also have a special invitation for our readers. KCI Communications, Inc., is organizing an exciting 11-day investment cruise Dec. 1-12 through the Caribbean and Panama Canal. Participants will have the opportunity to meet and chat with my colleagues Roger Conrad, Neil George and Elliott Gue.

This will be a unique opportunity to step away from your daily routines, relax in one of the most beautiful parts of the world and share analysts’ knowledge and passion for the markets. During the sail, you’ll not only explore the cerulean splendor of the Caribbean, but you’ll also delve deep into current markets in search of the most profitable opportunities for your portfolios. You’ll also have the rare chance to sail through one of the world’s engineering marvels, the Panama Canal.

It’s always a special treat to meet and talk with subscribers in person, and we couldn’t have picked a better setting than aboard the six-star Crystal Serenity. This is sure to be an especially memorable experience. We hope you’ll join us.

For more information, please click here or call 877-238-1270.