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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In the semi-rural area I live in, with a population
in the county around that one medium city (85,000+), our economic base has been
shrinking for at least a year. I noticed a drop - off this time last year, and
it hasn't improved since then. The drop in the housing market in particular is
one of the significant factors. Two local furniture stores have closed, and even
a copy/printing company that relied to a large extent on serving planners,
developers, and architects. Most of the significant work has been for retired
piano owners with comfortable retirement situations.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Patrick C. Poulson<BR>Registered Piano
Technician<BR>Piano Technicians Guild</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>