Frontierwatch

Recently a Norwegian yacht named “Berserk” went missing in the Ross Sea, as did three of its crew. Two survivors of the expedition, Jarle Andhoy and Samuel Massie, were going to ride quad bikes to the South Pole at the end of the Antarctic summer in celebration of Roald Amundsen’s 100th anniversary of planting his [...]

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Here’s an interview with the Vice President of the Wells Fargo ATM Banking Division regarding the ATMs at McMurdo: DP: Right. One other thing I wanted to correct something I said earlier, when you asked the question–you didn’t have a Wells Fargo account and how much would it cost you….and actually, there is no surcharge [...]

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“Greetings All, The Power Plant is at maximum electrical power capacity limits for Generator #3. Immediately turn off any unnecessary electrical items in buildings on the list below. [McMurdo Area Manager]” ________________________ Feeder “A” – Central Industrial 17 Equipment Ops. 34 Warm Up Shack, Waste Mgmt 72 Oil Separator 122 Skua Central 132 Automotive Supply [...]

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One of the more curious dynamics of Antarctic habitation is that a polar base is typically funded and run by large organizations, who depend upon a population of workers who cannot “leave” their place of employment. Your average Wal-Mart employee understands that their employer has policies and regulations governing their behavior, dress, and mores at [...]

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Here’s the management email thread leading up to the disposal of winter-over eggs. Excerpts: What is the RPSC & NANA supervisor’s analysis and recommendation on use of the eggs and egg products?  Neither were aware that this was a problem.  They have been using oiled shell eggs for approximately 7 years without any known problems. [...]

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From MSNBC: According to the report, one senior staff member spent as much as 20 percent of his time during a two-year period at lurid sites and in sexually explicit chat rooms. That time cost taxpayers more than $40,000, the report stated. Other employees were also alleged to have watched, downloaded and e-mailed porn. [...] [...]

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From Big Blue Globe: Effective immediately, B-063 housing the Bowling Alley – Weight Gym -Ceramics Room – Boulder Room and Craft Room is closed to all personnel. Do not enter the building for any reason. A cross member structural beam has suffered a failure that has resulted in the floor sagging approximately six inches. All [...]

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From “South Pole a Tourist Hotspot”: Arrivals at the bottom of the world quadrupled from 40 in the 2003-04 season to 164 last year, statistics from the United States base at the pole say. “They come and they come,” US National Science Foundation representative Jerry Marty told The Antarctic Sun. The US Antarctic Program was [...]

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Antarctica, distant and exotic, yet cold and lifeless, is a place built for media fibs.  Any small inconvenience, paired with a tantalizing subzero temperature (usually including the wind-chill for dramatic purposes, even if you’re inside), is enough to drive the hometown papers bonkers with stories of their American sons and daughters braving the harshest conditions [...]

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Fuel prices are crippling the USAP. Budget cuts are rampant, affecting every aspect of The Program, even on the smallest levels. For example, take the new workboot reimbursement policy. Due to budget cuts, workboot reimbursement will be limited to select departments, and will only be reimbursed every other year. That the company is cutting back [...]

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