rmurdock's Blog

With Fathers Day upon us take this opportunity to show your Dad or husband how much you care by suggesting to them to get a prostate exam.

This alone will show you are concerned but if you can donate some money to help others please do so.

I see where 8 illegals were arrested and the Sheriff's department said this may be a case in which the employers may be prosecuted for collusion as per the employer's sanctions laws to which I say 1 is a start.

I have said many times that the best way to stop illegals from being hired (which is mainly why they come here) is by prosecuting the people that employ them.

All it will take is 1 "law abiding citizen" that hires illegals to lose their business, home and/or freedom and so many more will stop illegal hiring.

I saw Sunday evening on Fox 10 News the story about some gas saving devices that are on the market now and whether they really do work and I figured I would offer some of the "devices" I have used for years.

I must warn you, they do not come with any fancy advertisement, fancy packaging or money back guarentees, and they may cause you to change your habits a bit.

If you can afford to do that, here goes;

1- Reduce your speed on the highways from 72 miles per hour (or faster) to 62 miles per hour. This may help you save up to 15% on your gas comsumption.

2- Accelerate slowly from and brake smoothly to stop signs and red lights. The savings here can be up to 35%.

3- Use cruise control on the highway. Smoother acceleration also helps you save.

4- Keep your tires properly inflated, as specified. There is some question whether or not this actually helps but what I learned years ago was that if your tires are under inflated by 1 pound per inch, or more, it can cost you 1 gallon per fill-up, or more.

5- Never allow your gas tank to fall below 1/4 full. When your tank gets lower than that it can cause the fuel injectors to become dirty (clogged) and not work efficiently.

6- Make certain that your oil is maintained regularly, as specified, so your engine performs efficiently.

7- Keep unnecessary items out of your storage areas, ie; trunks and truck beds. The heavier the vehicle the harder the engine has to work the more gas you use.

8- Check with Map Quest or any other sites like that for directions so you are sure that you are taking the shortest trip possible therefore saving gas.

9- Check with Map Quest or Gas Buddy for the best prices on gas in your area. If you have a gas station with a better price, post it and help others.

10- Find gas stations with rewards cards that offer cash back for the gas purchases. Do the math, if they are a bit higher at the pump but with the rebate you will save, you still save in the long run.

11- In some areas gas is cheaper in the early hours and late hours of service and cheaper on certain days. I have read that Mondays are the most expensive and Wednesdays the cheapest in some areas. If you regularly pass gas stations take a look each day and see if there is a difference.

12- Try to car pool as much as possible. Maybe a neighbor that works near you or a workmate that lives near you

It's your  money, keep as much as possible. You will need it to pay for the increasing food prices. 

Have you ever been annoyed by the amount of junk mail, junk e mail and phone calls you receive even after notifying advertisers not to send them or joining the National Don't Call Registry?

Have you ever wondered how your name, e mail addy, or phone number keeps showing up on these vendors lists?

Well, it's called the Direct Marketing Association.

When I called them to remove my infomation from their data base I was told i could do so by mail or online.

Easy enough I figured at first until the service representative, that seemed put off by my call, told me I had to send them $1.00 for each contact form I wanted to be removed from.

When I laughingly, out of amazement, asked why I had to pay someone to stop sending me unwanted mail and email the operator annoyedly asked me if I wanted to do it or not.

When I asked her what branch of the government oversees what they do I was placed on hold and then connected to a voice mail.

Okay, no problem, I'll simply handle it online.

I went onto the site and found the field that allows one to get removed from all three forms of annoyance and immediately put in my contact information, name & address, to hande the junk mail portion of process which included a password which makes me a "member" of their association.

Okay, no problem. My information went through immediately and the very next field to complete was one in which they asked for a valid credit card to varify that I am the person I claim to be.

So here are my thoughts. If there is no #$%^&**^%#@ way I'm going to pay $1.00 for them to do it, do they really think I'm giving them my #$%^&**^%#@ credit card number?

Who thinks of these things? How are they allowed to do this?

Given those choices I guess I'll just continue tossing all solicitations, immediately, into the recycle can.

And, when I have the time, I will continue to stay on the phone as long as possible with telemarketers until they realize I'm just messing with them and they finally hang up after wasting their time.

This is a very valuable tool because it not only can lead to the removal of your phone number from their system, to protect their fellow callers, but it makes for some funny conversation and can definintely "break the ice" at parties.

I just read in a response to Kari Lake's blog by Sheilafromoz that MacDonalds is assessing a drive thru and dine in tax to their customers.

Not being a fast food person, due the ridiculously high prices and questionable quality of the food, I immediately got in my daily neck excercise by shaking my head in disbelief.

ARE THEY OUT OF THEIR MINDS!!!!!?

For the people that are paying these taxes; ARE THEY OUT OF THEIR MINDS!!!!!?

Kari's blog said there was a report that 75% of Americans were holding back on leisure spending and I'm a bit surprised by that percentage because I didn't think 75% of people could be in agreement on anything, but it is a start.

Once people trust that majority demonstrations, be it marching or not buying a product, is the best way to affect change we will have some control over what we pay and to whom we pay it.

And now for the entertainment portion of this blog, to the tune of "You Deserve A Break Today":

MAKE THE NEW TAX GO AWAY, JUST WALK OUT OR DRIVE AWAY FROM MACDONALDS!!!!! 

I know there are so many people out there that don't believe golf is a sport so before you tell me that check the definition, and don't tell me that.

Now that we understand each other how can anybody deny that Tiger Woods is the most dominant professional athlete right now and possibly ever.

Not only has he rewritten the record books by being the best since he turned pro but so far he has started four 2008 tournaments and has garnered four wins.

He is singularly responsible for taking golf from where the greats like Bobby Jonesand Sam Snead and later Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus put it and raised it to what may have once been unbelievable heights.

Just check the purses that are paid out since Tiger took golf by the tail and you will see all you need to know about his stamp on the sport.

Not only that but he has shed light on the game like no other golfer ever has which is evidenced by the amount of inner city children playing the game, many thanks to his generous donations of both time and money.

A friend of mine that was a teaching pro in New York was involved in one of his clinics a few years back was so impressed by the dedication Tiger showed in speaking with the children and demonstrating some of the mechanics he learned as a young child. Obviously, the same dedication he puts forth when competing.

The media has put obstacles in his way many times (ie; when he changed swing coaches and his mechanics and more recently when he got married) as an impediment to him but this man with incredible resolve, incredible mental and physical training and ability just keeps coming back stronger than ever.

If you've never played the game, just look at the numbers.

If you have played the game you know how difficult it is to keep such a high level of excellence for such an extended period.

If you play and you are fortunate enough to have played with or seen pro golfers up close consider those you have watched in amazement and then consider he is that much better than the others.

Like so many pro's say after they finish behind him, there's Tiger's tournamnet and the one the rest of us are playing in for second.

This fine, young gentleman is like Babe Ruth in his prime. Like a young Mike Tyson whose opponents thought they were beaten before they got into the ring. Like a Great Gretzky, or Jim Brown, or Bill Russell, or Michael Jordan. DOMINANT.

Don't hate, appreciate. This Tiger is simply GRRRRRRRRRRRRREAT!

Back in 2003 the senate narrowly defeated the Anwar project for the exploration and drilling of oil in Alaska.

The main bone of contention, regardless of oil's assurances to do as litle damage as possible,  was the destruction of Alaska's wilderness.

I appreciate nature as much as anyone and possibly more than most but I much prefer some animals being displaced or destroyed over some young men and women being wounded and killed at war. 

As they say in detective work, always follow the money and you will find a reason for the crime. Or war for that matter.

URGE YOUR REPRESENTATIVES TO PUT ALASKAN OIL DRILLING AT THE TOP OF THEIR TO DO LIST, OR DON'T COMPLAIN THE NEXT TIME YOU FILL UP!!!!!

At least credit Eliot Spitzer for this much, he obviously learned from the past when it comes to politics and "bedfellows".

He remembered the type of  nasty BLEEP's they have down in D.C. when Mayor Marion Barry got caught back in 1990 and decided he'd "order out" for his thank you.

Yes, he sure is quite the historian.

As a season ticket holder I was very pleased to hear that All Pro receiver Larry Fitzgerald was signed to a new 4 year contract.

After Coach Whisenhunt's classless and potentially divisive remarks regarding Fitzgearald's failure to renegotiaite being an impediment to the Card's signing more free agents I didn't think this would happen so smoothly, or even at all.

But in keeping with his typical class and stlye Fitzgerald chose not to respond and just went about his business as usual.

Considering the Cardinals have wandered in the desert almost as long as Moses did ,signing players like Fitzgerald that produce and always seem to say the right thing is definitely a positive step towards making it to the "promised land"

Congratulations ONE ONE on your new deal. Stay healthy and thank you for respecting the game!

I just saw Geraldo Rivera on the Mike & Juliet show ridiculing the haircut on that little boy that got suspended from school and I find it hard to believe that a guy who's face looks like one of those glasses, big nose, dopey mustache combinations we wore as kids to make our friends laugh at us would think he's qualified to question someone elses appearance.

Furthermore he also said the mom was guilty of child abuse for doing that to the kid. Well, I have a feeling Gerry from Queens knows more about being abused as a child then he does being a coiffeur.

 In my never ending quest to streamline the news I propose the following; Now that Warren Jeffs in in Arizona why don't we just have him marry the teenage passenger that fought with the school bus driver.

 Combining these two stories would make space for the  coverage of something more important.

 First the Congress and now the FBI and IRS will be throwing high and tight at Roger Clemens.

 Possibly by the time they get done with him he'll be wearing pinstripes again but not as a member of the New York Yankees.

 Given the long standing tradition of athletes making deals to wear certain numbers I can't even imagine what he'll have to give up to be prisoner number 22.

 Watch your head Roger, there are no designated hitters in the league you're in now.

 Closing to teach employees how to steam milk properly? I don't think so, but then again I'm not one of the many that overpay for an over-rated cup of coffee from Starbucks.

 Once again chief of Starbucks Howard Schultz sure found a way to get his concern on everyones tongue again by burning his followers with the closure.

 As someone once said, there is no such thing as bad advertising. I am certain that the three hours of business they lost today will go far in bringing in more customers tomorrow. I'm sure those whose "Barista" jobs are now in jeopardy hope so.

 There was a Starbucks in my old neighborhood back east, 4 years ago, and a small coffee shop opened up a block away, the way the big corporations usually do business. After 2 months of people free sampling the small coffee shops better and more affordable coffee, Starbucks started a price reduction campaign to compete with the small shop. The small shop since expanded by taking over the store next door, added fresh baked pastry and bread products and an outdoor cafe area and Starbucks is gone.

 I hope we see a return to the old "mom and pop" retailers that always tried to make ceratin that their customers left the establishment satisfied by their consistently fine product.

After getting some early looks at baseball's 2008 spring training I can see that the players are taking the new anti steroid/hgh rules seriously.

Older players are not as bloated as they were and the younger ones are looking more like the players from the cocaine/speed era of the 80's/70's which, of course, is not to be confused with the alcoholic/racist eras of the 60's/50's/40's/30's etc.

Yes, baseball sure is our great past-time.

 Congratulations to the National Football League and the Arizona Cardinals ticketing policy regarding the super bowl.

 Not making seats available to season tickets holders, especially ones with disabilities, is not the way to reward people that support the product.

 Shame on a system that rewards "scalpers"  that purchase tickets and resell them for tremendous profit.

 Shame on a system that allows ticket brokers to purchase many more than the "alloted amount"  to the season ticket holders fortunate enough to win a lottery for the right to buy tickets.

 Just another case of the people doing the right thing getting the short end of it.