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Barcelona Metro Rail

Barcelona’s Metro Continues Its Expansion at a Relatively Cheap Price

» The latest segment of lines 9 and 10 opened last week. The city should have 30 miles of automatic metros by 2014.

Over the next ten years, New York, Los Angeles, and Barcelona each hope to have new underground rapid transit lines up and running. Gotham will spend $4.5 billion on a 1.7-mile line under Second Avenue. Los Angeles will get a 8.6-mile extension to the Westside for $6 billion. And Barcelona will have built 30 miles of automated subways for €6.5 billion ($7.9 billion according to today’s exchange rate).

Perhaps it’s an unfair comparison: Spain has lower labor costs, and despite Barcelona’s international prestige and high densities, land values there are generally lower than in the two American metropolises. But the disparity in infrastructure creation remains dramatic; countries like Spain and China are able to build far more than American cities can even dream about.

Barcelona’s newest exploit was the opening last week of the first shared segment of the L9 and L10 lines. Both are being constructed as part of a unified program that will increase the metro system’s size by a third, providing a new north-south circumferential corridor west of the city center, access to northern neighborhoods, a connection to the new high-speed rail station at La Sagrera, and direct links to both the airport and the port to the south. The first segment of L9 opened in December 2009 and the first section of L10 in April this year. The southern links will be completed in 2012, with the full program in service in 2014. That’s six years after the project was originally expected to be done.

Though Barcelona’s project doesn’t come close to the scale of Madrid’s metro expansion program — that city increased the size of its network by more than 100 miles between 1995 and 2007 and now has the highest metro route miles per person in the world — Barcelona will have Europe’s longest underground route and the continent’s most extensive automated line in four years.

For €6.5 billion, the city will be getting 52 stations, 20 of which will include transfers; the project is expected to attract 350,000 daily riders. Because of Barcelona’s already very dense metro network, the line has been built below everything else. Tunnel boring machines, which Spain specializes in, were used for the entire underground path (the line includes a few miles above ground on viaducts); this decreased costs by limiting surface cuts and land purchasing. The city also has taken advantage of the line’s building to produce some very interesting street reconstructions.

Stations in the center city are so far below ground that the transport authority has designed stops so that commuters move to and from trains by elevator.

This subway project has consumed the majority of the region’s transportation funds, but the city was also interested in investing in surface transit. Specifically, several boulevards were set aside for a bus rapid transit system. Yet the mayor’s biggest priority was supposed to be the reconstruction of the Diagonal Avenue, which cuts across the city roughly east-west. Though both its eastern and western extends are served by trams, its central section has no rapid transit either on it or below. So Mayor Jordi Hereu attempted to invoke public participation in the elaboration of the project, calling a referendum on the program to implant light rail and a more pedestrian-friendly streetscape there.

But the mayor’s effort to involve the people was a failure — the poll attracted only 12% of the electorate, and they voted massively against any of the two changes proposed by the mayor. For now, Diagonal will have to stay as it is.

Thus Spain’s second city will have to content itself on its relatively ambitious subway expansion program. Not too disappointing a result…

Image above: Barcelona L9 Tunnel, from Generalitat de Catalunya

71 replies on “Barcelona’s Metro Continues Its Expansion at a Relatively Cheap Price”

So…is there a reason that it’s so cheap besides land/labor costs? Or is that the entirety of the explanation?

Yeah, I’m curious as well. Any specific facts like hourly wages for workers (loaded costs i. e. including benefits).

Do we over build in the U. S. compared to the rest of the world, and if so, is this driven by government regulation?

No, per-employee compensation, including benefits, is the same at New York City Transit and at Toei. This is not surprising: while American employers are on the hook for health insurance costs, they have to pay far less into social security and employee pensions than Continental European and Japanese employers.

One reason, I would guess, is that the stations are smaller and thus cheaper. I haven’t been able to find exact numbers for Barcelona, but in Madrid stations are only 60-90m long, compared to 180m for many NYC subway stations. Due to this limitation (and rather low frequency, which may be a temporary thing due to Spain’s current economic problems), Madrid subways are absolutely jammed in rush hour, despite the density of routes. Spain’s tunnels are dug by TBMs which are quite cheap once you’ve inserted them into the ground, so stations are a higher fraction of the expense. It seems Spain has skimped on the stations, which leads to a shockingly low overall construction cost, but also leads to a lower system capacity than you would expect by looking at the map.

The cost of land acquisition is clearly a factor, though it’s not a huge one (per mile) in subway construction, which tends to go well under property except at the stations.

In theory, Spain’s lower labor costs should not be much of a factor because labor productivity is also lower there, which means everything should (roughly) come out in the wash.

In real life, however, I’d guess that it doesn’t even come close to evening out. Hell, I’d be willing to bet that workers on NY’s subway make 50 percent more per hour (in PPP) and accomplish far less than 50 percent more per hour.

If we really want public transit in this country, we really can’t allow this. If Spain can do it, we can do it, even if we will have to fight hard to get rid of the no-show jobs, the padded bills, the four hour lunch breaks and all the rest. It’s either that or settle for next to no serious infrastructure improvements, ever.

How about giving us a single cited statistic or report for anything you said about NYC transit workers?

How about not needing to? Anybody with two eyes and a brain can tell that the transit unions in NYC are in a race with Bay Area transit unions to become the worst public leeches in the nation.

Yeah, sorry but you don’t really need to delve too deeply into the figures here. There are only a handful of major factors that influence the cost of subway construction: material costs, labor costs, design costs, and site-related costs.

Materials cost about the same wherever in the world you buy them. Design costs are also about the same because there are really only a handful of firms in the world that do these things and the design requirements are similar in the US and EU in terms of safety features, etc. Manhattan is famously rocky but the East Side is actually much easier to dig in than the West Side. Are there some variations in this list? Yes, but nothing earth shattering.

Yet the cost per mile of track is 10 times greater in New York. Not 10 percent. Not 100 percent. No 10 TIMES. And the big difference, almost by definition, is the amount you spend on labor by unit of work accomplished.

I’m sure I could spend some time digging around the Internet and quantifying this for you, but that would be an utter waste of time. How many people have you seen doing public construction work over the course of your life? 10,000? 50,000? Whatever the numbers are, they are huge. And when you have seen those people you have seen exactly what I have. About 60 percent of them are doing absolutely nothing at any given time, except chatting with their friends. Another 20 percent of them are doing “jobs” that are only “jobs” because they are ways for corrupt politicians to reward friends — things like waving a flag at no one in particular or laying down pavement that will be torn up the next day. The remaining 20 percent are doing some actual work, at about one quarter the speed that a moderately hard working person could do the same work.

I’m guessing, given that you even bothered to challenge my assertion that you work in the public sector or do projects for the public sector — and you think all this is normal. You probably think that people really can’t work any harder or their hearts would explode or something. But I assure you that many people actually work close to flat out for hours on end during the day. Do they sometimes chat with a colleague? Yes, but for a minute or two and then work resumes.

Sometimes watching the hole being dug is the work. Unless you like having your water, gas, electricity, phone or cable service disrupted.

Public transit unions do not build these projects. Private contractors do, based on low bids. Yes, labor rates are dictated by the Davis Bacon Act.

Still I would like to have specifics regarding the wages paid for the workers in Spain vs. the U. S.

LA is literally digging through tar to build the Subway to the Sea (and they have to exhume all the paleontological relics on the way), so there’s no surprise *THAT* will be expensive.

NYC doesn’t have that excuse. Walder’s first audit blamed three things: poor oversight of contractors; the MTA developed a poor reputation (due to things like last-minute change orders) and so the best contractors don’t want to work with them and all contractors jack up their prices; and NYC contractors are just worse than in the rest of the country. :-P

It’s not compensation, but productivity. Consider the difference between the following two cases:

New York City Transit employs 47,000 people, at an average compensation (including benefits) of $110,000/year as of 2008.

Toei, the smaller of the two subway agencies in Japan, with about half NYCT’s ridership and one quarter the train revenue-hours, employs 6,400, at an average compensation of $103,000/year as of 2005.

Other comparable Japanese companies, such as Tokyo Metro, don’t release information as detailed. They have fewer employees per rider than Toei, but I don’t know how much compensation they get.

Furthermore, most of the waste is not in the most visible positions in the TWU. Per train-hour, Toei has about two thirds as many train drivers as New York, and per station it actually has more station agents. The primary difference is elsewhere – in administrative and clerical workers, and maybe also in maintenance (JR East explicitly goes for low-maintenance equipment and infrastructure; Toei uses similar trains so it might do the same).

Are there any major regulatory differences? I’ve heard that a major cost of tunnels here are requirements for emergency ventilation and egress routes to the surface. Are such rules vastly different there?

University Link here in Seattle is $1.9 billion for 3.15 underground miles and two stations. That’s like a factor of 5x over Barcelona. Why?

New York State specifically has what’s been described as a broken and defective contracting model, mandated by state law. So that drives things up in NY — not sure about the state of Washington!

One thing to realize about tunnels is that the cost is *not* proportional to the number of miles. Barcelona probably saved a bundle by building so many lines at once, all through approximately the same geology.

Seattle managed to hire TBMs for the Beacon Hill tunnel, different TBMs for University Link, different TBMs for North Link, probably different TBMs for the Bellevue tunnel in East Link… I’m guessing Barcelona Metro just owns a pair of TBMs and uses them continuously.

One of the TBMs boring in Manhattan is 30 years old. They dust off for each new project.

If the cost were less than linearly proportional to the route length, then you’d expect the short U55 to cost a lot per km and the long North-South Line to be cheaper. Instead, U55 came in at $250 million per km, while the North-South Line came in at more than $400, leading the politicians to say that in retrospect the project shouldn’t have been built. The even longer Jubilee line extension cost $450 million/km, the highest of any major extension outside the US.

It isn’t surprising, that Americans love their Freedom to drive gas guzzling cars: that explains alot when you see so many folks on the freeways. The reason? Nobody wants to spend the money to free us the grasp of Big Oil. If you want to see freedom, come to Los Angeles, and watch the 405 Freeway during rush hour. “Let Freedom Ring!”.

One reason for the big cost discrepancy is Spain has more skilled in-house engineering staff; whereas the American approach is to outsource design/engineering to the contracting Mafia.

BTW, for even more absurd cost comparison, look at the per-mile cost of Spanish high-speed rail.

That is pure speculation. I consult on infrastructure development projects, and I know that engineering and design work never makes more than a tiny fraction of the overall cost.

Poor engineering and design can cause cost escalations elsewhere in the project. For example, New York is currently building a subway in Manhattan with about 500 meters of tail tracks, which at Manhattan costs adds several hundred million dollars to the price tag. Most of the extra cost there is not going to be engineering and design, but more competent planners could avoid it.

Oh wait. Alan, I’m not convinced that the long tail tracks are an example of ‘poor engineering and design by incompetents’, or rather isn’t it stealth construction of the southernmost part of Phase II of this line?

Once Phase I was sufficiently funded to reach a point of no return, it made sense to load costs from Phase II onto Phase I. That will make the northern extension seem more affordable when the MTA is gathering up commitments to start building Phase II — already partly begun with those cut-and-cover segments from the 1970s — of the Second Avenue Subway.

Woody, I think you misunderstood which project I’m talking about. The 500-meter tail tracks are for the 7 extension, not SAS. The intention is to extend the 7 only to 34th Street, but the tunneling goes all the way to 26th.

I wouldn’t criticize tail tracks on SAS, for the reasons you mention. But phase 1 doesn’t even include long tail tracks; the tunneling is only between 96th and 63rd.

Yes, I did misunderstand which tail lines you meant. The Second Avenue subway is a major addition to the system; the #7 Line extension seems more like a billionaire’s toy project, so it easily slips my mind. Sorry.

But even there, I wonder if the secret dream is to one day extend the extension another 12 or 15 blocks south from 26th St. Then the #7 trains would run from the 34th St station over those long tail tracks a mile or so down the Far West Side. A fairly short tunnel could meet the tracks of the crosstown L on 14th, which now has tunnels to somewhere west of 9th Ave.

And I said “to meet” the L, not to connect exactly, because I realize that the tunnel and train widths of the #7 and the L are incompatible. But it would not seem be too difficult to construct a station, at 14th or 23rd St, that allowed cross-platform transfers from an extended #7 to an extended L line.

Serving West 23rd St would be worthwhile, as that area builds up. The L leads to other reviving neighborhoods where the population is growing. Adding a second set of transfers to the other lines via the L would add the PATH line, for an important connection to New Jersey when, we should live so long, the area around the Convention Center and new 34th St station gets crowded with offices, hotels, and apartment towers.

So again, I’m not too upset if they threw five blocks of extra tunnel and track into the current #7 extension if that gives a head start to a future meeting with the L.

If there were a plan to go south, I wouldn’t object as much. But there isn’t. Bloomberg only cares about extending to 34th, and nobody else cares about the project at all. There’s a bigger transit case for extending the 7 at the other end.

thats false, Catalonia is an autonomous region in Spain, roughly equivalent to an State. In Spain there are another 16 of them. Yes they (we) have their own language co-official with Spanish, but there are other 3 languages in Spain in other states as well. Another way of life? I wonder which way of life. I think you’ve been misinformed by some right wing wishful-thinking website ;) BTW- I’m from Barcelona.

Besides this, I’ve read some interesting points in people’s posts about how that 10:1 difference in costs is possible, and one of the key reasons in my opinion is what one fellow reader commented, that costs are not linear, and are way cheaper the more you build. In the city of Madrid they built a circular underground mile like 40km diameter ‘all at once’ and it was the cheapest per-mile cost of all extensions, while tiny, one-station expansions in the densest parts of downtown probably have a comparable cost to NY’s.

Could not agree more Danny. If engineering was so profitable, why aren’t engineering stocks so valuable? Design and engineering costs on projects are a relatively small % of the overall costs.

DE, what’s your source on this? I’m asking because I think it’s Zierke, who talks specifically about small-scope projects, such as the Coaster and RiverLine. For large-scope projects, such as new subway lines, issues like coming up with specs for a noncompliant train aren’t as important. The lack of in-house expertise still raises costs, but not by the same factor as on the projects Zierke discusses.

The admittedly circumstantial information I’ve read about large projects is that the high costs are mostly due to the contractors, not the consultants. These are not the same species.

That would ring true with my experience. With government projects there are always fewer contractors bidding on the project. Whether that is because of regulations, obscene RFP requirements, or environmental risks, I don’t know. But the fact of the matter is that less competition equals higher prices.

A commenter on Second Avenue Sagas, who I invited to comment in this thread, says that American governments write over-exacting specs, to avoid shoddy construction (however, sometimes contractors do poor jobs anyway and suing them gets too expensive). Complying with the rules is so byzantine that the good contractors avoid it and get private-sector work instead; the city then gets stuck with the most corrupt, least competent contractors.

But now that the recession has starved some of the more competent contractors of private-sector work, prices are coming down. For example, the most recent Second Avenue Subway bids are coming in at half the asking price.

Do you have any evidence of this less bidder theory? This runs contrary to the other stated assumptions that this work is very profitable for the contractor – the profitability would in turn attract more bidders even if the paper work is cumbersome.

The fact of the matter is that on $1 Billion plus contracts, there are very few firms that have the bonding capacity to bid on the projects. There still is competition – but it mostly involves the subcontractors and suppliers, which can amount to anywhere from 20%-70% of the total price. And prior to the bid opening, firms cannot be sure of what their competition will do.

Agencies in charge of projects (and regulators) decided what goes into these project (lengths of tail tracks, safety regulations, etc.) Designers and contractors have incredibly little say.

Well, if the RFP/environmental/etc requirements and such are raising the cost and risks of doing business for the government, then it shouldn’t result in much of a improvement in profitability. It would also explain why the largest firms tend to do government projects (they have the scale, expertise, and specialization to work with government contracts).

Andy, another thing I’ve heard on the New York blog networks is that the local contractors collude, avoiding competition and submitting just one joint bid to drive prices up. This would explain why the profits don’t make other people join.

Manhattan in particular and metro New York in general scares off vendors. Doesn’t matter what they are selling it scares them off.

And yet, New York gets rolling stock at prices below first-world average.

One person has alleged that Kawasaki simply wants to keep their factories operational and will accept lower prices to keep getting bids, hence some of the relatively low rolling stock prices. I also suspect that one can get a pretty decent deal when one is ordering nearly 1,000 cars that have been pre-designed by NYCTA’s in-house engineering, and have assembly partially done in Brazil and lower cost areas of upstate New York.

Well, these are all interesting comments, but still, things like I heard it on the some NY blog are not facts.

I can see where collusion would drive prices up, but still this would increase profits to the point where someone else from outside would step in. We are talking big $ – big enough to attract outside interest. Plus, collusion like this on Federally funded projects would be pretty risky.

Andy, there are two reasons why profiteering wouldn’t bring in outsiders. First, the byzantine specs are such that people outside the system have a hard time coming in; it’s effectively protectionism. And second, the city’s residents are provincial and its leaders even more so; they view any outside idea as a threat.

DE, what’s your source on this? I’m asking because I think it’s Zierke, who talks specifically about small-scope projects.

Well, no, “Zierke” has also posted a lot on rail planners in Spain. They are well regarded in Europe for proficiency and cost-effectiveness. By comparison, LAMTA wouldn’t pass the laugh test.

Technology matters. The Barcelona Metro is largely large diameter single bore tunnel. Cross-overs are in-tunnel. Platforms at stations are in-tunnel. Yes, you have to sink a shaft to provide ventilation/emergency exit. You sink a slightly larger shaft to provide a station vestibule (the article professes astonishment that some stations are reached by elevator — but that simply means that the station access shaft is even narrower!). The massive costs associated with US Metro stations — excavating a large enough cavern to hold crossovers, platforms and vestibule — simply aren’t there.

Geology matters. Boring through consistent geology is a lot cheaper than boring through constantly changing geology.

Contracting strategy matters. US governmental contracting is hedged around with lots of protections. The government (at whatever level: federal, state, city/county) is very afraid of being cheated, so overspecifies RFPs (politicians abet this — aren’t bidders on California HSR going to have to narrate their history with the Shoah as part of their proposal?). Firms quail at the cost of preparing a proposal that complies with the RFP. Only the usual suspects respond, with outrageously padded costs.

Let me add that tunnel boring machines create a return to scale. There’s fairly substantial setup costs to a TBM: you have to dig a launch box and build some surface support structures before you get to bore the first inch. But once you’ve made these initial investments, each mile comes out quite cheap. So the more miles you bore, the cheaper each mile is, since you’re amortizing the setup costs across a longer bore. So the fact they’re creating thirty miles of subway instead of three keeps their cost per mile low.

cities will spend all sorts of crazy money on motorized transport, but getting them to talk seriously about bikes is another matter.

Think the issue is just the experience and professionalism of the people managing the project. We have ridiculous costs for public transport infrastructure in Victoria (Australia) just because the people running the system are mostly lawyers as opposed to the engineers in Barcelona. I bet you America’s private railroads have lower costs than most public agencies but it’s not public vs private they just know what they’re doing.

We need to find a way to dratically reduce costs. Labor cost must be cheaper since I don’t believe they include health care costs for the workers due to a socialized medicine system there. Also, siesta is still honored which makes it hard to work full time. I do hear productivity is lower in Spain.

Uh, I disagree. The siesta is a Spanish tradition that should be preserved. I’m sorry to say this, but you are just a conservative pawn.

About the BRT element, that’s more like Los Angeles’ Metro Rapid rather than true BRT. Let’s never use the BRT term to describe buses in mixed traffic. It’s a fraud that must end.

Americans have weird ideas about the siesta which probably originated in racist stereotypes of Mexicans, but now float free. It’s just a different way of arranging work hours. Americans typically work from 8:30 to 12:30 and 1 to 5. Spaniards typically work from 8 to 12 and 4 to 8. Both work 8 hours a day.

In any case, this is irrelevant to boring tunnels: TBMs run (and have to be tended) 24 hours a day.

… and the 4 hour break between noon and 4pm does make a lot of sense, particularly in the summer, and inlands, where temperatures of 38°C and more are common.

… and we talk construction work here, whic does not take place in air conditioned office silos…

As an Spanish engineer let me tell you I never had the pleasure, nor have I heard of, somebody in my circle of friends or coworkers, really having time for that “siesta”. It’s funny how people outside Spain think we can afford to sleep at work time.

And Spanish corporate work is from 8 to 18 with 1 hour for lunch. Unfortunately commuting time makes impossible for most of us to go home for lunch, let alone sleep the siesta.

And the Socialized medicine doesnt’ mean the government happily pays for everything. Companies have to pay the government the “social security” fee for their employees, that more or less is the same amount as the money the employee gets.

And hahaha as you brilliantly apoint all this is irrelevant to TBM’s which have to be powered 24/7

Spain is a financial cripple and the heavy burden of public debt and the huge taxes associated with metro expansion will further increase negative financial pressures on transit projects.

The realities of hugely expensive transit projects will soon hit home with a vengeance as the EEC (after the Greek debacle) will insist on major financial reforms, including a stop on metro construction i future is going to be any bailout.

In the UK the news is even worse and many public transit projects have now been axed or curtailed, including the long awaited (and dreamed for) ‘Crossrail’.

Spain is in great shape financially and its bond rates are much lower than those of the IDIOT countries which imposed massive austerity plans, like Ireland.

Spain’s government is also not as afraid of Germany, so it will have the sense not to cut back on its infrastructure spending. And while it has a boom and Germany stagnates, it will laugh all the way to the bank.

I agree. Spain is less afraid than Germany in that sense when it comes to financing rail transit, and is more “in control”.

Barcelona sure could use more tram expansion. A tramway on Avinguda Diagonal linking the two other separate tramways that exist now should be done in conjunction with other tram expansions. You should visit, but there’s nothing much in English and it’s either in Catalan or Spanish.

Triple digit prices in oil will make even large-scale metro projects look like a bargain when cars decline in significant numbers. Their associated infrastructure and eenvironmental costs are historically stratospheric, especially in western North America.

yes you wish … but the truth is the “prosperous” countries in Europe like UK and France are the ones really rotting, with ghettos in near-civil war situation and cities in alarming rundown conditions, poor safety, high crime rate, broken families…. Yet we read everyday speculations about Spain, which by the way was the only country that didn’t need state intervention in the banking system.

UK and France are not prosperous by European standards. They are about average. Germany, Scandinavia, and the Low Countries are the prosperous ones.

Anyone know whether Spain has a NEPA-like process? If not, could it be that this accounts for some of the difference? (Not the cost of doing the study, which is relatively trivial, but the cost of providing the extra bells and whistles in the name of “mitigating environmental impacts.”) Sounds like we have some commenters on here who have a lot of experience with big infrastructure projects — I’d be curious to hear from them if they think this is a relevant factor or not.

I think it might be. I’m not familiar with the 2nd Ave subway nor the Spanish system, but in my experience NEPA makes for a huge variance in project cost. Most engineering firms used to be able to give you a ballpark quote on things like track construction or catenary construction, but now they won’t even venture to make a guess until the environmental assessments have been done.

A strong NIMBY campaign backed by an environmental lawsuit can easily double or triple the cost of a project. I’ve seen it happen on three separate occasions. But if nobody makes a peep, it doesn’t increase costs much more than a few hundred thousand dollars.

Second Avenue Subway has little NIMBYism – mostly businesspeople and residents complaining about construction, until the MTA placates them by paying them. The amounts of money in question are nothing compared to the project’s $1.7 billion/km price tag. New York’s other boondoggles – the $1.3 billion/km 7 extension, and the about $4 billion/km East Side Access project – have all been NIMBY-free.

The project was originally supposed to cost €1.9 billion. It’s escalated by a factor of more than 3, but even then, it’s less expensive than comparable American and Japanese projects. However, it’s not that cheap by Continental European standards. Usually lines as complicated as this get built for $250 million per underground route-km (e.g. Paris’s Line 14 and Berlin’s U55), but lower numbers are not unheard of. Barcelona’s Lines 9/10 cost about $170 million/km.

Spain’s construction costs are on the whole lower than in the rest of Europe, but not by that much. It’s not Spain that’s unusual; it’s the US and UK.

This is such a fascinating topic. I hope that there can be a follow up post to elucidate the reasonings behind the pricing structures highlight in the post and comment. Unions? Contractor collusion? Varying geology? TBMs?

Very interesting topic, since until reading the article I thought that L9/L10 was a big burial place for taxpayers’ money.

Digging in Barcelona is not an easy task. There are huge differences in the composition of the soil in just a few hundreds of meters, so the construction of the line has been cumbersome, having constantly to readapt the machinery to the type of soil that needs to be crossed. In addition to this, differences in labor cost exist, but are not as big as one could imagine. We’re talking about a country with price levels on average pretty similar to the ones found in the US.

This line has been partially underground terminated by one of the sections. Interestingly not having the level of expected use. The northern part was clearly designed for political purposes, to reach more modest neighborhoods of the suburbs, which already had a good public transport. It is expected that the southern route has more use as it connects areas with large populations and the airport.

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Dorothy Walters, born 1928, has pioneered women’s rights since the 70s. After completing a PhD in English Literature she became one of the first college professors in the country to set up a Women’s Studies program, against much opposition from both men and women alike. Later in life, she experienced a kundalini awakening which changed her life forever and put her on a spiritual path of discovery. She has since published a number of books of mystic poetry and prose, and also keeps a blog called Kundalini Splendor. She now lives in Boulder, Colorado, and is a valued member of The Woman’s Network community.

My Journey into Consciousness Many years ago, I was living in Kansas as a professor in a state university. I was teaching English and American literature, often introducing emerging women writers such as Alice Walker, Marguerite Yourcenar, Isabel Allende, Adrienne Rich and the like. I had recently discovered the Great Goddess, and reveled in that…

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Covid-19: Community Pharmacies — [Sir Graham Brady in the Chair]

Part of Backbench Business – in Westminster Hall at 2:09 pm on 11th March 2021.

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Photo of Taiwo Owatemi Taiwo Owatemi Labour, Coventry North West 2:09 pm, 11th March 2021

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Graham. I thank Jackie Doyle-Price for securing this crucial debate. As a qualified pharmacist, I know the important role that community pharmacists play at the heart of communities, going above and beyond for their patients on a daily basis. I thank those in my constituency such as Allesley pharmacy and Rotherham Road pharmacy for their ongoing hard work. Since the start of the pandemic, much of our high street has shut up shop, faced with the unique threats that covid presents. Community pharmacies, on the other hand, have opened their doors to all those who need them. They quickly adapted their services to be covid secure, and offered face-to-face advice and healthcare on a walk-in basis when communities needed it most. They have been a shining light in the dark times for our high street and taken the strain off other sections of our health system.

We should celebrate the innovation shown by community pharmacists. Pandemic delivery services ensured that patients shielding at home were able to access their prescriptions without putting themselves at risk, and pharmacists reviewed the medication for those discharged from hospital, helping patients manage their medicines properly, reducing confusion and improving patient safety. They have used their expertise to support the national covid-19 vaccination programme, making it easier for many to receive the vaccination at their own convenience, from a familiar trusted face.

However, these changes have come at a huge cost, both financially and emotionally. Pharmacies have been left to fund the increased staffing costs, PPE, cleaning and social distancing measures that came with the effects of covid. Coupled with a reduction in over-the-counter sales and services, many are now facing serious financial challenges. Yet pharmacies have received no targeted funding for their efforts. Instead, this Government have taken advantage of the good will. From the ongoing effects of the devastating cuts of 2016, to the unforeseen cuts of the last year, pharmacies have been left in the lurch, forced to fend for themselves.

The systemic underfunding has put community pharmacies in dire straits and many owners have been left having to use their own money to keep these vital parts of our community afloat. A third of pharmacies and businesses in England are now in deficit and many have closed for good. It is counterintuitive that pharmacies are being forced to close in the midst of the pandemic. If we do not act now to stop the loss of community pharmacies, our high streets will be hit hard and many of the most desperate and deprived will lose their main link to NHS services. Only by picking up the extra costs faced by pharmacists and writing off the £370 million in emergency loans—that most will struggle to ever repay—can the Government ever hope to fulfil their promise to do whatever it takes.

Looking ahead, we need to understand the value and work that our community pharmacists do every day. Not only do they provide a key link between individuals and a wider NHS but they are a vital part of our plan to address the health inequalities that many in my constituency and across the country, are seeing grow more and more. Our pharmacists have a fantastic set of skills, and a broad knowledge and expertise that can take some of the burden from the overstretched primary care network. I hope the Minister will listen to what has been said, because now we need active steps to give community pharmacists guaranteed support grants and to fully fund the enhanced community and public healthcare and covid-19 booster vaccinations. The Minister and his colleagues in the Treasury should remember that the success of pharmacies does not simply keep our communities healthy. They also inject life into our high street—which themselves have been ravaged by the pandemic. An investment in pharmacists is an investment in public health, local economies and preventing future pandemics having the startling impact that we have seen in the past year. This is an investment that will pay for itself many times over.


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Winter Recreation

Snowshoe or cross country ski the trails at Kent Park, Ashton Cross Country Course, Coralville Creekside Cross and Macbride Nature Recreation Area. Keep up to date with trail conditions by following the Iowa City Nordic Club.

The public can rent equipment from UI Recreational Services, including sleds, snowshoes and skis.

The university's outdoor recreation club partners with Brown Deer Golf Club to groom several cross country ski loops at the course. All loops start at the clubhouse area and utilize the course on the south side Oakdale Boulevard. A track parallel to the cross country ski loops is also groomed for snowshoe use.

Sledding is also a popular activity at Brown Deer. While the city does not designate or groom them, sledding hills are open to the public. Snow conditions are monitored and Brown Deer staff will post signs regarding availability of outdoor activities.

The family will love North Liberty's outdoor skating at Penn Meadows Park. Skating is open 9am - 9pm daily January through March (weather dependent). Bring your own skates or rent skates at the Community Center.

For all your cold weather gear, visit local shops Fin & Feather, Active Endeavors and Scheels.

Insanely Curious


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APC Sweeps Kano Local Government Polls

â€¢Â Â PDP kicks, alleges rigging

By Onyebuchi EzigboÂ in Abuja andÂ Ibrahim ShuaibuÂ in KanoÂ Â Â Â

Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC)Â on SundayÂ declared All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the stateâ€™s local government election heldÂ on Saturday.

Declaring the results at a press conference at KANSIEC HeadquartersÂ on Sunday, the Chairman of the commission, Prof. Garba Ibrahim Sheka, said the ruling APC swept all the 44 chairmanship and 484 councillorship seats.

According to him, security reports received during and after the council poll showed that election was peaceful as no violence was recorded or arrest made during the exercise.

Sheka said that 25 political parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which featured one chairmanship candidate, participated in the election.

While acknowledging that there were few challenges during the exercise, he, however, dismissed allegations of malpractices, insisting that the poll was free and fair.Â

Accepting that there was delay in the commencement of the election in almost all the polling units, he attributed the shortcoming to the late arrival of sensitive materials, which he said were ordered from China.Â

Sheka affirmed the neutrality of KANSIEC, saying:” I will not hesitate to declare any other party winner if any candidate from other political parties had won the election because we are not against nor in favour of any particular party.”

But in a swift reaction yesterday, the PDP rejected the results of last Saturday’s House of Representatives’ bye-election in Katsina State and the local council election in Kano State in which the APC candidates emerged victorious.

The PDP, however, urged its members in the two states to remain calm as it takes decisive but legitimate steps to reclaim their stolen mandate.

While accusing the APC of engaging in brute force and allocation of ballots to gain votes in the bye-election in Mashi/Dutsi Federal Constituency of Katsina, PDP also alleged that the Kano poll was characterized by outright cheating, underage voting and ballot stuffing.

The party said the resort to primitive cheating and deployment of heavily armed security forces to muscle votes for the APC in the House of Representatives’ bye-election in Katsina State had further shown that President Muhammadu Buhari and his party had completely lost popularity among Nigerians, even in the presidentâ€™s home state.

According to the PDP, the two elections have signified that the APC cannot win any free and fair election, even in their supposed stronghold.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statementÂ on Sunday, said the fact that the APC had to recourse to brute force and allocation of ballots to gain votes in the bye-election in Mashi/Dutsi Federal Constituency, which ordinarily should have been for them, a walk in the park, being President Buhariâ€™s constituency, shows that the party has pathetically lost it all.

The PDP said the fact that it still held a legitimate 22,690 votes against the 30,719 fraudulently allocated to the APC, despite the use of force and other brazen infractions by the APC, shows that PDP is the natural winner of the election.

He said: “It further strengthens our resolve that our party, the PDP, still commands a genuine followership among Nigerians.

“We, however, invite Nigerians and the international community to mark how the APC and its controlled Federal Government are corrupting our electoral system, by using force to intimidate the people and steal their votes.Â

“The APC is also corrupting security officials to use maximum force as a desperate measure to save President Buhari, whose popularity had dipped across our nation.

“In their desperation to help the President, the APC in cahoot with the inept Presidency declared war on the people by ensuring the deployment of over 1000 heavily armed and hostile security operatives for an election that held in only 15 polling units within two local government councils of Katsina State.Â

“It is unfortunate that the APC has recourse to the worst kind of intimidation and violations twelve calendar months ahead of the general elections.

PDP said that itÂ Â is compiling a comprehensive documentary evidence of infractions and irregularities including barring of legitimate voters from accessing polling centers, assigning of polling units to APC government functionaries, indiscriminate arrests of opposition party members and supporters, underage voting and allocation of votes for APC as well as conflict between results from the polling units and collation centers among others.

Also being compiled is the identity of the security and electoral officials used by the APC to subvert the will of the people, which will be made public while ensuring that they are prosecuted, the party said.


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These Adorable Dog Pajamas Are Not Only Cute, But They Also Keep Your Dog Warm

For You

Fabdog plaid dog pajamas

While some people may think that pajamas for dogs is a little strange, they serve a purpose. Even if your dog loves the snow and never seems to get cold, when she is inside lying in her bed (or in your bed), and her body is still, your furry friends may spend the night shivering. Dog jammies can fix that, keeping your pooch warm while being ridiculously cute.

While many small dogs often have less tolerance for cold temps, dog pajamas are not only for toy breeds. Dogs who have short hair, are older, suffering from health ailments, are living in drafty homes or just tend to get cold easily could all benefit from some pajamas.

Here are some of the highest quality and cutest PJs to keep your pooch comfy and warm.

LazyOne Falling to Sleep Pajamas

Lazyone Falling to Sleep Dog Pajamas
Lazyone Falling to Sleep dog pajamas

LazyOne is all about sleep. The company was founded in the Rocky Mountains of Utah with the goal to amp up the cozy, fun aspect of lounging and napping. The company specializes in tongue-in-cheek prints that are brimming with character and style.

LazyOne is also obsessed with quality fabrics and stitching and fade-proof prints, all at a reasonable price. Even better, the company is eco-conscious: it uses azo-free dyes (no carcinogens), factories with environmentally-friendly practices and its hangers and tags are made from recycled or recyclable paper.

The Falling to Sleep snowflake dog onesie flapjack uses rich colors, a punchy snowflake print, comfy ribbed 100 percent combed cotton fabric and contrasting trim. It’s a slip-on design with four legs and a faux “flap” with buttons. It’s also pre-shrunk, so you can machine wash and tumble dry without worry. Available in various prints. From XS to XL.

Price: $18.99

Le Chien Bleu Kimono Pajamas

Le Chien Bleu Kimono Dog Pajamas
Le Chien Bleu Kimono Dog Pajamas

Le Chien Bleu is the brainchild of Parsons School of Design textile designer JY Lee, who grew up in South Korea playing with the family’s Yorkies and Malteses. Her ultimate decision to design clothes for dogs was initially inspired by a co-worker who created and produced an outfit for her toy poodle’s debut at the company’s Christmas party. Soon after that, JY Lee rescued Jax, a Shiba Inu, who became her “furry ball of happiness,” and she launched Le Chien Bleu. Her custom canine designs focus on both high style and comfort.

The Kimono pajama is made from a stunning fabric reminiscent of traditional Kimono patterns. Comprised of organic cotton, rayon from bamboo and a little spandex for stretchy comfort, it features front legs and a contrasting gray trim. Since it’s too beautiful for home-only use (and wouldn’t we all want to go out for a stroll in our PJs?), she added a leash portal on the back. Hand wash is recommended, but you can also throw it in the washing machine on the gentle cycle. From XS to XL.

Price: $50 to $58

Related: These Dog Blankets Do More Than Just Keep Your Best Friend Warm

Fitwarm Roar Lion Pajamas

Roar Lion Dog Pajamas
Roar Lion Dog Pajamas

Fitwarm’s slogan, “We care about your furbaby,” expresses their deep love of all things canine. The company designs and produces their dog clothes in-house, and they’re known for quality at a good price. Their young designers and experienced tailors keep their clothes trendy, comfortable and well-made.

Their Roar Lion pajamas is a great example of their style. These PJs have both front and back legs. Made from durable (and machine washable) polyester with a velvety texture, the print of a roaring lion harks to comic books and pop art on a royal blue background with navy trim. From XXS to XXL.

Price: $14.99 to $17.99

P.J. Salvage Sleigh All Day Pajamas

PJ Salvage Dog Pajamas
PJ Salvage Dog Pajamas

P.J. Salvage is a California “contemporary lifestyle brand” specializing in luxury clothing that’s both comfortable and casual. The company is known for sophisticated prints, super-soft fabrics and a meticulous attention to detail. The brand is a favorite with celebrities and influencers who love to stay in and relax and much as they love to party.

Designed exclusively for Neiman Marcus, the Sleigh All Day dog PJs are perfect for a family and friends’ slumber party — or just lounging around on a chilly day. With a very sophisticated white mini-diamond print on a black background, the PJs are made of silky velour and feature both front and back legs. From medium to X-Large.

Price: $35

Related: Keep Your Dog Warm With These Stunning Designer Jackets

Fabdog Green Plaid Pajamas

Fabdog plaid dog pajamas 1
Fabdog plaid dog pajamas

Fabdog was launched in New York City in 2002 by designer Cassie Cole with the goal of making “human quality apparel and accessories that can make any dog a fabdog.” These company fits the bill for New York style with its original “bitch and stud” collection and “dog swag hoodies.” When competitors began to emulate Fabdog’s style, the team did what anyone who walks to their own drumbeat does: the company changed direction. Today, Fabdog is known for high-quality, classic style.

A perfect example is its Green Plaid pajamas. With four legs and a classic collar, your dog will feel right at home relaxing in front of the fire in your country home — or in a cool loft in Brooklyn. Its constructed of super soft 100 percent cotton flannel with poplin piping details, Velcro closures and “little pockets for reading glasses.” Machine washable. You can even buy a matching set for both you and your dog! Sized from 8 inches to 36 inches.

From $25 to $45

Tooth & Honey

Wolf Moon dog pajamas
Tooth & Honey dog pajamas

Tooth & Honey is unique: it specializes in making “fashion-forward” clothing and accessories for “hard-to-fit” pit bull-type dogs. Its mission is to support the animal rescue community and various animal welfare campaigns. The team chose the name with the best of the pit bull’s qualities: “tooth” for their loyal, protective natures, and “honey” for their gentle, sweet nature. Their goal is to change the negative perception of bully breeds so that more will be rescued and adopted.

Its Cow Over the Moon dog pajamas are a work of art. Lightweight and stretchy for comfort, they have an elastic underside for a secure fit, a ribbed trim in a contrasting solid color, and a print with moons, stars and cows. The polyester/spandex blend is lightweight yet warm and machine washable. From Medium to XXL.

Price: $40 to $42

Related: The Must-Have Products to Keep Your Dog Safe and Warm During the Winter Season


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Students' return to school

All year groups are now back at school following weeks of learning from home. We spoke to some Year 10 students about how they felt about the return to school:

“I found the online learning okay but I know some students would have found it hard for their mental health. I was a bit nervous about coming back but the wellbeing lessons helped.”
Harry S

“I feel more energised being at school and being with people rather than being in a room at home. I’d missed being in an educational environment – it’s harder to focus at home. I was a bit nervous about coming back because I hadn’t really seen people for a while but it was just a case of getting on with it.”
Phoebe R

“I’m more motivated in school. It’s been nice to get back into a routine, to get out of the house and get some fresh air. I’m glad to be back.”
Gabriele P

“I’d got into online learning but I feel better coming back to school and seeing my friends. It’s easier to focus on the work. Once we’d done the first day back, it was back to normal.”
Chloe H


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ThreatX Recognized as a Top 25 Cyber Security Company 2019 | ThreatX

Denver, CO, – March 15, 2019 – ThreatX, the leading provider of SaaS-based web application firewall (WAF) solutions, today announced that it has been named by CIO Applications as one of the “Top 25 Cyber Security Companies in 2019”. The recognition is based on an evaluation of the ThreatX platform’s ability to provide WAF security to protect not only websites, but also APIs, cloud apps, and microservices. The annual list of companies is selected by a panel of experts and members of CIO Applications’ editorial board to recognize and promote technology entrepreneurship.

“We are excited to announce ThreatX as one of the Top 25 Cyber Security Companies in 2019,” said Joe Phillip, Managing Editor of CIO Applications. “ThreatX is a next-gen, cloud-based WAF that can be easily and rapidly deployed to protect legacy and hybrid cloud application environments. We are pleased to recognize ThreatX as one of the Top 25 because its platform addresses the most pressing security needs of the modern enterprise, namely broad and highly accurate protection from advanced threats with minimal administrative burden for busy security teams.”

“Being named to the Top 25 Cyber Security Companies by CIO Applications is a tremendous endorsement of both our technology and our team,” said Bret Settle, CEO of ThreatX. “This recognition reflects how our behavior-based, next-generation WAF is transforming the way our customers deploy and manage their web, cloud, and legacy application security. We are thrilled to be part of this elite group.”

About CIO Applications

CIO Applications is a technology magazine, published from Silicon Valley, CA, that is a prime platform for CIOs to discuss innovative enterprise solutions. It is a medium that helps upcoming enterprise IT vendors to engage and showcase their solutions for enterprises. CIO Applications helps technology leaders by providing analysis on new technologies and gives a better understanding of the role that enterprise solutions play in achieving the business goals. For more information, visit

About ThreatX

ThreatX is the only SaaS-based web application firewall (WAF) solution that enables enterprises to confidently secure all their web applications against a rapidly evolving threat landscape. Purpose built for the hybrid-cloud, ThreatX delivers complete visibility and the most precise threat detection and neutralization capabilities available by combining progressive behavior profiling, collective threat intelligence, and deep analytics with a managed service. ThreatX eliminates the false positives and maintenance burdens associated with 1st generation WAFs and static, rule-based solutions.

Learn more about ThreatX here and connect on Twitter and LinkedIn.


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Three Advanced Plan details

100GB Data allowance
  • Included: 12 month contract
  • Included: Unlimited minutes and texts
  • Included: 5G Ready at no extra cost
  • Included: Personal Hotspot
  • Included: Go Roam Around the World

What's available with Advanced Plans?

Go Roam

With our Advanced plans, you can use your data to upload your holiday selfies, and call and text home, at no extra cost in 71 destinations all over the world.

Personal hotspot

With Personal Hotspot, you can use your existing data allowance to connect other devices to your phone and get online. Pretty handy when there's no Wi-Fi.

Free calls to customer services

Customer Services team from the UK: 0800 and 0808 and 0500

What's not included?

Additional and extra charges

Calls to personal numbers (070), directory services and 09 (premium rate) are not included on your inclusive allowance.
Service numbers starting 084, 087 or 188 (Access charge set by us).
Plus a Service Charge set by the company you are calling (they'll tell you this).
55p per minute
UK Picture Messages:
UK to international texts from:
International to UK calls from:
3p per minute
For full international call, text and data charges, please visit

The price displayed includes a £5 monthly discount for paying by a recurring method, such as direct debit. Each April, your Monthly Charge will increase by 4.5%.

For pricing information please go to the Three Price Checker or the Three Price Guide. Voicemail is to Three's standard voicemail number.

Terms apply, see


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October 20, 2016

This page includes a list of all the articles published on this date. Use the navigator to select a different date.

Woman looking in the mirror while touching her skin.

Remedies for Adult AcneThis is a page about remedies for adult acne. Determining the cause and effective treatment for blemishes will help you feel better about yourself.

Salmon cakes in a cast iron pan with a sprig of dill.

Salmon Cake Recipes?This page contains salmon cake recipes. This is a delicious way to prepare salmon for a protein rich main course.

A ladle of au' jus served with roast beef.

Beef Au' Jus RecipesA roast dinner can be enhanced with addition of beef broth and seasonings for a thin gravy. This page contains beef au' jus recipes.

Blue denim crocheted purse.

Making a Crocheted Denim PurseThis is a page about making a crocheted denim purse. Recycle denim material as strips to crochet a unique bag.

Gumbo burgers on a blue plate.

Gumbo Burger RecipeThis page contains gumbo burger recipe. A hearty sandwich to make for a quick inexpensive meal.

2 Fried salmon patties with a wedge of lime and a cob of corn.

Fried Salmon PattiesThis is a page about fried salmon patties. Stretch a can of salmon with other ingredients to make delicious fried patties for dinner.

A pincushion made from fabric and a terra cotta pot.

Making a Clay Pot PincushionThis is a page about making a clay pot pincushion. You can easily create a unique pincushion starting with a small clay flower pot.

Full size view of the paint can with the pin cushion attached to lid.

Making a Paint Can PincushionThis is a page about making a paint can pincushion. If space is at a premium in your craft area, try adding a pincushion to the lid of a can of spray paint.

Jar of face cream with pink flowers

Homemade Beauty ProductsThis is a page about homemade beauty products. You can save money by making your own natural skin and hair treatments for your family and to give as special gifts.

Mound of rice surrounded by shrimp gumbo.

Simple Shrimp Gumbo RecipeThis page contains a simple shrimp gumbo recipe. Gumbo is a stew that originated in southern Louisiana and is typically made with seafood and thickened with filé powder. It can be made with meat instead.

Peeps Marshmallow Vodka

Peeps Marshmallow VodkaThis page contains a recipe for Peeps marshmallow vodka. This is an easy, festive alcoholic beverage to make for special occasions.

wooden tray with religious saying

Personalized Serving TrayThis is an easy tray to personalize. Once you are finished, place a jar of jam and/or a favorite bread on it as a welcome gift.

A decorative sign that spells out "BOO".

"BOO" Pumpkin SignThis decorative Halloween sign takes a little bit of time but is well worth the effort. Learn how to make it in this short video.

Dealing With Telemarketers

Dealing With TelemarketersI just now got a call from a telemarketer. It was my first in a long time. I handled the call in the manner I usually do. I thought someone else might find my method useful.

The Many Ways to Utilize Paper

The Many Ways to Utilize PaperThe best way to not waste paper is to avoid using it, but that is nearly impossible. Many people don't have digital access and still have to rely on paper copies of everything. Instead, we need to recycle it and find ways to utilize every inch of paper so nothing is wasted.

signature on doll

Identifying a Porcelain Doll?Please tell me if anyone knows the identification name on this doll.

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What Breed Is My Dog?I have no idea what my puppy is. My husband bought it from the store; it was the last one. All he knows is that it stays small. She is small and sleeps a lot still.

Logo for ThriftyFun Questions

Fixing a Clogged Toilet?My toilet has been clogged and I tried snaking it down and even used a plunger. I couldn't fix it and the water seems to back-up. Does anyone have help with suggestions and comments?

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3 Year Old Pug Died Suddenly?My sweet Pug Audrey died yesterday at the age of three. When hurricane Matthew came through Florida Audrey showed signs of stress. She was panting and shaking. She seemed to get better over the next few days. I noticed she wasn't eating as much as usual and thought she would be back to her normal self soon.

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Bleaching a Polyester Dress?Is it possible to bleach a pink and orange polyester dress?

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Personal Property Dispute After Parent's Death?My mother died, left everything to my little brother, and he appointed his oldest daughter power of attorney and executor of the will. He has destroyed hundreds of dollars worth of my property within the home and has given me an ultimatum. Get the rest of my belongings out, or he will destroy them as well.

red flowering geranium

What Kind of Geranium Is This?My father has carried this geranium over the winters for years. It takes a long time to flower and produces geranium flowers, but with mini rose type ends. Anyone ever seen this before?

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AWS Cloud Migration

Ensure Successful Migration to AWS Cloud with Thundra

Oldschool Debugging

When developers push application code to development environments in pre-production on AWS cloud, they usually lose the ability of traditional debugging with breakpoints. The only thing they can do is to read the logs carefully and understand what’s going wrong. If they can’t understand the issue, they need to re-deploy the code with more logs.

This creates a huge drawback of migrating development environments to cloud because a considerable amount of time and performance is wasted here.

thundra debugging
native debugging

The Best Native Debugging

Thundra accelerates the cloud migrating by providing the best native debugging for cloud applications. Developers are able to debug applications on AWS cloud by putting tracepoints to the code execution to extract information out of it. When they want to test the small fixes, they can fast-reload the application without having to re-deploy. Thundra enables application teams save a lot of time while developing and debugging cloud applications.

Thundra is the Catalyzer

Since Thundra removes the obstacles of remote development and lets application teams dramatically save time, it becomes much more easier to migrate to AWS cloud with confidence.

Thundra empowers and encourages software teams migrate to AWS cloud from the beginning of their software cycle — set up remote development environments on AWS.

thundra catalyzer

Observability into AWS Services

aws services

Benefits of Thundra in Migration Phases

Thundra provides end-to-end visibility into any application before-during-after cloud migration.

remote Proof of Concept Phase

bullet No need to mock AWS services in local.

bullet Gain confidence by visualizing microservices applications.

bullet Ensure code works before production.

performance Scaling up Phase

bullet Develop event-driven, distributed applications confidently.

bullet Debug any application in any environment - live and at scale.

bullet Reduce development and operational costs.

bullet Reduce time to market with new services.

migration Migration Phase

bullet Develop in AWS, remote debug with Thundra.

bullet Trace applications automatically with correlated logs, metrics, and traces.

bullet Development cycle times are improved by Thundra.


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Little Rock's Leading Local News: Weather, Traffic, Sports and more | Little Rock, Arkansas | THV11.com

Tips for safe grocery shopping recommended by Arkansas Grocers and Retail Merchants Association

The Arkansas Grocers and Retail Merchants Association gives us a few tips to help shop safely during COVID-19.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark — While we're all encouraged to stay safe and inside as best we can during this coronavirus pandemic, one place many of us simply can't help but visit is the grocery store.

We've got some tips from the Arkansas Grocers and Retail Merchants Association to help you shop safe.

  1. Remember to check the policies of the grocery stores you're visiting before you go in. Some places may make lines wait outside. Some might limit the amount of customers allowed in. Also, remember some stores now have special hours in place for vulnerable populations. You could be asked to leave if you try to shop during those special times.
  2. Speaking of time, with many stores implementing their own social distancing and shopping policies, your trips will likely take longer. Expect it. Plan for it.
  3. Before you get to the store, disinfect reusable grocery bags. If you do bring your own bags, you should bag your own groceries at the store. Keep in mind some places are now choosing to temporarily not allow them in stores.
  4. Make sure to have a face mask. A clean, cloth mask is recommended by the CDC for when you're out and about. The CDC says cloth masks made from household items or made at home from common materials can be helpful for overall public health.
  5. Inspect produce items with your eyes, not your hands. To avoid any unnecessary handling of fruit and veggies, grab a produce bag to pick up those items instead.
  6. It's best to avoid all unnecessary handling of all items in store. Try not to pick up anything you don't plan to buy.
  7. Only stock up on enough items you'd need for about a week of time. Normalized shopping patterns help everyone in the end.
  8. Do keep in mind, major retailers like Kroger and Walmart offer some form of pick up and delivery services so you could avoid going inside altogether.

RELATED: How to sanitize your house surfaces and groceries during COVID-19

RELATED: VERIFY: Don't use soap to wash your produce

RELATED: Instacart workers seek strike as jobs get busier, riskier during coronavirus outbreak


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Beat Bar presents: DJ Premier & Statik Selektah

Beat Bar presents: DJ Premier & Statik Selektah

Sun, 10 Mar 13, 22:00 - Mon, 11 Mar 13, 02:30
Beat Bar, 66 Merrion Street, Leeds, LS2 8LW
Last entry: 00:00

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Beat Bar presents: DJ Premier & Statik Selektah

Well I have to say that we have truly out done ourselves yet again. It is an absolute pleasure and a dream come true to welcome the incredible DJ PREMIER to Beat Bar. As one half of Gang Starr and arguably the greatest Hip Hop producer of all time, Preemo, as he's also known, has created classics for the likes of Nas, Big L, Jay-Z, KRS One, Mos Def, Rakim, Biggie...I could go on and on! This man's production style epitomizes the New York sound that dominated Hip Hop in the 90's with his raw and rugged style that still influences artists to this very day.

Premier was born in Houston, Texas but it wasn't until his teenage years when he moved to Brooklyn, New York where he met Guru that his music career really began to take off. In 1989 Premier joined Guru's Gang Starr and later that year released their debut album 'No More Mr. Nice Guy'. A year later they were signed to Chrysalis Records and, as they say, the rest is history...
In 1994 Hip Hop had one of it's golden years and Premier had a huge hand to play in thatt, in addition to dropping another Gang Starr classic, Hard To Earn, his productions appeared on five-star, all-time classics by the likes of Nas (Illmatic), The Notorious B.I.G. (Ready To Die) and Jeru The Damaja (The Sun Rises In The East). Since the Premier has gone onto cement his place in Hip Hop history as THE greatest producer. He's joined by one of today's best beatmakers and DJs, Statik Selektah, who has worked with the likes of Mobb Deep, Q-Tip, MOP, Action Bronson, Mac Miller and countless others.

This is an extremely rare performance and if you have any interest in Hip Hop music in the slightest then this is one that you will not want to miss!

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March 2020

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Archive for March 17th, 2020

DOJ Moves to Dismiss Charges Against Russians Accused of Running Troll Farms

By Steve Neavling

The Justice Department filed a motion Monday to dismiss charges against two shell companies involved in Russian inference in the 2016 presidential election.

The move comes just two weeks before jury selection was to begin in the case against Concord Management and Concord Consulting, which were charged in 2018 as part of the special counsel Robert Mueller probe.

Prosecutors say the companies were using the case to try to gain access to sensitive information that could harm U.S. national security, The New York Times reports.

“Concord has been eager and aggressive in using the judicial system to gather information about how the United States detects and prevents foreign election interference,” prosecutors said in a motion filed in court on Monday.

Michael J. Driscoll named special agent in charge of the Philadelphia Field Office

Special FBI Agent Michael J. Driscoll.

By Steve Neavling

Michael J. Driscoll has been named special agent in charge of the Philadelphia Field Office.

Driscoll, who was serving as special agent in charge of the Counterintelligence and Cyber Division for the New York Field Office, began his career as an FBI special agent in 1996. He was first assigned to the New York Field Office to work on counterterrorism. In his role, he helped investigate al Qaeda conspirators involved in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and the attacks on 9/11.

He earned an Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in 2002 for his work investigating al Qaeda and the 1998 embassy bombings.

In 2003, Driscoll was transferred to FBI headquarters to serve as the FBI’s representative to the al Qaeda Department of the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center.

In 2005, Driscoll became supervisor and returned to the New York Field Office, where he headed the squad tasked with extraterritorial investigations in Africa. He also led the FBI’s counterterrorism efforts in the New York Hudson Valley region and was later promoted to the coordinating supervisory special agent for New York’s Counterterrorism Program.

In 2013, Driscoll was named assistant legal attaché for London, where he oversaw the Cyber Program and working closely with U.K. law enforcement and intelligence services. In 2016, he became assistant special agent in charge of Philadelphia’s counterintelligence and cyber programs.

In 2018, he returned to FBI headquarters, serving as the chief of the Violent Crime Section, which leads the FBI’s Crimes Against Children Program, as well as efforts to combat violent crime and gang-related violence.

In 2019, Driscoll was promoted to special agent in charge of New York’s Criminal Division and later began to lead New York’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division.

Before joining the FBI, Driscoll worked in commercial litigation as an attorney. He graduated from the State University of New York in Albany and received his law degree from Hofstra University School of Law in Hempstead, N.Y.


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Along Allen Road, though, an older version of Hilton Head is preserved. The short street bisects a 38-acre plot and travels past some 23 trailers that house members of the Allen family. Tall oak and pine trees block the sun from flowering shrubs in the sandy soil. The noise from passing cars is drowned out by bird chatter and an occasional shout from one family member to another.

Matthew Allen, now in his 70s, grew up visiting this family land where his father and grandfather grew up. “When [my father] was coming up,” he recalls, “they used to…go down to the water to fish. They used to hunt. [They] used to farm the land, used to grow okra, corn, sweet potatoes. They took full advantage of the land.”

It was Dennis Allen, Matthew’s great-grandfather, who purchased the land on Hilton Head. The son of slaves, Dennis Allen bought his first parcel of nearly 20 acres in 1897, at a time when African Americans were purchasing land across the country. Today, the Allen family owns the largest undeveloped lot on Hilton Head.

But as the land enters its 120th year in the family, the Allens are struggling to hold on to it. Because of ambiguities surrounding the land’s title, there is no primary owner of the property; all of the heirs of the original owners—and there are more than 100 known heirs—are legally co-owners. As such, the land is classified as “heirs’ property,” a designation that makes it vulnerable to being sold without the family’s full consent. As the Allens attempt to overcome a stacked legal system—exacerbated by corrupt lawyers and predatory developers—they are at the center of a decades-long fight to retain black-owned land across the South.

In the 45 years following the Civil War, freed
 slaves and their descendants accumulated roughly 15 million acres of land across the United States, most of it in the South. Land ownership meant stability and opportunity for black families, a shot at upward mobility and economic security for future generations. The hard-won property was generally used for farming, the primary occupation of most Southern blacks in the early 20th century. By 1920, there were 925,000 black-owned farms, representing about 14 percent of all farms in the United States.

Over the course of the 20th century, however, that number dropped precipitously. Millions of farmers of all races were pushed off their land in the early part of the century, including around 600,000 black farmers. By 1975, just 45,000 black-owned farms remained. “It was almost as if the earth was opening up and swallowing black farmers,” writes scholarPete Daniel in his book Dispossession: Discrimination Against African American Farmers in the Age of Civil Rights. Implicit in the decline of black farming was the loss of the land those farmers once tilled. Today, African Americans compose less than 2 percent of the nation’s farmers and 1 percent of its
rural landowners.

Many factors contributed to the loss of black-owned land during the 20th century, including systemic discrimination in lending by the US Department of Agriculture, the industrialization that lured workers into factories, and the Great Migration. But the lesser-known issue of heirs’ property also played a role, allowing untold thousands of acres to be forcibly bought out from under black rural families—often second-, third-, or fourth-generation landowners whose ancestors were
enslaved—by real-estate developers and speculators.

By one estimate, 81 percent of these early black landowners didn’t make wills, largely due to a lack of access to legal resources. Their descendants then inherited the land without a clear title, and it thereby became designated as heirs’ property. Although heirs’ property exists in many regions of the country, it’s most prevalent in low-income communities. In the South, according to one estimate, more than 50 percent of heirs’-property owners are African-American, many of them the descendants of slaves and sharecroppers. The Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation, based in Charleston County, South Carolina, estimates that there are 105,000 acres of heirs’ property in its 15-county service area alone.

Without a clear title, heirs’-property owners are limited in what they can do with their land. They can’t get mortgages or do extensive repairs on their homes; as a consequence, some live in trailers. They aren’t eligible to apply for state or federal housing aid (such as funds provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency) or for nearly any of the programs administered by the Department of Agriculture, including the crucial loans and conservation funding that keep many rural landowners afloat. “So [they’re] already hampered because [they] have heirs’ property,” explains Jennie L. Stephens, the executive director of the center, “but now [they’re] sitting here with these hundreds of acres, and [they] can’t do anything with it.”

As with the Allen family, heirs’ property is often jointly owned by many descendants, some of whom are scattered across the country and may never have met one another. Each has a claim to the land, but this type of joint ownership makes them vulnerable to a peculiar legal challenge: Any one of these co-owners has the legal right to sell their share of the property—or even to bring the whole parcel of land to court-ordered auction—without the consent of the others.

These “partition sales” are one cause of the dispossession crisis,according to the Heirs’ Property Retention Coalition. Property developers entice faraway relatives who may never have visited their family’s land to sell their share for a fraction of its market value. Once they buy a share, these developers can then sell all of the land at auction for a large profit. A 2001 report from the US Agricultural Census estimated that about 80 percent of black-owned farmland had disappeared in the South since 1969. Approximately half of that land was lost through partition sales.

Thomas W. Mitchell, an expert in heirs’ property at the Texas A&M University School of Law, says families will often try to fend off partition sales by arguing that their land is historically significant, or of cultural importance to the African-American
community. But until recently, the courts weren’t legally required to take into account the historical or cultural value of the land, and so they generally don’t.

Mitchell attributes the persistent and ongoing issue of partition sales in the African-American community to a question of power, at least in part. “If the Kennedys, the Bushes, or the Clintons had their property sold under these circumstances,” he says, “the law would have been reformed” by now.

Living History: Alex Brown stands before a re-creation of an original Gullah house. (Richard Ellis)

Hilton Head, on the southeastern coast
of South Carolina, is one of more than 100 coastal islands that form the Sea Islands. Though it is now primarily known as a golfing and resort destination, Hilton Head was once almost entirely inhabited by the Gullah people. The Gullah are descendants of enslaved West Africans who, like Dennis Allen, moved to the Sea Island region at the end of the Civil War, or who had previously been enslaved on area plantations. Gullah communities thrived for decades on the isolated islands, largely free of the restrictions of the Jim Crow South. For generations, they maintained an agricultural, barter-based economy.

Then, in the mid-1950s, development came to Hilton Head. Wealthy industrialists bought up hundreds of acres for recreational sites as highway and bridge construction made it easier for mainland residents to reach the islands. By the 1990s, the waterfront properties on Hilton Head had become highly desirable among wealthy whites seeking a vacation home.

The development displaced many Gullah people. Some families lost their land to rising property taxes, which they could no longer afford to pay, but others lost their land in partition sales, their property brought to auction by developers in forced sales or by partial owners convinced to sell it for a fraction of its value. In areas where the Gullah once made up 90 percent or more of the population, they account for as little as 10 percent today, according to Willie Heyward, managing attorney at the Heirs’ Property Law Firm. Somewhere between 200 and 700 acres of the land on Hilton Head—no one knows the exact number—
remain in Gullah hands.

“The property that we owned was prime property,” says Alex Brown, a Gullah native and chair of the island’s planning commission. “Over time, it’s been sold and traded and stolen.” And because of the Gullah’s unique history of agricultural production, the loss of land amounts to a loss of culture.

“If we don’t have our land, we don’t have our family,” says Queen Quet, chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation. “This is the battle we’re in now.”

Beyond Hilton Head, all of South Carolina has experienced enormous demographic shifts in the past 50 years. African Americans comprised nearly half of the state’s farmers in 1950, but by 2012 represented just 7 percent. In Beaufort County, which includes Hilton Head and other coastal islands, the population is now
77 percent white, compared with 57 percent black in 1950. This shift has created tension between “native islanders” and the newcomers, many of them white retirees from the North. And it was facilitated by the forced sale of thousands of acres of black-owned land. To this day, Mitchell says, South Carolina is the “ground zero” of African-American partition sales.

Many members of the Allen family say they
never wanted to get involved with Horace Jones Jr. Some say a distant relative had begun conversations with the lawyer about clearing the title to the Allen family land—that is, removing Dennis Allen’s name from the title and replacing it with the names of living heirs, thus eliminating any legal ambiguities around their ownership of the land—but they add that the family never hired him. Another member of the family told The Island Packet, the local paper serving Beaufort County, that the family had retained Jones to help track its genealogy and build a family tree to help clear the title to the land. But many agree that Jones didn’t have anyone’s consent to start a lawsuit—allegedly on behalf of several family members—to partition and sell the 38-acre plot in 2009.

Jones had worked as an attorney in York County, South Carolina, on heirs’-property and other estate cases for more than two decades. According to an article in the Rock Hill Herald, former clients described him as “a stand-up guy.” The Allens disagree. Members of the family listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit that Jones initiated insisted to me, as well as in affidavits submitted to the court, that they didn’t want to sell the land, and that Jones forged their signatures. The family has filed an unsuccessful motion to dismiss the partition case. Yet because the Allen family tree is still unfinished and the title has yet to be cleared, the judge could rule at any time simply to auction off the land.

Since Jones filed the initial sale documents, the Allens have been approached by several developers hoping to buy their land, or to convince family members to sell their stake in it. One real-estate developer, the Melrose Holding Company, offered $4.5 million for the property.

There have been many opinions in the Allen family about selling their land—and, indeed, one branch of the extended family, composed of about six people, has retained another lawyer, Terry Finger, to represent their interests in court. But much of the family doesn’t want to sell. “We have worked hard to save this piece of land,” says Ethel Simmons, Matthew Allen’s cousin, who lives on the property with her mother. “If we lose the land, it’s going to hurt a lot of us.”

In August 2016, many members of the family submitted affidavits to the Beaufort County Court to say they weren’t notified of the land’s partitioning and were “stunned” that the sale was initiated without the family’s consent. They expressed particular concern over the fate of elderly relatives still living on the property should the auction proceed. “We are not wild [beasts roaming] on the property, we are law-abiding citizens,” wrote Queen Mary Allen-Davis, a member of the family, in an affidavit. “We are not animals. We are people.”

As the Allens struggled to free themselves from Jones’s lawsuit, the lawyer’s reputation was sullied by felony charges alleging that he had stolen about $750,000 from clients. On October 12, 2015—the date Jones was scheduled to appear at his trial—he shot himself in a wooded area about 200 miles from the courthouse. The allegations against him included an account from a woman who had hired Jones to assist in clearing the titles to five parcels of heirs’ property. Jones allegedly sold the land without her consent, collecting the profits for himself.

The Braddock’s Point Cemetery, an historic Gullah burial ground now surrounded by Hilton Head’s Sea Pines resort. (Richard Ellis.)

On September 22, 2016, Nikki Haley, then
governor of South Carolina, signed the Clementa C. Pinckney Uniform Partition of Heirs’ Property Act. The law, named for the revered state senator and pastor who was killed in the 2015 massacre at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, provides several protections for heirs’-
property owners. If one co-tenant initiates a sale, for instance, the other co-tenants must be given an opportunity to buy that tenant’s share before the land can be sold. The act also requires judges to consider things like the sentimental, cultural, or historical significance of the land as well as its market value (previously the only consideration in most cases) before ruling to sell it. And if the land is sold, it must be sold on the open market instead of at auction, so that families receive a fair price. Josh Walden, the supervising attorney at the Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation, calls the act a “great tool” with the potential to preserve the land of many heirs’-property owners. Queen Quet calls it “a blessing.”

The law has its origins in model legislation that was written in 2010 by the Uniform Law Commission, which drafts bills for states to consider. Thomas W. Mitchell was its lead author—only the second African American in the history of the commission to serve as the lead author of a uniform law. He calls the act the “most significant reform to property law in the history of this country.” It has already been passed by 10 states, including Alabama, Connecticut, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas, and was introduced in the District of Columbia earlier this year.

Beyond South Carolina, there is some evidence that black land ownership is on the rise. One 1999 study found that there were roughly 68,000 black agricultural landowners in the United States who owned more than 7.7 million acres, mostly in the South. The 2012 Census of Agriculture showed that the number of farms with black principal operators had risen 9 percent since 2007.

For some heirs’-property owners on the Sea Islands, the new law may prove seminal in protecting what land remains in the Gullah’s hands. For others, it comes too late. For the Allens, the law’s effect remains to be seen. While the family is cautiously optimistic, they would still need to bring a new lawsuit under the act, since it doesn’t apply retroactively to their existing case.

Margarite Washington, Matthew Allen’s cousin, has lived on Allen Road her whole life. Behind her home is a small memorial, a two-foot cross with a few flowers planted around it. Nearly five years ago, her 8-year-old nephew was killed by a stray bullet on that spot. “If they take the land, we’ll lose all of this,” she says, motioning to the memorial. “We would be devastated. Where are we going to go?”


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IDF confirms female troops were accosted while helping in rescue efforts at Meron

The IDF confirms several Home Front Command female soldiers were physically and verbally accosted after arriving to assist in rescue efforts at the gravesite at Mount Meron, where 45 people were crushed to death in a deadly stampede during Lag B’Omer celebrations.

“The force continued on its mission and ignored the harmful behavior,” the military says in a statement.

The matter was raised by soldiers during an initial investigation into the incident, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

“The IDF views this incident very severely and condemns any violence — physical or verbal — toward female and male soldiers. The IDF in general and Home Front Command in particular will continue to extend a hand, to assist and to save any citizen or resident in a time of need,” the military adds.

Hebrew media reports said five female Home Front Command soldiers were targeted.

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Tracing rural roots to summers on farms

I didn't grow up on a farm, but, appropriately, I grew as a young man through working in agriculture.

Loading bales and cleaning pens, I learned the value of hard work during those days. It was a kind of weariness that was satisfying when I arrived home. And, fortunately, with youth on my side, I still had enough energy to go play basketball with my friends on summer evenings.

I learned to be independent in my labor. Told to take a tractor, plow, disc and drag — all equipment needed to till the soil — to a far-off field, I discovered during the preparation of the field for planting that I needed to know what to do or be able to figure it out. Decisions were made on your own at the far end of a farm during the days before cell phones. No farmer was available to give you advice if a plan of action had to be devised immediately.

For that matter, I learned how to drive the tractor itself on a farm, even if that meant occassionally driving it a couple of notches on the throttle beyond the point recommended by farmers, to gain speed.

And I learned how to drive a standard transmission gearshift on a farm, merely because a farmer who needed a farm hand to go back to the barn and get a machine part had looked at me and asked, "Can you drive a stick shift?" I answered yes. It seemed only a minor workplace lie that the farmer likely didn't mind because I was jerking the truck less when I arrived back at the field than I was when I drove away.

Another lesson in life learned. And, my education meant I became the errand runner for the two years I worked for the man. I learned not to take that responsibility lightly because I quickly found out that a guy looks like a fool if he returns with the wrong part.

Building a resume

I worked for four farmers during my early life. Technically, my labor for the first two started as a child. It was volunteer work for blood relatives.

Although I was the son of a carpenter and lived with my immediate family in a small resort city in western New York, my heritage had its roots in farming.

Annually, my father and his sons helped my two uncles bale hay on their farms, one of which was the farm on which my dad grew up. That was during an era before balers threw bales into wagons with high sides or rolled them into giant bundles so often seen in fields today. Bales in those days were dropped directly onto the ground. Two men walked alongside the wagon, hooking bales and handing them up to a pair of men who stacked the bales in place — three or four or five tiers high, depending upon the stability of the ground on which the wagon would travel.

The youngest and weakest among the sons drove the tractor at a speed that would allow the workers to manhandle the bales at a slow walk. If there was a need to stop, the "driver" soon learned not to let the clutch out too quickly or he would risk hearing an elder shout something like, "Hey, hey, hey, Mario! ... Easy on the peel-out."

Full-time jobs

Two other farmers who weren't family employed me for a total of three summers. The first got out of farming, I believe, not long after the summer during which I worked for him. I swear, it wasn't my fault.

The final farmer employed me for two summers. I learned from those seasons and grew during both of them.

Beyond being educational and character-building, I learned that a farming job was fun. It was outdoors. I strengthened my body and stretched my list of personal experiences.

I recall that at one point the farmer asked, during a break for lunch, if I thought I'd ever want to be a farmer. I told him that working for him had shown me why so many sons followed their fathers into farming. It was work that could be loved and passed on from generation to generation. But I had my own passion. I had known for some time that I wanted to write.

While being educated as a journalist, I moved on to other summer jobs in restaurants and on construction sites. But, I never have forgotten the time I spent in farming.

I think when you get a little dirt in your blood, that soil runs in your veins for the rest of your life.