Wednesday, June 10, 2009

More, more, more

There are hundreds, thousands, maybe tens of thousands of blogs out there in NEPA, or being done by people from NEPA. Just click on any of the blogs on the sidebar and you'll probably find a list of links to other local blogs. I found these through a Google search with almost no effort at all.

My Beer Buzz
OLD SITE: http://mybeerbuzz.blogspot.com/
NEW SITE: http://mybeerbuzz.com/
So what is mybeerbuzz.com?
Welcome to mybeerbuzz.com...the home of Northeastern Pennsylvania's craft beer scene. On this site you will find the latest, most up-to-date tap lists for all of our participating local beer bars & micro-breweries, and the newest cases at our local craft beer distributors. You can post comments, beer sightings, tap lists, upcoming events, new bottles, festivals, and even coming soon on tap lists. This list is open to bar owners, craft beer distributors, bartenders and even mybeerbuzz reporters (more details above).


Republican in NEPA
http://republicaninnepa.blogspot.com/
And I am African American....
Okay, this is the first of my musings of being in NEPA, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Republican, Female and Black....Who would have thought I existied...Well, it is a lonely life here...


We Talk NEPA
http://wetalknepa.blogspot.com/

NEPA Twilight Moms
http://nepatwilightmoms.blogspot.com/
This blog is a place for NEPA (Northeastern Pennsylvania) TwilightMoms to keep track of all the latest happenings in the world of The Twilght Saga. Information is gathered from some of the biggest, most popular Twilight sites, including but not limited to: TwilightMoms, Twilight Lexicon, His Golden Eyes and Twilight Guide for us to enjoy and discuss. I am in no way taking credit for this news.

NEPA Harvest
http://www.nepaharvest.org/
NEPA Harvest is an online community portal aimed at cultivating an understanding and participation in socially responsible community supported agriculture, for the sustainability of the Northeastern Pennsylvania's environment and economy.

Blackout Design Blog
http://www.blackout-design.com/blog/

The Twitterholic.com Top 100 Twitterholics based on Followers in NEPA
http://twitterholic.com/top100/followers/bylocation/NEPA/

blogcatalog: NEPA
https://www.blogcatalog.com/blogsearch/nepa/

myNEPA.info
http://www.mynepa.info/
myNEPA is NEPA's online community, an information gateway to Northeastern Pennsylvania. On myNEPA, you can find information about area businesses, community events, entertainment, weather, sports, news, history, photos, contests and more added every week. Create a profile to save your information.

Scranton and NePa blog index
http://www.inpa.com/blog/blogscr.htm

Grateful Roast
http://gratefulroast.com/nanticoke-cafe/blog/
Thanks for visiting Grateful Roast. NEPA’s Source for the worlds best fresh roasted coffee. Have a look around and learn a bit about who we are. We offer great wholesale rates too, so if you’d like to serve the best tasting coffee around, be sure to contact us with the inquiry. Also check the store.. great coffee abound!

Cada Momento
http://cada-momento.com/
My name is Karyn. I was born in a small town in NEPA. I was raised Mormon, with both parents, a brother who is pretty much dead to me for various reasons, and a baby sister whom I hated the first half of her life, now I absolutely adore. I love dogs and cats. I had cockier spaniels growing up and I adore them. I want a bulldog or a pit now. My favorite color is purple, hence my pledge name of ‘Purple People Eater’. I am a member of a Greek organization. Alpha Sigma Tau. You can find me various places.

Matt Artz.org
http://www.mattartz.org/
The Personal Blog of Matt Artz

InterAction
http://metroaction.org/blog/
MetroAction’s small business blog, InterAction, is NEPA’s most comprehensive online learning resource for small businesses. If there’s news that benefits NEPA small businesses we will talk about it here.

Wand'ring Thru Wayne & Pike County PA
http://pikewaynepablog.com/
Trying to get a new real estate blog off the ground and running is sometimes a slow process. I’ve had my ActiveRain real estate blog going for some time and have seen success, but I rarely get consumer comments (I think a lot of folks think you have to be a real estate agent to comment).

So I launched PikeWaynePAblog.com as an “independent blog” or, an “outside blog” as fellow ActiveRainer’s call it. Hopefully this will make consumers feel more comfortable commenting here or asking questions. The content on both blogs will be basically the same; though the ActiveRain blog may be a summary of what is posted here.

IndependentNEPA
http://independentnepa.com/
Since our start in 2005, we have been committed to developing a trusting relationship with our readers and independent business owners.

Our mission is simple: To be a being a creative catalyst for cultural change by promoting independent businesses and independent minds.


And let's not forget Andy Palumbo!
http://www.andypalumbo.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Writing workshop for teens

Erin Delaney (of Take A Hike, Living in Sections, and The Duped Scholar) will be running a writing (and publishing!) workshop for teens this summer. There are still a few spots available. From the announcement post on Living in Sections:

DIY: On Assignment
A Summer Writing Workshop for Teens
July 13 - 17th, 9 a.m. - noon
at Paper Kite Press Studio & Gallery
443 Main Street • Kingston, PA
http://wordpainting.com/

Got a lot of writing ideas, but can't find a place to publish? Why not cook up a scheme to put together your own underground publication! During this one week workshop, students will develop the creative journalism elements that it takes to create and publish a DIY Zine. Students will write mastheads, construct entertaining feature stories, and conduct their own interviews while tapping into their creative side with artistic layouts and collage.

Cost for the week is $150 and includes supplies.
Registration in advance is a must.
Call 570-328-8658 for details, or email us at
wordpainting@comcast.net

About the Instructor

Erin Delaney is a
Weekender Columnist, a Luzerne County Community College English Instructor, and an avid hiker and traveler. She has also been published by Poems Against War, Poetry-in-Transit, and has performed her work all over the Wyoming Valley and at various NYC venues. Her human interest journalism can be seen in The Philadelphia City Paper, The Diamond City/Electric City, as well as various cities via the national network of Woman's Newspapers and online at her website: http://erindelaney.blogspot.com/. She is currently preparing to cook dinner indoors without burning the bottom of the pan.

Monday, June 08, 2009

The Dead

NEPA Blogs bids a sad farewell to these sites. Every one of them was a product of someone's efforts, someone's passion, but now they are gone. Each one's passing is a loss to the blogosphere.

From Crystal Club Soda to Gertrude Hawk Chocolate - DEAD
Ignorance Is Bliss - DEAD
My Little Black Cloud - DEAD
NEPA Exposed - spammed, no longer active
NEPALibWatch - DEAD
Scranton-at-Large - DEAD
Stop the Supply Sider Insanity - DEAD
stopnepacorruption.org - DEAD
Tax and Small Business Forum - DEAD
Voice of the People, USA - DEAD
W-B Citizens On Line - DEAD
Wilkes-Barre Politics - DEAD

NEPA Bloggers links: the review

I've gone through the complete list of NEPA Bloggers from the sidebar - "complete" as far as the sidebar goes; there are some that have been mentioned in blog posts that I never added to the sidebar. I'll check those out, too.

Some of these are just archives. Some are websites that do not feature continuously updated feeds. Some have been inactive for a while. Some are dead, no longer in existence, or cybersquatted into oblivion.

The dead will be removed. Everything else will be added to the new list, though the archives and websites without feeds will automatically go to the bottom. The inactive sites will fall to the bottom, too, though that will change whenever they are updated.

Here's the list:

#1: The complete archives of the original NEPA Blog - archive
A Pennsylvania Burkean - last updated March 16, 2008
Adventures of the Card Lady - active
Another Monkey - linked
Author: David Yonki - last updated January 31, 2008
Beale's Bites - linked
Ben Folds Laundry - MySpace site, last updayed 2006
Big Dan's Big Blog - linked
Bringing the Majority to Luzerne County - last updated January 6, 2008
Coal Region Voice - linked
ComedyWipes.com (formerly Baldwin Brothers) - last updated May 28, 2008
Coming Back to Life (formerly Small Town Stacey) - linked
Computer Wise TV Blog - linked
Cultural Council of Luzerne County - last updated June 21, 2008
Daily Dose o' Donna - active
Dallas, Pennsylvania (The Other Dallas) - linked
Dining in and around Northeastern Pennsylvania - last updated July 10, 2008
Doherty Deceit - active
Dr. Glenn Czulada, Chiropractor - linked
Dr. Tara's Thoughts & Ideas, etc. ... - last updated July 29, 2007
Fading Ad Blog: NEPA - active
From Crystal Club Soda to Gertrude Hawk Chocolate - DEAD
GayNEPA.com - linked
Gort42 - linked
hints, allegations, and things left unsaid - last updated August 23, 2008
History's Shadow - last updated August 16, 2006
Ignorance Is Bliss - DEAD
J-Scranton - linked
JasonGaylord.com - active (linked?)
Jennifer D. Wade Journal - linked
John Cole Cartoons - linked
k8 - MySpace; active
Kelly Gibbons: artist and writer - linked
Kevin Blasi, Mortgage Specialist - last post Feb. 5, 2008
LanceStange.com - active
Late Night Meanderings - last post Jan. 5, 2008
Life's A Dance You Learn As You Go - linked
Living in Sections (formerly Tales of a Hopemonger) - linked
Local Values - last updated Nov. 6, 2008
Luzerne County Courhouse News - last updated March 27, 2009
mhryvnak.net/blog/ - linked
My Little Black Cloud - DEAD
Nanticoke News - archive site
NEPA Exposed - spammed, no longer active
NEPA Power! (Professionals Organized and Working to Enrich the Region) - active
NEPA Runner - active
NEPALibWatch - DEAD
Northeast PA media news and gossip - last updated November 7, 2008
Northeast Pennsylvania Center for Independent Living - linked
Northeastern PA Mortgages Blog - active (linked?)
Not Cease from Exploration - linked
Not Quite Grown-Up - linked
OfficeTally - linked
Old Forge Class of 1976 Blog - linked
Old Forge Pizza Blog - last updated Dec. 1, 2008
PA on the Go Weblog - active
People Against Wilkes-Barre Security Cameras - one post, 2005
People Say Stupid Things - last post May 24, 2007
Poconos/I-80 East Haunts & History - active at http://hauntsandhistory.blogspot.com/
Political Rants - linked
Politics in Northeast Pennsylvania - active
PostRanger.com - active
Publicity Photos - active, linked
QAZSE, a poetry blog from Dallas - active
Return to the NEPA Blogs main page
Rochelle (Currently "Friends-only" MySpace site)
Rock the Hyphen - last updated March 12, 2008
SACRED HEART WILKES-BARRE FOUNDATION INC. - website
Scootin' Da Valley - linked
Scranton-at-Large - DEAD
Shadow's Reach - active
Shakin' The Tree - last updated Dec. 7, 2006
Slides and Slippers - active at http://www.cdscreative.com/blog/
Starting a New Medical School - active (linked?)
Stop the Supply Sider Insanity - DEAD
stopnepacorruption.org - DEAD
Surf Scranton - last updated 2/2/08
Surveying, Mapping, and GIS - active (linked)
Susquehanna River Sentinel - active, but no RSS feed!
Tax and Small Business Forum - DEAD
That's How I See It - last updated Nov. 5, 2008
The American Check-Up - last updated Dec. 4, 2008
The Angry Republican - last updated June 6, 2008
The Borys Blog - active (linked?)
The Duped Scholar - active
The Independent, Conservative, Common Sense Oasis - active
The Lady Speaks (new site) - updated March 15, 2009
The Lady Speaks (old site) - archive
The Lu Lac Political Letter - active (linked?)
The Old Cat Lady Speaks - active
The Rockin' Traddy - active (linked?)
Things At King's - linked
twisp.com - updated January 16, 2009
Vince Sweeney's Blog - active (linked)
Voice of the People, USA - DEAD
W-B Citizens On Line - DEAD
Watermelon Punch - last updated July 21,2008
webster107 - linked
Welcome to Trail Creek Properties, Inc. Luzerne, PA - website
West Side Republican - last updated January 24, 2008
Wilkes-Barre High Schools - last updated April 15, 2008
Wilkes-Barre Online - archive; linked and updating at http://mcour.blogspot.com/
Wilkes-Barre Political Scene - active
Wilkes-Barre Politics - DEAD
Wyoming Valley Photos - updated January 6, 2009

New look, new functionality

I have revised the template for NEPA Blogs from Minima to Minima Stretch. Which means that it now looks pretty much the same, but wider. If anyone has any suggestions for more interesting (but functional) templates, please let me know!

I'm also copying over all of the blog links (the non-dead ones) into the "NEPA Bloggers Updates" section on the sidebar. This list will constantly re-order itself with the most recently updated blogs at the top. It will also list the name and date of the most recent post.

I was thinking of not including inactive blogs - those that have not been updated in six months or longer - but I think I will. You never know when, for example, Beale's Bites might start posting again!

Friday, June 05, 2009

Two new blogs: NoFreeWind and Take A Hike

Two new blogs, relayed by the bloggers through the comments on the previous post:

NoFreeWind - Blogging The Heavy Price We Pay For Windpower (http://nofreewind.blogspot.com/)

From this introductory post (actually, the third post on the blog):

Did you think the wind was free? I don't think so. Let's start at the start, because frankly this question is a game of numbers and common sense and observation.

I live and work in Lackawanna County(PA) on the edge of the Poconos in Northeastern Pennsylvania. There are 209,000 people living in 86,218 households. How many wind turbines do we need to meet the needs of Lackawanna County residents? We are gong to start at the start and let's consider the number based on numbers supplied by a local wind farm.

And then we have Take A Hike (http://hiketaker.blogspot.com/)

From the introductory post:

Instead, I want to trek my great homestate of PA. We've got great trails in our state parks. I've been hiking them for most of my adult life but now that I'm hiking them with a full pack, getting dirty and gritty, and seeing PA from ground to mountaintop, I wanna tell you all about it. I'll give you some info on the local nature, hiking and backpacking, and give you the low down on my experiences here on PA trails. Look for my hiking zine (called "Take a Hike," which will be out soon) as a supplement to this blog.

Perhaps our next NEPA Bloggers' get-together could consist of a hike to one of the local wind farms! It would be a change of pace from the usual beer, cigarettes, and nachos!