FREE icepeople The world's northernmost alternative newspaper Vol. 5, Issue 40 November 12, 2013 www.icepeople.net Doom

Much of the old “settlement is show, located in landslide-prone areas. - Vigdis Hole, Bydrift response statement to study again ” Second movie in three months

LEIF MAGNE HELGESEN / SVALBARD CHURCH featuring Svalbard's seed vault Espen Rotevatn, left, Torunn Sørensen, center, and Leif Magne Helgesen gather inside the San debuts with usual ruminations Carlo al Corso for one of four music performances during their October trip to the Vatican. By MARK SABBATINI Editor How many times can you tell the same story and have people fascinated by it? ROBERT At least once more, it seems, as the latest HERMANSEN Traveling Kirkes film about the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is getting lots of media attention, complete with Svalbard Kirkes Trio goes to the the usual apocalyptic headlines. By MARK SABBATINI Vatican, gets the ears of the "Seeds of Time," a 76-minute documen- Editor tary, is debuting this week at the Copenhagen masses and eyes of the pope International Documentary Film Festival. It's bear thing By MARK SABBATINI the second movie featuring the vault released during the past three months, joining a plethora Longyearbyen / Tromso: Governor names Monday afternoon the Editor of other films since the facility opened in 2008 They're used to singing in a small-town all following the same theme (aside from the church, so they felt among friends going on the occasional zombie or conspiracy flick). Decision time: Last day for early voting in road to perform for a close-knit community of The latest film keeps things simple, fol- Svalbard is Monday, Sept. 2. Local polls 1.2 billion people. lowing "the quixotic journey of Cary Fowler… will be open Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. Not all of them fit into the Vatican at once, MARK SABBATINI / ICEPEOPLE a man with a mission. A mission that is about of course. But many of the 200,000 Roman Svalbard Church Priest Leif Magne Helgesen, securing the foundation of nothing less than Catholics who showed up for an audience with left, greets Pope Francis during a visit to the earth’s survival in the form of the world’s Pope Francis last month also got to hear four Vatican in this photo shown during a presentation smallest currency: seeds," an official synopsis See PILGRIMAGE, page 3 by the Svalbard Kirkes Trio of their October trip. See FOWLER, page 4 Inside Extraordinary tales, cooly told Review: Fiennes' 'Cold' chilling Geese grub: Record Storing seeds from eight continents but a bit numb; offers new details flock a threat to tundra Page 2 about fatal Svalbard bear attack Page 3 Headlines from Svalbardposten By MARK SABBATINI - Two trekkers rescued after spotting two bears Editor - New rules boost winter air ambulance service "So today at work we skydived onto a - New Svalbard lieutenant governor named glacier from 10,000 feet and saw a topless Page 3 woman climbing while we nearly died bum- Weather forecast bling about due to our inexperience." Page 3 A story like that is unavoidably fascina- ting, even if narrated with all the emotion of an COURTESY OF SIR RANULPH FIENNES Events calendar accountant at the dinner table. Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes puts in just Page 4 See REVIEW, page 4 another day at the office in his new book "Cold." Page 2 November 12, 2013

Who's to blame and how Just the start of our long night life to express your wrath

Editor Mark Sabbatini

Principal of principles Kristan Hutchison

Psychiatrist Irene Gallion

Accomplice Jeff Newsom MARK SABBATINI / ICEPEOPLE Mailing address Icepeople Vei 210 -2- 13 Longyearbyen, Svalbard Sandmo accepts life, death sardonically 9170 DISSENTER, from page 1 Norway

Telephone Norway: +47 41 51 46 38 Mainland town claims to be top U.S. +1 (970) 673-4472 per-person telethon giver, a title E-mail held by Longyearbyen for years [email protected]

Web site www.icepeople.net

Icepeople is published weekly (or thereabouts) on Tuesdays (or thereabouts), with printed copies available free on a limited basis in Longyearbyen. Additional printed copies are A family, above, eats waffles on a fur-lined log bench while listening to a women's a cappella concert available locally and by mail upon request. in Longyearbyen's central square Saturday during this year's KunstPause festival. At bottom left, There's more! Visit www.icepeople.net Charges are on an "at cost" basis. Blåmyra performs a bluegrass arrangement of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" during a "Hymns In the for the complete story. Polar Night" concert Sunday at Svalbard Church during the festival. At bottom right, Sigfrid Hernes, Copyright stuff art committee chair for Public Art Norway, introduces Svein Flygari Johansen's "Videoinstallasjon," a new video art display above the entrance at Kulturhuset that shows real-time images and their Briefly Original contents of this publication can be Google Map locations from around the world. Photos by Mark Sabbatini / Icepeople. reproduced for non-commercial purposes free of charge if Icepeople is credited as the Cruising: Getting out of source. The original writers, photographers and other contributors retain their rights to all Icesheet danger, but into 'death?' published works. Another cruise season is about to embark Random bits of the week's weirdness: full speed ahead in Svalbard, but the smiles of Corrections policy This might be the weirdest thing we've seen those greeting passengers aren't being shared since arriving in Svalbard five years ago, by a lot of industry executives these days. When we screw up you'll know about it – on which obviously is saying something. Our edi- They took a blow last month when Britain the front page. One of the big complaints tor-in-competent was listening to the presenta- issued a warning telling travelers cruising here about newspapers is they tend to bury tion about the new Kulturhuset art piece is too dangerous. That warning may be re- corrections and clarifications deep inside "Videoinstallasjon" (see above) when he where few people who read the original article suddenly realized one of the three images see them. If we need to fix something, an alert rotating at that moment looked a bit like – um, on closer inspection exactly like – the box on the front page will state what story is in MARK SABBATINI / ICEPEOPLE main street of a town near his childhood error and where the full correction is printed. Famous for its ski areas and hot springs: home. In fact, he was looking at his old bank, But for some reason this city near our editor's the sporting goods store where he bought skis childhood home decided to point its webcam at Submitting material and other landmarks in the U.S. town of Glen- a sporting goods store and a McBank. wood Springs, Colo., where he frequently vis- Letters, columns, photos and other material ited and sometimes lived right up until moving www.nordgen.org/sgsv). As of this week, are welcome, but we can't offer pay for to Svalbard. We'd go off on some "what are the there are 798,190 seed samples from 231 published items since nobody here is getting odds" tangent, except we doubt anybody really countries of origin on eight continents. We'd paid at the moment. Submissions in electronic cares to see a calculation of global webcams say this doesn't need further explanation, but form (text, Word documents, JPEGs, etc.) are divided by the number of places our lunatic-in- since two-thirds of Americans don't know who highly preferred, although typing and/or chief has lived … Regular readers (cough) Russia's president is and only 15 percent be- scanning of items will be considered on a per- know we hold people who scream "junk sci- lieve humans evolved without God's help, case basis. We reserve the right to edit ence" in a certain esteem. But they'll have there are, in fact, 196 countries and seven con- submissions for length, clarity, accuracy, libel plenty to gloat about if people watching the tinents on Earth, according to the most general- and other reasons, but we will also make new documentaries about our Doomsday Vault ly accepted sources. We're guessing the portal every reasonable effort to contact the author get an inclination to visit the official online may be using the same programmers responsi- about any changes prior to publication. portal tracking seed deposits there (http:// ble for the new U.S. health care system. Rarely seen bird species from November 12, 2013 Page 3 warmer areas showing up in force in Svalbard this summer HEADLINES STOLEN FROM SVALBARDPOSTEN VERDENS NORDLIGSTE AVIS

Two trekkers rescued after spotting nearby polar bears Two people on a snowshoeing trek near Longyearbyen were brought back to town on snowmobiles by rescuers with the Svalbard governor's office after spotting two polar bears nearby Monday. The pair notified the governor's office after seeing the bears about 250 meters away at the foot of Hiorthfjellet. "They did the right thing and that was to warn us," said Lt. Christian Svarstad, who led the rescue. Officials, who also deployed a heli- copter, searched the area during the afternoon for more signs of the bears. MARK SABBATINI / ICEPEOPLE New rules should improve Espen Rotevatn, left, Torunn Sørensen, center, and Leif Magne Helgesen perform one of the songs from their Vatican concert tour during a slideshow presentation of the trip Tuesday at Svalbard Church. winter air ambulance service More reliable air ambulance service to the mainland will be possible this winter due to Catching the pope's eye, if not his ear new procedures allowing flights during periods PILGRIMAGE, from page 1 "It might sound strange, but singing is of extreme cold, according to officials with performances by the Svalbard Kirkes Trio. The singing and playing is playing anywhere," he Helse Nord. The Beech 200 aircraft used by the mostly a cappella trio, which formed in 2011 said. agency for such flights are prohibited from fly- and released a 22-minute album last year, went What the audience actually heard, howev- ing in temperatures below minus 54 degrees to Rome on what they described as a "pilgrim- er, was another story. Celsius, meaning they must fly at lower alti- age" with about 300 members of the church "In Svalbard it's a wooden church," he tudes and burn more fuel during cold periods. from Oslo and Tromsø. said. "In those big cathedrals the song gets so The result was uncertainty about whether the "This is by far the most exclusive place much better because of the acoustics." planes would have sufficient fuel to return to I've played at," said Espen Rotevatn, Svalbard The trio has performed a few times in the mainland if landing in Longyearbyen wasn't Church's catechist and music leader, echoing mainland Norway, but the unexpected invita- possible. Øyvind Juell, an air ambulance offi- the sentiment of the other two members. tion to Rome "is just things happening along cial, said the new procedures for Svalbard Despite the massive crowd there were the road," said Torunn Sørensen, Svalbard flights will allow the planes to carry up to 400 plenty of surprisingly intimate moments during Church's deacon since 2008. She said she trav- pounds of additional fuel. The ambulance con- the trip, including when Priest Leif Magne eled all over the world while singing for many tractor has been forced to lease planes from Helgesen shook hands with Pope Francis from years with two choirs in Oslo, but "so far this Scandinavian Air Ambulance during cold spells a near front-row position during the audience. is definitely the biggest one." for the past two years. "It's so frank, him looking dark into your "It's quite different because we are a trio eyes and meeting each other," Helgesen said. and we are working together as colleagues," Notorious attorney to be new "It's a kind of quality respect from him to me unlike choirs where a group of 40 people may and me to him. It was a good moment." be in competitions against others. Svalbard lieutenant governor Alas, the pontiff wasn't among those in the There may be more foreign trips in the Jens Olav Vestgøte Sæther, 45, has accept- audience during the performances. trio's future, as they have two invitations to ed an offer to become Svalbard's next lieu- "He should regret it," Rotevatn quipped. Denmark and are hoping to perform in the tenant governor, according to Gov. Odd Olsen The trio gave short performances as part of United States, Helgesen said. Ingerø. Sæther, an attorney with the Oslo Pub- longer programs in three cathedrals – Collegio "We have some dreams," he said. "It's nice lic Prosecutor's Office, is a former chief prose- Teutonico del Campo, San Girolamo dei Croati to be able to travel when you have the ability cuting leader in Nord-Trøndelag police district. and San Carlo al Corso – plus the Instituto to be close to people, not just the monuments He also has previous experience as an attorney, Maria SS Bambina covenant. Rotevatn said and sculptures, but the opportunity to be close including a high-profile case in 2004 where he that despite the prodigious size of the venues to people, and that's what the trip to Rome was served as counsel to the children of a woman and eminence of some in the audience, in some about." killed in Iraq by her husband, working to bring the youths home to Norway. Sæther will begin ways it wasn't all that much different than the There's more! Visit www.icepeople.net working in Svalbard in mid January. many concerts they perform back home. for the complete story. Weather forecast for Longyearbyen

Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Partly cloudy. N winds to 42 Cloudy. Variable winds to 29 Partly cloudy. Variable winds to Cloudy. N winds to 59 km/h. km/h. High -11C (-17C wind km/h. High -10C (-15C wind 25 km/h. High -9C (-14C wind High -5C (-14C wind chill), low chill), low -12C (-20C wind chill), low -13C (-18C wind chill), low -14C (-20C wind -14C (-21C wind chill). chill). chill). chill). 24-hour darkness 24-hour darkness 24-hour darkness 24-hour darkness Extended forecast: Sunday, cloudy, -12C (-21C), -14C (-22C), light 0:00h; Monday, snow, -11C (-18C), -14C (-21C), light 0:00h; Tuesday, snow, -9C (-16C), -12C (-19C), light 0:00h; Wednesday, cloudy, -11C (-17C), -14C (-20C), light 0:00h Data provided by storm.no Page 4 November 12, 2013

What's up By the way, they also have books Nov. 13 6 p.m.: Movie: "The Family," U.S./French gangster/crime, ages 15 and up. Kulturhuset. Nov. 14 6 p.m.: Dance performance: "Dances With Polar Bears" by 55 students from various arts groups, with a theme focusing on climate change. Kulturhuset. Nov. 15-17 Nearly a decade of dino digs are Swing dance course for beginners and over, but researchers find life those with limited experience. Partner anew in basement laboratory not required. Register at boyeb@ COURTESY OF HUNGRY INC. lokalstyre.no or [email protected]. Cary Fowler walks the lonely path to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in the new documentary "Seeds Nov. 17 By MARK of Time," which follows his efforts of "securing the foundation of nothing less than Earth’s survival." SABBATI‐ 6 p.m.: Movie: "Detektiv Downs," NI Norwegian drama/comedy, age 11 and New film shows familiar vault story up. Kulturhuset. FOWLER, from page 1 The film is getting better early notices than 8 p.m.: Movie: "2 Guns," U.S. action/ of the film notes. The portrayal is typical for the recently released "GMO OMG," described drama, ages 15 and up. Kulturhuset. Fowler, who as chair of vault's International by the Hollywood Reporter as "Jeremy Seifert Advisory Council has essentially been the pub- dumbs down the debate over genetically modi- Nov. 18 lic face for the facility since its opening, a role fied organisms" to the point making one sym- 8 p.m.: Trivia quiz. Barents Pub. he says he embraces as essential for generating pathize with the vault's eye-rollers. And its Nov. 19 much-needed attention and support. Copenhagen debut probably means it won't "Seeds of Time" also narrows the 800,000 disappear without a trace like "The Nightmare 1 p.m.: Administration Committee seed species from 56 depositor institutes down Of Noah," a 2009 project involving ice zom- meeting. Næringsbygget 3, to a single entity where "a group of indigenous bies from the vault terrorizing Longyearbyen Newtontoppen room. Peruvian farmers work to preserve over 1,500 after an actual apocalypse. Nov. 20 native varieties of potato." Struggling with the The film's official website, featuring a loss of cultivable land due to climate change, trailer and other information, is available at 6 p.m.: Movie: "The Hunger Games: they form a new conservation ground and be- www.seedsoftimemovie.com. Catching Fire," U.S. action/adventure, come "the first indigenous community to send There's more! Visit www.icepeople.net ages 11 and up. Kulturhuset. samples of their potato diversity to the vault." for the complete story. Nov. 21 7 p.m.: Lecture by Dag Nævestad about 'Cold' exposes bear attack details whaling and other activities in Svalbard REVIEW, from page 1 during the 17th and 18th centuries. well. He does so in a less than well-structured Svalbard Museum. Sir Ranulph Fiennes, described by the fashion, constantly interrupting present narra- Guinness Book of Records as "the world's tives with passages from other times and places. Nov. 24 greatest living explorer," isn't that dull. But his Still, Fiennes' level of writing is accessible 11 a.m.: Family Mass w/ baptism. new book "Cold: Extreme Adventures at the to laypersons and it's impossible for patient Svalbard Church. Lowest Temperatures on Earth" is a dense readers not to emerge impressed with a man read, offering detailed narratives of extraordi- still attempting landmark expeditions across 4 p.m.: Movie: "Wadjda," Arab/German nary experiences in a rather detached tone. Antarctica as he nears 70. film, all ages. Kulturhuset. For fans of Fiennes that's not necessarily Some of the best narratives are contribu- 6 p.m.: Movie: "Vi Er Best!" Swedish bad – indeed, adventuring purists may appreci- tions and journals from others, including the drama, no age limit specified. ate the absence of dramatizing and sensational- first-ever written description of a polar bear at- Kulturhuset. ism. But it also means the book lacks the mass tack at a youth campsite in Spitsbergen in 2011 audience accessibility of some of his earlier that resulted in the death of 17-year-old Hora- 8 p.m.: Movie: "The Hunger Games: works such as "Captain Scott," a gripping 2004 tio Chapple. Spike Reid, one of expedition's Catching Fire," U.S. action/adventure, recounting and defense of history's most fa- two leaders, admits they didn't set up a night ages 11 and up. Kulturhuset. mous doomed Antarctic expedition. watch and a tripwire alarm around the tents "Cold" is a compilation of Fiennes' work failed to work properly. and expeditions in frigid places during the past "The first thing I saw was a huge polar What's online 40 years, beginning with the aforementioned bear, meters away," Reid wrote in his nearly glacier skydive to conduct surveys of two two-page account. "It was towering over a Icepeople.net provides daily updates of glaciers in Norway. From there he literally pro- young man, who I later learned to be Horatio, a news about Svalbard and the world's ceeds from Pole to Pole, becoming the first superb man and team member, who had been polar regions, plus extras for articles from person to reach both by surface means. dragged from his tent." His narration suffers from two flaws. First, Reid wrote he tried shooting the bear, but the print edition. Among the latest news: the retelling of so many adventures often long all four bullets in his rifle's magazine failed to ● Typhoon Haiyan's link to climate change after they occurred frequently sounds like the fire. The bear bit his head and "swiped me sev- recitation of stories told many times before. eral times with its mighty paws" before the ● Whalers land lots of Arctic 'butterballs' Second, Fiennes seems determined not just to other team leader intervened. ● Tour de Arctic: Like France 60 years ago detail all of his cold-weather exploits, but the There's more! Visit www.icepeople.net history of every other notable expedition as for the complete story. ● Elvis the dog sniffs out pregnant bears