Daily Kos: ND-Sen: Rep. Rick Berg (R. Goldmark)

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So we've heard a lot about Goldman Sachs and Bain Capital over these past four years. ?But now get ready to hear about another slimy, greedy company that has brought misery to others. ?It's called Goldmark Property Management and it's the top donor to North Dakota GOP Senate candidate, Rick Berg.

First off, for those of you not familiar with Republican Senate candidate, Rick Berg, let me fill you in on some info. ?Berg served in the North Dakota House of Representatives from 1985-2011. ?Berg was House Majority Leader from 2003-2011. ?Berg then defeated nine term Congressman, Earl Pomeroy (D) during the 2010 mid-term elections. ?During his time in the North Dakota House, Berg voted with a minority of the state house to make terminating a pregnancy illegal, in a bill that only made exception for when the life of the mother is endangered. ?You can read about the legislation here:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/...

So Berg is another anti-choice extremist in the War On Women like Todd Akin in Missouri, Tommy Thompson in Wisconsin and Tom Smith in Pennsylvania. ?He was a big fan of George W. Bush's plan to privative Social Security back in 2005:

Did you also know that he's the 13th wealthiest member of congress who's worth up to $54 million dollars? ?Now you do. ?How do he make that much money? ?From helping find a real estate company known as Goldmark Schlossman Commercial Real Estate Services now known as Goldmark Property Management. ?Salon did a piece on Berg's connections with Goldmark and it's quite an interesting read:

http://www.salon.com/...

Berg's challenger, former Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp (D. ND) has been bitting Berg hard in her campaign ads regarding Berg's connection to Goldmark and it's something that could very well sink Berg's campaign:

The company, Goldmark Property Management, had earned a bad reputation in the state, along with tenant complaints, citations for alleged fire safety violations, and a C - rating from the Better business Bureau. - Salon, 9/25/12

Goldmark has donated at least $17,500 to Berg?s Senate campaign and has donated $20,000 to Senate Republicans. ?Golmark employees also donate $28,000 dollars to Berg's 2010 House campaign and Berg has also emphasized about his business record on his own Senate website:

http://www.bergfornorthdakota.com/...

With nothing more than a loan, a vision, and a lot of hard work, what began as a business idea among friends grew into what is now Goldmark Schlossman Commercial Real Estate Services.

Heitkamp's latest radio ad highlights one case where Goldmark sent a collections agent after a soldier deployed abroad. ?Berg claims the ad is "100 percent false" and that he has had no involvement with with Goldmark and that he only founded the precursor company, Midwest Management Company, but left the company several years before the company changed it's name to Goldmark:

According to Berg, he founded the company that proceeded Goldmark Property Management, but left several years before it changed its name to Goldmark. A few years after that, he helped found Goldmark Schlossman Commercial Real Estate Services. As Politico?s John Bresnahan reported last week, the two companies share a name, address, phone number, office space and many of the same officers and employees. Berg insists the two companies have no ?legal affiliation.? - Salon, 9/25/12

Goldmark Property Management?s website listed Berg as a senior vice president but for some strange reason, Berg's name was taken off the website. ?Here's a screenshot from the Salon article that proves though he was listed as V.P. of Goldmark on their website:

Salon points out this interesting fact from Berg's deleted bio from the Goldmark website and some other interesting facts:

?Rick has been with GOLDMARK since its inception in 1981.? Berg has acted as a public spokesman for the company in the past, and on a 2000 campaign donation, he listed ?Goldmark Property Management? as his employer. The Berg campaign now says this was a clerical error. - Salon, 9/25/12

So Berg, like Mitt Romney, loves to tout his business record to help him get elected. The big difference between Berg and Romney is Romney lied about how long he worked at Bain while Berg brags about his co-finding Goldmark but then tries to distance himself from the controversial company he helped create. ?But don't worry, Berg's time at Goldmark along with their generous donations to Berg's past campaigns have had no influence on how he drafted legislation in the North Dakota House of Representatives... NOT!!!!! ?Read on:

And judging by Berg?s record in the state Legislature, it?s not hard to see why they invested in him. According to legislative records, Berg introduced numerous bills as a member of the state House of Representatives and state Senate to give landlords more rights over their tenants in ways that could possibly benefit both Goldmark companies and thus Berg. In 1985, he sponsored a bill that would raise the amount landlords could charge a for security deposit, from one month?s rent to one and half month?s rent, and made it easier for them to keep security deposits.

In 1989, he introduced a bill that would have made it easier for landlords to evict tenants by allowing the proceedings to go through small claims court. ?That bill failed with zero yea votes, 101 nays and five absentees. That same year, he introduced a separate bill to make it easier for landlords to evict tenants by holding them responsible for ?indirect? actions. ?It was ultimately vetoed by the governor, who said it was too ambiguous and ?could lead to abuse by both landlords and other tenants.? ?Another bill introduced that year raised the amount of property left on the premises by tenants that landlords could keep or dispose of ?without legal process.?

In 1991, Berg introduced a bill that would have made it possible for a landlord to evict a tenant if they or a guest ?act[ed] in a manner that disturbs other tenants? peaceful enjoyment of the premises.? Two years later, he introduced a bill that would have made evicted tenants ?liable for rent during the remainder of the term of the lease.?

A raft of other bills would do favorable things for the real estate industry, such as prohibiting rent control, exempting real estate agents from some workers compensation requirements, and exempting new construction from property taxes for two years. - Salon, 9/25/12

So Berg is a fan of allowing landlords be huge assholes to their tenants and evicting hard working people for bull shit reasons. ?It sure would suck to have Rick Berg as a landlord. ?Especially if you're a deployed troop fighting for his country. ?Now to be fair, Salon points out that Berg was not working at either Goldmark Schlossman or Goldmark Property Management while serving in the North Dakota House of Representatives but they bring up a great point:

But considering his past and future involvement in the real estate industry, it seems reasonable to assume that he maintained close ties with executives at Goldmark who would benefit from this legislation, and that he might have indirectly benefited himself once he started Goldmark Schlossman in 1996. - Salon, 9/25/12

? ?
Berg does not represent the people of North Dakota. ?He is the puppet for the real estate business and the representative from Goldmark. ?Imagine the type of legislation he could propose and author if he is in the Senate, especially if the GOP won control of the Senate this year. ?Berg is a self-serving member of the 1%. ?Heidi Heitkamp is a real public servant and truly represents the people of North Dakota. ?There's no way in hell President Obama is going to win North Dakota. ?N.D. is pure red but has elected Democratic Senators like Byron Dorgan who voted against the repeal of Glass-Steagall and warned us of the consequences the repeal would have on the economy. ?Deficit hawk, Kent Conrad, is retiring this year and as pistolSO has pointed out that Heitkamp's win means progress:

http://www.dailykos.com/...

Republicans may outnumber Democrats in registration but we have the better candidate who is well-known and well-liked. ?Before Heitkamp entered the race, it looked like Berg was poised for victory but now this race is a Toss Up and Heitkamp has run an amazing campaign. ?Berg is just another tea party nut job who voted for Vice Presidential nominee, Paul Ryan's (R) budget that ends medicare as we know it. ?This race is so close that the NRSC, Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers have to spend a lot of money on their own turf. ?North Dakota is a split ticket race just Dr. Richard Carmona in Arizona, Joe Donnelly in Indiana, Claire McCaskill's in Missouri, Jon Tester in Montana and Joe Manchin in West Virginia. ?The majority of voters in North Dakota have made up their mind about who they will vote for in the Presidential election but The majority of voters in North Dakota aren't so sure that Rick berg would make a great Senator. ?Lets help the good people of North Dakota make the right decision and vote in Heidi Heitkamp to the U.S. Senate:

https://secure.actblue.com/...

Source: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/27/1136432/-ND-Sen-Rep-Rick-Berg-R-Goldmark

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ZachZaidman: Since Lovie Smith was hired as head coach in 2004, #Bears now 62-12 when they score at least 18 points in a game.

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Little Ice Age led to migration of island hopping arctic foxes

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

The Little Ice Age allowed a new wave of arctic foxes to colonise Iceland, according to new research.

A "bridge" of sea ice appeared during a dip in temperatures between 200 to 500 years ago allowing arctic foxes to migrate to Iceland from different Arctic regions including Russia, North America and Greenland.

The research, led by scientists at Durham University, UK, said their findings showed the importance of sea ice in creating and maintaining the genetic population of the arctic fox across the polar regions where the animal is found.

The multi-disciplinary approach used for this project could also be used to track the migration of other animals found on remote islands, the researchers said.

While Iceland's approximately 10,000 strong arctic fox population is not at risk, the researchers added that increasing isolation from the rest of the Arctic, caused by warmer temperatures and a lack of sea ice, could further differentiate the island's population from their mainland relatives.

Ancient arctic foxes also crossed sea ice during previous ice ages to reach Iceland well before human settlement in the 9th Century. Warmer temperatures then melted the sea ice and isolated the ancient foxes on the island before the Little Ice Age reconnected Iceland to the mainland.

The Little Ice Age saw temperatures plummet in the 16th to 19th Centuries across large parts of Europe and North America in particular, and rivers such as the Thames were frequently frozen enough to support ice skating and winter festivals.

The researchers analysed DNA samples from ancient remains of Icelandic arctic foxes dating from two late 9th to 12th Century archaeological sites and compared the findings to DNA data from their modern successors.

They found that the ancient foxes shared a single genetic signature, while the modern population possesses five unique signatures.

The researchers were able to rule out different explanations for the increase in the amount of variation of the ancient foxes, including geographic reasons and breeding between farmed and wild arctic foxes.

The team concluded that the most likely explanation for the boom in genetic diversity among arctic foxes was migration across sea ice that formed during the Little Ice Age.

The research, partly funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), is published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B - Biological Sciences.

Senior author Dr Greger Larson, in Durham University's Department of Archaeology, said: "During the Little Ice Age there was a great deal more sea ice in the North Atlantic than there is today and during the late 18th and 19th centuries sea ice routinely grounded on Iceland.

"Even today arctic foxes routinely travel hundreds of miles across sea ice and once the ice bridge was in place, they easily crossed the North Atlantic and were able to arrive on Iceland, increasing the genetic diversity of the population.

"To paraphrase Dr Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park, 'Life will always find a way', and in this case, once the Little Ice Age began, arctic foxes didn't need much of an opportunity to colonise Iceland."

Dr Larson added that potential for animal migration had decreased significantly during the 20th Century, a trend which global warming had accelerated.

He said: "Without the sea ice, there will be no new fox migrants and thus the Icelandic population will continue to diverge from their mainland relatives."

Dr Larson added that the model the research used to determine the genetic diversity of the arctic fox could also be used to track the historical migration of other animals such as reindeer that are also found on Iceland.

###

Durham University: http://www.dur.ac.uk

Thanks to Durham University for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/123410/Little_Ice_Age_led_to_migration_of_island_hopping_arctic_foxes

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APNewsBreak: McConnell hires tea party strategist (The Arizona Republic)

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Human Embryonic Stem Cells Restore Gerbil Hearing

A new study offers proof that stem cells can reconnect the inner ear to the brain

By Virginia Gewin

Neurons (in yellow) derived from human embryonic stem cells have restored hearing to deaf gerbils. Image: Marcelo Rivolta, University of Sheffield

By Virginia Gewin of Nature magazine

More than 275 million people have moderate-to-profound hearing loss, and many of those cases are caused by a breach in the connection between the inner ear and the brain.

Researchers have now shown how to repair a key component of that connection ? the auditory nerve ?? by using human embryonic stem cells to restore hearing in gerbils. "We have the proof of concept that we can use human embryonic stem cells to repair the damaged ear," says lead author Marcelo Rivolta, a stem-cell biologist at the University of Sheffield, UK, whose research appears in Nature today. "More work needs to be done, but now we know it's possible."

Stem cells have been differentiated into auditory nerve cells before, but this is the first time that transplanted cells have successfully restored hearing in animals. Some in the field say that it is a pivotal step that will undoubtedly spur more research. ?Research has been stymied by reviewers wanting evidence that stem cells can connect the inner ear to the central nervous system,? says Richard Altschuler, a developmental biologist at the Kresge Hearing Research Institute at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Rivolta has spent the past decade developing ways to differentiate human embryonic stem cells into the two cell types that are essential for hearing: auditory neurons, and the inner-ear hair cells that translate sound into electrical signals.

He treated human embryonic stem cells with two types of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) ? FGF3 and FGF10 ? to produce two, visually distinct, groups of primordial sensory cell. Those that had characteristics similar to hair cells were dubbed otic epithelial progenitors (OEPs), and those that looked more like neurons were dubbed otic neural progenitors (ONPs).

His team then transplanted ONPs into the ears of gerbils that had been treated with ouabain, a chemical that damages auditory nerves, but not hair cells. Ten weeks after the procedure, some of?the transplanted cells had grown projections that formed connections to the brain stem. Subsequent testing showed that many of the animals could hear much fainter sounds after transplantation, with an overall improvement in hearing of 46%.

Hear this
Rivolta?s findings ? along with a study published in July showing that gene therapy can restore hearing in deaf-born mice ? reinforce a spate of studies demonstrating that stem cells and gene therapy can restore sensory functions, including smell (see 'Gene therapy restores sense of smell to mice') and vision (see 'Regenerative medicine repairs mice from top to toe').

The advances are exciting, says John Brigande, a developmental biologist at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland who has a progressive form of hearing loss and is exploring stem-cell-based approaches to restore auditory function. He notes, however, that because the ?exquisite architecture? of the inner ear can be damaged in many different ways, ?there won?t be one cure for hearing loss, there will be a variety of interventions tailored to unique conditions?.

The number of people who might benefit from a stem-cell-driven increase in auditory neurons remains unclear, but stem cells could broaden the reach of existing therapies. ?Because functioning auditory neurons are necessary for cochlear implants to work, stem cells open a candidate pool that cannot yet be helped,? says Altschuler.

The first treatments for hearing could take at least 15 years to develop, says Stefan Heller, a stem-cell researcher at Stanford University in California who is working on other ways to differentiate stem cells into hair cells and support cells. ?The next goals of any protocol are to gain higher levels of efficiency and reproducibility, determine protocol safety and confirm that transplantation leads to prolonged recovery,? says Heller. ?Then we can think about patients.?

This article is reproduced with permission from the magazine Nature. The article was first published on September 12, 2012.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=977c5378bb42179588da1cdb03a29fa7

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"Gone With the Wind" trademark and literary rights gifted to Catholic ...

The Catholic Church has been given a large gift in another state. The nephew of "Gone With the Wind" author Margaret Mitch has gifted 50 percent of the rights to the trademark and literary rights to the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Although this gift doesn't include rights to the film, it could still be work hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

The gift of these rights shows how people can gift more than just money in a bank account using estate planning. People in New Jersey and across the country can gift rights for certain assets that might have royalties associated with it, making its value undeterminable. These assets can even be gifted to institutions or organizations, not just individual people. They can also be placed in a trust, which is what happened to the other 50 percent of the rights to the works in this case.

Dividing up an asset in this way allows people to give to a cause or institution that a person believed strongly in as well as helping protect and ensure the financial future of a person's family. While these matters may seem complex, an experienced estate planning attorney can help New Jersey residents handle these matters.

If proper planning is in place, a person can gift these assets to a person or organization, even if they don't know they are to receive them. Proper estate planning can help ensure a person's wishes are fulfilled no matter who they intend to gift assets to.

Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Margaret Mitchell's nephew leaves estate to Atlanta Archdiocese," Sheila M. Poole, Aug. 16, 2012

-There are many different ways to set up an estate plan. To learn more about estate planning, please visit our website.

Source: http://www.jerseycityestateplanningattorneys.com/2012/09/gone-with-the-wind-trademark-and-literary-rights-gifted-to-catholic-church.shtml

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