How's this for an amazing sight - Americans having to pay over $3 (£1.50) for a gallon of gas? Admittedly this only works out at about 80c (40p) per litre, but it's an awful lot more than the 30c (15p) they were paying a few years ago. And needless to say they are bitching about it like crazy. On a recent trip to the States everyone wanted to talk to me about fuel prices, in fact it was the third most popular topic of conversation after "You speak good English for a European" and "is London in Paris?"
You might also notice an unusual Chevy truck in the photo, which was photographed in Northern Montana last week. It is being used to fix telegraph poles in rural areas, which means dealing with heavy snow for eight months of the year and thick mud for the other four. Apparently wheels are no good for these conditions and tracks are the only way to go. "This thing will drive over whatever Mother Nature puts in its path," said the owner. "In fact I bet it could drive from here to London," he joked (at least I hope it was a joke).
The kit cost $38,000 (£19,000), taking the total cost of the truck to $80,000 (£40,000). Which is roughly what it would cost to fill-up with petrol in the UK.