text:
Adam E. Gallagher May 28, 2013 foreign policy, Middle East, Syria, theory
Constructing Constructivist Change in the Iranian-U.S. Relationship
Despite the recent myopic attention paid by the media and the Obama administration to Syria, the Iranian nuclear program remains one of the most important issues in U.S. foreign policy—or so we are told. The challenge presented by the Iranians' putative quest to acquire nuclear weapons has been portrayed as the most important security challenge facing the United States, particularly this millennium. Torn asunder by the 1979 revolution, the relationship between Iran and the United has been consistently adversarial for over 30 years. While in the West commentators and government officials accuse Iran of nefarious meddling and intransigence, the Iranian leadership views, or at least publicly asserts, that the United States is the "Great Satan," engaged in a war against Islam.
What possibilities could there be for change in this intractably bellicose dyad? Two international relations schools of thought can help us better understand why these two states are so resolutely antagonistic. Neorealism and Constructivism offer two fundamentally different takes on international politics and state behavior. While the Neorealist school provides a useful descriptive analytical frame for understanding the current state of play, Constructivists offer a prescriptive framework that offers insights into how the Iranian-U.S. dynamic could be altered.
In his work Theory of International Politics, the late and prominent Neorealist thinker Kenneth Waltz adduces what he refers to as the "ordering principle" of the international system. According to Waltz, "the prominent characteristic of international politics… seems to be the lack of order and of organization."[1] The lack of a central governing authority that supersedes the sovereignty of states means that states necessarily exist in an anarchic world. Contrasting national and international politics, Waltz suggests "national politics is the realm of authority, of administration and of law. International politics is the realm of power, of struggle and of accommodation… The national realm is variously described as being hierarchic, vertical, centralized, heterogeneous, directed and contrived; the international realm as being anarchic, horizontal, decentralized, homogenous, undirected, and mutually adaptive."[2] The anarchy of the international system has profound effects on state behavior and the logic that drives state decision-making.
For Waltz and his fellow Neorealists, the story of the stag hunt is particularly instructive in understanding the international system. In the stag hunt story, a group of men in the state of nature can choose to jointly work towards capturing a stag and thus acquire enough meat to feed all the men. However, at any point one man can leave the group in order to catch a rabbit to ensure his own nourishment, thereby rendering the rest of the group incapable of capturing the stag. Although not all men are necessarily evil or so self-serving, to ensure survival man must act as though all other men have the potential to abandon the group to address one's own immediate self-interest. In the international system states must recognize this dilemma. This engenders what Waltz and other Neorealists call a self-help system. Waltz asserts, "Self-help is necessarily the principle of action in an anarchic order."[3] In contrast to Classical Realism, Neorealists assert that the anarchy of the international system is not a fundament of human nature, but is structural. In other words, in a self-help system with no supranational authority governing or superseding the autonomy and sovereignty of states each state must act according to its own self-interest, with particular concern for its own survival.
The self-help situation of every state for itself produces a security dilemma. States arm themselves to ensure their own security and survival. However, other states react similarly, seeing the buildup of military power in one state as a threat to their own survival. Iran's putative drive for nuclear weapons and the concomitant response by the United States and its allies has congruence with the world described by Neorealists. Iran's proximity to two states that the United States, the world's preponderant power, has invaded in the last decade has certainly put leaders of the Islamic Republic on watch. Both North Korea and Iraq have been states in which the international community, led by the United States, has militated towards altering pernicious behavior. Many argue that North Korea's acquisition of a nuclear bomb has been the deterrent that has prevented invasion to this point. Indeed, many observers note that if Saddam Hussein had actually acquired a nuclear bomb, the United States would have never invaded. To Iran, this demonstrates that acquiring a nuclear weapon will serve as a powerful deterrent to ensure survival and stave off a potential invasion.
Neorealism ignores a central component of the bellicose U.S.-Iranian dyad, that is, the role of ideology and ideas. Alternatively, drawing on a Constructivist perspective can lead to a better understanding of how to improve this dyad. Constructivism stems from the emergence of the post-positivist tradition, part of what Yosef Lapid calls the "Third Debate," in International Relations theory. Although in many ways Constructivism is a diverse school of thought, there is a common focus on analyzing the key assumptions, ideas, norms, beliefs, and values that drive international relations.
According to Alexander Wendt, a prominent Constructivist, Constructivism, along with other Critical IR theory, has two central propositions: "the fundamental structures of international politics are social rather than strictly material…and these structures shape actors' identities and interests, rather than just their behavior."[4] Our ideas and beliefs are socially derived and shape the prism through which we view the world.
Furthermore, it is not simply structure, what Waltz defines as the distribution of capabilities, which determines the course of international relations. "Structure is meaningless," notes Ted Hopf, "without some intersubjective set of norms and practices, anarchy, mainstream international relations theory's most crucial structural component is meaningless."[5] In other words, without a shared knowledge of interaction between actors (in the international system this means between states) concepts like anarchy, self-help and security dilemma have no context. As Wendt notes, the history of interaction matters.[6] Without this shared history of interaction, Neorealism simply assumes that in the state of nature states "necessarily face a 'stag hunt' or "security dilemma.'"[7] Without a history of shared interaction states must presuppose that anarchy necessitates a self-help system. However, "self-help is an institution, not a constitutive feature of anarchy."[8]
For Constructivists, perception and ideas are the fundamental forces driving the logic of international relations. The values or perceptions of states and their citizens drive state behavior and these ideas, values, and perceptions are intersubjective and engendered by societal interaction. The conflict or cooperation paradigm that a state operates under largely depends on that state's perceptions. Wendt notes that anarchy is what states make of it. To build on this notion, enemies are what states makes of them. Often the only way to change a hostile dyad is to challenge the key assumptions and ideas that drive the pugnacity. These propositions of Constructivism help to explain the hostility that has driven the bellicose relations between the United States and Iran. Not only can the Constructivist approach explain the evolution of the Iranian-U.S. relationship and the continued tension over Iran's nuclear program, it can also offer a new way forward.
Initiating a new phase of Iranian-U.S. relations and a new intersubjective understanding of identities will be no simple enterprise. However, this type of reorientation of a bellicose dyad is not without precedent. Redefining the ways in which Iran and the U.S. perceive one another will undoubtedly be a piecemeal and perhaps lengthy process. Some suggest that it may require a more hawkish U.S. President than Barack Obama to undertake this process. American domestic politics may prevent a leader with a penchant for emphasizing engagement and diplomacy from attempting to transform U.S.-Iranian relations in such a way. It took the hawkish Nixon to go to China, and in the case of Israel and Egypt in 1979 it took the hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to make peace with Egypt. Certainly if the intersubjective identities of Israel and Egypt could change (after three wars in thirty years) there is reason to hope that Iran and the United States can mend their broken relationship.
The United States' perception of Iran as an intransigent actor engaging in nefarious activities in the Middle East must change to understand that Iran, like the United States in the Middle East, is acting according to its perceived interests. Conceiving of the Islamic Republic as an unrelenting source of regional malignancy and evil will only perpetuate the U.S.' jaundiced view of Iran. To be sure, Iran is a leading sponsor of "terrorism" and violence throughout the Middle East, perhaps only trailing the U.S. as the leading source of violence in the region. However, U.S. policymakers should attempt to engage Iran in an earnest fashion. This engagement, and even limited, but symbolic concessions—such as, allowing Iran to enrich its own uranium as long as it remains below weapons grade—will beget a new understanding. Moreover, the United States could demonstrate by its own efforts to dismantle nuclear weapons and leading a global clarion call of disarmament that nuclear weapons are no longer the symbol of prestige they were during the Cold War. This would send a strong signal to the Iranians that being a regional or even global power no longer requires nuclear weapons capability.
For its part, the Iranian regime must discard the pretense that it somehow needs to be anti-Western or anti-U.S. to justify its existence. Leaving the important question of Iranian democratic reform aside, the current regime can greatly enhance its own survival prospects by engaging with the West. Despite claims to the contrary, Iran's economy has been hurt by the multitude of sanctions imposed on it. The lifting of these sanctions will help the Iranian economy improve and concomitantly alleviate the plight of many destitute Iranians. This would assuredly help the leaders of the Islamic Republic to regain much of the credibility they have lost due to a foundering economy and the repressive measures imposed on dissidents and opposition figures. The notion of working with a perceived nefarious regime is not likely to meet positive reception with many policymakers in the United States. Yet, the United States must engage with the regimes that are in place. Waiting for some confluence of events where regime change comes to Iran is quixotic and potentially perilous.
Neorealism does not account for states and their leaders fundamentally modifying their perceptions of interest and identity. In a Neorealist world, these identities and interests are static given the systemic constraints of anarchy. States remain undifferentiated units primarily concerned with ensuring their own survival and relative power position. Neorealism is also generally ambivalent about the role that particular individuals, even powerful leaders, can play in international politics. Yet, as history has demonstrated, a courageous leader like Gorbachev or Nixon can have a profound and lasting impact on international politics. Constructivism is able to account for changes in norms, values and expectations in international politics. Two states can begin, through interaction, to remake their intersubjective understanding and consequently foster a new mutually constituted relationship.
This relationship can change for the better or for the worse. In the case of the Iranian-U.S. relationship, there is nowhere to go but up. I have suggested a number of ways in which both actors can demonstrate their willingness to reform their relationship. A critical ingredient in changing the nature of this relationship is a courageous leader willing to take monumental risks to revise Iranian-U.S. relations. It goes without saying that this will require leadership, on both sides, that rejects the norms, values, perceptions and ideas that have driven the conflict. Perhaps the most efficacious mechanism for building new intersubjective perceptions will be for both actors to focus on areas of common interest. Working together to stabilize Afghanistan and Iraq, securing Israeli-Palestinian peace, improving Iran's refining capacity, and issues of regional security can pave the way for a future in which Iran no longer perceives the need for a nuclear deterrent. This type of Constructivist change may not be plausible in the immediate future and some may even find the suggestion fanciful. However, if we fail to use Constructivism as an analytical tool in this conflict, it will only lead to continued crisis and perhaps conflagration. Even Liberal theories that would prescribe integrating Iran into the global community and allowing it reap the attendant benefits must presuppose a Constructivist change in values of both the international community and the Islamic Republic.
To say that this type of profound transformation in the Iranian-U.S. dyad is a herculean challenge may be an understatement. Constructivism makes no claims to the contrary. Changing long-held, self-reproducing intersubjective identities and interests is no easy task. However, if this process takes place it can lead to salubrious benefits for the United States and Iran. To paraphrase Alexander Wendt, the Great Satan is what you make of it. An Iranian leader with the courage to surmount the grievances Iran has with the United States can change the course of Iranian history and the bellicose Iranian-U.S. dyad, much as Gorbachev did for Russia. And an American leadership willing to address its own role in this conflict can further this constructive change and make an ally out of a longtime enemy.
[1] Kenneth Waltz, Theory of International Politics (Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, 2010), 89.
[2] Waltz, Theory of International Politics, 113.
[4] Alexander Wendt, "Constructing International Politics." International Security vol. 20, no. 1 (Summer 1995): 72.
[5] Ted Hopf. "The Promise of Constructivism in International Relations Theory," International Security vol. 23 no. 1 (Summer 1998), 173.
[6] Wendt, "Constructing International Politics," 77.
[7] Alexander Wendt, "Anarchy is What States Make of It: The Social Construction of Power Politics," In Conflict and Cooperation: Evolving Theories of International Relations Second Edition, ed. Marc Genest, Toronto: Wadsworth, 2004, 287.
[8] Wendt, "Anarchy is What States Make of It," 287.
Posted in foreign policy, Middle East, Syria, theory and tagged barack obama, george w. bush, international relations, iraq, kenneth waltz, middle-east, ran, syria, theory of international politics. Bookmark the permalink.
from terrorist to national hero? | OUR STATE OF AFFAIRS	 on September 29, 2015 at 6:36 am
[…] relationship can change. It will require courageous leadership, a rejection of the perceptions, values and norms which […]
Into Darkness Iron Man!: Drone Strikes and Terrorism in the Post-9/11 Era
The Spanish Roots of the 99%


MUFG Bank, Ltd. hereby posts this global certification pursuant to Sections 5318(j) and 5318(k) of Title 31 of the United States Code, as added by sections 313 and 319(b) of the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-56).
The attached Global Certification may be used by any Covered Financial Institution (as defined in the USA PATRIOT Act) that requires a Certification from MUFG Bank, Ltd. Head Office and/or any of its Foreign Branches.
Please use this Global Certification instead of requesting individual Branches that maintain a correspondent account with your institution, to complete a separate Certification.
Important Information about Opening Accounts in the U.S.
To help the U.S. government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, U.S. law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens an account.
Our U.S. offices are prohibited by law from processing transactions in any way associated with a commercial customer's internet gambling activities. Accordingly, customers cannot participate in any transaction presented to us for processing that is associated with, or supportive of, internet gambling activities and we retain the right to refuse processing any transaction we suspect may be associated with such activities.
Important Information about Opening about Special Measures in the U.S.
Current information on the most recent efforts of FinCEN, a division of the U.S. Department of Treasury, to address money laundering and terrorist financing risks under Section 311 of the USA PATRIOT Act.


text:
Q: Save for web feature in Photoshop for image size reduction Save for web feature in Photoshop for image size reduction, would this be the simplest way for a beginner (like myself) to try and save on (some) loading time.
I am using images for my menu buttons, background, header, post page, etc etc
I have only just found this save for web feature and I was wondering does it really help in image size or does it not make that much difference.
Is there any other option?
(website for reference: www.kizzieskorner.com)
PS: if you mark my question down please could you give an explanation why so I know what not to do next time - as I am new to these question forums too!

A: Any reductions in size will help of course. I would actually recommend looking at other image optimising tools.
If you are on a mac there is ImageOptim which is part of my regular workflow now. There is also an optimiser within CodeKit.
This site has a whole host of others listed too and might give you a bit more information on the subject.
http://devstand.com/apps/compress-images-apps/
Hope this helps

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
December 8, 2019 / 10:01 AM / a month ago
UK security minister says no Russian money behind Conservative election bid
FILE PHOTO: Britain's Minister of State for Security and Deputy for EU Exit and No Deal Preparation Brandon Lewis is seen outside Downing Street in London, Britain October 24, 2019. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party has not funded its election campaign with Russian money, security minister Brandon Lewis told the BBC on Sunday.
Asked whether Russian money had been funding the party, Lewis said: "No, the funding for the Conservative Party comes from people who are declared through the Electoral Commission and are British citizens."
Foreign nationals are not allowed to make donations to UK political parties.
Reporting by William James; editing by Guy Faulconbridge

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
By Staff Writer (staff@mstarsnews.com) | Apr 04, 2017 07:00 AM EDT
The unforgettable Grammy Awards performance of Lady Gaga and Metallica has sparked rumors that the two parties may soon work to bring good music. It appears that there is now official confirmation that it will happen.
Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett seems to have accidentally revealed the big news about a Lady Gaga new album. According to MetalDen, Hammett may have slipped about the truth on Twitter. The musician was replying to a fan on the social media platform about the "Bad Romance" singer.
Kirk Hammett said Lady Gaga is "gonna kill em all in the studio when she sings for us." The new album is reportedly going to be called The White Album and is expected to be a collaboration of the two music biggies. However, Hammett has deleted the comment.
The alleged Lady Gaga new album is expected to be released by early 2019. It remains a mystery if the "Poker Face" singer has started recording with the metal band. However, fans are looking forward to the alleged collaborative project.
Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has previously said Lady Gaga is the "quintessential perfect fifth member" of the mega-famous band. Ulrich is particularly impressed with Gaga's voice and attitude. However, there is no official confirmation yet on the new album that will see the two powers combined.
According to METRO, Lars Ulrich also revealed that there is definitely talk about getting Lady Gaga to work with Metallica. Ulrich said there are about 20 experts working on how they can get Gaga and Metallica together for a few minutes on stage. It is unclear when it will happen again.
As fans know, the Lady Gaga and Metallica performance was flagged with technical difficulties. This could be something both parties are trying to avoid so they are working to ensure that things will work out as expected.
For now, fans can only wait for further confirmation on the alleged Lady Gaga and Metallica 2019 album. Stay tuned for more updates.
Tags : Lady Gaga, Lady Gaga new album, Lady Gaga news, Lady Gaga new music, Lady Gaga Metallica, Lady Gaga and Metallica updates, Lady Gaga and Metallica collab, Lady Gaga and Metallica collaboration, music, trending music news, Music news, music updates, entertainment
One Direction Alert! Harry Styles to Appear on 'SNL' Next Week; 'Sign of the Times' Out Soon
Louis Tomlinson Airport Brawl Update: One Direction Star Ordered to 'Wait' for Court Decision
Selena Gomez The Weeknd Engaged: Ex of Justin Bieber Reportedly Getting Married in August
Katy Perry and The Weeknd News: Selena Gomez Allegedly Furious Over 'Roar' Singer's Call
Drake Boy Meets World Tour Update: Fans Furious Over Amsterdam Show's Cancelation


One of the very best things you can do to give your rabbit a long and healthy life is to ensure that he or she is vaccinated against common and serious infectious diseases.
Like dogs and cats , vaccinations are available for rabbits. The two diseases with vaccines available are myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD). Both indoor and outdoor rabbits may succumb to these diseases.
is a viral disease present in the UK since 1953 and is usually fatal in unvaccinated individuals. Prevention involves vaccination and control of vector insects ( mosquitoes, fleas and fur mites).
Myxomatosis starts with severe conjunctivitis. Next, affected rabbits develop swellings around the head and genital regions, become increasingly weak, go blind,and eventually die.
Treatment is rarely successful. There is also a much less common dry form of the condition which presents with mild lethargy and lumpy lesions on the skin – these cases can be successfully treated.
bleed from the nose and back passage before death, others die so quickly there may be no outward sign of disease at all. Ownersoften think their rabbit has died of "fright", a "heart attack" or (in summer) "heatstroke". Most cases are never diagnosed: RVHD is often only suspected when several rabbits die in quicksuccession.
Like all drugs, vaccines can have side effects, although problems in rabbits are very unusual. Skin reactions are sometimes reported at the site of injection (this was more of a problem with some of the older RVHD vaccines), and some rabbits are quiet for a day or two after vaccination. Although this is not desirable, it's a whole lot better than death from a preventable disease.


L: 75" x W: 39" x H: 13.8"
ON SALE $784.00 Was $869.00 Select mattress and base options to see price.
Beautyrest Silver Greenbrook Extra Firm Twin Mattress If you're looking for a top-of-the-line mattress with extra firm support where you need it most, this Beautyrest Silver Greenbrook extra firm twin mattress is a great choice! The soft DualCool™ Plush top quilt layer features moisture-wicking technology and AirCool® foam that is designed to allow airflow through the mattress. Plus, the firm pocketed coil support conforms to your body and helps with motion separation.
If you're looking for a top-of-the-line mattress with extra firm support where you need it most, this Beautyrest Silver Greenbrook extra firm twin mattress is a great choice! The soft DualCool™ Plush top quilt layer features moisture-wicking technology and AirCool® foam that is designed to allow airflow through the mattress. Plus, the firm pocketed coil support conforms to your body and helps with motion separation.
I plan to purchase a few more items.


How do you fit a new ward block of 60 intensive care beds into a busy London hospital with no land available on which to build it? The answer at King's College Hospital, London, is to suspend the new King's Critical Care Centre (KCCC) over the top of the hospital's existing two-storey operating theatre block from a series of giant trusses.
It is an ambitious project. The operating theatre block is home to 13 operating theatres, including three vibration-sensitive neurosurgery theatres. These are spread over two floors with their associated ventilation plant housed beneath the block's pitched roof. A major challenge for the construction team charged with building the new KCCC is that the operating theatres have to remain in use throughout the works. It was a challenge that has seen the construction team rely on several innovative construction solutions, including techniques adapted from bridge building, and some extremely thorough planning and project management.
Construction of the £35m centre is now under way. In the narrow gap between the theatre block and the adjacent hospital buildings, which is less than 2m in some places, main contractor McLaughlin & Harvey has succeeded in threading in rows of 20m high white-steel columns around the perimeter of the existing theatre block. "The weight of the new building was too heavy to be supported by the existing building so it has to be supported by an independent structure," explains Matthew Ellams, director of Watts Group, project manager for the scheme.
The 35 columns stand on 288, 450mm diameter piles. A crowded site and a multitude of buried services meant that it has taken two years and 15 separate enabling projects, including the relocation of high voltage transformers, a low voltage switch-room and demolition of a tunnel, to clear the ground around the perimeter of the operating theatre block to enable the piles to be bored. "A colossal amount of site investigation work had to be carried out prior to the works," recalls Ellams.
To keep vibrations to a minimum the piles have been eased into the ground metres from the neurosurgery theatres and MRI scanners using an auger-based rig. Acoustic and vibration sensors installed in the theatre block monitor the situation. However, despite having to pile so close to live operating theatres, Ellams says the works were stopped on just three occasions "due to the criticality of operations in the theatres".
The columns now support all eight trusses that will eventually carry the 900 tonne weight of the three-storey KCCC over the operating theatre block. The giant 40m long, 8m high trusses dwarf the block beneath, their white-painted steel in stark contrast to the weathered grey of the block's tiled roof.
At the western end of this structure is the site's solitary tower crane. Adjacent to it, 20m above the ground, is a temporary logistics platform; its black steel differentiates it from the white steel of the permanent structure. The platform is where the crane places the individual steel sections that are bolted together to form the trusses.
Abutting the logistics platform, but about 2m lower in height, is the assembly deck. It is here that steelwork contractor Severfield's team assembled the KCCC trusses and attached them to the part-complete truss structure.
What is unusual about this project is that the entire truss assembly is held above the support frame on a series of jacks. The jacks, which are mounted on low friction PTFE pads, are positioned on rails running the length of the support frame on both sides of the assembly.
The really innovative aspect of the project happens on completion of each truss section. At this point the jacks raise the entire truss assembly up 60mm. The truss assembly is then pulled by cables attached to two ram jacks mounted above the rails at the eastern end of the supporting structure, which is then slowly pulled along on the rails.
The powerful jacks inch the truss structure out from the assembly deck and over the top of the operating theatre block. The slide is halted at 1m intervals to allow the team to check the structure is moving as planned. Once the truss assembly has moved a total of 6.6m, the distance by which the most recently assembled truss will have cleared the assembly deck, the slide is halted and the next truss assembled and the procedure repeated.
This ingenious solution has the advantage in that it ensures steelwork does not have to be lifted over the live theatres. More importantly, the procedure is so slick that the launch can take place without interrupting the surgeons working in the theatres below.
The technique is similar to that used to launch a bridge, except that in this case the structure, which will weigh over 550 tonnes by the time of the final slide, is being pulled as opposed to pushed. "When we did the first slide we were all on tenterhooks, it was a monumental feat after five years in the planning," says Watts Group's Ellams.
As the project has progressed the team has become more adept at using the launch solution. The first slide took several hours to complete; subsequent slides have been achieved in around 30 minutes. With the final side completed the structure was bolted into position and the jacks removed.
At the same time as Severfield's team assembled the trusses, they installed the profiled metal sheets to the underside of the trusses. These form the base of the reinforced concrete floor of the KCCC's truss-level plantroom. Installing the profiled sheets early in the programme, and as part of the steel frame, meant that the floor was in place before the structure was launched over the existing building. This eliminates the need for the crane to lift over the operating theatres and it has the additional advantage of providing weather protection to the operating theatre block below. With the sheeting in place, the block's roof can be removed to allow the KCCC's upper floor to go ahead.
In advance of the roof's removal the operating theatres' extract ventilation plant and three air-cooled heat rejection units have already been temporarily relocated from the roof void.
The plan is that at the same time as the theatre block's roof is being removed, the reinforced concrete floor of the new truss-level KCCC plantroom above will be cast. Completion of the floor slab will allow 32 jacks to positioned. The jacks are the key to the project's second innovative structural manoeuvre: the lowering of the top KCCC floor (KCCC2) into position.
The KCCC2 floor has been designed to occupy the space that is currently inhabited by the operating theatre block's roof and plant. Even though the roof is still in place the KCCC2 floor structure is being assembled by Severfield's team while they are assembling the truss-structure. Because the steel erectors cannot assemble the floor in-situ, they are assembling it temporarily bolted to the underside of the truss-structure. "We're building the KCCC2 floor beneath the KCCC plantroom floor because part of the space that it will occupy above the operating theatre block is still in use," says Ellams.
While the truss-structure is being launched, the KCCC2 floor is held in place beneath it by a series of bolts. These have been painted bright red as warning to the steel erectors not to touch them. Once the launch has been completed and the operating theatre block's roof removed, the red bolts will be undone to allow the jacks to lower the entire 38m x 60m floor structure down 3m until it is suspended midway between the supporting trusses and the ceiling of the operating theatres below. Steelwork will then be bolted into place to support the new floor structure beneath the trusses.
With its floor in place, fit out of the KCCC2 floor can commence. At the same time, mechanical and electrical plant to serve both the new KCCC and the operating theatres below will be installed on the plant floor above. When all of the large plant has been craned into position the plantroom roof will be installed along with the exterior cladding and curtain wall. Finally, the operating theatres will be disconnected from their existing plant and reconnected to new plant in the KCCC plant room.
The change-over of operating theatre plant will take place two at a time. Once each pair of theatres and their shared anaesthetic room have been reconnected, the rooms are subjected to what Ellams calls a "plates test" to check the theatres are clinically clean before being put back into use. "It takes a week to get the results for each test, which we had to build into the programme," he says.
The final stage of this phase of the project is to construct the lower floor of the KCCC unit, KCCC1. This is accomplished by demolishing the old theatre block top-floor plantroom to turn it into the lower floor of the KCCC. Because the base of the overhanging KCCC structure extends 2.4m beyond the perimeter of the operating theatre block, steel beams will be installed to bridge the annulus and allow the floor to be constructed. Only then can fit-out of the centre's lower floor commence. That, though, is many months down the line. Until then the project team have plenty of challenges with which to occupy themselves.


text:
Wilbur Ross' Calendar Reveals Dozens Of Meetings With Companies Tied To His Personal Fortune
Dan Alexander Forbes Staff
Forbes Digital Covers Contributor Group
ate last night, after the daily news cycle had gone to sleep, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross issued a statement: "To maintain the public trust, I have directed that all of my equity holdings be sold and the proceeds placed in U.S. Treasury securities." The announcement came the same day that the federal government's top ethics official sent Ross a letter making it clear he had eroded public trust and scolded him for filing false and incomplete documents. The letter also said an official at the Department of Commerce had reviewed Ross' calendars to see if the commerce secretary broke the law by taking actions that affected his financial interests. "He found no information indicating any such violation."
Forbes, however, has found information indicating otherwise. A detailed review of Ross' calendar from February to November 2017—his first months in office—reveals dozens of meetings with companies tied to his personal fortune, which he built up over years in private equity. Last March, his calendar lists a meeting with the CEO of Boeing, a company in which Ross' wife held nearly $3 million worth of stock. In April, his schedule includes another with Minister Ali Shareef Al Emadi, who serves on the board of Qatar Investment Authority, a sovereign wealth fund that pumped money into one of Ross' private equity vehicles. In July, September and October, Ross' agenda lists talks with Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford Motor Company, which called a business Ross partly owned a "top performing global supplier." And so on, and so on. "Secretary Ross and [chief of staff] Wendy Teramoto have not taken any action with a direct and predictable effect on their financial holdings," a spokesman for the commerce department said in a statement. "This applies to all the meetings."
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross
Whether Ross' false statements and incomplete filings were illegal depends on whether Ross merely made sloppy mistakes or intentionally lied, according to ethics experts. It's a fine line, one Ross has danced around before. After he apparently lied to Forbes about his personal fortune for years, then got caught on tape doing so as commerce secretary, his spokesperson issued a statement saying it was a misunderstanding. That sounds a lot like the explanation Ross is now attributing to his false filings: "I have made inadvertent errors in completing the divestitures required by my ethics agreement."
If Ross lied to federal officials, then he broke the law. If he took actions that impacted his personal holdings, then he may have committed additional crimes. Former EPA chief Scott Pruitt became a punching bag for his endless string of ethical lapses, but his misadventures, including reportedly pursuing a Chick-fil-A franchise for his wife and an old mattress from Trump International Hotel, are positively nickel-and-dime compared with Ross' big-money foibles. As the examples pile up, Ross personifies the inherent issue with government officials retaining entangled holdings, a concern that the commerce secretary has been flouting more than anyone in years—with the exception of his boss, President Donald Trump.
he day Wilbur Ross became secretary of commerce, the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association sent him a congratulatory letter: "Your distinguished business career and experience working with manufacturing companies make you uniquely qualified to lead in the new administration."
Uniquely qualified indeed. The trade group likely knew Ross had reason to protect its interests when it sent the letter. One of the companies that signed at the bottom was "IAC," apparently International Automotive Components Group, a giant car parts manufacturer that at the time was partially owned by Wilbur Ross. It was almost as if Ross were writing a letter to himself.
The Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association wanted a meeting with the commerce secretary and got one on April 24, 2017, according to Ross' calendar. A spokesperson for the trade group said they discussed taxes and trade issues, including NAFTA. Ross did not get rid of interests in the car parts company until six months later, when he apparently gave some to a trust for family members and sold others. A spokesman for the commerce department would not detail the topics addressed in Ross' meetings with business associates of International Automotive Components Group.
Andres Jauregui
On March 17, Ross' calendar lists a sit-down with BMW chairman Harald Krueger. On April 26, it shows a meeting with Jim Lentz, the CEO of Toyota Motor North America. In June and October, it includes meetings with Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors. And September 20 and October 6 it lists conversations with Bill Ford. All had significant interests before Ross, including the imposition of tariffs on aluminum and steel. And all have been customers of International Automotive Components Group.
If Ross discussed only broad issues, like NAFTA, he may be able to claim that he broke no laws. According to ethics experts, officials cannot take action on narrow matters that will affect their business, but they can work on more general policies even if those policies will affect their holdings. That's right: U.S. law allows an official like Ross to take actions that will impact his own bottom line—if those actions are significant enough to also affect the greater economy. It's a remarkable loophole.
The commerce secretary may have more difficulty claiming he followed the law in his meetings with Chevron and Boeing. According to his calendar, Ross hosted John Watson, then-CEO of the oil giant, in his conference room on March 22, 2017, at 9:30 a.m., just before heading to the White House for a meeting with Trump. Ross' wife apparently held more than $250,000 worth of shares in Chevron at the time, according to federal ethics filings. Meanwhile, Chevron was lobbying the Department of Commerce and other offices about trade and oil issues. "As per our long-standing policy," a spokesperson for the company said, "we do not discuss specific meetings with government officials."
Eight days later, the commerce secretary's schedule lists a meeting with Dennis Muilenburg, the CEO of Boeing, in which Ross' wife also held a stake, apparently worth nearly $3 million. A spokesperson for the commerce department again refused to answer questions about the meeting. But in lobbying disclosures that covered the first few months of 2017, Boeing said it pushed the federal government, including the Department of Commerce, on a handful of matters. And when asked about meetings between Ross and Muilenburg, a Boeing spokesperson suggested they included exactly the kind of conversation that could get the commerce secretary in trouble. "Boeing meets regularly with officials across the U.S. government to discuss policy matters impacting our business, the aerospace industry, and our workforce," the spokesperson said. "These meetings were in line with that long-standing practice."
Nick DeSantis
ay 18, 2017 was a busy day for Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. He arrived at the Mayflower Hotel in downtown Washington, D.C., for a morning event with the president of Colombia, attended a hearing on trade deficits, took a call from a governor, met with a foreign minister, had a talk with a second governor, then another one with an ambassador, all according to Ross' calendar. He kept his schedule packed into short segments, sometimes double-booked. The only thing allotted more than 45 minutes? Lunch. For that, Ross went to the White House, where he dined next to the Situation Room, in a wood-paneled bunker adorned with paintings of ships. He brought two guests with him, "Wendy and Bill Furman," according to his calendar.
They had a lot to discuss. Bill Furman serves as the CEO of a railcar manufacturer called Greenbrier Companies. Wendy is apparently Wendy Teramoto, Ross' chief of staff, who served on Greenbrier's board of directors from 2009 through March 2017, while she was employed at Ross' private equity firm. A Greenbrier representative declined to comment on the meeting. A spokesman for the Department of Commerce described the lunch as "purely social," and added that "no items specific to Greenbrier have been before the secretary during his tenure at commerce." He failed to note that Greenbrier was actively lobbying other parts of the government on the North American Free Trade Agreement, or that Ross issued a press release that very same day announcing he would be working with President Trump to renegotiate the deal.
Nor did the spokesman mention that, at the time of that meeting, Teramoto apparently held an interest in Greenbrier Companies. Ross also had an interest in the company, which he had not included on his financial disclosure report, even though he was required to do so by law.
Ross also did not list a shipping company called Nautical Bulk Holding anywhere on his financial disclosure report. The commerce secretary did, however, include an interest in a private equity fund called WLR Recovery Fund V. And according to documents reviewed by Forbes, the largest single investment in WLR Recovery Fund V is Nautical Bulk Holding. It appears the commerce secretary held an interest in the shipping firm for most of last year, then dumped part of it into a family trust in October 2017, without publicly disclosing that he ever owned a stake in the company.
That's especially significant because of the nature of Nautical Bulk Holding's business. The company was founded to finance the construction of 20 vessels in a Chinese shipyard. Which means that Wilbur Ross, one of Trump's top lieutenants in America's trade war with China, apparently had a hidden interest in a company connected to China for most of last year.
Similar ties extend around the world. As Forbes reported last month, for most of last year Ross was actually a business partner of the Chinese government, held onto a shipping firm tied to Vladimir Putin's inner circle, and even owned a stake in a big business whose industry he is now investigating.
There's more. Ross scheduled meetings with top economic officials in Greece while holding an interest in a major Greek bank. He held investments in a Brazilian auto parts company when he was scheduled to meet with Brazilian officials. His calendar lists meetings with leaders of three state-controlled funds—from Qatar, Japan and Singapore—that had previously handed money to his private equity firm, according to former employees. The agenda also includes meetings with the CEOs of major airlines, who were customers of an aircraft leasing company in which Ross had a stake. And while the commerce secretary owned an interest in a real estate lender set up to do business involving the Irish government, he met with the prime minister of Ireland, in the Oval Office, alongside Donald Trump.
n May of last year, Wilbur Ross negotiated a deal to promote natural gas exports to China, then took a cable-news victory lap, appearing on Fox, CNBC and Bloomberg. But he was careful not to claim all the credit for himself. "Really a lot of the work was done by Wendy Teramoto, my chief of staff," he said on air.
In a later statement, the commerce department claimed Teramoto did not become chief of staff until August 2017, three months after Ross lauded her work. Previously, she held a murkier role, working for both Ross' old private equity firm and the Department of Commerce at the same time.
Teramoto eventually left the private equity firm, but she may not have ever fully let go. In December, a commerce department spokesman said that she continued to own interests in Navigator Holdings and Diamond S Shipping, the firms tied to Putin's inner circle and the Chinese government. When recently asked, the spokesman declined to provide an update, but Forbes found no evidence that Teramoto has completely divested. By federal law, officials must file documents when they buy or sell assets for more than $1,000. Teramoto filed paperwork showing that she sold off interests in six companies in June and October last year, but as of May, she had not filed documents explaining what she did with her interests in WL Ross funds—which held Navigator, companies co-owned by the Chinese, a Cypriot bank reportedly tied up in the Robert Mueller investigation, and so forth. It could all leave her especially vulnerable to federal conflict-of-interest laws.
For Ross' part, he says he has divested from that same group of holdings. In October, he transferred some interests to his family members and sold others to funds managed by an outside firm, Goldman Sachs. And although a spokesperson for the bank said, "the transaction was not discussed," Ross met in his office on May 17, 2017, with none other than Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein.
Reach Dan Alexander at dalexander@forbes.com. Cover image by Bloomberg.
Dan Alexander
I write about Donald Trump, the people around him, and how they affect business. Before he won the presidency, I covered billionaires, industrial America and sports. My ...


text:
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/core/aspnet:3.1-buster-slim
COPY . /app
WORKDIR /app
EXPOSE 443/tcp
ENTRYPOINT dotnet server.dll --urls "http://*:80;https://*:443"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
The Container Store to Launch Exclusive Product Line With Marie Kondo
The specialty retailer and tidying expert will release a collection of products in January 2021
The Container Store x KonMari (Photo: Business Wire)
October 20, 2020 04:05 PM Eastern Daylight Time
COPPELL, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Container Store, the leading specialty retailer of storage and organization products, is launching an exclusive co-branded collection of organizing tools by Marie Kondo, tidying expert, New York Times bestselling author, Emmy-nominated television star and founder of KonMari Media, Inc. The Container Store x KonMari line features more than 100 sustainably sourced products and was designed to inspire a tidy and joyful home. The assortment will be available at The Container Store online and in stores nationwide in January 2021.
The collection unites the storage and organization mastery of The Container Store with the tidy and joyful ethos of Marie Kondo. The Container Store x KonMari line is designed using premium materials including bamboo, ceramic, recycled fiberboard and wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, and brings to life Marie Kondo's vision of making space for what matters most. It is expected to appeal to a variety of consumers seeking simple solutions with an elevated aesthetic to maximize space in their homes.
"When 'Tidying Up' premiered in 2019 and consumers immediately connected decluttering and organization with The Container Store, we knew that there was an opportunity to create something special with Marie," said The Container Store Chairwoman, CEO and President, Melissa Reiff. "We have always developed smart and space saving solutions and cannot wait to introduce this thoughtful and beautifully designed collection of products to our customers."
"When I was looking to develop products, I wanted a sustainable line that would spark joy and deliver the versatility and expertise The Container Store is famous for," said Marie Kondo. "I am so proud of what we have created together and thrilled that we were able to infuse aspects of my Japanese heritage into the collaboration."
About The Container Store
The Container Store Group, Inc. (NYSE: TCS) is the nation's leading retailer of storage and organization products and solutions – a concept they originated in 1978. Today, with locations nationwide, the retailer offers more than 11,000 products designed to help customers accomplish projects, maximize their space and make the most of their home. The Container Store also offers a full suite of custom closets designed to accommodate all sizes, styles and budgets.
Visit www.containerstore.com for more information about store locations, the product collection and services offered.
Visit www.containerstore.com/blog for inspiration, tips and real solutions to everyday organization challenges.
About KonMari Media, Inc.
KonMari is a lifestyle brand with a suite of products, services and content designed to help organize homes and bring joy to people's lives. The company was founded by Marie Kondo, tidying expert and bestselling author, in 2016 and has business verticals across entertainment, book publishing, digital content, e-commerce and a certified Consultant program. KonMari Media, Inc. became a subsidiary of Rakuten, Inc. in 2019. Visit https://konmari.com/ for more information and tidying inspiration.
Katelyn Clinton
publicrelations@containerstore.com
The specialty retailer and tidying expert will release a collection of products in January 2021.
$TCS


All items are purchasable by simply clicking over image (Request button).
If you don't have an email client, send us an email with your details and photo ID.
We'll contact you to define modality of payment, thank you.
Large files photos (max 1x1.5 mt suggested size prints - no limited edition, unless expressively noted - copyright to artist).
Graphic art work on vectorial for patterns and prints - limited single edition - exclusive royalty to client.
All files can be printed and mounted directly by clients.
Customers can also order large size prints mounted on any material to be delivered at their addresses.