Sorry for the lack of blogging recently. My laptop is in for repair so I’m using paper and pens and other antiquated tools for now. Good job my iphone arrived the other day or I’d be cut off from the world. I’d have to have actual conversations with people and everything!

Normal service, or what passes for it round here, will resume shortly I hope!

We’re big fans of the Snowman so the new Irn Bru advert tickles me greatly:

The number of people living with HIV in the UK has trebled in the last 10 years.
UK Statistics

People living with HIV:

* More than 80,000 people living with HIV in the UK
* One in three people with HIV are undiagnosed
* One in every 360 pregnant women in the UK is HIV positive

New HIV cases in 2007:

* 7,700 new diagnoses in the UK in 2007
* 2,700 new diagnoses among men who have sex with men
* 3,500 new diagnoses among people from black and minority ethnic communities

All figures from the Health Protection Agency report: UK HIV New Diagnoses, August 2008.

HIV is increasing in every region of the world

International Statistics

People living with HIV:

* 33 million people living with HIV worldwide
* 30.8 million adults
* 15.5 million women
* 2.0 million children under 15

New HIV cases in 2007:

* 2.7 million total new cases
* 2.3 million adults
* 370,000 children under 15

HIV-related deaths in 2007:

* 2.0 million total deaths

All figures from UNAIDS.

Thomas tagged me with 5 things which I’ve always wanted to do… so here goes:

1. Visit Everest base camp.  No idea why.  I just want to.  Always have.  Not that interested in climbing Everest but I’d love to see it.
2. Write a book.  Not an instruction manual, a book.  Not a novel either.
3. Play football for Scotland.  Being 36 has made me realise that this particular dream is fading.  It makes me really angry when people who could play choose not to.
4. See my kids grow up and be happy.  I know that sounds corny but I think this is the thing that makes me feel the greatest sense of love and pride.
5. Make a difference.  I’m not sure how or where but I have a sense that at some point I’ll make a significant difference to something, possibly the church, but maybe not.  I’m looking forward to that whenever the time comes.

This was a hard list to write and looking at it now it seems a little obvious.  Maybe I’m obvious but this is my list.

So, Avril, Jay, John, Shuna and Christine… 5 things you always wanted to do.

Loving this spoof of Shepard Fairley’s Obama poster from the Guardian.

Sarah Palin could be the President of the world’s biggest superpower if McCain gets elected and then dies or is incapacitated.  Given her performance in this interview we’re in safe hands!!!

Well it’s here.  After all the waiting and procrastinating (by me!), NYA2008 is here and I’m not sure what to say about it.

As I said before I have history with this thing so it’s a little odd being here.  Despite not having been at the National Youth Assembly for several years is seems in some ways as though I’ve never been away.  There are lots of people I know, lots more than I was expecting.

I met with my team in person after planning our sessions using the wiki and all seemed well.

Staff worship was brilliant. Linda led us through a beautiful commissioning service which really moved me.

And then it was off to join the delegates and begin.  The start was ok.  Great video intro from Boycey but then a bidding song that didn’t seem to fit well after the noise and images, but maybe that’s the point.  God comes to us in unexpected and sometimes incongruous ways amid the noise and the distractions.

The theme for this year is ‘End of Part One’.  Part one of what?  Not sure where that is going but I missed Steve’s session last night so may have missed the unpacking of the theme.

Mark Yaconelli, our keynote speaker, was great.  What a gifted story-teller.  He’s a lot like his dad.  I know I hate it when people say that to me, but it’s meant as compliment.  I was a big fan of his dad, Mike, before his untimely death and Mark fills me with the same excitement and wonder.

The first debate sessions came too quickly, and without explanation.  They are different this year.  Instead of the usual General Assembly type debates we’re having four sessions to explore issues before we debate them on Monday.  That seems to have taken lots of people by surprise, mostly because they haven’t read the information provided!  But that’s another story.

People seemed tired and maybe we talked too much to fill the gaps but some folk came up and said they liked the session.  I really appreciate people’s feedback, especially when they can be honest and open about the good and the bad.

I spent the rst of the night changing tomorrow’s session to be a little more structured so we’ll see how that goes.

There are some photos of flickr with lots more to come.  I wonder what tomorrow will bring?