A blue-red mess

In a few days, we will have elections in Sweden. Today I am going to the polling station in the library to make sure that my civic obligations are fulfilled. We live in a democracy, and it is worth defending. I sometimes go by subway, and the photo below is so representative of the situation in Sweden right now. You either vote red, or you vote blue. Balance-of-power roles in politics are dangerous for democracy.

In the countryside, the election campaign is underway, but I cannot vote there. I can only note that the current municipal policy has decided to turn off the little lighting that was on the roads. The countryside became even more the countryside. The stars certainly shine even brighter when I walk Molly in the evening. I can always find the Big Dipper/The Plough, and sometimes Orion’s belt is very clearly visible.

I already like Nepal so much. I get upset when this humanitarian disaster is overlooked in the news. Nepal is a rich country with beautiful landscapes, but some people live in simple conditions and have been hit very hard by the floods.

I now have a tourist visa for Nepal and Sri Lanka. But India is still not ready. There, I had to choose a religion, and it was “Christian”! I like all religions. I am waiting for a response from the Indian embassy on how to fill out the form. I will probably travel to India by bus. Not by boat or plane.

I am preparing for lots of photos on the trip to Kathmandu. Should I bring my digital camera? My mobile phone takes better pictures now compared with my camera. However, it feels so good to hold a real camera because it clicks when I take a picture. A Western dilemma.