Good afternoon. This is the afternoon meeting of the House Appropriations Committee on March 16th. And we're delighted to welcome the chair of the House Healthcare Committee to give us an overview of H210, the Health Equity Bill. And as you know, Chair Lippert, our, you know, if you could give us a broad overview of what the bill is trying to accomplish and then bring us quickly to the appropriations request. And that would be terrific. So thank you. And I will turn this over to you for your presentation. Thank you. Okay, great. Thank you. I will do my best to be brief, really. Having reviewed some of this previously with your committee, but H210 is, let me start by saying H210 comes to you from the House Healthcare Committee and it is a substantial piece of work that we are moving forward to address what we, and I think we all have come to understand are the significant health disparities which have been now more have been revealed in more vivid way and more shocking way and distressing way as a result of COVID. I think many of us understood that there were health disparities based on race. But when we look at the data about how who is being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, it is clear that the disproportionality is centered on issues of race, issues of disability, and some other marginalized communities. The H210 at its core came to the House Healthcare Committee having been crafted by members of the impacted communities, particularly from the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, who put together this bill. And we have modified it in consultation and in consultation with the originators of the bill, and with, after taking extensive testimony from the affected communities. The three primary affected communities that this bill intends to address around health disparities and working toward health equity are community Vermonters, who are members of the communities affected by race or who are well some refer to the BIPOC, Black, Indigenous, People of Color, the LGBTQ communities, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning communities, and the communities of disability. And of course there are cross, there's intersections between these communities as well. But what you have in front of you is probably the longest set of findings you're going to find in a bill for many of years, and I'm not going to try to go through the findings, but the findings really are all based in data. Because we know from many people, we hear stories and anecdotes of health disparities, but the originators of the bill, as well as our committee, felt it was very important to actually anchor the findings in studies and surveys. In fact, so every finding has a reference to the source documentation. Originally, the bill intended to establish an office of health equity in the Department of Health, but because the Department of Health is 24 seven dealing with COVID we realize that this is not.  They also testified, however, that the bill is completely consistent with the findings of the Department of Health around health equity issues. They have done work that is cited again in our findings, where they identify the same three communities around race and ethnicity, LGBTQ issues, and disabilities as three of the primary areas where health disparities stand out the most. In order to move forward without burdening the Department of Health at a time when they need to be continued focusing on COVID, and simultaneously trying to what we're trying to empower the impacted communities. We are moving forward with trying to stand up what is the Commission on the Health Equity Advisory Commission, which is a large commission. Not your traditional commission, it's made up of 27 members of the impacted communities and representatives of state government. We are turning to them under the leadership of the Director of Racial Equity, the Office of Racial Equity, the Director of Racial Equity has agreed to take the lead in standing up this Health Equity Advisory Commission, and to work with them to help determine the path forward for establishing the Office of Health Equity. And this is an important additional change to the proposal, because it empowers the impacted communities to have a greater voice in determining where, how and whether this office should be independent or located within state government perhaps still and likely I hope personally within the Department of Health. But this this bill, again, works with the Director of Racial Equity to give her office additional resources, transitional temporary resources to stand up this commission, which then will be will with those resources the commission will then consult on the structure and placing the Office of Health Equity, and will also be able to receive grants significantly be able to receive grants because we believe there's access to federal monies as well. That will be important in moving forward with the Office of Health Equity. Again, I think it's significant that this commission is made up of the impacted communities. It's also charged in its duties and powers with advising both all areas of state government, as well as the General Assembly on efforts to improve, to improve the status of these impact, eliminate health disparities over time. We also direct the commission to advise rather than to direct, we're rather than us saying what what kind of cultural competencies should be put forward for health providers in the state of Vermont. We again are going to turn to this commission and have the commission have input in how and to what degree additional cultural competencies should be. I'm sorry. That's something I can't do. Do you all hear what I'm hearing? It sounds like you activated Siri by mistake. I did with no intention and suddenly I was getting assistance I wasn't looking for these times that were in or beyond me. So I think what I was saying is that we're going to turn to the commission to also advise on the types and levels of cultural competency that health care providers in Vermont should be required to have and with what frequency the original bill had a specific two hours of continuing education focused specifically on MDs we realize that it needs to be broader than medical physicians. And then lastly, but not insignificantly is that we are also asking for data collection to be revised and you previously is the Appropriations Committee have previously helped appropriate some funds around issues of health disparities in terms of collecting appropriate data across all health care entities in the state of Vermont. We're looking to the Green Mountain Care Board, the Department of Health, and the Office of Racial Equity to participate in helping to review and designing and proposing standardized collection of data across all parts of health care in the state of Vermont. Without the appropriate data, we can't tell for certain in some areas whether there's health disparities or not. But it needs to be disaggregated in some parts of state government needs to be collected because it's not being collected at all. So that there's there's work to be done there as well. I think I've covered the key points of the bill. But again, to reiterate, the key issue is that we, we are looking to this commission to be assisted or to be stood up under the direction of the Office of Racial Equity, and that we're going to appropriate that we're recommending appropriating $180,000 to this office for the engagement of some temporary assistance in the form of either a consultant or consultants to provide per diem and expenses to this commission and to and you previously have appropriated some money around the issues of data. And with that, I guess I would like to reiterate that this is the creation. This is, this is in some ways the equivalent of creating some infrastructure around health disparities that I think you have a proposal in front of you to help create some infrastructure around from commerce and businesses of BIPOC community in Vermont where there needs to be some additional or the Commerce Committee is recommending that there needs to be some additional infrastructure created to help address the issues in that realm. And this is I think the next step in doing this for help eliminating health disparities. Thank you. Representative leopard representative. So we have a few questions. Representative Harrison. Yeah, thank you. And thank you chair Lippert for bringing this forward. I guess I have a couple of questions. First of all, I don't know if I ever remember seeing a commission set up where you ran out of alphabet letters and you had to go into a second round. I think there's like 27 members. Number one. How many. There are 27 you counted 27. Okay. So, I guess I worry about is it too large and how did you. Well, can I speak to that. This commission is set up specifically to have representation from each of the affected communities the issue communities around issues of race and ethnicity communities around LGBTQ persons and, and the disabilities community. And the anticipation is that this, this commission, while it may meet in its entirety would also work in subgroups. So that this is not just a matter of a group of 27 people trying to do work that might, in fact, be challenging in its entire with the entirety of the group, but we anticipate and under the leadership of the director of racial community. I think it's been suggested that one of the ways to move forward with some of the work of this commission would be in subgroup work groups. Okay, so when they met and subgroups would they also be entitled to. Yes, yes. And of the 180,000 appropriation the bill asked for. There's some language in here is just suggesting that the per diems are out of the 180. Do we know what the breakdown is, because you also mentioned that you might be to bring this start this up need to hire some consultants and whatnot. So of the $180,000 we anticipate and this is an this is an estimate at this point we anticipate that the per diem and expenses could range from $12,000 to $20,000, depending on the frequency with in this nature or the full group subgroups etc. We speak to that for a moment because in fact it's it's not tradition it's not traditionally done this way. It's traditionally done saying the legislature says you shall meet X number of meetings. And when those meetings are done, you're done. We in fact are turning it's this on its head deliberately and saying the group that we are proposing to put together here is empowered to determine how often they meet the frequency within which with which they meet initially in order to accomplish themselves and be able to move forward. The director of racial equity met with our we heard testimony on number of occasions. And one of the things she brought forward to us was in her experience, and some of you have perhaps have heard her or had her report on her own office of racial equity. That in fact what was important initially was not just that they had X number of meetings. But she used a phrase which made a big impact on me and that is process equity. That when you empower a group of people to come together when you empower a group of people to come together, particularly from impacted communities. We also need to turn to them to allow their knowledge and their lived experience to inform the process, not just the content. And that she felt and she learned in the process in the in the order of creating the office of racial equity and working with her advisory group that prop what's called process equity was equally important. And you need to we need to empower those impacted to have a voice, not just the legislature of those of us frankly which are most of us, some of us are from those impacted communities but frankly the vast majority of us are not. I mean, I appreciate that structure limit. Yeah, no, I appreciate that because how are we to know how many meetings are actually needed. Conversations that need to happen, but we do it because we don't, you know, we don't have the ability to, you know, put a blank check if they decide to meet every week. Absolutely. Yeah. On the commission here. Yesterday, we were looking at an education bill that set up a new group and we, we put a sunset in there after three years to review it, not necessarily to expire it, but to review it and have the legislature. You know, force it to look at it. Is this still necessary? Do we need to do that? I'm wondering if you thought about that in the context of this bill. To be honest, we didn't give it lengthy consideration, because in fact, I think we have come to a realization that issues of health disparities have been decades, in fact, more than decades, one might say, many, many, many decades in the making. We thought that we could sunset and not need something to address these issues in a period of two years, three years just doesn't seem doesn't seem to on his face make sense. What might make sense is to be able to review whether this particular structure has the efficacy that we're hoping it will have. And I guess I would entertain that, but part of my hesitate, I'll be honest and say part of my hesitation is the message that it would send. I think we're at a point in a moment in time when I'm not wanting to send a message to impacted communities that, well, we, we think it's important but only two years worth important or three years important. I don't need to be thoughtful. Let's think about that but I would, I would want to be careful about how we, what we inadvertently message about this, what I think is a tremendously important issue. Well, I appreciate that but I think also sunsets are a good idea to force you to look at it. Do we have the right makeup of people. I'm just done through a commission or some other way that I don't think that minimizes the issue that you're you're bringing to the table here. Thank you. So we have some other questions Dave. Sure. Yeah, I know you want to move fast so I'll try to be quick madam chair. Did you just elaborate, Chair Lippert a little bit more on the remaining 160,000. It's for a consultant, exclusively anything else. Well it's, it has. I'll tell you how I backed into it to be honest and thinking about it. But we're not asking for, we're not asking for you to allocate a position, but the position if a position would come with the cost of a salary and benefits, etc. And so we initially were thinking, what would what would what would be reasonable range of salary and benefits to be equivalent to that. And so we thought in terms of that, as well as some additional funds. In the order of I think I was, when I came in previously I reviewed this but it was like 140,000 dollars to be the equivalent of salary and benefits. And this is roughly allocated $20,000 for additional bringing in expert witnesses or that's a legal term I'm going back to judiciary afraid, but to bring in consultants with expertise to work to consult with the commission, and 12 to $20,000 for the per diem and expenses. So we anticipate that they could that the director social racial equity would contract with either a firm or an individual or maybe individuals for this, what is really a transitional process of working with and standing up the commission and the initial work of determining whether and how an office of health equity should be cited the nature of continuing education, and to be part of the data process. So, I think you addressed this the other day but I can't recall exactly. I think it lends itself to a one time appropriation. Thank you, thank you, thank you, I meant to mention that because I think it actually absolutely lends itself to the use of because it's transitional is short term. And because the, I think the findings make it very clear, and I think lots of work beyond the findings, the impact of coven has revealed the health disparities are profound in Vermont, as well as across the nation, but, but we're not an exception to that. So yes, thank you I had that my notes but I failed to mention it that this I think lends itself quite legitimately to the use of one time funds related to the coven pandemic. So is it fair to say this is just my lay person summary. This is a transitional investment or resources, if you will, to stand up a commission, a commission that will help frame this work for the future, perhaps identify some metrics by which success or failure might be measured, etc. And to recommend and to recommend whether and how to have ongoing infrastructure to address these over time. And to do it to do this under the leadership, again the transitional leadership of the director of racial equity from the state of Vermont, who has expressed a willingness to take this on with the additional resources made available. I want to be very clear as well. If we're not if we're not we're not able or willing to make additional resources available to the director of racial equity. We should not then give her office this additional responsibility. And I think this is I haven't said this today but I did previously from our point of view our committee's point of view this is contingent on the legislature and the governor's office, filling the filling the proposal to add to additional on an ongoing basis with positions and funding. Thank you, chair leopard I'm looking to the committee to see if there are any other questions. And not seen any. So I'm looking at section six on the appropriation. So, to the area of our jurisdiction. I'm not here and personally in agree with it's neither here nor there but I understood your suggestion that this is a different that that we should be seeing the establishment of this organization. In a different way than the traditional way we think about counts about councils or committees of the, you know, we're going to do five meetings a year and it's going to be organized to look like this. You said you were turning to the, the group of folks that you believe are best able to address the issues that that you're asking them to look at, and to suggest to us, how to organize this work. And in the first year of that effort, you're proposing that we spend $180,000. Sorry, you could do millions. Yeah, that's that's the way we're behaving today. $80,000 on what you've described. Right. And I, I, I understand that in this section, it goes on to say is your it's the intent that we make similar appropriations until an office is established. Okay, that's something that gets us extremely uncomfortable. And we won't even talk about binding future legislation, which we know we cannot do. Yeah. I can imagine amending that to say to asking this group to propose, if they believe necessary, future of a budget for the work as it continues so we would make an appropriation for this year. We would entertain the notion that, well, well, one day we have to live within the $180,000 box that is created if we all agree to that. That is what is appropriated not an additional amount because they have more meetings or whatever that's what they have would work within that. Yeah. And that they would bring, rather than saying it's our intent, but we would say, bring us back a budget proposal for the following year if necessary. So to try to corral that a little bit better. Yeah, okay. That seems consistent with what our hope is. Yeah, and that and then that would have to be looked at on a year to year basis to, you know, as, as we do with everything else we, we do. I just, I think the, yeah, I think that that that's consistent with the view of our committee I'd say. Okay. Okay, they and I'm looking to the committee, Marty. I'm wondering about reporting back on their activities and that sort of thing and I, I did see one about continuing education and now I see something on page 19 about reporting back before January 15 to the various committees regarding any recommendations for legislative action. It doesn't say January 15, when are that maybe that's in some previous stuff that I wasn't able to scan. It says annually on January 15, I believe. Is that what you're looking for on page 19 line 10. Yes, okay. Annually. So this would be, so I mean, we would be finding a, we would be looking for a report in January 15 of 2000. 22, these numbers are to. Yeah, as an initial report. But of course, at that point, they may not have been able to do all the work that is contemplated, but I think a report would be anticipated. Yes. And I think, I guess I daresay. I beg your pardon. Go ahead. I definitely believe we need a report on what their activities have been and what they foresee for future activities. Okay.  And I think it calls for legislative recommendations, but I think in maybe we missed making explicit what we should make explicit, which is a report on the activities and accomplishments to that point in time as well as any legislative accomplishments or recommendations. Yeah, I understand that. Okay. And I think I, because this is such an important issue to the house health care committee, I can assure you that our committee, at least in the next half of the biennium one in leadership in the committee. We will be asking them to give us some kind of updates periodically of the movement forward. But we would entertain any amendment you might make to make that explicit. I'm wondering if that's our jurisdiction. I guess it is if we're saying please give we're paying for a report. Well, well, I, I'm not feeling strongly about that and I'm not seeing others feel about that hearing you say that is the intention and that you will do that. Yeah, I'm having my usual problem with the word of by monthly. Does that mean twice a month or every two months. I think it means every two months but I think the real point is that says I think at least. And, and we, we, I think we put language in there that says the, the commission show be constrained by the appropriation given in terms of and help and the allocation of dollars. Yeah. Okay, well, and that is actually what I was wondering if the math works, if they need every at least every other every other month and they're at least that many people and again they're going to be I'm sure there's going to be some and at least the calculations that I've been party to should they I think they should be able to work within that budget and that the director of racial equity in the RFP or contracting for additional assistance would be needing to balance the the dollars available to accomplish the task within $180,000. Without us being more prescriptive. Thank you. And did you kind of do a count of how many people are eligible for per diems this is just the nitty gritty of what I think you'll find you'll find there's an updated fiscal note that has been posted from Nolan. And I think the estimate was 18. Okay. Okay. Committee, do you have any further questions of chair leopard. I'm not seeing any and show we take a quick look at the fiscal note with Nolan since he is sitting here with us. Have you all opened it up. Hi Nolan, thanks for joining us. I'm trying to find the document. I'm guessing it's pretty straightforward and some on the committee website and you might need to refresh your browser. Yeah, thank you. I just hadn't opened it. And I'm sorry to make folks wait while I look for something. Yeah, yeah. Do you want to send it to you as an attachment. You know all I see. Oh, well, no, there it is. Sorry. Got it. Yeah, sometimes they move around it's kind of odd. Yeah. So committee, do you have any questions about the fiscal note. All right. Okay. Okay. I'm going to go back to the middle mood. It is very straightforward. And while we have Katie sitting with. So Nolan, I think we don't have any questions. While we have. Katie here with us. We do in section six under appropriations. And then this letter B, small B, it is in the intent to similar appropriation. So I think we may need to have some different language there. I'm not sure what that looks like, but let's figure it out. Jim. Yeah, thank you. Madam chair, I wanted to go back to the fiscal note. If no one's still here. Yeah, I'm just looking through this quickly and I just. Hopefully you can shed some light on it and section three. Can you help us understand the 165,000. Some of it general fund, some of it's special fund where that special fund is. Sure. Coming from, and then years that 130. 4,000 to the department of health. Can you just help us understand that. Sure. For the record and all nine while the joint fiscal office and. First thing I'll say is that that 200,000 was already appropriated in age three 15. So it doesn't actually appropriated here. I just flag it because it was initially brought up as part of the negotiations and the committee. Put it in their, in their prior and their. Recommendations and you approve. I remember that. Okay. I'm not going to flag it and then I say it's elsewhere, but what that just answered question, the special fund. So it goes to the green mountain care board. And so that's billback money. So that's money that is matched or is that, that the green mountain care board went as a regulator. They bill back in other words, the regulated entities pay a portion of their, of their. Of their costs and they do this for a lot of things that they regulate and this falls under that billback authority. And then for the other part, it would just be general fund. All right. Thank you. Okay. Okay. Thank you. So returning again to the appropriation section. Is there. So I think we're in agreement that B cannot stay as is. And. I, I think, or no, I suggested that we ask the group to propose a budget to us. And I guess we would have to ask them to propose that in time for consideration in the next. So by January. First or 15th of. 22. March, March of 2018 year, something like that. Thank you, Peter. I'm just trying to frame something to get us moving. Yeah. And actually I think that in order to meet the timeline for budget submissions, if we want it to come in under a normal budget concept, it actually needs. I don't know what the timeframe is for the agency of if we wanted it submitted to be part of the normal budget in lieu of an add-on. Add-on, yeah. Okay, so we need to pick a date, but is that the general concept that we would be looking for to ask them to bring us a proposal if they think they need to continue doing work in 23, FY23, to bring us a proposal through the normal budgeting process? Is that the agreement here? That would be my recommendation that we do it through the normal budgeting process. Okay, and Maria or Nolan, can you suggest a date for that? I guess it depends on when the administration puts out their budget instructions. Maria, do you recall? That's probably about the time when they start providing their responses to the initial budget instructions is probably about the right time. Yeah, I think that's sometime in October. I can look on our website and see what the date is for the budget instructions. I believe it's in October, but let me just say. Yeah, we can always put October 15th for now. And I would recommend that if you're gonna do that, you put it under the powers and duties section. So if you go to page 17 where it says subsection C, powers and duties, the advisory commission shall, and then maybe for number six, which would be on page 19, create number six and shall provide to department of finance management or whoever. I don't know who would go to. That's where I'd put that. That's where I might recommend putting that sentence. I don't know. Katie has any thoughts on that. Yeah. It seems to me where it should go rather than an appropriation section. Okay. I would be cautious about putting it there because it's a one time report and you're putting it into codified law. So I would, I would instead suggest creating a standalone session law section, just for that one report that you're expecting to receive. Okay. We'll leave the mechanics of making this work to Katie to figure out the smart way to deal with it. Let me just suggest that I'm a wee bit worried about picking a date like October 15th because that will be all of what, three and a half months since the group was formed. And how do they know what they're doing? I'm concerned about that, but I'll leave it to you all. Peter, good idea. Not sure that it mechanically work. So it may have to be outside of it. I might go back to telling us what they think they need. You know, the first of the new year, at least gives them a half a year. Jim. Yeah. I agree. Madam chair that, you know, I would go with the January and fairness to the new commission. And the fact that it's being shared by the director, director of racial equity, who hopefully would have an idea of what the ask might be going forward. Can certainly ask within the agency of administration to give a consideration than the governor's recommend for the following year. I just wanted to quickly go back to the sunsetting provision. If we are saying we're funding it for one year and that a report come back with terms of future. If we don't fund it, my assumption would be the commission goes away or does it stay, but there's no money allocated? I'm just, I'm asking on a hypothetical. I just wanted to know how we might consider that going forward. I can. I don't know. Maybe that's for Katie or Nolan. I don't know. Sure. It's codified. The way it's drafted is it's codified. It would be in the green book. Says an ongoing existing committee. So if you choose to not fund it, the duties and responsibilities in the office itself would still be set up in law, but it wouldn't be funded. So could, could they meet? But they meet and get per diems. If there's no money allocated. Well, if there's no, I, I, I don't know that I have a great answer for that. I mean, they're authorized to meet. They're authorized to get a per diem if there's no money there. I'm not sure how that would function, but it doesn't. The fact that there's not money there doesn't mean that they don't have the authority to meet anymore. That's interesting. Thank you. I mean, I think maybe this is the conversation for next year in terms of, you know, what's the future? Should the commission be expanded? Done differently, different makeup, et cetera. In conjunction with the funding. So I'm, I'm just. Asking how do we handle the sunset. So. I think though, too, in terms of the budget piece, like, um, you know, if, you know, the first year it's envisioned to be. You know, sort of under. The office of racial equity and in theory, if it's still going to be, if the following year is determined, it's under the office of racial equity, then the pregems would in theory may be built into their budget. Because that's where the money's going through. Or if there's a health equity created, then it would be part of their budget or if there's another, whatever.  So I do think that. You know, and if they don't have any recommendations by the time that happens, I imagine the office of racial equity will include it in her budget. To the extent that she is that that will exist. So that's one way. You know, some oftentimes with these pregems when they're very, very small amounts, like under $3,000, it's just built into their budget or I don't appropriate money. So this is a little bit different. That's the point. I think as. Thank you. As Jim suggested, this becomes a question for what we do next year. By funding it for one year and asking for a proposal. We, we create the opportunity to ask the questions that we're asking now at a more relevant time. So I'm just being mindful of the time and I'm just being mindful of the time and I'm just being mindful of the time and people's resources. I think. We're in agreement that we do not. We think that section six small B needs to be struck, which is the reference to future biennium. Or a funding. Or intention rather for futures. So I'm just being mindful of the time and I'm just being mindful of the time and effort that's being made. And I'm just being mindful of the time and effort that's being made in the past and budget. By a date that makes sense in January of 23. Katie, do you need more information from us to do what you need to do? No, my thought is that I will have language. And I will have it on my phone. I'll just get to the question here. I mean, I don't know if I'm going to get it by 27 if, if funding is necessary. But just tie it into a report. So you don't have a report coming in January one and another one coming in January 15th. Okay. Thank you. That's, that sounds like a good solution. Does that, I made I see your hand and I'll come to you in a second. Let's just finish this. Are people generally. Okay. With what's being suggested there. starting, you know, saying, no, that's not what we met when Katie gives us something. Okay, so I'm hearing we're generally okay with that. made up. Thanks. I just wanted to confirm that we are not contemplating including sunset language for this bill. Correct. That is correct. The way we're going to leave it is if we will consider a budget next year on chair Lippert said, they're going to be watching this. They're going to be having conversations, and I'm sure we will be having a conversation with his committee about if and what a budget should look like for this organization next year. Thank you. Thank you. What made me a little nervous was that I had heard the word sunset a couple of more times after that initial back and forth and to, from my perspective, I was highly ill at ease in thinking that health equity issues could be dealt with in a couple of years when it's taken lifetimes for people in these situations. Thanks. Yeah, thank you. Okay. Do we have any other questions that will help us in understanding this bill and the appropriation? Katie needs to scoot. We'll hear from you when you're able with this amendment. Chair Lippert, thank you very much, Katie. Chair Lippert, do you have a timing issue on this? I'm just trying to think of when we need to conclude our work on this. No, I think, as a reporter of the bill, I'm comfortable when you're moving it out whenever you choose and it doesn't have to happen in, it doesn't have to happen swiftly. We had a conversation with another reporter of another bill about when they got their COVID shot and just wanting to make sure they were healthy and on their game. So I'm now very aware of different things that can influence. But you've got it. Now, I have a second COVID shot scheduled midweek next week and I'm thinking, you know, I tried to get it moved to Friday, but they wouldn't. No, no. Yeah. Okay. Thank you very much for your time. As you say, we're going to have an amendment and we'll let you know where it is. Dave is our liaison and we'll report this amendment on the floor. And if we have any questions, he'll be talking to you. Dave and I'll stay in touch. Yeah. And I didn't want to, it may fall in Peter's bailiwick. I didn't want to offend Peter. Peter, is this something you want to run with? Okay. If I may, because this is really beyond my area of knowledge, but as to the issue of whether this money would be money that came from one time funds or other funds leave to your committees for their deliberation. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. We've got it on the list. Okay. Great. Thank you. Thank you very much for your time here and your work on this important bill. We very much, I very much appreciate it. Thank you.


The architect has one unique thing about it, which is that architects look reality in the face. The public hasn't got a clue what architecture is. Not a clue. We can be very obscure modern classical musicians or poets, and yet we're the most connected to society. You go into some big corporate headquarters, it's meant to intimidate you. The architecture is meant to intimidate you, meant to make you feel anonymous, an anonymous small nobody. What you see visually in terms of how you live can definitely make a difference on how you view life.


Hello, and welcome to the Dave Redan show presented by Buffalo Wildlings I'm Greg Royce joined here with Stevenson cross-country head coach Dave Redan and coach you wrapped up to seize a couple weeks ago I had a couple individuals Pat Watson and Langston gash Traveled a NCA Nationals out in Illinois your first two competitors Just take us through that experience. Well, that was like for both of them to compete at that level. Yeah So it was it was a great experience going into the the year I thought maybe we could get Langston there and Then maybe maybe get the team if everything went perfect and the fact that we got Patrick and Langston was just just I mean awesome and I got told them going into Nationals like I mean the goal was to get here So there's not as much pressure right now because it's all about the experience for the first time and they went out and And kind of took it all in and they learned a lot. Yeah, I see Pat You know Pat really came on this year. You know, he finished 70th overall You know missed you miss probably all America by about 30 spots about 18 seconds We were saying the lengths like you said it was about 30 seconds back But there was about a hundred spots in between let's be Different than race in your normal Saturday race. There's so many guys. They're such a small area and just so competitive Yeah, and that's what was great about Pat Patrick and Langston going this year because they got that experience They got to see what it was like to have so many people of similar ability in the same race I mean, like you said, there were basically a hundred spots between Pat and Langston in only 20 25 seconds. So so it's just it's amazing how competitive the whole race is and like I said I mean they got the experience and the goal next year is to get there as a team So now they can share that experience with their teammates for for next year. Yeah, absolutely Just all the other experiences. Well, you know, I know you had the banquet and things like that Just that whole experience going to that for the first time for you for not just the athletes You and Eric as a coaching staff as well. I'm sure it was it was amazing. Yeah, so it was nice to see I mean, we've been talking about for years getting those first national qualifiers and and to get to this year was just It was a great experience and it's exciting. I mean the future is bright. So it's it's exciting And like you said, like you said, you've got you know, pretty much everybody back on both sides So, you know, maybe next year's a year that you know on the men's side Maybe take a run as a team to qualify. Yeah, exactly. So Pat's only a sophomore Langston's only a junior And we do not lose anybody from the team. So it's it's really exciting. I think next year. We're gonna surprise some people All right, coach. Well, thanks a lot Thanks for all your time this year. We now shift over to indoor track season that starts this weekend So, you know, we'll have coach came on for that. But again, thanks for your time this season We enjoyed a joy talking about cross country success you've had and We'll talk to you next year For David and I'm Greg Royce. This has been the David and show


Our conjecture that there is a lost yet once highly advanced ancient civilization could be proven beyond doubt by one continent in particular. Antarctica, for many millennia, this land has been encased perfectly preserved, laying beneath miles of ancient ice. The Piri Rees map, something which we have discussed in the past, has long been argued to prove just that. Some claimed as showing that of the landmass of Antarctica free of ice. If true, it would have been impossible to have created according to modern paradigm. Thought to have originated from the embers of the great fire of Alexandria, this catastrophe a tragic loss to man's understanding of our own origins. Yet, this map survived, clearly displaying what many believe to be the continent of Antarctica, before becoming what is now a frozen ice cap at the pole of our planet. It is now an incredibly inhospitable place. One of the reasons we feel, there may be intact undisturbed ruins, which may dot the land, known to be the driest place on Earth, and in addition to this compelling possibility of submerged yet highly advanced ruins, there may be many other unexplained anomalies that due to their incredibly remote geographical placement, across some of the world's now most impenetrable natural obstacles, recording some of the lowest temperatures on Earth. If proven beyond doubt to exist, would be proof of a preserved pre-ice age existence for advanced man. Yet due to this immense cold, and the fact that it is a largely unexplored tundra capable of killing even the most experienced of explorers, many things which rest here remain unexplored. Yet just like that of the face of the moon, one must ask the question, just what could be laying there, buried within or resting upon this giant ice sheet many miles deep? Objects just like the anomalies discovered in Roswell, New Mexico in July 1947, which although strongly argued by officials, as that of a United States Army Air Force's balloon which crashed at tremendous velocity at a ranch near Roswell, which many claim was in fact a UFO which crashed, would inevitably be covered up by whatever power was capable of not only visiting such anomaly, but retrieving it. Crashing into the seemingly endless tundra and our next item of interest could behold just as controversial in origin as that of the causation for what many claim as the Roswell conspiracy, a truth so controversial only top military personnel would be privy to. This remarkable image taken by satellite clearly displays an as yet unexplored anomaly resting at the basin of a hilltop it presumably crashed into, with its velocity upon impact sliding the mysterious object down the side of the mountain. When other such objects have been discovered in the past, indeed in the same way as that of amateur sleuths, pouring over satellite images looking for these exact features, military vehicles have been later snapped at these same locations, unquestionable proof of the world's government's interest in such discoveries, not only due to the environment, but also its remoteness. Indeed in permanently frozen areas, could mean that if such objects do indeed turn out to be that of an alien craft, could also be in a condition to be successfully reversed engineered if not repaired by man. A technological explosion would inevitably occur, a lucrative operation indeed, so we find it curious that several such events have been claimed to have occurred since 1947. Could this also be positive to be as a result of this exact claim scenario? Discovered, retrieved, reverse engineered, and finally either adapted for military purpose or commercial profits? What is this thing laying far away in the frozen Antarctic? Is it indeed a crashed alien vehicle? We find the anomaly highly compelling. Antarctica, one of the world's most mysterious continents, home to one of the largest and driest deserts on the planet, covering an area of around 5.5 million square miles. If there was anywhere on earth where crashed, preserved, ancient alien technologies could still be found, it would be here. An untouched landscape which may, in all possibility, be the final resting place as of yet unretrieved relics which may have been stranded there to this day. The deep sea which surrounds Antarctica, for example, are some of the most difficult and inhospitable environments to explore anywhere. Far away from the modern world, deep within the frigid pitch-black waters of this massive chunk of ice where our next discovery was miraculously made. An out-of-place artifact which is still resting at the bottom of this sea. Known as the Eltanin Antenna, if it wasn't for the brute strength of the nearly 2,000-ton ice-breaking vessel known as the Eltanin, we may never have found it. Initially, a US Navy cargo-carrying icebreaker, in 1962, she was reclassified as an oceanographic research ship and became the world's first dedicated Antarctic research vessel. On the 29th of August 1964, while collecting sample cores and photographing the seabed west of Cape Horn, the Eltanin took the first known photograph of the antenna at a depth of nearly 4,000 meters. The first public mention of the unusual object would not surface for several months. A news item which appeared in the New Zealand Herald on 5 December 1964, under the heading Puzzle Picture from the Seabed, would briefly disclose the discovery, yet any further exploratory missions, if indeed there has been any, have been operating in secret. Similar to the Baltic Sea anomaly, yet positioned at a far deeper depth in an extremely remote, cold and lonely part of our world, it too shows all the hallmarks of an artificially created object. The question is, what could it be? And, more importantly, what was or is its function? In 1968, author Brad Steiger wrote an article for Saga Magazine, in which he claimed that the Eltanin had in fact photographed, quote, an astonishing piece of machinery, very much like the cross between a TV antenna and a telemetry antenna, end quote. It is interesting to note that the Black Knight satellite, an anomalous object which is in a polar orbit, has been declared by numerous investigators throughout history as an artificial alien satellite, and with what appears to be an enormous alien antenna resting on the Antarctic seafloor, is it possible that the two are connected? Or possibly, in communication with each other? In 2003, Tom DeMarie, a researcher in underwater acoustics, contacted oceanographer AF Amos, a member of the Eltanin's crew in the 1960s, in an effort to debunk any theory involving artificial design. In turn, Amos referred DeMarie to the 1971 book, The Face of the Deep, by Bruce C. Heeson and Charles D. Hollister. It seems Hollister had already attempted to identify the mysterious object as a carnivorous sea sponge. However, these attempts to discredit any unusual hypothesis was solely based on the same photographs we are privileged to. Further photographic exploration of the object, if undertaken, has been done in complete isolation from the public. What is the Eltanin antenna? A mere sea sponge? An actual alien antenna? Whatever it is, it seems certain fields of study would like you to believe it's natural. Regardless of whether confirmation of such claims was made, we always find this highly compelling. We recently discussed a curious find discovered within the tundras of Antarctica. An enigmatic anomaly, seemingly sliding to a halt on the ice caps of the South Pole. We noticed the inaccessibility of the landmass, now permanently encased in over two miles of ice, capable of challenging the most experienced of Venturer.  If it could be proven to possess any trace or series of ancient ruins, then it would prove, beyond doubt, that our continued posit that there exists a paradigm within historic academia, and that there is indeed a huge chapter of our history now lost, the knowledge of our origins, and these said paradigms would be proven as incorrect. For if there exists a now lost ancient civilization frozen and preserved beneath these ice caps, not only would their age be enormous, but their ruins a true testament to their capabilities. There are many ancient ruins here on our Earth, which we believe are undoubtedly older than we are now told. The Great Pyramids, the gigantic megaliths found at Baobach in Jordan, Yangshan Quarry in China, all these ruins, and many more, could be far older than we are currently being taught, and their erosion-resistant characteristics will indeed ensure their existence far into the future. Many internet sleuths traw pictures of not only Antarctica, but the reels of photos sent back by the Mars Rovers, searching for ancient signs of life. And although many of the claimed ruins in Antarctica remain sketchy and little photographed, the next item of interest we find incredibly curious, and one of the driving reasons for this, is due to these possible ruins similarities to one of the most impenetrable of them all, the fortress of Saxa Huaman. However, what makes this image of a possible outer wall truly special is its possible scale. If indeed factually true, and this is indeed the remnants of an ancient fortress' outer barrier, it would be over two miles in length. With the continent of Antarctica being a frozen tundra for over 20 million years, if these claimed ruins turned out to indeed be of artificial origins, it would undoubtedly force the age of man back by many millions of years. We hope more is done to explore the true nature of this curious feature, even if it is nothing but a landmass. It is unquestionably highly compelling. Under the glistening polar ice caps, where he claims gigantic alien machines are hidden, and he's not the only one. Since World War II, whistleblowers from governmental bodies all over the world have been lifting the lid in regards to the fact that alien crafts are being tracked, traveling from the top of the planet to the bottom, within our oceans and above. During the naval operation known as Deep Freeze, men aboard a Russian icebreaker would later testify to witnessing a craft, surged through 10-foot-thick ice, flinging huge chunks in all directions, a silver vessel then shooting off into the atmosphere. Dr. Ruben's disviella, a famous arctic explorer, was among those who testified to witnessing the terrifying event. Upon exiting the ice cold waters, he stated that steam erupted from the body of the craft, indicating the huge amount of energy these mysterious U.S.O.s possess. In 1997, pre-Codeco said, Belling's Gauzin Depression, near the Antarctic area, was examined by the Australian Army at a depth of over six kilometers, where cameras recorded strange oval objects which emitted an intense interior light. The film was reviewed by experts from the Royal Institute of Oceanology. Their conclusions were that the structures were of artificial origin. Russian naval vessels also report off-and-tracking submerged dishes, traveling in excess of 150 knots or 280 miles per hour underwater. Former USSR Captain Vladimir Azaza, head of the navigational section of the Oceanographic Commission, said one questioned that about 50 percent of encounters with UFOs are connected with the oceans, and 15 percent are connected with lakes, making a huge portion of close encounters in the form of unidentified submerged objects, rather than flying. What these mysterious events are caused by, or indeed what the mysterious craft are beneath the ice cap, remains a closely guarded secret, with only handfuls of whistleblowers ever coming forward, yet they all stress the same thing, that we are not alone on this planet. Our conjecture that there is a lost yet once highly advanced ancient civilization could be proven beyond doubt by one continent in particular. Antarctica, for many millennia, this land has been encased, perfectly preserved, laying beneath miles of ancient ice. The Piri-Rees map, something which we have discussed in the past, has long been argued to prove just that, long claimed as showing that of the landmass of Antarctica free of ice. If true, it would have been impossible to have created, according to modern paradigm, thought to have originated from the embers of the Great Fire of Alexandria, this catastrophe a tragic loss to man's understanding of our own origins. Yet this map survived, clearly displaying what many believe to be the continent of Antarctica, before becoming what is now a frozen ice cap at the pole of our planet. It is now an incredibly inhospitable place, one of the reasons we feel there may be intact, undisturbed ruins, which may dot the land, known to be the driest place on earth, and in addition to this compelling possibility of submerged yet highly advanced ruins, there may be many other unexplained anomalies that due to their incredibly remote geographical placement across some of the world's now most impenetrable natural obstacles, recording some of the lowest temperatures on earth, if proven beyond doubt to exist, would be proof of a preserved pre-ice age existence for advanced man. Yet due to this immense cold, and the fact that it is a largely unexplored tundra capable of killing even the most experienced of explorers, many things which rest here remain unexplored. Yet just like that of the face of the moon, one must ask the question, just what could be laying there, buried within or resting upon this giant ice sheet many miles deep? Objects just like the anomalies discovered in Roswell, New Mexico in July 1947, which, although strongly argued by officials, as that of a United States Army Air Force's balloon, which crashed at tremendous velocity at a ranch near Roswell, which many claim was, in fact, a UFO which crashed, would inevitably be covered up by whatever power was capable of not only visiting such anomaly but retrieving it. Crashing into the seemingly endless tundra, and our next item of interest could behold just as controversial in origin as that of the causation for what many claim as the Roswell conspiracy, a truth so controversial only top military personnel would be privy to. This remarkable image taken by satellite clearly displays an as yet unexplored anomaly resting at the basin of a hilltop it presumably crashed into, with its velocity impact sliding the mysterious object down the side of the mountain. When other such objects have been discovered in the past, indeed in the same way as that of amateur sleuths, pouring over satellite images looking for these exact features, military vehicles have been later snapped at these same locations, unquestionable proof of the world's government's interest in such discoveries, not only due to the environment, but also its remoteness. Found in permanently frozen areas could mean that if such objects do indeed turn out to be that of an alien craft, could also be in a condition to be successfully reversed engineered if not repaired by man. A technological explosion would inevitably occur, a lucrative operation indeed, so we find it curious that several such events have been claimed to have occurred since 1947. Could this also be positive to be as a result of this exact claim scenario? Discovered, retrieved, reverse engineered, and finally either adapted for military purpose or commercial profits? What is this thing laying far away in the frozen Antarctic? Is it indeed a crashed alien vehicle? We find the anomaly highly compelling. There are countless conspiracy theories which have been created over the years regarding not only the coldest, but also the most remote unforgiving continent on Earth, Antarctica.  Their lifestyles, buildings, and even entire cities are claimed by a number of fringe researchers as a real reality. Cities buried miles beneath the ice in a state of perfect preservation. Although we feel this may be an unlikely possibility, there could indeed be undeniable evidence of a past existence still buried under the ice, if indeed they were there at all, for one can never really be sure about the peri-reasmap. Yet today this is a very unforgiving place, even sparking the inspiration for arguably one of the best science fiction movies of all time, The Thing. Stories of UFOs crashing into this incredibly remote landscape, some in which we have covered in the past focused in upon by the channel due to the fact that an expedition was indeed made to a particular anomaly, to a feature one indicative of a high-speed crash into the frozen tundra. This site was successfully travelled to within what we presume would have been a mobile laboratory, clearly undertaken by a well-equipped group, one who clearly didn't expect others to have spotted the site via satellite also. So they can clearly be seen via satellite imagery, arriving at said crash. A tremendous effort to make at tremendous expense, thus a strange effort for any known human-built craft unquestionably made at great expense. Illogical for a man-made craft, even that of secret technology, but for an alien craft, such efforts could be logically argued as a realistic motive for whoever this team was funded by to make the mission to the site. And there are indeed, undeniably, some rather intriguing stories which still hover around a number of still classified, still unreleased confidential files regarding events within the Arctic Circle. Claimed by a number of individuals who also claim to have been a part of said mission, a mission known as Operation High Jump was an event during a battle within the Arctic Circle, with what could only be described as flying saucers. But alas, due to the fact that Americans have never publicly released any details regarding the operation, we can merely speculate. However, a story which surfaced on ancientcode.com, a website we have long supported as a superb source of antiquarian knowledge, a story accompanied by what we think, you will agree, are some of the most incredible images ever taken of UFOs, specifically unexplained anti-gravitational craft in flight ever captured. Available thanks to John Greenwald from The Black Vault, who in turn received the incredible images from researcher Alex Mistretta. According to the website, quote, the photos here displayed are evidence of a close encounter between forces of the United States Navy and unidentified flying objects on the edge of the Arctic Ocean in March 1971, end quote. Are we witnessing the destruction of anti-gravitational alien craft, an alien encounter, or, quite possibly, weapons testing events targeting reverse engineered alien technology? The images are, according to said sources, from the mission USS Tripang, SSN 674. Our postulations as to what these images reveal are based upon our own logically presumed direction, in which American and many other advanced military nations would take if when we're presented with a crashed craft powered by said technologies, these military bodies would indeed pursue the reverse engineering of said technologies, then, secondarily, develop defense systems which were effective upon said technologies. These are, of course, merely mystery histories ponderings in regards to what these images could truly be showing us, and, of course, said hypothesis could indeed be incorrect. Yet regardless, the question remains, then what do these images reveal? What are pictured within? Regardless of the purpose of the mission, we find the possible theories surrounding the photographs highly compelling.


A very good evening aspirants. I welcome you all to the Hindu Daily News Analysis brought to you by Shankar A. Sakadami for the date 25th of February 2023. Before getting into discussion, I have an exciting announcement to the aspirants who are going to give 2023 UPC Prilams. Starting from tomorrow, every Sunday, the discussion video of previous air questions will be posted in our channel instead of daily news analysis. As you all know, previous air questions are very much important when it comes to prilams. So, this initiative will help you to analyze the trend of UPC questions. Use this opportunity and revise well. And most importantly, you need not worry about Sunday's news analysis. The important news articles from the Sunday's Hindu newspaper will be clubbed with the newspaper analysis on Monday and Tuesday. This is what I wanted to convey to you. Now look at these articles. These are the articles that we are going to discuss today. You can go through it. Now, let's get into our first news article discussion. Now for our first discussion, we are going to take this news article. This article is from Opinion page. Now, don't think that this article is very big. It is actually about a known problem. Yes, it is about the thermal power plants. The article explains the ill effects of thermal power plants through the life experience of Mr. Madhav Mundada. Mr. Madhav explained how the thermal power plant when he was a kid and how it is now. This is why the article is so big. See Mr. Madhav shared his experience about the Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district. Now in our discussion today, we are not going to see the life experience of Mr. Madhav. Instead, we are going to see about thermal power plants generally. Now, before getting into discussion, the syllabus relevant to this topic is given here. You can pause the video and go through it. First of all, we will understand what is a thermal power plant. See in simple words, a thermal power plant is a power plant that uses heat energy to produce electric power. Since the power plant uses heat energy to produce electric power, it got the name thermal power plant. Now how does thermal power plants work? To know that. Now look at this image here. Now, first I will tell you the basics of the working principle of thermal power plants. And then we will understand from this image. See in thermal power plant, the heat energy obtained from combustion of solid fuel is used to convert water into steam. This steam is used to rotate the turbine blade. Then the turbine blade, which is attached to the turbine shaft will connect it to the generator. And finally, the generator converts the kinetic energy of the turbine impeller into the electric energy. Now look at this image. See first of all, a solid fuel is fed into the boiler furnace. Usually the solid fuel will be coal only. So coal will be fed to the boiler furnace. And this is called combustion chamber. See air will be provided to the chamber to aid the combustion.  After the combustion starts, the heat will be transferred to the water, which in turn will form steam. This steam will be at high pressure and at high temperature. Now the steam will go to the turbine and the flue gases from combustion will be let out. In some cases, the heat in the flue gas will be utilized to preheat the water before sending it to the boiler. But in some cases, it will be let out after some treatment. This only we call it as greenhouse gas emissions because the flue gases contains carbon dioxide. Now coming to the steam, the steam will go to the turbine. Know that a turbine is a mechanical device which converts the kinetic and pressure energy of steam into useful work. In turbine, the steam expands and losses its kinetic and pressure energy and rotates the turbine blade. This in turn will rotate the turbine shaft which is connected to the turbine blades. The turbine shaft then rotates the generator which converts this kinetic energy into electrical energy. Now we got the electricity we need. This electricity will be transmitted to different places based on the demand. Know that the used steam is cooled and let out. The used steam is cooled in the cooling tower to remove any residual heat. And finally the water vapor is released into the atmosphere. And this is all about the working mechanism of thermal power plants. I hope you understand it. Having seen about the thermal power plants and its working mechanism, now let's move on to see about the factors that determines the location of thermal power plants. See there are many factors, let us see them one by one. The first and foremost factor is the availability of fuel. Here we can also say the availability of coal. This is because coal is only used in most of the thermal power plants. See huge amount of coal is required for the generation of electricity in thermal power plants. So thermal power plants should be located near coal mines or near the ports. I am saying ports here because imported coal can arrive easily if thermal power plants is located near ports. This is about the first factor that is the availability of fuel. And the second factor is availability of water. Just now we saw water is only converted to steam right. So we need water for the functioning of thermal power plants. We also need water for cooling purposes also. So thermal power plants should be located near water sources. This is about the second factor that is the availability of water. Then the third factor is land. Know that the average land required per megawatt capacity is 3 to 4 hectares. So there should be land available in case of expansion of thermal power plant. Additionally the land should have good bearing capacity. Here bearing capacity literally means the capacity of the land to support the loads applied to the ground. This is about the third factor that is the land. Coming to the fourth factor it is transport facilities. See thermal power plants should have the transportation facility such as road and rail for transportation of material and machinery. So good transportation means should be there near thermal power plants. This is about the fourth factor that is transport facilities. Now coming to the fifth factor, fifth factor is proximity to load center. See the thermal power plant should be located near to load center to create minimize the transmission cost of electrical energy. See all these factors that we saw now are economic factors. Some non-economic factors are also there. Now we will see them one by one. Firstly the thermal power plant should be away from the densely populated area.  This pollutes the atmosphere and causes many breathing diseases to the people. Therefore thermal power plant should be located at considerable distance from populated area. Secondly proper disposal facilities should be there near thermal power plants. See ash produced after burning of coal is about 20 to 40% of the weight of the coal. This ash causes serious health problems and it is a highly corrosive when it is in hot condition. So proper disposal facilities should be there near the thermal power plants. And these are the factors that determines the location of thermal power plants. And this map here shows some of the major thermal power plants in India. Pass the video and just go through it. Now before concluding our discussion we will see about the advantages and disadvantages of thermal power plants. See thermal power plants are famous because the cost of generation of power is very cheap when compared to other methods of power generation. And the fuel use is also very cheap. Apart from this the initial installation cost is also very less when compared to other power generation methods. So less cost is the first advantage. Secondly thermal power plants requires less space when compared to hydro power plants. This is the second advantage. Thirdly thermal power plants has the location advantage. See location advantage is not the case in hydro power plants and solar power plants and windmills and all. If there is a good transportation facility then anything can be brought to the location. But it is not the case in hydro wind and solar power plants. See we cannot transfer the water, wind and solar energy right. So thermal power plants have a location advantage. Finally there are reliable sources of energy. According to the demand the load can be changed frequently without any difficulty. But when it comes to renewable energy they are seasonal. So demand supply mismatch will be there. But this is not a problem with the thermal power plants. So thermal power plants are reliable sources of energy. See these are all some of the advantages of thermal power plants. Now moving on to see about disadvantages associated with thermal power plants. Firstly the major disadvantage is pollution caused by thermal power plants. We saw that combustion of coal leads to the emission of greenhouse gases right. This pollutes the atmosphere and causes global warming also. So the first disadvantage is pollution. Secondly even though the installation cost is low in the thermal power plants the maintenance and operating cost is high in compared with other power generation methods. Thirdly the use of fossil fuels causes the depletion of natural resources. We all know coal comes under the category of non renewable resources right. So the use of fossil fuels will tend to deplete the natural resources. Fourthly thermal power plants require huge amounts of water. As we saw earlier thermal power plants require a large amount of water to produce steam that can drive the turbines to produce electricity. This huge amount of water causes a serious impact on water sources in rivers, lakes, groundwater etc. So the requirement of huge amounts of water is also another disadvantage. Finally thermal power plants have low efficiency and low lifespan. Okay and that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion we saw about what is thermal power plants. Then we saw about how thermal power plants are working. Then we moved on to see about the factors that determine the location of thermal power plants in India. And finally we saw some advantages and disadvantages associated with thermal power plants. See this topic is very much important for your main exam. So make note of each and every points that we discussed. Now with these key points in mind let's move on to the next news article discussion. Now have a look at this news article. This news article says that four police officers have been suspended for aseptic bribes from a gang that was smuggling at least eight orangutans. I hope you all remember about the orange juice from the movie Life of Pi. See in the movie Life of Pi the orangutan played a role as orange juice. Now today in our discussion let us understand few facts about orangutans from an exam perspective. See the name orangutan means man of the forest in the Malay language. As the name suggests these long had orangutans are almost exclusively arboreal. That is the orangutans revel by moving from one tree to another and usually avoid climbing down to the ground. Know that orangutans are world's largest tree climbing mammals. They are highly intelligent and are close relatives of humans. Usually people call orangutans as the gardeners of the forest. This is because they play a vital role in seed dispersal and in maintaining the health of the forest ecosystem. These services are crucial for both people and a variety of other animals like Sumatran rhinos, Asian elephants and tigers. So conserving the orangutans habitat is very important to conserve other endangered species. Now let us see about physical features of orangutans. See orangutans have a characteristic ape-like shape, shaggy reddish fur and grasping hands and feet. They have powerful arms that are stronger and longer than their legs. Their arms can reach 2 meter in length and it is long enough to touch their ankles when they stand. Now talking about the social character of orangutans, orangutans make a nest of vegetation to sleep in at night and they rest in smaller nets during the day. Know that orangutans are more solitary than other apes. Adult males are generally hostile to one another. As they move through the forest, they make plenty of rumbling and howling calls to ensure that they stay out of each other's way. Note that the long call can be heard even 1.2 miles away. However, male orangutans large home ranges overlap with the ranges of several adult females. Orangutans can live up to 50 years in the wild. Females first reproduce between 10 to 15 years of age. They give birth at most once every 5 years and the interval between babies can be as long as 10 years. Orangutans usually give birth to single young or occasionally twins.  An infant orangutan rides on its mother's body and sleeps in her nest until it is able to survey on its own. Here note that the long time taken to reach sexual maturity, the long interbirth periods and the fact that orangutans normally give birth to just a single young means that orangutans have an extremely low reproductive rate. This makes orangutan populations highly vulnerable to excessive mortality and the population takes a longer time to recover from population declines. Now talking about the diet of orangutans, about 60% of the orangutans diet includes fruits such as durians, jackfruit, lychee, mango stains, mangoes and figs. The rest diet comprises young leaves and shoots, insects, soil, tree bark, woody liners and occasionally, eggs and small vertebrates. Note that orangutans obtain water not only from fruit but also from tree holes. Okay, this is about diet of orangutans. Now talking about the species of orangutan, there are three species of orangutan. They are the bornean, the sumateran and the recently confirmed new species, the tapunuli. See, these great apes are only found in the wild on the islands of Bornean Sumatra. Currently, all these three orangutan species are categorized as critically endangered under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Now talking about the threats to orangutans, habitat loss due to forest fire, then conversion of forests to oil pump plantations and other agricultural developments are the main cause of orangutans population decline. And that's all regarding this discussion. This discussion we saw about orangutans, then we saw about the characteristics of orangutans, then we moved on to see about social character of the orangutans, then we saw about the diet of orangutans and finally, we saw some points regarding the species of orangutan and the threats. See, this topic is very much important for your film's exam. So make note of each and every points that we discussed. Now with these key points in mind, let's move on to the next news article discussion. Now see this snippet displayed here. The news is that our defence minister has attended the convocation ceremony of Vishwa Bharati University. In the convocation speech, the defence minister spoke about the humanism and the contribution of the Vishwa Bharati University's founder, Rabindranath Tagore. This is what is given in this small article. Now in this context, let us learn some points about Rabindranath Tagore from an exam perspective. See, Rabindranath Tagore was born in Calcutta in the year 1861. He was the youngest of the 13 children born to his parents. Note that Rabindranath Tagore's family was one of the richest families of Calcutta at that time. This provided Rabindranath Tagore with opportunities to study a wide variety of subjects from his childhood days itself. Tagore was homeschooled for most of his initial years, where he learned subjects like astronomy, history, mathematics, philosophy, etc. Other than academics, Tagore was also interested in music and songwriting. All these factors combined together to make Tagore a polymath in his later years. See, the term polymath refers to an individual whose knowledge spans a wide number of subjects. Now coming back at the age of 17, Tagore moved to England for higher studies. After a brief stay at London, Tagore moved back to India to look after his father's estate. From then, Tagore increasingly started participating in the public activities. He opened a public ashram in Shantinikedan, which is now presently located in the state of S. Bengal. This is where Tagore published Geethaanjali in English. Here note that the text Geethaanjali is a collection of poems written by Tagore. This publication has resulted in Tagore winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in the year 1913. Also note that Rabindranath Tagore was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize. And subsequently in the year 1915, Tagore was awarded Nighthood by King George V to appreciate the good works, then by Rabindranath Tagore. Note that Rabindranath Tagore returned to the Nighthood four years later in the year 1919, as a mark of protest against the Jolly Nualabag massacre. This is all about Rabindranath Tagore. Now let us see about some of the important works, then by Rabindranath Tagore. As you all know, the present Indian National Anthem, Janagana Mana was penned by Rabindranath Tagore. Apart from this, Amar Sona Bangla, which is now the National Anthem of Bangladesh, was also penned by Rabindranath Tagore. Also note that the present National Anthem of Sri Lanka, was also inspired by Rabindranath Tagore's work. So these are all some of the important contributions made by Rabindranath Tagore. Now before ending our discussion, let us see a few points regarding the ideology of Rabindranath Tagore. See, the present discussions about internationalism, taking over nationalism, had been previously discussed by Rabindranath Tagore in his writings. See, Rabindranath Tagore was a staunch believer in Humanism and he always put forward the idea of peaceful coexistence as the end goal of human existence. This particular feature of Rabindranath Tagore's writings was only highlighted by our Defence Minister in the convocation speech yesterday. Okay? And that's all regarding his discussion. This discussion we saw about Rabindranath Tagore and we saw about the contributions of Rabindranath Tagore. Now with these key points in mind, let's move on to the next news article discussion. Now have a look at this news article. This news article talks about Gaganian mission. Now suddenly it is in news because yesterday, the Hyderabad based Manjira machine builders handed over the first indigenous simulated crew module to the director of Vikra by Space Center in Tiruvannandapuram. So in this backdrop, let us learn few facts about Gaganian mission. See the word Gaganian is derived from Sanskrit, which means sky vehicle. Now that Gaganian mission was launched by the ISRO and it aims to send three person crew to space. So Gaganian is an indigenous mission that would take Indian astronauts to the space. The Gaganian mission was announced by the Prime Minister of India on Independence Day in 2018. Okay? This is a brief about Gaganian. Now talking about the objectives of the Gaganian mission, see Gaganian mission's principal goal is to demonstrate the technology. The Gaganian program will rely on Indian companies for 60 to 70% of its components and value added services. So this will boost the science and technology and the scientific temper of the country. Apart from this, other institutes, academia and industry will also be involved in this Gaganian mission. So it will encourage the youth to take on challenges in the field of science and technology. And finally, this mission also strives to deliver developed technology for the betterment of society and further human resource development. So this mission will make a path to international collaboration and betterment of policies. Now talking about the technical details, see the Gaganian system module is going to carry three Indian astronauts, including a woman to the space. The module will circle the earth at a low earth orbit at an altitude of 300 to 400 kilometer from earth for five to seven days. This is about the mission. Now talking about the payloads, the payload of Gaganian system will consist of two modules. First is the crew module. This is the module which is going to carry human beings. And the second one is the service module. See it is a propulsion module which is powered by two liquid propellant engines. Apart from this, Gaganian system module will also equipped with emergency escape and emergency mission abort systems. Okay, this is about the payloads. Now which launch vehicle is going to launch Gaganian mission? See it is GSLV MK3 which is also called as LMV3 that is Launch Vehicle Mark 3 will be used to launch Gaganian. Now that GSLV MK3 that is Geo-satellite Launch Vehicle Mark 3 is a three-stage heavy lift launch vehicle of ISRO. Now that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion we saw about Gaganian mission. Then we saw about the objectives of the Gaganian mission. Then we moved on to see about the payloads of the mission. And finally we saw some facts about the launch vehicle that is going to launch Gaganian mission. Now these key points in mind let's move on to the next news article discussion. Now have a look at this editorial here. This article deals with the issue of cyber security. It further talks about the recent increasing trend of cyber attacks in India. Then it further highlights Indian government's response to cyber attacks in India. Other than these various global mechanisms to curb cyber security threats and the problems associated with cyber security frameworks are also discussed in this editorial. Finally the author of the editorial wants India's presidency of G20 to create a global framework of common minimum acceptance for cyber security. This is the overall crux of the article given here. Now in this context let us learn about the term cyber security and then we will see the points provided in this editorial. Now before getting into discussion the syllabus relevant to this topic is given here. You can pass the video and go through it. Now first let's start with the term cyber security. See the term cyber security refers to the security standards which are required to protect any type of information which is stored in the online medium from malicious attacks. See protecting the data which is stored in an online medium is comparatively difficult because there is a potential of cyber threats which can emerge anywhere in the world. To put it simply cyber security involves defending computers, servers, mobile devices, electronic systems, networks and data from malicious attacks. See cyber security is also known as information technology security or electronic information security. Note that the cyber attacks can emerge from both state and non-state actors. This is all about the brief background of cyber security. Now let's move on to see about the recent cyber attacks that took place in India. See a few months back there was a huge cyber attack targeting the servers which holding the medical data of Ames Hospital. Nearly three crore people's medical records were encrypted as a result of this cyber attack. Note that the attack which was carried out on the servers of Ames Hospital was a type of ransomware attack. Here the term ransomware attack refers to a type of cyber attack which prevents the user from assessing the data which is stored in the computer. Once the data was encrypted by the cyber attacker, he then asks for some ransom to decrypt the data. See ransomware attacks are typically carried out using a Trojan horse. Here Trojan or Trojan horse is the name given to a computer virus. It is a type of computer software that is camouflaged in the form of regular software such as games and sometimes even antivirus programs. So once Trojan runs on the computer it causes problems like killing background system processes then deleting hard drive data and corrupting file allocation systems. Note that mostly Trojans are introduced via email attachments and these emails are disguised in a way that they look authentic. So once the user downloads the attached file and runs it the file starts corrupting the system. And this is how the cyber attackers use this Trojan to encrypt the data and once encrypted they demand for a ransom. Note that the recent Ames attack was found out to be carried out by attackers belonging to China. See this is not new to India. Few years back Maharashtra State Electricity Board came under a cyber attack. As a result of this attack Mumbai city faced power outages. Like the Ames case this attack also later found to be made by the Chinese attackers. See these are the two recent attacks carried out by a foreign cyber attackers on our public digital infrastructure. Now let's move on to see about the recently introduced cyber security mechanisms in India to keep a check on cyber security related incidents. First comes the Indian computer emergency response team that is CERTIN. See it is the apex body in India to which cyber attacks are first reported. According to the new guidelines introduced in June 2022 it was mandatory for organizations which are operating in India to report cyber attack incidents to CERTIN within hours of identifying the attack. This is about CERTIN. Then the next framework is the newly introduced digital personal data production bill 2022. See this new bill penalizes individuals and organizations which are involved in data breaches with a fine extending up to Rs 500 crores. So these are the two recently introduced mechanisms in India to enhance the cyber security. Now talking about the areas of improvement in relation to cyber security see the total number of individuals who are involved in cyber security related domain in India is very less when compared to other countries. For example, India has only 3 lakh individuals operating in cyber security related domain whereas in USA more than 1.2 million people are employed in cyber security sector. So this is very less right. So lack of man force in cyber security related domain is the first issue. Secondly, private participation is also very low in India in cyber security related initiatives. Okay, these are the two problems associated with cyber security in India. So the government of India needs to bring some more steps to bridge the gaps present in cyber security areas. Also mechanisms have to be drafted to bring in more private companies in the field of cyber security in India. So this is all about the India specific information about cyber security. Now let's move on to see about the global scenario relating to cyber security. See presently there are no major global cyber security frameworks which are anonymously accepted by all the countries. But there are two different processes established by UN General Assembly on the issue of cyber security. The first one is open ended working group which was established by a resolution of Russia. Then the second one is the group of governmental experts which was established by a separate resolution passed by the United States. See both these processes belong to the countries who are not coming together to develop an integrated single cyber security framework. Know that these two processes are differing vastly on many aspects of the internet including openness, restrictions on data flow and digital sovereignty. This is why the author feels that India should step in to conceptualize a global framework of common minimum acceptance for cyber security. This is to be done by bringing the issue of cyber security to the forefront during the meetings of G20. As we all know G20 is going to be preceded by India this time. So this meeting is also utilized to frame cyber security framework. That's all regarding this discussion. This discussion we saw about what is cyber security. Then we saw about the recent initiatives taken by India to deal with cyber attacks. And finally we saw some points about the global scenario relating to adoption of common cyber security framework. Now with these key points in mind let's move on to the next news article discussion. Now for our next discussion we are going to take these two news articles. One of them is a data point. The other article talks about a petition filed in the Supreme Court. See this petition is to increase the marriage age of women from 18 to 21. But the Supreme Court dismissed the petition. This is because Supreme Court said that Parliament can only amend the law to provide uniform marriage age. This is about the news article given here. Now in this context we will understand about the legislation for marriage age and we will also see some data given in this data point. Now let's get into the discussion. See when it comes to marriage age we should know about two acts. One is special marriage act 1954 and the other one is prohibition of child marriage act 2006. As per these two acts the marriage age for males is 21 and for females it is 18 years. See recently prohibition of child marriage amendment bill was introduced in the Lokshaba in December 2021. It proposes to raise the age of marriage for women from 8 into 21 years. Now it was referred to the parliamentary standing committee for more scrutiny. This is because the enforcement of the already existing laws is very poor. According to the data point almost 23% of women who are aged between 20 and 24 years married before their 18th birthday in 2019-21. Particularly the share of eastern states such as Bihar and West Bengal this was over 40%. In Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan the share was over 25%. And the share was below 10% in Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand. From this we can say that the high share of women who married before turning 18 years is very high. Due to this only 1050 cases were registered in 2021 under the prohibition of child marriage act. This data is according to the National Crime Records Bureau. This shows the poor enforcement of the law. With the recent arrests in Assam the number of cases is expected to increase. Now coming to the bill the prohibition of child marriage amendment bill proposes to raise the age of marriage for women from 8 into 21 years. The problem here is that in India over 60% of women who are aged between 25 and 29 married before their 21st birthday in 2019-21. Here the shares of eastern states of Bihar and West Bengal was over 70%. And in Andhra Pradesh, Mathya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tripura it was more than 65%. So increasing age from 18 to 21 is also a problem. Now what should be done to rectify this problem? The best option to rectify this problem is providing education to women. See as per studies better educated women have more control over when they should get married. Apart from this education will provide awareness and better negotiation powers. And with awareness and better negotiation powers younger women have postponed their marriage by many years compared to their mothers and grandmothers. And that's all regarding this discussion. This discussion we saw about problems with the existing marriage acts. Then we saw about the recently proposed amendment bill regarding the raise of age of marriage for women from 8 into 21 years. And finally we saw some solution to rectify the problem. Now with these key points in mind let's move on to the next news article discussion. Now look at this article here. According to the article Russia's membership in the financial action task force was suspended yesterday. This was done in reaction to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. So in this backdrop let us learn few facts about the financial action task force. See financial action task force which is shortly known as FATF is the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog. It was established in 1989 during the G7 summit in Paris. Also know that FATF is an intergovernmental organization. Now coming to the objective of FATF see initially its objective was to examine and develop measures to combat money laundering. But following the September 9 11 attacks on the United States the FATF expanded its mandate to include efforts to combat terrorist financing. Apart from this FATF also works to stop funding for weapons of mass destruction. Okay. Now how does FATF works? See FATF set international standards that aim to prevent the illegal activities like terrorist financing, money laundering and funding for weapons of mass destruction, etc. Then as a policy making body the FATF also worked to generate the political will that needed to bring in more national legislative and regulatory firms in the areas of terrorist financing money laundering, etc. In April 1990 the FATF issued a report containing a set of 40 recommendations. These recommendations provided a comprehensive plan of action that is required to fight against money laundering. Later in 2004 the financial action task force published a nine special recommendations. These recommendations further strengthened the previously established international standards for combat money laundering and terrorist financing. From then these recommendations were known as 40 plus nine recommendations. Then later in 2012 the FATF revised its recommendations and expanded them to deal with new threats like financing of pro-liferation of weapons of mass destruction. Okay? Now talking about the jurisdictions of FATF FATF currently has over 200 jurisdictions around the world. All these jurisdictions have committed to FATF recommendations through a global network of nine FATF-style regional bodies and FATF memberships. Now talking about the sessions of FATF the FATF plenary is the decision-making body of the FATF. So during its plenary sessions the FATF considers mutual evolution reports policy and governance matters. Now that the FATF plenary meets three times per year. Now coming to the members of FATF as of now FATF is a 39 member body representing most major financial centers in all parts of the globe. Out of 39 members there are two regional organizations they are the European Commission and the Gulf Cooperation Council. The other members of FATF are displayed here you can go through it. Now coming to India-specific information see India joined FATF as a observer in 2006 and India became a full member of FATF in 2010. So India as a member of FATF. Apart from this India is also a member of FATF's regional partners like the Asia Pacific Group and the Eurasian Group. And that's all regarding this discussion in this discussion we saw about FATF then we saw how FATF works then we moved on to see about FATF's jurisdictions and finally we saw some facts about members of FATF. See this topic is very much important for your prelims exam so make note of each and every points that we discussed. Now with these key points in mind let's move on to the next part of the news article discussion that is to discuss preliminary practice questions. Now look at this first question this question is a previous year UPC question which was asked in 2021 UPC civil service exam prelims. Now I'll read out the question with reference to Madhanapalli of Andhra Pradesh which one of the following statement is correct. Here four statements are given you have to choose which option is correct. See it is a random question which was directly sourced from the Hindu article which was published on February 27, 2021. See if you don't know the exact answer for questions of this type it is better to leave them unattempted. But if you had read the article and made note of this fact you could attempt the question. Now coming to the answer as you can see from this image the correct answer for the question is option C. See Madhanapalli is the place where Rabindranath Thaur translated national anthem of India from Bengali to English. So the correct answer for the question is option C. Moving on let's take up the second question. This question is regarding financial action task force. Now look at this first statement every country is supposed to follow the standards set by FATF otherwise it can be listed in FATFs black or grey list. See this statement is correct. See FATF plenary is the highest decision making body of the FATF. It meets three times a year to take stock on mutual evaluation reports of the countries it reviews. So if a country appears to have major deficiencies in its anti-money laundering or combating the finance of terrorism regime then the country is put on a list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring that is none other than grey list. And if it fails to address FATF concerns then it is put on a high risk jurisdictions list that is none other than black list. And know that a country is to be pulled out of the grey list it has to fulfill the tasks recommended by FATF. For example confiscating of properties of individuals associated with terror groups etc. So if the FATF is satisfied with the progress it removes the country from grey list. So as per this information the statement one is correct. That is every country is supposed to follow the standards set by FATF otherwise it can be listed in black or grey list. Now coming to the second statement non-cooperative territories are placed under grey list of FATF. See this statement is wrong the grey list include countries that are considered safe haven for supporting terror funding and money laundering. And the grey list serves as a warning that the country may enter the black list. Whereas the black list includes non-cooperative countries or territories that support terror funding and money laundering activities. As of now Iran, North Korea and Myanmar are the three black listed countries. See Myanmar has been recently added to the list due to actions by military leadership after the 2021 aggressions. So statement two is wrong because non-cooperative territories are placed under black list of FATF. Now the question is asking for correct statement so the correct answer for the question is option A one only. Now let's take up the final question. Here two statements are given we have to find which of these two statements are correct. Now look at this first statement the loser ecosystem is among the most ancient rainforests in Southeast Asia. See this statement is correct. Know that the loser ecosystem is an area of forest located within the province of island of Sumatra in Indonesia. It is among the most ancient and life-rich ecosystems ever documented by science and it is a world-class hotspot of biodiversity. See it is widely acknowledged to be the most important areas of intact rainforests left in all of Southeast Asia. Loser ecosystem spans 2.6 million hectares and has a diverse landscape including lowland and mountain rainforests and it is also having 1,85,000 hectares of carbon-rich peatlands.   As we saw just now the statement is correct. Loser ecosystem is the most ancient rainforest areas. Now coming to the second statement the ecosystem has been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site. This also we saw just now loser ecosystem has been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site. So statement 2 is also correct. Now the question is asking for correct statement. So the correct answer for the question is option C both 1 and 2. Displayed here are the main questions for your practice. Go through the questions, write your answers and post it in the comments section. With this we have come to the end of the video. If you liked our analysis please like, comment and share. And don't forget to subscribe to Shankarai's Academy YouTube channel. Thank you for listening.