Yes, I think Alaskan residents are a useful source of information. And yes, Attila's statements remind me of Minnesota weather in recent years.
However; I think it is important to remember that wastefulness is always wrong. A long time ago, a poor resident of the Phillipine Islands told me her family's philosophy "Wast not, want not". A lot of our current society in America is greedy, arrogant, lack exercise or any physical exertion in our job. The result is a huge increase in obesity. All of the consumption can only result in decreased natural resources, more polution, and a poor image of the United States for the rest of the international community.

I lived in Galena from about 1947 to 1950. My father worked for the FAA (it was called the CAA back then). I was about 12 years old when my family left Galena to move to Woody Island just offshore from Kodiak City. Our moving van was a DC-3. I remember temperatures during the deep of winter averaging about
-45 to cold snaps of -60. Can anyone point me to where I can find what the recorded tempuratures were during that time?