The House and Senate are not in session this week.

Super Committee Failure Helps Feds in Short Term. Federal pay and benefits are being spared in the short term as a result of the super committee's failure to produce a deficit reduction plan. The 12 lawmakers on the joint select congressional panel failed to broker a deal to cut federal spending. "After months of hard work and intense deliberations, we have come to the conclusion today that it will not be possible to make any bipartisan agreement available to the public before the committee's deadline," said a statement from committee co-chairs Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. Government Executive

Sequester Becomes Silver Lining: Instead of Being a Deterrent, Automatic Cuts Help Lawmakers to Accept Deficit Panel Failure. The legislative mechanism that will force automatic cuts in defense and domestic programs now that the deficit panel did not fulfill its mission has gone from being a "sword" hanging over lawmakers to a "silver lining" rewarding them for inaction. The sequester was among the final elements to be decided as part of the August law that raised the ceiling on government borrowing and created the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction. It was widely believed at the time that those cuts would be too difficult for Congress to accept and would spur the panel to reach a consensus on at least $1.2 trillion in budget savings over the next decade. Roll Call

Law on Northern Sea Route in the Pipeline. As the longest Arctic sailing season ever has come to an end, Russia passes a law that is meant to regulate traffic along the Northern Sea Route. According to the bill, transport operators, including foreign companies, will have the same access to the Northern Sea Route. A centralized administration for the transport system will be established, but where the administration will be located is yet to be determined. The bill also includes provisions on navigation, environmental protection and icebreaker assistance. Barents Observer 

Alaskans Hope to See the US Asserting Arctic Control: Leaders: Law of the Sea Treaty, icebreakers, both need to protect country's interests. A U.S. Senate subcommittee on oceans will take a fresh look at the Law of the Sea Treaty early next year, said Sen. Mark Begich, chairman of the Commerce Committee's subcommittee with jurisdiction on the topic. The treaty was negotiated and signed by the United States decades ago, but has yet to go into effect here because it hasn't been ratified by the United States Senate. "It's irresponsible for us to not be a party to the Law of the Sea," Begich told the Empire last week. "This is an important treaty that has huge opportunities for us, from Alaska's perspective," he said. Juneau Empire 

Life Among the Reindeer Herders: On the jagged northern tip of Norway, the Sami people still herd reindeer. But, inevitably, their life is changing... Two hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle, near the jagged tips of Norway's crown, the sun does not set for weeks on end during the summer months. The Sami reindeer herders are too busy to pay much attention. "We're always in the middle of calf marking at this time," Ingrid Gaup says, referring to the yearly ritual in which the herding families carve their ancient marks into the ears of the new calves. In the Sami's homeland, spread across northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, the notion of time is yoked instead to something more important than the cycles of the sun: the movement of the reindeer. The Guardian

No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.

Airships to the Arctic VI: A Game-Changer, December 5-6, 2011. The sixth Airships to the Arctic conference explores the forward and backward linkages of the emerging airship industry. The introduction of transport airship will require new locations for transshipment and generate economic opportunities that do not exist today. Just as these other modes of transport spawned an array of input suppliers, this conference examines the supply base of the airship industry. Construction of large transport airships will create the need for materials, engines, pilots, avionics and many other large and small input suppliers.  

AGU Fall Meeting, December 5-9, 2011. The American Geophysical Union's ("AGU") Fall Meeting to connect with colleagues, broaden their knowledge base, and embrace the joy of science.  The groundbreaking research presented at this world-renowned event is critical to advancing our understanding of the natural world and to addressing the challenges society faces as they relate to our science. As an organization, AGU works to unite Earth and space scientists who are dedicated to the common goal: scientific discovery for the benefit of humanity.  One of the most important ways we do this is through the Fall Meeting - an event that embodies who we are as a scientific organization and that is key to helping us achieve our organizational mission, vision and goals. 

Alaska Marine Science Symposium, January 16-20, 2012. The symposium was first held in 2002 to connect scientists in Alaska, the Pacific Northwest and beyond in an effort to collaborate and communicate on research

activities in the marine regions off Alaska. There will be plenary and poster sessions featuring a broad spectrum of ocean science on issues of climate, oceanography, lower trophic levels, the benthos, fish and invertebrates, seabirds, marine mammals, local and traditional knowledge, and socioeconomic research. There will also be speakers, workshops and special sessions.

Arctic Science Summit Week 2012, April 20-22, 2012. The summit will provide opportunities for international coordination, collaboration and cooperation in all areas of Arctic science. Side meetings organized by stakeholders in Arctic science and policy are also expected. More information to follow. 

From Knowledge to Action, April 22-27, 2012. The conference will bring together over 2,000 Arctic and Antarctic researchers, policy and decision-makers, and a broad range of interested parties from academia, industry, non-government, education and circumpolar communities including indigenous peoples. The conference is hosted by the Canadian IPY Program Office in partnership with the National Research Council of Canada, among other groups. Each day of the conference will feature a program of keynote speakers, plenary panel discussions, parallel science sessions, as well as dedicated poster sessions. The conference-wide plenaries will explore themes related to topics of polar change, global linkages, communities and health, ecosystem services, infrastructure, resources and security. Other sessions will provide the opportunity to present and discuss the application of research findings, policy implications and how to take polar knowledge to action. 

The Tenth International Conference on Permafrost, June 2012. The conference will be held in Tyumen, Russia, and is organized and hosted by Russia. The last conference was held in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2008. Details to follow.  

The Arctic Imperative Summit, July 29-August 1, 2012. The summit will be hosted by Alaska Dispatch and will bring together leading voices in this conversation, including residents from the small villages that comprise Alaska's coastal communities; state, national and international leaders; the heads of shipping and industry; as well as international policymakers and the news media. The goal of the summit is to sharpen the focus on the policy and investment needs of Alaska's Arctic through a series of high level meetings, presentations, investor roundtables and original research.

15th International Congress on Circumpolar Heath, August 5-10, 2012. This event is sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Society for Circumpolar Health, and the International Union for Circumpolar Health.  The forum will consider community participatory research and indigenous research; women's health, family health, and well-being; food security and nutrition; social determinants of health; environmental and occupational health; infectious and chronic diseases; climate change health impacts; health service delivery and infrastructure; and behavioral health.

Arctic/Inuit/Connections: Learning from the Top of the World , October 24-28, 2012.  The 18th Inuit Studies Conference, hosted by the Smithsonian Institution, will be held in Washington, DC. The conference will consider heritage museums and the North; globalization: an Arctic story; power, governance and politics in the North; the '"new" Arctic: social, cultural and climate change; and Inuit education, health, language, and literature. For more information, please email Lauren Marr.