Taken North

It’s that magical time of year! The new Star Wars film is almost here! Oh, nope, sorry Josefina... the holiday season has just begun! This week, with the return of Marcos Astete, we share our Christmas plans, our Star Wars plans, and Marcos’ obsession with Jim Carrey. For the celebration of the holiday season, we’ve each decided to choose a Christmas movie to debate why it is the best and defend its honour in a fight to the death. Listeners, prepare for Taken North’s 'A Christmas Movie Fight!' If you enjoy this episode please leave a review and subscribe! takennorth.com facebook.com/takennorth

Even in this northernmost city, we have a taxi service which helps us around during winter storms and getting us to and from the airport to escape the cold and snow. Wiggo Antonsen is one of these drivers and joins us to share his experience as 'The Northernmost Famous Taxi Driver in the World'! After being featured on the BBC TV Series 'Ice Town: Life on the Edge' he has fallen into celebrity life. Each week tourists recognize him as one of their favourite personalities from the series, asking for selfies and quoting him on his tour of Longyearbyen's history, stories, and forty-two kilometers stretch of road.  If you enjoy this episode please leave a review and subscribe! takennorth.com facebook.com/takennorth

During our November Facebook Live event, we asked our listeners to send us some of their questions about life in the Arctic. We did our best to answer the questions, but thought we should seek additional opinions in the pursuit of clarifying what life in Longyearbyen means for people! Josefina's longtime friend, Malin Grahndin, joins us on the podcast to break the ice and introduce our new segment 'Terrorizing the Locals'.    If you enjoy this episode please leave a review and subscribe! takennorth.com facebook.com/takennorth

Volunteering can take you a long way: for Jason Rutherford, that's the Arctic! He has been volunteering in permaculture from California to Costa Rica and now stumbling upon Benjamin Vidmar’s project, Polar Permaculture Solution, from Episode 3. In this episode, we discuss Jo’s lazy eye, Jason’s bone-breaking love for dogs, guerilla gardening, Jason’s great plans for Antarctica, and how one can be politely rejected to enter Canada. Sorry. If you enjoy this episode please leave a review and subscribe! takennorth.com facebook.com/takennorth

Having been in all the corners of the world, internationally awarded filmmaker Carlos Casas tells his experiences of people who live in these remote areas. Casas was granted artist-in-residence by Artica Svalbard, allowing him to experience and experiment with life in the Arctic. He shares some of the sound clips he has been collecting while exploring Longyearbyen and discloses his vision for the local old cable car central, Taubenesentralen. And Jo plays air banjo - unsuccessfully. If you enjoy this episode please leave a review and subscribe! takennorth.com facebook.com/takennorth carloscasas.net

The winds are getting colder and the darkness if finally falling over us here in Longyearbyen, which means it’s a great time for a Halloween episode! In this spooky chat, we invite the horror enthusiast Marcos Astete to talk about sexy grapes and Halloween plans, haunted houses, and a review of the goriest film of them all, John Carpenter's ‘The Thing’ **Spoilers** We start a breakdown and discussion of the film at 22:33. Watch the film and come back to listen to our thoughts about this crazy film! If you enjoy this episode please leave a review and subscribe! takennorth.com/ facebook.com/takennnorth

With the dark season a few weeks away we talk with Linda Aberg, a local yoga teacher, who has experienced the dark several times in all its glory. Polar latitudes can mess up your circadian rhythm, resulting in loss of sleep, fatigue, and depression. Find out how we avoid seasonal affective disorder while enjoying life in the Arctic, mainly with laughter! If you enjoy this episode please leave a review and subscribe! takennorth.com facebook.com/takennorth

Ten years ago Ser Thomas Williams' nomad spirit brought him to west coast Norway, where he came to experience the culture clash, and ultimately came to learn the Norwegian language. After years in the cold, he now seeks life in the warmth. If you enjoy this episode please leave a review and subscribe! takennorth.com facebook.com/takennorth

Up in the north, we live as if in a bubble, distracted with adventure and forgetting the devastating conflicts happening around the world, causing millions to flee their homes. Ina Søhus, a member of The Hero Centre, shares some of her stories, experiences, and the misconceptions about refugees and their struggles to find a safer place in this world. If you enjoy this episode please leave a review and subscribe! takennorth.com facebook.com/takennorth

We are Justin and Josefina. In this episode, we thought it was time for us to introduce ourselves, share who we are, why we keep on coming back to Svalbard, and why we decided to start the northernmost podcast on Earth. If you enjoy this episode please leave a review and subscribe! takennorth.com facebook.com/takennorth

What can and can we not say? In this episode, we discuss Norwegian Alcohol laws and the old traditions of Alcohol Quota Card with Ida Larson, the head of the visitor center and administration at the Svalbard Brewery. With wit, she tells us the inspiring story behind the brewery, how it changed Longyearbyen, and her obsession with frozen pizza. If you enjoy this episode please leave a review and subscribe! takennorth.com facebook.com/takennorth

How can we make this cold, bare arctic town greener? Founder of Polar Permaculture Solutions, Benjamin Vidmar, has the solution! He teaches us the steps we can all take to help Longyearbyen to become more ecologically aware. Benjamin tells the story of the northernmost greenhouse and his passion for fresh food. If you enjoy this episode please leave a review and subscribe! takennorth.com facebook.com/takennorth

Together with Chicco Mattos, producer and owner of Shutterbird Production, we discuss how to survive in the Arctic, his fascination with the northern lights, what motivates someone to go out shooting for hours upon hours in -40'C. We also ask Chicco about his successful TV show, "Minha Vida no Arctico" and his next adventure - the crossing of Antarctic! If you enjoy this episode please leave a review and subscribe! takennorth.com facebook.com/takennorth

To help us introduce Svalbard and the podcast we have invited our friend, Ivan, to come into the studio. After a few years of living in the city, we each share a few unique experiences which make life here odd. Join us as we discuss surviving the inevitable zombie apocalypse, defeating polar bears in our nightmares, and weird, odd, fun facts of Longyearbyen. If you enjoy this episode please leave a review and subscribe! takennorth.com facebook.com/takennorth