FREE Weather summary Mostly cloudy, breezy and mild temperatures, with occasional rain through next week. BREAKING: Parliament approves Store Norske bailout. Story at icepeople.net icepeople Full forecast page 3

The world's northernmost alternative newspaper Bearly aware: Polar bear destroys two Vol. 7, Issue 23 June 23, 2015 www.icepeople.net tents at poorly chosen campsite; group also had trouble with weapon Page 3

“ 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

MARK SABBATINI / ICEPEOPLE MATS GRANSKOG / NORWEGIAN POLAR INSTITUTE ” Researchers from several countries, left, unload equipment from the Lance research vessel after it docked in Longyearbyen this week, ending a six- month expedition in the sea ice north of Svalbard. At right, a large ice floe used as a work site rapidly breaks up during the expedition's final days.

High stakes: Gamblers, Norway's military eyeing odds CRACKING DOWN of a heated Arctic Pages 4-5 Lance ends six-month expedition on thin ice as scientists save gear while floe shatters in a few hours By MARK SABBATINI cake," said Meyer, an oceanography for the Nor- tious ever, sought to profile first-ice sea ice Editor wegian Polar Institute, while helping colleagues "from cradle to grave" by allowing the Lance They spent their final days working fever- to freeze into the ice for extended durations at unload gear from the Lance research vessel af- 'Double moralists': Parliament leaders say ishly on rapidly vanishing sea ice that threat- ter its Tuesday arrival in Longyearbyen. different latitudes north of Svalbard. hypocrisy about nixing coal investments and ened to break up and swallow their equipment. Not that the difficult work is over: Meyer Researchers hope the unprecedented But Amelie Meyer said the challenge was said she expects to spend at least the next five amount of data about first-year ice, which is supporting Store Norske bailout is proper nothing like the extreme conditions during the years analyzing data collected during the Nor- increasingly replacing thicker and more stable icepeople.net project's first days six months ago. wegian Young Sea ICE Cruise (N-ICE2015). multiyear ice in the Arctic, will lead to better "Compared to winter it felt like a piece of The expedition, one of the NPI's most ambi- See EXPEDITION, page 3 'The threat of annihilation' WENCHE RAVLO Svalbard priest returns to West world's northernmost church is back in the West Bank on behalf of Palestinians suffering Bank to try to save Palestinian from what he calls Israeli repression. village scheduled for demolition He spent the final three months of 2014 in the area protesting Israeli settlements, but is By MARK SABBATINI facing a more immediate and damaging threat Editor this summer in Susyia, a village with about 350 Inside the home, "considered to be more residents that Israel's Supreme Court has or- of a big tent," there's a "happy reunion" with a dered demolished by Aug. 3 family celebrating the post-fast Iftar meal dur- "The threat of annihilation is the opposite ing Ramadan. Outside, soldiers are awaiting of peace," he wrote Monday in blog of his trip orders to destroy the village, which those in- being published by Aftenbladet (tinyurl.com/ LEIF MAGNE HELGESEN side the tent believe may happen the next day. o7x53ad). "It creates uneasiness. The fear rubs Ahmod Nasser Aand Mahmod Kelil Moar flash The stark contrast is only one of many for off on the children who do not know if they peace and victory signs in the West Bank village Leif Magne Helgesen, as the priest at the See SUSYIA, page 4 of Susyia, targeted for demolision this summer.

Sight or blight? Massively smashed Bad bird year Boffo bear year Summer Guess the Higher 'Red Good sea ice snowmobiles break date, win List' ranking for for polar moms get trashed quality booze gulls sought and cubs Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 icepeople.net Page 2 June 23, 2015

Who's to blame and how Our version of the 'car parked on lawn' fight to express your wrath

Editor Mark Sabbatini

Principal of principles Kristan Hutchison

Psychiatrist Irene Gallion

Accomplice Jeff Newsom BERIT VÅTVIK A cluster of snowmobiles and wood pallets in a dense housing area – one of many such clusters Mailing address around Longyearbyen – is fueling a fierce online debate this week that's essentially the Arctic Get some real dirt on icepeople! Icepeople version of the "your parked vehicle is making the neighborhood look ugly" feuds in countless Vei 210 -2- 13 suburban neighborhoods elsewhere. "If we had had a central parking place for snowmobiles Our global headquarters available for rent during the March 20 eclipse! Sleeps three on actual Longyearbyen, Svalbard during the summer it would not look like this in our city," wrote Berit Våtvik in post on a community furnishings (double bed and sofa), plus a few can squeeze in on the floor. Washing machine, turbo 9170 Facebook page (tinyurl.com/phj32sw). Longyearbyen is famous for having more snowmobiles wi-fi and about a 5-10 minute walk to most places. Plus, you'll be helping provide our pitiful little Norway than automobiles and subsequent posts on the page argued about whether that's a curse during newspaper with desperately needed funds. Contact [email protected] for details. months when there's no snow on the ground. "We talk about the environment up here; it should Telephone also include the outdoor environment during summer, not only 'emissions,'" wrote Karl Øystein Norway: +47 41 51 46 38 Karlstad, arguing a clean image is vital since the city is trying to boost tourism significantly to help U.S. +1 (970) 673-4472 compensate for the declining mining industry. But Ane Louise Fossnes ridiculed the suggestion snowmobiles are littering the landscape. "Parked snowmobiles outside houses is one of the E-mail special and exotic things about Longyearbyen," she wrote. "Snowmobiles are not garbage. [email protected] Garbage can be removed." Also being debated is the cost, both fiscally and environmentally. Web site There seems to be no clear concept about who would pay for a central parking lot or what would www.icepeople.net be a suitable location since a large amount of land will be affected no matter what. "It'd be great to focus on clearing the city of garbage, filth, the don't-give-a-damn mentality, etc. before whimpering Icepeople is published weekly (or thereabouts) over snowmobile parking rings," wrote Kim Holberg Kansje. on Tuesdays (or thereabouts), with printed copies available free on a limited basis in Longyearbyen. Additional printed copies are Icesheet available locally and by mail upon request. Charges are on an "at cost" basis. Random bits of the week's weirdness: Svalbard is considered a rich target for Copyright stuff spying and espionage, thanks to the huge in- ternational population and easy entry re- Briefly Original contents of this publication can be quirements, but at least whistleblowers reproduced for non-commercial purposes free might be able to call attention to the mis- of charge if Icepeople is credited as the deeds without fear of detection if a proposal Cruising: Getting out of source. The original writers, photographers to create "free ports" in the archipelago be- BOWDOIN COLLEGE and other contributors retain their rights to all comes reality. The proposal by the Socialist Better food than the Moscow airport: But you danger, but into 'death?' published works. Left Party (the same folks who just cast the dis- may yourself being one rather than eating one if Another cruise season is about to embark senting votes in the 96-3 decision by Parlia- you run afoul of the wrong fellow blogger. full speed ahead in Svalbard, but the smiles of Mainland town claims to be top Corrections policy ment to give Store Norske a life-saving bailout) those greeting passengers aren't being shared would use the top-level domains in Bouvetøya illegally stream music and porn without risk … by a lot of industry executives these days. per-person telethon giver, a title (.bv), and Svalbard and Jan Mayen (.sj) to pro- For those who believe politics doesn't belong in When we screw up you'll know about it – on They took a blow last month when Britain held by Longyearbyen for years the pulpit, it's a good thing Svalbard Church the front page. One of the big complaints tect folks aspiring to be the next Edward Snow- issued a warning telling travelers cruising here Priest Leif Magne Helgesen isn't spending about newspapers is they tend to bury den. "All artists, writers and cultural organiza- is too dangerous. That warning may be re- much time in his these days (see latest adven- corrections and clarifications deep inside tions must have access to a digital platform ture on page one). But we can't help wondering: where few people who read the original article where they do not risk monitoring, censorship if the pope is now "the most dangerous per- see them. If we need to fix something, an alert and persecution," said Bård Vegar Solhjell in son on the planet" merely for acknowledging box on the front page will state what story is in an interview with Dagbladet. Media coverage climate change is real recently (according to error and where the full correction is printed. so far hasn't indicated if the proposal has any chance of passing and since we're already be- certain conservative politicians), what does ing eyed suspiciously by officials (and we're that make our local priest who's been at the Submitting material lazy), we'll just wait and see if it means we can activist forefront of the issue for years?

Letters, columns, photos and other material are welcome, but we can't offer pay for Be part of Longyearbyen's growing future! published items since nobody here is getting Polar Permaculture has a vision to develop a resilient and healthy paid at the moment. Submissions in electronic community while reducing our impact on the environment. Our team of form (text, Word documents, JPEGs, etc.) are experts are creating solutions for organic food growing, transformation of highly preferred, although typing and/or waste streams and engaging our community. Work is commencing on our scanning of items will be considered on a per- greenhouse project now. Could you be part of case basis. We reserve the right to edit the solution? We would love to hear from you. submissions for length, clarity, accuracy, libel and other reasons, but we will also make every reasonable effort to contact the author Polar Permaculture about any changes prior to publication. www.polarpermaculture.com ! 4695 4875 ! [email protected] June 23, 2015 Page 3

HEADLINES STOLEN FROM SVALBARDPOSTEN VERDENS NORDLIGSTE AVIS

ASSISTANCE, from page 1 Time again for Svalbard's most intoxicating contest The official arrival of summer means it's time to deal with the season's really big ques- tion: when will the "stem" of the enormous champaign glass on Operafjellet break? Pre- dictions for the date when the "glass" of snow will be severed are being accepted until July 1, with this year's winner receiving a bottle of quality champaign. If two or more people pict the same date, the person submitting their entry first will be the winner. Last year's melt date HARALD STEEN / NORWEGIAN POLAR INSTITUTE was July 14 and the previous year was July By MARK SABBATINI A researcher, above, works on the sea 12, but meteorologist and former winner Editor ice near the Lance on Jan. 15, fours days Torgeir Mørk said this year's date will likely There's not much chance of missing its after the ship departed Longyearbyen to be significantly later due to a thick layer of ice gleaming yellow cabin on a clear day, but the begin its six-month mission. At right, a built up in February and relatively low tem- less-than-ideal days are when it's most likely to boat rushes out to help scientists salvage peratures so far this month. Hiking up to the be appre equipment on a ice floe that "broke up snow and tampering with it – which is report- into hundreds of smaller floes within ed to have happened a few years ago – is pro- hours, leaving some of the equipment hibited. Entries should be sent to New one-of-a-kind city service floating on ice chunks" during the Lance's [email protected]. boat will assist in emergencies final day in the field, according to an Instagram post by Mats Granskog, a Exploding batteries in homes in addition to transport duties researcher who has studied sea ice in numerous Arctic and Antarctic areas. prompt fire, police concerns MATS GRANSKOG / NORWEGIAN POLAR INSTITUTE A battery that exploded and set off a fire alarm while recharging in a residence Saturday night is the latest of several such incidents, some of which have resulted in fires, according Lance ends trip on thin ice to The Governor of Svalbard. "We will look at EXPEDITION, from page 1 water, which is where the nutrients and the (the charger) to determine if there is a correla- models predicting and showing the impacts of grazers are." tion between specific types," said Police Chief climate change on the ecosystem. Numerous other discoveries were made Lt. Roger Haugen. Among the most serious in- The profile of this year's ice is unlikely to during the six stages of the expedition that be- cidents was an explosion last October where be a prototype for a "typical year," since condi- gan Jan. 11, with scientists and crews partici- the battery fell into a sack beside a workbench tions are changing at an increasingly rapid pace. pating in one or more stages, although not all that caught fire, causing flames to spread to the "It seems like every year has been an outli- of the revelations were welcome. walls before firefighters extinguished them. er," said Hanna Kauko, a PhD candidate from First-stage participants discovered they Finland specializing in photobiology and Arc- were drifting southward from their initial Trio of priests returning to tic marine algae. freeze-in point much faster than expected and There was a lot of snow cover and less the ship was pushed out of the ice about a lead church this summer biomass in the ice than in recent years, said month into the project. The researchers were Ruth Irene Rasmussen, the chaplain at the Mar Fernández Méndez, a biologist from Spain forced to rapidly retrieve their gear from ice hospital in Fredrikstad, has been appointed the conducting postdoctoral research. But in a post "with mixed success" and lost about a week's summer substitute priest at Svalbard Church on the expedition's official blog (tinyurl.com/ worth of data collecting as the ship had to be from 15 to July 6. Margrethe Ølberg, a priest nu4ghem), she stated a surprising amount of escorted by an icebreaker to a new freeze-in in Odda, will then preside until July 2, fol- microscopic phytoplankton and sea ice algae point further north. lowed by retired priest Lars Bernardt Ølberg until Aug. 14. All have served temporarily at were discovered, even though "thick ice and There's more! Visit www.icepeople.net the church previously. snow prevent sunlight from reaching the sea for the complete story. Weather forecast for Longyearbyen

Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Cloudy. E winds to 22 km/h. Cloudy. SE winds to 18 km/h. Cloudy. SE winds to 18 km/h. Cloudy. Variable winds to 22 High 6C (4C wind chill), low High 8C (6C wind chill), low High 7C (5C wind chill), low km/h. High 6C (4C wind chill), 5C (2C wind chill). 5C (3C wind chill). 6C (3C wind chill). low 5C (2C wind chill).

24-hour daylight 24-hour daylight 24-hour daylight 24-hour daylight Extended forecast: Sunday, rain, 6C (3C), 3C (-1C), light 24:00h; Monday, cloudy, 3C (-1C), 2C (-2C), light 24:00h; Tuesday, cloudy, 5C (1C), 3C (-1C), light 24:00h; Wednesday, p. cloudy, 5C (2C), 4C (1C), light 24:00h Data provided by storm.no Page 4 June 23, 2015

Code redder What's up

June 24 Lecture: "The history of the Institute of Marine Research and Aquaculture in Norway," by Erlend Moksness and Ole Torrissen. UNIS. June 25 8 p.m.: Concert: Svalbard Jazzemsemble plays music from the '20s, '30s and '40s. Huset. June 28 11 a.m.: Mass. Svalbard Church. GEIR WING GABRIELSEN / NORWEGIAN POLAR INSTITUTE 7 p.m.: Movie: "Terminator Genisys," A flock of glaucous gulls feed on a seal carcass on the sea ice in Svalbard this spring. U.S. action/adventure, no age limit Researchers say the population of the species has declined sharply recently in the archipelago specified. Kulturhuset. and other Arctic areas, and the birds' classification of "near threatened" on the Norwegian Red List needs to be upgraded. The next levels of alert on the list are "vulnerable" (high risk of June 30 endangerment in the wild) and "endangered" (high risk of extinction in the wild). Climate change 7 p.m.: Evening Mass and fireplace and food shortages caused population decreases since the 1980s, but pollutants are increasingly social. Svalbard Church. posing a threat as well, according to a report by the Norwegian Polar Institute following observations this spring in Bjørnøya. The gulls are at the top of the Arctic ecosystem food chain July 5 and therefore an indicator for several other species in the Arctic ecosystem, the report states. 7 p.m.: Movie: "Magic Mike XXL," U.S. comedy, all ages. Kulturhuset. July 12 Svalbard priest seeks boycott 7 p.m.: Movie: "Mandariner," Estonian/ SUSYIA, from page 1 calling for a boycott of all Israeli products, a Georgian drama/crime, ages 11 and up. will have a home tomorrow. Possibly the vil- step beyond the Church of Norway's call for a Kulturhuset. lage will be left in peace during Ra- boycott of items produced in illegal July 19 madan. Perhaps the international pres- settlements. This despite expressing a ence and attention make it harder to reverential appreciation for the holy 7 p.m.: Movie: "Ted 2," U.S. comedy, no take the final step." sites of all faiths while visiting the age limit specified. Kulturhuset. "But tomorrow quite possibly the Old City of Jerusalem before his ar- July 26 white cars, bulldozers and quantities of rival in Susyia. soldiers with rifles loaded with bullets "Disparities are sadly often a 7 p.m.: Movie: "Ant-Man," U.S. action/ will surround the village and put ev- threat, but the times we manage to sci-fi, no age limit specified. Kulturhuset. erything in ruins. Some are sitting in their uni- have a larger overview, and respect each Aug. 2 forms and planning how it will happen. They other's different cultural traditions and reli- protect their own children, while the children gious expressions are perceived like a taste of 7 p.m.: Movie: "Mission: Impossible – of others becomes a concept." the best wine," he wrote during the visit. Rouge Nation," U.S. action/thriller, no Helgesen – no stranger to controversy as There's more! Visit www.icepeople.net age limit specified. Kulturhuset. part of his work at Svalbard Church – is also for the complete story. What's online

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