The Pakistani Spectator

Would you please tell us something about you and your site?

My name is Edwin and my blog is called “Texas Hill Country“.

I am a former Foreign Policy Analyst for a “think tank” in Washington, DC, but left that line of work and am now working in finance. I currently reside in Texas with my amazing wife and tremendously large but lovable dog.

I have lived in several countries, and even more states, so I have a pretty unique perspective on the world. I also love talking to people, so I learned to speak 3 languages decently (English, Spanish, Russian) but can fake my way through a couple more (Italian, German, Japanese, Portuguese).

 

Do you feel that you continue to grow in your writing the longer you write? Why is that important to you?
Of course. I think writing is a practiced skill. The more you do it, the better you get. It is inherent to the activity. I find that very important because communication is essential. There are very few things in life that are more important than being able to express your ideas clearly, concisely and effectively. It is the key to getting what you want out of life in many ways.

 

I’m wondering what some of your memorable experiences are with blogging?
This may sound odd, but I try to make every experience memorable. I remember the first time I broke 1,000 hits in a day and then 10,000 hits… I remember when one of my favorite bloggers quoted me for the first time… I remember when I “broke” my first story and it spread around to several different blogs… and I even remember my first post.

I put lots of work into my blog and it is a very important part of my life. If it weren’t memorable, I wouldn’t do it anymore.

 

What do you do in order to keep up your communication with other bloggers?

Well, there are several things that I do. I try to visit most of the blogs I like at least every other day and drop a comment or two on each. I have a few email addresses and we talk sometimes, but that is pretty rare. I am also a moderator of a discussion board, www.capitalhillforum.com, that has several fantastic bloggers as members, in addition to hundreds of fantastic individuals. We have lots of lively discussions on there.

 

What do you think is the most exciting or most innovative use of technology in politics right now?
I would have to say that the most exciting is the explosion of blogging as a true political force. Blogs have become very interesting and have also become a testing ground for lots of stories that bubble up to the mainstream media. They have become sort of a litmus test for the network news shows. If a particular story gets an immense amount of attention on the blogs, then the media picks up on it pretty quickly. Many of these shows rely quite heavily the blogs now, and there are even special reports on what is happening in the “blogosphere” emerging on quite a few media outlets.

The integration of fundraising into the blogosphere within this last election cycle is the thing that has elevated the blogosphere to unprecidented proportions. Barack Obama capitalized on this the most effectively, but Hillary Clinton was not too far behind.

The combination of being able to express your opinion and attach your money to that opinion more directly through blog generated fundraising is an incredibly powerful tool… and is something I look forward to watching develop in the future.

 

Do you think that these new technologies are effective in making people more responsive?
Depends on who you are defining as “people.” I am guessing that you mean politicians, and I would have to say… maybe. I honestly think that the new technologies both excite and scare the hell out of the politicians.

On the one hand, it allows for an amazing array of new tools to get your message across and the ability to raise ridiculous amounts of money.

On the other hand, it means that anyone that hears a tidbit of information can broadcast it to the world or that anyone with a $100 digital videocamera or cellphone can beam that image to millions of people within the hour, and there is no control over what information or images get out anymore. They have to be PERFECT at all times. For example, if a politician is tired and feeling a bit hassled by someone in some small town somewhere and are a bit short with them, BOOM, 3 hours laters some cellphone video that got posted on youtube has 1 million hits showing them being rude to a voter.

Now, the real question is… does that make the politicians more responsive to what voters want? No, at least not yet. I don’t think the phenomenon has been around long enough to have a political party have the “blogosphere” turn on them. It is starting to happen to Barack Obama right now to a certain extent, but they are desperately trying to combat it to keep it from being a problem. The first time that really happens, then maybe, but not yet.

 

What do you think sets Your site apart from others?

I work pretty hard to keep it fresh and topical. I typically have 2-3 new postings a night, usually a couple of news pieces and a more well thought out opinion or analytic piece. It takes a lot of time and effort, but I feel a responsibility to the people that take the time out of their day to see what I have to say. There is nothing worse than going to a blog that has not been updated and the news is a month old, especially in this political season where the news is changing nearly by the hour. I don’t want to disappoint.

 

If you could choose one characteristic you have that brought you success in life, what would it be?
Loving life and all it’s possibilities. Life is such a wonderful adventure, and with all the hardships, there are also immense joys. People, places, foods, experiences, sights, sounds, feelings… there are incredibly fascinating and interesting aspects to absolutely everything that we see and do. I just try to notice, and to be open to experiencing new things all the time.

 

What was the happiest and gloomiest moment of your life?

The happiest moment of my life was my wedding. She is an amazing woman and I am happy she puts up with me! As far as the worst… I would have to say any time I lose a loved one or family member. I am not a big fan of funerals lets just say.

 

If you could pick a travel destination, anywhere in the world, with no worries about how it’s paid for - what would your top 3 choices be?
I have been quite lucky in my life because I have travelled quite a bit, so my top 3 are atypical for your average American… but here you go!

In no particular order…

1. Petra (or Al-Batra in Arabic) in Jordan. There are palaces and monastaries carved into the walls of a canyon or valley that are just amazingly beautiful.

2. The Shalimar Gardens and Fort Lahore in Pakistan. I am going to guess that you all know more about them than I do, so I won’t explain!

3. Angkor Wat in Cambodia. It is a very old southeast asian palace in the middle of the jungle. It looks amazing on television, I can’t imagine what it looks like in person.

 

What is your favorite book and why?
Well, that is a hard question to answer.

If you mean non-fiction, this is going to sound completely nerdy, but I would have to say On War - By Carl Von Clausewitz. It was one of the first and most important books on modern international politics and war that integrated war, economics and politics into an interactive framework. It is just brilliant.

For non-fiction, a book called Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett would be at the top of my list. It is about passion for your work, love for your family, politics, intrigue, economics, war, history, and the evolution of these things over successive generations. It really is an amazing book.

 

What’s the first thing you notice about a person (whether you know them or not)?
I would have to give the standard “how they carry themselves” answer. There is a great deal of information given by body language. If you watch how a person walks, moves, holds themselves and physically interacts with the world, you can usually get a pretty good idea of what a person is like personality-wise.

 

Is there anyone from your past that once told you you couldn’t write?
One of my professors in law school. I had a hard time with her because what she wanted out of me was very different from my natural writing style.

 

How bloggers can benefit from blogs financially?
It is generally pretty difficult unless you start getting hundreds of thousands of hits or more a day, then advertizing revenue would start to be a significant source of income. It’s no different from any media outlet, really. Regardless, this is pretty rare, so we don’t do it because we want to make money, we do it because we have something to say.

 

Is it true that who has a successful blog has an awful lot of time on their hands?

I would say that quite the opposite is true. Blogging takes up a great deal of time and mental energy. But, it lets me rant and rave about politics all I want, and gives my wife a break from having to hear about it all the time!

 

What role can bloggers of the world play to make this world more friendlier and less hostile?
By opening up lines of communication. The more we get to know eachother, the more we understand one another. Communication is essential.

 

Who are your top five favourite bloggers?
There are so many great ones out there, so that is hard to say. There are the big ones like Larry Johnson at No Quarter and Riverdaughter at the Confluence, but I tend to prefer some of the not massive blogs. Mountain Sage would have to be in that list for sure as she has wonderfully insightful posts. Charles Lemos of By The Fault is just brilliant, plain and simple. Robbedvoter at Not Your Sweetie is always on top of everything and always has the lastest bead on every news story. GRL at Insight Analytical writes some fantastic pieces. And last but certainly not least, I would have to say Joseph Cannon at Cannonfire whose brilliant snark prose always slices to the heart of every subject.

 

Is there one observation or column or post that has gotten the most powerful reaction from people?
I would have to say that the strongest emotional reaction I get is always from a post that explains my current political stance. I explained the events that lead me to my current opinions and was surprised to get so many well thought out and interesting stories from others with striking similarity. I was also surprised by the amount of virulent hatemail I got because of it too, most of which I decided was not fit for publishing.

 

What is your perception about Pakistan and its people?
I have the utmost respect for the Pakistani people. I have had travelling experience in the region, but have not had a chance to do any travelling inside Pakistan. I also have a number of Pakistani friends here in the United States and have had many very interesting discussions about the country, it’s history and it’s very interesting political scene.

 

Have you ever become stunned by the uniqueness of any blogger?

I find the uniqueness of every blogger interesting, but it is pretty hard to stun me though. Usually, that only comes when a particular blogger is delusional in that even when they are presented with factual information, they still spout off with the crazy talk.

Now that I think of it… that happens more than it should, lol.

 

What is the most striking difference between a developed country and a developing country?
Well, the obvious answer is standard of living, but on a base level there is very little difference. People are people… no matter where you go. We all want the same things… to love our families, take care of the people we love, and to have a meaningful life.

 

What is the future of blogging?
I think blogging is going to become more organized as the networks between people grow and with this organization will come increased influence in mainstream culture.

 

You have also got a blogging life, how has it directly affected both your personal and professional life?
My wife is actually happy about my blogging. She thinks it’s great I do something that I am so passionate about. And professionally, it has had no impact thus far except to put me in a generally better mood, and with that increased positivity comes more effective work.

 

What are your future plans?
To keep learning, listening and talking.

 

Any Message you want to give to the readers of The Pakistani Spectator?
Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read about me. I find that incredibly humbling. I hope that I have not been too long winded or boring! Also, please come and visit my blog. I would love to hear from you and have you tell me what you think!

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