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Chrysler New and Used Parts and Accessories
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Chrysler was founded by Walter Chrysler on June 6, 1925, when the Maxwell Motor Company (est. 1904) was re-organized into the Chrysler Corporation.
Walter Chrysler had originally arrived at the ailing Maxwell-Chalmers company in the early 1920s, having been hired to take over and overhaul the company's troubled operations (just after a similar rescue job at the Willys car company).
In late 1923 production of the Chalmers automobile was ended.
Then in January 1924, Walter Chrysler launched an eponymous automobile. The 70 was a 6-cylinder, designed to provide customers with an advanced, well-engineered car, at a more affordable price than they might expect. (Elements of this car are traceable back to a prototype which had been under development at Willys at the time Chrysler was there).
Engineering innovations
The original 1924 Chrysler included a carburetor air filter, high compression engine, full pressure lubrication, and an oil filter, at a time when most autos came without all these features. Among the innovations in its early years would be the first practical mass-produced four-wheel hydraulic brakes, a system nearly completely engineered by Chrysler with patents assigned to Lockheed. Chrysler pioneered rubber engine mounts to reduce vibration; Oilite bearings; and superfinishing for shafts.
Following the introduction of the Chrysler, the Maxwell marque was dropped after the 1925 model year. The new, of lower-priced 4-cylinder Chryslers introduced for 1926 year were badge-engineered Maxwells. The advanced engineering and testing that went into Chrysler Corporation cars helped to push the company to the second-place position in U.S. sales by 1936, a position it would last hold in 1949.
Early models, Vehicle marques
In 1928, Chrysler Corporation began dividing its vehicle offerings by price class and function. The Plymouth brand was introduced at the low priced end of the market (created essentially by once again reworking and rebadging Chrysler's 4-cylinder model). At the same time, the DeSoto marque was introduced in the medium-price field. Shortly thereafter, Chrysler bought the Dodge Brothers automobile and truck company and launched the Fargo range of trucks. By the late 1930s, the DeSoto and Dodge divisions would trade places in the corporate hierarchy. This proliferation of marques under Chrysler's umbrella might have been inspired by the similar strategy employed successfully by General Motors. Beginning in 1955, Imperial, formerly the top model of the Chrysler brand, became a separate marque of its own, and in 1960, the Valiant was introduced likewise as a distinct marque. In the U.S. market, Valiant was made a model in the Plymouth line and the DeSoto make was discontinued for 1961. With those exceptions per applicable year and market, Chrysler's range from lowest to highest price from the 1940s through the 1970s was Valiant, Plymouth, Dodge, DeSoto, Chrysler, and Imperial. After acquiring AMC in 1987, Chrysler fulfilled one of AMC's conditions of sale by creating the Eagle marque in 1988 to be sold at existing AMC-Jeep dealers. The Eagle brand lasted a decade, being discontinued in 1998, while Plymouth was ended three years later.
By 2001 and as of September 2009, the company had three marques worldwide: Dodge, Jeep, and Chrysler. Effective October 2009, however, a fourth brand was established with the creation of the Ram brand, a breakout from the Dodge marque. Initially, the new brand consisted of the Ram full-size pickup, Dakota compact pickup and the Sprinter van. During the unveiling of Chrysler's business plan on November 5, CEO Sergio Marchionne indicated that the Ram brand will be augmented by Fiat-sourced vehicles, including a smaller van than the Sprinter, which itself would be replaced by a Fiat-based vehicle. In 2011, however, Fiat became Chrysler's fifth brand with the North American introduction of the Fiat 500.
MoPar, Chryco, AutoPar
MoPar oil filter, 1956–1962 design
In the 1930s, the company created a formal vehicle parts division under the MoPar brand (a portmanteau of Motor Parts), with the result that "Mopar" remains a colloquial term for vehicles produced by Chrysler Corporation.
A tin of AutoPar-branded gasket sealer from the 1980s
The MoPar (later Mopar) brand was not used in Canada, where parts were sold under the Chryco and AutoPar brands, until the Mopar brand was phased into the Canadian market beginning in the late 1970s.
Canadian Chryco headlight bulb box from 1948; note circular DPCD logo
Many Chrysler Corporation vehicle parts also bore variants of the DPCD monogram, for Dodge-Plymouth-Chrysler-DeSoto, well after the 1961 end of DeSoto production.
Airtemp logo on window of air conditioned Chrysler Corp. vehicle
Chrysler's Airtemp marque for stationary and mobile air conditioning, refrigeration, and climate control was launched with the first installation in 1930's Chrysler Building, though the Airtemp Corporation would not be incorporated until 1934, when it used a former Maxwell factory.
Airtemp invented capacity regulators, sealed radial compressors, and the self-contained air conditioning system, along with a superior high-speed radial compressor, and by 1941 had over 500 dealers selling its air conditioning and heating systems. The company supplied medical refrigeration units in World War II, and dominated the industry in the 1940s but slowly fell behind. By the 1970s Airtemp was losing money, and was sold to Fedders in 1976. In 2012 the name was reborn as a Nordyne byproduct exclusively sold by the R.E. Michel Company.
Acustar
In the 1980s, Chrysler formed a subsidiary business called Acustar to sell parts to other automakers as well as supplying parts for Chrysler-built vehicles, similar to General Motors' creation of Delphi Corporation and Ford's later creation of Visteon.
Safeguard brand on an automobile vent window made by PPG
Safeguard is Chrysler's brand for original and replacement auto glass, much of which, from 1958 through the mid-2000s, was made at Chrysler's McGraw glass plant, and some of which was manufactured for Chrysler by established glass companies.
In 1934 the company introduced the Airflow models, featuring an advanced streamlined body, among the first to be designed using aerodynamic principles. Chrysler created the industry's first wind tunnel to develop them. Buyers rejected its styling, and the more conventionally designed Dodge and Plymouth cars pulled the firm through the Depression years. Plymouth was one of only a few marques that actually increased sales during the cash-strapped thirties.
The unsuccessful Airflow had a chilling effect on Chrysler styling and marketing, which remained determinedly conservative through the 1940s and into the 1950s, with the single exception of the installation of hidden headlights on the very brief production run of 1942 DeSotos. Engineering advances continued, and in 1951 the firm introduced the first of a long and famous series of Hemi V8s.
The Forward Look
1955 Imperial car model shown on display at January 1955 Chicago Auto Show
1955 Chrysler – Philco all transistor car radio – "Breaking News" radio broadcast announcement.
All-Transistor car radio – Chrysler Mopar model 914HR
In 1955 things brightened with the introduction of Virgil Exner's successful Forward Look designs, followed in 1956 by Chrysler's pioneering adoption of transistor radios in cars. On April 28, 1955, Chrysler and Philco had announced the development and production of the World's First All-Transistor car radio. The all-transistor car radio Mopar model 914HR, was developed and produced by Chrysler and Philco, and was an $150.00 "option" on the 1956 Imperial car models. Philco was the company, who had manufactured the all-transistor car radio Mopar model 914HR, starting in the fall of 1955 at its Sandusky Ohio plant, for the Chrysler corporation. With the inauguration of the second generation Forward Look cars for 1957, Torsion-Aire suspension was introduced. This was not air suspension, but an indirect-acting, torsion-spring front suspension system which drastically reduced unsprung weight and shifted the car's center of gravity downward and rearward. This resulted in both a smoother ride and significantly improved handling. A rush to production of the 1957 models led to quality control problems including poor body fit and finish, resulting in significant and early rusting. This, coupled with a national recession, found the company again in recovery mode.
On September 28, 1957, Chrysler had announced the production of electronic fuel injection (EFI) to be available as an option on some of its new 1958 car models (Chrysler 300D, Dodge D500, DeSoto Adventurer, Plymouth Golden Commando V-8) that resulted with approximately 35 total installations.[24][25] Chrysler used the same all-transistor modulator "Electrojector" fuel injection system from Bendix Corporation that was withdrawn from public sale of the 1957 Rambler Rebel by American Motors because the system could not be made reliable.
During World War II, essentially all of Chrysler's facilities were devoted to building military vehicles. Chrysler ranked eighth among United States corporations in the value of wartime production contracts. One of Chrysler's most significant contributions to the war effort, however, was not in the field of vehicles but in the radar field. After the war. Chrysler continued with special projects for the Government; these were in the aerospace fields of missiles and space boosters.
Radar antennas
When the Radiation Laboratory at MIT was established in 1941 to develop microwave radars, one of the first projects resulted in the SCR-584, the most widely recognized radar system of the war era. This system included a parabolic antenna six feet in diameter that was mechanically aimed in a helical pattern (round and round as well as up and down).
For the final production design of this antenna and its highly complex drive mechanism, the Army's Signal Corps Laboratories turned to Chrysler's Central Engineering Office. There, the parabola was changed from aluminum to steel, allowing production forming using standard automotive presses. To keep weight down, 6,000 equally spaced holed were drilled in the face (this had no effect on the radiation pattern). The drive mechanism was completely redesigned, using technology derived from Chrysler's research in automotive gears and differentials. The changes resulted in improved performance, reduced weight, and easier maintenance. A large portion of the Dodge plant was used in building 1,500 of the SCR-584 antennas as well as the vans used in the systems.
In April 1950, the U.S. Army established the Ordnance Guided Missile Center (OGMC) at Redstone Arsenal, adjacent to Huntsville, Alabama. To form OGMC, about 1,000 civilian and military personnel were transferred from Fort Bliss, Texas. Included was a group of German scientists and engineers led by Wernher von Braun; this group had been brought to America under Project Paperclip. OGMC designed the Army's first short-range ballistic missile, the PGM-11 Redstone, based on the WWII German V-2 missile. Chrysler established the Missile Division to serve as the Redstone prime contractor, setting up an engineering operation in Huntsville and for production obtaining use from the U.S. Navy of a large plant in Warren, Michigan. The Redstone was in active service from 1958 to 1964; it was also the first missile to test-launch a live nuclear weapon, first detonated in a 1958 test in the South Pacific.
Working together, the Missile Division and von Braun's team greatly increased the capability of the Redstone, resulting in the PGM-19 Jupiter, a medium-range ballistic missile. In May 1959, a Jupiter missiles launched two small monkeys into space in a nose cone on a Jupiter; this was America's first successful flight and recovery of live space payloads. Responsibility for deploying Jupiter missiles was transferred from the Army to the Air Force; armed with nuclear warheads, they were first deployed in Italy and Turkey during the early 1960s.
Space boosters
In July 1959, NASA chose the Redstone missile as the basis for the Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle to be used for suborbital test flights of the Project Mercury spacecraft. Three unmanned MLRV launch attempts were made between November 1960 and March 1961, two of which were successful. The MLRV successfully launched the chimpanzee Ham and astronauts Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom on three suborbital flights in January, May and July 1961.
As America's manned space flight plans became more ambitious, Wernher von Braun's team designed the Saturn family of launch vehicles. With Chrysler's Huntsville operation then designated the Space Division, Chrysler became Marshall Space Flight Center's prime contractor for the first (booster) stage of the Saturn I and Saturn IB vehicles. The Saturn I booster stage was designated S-I, which was upgraded to the S-IB for the Saturn IB. Chrysler based its fuel tank design on a cluster of its Redstone and Jupiter tanks, using four Redstone tanks to hold the RP-1 fuel and four to hold the liquid oxygen (LOX) oxidizer, around a central Jupiter LOX tank. Chrysler built these for the Apollo program in the Michoud Assembly Facility in East New Orleans, one of the largest manufacturing plants in the world.
Between October 1961 and July 1965, NASA launched four S-I boosters with dummy upper stages on suborbital test flights, followed by six complete Saturn Is on unmanned orbital flights. The last five of these tested boilerplate Apollo spacecraft, and the last three also carried Pegasus micrometeroid detection satellites. All flights were successful.
Between February 1966 and July 1975, NASA launched nine Saturn IBs on two suborbital flights and seven orbital flights (five of which were manned); all flights were successful.
Starting in the 1960 model year, Chrysler built all their passenger cars with Unibody (unit-body or monocoque) construction, except the Imperials which retained body-on-frame construction until 1967. Chrysler thus became the only one of the Big Three American automakers (General Motors Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and Chrysler) to offer unibody construction on the vast majority of their product lines. This construction technique, now the worldwide standard, offers advantages in vehicle rigidity, handling, and crash safety, while reducing squeak and rattle development as the vehicle ages. Chrysler's contributions to the technology included the first use of computers to design unit-body cars, and the first setup where exterior sheet metal was not required for structural strength, making sheet metal replacement easier.
Chrysler's new compact line, the Valiant, opened strong and continued to gain market share for over a decade. Valiant was introduced as a marque of its own, but the Valiant line was placed under the Plymouth marque for US-market sales in 1961. The 1960 Valiant was the first production automobile with an alternator (generating alternating current, paired with diodes for rectification back to direct current) rather than a direct current electrical generator as standard equipment. It proved such an improvement that it was used in all Chrysler products in 1961. The DeSoto marque was withdrawn from the market after the introduction of the 1961 models due in part to the broad array of the Dodge lines and the general neglect of the division. The same affliction plagued Plymouth as it also suffered when Dodge crept into Plymouth's price range. This would eventually lead to the demise of Plymouth several decades later. An ill-advised downsizing of the full-size Dodge and Plymouth lines in 1962 hurt sales and profitability for several years.
1966 Plymouth Barracuda
Partly to compensate for rust problems on the 1957 models and partly to ensure that their Unibody cars would remain safe, as rust was a larger problem when body panels were required for strength, Chrysler pioneered the use of electrostatic charges to improve anti-rust agent adhesion in their 1960 models. The company was also the first to use a seven-step rustproofing bath system, though not the first to use rustproofing baths.
In April 1964, the Plymouth Barracuda, which was a Valiant sub-model, was introduced. The huge glass rear window and sloping roof were polarizing styling features. Barracuda was released almost two weeks before Ford's Mustang, making the Barracuda the first pony car. Even so, the Mustang outsold it 10-to-1 between April 1964 and August 1965. Perception of the Barracuda as nothing but a reskinned Valiant was not aided by sharing front-end sheetmetal.
Chrysler's target buyers were obviously men, and attracting female buyers was not apparently a high priority, for a 1967 sales brochure proclaimed, "At last—specifications your wife can understand."[36] (This was, perhaps, an improvement over the Dodge La Femme option of 1955,[37] for it recognized women were at least reading the specifications.)
Expansion into Europe
In the 1960s Chrysler expanded into Europe, attaining a majority interest in the British Rootes Group in 1964, Simca of France and Barreiros of Spain, to form Chrysler Europe. For the Rootes Group one outcome of this takeover was the launch of the Hillman Avenger in 1970 (briefly sold in the U.S. as the Plymouth Cricket), which sold in Britain alongside the rear-engined Imp and the Hunter. During the 1970s the former Rootes Group got into severe financial difficulties. The Simca and Barreiros divisions were more successful, but in the end the various problems were overwhelming and the firm gained little from these ventures. Chrysler sold these assets to PSA Peugeot Citroën in 1978, which in turn sold the British and Spanish truck production lines to Renault of France.
More successfully, at this same time the company helped create the muscle car market in the U.S., first by producing a street version of its Hemi racing engine and then by introducing a legendary string of affordable but high-performance vehicles such as the Plymouth GTX, Plymouth Road Runner, and Dodge Charger. The racing success of several of these models on the NASCAR circuit burnished the company's engineering reputation.
The 1970s were tumultuous for Chrysler since, like all the American car companies of the era, the company was reliant on a marketplace where cheap oil and smog-filled cities were the norm. As conditions changed, Chrysler could not adapt in time. Critics of government regulation have claimed that U.S. anti-trust laws prohibited U.S. automakers from forming Japanese- or European-style industry consortiums (which helped their foreign competitors to save costs). Chrysler was also slow to adopt to a gradual tightening of anti-pollution regulations. However, given that Chrysler's European divisions already had both the talent and the knowledge to make fuel-economic, less polluting vehicles, all that Chrysler's management had to do was to import European technology that it already owned. Chrysler's American difficulties, therefore, were largely the result of poor management.
Chrysler's lower sales volumes meant that new development and implementation costs made up a larger proportion of a vehicle's cost compared to Ford and General Motors. To avoid pricing themselves out of the market, Chrysler clumsily detuned its existing engines to meet emission requirements, which resulted in lower fuel economy at a time when fuel prices were rising. There was a rush of sales for the compact Dodge Dart and Plymouth Valiant, but the 1973 oil crisis sharply reduced demand for the large, fuel-thirsty vehicles Americans had previously bought in large number and which made up the bulk of Chrysler's product line.
At mid-decade, the company scored a conspicuous success with its first entry in the personal luxury car market, the Chrysler Cordoba. The hurried introduction of the Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volaré in 1976 brought enormous warranty costs to repair faulty design and shoddy construction, and destroyed the longstanding loyalty built up by the Dart and Valiant predecessors. Chrysler Europe essentially collapsed in 1977, and was offloaded to Peugeot the following year, soon after having helped design the new Plymouth Horizon and Dodge Omni. In 1980, Chrysler Australia, which was producing the locally developed Chrysler Valiant and the Mitsubishi Galant based Chrysler Sigma, was sold to Mitsubishi Motors and changed its name to Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited. The subcompact Horizon was reaching the US market as the second gas crisis struck, devastating sales of Chrysler's larger cars and trucks, and the company had no strong compact line to fall back on.
For many years, Chrysler developed gas turbine engines, which are capable of operating on a wide array of combustible fuels, for automotive use. Turbines were common in military vehicles, and Chrysler built many prototypes for passenger cars. In the 1960s, mass production seemed almost ready. Fifty Chrysler Turbine Cars, specialty designed Ghia-bodied coupes were built in 1962 and placed in the hands of consumers for final testing. After further development and testing to make emissions conform to 1970s-enacted EPA standards, the engines were planned as an option for the 1977 model LeBaron. However, Chrysler was forced to abandon the turbine engine as a precondition of U.S. government loan guarantees when the company experienced financial difficulties in the late 1970s.
Lee Iacocca's Impact
A Dodge Aries. The "K-cars" are generally credited with saving Chrysler from bankruptcy.
In 1978, Lee Iacocca, recently fired from being Ford's executive, was aggressively courted and brought in as CEO. At the time, Chrysler was losing millions, largely due to recalls of the company's Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volare, cars that Iacocca would later claim should never have been built. He began rebuilding the entire company from the ground up, laying off many workers, selling the loss-making Chrysler Europe division to Peugeot, and bringing in many former associates from his former company. Also from Ford, Iacocca brought to Chrysler the "Mini-Max" project, which would bear fruit in 1983 with the successful Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager. Henry Ford II had wanted nothing to do with the Mini-Max, a restyled version of the minivan that Toyota was selling in huge numbers in Asia and Latin America, which doomed the project at Ford. Hal Sperlich, the driving force behind the Mini-Max at Ford had been fired a few months before Iacocca and was waiting for him at Chrysler, where the two would make automotive history. Iacocca proved to be a capable public spokesman, appearing in advertisements to advise customers that "If you find a better car, buy it." He would also provide a rallying point for Japan-bashing and instilling pride in American products. His book Talking Straight was a response to Akio Morita's Made in Japan.
Iacocca arrived shortly after the introduction of the subcompact Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon. The front-wheel drive Omni and Horizon became instant hits, selling over 300,000 units each in their debut year, showing what was to come for Chrysler. Ironically, the Omni and Horizon had been designed alongside the Chrysler Horizon with much input from the Chrysler Europe division of the company, which Iacocca axed in 1978.
Realizing that the company would go out of business if it did not receive a significant amount of money to turn the company around, Iacocca approached the United States Congress on September 7, 1979 and asked for US$1.5 billion in loan guarantees. Congress reluctantly passed the "Chrysler Corporation Loan Guarantee Act of 1979" Pub.L. 96–185 on December 20, 1979 (signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on January 7, 1980), prodded by Chrysler workers and dealers in every congressional district who feared the loss of their livelihoods. The military then bought thousands of Dodge pickup trucks which entered military service as the Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle M-880 Series. With such help and a few innovative cars, Chrysler would manage to avoid bankruptcy and slowly recover.
After receiving this reprieve, Chrysler released the first of the K-Car line, the Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant, in 1981. Like the minivan which would come later, these compact automobiles were based on design proposals that Ford had rejected during Iacocca's (and Sperlich's) tenure there. Since they were released in the middle of the major 1980–1982 recession, these small, efficient and inexpensive, front-wheel drive cars sold rapidly.
Aside from small cars, Iacocca re-introduced the full sized Imperial as a company's flagship, new model had all of the newest technologies of the time – including fully electronic fuel injection (the first car in the U.S. to be so equipped) and all digital dashboard.
In February 1982 Chrysler announced the sale of Chrysler Defense, its profitable defense subsidiary to General Dynamics for US$348.5 million. The sale was completed in March 1982 for the revised figure of US$336.1 million.
Chrysler also introduced the minivan, which was by and large Sperlich's "baby," in the fall of 1983, which led the automobile industry in sales for 25 years Because of the K-cars and minivans, along with the reforms Iacocca implemented, the company turned around quickly and by 1983, was able to repay the government-backed loans several years ahead of time, resulting in a profit of $350 million to the U.S. government.
In 1987, it was discovered that Chrysler sold an estimated 32,750 cars that had been test-driven with disconnected odometers – some as much as 500 miles (800 km) – before being shipped to dealers. The controversy gained fire after the United States Senate got involved, as Senator Sam Nunn bought one of the Chryslers in question. Chrysler settled out of court with complainants.[43][44] Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca sought to minimize damage to the corporation's public image by calling a news conference in which he termed the action "dumb" and "unforgivable".
A joint venture with Mitsubishi called Diamond Star Motors strengthened the company's hand in the small car market. Chrysler also acquired American Motors Corporation (AMC) in 1987, primarily for its Jeep brand, although the failing Eagle Premier would be the basis for the Chrysler LH platform sedans. This bolstered the firm's size, but the American Motors purchase was saddled with $900 million in debt. Also, Chrysler was still the weakest of the Big Three. In 1987, Chrysler surprised the industry by purchasing Italian sports car maker Lamborghini, with the acquisition heavily driven by Iacocca. Lamborghini would subsequently be sold off in 1994.
Iacocca received much credit for Chrysler's turnaround from near bankruptcy, with his commercials giving him celebrity status, and some mentioned him as a potential U.S. presidential candidate in 1988. However the latter part of his tenure from 1988 onwards was less successful. The acquisitions of Gulfstream Aerospace, Electrospace Systems, and other companies was intended to protect Chrysler from the cyclical nature of the auto industry but they shrunk the company's working capital from $14.3 billion to just $1.7 billion. In addition Iacocca enjoyed being in the spotlight and gradually isolated himself from his "Gang of Ford" managers that he had brought over from Ford Motor Company. By 1992, the board pushed Iacocca to retire, albeit with a generous severance package.
Iacocca was also responsible for Chrysler's acquisition of AMC in 1987, which brought the profitable Jeep division under Chrysler's corporate umbrella. It also created the short-lived Eagle division, formed from the remnants of AMC. By this time, AMC had already finished most of the work with the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which Iacocca desperately wanted. The Grand Cherokee would not be released until 1992 for the 1993 model year. That same year, Iacocca stepped down as CEO and Chairman of Chrysler at the end of 1992, being succeeded in these posts by Robert Eaton.
Although Robert Lutz, currently the President of Chrysler, was the second-ranking executive in the company, he earlier opposed the merger with Fiat that Iacocca had championed. Due to their feud, Iacocca convinced the board to pass over Lutz for the chairmanship of Chrysler. However, Eaton and Lutz did develop a strong working relationship.
1998–2004 LH platform-based Dodge Intrepid
In the early 1990s, Chrysler made its first steps back into Europe, setting up car production in Austria, and beginning right hand drive manufacture of certain Jeep models in a 1993 return to the UK market. The continuing popularity of Jeep, bold new models for the domestic market such as the Dodge Ram pickup, Dodge Viper (badged as "Chrysler Viper" in Europe) sports car, and Plymouth Prowler hot rod, and new "cab forward" front-wheel drive LH sedans put the company in a strong position as the decade waned.
In 1988, Chrysler and Fiat, owner of Alfa Romeo, reached an agreement that named Chrysler to be the exclusive distributor for Alfa Romeo in North America and easily allow Chrysler dealers to sell Alfa products, which lasted until Alfa left the United States in 1995. The initial contact between the two firms would lead to high-level talks in 1990 between Iacocca and Fiat Chairman Giovanni Agnelli about establishing joint ventures in the United States and Europe, and the possibility of Fiat taking a large equity stake in Chrysler. However, talks dragged on and eventually broke off. Ironically, Fiat would acquire a majority stake in Chrysler following its 2009 restructuring.
In 1991, Chrysler began the process of moving its corporate headquarters from its 1925 founding location of Highland Park, Michigan, to nearby Auburn Hills. The move was complete by 1993.
In 1995, former CEO Lee Iacocca assisted in billionaire Kirk Kerkorian's hostile takeover of Chrysler, which was ultimately unsuccessful. The next year, Kerkorian and Chrysler made a five-year agreement that includes a gag order preventing Iacocca from speaking publicly about Chrysler.
Chrysler was among the companies boycotted by gay rights groups after removing advertisements from the ABC sitcom Ellen in 1997, which it deemed "controversial."
DaimlerChrysler 1998–2007
Further information: Daimler AG
2005–2010 Chrysler 300
In 1998 Daimler-Benz and Chrysler had formed a 50–50 partnership. Chrysler Corporation then was legally renamed DaimlerChrysler Motors Company LLC, while its total operations began doing business as Chrysler Group. This was initially declared to be a merger of equals, but it became evident that once Chrysler Chairman and CEO Bob Eaton retired, that Daimler would take majority control. Other executives like President Thomas T. Stallkamp, once considered the heir-apparent of Eaton, and Vice-Chairman Robert Lutz were soon forced out. Eaton, Stallkamp, and Lutz had been described as the "triumvirate" responsible for Chrysler's successes in the late 1990s, with much credit going to Lutz's platform design teams. Daimler-Benz got the remainder of Chrysler, excluding the Eagle brand, which was facing extinction at the time.
Then-Daimler-Benz CEO Juergen Schrempp had "promised a marriage made in heaven and huge synergies". However, it proved to be a disaster for Daimler, which poured billions of dollars into Chrysler, draining management and resources, and repeatedly dragging down its Mercedes-Benz luxury vehicle subsidiary. Chrysler President James P. Holden was responsible for misjudging the launch of the all-new 2001 minivan that resulted in an expensive surplus of 2000 models, losing considerable market share to rivals (Chrysler had created and long dominated the minivan market), and also underestimated demand for the surprisingly popular PT Cruiser, resulting in a $512 million third-quarter loss in 2000 that led to his firing later that year.
Dieter Zetsche was appointed CEO of the Chrysler Group in 2000. The Plymouth brand was phased out in 2001, and plans for cost cutting by sharing of platforms and components began. The Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class-based Chrysler Crossfire coupé/roadster and the Chrysler Pacifica three-row crossover were among the initial results of this plan; the Crossfire was unsuccessful while the Pacifica started strong but faded after a few years. A return to rear-wheel drive was announced for a new line of full size cars, spearheaded by the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Magnum which used some Mercedes-Benz W211 components and offered a new HEMI V8 engine as a performance option. While the Magnum received a tepid reception in the market, the 300 garnered much attention and sold well. The partnership with Mitsubishi was dissolved as DaimlerChrysler divested its stake in the firm. Financial performance improved and Chrysler was generating a significant part of Daimler-Chrysler's profits from 2004 to 2005, as the other subsidiary, Mercedes-Benz, incurred costs for restructuring. By 2005, Chrysler was said to be the healthiest of the Detroit Three automakers (compared to General Motors and Ford Motor Company).[51][54]
As a result of Zetsche's apparent success in a turnaround of Chrysler, Juergen Schrempp, the CEO of parent company Daimler-Chrysler, was pressured to retire early. Zetsche was elevated to CEO of Daimler-Chrysler on January 1, 2006, and Thomas W. LaSorda became President and CEO of Chrysler Group. However, in 2006, while DCX's other subsidiary Mercedes-Benz turned a profit, Chrysler swung to a loss and analysts believed that the profitable years of 2004–05 would be unlikely to be return in the future. That led to suggestions that the eight-year merger would come to an end, as Mercedes (which made up around 33% of Daimler's $200 billion in 2006 revenues) did not get any competitive boost from Chrysler, and that Daimler would be a stronger and more profitable group without the U.S. unit. Zetsche admitted that Chrysler offered no serious scale of advantages, though he initially insisted a spinoff was not being considered and said that management's first priority is to fix the problems at Chrysler by trimming production and redoubling efforts to boost its competitiveness.
Some suggest that Zetsche's tenure was a mixed success, with Chrysler still relying heavily on gas-guzzling SUVs, and most of its product lineup was unsuccessful, despite using Mercedes-derived technologies. Despite radical restructuring and improved models, analysts said that it was difficult to expect a solid recovery at Chrysler, due to the negative dynamics of the U.S. auto market and Chrysler's legacy labor and health care costs. In 2006, Zetsche had starred in the "Dr. Z" ad campaign which cast him as an all-knowing, German-accented wizard of the auto industry, in TV spots and a website. The strategy was to communicate that Chrysler was backed up by the same Teutonic know-how and discipline that has long made Mercedes-Benz one of the world's most prestigious brands. However, the campaign was moth-balled in 2007. Eight years since the merger, most customers did not know that Chrysler was owned by the same company that also produces Mercedes-Benz luxury cars. Some surveyed thought Zetsche was so smooth on screen—even to the point of head-butting a soccer ball perfectly in one take—that he was an actor and not the actual CEO.
Chrysler sale to Cerberus 2007–2009
Second generation Chrysler Sebring sedan
According to the April 2007 issue of Der Spiegel, CEO Dieter Zetsche expressed a desire to dismantle Chrysler and sell off the majority stake and at the same time keep Chrysler "dependent" upon Mercedes-Benz after the sale. On April 4, 2007, Zetsche said that the company was negotiating the sale of Chrysler, which was rumored for weeks before the announcement. The following day investor Kirk Kerkorian placed a 4.5 billion dollar bid for Chrysler. On April 12, Magna International of Canada announced it was searching for partners to place a bid for Chrysler. Magna's offer was later outbid.
DaimlerChrysler AG announced on May 14, 2007 that it would sell 80.1% of its stake in the Chrysler Group to Cerberus Capital Management for US$7.4 billion. Chrysler Group (DaimlerChrysler Corporation) would officially become Chrysler Holding LLC (changed to Chrysler LLC upon completion of the sale), with two subsidiaries – Chrysler Motors LLC (new name of DaimlerChrysler Motors Company), which produces Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep vehicles, and Chrysler Financial Services LLC (new name of DaimlerChrysler Financial Services Americas LLC), which took over the operations of Chrysler Financial. DaimlerChrysler AG changed its name to Daimler AG.
Chrysler LLC unveiled a new company logo, a variation of the previously used Pentastar logo, and launched its new website on August 6, 2007. Robert Nardelli became Chairman and CEO. In the resulting management shuffle, LaSorda was relegated to the number two position as President and Vice Chairman of Chrysler LLC, Jim Press, previously President of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., was appointed Co-President and Vice Chairman. While LaSorda's titles at Chrysler LLC officially stated that he was in charge of manufacturing, procurement and supply, employee relations, global business development and alliances, his actual role in the company was largely to find a new partner or buyer for Chrysler. Cerberus Capital was said to be less interested in rebuilding the auto manufacturer as a long-term investment, rather it was focused on turning a short-term profit though a leveraged buyout.
The new company experienced its first labor dispute on October 10, 2007. A strike deadline of 11 am had been set by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union leadership pending successful negotiation of a new contract patterned after the pact with GM. As the talks progressed past the deadline, most Chrysler unionized workers walked off their jobs. With media speculation about the impact of a long strike, an impromptu announcement after 5 pm the same day indicated that a tentative agreement had been reached, thus ending the walkout after just over six hours.
Chrysler collaborates with Tata Motors Limited of India: Tata's all-electric Ace mini truck will be sold through Chrysler's Global Electric Motorcars division. Chrysler announced in February 2008 that it would be reducing its product line from 30 models to 15 models. Chrysler was reported in August 2008 to be in talks with Fiat.
In October 2008, Cerberus and General Motors discussed an exchange of GM's 49% stake in GMAC for Chrysler, potentially merging two of Detroit's "Big Three" automakers. These talks did not come to fruition, and were discontinued the next month. On October 24, 2008, Chrysler announced a 25% cut (5,000 jobs) in its salaried and contract workforce in November 2008. Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced that she, along with 5 other governors, sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke requesting emergency funding for the Detroit Big Three Automakers. On the same day, General Motors asked the Treasury Department of the United States for $10 billion to help restructure both their company and possible future sibling, Chrysler so that in turn, they can become one massive company.
On October 23, 2008, Daimler announced that its stake in Chrysler had a book value of zero dollars after write offs and charges.
On November 5, 2008 it was published that Chrysler sales in the US market have fallen 34.9 percent in only 12 months. A week later, Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli said, in a speech at an Ernst & Young conference, that the company can only remain viable by forming an alliance with another automaker, domestic or global, as well as receiving government assistance in the form of an equity stake. Several days later, Chrysler together with Ford and General Motors, sought financial aid at a Congressional hearing in Washington D.C. in the face of worsening conditions caused by the automotive industry crisis. All three companies were unsuccessful and were invited to draft a new action plan for the sustainability of the industry.
At the beginning of December 2008, amid the 2008 automobile crisis, Chrysler announced that they were dangerously low on cash and may not survive past 2009. After the defeat of the auto bailout in the Senate, Chrysler stated that they would most likely file for bankruptcy and shut down all operations permanently. On December 17, 2008, Chrysler announced that it planned to halt production at all 30 of its manufacturing plants through January 19, 2009. In addition, Chrysler Financial announced that it would charge fees on dealers holding inventories of new cars and trucks that are unsold after more than 360 days, and will require immediate payment of all remaining balances on inventories of used vehicles that remain unsold after six months. On December 19, President George W. Bush announced a $13.4 billion rescue loan for the American automakers, including Chrysler.
Chrysler's 2008 performance was hard hit among the Big Three U.S. automakers, with 398,119 automobiles and 1,055,003 trucks sold during the year.
On March 13, 2009, LaSorda told the Canadian House of Commons finance committee that the initial GM-CAW deal was insufficient and that Chrysler would demand an hourly wage cut of $20, breaking the Canadian Autoworkers's negotiating pattern set by GM. He suggested that Chrysler may withdraw from Canada if it fails to achieve more substantial cost savings from the CAW. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne had also threatened to walk away from the merger if the CAW did not make sufficient concessions to match the wages of the "transplants" (foreign automaker's US and Canadian plants), which the union eventually agreed to by cutting benefits. Chrysler LLC has since filed for bankruptcy, though Fiat would continue to implement the strategic alliance.
On March 7, 2009, Chrysler Vice-Chairman Jim Press stated that current sales volume is sufficient to keep the company going as sales should rise in the coming months. The Chrysler executive also noted the automaker's February retail sales were better than Ford's as Chrysler continued to curtail lower-margin fleet sales. He also said the volumes being forecast for 2009 are within the estimates Chrysler envisioned in preparing its viability plan for the federal government.
On March 30, 2009, the White House announced it would provide an additional $6 billion in further support to Chrysler contingent on the company finalizing an alliance with Fiat before the end of April .
US Government backing of warranties
On March 30, 2009 President Barack Obama issued a US Government guarantee of Chrysler's warranty liabilities, and publicly stated the U.S. Government will back the warranties on Chrysler vehicles if the company were to go out of business.
Chapter 11 reorganization
Main article: Chrysler Chapter 11 reorganization
On January 20, 2009, Fiat S.p.A. and Chrysler LLC announced that they have a non-binding term sheet to form a global alliance. Under the terms of the potential agreement, Fiat could take a 35% stake in Chrysler and gain access to its North American dealer network in exchange for providing Chrysler with the platform to build smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles in the US and reciprocal access to Fiat's global distribution network.
By mid-April, as talks intensified between the two automakers to reach an agreement by a government-imposed deadline of April 30, Fiat's initial stake was reported to be 20% with some influence on the structure of top management of the company. However, Fiat has warned that the merger would not take place if Chrysler fails to reach an agreement with the UAW and the Canadian Auto Workers' Union. On April 26, 2009, it appeared as if Chrysler had reached a deal with the unions which would meet federal requirements, though details were not made available. Chrysler said the union agreement "provides the framework needed to ensure manufacturing competitiveness and helps to meet the guidelines set forth by the U.S. Treasury Department." Chrysler filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection at the Federal Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of New York, in Manhattan, on April 30, 2009, and announced an alliance with Fiat.
Both the White House and Chrysler expressed hope for a "surgical" bankruptcy lasting 30 to 60 days, with the result of reducing the company's liabilities and post-bankruptcy emergence in stronger financial shape. The submitted court documents indicated that there would be a reorganization plan presented to the court in 120 days, on August 28, 2009. A White House official indicated that the government would provide debtor-in-possession financing for between $US 3 billion to $US 3.5 billion, and upon a completion of Chrysler bankruptcy restructuring and court proceedings, the company would be eligible to receive up to $US 4.5 billion in financing to resume operations, for total of $US 8 billion of government support. Prior to the bankruptcy filing, Chrysler had received $US 4.5 billion in financing from the U.S. government, under a George W. Bush administration plan, in December 2008, after Congress declined to approve legislation to provide federal loans. Chrysler announced on the day of the bankruptcy filing, that during the restructuring, it would cease most manufacturing operations on May 4, 2009, and resume production "when the transaction is completed, which is anticipated within 30 to 60 days."
On May 1, 2009, Chrysler LLC filed for bankruptcy, and LaSorda stepped down as President and Vice-Chairman and retired, despite Fiat urging him to stay on.[60]
On May 14, 2009 Chrysler filed with the bankruptcy court to terminate the dealership agreements of 789, or about 25% of its dealerships.
On June 1, 2009 a US bankruptcy court approved a plan which spells out that the new Chrysler company called "Chrysler Group LLC".The VEBA formed by the United Auto Workers Union to provide health care for Chrysler retirees will hold 55%. Minority stakes will be held by Fiat (20%) and the US (8%) and Canadian (2%) governments. Fiat has stated it plans to increase its share to 35% if Chrysler meets certain goals.
On June 8, 2009, Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is assigned to emergency motions arising from the United States Appeals Court for the Second Circuit, in a one-sentence order, stayed the orders of the bankruptcy judge allowing the sale, pending further order by Justice Ginsburg or the Supreme Court.[89]
On June 9, 2009, the Supreme Court published its denial of the applications for a stay of the sale from the three Indiana funds, allowing the sale of assets to "New Chrysler" to proceed. According to the two page decision and order, the Indiana funds "have not carried the burden" of demonstrating that the Supreme Court needed to intervene. The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a statement saying: "We are gratified that not a single court that reviewed this matter, including the U.S. Supreme, found any fault whatsoever with the handling of this matter by either Chrysler or the U.S. government." The proposed sale of assets is scheduled to close on Wednesday, June 10, 2009, when the money to finance the deal is wired by the government. Fiat will receive equity in the New Chrysler through its contribution of automobile platforms as a base for a new line of Chrysler cars.
On June 10, 2009, 41 days after filing for bankruptcy protection, the sale of most of Chrysler assets to "New Chrysler", formally known as Chrysler Group LLC, was completed. The federal government financed the deal with US$ 6.6 billion in financing, paid to the "Old Chrysler", formally called Old Carco LLC. The transfer does not include eight manufacturing locations, nor many parcels of real estate, nor equipment leases. Contracts with 789 U.S. auto dealerships, who are being dropped, were not transferred.[93]
Fiat will sell its own models – such as this Fiat Nuova 500 – through Chrysler in the United States
Fiat will initially own a minority 20% stake of Chrysler Group LLC with the option of taking additional equity up to a 35% stake if certain operational and capitalization goals are achieved. The United Auto Workers' union retiree health care trust fund (Volunteer Employee Benefit Association) will be the majority owner, with 55 percent when Fiat reaches its target holding of 35%. The U.S. and Canadian governments will initially hold minority stakes of 8% and 2%, respectively, of the new Chrysler.
On May 24, 2011, Fiat paid back $7.6 billion in U.S. and Canadian government loans. On July 21, Fiat bought the Chrysler shares held by the United States Treasury. With the purchase, Chrysler once again became foreign owned; this time Italian car maker Fiat gained majority ownership and control of Chrysler.[95] The United States government's involvement in the Chrysler bankruptcy cost the U.S. taxpayer $1.3 billion.
Chrysler Group
Lancia Delta to be marketed in the USA as the Chrysler Delta
In early 2009, Chrysler Group, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, became majority owned by the United Auto Workers Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association trust. In June 2009 Fiat gained ownership of Chrysler Group as a part of Chrysler's restructuring plan, and eventually gained 58% total stake in the company. Fiat stated plans for the Chrysler brand and Lancia to codevelop products, with some vehicles being shared. Olivier Francois, Lancia's CEO, took over as CEO of the Chrysler division in October 2009. Fiat has stated that, depending on the market, some Chrysler cars will be sold as Lancias and vice versa. Francois plans to reestablish the Chrysler brand as an upscale brand, a position somewhat muddied since the K-car era in the 80's, and especially after the Plymouth brand was discontinued. At the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, A Chrysler badged Lancia Delta was on display, likely the first Lancia to be sold as a Chrysler and possibly as a replacement for the Chrysler PT Cruiser. Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler get makeover by refreshing, redesigning or replacing every car and truck, swapping out engines and creating vehicles people want.
Timeline of Chrysler
Maxwell Motor Company, 1904–1925
Chrysler Corporation, 1925–1998
DaimlerChrysler AG, 1998–2007
Chrysler LLC, 2007–2009
Chrysler Group LLC, 2009–present
Medallion logo
With its inception in 1925, Chrysler's logo was a round medallion with a ribbon bearing the name CHRYSLER in uppercase block letters
Forward Look logo emblem on 1957 Dodge D100 pickup truck
Virgil Exner's radical "Forward Look" redesign of Chrysler Corporation's vehicles for the 1955 model year was underscored by the company's adoption of a logo by the same name. The Forward Look logo consisted of two overlapped boomerang shapes, suggesting space age rocket-propelled motion.[citation needed]
Pentastar
As the Forward Look styling cycle was ending, Chrysler President Lynn Townsend sought a new logo usable by all of Chrysler's worldwide divisions and subsidiaries, automotive and non-automotive, on packaging, stationery, signage and advertising. He wanted something that would be immediately identifiable as Chrysler's mark to anyone who saw it, in any culture. In September 1962, the company adopted a logo named Pentastar, made of five triangles arranged so their bases formed the sides of a pentagon. The gaps in between the triangles formed a star in the middle of the pentagon. The Pentastar was simple and easily recognizable, even on revolving signs, and was not tied to any particular automotive styling feature as had been the previous Forward Look logo. Because the symbol contained no text, it facilitated Chrysler's expansion in international markets. The Pentastar was extensively used on dealer signage, advertisements, and promotional brochures, as well as on Chrysler products themselves.
Pentastar on body cladding of 1993–98 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Chrysler-Plymouth literature, advertisements, and dealership signage used a blue Pentastar or a white one on a blue background, while Dodge used a red Pentastar or a white one on a red background. Divisional logos such as Dodge's Fratzog were gradually phased out until, by 1981, all Chrysler divisions used only the Pentastar. All vehicle brands and all the other Chrysler divisions and services—air conditioning systems, heating, industrial engines, marine engines, outboard motors, boats, transmissions, four-wheel drive systems, powdered metal products, adhesives, chemical products, plastics, electronics, tanks, missiles, leasing, finance and auto parts—were identified by the Pentastar.
The Pentastar logo was placed on the lower passenger-side fender of all Chrysler products, including non-US brands, from 1963 into the 1972 model year. It was placed on the passenger-side fender so it could be viewed by passers-by, a subtle method of getting the symbol ingrained in the public's mind: a nameplate has to be read, but a symbol is quickly recognizable without reading. Thus left-hand drive cars had the Pentastar on the right fender, while right-hand drive cars had it on the left. Starting in the 1980s, hood ornaments on Chrysler-brand vehicles used a gem-like version of the pentastar to signify the brand's upscale status.
The Pentastar's final badging appearance was on rare versions of the 1996 Plymouth Voyager. It was also applied to the steering wheel, keys, and fenders of the Voyager and the other Chrysler NS minivans into 2000.
The Pentastar continued to represent Chrysler until the merge with Daimler in 1998, when it was retired. Among the few remaining traces of this motif was a large, star-shaped window at DaimlerChrysler's American headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and pentastar aviation, a former DaimlerChrysler subsidiary which reverted to its original name after being purchased by a member of the Ford family. Many dealerships still have signage and other traces still visually apparent to the Pentastar, where a five-Pentastar logo remains in use as the logo of the "Five Star Dealer" service rank.
Despite having been officially retired under Daimler, the Pentastar continued to be used as the identifying trademark or logo on Chrysler Group parts, as seen on window glass, on individual components, molded plastic assemblies, and larger parts such as (reportedly) engine blocks.[citation needed]
The Pentastar is also used as the badge of the United States Army's V Corps.
Return of divisional logos
Divisional logos began to supplant the companywide Pentastar application in the early 1990s. The Dodge division phased in a ram's-head logo beginning with the 1993 Intrepid and Spirit. The Chrysler brand began using a medallion based on its original logo starting with the 1995 Cirrus, Concorde, and Sebring. This logo was applied to all Chryslers by 1996. That same year, Plymouth adopted a new sailboat logo, which was a simplified version of the brand's pre-Pentastar Mayflower ship logo.
Winged logo
Chrysler "winged" logo, used on Chrysler division cars 1996–2010
The design shown here is an adaptation of the original medallion logo which Chrysler used on its cars at its inception in 1925. The logo was revived for the Chrysler division in 1996, and is often surrounded by a pair of silver wings. When sold to Cerberus, Chrysler readopted the Pentastar (see above) as their corporate logo, although the winged logo is still used on the cars themselves.
Revival of Pentastar
On May 17, 2007, an internal email stated that Chrysler was going to revive the Pentastar logo, in updated form, after their split from Daimler.[103] The new three-dimensional Pentastar was formally introduced when Chrysler LLC began doing business as a private company in August 2007.
Contact Us for all your Chrysler New and Used Parts and Accessories


In the London Borough of Barnet, you'll find the desirable area of Colindale. Over the years, this region has become one of the most sought after in Greater London. If you're thinking about moving to a new area, this one might just be ideal for you. As one of the leading estate agents in Colindale, we can help you find the perfect property. Whether you want to buy or just let a home, we are confident that we will have one that meets your every need.
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Living in Greater London is a real pleasure. When you make your home in Colindale, you will have a direct link to the centre of London. There are few places as accessible as this one. All you need to do is hope on the tube and get going. Before you know it, you will find yourself looking at some of the most famous London scenes. If that sounds like your idea of heaven, you have come to the right place.
So, what are the main points of interest that Colindale has to offer? Well, there's a whole lot to see in this fantastic area, and so you may need a little time to explore it. From the Royal Airforce Museum to a local bubbling brook, there are many great places. If you want to know about the local facilities, it will please you to hear that there is a primary school here. Aside from that, there is also the Peel Centre and even Barnet College close to the area.
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Home » Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald (Paperback)
Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald (Paperback)
By Therese Anne Fowler
(SOUTHERN FICTION)
THE INSPIRATION FOR THE TELEVISION DRAMA Z: THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING
I wish I could tell everyone who thinks we're ruined, Look closer…and you'll see something extraordinary, mystifying, something real and true. We have never been what we seemed.
When beautiful, reckless Southern belle Zelda Sayre meets F. Scott Fitzgerald at a country club dance in 1918, she is seventeen years old and he is a young army lieutenant stationed in Alabama. Before long, the "ungettable" Zelda has fallen for him despite his unsuitability: Scott isn't wealthy or prominent or even a Southerner, and keeps insisting, absurdly, that his writing will bring him both fortune and fame. Her father is deeply unimpressed. But after Scott sells his first novel, This Side of Paradise, to Scribner's, Zelda optimistically boards a train north, to marry him in the vestry of St. Patrick's Cathedral and take the rest as it comes.
What comes, here at the dawn of the Jazz Age, is unimagined attention and success and celebrity that will make Scott and Zelda legends in their own time. Everyone wants to meet the dashing young author of the scandalous novel—and his witty, perhaps even more scandalous wife. Zelda bobs her hair, adopts daring new fashions, and revels in this wild new world. Each place they go becomes a playground: New York City, Long Island, Hollywood, Paris, and the French Riviera—where they join the endless party of the glamorous, sometimes doomed Lost Generation that includes Ernest Hemingway, Sara and Gerald Murphy, and Gertrude Stein.
Everything seems new and possible. Troubles, at first, seem to fade like morning mist. But not even Jay Gatsby's parties go on forever. Who is Zelda, other than the wife of a famous—sometimes infamous—husband? How can she forge her own identity while fighting her demons and Scott's, too? With brilliant insight and imagination, Therese Anne Fowler's New York Times bestseller brings us Zelda's irresistible story as she herself might have told it.
THERESE ANNE FOWLER is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald. Raised in the Midwest, she migrated to North Carolina in 1995. She holds a B.A. in sociology/cultural anthropology and an MFA in creative writing from North Carolina State University.
"When I saw that Amazon Prime was unveiling its original pilot for Z, a biographical series based on Therese Anne Fowler's novel about Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, I raised a wary eyebrow. . . But I was wrong, oh me of little faith. . . [I]t's an enveloping period piece, perfectly cast, and I would like to see the pilot green-lighted into a series so that we can see this romance go up like a rocket with one loud champagne pop and strew debris across mansion lawns and luxury hotel lobbies in its transcontinental path." —Vanity Fair
"Fowler expertly depicts the rapture of the couple's early love, and later, the bullying and sickness that drove them apart…Z zips along addictively." —Entertainment Weekly
"[A] richly imagined novel…Here [Zelda's] touching story is also fascinating and funny, it animates an entire era." —People
"A gorgeously rendered piece of literary entertainment, not a biography but rather a love story set in the Jazz Age." —The Daily News
"A tender, intimate exploration of a complicated woman." —Library Journal
"Fowler's Zelda is all we would expect and more…once she meets the handsome Scott, her life takes off on an arc of indulgence and decadence that still causes us to shake our heads in wonder…soirées with Picasso and his mistress, with Cole Porter and his wife, with Gerald and Sara Murphy, Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, Ezra Pound and Jean Cocteau. Scott's friendship with Hemingway verges on a love affair--at least it's close enough to one to make Zelda jealous. Ultimately, both of these tragic, pathetic and grand characters are torn apart by their inability to love or leave each other. Fowler has given us a lovely, sad and compulsively readable book." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Fowler renders rich period detail in this portrayal of a fascinating woman both blessed--and cursed--by fame." —Booklist
"With lyrical prose, Fowler's Z beautifully portrays the frenzied lives of, and complicated relationship between, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald...This is a novel that will open readers' minds to the life of an often misunderstood woman--one not easily forgotten." —RT Book Reviews
"A novel that is as heartbreaking as it is mesmerizing. About love, desire, betrayal, and one extraordinary woman struggling to shine in the world--even as the one she loves best is drawing the shades. Just magnificent." —Caroline Leavitt
"A wonderfully engaging read. With crisp dialogue and vivid descriptions, Z delivers both a compelling love story and a poignant tale of a woman coming into her own as an artist." —Heidi W. Durrow
"An utterly engrossing portrayal of Zelda Fitzgerald and the legendary circles in which she moved. In the spirit of Loving Frank and The Paris Wife, Therese Anne Fowler shines a light on Zelda instead of her more famous husband, providing both justice and the voice she struggled to have heard in her lifetime." —Sara Gruen
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: March 4th, 2014
Fiction / Historical
Fiction / Biographical
CD-Audio (March 26th, 2013): $39.99

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


You have a very important business trip and your flight is very early in the morning. However, the weather winter forecast announces that it's going to be miserable if you will commute to the airport during that day. What would you do?
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Time is a very precious commodity and because of that, your peace of mind will be at stake should you choose to drive your own car or to commute. Through hiring a limousine service provider during the winter seasons, then you certainly save the frustration, stress, and anxiety of all the dreaded things when you commute and you can then relax properly while a professional and experienced driver navigates through the heavy traffic. Because of that, you can be able to concentrate even more on attending your upcoming meeting as well as do all the last-minute tasks in the comfort of the luxurious limo.
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Ever since we opened the doors to our first Café Hollander in 2006, we knew that we wanted to do more than simply operate a restaurant; we wanted to become a part of the vibrant communities we serve. Here are just some of the ways we give back here at the Lowlands Group.
Ever since we opened the doors to our first Café Hollander in 2006, we knew that we wanted to do more than simply operate a restaurant, we wanted to become a part of the vibrant communities we serve. Here are just some of the ways we give back here at the Lowlands Group.
"This is the first time I've been involved in a project like this. The fact that Cafe Hollander donated 100% of their food sales to our kids is absolutely wonderful. We will use the proceeds from this event to purchase new kitchen equipment for our Club kids."
"Café Hollander is not only an exciting new addition to Madison, but through their generosity, Community GroundWorks can now fund our entire kids' services internship program next season or buy a much-needed farm truck. We are grateful for Lowlands Group's forward thinking and creative engagement with our community."
It's one thing to make a one-time donation to an organization in need, but we believe the biggest impact can be made with long-term support of programs that benefit the community. From supporting community cultural programs to assisting those most in need, here are some of the causes near and dear to us at the Lowlands Group.
Each and every month, our Grand Cafés supply a dinner and a breakfast to The Guest House, an organization that provides shelter, housing, education and meals to Milwaukee's homeless in an effort to transform their lives with dignity and purpose.
We're proud to be the title sponsor of VeloCause Centraal Cycling, a cycling team that donates all of their race winnings to charitable causes. As part of our sponsorship, our Café Centraal provides numerous meals throughout the year for Meta House, an organization dedicated to ending the generational cycle of drug and alcohol addiction by healing women and their families.
For a decade, Centraal Grand Café & Tappery has hosted "Sausage Fest" in Bay View. What started as a simple celebration of tubed-meat and bier has blossomed into an annual event that benefits Camp American Legion, a free retreat camp that helps combat veterans rehabilitate from the traumas experienced through war by reconnecting with nature and their families.
We're as inspired by film as we are by the European Lowlands, which is why we're huge boosters of this unique artform in the communities we serve. We're producing sponsors of the Milwaukee Film Festival, underwriting "Worldviews", their showcase of global films. In addition, we sponsor the Wisconsin Film Festival in Madison and even support the projects of local Milwaukee filmmakers.
We're proud underwriters of WUWM, Milwaukee's Public Radio, and 88Nine Radio Milwaukee. Both stations offer programming that helps us learn more about the world, each other and the place we call home - Milwaukee.
Each and every month, we donate over $1000 to non-profit organizations that operate in the communities that our grand cafés serve. Our monthly giving program focuses on child health, development and nutrition; cycling advocacy; hunger relief efforts; culture and the arts; and environmental education and sustainability.
All donation requests must be made online through our donation request form. No postal mail, email, phone or fax requests will be considered. Please keep in mind that we receive many requests for donations, and while we do our best to support our community, we are not able to honor every request we receive.


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Salvatore Di Pasquale (Nápoles,  – Florença, ) foi um engenheiro civil e historiador da tecnologia italiano.

Di Pasquale se formou na Faculdade de Arquitetura da Universidade de Nápoles Federico II em 1955 e lecionou de 1961 a 1968 geometria descritiva e, em seguida, construção de pontes e engenharia de estruturas. Em 1964 foi professor em Nápoles e em 1973 em Florença. De 1983 a 1995 foi diretor do Instituto de Construção Civil e de 1986 a 1992 foi decano da Faculdade de Arquitetura. Em 1997 aposentou-se, lecionando então na Universidade de Catânia, e lecionou engenharia estrutural na Universidade de Nápoles. Foi também professor visitante em Pescara, Veneza, Milão e Ferrara.

Trabalhou especialmente com a estática dos edifícios históricos sendo juntamente com Antonino Giuffrè e Edoardo Benvenuto um dos principais cientistas e pioneiros italianos nesse campo. Entre outras obras publicou investigações sobre a cúpula da catedral de Florença (Santa Maria del Fiore) por Filippo Brunelleschi.

Foi membro do conselho editorial dos periódico científicos Meccanica e Palladio.

Obras
On the elastic problem of the non-homogeneous anisotropic body resting on lattice, Meccanica, Nr. 3, 1967, p. 153–157.
On the elastic problem of the orthotropic plate, Meccanica, Nr. 2, 1968, p. 111–120.
com B. Leggeri, S. Nencioni: Energy forms in the finite element techniques, in: C. A. Brebbia, H. Tottenham (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Conference on Variationals Methods in Engineering, Volume 1, 1972, The Gresham Press, p. 4.33–4.43.
Scienza delle costruzioni. Introduzione alla progettazione strutturale, Mailand 1975
Metodi di calcolo per le strutture spaziali, Mailand 1978
Questions concerning the mechanics of masonry, in: R. M. Lemaire, K. Van Balen (Eds.), Stable-unstable?, Universitätsverlag Löwen, 1988, p. 249–264
New trends in the analysis of masonry structures, Meccanica, Volume 27, 1992, Nr. 3, p. 173–184.
On the art of building before Galilei, in: P. Radelet-de Grave, E. Benvenuto (Eds.), Entre Mecanique et Architecture – Between Mechanics and Architecture, Birkhäuser 1995, p. 102–121
L'arte del costruire. Tra conoscenza e scienza, Venedig 1996
Brunelleschi. La costruzione della cupola di Santa Maria del Fiore, Venedig: Marsilio 2002

Historiadores da tecnologia
Engenheiros civis da Itália
Arquitetos da Itália do século XX
Naturais de Nápoles

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Ideal for club racing and cruising. Low stretch. 100% polyester rope offers great performance at a lower cost. Brightly coloured cover for easy identification, which runs well through sheaves and blocks. Good range of colours for all control lines on board.
2mm & 3mm available handy Mini-Spools.


text:
On February 4, 2021, the Honorable David G. Larimer, United States District Judge for the Western District of New York, executed and filed the Order Granting Final Approval of Settlement and the Consent Decree in N.N. v. Rochester City School District.
On October 31, 2022, the District released its second Annual Report on the Consent Decree. It is available here.
The District is in full compliance with the 2020-21 Benchmarks set forth in the Consent Decree. For those Benchmarks reported during the 2020-21 School Year, the District remains on track to meet the Final Goals in the Consent Decree.
The Consent Decree requires that the District meet a series of measurable interim performance benchmarks each year, and final disengagement goals in either 2022 or 2023 (depending on the goal), in order to request that the Court release it from the Consent Decree. The benchmarks and goals are not necessarily analogous to our legal compliance requirements, but they are meant to be a measure of how the District is improving in areas including providing services to students with disabilities, increasing the involvement of parents of students with disabilities in the development of individualized education programs, and improving the achievement and graduation rates of students with disabilities.
Under the Consent Decree, the District will meet a series of yearly performance benchmarks, and final disengagement standards or goals, on 14 different topics which include:
Increasing the percentage of students with disabilities who achieve proficient-level scores on new York State English Language Arts and Mathematics assessments;
Increasing the percentage of students with disabilities who graduate in June;
Decreasing the percentage of students with disabilities subjected to long term suspension;
Decreasing any racial disparity that exists in long term suspensions of Black and Hispanic students with disabilities compared to white students with disabilities;
Increasing the percentage of students with disabilities who receive their instruction in general education classrooms;
Decreasing the percentage of students with disabilities who are transferred to a different school for a necessary classroom or program;
Increasing the percentage of students who are age 15 and up who have compliant transition plans to prepare them for graduation and beyond;
Decreasing the percentage of overdue initial, annual, and reevaluation review Committee on Special Education ("CSE") meetings;
Decreasing the number of variances needed from New York State, granted because of lack of capacity in classrooms;
Increasing the percentage of related service providers reporting their services for students with disabilities;
Increasing the percentage of parents/guardians participating in students' Annual CSE meetings;
Increasing the bilingual program offerings for students with disabilities who require Spanish-language instruction;
Decreasing the number of special education teachers who do not have a New York State special education teaching certification;
Decreasing any significant discrepancy that exists in classification as a student with a disability of Black and Hispanic students compared to white students;
Increasing the number of mandatory professional development trainings for special education teachers and administrators; and
Developing a strategic plan to address the lack of special education teachers in bilingual classrooms who are appropriately certified in New York State and can demonstrate functional bilingual fluency in Spanish.
Download and view the Consent Decree


In this study, Modern Portfolio Theory tools -are used for constructing efficient portfolios. The Markowitz mean-variance model and Sharpe single index model are presented and calculated, for the construction of efficient portfolios from the Istanbul Securities Exchanges' first market slocks for the 1986 - 1987 period. Constructed efficient portfolios are compared on the risk and return scales.


text:
IPTA2018
Agenda at a glance
Camera-Ready Submission
Discovering Xi'an
Invitation Letters
Prof. Moncef Gabbouj
Department of Signal Processing
Tampere University of Technology
- Title of the talk:
"Novel Machine Learning Solutions for Pertinent Applications"
- A summary of the talk:
In this talk, we present a hierarchical layered approach that exploits all types of sensor and non-sensor signals and design suitable representation, processing and analysis algorithms in order to apply machine learning, including deep and shallow learning, leading to specific applications, which include healthcare and wellbeing, surveillance, and media and entertainment to mention a few. We focus on novel neural network topologies to enable machine learning solutions in several important applications.
- A short bio:
Dr. Gabbouj is a Professor of Signal Processing at the Department of Signal Processing, Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland, where he leads the Multimedia Research Group. His research interests include Big Data analytics, multimedia content-based analysis, indexing and retrieval, artificial intelligence, machine learning, pattern recognition, nonlinear signal and image processing and analysis, voice conversion, and video processing and coding. He published two books and over 700 journal and conference papers and supervised 46 doctoral and 58 Master theses.
Dr. Gabbouj is an IEEE Fellow. He is a member of the IEEE Fourier Award Committee. He served as Distinguished Lecturer for the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society in 2004-2005, and Past-Chairman of the IEEE-EURASIP NSIP (Nonlinear Signal and Image Processing) Board. He served as associate editor of the IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, and was guest editor of Multimedia Tools and Applications, the European journal Applied Signal Processing. He is the past chairman of the IEEE Finland Section, the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society, Technical Committee on Digital Signal Processing. Dr. Gabbouj is the General Co-Chair of ICIP 2020. He is also member of EURASIP Advisory Board and past member of AdCom. He also served as Publication Chair and Publicity Chair of IEEE ICIP 2005 and IEEE ICASSP 2006, respectively. He was also the supervisor of the main author receiving the IBM Best Paper Award at ICPR 2014 and IPTA 2016.
Prof. Hamid Krim
Raleigh, USA
"Deep Structure Learning: A Scale-based Paradigm"
Hamid Krim (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) received his BSc. MSc. In EE from University of Washington and a Ph.D. degree in ECE from Northeastern University. He was a Member of Technical Staff at AT&T Bell Labs, where he has conducted research and development in the areas of telephony and digital communication systems/subsystems. Following an NSF postdoctoral fellowship at Foreign Centers of Excellence, LSS/University of Orsay, Paris, France, he joined the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA as a Research Scientist and where he was performing and supervising research. He is presently Professor of Electrical Engineering in the ECE Department, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, leading the Vision, Information and Statistical Signal Theories and Applications group. His research interests are in statistical signal/image analysis and Geometric Machine Learning with a keen emphasis on applied problems in classification and recognition using geometric and topological tools.
Prof. Bhiksha Raj
Language Technologies Institute
"Predicting Faces From Voices"
A person's face is predictive of their voice. Biologically, this is to be expected: the same genetic, physical and environmental influences that affect the face also affect the voice. More directly, the vocal tract that generates voice also partially shapes the face. It has also been demonstrated that human subjects are often correctly able to associate voices with images of the speaker's face, given a selection to choose from. The recent availability of multi-modal datasets has spurred research on whether a person's face can be detected from their voice by algorithmic means. In this talk I will explore this idea, and present recent work, by our research group and elsewhere, on approaches, largely neural-network-based, on predicting faces from voices. I will first describe methods that try to directly learn voice-to-face associations by assuming a direct dependence between the two. I will then move on to show how non-random performance in this regard maybe explained by relationship to covariates such as gender, and show how similar, or even possibly better results may be obtained by directly relating the individual modalities to covariates. Finally, I will demonstrate examples of how a face image may be completely reconstructed from voice.
Bhiksha Raj is a professor in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, with primary affiliation to the language technologies institute, and secondary affiliations to the Machine Learning, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Music Technology departments. His areas of interest are automatic speech recognition, audio processing, machine learning, and privacy. Dr. Raj is a fellow of the IEEE.
Assoc. Prof. Huimin Ma
Director of 3D Image Lab
"3D Scene Cognition and Multi-Modal Learning"
How to extract knowledge of objects in complex environment is a challenging task. This lecture introduces prof. Ma's work on knowledge based object detection in autonomous driving, which includes cognitive modal, salient object detection, semantic structure model, multi-modal and multi-view learning. The cognitive modal of "thinking in 3D"achieved outstanding performance on KITTI, VOC, and Cityscapes datasets, and published in TPAMI, TIP, PR, CVPR, ICCV, etc.
Huimin Ma is an associate professor of Department of Electronic Engineering of Tsinghua University, and the director of 3D Image Lab. She worked as a visiting scholar in University of Pittsburgh in 2011. She is also the vice-chairman and secretary-general of China Society of Image and Graphics.Her research and teaching interests are 3D image cognition theory and visual perception of autonomous driving. She introduces semantic priors of cognitive psychology into machine learning, and puts forward the method of "thinking in 3D"to study object detection and recognition in complex scenes.
She achieved the second class prize for the Technical Invention Award of the Ministry of Education of China and silver medal in Geneva International Invention Exhibition in 2017, the highest award of AI of China (Wu Wenjun artificial intelligence science and technology innovation award, First Class) in 2016. Her team achieved top performance in the international evaluation of object detection for autonomous driving on KITTI Benchmark in 2015.
Prof. Vincent Charvillat
Department of Computer Science & Applied Maths
School of ENSEEIHT Engineering
University of Toulouse
"Combining human computation and visual content analysis"
Vincent CHARVILLAT received the Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from the National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse in 1997. He is currently a full professor at the University of Toulouse, IRIT research lab, ENSEEIHT Eng. School and an associate member of IPAL laboratory, Singapore. Vincent CHARVILLAT is the head of REVA research team at ENSEEIHT. His main research interests are visual processing and multimedia applications. Current topics of research include visual object processing, visual compositing, visual interaction design and crowdsourcing in multimedia.
© 2023 IPTA2018


Savant Pro users can now control their homes using any Alexa enabled device! Alexa can control lights, music, video, shades, temperature and more using Savant Scenes.
Alexa will recognize any scenes captured with Savant. Simply say, "Alexa, turn on <scene name>," and the scene will be activated. Tell Alexa to turn off the scene and everything will be shut down.
Alexa can also be used to turn rooms on and off, turn lights on and off and to dim or brighten lights. Say, "Alexa, set the <Room> lights to 50" to dim the lights halfway. Telling Alexa to brighten or dim the lights changes the level by 25%.
The setup is intuitive for current Savant and Alexa users. Homeowners with Savant Pro running 8.4 or higher who also use Alexa can simply download and enable the Savant Skill in the Alexa app, link the Savant Skill to their account and then tell Alexa to discover their devices.
If you'd like integrate your Savant system with Alexa and you're not currently using the Savant Pro app, please call ACT at 781-741-5959 to discuss your needs.
Is the Wi-Fi signal in your home strong in some rooms but weak (or non-existent) in others? When you stream movies or TV shows, does the video buffer, lag or downgrade to SD? Do your Sonos speakers just stop playing? These are all signs that your home network is not up to snuff.
Many homeowners ACT speaks with experience wireless network issues. Other common problems include weak signals, slow connections and deadzones.
If a home network is more than five years old, it probably can't handle the traffic of an average family. Households are connecting more and more devices to the Internet. Phones, tablets, laptops, printers, gaming consoles, streaming devices, speakers, lighting, cameras, thermostats and even appliances all compete with each other for bandwidth.
ACT installs wireless and wired networks that provide a strong signal throughout a home and property. ACT also installs managed networks, which allow homeowners on mobile devices to walk throughout a home and property without losing a signal.
If you are experiencing performance issues or think your home network needs an upgrade, contact ACT to discuss your needs. Consultations are always free of charge.
ACT was thrilled to win two awards this fall from two local builders and remodelers associations! In October, ACT was a gold winner in the Best Use of Smart Home Technology category at the 2016 PRISM Awards Gala. Hosted by The Builders and Remodelers Association of Greater Boston (www.bragb.org), the PRISM Awards recognize the finest projects and outstanding achievements of professionals in the home building industry. BRAGB received almost 300 entries for the PRISM Awards this year, which was the highest number of entries in the program's history.
Weeks later, in November, ACT was again a gold winner for Excellence in Smart Technology at the 2016 BRICC Awards Banquet. Presented by the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Cape Cod (www.capecodbuilders.com), the BRICC Awards recognize and celebrate excellence in building, remodeling, design, sales and marketing on Cape Cod & Martha's Vineyard.
We are thrilled to be recognized for excellence in our trade by the builders, remodelers, architects, designers and other industry professionals we partner with on a day-to-day basis. The entire team at ACT looks forward to working closely with both homeowners and our industry partners in 2017 to continue to provide home technology solutions that exceed client expectations.
Sonos Wireless Audio – Is It For You?
People often call us looking for a Sonos system, and it's easy to see why. Sonos is affordable and very simple to install, making it a great choice for a lot of homeowners. ACT is a Sonos dealer and we have installed many Sonos systems.
If you are only looking for an audio system and you mainly listen to digital music, Sonos is an excellent option. It's relatively inexpensive and can be installed quickly because minimal wiring is required. Sonos lets users listen to Internet radio (like Spotify, Pandora, etc.) and their own digital music collections (iTunes library, Amazon Cloud Player, etc.). The system is controlled by an easy-to-use app that can be installed on smartphones, mobile devices and computers.
Sonos does have the capability to add one outside source, for example, a cable box, but you won't be able to control that source with the Sonos app.
There are several situations where Sonos may not be the best choice for you. If you want to control anything besides music in your home (such as lighting, climate, surveillance, etc.), either now or in the future, it's worth at least looking into other options.
If you want easy control of sources beyond Internet radio and your own digital music, Sonos probably isn't the right choice for you.
Finally, if you want a large-scale audio system with a lot of zones throughout your property, you'll want to investigate other systems along with Sonos. As Sonos systems get bigger, prices get comparable with other, more robust options.
Sonos has dominated the wireless audio market, but ACT is excited about some of the newer offerings on the market too. One such option is Fusion Research's Ovation Wireless Player, which is a whole-home solution (up to 16 zones) that can be controlled with an app. Fusion Research differs from Sonos in that Fusion worked with outside vendors to make sure the Ovation Wireless Player would work with control systems, including AMX, Savant, Control4, Crestron and others.
If you're interested in an audio system for your home, please call us at 781-741-5959 for more information or to discuss your project. Consultations are always free of charge.
Home automation, smart homes, home control – there was a time when these terms made us think of The Jetsons. Today, home automation solutions are offered by cable companies, security companies, Home Depot and even apps on your smart phone or tablet.
Although most people are familiar with the concept of home automation, there is still confusion about exactly what it means and whether a "regular family" can have a smart home. Simply put, home automation (or home control) makes doing basic tasks around the home easier. For example, instead of walking around turning off lights, you could press one button to turn off all of the lights in your home, program thermostats to automatically adjust the temperature at certain times, be notified when your alarm is triggered or there's water in your basement, or view surveillance footage and enable/disable your alarm when you're traveling.
The terms home automation and smart home really mean a home where multiple systems are automated. This is, in essence, a home control system, which allows homeowners to control all of the different systems in their home (audio, video, lighting, climate, surveillance, etc.) with a single, easy-to-use interface. A control system can be robust, complicated and expensive, but it can also be simple and surprisingly cost effective.
For homeowners who want to start on a smaller scale, or want to control just a couple systems – maybe lighting and audio – home control is probably well within their grasp. There are entry-level options and wireless systems that are great starting points and can be easily expanded later. The convenience of a home control system is wonderful. You can use your smart phone or tablet to turn lights on and off from your car or bedside, adjust the thermostat, or turn on music in one room or throughout your home.
ACT specializes in control systems. We offer control systems from Savant Systems because they are reliable, easy to use and easy to expand later. Homeowners love Savant Systems because the system can be operated using Apple® devices (iPad®, iPad mini®, iPhone®, iPod touch®, Mac® computers) or Savant's own line of remotes and keypads.
A home control system can be surprisingly cost effective, and if you're looking to control multiple systems in your home, it's worth giving us a call to learn more.


Behind the scenes on Road, Movie.
Road, Movie is releasing in India on March 5, 2010.
Keep an eye out for theatre listings.
It also opens soon after in Europe, Australia, Far East, Middle East.
USA and UK follows soon after.
It'll be fun to see what everyone thinks about this one!
The best work is done from facing that blank page and starting all over again.
Cameron Bailey co-director of the Toronto International Film Festival introduces the film at its premiere screening at TIFF 09.
I've just arrived in Toronto. Got my delegates pass and goody bag with Catalog which was waiting at the hotel desk thanks to an amazing and super efficient team at Fortissimo. Dropped into to their office and saw the poster for Road, Movie and collected three copies of the brochure which they have printed. BEAUTIFUL.
Fred Berger my amazing co-producer arrives from LA soon. There's a ton of work to be done and lots of movies to be seen.
Had a long phone conversation with Satish Kaushik who has seen the trailer and been reading about the film.
Abhay rolls in shortly once he can get a ride from the airport. As of 2pm he was stranded at Pearson International.
Tonight: the Cohen Brother's new film.
With another slate of highly anticipated Indian-themed films coming to the Toronto International Film Festival, many will be hoping for a repeat ofSlumdog Millionaire's stunning success story.
That film of poverty, pain and joy in Mumbai came to the festival last year looking to attract some press and industry attention. It gained it in droves, and soared to world popularity, earning multiple Academy Awards.
This year, there's the Indian-financed Hollywood film The Joneses, starring Demi Moore, as well as the world premieres of two traditional Bollywood romantic comedies and musicals, My Heart Goes Hadippa (Dil Bole Hadippa)and What's Your Raashee? There's also the premiere of Canadian Dilip Mehta's Cooking With Stella, shot in New Delhi and starring Toronto native Lisa Ray – who is well-known to festival fans, but an even bigger celebrity in India.
However, many in the industry will be looking to Road, Movie, an Indian-based film geared toward an international market, to generate the kind of little-movie-that-could buzz that propelled Slumdog Millionaire. Produced by two non-Bollywood producers, Susan B. Landau and Ross Katz, the film is already drawing high expectations, stemming partly from the news in May that it was picked up by Fortissimo Films, a leading sales company. This is the first time Fortissimo is representing a Hindi-language dramatic feature.
A road movie, as the name plainly suggests, it follows a young man on a trek to get away from a life working for the family business. TIFF's co-director and Indian film specialist Cameron Bailey has described it as a "new Cinema Paradiso," suggesting a film likely to please a wide selection of moviegoers, as Slumdog Millionaire did.
But let's pause for a moment: Before anyone gets carried away on the Bollywood-meets-Hollywood buzz, which had started building well before Slumdog Millionaire, Bailey has a word of caution.
"I think one of the great crimes you could commit against a film would be to lay the expectations of Slumgdog Millionaire on it. That film was a real marvel, the exception, one of those things that only happens once every several years," Bailey said. "Having said that, there's no doubt that many films coming out of India will bear those expectations this year.
"You hope people come to these movies with fresh eyes. Road, Movie is a great movie. You shouldn't compare it to Slumdog Millionaire. What's nice about it is that it does also have an international sensibility. The director, Dev Benegal, has worked all over Europe and the United States, so he has an outward look as well.
A lot of films that are made in India are made very specifically for the Indian audience. This is one that I think will work internationally too," Bailey added.
Indian filmmakers, actors and producers have, for years, been eyeing non-Bollywood markets. Commercial Bollywood films are popular globally for their escapist appeal. Yet there's still a perceived division between that market and the Western, Hollywood-dominated market.
When the Bollywood war correspondent film Kabul Express, starring Indian actor John Abraham, had its world premiere at TIFF in 2006, both the star and director Kabir Khan spoke at length about the push into traditionally non-Bollywood markets.
In 2007, Indian megastar Amitabh Bachchan and leading actress Preity Zinta came to Toronto for the gala premiere of their English-language feature The Last Leer. The film was aimed at an artier, more Western sensibility than typical Bollywood hits, and it too was described in terms of international, crossover potential.
And the list continues. Zinta returned to TIFF last year to promote the comparatively tiny budget film Heaven on Earth by Canadian director Deepa Mehta. Her role in the film was daring. Normally, she plays assertive, independent women in Bollywood films. For Mehta, she played a young, helpless bride trapped in an arranged marriage in Canada.
During the festival, the actress could be found sitting unassumingly by a hotel cocktail bar conducting interviews. It was startlingly casual. In India, she attracts hordes of fans at every appearance. Yet in Toronto, she wasn't sequestered in a hotel room like some Hollywood stars, who often command a much smaller global fan base, nor did Zinta insist on that kind of treatment. The openness of Indian actors and filmmakers, and the cross-pollination of Indian and non-Indian artists outside the Bollywood system, is easy to see.
It's the same for Bollywood financial backers, reaching beyond their typical territory. The Joneses at this year's festival is entirely Hollywood looking with Hollywood actors, and an American story in an American setting. But the money behind the film is from India's Vistaar Religare Film Fund.
"It's an Indian-financed production. It wouldn't exist without Indian money. So there is this crossover that's happening now, both on the financial side and on the creative side," Bailey said.
TIFF's ties to India have been steadily growing over the years, a fact that has worked particularly well to the festival's advantage this year following the Bollywood producers' strike; a profit-sharing dispute between producers and multiplex cinemas in India earlier this year that shut down production for two months.
"I'd say we lucked out in a way," Bailey said. "On the one hand, we had done our due diligence, and we have been programming these films for many years.