December 13, 2016 'Longyearbyen at Its Best:' Modern Tragedies, Triumphs Part of Traditional Tributes During Syttende Mai Celebration Page 7
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FREE Weather summary Cloudy with snow and rain this weekend and next week, with very strong winds at times. icepeople Full forecast page 3 The world's northernmost alternative newspaper Vol. 8, Issue 33 December 13, 2016 www.icepeople.net 'Longyearbyen at its best:' Modern tragedies, triumphs part of traditional tributes during Syttende Mai celebration Page 7 “ To believe that the governor can rescue people out, regardless of circumstances, is wrong. There is no guarantee for that. - Per Andreassen, police lieutenant Svalbard governor's office ” DAG ARNE HUSDAL / LONGYEARBYEN LOKALSTYRE A classic view of Longyearbyen recently became the city's government's Facebook portrait. Norway's government has since released a statistical one. Late update: 12 apartments vacated again due to building, infrastructure damage. Paint by numbers icepeople.net Cold, hard stats add up to compelling portrait of recent drastic change in 'This is Svalbard 2016' By MARK SABBATINI front. Adventdalen in operation. In 2015 there were Editor Those conclusions are part of the "This is about 300 different businesses in Longyear- Tourism and mining have essentially Svalbard 2016" report released this month by byen, Ny-Ålesund and Svea, divided into swamped positions in terms of their economic Statistics Norway. While the document's pre- many different industries, a growth of over 70 importance. Many more foreigners and far sentation is remarkably similar to the initial percent since 2007." See DOCK, page 12 fewer Norwegians are filling those jobs, and report released in 2009 – much of the text is Mining accounted for 30 percent of the on a temporary or part-time basis for less the same with updated numbers plugged in – jobs and half of the total economic output, ac- money than traditional wage earners. The it's a striking tale about how Svalbard's has cording to the 2009 report that used figures presence and stability of wildlife and natural changed more dramatically in many ways dur- from the previous two years. But coal produc- elements have gone haywire in all directions. ing the past eight years than it did during pre- tion dropped by nearly 75 percent between And the community has taken many steps to- vious century. then and 2015, and the shift in jobs has been ward what is considered normal - which plen- "Mining is no longer Svalbard's heart," equally momentous. ty of locals will doubtlessly consider an af- the report declares. "There is only Mine 7 in See NUMBERS, page 4 Related coverage: • Letters to the Future: grope and change...7 Rocky outlook • Fleeing Svalbard is easy – sort of……....11 98% of Svalbard’s inland glaciers to shrink 90% or more by 2100? By MARK SABBATINI nating glaciers shrinking by at least 90 percent, Editor if climate change continues on its current pace, Svalbard will likely see “an almost com- according to a recently published study. SWISSEDUC.CH plete deglaciation” of many of its inland areas There is, however, considerable debate Inland glaciers in Nordenskiöldland will be among MAKSYM BOREIKO by the year 2100, with virtually all land-termi- See SHRINK, page 8 the first to disappear, according to a new study. You're a mean oneSee REALITY, Cookie page monstrosity4 Manic miner Sketchy scene IMAGE COURTESTY OF SNØHETTA Is this the Too much for 'Bipolar' film Is this the Arctic A twin-dock floating pier, seen here in an artist's Grinch of even a steel lives up to its in the era of illustration, is being proposed for Longyearbyen. Svalbard? stomach name Trump? Page 2 Page 3 Page 5 Page 7 https://us- mg6.mail.yahoo.c om/neo/ launch?.rand=epm v8hf4ja5bp# Page 2 December 13, 2016 Who's to blame and how A rare December sunrise in Svalbard? to express your wrath Editor Mark Sabbatini Bag lady Marion Prudhon Principal of principles Kristan Hutchison Psychiatrist Irene Gallion Accomplice Get some real dirt on icepeople! Jeff Newsom Our global headquarters available for rent during the March 20 eclipse! Sleeps three on actual Mailing address furnishings (double bed and sofa), plus a few can squeeze in on the floor. Washing machine, turbo Icepeople wi-fi and about a 5-10 minute walk to most places. Plus, you'll be helping provide our pitiful little Vei 210 -2- 13 newspaper with desperately needed funds. Contact [email protected] for details. Longyearbyen, Svalbard 9170 Norway Telephone MARK SABBATINI / ICEPEOPLE Norway: +47 41 51 46 38 Or is the moon made of brunost? Or is Mother Nature simply caving in to the fact that orange is all U.S. +1 (970) 673-4472 the rage at the moment? Obviously in this post-truth world it can't be because the moon is being seen through a much thicker layer of Earth's atmosphere when it's on the horizon, which means PRIVATE E-mail orange/red light dominates because it has longer wavelengths than other colors that get scattered. [email protected] Web site www.icepeople.net Icesheet Icepeople is published weekly (or thereabouts) Random bits of the week's weirdness: on Tuesdays (or thereabouts), with printed Plenty of folks have suggested Svalbard as copies available free on a limited basis in an ideal destination for U.S. residents wanting Longyearbyen. Additional printed copies are to flee instead of being ruled by The Don, but available locally and by mail upon request. at least one person is asking Santa to give the Charges are on an "at cost" basis. gift of a much simpler solution – albeit one that Briefly may have people here wishing for a wall. A Copyright stuff demonstrator photographed by Thomas Cully is requesting Santa bring Wiggy Trump back to Cruising: Getting out of Original contents of this publication can be the North Pole while delivering presents. reproduced for non-commercial purposes free Since Santa’s real workshop is actually in danger, but into 'death?' of charge if Icepeople is credited as the Longyearbyen’s abandoned Mine 2B, his Another cruise season is about to embark source. The original writers, photographers suggestion isn’t getting any support here full speed ahead in Svalbard, but the smiles of and other contributors retain their rights to all Mainland town claims to be top (“You can keep your garbage to yourself! Time THOMAS CULLY those greeting passengers aren't being shared published works. for USA to start handling their own problems,” On the naughty list: Or so we presume, since by a lot of industry executives these days. per-person telethon giver, a title are being scatter light more than longer wavelengths was one person’s response on Facebook). The Santa doesn't seem likely to grant his wish They took a blow last month when Britain held by Longyearbyen for years Corrections policy sign-waver might also be exposing himself to a issued a warning telling travelers cruising here bit of ridicule with a second message hanging likely things happen, including the mercury is too dangerous. That warning may be re- When we screw up you'll know about it – on from his neck reading “Cold today? Trump soaring to about nine degrees Celsius in the front page. One of the big complaints promises global warming (and dirty air).” East Longyearbyen at the end of last December…the about newspapers is they tend to bury Coast cities are indeed in a deep freeze this new news gone virtual about Svalbard is how corrections and clarifications deep inside week due to an Arctic air blast, but there’s ex- our reindeer are shrinking and the jokes where few people who read the original article actly a zero percent chance denialists making about Santa therefore needing more of them see them. If we need to fix something, an alert fun of the guy will be persuaded that yes, that’s (see page 9). But while researcher are worried box on the front page will state what story is in due to climate change…Speaking of which, a the shrinkage is a danger to the population, a error and where the full correction is printed. couple weeks ago headlines everywhere were far ominous story about Santa's little helpers declaring Svalbard stood an even or better was revealed Monday by the American Geo- chance of having an average annual temper- physical Union, which states the world’s Submitting material ature above freezing for the first time in largest reindeer herd – at the northernmost recorded history. Now, um, not so much as point of Russia on the Taimyr Peninsula – Letters, columns, photos and other material the community plunged into a deep freeze last has decreased from about one million ani- are welcome, but we can't offer pay for week. Temperatures dropped sharply starting mals in 2000 to 600,000 today, at least in part published items since nobody here is getting last Monday night and remained between minus due to climate change. “There is a substantial paid at the moment. Submissions in electronic 15 and minus 20 degrees until Thursday, ac- decline – and we are also seeing this with other form (text, Word documents, JPEGs, etc.) are cording to the Norwegian Meteorological Insti- wild reindeer declining rapidly in other parts of highly preferred, although typing and/or tute. Temperatures from Friday through Tues- the world,” Andrey Petrov, a researcher at the scanning of items will be considered on a per- day have generally been near or below minus Arctic Center at the University of Northern case basis. We reserve the right to edit 10 degrees Celsius. Of course, the past year has Iowa, told the BBC. As one article about the submissions for length, clarity, accuracy, libel seen a rather large number of staggeringly un- study notes, talk about a real war on Christmas.