Bloggasm

You can find Norwegianity over here.

Geoff Winston Smith: First I would like to say that I am a part-time blogger for my friend Mark Gisleson who actually runs Norwegianity. I am interested in Russian music and culture and try to bring to the average American info that is not normally available. It’s a hard job but someone needs to do it I also believe we need more input from people who are multilingual and multicultural. Somebody has to read the the foreign press and blogs and transmit this to the rest of the country because that is where the real information is these days. I am sort of a dork who is in medicine and periodically visits Russia since 1975.

Simon Owens: As it becomes easier and easier for people to start up their own blogs, more and more political blogs are springing up left and right. What is it that you bring to the table that makes your political views well-informed and unique?

GWS: I think our blog combines a mix of Left/Democrat Midwest US commentary from Mark and my Russian/Central Asian perspective.We both believe that a global blog has to have a wide variety of sources to be interesting to its readers. We also want to show the outside world that Americans are not necessarily oblivious to the world.

SO: Is there a specific realm of politics that you’re most interested in?

GWS: I have come to believe that the U.S. and Russia are on parallel tracks of self destruction witnessed by the war in Chechnya and now the Iraq war.Both are societies where internal contradictions ie. economic and social are ripping things apart. Russia is slightly ahead but but George Bush is rapidly accelerating the process in the U.S. I am just trying to document the process.

SO: Do you feel that liberal blogs are gaining a lot more ground than conservative blogs? How do you think blogs affect actual politics?

GWS: I would like to think liberal blogs are ahead. I am not an enemy of conservatives per say. But truth will trump belief in the long run. Hopefully Liberals are closer to truth and will be more respected.

SO: What are the five blogs everyone should be reading (besides your own)?

GWS: 1. Informed Comment.
2. truthout.org
3. counterpunch
4. Media Matters.
5. armscontrolwonk.