Anyone living on long island knows the gas prices are much higher here than other areas mostly due to extra taxes on gas.  But from a high of $4.37 a gallon on average in July, 2008, gas seems to be on the decline with an average cost of $3.89 per gallon.  While not earth shaking, it will help many save a few dollars per fill up.  Why give more profits to these big oil companies who are reporting record windfalls of billions of dollars each quarter.

There are many ways to save on gas to keep the money in your pocket.  The first and most obvious is to slow down on the road.  Typically gas consumption  is increased 10% if you go from 60 to 70 mph.  Another helper is to keep your tires properly filled with air.  When tires are under or overinflated, this creates less miles per gallon efficiency.

Avoid slamming on the brakes or gas will help as well.  By hitting the gas at say a traffic light, the gas consumption is greatly increased as it takes such power to move a car from standing to moving.  Give your car a chance and accelerate slowly.  The people honking behind you will move over!

Using extras like air conditioning use more fuel but even alternatives like opening a window which creates drag lower economy so what are you to do?  Just try to reduce the use of control the speed of the a/c output.

A program discussed by the Nassau County Bar Association could help out residents by having lawyers in the area offer free help to people facing foreclosure. Most times, people facing foreclosures do not have the funds to hire a lawyer so they lose out on the best help available which could force them on the street. Some lawyers are trying to change this to bring free help to those who need it most.

Martha Krisel, an attorney from the Nassau County Attorney’s Office is behind this program and sees the need for this now in 2008 but also a much bigger need in 2009 and beyond. Krisel has already hosted training sessions for lawyers in the area. A requirement for lawyers practicing in Nassau is to have continuing education as a part of their career and is mandatory. Officials are trying to get it so that the free help these lawyers give to help foreclosure people will count towards those credits.

The foreclosure program has not been officially announced nor released but those interested can call the Nassau County Homeownership Office at (516) 571-HOME for more information.

With gas prices sky high, auto restorations on Long Island continue to roll in for Paul’s Restos in Deer Park. Contracted orders for classic car restorations are rising to transform those old cars to mint shape and the news could not be better even as gas hits almost $5 per gallon for these machines.

Many car buffs have reduced appearances at the big Long Island and New york car events due to the higher cost of gas. Many of the older vehicles especially muscle cars such as Mustangs, Chevelles, and Mopars require the driver to use a higher octane of fuel with many engines needing 93 octane or more. Several local car clubs are rethinking their cruises to more of a local hot rod spot as opposed to hitting major locations which could be many miles away.

Gas is not just affecting the cars themselves but suppliers of these high quality restoration parts that are being shipped to shops. “All products and supplies have increased just like gas has and is affecting the costs of our jobs.” said Paul DiMauro, an auto restorations of Long Island specialist and owner of Paul’s Rods and Restos in Deer Park, New York.

No matter what price gas or car washes hit, there will always be people who want to have their automobile brought back to original luster and shine. Many hold memories from their youth and younger years related to their cars and the good times with them. Even changes in the economy will have no effect on those looking to restore a part of their youth.

About Paul’s Rods & Restos
Paul DiMauro has been restoring classic cars and hot rods on Long Island for over 26 years specializing in original restorations as well as resto-mods to bring back cars to a solid and eye-pleasing appearance. Check out his work at PaulsRestos.com or contact him at 631-665-RODS.

In a stunning move, the New York Jets, once considered a longshot in the Brett Favre sweepstakes, have landed the potential Hall of Fame quarterback on their team in a trade that sent shockwaves through the National Football League.

Favre, a long time Green Bay Packers team member, was retired as of last year but was reinstated this week by Commissioner Roger Goodall. He returned to Green Bay but differences with the team forced the trade which New York fans are cheering about.

“Brett Favre is one of the best quarterbacks in the history of football and New Yorker’s are elated as to his playing for the Jets.” said Sammy Pino, a Long Island New York Football Coach.

The flipside to this story is the apparent departure of present quarterback Chad Pennington who has been the starter for many years in the Jets organization. No word from Coach Eric Mangini as to the status or expected use of Pennington is at this point.

Seems the Nassau County Plumbers are reading once again about stealing metals from installations at commercial properties for cash. Daring thieves stole the copper plumbing out from a radiation therapy clinic which disrupted the care of over sixty patients who had appointments scheduled that day. Workers and patients arrived to find the facility unable to operate or help patients. The value of the recycled metal was about $300.

An employee of the radiation clinic reportedly noticed that there was no running water at the facility. Upon further inspection, the worked noticed tools outside of the building where the copper plumbing parts had been removed. The plumbing was part of the cooling system of the building which made the radiation equipment useless for patients.

“Copper has gone up so much at the scrapyards that thieves are getting brazen when stealing these materials.” said John Anderson, a Nassau County Plumber. “But what they do not realize is how it affects the people at the buildings they are stealing from.”

Local contractors were working to restore the setup to regular operating standards.