Update

I've been a bad blogger this month. Since I wrote last I have:

• Been working (of course)
• Spent a week in London on a conference and a training course (such an excellent course on political lobbying and negotiation!)
• Been joined in London by my mum for some shopping and sight-seeing (can recommend Borough Market)
• Celebrated a birthday and had friends over for drinks and dinner
• Enjoyed the first snow in Stockholm since the beginning of November
• Sewn curtains

I think that's about it! :)

Dads, Take your Responsibility Now!

A new study has shown that the extension of a second so-called "daddy month" in Sweden in 2002 did not have any effect on gender equality in the labour market. Out of 16 months (480 days) of parental leave (390 days at 80 % salary subject to a cap and remaining days granting a small guarantee amount per day), two months cannot be transferred to the mother but must be taken by the father before the child turns 8. Of course, fathers can take more than the two earmarked months - a right that they have had for over 30 years - but that is not that common as you would think in this supposed land of gender equality. On average fathers take out 20 % of the days but less than 3 % of fathers are considered to be sharing the leave allotment equally, defined here as fathers taking at least 40 %, i.e. at least 6 months.

A reason for the limited impact on gender equality is that the second daddy month was introduced at the same time as the total days of allowed parental leave were increased (probably a good idea in theory but those experts didn't really think about all factors, did they). The added days are usually taken by the mother, off-setting the increased outtake of daddy days. The introduction of the first daddy month on the contrary, led to a substantial increase of paternal leave, with a clear effect on the labour market. In general though, men tend to take most of their parental leave after the child has turned 2 and around Christmas time and in the summer.

Com'mon dads, you can do better than that! I vow not to let Peter take less than half once we go down that road!

The Odd One Out

Karin has found a fun blog challenge - to list five things about myself, preferably stuff that people don't know, and one of them must be fake. Your job is to guess which one.

1. I went to the same school as Björn Borg.

2. As a teenager I used to iron my underwear.

3. As a child I was helped by the Swedish King when I fell on the ski slope.

4. I have been to dinner with the Swedish Crown Princess Victoria.

5. I once stepped on a nail that went through my foot.

Good luck!

Happy New Year!!

I will celebrate in style! Boyfriend in tuxedo and I in a new frock bought for the occasion.

Some tips on what to do in 2007 - one for each day if you wish!

Happy New Year / Gott Nytt År!

2007 Wishlist (UPDATED)

I have been challenged by Tora to list five things that I want or know will happen during 2007.

1. World peace and reversal of climate change and all that, but sadly I know that won't happen. But I'm hopeful that the international community will make some progress.

2. I hope my American friends will come and visit me in Sweden (I've been there almost every or every year since I was an aupair ten years ago but they have never been here) - I know that if I present a "specific" reason they will come! But it's not all up to me...

3. I hope that a friend's friend will get rid of her cancer.

4. I hope that Margot Wallström will change her mind and become chair of the Social Democratic party, however, I'm quite certain that she won't. I'm not convinced - unfortunately - that any of the other candidates are up for the job, but I hope they prove me wrong.

5. I hope I will get a high-flying job at the UN! :)

UPDATE: Forgot that I'm supposed to tag three new people. I challenge Marianne, Nonna (you need to get your blog going again!) and Skolfröken.

God Jul!

Holiday greetings to all! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, etc.!

Christmas Manners

It seems like people forget their manners completely when they are out Christmas shopping. I don't understand why, when it is soooo obvious that there is one, single queue for the till, people suddenly think they can skip the queue and start queuing behind someone who's being served at one of the tills? Do they think the rest of us are just queuing for fun? Do they pretend not to see, motivating to themselves that "I have so many things to buy still, I'm in a hurry"? Like the rest of us don't... It also annoys me that cashiers do not (want to) see this and tell people off.

Anyway, despite my shopping difficulties I had a pretty good day. Won a Kosta Boda bowl and two crates of beer in the Christmas draw at work today! (Also managed to buy my last X-mas present in the end.)

St Petersburg

Pictures from my trip to St Petersburg with Peter (fitting name) here!

Under the Weather

I've caught a very unfriendly stomach bug and hasn't been feeling very well, to say the least, for the last few days. When I'm not even checking e-mail or blogging, I'm pretty sick. So since I'm here again, I'm feeling much less under the weather.

Last night Christer Fuglesang was supposed to become the first Swedish - and Scandinavian - astronaut in space but unfortunately bad weather postponed the launch to Sunday (too many low clouds). He's been waiting since 1992 when he joined the European space programme and 1996 when he joined NASA, so maybe another few days won't kill him. Rocket launchs are perhaps regular activity for some (although that has changed a bit since the Columbia disaster) but here in Sweden media have been pretty exstatic about this historical event for Swedish space discovery. With the Esrange space centre in northern Sweden, Swedish space industry is growing bigger every year.

Fingers crossed that Fuglesang gets to fulfil his childhood dream on Sunday!

Friday Four

Theme: It is about yourself

1) My biggest disappointment in life is...

nothing of a serious nature. I'm still young so there's still time to achieve a lot of things. But perhaps I would've liked to have had more brothers and sisters. And even though I really like my present job and that there is still time to get these jobs, I would have wanted to have worked for the European Commission or the UN already.

2) I was the happiest when...

I was a small innocent child (probably, not knowing of the horrors of the world), when I got into Oxford, and when Peter said he loved me.

3) The most embarrassing thing I have experienced so far was when...

I as a small child for some weird reason pushed my grandmother into the counter (she wasn't hurt but she - and I - of course wondered why I did it; I guess children don't always display affection in the right way) and when I spoiled the surprise by telling my (other) grandmother what she was getting for her birthday (I was 7 or 9 years or so and still had a problem keeping secrets I guess. I still have no poker face what-so-ever). These are things I still remember. But as a adult I haven't had as many embarrassing moments, or perhaps I've dealt with them better because I'm more confident in myself. Other little things are when I didn't realise that my skirt was stuck in my nylon stockings at a party and I was showing everyone my behind (yes, I was wearing knickers at least!) or when I did a quite deliberate hands playing football.

4) What I most of all wish for right now is...

nice Christmas presents! And in the more long-term perspective, perhaps a job at one of the Swedish government departments (as a step to the European Commission or the UN) and a bunch of kids!

Role Models

I was tagged ages ago by Skolfröken to list four role models. I've been thinking about it a lot but haven't actually sat down to blog about it. Last night I went to a Mentor Sverige event on the theme role models and I was yet again reminded of the task. The kids (12-16-year-olds) together with their mentors and other sponsors of the organisation (business people mainly, and Queen Silvia, who's patron of Mentor Sverige), discussed what a role model is and who can be a role model. The result was a list of key words:

* Trust
* Respect
* Accessability
* Mother (it was interesting to hear that both boys and girl list their mother as their first role model)
* Friend
* Ties
* Courage
* Parents
* Time

My role models
This is by no means an exclusive list, but a few people who have had influence in my life and whom I admire for what they have achieved.

1. My mother
My mum and I are very similar in many ways and she has passed on her interest in politics and society to me. Already at a very early age I was invited to join in discussions at the dinner table and to voice my opinions. I was never "forced" to study hard and go on to university but I always had support and was positively reinforced in a way that wanted me to aim higher. By seeing my mum be very active in local politics, work and take care of a family, I had a very good role model at home. It wasn't always that easy for my parents, having another child with a handicap (my brother) who required a bit of extra or special attention, but both of them have managed very well and I have to admire both of them for it.

2. A friend - Åsa
I didn't know Åsa when growing up and only met her six years ago. But she's a person who's done a lot in life and who I get inspiration from. Like me, she doesn't come from an academic home but decided pretty early on that she wanted to get a higher education. Like me, she went abroad for her degree and eventually ended up in Oxford, which is where we met. One thing I really admire her for, and which is probably something I wouldn't have the courage to do, is that she (twice I think) volunteered in refugee camps in Africa. Åsa's main areas of focus is gender equality and women's issues - from a gender perspective on Swedish asylum policy to violence against women in Sweden or abroad. I wish we had more people like her who works to advance women's rights and safety around the world.

3. Anna Lindh
I didn't know her personally of course but I know a lot of persons who did and I also admired her from afar. Anna symbolised a path in life that I would be interested in taking, should I opt to become politically active again. And if I don't go into politics, I still hope to have the opportunity to work for some of the issues she burned for, mainly in the international arena but also at home. I really hoped she would take over the leadership of the Social Democratic party - and the prime minister post - but fate wanted otherwise. However, she can still serve - and she does - as a role model for many young people, especially women, in Sweden and beyond.

4. The Green Movement
To go with my "climate theme" of late, I have to bring attention to all the people out there who devote their lives to saving the environment. Especially organisations like Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, which have been around for a while, but also all individuals who try to change their everyday behaviour to make it a bit less destructive. In a recent survey 8 of 10 Swedes indicated that they are prepared to pay 5 % more for a product or a service if it's manufactured ecologically. 66 % said that they prefer to buy goods from companies that work to prevent the greenhouse effect, while 86 % find it important that companies decrease their greenhouse gas emissions. Individuals can do their bit by purchasing emission rights in the EU's trading system via the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation. Every emission right means that one tonne less of carbon dioxide is released within the EU area. DHL is selling carbon dioxide-neutral package deliveries and oil company Statoil has launched a service for its customers wishing to be more environmentallyfriendly. Some airlines also offer paying a few extra per cent to ofset the damage done to the environment by air travel.

Practice Makes Perfect

The Economist has appointed Sweden the world's most democratic country. Sweden gets 9.88 of 10 possible points. The Economist calls it "an almost perfect democracy". Sweden is followed by Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and Finland.

Factors taken into account are how the electoral system and the political administration works, level of political participation, the nature of the political culture and the status of civic rights. Sweden gets top grades in all categories except for one: political culture, i.e. the number of politically active citizens and how losers in an election accepts the results. But the points were still 9.38 in that category.

The Economist divides the world in four categories:
- 28 countries are complete democracies (in Eastern Europe, only the Czech Republic and Slovenia belong here) (two Latin American states qualify: Costa Rica and Uruguay)
- 54 are deficient democracies (Italy is the only EU country in this category)
- 30 are called hybrid regimes
- 55 are authoritarian regimes

USA gets 8.22 points and lands in place 17 of the complete democracies. It would have scored higher if citizenship rights had not been hollowed out as a result of the war on terror. The UK does not score very well either - place 23 - which depends on a substantial decrease of e.g. voter turnout and membership in political parties.

Russia is a hybrid with weighing in at 5.02 points and North Korea gets a full 1.03 points.

Proud of Sweden (but so lucky to be born here and not in Niger)

Sweden has climbed one step and is now no 5 in the UN's Human Development Index (HDI), which measures prosperity. HDI measures three dimensions of human development: life expectancy, educational level and income (GDP per capita).

HDI top 10
1. Norway (nothing beats that oil)
2. Iceland (tiny country)
3. Australia (oh, that sun)
4. Ireland (thanks the EU millions)
5. Sweden (paradise)
6. Canada (about)
7. Japan (happy to see that Japan is making a comeback)
8. USA (but major inequalities)
9. Switzerland (duh, banking!)
10. The Netherlands (Holland is just a part of the NL)

At the other end of the spectrum in place 177 is Niger, followed by Sierra Leone, Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau.

According to the report the distance between the world's richest and poorest countries is growing fast - sadly. HDI is a part of the UN's development programme's (UNDP) yearly Human Development Report. This year the report focusses on the growing water and sanitary crises in great parts of the world. The situation south of the Sahara desert in Africa is grim. No progress has been made and the HDI for these countries is roughly the same as the beginning of the 1990s, mainly due to the HIV/Aids pandemic. The average life expectancy is just 46, which is lower than 30 years ago (and almost half of Sweden's 80+). Norwegians are 40 times richer than the unfortunate inhabitants of Niger. Swaziland's life expectancy is only 31.3 years on average. That's my age at some time next year.

God, I feel so lucky having been born in Sweden!

Friday Four

There's a Swedish blog called Fredagsfyran (Friday Four), which helps you blog on a Friday when/if you're out of ideas or don't really have the time to blog about anything longer. Admittedly I don't blog every day (sometimes not even every week) so it's not like I need ideas for Fridays while I always have ideas the other days of the week. But Friday Four poses some interesting questions - sometimes just picking up on the week's gossip but often also touching upon more serious topics, like this week. So I think that this week is a good time to start.

(I will already apologise for next Friday when I probably won't blog since I'll be in St Petersburg, Russia)

Theme: Moral questions

1) If a homeless person begs you for money, what do you do?
Very, very, very rarely give any money. I like to think that I contribute directly to shelters, etc. instead but I have to admit that happens only once a year or so.

2) If you see someone standing with a broken down car by the side of the motorway and waves his/her hands, what do you do?
If I was alone in the car I probably wouldn't stop because you never know, but if I was with a friend or with my boyfriend, we would at least stop and ask whether we could call some services for him/her.

3) If someone rings your doorbell and asks you to take care of a kitten that would otherwise be put to sleep, what do you do?
I would love to take care of it but my boyfriend is a little allergic and I don't really feel like I have the time to take care of a cat right now. So Id probably recommend he/she to call a animal shelter.

4) If a friend asks to borrow 5,000 SEK (€550, £380, $715), but absolutely does not want to say for what, what do you do?
Sorry friends, but you would have to tell me what the money is going to (I would keep your secret). Then I would consider lending out the money.

Anna's ABC

Another list taken from Skolfröken.

A is for age: 30
B is for booze of choice: A glass of nice red wine or a bitter
C is for career: Political scientist with a European studies direction (now working as desk officer at an embassy)
D is for your dad's name: Lars-Gunnar
E is for essential items to bring to a party: A bottle of something drinkable or a nice gift for the hosts; and a great party mood
F is for favourite song at the moment: Tired of all the summer hits that are still being played!
G is for favourite game: Trivial Pursuit
H is for home town: Stockholm
I is for instruments you play: Played violin for a year or two when I was little and took a few months of piano lessons back in 1996, but now nothing
J is for jam or jelly you like: Lemon curd, homemade jams made of Swedish berries
K is for kids: Hope so, preferably 2, maybe 3 even
L is for living arrangements: Flat, partly at my own and partly at my boyfriend's
M is for your mother's name: Elisabet
N is for name of your crush: Peter, but I think he knows it :)
O is for overnight hospital stays: When I was born (of course), when I was 1 or 2 and operated my eye, when I was 3-4 and had croup, and when I had appendicitis in the summer of 1996 while I was living in the US
P is for phobias: None really but I don't like the slimey bugs that sometimes appear in my bathroom
Q is for quotes you like: Carpe Diem (boring, I know, but it's true)
R is for relationship that lasted the longest: Former American boyfriend but I'm hoping my current one will overtake by far!
S is for sartorial style: Usually dressy trousers or skirt and a nice top or a jacket for work, and jeans or skirt at the weekend
T is for time you wake up: 7 am (weekends around 9-10 am)
U is for underwear: Once I didn't
V is for vegetables you love: Broccoli (British kids would say chips)
W is for weekend plans: Celebrating a friend's 30th, going to a X-mas market, eating an early X-mas buffet
X is for x-rays you've had: Some at dental appointments and once or twice otherwise
Y is for yummy food you make: Enchiladas, different pasta sauces, salad dressing
Z is for zodiac sign: Aquarius but I don't believe in it

Swedish bonus letters:
Å är åt dem du vill skicka listan vidare till / Who you want to send the list to: Anyone can "steal" it but tell me so I can read your lists!
Ä är för älsklingstrend / Trend you love: Blogging
Ö är för en önskan just nu / A wish right now: If I tell you it won't come true!

Citizens of Different Value

With the Democrats having regained power in (what it looks like now) both houses, hopefully they will reverse this decision: the Bush administration has decided that children born in the US to illegal immigrants with low incomes will no longer automatically be entitled to state (Medicaid) health insurance. This is despite the fact that they are Americans citizens. Previously these children have had access to health care during their first year of life - a time when it is especially important with check-ups and vaccinations - and their mothers have been entitled to Medicaid during labour and delivery. Now parents will have to prove the child's citizenship (that it is born in the US) before getting access to health care, which can take some time - weeks or months - with applications and documentation, etc. Parents, being illegal immigrants, may be afraid to go through this process because of fear of deportation.

Listed

Following the lead of Skolfröken...

Three names I listen to: Koheden, Ans, sötnos

Something I like about myself: I'm very tolerant
Something I don't like about myself: I'm sometimes too nice and avoid bringing up an issue even though I should; I let people get away with stuf

I'm afraid of: Dying young

Three things I want to have every day: TLC, Internet access and food
Three things I absolutely can't do: Be quiet, roll my tongue, draw/paint
I like to do: Buy books, take long walks, travel, dine

Right now I want to: Go to sleep

Best feeling: Happiness
Worst feeling: Being deserted

My partner is: Kind and unselfish, funny and indecisive

Three things I want to do before I die: Have children, visit all continents, experience the world community reversing climate change

My dearest possession: The bracelet I received when I was christened
Something I want as a present: iPod

What I wearing right now: Jeans, red sweater
Favourite clothes: Jeans, skirts, my boots

Star sign: Aquirius but don't believe in astrology

Favourite smell: Spring, freshly baked buns, my boyfriend

Colour of my eyes: Blue
My lenght: 168 cm

Favourite quote: It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried - Sir Winston Churchill

Weird/odd characteristic: Remember stupid facts

European, Swede, World Citizen

Feelings of 'Europeanness' are apparently on the rise, according to a new study published in the journal Science. Despite gloomy analyses over the EU's failure to connect to its citizens, Europe's younger generations are increasingly feeling "European" next to their national identities.

A team of Austrian sociologists found that older generations of citizens who only feel attachment to their nation – not to "Europe" - are dying out. The sociologists based their findings on European Commission's Eurobarometer studies from 1996 to 2004, which contain the question whether respondents feel, for example, only Swedish; Swedish and European; European and Swedish; or only European.

The group of respondents who express that they have "multiple identities" is on the rise, i.e. European identity is not replacing national identity. In 2004, 58 percent had some sense of feeling European, a number which is set to rise to 68.5 percent by 2030 if the current trend continues. Luxembourgers are the most "European" with 78 % feeling some sort of European identity. The Italians came second at 72 %, followed by the French (68 %) and the Spanish (64 %) while Swedes (45 %), Finns (43 %) and Brits (40 %) are at the other ends of the spectrum.

The study thinks that increasing media reporting at the European level, increasing mobility within the EU - across national borders - both among students and workers, and the fact that we live in the information communication age are factors contributing to Europeanness.

The study covers neither the period following the rejection of the EU constitutions in France and Netherlands nor the enlarged union of 25 member states, so we'll have to wait for new studies to find out what the present mood is. Being the ever European I think we'll have even better figures in the next study!

If you want a taste of European politics, play the "Be a MEP" game!

More Climate Change

Continuing on the same theme (picking up where I left a few weeks ago), several estimates of the cost of environmental destruction have been published. Turns out climate change may become more expensive than expected. According to a British study published on Monday, the Stern review, the world economy may shrink by 20 per cent. The cost for Sweden may be several billion SEK.

The Swedish government has launched a few studies to find out what needs to be done to decrease emissions and cope with the effects of climate change as well as estimate some of the costs. An initial report from one of the inquiries into the effects of climate change was published today. Tom Hedlund, principal secretary of the inquiry, predicts that global warming will increase rain and snow falls, which will threaten the waterways and coastal areas. Warmer weather will have an effect on agriculture and forestry.

So what can the individual citizen do? S/he does not need to stop driving but must look at what kind of car to drive and as soon as possible change to environmentally friendly fuel. Citizens should also demand that politicians increase access to and benefit green fuel in different ways. The individual can also look at trying to save energy at home, maybe by changing the old oil burner to a more environmentally friendly alternative.

At the global level it is about putting in extensive measures against the reasons for the climate changes, which foremost depends on the emissions of greenhouse gases. The new Swedish environment minister wants Sweden to be active and lead the global work in this area. He's planning a environment ministerial meeting in Sweden in June next year. One problem to solve is how to deal with the fast-growing economies, such as India, China and Brazil, which will be responsibnle for the biggest emissions in just a few years' time. Another problem is the USA.

I'm not expecting too much from the new Swedish government - in their election campaign the main coalition party downplayed the climate threat - but I'm hoping that these recent and forthcoming reports will give them the right push.

The Ecological Clock

Three days ago, on 9 October, it was the Day of the Ecological Debt. For 20 years, the British organisation New Economics Foundation has kept count of our consumption of natural resources and every year they select an "overshoot day", on which we start overdrawing our natural supplies. What is scary is that this day enter earlier and earlier every year. In 1987 it was on 19 December; in 1995 21 November; but today, 2006, it was 9 October.

The ecological debt keeps on ticking, year after year. From 9 October we are living beyond the earth's means. Humanity has already consumed its quota of resources that can be renewed during this year, and we're draining on the ecological capital, and on the future of our children and children's children. To put it differently, it takes a year and three months to re-create what we have already consumed during the year. What's worse is that it is those who are least responsible for the consumption who suffer the most.