Alaska: Alaska Set Employment Record in 2013 Says Labor Dept. - Comprehensive employment and wage data for the third quarter of 2013 have recently been released. Alaska employment peaked at 358,470 in August, the state’s highest monthly job count on re cord, according to the Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development.

Statewide, third quarter employment is always the year’s highest due to Alaska’s seasonal economy said the department in a news relese. Average monthly employment during the third quarter of 2013 was 353,189, up 0.6 percent from the third quarter of 2012.

Statewide, employers paid $4.3 billion in wages, up 2.2 percent from the third quarter of 2012.

Statewide, private sector jobs were up 3,348 from the third quarter of 2012, partly due to the seafood processing industry adding more than 1,000 jobs to accommodate a large pink salmon harvest.

Other areas of growth statewide included the health care and social assistance sector, which added more than 750 jobs from the third quarter of 2012.

Average monthly federal employment fell by 993 statewide in the third quarter compared to the prior year. Statewide, local government jobs also declined in the same period, but the magnitude of the loss is overstated because school start dates vary from year to year.

In the Southeast Alaska Economic Region, there was a slight decrease in federal, state and local government employment compared to the same time period in 2013. - More...
Wednesday PM - April 09, 2014

Alaska: Alaska Dispatch Publishing LLC to Purchase Anchorage Daily News - Alaska Dispatch Publishing LLC, the owner and publisher of Alaska Dispatch, announced yesterday it has reached an agreement to purchase the Anchorage Daily News from The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI).

Founded in 2008, Alaska Dispatch is an award-winning site at the forefront of the national movement toward independent online news. Alice Rogoff, a longtime supporter of journalism and former CFO of U.S. News and World Report, amateur pilot and wife of billionaire David Rubenstein, became the majority owner of Alaska Dispatch LLC in 2009. Since then, the operation has employed writers, editors, and a full-time sales staff. Rogoff is the publisher and chief executive while co-founder Tony Hopfinger is the executive editor and president.

"We founded Alaska Dispatch to ensure the future of quality journalism in Alaska," said Hopfinger. "We've established ourselves as a leader in investigative reporting, public service journalism, and in offering a variety of opinions and perspectives from around the state, and we've been recognized with regional and national awards. We're proud of what we have accomplished in the last five years, and we couldn't be more excited about this new venture."

The Anchorage Daily News, the largest newspaper in Alaska, has a long history of distinguished journalism, winning two Pulitzer Prizes for public service in 1976 and 1989. “We’re excited to add the many talented and accomplished employees of the Anchorage Daily News to our team,” said Rogoff. - More...
Wednesday PM - April 09, 2014

Science - Archaeology: From ancient giants to couch potatoes: Humans through 6,000 years of farming - Human bones are remarkably plastic and respond surprisingly quickly to change. Put under stress through physical exertion – such as long-distance walking or running – they gain in strength as the fibres are added or redistributed according to where strains are highest. The ability of bone to adapt to loading is shown by analysis of the skeletons of modern athletes, whose bones show remarkably rapid adaptation to both the intensity and direction of strains.

Because the structure of human bones can inform us about the lifestyles of the individuals they belong to, they can provide valuable clues for biological anthropologists looking at past cultures. Research by Alison Macintosh, a PhD candidate in Cambridge University's Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, shows that after the emergence of agriculture in Central Europe from around 5300 BC, the bones of those living in the fertile soils of the Danube river valley became progressively less strong, pointing to a decline in mobility and loading. - More...
Wednesday PM - April 09, 2014

Genetics - Science: It's confirmed, humans and Neandertals interbred - Technical objections to the idea that Neandertals interbred with the ancestors of Eurasians have been overcome, thanks to a genome analysis method described in the April 2014 issue of the journal GENETICS. The technique can more confidently detect the genetic signatures of interbreeding than previous approaches and will be useful for evolutionary studies of other ancient or rare DNA samples.

"Our approach can distinguish between two subtly different scenarios that could explain the genetic similarities shared by Neandertals and modern humans from Europe and Asia," said study co-author Konrad Lohse, a population geneticist at the University of Edinburgh. - More...
Wednesday PM - April 09, 2014

Columns - Commentary

In a Fairbanks News Miner Op-Ed mayors (i.e. whose own retirements are at risk with underfunded pension liabilities) urge lawmakers to support the Governor's proposal to reduce the $12 billion unfunded pension liability by $3 billion.

To do that, lawmakers will have to remove $3 billion from state savings accounts at a time when their deficit spending level requires use of depleting savings.

Oil production from Prudhoe Bay is declining, upon which 90% of state spending is based. Oil revenue could continue its dramatic, annual production decline putting more reliance on savings accounts to balance an unsustainable state budget.

Paying off the entire pension liability is impossible since Alaska doesn't have $12 billion in total savings available.

Gas pipeline investors have to be wondering, "If I commit to a portion of a $40 - 60 billion gas pipeline/LNG export project and the state continues running out of money, how safe is my investment from predatory tax policy?"

Alaska has a track record of taxing for more than it needs to operate and, to add insult to injury, taxing the oil industry retroactively. It has built the highest cost per capita bureaucracy in the nation. Now, in the face of rising costs and diminished revenues it is urging oil companies to invest in a mega gas pipeline project so that revenue from that project a decade from now can fund the state's spending appetite.

Meanwhile, dozens of pending LNG export projects in the the US and Canada are all romancing the same Asian energy consumers. Experienced observers know that profit margins will likely be thinner than they hope for. Asian utility managers are not stupid. They will want the lowest possible "ship or pay" cost for LNG energy in return for their own "take or pay", long-term financial commitments. (Some good, Lower 48 researchers are excited about Alaska's prospects, but may not be fully aware of investor concerns or competitive pressures from other export projects that we have covered in these pages.) - More....
Wednesday PM - April 09, 2014