We began at Greenfield Village, established by Henry Ford to re-create various American historic structures, such as Thomas Edison's laboratory, the Wright Brothers' workshop and others. In the vein of historic Williamburg, Virginia, the workers at Greenfield VIllage dress in the garb of their appropriate era and show how the people of that time lived and worked. (The village includes a working farm, glass blowing facility, etc.)  Ford Model T's cruise up and down the roads of the village (Caren and I enjoyed a ride in one of the 6 authentic Model T recreations), along with horse drawn shuttle buses.

After spending quite a bit of time exploring Greenfield Village, we moved on to a tour of the Ford Rouge factory, where the company currently manufactures their F-150 trucks. The self-guided tour allows you to view the assembly line area from a walkway above. Unfortunately, Ford is not currently producing any F-150's at the factory, so seeing the empty assembly line was a bit disappointing. Despite some videos posted at strategic locations along the tour route, it was hard to get too excited seeing the vacant production areas.

Following the Rouge Factory tour, we completed our day with a visit to the Henry Ford Museum. The huge museum building houses an eclectic collection of American history, with exhibits dedicated to (of course) the automobile in American life, but also railway trains, adventures in early flight, American power and manufacturing history, home arts and furniture, a Dymaxion House from the 1940's (a proposed solution to mass-produced housing... of which 2 were ever built), and a special exhibit featuring the history of chocolate. Among the artifacts found at the museum are the chair in which Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, the Rosa Parks bus, the limousine in which JFK was killed, and last, but not least, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile (see photos).

Other than the disappointing factory tour, the complex was interesting and a lot of fun to visit, although it was definitely exhausting being on our feet all day.

Next up... a Sunday drive up to Mackinaw City with a brief stop scheduled for Frankenmuth, Michigan... then Monday morning, we'll take the ferry over to Mackinac Island for a couple of days of rest and relaxation (we hope).

Stu

Êêêê.. quando a gente é pequeno, bate aquela vontade imensa em viajar pra Disney, não é mesmo, minha gente? Pois é, em mim não. Fui forçado a ir pra Disney porque a chata da minha irmã era fissurada em Mickey, Minnie... essas desgraças todas que habitam aquele mundo mágico de Beto Carreiro, RERE.
Depois que eu voltei dessa viagem, pude perceber como eu estava enganado a respeito da Disney. Eu, achando que ia ser um porre acompanhar minha irmã naquele monte de babaquice, ESTAVA ENGANADO! ENG-A-NA-DO. Acho que nunca tive uma viagem tão boa na vida. Sério!

A chegada  foi uma merda, a estadia foi uma merda, os passeios foram uma merda, mas teve UM DIA que não foi uma merda. Esse dia compensou toda viagem. Como tava tudo muito chato, resolvi tomar uns goles de umas biritas LOKAS pra tentar ver graça no Pluto com trejeitos mongolóides. Sério, nem assim deu pra ver, mas OK.

Estávamos lá, caminhando alegremente quando vejo o Mickey vindo na minha direção. Pensei: PRECISO ME DIVERTIR AQUI, RERERE. Quando ele tava do meu lado, puxei o rodo (dar rasteira, dar uma banda, passei a perna, etc.) naquele boneco gigantóide. Hahahaaha, ele caiu que nem bosta no chão. Foi muito engraçado. Não contente com a rasteira, ainda fui e dei um chute na barriga dele, hahahahaha. Cara, eu nunca vi tanta raiva no Pluto e no Pateta. Eles partiram pra cima de mim com tanta vontade que nem deu vontade de correr. O Pateta me acertou uma voadora no peito que eu caí e comecei a ver estrelas. O Pluto subiuu em cima de mim e começou a me esmurrar com aquelas patas (???) fofinhas e macias... nem parecia que eu tava apanhando. Quase dei um abraço nele, hahaha. As crianças que estavam por perto começaram a chorar, gritar, correr pro colo do pai/mãe. Foi bem engraçado. Não tão engraçado quanto o Pikachu (GEEENTE????) tentanto apartar a briga. O que ele fazia lá eu não sei. O resultado é que fui expulso do parque por guardas truculentos e parei direto no hospital.

Depois dessa viagem me sinto um vencedor, pois acho que consegui salvar aquela geração de crianças a não acharem que na Disney tudo é mágico e que os bonecos são simpáticos e fofinhos. Minha irmã, por exemplo, me odeia até hoje. Ah, ela odeia a Disney também. Agora ela fã de Naruto! :/

Approximately a century ago the car or iron horse was a novelty. Most people traveled in much the same way as they had since the beginning.  Other than the train, there was not much for modern transportation.

Horses, bicycles, horse drawn buggies or just old fashioned walking were the norm.

Then Henry Ford decided to mass produce and market the Model T Ford, the "tin Lizzie", it put America on wheels or has been credited for making it possible for someone other than the wealthy to own a vehicle.

One hundred years later, the tin Lizzie and all it's descendants have created a monster through their insatiable thirst for gasoline.

Now America is at the mercy of the oil producing nations.

After the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, and now with the threat of invasion to Iran, the oil producing nations probably saw the light a few years ago.

They realized that they could not beat Uncle Sam with guns, but they could with money.

Saudi Arabia is winning this war which will reduce America a few notches or more.  After all, the people in the Mid East don't like Westerners telling them what to do or invading their brothers.

The Iron Horse had something to do with all of this, we made it indispensable.

The Iron Horse will make us regret we ever did that.

Today, we're going over to Chris's parents for a 4th of July BBQ and some fireworks.  When we told Hannah Rose last night that we were having fireworks today--she literally started jumping up and down in excitement.  Funny that!

We're bringing the dessert--decided to make cupcakes sans dairy or eggs.  Thought I'd get a jump on things by doing them last night, but they got burnt on the bottoms, so I had to throw the whole batch out.  I'm using Ener G to substitute for the eggs...and that works fine, but the cupcakes don't rise as much as normal.  I just took out my "replacement" cupcakes from the oven, and they look much better.  (I doubled the baking powder and baking soda and so they rose a bit more than they did last night.)

Tomorrow we're headed out to The Henry Ford Greenfield Village's Salute to America.  It should be lots of fun.  We'll get to listen to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and at the end of the night watch an inspiring fireworks display!

This month is also Chris's mom's birthday--followed by my sister Brandy's birthday.  Brandy's is literally the day after Kay's!

The weather's supposed to be great for today and tomorrow which is a relief--especially considering all the thunderstorms that have been taking place.  We had another Wednesday night.  Which just happened to be the night Chris and I decided to go out and do a bunch of grocery shopping!!  We're almost home and Chris says, "The topper to this night would be for our power to be out."  The center by our house had power, so we thought we'd be ok.  Nope.  No power and a car full of perishables!  John and Kay to the rescue!!!!  They let us borrow some fridge and freezer space to save our newly bought perishables.  We were fortunate, power was only out for about six hours.

With that friends and family--I'm out for now.  Hope you all have a great 4th of July, or rather by the time you're reading this that you HAD a great 4th of July!!!

Auch aus Steinen, die einem in den Weg gelegt werden, kann man Schönes bauen.

Max Frisch:

Die beste und sicherste Tarnung ist immer noch die blanke und nackte Wahrheit. Die glaubt niemand!

Albert Einstein:

Phantasie ist wichtiger als Wissen, denn Wissen ist begrenzt.

Zwei Dinge sind unendlich, das Universum und die menschliche Dummheit, aber bei dem Universum bin ich mir noch nicht ganz sicher.

Persönlichkeiten werden nicht durch schöne Reden geformt, sondern durch Arbeit und eigene Leistung.

Es ist schwieriger, eine vorgefaßte Meinung zu zertrümmern als ein Atom.

Galileo Galilei:

Wer die Wahrheit nicht kennt, ist nur ein Dummkopf. Wer sie aber kennt, und sie eine Lüge nennt ist ein Verbrecher.

Man kann einen Menschen nichts lehren, man kann ihm nur helfen, es in sich selbst zu entdecken.

Immanuel Kant:

Phantasie ist unser guter Genius oder unser Dämon.

Henry Ford:

Wer immer tut, was er schon kann, bleibt immer das, was er schon ist.

Weil Denken die schwerste Arbeit ist, die es gibt, beschäftigen sich auch nur wenige damit.

Salvador Dali:

Eines Tages wird man offiziell zugeben müssen, daß das, was wir Wirklichkeit getauft haben, eine noch größere Illusion ist als die Welt des Traumes.

Aldous Huxley:

Wer so tut, als bringe er die Menschen zum Nachdenken, den lieben sie. Wer sie wirklich zum Nachdenken bringt, den hassen sie.

I guess it depends on what you're doing

Here's a couple of cases in the photoshop world. Written by John Nack

What I think we're going to be doing at the Envision The World project might be better than what most customers even could have thought of. And yet there are some things they can think of in other areas that I'm sure we'd love to know. So it can both ways just like with most industries.

"Innan han lyckades skapa en fungerande glödlampa försökte han cirka 2000 gånger. Men när folk sa att han hade misslyckats sa han "Nej, jag har inte misslyckats. Jag har kommit på 2000 sätt att inte göra en glödlampa." Thomas Edison

”Man måste falla för att lära sig flyga”

“If you’re not in control of yourself, how can you be in control of others?”

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift, thats why it`s called present!”

“When I meet people with that type of attitude people who say, "That's not possible" I tell them, "For you it's not possible because you don't believe it. If you don't believe you can do it, you can't."

"If you think you can or you think you can't, you're right." - Henry Ford

“The only way to improve tomorrow is to know what you did wrong today.” - The monk who sold his Ferrari

"The only limits on your life are those that you set yourself" - The monk who sold his Ferrari

Now there's wisdom for you. - the UB

"You cannot build a reputation on what you are going to do." - Henry Ford

"Sitting still and wishing makes no person great. The Lord sends the fishes, but you must dig the bait." - Author Unknown

Henry Ford with his good buddy burning in Hell

Although Henry Ford did accomplish a large number of impressive things during his lifetime, he also had his fair share of blunders.  This Fuck You post reminds the public of four of Henry Fords most shit-for-brains moves:

I know, how about I don't change my product for 19 years.:

For one, he liked the model T so much, that he continued to build it way after it was obsolote, which caused Ford to forever fall behind GM in market share in the 1930s.  He way also violently opposed to any modifications to the car to allow it to compete with other automakers of the time.  From Wiley.com:

...Henry Ford refused even to consider replacing his beloved Model T. Once, while he was away on vacation, employees built an updated Model T and surprised him with it on his return. Ford responded by kicking in the windshield and stomping on the roof.

I love my workers, no I don't.:

Although he is credited for treating his workers well, this was only the case in the early years of the company.  He did pay his workers well (about double they could expect for a similar job elsewhere).  He also had a force of 50 private investigators to spy on his own workers, making sure they didn't drink, gamble, or do anything else he didn't like (like redesigning the Model T).  Later on, his generosity waned.  I've seen recordings of former employees describe working on the Model T as working in hell, even decades after.  When workers tried to unionize, Ford reacted with violence, leading to the the infamous Battle of the Overpass:

Hitler?  Yeah I'm totally gay for him!:

Hitler and Henry Ford got along great.  I've heard stories about them pounding each other in the ass.  I don't know who was the top most of the time though.  From Wikipedia:

Ford and Adolf Hitler admired each other's achievements. Adolf Hitler kept a life-size portrait of Ford next to his desk. "I regard Henry Ford as my inspiration," Hitler told a Detroit News reporter two years before becoming the Chancellor of Germany in 1933. In July 1938, four months after the German annexation of Austria, Ford was awarded the Grand Cross of the German Eagle, the highest medal awarded by Nazi Germany to foreigners.

How about I print a newspaper that contains only libelous anti-Semitic material?:

So, Ford published a paper called the Dearborn Independent, which was almost entirely devoted to printing libelous anti-semitic material about prominent Jews, as well as generally promoting the ideas contained in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.  Eventually, Ford messed around with the wrong guy, a Mr. Araron Sapiro, esquire of California.  Now Ford was seriously afraid of making public speeches, and if you've ever seen a video of him speaking publicly, he looks like he's costantly on the verge of a panic attack.  This is probably not a good problem to have if you are constantly printing libelous material about a lawyer.  Eventually he is going to take you to court and make you look like a fool.  From AJHS:

For seven years, the Independent continued to publish anti-Semitic articles until the target of one series, California farm cooperative organizer Aaron Sapiro, sued Ford for libel. Sapiro was the third Jew to sue Ford and the first to get to trial. Ford refused to testify and apparently staged an automobile accident so he could hide in a hospital.

This stupid motherfucker intentionally got into an accident and put himself in the hospital because he was so afraid of going to court and being publicly humiliated for his own stupidity.  You stupid fuck.

Anyway, as part of settling with Sapiro, he promised to never print content about Jews ever again, and ended up shutting down the paper in 1927.

So for all of these, and many other dumbshit mistakes that a chimpanzee that grew up on a diet of paint chips wouldn't make, I send a hearty posthomous fuck you to you, Henry Ford.

FUCK YOU!

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."

Henry Ford

1863-1947, American founder of the Ford Motor Company

Saya sedang terpukul nih. Terguncang. Shock. Dua UAS yang telah berlalu (Pengantar Elektronika-Tenaga Listrik dan Perancangan Elemen Mesin) sungguh" menyayat hati. Padahal pas ujian PETL tanggal 19 entuh, gua udah bersemedi dulu. Nge-voor 30 menit. Kan seperti quote Henry Ford (seinget gua sih) "Kalau saya diberi waktu enam jam untuk menggergaji pohon, saya akan menggunakan lima jam untuk mengasah gergaji saya". Dan gua mengikuti saran Bapak pengusaha yang dahsyat onoh. Tapi mengapa gua GAGAL!!?? Apa yang salah Babeh Henry??? Apakah seharusnya gua masuk setelah 5/6 * 100 menit = 83,33 menit??? Aye kepengen banget nurutin nasehatnya babeh, tapi kalo begitu caranye sih aye kagak boleh masuk beh!!! Huhuhuhu. Babeeeeeh!!!

Ya, ujian elektro itu gua lalui dengan merana tapi tidak gundah gulana. Baik soal teori ataupun hitungan gua hajar dengan nestapa. Namun tidak cukup dengan ketidak-bisaan ituh, masa ujian juga diisi komunikasi yang membuat diri ini bermuram durja tapi juga cerah ceria (karena masa depan yang menjanjikan (?))

Gua : (nengok diagonal ke kanan belakang) Mer, tip-ex

hening..tidak ada jawaban

Gua : tip-exxx

Mercy: (membalik kertas lalu berbisik" asik) 110

Gua : (cengok)

lalu Saudara Hilman membantu dengan bergumam ke arah Mercy "tip-ex"

Lantas diberikanlah tip-ex itu kepada saya.

Tidak lama Bapak Pengawas Ujian yang Muda nan Tampan lagi Rupawan serta Menggairahkan Gadis Kesepian menghampiri. Dia tersenyum. Aku balas tersenyum. Lalu terucap kata-kata mesra "Lain kali jangan pinjam-pinjam lagi ya" Kubalas tatapnya. Sambil tersipu. Malu. Mau. Tapi Ragu.(jadi kayak cerpen di tabloid remaja..) "Iya, Pak" lalu kusunggingkan senyumku.

Yang membuat gua merenung adalah 'Apakah pemasang togel adalah jalan hidupku?' 'Dan apakah saudari Mercyana itu jalan hidupnya adalah dukun togel?' Tuhan memberi petunjuk melalui peristiwa siang itu. Mercy, yang mau saya pinjam tip-exnya, malah menawarkan jasa memberi angka. Buat Anda bandar, agen dan pemasang togel yang belum terjaring POLRI, berapakah angka yang tembus pada tanggal 19 Juni 2008? Saya tunggu jawabannya yaa. Jawaban Anda sangat menentukan hidup dua insan manusia. Deal?

Lanjut ke ujian PEM tanggal 20. Ujiannya open book lhooo!! Cihui kan? Memang terdengar seperti itu. Tapi hasilnya? Sepanjang ujian gua cuma cengar-cengir dan mesem-mesem. Mbak Pengawasnya aja terlihat seperti kebingungan melihat gua. Soalnya 4, waktu 100 menit. Waktu tersebut lebih banyak gua isi dengan memantau dan mengamati anak" lain yang terlihat sangat asyik menghadapi lembar jawaban, dibanding kerja. Ini juga yang membuat gua pasrah dan berserah. Sampai akhirnya 10 menit terakhir gua tulislah jawaban yang menjadi kunci dari segalanya. Jawaban yang dapat menyelamatkan umat manusia. Jawaban ke-5!! dari 4 soal!! ya, jawaban kelima adalah surat cinta untuk Bapak dosen Bernardus Bandriyana. Isinya? Rahasia lah..namanya juga surat cinta. Gini-gini kan kita juga butuh privasi! Hehehe

Anehnya, seusai keluar ruangan ujian gua malah jadi bersemangat dan senyum-senyum kegirangan. Sedikit lompat-lompat kayak orang kesetanan (emang iya ya orang kalo kesetanan lompat"? kevampiran atau kepocongan kali ya....) . Apakah alam bawah sadar ini mendorong gua untuk berpura-pura bisa? Supaya gua bisa menjalin persaudaraan dengan Lius, yang dirinya bersikap seakan-akan bisa? Hanya Tuhan yang tahu. Setelah berhuru-hara, gua bareng Gilang dan David 'bandar' pun menuju smoking room menghampiri anak PAD seperti Lius, Kris, dan senior anak 2003 yang ngulang. Lalu langsung pindah ke basement. Di sanalah pernyataan persaudaraan antara gua, dan Lius,... dilangsungkan. Hahai

Sorenya jam stgh 5 anak" pada nge-DOT a di empo dekas (depan kampus syahdan...what a name!!! haha). Gua tengak-tengok bentar. Tapi ga tertarik. Laper..terus makan dulu deh di Rumah Makan Padang dengan menu yang biasa gua makan saat krisis (I'll write about this later). Mau nyamperin Ian di kosan, sebelumnya sms dulu. Tapi ga dibales". Batal dah ngadu WE dan kongkow" serta belajar...haha, belajarnya ditulis terakhir. Baru hari ini gua tau kalo ternyata Ianlage ada di kos, tapi ga ada pulsa. Kelar makan, gua makhluk yang malas pulang dan seperti tak berrumah ini pun menuju kampus Syahdan. Denger lagu sambil baca" pengetahuan bahan. Dahsyat kan? Entah kesambet apa gua waktu itu...Hehehe. Menjelang jam 6 gua ke empo lagi, kirain anak" dah slese maen. Ternyata semua masih pada kesetanan. Maka gua pun duduk barang 5-10 menit dan meninggalkan mereka semua. Melintasi gelap malam, dan kericuhan jalanan.

Tam

Kenaikan harga bahan api kebelakangan ini, kembali mempopularkan kereta berkuasa elektrik hinggakan pengeluar kereta seluruh dunia berlumba-lumba mempercepat R & D bagi menghasilkan kereta elektrik yang efisyen tetapi mampu milik. Namun bukan ini yang saya ingin ulas sebenarnya. Kali ini saya tulis berkenaan sejarah kereta elektrik.

Pengenalan

Kereta elektrik pertama berada di jalanraya pada tahun 1830-an, 30 tahun sebelum Perang Saudara Amerika malah ianya lebih popular ketika itu. Pada tahun 1900, dari 4912 kereta yang dihasilkan, 28% adalah kereta elektrik dan pada tahun 1903, penjualan kereta berkuasa elektrik mengatasi kereta berkuasa gasolin, mewakili 1/3 dari jumlah kereta yang berada di jalan-jalan di New York, Boston dan Chicago.

Apa yang menyebabkan kereta elektrik popular? Secara asasnya, penyebab kejayaannya adalah seperti apa yang orang zaman sekarang fikirkan berkenaan kereta elektrik pada hari ini; ia lebih senyap, mudah dipandu dan yang lebih penting tidak menghasilkan bau atau gas berbahaya.

Kuasa Bateri

Kereta elektrik pertama dicipta oleh Robert Anderson dari Scotland pada tahun 1830-an dikuasakan bateri yang tidak boleh dicas semula. Ketika itu, kereta masih dikuasakan dengan enjin stim. Orang-orang Perancis telah memperbaiki kaedah penyimpanan kuasa bateri dan semenjak itu, kereta elektrik berkembang di Perancis dan Britain pada lewat 1800-an dan di Amerika pada awal 1900-an.

Ketika itu kereta elektrik hanya boleh bergerak sehingga 20 batu/jam dan terhad kepada golongan berada dan ‘target’ pasarannya pula ialah wanita kerana faktor pengendalian yang mudah (ketika itu kereta berkuasa gasolin susah untuk dihidupkan dan sangat bahaya!). Pada 1900, rekod kelajuan 66 batu/jam dicatatkan menggunakan bateri 12 volt dan rekod perjalanan bagi satu bateri ialah 180 batu.

“Kepupusan” Kereta Elektrik

Ketika itu, apa sebenarnya yang berlaku kepada kereta elektrik? Pengurangan permintaan disebabkan oleh 2 individu berikut; Henry Ford dan Anthony Lucas.

Nama Henry Ford muncul pada tahun 1930 dengan kata-kata, “ I WILL BUILD A CAR FOR THE GREAT MULTITUDE”. Pada tahun 1908 pengeluaran kereta dilakukan secara besar-besaran. Model T boleh dipasang dalam 93 minit sahaja! Ini bermakna kereta berenjin gasolin lebih mampu dimiliki. Pada tahun 1912, sebuah kereta elektrik dijual dengan harga $1750.00 manakala saingannya dijual pada harga hanya $650.00.

Penjualan kereta elektrik sampai kemuncaknya pada tahun 1912 dan terus merudum selepas itu.

Dibantu dengan faktor penemuan EMAS HITAM oleh Anthony Lucas di Spindletop pada 1901 menyebabkan penggunaan kereta adalah sesuatu yang boleh dikatakan termampu ramai.

Sudah lebih 100 tahun semenjak Ford mengeluarkan kereta secara besar-besaran, kereta berkuasa bahan bakar petrol masih mendominasi pasaran. Walaubagaimanapun, tidak seperti peristiwa Spindletop pada 1901, harga minyak semakin meningkat pada hari ini. Malah Ford Motor Co sekarang sedang mencari jalan bagi menghasilkan kereta elektrik yang mampu milik, bayangkan ketika mereka mula-mula menyingkirkan penguasaan kereta elektrik dahulu!

Henry Ford, colui che ha inventato la catena di montaggio e la produzione di massa ha inventato la prima macchina ecologica, la Ford T…

La Ford T era una macchina interamente costruita con la Canapa Indiana… Già… Quella cannabis fuorilegge che alcuni fumano, ma che potrebbe essere usata per produrre carta, carburanti e addirittura la carrozzeria delle auto… Tra l’altro la carrozzeria era resistentissima e rispetta l’ambiente.

Utilizzando la Canapa per la produzione di auto e carburanti (ma anche mobili… Perchè la Canapa ha una potenzialità enorme) non ci sarebbero i problemi di intaccare le riserve di grano e frumento che attualmente servono a sfamare le popolazioni mondiali, ma iniziano ad essere usati per la produzione di biocarburanti.

Perchè è scomparsa la canapa?

Semplice!

La canapa non fa business, la canapa è coltivabile da tutti e tutti avrebbero potuto produrre carburante a casa, la canapa potrebbe essere di tutti… Invece plastica, metallo e, soprattutto, petrolio, sono solo delle Lobby.

Apriamo gli occhi e non facciamoci prendere in giro!

La tecnologia, vi ricordo, che è stata inventata 50 anni fa, adesso potrebbe essere soltanto migliorata, e la resina con cui venne costruita la mitica Ford T risultava parecchio resistente… Nel filmato dell’epoca venne presa a “mazzate”… Già… Proprio con una mazza… Ebbene… La mazza rimbalzava e l’auto non si scalfiva e nemmeno si spaccava la carrozzeria…

Fonte: Flusso canalizzatore weblog

Henry Ford

1. Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right. - Henry Ford

2. If you will change, everything will change for you. - Jim Rohn

3. This is the day the Lord hath made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. -Psalm 118:24

Really ponder these over the next couple of days and see if your thinking has changed a little by Monday...

Have a good weekend!

"When you turn your car on, does it return the favor?"

One American car company that has withstood the test of time is Cadillac. Over 100 years ago, the first Cadillac was introduced and since then has made a large impression on the car industry. These cars are known for their luxurious offerings and Cadillac’s mission for excellence. The company got its start in quite an unusual way though. Cadillac can actually thank its success to another American car company, Ford. In the early 1900’s, Ford Motor Company’s Detroit factory was at a standstill due to the fact that the owner, Henry Ford, was leaving the company. The financial bankers for the company, Lemuel Bowen and William Murphy, brought in Henry M. Leland to appraise all of the equipment that was inside the plant. Instead of selling the plant, Leland figured that the assets could turn into a goldmine and convinced the bankers to keep the factory. In 1902, the plant was reopened as Cadillac Automobile Company. The name comes from the French explorer and military commander, Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, who was the founder of Detroit. In 1909, General Motors bought Cadillac but still allowed Leland to run the company. However, in 1917 Leland left Cadillac and founded Lincoln Motor Company that was later bought by the Ford Motor Company. Cadillacs became the luxury division of General Motors.

The first Cadillac produced was finished in October of 1902, just a few months after the Cadillac factory was opened. It was known as the 10 hp Cadillac. The car was actually very similar to the 1903 model of the Ford Model A. The vehicle cost around $800 and sales were overwhelming. It looked to be a promising venture for Leland. One of Leland’s favorite cars, the Osceola was produced in 1905. After this, Cadillac began to sell to a higher market and added a four-cylinder vehicle that cost an astounding $2800. To put this into perspective, the average vehicle during these days was about $700. The improvements in quality continued from here. In 1907, Leland purchased a set of Swedish Johanssen gauges. These allowed him to make precise, identical parts for his vehicles which was almost unheard of at this time. This would mean that you could literally disassemble a few cars, put them back together using each other’s parts, and still end up with the same number of working vehicles. The car would be able to run just as well as it had with the original parts inside of it. His interchangeable parts won the company a British Dewar trophy in 1908.

The company can pride themselves as being the innovators of many first in the car industry. They were the first to offer a closed body as a standard feature. Cadillac also used the electric starter, developed by Charles Kettering, as standard equipment on their vehicles in 1912. This was much safer to operate than the classic hand cranks that were previously installed. In 1915, thermostats were put into the vehicles to regulate engine cooling and the V8 engine was introduced. Shatter resistant glass was installed and a service policy was introduced in 1926. The following year, the body was reinvented with the help of car designer, Harley Earl, to make the car look as luxurious as the parts inside. Earl designed the La Salle, which was produced until the early 1940’s. It was a small counterpart to some of Cadillac’s previous models. Earl was responsible for such designs as the tailfin and windshields that wrapped around the vehicle. These features were more prominent in later models of Cadillacs.

Cadillac offered the V8 engine in late 1914 to early 1915. However, there were many defects in it that the competition sprung at to notify Cadillac’s current and prospective customers. Yet Cadillac wasted no time in forming a rebuttal to their claims. They released an ad that was only run once known as the “Penalty of Leadership”, which gave sales a complete turnaround. The ad uses a poem from Theodore MacManus to describe how being a leader is a tough position to be in at times and that there is no success without some failures along the way. Cadillac wanted to base their company on honesty and trust, and this ad surely allowed customers to see that this company was not going to give up. In 1934, the V8 engine was reintroduced with more thought and precision put into its design. The company later went on to produce successful V12 and V16 engines.

Another problem for Cadillac occurred during the Great Depression. Sales for Cadillac were dwindling. On top of this, the company was charged with discrimination against its black customers. The president of Cadillac, Nicholas Dreystadt, met with the Board of Directors for General Motors and pleaded with them to allow him to come up with an advertising strategy that would specifically target black customers. He was given a little over a year to complete this but it was well worth the efforts. Sales for the company were up almost ten times the amount before the campaign. This saved the company from becoming extinct.

In August 1928, Cadillac introduced the first mesh manual transmission that prevented clashing before shifting. For this component, gears spun at the same speed due to the internal clutches. Before this Synchro-Mesh transmission was utilized, drivers had to constantly be thinking about how they were shifting to avoid the gears from grinding and crunching. This led to a much smoother ride in the vehicle. This also helped to develop the automatic transmission that was introduced in 1941 for GM in the Hydra-Matic.

Cadillac continued to create luxurious features in their vehicles which set them apart from others. The company popularized the hardtop vehicle, even though they did not invent it, with the Coupe de Ville in 1949. Power steering was then installed in GM models. In the 1950’s, the Dagmar bumpers were placed on the vehicles. The bumpers then began to lose their purpose when they were put higher on the cars. Black rubber tips were added later on. As Cadillac continued moving forward in the 1960’s, drivers kept safer with a fiber-optic indication system and seat belts were now standard equipment. Airbags were not added until the 1970’s.

The launch of the front-drive Fleetwood Eldorado occurred in 1967. This car was a simple yet luxury vehicle that came as a coupe. However, it seemed that the more the company attempted to downsize, the less power and quality the vehicles had. Cadillac began to see new problems in the late 1970’s during the fuel crisis. Companies were downsizing cars to accommodate the energy mandates. People wanted smaller, simpler cars to be able to afford the fuel to power them. The Eldorado, Seville, and Deville were downsized for years to come. But the customers were still not happy. With the downsizing of the vehicles, the prices were still sky high. It made no sense to purchase a Cadillac when you could buy a similar and stylish car with a cheaper price tag such as the Pontiac Grand Am. Each attempt to make the Cadillac fit the demand of the customers resulted in a car that looked just like the competition with a price that was much more expensive.

Again, the competition took great advantage of this for advertising purposes. Lincoln, which ironically was founded by the Leland, put out an ad in the mid 1980’s that made Lincoln greatly distinguished from others like Buick, Cadillac, and Oldsmobile. The tag line “Lincoln, What a Luxury Car Should Be” came from this ad. Basically, four different car owners are attempting to find their vehicle at the valet counter. The owners of the Buick, Cadillac, and Oldsmobile can not decipher whose car is whose because they all look so similar. The owner of the Lincoln finds their car with ease because of its distinct look. There was also the problem facing all American car makers that International cars seemed to be a better deal. You could receive excellent quality and style at comparable prices.

It seemed that Cadillac was moving away from the company that it once was. Instead of targeting the upper class, Cadillac attempted to please the middle class and it clearly was not working for them. However, in the early 1990’s Cadillac began to go back to its roots with the Seville STS. The Allante, which was a roadster, was also a popular car during this time. The impressive Northstar V8 engine was introduced a year later. It was a great step ahead for Cadillac because the power that this engine provided beat out the competition. This engine is still found in Cadillac vehicles today. OnStar communication system was installed as an option on all of the front-wheel drive models beginning in 1997. Customers would be able to receive emergency help or even have their doors unlocked. Massaging lumbar seats became an option on models such as the DeVille Concours and the Eldorado Touring Coupe.

In more recent years, the company now uses the “art and science” approach. This is where beauty meets science. It is important for Cadillac to make a great, luxurious vehicle while keeping up with the ever changing trends in design. Cadillac began this trend with the introduction of the CTS in 2001. The DeVille and Escalade were also a large part of this philosophy and were the best examples of what Cadillac was trying to do. The vehicles are sleek and modern, but incorporate the Cadillac mechanics. In 2000, the DeVille came equipped with Night Vision as well as a system that would help drivers to see what was behind them with backing up in reverse. Then in 2002, XM radios were factory installed in Sevilles and DeVilles. The new MagneRide system was also installed in the Seville to provide better control and handling. Later on the SRX and the XLR roadster were introduced.

In the past century, Cadillac has made a large number of innovations in the automobile industry. From the earliest cars such as the 1906 Model K to the newest such as the 2008 CTS, Cadillac has always prided itself as providing quality cars with luxury features. We have seen many models that have lasted decades, including the Eldorado, the DeVille, and the Seville. The company has endured a lot of speculation and many misses, but they must be doing something right if the company is still as successful today as it was with the introduction of the first Cadillac.

Salutatorian Speech

Henry Ford once said, "Whether you think you can, or think you can't - you're right." Hopefully the graduating seniors, who I am very proud of, will keep this in mind. Our graduating class believed that they could, and that's why they stand before you today with diploma in hand. We had to endure the senior exit exam and the rest of the senior requirements. But high school isn't just about academics; it's about the friends we keep and the memories we make.

I know that these four years haven't gone by without mishaps, but we have to remember that we can't change the past. We may make mistakes, but high school is about first experiences. So mistakes were bound to happen. But the thing we can change is our attitude, and that's exactly what Henry Ford is saying. As we leave high school and enter the "real world," not everything will go by smoothly. For example, you might not be going to your dream college, but that's not stopping you from getting an education.

This brings me to my next point. As I stand here with the top of my class, I can't help but feel a little intimidated. We have Karena **** going to UCLA, Matthew ******** going to UCSD, and Melissa ****** going to UC Berkeley. Fortunately, rather than unfortunately, I will be attending San Diego State University. Because of this, I now understand that it's not how fast or how you get to your desired destination, but that you get there by working hard and that you're happy. Some people have the misconception of, "It's the school that you go to that makes you who you are," but in reality, if you're happy and you're doing well in life, then you'll be fine. You'll get there. You just have to believe it.

Congratulations again to the graduating class of 2006. Now I would like to leave you with some words to carry on into the future: "Life is too short to be unhappy so give everything and have no regrets. You have to take the good with the bad, smile when you're sad, love what you got, and always remember what you had. Always forgive but never forget. Learn from mistakes but never regret. People change and things go wrong. But always remember that life goes on."

I realize that even now, these words still hold true. This week, I updated my "About Me" section with a mini reflection on where I am in life now. As for this entry, I'm using my high school graduation speech as a jumping off point of discussion. Plus this whole graduation speech makes me think of my younger brother's high school graduation in the coming weeks.

Henry Ford was a wise man, not to mention profitable. "Whether you think you can, or think you can't - you're right." This belief in yourself is one of the most sacred things you should hold. Descartes, "I think, therefore I am." He believed that you could only know yourself and could not prove anything else outside of your existence. This belief in, "I can" or "I will" is yours to make.

I graduated at the top of my class. No one particularly pushed me there. My parents believed in me and sometimes gave me the generic, "I know you can do it, " spiel. My younger brother is graduating in a couple of weeks and thankfully he decided that the advantages of graduating outweigh not finishing high school on time. He may not be the most ambitious student, but he's a hard worker. The last couple of weeks before his deadlines (assignments, tests, etc.), he saw the end of the tunnel, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the graduation cap and gown. He knew he could finish high school, walk with the graduating class of 2008, and go through the ritual that all teenagers should strive for. I'd like to think that his main motivation was made by himself, for his own good. I'm proud that he's finishing high school, not to mention planning on going to a community college in the Fall. He's made what looks like solid plans for the summer (a job, working out, being a good person in general).

Thomas Edison, "Genius is one tenth inspiration and nine tenths perspiration." I was never really "smart" even though my grades showed it. I was never really able to pull knowledge about the War of 1812 right off the top of my head. That's partly why I started this blog. It seems that the only way I can learn things is through research, (casual) writing, and editing. There's no real pressure in blogging, for me at least. So, for me, to be considered "smart" is an overstatement. I worked hard for my grades, read books to become knowledgeable, and always took the more challenging path. My speech makes a point of being intimidated by my peers, their college choices alone make me feel a little anxiety (UCLA, UCSD, UCB). I was supposed to go to SDSU, plans change, and fortunately, I ended up here. I never would have started this blog if not for getting sick. I would have never taken inspiring courses about the environment if not for continuing at a community college. I'll be at UCSD in the summer and for the next two years. "You'll get there. You just have to believe."

Whatever you (or I) make of ourselves requires persistence and belief. If you're not the smartest person in the class, work harder to compete with the brightest. If you don't care about being smart, at least have the belief that you can get through anything (even if it means taking a "C" in Organic Chemistry).

Once again, I'd like to say that I've extremely proud of my little brother, Mike, because I know that he's been trying to turn his life around for a while now. He realizes the need to have amicable relations with parents and siblings. He realizes that life is hard when it leaves you behind, all your friends and peers moving on without you. He realizes, and believes, what potential he has for greatness. I love you, little brother.

This is Abigail signing off.

Need more motivation?
Secrets of Success in 8 Words, 3 Minutes [TED talk by Richard St. John]

Si parla di 50 anni fa...

Henry Ford, colui che ha inventato la catena di montaggio e la produzione di massa ha inventato la prima macchina ecologica, la Ford T...

La Ford T era una macchina interamente costruita con la Canapa Indiana... Già... Quella cannabis fuorilegge che alcuni fumano, ma che potrebbe essere usata per produrre carta, carburanti e addirittura la carrozzeria delle auto... Tra l'altro la carrozzeria era resistentissima e rispetta l'ambiente.

Utilizzando la Canapa per la produzione di auto e carburanti (ma anche mobili... Perchè la Canapa ha una potenzialità enorme) non ci sarebbero i problemi di intaccare le riserve di grano e frumento che attualmente servono a sfamare le popolazioni mondiali, ma iniziano ad essere usati per la produzione di biocarburanti.

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Perchè è scomparsa la canapa?

Semplice!

La canapa non fa business, la canapa è coltivabile da tutti e tutti avrebbero potuto produrre carburante a casa, la canapa potrebbe essere di tutti... Invece plastica, metallo e, soprattutto, petrolio, sono solo delle Lobby.

Apriamo gli occhi e non facciamoci prendere in giro!

La tecnologia, vi ricordo, che è stata inventata 50 anni fa, adesso potrebbe essere soltanto migliorata, e la resina con cui venne costruita la mitica Ford T risultava parecchio resistente... Nel filmato dell'epoca venne presa a "mazzate"... Già... Proprio con una mazza... Ebbene... La mazza rimbalzava e l'auto non si scalfiva e nemmeno si spaccava la carrozzeria...

Ecco qui tutto ciò che è possibile produrre con la Canapa Indiana

]]> http://wasapninworld.wordpress.com/?p=13 Tue, 03 Jun 2008 05:16:33 +0000 wasapninworld http://wasapninworld.wordpress.com/?p=13 Ford wrote in his autobiography, "Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black".

-Henry Ford, 1863-1947, American industrialist, inventor, founder of Ford Motor Co.

My take: failure has closed the door on many an opportunity. The trick is always to be looking for new doors to open.

Do more for the world than the world does for you - that is success. (Henry Ford)

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great ones make you feel that you too can become great. (Mark Twain)

The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen. (Frank Lloyd Wright)