We start this morning. Our first item of business will be general questions. I'll just remind members that if answers can be as brief as possible we'll get through more questions. Number one, Colin Beattie fashion back to the Scottish Government, what support it provides to local communities where nearby rivers have been polluted by waste overflows from detritus oeddaf ni'n ddau o diplyniadau. The cabinet secretary rezona cunnigum. The Scottish Water Carrier carries out regular proactive inspections in areas에 that have had previous pollution incidents and whenever pollution is found, clean-ups take place. Further to that, Scottish Water will be working closely with communities to help to educate customers about what should and should not be flushed down the toilet. Colin Beattie. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. She may be aware that this issue has occurred recently at the Merri Burn in my constituency. Nod ond y Mae GŽnor��, oherwydd i'n wneud amser a bod Arnodion Gwanaethraedd i'n gwybodaeth i ni'r cystidioies wider ac i gyd i gael d Papyridon yn ei ddweud o'r anglun. Felly, yn rhesau i'r gydaeth, i chi'n ddweud o wrth i ddull i Gwanaethraedd i'r coriander yn ddweud o ddweud i gael ddweud i gael ddweud i gael ddweud i gael ddweud i gael ddweud i gael ddweud i gael ddweud i gael ddweud i gael ddweud i gael ddweud i gael ddweud gwneud o, mae yna gan jestel bynnus mewn gwirio cyffredinol, ac mae'n gwirio cyflymu. Felly, rydw i'n ddigonol i gyflaeniwyr, Fythnos gwlad yn dod o wneud gyfan gynnod oedd y gwneud ei ddim yn цilio'r wyr lliwyriau yn cael ei cyflopŷau ar y gydag a'i ddim yn benach ffaintfaith o'ch cyflinwyr, a'r rhaid o taith o'ch ddweud yn gallu gwlad. Y sylwyr diwrnod sefydliad yn hwnnw i'n ddweud 210 miliwn cyflopŷad o'ch ddychtranswyr investment programme in 2018-19, and we make sure that SEPA is adequately funded to perform its regulatory role to protect our environment. Officials do stand ready to provide any additional support that may be required. However, I need to reiterate that people need to stop putting the wrong things down the toilet in the first place. Stuart McMillan I have recently been contacted by a constituent to inform me of the issue of caravan in mobile home users who are dumping the contents of their chemical toilets by roadsides instead of paying to dispose of the waste in designated areas. Can the cabinet secretary join me in condemning the behaviour of the issue, but can she provide some response to which agency or agencies should be dealt with tackling the issue, but could some type of public information campaign be launching the issue?  I am sure that everybody in the chamber will feel the same about it, so I share the member's concern. It is the responsibility of everyone living or visiting Scotland to dispose of their waste in the appropriate manner at designated facilities. Any evidence of that behaviour should be reported directly to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Gillian Martin To ask the Scottish Government what work it is undertaking to make misogyny a crime. We will shortly be launching a public consultation and response to recommendations made by Lord Bracadale on hate crime legislation in Scotland. That will consider how criminal law might be strengthened to tackle misogynistic behaviour, including whether crimes that are motivated by hostility based on gender should be a hate crime. We are committed to taking action to tackle gender-based prejudice and misogyny in Scotland, and we are open to any views on what action we should be taking that is most effective. Gillian Martin I thank the minister for that answer. A crime motivated by haste of women could take many forms. There has been debate already around what kind of evidence would have to be required for misogyny to be proven as a motivator. Can the minister give an indication of the work that has been done to ensure that a definition around misogynistic hate crime is workable and provides a sound basis for something that could be argued in court by a prosecutor and could make a clear and functional distinction between misogynistic hate crime and any other crime? The Minister for Public Health and Sport There is a clear need, as we know, to be taking action to tackle gender-based prejudice in misogyny in Scotland, and we are keeping a very open mind on the best way to address those types of behaviours. We are committed to consulting on how the criminal law might be strengthened as part of efforts to tackle misogynistic behaviour, and we will launch the consultation next month. That will seek views and a range of options, including new criminal law measures. I would encourage any interested party to share their views through the consultation exercise, because that will inform the best way forward in tackling misogynistic behaviour and putting the law in the legislation. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on legally obliging landowners to formally engage with communities affected by major changes in land use. Scottish Government's guidance on engaging communities in decisions relating to land sets expectations that all landowners across urban and rural Scotland will engage with our local communities about decisions relating to land that will have a significant impact on the local community. Joan McAlpine Thank you. Does the Scottish Government share my concern over the Duke of Buclw advertising coal bed meeting deposits at Cannon Bay in its sale of the Evertown estate, despite the local community's continued objections to any extraction proposals? The Scottish Government does not support unconventional oil and gas development in Scotland, and that includes coal bed methane. No local authority can grant planning permission for any proposed fracking or coal bed methane project, and Scottish ministers would defer any decision on any planning application that did come forward until the full policymaking process on our preferred position is completed. The practical effect of that is that there is no fracking or other unconventional oil or gas activity that can take place in Scotland at this time. In line with statutory requirements earlier this week, we published for consultation the strategic environmental assessment environmental report on our preferred policy position, and that consultation is the next step. Continues the dialogue with the public on this important issue will run for eight weeks from 23 October. It is anticipated that ministers will inform Parliament of their finalised policy on unconventional oil and gas in Scotland in the first quarter of 2019, and that is the backdrop that people will be operating in regardless of who they are. I am sure that the member knows that that is strictly speaking a policy for another portfolio. To ask the Scottish Government whether it is discussed with the UK Government raising the UK's proposed 10-megabit universal service obligation for broadband to match Scotland's plans for universal availability of at least 30 megabits. The Scottish Government has repeatedly urged the UK Government to match Scotland's ambition and set the broadband universal service obligation at 30 megabits per second. That would, of course, help to deliver the superfast broadband connections that our rural communities need. Scotland is the only part of the UK that has committed to extending superfast access to 100 per cent of premises, supported by an initial procurement of £600 million. Despite numerous requests and despite the regulation and legislation of telecoms being wholly reserved to the UK Parliament, the UK Government has contributed a mere 3.5 per cent of that investment, but the Scottish Government is committing 96.5 per cent. Stuart Stevenson, I thank you for that illuminating answer. Can the cabinet secretary inform us whether the UK Government has given any assurances that the imposition of a 10-megabit universal service obligation on telecoms providers will not impede the Scottish Government's programme to deliver 30-plus megabits everywhere by 2021? The UK Government has not given any assurances. It has now formally handed over the implementation of the broadband universal service obligation to OFCOM. OFCOM is due to consulting the designated universal service provider in the autumn. The Scottish Government has a very positive working relationship with OFCOM, and officials are working closely to achieve alignment between the two schemes to help to minimise confusion for the public, as well as ensuring most effective use of public funds. It would, however, be helpful if the UK Government would engage with us on the issue. The Scottish National Party Government likes to talk up the record on broadband, but the reality for people and businesses in rural constituencies, like Galloway and West Dumfries, is poor or no speeds. They do not care about speed obligations, they just want to know when they are going to get connected. Can the minister give my constituents a commitment to publish a clear timescale for R100 to reach 100 per cent by the summer of 2019? I think that Mr Carson would be well placed in reflecting the fact that it is the UK Government's responsibility legally and regularly to ensure the delivery of broadband. The Scottish Government is intervening using economic development powers to fix the mess that has been left by the UK Government. In respect of his point about Dumfries and Galloway, we clearly have an shared interest in this. I should declare that, as a member representing South of Scotland, in ensuring constituents in Dumfries and Galloway. I take that point seriously. R100 per cent commitment is a huge statement of our ambition for Scotland's digital future. As I said, it is one unmatched elsewhere in the UK. The £600 million being invested through the procurement contract, we are on track toward contracts in 2019, I would hope, in the second half of 2019. Only at that point do we know when the bidders have submitted their bids exactly which postcards they will cover. I would give our assurance to the member that we will, as soon as we can communicate that information to his constituents and others, we will do so. In the design of the procurement exercise that the minister has just described, can he ensure that those areas, most in need such as the outer aisles and the northern aisles of Shetland, are first in the queue to achieve the fibre to the home and premises and to businesses that is so badly needed? I certainly recognise the interest not just in my capacity as a connectivity minister, but obviously with Ireland's responsibilities. Those are key issues for island communities and take those very seriously. In terms of the procurement contract, we are taking an outside-in approach, so we are trying to focus on remote rural and island communities first. Without being—I do not want to go over-commit in terms of Mr Scott's constituency, but I would be keen to explore with him and others who have this interest. As soon as we have that information from the tenders about how we can give guarantees to communities at how early the delivery will be, I would reiterate the point that, in the absence of the DSSB programme, we would be in a situation now with zero coverage of superfast broadband in the islands, and so we have achieved a lot to date. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure equality of opportunity for young people across all local authorities. Cabinet Secretary John Swinney Presiding Officer, our focus on raising attainment and achievement for all and ensuring that every child has the same opportunity to succeed has resulted in positive progress towards closing the poverty-related attainment gap. The Scottish Government supports local authorities to work collaboratively with national agencies, including Skills Development Scotland, to ensure that all young people receive the support that is most appropriate for them to fulfil their potential. Iain Gray Presiding Officer, data from Skills Development Scotland for 2016-17 shows that, although 62 per cent of school leavers in East Dunbartonshire and East Rentrushire went on to higher education after leaving school, only 26 per cent of school leavers from Clackmannanshire did the same, showing no improvement since 2010-11. That is a dramatic difference and does not look like progress. What action will be taken to end this postcode lottery in higher education? When we look at the position across the country, the information that is demonstrated by the UCAS figures shows a 3 per cent increase in the number of placed applicants from deprived areas, which is a record high and for the third year in a row. The data demonstrates that on the question of widening access to higher education, the Government is making progress on its objectives that it has set out to Parliament. We should also bear in mind—this is an important consideration in the question of fulfilling the commitment to opportunities for all young people across Scotland—that there is a range of positive destinations that can be pursued by young people, including through modern apprenticeships, further education opportunities and higher education opportunities. The most recent positive destinations statistics across the whole country demonstrate the improvements in performance that have been delivered as a result of this commitment. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported warnings from nursery providers that its planned expansion of the childcare to 1140 hours by 2020 is about to implode. Minister Marie Todd. Providers in the private and third sector, including childminders, are absolutely vital to the expansion of early learning and childcare. We are supporting all providers in the transition to 2020, when parents will have greater flexibility to access their child's entitlement from high-quality partner settings. We introduced 100 per cent rate relief for day nurseries in April, established the ELC partnership forum and we are significantly increasing funding for providers to deliver our living wage commitment. Alison Harris. Thank you for that response. However, unless the Government steps in and sorts this out very quickly, then the whole project of 1140 hours is going to collapse. Those are not my words, those are the words of the childcare providers. Even fellow colleagues of the minister and the SNP have raised concerns from childcare providers in their constituencies. Will the minister agree to urgently investigate those concerns before it is too late for nursery's children and parents? Let me take the opportunity to reiterate once again just how crucial partner providers will be to the success of this expansion. We are working hard, as I think your FOI demonstrated, to tackle areas where there are partner concerns with local authorities. We are creating the mechanisms to strengthen meaningful partnership working between local authorities and ELC providers and to promote good practice. I work very closely with my colleague, Councillor Stephen McCabe, my counterpart in COSLA on that. As part of the funding follows the child approach, local authorities and early learning childcare providers will be working together meaningfully and in genuine partnership delivering the funded entitlement. The ELC partnership forum, which met for the first time this week, will drive action, enable the sharing of good practice partnership working and will enable authorities and providers to work constructively together to identify solutions to challenges. Richard Lyle Can the Government set out how it is ensuring that, where there are good examples of partnership working across Scotland between local authorities, early learning and childcare providers, the lessons there can be applied to areas where such partnership working needs to be improved? As I said, we have established this partnership forum where we bring together partners from all over the country. Not only do we identify the challenging areas for partnerships and relationships are not great, but we look at the areas where partnerships are really strong, for example Murray and Angus. To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its new economic action plan and whether it will include specific targets for improving the economy. I published the economic action plan yesterday and our targets are very well known. Dean Lockhart As the cabinet secretary will be aware, his Government has failed to meet every single one of its own economic targets over the past 11 years, including all seven national performance targets on the economy. Can the cabinet secretary confirm that this is the real reason why the new economic action plan fails to include any future national performance targets? The economic action plan that has been very warmly welcomed by Scottish businesses is about getting on with the job. It sets out a range of actions that support our economy and support Scottish business. It sets out a whole host of areas that are stimulus on innovation and infrastructure and investment. It follows on from the enterprise and skills review. We know the targets that we want to deliver, but I will give just a few economic indicators for Mr Lockhart. GDP is outperforming the United Kingdom unemployment in terms of near record low unemployment, outperforming the United Kingdom and form direct investment second only to London and the south-east of England. That is why businesses and representative organisations such as the FSB have welcomed the economic action plan. They have said that there is much to be applauded in the manifesto for Scotland's economy. I will get on with the action plan, while the Tories give us distractions and disaster. As the Scottish Government, what percentage of fish landed in Scotland in 2017 was landed in the north-east? The latest national statistics show that, in 2017, 56 per cent of the weight and 46 per cent of the value of all fish landed into Scotland was landed into the north-east, covering the three port districts of Fraserborough, Peterhead and Aberdeen. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer and for acknowledging the importance of the north-east of the fishing industry of Scotland. With that in mind, can the cabinet secretary tell me why Aberdeenshire, the site of the biggest fishing port in Peterhead and the third biggest port in Fraserborough, had 100 of 146 applications for EMFF funding rejected and only received 13.7 per cent of the available EMFF funding? I can assure the member that the ports in the north-east have benefited from considerably and are due to benefit further from EMFF funding. I am happy to share the information with Mr Chapman, since he seems to be unaware of it. However, what I might also point out ever so gently to Mr Chapman and his colleagues is that this European maritime fisheries fund is part of the EU funding. Despite having asked his colleague Mr Gove and Mr Eustace, with whom I have a good workman-like relationship, on numerous occasions, face-to-face, eyeball to eyeball, will you replace the fund post Brexit? The answer has come absolutely none, which leads me to conclude that, without wishing to be unkind, the handling by Brexit of the UK Government can best be described by a Gaelic word, a buruk.


I am the head of department at Manipal Hospital in Dwarka. Today we will be talking about pre-marital counseling. Pre-marital counseling will relate to two types of counseling that will be psychological counseling and the medical counseling. So, I will be dealing with the medical counseling part. Psychological counseling will be leading a counselor. If there are some issues related to some emotional bonding or you want to have a counseling before your married life should be healthy in that way. So, you can take a psychological counseling with the counselor. For the medical part, what the most important thing is that we want that both the partners should be healthy after marriage. As we go for horoscope checking for all before marriage, we know that horoscope will not lead us to have a healthy married life. What needs to a healthy married life is having getting ourselves checked.  These diseases should be checked. We don't know whether our partners, though he might be a very good person, he might be from a very good background, he might be very healthy to look at, might be suffering from some disease which he himself doesn't do. So, better both get those tests done. You can discuss with the gynecologist and then get your test done and your partner's test done. If you do this beforehand, you will be more sure that your partner is more healthy and whenever you are going into a sexual relationship with your partner, you will be much safer. So, the other aims of pre-marital counseling will be the sexual education. The most important thing the female suffers is she is very anxious about the first night. They are not aware the couple is going for the sexual relationship the first time. So, they are not aware of any type of contraception. So, contraception is also a second part. So, you should talk to your partner before you are getting married, that whether you are going for a family or you are not going for a family. You don't want the pregnancy for a year or two years or six months or you just want to, most of our couples who come to us are conceiving and they are not blind. They are not aware that they will be conceiving or not conceiving. And then they conceive and then there are problems, then they have an issue whether they want to abort or when they want to continue their pregnancy. So, aborting is also not right and continuing the pregnancy without a proper planning. And the mother is not, maybe her education is not completed, maybe her education is still to be completed and she doesn't want to have a baby right now. But then the family pressure is there and she conceives and then continues the pregnancy. Half of the pregnancy goes in lot of vomiting, anxiety and then she is not taking care of herself. There is chances of having a pre-term delivery, the morbidity of the baby will be more, the weight of the baby will be less. So, we should avoid such issues. So, in that case, the sexual education, contraception education and the discussion with the partner has already happened. So, these things will be avoided. So, and many times you are hesitant to talk to your partner. If you come to the doctor with your partner or you can have a one-to-one discussion with your doctor, nor meet to sit together, but if you sit together it will be a very good thing. So, these things are taken care of in the pre-marital counseling. And then the education for the infections. If you are already suffering from some infection, you should talk to your doctor, you should get it treated so that both of them don't have the same infection. Many people have warts, then they are transferred to their partners and then the disease flares up in both the partners and then they get treated after that. I have had many patients who have, both the partners had the warts after their first sexual contact and they had to treat both of them. That would have come with the same problem before they had a sexual relationship. We could have prevented that thing to flare up in both the partners.  You go for the next time you are into the relationship. You are very anxious. So, to prevent these, you should meet your doctor.  So, then you should take the pre-conceptional counseling course. Because pre-conceptional counseling, we go for investigations. We take your history, we stop any drugs you are taking which can be map for the map, which can cause map formation to the baby. So, these things should be catered and there will be a full pre-conceptional counseling. Even your vaccine history, it should be taken. And all those who are going for pre-marital counseling, they can even also go for a cervical cancer vaccine if they have not taken it before. And you can get your investigations and your partner's investigations to be done. And you should know about condensers, you should know about contraceptives, you should know about emergency contraception. What is emergency contraception? Many times people come to me very late and they have gone over the time when they can have taken a emergency contraception also. If you take an emergency contraception in time, you can prevent yourself from pregnancy. Because once you have conceived, you have to go through the abortion process. And that is very heartening for both the partners. It's not an easy thing. You go through emotional challenge and a medical challenge. And before ending, I would like to tell you one case in my history in which by both the partners, they became a serious antigen positive. And one of the partners, they became HIV positive just after conceiving. And then they had to go for a divorce because of that, because they thought that the other partner had not told the history to that. And there was one of my couples who conceived and they came to me for termination at 10 weeks. And they terminated, but she came to me after 2 years and she had not disclosed the history. And then she came and told me that she had been HIV positive and she terminated the baby. But now because her husband was not well, she wanted to have another baby. But right now it was not the time. So I just want you all to know that if you are a hepatitis B positive or HIV positive, the times have come that we can prevent the baby from getting that malformation. In HIV positive, you can go for an IUI or an IVF and you can have a healthy baby. And in case of hepatitis B, there are lots of medications by which your baby can be prevented from having the saline infection. So please disclose these to your doctors. Meet your doctor beforehand. Talk to your partner. You should not need to disclose it to every relative but you can always disclose this to your partner and to the doctor. And please all of those people best of luck for their marriage and they should go for a premarital counseling and we have this facility at Manipal. So please come over and take this before you are getting married and get yourself investigated.


Welcome back to Cocoa Volley and today we're going to talk about how to pass a volleyball. Now I've seen some common errors in my day and that involves the hands. You got the in-between interloop hands, you have the put-together hands. Sometimes you have the knuckle hands. If you have incorrect hands, sometimes that can cause injury. So let's learn how to make the correct hands. Now to make the correct hands you're going to make an L shape and you're going to bring your hands together. You want your platform to be as straight as possible. So you don't want to have these incorrect hands, these knuckle hands, these interloop hands. You want to have L shape. So practice that a little bit. I know that it might be different, but try that out. The last thing we want to do is cause the ball to ricochet off. So make sure you keep your platform straight and your hands are correct. Now passing does have some shoulder actions. So let's engage those shoulders to make our platform completely straight, no gaps as you can see my forearms are close as possible. That way I don't have gaps so the ball can slip through or so the ball can ricochet off. I'm keeping my platform as straight and flat as possible. Now to find your perfect stance you want to be a little bit more than shoulder width apart. Not too far where you feel like you're uncomfortable, not too close where you can't get a proper squat, but shoulder width apart. The best thing to do is to practice to find the best stance for you. So find that level of comfortability where you are comfortable, you can move and you can engage. Now when finding our squat we're looking for something called middle position and that's the level of comfortability where you're not too low, you're not too high, you're literally in the middle. So you really have to find where the middle is for you. I'm pretty tall I'm five foot nine so the middle for me is different for you. So take time to practice that and then we're going to review everything we've learned thus far. Now take the time to practice with me. Let's do all the steps together. Pause if you need to, let's get it down. Now we're going to add on our last key which is the stagger. We're going to keep our feet a little staggered apart, not a full lunge just one step forward. I used my right foot so I stepped forward just a little bit. That way it promotes agility.  Now when you're passing angles you want to utilize your shoulders. You're going to drop your shoulder slightly to get to a different angle and your platform is going to angle that way. You also want to utilize the platform height. So you're going to see me soon use my platform height to control the height of the ball, how high, how low the direction. So your platform really does control a lot of aspects about the ball. I suggest playing a little bit around with it so that way you can see the different directions you can go and the different things you can do passing a volleyball. If you watch my volleyball vlogs one of the drills I do the most often it's called the left and right shuffle. So a partner is going to toss a ball left and right five times on each side and short and deep. That way it keeps me spry. I have to move forward. I'm working on my form and my shuffle. Try this at home. Don't forget when you're practicing to start calling the ball to get into the habit. Like, comment, subscribe and I'll see you guys next time.


Welcome to another episode of In the Studio. I'm Lynn Weaver. And today, our topic will be a discussion of a recently published science fiction bestselling novel called Aurora by world-thru downed novelist, science fiction writer, and beloved Davis residents, Kim Stanley Robinson. Stan has published more than 19 novels, a lot of short stories. And he has, of course, received countless awards. And I believe he is best known for his Mars trilogy and other earlier novels that have to do with the atmosphere in Washington about climate change and what to do about what decisions to prevent climate change. So Stan Robinson, welcome. Thank you so much for being on our show. Well, thanks for having me, Lynn. It's good to be here. It's wonderful. So Aurora is about life on a ship. And this ship has been flying for 160 years. It's one of those space journeys and is going towards one of the nearest stars, I believe, Tau Citta. So what happens next? Well, it's a multi-generational starship, which is a kind of a sub-genre in science fiction, where you take it for granted that we're never going to go faster than light. And even getting as fast as light is very much not going to happen. So it takes many years to get to even the closest star. And in my story, they're arriving at Tau Cetti. And we know that there were four or five big planets around Tau Cetti. We've seen them. And they're so big that they're not serviceable to humans, because the gravity would be too great. Oh, interesting. But we think that there may be moons. Yes. And that these moons might be more sizable to the similar to the size of the Earth. And so they're exploring with the idea that one of these moons has water on it. It resembles the Earth. It seems to be a friendly enough place that we could inhabit it. And so as the story begins, they're getting close and going into orbit around the moon, which they call Aurora. So Aurora is their name for that moon. Well, this is very interesting. It's a fascinating story. And already, I'm taken in by the plot. So in the book, the spaceship is unnamed, which is interesting. And our heroine, Freyja, basically, she was born and lives on this ship. And her life is entrancing, going towards this star. And she lives in a closed, orbit, diverse ecosystem. Very much like Earth, obviously. Right. Would you say this is an extended allegory of our life on Earth? Well, it's an interesting question. All of science fiction has a double reading that can be applied to it. So first, and I think very importantly, it's about what it's about. We could go to the stars. And that's worth exploring as a story space. What would it be like? Freyja is fifth or sixth generation. Comparing it to current time, if she were doing her arrival and growing up in 2015, then the start of the Starship's journey would be back around 1800, or maybe 1820. But in any case, many generations before. So the ship is all she knows. And that's why it doesn't really have a name. It's just her world. I see. Now, so you read it as a story about what it really is about. And the Earth is a trillion times bigger ecosystem than the ship is. And so there are serious differences there. And yet, they are both still life support systems flying through space. So yes, there is a way in which all science fiction works as both the future story and the allegory for the way things feel right now. This is interesting. Of course, the reader can see many metaphors, perceptions. The perception of this is why books are so come alive when you read them. It's interesting that you said from the start that it is basically impossible for humans to conquer the speed of light. In other words, to go beyond the speed of light. And it's very interesting because it's something the topic has fascinated me. So why do you say it is impossible? Perhaps you didn't say impossible, but nearly impossible. I don't remember exactly. Well, I think it's impossible according to the laws of physics as we understand them right now. And there are some quite deep mysteries. There are things we don't understand about the universe right now. But we are material creatures made of flesh and blood. And light itself is radically different from us. And as far as we know, nothing goes faster than light in this universe, which is why it is the way it is. There is quantum entanglement. There's spooky action at a distance. We don't understand gravity or dark matter or dark energy. Or dimensions. We don't know how many dimensions there are. But there are limits to what we can do as a species given just simply because of our physical nature. I don't think we can turn ourselves into electricity and then move, which would be at the speed of light, not faster than somewhere else, and then reincorporate. It's beyond us. It's a very interesting answer. Sorry. It can't be. We can't work out the navigational systems. It would be time travel, as well as space travel that go faster than light. It's just one of those ideas that is a fantasy. Now, it works as allegory. And it also works to make the galaxy small enough to become a story space. You want to go to the far side of the galaxy. It's not really possible, but you want to tell a story about it. I've done this myself in time travel stories. Then you say, well, you wave your hands a little and say, well, they took the chronosynclastic infundibulum, which is Kurt Vonnegut's name for these made-up names. And then it worked. And then you have your story, but it's a kind of a fantasy. And so there's a kind of science fiction that is not about fantasy, but about what could we really do. And that's the kind of science fiction that Aurora is. Right. And I think this very much you've described your science fiction world, which is very realistic, in a way, due to your expertise in science, your research, and the way you linger on details that make it more convincing. Now, you mentioned time travel. And I was going to ask you if you are actually this guy's time traveler, because you go from the Ice Age, Shaman, to Aurora, which is in the 26th century, I believe. So is that something you're not telling us then? No, no, no. I am an English major, and I've lived most of my life now in Davis, California. And it's just that science fiction is a really fun and powerful genre. Yes. It's literature, but it's literature that allows the reader and the writer to time travel. And I think all fiction is really about time travel anyway. You want to get a telepathy in time travel. What was it like to be in the Roman Empire when things were falling apart? What was it like to be on Tau Setti when we first landed? And also, what are other people thinking? And a really good novel can make you feel like you're inside other people's heads. So that's the magic of it. Yes, well, it is. And in a way, it's like being an actor in some ways, except that a writer leaves a permanent recreation of your fantasy or your imagination. Now, your book, I couldn't help drawing some similarity from Aurora to the Margin, the movie now, which was actually a novel written a few years ago by, what is his name? Andy Weis? Andy Weis. They were. And I haven't read the novel. But basically, have you read the novel? Do you see some similarity? I haven't read the novel, but I've seen the movie. And I'm told that it's fairly faithful to the book. And they are similar. They're both problem-solving. They're both about people caught completely in a technological surround, like a submarine, that has to function. So that's the similarity. Now, really, the character in the Martian has it much easier. Mars is so close to Earth relative to Taucedi that, and yet the basic situation is the same. And the same is true if you're in scuba gear and you're 40 feet underwater and you're in gear breaks. Anytime you're reliant on a mechanical system to keep you alive, when that system falls apart, you're in terrible trouble and you might be able to think you're ahead of it or you might get killed. Well, it is very interesting. And also what comes to mind is there are recurring myths in Western literature. And one of the recurring myths that perhaps I see here, whether you want to call it a myth or something else, a story is the Robinson Crusoe story, which is, you know, to me, it's a recurring thing in children's books as well as science fiction. But what makes your book different is, of course, as you said, much farther away, much more complex. And the environment is not terribly harsh and unfriendly, as in the Martian, I believe. But these are very fascinating topics. So I wanted to ask you, you research your novels. So well. And I think I mentioned my son was particularly impressed with some of your novels, like 60 Days and Counting. And the other one I read that I like very much is The Forty Days of Rain. And you wrote those at the beginning of the 21st century. And he was so impressed, and I am too, about the knowledge of Washington politicians and how they go about. How did you acquire that knowledge? Well, my wife works for a US Geological Survey. And so we spent four years in Washington, DC. And then I also was sent to Antarctica by the National Science Foundation. And after that, I've had a fairly frequent association with National Science Foundation. So that explains that. Yeah, that's only by the help of the NSF, could I have written those books. And it's nice that you mentioned them because, they come out next month in a compressed version, which I did myself. It was my own idea. Oh, really? Slightly compressed. And it's going to be called Green Earth. It'll be at the Avid Reader. And it will be everywhere. In paperback? In paperback and as an e-book. And it's really about as thick as a brick. It's about 1,000 pages long. But they are very thick, yes. But I think that it's a better book now. And it also brings it back right before the Paris Climate Summit. Right, in December. And in fact, my son was mentioning that because it is. And it's particularly interesting also from a UC Davis point of view, because you know that it's the first time that climate agriculture, climate smart agriculture, as they call it now, is going to be on the agenda of the Paris conference, the UN conference dealing with climate change and what to do about it. But this is very interesting. And so the NSF gave you the opportunity to do what? Well, they have an artisan writers program that sends the artisan writers to Antarctica, because they run the US Antarctic program. And then after that, I joined the juries to choose the other artisan writers. And after that, I went to give lectures and then to interview people and ask them about NSF. And I met Rita Caldwell, the first woman director of NSF. And she taught me a lot of things that I could turn into my character, Diane Chang, who is also a woman director of NSF. And so I had an awful lot of help with that book from the NSF. And having lived in Washington DC, I wanted to say what I knew about it. Right. So I suppose the follow up questions, the begging question, is what do you think about these books? The Green Trilogy was published at the beginning of the century. So what do you think about the way climate change are being handled at the moment by the Obama administration? Well, it's always a mixed picture. There have been some really good moves by this administration. And there have been some strangely bad ones. Opening up the Arctic to oil drilling is obviously a bad one. Everything else that they've done has been very good. And this Paris summit is a really exciting moment. When I first wrote that first book, it was maybe 2001 when I started writing. That's right. Yes. Well. Almost 15 years ago. Right. Things have changed hugely. Yes. So yeah. So this is an added dimension to your author writer world that you have this connection with the real scientists and this real science world. It is fascinating. I'm afraid our time has gone very quickly. And I could spend a whole day talking to you. However, I don't want to leave you without asking this question, because I've been very anxious to ask this question. Now, you are from the Midwest, but you moved to California very early in life. However, may I ask you, what was your first image or thought as a very young child? Well, that's interesting you ask. I thought about that myself. It was either a tricycle under a Christmas tree or else it was my family moving from Pasadena to Englewood and having all of our belongings in a U-Haul basket like they don't make anymore at the back of a car. Very interesting, wonderful. Well, I'm afraid our time is up. Thank you so much, Stan, for being in the studio. And thank you all for watching. You've been watching in the studio. If you have time, just log on to dctv.davismedia.org and check out some of our other programs. So we have end episodes of In the Studio. We have fabulous guests and interesting topics. So thank you all from all of us, including our technical team, Diane, Charlene, and our other technical people. Thank you so much, and see you next time.


What's up, mobile fam? I hope everybody's having a blessed day out there. So today we actually have a problem. Our 2015 Dodge Durango actually just do a check engine light and it is a P0128 code which usually means it's going to be a stuck open thermostat most likely. So we're going to be tackling that job today. We're going to be putting in a new thermostat, clearing the code, and hopefully that'll resolve the problem. All right, so right there you can see we have the check engine light up at the top right corner and after using my Cornwell code reader here you can see we have the P0128 code which is normally a stuck open thermostat which normally means that the coolant system is not reaching the proper coolant temperature. It's reading lower temperature than it should be and again it's usually just due to a stuck open thermostat or slightly leaking thermostat. Maybe it's not sealing up all the way and it's still letting coolant flow through the thermostat when it should be closed to be able to reach the full operating temperature. So let's take a look at the new thermostat we're going to install real quick. This is our 2015 Durango right here and this is a thermostat we are going to use today.  I would almost definitely recommend just getting the Mopar thermostat from the dealer or an online retailer. However, we're kind of in a hurry. I need to get this thing going for the wife tomorrow and we just stopped at our local O'Reilly's Auto Parts store. They had one in stock and this is the thermostat part number that they had. Relatively cheap part. I believe it was under 20 bucks and basically this is the entire thermostat housing with the thermostat is already installed and that is pretty much how these thermostats come on these newer cars. It is all one unit now so that's what we're going to be putting in. Looks like it's a pretty easy job so we're going to crack the hood here and get to work. All right and again for those that don't know this is the 3.6 V6 model Durango that we have here. First thing we're going to do we're going to pop off this cover real quick which just pretty much lifts up like so and discard that and then the thermostat is actually you can see the hose going to it right here. It is underneath this air intake ducting right here so we're actually going to be removing this real quick. We're going to undo it from the throttle body. Undo the wiring connector right here. Undoing this breather and then we'll be removing this entire thing. That way we can get this out of our way and get to the thermostat. Should be a pretty quick fix so here we go. All right so real quick we undid this clip right here and then slid off. It looks like this is the I believe the purge solenoid system here that just slides on to this little tab. We just slid that back. Push that to the side and undo this little clip here and this connector. Unplug that and then we're going to get I believe that's going to be an eight millimeter or five sixteenths which will loosen that tube and then we're going to pop this cover off right here. I believe that's it just two little locking tabs and then once we get that loose it should come up. All right and then you got to undo this little breather tube right here you unplug that off just kind of move it over to the side. All right and then this center section you kind of got to get up underneath it pretty good and lift up on it and it just has like a little rubber bushing peg and it'll pop loose but after you get all that done the whole thing comes off like that and then here's our thermostat this is the old one so you have a hose connection here and it looks like there is I believe these are just two bolts that holds on the thermostat housing here and they look like they're 10 millimeters so we're going to get a pair of pliers undo this hose and then get us a 10 millimeter and loosen up this thermostat housing and pull it off swap on a new one and then pretty much put it back together and top off the fluids. All right so usually what I do is I grab a pair of channel locks and get on this clamp that everybody always hates you squeeze that down like that there you go work it toward the back of the hose there and then we're going to pull this hose off and we're going to lose probably a good bit of fluid well not too bad I believe if we take this hose and if we're careful we might can tuck it behind this AC line right there between the filter box and maybe not lose any more fluid. All right so now we're going to get a I believe this going to be a 10 millimeter so I'm going to get that tool real quick and we'll get this thermostat off and we're probably going to lose a little bit more coolant as well. All right so we have a 10 millimeter socket here one screw and there's one on the bottom we got two and like I said we're going to lose a little bit of fluid now necessarily not really sure if we're going to see anything wrong visually with this thermostat but it's either leaking or it's not closing all the way allowing the coolant to continually flow through and not get up to the temperature range in the amount of time that the computer is wanting everything to work in so that's why it's doing the p0 128 code basically saying the temperature is not getting up to the desired temperature also make sure the gasket comes off as mine was stuck to the engine here so make sure you get the old gasket off the new one will already have a gasket inside this housing so make sure you take the old one off so you're not trying to put the new part on top of the old gasket or you're going to get a leak and that is our new one that I showed you guys which that we got from O'Reilly's again already has a gasket installed thermostat's already in there and this is a stock replacement stock temperature range bolt on dilly so we're going to put it on and we're going to tighten this up a little bit get our hose back on real quick there we go slide our clamp back on all right we got everything got the hose hooked back up so what we're going to do real quick is top off our fluid real quick right here all right we're going to put our air box assembly back on plug everything back up plug our breather back on to the air box here get our tool real quick just make sure when you're putting this air ducting back on make sure it's lit all the way up on the throttle body all the way seated nice and tight all right so we have the p0 128 code we just put in a new thermostat we're going to clear the code real quick all right our code is cleared so we should be able to start the vehicle and our check engine light up here in the top right corner should be off and it is all right guys so that's pretty much it p0 128 code thermostat very easy to change out on the 3.6 engines as you've seen that took a whole like 15 minutes tops from start to finish so we got everything done we got everything buttoned up we're going to let it sit here and run and add some coolant as we need to but that's pretty much it for that code simple thing to fix so hope that video helped you guys out don't forget please hit that subscribe button hit the like button and as always stay safe we'll see you on the next one


Alright guys in this video we're going to talk about how to practice lucid dreaming and What techniques and things you need to actually practice on a daily basis in order to have regular natural lucid dreams? So this is a bit different to my normal videos in a sense that this is more what you can do every single day This isn't like a specific technique. This is I guess you could say habits to build things that you should practice every day This is for anybody who wants to lucid dream reliably and regularly So even if you're gonna watch another video even if you're gonna do something else Just this is the most important video I've probably ever made for this channel for how to lucid.com and so hit let's just get right into it So the first thing you need to practice every single day is you need to write your dreams down in the morning I know this sounds basic and I know that you're probably thinking I already know this I'm gonna get into some other ones, which you probably didn't know But so the first one is every single morning you write your dreams down in a journal I do actually have a custom lucid dreaming journal, which I'll show you now So I just wanted to quickly mention my custom lucid dreaming journal that I had designed Because this actually contains detailed instructions about how to use the journal It also contains specific places for you to draw your dreams on one side and then write about them on the other side it also He gives you the chance to write whether you were lucid which technique you used the date and also a title of the dream So that when you're flicking through at speed you can quickly see which dreams you had You'll also find beautiful lucid dreaming quotes about every 10 pages Just to keep you inspired and motivated as you go through this journal and then at the back There's also a section explaining how to lucid dream and also various reality checks and things you can use to help you along the journey So if you want to get this go to how to lucid.com forward slash lucid journal all one word Okay, back to the video But you don't have to use that you can use you know a notepad or even just notes on your phone What I actually do is I use notes on my phone Because now I can transfer it to the computer and I can search through it later for things like dream signs and all that Exciting stuff. All right, so number two is you need to be doing reality checks every single day about 30 to 40 times a day But if you can't manage with that at least try at least do it for 10 times a day Okay So a reality check is where you test whether you are dreaming or not It's where you test whether you are awake or whether you're dreaming and here's a very quick reality check You can do just hold out your hand like this and try and push this finger through the palm of this hand What you'll notice is that you'll always feel the same Resistance it will always feel the same it will feel like you can't push through your finger through your palm because of course You can't in normal waking life if you do it in the dream Then the finger will go right through your hand and you'll be able to confirm that you're dreaming This is a basic reality check, but it's a really effective one. It's actually the one that I use as well You could also use something like a dream totem And I'll show you a very quick totem that you can use now I just wanted to say really quickly a powerful way of remembering to do reality checks And also just making sure they show up in your dreams is to use a totem So this is actually a beautifully designed talisman coin that says various things on it says are you awake? Are you dreaming? So if you want to get this you can go to how to lucid.com forward slash coin And you'll be able to get this beautiful lucid talisman. Okay back with the video But as I said you you don't have to use that you can just use your Reality checks involving your body, you know, for example pinching your nose trying to breathe You could push your finger through your palm you could try you know looking at your hands to see if something seems strange and Also, just one thing that I want to mention very briefly I got some comments. I guess in the last week or in the last month or so you're asking if I could use Tattoos tattoos as a reality check now as you've probably seen I do have many tattoos However, I don't use them as reality checks and the reason for that is that You often especially if you have tattoos for a while You get very used to the idea of them being on your skin. They become part of your skin And so you don't really notice anything strange when you look down in a dream I mean I might see my tattoos in a dream. Sometimes they're not there, which is weird But it's never an easy way of reality checking because you're so used to them that you don't notice anything strange However, if you get a new tattoo then within that first month when you're getting used to it being on your body That's when you can start using it to reality check That's when it might show up in your dreams and you think oh, I've just got that tattoo So this is new, you know, I must be dreaming but for the most part no I do not use tattoos as reality checks because it's just not that effective. It doesn't work that well All right, so going back into it number three is you need to be trying various techniques I've said this many times before but just try different techniques out and see which one resonates with you every single person is going to have Different varying degrees of luck with different techniques So maybe the wake back to bed works well for you Maybe it works well for others or maybe the wild doesn't work so well for you Just you need to sort of find which one works best for you and which one is going to give you the results that you're after So number four This is a I guess like a daily habit that you should build up and that is to do a reality check The first thing you do when you wake up first thing in the morning. The reason for that is that There's something called false awakenings when you have a false awakening It's when you have a dream about waking up. It feels very vivid very real and If you don't do a reality check first thing you can get stuck in what's called false awakening loops Which is where you keep on having the same experience you wake up Or at least you think you've woken up and then you go about your day You do your morning routine you maybe even commute to work and then you'll suddenly snapped back to being woken up again And suddenly you think hold on a second. So none of that was real and it can be confusing It can be difficult to know When you've actually woken up and it can be disorientating annoying However, if you do a reality check first thing every time you wake up Then you will never have a false awakening because you always have a lucid dream or at least that's a theory It's worked very well for me And I know a few other people it's worked well for as well So first thing you do do a reality check number five number five is a guess a way of practicing lucid dreaming But it's more of using triggers to do reality checks. So here's how it works every single time you see something strange unusual or slightly weird Slightly different to what you normally experience in waking life Use that as a reminder to do a reality check So let's say for example, you're walking down the road and some weird mascot comes up to you Or there's a weird noise and you can't work out where the noise is coming from or something strange happens That is exactly the moment when you should do a reality check Because it's to strange things that often we dream about that night So if you can attach a reality check to those memories to those strange experiences You're much more likely to lucid dream and number six, which I feel is the most important And especially if you've stayed on this far in the video or in the podcast or whatever this is I guess the most important thing that I want to share with you this year for This channel and for going forward number six is to practice lucid living So not just lucid dreaming but actually being aware of what you're doing throughout the entire day not just in your dreams Here's a few ways of practicing lucid living Firstly just be more conscious and aware of what you're actually doing on a day-to-day basis Where do you spend your time every single day? Like for example, do you I don't know Maybe you watch Netflix for five hours a day Maybe you browse social media for two hours a day Maybe you I don't know whatever the case may be the chances are that you're spending your time in ways that If you really broke it down and thought about it carefully you wouldn't want to spend your time doing those things But what happens is we end up just going into routines autopilot mode and we do these things without really considering like Do these fit in with my long-term goal and my long-term vision of what I want my life to be in many cases The things we're doing every day, you know watching Netflix or browsing social media They're not really things that will get us to our long-term happiness and our long-term goal It might give you a bit of instant gratification Meaning you scroll through social media. You see a few funny memes or pictures or whatever And it's it feels fun and good in the moment But if you compound that over say five years ten years twenty years The effect that that has is you end up just wasting your time like you don't achieve the things that you want to do in twenty years time and It's hard to think about it now because you're so focused on right now I just want to scroll through this meme or right now I just want to finish this series on Netflix, but in twenty years time You won't care about that series on Netflix, but you will care about the lost time the lost opportunities And if you compare, you know two two different paths that you could take one path You could watch Netflix five hours a day the other path you focus maybe Let's say two or three hours a day on self-improvement and growth or growing a business or whatever it is Getting stronger exercising learning things And then you do two hours of Netflix the difference that has is enormous because at the end of the the end of the journey You know in five years or ten years time You will have done so much more than if you had just watched Netflix and done nothing to work on yourself So it's about lucid living and being conscious of the choices you're making every single day The other element of that and this is something that's going to probably be very polarizing and it's going to divide many people I'm sure there'll be an arguments thread in the comments section below But that is to be conscious about the way you're treating your body and the way you're treating your mind your soul Your spirit whatever you want to call it all of that stuff going on The way you're treating that and so what I mean by that is are you getting enough sleep eight to nine hours a day of high-quality sleep? Are you exercising every day for 30 minutes or more and I can be doing things like yoga you could take a walk You could do some push-ups whatever it is and are you eating the right foods? Are you eating a whole foods plant-based diet now? I don't want to say vegan because the vegan the word vegan has so many negative connotations I feel like in this in especially with amongst young people. They just feel like it's an extremist way of living What I would say is that studies Time and time again have shown that a plant-based diet with whole foods is by far the best diet in terms of health benefits in terms of the environment in terms of sustainability and Also, if you care about animals, it's also a way of avoiding all of the animal cruelty As some of you will have guessed I am now vegan I have been plant-based for a while now and I feel like it's the best way to go And I've been seeing some incredible benefits since I went even just since I went vegetarian You know several years ago, but also since I've went completely vegan I have seen incredible benefits in both energy strength and also things like sleep and dreams as well So I'm not going to spend too long talking about this but I would just advise you to and by the way if you are interested in that and if you want to hear a Detailed explanation with logical reasons explaining exactly why and how the vegan and plant-based diet is the best and how How it affects your body chemistry your brain chemistry and the way your whole system operates I do have a very long video on my other channel, which I'll link in the description. It's just transcend your limits It's about 25 minutes. I go very into detail logically and I convinced in a very calm way Exactly how and why it works. So that's one part of it Another part of lucid living is just being conscious and aware and being aware of Kindness to others and what you're doing on this planet your purpose. Okay, your mission You know, whatever you would label that as and just fulfilling that raising your vibrations raising your consciousness and just becoming a more Aware sentient high energy high vibration human being Because ultimately that's what we're here to do. We're here to raise the vibrations of the planet and ourselves And also share and spread that positive energy love unconditional love There are many different terms for what I'm talking about here But hopefully you can understand what I'm saying by the way if you have been following along with my social media channels You will notice that I do post roughly every day I try and post every day on every single channel including tick tock Instagram or whatever So just search for how to lucid I do have a podcast as well, which you can find on Spotify now It's even on SoundCloud Spotify iTunes if you have watched this far and you're one of my I guess loyal fans And you watch all of my videos all the way through Please make sure you're subscribed or you're following all of my social media profiles Or at least as many of them as you can because I'm going to be doing a monthly giveaways where I select someone at random But obviously the more you comment and interact with my channels and whatever The more likely I'm gonna notice you or the more likely I'm gonna scroll through and you're gonna appear there in In a recent comment or whatever So I'm going to pick a random person every month to get a lucid dreaming product or coaching call from me Completely for free just as a way of saying thank you for you know interacting with my social media profiles and channels and all of that stuff So yes, if you would like to be entered into that if you'd like to have a chance Just make sure you're following as many of them as you can don't worry too much if you you know Don't have Twitter or don't whatever Just search on whatever platforms you do use for how to lucid and look for my either my face Or the logo with you know the black white and gray logo with the eye by the way for those of you who are Still here I thought I'd explain my logo. So the loathe what The reason that I chose that logo and designed it in that way is actually if you look at the logo the eye So it's obviously to represent awareness and consciousness within dreams Hence the eye being open, but the two sides of the eye form sort of a yin yang Symbol which I believe is like representing balance in the university unity and all of that stuff But they are also synapses. They're neurons so it's a clever way of sort of reminding you that lucid dreaming happens within the brain and within the neurochemical Network that is within our brain, which is such such an incredible thing such an unbelievably complicated piece of machinery and we still know so little about it and how it works So that's a reminder to me That's why that logo is designed the way that it has been anyway leave a comment letting me know what you think of this technique And I see you next time


All right, everyone. Welcome once again. Good morning to you all. I trust everybody's doing awesome, had a lovely, lovely break. So welcome to the course, PC203, the local church. Before we get started, why don't we just start off with a word of prayer, shall we? Yeah, let's pray. Father, we look to you. We come to you. We bow down before you. We honor you. We thank you for this privilege, this opportunity that we gather together in your name to learn about you, Father, even as we learn about the local church. Father, I pray that you will continue to pour out your wisdom, your knowledge, your understanding, your revelation, so that we would understand this subject better. After all, the church is your idea.  All right, guys, you guys are ready. I hope you were able to download the PDF, the course notes. For this course, we will be referring to one of the APC publications, The House of God. Excuse me. The House of God. So just very quickly, we'll go through the contents of what we will be doing. In section one, we'll go through origins and purpose. In this section, we look all about the origins of the church, the idea behind the church, the importance of the church and the role of the church. And then we move on to the second section, section two, God's blueprint. What is his idea? What does he think about the church and how it should be? And the third section is about divine order, the church discipline. This is where we get a little bit more practical as well. And then in section four and section five, we will not be doing all the chapters in section four and section five, because some of the chapters in section four and section five will be covered in your third year class, BC 310, that is church and ministry administration and urban church planting. So some of those chapters will be covered in your final semester. So let's begin. So what is your idea or your understanding of the church? Give me all the right answers. The church is the House of God. Okay, end of course. You all have passed the course successfully. Good one, Isaac. Thank you. The church is the body of Christ. Okay, okay. The church is me and you. All right. Nice. Go ahead. Church is where we gather to worship God, hear the word. All right. That's awesome. Thank you. Keep it going, guys. The church is people of God. Guide me to worship God. Okay, yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Anybody else? Muzalatoli, good to see you, Leah. Yes, I can say again the church is where the body of believers congregate to hear the word of God and them to hear the word of God and them to relate with God. Right. Awesome, guys. Well, thank you, everyone, for sharing. Like I said, all of you shared all the right answers. Which makes the subject pretty easy, I guess, and also hopefully interesting. Yeah, it's everything that what you guys have shared. But then we also see that this course is all about understanding God's idea of the church, right? And so we'll try and follow what is his blueprint. Again, we all know what a blueprint is, isn't it? The architects will have a better understanding of it when they are trying to build a project or whatnot. They will first plan it, sketch it, design it, and they will have a blueprint to how this building should look like, etc. Everything will be planned out. The entrance, the exit, the rooms, the hallways, the dining area, and whatnot. So you get the blueprint and then you actually get into the work based on the blueprint. You keep looking at the blueprint if the measurements are right, if everything is accurate in everything that you are doing or building. So the builders, the construction workers, the engineers, civil engineers, they keep referring to what we know as the blueprint. It's a manual. Pretty much like what God gave Moses, isn't it? When Moses was, we'd go for 40 days and 40 nights in Mount Sinai. It is there where he gets the instruction to how to build the tabernacle. So God gives Moses the blueprint. So he brings that blueprint and then he gives it to the people. He says, okay, we are to build a tabernacle. It's supposed to be this, you know, the centimeter long at this height, everything, including the details of the color. Okay, we need to have these colors. These doors has to be made in this. These altars has to be covered in gold. The nail should go this deep. Everything, isn't it guys? So and then they get into the work. Right? So without the blueprint, what are you going to build? You know, another example, classic example, again, we all know of all this is Noah's Ark, right? God telling Noah, okay, this Ark's got to be this long, this height. It's supposed to have these many stages or whatnot, right? If we've got head, okay, Noah, go build an Ark. Right? I need more than that, Lord. Everything, when you read that story with this details, it's so beautiful, isn't it? About the tabernacle of Moses, be it about the Ark, you know, it has to be covered with pitch inside and out. The details are amazing. And so then we pause. And then we've come so far in our day and age, where we can have our own ideas of the church. Oh, this is how a church should look like. This is what it's supposed to do. And then we ignore the blueprint that was given to us by God. And then we have the tendency or the audacity to go ahead and just do what we want to do, isn't it? If every church on earth followed God's blueprint, I'm sure the earth would have been evangelized by now, right? Everyone on the planet earth, all the 7 billion people will be Christians. Yes, okay, we'll get to that later. But that's what it is, I think. And this is my humble opinion, I think somewhere along the way, it is possible that we've lost sight of God's heart, his blueprint, his desire, his vision for his church. And that's what this course is all about. It's not, we're not going to talk about a bunch of methods or techniques. We'll talk about a certain methods, but it's everything based on the word of God, okay? But a little later on in the chapter, I will make this point, but I'll say it now anyways, that over the centuries that has passed by, that has gone by, we've seen the methods have changed or evolved, right? Anything that's related with us as Christians, right? But the principle remains the same, okay? So we'll talk about all of that as we progress. So this is the heart behind the subject, is that we would understand and capture the heart of God for his church, because it's his desire, it's his idea. Are you guys with me so far? Yep, yes, no, maybe. Hope everybody had your morning coffee or tea, green tea, whatever. Okay, fantastic. Okay, so we'll go in your notes, we'll go to page three, the first chapter titled The Church. It's spiritual and natural dimensions, okay? Remember, this is section one, and it's partly labeled the origins and purpose, okay? So that's what this chapters are going to focus on, okay? The origins and its purpose, that's section one. And so it starts off by saying, I will build my church, right? I will build my church. Let's go to Matthew chapter 16, although I know the notes, it gives us a scripture. Let's do a little bit of hard work, open our Bibles. Okay, go to Matthew chapter 16. Hey, Sid, good to see you. Hello, Pastor. Okay, so assuming that we've all come to Matthew chapter 16, let's read from verse 13, although the notes says from 16, sorry, 15, we'll read from verse 13, okay? Can someone read for us, please? Matthew chapter 16, verse 13 to 19. Matthew chapter 13. Yeah, go ahead, Rosamund. Matthew chapter 16, verse 13 onwards. Therefore, I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand, and in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive for the hearts of the people. Rosamund, sorry to interrupt. We are in Matthew chapter 16, not 13, sorry. It's Matthew chapter 16, verse 13 onwards, 13 to 19. Sorry, Pastor. No problem. When Jesus came into the region of this area of Philippi, he asked his disciples saying, who do men say that I, the son of man, am? So they said, some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. He said to them, but who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, you are the Christ, the son of the living God. It's just 16, Pastor. Yeah. Go on till 19, Rosamund. Jesus answered and said to them, blessed are you, Simon Barjana, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock, I will build my church and the gates of haze shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you lose on earth will be lost in heaven. Amen. Thank you, Rosalind. Okay. So I love this particular passage. It's beyond crucial, beyond important. We should highlight it with multiple colors and keep it in your Bible, because it's very important, right? One of the reasons why I asked for us to read from verse 13 is because it says that when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea, Philippi, every time or anytime in the Bible, a geographical location is mentioned. It's very important for us to understand its context of the passage that we are reading. We need to ask, why is that place mentioned? Because the Bible is filled with stories, it is not everywhere that not all the geographical locations are mentioned, right? You guys just hold on a second. Are you able to hear me? Well, okay. Yes. Okay. Just give me one moment. I saw things. It doesn't seem right. Okay, just hold on this. All the G's. Right. Am I still on? Okay. All right. Okay. Sorry. So yeah, it starts off by saying they were in the region of Caesarea, Philippi. Okay. So let me just quickly share a tab of the map of this place. Where are you? Tab. All right. Here we are. Great. Is this visible? Can everybody see? Yes. Cool. Okay. So this is the map of Israel, the ancient Israel, as you can see. Okay. You see where the Sea of Galilee is. You see where Nazareth is. Okay. And then you see all the way up here in the north is Caesarea, Philippi. Okay. Caesarea, Philippi. Now, this region was a big no-no for the Jews. It was a strictly prohibited area for the Jews to go that side. Now, it was one of the areas even before the time of Jesus. It was a very popular route for international trade between Mesopotamia and Egypt and whatnot. Okay. And also, why was it a big no-no for the Jews? And why is Jesus there? What makes this whole passage amazing? All right. So they are in Caesarea, Philippi. Now, it was ruled during the time of Herod. Herod built our three temples in honor of Caesar. That's Caesarea is Caesar, okay, for Caesar Augustus of that period. And then Philip was one of his sons. So he had multiple sons. So there was another temple in Samaria. So Caesarea is another temple. It was given to another as one of his sons. But Caesarea, Philippi, that's where it is way up in the north. It was a big no-no because you see there's another name called Banias there. Banias right above Caesarea, Philippi. Okay. It's in that very region.  Now, so there was a temple built for the Roman and a Greek god called Pan, P-A-N. Okay. And the ancient name was Panias, P-A-N-I-A-S. And then later the word evolved and it became Banias. Okay. Now there it was in that region. And this, by the way, is just below Mount Hermon, right? You can see, right, in the map. Yes, guys. Right. So Mount Hermon is one of the tallest and the highest peak. Not one of it. It is the highest peak in Israel, right. And it's snow capped through the year. Okay. Not just during the winter. It's snow capped through the year. So it was pretty high. And you know what happens when a mountain is full with snow during the summer. I mean, there's always spring waters that come down. So that region was very famous for fertility and whatnot. So people there would worship this god and everything evil would happen there. Like animal sacrifice, bestiality, children's sacrifice, idolatry, etc., etc. Okay. And then there was this, there is this huge cave kind of a looking thing. Okay. A deep cave that is again filled with water. What they would, what people they would do is they would sacrifice animals, goats, even children.  And their idea was if the body just goes down animal or whatever it goes down. That means their sacrifice accepted. If the body comes up in the water, that means God and is not happy with the sacrifice all that, all these beliefs, right?  You get the idea now. So people, Jesus have taken his disciples and disciples must be wondering is like, why is he taking, doesn't he know that we are not supposed to come here as Jews? Because it was prohibited, right? And the things that used to happen there will make Sodom and Gomorrah look like it's little brother. Okay. So that's how bad the situation was. It is in that point where the caves and the rocks are filled with idols and all these evil practices. And there Jesus asks, okay, who do you say I am? And then we see from verse 15 in your notes, right? He said to them, but who do you say I am? Simon Peter answered and said, you are the Christ, comma, the son of the living God, full stop. Jesus answered and said to him, blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. Okay. Flesh and blood has not revealed, okay, underline that reveal, revelation, unveiling. Okay. And I also say to you that you are Peter, comma, and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades. You see that shall not prevail against this. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind or not could be bound in heaven, whatever you lose on earth could be loosed in heaven.  He's setting a proper context there for the text. So Jesus said, I will build my church. I will build my church. So that means the church is his. The denominations are man-made, okay, but the church is God's idea. It is his, it belongs to him.  So in the olden days, no, okay, in the olden days and now gates, it's, it's like what used to happen, we have like the panchayat system, right in India, panchayats. So where all these leaders of the village gather together and make decisions and whatnot. So it's very similar to the ancient times at the gates, there would be, you know, the leaders of the city who would gather together and make decisions, give justice or whatever. So the gates were strong points of a city, very important, very, very important, right? It was, it gives access to the entire city. But nevertheless, gates are stationary, right? It doesn't move. When Jesus says, the gates of hell shall not prevail. Jesus is also suggesting that the church that he is going to build is going to be built on the revelation of that he is the Son of God and that the church is going to advance to the gates. We as a church are to advance. What happened here in this setting? Jesus went to this gate, isn't it? The gates didn't come here. The gates of Hades as what they call it in the people in Caesarea Philippi. It didn't come to Jesus. Jesus took his disciples and he went to that region, isn't it? And so what Jesus is saying is that the church that he is building will destroy the powers of darkness. Now the gates of hell, right? The gates of Hades will not prevail.  And then he says in verse 19, I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and in Revelation 118 we see that Jesus telling that the keys of the kingdom of heaven has been given to him, all authority. And then he goes on to say that whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you lose on earth will be lost in heaven. And we as the church of God, we've been given this power and authority. One of my favorite scriptures in the recent past is in the book of Acts chapter 9, I guess, 9 I think, when Jesus tells Ananias to go and meet Paul. And Ananias is very scared. He's like, why should I go and meet Paul? He's killed your people. He's like, no, he is a chosen vessel. I have chosen him to carry my name. I have chosen him to carry my name, right? When you think about all the brands of this world, Isara or whatever, Reebok, Nike, Adidas, Ferrari, Lamborghini, think of, what is this? Milton, Flask, whatever, right? Every product, every brand of this on this planet wants you to carry their name, right? That's why the sportsmen, all these athletes have these deal with these sports brands like Nike and Reebok. Okay, I want to buy Nike t-shirt. Why? Because Roger Federer also wears an Nike t-shirt, et cetera, et cetera, right? But when we realize that we've been given, you know, we've been asked and he's given us his name and then we carry his name and we begin to function very differently as his church, right? So far, so the church is his idea. It's his desire. It's his plan and church was built by Jesus himself, right?  And we've also been given the keys of authority, the keys of the kingdom, right? So let's slow things down a little bit. And are you guys with me so far? Yes, I guess it feels like I'm just going on and on. Are you with me? Hey, very quickly, what is the, what do you say for church in Hindi? Kalishya. Okay, well then my Hindi is not bad. But okay, so again, I think in a way we can say that, hey, we get this word, this Hindi word Kalishya from the Greek word ecclesia. You can see it in the notes, page four, that simply means ecclesia, right? That's the Greek name for church. It simply means called out, okay, called out or calling. We are called out. We, in other words, we are set apart, right? Just like how the people of Israel were called out of Egypt, right? They were not set free from their slavery, just for the sake of being free. They were made free from slavery unto God, right? In Exodus chapter 19, we read that the, you know, God is saying, out of all the nations of the earth, although the whole earth is mine, I have chosen you to be my treasured possession, a holy nation. You see what I'm saying? Okay, the church, we as a church, we were dead in sin, efficiency chapter two, right? We were in darkness. Now he's brought us to eat his eternal light, right? So we were slaves to sin and death, but he's redeemed us. He's purchased us. He's ransomed us, and now we are in his life. We are called out. We as a church, we are called out to be set apart, right?  Okay, so we are not called out for the sake of being called out. We are called out unto him for his purpose, for his very divine call. We are set apart, right?  Okay, so now that a little bit of a foundation is set, now that we understand that the church is his idea, and we are to follow the blueprint that God has given to us, and the significance of Jesus saying, I will build my church in the region where he says that is super significant. And having understood all of that, we'll just go a little deeper and into the dimensions of the church. Okay, there are two key dimensions. One is the spiritual dimension, and the other is the natural dimension. Okay, so we look at the spiritual dimension of the church. Like most of you all said, the church is the body of Christ, right? It's the house of God, everything. So the note says, there are several things that the scriptures reveal about the church. We consider a few aspects, and one of them is the church is Christ's body. Colossians chapter 1 verse 18 and 24 says the same very quickly. Let me read it for you guys. Colossians 1 verse 18 and 24, I'm just reading it from your notes. It says, And he is the head of the body, the church who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he may have the preeminence. Verse 24, I now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill up in my flesh what is lacking the affliction of Christ for the sake of his body, which is the church. It's powerful, isn't it? So the spiritual dimension of it is that the church is his body. That means when we say yes to God, when we say yes to Jesus, when we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, what happens? Salvation there. And that means we are being part of his body, right? Every member, every individual, right? There's so many things we get baptized into his church through by the Holy Spirit. When someone receives us, they receive Jesus. When someone hears us, they hear him. If they reject us, they reject him. All the scripture references are given in the notes, right? And again, one of my favorite things is from chapter 9. When someone does us harm, they are harming Christ. Acts chapter 9 verse 5, a famous incident when Jesus shows up and counters Paul. What is the first thing that he asks? He is persecuting the church. Jesus shows up and says, why are you persecuting me, isn't it? So we as a church are his body, right? We've been baptized. Baptized is immersion. That means and also means that we've been brought in to his family, right? We look a little bit in the Great Commission as we progress as well. Okay. So the church is the body of Christ and because Christ is the head and he is eternal, the church is also eternal, right? The church is not a temporary arrangement, but an eternal, handy work of God, right? John chapter 3 verse 16, whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life or everlasting life. When we say yes to Jesus, one, we become part of his body as a church and because he is eternal, the church, we, the church are also eternal, right? And we've already gone through the section in the previous section that church is Christ's instrument to execute his purpose. We are to advance against the gates of hell because we've been at the kingdom authority and power has been vested on us. The keys has been given to us, right? Then let's move on. Every believer is a member of Christ's body individually as well. 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 27. Now you are the body of Christ and members individually. Okay. So every member is part of the body of Christ. And so that's the spiritual dimension of to the church. And the next section is the natural dimensions of the church. Okay. So here, just before we continue, just to draw a distinction between the spiritual dimension and the natural dimension. The spirituals are the intangibles, the things that we cannot see. When we say we are part of his church, we are part of his body, the other intangibles, right? The things that we cannot see, but we believe by faith. And then the natural dimensions are the things that we see, the tangibles. Okay. The things that we can explain or quantify. And yeah. Okay. So let's read 1 Timothy chapter 3 verse 14 and 15. 1 Timothy chapter 3 verse 14 and 15. It says, these things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly, but if I'm delayed, I write so that you may know that you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and the ground of truth. Okay. So the context again, very briefly is that his mentee, Timothy, Paul is writing to his mentee, Timothy, who is heading the church in Ephesus. That's where he is. And so Paul is writing to him and saying, okay, hey, you better watch yourself, you know, how you behave, how you carry yourself around, you conduct yourself well in the house of God. Look at the words that he's using, which is the church of the living God, right? So the local church is the natural expression of the spiritual church. It's a natural, it's a physical expression of the spiritual church. The local church is called the house of God, the household of faith, right? We become like a family. That's what you call the household, isn't it? In Ephesians chapter 2 verse 19, it says, now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. It's a very important chapter, Ephesians chapter 2, isn't it? It talks about our redemption through Jesus Christ, how he is our righteousness, how he has saved us and ransomed and redeemed us from darkness into light. And because Jesus has done that, Ephesians 2 19 says, therefore, right? And I say this all the time, right? Anytime there's therefore, you need to ask, why is it therefore? And so the previous verses will give us the context. And then it says, you are no longer strangers because of what Jesus has done on the cross, because he died and rose again, because he shed his blood for us, because we are redeemed and purchased and brought by his blood. We are no longer strangers or foreigners. We are the citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. So we are the physical and the natural expression of the spiritual church. I hope you guys are with me. We are in page 7. We've already expressed that the local church is a physical expression of the spiritual body of Christ in a certain geographical area. Okay, so when he sees that there's there's a church in in Bangalore, in Kothanur area, or in Africa, Nigeria. What he sees, he does not see the denomination. He doesn't see that it's a Methodist or Lutheran or an AG or Pentecostal or CPM, APC. He sees it as the physical expression of his church for that area. And then he expects that his church of that area to advance and to advance against the kingdom of darkness and win that city, win that area for him. Okay, and then finally, I want to just close with this very, I think, important question. Why should you be part of a local church? Should you be part of a local church? I'm talking about the natural dimension, the physical expression of the spiritual church. It's not a big question. Can I say something? Yeah, sure. Yes, I think we should be part of the local church because that's already established is the expression and the purpose and the intent of God through Christ. So we should be part of the local church so that we can carry on the purpose of God in establishing the church. Thank you. Thanks Isaac. Very interesting that you mentioned that so we can carry on the purpose of God. I think we'll touch on that in just the next section. But yeah, go ahead. Somebody else was saying something. It is also a command that we get from God that we should never stop gathering. Yeah, so we should be part of the church in order to fulfill a command that was given to us. Thank you pastor. So but here's another question to all of us and it's a kind of rather genuine question. Why wouldn't people want to be part of a local church? Why wouldn't people want to be part of a physical expression which is the local church?  Yes, pastor. I can say something about that. Yes. Go ahead. Yeah. Basically, people don't want to be, most times, people don't want to be part of the local church because of the personal character of the pastor. The way pastor conducts himself or how he conducts himself in the area. So people will always choose that, no, I cannot be part of that church. So the best way since we are attending a Bible college, we should also mind that church is church but we should also mind about our personal character, our personal conduct in the community so that we don't hurt people away from church. Thank you pastor. Thanks, Levega. Yeah, when a leader is not a leader of character, that's one of the reasons. Yeah, thank you. And what else, guys? Come on, just talk to me, put it in the chat section. Why wouldn't people want to be part of the local church? Yeah, go ahead. So pastor, according to my opinion, why people wouldn't be liking to be a part of the church? The thing is that whenever a new believer, suppose we come from a different background, when a new believer is going to the church simultaneously, what will happen? He's coming from a new belief. We like for Christianity for him or her Christianity is new. Similarly, at that time, there will be a lot of restriction posted to that guy or girl. This thing is not to be done. These things are not to be done. You should not sit with that. These are the things we don't know in Christianity. So sometimes there are some restrictions, which are like the thing is that they feel, they might feel like we were there in that religion, that was more good than this. And sometimes what happened, the thing is that people are coming in Christianity, thinking that their griefs should be taken away. But sometimes when the pastor is preaching in the church, the things come in the mind. You have to take your own cross. You have to take your burden. You have, and sometimes the verses are being preached in the church, like the father, father against son, mother against daughter. So sometimes this kind of a teaching when it is posted in the church, like it's been taught, people will think we were happy there. So these are some of the points according to me, which like, if a person is listening, he would say like, I was happy not coming to the church. Thanks, Sid, for that very honest opinion, it was wonderful. What is it? Are there more reasons according to you? I think one of the things is there's a lot of divisions within the church. So people don't want to be there. Like they get different looks, beard looks sometimes. So they just don't want to be there. I have one of my relatives and they have some other silly reason. We are the church. Why should we need a church? So they have a small gathering within themselves and they say, I'm not a part of any church. I don't go to church. Even the nightclothes theology, they were like, are you going to build a church? Don't do that. That's not right. Like we are the church. Why we need a church? Why we need a physical building? I think we're having a little bit of an interesting, I think, just extend the break time just a little bit. Is that okay? So we'll just continue. Rosalind, sorry, you were saying something. Yes. I feel that maybe people don't want to be under subjection of the pastor under the leadership or someone like, to wherein they have to report to somebody. And I have not come across such people, but then just a thought, maybe for this reason. Sometimes they feel that this pastor is asking, right, he's interested in our money. Yeah, thanks Rosalind. Yeah, again, very valid. Thank you. Maybe Zillotoli says, maybe they may be hurt by their leadership. Yeah, past experience, abuse. Yeah, bad experience from church. Yeah, some people say God is omnipresent. He's everywhere, so you don't need to go to church. Even in your house, God is there, so they prefer to pray from their houses. Thank you. Yeah, thanks Paul. Thank you. Yeah, well, I think when we ask this question, why should you be part of a local church? It's also very valid to ask why someone wouldn't want to be part of the local church. It's very important, I guess. Because like I said, if the church, the physical expression of the church on earth was according to God's blueprint, like I said, all the seven billion old people would be Christians. The Great Commission would be done in dusted types, isn't it? But yeah, I mean, we understand the importance of it. But there are some scriptures that I absolutely love, and one of the scriptures is at the very end. Psalm 92 was 13. Psalm 92 was 13. It says, those who are planted in the house of God shall flourish in the courts of our God. Those who are planted in the house of God shall flourish in the courts of our God. And I just want to close with this example. I normally don't like to give examples or saying that, okay, the church is like this and the church is like that, especially it's not online. But then this I thought, okay, it made a little bit of sense. So I'm just sharing it as a thought. I heard someone say that the church is like Noah's Ark. Noah's Ark was filled with all kinds of animals, right? Noah's Ark was not a seven-star cruise liner from England to New York. Absolute five-star hotel, fancy clean bedsheets and courts, fresh mineral water to drink, right? Noah's Ark was not like that. It was filled with animals, all kinds of animals. And with all kinds of animal comes with all kinds of smells and their dunks and whatnot. But it was still the safest place on earth, isn't it? But so when you walk into a church, physical expression of a church, you're not going to find perfect people. But then churches, we come to that point to say, if a church is God's idea, then we keep that as our core and we see how we can go about living life, right? So I'll stop the recording here for this session.


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