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Posts published in September 2015

Rant: Somebody saw a spaceship and alien beings in Longyearbyen. Somebody else assumed we’d be the newspaper that would jump on the story. So we did.

Rant: Somebody saw a spaceship and alien beings in Longyearbyen. Somebody else assumed we’d be the newspaper that would jump on the story. So we did.

By Mark Sabbatini on September 6, 2015
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Read Time:2 Minute, 29 Second

Once again we’ve lived up to our reputation for being THE source of trashy journalism in Svalbard.

An Englishman known as “Dewsburyman” told the world Saturday he’d seen “evidence of alien beings” in Longyearbyen on Saturday in the form of a photo from the webcam at The University Centre in Svalbard showing what appeared to be “a spaceship (green with gold top) parked by the water’s edge.”

About Post Author

Mark Sabbatini

I'm a professional transient living on a tiny Norwegian island next door to the North Pole, where once a week (or thereabouts) I pollute our extreme and pristine environment with paper fishwrappers decorated with seemingly random letters that would cause a thousand monkeys with a thousand typewriters to die of humiliation. Such is the wisdom one acquires after more than 25 years in the world's second-least-respected occupation, much of it roaming the seven continents in search of jazz, unrecognizable street food and escorts I f****d with by insisting they give me the platonic tours of their cities promised in their ads. But it turns out this tiny group of islands known as Svalbard is my True Love and, generous contributions from you willing, I'll keep littering until they dig my body out when my climate-change-deformed apartment collapses or they exile my penniless ass because I'm not even worthy of washing your dirty dishes.
marksabbatini@yahoo.com
http://icepeople.net
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Sobering adventure: Recovering drug addicts turn Svalbard into ultimate rehab facility during extended outdoor expeditionRaymondTollefsen

Sobering adventure: Recovering drug addicts turn Svalbard into ultimate rehab facility during extended outdoor expedition

By Mark Sabbatini on September 6, 2015
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Read Time:1 Minute, 42 Second

An extended expedition in Svalbard is challenging enough without the complications such as drug withdrawal symptoms. But Raymond Tollefsen said it’s one place he knows he’s safe from the most deadly threat to his well-being.

About Post Author

Mark Sabbatini

I'm a professional transient living on a tiny Norwegian island next door to the North Pole, where once a week (or thereabouts) I pollute our extreme and pristine environment with paper fishwrappers decorated with seemingly random letters that would cause a thousand monkeys with a thousand typewriters to die of humiliation. Such is the wisdom one acquires after more than 25 years in the world's second-least-respected occupation, much of it roaming the seven continents in search of jazz, unrecognizable street food and escorts I f****d with by insisting they give me the platonic tours of their cities promised in their ads. But it turns out this tiny group of islands known as Svalbard is my True Love and, generous contributions from you willing, I'll keep littering until they dig my body out when my climate-change-deformed apartment collapses or they exile my penniless ass because I'm not even worthy of washing your dirty dishes.
marksabbatini@yahoo.com
http://icepeople.net
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Random weirdness for the week of Sept. 1, 2015plasticboat

Random weirdness for the week of Sept. 1, 2015

By Mark Sabbatini on September 6, 2015
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Read Time:2 Minute, 7 Second

Acknowledging most locals are probably in about as much of a mood for humor as they were after Utøya or 9/11 due to Store Norske seemingly going through its death throes this week, we nonetheless will lead off here with an item that my manage to make a few smile while serving as a reminder that – in the overall scheme of things – even though most of us are about to plunged into turmoil, we could be facing much, much worse.

About Post Author

Mark Sabbatini

I'm a professional transient living on a tiny Norwegian island next door to the North Pole, where once a week (or thereabouts) I pollute our extreme and pristine environment with paper fishwrappers decorated with seemingly random letters that would cause a thousand monkeys with a thousand typewriters to die of humiliation. Such is the wisdom one acquires after more than 25 years in the world's second-least-respected occupation, much of it roaming the seven continents in search of jazz, unrecognizable street food and escorts I f****d with by insisting they give me the platonic tours of their cities promised in their ads. But it turns out this tiny group of islands known as Svalbard is my True Love and, generous contributions from you willing, I'll keep littering until they dig my body out when my climate-change-deformed apartment collapses or they exile my penniless ass because I'm not even worthy of washing your dirty dishes.
marksabbatini@yahoo.com
http://icepeople.net
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Briefs from Svalbardposten for the week of Sept. 1, 2015nyålesundsewage

Briefs from Svalbardposten for the week of Sept. 1, 2015

By Mark Sabbatini on September 6, 2015
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Read Time:1 Minute, 43 Second

Svalbard’s first major sewage plant debuts in Ny-Ålesund  
Svalbard’s first major sewage treatment plant debuted during a ribbon-cutting ceremony this week in Ny-Ålesund. The 1.5-million-kroner facility can process up to 10,000 liters of wastewater a day, which is projected as sufficient to meet the research’s community’s peak population of 200 residents.

About Post Author

Mark Sabbatini

I'm a professional transient living on a tiny Norwegian island next door to the North Pole, where once a week (or thereabouts) I pollute our extreme and pristine environment with paper fishwrappers decorated with seemingly random letters that would cause a thousand monkeys with a thousand typewriters to die of humiliation. Such is the wisdom one acquires after more than 25 years in the world's second-least-respected occupation, much of it roaming the seven continents in search of jazz, unrecognizable street food and escorts I f****d with by insisting they give me the platonic tours of their cities promised in their ads. But it turns out this tiny group of islands known as Svalbard is my True Love and, generous contributions from you willing, I'll keep littering until they dig my body out when my climate-change-deformed apartment collapses or they exile my penniless ass because I'm not even worthy of washing your dirty dishes.
marksabbatini@yahoo.com
http://icepeople.net
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Rant: Store Norske is in its death throes – or is it forcing the government to show its hand?townincrisis

Rant: Store Norske is in its death throes – or is it forcing the government to show its hand?

By Mark Sabbatini on September 3, 2015
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Read Time:4 Minute, 30 Second

Yes, the cuts and resulting devastating impacts are probably legit, and mean the coming year will be one of the most tragic in the history of Longyearbyen.

But for those looking for a ray of hope, it’s not entirely out of the question Store Norske is trying to force the government’s hand about its pledge of ensuring a strong economic presence here.

About Post Author

Mark Sabbatini

I'm a professional transient living on a tiny Norwegian island next door to the North Pole, where once a week (or thereabouts) I pollute our extreme and pristine environment with paper fishwrappers decorated with seemingly random letters that would cause a thousand monkeys with a thousand typewriters to die of humiliation. Such is the wisdom one acquires after more than 25 years in the world's second-least-respected occupation, much of it roaming the seven continents in search of jazz, unrecognizable street food and escorts I f****d with by insisting they give me the platonic tours of their cities promised in their ads. But it turns out this tiny group of islands known as Svalbard is my True Love and, generous contributions from you willing, I'll keep littering until they dig my body out when my climate-change-deformed apartment collapses or they exile my penniless ass because I'm not even worthy of washing your dirty dishes.
marksabbatini@yahoo.com
http://icepeople.net
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SHUTDOWN! Store Norske votes to end nearly all mining by next summer, only 100 of 270 workers likely to remainstorenorske

SHUTDOWN! Store Norske votes to end nearly all mining by next summer, only 100 of 270 workers likely to remain

By Mark Sabbatini on September 3, 2015
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Read Time:2 Minute, 19 Second

Store Norske plans to shut down virtually all mining operations and downsize all but 100 employees by next summer following a meeting of the company’s board of directors Thursday.

About Post Author

Mark Sabbatini

I'm a professional transient living on a tiny Norwegian island next door to the North Pole, where once a week (or thereabouts) I pollute our extreme and pristine environment with paper fishwrappers decorated with seemingly random letters that would cause a thousand monkeys with a thousand typewriters to die of humiliation. Such is the wisdom one acquires after more than 25 years in the world's second-least-respected occupation, much of it roaming the seven continents in search of jazz, unrecognizable street food and escorts I f****d with by insisting they give me the platonic tours of their cities promised in their ads. But it turns out this tiny group of islands known as Svalbard is my True Love and, generous contributions from you willing, I'll keep littering until they dig my body out when my climate-change-deformed apartment collapses or they exile my penniless ass because I'm not even worthy of washing your dirty dishes.
marksabbatini@yahoo.com
http://icepeople.net
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Going Dutch: Researchers return to ‘completely different’ island 40 years laterdutchfieldwork

Going Dutch: Researchers return to ‘completely different’ island 40 years later

By Mark Sabbatini on September 2, 2015
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Read Time:3 Minute, 40 Second

When Ko de Korte, 72, first came to Svalbard to study birds in 1966, he and three fellow Dutch students knew they’d be dealing with lots of isolation and a need to be highly self-dependent. Forty years later he was anything but alone during his observations, but there was still an element of isolation.

“Everyone’s looking at their iPads,” he said with a laugh.

About Post Author

Mark Sabbatini

I'm a professional transient living on a tiny Norwegian island next door to the North Pole, where once a week (or thereabouts) I pollute our extreme and pristine environment with paper fishwrappers decorated with seemingly random letters that would cause a thousand monkeys with a thousand typewriters to die of humiliation. Such is the wisdom one acquires after more than 25 years in the world's second-least-respected occupation, much of it roaming the seven continents in search of jazz, unrecognizable street food and escorts I f****d with by insisting they give me the platonic tours of their cities promised in their ads. But it turns out this tiny group of islands known as Svalbard is my True Love and, generous contributions from you willing, I'll keep littering until they dig my body out when my climate-change-deformed apartment collapses or they exile my penniless ass because I'm not even worthy of washing your dirty dishes.
marksabbatini@yahoo.com
http://icepeople.net
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Senior living: Retiree moves into mobile home – for a year on the Arctic sea icehoverbreakfast

Senior living: Retiree moves into mobile home – for a year on the Arctic sea ice

By Mark Sabbatini on September 1, 2015
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Read Time:3 Minute, 45 Second

Think of Yngve Kristoffersen, 73, as just another retiree living in shabby mobile home – if you fill it with space-age equipment and drop it on the ice where it’s 50 below zero.

About Post Author

Mark Sabbatini

I'm a professional transient living on a tiny Norwegian island next door to the North Pole, where once a week (or thereabouts) I pollute our extreme and pristine environment with paper fishwrappers decorated with seemingly random letters that would cause a thousand monkeys with a thousand typewriters to die of humiliation. Such is the wisdom one acquires after more than 25 years in the world's second-least-respected occupation, much of it roaming the seven continents in search of jazz, unrecognizable street food and escorts I f****d with by insisting they give me the platonic tours of their cities promised in their ads. But it turns out this tiny group of islands known as Svalbard is my True Love and, generous contributions from you willing, I'll keep littering until they dig my body out when my climate-change-deformed apartment collapses or they exile my penniless ass because I'm not even worthy of washing your dirty dishes.
marksabbatini@yahoo.com
http://icepeople.net
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