Bush has agreed to more aid after chats with Tony Blair. Apparently they are good friends and Bush thinks the world of Tony. Surely, many are saying, he owes a favour to Tony after all his unflinching support over Iraq which has resulted in great MP’s like Stephen Twigg and many councillor losing their jobs.

Obviously Bush does not value Tony’s ideas as much as he, or the rest of us, would have liked. This offer from Bush is better than nothing, but surely that is all it is.

This great new deal amounts to £5 per head in a couple of countries and it still means the greatolel US of A gives less than 0.2% of its GNP as AID. The average American spends over $20 per year inMcDonald’ss – this literally makes me feel sick.

The richest country in the world, or rather the leader of the richest country in the world says they cannot afford more. How lamely ridiculous is that!!!

This site draws interesting thoughts from the US public:

Public perceptions reflect support for higher levels of aid. When asked what percentage of the federal budget they think goes to foreign aid, Americans’ median estimate is 25% of the budget, more than 25 times the actual level. Only 2% of Americans give a correct estimate of 1%off the budget or less. When asked how much of the budget should go to foreign aid, the median response is 10%. Only 13% of Americans believe that the percentage should be 1% or less. Over 60% of Americans believe that contributing 0.7% of national income to meet the Millennium Development Goals is the right thing to do.

Maybe Bush should listen to his people! But then he does not need to be re-eleceted anymore!

Jonny tells us about the next Blah. Looks good and will have to decide whether I can manage to get there and leave early the next morning for a YFC retreat.

So they are all up for eviction – shame we cannot evict them all at once! Maybe that will be the next twist.

This is not good TV. This is not good behaviour. This is yobbish behaviour – if they all wore hoodies and shouted at each other in the streets with foul language and threats of violence the tabloids would be there clicking pics and ASBO’s would be being issued. No …. I tell a lie … none of them are under 18 so it won’t happen a it’s ok to do this.

If you are under 18 and acting like this you are a Yob, but if you are over 18 you become a star! No wonder our young people are screwed up; how mixed up a message is this that society is giving them?

Interesting that they evicted the individual and booed witch first … will it be Kemal next?

Today I spent the day at a conference of the above title held at Earls Court. The conference was sponsored by NYA, NCVYS, Princes Trust, APYCO, and Citizenship Foundation.

The conference was called a few months ago, with the main aim of looking at the long awaited youth green paper which was to come out in October. No-one thought it would be over 6 months late!

The day was not lost as Tom Wylie and others spoke. A highlight of the day was hearing from some young people from Youth Act. 9 young people decided they had had enough of gun crime in their Tottenham neighbourhood and so they organised a peace march. A couple of hundred supported it. They are holding a second later this month. 9 young people have had a dramtic positive effect on their violent community – this was covered in the press, but this, and many other, positive examples of young people do not seem to be as newsworthy to the tabloids of this nation.

Our children and young people are up for sacrifice and we just sit back and let it happen!

There was a lot of condemnation today of yobbish labels and laughter at hoodie bans – and rightly so. We still need to campaign and speak out as the situations not getting any better. We need to challenge and condemn youth predujice at every opportnity – evil happens when good people do nothing!

An interesting observation I made today that I think concerns me. I was the only representative there from a Christian organisation out of nearly 300 delegates. The cost of the day may have put people off, but I still feel concerned that other Christian organisations were not here, not just because I felt lonely but because this was an event where we were to be discussing what will be quite a major opportunity to put youth work at the centre of government policy and how we should respond to suggestions. With Transforming |Youth Work we had a window to make a change and a difference and we took it. These opportunities come now an again, like little windows, and I think the green paper will be one such opportunity we need to take.

The more I reflect the more I wonder why I was the only Christian youth worker here and I hope this is not an indication that we are starting to withdraw from interaction now that funding is becoming more targeted. I am sure I am wrong, but I still find myself concerned.

Saying that though, my evaluation was not very flattering as 50% of speakers did the classic read out your powerpoint – they should have sent them and I could have read them to people in a more interesting and, I guess, much cheaper way!

Some of you will know that my father is from Burma – one of those fortunate people that was able to escape the military regime. This, obviously, means I am half Burmese (although I have only been aware of this for the last 10 years – long story,another time, another post) and so I feel very passionate about the way Aung San Suu Kyi is being treated by the Burmese ruling generals and also by most western leaders who choose to ignore the treatment of a democratically elected leader who is under prolonged house arrest in a country where she polled a massive majority of 80% that our western leders could only ever dream of – and then only when they had spent a day in an Amsterdam Coffee Shop!

I received this email while away from The Burma Campaign:

On Sunday 19th June is the 60th Birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of Burma’s democracy movement. On that day she will have spent a total of 9 years and 238 days in detention. Armed soldiers behind a barricade of barbed wire turn away any visitors. The regime has also cut her phone line, so no-one can call to wish her happy birthday.

The brutal generals who rule Burma have already made one attempt on her life, attacking a convoy she was travelling in on May 30th 2003. Up to 100 of her supporters were beaten to death in the attack. Aung San Suu Kyi’s car managed to speed away, but she was later arrested.

The regime are doing everything they can to isolate Aung San Suu Kyi. They want the world to forget about her. They fear her popularity. She is the main threat to their continuing rule, and there are growing fears for her safety.

Please send a birthday card to Aung San Suu Kyi. Although the card is likely to be intercepted by the regime, thousands of cards arriving will send a powerful message to the regime. If they know the world is watching, it will make it less likely that they will take action against Aung San Suu Kyi, as they will fear the international reaction. Your card will help keep her safe from further attacks.

Send your card to:

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
54 University Avenue
Bahan 11201
Yangon
Myanmar (Burma)

Please forward this message to friends and colleagues.

This action is part of a global campaign to free Aung San Suu Kyi. For more information visit:
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/aungsansuukyi.php

To stay in touch with the campaign, join our email network. Send a blank email to burmacampaign-subscribe@topica.com.

If you feel you can write, email or send a card, please do so. Currently the situation seems hopeless, but we now from the experience of South Africa and others that our voice can and does make a difference.

The title may give you the impression that we did not have a good holiday. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The Netherlands is a lovely country. Lots of water, wonderful cheese and good beer. The Dutch seem to have this great secret. They send all the bland stuff abroad and keep the best cheese and beer for themsleves.

A particular highlight was Amsterdam. It was a city with great Atmosphere, wonderful architecture and an incredibly inclusive, accepting, cosmopolitan, everything goes clientele. You certainly got the impression that no-one would bat an eyelid at anything you chose to do while in Amsterdam. In a weird way it made me think a little of how heaven would be. I don’t know what it will be like – but there would be something of the all types, surprises, and total acceptance that you can experience in Amsterdam. Here is a society in 21st Century Europe that is notably very non-judgemental. Maybe in some small, blurry way this is a, albeit poor, reflection of something of Heaven.

We saw Amsterdam from the only real way – a river cruise. This was a brilliant experience and I want to go back – only this time without the children so that I can wander around the art galleries rather than zoos and ice cream shops …. but hey, culture is culture wherever you exerience it from!

The one bad bit that we did not seem to get to grips with, and alluded to by my title, is road signs. On motorways they are good – although we travelled on Sundays when the Dutch sensibly close roads for maintenance. Diversions in Dutch, however, are not that easy to read! We got lost on the way to Holland and on the way back in Rotterdam, both times due to road closures! Signs in towns seeemed to be virtually non-existant. Sometimes this produces laughter, and others stresses arguments which I have needed to aologise to my lovely family for.

Land of u turns and no signs – should I have expected anything more from a country that wants to allow freedom to explore in your own way and at your own pace – mulling on Heaven again!

I’ll probably reflect more on my trip in future posts.

We are all excited and looking forward to a weeks holiday with Eurocamp in Rijnsburg, Holland.

We have not been away as a family for a little while and are all really looking forward to getting away and having a good time together.

7 days away …. waahaay!

I loved this series and Tony’s story is excellent. If you saw Tony’s ‘God experience’ last Tuesday you could not fail to be moved.

Fantastic series and wonderfully and honestly portayed on BBC2.

Some new blogs have found and will re-visit with interest:

Chris was on my team last year and still works for Gillingham YFC. He is DJ, worship leader extraordinaire, and all round good youth worker/YFC type of guy.

Simple church is a good thought provoking read looking at emerging missional churches around the UK.

Messy Christian is a blog I used to go to, forget she moved, and have now found again. What Elizabeth writes is sometimes challenging and gives cause for lots of thought. I enjoyed reading ‘Making Peace with my Charismatic Roots’

The return of Big Brother had millions, include myself, watching Channel 4 last night. There were some interesting and confusing things to notice and ponder on:

Bar one person, it was very noticeable, how these people were wrapped up in themselves. They say they don’t care what others think, don’t mind if they upset people and that they are out to ridicule others if it helps their cause. I guess this should not be a surprise as these people are here to win. I was slightly disturbed at how proud some were of their level of selfishness.

The on to the booing. Mary, who is a white witch and claims to have been abducted by aliens, was booed as soon as she got out of the vehicle adorned in hooded cape and carrying a broomstick. Was the booing disapproval of the evil connection, or was the booing a rejection of individuality? The fact is started immediately I find interesting and ask ‘why?’

Earlier the crowd booed Anthony for showing off his dance moves and trying to ‘woo’ the crowd. Maybe individuality is being attacked here. Those that got straight out of the car, waved a few times and shook a few hands were just cheered as they went inside the house. Interestingly, the very individual Kemal did not seem to get booed at all – so there goes that theory??

I’m confused but mildly looking forward to seeing what happens, although I will miss the first eviction as I’ll be on holiday. I hate the concept of reality TV, but find it strangely attractive all at the same time.