Mae'r ddech amgoed�farchiadau yng Nghymru. Felly the next item of business is First Minister's Questions. I call Douglas Ross. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. The First Minister could apparently not bear to watch the SNP leader's debate this week. But her ears must have been burning as the candidates torched her record in government. I would like to be helpful to the First Minister, so let me recap some of the things that were said. I'm quite happy to continue if you are, Presiding Officer. If you're content to continue, Mr Ross, we will try to... I'm very happy to continue, Mr Ross, we will try to... I'm very happy to continue, Mr Ross, we will try to... I'm very happy to continue, Mr Ross, we will try to... They can endure them while I direct my comments to the First Minister. So let's be absolutely clear. I can be helpful to the First Minister if people can hear, but maybe we can't, Presiding Officer. So we've tried, we've tried. We have tried, Mr Ross. We will suspend briefly. Thank you. We will resume. Please begin at the beginning, Mr Ross. Thank you, Presiding Officer. John Swinney and Nicola Sturgeon seem to be enjoying the start of my questions. So I think I'll repeat it because I was just saying, apparently the First Minister couldn't bear to watch this week's SNP leaders debate, but her ears must have been burning as the candidates torched the SNP's record in government. So let me be helpful to Nicola Sturgeon as I tried to do an updater on what was said. Her finance secretary, Kate Forbes, said this about Scotland. The trains never run on time, the police service is stretched to breaking point, there's record high waiting times in the NHS. Does the First Minister applaud? As we do on this side of the chamber, her finance secretary's honest assessment of this SNP's record in government. First Minister. Well, well, of course I didn't unfortunately catch the leaders debate the other night because I was on my way back from a wonderful visit to the inspirational Glasgow Women's Library, a fabulous place that I would recommend to anybody across the chamber. For my part, of course, the only verdict on my Government that really matters is the verdict from the people we serve, the people of Scotland. That verdict has been pretty clear over the eight years of my leadership, winning no fewer than eight elections. Let me perhaps remind Douglas Ross, trying, as I always do, to be helpful to him why that might be the case, because under this Government we've seen a 20 per cent increase in NHS staff, the highest number of doctors and nurses proportionately anywhere in the UK. We've seen a doubling of the NHS budget. We've seen the best-performing A&Es anywhere in the UK for the last seven years, the only part of the UK with no NHS strikes and the highest paid workforce anywhere on these islands. A significant reduction in hospital infections, £10,000 nurse bursaries at a time when the Tories in England scrapped nurse bursaries. Scrap prescription charges take away parking charges at NHS hospitals, leading the way on public health measures. Presiding Officer, I can see you're looking at me as scans. That's just the NHS. I look forward to getting on to other topics later in this session. Douglas Ross. If the First Minister really did miss the first TV debate, there's another one tonight. I'm just really worried that 30 minutes isn't going to be long enough for the candidates to trash her record. Last week, I said that there seems to be two Kate Forbes, one with a terrible record in government and one who says that this Government has a terrible record, but now the finance secretary is in an even bigger gull. She can't decide if she's in government or if she's in opposition. Just listen to that statement from Kate Forbes again. The current finance secretary said that the current SNP Government leaves trains that never run on time, the police service stretched to breaking point and record high waiting times in our NHS. That's a quote sorted for every Scottish Conservative leaflet going forward, and there's even more material that we can use. Kate Forbes said that more of the same is not a manifesto, it's an acceptance of mediocrity. The First Minister might expect to hear that from me, but did she really expect to hear that from her own finance secretary? I am very, very aware that for Douglas Ross, mediocrity, of course, is a dizzy height that he's never come close to achieving. There's also confusion whatsoever about where Douglas Ross is in terms of government or opposition. He's in opposition now, and he's going to remain in opposition for a long, long time to come. Helpfully—and he has been very helpful today, I'm most appreciative—he's taken me into other subject matters, so briefly, Presiding Officer. He talked about crime, so let's talk about the record of my Government, endorsed eight times in eight years under my leadership by the Scottish people. Crime down by more than 48 per cent, violent crime alone down by 48 per cent, automatic early release— Excuse me, First Minister, let's have one speaker at a time, please. Automatic early release ended, of course, opposed by the Scottish Conservatives. We see re-offending rates among the lowest ever. The highest number of police officers is in at any time during previous Scottish administrations higher proportionately than any other part of the UK, and it strengthened the law on domestic abuse. Then there's transport, ScotRail, in public ownership, lower fares on average than where the Tories are in power, £11 billion of investment in rail infrastructure. The M74 completed the Aberdeen bypass, built the Queensferry crossing, built the highest investment in active travel of any UK nation. I could go on, Presiding Officer, and I'm happy to do so later on. Douglas Ross. Well, if the First Minister did continue that record in Government on transport, it would be the A9 delay, the A96 delay, ferries that are rusting in the docks, not serving the island communities that they're there for, but the First Minister seems to think that if she doesn't mention Kate Forbes, if she pretends she didn't watch it, these comments didn't occur. This was a Scottish Government minister, someone currently serving under Nicola Sturgeon, tearing apart this record in Government, and if Nicola Sturgeon won't focus on Kate Forbes, we know that one of our closest allies will. A current Cabinet colleague of Kate Forbes said that Kate Forbes is trashing the record of the SNP Government, but Kate Forbes has voted for every single SNP policy. She's backed every single SNP referendum demand and every one of the SNP budgets. She's the finance secretary, she writes the budgets, and Kate Forbes was Nicola Sturgeon's right-hand woman, handpicked by the First Minister to rise rapidly up through the ranks. When promoting Kate Forbes in February 2020, the First Minister said this in the chamber, Kate Forbes has a forensic grasp of detail. On this Government's record, she's got the detail bang on the money, hasn't she? Of course, three of those colleagues of mine vying to be my successor, vying to have the joy of First Minister's questions every Thursday at 12 o'clock, all of them either are or have been members of my Government. Of course, they all share in the success of the Government that I am proud to lead. I am, of course, by my own choice now an outgoing leader, but I want to be serious for a minute here. Nobody needs a running commentary from me, certainly nobody needs a running commentary from Douglas Ross on anything, but that is another matter. Nobody needs a running commentary from me, but if I was to offer advice firstly to those vying to succeed me, it would be this. Of course, the internal process is really important, but while it might not feel it right now, it is actually the relatively easy part.  Whoever emerges in the position of First Minister and is standing here three weeks today has one overriding task. It is to govern and it is to serve in a way that inspires the people of Scotland to keep placing trust in us, just as it has done consistently since 2007 and just as it has done eight times over the eight years of my leadership. That is what matters, because without that trust nothing else is possible. Finally, to my opponents, perhaps a word to the wise as well. I can't grudge you at watching the first SNP leadership election in 20 years, because we have had lots of Tory and Labour leaderships to enjoy over those years, but here is that word to the wise. For as long as you are using virtually all of your airtime in talking about the SNP, because you have nothing positive to offer, then fundamentally the problem is not ours, Presiding Officer, the problem is yours, because you are destined to stay exactly where you are right now in opposition. Douglas Ross, if only the SNP candidates had something positive to offer, rather than fighting with each other, that Kate Forbes has been so honest about the SNP's record in government, that just this morning, Mary Black, the SNP's Deputy Westminster leader, said that SNP could split over this contest. Nicola Sturgeon has divided Scotland and now her departure is dividing the SNP. Yet, while the SNP goes through this civil war, the real priorities of Scotland are being ignored. This divided and distracted party is failing to give Scots the health service they deserve. The current health secretary is mumbling while I am speaking about his portfolio area, so let's go through what has been said this week. BMA Scotland told us that nearly half of junior doctors are thinking of quitting. On Monday, an investigation reported that one in five people in Scotland have been forced to go private for health treatment. There are 773,000 Scots on an NHS waiting list just now. Ten patients a month are travelling to Lithuania for treatment, travelling from Scotland to Lithuania for treatment. First Minister, when you said that people should focus on governing and serving, shouldn't the SNP leadership candidates focus on the crisis in our NHS, not the crisis in their party? First Minister, I think that it's gone to the NHS in a second. Every single one of the SNP politicians that has been mentioned by Douglas Ross today has more popular and public approval than he does. Douglas Ross, I think, is the least popular elected leader in Scotland today. My advice to him was intended to be helpful. Perhaps if he spent a bit more time looking in the mirror and reflecting on the reasons for his parties and his personal unpopularity in a bit less time thinking about the SNP, he might not be in the dire straits that he is in right now. Of course, our NHS faces significant challenges, but of course the numbers of self-funding private care in Scotland are lower, significantly lower than they are in Tory run England or Labour run Wales. We are now seeing considerable reductions, whether it is in outpatience or inpatience in the longest waits, because we are focusing on NHS recovery. It is because we are focusing on NHS recovery that no NHS workers have been forced on to strike action in Scotland and, in our facts, in terms of agenda for change, the highest paid workers anywhere in the UK. That is the focus on the NHS we have and will continue to have for as long as we are in government. 2. Anna Sarwar week after week I have asked the First Minister about the NHS and week after week she has defended the indefensible and asked patients to accept the unacceptable. Members of her own government accept that the NHS is in crisis. Kate Forbes has said that more of the same will not cut it and she has called out Humza Yousaf for delivering record waiting times. After nearly 16 years in government, the performance of our NHS is the worst it has ever been. It needs a serious plan to fix it. Does the First Minister agree that continuity, mediocrity and incompetence will not cut it? Continued focus on the part of whoever is First Minister on delivering for the people of Scotland and retaining the trust of the people of Scotland, as I said earlier on, is the priority and should be the priority of whoever is standing here in just three weeks' time. Let me talk specifically about the NHS though, because the NHS in Scotland, in England, in Wales and Northern Ireland, across much of the world is facing challenges largely because of the pandemic that has afflicted all of us over the past three years. Because of the recovery plan, because of the record investment that we are putting into the NHS, the record number of staffs, we are now seeing progress in that recovery. Take waits for outpatients. The numbers experiencing waits of over a year down almost 9 per cent in the last quarter. Numbers waiting over two years down 50 per cent in the last quarter down 60 per cent since the peak. We are seeing similar reductions in inpatients and reductions in those waiting for diagnostic tests as well. We are seeing the numbers being seen in our NHS going up. Is that tough? Yes. It is toughest of all for those working in our NHS, but it is our focus on the NHS that is seeing those improvements and will continue to do so. Incompetence has serious consequences. Dr Chris Adams, one of Scotland's leading paediatric surgeons, says that his patients are suffering because of a lack of staff and he has had enough. Crucially, he says that it is not due to Covid. One of Dr Adams' patients is Harvey Martin. Harvey is nine years old. He suffers from neurofibromatosis, which is a genetic condition that causes tumours to grow on the nervous system. In August last year, he was told that he needed urgent surgery within four weeks to correct a curve in his spine. Seven months on, he is still waiting. The curve is now harming his internal organs and he is left in excruciating pain, a nine-year-old in excruciating pain for seven months. This is a serious consequence of incompetence. His mum Natalie told me yesterday that she cannot watch her child in pain any longer. She is looking at private options and will fundraise for Harvey's treatment. First Minister, why are children having to wait so long for urgent treatment? And why are families having to contemplate pain to relieve their child's pain? No parent should contemplate that. Obviously, other than the details Anna Sarwar has shared with me just now, I do not know the details of Harvey's case but I will look into that and respond more fully. I have heard concerns that have been expressed by Dr Chris Adams and all those concerns have been investigated by NHS Lothian. Those are general nots, as I understand it, in relation to Harvey's case in particular. They have been investigated by NHS Lothian but I have this morning in fact asked officials to ensure that we have more external assurance to satisfy ourselves that there is no substance to those concerns. The NHS, as all of us know, is facing significant challenges. It is largely down to Covid. Yes, there were pressures that predated Covid but in most countries the pressures on health services are down to Covid. That is why we are focusing on the investment, the recruitment and the reform to help tackle those challenges. Anna Sarwar cited Dr Adams' comments in relation to staff. We have record numbers of staff in our NHS today. Staffing is up since this Government took office by 22 per cent. We have higher staffing per head than NHS England. We have higher numbers of nurses and midwives and doctors than in the health services in other parts of the UK. We will continue to focus hard each and every day on supporting our NHS so that it is delivering for all patients every day, including children like Harvey. However, as I say, I will look further into the specifics of Harvey's case and respond either to Anna Sarwar or directly to Harvey's family in due course. Anna Sarwar, I think that it is important to repeat two things. One, Dr Adams says that this is not due to Covid. The First Minister is hiding behind Covid. Secondly, incompetence has serious consequences. Incompetence might be funny in an SNP leadership debate, but incompetence in government means people losing their lives right now across Scotland. Across Scotland, thousands of people are opting to pay for treatment because they cannot wait for the NHS. Research by the BBC shows that one in five people say that they or a family member have paid for medical treatment. One in five, and NHS staff like Dr Adams, are speaking out about waiting times because of the risk to their patients' lives. Shamefully, other clinicians were gagged by Lothian and Greater Glasgow and Clyde health boards from speaking out publicly because they know that there is a crisis. Thousands of operations cancelled. The worst any waiting times on record—over 5,500 nursing and midwifery vacancies—is 770,000 patients on an NHS waiting list, record-breaking levels of delayed discharge. That is a crisis of 16 years in the making because of SNP mismanagement of our NHS, and none of the candidates to replace Nicola Sturgeon are up to the job of fixing it, because surely the people who created the problem cannot be the ones to fix the problem. First Minister, just to be very clear, I specifically said in relation to Dr Adams, not specifically in relation to young Harvey's case, but generally the comments and the concerns that he has cited, I have asked for further external assurance to make sure that we have properly investigated those. Nobody is hiding behind anything. Anna Sarwar must be one of the only people—of course Douglas Ross is in this category—that steadfastly refuses to recognise the impact of Covid on the NHS. I have already referred to Dr Adams—I am not talking about Dr Adams—but, week after week, Anna Sarwar stands here and wants to pretend that Covid did not happen. Yes, there were pressures on our NHS before that, but everybody understands the significant exacerbation of Covid on the NHS. That is the case in Scotland, Wales, England and most other countries across Europe and the world. That is really important. I have said that many times and I think that it does a disservice to Anna Sarwar to suggest otherwise. No staff in the NHS are gagged. We have whistleblowing arrangements in our national health service when all staff who have concerns should feel able to come forward and make sure that they raise them. Finally, I have been in this post for more than eight years—as I have said once or twice already—to this day. I have taken the duty and the responsibility of this office seriously, as everybody would have the right to expect me to do every single day right through the very difficult days of Covid and every other day beside it. I will continue to do that for the remaining days that I am in office. I know that whoever stands here after me will also do that. Government is difficult. It is difficult in the best of times. These are not the best of times, but the people of Scotland are the ultimate arbiter of who is competent, who is doing the job well and who is not. They have put their trust in this Government consistently since 2007, eight times in the eight years of my leadership. The task of my successor is to make sure that they retain that trust. It is precious and it is essential to achieving anything. To ask the First Minister whether she will provide an update on the Scottish Government's progress towards reducing the number of people on hospital waiting lists and ending long waits for NHS treatment. Yes, I can. The total number of patients waiting over 18 months for a new outpatient appointment was down 27 per cent in a single quarter. The number is waiting over two years for in-patient and day cases was down 60 per cent over six months. The number seen in December 2022 was at the highest level since the pandemic began. The number of patients waiting for a diagnostic test was reduced by more than 7 per cent in the last quarter. That is down to the hard work of our front-line NHS staff to clear long waits that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Of course, we need to go further and continue to grow capacity in our national health service, which is why we will be, for example, opening four new national treatment centres over the coming year. Figures from NHS Grampian show that two in-patients have waited more than five and a half years for treatment. In NHS Grampian, for orthopedic surgery alone, waiting times are 18 to 24 months, with more than 3,800 people on the waiting list. I have a constituent on that list who is in debilitating pain. It is impacting her physically, emotionally and financially. No meaningful progress has been made to reduce the number of people on waiting lists, as Kate Forbes has said. Now, Health Secretary Humzae Yousaf is more focused on the SNP succession plan than the NHS recovery plan. What does the First Minister have to say to my constituent and the thousands of other people suffering in pain on those waiting lists? What I will say to the member's constituent and to anyone who is on an NHS waiting list is that this Government will continue to focus on investment, recruitment and reform in our NHS to get those waiting lists and waiting times down. It is simply wrong and the facts do not bear it out that progress is not being made in reducing the longest waits. I have already set out the progress over recent months in reducing the longest waits, both for out-patient appointments and for in-patient appointments and for diagnostic tests. Is that progress yet good enough? No, it is not. The challenge in our NHS is significant, but we will continue with the investment, with the recruitment and with the reforms that are necessary to make sure that we deliver for all patients every day in our national health service. Earlier this week BBC Scotland revealed that 1 in 5 people had paid for private medical care in the past 12 months. Let's be clear that those are people on lengthy waiting lists and that they are so desperate for treatment that they are scraping together their savings to go private. The private healthcare information network tells us that the number of private operations has increased by 72 per cent and in 2021 alone 40 per cent of all hip and knee replacements were done privately. Even the health secretary's targets for ending the longest waits of over two years have all been missed, each and every one of them. Just a few months ago NHS board chief executives were discussing a two-tier system of healthcare in Scotland with some people paying for their care. Does the First Minister now accept that, in reality, under this SNP Government, the two-tier system is already here? No, I don't, but I do consider it unacceptable that any patient has to pay privately for treatment that they should be getting and want to get on the national health service. That is why we continue to focus in the ways that I have been speaking about in bringing down waiting times. We will continue with that focus, and I know that it will be a priority for whoever succeeds me as First Minister, as it has been a priority for me every day in this job. Jackie Baillie, the targets have not been missed. The targets on reducing long waits are being met, and we need to go further and will go further. Jackie Baillie, I know that this will get to howls of objection from the Labour benches, but Jackie Baillie herself is trying to suggest that the challenges in her national health service are uniquely down to the fact that Scotland has an SNP Government. Let me give the counter to that. She quoted the private health information network figures, so she will not mind me also quoting the private health information network figures for self-funded private care in the second quarter of 2022—the most recent figures—in Wales, where Labour is in office. Jackie Baillie wants to do the comparisons when it suits her. In Wales, where Labour is in office, self-funded private care, according to the private health information network, was 27 per cent higher than it is in Scotland, and not just that. The rate of increase in Wales for those who are opting to self-pay for private health care was 21 per cent higher in Wales than in Scotland. I am responsible—this Government is responsible for health in Scotland—but for those who want to suggest that the challenges in her national health service are uniquely down to an SNP Government. If they are Tories, they need to look at performance in England, and if they are Labour, they really need to look at performance in Wales. To ask the First Minister what impact the proposed pay settlement for teachers, if accepted, will have on other Scottish Government budgets. This is a very fair offer for teachers in very challenging circumstances. Indeed, it represents the best pay offer to teachers in more than 20 years. Delivering it, of course, will require the Scottish Government to make very hard financial choices, and therefore it will have an impact in other parts of the Scottish Government budget. However, it is necessary, and I believe that it is right, given the importance of resolving this dispute, which the Education Secretary has worked very hard to do, and in the interests of ensuring that young people's education is not further disrupted, and, of course, in the interests of valuing teachers who do such a good job in schools right across the country. Christine Grahame, I thank the First Minister for her reply. I declare as a former secondary teacher one of my former professions that I have high regard for it, and I do hope that settlement can be reached. What will the proposed pay settlement mean for teachers in Scotland, in particular in comparison with teachers in the rest of the UK? The best pay offer to teachers in more than 20 years will see the salaries of most teachers rise by more than £5,000 in April, if the new pay offer is accepted. The 28-month deal has a cumulative value of 14.6 per cent and would mean an overall increase of more than £6,100 over two years for the 70 per cent of classroom teachers at the top of their main grade scale. Teachers are among the best paid anywhere in the world. They move more quickly to the top of the pay scale than in any other OECD country. In terms of UK comparisons, new fully registered teachers in Scotland are the best paid anywhere in the UK. It is a fair deal, and I hope that it is accepted. The dispute is resolved. It is a great relief to everyone involved that the dispute finally looks like it is over, but is not this whole episode typical of what her Cabinet Secretary for Finance has called the mediocrity of Nicola Sturgeon's time as First Minister? Eight years of broken promises and neglect of Scottish education. Over a year of on-off negotiations, even to get to this point and damaging disruption, would she agree that Scotland's teachers, parents, children and young people deserve better? The hypocrisy here is utterly staggering because, yes, this has been a tough negotiation, but it is because the Scottish Government has been determined to find resolution with our partners in local government that we are where we are right now. Why is Stephen Kerr's approach here utterly hypocritical is because he is a Conservative, and when we look at the Conservative Government in England, we find a completely different approach. Here is what the Tory Secretary of State for Education said about teacher pay negotiations. That is not what government is there to do. Let me give the full quote. We do not negotiate pay, that is not what we are here to do. In this Government, we think that that is part of what we are here to do. Get round the table, agree fair pay deals for the NHS for teachers. That is one of the many reasons why the people of Scotland do continue to put their trust in this SNP Scottish Government. Michael Marra. The EIS ballot on this last gasp offer ends tomorrow. We all hope that this dispute can end because lost learning responsibility rests with this Government. Can the First Minister assure young people in targeted constituencies such as our own that the SQA will make special provision to ensure that they get a fair chance of success? What will the Government do to ensure that all payments are in this month's pay run, the last of the financial year, to avoid tax and benefits chaos for many, many teachers? First Minister, I very much hope that we will see this pay offer accepted and that teachers will get the substantial increase to their salary that I believe they deserve. Education Scotland of course will continue to take steps as will the SQA as appropriate to ensure that pupils are properly supported. The approach of this Government, whether it is in the NHS, the wider local government workforce or the teaching profession, in very, very tough times where inflation is putting significant pressure on our budget is to get round the table to respect trade unions and to negotiate fair pay deals. If only that was happening in other parts of the UK in the way that it is happening in Scotland, we might all be in a much better position. To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to support homeowners seeking to reduce their energy bills. The Scottish Government has allocated £336 million to heat energy efficiency and fuel poverty measures this year. £119 million of that is targeted specifically at fuel poor households. We have also doubled the fuel insecurity fund and provided an additional £1.2 million to help advice services meet increasing demand. We are and will continue to do everything we can within our limited devolved powers, but of course the key levers here lie with the UK Government, so we will also continue to call upon the UK Government to protect those struggling with their energy bills. I urge anybody who is struggling to contact Home Energy Scotland, who can provide advice and support on how to manage energy costs. The current cost of living crisis has highlighted the benefits of improved energy efficiency in homes, an area where Scotland has sadly lagged behind for too long. The Scottish Government's existing proposals on home retrofitting for energy efficiency are, like the pledge to retrofit a million homes with heat pumps by 2030, long on ambition but short on detail. Every key question about how their goals are going to be achieved, from who pays to how they are going to have enough people with the skill to carry out the work, is still unclear. First Minister, these are Scottish government initiatives and goals, and however laudable and necessary these targets are, they are worthless without a route to achieve them. Does the First Minister accept that a detailed practical programme for implementation will be vital to delivering net zero homes, and if so, when are we likely to get sight of them? Of course, Grant Whittle rightly references the cost of living crisis. Let's remember that the cost of living crisis is largely created by an incompetent UK Tory Government. We will continue to take our responsibilities seriously, not just to helping people through what we all hope are short-term cost of living pressures, but to ensure that we are insulating and improving energy efficiency in our homes for the sake of the environment longer-term as well. As I said earlier on, we have already allocated more than £300 million to heat energy efficiency in fuel poverty measures in this year alone. That is being delivered through a package of support via some long-standing programmes that have already supported more than 150,000 households that are in or at risk of fuel poverty. We will continue those short-term and long-term plans to ensure that we are delivering for the people across Scotland. Households in my constituency and across Scotland expect to see their energy bills rise by over £1,000 from next month, eating up more than 13 per cent of the average Scots take-home pay. Will the First Minister urge the UK Chancellor to use next week's spring budget to halt this increase, which will have a devastating impact on so many of our constituencies, when our finances are already stretched to breaking point? Will she support the call from Age UK for an amnesty and prepayment meters, which are penalising some of the poorest people in our society even further? Yes, I agree with all of that. We will certainly take those steps. It is really important, and there have been some positive noises from the UK Government around this. I hope to see those realised and turned into concrete commitments in the UK budget next week. However, it is essential that the proposed increase to the energy price guarantee cap is cancelled. Failure to do that would mean an estimated increase of 120,000 Scottish households in fuel poverty, taking the estimated total to almost £1 million. I hope that we can all agree that that would be completely unacceptable and that it can be avoided if the UK Government so chooses. Thank you, Presiding Officer, to ask the First Minister in light of Scottish Apprenticeship week this week how the Scottish Government is supporting people into apprenticeships. I was delighted to visit city building in Glasgow earlier this week to launch Scottish Apprenticeship week and meet with some fantastic young people there who shared their own apprenticeship journeys with me. The Scottish Government is working with Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council to maximise apprenticeship opportunities and ensure that employers wishing to take on an apprentice are supported to do so. The modern apprenticeship quarter 3 statistics show an increase of 7.1 per cent in those starting an apprenticeship compared to the same period last year. Despite a context of the most turbulent economic and financial situation that most of us can remember, the Scottish budget for the forthcoming financial year delivers record investment in education and skills. We have kept the Skills Development Scotland budget broadly in line with last year, allowing it to fund both modern and foundation apprenticeships. On Monday, I visited River Clyde Homes' headquarters in Greenock to learn more about their apprenticeship programme. I heard directly from the apprentices how working for RCH has helped with their development and offered them opportunities. River Clyde Homes' investment in youth recruitment has also led to them being awarded platinum accreditation from investors and young people making them only one of 11 organisations in Scotland to achieve that accolade. The First Minister joined me in applauding RCH and its commitment to helping young people in my constituency into sustainable employment and hopes that their actions will inspire even more organisations to invest in apprenticeships. I certainly applaud the work done by River Clyde Homes and the award of platinum accreditation from investors and young people. It really is testament to their commitment to offering opportunities to young people. I hope that that inspires other organisations to invest in apprenticeships, which are a key way for employers to invest in their workforce, providing the skills that the economy needs now and in future. Almost 12,000 individuals between 16 and 24 took up the opportunity of a modern apprenticeship by the end of Q3 2022-23. Scotland's apprenticeships support young people and all ages into sustainable and rewarding careers and give individuals the opportunity to develop the skills that they need to succeed in their chosen career. I have said seven years ago that the Equality and Human Rights Commission identified that just 0.5 per cent of modern apprenticeships were going to young disabled people, despite their making up between 8 to 9 per cent of the target population at that time. Can I ask what progress has been made since then? Can I confirm that we remain very committed to helping to address the barriers to young disabled people in taking on an apprenticeship and figure show significant progress that has been made in this area since the study by the Equality and Human Rights Commission seven years ago that Graham Day has referred to? Skills Development Scotland provide enhanced funding contributions for disabled apprentices in training until age 29. The most recent statistics published by SDS on 14 February report that the disability rate for modern apprenticeship starts by the end of Q3 was 14.8 per cent, two percentage points higher than Q3 of the previous year. Just under 3,000 individuals had a known disability status, self-identified, an impairment, health condition or learning difficulty, which is a 23.5 per cent increase compared to the same point last year. There has been good progress but, of course, much more work still to be done. This week I met with winners of my Western Scotland apprenticeship awards. Apprentices spoke highly about the skills and opportunities gained and employers boasted about the value added to their company. The Scottish Training Federation says that, while demand for apprenticeships is strong, the funding just is not there. Will the First Minister commit to properly funding apprenticeships and back the STF's calls to increase the number of apprenticeships places to 27,000? I do not recall the Tories putting forward a proposal in the budget that was passed recently for more funding for apprenticeships. However, if we had taken their advice over the last few months to cut taxes for the richest people, we would have less money to spend on apprenticeships and everything else. We are investing strongly in modern apprenticeships. We have asked SDS to deliver at least 25,000 new apprenticeship starts in this financial year, and there are still some to be allocated. Apprenticeships is a really good news story. It is a good news story for the young people who are apprentices, people of all ages who are apprentices. It is a really good news story for the economy, because it is providing skills that we need for the future. That is more important than ever before, since Tories' Brexit has denied us many skills from elsewhere across Europe. We will now move to constituency and general supplementaries. I call Joe Fitzpatrick. Given the new proposals that we are seeing from the Tory Government this week in relation to their approach to refugees and asylum seekers, does the First Minister share my concern about how that will impact on our ability to meet our responsibilities under the United Nations Refugee Convention and the European Convention of Human Rights? Does she share my disgust at the spectacle of the leader of the UK Labour Party trying to outdo the Prime Minister on his anti-immigration rhetoric on matters through which the Scottish Government have responsibility? Let's be clear. The UK Government's illegal migration bill sets out a clear intention to remove the right to seek refugee protection in the United Kingdom. It is utterly shameful and amoral. I can still remember a day when Labour would have opposed it tooth and nail in principle, and not in the mealymouth way that it has been doing. Here is what the UN Refugee Agency said. It would be a clear breach of the Refugee Convention and would undermine a long-standing humanitarian tradition of which the British people are rightly proud. All of us, without exception, should be appalled that the Home Secretary has introduced such a bill. A bill that she knows does not comply with the Human Rights Act, a bill that adds to the damage already inflicted on the UK's reputation as a place of refuge, the UK's credibility with international partners and the ability to meet responsibilities under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. It is a bill that this Government does not support, will never support and nobody who has any concern for our fellow human beings should ever support such an appalling piece of draft legislation. Douglas Lumsden This weekend, the Parliament Rugby teams of Scotland and Ireland will play a match in memory of our former colleague and friend, David Hill, who sadly died playing in the same fixture last year. After the game, there will be a fundraising dinner to benefit two charities, Cardiac Risk in the Young and Murrayfield Injured Players Foundation. Will the First Minister join me in wishing both teams well and also acknowledge the strength and courage of David's parents, Roger and Sharon, who have been instrumental in organising this weekend's events so that some good can come from this awful tragedy? First Minister, can I associate myself wholeheartedly with those comments? I think that all of us still remember the sense of shock last year when we heard of David's sad passing. I had some communication at the time with David's parents, Roger and Sharon, and my thoughts remain with them at what I am sure is an incredibly difficult time for them. The fixture this weekend will be a fitting tribute to David. I wish both teams well and of course pay tribute to the charities that money is being raised to support. In this session of First Minister's Questions, where, rightly and properly in our democracy, we have had some robust exchanges, we remember somebody who gave a lot to our democracy in this Parliament. He is sadly missed by all of us across the chamber, particularly by his colleagues and the Conservative benches, but he was an example of what we should aspire to in public life and in politics. If it is the closing question today, it is a good one to remind us, Presiding Officer, of our common humanity, and to remember somebody that we all miss greatly. I will take one further question, Paul Sweeney. The First Minister will be aware of the plight of Morton's rolls on Drumchapol, where 250 workers responsible for creating an iconic Scottish brand now face an uncertain future. The past few days, investors have come forward, and I have put Government ministers in touch with them, and they are due to meet this afternoon. Whilst there is undoubtedly a deal to be done here, it will require the Government to do its bit to ensure that there is a sufficient level of capital investment and business support to make sure production can be restarted on a sustainable footing as soon as possible. I ask the First Minister today if she will commit her Government and its agencies to doing everything in their power to save Morton's, save those skilled jobs in a depressed area and ensure that this household name can prosper for decades to come. First Minister. Yes, I will give the commitment to doing everything possible to try to preserve Morton's rolls and the jobs of those who depend on it. I, like everybody else, was deeply concerned about the company's decision to cease trading last week in my pre-politics life. I used to work in Drumchapol. I know how important a company like this is to people there and to the sense of community. Of course, Morton's is an iconic Scottish brand. The Scottish Government, working with Glasgow City Council, will do everything that we possibly can to see whether there is a rescue package that allows the company to continue trading and to continue to make the contribution that it has made for some time to the community of Drumchapol. Thank you. That concludes First Minister's questions. Point of order, Murdo Fraser. I am grateful, Presiding Officer. Over the last number of weeks, we have been subject to increasingly tiresome interruptions from protesters in the public gallery. In a democratic society, we recognise that there is a right of peaceful protest, but it is very disruptive for those of us in the chamber, for other people who have come to watch proceedings in the public gallery and for those watching at home who tune in to see the First Minister and the Scottish Government being held to account. Will you, therefore, through your office and through the corporate body, look at the question of allocation of tickets to the public gallery? Are those individuals obtaining tickets directly or are they doing that through the offices of MSPs? What sanctions are being applied to those who are being disruptive? Are their names being taken and are they being prevented from coming back on another occasion? What other steps can be taken to try to address what is a weekly irritation to all members? I thank Mr Fraser for his point of order and I can assure him and all members that work is under way with regard to the disruption that the Parliament is experiencing and has done so over this last period of weeks. I have held discussions with the bureau, with the SPCB, with party leaders and members more widely. They are on-going. This issue will continue to be pursued and I will give members an update in due course. We will now move on to members' business in the name of Rawls Macall. There will be a short suspension until our members to leave the chamber and visitors to leave the gallery.


Hi, I'm Dr. Gene Price. This lecture will look at the prehistoric people in North America to about the time of European contact. What we're going to do in this lecture is try to understand the origins of the migration prehistoric people took to come into North America to summarize the major prehistoric cultures found in North America and to compare those cultures. In 1983, just north of Austin in a town called Leander, archaeologists who were working on a project to widen the road discovered the remains of a young woman. We think she was about 25 to 18 years of age. She was about 5'3". And she died some 13 to 11,000 years ago. It was a rare find because very few full skeletal remains from this period have ever been found in North America. They called her Leanne or the Leanderthal Lady after where she was found. An artist has kind of recreated what she might have looked like if you were to have met her. If we look at the drawing, you'll notice that she was probably buried in some sort of wrapping covered with a rock. With her were found a grinding stone and also a shark's tooth that she probably wore as a necklace. This tells us some things about her and the people she lived among. First, that they probably have trading routes so that she was able to get a shark's tooth when the nearest ocean would have been the Gulf of Mexico about 150 miles away. The other thing is this grinding stone tells us that her people practice agriculture, maybe hunting and gathering. We know that the people who first came to North America probably traveled over a bridge that no longer exists during one of the great ice ages. The water level was much lower because of the glaciers. And so the land between what's now Siberia and Alaska was exposed over this land bridge called Beringia. People either skirted along the coast or migrated across that land bridge down into what is North America as the glaciers began melting. These first Native Americans, these Paleo-Indians as they're sometimes called, came sometime between 70,000 to 10,000 years ago. Most of them were probably tracking large game animals. But as the climate changed about 12,000 years ago, the larger animals became scarce. Vegetation grew more rapidly because of the warmer climate. And as a result, they started developing agriculture. Now we can see this in a couple of archaeological finds. The so-called Clovis Point was found in New Mexico. This was a large, what we might call, spear point today on your left-hand side. It was found in the remains of a mastodon, a giant woolly mammoth type animal. And this tells us that they were hunting large game around this time, about 9,000 years ago. But about a thousand years later, about 8,000 BC, they started using smaller weapons. The agricultural revolution, about 10,000 years ago, people began to domesticate plants and animals and therefore had a more stable food supply in what is now West Texas, in an area called Presidio, and you can see that in red along the Rio Grande River, some of the oldest farmland around. And there they developed grain into what we would today call corn. This allowed people to grow population-wise because they had more stable food supplies and they probably had animals that were domesticated enough so they didn't have to go hunting as much or gathering as much. And so as the food supply was more stable, settlements became more permanent and people in the population grew in their communities. With the growth of the population, people weren't tied up so much hunting and gathering for food, but they could have different roles depending on gender. They might be trading with other groups more frequently and they could also develop religion and leadership roles. Now, of course, this doesn't apply to all people equally. It changed depending upon where they were, what agriculture was available, what animals were available. You still did have hunters and gatherers during this time and you also had people engaged in fishing as well. We look at what we would call the classical and post-classical periods. In three different areas of North America, there were large civilizations, large cultural groupings and empires, essentially, that spread their culture across a vast area of land. One was in the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys. This was the Edina Hopewell culture, the mound builders. And their descendants, the Mississippian culture, which kind of took off where they left off, established a large city of about 15,000 people in what is today East St. Louis. The place is called Cahokia. There are two large mounds there, temple mounds and burial mounds. And the place is now a World Heritage Site. In what is today the American Southwest, there was the Pueblo-Hoho-Kam culture and this civilization still exists today. These were noted for their apartment-like Pueblo buildings built into the sides of cliffs and sometimes even in the desert itself. What is today the desert itself? And finally, further south, where today is Mexico City resides, the Aztec culture developed over the centuries and lasted until European contact in 1521. Their city was Tenochtitlan, which is today Mexico City, and that housed about 4 million people. It was the largest city in North America of this time. Once the Europeans arrived, of course, Columbus came in 1492 and settled in what is today Hispaniola or Haiti in the Dominican Republic, that island. From there, the Spanish branched out into other areas. By 1519, they showed some interest in what we would call the mainland. And, for example, Hernán Cortés, who discovered the Aztec Empire and conquered it. And you also have Alonso de Peñeda, who mapped the Gulf Coast of the United States. Finally, the Narvares expedition, a 1528, a few years later, was set to go and explore what is today Florida and go around the Gulf Coast. A lot of problems happened, shipwrecks, hurricanes and storms destroyed most of the ship. The people were forced to fashion boats or rafts, really, out of wood and try to sail back to Mexico City. They shipwrecked the few survivors around Galveston or Corpus Christi or somewhere in that area. And their treasurer, a man named Alvar Núñez Cavesa de Vaca, wrote about their travels among the Native Americans of South Texas. Finally, they were rescued in 1536. And among Cavesa de Vaca's stories, not only did he tell us about the people who lived in North America, but he told us about gold, cities of gold that perhaps existed. So, what we learned from this short lecture is that of the prehistoric migrations to the Americas, people migrated to North America across a land bridge that no longer exists because it's inundated by water and they were hunting large game. They came from Siberia and settled into what is now North and South America. Of the cultures that developed in North America because of agriculture and animals' domestication, because of a more stable food supply, they were able to build their population and lead to a diverse culture and a changing of roles. And so, in these different groups, in these different cultures that developed in North America, prior to European contact, they developed complex cultures, societies. They had different languages, different religions and extensive trade networks. So, I hope that you learned a little bit about prehistoric people through this lecture. Thank you very much.


What's up, everyone? Tate Town here. Welcome back to another video. Today, I'm going to be talking about what to do if your PlayStation 5 controller will not connect to your PlayStation 5. Let's get right into this. So the first thing I want to mention is these are a lot of quick fixes that you can do for yourself. They will work for a lot of people as you will see in the comments, but they might not work for everybody. But just because it didn't work for you doesn't mean it didn't work for others. So the first thing to try is to connect the controller to the PlayStation 5 using the USB cable and pressing the power button to see if you are able to use the controller that way. Now if the controller doesn't work, now try using a different USB cable and see if you can get the controller to work at least whenever it is plugged in. Now if the controller does work while it is plugged in, check to make sure the controller is fully charged. If you notice it is a low charge, try charging it for a little bit and then trying to use it wirelessly to see if it does work now. If that didn't work, turn off your PlayStation 5. Now try connecting your controller to the PlayStation 5 with the USB cable and press and hold the PlayStation button on your controller to turn on the console. Once the console is turned on, your controller should resync with the PlayStation 5 and should now work both while it's connected and also wirelessly. And the last thing to try if nothing else has worked is to reset the controller. On the back of the controller just like the PlayStation 4 controller and other controllers I've talked about in the past, there is a little reset button. Now you will need either a paperclip or a small pen to access this button to put in that small hole. And the last thing that you can try is to reset the PlayStation 5.   Now you're going to press the power button on your PlayStation 5 to turn on the console and you're going to connect the controller to the PlayStation 5 with the USB cable and that should re-sync the controller. Now if none of that works, there might be a bigger issue with your PlayStation 5 controller. The first thing you can check to see if there's any damage inside the ports for the charging ports of the PlayStation 5. The other thing you can try is to use a different PlayStation 5 controller if you do have one. Now with my experience back with the PlayStation 4 and now with the PlayStation 5, it is recommended to purchase your controllers at GameStop and always purchase the one-year warranty with your controller. That means if anything were to happen in that one year, then you can go and exchange it for a brand new controller. Now keep in mind, you can also take advantage of this warranty and before your warranty runs out, go and get a new controller and you'll always have a fresh controller. Regardless of if you had an issue or not, I always recommend before your warranty runs out going and exchanging it and getting a brand new controller. That's something that GameStop employees actually let you know and they tell you that you can do because they cannot test the controller at GameStop. They literally have to take your word for it and if it's under warranty, you get a new controller. Hopefully this has worked for you. If not and you do need to get a new controller, make sure that you do buy the warranty at GameStop because it definitely is going to help but hopefully one of the easy fixes did work for you. I'll see you guys in the next video. Please take care. Peace.


What's up everybody? Jason here for jatsbeakscasebrakes.com. This was our last filler guys to give away the last 10 spots in gold rush football premier players With this 2013 puny certified football hobby pack break round teams number 10 and again guys first We'll do the break randomized because we're names should be the hits out of the hobby pack And then at the end we'll re-randomize the names only and the top 10 out of the 32 will get a spot each in the break itself So here we go, let's dice roll it and we got ourselves a 2 and a 3 five times one two three four five Mark done. Okay. One two three four Five bills down the lines. All right, so there you go guys So there's your teams really quick guys. I rex. I thought I thought you said I'm all right spider Tony dorset relic immortals shark week All right, nothing crazy out of there guys switch scenes now though And again top 10 get in roll Five to five ten times top ten get in one two three four five six seven eight nine ten Boom ten times ten ten All right from 11 at 32. Unfortunately not in guys. Thanks for giving it a shot though But top ten Scott Eric Zach Chad. I am Chad B Chad Coleman Chad B DJ Ryan Mark and Dario nice a good little mix of names here actually I think every like ten different names probably I think So there you go You guys are in now Paste your guys names here and Coming up next is the break itself. Thanks guys


Okay. Good morning, everyone. Now, welcome to this session on all the study of the Book of Acts. We will get started with a word of prayer and request Jeffino to please lead us. Dear Heavenly Father, we come here under the name of Jesus. We thank you for this day. Thank you for this class that we're about to have. Well, I just bless everyone in my class. We bless Pastor Nancy and all my dear classmates and friends. We pray that you can give us good advice and mention throughout the session so that we can look at where our life of fall and the act and the Book of Acts a little more deeper and we can learn from your Jesus. So let's with your whole spirit as we are listening, help us to open our mind and heart and listen to each and every single through who are by the Jesus. May your name be glorified in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you, Jeffino. So in the last class, we had a brief introduction of the Book of Acts and we understood that Luke is the writer of this book and we saw how there is a progression as far as the growth of the church is concerned. The evolving of the church structure is concerned and the great commission of the Lord Jesus for all his disciples. We find that the believers of the Book of Acts are actually living that great commission and mighty signs and wonders are being accomplished through their lives. We also saw that it spread over the region, the various events of this book in Asia Minor. And though we may say that the apostles could not really go to the ends of the earth, we know that it was a beginning for this fulfilling of the great commission that God called him to do. And we saw how in Acts chapter one, the Lord resurrected Jesus is instructing the disciples, he's spending time with the disciples and then he ascends up into heaven in a very clear manner. Following that, he instructs them to tarry or wait for the baptism in the Holy Spirit which is a prerequisite for them to move in signs, wonders and miracles. And we will see so much more about how they begin to manifest the power of God through their lives later on. But now this is the instruction that Jesus gave them in Acts one night, he said that you shall receive power from on high, you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. So in Acts one day of waiting, they are waiting as a community, we saw how about 120 people are waiting in the upper room. And during that time, Peter feels that it is important to ensure that there are 12 apostles. So he calls for an election and we also noted how these people were dependent on God in everything. Now this was basically, you might say a leadership decision, isn't it for Peter as well as the people over there to select the 12% because Judas was earlier with them but he betrayed Jesus. And so there was a position vacant for another person. We saw how these disciples as well as the women who had gathered and others who were with them, they prayed before they made this decision. Yes, they cast the lots but they depended on God for the answer that came from him. And finally, Matthias was the one who was chosen as the 12th apostle and this is where we stopped in our last class. So today we will continue in Acts chapter 2 and in Acts chapter 2, what's happening is that we have all these 120 people, they are waiting for the promise of the Father or the promise that the Lord Jesus made about the coming of the Holy Spirit. So this is where we are at and let me just see if I can, okay, let's go forward with this. Maybe I'll show you a map a little later on. So again, somebody go ahead and read for us please. If you may read for us, it is a little long passage here but one person could read from Acts chapter 2 verses 1 through 13. I will explain it and then the next section can be read by another person. Please go ahead. Okay, so throughout this course you may need to read some passages so that we have better clarity and also ask questions, answer some of the questions that I may be asking. So please be prepared to speak out loud. Alright, could somebody read please. Acts chapter 2 verse 1 to verse 13. There came a sound from heaven as of a thrashing mighty wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then they appeared to them divided tongues as of fire and one sat upon each of them and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other languages. I mean other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. The crowd is response. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, the vote meant from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred the multitude came together and were confused because everyone had them speak in their own language. Then they were all amazed and marvel saying to one another, look. Are they not all these who speak Galileans or how is it that we hear each in our own language in which we were born? Pathians and Medes and Almites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Potos and Asia, Theligia and Theria, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining great. Visitors from Rome, both Jews and Procellates, Cretans and Arabs were here. We hear them speaking in our own tongues, the wonderful work of God. So they were all amazed and perplexed saying to one another, whatever could this mean?  Thank you for reading that passage. So here we are understanding that the day of Pentecost had fully come. What is the meaning of that? I told us that when Jesus was tried and he died on the cross, it happened during the Passover. And there was a certain day mark for Pentecost while preparations for Pentecost were happening. 50 days from the Passover would be the Pentecost. So that 50 day timeline is completed and Pentecost is actually here. That is what we recognize over here. So we are being told that the day of Pentecost had fully come. Now Jesus had stayed with them something like 40 days. So how long would they have needed to wait after the Lord Jesus ascended? Somewhere about 10 days is what we look at and we say, okay, they must have been praying and waiting for the Lord for 10 days. And Jesus promised them in the earlier passage we saw that not very far from now or quite soon in some days something is going to happen. Something powerful is going to happen. So they knew that they were waiting but in a matter of days something was going to happen. Now when the day of Pentecost had fully come, what's happening? These people are continuing in one accord and with a prayerful attitude. One accord is oneness of heart, oneness of mind. It's not so much just people being together. Now we all understand that we could be together physically but our hearts may be far apart. But in this case the beauty of the early believers is that when they gathered in prayer you will find the mention of the term one accord which is very powerful. So they were gathered in one accord which means oneness of heart, oneness of mind, oneness of purpose and in one place. So physically also they were present together. What is it that they were looking forward to? Obviously they were looking forward to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon them. Now notice verse 2 says, and suddenly, was it really a suddenly? In the context we know that they were waiting for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. So it's not like they didn't know that this is going to happen. They knew something is going to happen but they just didn't know when. So even when we wait on the promises of God, we know that God is going to come through for us and we will see the manifestation of the word. We will see the manifestation of standing in faith. And what God really does is while we wait for him in this way, there are these sudden leaves. The sudden leaves come upon us and scriptures say and suddenly there came a sound from heaven. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven. When Luke is reporting, Luke we understood a little bit about his background that he's quite a systematic historian and also a physician. So he would not be writing fictitious accounts for us. So when he says that came a sound from heaven, that is a tangible experience that people had, people talked about. And even Luke is testifying to this. So there must have been a real sound which came from heaven. And what else? There are other expressions of as of a rushing mighty wind. So how is this sound? It's like a rushing mighty wind. In other terms, it is very powerful. We all know when there's a gentle breeze, it's very pleasant and comforting to our hearts. But when we hear a mighty wind of, let's say, a storm that is brewing up, stirring up, or if we have watched a tornado and we have seen the sound of that powerful wind that goes ahead, that moves very forcefully, something like that. Imagine, so there is a sound, a powerful sound. What kind of a sound of a rushing mighty wind? Now, mighty wind as Jews, people would associate in those times with the wind having to do with God because God created with his breath. So somewhere that concept of breath, wind associated with the work of God or the spirit of God would have been there in their minds. So even at this point, when they're experiencing this great sound of a rushing mighty wind, and we are told that it filled the whole house where they were sitting. But they must have had this sense of awe that, yes, God has come to visit us. Whatever Jesus talked about is beginning to manifest in our midst. And see how the account is so dramatic. The first time that the Holy Spirit came upon the believers was very powerful. And we don't necessarily see something similar happen. Every time we are now refilled with the Holy Spirit in our walk with the Lord. But on the day of Pentecost, the very first instance where the Holy Spirit was poured out, this was their experience. What happened? They were all in prayer. They were all in one accord because they were seeking the promise of God. Jesus said that power from on high would be bestowed on them. So that was their purpose. We need to receive this power from on high because he had instructed them, saying you need it and you don't go anywhere. First you receive this power and with that intention they were waiting upon the Lord. And then there was this tangible experience where they heard a sound as of a rushing mighty wind. And what else happened? It filled the whole house where they were sitting. So it was not just the experience of one person but it was the experience of everyone there who felt this and heard the sound coming upon them. Then what else is going on? And we are also told that there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire and one sat upon each of them. Now divided tongues of fire or flames of fire sitting upon each one of them could also be a tangible experience in the sense that they could have seen it with their natural eye or even their spirit senses could have been activated and they could have seen what exactly is going on around them. And like tongues of fire or flames of fire were sitting upon these 120 people. For the believers they would have known that this has got to do something with the Holy Spirit because the presence of God, you know how in the Old Testament we can see the way God manifested, the way he manifested the presence of God even manifested in the form of like fire, the burning bush. What was that? That was the presence of God. So somewhere they kind of had that idea and even when the Israelites were moving the fire by night, the cloud by day, so the fire that came upon them would have given them a sense that God is in our midst and God is doing something and it came and it sat upon each one it says. Now that is also special for God. He could have just had a big fire in the middle of the place where they were seated and the Holy Spirit could have been poured out upon each one. But when God does something in the scriptures, when we see that he's working in a certain way we can sense his heart.  So that day as they waited upon the Lord they encountered the glory of God. So the place was filled with that sound and that sense of awe and verse 4 says and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. So here is the manifestation of the presence of the Holy Spirit. How? In the form of a gift of a Spirit which is speaking in tongues. So when the Holy Spirit filled them, they started to manifest a gift of the Spirit. Later on we read about this in 1 Corinthians chapter 12. We also read about tongues in 1 Corinthians chapter 14. But here in this first instance, the manifestation of a gift of the Spirit is taking place. Now how are they speaking in tongues? The Bible tells us here the Spirit gave them utterance. Meaning the sounds are not their own. In other words, they are not learned sounds because we know that when we learn a language we are trained in phonetics. We know how to formulate words and communicate those words. But in this situation, it's not like they are speaking a language which they know or which they have learned. They are speaking a language as per the ability given by the Holy Spirit. So the Holy Spirit is giving them the utterance is what we are being told. So this language is not a familiar language to them. Now moving on to verse 5. We see and there they are dwelling in Jerusalem. Jews devout men from every nation under heaven. So we have to see the context of when all this is happening. So the day of Pentecost was a time when Jews from all the surrounding places not just the Judean region but far beyond the Judean region would come to Jerusalem because that was the central place where they would gather for their worship. And that is why in Acts chapter 2 we are told that dwelling in Jerusalem Jews devout men from every nation under heaven. That means that Jews from far away had gathered in Jerusalem when all this happened. And verse 6. And when the sound occurred the multitude came together. So again we can ask the question was this something that Luke imagined or something that was perceived in the spirit of the believers or was it a tangible manifestation? From what Luke is writing seems like a tangible manifestation because he says when this sound occurred what sound the sound of a rushing mighty wind occurred people around heard it. That is why the multitude came together and were confused. Now he is extending that. He is also talking about the fact that because they heard them speak in his own language. So there were two sounds which others could have experienced and those sounds were one of a rushing mighty wind. Second is people speaking in this language as as encouraged or as empowered by the Holy Spirit. So the utterances are all as given by the Holy Spirit. So you can imagine the scene with me here in the upper room. 120 people. Suddenly there's a sound and then all of these people are filled with the spirit. They begin to speak in tongues. People around are hearing these noises and they are rushing to the upper room and they are watching what's going on. So I also want to encourage us there is a movie called as the Acts of the Apostles which has been recorded as per the verses in the book of Acts. So it will go verse by verse whatever has been narrated here they try to capture it in the same way. So that's also something that you can watch just to get the idea of how these things could have looked. So imagine with me people all have come. They are shocked by the sounds and they are observing these people who are speaking in a different language. But Luke says here heart that speak in his own language. So for the believers they are speaking based on the utterance given by the spirit. For the unbelievers who have come to the spot they are hearing their own language is what Luke is saying. What else let's see. Then they were all amazed and marvels saying to one another look are not all these who speak Galileans and how is it that we hear each in our own language and in which we were born. So these onlookers are amazed at the fact that their own language is being spoken. I told us there are people from many regions here. So it's not just one or two places that people have come from and then share the list of which places they have come from. Let me quickly show you a map. Can you all see. So this is what it looks like. So in Acts chapter 2 was 5 to 12 where we are seeing that the believers are gathered in the upper room and people from all regions are there. Luke goes on to explain where these people are from. So when we read that passage he says something like from verse 9 partians and needs and illamites those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt parts of Libya are joining Cyrene visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes critons and Arabs. We hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God. So isn't that amazing that there are people from at least 15 different regions. At least you can begin to count the names of these places at least 15 different places and they might have had their own languages and dialects and they are saying it's amazing. How is it that we can hear these people speak in our language? So what this tongues is is when we study about speaking in tongues in our APC publications you can go and study regarding this gift of the Holy Spirit there are books like the wonderful benefits of speaking in tongues there's another book, Gifts of the Holy Spirit there we can see that tongues are also categorized so this tongues which is being spoken of in Acts chapter 2 is the tongues which is known as the sign to the unbeliever so how does the sign to the unbeliever manifest? People, the believer speaks in tongues but it is heard as a learned language to the listener so that's what is happening here in Acts chapter 2 when the believer is speaking in tongues the listener, unbeliever is hearing in his or her own language now another beauty of what is going on here is that they recognize the Jews and proselytes, who are proselytes? Proselytes are non-Jews who now follow the Jewish religion, the Jewish God the Jewish traditions these are the two categories, Jews and proselytes non-Jews who follow Judaism proselytes, so all these people are devout that is the reason they have now gathered in Jerusalem they also recognize that the speakers of these languages are but Galileans, now what is the significance of Galileans? it is said that Galileans were not considered among the learned people they were not considered among the scholarly people they were not considered among people who can speak fluently or clearly and apparently I've read that they had an accent from their own region, so they wouldn't be able to pronounce other words in other languages quite clearly, so these were all the challenges that Galileans had in those times and that is why they are specially pointing out and saying that aren't these people Galileans how is it that they are speaking in our languages and another important point that they are making is they are saying that what is it that they are hearing? something is being spoken in their language but the meaning of what is being spoken is that they are speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God so when we are speaking in tongues it's about speaking in the will of God so in this situation what's happening when people are speaking in tongues what is actually being said is praises to God, glory to God what's of God being spoken now let's focus on the last verse over here or last two verses where we read so they were all amazed and perplexed saying to one another whatever could this mean others mocking me, mocking said they are full of new wine now what is going on here is what goes on even today there is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit and we see that the Holy Spirit is filling the believers and they are moving in the gifts of the Holy Spirit now people who are watching this exercise what is their reaction? one reaction that we have already noticed is they are saying hey how is this happening they are so amazed people are speaking the wonderful works of God and how could this happen so it's a very positive reaction where it's making them inquisitive it's making them question wanting to know more about God so it's a very positive kind of question that is being asked but at the same time for the same experience that is going on there is another reaction this reaction is a negative reaction where people are saying and they are mocking Luke says they mocked and said they are full of new wine so there are others who are looking at this phenomenon and they are not happy with it and they are definitely not attributing it to God in fact they are critical about it critical about the people who are manifesting the gifts of the spirit and they are saying hey something is wrong these guys look like they are drunk so I don't think the reactions of people has changed whether it was 2000 years ago or even today we get a similar set of reactions we get one set of reactions where people are willing to understand if this is God then what else can I know about God it draws them towards God but then there could also be people who see the work of the spirit in and through our lives and they might say something is wrong with this person this is definitely not God so this has been going on this is nothing new and when we especially talk about revivals we study about the many revivals in history time and again this is what we will see people were accepting of it but then there was a whole set of people who questioned the very work of God not that you can't question we all question it's a reasonable thing to do but not being able to accept the Holy Spirit is moving in a different way and notice whatever manifestation happened on that day was unique things like this had never happened before and isn't that true even in our experience of the presence of God and times with the Lord the way he ministers can be so different from the way we experienced it in the past so let me just pause for a moment to just get some of your comments and your reactions yes Jefina please go ahead yeah so I have few questions so in the first verse we read the day of Pentecost had fully come so why it was written like it fully came is there any reason behind it that's one of my first questions and the other question that I have is in verse 5 we read there were dwelling in Jerusalem so we saw the map like how people came from where they came so the people physically came from all those areas or they were actually in Jerusalem all those people were in Jerusalem and they just gathered these are my questions thank you Jefina so good questions the first one where you asked the day of Pentecost fully came it was just a way of saying that it was finally the 50th day because there would have been celebrations you know Pentecost is is the festival of the first fruits so there would have been celebrations and rituals leading up to that final day so that is why they are saying it had fully come it means that it was finally the 50th day and you know the proper time of celebrating okay so I hope that clarifies and your second question could you come again please the people who had come from around it was dwelling in Jerusalem they were already in Jerusalem yeah so what would happen at the time of Pentecost is that people would come and they would live in Jerusalem which means they would have rented out places and they would have it's not like today like you fly in the morning to a city and then you fly out in the evening they would not have the kind of transportation that we have so maybe because of that they would plan prior join the early festivities stay on a little longer and that is why it says dwelling in Jerusalem so they would stay a substantial amount of time even later you know we are going to see this that later when the Holy Spirit you know is poured out and Peter makes his sermon there will be people who will choose to stay back in Jerusalem to be part of the church okay so how the church will actually provide for their needs because they don't have anything in Jerusalem their homes are far away but they make a decision not to go back they make a decision to just stay back in Jerusalem so that is why the whole concept of dwelling visitors are living for a prolonged period of time that's how we'll understand yeah thank you yeah any other comments or any other thoughts so far I just want you to elaborate on the term that says divided tongues we know what is tongues what does it actually mean by divided tongues like why it's... so when we say divided tongues I mean I have not read anything about it so I'm not speaking from that knowledge but my understanding is those tongues of fire separate because if you take a fire by itself then you have the flame and you know the way birds we know but then just sort of pieces of that of that main fire is sitting upon each of the believers so that way it is saying divided it's not like you're seeing one huge fire but it's divided and it is also said that in the temple that God like the temple worship that God instituted the way things used to happen is that the acceptance of a sacrifice was made by fire whenever the sacrifice is accepted fire would sort of consume it so it was one way of God expressing his pleasure on all his people so instead of showing one big fire maybe God wanted to depict that accepting fire on each person so divided tongues sat upon which I feel like that is what it is if anyone else has a different take on the divided tongues you can please pitch it Rosalind is asking are the 120 disciples from Galilee yeah so the profile of the 120 disciples mostly they would be from Galilee is what we understand most of it at this point we could just stop we'll come back for the next session so let's just go in for our break class and we will start at 10pm thank you