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FuelEconomy.gov - New fuel economy numbers

Have you heard of Hannah Montana? No doubt you can answer affirmatively if you're a parent with a young child or teen. Montana is a teen actress/musician with her own Disney show. She is also the daughter of country star Billy Ray Cyrus. In addition to her TV career, Montana performs her music live around the country. Her shows are a very hot ticket for those in the "tween" age group. There's been a big brouhaha over ticketing for Montana's recent concert dates. Unfortunately, scalpers were able to use software to fool Ticketmaster into selling them all available tickets online. Parents who wanted to take their children to see Montana perform had to go through scalpers to get tickets. Now a federal judge has issued an injunction making it illegal to use the software. This is just one indication of how the ticket market is in turmoil. Another example comes from the world of sports tickets sales. The New England Patriots recently filed suit against their season ticket holders who used StubHub to sell tickets for games they weren't able to attend. The Patriots instead wanted season ticket holders to use their team's monopoly website to resell tickets. The court ruled that StubHub had to disclose the names of all buyers and sellers, and the team is penalizing sellers by taking away their season passes! How unfair is that?

Clark recently trashed the U.S. Department of Agriculture for keeping mum about a known E. coli infestation at a food-processing plant. The case involved a New Jersey food supplier that churned out tainted products for weeks even though the DoA was fully aware of what was going on. There were no fatalities linked to this particular E. coli outbreak, as far as Clark knows. Now the DoA has issued a public apology and vowed to speed up the recall process and increase its number of inspections by 50 percent. We are the wealthiest country in the world -- our standards shouldn't trail behind dozens of other countries.

On a lighter note, the North American Association for the Study of Obesity recently released a study that examined fast-food eating habits. The study found that those who eat fast food five or more times a week -- such as Clark -- have more health problems and weight issues than those who don't. But Clark also believes that eating at a high-end restaurant five times a week will probably make you obese too. Meanwhile, Clark recently read that fast-food restaurants are installing robots to take your order. He's even used one at a Burger King. The funny thing is that a robot sells up so much better than a human. Customers are more likely to order huge portions from a machine than from a human -- because the robot won't guilt them in any way!

Clark continues to receive many questions about the used Honda Civic GX he just purchased. Typically, a new GX runs about $25,000 versus $17,500 for a standard Civic. But some folks have been wondering if the extra investment is worth it. One boon to buyers is that you receive a $4,000 federal tax credit when you purchase this no-pollution natural-gas vehicle. Meanwhile, operating costs are about $1.20 per "gallon," though you don't fill up with traditional liquid gas. Clark instead uses compressed natural gas, which is largely produced here in the United States. He'll report back and let you all know if his GX purchase proves to be crazy or not. Meanwhile, the government has issued new fuel economy numbers for automobiles at FuelEconomy.gov. The push to get new numbers really gained momentum when people bought the Toyota Prius and found their sticker numbers could be inflated by 30 percent. But all 2008 vehicles going forward will feature the true miles per gallon figures. Note that you get greater value for your buck when you go from a vehicle that has 15 mpg to one that has 25 mpg -- rather than going from 25 mpg to 35 mpg. It's all about ratios. So it may make sense to buy a car with good mpg versus great mpg. It's that initial leap in fuel economy that gets you the biggest bang for your buck.

Singapore Airlines undertook a historic flight today when the A380 -- the largest commercial aircraft ever built -- made its inaugural flight from Singapore to Sydney, Australia. The airline auctioned all the seats for charity, and some people paid more that $100,000 per ticket! A Chicago Tribune reporter filed live in-flight reports during the trip. First class passengers enjoyed their own rooms with a full-sized bed, designer sheets, china, crystal and more. The average first class ticket price on a regular flight will be $22,000. But both business class and coach seats offer much more legroom than the 747 -- previously the largest commercial aircraft. Clark remembers when the 747 went into service in the late '60s. The original ones even had a piano bar up in the front that was quickly replaced by extra seating. Flight is an amazing thing that still intrigues Clark. He's visited every continent except Antarctica -- there are never any bargains going there! When Clark's father passed away in 1988, it was his last wish to fly on the Concord. Clark, of course, has never flown the Concord because it's too expensive.