My suspicions were correct. Oh, you're clinically down. There is no cure for what you have. Oh my God. I got learning herpes. I got the gift to keep on giving. Boy. All right, all right, all right. We got Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish teaming up in night school. So let's see how good or bad this movie really is. My name is Brandon Keith Avery. And this is just my opinion. Hey, everybody, it's me, Kevin Hart. What's good? Thank you for tuning in. No, I'm just good. I'm just playing. What's good, everyone? Thank you so much for tuning in to my opinion slash review. For a night school, I really do appreciate it. They gave these things to everybody that attended the screening last night. They had some Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish ones. I didn't get a Tiffany Haddish one, but that's OK. But I did get one for Kevin Hart, as you can see. Got some information right on the back, too. But anyway, guys, we have a night school right here. And when the trailer first dropped for this film, I was intrigued. It seemed entertaining. I was, OK, I'm on board with this. But closer to the release, when more trailers just came out and TV spots and things like that, I kind of just found myself indifferent and just not really caring. And it just really just wasn't sitting in front of me. And I was going into this movie with very low-term mediocre expectations. Now, this is directed by Malcolm D. Lee. And if you look at the brother's filmography, pretty much every film that he's ever been a part of, I am a fan of. I mean, he did The Best Man starting out in 1999. I love that. And the film is like one of the best, one of my favorite movies of all time. Undercover Brother, Roll Bounce. He did an episode of Everybody Hey, It's Chris. I got the whole thing pulled over here. Welcome home, Roscoe Jenkins with Monique and Martin Lawrence and all of them. So, man, Rest in Peace, Burning Mac.  Those movies stopped being good after Scary Movie 3, in my opinion. The Best Man Holiday. It was good, but not as good as The Best Man. Barbershop, The Next Cut, which I believe is the third one. And that's The Best Barbershop and Girls Trip, which he did last year. And now we have Night School. And I'm going to bring up Girls Trip. Now, in this review, this film is also being produced by Will Packard. He pretty much produces a ton of black films. If you don't know what a producer is, they're kind of like the organizer. They come up with the budget. They hire the writers, the directors. They can't fill all those shoes. But they are the organizers. And it's a lot less. So like I said, this film right here, I just was going in with low expectations. I am a fan of Kevin Hart for the most part. I haven't not loved every piece of entertainment that he has put on the forefront. And Tiffany Haddish, whether I'm a fan of hers or not, I'm going to tell you a little bit later on in this review. Now, before I saw Girls Trip, I saw maybe some stand-up comedy from her, like a time or two. And I thought it was pretty funny. But when she was in Girls Trip, guys, I'm not going to lie. I'm going to be honest with you. I could not stand her character. I just thought it was completely atrocious, just abysmal, just like, oh man, I pretty much hate it. I just couldn't stand it.  But it wasn't in the spoof movie. It was just too much. And I like to see things like that. But it just did not flow with the rest of the film, in my opinion. Especially that scene where they're downtown and there's a jawstring and Jada Pinkett pees on everybody by accident. That was funny to me.  And I'm saying all this and building up because I have to for the review. I'm going to make my point a little later on. That's why I feel that this is important. But a lot of people are like, oh, you just embarrassed of that role or whatever because that's the stereotypical black woman stereotype and you dealing with self-hate issues and things like that. No, no, no. I embrace all walks of our culture because that's just not just the stereotype, all walks of our culture. But in this particular film, it was just too much. And I just was not a fan of hers after that movie. So going into this, I was just like, all right, man. I'm my expert, Texas is low. Kevin Hart, he cool. But Tiffany Haddish is, I'm not really feeling her right now. I kind of thought it was going to be more of the same. But I had to go ahead and see the movie. Now, I did see the Breakfast Club interview. And one thing that piqued my interest between that about this film is that Kevin Hart said that the film deals with second chances. And I really feel that everybody does deserve a second chance in life. And that's just kind of, I mean, and he was true in that when saying that. I mean, the film does deal with that. And what it's about is Kevin Hart, he has a good job, he has a good fiance, a great fiance, she was fine too. And I don't want to spoil it for you here, but something comes up and he has to find a new job. But people found out that he dropped out of high school and he doesn't have his GED. So he has to go to night school to get his GED. And Tiffany Haddish is his night school teacher. The first thing that I liked about this film is just like the setup of the film. How Kevin Hart got from point A to point B. Because I was just wondering, okay, you're at a barbecue and there's an explosion. How do you end up in this corporate office? How do you end up at night school? That just kind of seems kind of hunky dory and unrealistic in the real world. But you know, how would I know? I don't know people that go to night school or anything like that. So I really can't come to any conclusions on how I work. But that is something that I did like about the film early on. Something that I did not like about the film early on was the intro. That was pretty much the worst part of the film for me. They tried to do a flashback scene to Kevin Hart in high school. And that whole thing just kind of seemed absolutely ridiculous to me. They was trying to use some type of CG, animated visual effects to try to show if he had a learning disability or not. And just to make up and things like that, I just wasn't buying Kevin Hart in high school. He looked like a upper 30, lower 40s man trying to play a high school kid. And it just did not work for me. So the first five minutes or so, I just wasn't really feeling it that much. But when it got to present day, and we got to see how Kevin Hart was going into night school, it is something that did kind of turn my interest around and kind of get me engaged in the film. Something else that I really do like is how all the characters met, especially between Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish. There was a lot of jokes in between them doing this point. And of course throughout the whole movie, but one of the things that just made the movie great is the jokes felt fresh and genuine and not forced. It really just felt like two funny people interacting with each other just kind of bouncing off each other. You know what I mean? For the most part, people that are funny, except besides those that are stand-up comedians when they're trying to be funny, people that are funny in real life, they're not trying to be funny. They're just really just being themselves. And then when you have two people like that, the characters that are in this movie that are doing that, it just kind of makes everything seem more relatable and realistic and it just kind of draws you into the film. I'm just kind of eating it all in or whatever. Now as far as Tiffany Haddish, Kevin Hart was Kevin Hart. He was pretty much playing himself, but that's not a knock on the film. I accept that. I don't even remember his real name in the film. It could have been Kevin, I honestly don't remember. And I have IMDb pulled up right now and they really don't have a name there. They have Tiffany Haddish, there's no name, Kevin Hart, they have no name, but there are other characters that they have names here. So I don't know if this was a type or something like that, but his name wasn't here, but he was pretty much playing himself. As far as Tiffany Haddish's concern, I'll go ahead and just say this now. I was blown away by her performance. Now, when I say blown away, I'm not saying that this was the best performance of the year and that she deserves an Oscar or something like that, no. But I was very just surprised by her role. I mean, she really came across as a real teacher or somebody that taught me at school or somebody in charge at my church group or something coming up or whatever that has that sense of authority, somebody that's just not playing the games. Like, no, my name is Tiffany Haddish. This is the first day of school. If you want to succeed, you have to listen to me. If you don't, you wanna leave. When they were introducing her character, I was like, okay, oh snap, I see you Miss Haddish, okay. You got it going on. You are believable. I see you in this role. I'm very shocked because I just kinda thought she was just gonna kinda have a repeat of girl's trip. But no, I mean, you put your acting chops at the forefront and you just did a great job. So I'm just gonna have to just spoil that right now and let you know that Tiffany Haddish, she did a great job as the teacher. I know that if I had her in real life as a teacher, she would be somebody that I would give my respect to. Just off top because they just filled the persona so well and she did in that movie. I mean, in this movie too. Something else that I really do like about the film are just the rest of the surrounding characters that Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish was with in high school. They all come from different walks of life and they all had their different level of goofiness without it being too over the top. And so for one particular incident which I will talk about a little bit later. And if you are on the fence about seeing this film, don't look at any more of the trailers because I mean, I'm only obsessed about trailers when it has to do with like comic book stuff or things like that. I watched the trailer about 20 times but I did not do that with... What is this movie we're talking about with high school? The reason why I say that is I don't want... There was a couple of characters in this film that popped up for me. I had no idea that they were gonna be in the film and they were actually some of the best parts of the film to me just with their roles. One guy in particular, I haven't seen him in a while but I will give you a hint. He was in a movie with Kevin Hart before. I know that really doesn't narrow it down but I was very impressed with his role in the film. It was funny. It was kind of like, dude, are you serious?  And this film right here is a predominantly a black cast. And so I find that important because there are, I guess, different levels of blackness, different levels of consciousness. I mean, you have your people that play the fence and don't have anything to do with anything like that or identify with anything like that but then there was a character in this film that was like super-duper conscious or how you would say woke. And a lot of people misused that term but it was so funny what they did in this film and I just found myself laughing. And I really didn't find myself just laughing at that particular character. I found myself laughing throughout this movie from beginning to end except for the intro. It was hilarious.   There was even some points and times in the movie to where I was the only person laughing and I'm like, damn, maybe I'm ruining the movie for everyone else but I just couldn't help it. I mean, it was just funny to me. And funny needs to always flow. Always was funny. Like I said before just a few moments ago when people are trying to be funny is funnier when they're not trying to be funny. And if they're trying to be funny, it's just not as funny.  Here's the script but you can throw in your little flavor as well. But it was so blatant and obvious to me that there were some points to where Will Packle or the director, Malcolm D. Lee were just saying to himself, okay, right here guys, this is your time to have fun. We just gonna stretch this joke out as long as possible. And I hope that it works. And it really did work. And something that's fascinating to me is right before the lights went down in this movie, I was like, oh, they didn't give an announcement of how long this movie is. Usually they do and tell you about the embargo and blah, blah, blah. So I put on my phone one time to be, saw that it was an hour and 51 minutes. And I said to myself, damn, I mean, that's just, I don't really feel that this movie needs to be that long, maybe an hour and 30 minutes or something like that. And the film did not mean, need to be an hour and 51 minutes or whatever. They could have trimmed down the fat, but I don't think that the film would have been as good. And the reason why is those extra minutes that they gave you that they written into this film, this script, this story, I can tell that those went to these long extended scenes of comedy where the characters are just acting crazy. And it's just funny too. I mean, like there's just some things that just happened randomly.  And it's so many different aspects and situations. And it's just hilarious, you know what I mean? There's so many situations in this movie to where you can put yourself in in real life. And it may not have played out for you the way that you want it, but it did in this movie. You know, just say, for instance, you ever went to a restaurant or whatever and you found something in your food that was gross. I'll give you that little nugget right here.  It's very, it's very, very funny. Keith David was in this movie as well.  He made me laugh pretty much too. He was Kevin Hart's parent in the film. And he was a hard dad. He was a hard parent, but very realistic.  And just some of those, you know, crazy ways they can talk to you out of love. But, you know, they can still kind of talk to you like that, you know, just cause, you know, they just want you to get your ish together. But with the film being entertaining and being funny and things like that, there are a lot of deep messages in this film too that just really hit home for me. And I think we'll hit home for a lot of people. And when I already spoke over about second chances, you need to always stay home on life because sometimes when you think you have it all figured out everything can just be snatched from up under you. And you really have to just kind of start over. I've kind of experienced that in my life. And I'm pretty sure a lot of you guys have too. And it's very humbling. And, you know, you just kind of have to learn from your mistakes. Everybody's going to make mistakes, but you just need to learn from them. And that was one of the main wars of this story. Also just something else to hit home. And this movie for me is just, you know, people dealing with insecurities. People are people pleasing and people chasing, living a lie, just putting on the front.  And just, you know, a lot of people live like that.  But when they go home and behind closed doors or crying in a corner or whatever, you know, and that's just not necessary. I mean, stop chasing people.   Yeah, but you know, I learned from my mistakes and I failed. So it's just like a way that the film touched me personally. Also, the film is just like not giving up and just trying your best.   And just the last thing that this film had to deal with was just kind of a real issue, you know, that I have seen in my life is when it comes to judging people, because if you meet somebody and they don't have their high school diploma or their GED or something like that, in some cases, those people will get judged. And, you know, that's just not right. You should not judge people because you have not walked in their shoes. You don't know, you haven't read every chapter in their book to see how they got to this position.  They're extremely easy for some people. So you really just shouldn't judge people. You know, I had a friend once that said, hey, but you need to stop judging people. I was like, bro, I don't judge people. I really don't because I don't want anyone judging me. But at the same time, I don't like people when they always like, don't judge me, don't judge me, don't judge me all the time because at the same time, how you shouldn't judge people, the only person that can judge people is the man upstairs. But at the same time, people do need to take responsibility for their own actions. And that is another plot point in this movie as well that, you know, just really did a great job. But I really felt, I had low expectations in this movie. Kevin Hart's performance, it didn't blow me away, but I think he did a great job. But I was really surprised by Tiffany Haddish's performance in this movie. There was a character moment reveal towards the end that I really didn't think was necessary, but, you know, whatever. The only thing that I really just didn't like is the intro of the film. And they kind of had like a corny moment for a character, a character growth, a character growth moment for a character where she had to stand up to her husband. I just kind of found that to be unnecessary. But it was a great movie. I laughed, had some, you know, pretty serious moments in it.  If I had to rate nice school out of a one out of 10, I would easily give this film an 8.5 out of 10. Yes, an 8.5 out of 10. I highly recommend this film. Support your people, man. Y'all know what I'm talking about when I say this. Support your people, man. Like, real talk. I really enjoyed this film and I think you will too. But guys, that is just my opinion for nice school. What did you think? Or do you want to see it? Have I turned you on? Have I turned you off? Do you agree with me or do you disagree with me? Let me know down in the comment section below. Let's get this conversation going and keep it flowing. If you like this video, go ahead and give me that thumbs up. I would really appreciate it. And if you don't, that's fine, but you can still subscribe to my channel. You can also look me up on social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, all that good stuff. It's right there at the bottom of the screen and I made it very easy by providing a link to all that good stuff down in the description box below. And guys, I'm setting a goal for myself right now. I think I'm like at 5,700 subscribers, but I'm gonna try to kick it up a notch, bring you all more content. Don't want to say how frequent, but I'm gonna try to set a goal. I'm gonna try to reach 10,000 subscribers by the end of the year. By 12, 31, 2018, I want to be at 10,000 subscribers, but I can only do that with the help of you. So if you are not a subscriber of my channel, please help you, boy. Please subscribe to my channel. It would really help me out. Please like my official Facebook page. There's a link below. Please follow me on Instagram. I really would appreciate it. But guys, again, I just want to thank you again for tuning in to my opinion slash review for night school starring Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish. You go girl, I am now a fan of yours. And before you go, don't forget that my name is Brennan Keith-Avery and that's just my opinion. Peace.


Mae gennymu argynnu'r gwaith yn cymdr y gynnwys gears i'r Ffritwllaeth Ggriamilol. Mae'r Ffritwllaeth Gwyrdraidd yn byw, yn cymran gwaith iawn o'r cymdeithasol ac mae'r cymygwyr yn fwy agweithio'r gwelliedd iawn i dweud rydych chi'n gwaith mae gennymu pob wneud i gweithio'r cyfrydau, i ddaeth i gweithio'r gweithiau, i gweithio'r gweithiau y ddiwrnodau o'r enslavedrionau yn yr ardal i'r unrhyw amser mwy am y faint. I call Mr Simpson to open the debate for around about seven minutes, Mr Simpson. Many thanks, Presiding Officer, and can I start by thanking all the 32 members from four parties who signed the motion before us today. The issue has certainly struck a chord and rightly so. It was brought to my attention at a meeting in September with Site Scotland and Site Scotland veterans, who are two of Scotland's oldest charities. For over 200 years, they've been determined that no one should face sight loss alone. That, in essence, is what we're talking about in this debate. With the number of people in Scotland with sight loss set to rise to over 200,000 by 2030, there is a real need for support. The issue is this. There is no national policy for rail travel across Scotland, which entitles free rail travel for the companions of blind and partially sighted people. There are different concessionary and companion schemes in place across various areas and councils, and that is causing confusion to both passengers and rail staff. I wrote to the transport minister at the end of September and she replied having subsequently met Site Scotland herself. She admitted in her response to me that there is a postcode lottery. That's my phrase. I do hope that she will offer a solution to that today, because it's clearly unfair. Let me give you an example in my own region where two different schemes operate. Falkirk Council offers no discount for companions, but Strathglyde Partnership for Transport has a scheme where companions can travel at half of the fare when accompanying someone. That contrasts with the national policy for bus travel where companions of those with a national entitlement card with the I and plus one symbol can travel for free on any service across Scotland. For so many blind and partially sighted people, having a companion can mean the difference between travelling or not at all. A partially sighted person supported by Site Scotland veterans said, I would like to use the train more often, but no way would I travel without someone else with me. My eyesight is getting worse. I couldn't travel without a companion now. Another veteran said, it's more dangerous getting on and off a train with a sight problem than on a bus. I always need someone when travelling. It's also easier with plus one to use the bus because my partner gets on for free, but I would prefer to use train because it's quicker. Even when a concessionary scheme does exist, it's not always available to buy the ticket or is even known about. This is largely due to a lack of infrastructure in place as there's no option on a ticket machine to select a companion ticket. That means very often a companion must buy a ticket at full price, despite being entitled to a discount depending on which local authority or area they're travelling from or to. So often companions with an I plus one card are reliant on the knowledge of train staff about schemes to access the discount and that stations that have no staff, particularly smaller stations, asking someone simply isn't an option. It's confusing and it's stressful. Now you might reasonably ask why someone's travelling companion should go for nothing or indeed why someone who is blind or has sight problems should. It's a fair question. We know from the latest findings from the Scottish household survey that the average household incomes for disabled people tends to be lower than for those who are not. Cost was named by more disabled people than non-disabled people as a reason for not using the train. Use of rail services by disabled people is also lower than for non-disabled people with health reasons being cited by 3% of disabled people compared to nothing for non-disabled people as a reason why they didn't use the train. These findings reflect the experiences of those with a visual impairment. A single parent with Stargard disease, a form of macular degeneration causing central vision loss, explained the benefits of having a companion when travelling and why taking the train would be her preference but due to cost chooses to take the bus instead. She said, I go everywhere by bus only because of the free companion travel. That's the reason I use the bus over the train because the concessionary rate for whoever is with me, I'd rather take the train as the bus can be so unreliable especially in the darker nights which reduces what vision I do have even more. I'd take the train more if I could. The charities estimate the cost of implementing a national policy for companions to be around £2 million. When you think about the benefits it would bring, it's a small price to pay. It would make public transport more accessible and help the economy by improving access to employment. One in four registered blind and partially sighted people of working age are in employment and this scheme could help to remove the barriers of simply getting to a workplace. If the Scottish Government is serious about achieving the vision that all disabled people can travel with the same freedom, choice, dignity and opportunity as other citizens, as set out in its own accessible travel framework, then providing free rail travel for blind and partially sighted people and their companions would have a significant impact in meeting those outcomes. A lack of national policy for free rail travel for companions of blind and partially sighted people is causing anguish for passengers and rail staff. It's clear to me that having a companion can ultimately make the difference between someone being able to make a journey or not. I thank Site Scotland and Site Scotland veterans for bringing this important issue to my attention and I urge members to back the calls for a national policy to take steps towards a more equitable and accessible rail network across Scotland for everyone who uses it. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I'm pleased to be able to contribute to this important debate and I thank Graham Simpson for bringing it to the chamber. His motion free rail travel for blind and partially sighted people and companions really says it all. The cost is prohibitive for blind or partially sighted people to travel on the train because their essential companion has to pay. Presiding Officer, I'm fortunate to have the wonderful Deaf Blind Scotland headquarters in my constituency and this is the most concerning issue that they raise with me at one of my regular meetings with them. There's no national standard fare structure for communicators to accompany Deaf Blind passengers on trains. I understand that it's free in some routes, as Graham Simpson has just outlined, but it's chargeable in others, which leads to geographical inequalities and confusion among rail staff. The reality is that companions are even more essential on trains than buses, where travel is rightly free for them. There are several factors that make this case. Of course free travel on both forms of transport is necessary, but on trains the gap between the platform and the train is of variable size and the height of the platform and it's dangerous and impossible for a Deaf Blind person or partially sighted person to navigate. In addition, stops can be missed as the passenger can't hear announcements nor see the signage on route to and from stations. Also, these days, less and less stations have an on-site employee so no help can be summoned, even in an emergency which would be obviously extremely concerning. Added to the issues is the fact that the driver cannot help passengers or even know that someone is safely in their seat before moving off in the same way as a bus driver can by looking round. I have no idea what the provision of this entitlement would cost, but of course I do know that as a Government we're financially extremely constrained at the moment. However, I would hope that a commitment could be given that this is something we could deliver if not immediately but sometime in the near future and I look forward to the minister's response on that. The fact that the service is currently delivered by way of a postcode lottery or a rail route lottery would suggest to me it would be possible to expand throughout Scotland without major disruption or expense. I don't believe anyone who's not directly affected by this exclusion could possibly understand how it feels to know that you're effectively barred from travelling by train. Leveling out this service would make a world of a difference to those who need it and honestly I think we owe it to those people bravely dealing with their sight loss and many other daily struggles every day. I think I can speak for all the amazing staff, volunteers and service users of Deafblind Scotland. When I say that the ability for them to travel throughout our country in safety and comfort would literally open up a whole new world for them. Thank you. Thank you very much, Ms Macfright, and I call Neil Bibby, who joins us online. Mr Bibby, for around four minutes please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Can I commend Graham Simpson for this member's debate and shining a light on an inequality, which makes little sense. The Parliament has a proud record on making public transport available to those who need it, whether it be the young, the old or the disabled. There is a consensus in this Parliament for the principle of concessionary travel for those groups who need it most, but this debate reminds us that the cost is not just cost that is the barrier to accessing public transport and its connections to the wider world. After all, what is the point of having free travel when you are unable to take up this opportunity because you need assistance and are unable to pay for a companion? It seems dynachronistic for this problem to be recognised for those using our bus network and not for rail travel. It does not seem fair that this benefit is afforded in some local authorities' areas and not others. Scottish Labour would strongly support this being reviewed and access widened to the rail companions of the blind. This would be a positive progressive step which can improve the lives of thousands of people and recognition of the specific challenges faced every day with people as sight loss. According to Site Scotland, this will improve social connectedness as sight loss contributes to the feelings of loneliness and improvement employment opportunities, as Graham Simpson outlined, for the three quarters of working age blind and partially sighted people who are not in employment. The Scottish Government's own national transport strategy states that we will continue to review the benefits of the scheme to ensure that best meets people's needs and delivers a best value solution. Against this background, it makes the estimated £2 million cost as per Site Scotland's calculations very good value. This motion brings together two causes that I have supported since I was elected to this Parliament, better support for those who are blind and partially sighted, and a better rail service for the wider public. On the first, can I pay tribute to the amazing work being done by the likes of Site Scotland and the RNIB who campaigned tirelessly for the blind and partially sighted, constructively pointing out the many flaws in our public services that act as obstacles for those with sight issues and reminding us of the specific challenges this community faces every day? Indeed, the RNIB's transport accessibility agenda for this Parliament would be providing bus drivers with mandatory disability awareness training to cis passengers, the availability of services and timetable information in accessible formats such as Braille and Lodge Plint, and audio and visual announcements on buses remind us of progress we still have to make to make public transport fit for those with sight difficulties. That's before we get to the issues which impact on the rail service we enjoy, whether sighted or not. We face a real challenge attracting people back on our railways and a programme of service cuts and office closures will only reduce passenger numbers further, moving us further away from the good, affordable service that we all want. I hope that we can learn lessons from other countries where positive steps like short-term rail reductions, which can make taking the train viable once again for people during a cost of living crisis and have to find alternatives ways to work. In summary, can I put on record my hope that we can make this policy idea a reality for blind or partially sighted passengers as a positive next step to delivering a transport network that works for everyone? Thank you very much, Mr Bibby. I now call Russell Finlay, who also joins us online, who will be followed by Katie Clark. Mr Finlay, for around four minutes, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I would like to thank Graham Simpson for today's debate, which puts a focus on a big issue facing people in Scotland who are affected by sight loss. Now, it cannot be in the chamber due to industrial action on the railways. However, in a debate about rail travel, I begin with a railway reference stat being to speak about an incredible sculpture situated outside Manchester's Piccadilly train station. Titled Victory Over Blindness, it depicts a line of seven life-sized and blindfolded First World War soldiers. The Great War claimed the lives of an estimated 900,000 British military personnel. Countless war were maimed and injured, including tens of thousands who suffered damaged eyesight or permanent blindness. When I first saw Victory Over Blindness just a few months ago, it stopped me in my tracks and made me think just as good art should. As cultures throughout history have been mindful of human mortality and the inevitability of death, this poignant memorial made me feel profoundly grateful for the precious gift of sight.  While it is perhaps difficult to imagine living in a world of darkness, it is important to sometimes take the time to do so. I experienced similar feelings on a recent visit to Site Scotland veterans' hot-head centre in Paisley. That fantastic facility supports ex-military personnel who suffer from sight problems. The emphasis is on providing them with the skills and confidence to live as independently as possible. At one point, I inadvertently caused a stushy between army and navy veterans, but I was assured that such friendly fire is a daily occurrence. The centre manager, Alison Gray and her team are passionate about making a difference to the lives of those who visit. Just like seeing the statue in Manchester, the hot-head visit caused me to count my blessings. It was during my visit that I first heard from the sister charity Site Scotland about their campaigning work. The Fair Rail Vision campaign seeks to establish a national policy for free rail travel across Scotland for those with a national Scotland concessionary travel for blind persons carves and a companion. As Graham Simpson has already articulated so well, the introduction of a Scotland-wide policy would be life-changing for so many people living with sight loss. A present companion having to pay to travel can mean the difference between a blind person making a journey or not. That can close the door of opportunity for employment and social interaction. Indeed, 60 per cent of respondents to a Site Scotland consultation said that sight loss caused them feelings of loneliness. Increased isolation can make their world darker and their horizons smaller. In my West Scotland region, there are nearly 25,000 people living with sight loss, with a largest number, almost 6,000, in Renfrewshire. I therefore urge ministers to embrace this sterling campaign and to work with local authorities to make it happen. As Rona Mackay said, let's end the rail route lottery. This aim is entirely consistent with the Government's accessible travel framework, which rightly states, and I quote, that all disabled people can travel with the same freedom, choice, dignity and opportunity as other citizens. I refer to my entry in the register of members' interests. I would like to contractrelate Graham Simpson on securing this debate and the way that he has made the case. As it says in his motion, cost was named by more disabled people than non-disabled people as a reason not to use rail in the 2021 Scottish household survey. The points that he has made clearly show why we need to ensure that we have a national policy. As has been said currently, whether a visually impaired person in their companion can access free or discounted rail travel depends on where they live. As charities like SightScotland and SightScotland veterans have said, there is a very strong, I would say, unarguable case for a national entitlement. Freedom of information requests by SightScotland revealed that, although most local authorities and the Strathclyde partnership for transport offer free or discounted rail travel for blind or partially sighted people, only seven said that they offered a discount to companions. I think that the point made very fully and powerfully by Graham Simpson and none of them offered free companion travel. The rules differ depending on where you live. As Russell Finlay has already said in the West Scotland region, there are 25,000 people who we believe would be entitled to such travel if it was available. In every local authority area in West Scotland, there are thousands of people who are directly impacted. As we know, people with disabilities tend to be on lower income, which perhaps again explains the fact that Graham Simpson has given in his motion that cost is often named as the factor, which displays people from using rail. The West Scotland area, all of the West Scotland region, is covered by Strathclyde passenger transport. When it comes to the concessionary scheme, there is some support for companions in relation to buses. The companion can travel free, but in relation to rail, the companion travels at half the full fare when accompanying and when they have a national entitlement card. That is one of the better schemes, but, as has been said, in many places in Scotland there is no support at all for companions. As we know, cost is only one of the factors that deter people, particularly people with disabilities and blind people and people with sight problems from using rail. Accessibility to rail remains a significant issue on railways. It was revealed to me earlier this year by ScotRail that just a third of all stations in the West Scotland region that I represent are deemed fully accessible. For example, the winning railway station is considered accessible, but up until recently, when I made representations, the lifts only worked to four in the afternoon as a result of representations that my office made. They are now working later in the day. A third of stations are deemed accessible, but, even when they are deemed accessible, that does not necessarily mean that they are fully accessible for all who may wish to use them. Only two stations in West Scotland are currently earmarked for access for all funding to improve accessibility. Cost is one factor, but there are clearly other factors that we need to address as a Parliament and that the Scottish Government needs to address to make a real option for many people who are blind or who have sight issues. The cabinet secretary undertook on a previous occasion to carry out a review on women's safety on public transport, and I know from discussions with her that that work has been taken place. Many of the issues that women face in public transport are very similar to those that people with sight issues and people with other disabilities face. The commitment to carry out a review on women's safety on public transport came in a debate on the threat enclosures to ticket offices and booking offices. We know that that is a live issue. It is not just an issue in Scotland, it is an issue throughout the UK. I understand that the Scottish Government is awaiting decisions down south in terms of what will happen to booking offices and ticket offices down there, but we know that over many years now, we have seen booking offices close across the UK and that has a significant and disproportionate impact on visually impaired passengers and those who are blind. Ms Clark, you need to bring your comments up close. I think that the debate therefore raises wider issues about accessibility to public transport and to rail in particular. I am very much welcome that Graham Simpson has focused on cost in his motion today. The Scottish Government's own accessible travel framework says that all disabled people can travel with the same freedom, choice, dignity and opportunity as other citizens. I believe that we can make that a reality if we address the points that are being made in this debate. Thank you very much, Ms Clark. I now invite Jenny Gilruth to respond to the debate minister for around about seven minutes, please. First, I congratulate Mr Simpson on securing this afternoon's debate. A hugely important topic and one that is very close to my heart. I was listening to contributions from members and recalling my grandmother who was registered blind on one of the campaigns that she undertook over the years was to improve accessibility at Luchar station. She was successful to that end, but it was a matter close to her heart and something that she had to campaign and fight for tirelessly over the years. I think that this afternoon's debate, as we have heard from a number of members, is fundamentally important because we now have ScotRail in public ownership, and that needs to mean something for the communities that we all represent. We need to have a railway that better listens to the people. Mr Simpson will be aware of my views to that end, and I hope that he and others across the chamber will contribute to the national rail conversation when it launches in the coming weeks. I want to touch on some of the points that were made by members first of all before coming to my response as minister. The inequity that was highlighted by Mr Simpson and I think by Rona Mackay, too, is not fair between rail and bus, and I want to emphasise that point. It's worth saying, though, that there are some local authorities that do have companion schemes. I think that we heard that from Ms Clark, so West Lothian, Fife Strathglider, for example. They all offer a 50 per cent discount in that respect, but Mr Simpson highlights the inequity that can lead to passenger confusion because of different approaches taking place in different parts of the country, and I think that that has to change. I did indeed meet with Sight Scotland earlier this year. I have to say not that Mr Simpson has behest, but because I've grown up with members of my family who've suffered from visual impairment. For that matter, for that reason, I know how important it is that we get this right. Transport Scotland will be providing me with further advice on that matter next week following that meeting. Last week, I met with Seascape Scotland, who was formerly known as Fife Society for the Blind and Glen Otis, in my constituency. I was really grateful to Leslie Carcery for taking the time to explain the challenges that are really presented to the blind community, who have been particularly affected by the pandemic restrictions. Yes, absolutely. Graham Simpson. I thank the minister for taking the intervention. I think that she referenced in her letter to me that she was going to take advice from Transport Scotland. What kind of advice is she expecting to get? Will it be advice on how to run a national scheme, or will it be something else? I don't want to preclude the advice that I've commissioned from officials, but older costings, for example, of a national scheme that's being touched on today. There is a contextualisation that I want to present later in my contribution in relation to the fair fairs review, which is where that might also sit. It's important that we don't divorce those two topics, because the fair fairs review looks at affordability right across the public transport network. I take Mr Simpson's point on board. I want to pick up on Rona Mackay's point that she spoke about the importance of opening up the whole new world to the blind community. I very much recognise that sentiment. Neil Bibby spoke of the social connectedness and the opportunities to access employment that widening the scheme up at a national level would look at. Russell Finlay spoke of his visit to meet veterans with sight problems and the important work of sight Scotland in that respect. I won't comment on the friendly fire, but I think that the spirit of today's debate has been one mark by consensus and the need to do better. Katie Clark made reference to the important work that I've been progressing with Transport Scotland in relation to women's safety on public transport. I hope to bring forward a report in relation to new research that we commissioned earlier this year in the coming weeks. It is important to say, as Ms Clark alluded to, that there is absolutely a link between safety and accessibility in relation to rail. It is also important to reference that the Public Petitions Committee has been taking evidence on this matter. I understand that the committee last week agreed to initiate inquiries via local authorities who offer a discount scheme. That will look at considering uptake and also the understanding of rail staff and passengers, but I am keen to take some of the information that the Petitions Committee is gathering on board in relation to any advice that I am provided by Transport Scotland officials in the coming weeks. In relation to access to the rail network, which I think was touched on by a number of members, I have listened very carefully to the points made by members right across the chamber this afternoon. As a very regular user of the rail network, I see first-hand how passengers use the network and particularly its importance for connectivity. I agree with members at the current position of different rail companion schemes across Scotland, as well as that varying approach across public transport needs to be reviewed. I can confirm that that work will now be progressed as part of the fair fairs review, which will include a review specifically on this issue and that will be reported by early next year. I hope that that gives Mr Simpson and other members a reassurance of the importance that I adhere to this topic, because it is absolutely essential that we get this right. However, our main topic of discussion today is the rail companions card scheme. We are probably here united in the wish to see that review move forward. It is really important to recognise our on-going work in terms of accessibility and the schemes that are available more broadly in that respect. Now, we have new stations at Reston and very shortly at Inverness airport. They will be fully accessible stations designed to the highest industry standards. Work, of course, goes on in my constituency on the Levenmouth project. We will have two new stations there as well, open to passengers, and they again will be fully accessible working with our industry partners and working together to deliver that multimodal transport system. Additionally, we have Croy station, a busy station on the main Glasgow to Edinburgh line that has recently had a new footbridge and lifts and stalls as has Johnson station. There will be four further stations across Scotland that will also benefit from set-free access by early 24, so at Port Glasgow, Udingston, Dynfries and Annesland. I think that it is important to remind the chamber that rail accessibility for the current time remains a reserved matter for the UK Government, but nonetheless, we are still pressing on with direct Scottish Government funding for accessibility improvements at Pitlochry. Can you see Avymor, Nairn and Corsairs again? That will be by early 2024, yes, I give way to the member. The minister quite correctly points out that accessibility remains a reserved function, but it seeks representations from the Scottish Government and the transport of Scotland in relation to where money should be spent. There are only, as I said, two bids in relation to West Scotland. The cabinet secretary's report is to why there are not more representations in terms of upgrading what is clearly a major problem. Ms Clark highlights an important point in relation to the role that transport Scotland plays within the current framework as it operates. I have been more than happy to ask my officials to meet with the member to talk to the details of her region and as to how that scheme affects her part of Scotland. It is important to say that the scheme itself is reserved to the DFT, although it is right that ministers in Scotland have a level of impetus in terms of the views that we can share in how that scheme is operated. However, we have Scotland's passenger assist service as well in Scotland, and that gives essential assistance to those who need help when they are travelling on the ScotRail network. Travellers in Scotland can also book passenger assistance with one or is noticed, and it can be requested from ScotRail in a variety of number of different ways, which is hugely important for those who have a visual impairment. We also have the turn-up and growth service, which has been important in improving accessibility more broadly. It is important that we recognise the challenges around some of our rolling stock and our railway carriages in terms of accessibility. I have spoken about our commitment to the railway network, our work on the fair fairs review and accessibility improvements to the railway network at our stations. However, the carriages that we travel on are also hugely important, and I recognise that there is a level of challenge at the moment in relation to carriage allocation in current parts of the services experience, particularly the five services at the current time, and there are other parts of Scotland where that challenge has been highlighted in my meeting just prior to the debate that I was discussing this matter with Transport Scotland. I have asked ScotRail for an update on that matter, because if folk are jammed in like sardines on trains in a post-pandemic era that we are currently living through, it is not exactly going to encourage people out of their cars and back on to our railways. We really need to encourage a better use of carriage allocation, because that will better meet accessibility needs for all passengers. A final word, if I may, about our national rail conversation. I shall very shortly in the new year be setting out the timescales for that important work, which I see moving forward in two distinct public-facing phases. That work will be really critical in ensuring the voices across Scotland are heard and in helping to make railway services fit for the future for Scotland. Lastly, I would just like to thank everyone for participating in a well-considered debate this afternoon. I thank Mr Simpson for bringing forward this important member's debate, putting emphasis on the key role of rail and Scotland's connectivity, but also on how we consistently can support the visually impaired. Thank you very much, minister. That concludes the debate, and I close this meeting of Parliament.


Hello friends. Let me introduce myself first, I am Mr. Yusuke Kulkarni, assistant professor, Balchen Institute of Technology, Sholapur. Topic of our today's discussion is properties of building materials from selection point of view for construction. Learning outcomes of today's session are at the end of this lecture students will be able to enlist building materials, describe use and physical properties of different building materials. Definition and types. Materials which are used in building constructions or civilian constructions are known as building materials. There are number of building materials such as cement, sand, aggregates, water, all of these make concrete, so concrete is one more material which is formed from these. In mortar, bricks, stones, tiles, steel, aluminum, timber and so more. Let us discuss few of these today in detail. Here we can see one image in which different building materials are shown. Here you can see steel bars which are used as reinforcement in concrete. These are coarse aggregates which is ingredient of concrete, this is sand which is also ingredient of concrete, this is cement. Cement comes in bags of 50 kg, these are the bags of cement. These are bricks, so these are the few of the building materials. Now let us first see cement, one important material which forms important ingredient of concrete. The cement is a binding material which binds sand and aggregates together in concrete, in presence of water. And what are the ingredients in cement or how the cement is manufactured? It is manufactured in a powdered form and its ingredients are silica, lime, alumina, gypsum, clays and cell in definite proportions. There are many types of cement, few of them are ordinary Portland cement, Portland Pozolana, fly cement, white colored cement and so on. Now let us see what are the physical properties of cement as per IS Indian Standard 269 2013. These are the physical properties of cement, consistency in the range of 30 to 35 percent. Consistency of cement means its ability to get mixed with water and 30 to 35 percent water is sufficient to make a good paste of cement. Then fineness when sieved through 90 micron sieve, the overdue which is there should not be more than 10 percent, it should be less than 10 percent. Then initial setting time of cement, it should not be less than 30 minutes, remember. Otherwise cement will quickly set, it will not give us time to place it on site. Then final setting time, it should not be more than 600 minutes, it should be less than 600 minutes that means 10 hours. Soundness when tested on leach atelier molds, the expansion of these molds should be less than 10 mm. This strength after 28 days of curing should be minimum 43 Newton per mm square for 43 grade of cement. So, for 33 grade of cement, this will be 33 Newton per mm square and for 53 grade of cement, this will be 53 Newton per mm square. So, cement comes in three grades namely 33, 43 and 53 Newton per mm square capacities. Now let us discuss about sand, which is also called as fine aggregate as per IS 383 1970, the specifications are laid down. Now sand which is also known as fine aggregate makes an important ingredient of concrete and also mortar. Sand is available naturally on the banks of rivers, remember. And this sand is sieved through IS 4.75 mm sieve and the particles passing through this sieve are used for making of concrete and mortar. Density of sand is approximately 1800 kg per cubic meter, it may vary and sand should be made dust free before using in concrete, remember. Now coarse aggregate, these are coarser particles, so it is called coarse aggregate as per IS 383 again, the specifications are there and building stones are crushed and their particles are formed and sizes of these particles are 40 mm, 20 mm, 10 mm, etc. and these are called coarse aggregates. Physical properties of aggregates are density approximately 1600 kg per cubic meter, it may vary from source to source. Generally 20 mm aggregate size is used for making of concrete, concrete coarse aggregate should be angular and water absorption should be less than 1% for making good concrete. Its impact and crushing strength should be good, coarse aggregates for many important ingredient of concrete. Then steel reinforcement, let us see steel bars which are used in concrete for making concrete more stronger in its tensile strength, IS 1786 gives the specifications, high yield strength deform bars called HYSD bars are used, they come in two categories, FE415, 415 is yield strength of steel Newton per mm square and FE500 are these two grades they are used in concrete for making concrete more stronger in tensile strength also, mild steel bars of FE250 grade are also used but as secondary reinforcement in concrete. Circular steel bars are there, they come in the range of 6 mm, 8 mm up to 40 mm. Water makes an important ingredient of concrete remember and potable water should be used for making of concrete, pH value should be 7 and water is required for curing of concrete also, so it is very important ingredient of concrete. Then let us see concrete, concrete IS 456 2000 the specifications are there, what is concrete? Concrete is a composite material obtained from mixing of cement, sand, coarse aggregate and water in definite proportions. There are different grades of concrete and there uses also we will see. Names of concrete are like M10, M15 in which M stands for mix and this number for example 10 stands for characteristic compressive strength of concrete after 28 days of curing. So, M10 means strength after 28 days will be 10 Newton per mm square compressive strength and nominal mix proportions in M10 are 1 is to 3 is to 6, proportions of cement is to sand is to coarse aggregate and these are the concretes used for works of lower importance. M15 is next concrete grade whose proportion nominal mix proportions are 1 is to 2 is to 4, compressive strength 15 Newton per mm square and this concrete is also used for works of lower importance below foundation for bed in compound walls etc. The next M20 grade, this is important grade of concrete used everywhere for all the building constructions structural components like slabs, beams and columns, foundations. Nominal mix of proportions of this concrete are 1 is to 1.5 is to 3, compressive strength 20 Newton per mm square. M25 is the next, its nominal mix proportion is 1 is to 1 is to 2, compressive strength is 25 Newton per mm square and this concrete is used then for water tanks, water tanks, hydraulic structures where high precision is required and concrete of higher grade is useful there. M30 and above all these mixes are designed, mixed design is done and compressive strength for M30 will be 30 Newton per mm square and these concretes are used for pre stress concrete, dam constructions, high rise structures etc. Concrete up to grade M60 may be there, M60 or nowadays M100 they are getting bricks. Standard dimensions of bricks are 190 mm by 90 mm by 90 mm. Here you can see image of a brick, image of bricks. These bricks are used for construction of walls remember, they are having prog here provided prog so that there is good bond between two layers of bricks. Specifications of first class bricks as per IS 1077, all bricks should be of first class of standard specifications, brick should be made of good earth, very soil well burnt, they should not absorb water more than 20%. Some crushing strength of bricks should be 35 Newton per mm square, when fallen from a height of 1 meter on ground it should not get broken remember, this is important. And bricks should be of deep cherry red copper color, regular in shape, edges of the brick should be sharp, when struck they should emit clear ringing sound, there should not be any cracks, chips and flaws in bricks. Building stones as per IS 3 3 1 6, their appearance should be good when these are used for face work they should have uniform color, pleasing color and they must be free from cracks cavities flaws etc. Strength of building stone crushing strength should be from 60 to 200 Newton per mm square, hardness toughness and resistance operation should be good, durability should be good, porosity should be less porous, not more than 1% water should be absorbed, resistance to fire should be there, specific gravity from 2.4 to 2.8, little pause we will take here friends, these are two questions solve them, what should be minimum compressive strength of cement 43 grade cement and first class brick solve them, so answers are OPC 43 Newton per mm square, first class bricks 35 Newton per mm square. Here we can see construction work in progress, these are the references for today's session, thank you.


I am Sam Dutton and I am the author of Malignan Sir Flavan, Narcissism Revisited. The study of narcissism is almost a century old, yet the two scholarly debates central to its conception are still undecided and unresolved. The first one is that such a thing as healthy narcissism is postulated by Kobut, or are all the manifestations of narcissism in adulthood, orthological, as Freud believed early on, followed by Kernberg. Moreover, is pathological narcissism the outcome of verbal, sexual, physical, or psychological abuse, which is an overwhelming view, or on the contrary, is narcissism the said result of spoiling the child and idolizing it, as Milan believes? The second debate is easier to resolve if one agrees to adopt a more comprehensive, more inclusive definition of abuse. Overweening, smothering, domineering, spoiling, overvaluing, idolizing the child are all forms of parental abuse. This is because, as Karen Horne, the famous psychoanalyst, pointed out, the child is dehumanized and instrumentalized when the child is idolized. His parents love the child conditionally, not for what he really is, but for what they wish and imagine him to be, the fulfillment of their dreams and frustrated wishes. The child becomes the vessel of his parents' discontented lives, a tool, magic brush with which they can airbrush and transform their failures into successes, their humiliation into victory, their frustrations rendered unto happiness. The child is taught to ignore reality and to occupy the parental, fantastic space.  The faculties that are honed and created and generated by constantly brushing against bruising reality, faculties such as empathy, compassion, a realistic assessment of one's abilities and limitations, realistic expectations of oneself and others, personal boundaries, teamwork, social skills, perseverance and goal orientation, not to mention the ability to postpone gratification and to work hard to achieve it, all these capacities and abilities are lacking or missing altogether in the narcissistic child turned adult. He sees no reason to invest in his skills and education. Such a narcissist is convinced that his inherent genius should suffice. He feels entitled for merely being, rather than for actually doing. But such a mental structure is brittle. It is susceptible to criticism and disagreement. It is vulnerable to the incessant encounter with a harsh and intolerant world. Deep inside, narcissists of both kinds, those created by classic abuse and those wrought and yielded by being idolized, both types of narcissists feel inadequate, phony, fake inferior and deserving of punishment. This is where I disagree with Milen. He makes a distinction between several types of narcissists. He wrongly assumes that the classic narcissist is the outcome of overvaluation, idolization and spoiling, and thus is possessed of a supreme unchallenged self-confidence and is devoid of self-doubt. According to Milen, the second type of narcissist, the compensatory narcissist, is the one who falls prey to nagging self-doubts, feelings of inferiority and a masochistic desire for self-punishment. Yet, the distinction is both wrong and unnecessary. There is only one type of narcissist. Admittedly, there are two developmental paths that lead to narcissism. But all narcissists are besieged by deeply ingrained, though at times not conscious, feelings of inadequacy, fears of failure, masochistic desires to be penalized, fluctuating sense of self-worth regulated by narcissistic supply. They both are possessed with an overwhelming sensation of being fake, fraud. The grandiosity gap between a fantastically grandiose and unlimited self-image and an actual rather limited accomplishments and achievements, this abyss between the ideal and the real, is grating. Its recurrence threatens the precariously balanced house of cards, that is, the narcissistic personality. The narcissist finds, to his chagrin, that people out there are much less admiring, accommodating and accepting than his parents were. As he grows old, the narcissist often becomes the target of constant derision and mockery. Sorry site indeed, his claims for superiority appear less plausible and less substantial the more and the lower he makes them. Pathological narcissism, originally, was a defense mechanism intended to shield the narcissist from an injurious world. But as a narcissist turns adult, narcissism, his pathology, becomes the main source of hurt, the main generator of injuries. It is counterproductive and dangerous. Overwhelmed by negative or absent narcissistic supply, some narcissists are forced to let go of this defense mechanism of narcissism and they retreat into a land of delusion and fantasy, even into psychosis.


read about a scientist in the Ukraine who was studying whale fossil and he couldn't take his fossils with him and so he photographed everything and he had a single portable hard drive. It's not like I think about the size of this book with its life work on it and that's so it's a fragile thing it could break so easily. His whole life's work was in a hard little hard drive box and I started to get upset just talking about that. He was doing everything he could save his life's work trying to download it to France over slow internet connections. I then finally went on a train with it and I'm going what would I do with that hard drive that would be right here under my shirt tucked in with a jacket preserving his life's work. I can't even talk about that without getting upset. I can't even look at a hard drive now without a portable hard drive practically now without getting upset because I think about that and this gets back to what identity is. The scientist's identity was what was in that hard drive box and he wanted to get it safely downloaded somewhere else.