Spring is a Time for Change

Hubcaps and Gravy is making some changes. During our time of transition we will be temporarily suspending our website. We hope to have our website back up and running in the not too distant future. In the meantime you can still find all of our great gift items on Ebay. Just use the Advanced search option, click on Find a member, and enter hubcapsandgravygiftshop in the User ID field. Check back here and on our Facebook page for updates. To contact us, you can email us at hubcapsandgravy@sbcglobal.net. We’ll keep you posted.

Have We Lost Our Sense of Humor?

Seems like every week I read in the newspaper or see on Facebook that someone is bent out of shape about something someone else said; and is suing, protesting, or just generally lashing out. On the surface, this seems reasonable. However, many times the things that are said are done in humor. Have we become so overly sensitive that we can’t take a joke anymore?

I was taught as a child to be considerate of others feelings. That included not saying hurtful things. My parents were fun-loving people; and they both knew how to inject humor into just about any situation. I learned that “poking fun” in a non-hurtful way was harmless; but even this now seems to be off limits. If comedians stop poking fun at themselves, their families, or others; how will they write their material?

Many times when the average person attempts humor, the words that come out of our mouths go too far; and as soon as we’ve said them we wish we could take them back. We should be apologetic for these instances to the appropriate people. However, I don’t believe we should be condemned or ostracized for life because we simply made a blunder. After all, it is just a mistake; and we all make them.

I know that sometimes celebrities and others in the public eye cross the line. When this happens it seems they are blasted from every angle. They may lose their job or be boycotted. Should they be made to pay dearly for voicing their opinion? I think not. I believe we should just chalk these instances up to a bad joke or possibly plain old stupidity.

The point I’m trying to make here is that we all need to lighten up. Life is much too short to sweat the small stuff. Don’t we all have bigger things to worry about? So remember, “Sticks and stones…”; and laugh it up!

Hubcaps and Gravy is Getting a Facelift

We have been working very hard for the past few months on a new website design. We hope our new look will be not only aesthetically pleasing; but will also, enhance your shopping experience. It has been a tremendous amount of work to get to this point; however, with the launch just days away now we feel rewarded by our accomplishments.

Some things haven't changed. We still have the same quality products as before. You will simply find them in a different layout. Also, we will still be on the lookout for more great deals we can pass on to our customers. As always, we will strive to provide the best customer service; and do everything in our power to keep our customers happy.


We would appreciate any feedback that anyone would like to give regarding our new look. Leave your comments here or on our Facebook page. We look forward to hearing from you.

Spammers Invade Facebook

We’ve all received the email promising something wonderful like a million dollars. All we need do is click on the link in the email to find out how to get it. Instead the email is the work of a spammer hoping to gather your personal information for their own illegal use. This is called “phishing”. Seems most of us have studied helpful hints and tips on how to protect ourselves from spammers; because they have moved into new territory.

Spamming is quickly becoming a problem on Facebook. Want a free iPad just for filling out a survey? Would you like to see a video of a whale slamming into a building during Japan’s tsunami? If you see these sorts of things on Facebook, BEWARE! Don’t click on any links. These are most certainly spam.

These kinds of attacks have long gone on in email. The attackers have now set their sites on a new target, social media. Facebook has 500 million users and counting. Think they’ll be able to hit this target? You bet! Spammers look at Facebook as a gold mine of untapped riches…your riches. And, you have all your connections on Facebook; so these criminals won’t stop with you. They hope your friends, family members, and co-workers will bite, too.

Spammers make money by driving people to sites that pay them for clicks. Facebook users get tricked into “helping”. Spammers rely on your social media relationships to help them spread the word, so to speak. If you see something on a friends page, do you believe it’s okay? There’s the built in trust factor that spammers count on.

Phishing uses fake messages to get you to sites or pages that can capture your computer. It also is used to trick you into downloading malware onto your computer. Malware is triggered when you click on a button on a scam Web page. Then, it sends your friends messages, directing them to a website that will infect their computer; and so on.

Remember that survey to get a free iPad? If you complete it, you just may be subscribing to the joke of the day for $5.00 each charges to your cell phone. If you watch the whale hitting the building video you probably instantly spammed all your friends and family…all your connections. One internet worm can hijack your Facebook account and send messages to all your friends; then steal their accounts and passwords.

So, what do we do to protect ourselves? Here are some Facebook Security Tips:

Review your security settings and consider enabling login notifications. In the drop-down box under Account on the upper right hand corner of your Facebook home page choose Account Settings, then click on the Notifications tab.

Don’t click on strange links, even if they’re from friends. Notify the person if you see something suspicious. If you come across a scam, report it; so that it can be taken down.

Don’t download any applications you aren’t certain about. Don’t accept friend requests if you don’t know the person. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Go to Facebook security and read “Take Action” and “Threats” for more information. Portions of this article are from “Spammers fast becoming huge Facebook problem” by Pete Carey of Bay Area News Group.