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Posts published in March 2018

March makeover: Free beauty care, but no more cheap ‘red-tag’ produce; here’s what’s up with all the changes at Svalbardbutikken

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Shoppers seeking sardines are searching the aisles, those seeking staples may no longer be able to make a connection and devotees of the sad-looking – but immensely popular among students and others – “red-tag” blemished produce are being denied entirely.

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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.
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Out of sight: Blind and unable to rely on sounds for guidance ‘the only option was to proceed without thinking’ anyth

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By IRINI COSESCU
Guest contributor
At the end of February I had an experience that can hardly be described in words. A week in Svalbard – an island in the Arctic Ocean, close to the North Pole. Despite cold, ice-covered landscapes, there are warm, friendly people who come from all over the world to taste everything that nature has to offer.

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.
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Bloody majestic: ‘Fortitude’ crew finally gets an exposure to what Svalbard’s all about while filming final season

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Three police officers in official snowsuits dismount snowmobiles and approach a hillside cabin about 20 meters away with handguns drawn. They stop near the door, seemingly shocked at the sight of a blood-soaked life-size doll that’s apparently been laying there a while.

None of which is all in a normal day’s work for a local cop. But the really odd eye-catcher is the guy on a small nearby ridge rapidly swinging a bucket on a rope in front of him continuously.

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.
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Random weirdness for the week of March 20, 2018

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It’s been entertaining in a grim sort of way to read all the articles during the past month about scientists “freaking out” about the weather in Svalbard and elsewhere in the Arctic, but, wow, did things jump to a new level during the gale-force windstorms during the weekend. An alert issued for Longyearbyen by actual scientists warned the winds might cause trees to end up laying across the road, along with other large unsecured items like trampolines.

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.
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Fishy business: Listhaug quits as justice minister, replaced by fisheries minister with lots of recent Svalbard experience

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Svalbard controversial and short-lived new boss is gone. Meet the next controversial new boss – who may also be short-lived.

A potential collapse of Norway’s government was avoided Tuesday when Minister of Justice and Public Security Sylvi Listhaug resigned shortly before she faced a no-confidence vote in Parliament. The crisis was sparked when Listhaug, a member of the anti-immigration Progress Party, accused members of the opposition Labor Party of putting “terrorists’ rights” before national security.

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.
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Top government official says protecting life and health are vital for disaster-prone Longyearbyen; considering the government may collapse tomorrow, nobody cares

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There were the expected emphatic statements about the life and health of the people being the government’s top priority, but since the life of the current government may be measurable in hours it’s not a stretch to say the full attention of the bureaucrats in Oslo isn’t on the new dismaying new crisis in the country’s northernmost town.

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.
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Flashback: Six years ago the execs of ‘Fortitude’ visited Svalbard. Here’s their original twisted visions of death

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(Editor’s note: This article was originally published in the Jan. 17, 2012, issue of Icepeople. After filming two seasons in Iceland, the TV drama series “Fortitude” is filming its third and final season in Svalbard this month.)

For those worried about the murderer settling here, relax. For one thing, Longyearbyen doesn’t really have any donuts.

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.
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Digging a hole: New justice minister cancels Svalbard visit to face no-confidence vote for controversial statements

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They said her vehement anti-immigration policies wouldn’t likely be relevant to her administrative oversight of Svalbard. They were wrong – perhaps disastrously so for all involved.

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.
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‘A completely unsustainable situation’: New avalanche risk report says far more homes than thought are vulnerable

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Far more homes in the center of Longyearbyen are vulnerable to avalanches than previously thought. Spending 100 million to protect 37 residences and other parts of the city center with various snow barriers is being recommended. But there appears to be no practical way to protect about 140 more residences – meaning even more costly teardown and rebuilding efforts for a town already in a large-scale housing crisis.

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.
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Briefs from Svalbardposten for the week of March 13, 2018

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Read Time:1 Minute, 44 Second

Leak on freighter ship seriously damages six vehicles, other cargo
Some of the cargo aboard the Norbjørn freighter, including six vehicles, suffered serious water damage during a voyage from Tromsø to Longyearbyen, according to the shipping company responsible.

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.
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