Las Vegas gets Smart !

Black paneled Smart Car
Smart Car Tridion safety cell
Test drive of Smart Car

Smart Cars at the Fashion Show in Las Vegas (Friday 6/22-Sunday 6/24, 11 am -7 pm). Test drive the Smart Car while it is here and let L.E.Fant know your opinion of it. Is it in the future for Las Vegans, or are they comfortable bolstering huge profits of our oil companies by using gas hungry vehicles?

Your intrepid correspondent, L.E.Fant, took a test drive and found the machine an excellent alternative to gas hungry vehicles available now. It is expected to return a combined average gas mileage of at least 40 mpg.

The vehicle is surprisingly roomy and because of its height easy to get in and out of. Its interior is comfortable and the layout has a modern look. When driving the diminutive vehicle one senses it is far larger than it actually is. It has air bags front and side and has performed admirably in crash tests. The Smart Car has seats for two and a reasonable size area for luggage is located behind the seats, available through the hatch and tailgate.

The air conditioner was working fine and the car was nice and cool (L.E. Fant's vehicle was showing external temperature of 117 degrees).

One has a choice of letting the vehicle change gears automatically or one may change gears by means of "paddles" on the steering wheel.

The exhibitor claims that one may change the car's colored body panels in one hour-black for night-yellow for day?

The cars are expected to be available in early 2008 for $12-17,000 depending on model. There is a cabriolet also. The vehicles are manufactured in France by a wholly owned subsidiary of Mercedes Benz.

The vehicle has seats for two and a reasonable size area for luggage behind the seats.

Milk prices may rise too much

RE: T.V. NEWS THAT MILK WILL COST $5.00 PER GALLON, ALL OTHER DAIRY GOODS WILL RISE BY APPROXIMATELY 70%--BECAUSE THE PRICE OF CORN IS HIGHER DUE TO ETHANOL PRODUCTION.

Thirty minutes of research by famed Las Vegas personality L.E.Fant reveals that such steep increases are very likely unjustified and consumers should fight back by writing their T.V. stations, the dairies, their elected representatives and whoever else may choose to listen.

FACTS:
A cow produces approximately 60lbs of milk per day when lactating (approximately 6.6 gallons).

The dairy farmer now gets around $20 per 100 lbs of milk/11 gallons (similar to the 2004 price when milk was probably less than $2.00 per gallon at the store).

A cow apparently consumes approx one bushel or 60lbs of feed per day.

If the cow is fed 100% corn (unlikely) then at the current settlement prices and future prices through 2007 it is reasonable to anticipate a price per bushel of $3.85. (This is up from approximately $2.50 in 2006).

The difference is $1.35 per day per cow for feed cost (blamed on ethanol production). This equates to very close to 20 cents per gallon based on 6.6 gallons per day per cow and 100% corn feeding.

As mentioned above, this figure is likely high as other feed ingredients (such as soy meal which is around one half the cost of corn) are usually incorporated into the cow’s diet, it is unlikely the dairy cow consumes 100% corn. If so, the additional cost for corn is likely one half of that above, or 10 cents not 20 cents per gallon of milk.

The above example does not take into consideration any further change in the amount the processors will pay to the dairy farmer as the stated reason for an anticipated near doubling of the price to consumers of dairy products is merely the increase in the price of corn. Clearly the above reasoning cannot and does not substantiate such huge increase to the consumer.

However, farmers are being paid approximately $20 per cwt against $13 per cwt last year for their milk. This means he gets approximately $1.81 against $1.18 last year, or 63 cents more for each gallon. Add the additional feed cost of 10-20 cents and we get, at worst, an 83 cents per gallon cost increase per gallon.

Apparently a major factor in current milk price increases is simply world wide increased demand. Dry milk powder has nearly doubled in price due to supply/demand pressure. As Milk is used to make the dry milk product one may easily see a reason other than ethanol production for milk prices to increase in the near future. L.E. Fant hopes that increased sizes of cow herds throughout the world will increase supply and thereby reduce milk prices as milk is a necessary ingredient in many families diet.

While L.E. Fant concludes there is basis for an increase in milk prices to the consumer in the near term, he believes that increase should be seventy cents or so-not the nearly three Dollars stated by a local news organization.

I guess this is the place where time begins?

(Royal Observatory, Greenwich, England)

This week the news is crazy-

So people, again L.E.Fant must bring an important topic to your attention. He is still in the research phase, however:

This week a local news program stated that dairy products willsubstantially rise in price to the consumer (us).

We were told that milk will reach $5.00 per gallon (against $2-3 now?). Cheese will rise by 70% or more and other dairy items as butter, yoghurt will all cost much more.

It was then stated that the reason for these significant price increases is that as corn is now used to produce ethanol (for vehicle fuel) the cost of cattle feed has increased, therefore we must pay more for dairy products.

The news person made no comment regarding substantiation of those purported facts.

L.E. Fant is dubious that the increased cost, if any, of corn based cattle (or more particularly dairy cattle) feed is substantiation for doubling the price of a gallon of milk or the other increases described above.

L.E.Fant will ask his cattle expert, George, to provide facts regarding feed cost per gallon of milk produced, etc. When these facts are known L.E. Fant will provide them for us all to consider and take appropriate action.

Tower of London seen from the river Thames.

(L.E.Fant wishes the Tower were still used to incarcerate villains such as he those he exposes)

P.S. A gentle reader complained regarding the picture of rare roast beef and asked that it be removed forthwith as it offends. L.E.Fant has removed the picture .

Nevada Power in the news again

Today we are told that Nevada Power has to pay fines of many millions of Dollars for violating the Clean Air Act. We are further informed that the fines will not affect consumers by a rate increase.

How glib is that?

We are now paying 11% or so more in order that Nevada Power can purchase new capital equipment (L.E. Fant considers that duty to be one of its shareholders-not its customers).

Inquiring minds ask whether payment of the subject fines will cause disruption to Nevada Power's bottom line, thus precipitating a further money grab through our PUC (of three people) to our pockets.

Where is the famed "I-Team" when there is a real issue such as this to investigate?

It appears that Nevada Power operates on a "cost plus basis." We pay whatever it takes to maintain its profit at healthy levels regardless of its mis-management.

Please contact your elected representatives regarding this-we need to stop the bleeding dry of our individual financial resources by this for profit monopolistic corporation.

Home made slow roasted rare beef.

More bad meat?

Again we are informed that there is contaminated meat out there waiting to make us ill or perhaps to kill us.

After watching the movie Fast Food Nation L.E. Fant chose to never buy pre-ground meat (such as in the current recall) again. Not only for the possibility of contamination but also because many additives are used to disguise the actual condition of such meat. He believes that a simple thing such as grinding one's own meat may be a lifesaver.

He now does not purchase product containing pre-ground beef meat such as chain burgers. It appears that Chipotle has decent meat in its products and L.E. Fant is searching for other businesses who attempt to raise the bar regarding product quality and safety.

"Christmas Tree Cactus" flowers for only one day each year.

Is it smart to buy a Smart Car now or is it smart to wait?

Smart Cars have been in Europe since 98 or so. They have been in Canada since around 2004.
They are made by a a spinoff company of Mercedes Benz and appear to be very safe for their size and are extremely fuel efficient.
A company apparently chose to import some Smart Cars to the U.S. and some are available in Las Vegas.
However, a dealer L.E. Fant contacted desires $24,000 for one (2005 or 2006 model year). A similar car, but new and U.S. compliant will be available for $12,000-$14,000 (we are told) in early 2008.
One may see and drive these cars at the Fashion Show later this month (22-24).
If the U.S. version manages the gas mileage of its Euro cousin-these cars could be a way to save $$. They expect to get over 40 mpg-city.
L.E. Fant concludes that it may be wise to wait a few months to save around $10,000. What do you think?