Note for our American readership

(Warning: this post contains political commentary. Take only with moderation.)

The rising price of gasoline is sending panic waves through congress and pushing legislators to open Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration and drilling. I urge you to contact your representatives and tell them that drilling in ANWR will not lower the gas prices, reduce the dependency on foreign oil, or provide improved homeland security.

(For the record, I am aware that drilling will employ a few Alaskans, and create income to the state, and to a few native corporations. But no one knows how it will effect caribou migrations, subsistence hunting or animal populations living in the area.)

As for the Alaskan representatives, they are dead-set on opening ANWR (which is quite understandable when you think that 90% of Alaska's revenue is created by the oil industry - the rest comes mostly from the Federal reserves.). They have tried every trick in the book to slip ANWR legislation through the system. The rising gas price might be the ticket that they have been waiting for.

If the rising gas prices get you down, please remember that Finns are currently paying €1.50 per liter. That is €5.68 per gallon. High conversion rate increases the price even further so that Finns are essentially paying over nine dollars per gallon of gasoline (which is the same than rural communities in Alaska are facing right now).

Just in case you agree with the former Alaska senator Frank "There is nothing there!" Murkowski, please click here to see 360 degree images taken on location.

(End. You can all take a deep breath now.)

Edit: price calculations