Latest news with #Cutlass
Vancouver Sun
22-06-2025
- General
- Vancouver Sun
The Bookless Club: Has geopolitical conflict directly affected your life?
Even from the front door I could sense that something was off. Where she is usually welcoming and exuberant, she seemed deflated and preoccupied. She smiled, not her usual smile, but a wan spreading of the lips in a poor facsimile of a smile. Was I late? I checked my watch. No, I was right on time. What then …? She doesn't want me to use her name. She's not worried about you knowing it, but she says she has reason to be careful … so let's call her Vicky. Vicky is my hairdresser. Well, she's much more than that. Vicky is my tricho-psycho care provider, reliably restoring both my outward and inward presentation of self. Our running joke is that I enter the salon like The Lord Of The Rings' Gollum, but leave like a Texas beauty queen waving from my perch on the retracted hood of a Cutlass convertible. A little more about Vicky: She's an active participant in the merchants' association. She takes an interest in neighbouring businesses. She will escort an elderly client back to her car. She decorates her storefront for Halloween and Christmas. She offers tea, coffee and old-world courtesies. A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. And that's what was on her mind this morning. Her old world. The world she fled. Vicky is from Tehran. I should have recognized that her mind would be on the events rapidly unfolding back in Iran. That's where she grew up. That's where many of her family still live. But it took me a moment to marshal my thoughts. 'Any news from back home?' A watery, insipid question, but a start. And there it was. Fear. Fear and grief. She was enveloped in it. At a glance, her outward appearance was unaltered, but it only took a moment to see the anxiety encasing her body. She had spent the night sleeping with her phone on her chest. Well, not really sleeping, just skin sleeping, waiting on a call, any call. She told me that the news wasn't entirely accurate. It was worse than what we were hearing. The government had decommissioned social media outlets, and the internet was effectively shut down. The local population was getting its information by word of mouth. There were shortages of everything. Cars lined up for costly fuel that was in short supply. Many people, even if they have a car, can't afford the wartime fuel surcharges. Daytime temperatures in Tehran ranged in the high-30s, and people were collapsing from the heat while waiting for the chance to get enough gas to make a run for the border, maybe Turkey or Armenia. Local airports are closed. She told me that in the middle of the night she had a call from a cousin. His family had evacuated, but he had elected to stay in Tehran. No one had heard from him. Vicky had been exhorting him to leave. He'd originally said he couldn't. That he was needed there. And then the bombings got closer. He had managed to find an operating landline and was calling to say that he'd taken her advice. He was en route to Holland. Vicky was now tasked with getting this information to other family members. When I saw her she still hadn't been able to make contact. Vicky's father died a while ago and she had just inherited his house in Iran. There's nothing to be done about it until hostilities cease. She wonders if the house will still be standing when that day arrives. She wonders if anything will be standing when that day comes. Jane Macdougall is a freelance writer and former National Post columnist who lives in Vancouver. She writes The Bookless Club every Saturday online and in The Vancouver Sun. For more of what Jane's up to, check out her website, Question: Has geopolitical conflict directly affected your life? Send your answers by email text, not an attachment, in 100 words or less, along with your full name to Jane at thebooklessclub@ . We will print some next week in this space. Question: Do you have a To-Do list or a honey-do list at your house? • I am also a list maker. Daily, weekly, monthly and by-the-season lists. Anything from 10-minute jobs to an hour-plus went on my lists. As I've become a senior I've begun to put things on my list that I've already done and feel no guilt at crossing them off. When my dear father was well into retirement he would say, 'I did nothing today, and tomorrow I'm going to finish it.' I'm soon going to add 'do nothing' to my list. Carol Leukefeld • I have three To-Do lists: Daily, weekly, and when I can get around to it. I need to be careful not to spend more time organizing my lists than doing the actual chores. Pat Shaw • I could not survive without my To-Do list. I cross things off with such satisfaction. Keep it within a week and it won't overpower you. On the other hand, my Honey-Do list is 23 years old and the only thing he crossed off was to remember my birthday, once. Terry Malakoff • The first mistake you made was to make a list. They are like nagging spouses — always disappointed. Ken Bryden • I have used To-Do lists for many years and modified them over time. I now take an 8×11 piece of paper and fold it into 16 squares — eight on the left and eight on the right. I print the month at the top of the page and use seven boxes down each side to cover two weeks. I enter all the dates and plans for the two weeks, placing 'chores' and appointments in the appropriate boxes. The two extra boxes at the bottom of the page are for plans that don't have a specific date. I take great pleasure in checking off the items as each is completed. This sheet of paper sits beside my placemat at the kitchen table. I cannot ignore it. Being a former teacher for many years, I was used to having a daybook outlining plans for the day. I can relax knowing what each day will bring. Leslie Purvis • After the usual trial and error, and never feeling the sense of accomplishment getting to the end of the list, about 10 years ago, I devised a new plan: a Weekly To-Do list. This way, prioritizing has already happened, and as the week progresses, and items — whether business, volunteer, or stuff at home — and so many items are crossed out, what a great feeling of satisfaction. Friday at 5 p.m. is 'wine time' and the completion of the To-Do list until the following Monday. Any items not completed are moved to the top of the following week's list. It works. Jean Lawrence • Your article on the To-Do list resonated with me as I feel such lists free up a lot of mental energy. I have a To-Do Book, a coil-ringed exercise book that sits open on my desk. Like life's tasks, it's always ongoing. An entry for each task, sometimes a longer entry for things such as 'correspondence' or 'home improvements'. There is satisfaction in the tick off, but some entries get a big 'X' — for no longer relevant or never getting done. And yes, it is valid to add things accomplished but not previously entered. Michael Welsh • As I get older, I find that everything has to go on a list or I forget it. Or I delay it. So I don't just have a list. It is like a diary. I can go back over several days and realize I didn't get the bluetooth speaker fixed or replaced for a month. I think you should write a book about the 'To It' story. I'm sure people have a million things to share. A lot on my list is technical. My printer won't connect again, so I have go to the library for that. I ordered a meditation app a month ago and haven't installed it yet. Anne Beresford • Every morning as I drink my coffee I write a To-Do list. I keep it simple so that at the end of the day I can hopefully cross the items off. Pull some weeds, mail that birthday card, clean the bathroom, put out recycling, make a dentist appointment. Those I can do, but there are others that I keep in my head. Finish a painting, write a couple of paragraphs for the book I want to write. Today, I managed to cross off some of the above. Joan Ellis • I always make a list as I'm going to bed about people I need to contact, and it never ends. If I find time to call or message one or two, but there's always new names to add to the list. At least I try, so I get an 'E' for effort. Caroline Duncan • I keep a To Do list, primarily on my iPhone as a file in my 'notes'. All caps. Frequently edited. But always some stuff at the bottom not yet done. Separate file for house reno plans. The other To-Do list is written on a pad beside my laptop. Cross referenced with my iPhone/laptop To-Do list. Plus hasty circled reminders of pressing tasks, and my husband's medical appointments. Today, I cleared off three notepad pages where every note had been crossed out 'Done' or didn't matter anymore. Shopping list noted at the bottom of the page for easy removal to take to the store. Additional To-Dos with dates have a separate file in 'notes' on my phone instead of the calendar. Works just fine. How do others manage to stay organized. Sheila Humphrey • I am a consummate list maker, with paper and pen, not on any device. For many years, I have kept a small notebook and pen on my bedside table to capture bright ideas and tasks to be done, transferring these notes to The List for the next day. The notes eliminate worry about remembering in the morning. These notes and other short lists land on the kitchen counter to be included on The List, usually prioritized. As The List becomes a mess with completions and additions, it is rewritten, and the process continues. Sometimes that corner of the kitchen counter can even be Listless. Sheila Charneski • Lately, 'teaching old dogs new tricks' is my To-Do list, focusing mindfulness thoughts encouraging thankfulness, more joy, less stress blocking energy, more appreciation of happiness-inducing moments, of which there are many to be grateful for: feeling the love of my Grands, sorting our treasured beach stone collection, a latest great-grand bebe photo shared, the smell of a summer rain, my lavender blooming, marking another season passing by, proud thoughts of our shared family, and the enduring love and affection of my good man. This seemingly never-ending merry-go-round of lists will eventually end, but in the meantime, my To-Do always includes a promise to drink my coffee while it's hot. Jo-Ann Zador • I now know that I have company in my list-making, which has become daily, weekly, and monthly lists. Soon it will be lists of lists. They never seem to all be completed, and the leftovers move to the next list. Since I retired, list-making has become a necessity, and woe is me if I misplace one. They really do help, though, in not forgetting some of the less-urgent but perhaps most important things, such as calls to seldom-seen friends. Liz Thunstrom • I love lists. I write lists for everything — groceries, pre-party cleaning plans, menus, guest lists, things I want to tell my sisters on the phone — just about everything. My favourite 'trick' is to write down basic things (cleaning bathroom, sweeping floor, etc.) so that I can have the pleasure of crossing them off when done. Life just wouldn't be the same without a list to refer to. Claire Robertson • I'm a lifelong compulsive list maker. During my working years, it was a tool for organizing and prioritizing tasks. Lists helped ensure I didn't drop too many of the balls I was juggling. Now, in retirement, it's also a memory aid. But there's still nothing more satisfying than crossing a task off the list. I fear without my lists, inertia or distraction might overtake me. But distraction is inevitable, so I love the concept of the Bonus Round. I've been known to add in my distraction actions to The List just for the pleasure of crossing it off. Now I can happily consider this extra points for me and not dwell on the items still on the list. Thanks for that. Kelly Tuhten • I have a To-Do list system which differs from my husband's. He writes lists of things on a pad of paper (which I provide), in front of the computer. I don't know when his list is outdated, so they tend to pile up. My list is a little different. It is a patchwork of Post-Its stuck to an old mouse pad, also on the computer desk. Every day, I look at the Post-Its Patchwork and, when I complete a task, I throw a Post-It away. If I have to run an errand outside of the house, I take the corresponding Post-It, and put it in a little pocket in my purse. When that task is completed, I throw that Post-It away too. I think that my system works pretty well, and it doesn't interfere with his To-Do list. I buy my Post-Its in bulk, from the local dollar store. Adele Cameron • I have no physical To-Do list, but have several To-Do emails. I used to write things down, but then rarely checked the list. I read my emails every day, so I started sending myself reminders. I just email myself from my phone and put 'To-Do' in the subject line. So today, for example, I have 'buy vegetables', 'get prescriptions refilled' and 'shred old documents', among several others. It's a great feeling when I delete one of these emails. Susanne de Pencier
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Haley Stevens launches Senate bid in Michigan
Rep. Haley Stevens is making her long-awaited Senate bid in Michigan official with a nod to her first car. 'I'm running for Senate because just like that day I got these keys to that old Cutlass, we have the power to chart our own path. I'm proud of Michigan and I'll never get tired of saying it. It would be my honor to fight for you in the Senate,' she said in a video announcement released Tuesday morning. Stevens is touting her background in the auto industry in the manufacturing-heavy state. Her announcement video features her role as a top aide on President Barack Obama's auto rescue task force — and an old video of Obama talking about her. She's also suggesting she'll emphasize an economic message in the race, saying that Michiganders are getting 'more chaos' while facing higher prices and increased housing costs. A prodigious fundraiser, Stevens had quietly been making moves this year towards a bid to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, but she'll be entering a crowded Democratic field to replace him. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Abdul El-Sayed, the former director of Wayne County's Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services, are already running, with former Michigan state House Speaker Joe Tate is also expected to declare his candidacy. Other top-tier Democrats like former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet opted not to join the race, leading many Democrats to see the contest as wide open. Stevens is now likely to occupy a more centrist lane in the race as compared to her declared and expected competitors, drawing from her current position as the current chair of the political arm of the New Democrat Coalition. El-Sayed and McMorrow have positioned themselves as political outsiders, with El-Sayed winning the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). She has previously backed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, while other Democrats like McMorrow have openly said they would oppose him continuing in his leadership role over his handling of a GOP-backed government funding bill. Stevens is no stranger to tough races. She flipped a seat in Detroit's northwestern suburbs in 2018, though redistricting after 2020 made it bluer. That redistricting cycle then forced her into a bruising member-on-member primary against Rep. Andy Levin, a member of a storied Michigan political dynasty. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee spent heavily for Stevens in her 2022 primary, fueling fears among some Democrats that the deep-pocketed group could get involved in the Senate primary this year, too, and reopen deep Democratic divisions over Israel and Gaza. Michigan is also likely to be one of the most hotly contested Senate battlegrounds this cycle. Republicans see it as a pickup opportunity after President Donald Trump won the state in 2024, and former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who narrowly lost the Senate race to Democrat Elissa Slotkin last year to replace retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow, is already running again. Rep. Bill Huizenga has also been floated as a potential GOP candidate.
Politico
22-04-2025
- Automotive
- Politico
Haley Stevens launches Senate bid in Michigan
Rep. Haley Stevens is making her long-awaited Senate bid in Michigan official with a nod to her first car. 'I'm running for Senate because just like that day I got these keys to that old Cutlass, we have the power to chart our own path. I'm proud of Michigan and I'll never get tired of saying it. It would be my honor to fight for you in the Senate,' she said in a video announcement released Tuesday morning. Stevens is touting her background in the auto industry in the manufacturing-heavy state. Her announcement video features her role as a top aide on President Barack Obama's auto rescue task force — and an old video of Obama talking about her. She's also suggesting she'll emphasize an economic message in the race, saying that Michiganders are getting 'more chaos' while facing higher prices and increased housing costs. A prodigious fundraiser, Stevens had quietly been making moves this year towards a bid to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, but she'll be entering a crowded Democratic field to replace him. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Abdul El-Sayed, the former director of Wayne County's Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services, are already running, with former Michigan state House Speaker Joe Tate is also expected to declare his candidacy. Other top-tier Democrats like former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet opted not to join the race, leading many Democrats to see the contest as wide open. Stevens is now likely to occupy a more centrist lane in the race as compared to her declared and expected competitors, drawing from her current position as the current chair of the political arm of the New Democrat Coalition. El-Sayed and McMorrow have positioned themselves as political outsiders, with El-Sayed winning the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). She has previously backed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, while other Democrats like McMorrow have openly said they would oppose him continuing in his leadership role over his handling of a GOP-backed government funding bill. Stevens is no stranger to tough races. She flipped a seat in Detroit's northwestern suburbs in 2018, though redistricting after 2020 made it bluer. That redistricting cycle then forced her into a bruising member-on-member primary against Rep. Andy Levin, a member of a storied Michigan political dynasty. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee spent heavily for Stevens in her 2022 primary, fueling fears among some Democrats that the deep-pocketed group could get involved in the Senate primary this year, too, and reopen deep Democratic divisions over Israel and Gaza. Michigan is also likely to be one of the most hotly contested Senate battlegrounds this cycle. Republicans see it as a pickup opportunity after President Donald Trump won the state in 2024, and former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who narrowly lost the Senate race to Democrat Elissa Slotkin last year to replace retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow, is already running again. Rep. Bill Huizenga has also been floated as a potential GOP candidate.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Retreat Into Solid Luxury with 1978 Olds Cutlass Supreme Brougham
General Motors put Oldsmobile's neck on the chopping block in 2004, which wasn't so long after the period during which the Oldsmobile Cutlass reigned Supreme—get it?—as the best-selling car in the United States: the 1975 through 1981 model years. The Cutlass was downsized for 1978, but that didn't stop Americans from buying better than a half-million examples of the somewhat smaller Olds. Here's a magazine advertisement for the upscale 1978 Cutlass Supreme Brougham two-door, with plenty of cushy velour inside and a padded landau roof up top.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Yahoo
NYPD patrol car beloved cop was executed in by drug deal was left for ruin— until now
The bullet-scarred patrol car of NYPD Officer Eddie Byrne — who was executed by a drug dealer as he sat inside — will be brought back to life by some of the cops who were on duty that night 40 years ago, The Post has learned. The estimated $30,000 restoration effort is a labor of love for about a dozen retired officers who will ask the NYPD to install the car at the Police Academy in Queens so young cops can learn about Byrne, 22, who was guarding the home of a witness in a drug dealer's criminal case on Feb. 26, 1988, when he was murdered. 'They wanted to make every police officer afraid to do the dangerous job we do,' Detectives Endowment Association President Scott Munro, whose union is helping to fund the work, said. 'It didn't work. This car tells everyone everywhere that each of us carries Eddie Byrne with us every day.' The hole from the bullet that tore through the passenger's side door will remain on the vehicle as a symbol of Byrne's sacrifice. As it was held as possible evidence, the blue 1987 Chevy Caprice sat in a Red Hook warehouse for about a decade — during which it was damaged by floodwaters from Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and scorched by a fire 10 years later. Today, the patrol car has faded to light blue, and its roof and hood have turned a rusty orange hue. Its tires have been worn away by being dragged by a forklift for inspection, since it no longer runs. 'The roof has caved in on itself from being exposed to the elements for the past 20 years,' said retired Detective Jay Caputo, one of the cops leading the preservation effort. 'The taillights melted and the light bar on top melted from the fire,' Caputo said as he pointed to the car's roof when a reporter visited the Erie Basin Auto Pound in Brooklyn on Wednesday. 'God must still be watching over Eddie, because the car still stands,' added Caputo. Retired NYPD Det. Michael Siraco, who left the job in 2005, and Det. Sgt. Jon Schwartz, who left in 2010, were on duty that night and are among the 10-12 retired NYPD and Nassau County cops who will be working on it after it's moved to a shop in Long Island. 'I was doing the midnight when I heard a radio run come over of a cop shot in the 103 precinct,' Siraco said, recalling the night Byrne was killed. He and other cops immediately started hunting for the suspects. 'We were looking for a Cutlass,' he said. 'At the time, I didn't know that Eddie passed away.' Schwartz had just gotten off work but returned upon hearing a brother-in-blue had been shot. 'We turned Queens upside down looking for these guys,' Schwartz said. Eventually, the four killers, Philip Copeland, Todd Scott, Scott Cobb, and David McClary, were caught and eventually imprisoned. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch pointed out that Byrne 'was just 22-years-old when his life was taken while protecting New Yorkers.' ''The restoration of Officer Byrne's patrol car will serve as a tribute to his sacrifice and the NYPD's commitment to never forget the memory of our fallen officers,' the commissioner said. The work will be funded by donations from The NYPD Police Foundation and the Detectives Endowment Association.
