Norton is back

Our old friend Norton The Blogger has started a new sight after going underground after his outstanding coverage of the 2006 race in the PA 20th Senatorial District. Buzz the intern is part of the new sight but no word yet if Mark Felt, Yuri Andropov and Alexander Haig will be doing his research.


The new effort is:

OneVoteCounts

His old sight, 20th Senatorial, is still out there and just for shits and giggles you may want to read this post about the argument Russ Bigus and Dave Medeira had over who had killed the most animals in their lives. It's one of my favorites:


Bigus and Madeira to Duel

Upcoming Events in Wyalusing

Festivals-

North Branch Arts Festival and Art Trail- Most events occur all day Saturday, October 11 on Main Street in Wyalusing, PA, however art trail and other activities go Friday through Sunday on Columbus Day weekend between Wilkes-Barre and Mansfield and nearby towns- following US RTE 6 and the Susquehanna River. The weekend features 27 venues- galleries, museums and art studio openings throughout the region.

Arts and crafts fill Wyalusing's Main Street on Saturday with an amazing line up of FREE entertainment including local singers, regional dance troupes, puppeteers, classical guitarists, folk music, gypsy jazz, pop rock, blues and swing. Barbeque Chicken served all day along with many other delicious treats. Pumpkin painting contest and pie contest too!

Applications are now available for artists and crafts vendors. For information and to view the exciting schedule visit www.wyalusing.net or 746-4922.


Spirit-

Honoring the Susquehanna River Spirits- A celebration, and creative rejuvenation ceremony to honor the river. This unique event is open to all- on Sunday afternoon (Oct 12) at 5 p.m., at the "River Eddy" on the Tom McCarty property in Sugar Run, PA.

PROGRAM INFO: Contact Joseph at 570.454.6491 or Em: jburinsky@psu.edu for free information about our work. NOTE THAT the work is neither religious nor Pagan, just essential Spirit stuff common to all.

Just down river from Wyalusing. Go through Sugar Run on Rte 187 and bear left after Endless Mountain Outfitters and turn left after the crossing the creek bridge. FREE.


Poetry-

15th Annual Poetry Reading- Follows the River Ceremony at 7 p.m. Bring a folding Chair. In the event of rain- reading to be in Wyalusing at the Masonic Lodge on Church Street. FREE! Interested poets call Brian Keeler- 746-1187 or bkeeler@epix.net


Sports-

6th annual North Branch Triathlon in Wyalusing, PA. Saturday morning, October 11. The event features a 4.5 mi. run, a 4.6 mi. downriver paddle (kayak or canoe) and a 15.3 mi. bike race on mostly flat roads. Early registration is highly recommended to allow for smooth operation of the event.

Registration may be done on line at www.wyalusing.net or stop in the GWCC office (M-F 9 to 4:30) to pick up your form. Greater Wyalusing Chamber of Commerce, 121 Main St, Wyalusing, PA 18853. 570-746-4922 or wchamber@epix.net

More politics

We have a new NEPA political blogger and he has been typing up a storm over the past month.

He signs himself McGruff and I get the idea that Paul Kanjorski doesn't return his phone calls.


Sights on Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is such a great state that I decided to start a blog where issues within its borders can be posted and discussed. I am not a native since I was born in Wilmington, DE. but the rich history of both states is part of my curiosity over the Constitution, the law, and politics. I am a firm believer in the foundation for our Constitution. Readings and writings of our forefathers describe a rich heritage of intuitive insight into the complex discussions that laid the groundwork for this great nation we call the United States of America. I truly believe that the transformation we see today in government was not what George, Thomas, and others envisioned but I am happy that their design has endured the tests put to it over the years. I am somewhat conservative in belief although there are liberal undertones that surface every once in a while. I have learned in my fifty plus years that there are conservative and progressive(hint liberal) issues that face each family on a daily basis. If we get caught up in labels as strictly liberal or conservative I believe we close our eyes to life's pure experiences.

Not politics

590 FOREVER WARM RADIO

An online tribute to the MIGHTY 590, WARM RADIO. A station that all in Northeastern Pennsylvania (WARMland) grew up with.

Harold Says

HaroldSays offers the most comprehensive and positive consumer complaint or issue resolution services available anywhere today and all at no cost and with no obligation to you as the consumer who visits my site. I am "paying it forward," as they say.

Crazy Chris's Woodshed

A site for local country music fans.

It's an election year

So a few new political blogs have popped up.

The Really Pissed Off Republican

A place to blast liberals without using our handguns because we need no more gun control legislation out there.

The Empire of the Mind

The Empire of the Mind is a blog covering politics and news of all varieties. We hope to provide you, every day if all goes according to plan, fresh analysis of the day’s important news by a variety of contributors from diverse backgrounds. Empire’s contributors may be highly opinionated or attempt to be neutral; in any case, we will always try our best to provide insightful and thoughtful analysis. Most of all, we hope you’ll find our shenanigans informative and enjoyable to read. Stop by often and visit, we’ll be here!

Right Wing Wiz Kid

Opinionated, Hard-Hitting Right Wing Conservative News And Observations. If You Are A Left Wing Liberal You WILL Be Offended! If Your Are Looking For Politically Correct Observations, You Won’t Find Them Here. Political Commentary With No Spin, The Kind You Don’t Get From The Mainstream Media. Politics, Congress, Global Warming, Gun Control, The U.S. Military Are Just Some Of The Topics That Will Be Covered. With an Occasional Touch Of Humor To Relieve The Stress.

Pa GOP Insider

Written by former Republican Committeeman Barry O'Connell

Dr. Glenn Czulada, Chiropractor

I've always found small business blogs vastly preferable to business websites that amount to little more than static online ads. A blog is interactive, allowing customers and clients, or potential customers and clients, to interact with the business via its blog and come to a better understanding of who they'll be dealing with.

This one is by Dr. Glenn Czulada, a Scranton area Chiropractor:

http://czchiro.com/

24years of caring for bad backs: Dr.Glenn Czulada, a Scranton area Chiropractor, tells his story

Dr.Glenn Czulada practices Chiropractic in Dunmore, Pa. He uses hands-on techniques called adjustments to assist the body in its' ability to heal itself. Many patients seek his treatment for their spine and joint pain related to muscle spasm, misalignments, sciatica, neck pain, disc herniation, spinal stenosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, back pain, tendonitis and fibromyalgia. He has had experience and excellent results using his treatment approach with thousands of patients.

Even though Dr. Czulada just started this blog three weeks ago at the time of this writing, it is quite well-developed, written in a way that is both personal and specific to Northeastern Pennsylvania. His sidebar contains business information, an interactive map, a slideshow, and a photo of Dr. Czulada holding what at first glance I thought was a banjo. Check it out!


Do you have a blog for your business in Northeastern Pennsylvania? Let us know, and we'll post a link!

Two and Two

Woo hooo. This is my first official post to NEPA Blogs. You can find my official blog here (Warning: it is not always rated "G"). I would like to thank Gort and DB Echo for making me a contributor -- Thanks guys!

Two Upcoming Events/Two New Links:

• Inspired by the Susquehanna - The theme of this year’s competition promotes the power of artistic expression to enhanceawareness and stewardship of the Susquehanna River Watershed. Work does not have to depict the river. Artist must be a resident of PA, NY or MD. Original work must have been created within the past three (3) years. A maximum of three pieces may be submitted and there is a $20 entry fee for each piece of work.
  Work will be accepted in three categories:

1. Painting: Oil, acrylic, watercolors, or mixed media, painted ona two-dimensional surface.
2. Photography: Black & white or color (digital or film) photography.
3. Works on Paper: Prints, drawings, pastels or mixed media on paper.

Selection Juror: ROB EVANS
Rob Evans, artist and curator of the Visions of the Susquehanna exhibition and a Wyoming Valley native, has work displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery, among many others. His work is also repreented in many private collections.
http://www.robevansart.net/

The exhibition will be presented at the Luzerne County Courthouse, which celebrates its centennial in 2009. There will be a gala opening reception on October 10th, and the exhibition will run through October 7th. Submissions must be postmarked no later than August 20th.
A total of $1,100 in awards will be presented in each of the three categories, as well as Best of Show.

Complete instructions and a form which must be submitted by all participating artists are available in the Call for Artists (PDF 548k). The Call for Artists may also be obtained by calling the Cultural Council at 570-408-4439. Please leave your name and complete address.
For additional information, email cclcarts@gmail.com

**The Cultural Council of Luzerne County has been added to the sidebar as well.

---

• Upcoming NEPA Power! Outages Are you a young professional looking to network with other professionals from the region? Then Power! Outages are for you. POWER! (Professionals Organized and Working to Enrich the Region), a progressive thinking professionals network designed to enrich the surrounding region, was created in response to the continual loss of youth in the Northeastern Pennsylvania region. To find out additional information about becoming a member of Power!, please visit http://www.nepapower.com/

***NEPA Power has been added to the sidebar.

4:07 PM Edit: Apparently I don't have the proper access to add links to the sidebar/blogroll. I'll send DB an IM and have him add these, until then, please use the links in the above blog post. Thanks!

More, more, more

I finally sat down and added all - well, most - of the blogs Gort and I have been collecting since the last sidebar update and added them to the sidebar! I also removed dead - which I defined as "not functioning," not simply "not updating" - and cybersquatted blogs to a section at the bottom of the sidebar called "City of the Dead."

Some blogs I didn't add because they appear to have gone dead since Gort or I first mentioned them in a post. One blog, which appears to have been updated quite recently, I didn't add because every time I went there, I was inundated with pop-ups (blocked, of course) to the point that I had to Ctrl-Alt-Delete my way out. This isn't the only blog that hit me with pop-ups, but it's the only one that has affected me so strongly. Maybe I can get a message to the blogger and we can see if there's anything they can do to fix this.

(If I missed your blog and forgot to add it to the sidebar, please let me know.)

I just ran through the Sitemeter to see how people are getting to the site, and I followed a few of their searches back to look for any NEPA Blogs I've managed to miss. Here are a few:

NEPA Miners Football & Entertainment
One for the NEPA Sports Blogs section.

The Borys Blog
From the Scranton Times-Tribune site.
From the first entry: Don't expect a lot of overt opinion or taking sides here. The ground rules remain the same as for the stories I write for the newspapers. Fairness, accuracy, objectivity as much as possible. But there could be a little more of what journalists call, "Fair comment."

Northeastern PA Mortgages Blog by John Topa
I'm always a little uneasy about linking blogs like this. This link does not in any way imply endorsement, any more than links to any of the other blogs on this site imply endorsement of their content. Still, it's written by someone from NEPA, so it fits the NEPA Blogs criteria.

Northeastern PA Sports from Pennlive.com
Well, it hasn't been updated since October 29, 2007, but still... Another one for the Sports section.

JasonGaylord.com
A personal network of sites by an application developer from NEPA. Includes a blog.

PA on the Go Weblog
A weblog connected to the PA on the Go website, which is linked in the Sites About NEPA section.

GayNEPA.com
The old site NEPA Rainbow Alliance blog appears to be dead, but this one is very much alive.


Phew. Now I have to add all of these to the sidebar. If anybody has any others, please let us know!

5 new sites

Stop the Supply Sider Insanity

NEPAExpat

Livermore, CA, United States

One of out of many people forced to leave Northeastern PA due to the nature of local officials incapable or unwilling to make the area a viable economic center once again


The Duped Scholar

or How I Stopped Attending Classes and Began the Great Job Search.

This blog highlights my freelance work in print publications as well as my published and unpublished creative work. Below you can find links to my other blogs as well as websites of interest and websites of friends.


Tax and Small Business Forum

This forum serves as a place for people to get information on business and taxes. Readers can find articles written on various business topics and can ask questions if they need business or tax advice

That's How I See It

A young progressive's take on the issues, politics, and other musings.

Local Values

"Local Values" is a blog that focuses primarily on Pennsylvania politics and public policy. The blog will evaluate and comment on topical events using the principles of: federalism, fiscal conservatism, judicial restraint, and the protection of individual liberties and freedoms.

Linking and Running

From the comments for the previous post:

Shawn said...
Very comprehensive collection of blogs guys. I've added you as a link on our network. Enjoy!

The network Shawn referred to is called Postranger.com. Like NEPA Blogs, it's a link site, designed to increase connectivity on the Internet, among other things - see the introductory post for details. Shawn was originally from Northeastern Pennsylvania, but now is based just to our south in the Lehigh Valley. He gives NEPA Blogs a shout-out here.


Michelle from mhryvnak.net/blog had the best time in her age group in the annual Bernie's Walk in Wilkes-Barre on July 4th. She sent a link to NEPARunner.com, "Promoting Running primarily in the Wyoming Valley and surrounding areas."

If you know of any sites that we should be linking to on NEPA Blogs, please leave a comment or send an e-mail!

Northeast Pennsylvania Center for Independent Living

Northeast Pennsylvania Center for Independent Living
http://nepacil.blogspot.com/

"We want people with disabilities to advocate and socialize toward their independence. Past disability leaders have made great progress on the road to equality by breaking down barriers. We need you to continue what they started. This blog is a step in that direction. We are here to help. Together, we can, and do, make a difference."

From the introductory post by Dan Loftus, Executive Director:

Even a turtle gets nowhere until it sticks its neck out! That's what we're doing with this first ever youth disability blog designed especially for you. We've held consumer advisory meetings, done consumer satisfaction surveys and provide periodic anecdotal information about what it's like to be a person with a disability and the issues we face. Yet, we've never done the 'free form' of blog, or web log. This forum will give you the opportunity to chronicle your views on a variety of subjects which should be disability related. We also ask that you keep it free of profanity and any words or thoughts implying hate. Remember, we don't hate people, we simply hate some of their behavior. And THAT can be changed. We hope that some change is what comes out of this. If you don't want the 'public' to see your commentary but want to share it with me you can reach me directly at dloftus@nepacil.org. So, welcome and remember: together, we can, and do, make a difference.

- Dan Loftus, Executive Director

You can also check out the NEPACIL website at http://www.nepacil.org.

Dining in and around Northeastern Pennsylvania

Dining in and around Northeastern Pennsylvania
http://nepadining.blogspot.com/

A brand new blog, by Michael D. Grier:

We provide you with candid reviews and opinions from our personal dining experiences in and around Northeastern Pennsylvania (sometimes we expand coverage during our travels)... we provide this as a service in order to provide you an alternate view to the dining scene in Scranton / Wilkes Barre. We are born and raised NEPA, and, after eleven years of dining (and working) in North America, Europe, and Asia, we have returned to NEPA to find a dining scene significantly improved from the mid-1990's. Let us be your guide...

Call for pictures and blogs

I was experimenting with seasonal themes for the pictures on NEPA Blogs for a while, but after Winter hung around for nearly two-thirds of a year I decided to take Michelle's suggestion and go with a four-seasons theme - which means I'm going to use pictures from all different times of the year, and try to have at least one for each season if I can help it.

Which really isn't the case with the pictures I have up right now; three of the four that were taken by me were taken within a two week span in October 2005. I'll go through my archives for pictures that feel representative of Northeastern Pennsylvania. If anyone has any pictures that they would like to share, I'll be happy to post them in the sidebar, header, and footer of the site.

And if anyone knows of any sites that should be linked by NEPA Blogs, please let me know! Sadly, the latest addition didn't last very long...

NEPA Media Max

NEPA Media Max
A new uncensored look at the media in North East PA.
Comments and tips? email: nepamediamax@gmail.com
Confidentiality Assured

From the introductory post:

This blog is following in Howard's Beale's footsteps. "Beale's Bites" was the inspiration. However recently, there are no "up to date" sources for NEPA news media gossip, hearsay, rumors and what have you. There are plenty of great news stories and blogs that seem to fall through the cracks. The only place media people had a voice was in the comments of dead blogs.

So today, Howard Beale may be dead, but now "NEPA Media Max" will pick up where he left off.

This blog will be different, because it will be all based on you.

It will not be run like the media. It will be run like any good blog does. Writing all the good gossip and pointing you towards things you might have missed in other blogs, newspaper stories and on TV. Your comments will NOT be moderated.

So don't spend your days fishing for media gossip. Come here and see if someone sent it to me first.

* * *

Sad to say, I never knew who the original "Howard Beale" was until I asked someone in the industry! "Max" is from the same reference.

John Cole Cartoons

Northeastern Pennsylvania has a long tradition of top-notch political cartoonists. The Times-Tribune's John Cole carries on that tradition. He has a blog that not only showcases his cartoons, but also gives background and commentary for them. Check it out!

John Cole Cartoons

Beale's Bites is done

This is old news, nearly two months old, but I guess I haven't been to Beale's Bites since just a few days before the post went up. Sadly, "Howard Beale" has stopped posting. The site is still there, the posts are still there, the comments are still there. But the closure was announced in this post.

...I will not be able to continue Beale's Bites anymore, for the various reasons listed above. I've retired, turned in my press pass, gone to that great newsroom in the sky (where the water cooler always works), whatever you want to call it.

It's too bad. Beale's Bites was one of the first sites I linked to on this site, having stolen the link from John Webster's blog. I always enjoyed the historical posts and the "Where Are They Now?" posts, and even enjoyed the insider's view in some of the more gossipy posts.

But we all have to do what we have to do. Beale's Bites will be missed.

A local writer

Tales of a Hopemonger


I am currently working on a book of essays about my 2006 hike on the Appalachian Trail titled "The Path Ahead." I am an Independent Columnist for the Diamond City/ Electric City, which is a weekend entertainment paper and subsidiary of the Times Shamrock Corporation in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area. I also write for the Woman's Papers, which is a bi-monthly publication. It is part of a national network of educational, informational and resourceful women’s publications. I freelance for the Philadelphia City Paper.

I had the pleasure of meeting Erin about a week ago and now look for her by-line in local media.

Religion

It's fitting on this Easter Sunday to list a site devoted to the Catholic Church.

The Rockin' Traddy


I attend an NO parish somewhere deep in the bowels of the Diocese of Scranton. I find myself waiting for the true Church to emerge from the shadows and dropkick Vatican II and people like Haugen/Haas into the fiery depths. And there will be much rejoicing.

More politics

Covering the Electric City we have Scranton-At-Large


Retired professional journalist Joe Talamini, tired of the managed press, began Scranton-at-Large as an alternative source of news for the Lackawanna-Luzerne County areas. Scranton-at-Large is designed to present a different perspective on news as viewed and read by readers around the area, including, but not limited to, the Scranton-Wilkes Barre communities.


The NEPALibWatch Blog The title tells you what it's about.



A reincarnation of Edmund Burke has appeared in our midst in the form of A Pennsylvania Burkean . He's been busy with his duties in Parliament but promises to update on a regular basis.

One man’s modest attempt to restore republican values to Pennsylvania, the nation at large, and the Republican Party.



The presidency stops here will be another short lived site covering the PA primary.

Wilkes-Barre High Schools

New Blog: Wilkes-Barre High Schools

The current situation concerning the Wilkes-Barre city high schools, may also be a defining moment for the Wilkes-Barre neighborhoods. The idea of consolidating the city schools has been floated around for years, but in the near future it may happen. In my opinion this would be a major mistake and deal another blow to the already declining Wilkes-Barre neighborhoods.

Read more at http://wba10.blogspot.com/

Two more sites about NEPA

By way of an e-mail sent to me:

From Crystal Club Soda to Gertrude Hawk Chocolate
http://crystalclubsoda.com/
From Crystal Club Soda to Gertrude Hawk Chocolate is a tongue-in-cheek look at current events in Scranton Pennsylvania. The site is updated daily, so check back often. If you have a question, comment or complaint, are interested in writing for From Crystal Club Soda to Gertrude Hawk Chocolate, or would like to share your pictures of the Electric City, please send an email to crystalclubsoda@gmail.com


By way of a comment on Gort's site, here is a bulletin board dedicated to...well...read on:

NEPA Exposed
http://nepaexposed.org/
We have had it! The local politicians and people in authority in our area think they're above the law. They think they can shit in our face over and over again and we will just take it time and again. Let's give it right back to these immoral, ruthless aasholes and their cronies. We figured if we created an unlisted, private website where people could login under an alias, without fear of retribution, we could dig up some real dirt on these pigs. They will soon find out there is nobody they can trust.

(Errr, not so sure about that "unlisted" part anymore...)

Sacred Heart

SACRED HEART WILKES-BARRE FOUNDATION INC.


Our Mission


To preserve, maintain and protect the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Wilkes-Barre, PA and its contents, and other religious sites and artifacts of Slovak heritage. Initially, the corporation will fund a major capital improvement project for the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church.


I'm not catholic but this one hits home. I grew up on Madison Street right behind the church and many of my friends attended the grade school. We used to play baseball in the parking lot and later go bowling in the basement of the school. It was quite a scene watching people going into Saturday Mass dressed in bowling shirts. It's a beautiful building but there are fewer parishioners as the years go by to support the church and the building need some major repairs that the Diocese of Scranton is not willing to support. I wonder if any of the recent Hispanic residents of the North End of W-B are attending Mass at Sacred Heart or if it's identity as a bastion of Slovak heritage might discourage them.

Publicity Photos

Publicity Photos is the creative work of Michael S. Taluto of Scranton. You can reveiw his portfolio of work.

SHOOT

From Michelle


Six NEPA photographers give us a personal glimpse through their lenses. Eclectic black and white moods, exotic textures, characters, legs and landscape combine to make a very exciting exhibit of color and light

ARTISTS FEATURED:
Philip A. Dente, Mike Burnside, Nick Ouellette,
Tony Sciandra, Ivana Pavelka, Tom Musto

OTHER FEATURED ARTIST
Sculptor David Green turns alabaster and Marble into abstract
forms with traces of realism and movement.

MEET THE ARTISTS RECEPTION:
Sunday, January 27th, 2 to 5 pm
Music, food and refreshments.

SHOW DATES:
Sunday, January 27th through Saturday, March 22nd

LIZZA STUDIOS
M-F 9 to 5, Sat. 10 to 5
570.836.8806
http://www.lizzafineart.com/

Lizza Fine Art Studios,
155 Bridge Street,
Tunkhannock,PA

Small Town Stacey

From a comment over on this post:

I don't live there anymore, but I was born in Hazleton, raised and educated (I think...lol) in Weatherly, PA. I moved to southern California about 8 years ago when I was 22. I'm actually dying (don't ask why) to come back and stay in historic Jim Thorpe with my Southern California born and raised fiance. He got a kick out of J.T.'s picturesque beauty and so we're going to have to do the hiking/whitewater thing while back. I often write about folks from back home, my family, growing up, the differences between there and where I live now, and my adventures there (though they may only happen once every couple of years and my blog is fairly new). I came across your site through both NEPA blogs and google. Nice to meet a fellow NEPA native! Folks from out here often don't understand my domain name...but I'm sure you will.

Posted by RowdyCowchick to Another Monkey at 1/21/2008 8:45 PM

Her site: http://www.smalltownstacey.com/

SurfScranton.com

And this one was found via the SiteMeter! I noticed that at least one visitor had come to NEPA Blogs by way of http://www.surfscranton.com/ , so I followed the link and had a look at the site.

From the top of the page:

Welcome to SurfScranton! This is the leading online resource for the Scranton, Pennsylvania area. (See map.) Here we list 1436 web sites related to people, entertainment, dining, businesses, activities, organizations, schools, churches, temples, events, etc. in Scranton, PA and the immediate area.

From the bottom:

SurfScranton focuses on people, entertainment, dining, shopping, businesses, activities, organizations, schools, churches, temples, events, etc in the immediate Scranton area
of Northeast Pennsylvania (NEPA). We list sites "up and down the line" including Pittston, Moosic, Duryea, Avoca, Old Forge, Taylor, Scranton, Dunmore, Throop, Olyphant, Jessup, Dickson City, Clarks Summit, Clarks Green, South Abington.

You can read more about the site on its About page.

Slides and Slippers

From the comments to this post:

I have a blog - and have committed to actually contributing to it on a regular basis - more of a clog (column blog). If you'd like to add me to the list I'd appreciate it. Slides and Slippers. It runs off our website http://www.cdscreative.com/

- Tanx!

Catherine Shafer

Goodbye, Pardon My Zinger; hello, Rock the Hyphen!

From the comments to this post:

J. said...

Hey:

After being cybersquatted twice, I've decided to ditch the Blogger format and go to Wordpress. Check my blog out at http://rockthehyphen.wordpress.com/

-former blogger of Pardon My Zinger

(Ed. note: NSFW, or for young children or people with heart conditions.)

Poconos/I-80 East Haunts & History

Received via e-mail:

I'm putting together a site that I hope to make a depository of Pennsylvania ghost tales and legends. NEPA is included in the http://hauntsandhistory.googlepages.com/poconosi-80east section. If you could perhaps get your readers to send me a tale or two - I've already taken 2 or 3 from NEPA blogs, linked backed to the source - I'd appreciate it. Thanks - Ron

For stories from the same source about Pennsylvania in general, be sure to visit Pennsylvania Haunts & History at http://hauntsandhistory.blogspot.com/ .

NEPA corruption.org

NEPA corruption.org

From the introductory post:

Welcome to stop NEPA(north-eastern Pennsylvania) corruption.org This site and movement has been developed due to an overwhelming level of corruption among the elected leaders in North Eastern Pennsylvania. We hope that you will join the movement, check back often, and help us vote these people out of office as soon as humanly possible.

More political blogs

It's election season and as Mark observed a few local political blogs have emerged destined to disappear after the voting in April just like the last couple of elections. I hope a few stick around as I think we need a more diverse local internet debate.

A few people have decided they have something to say:

Ignorance is Bliss is written by Right Winger and Vince Sweeney is annoying him.

Eddy, The Angry Republican is, well, angry.

West Side Republican is hoping that the Luzerne County Republican Party gets it's act together.

Political Rants by Zen says "I am a man that should've started ranting long ago."


LanceStange is another blog with a Republican point of view.

Big Dan's Big Blog links to many news stories and likes the Ramones but is not a fan of Mona Charen.

Dan Meuser Is A Character- A self describe parody site. "Somewhat of a political commentary blog. My way to poke fun at local politicians using badly done photoshop."

Bringing the Majority to Luzerne County

If you need a break from politics there is:

Daily Dose o' Donna Sometimes silly. Sometimes sarcastic. Sometimes sentimental.

Update: Another new political blog is Politics in Northeast Pennsylvania

The return of mhryvnak.net!

After a far-too-long hiatus, the sarcastic and witty insights of mhryvnak.net are back! Just take note: the actual address is http://mhryvnak.net/blog/ .

Check it out, and join me in welcoming one of NEPA's funniest bloggers back to the blogosphere!

Art exhibit for a NEPA Blogger!

Mike Burnside of Late Night Meanderings will be having an exhibition of his photographs at Marquis Art & Frame, 122 South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre, from November 16 through December 29. The exhibition is called "Three On Third" and showcases Mike Burnside's photographs alongside paintings by Allison Maslow and Beverly Jean Johnston. There will be a reception on Friday, November 16 from 5 to 8 PM.

Another blog for "The Office" - and The Office Convention this weekend!

http://www.officetally.com/

Office Tally is described as "THE go-to site for The Office" by one of NEPA's foremost bloggers (soon making her triumphant return to the blogosphere!) And one of its latest posts (as of this writing) is all about The Office Convention, coming up this weekend (October 26-28) in lovely downtown Scranton! While the weather may be typical Scranton Weather - cold, gray, and rainy - the Flaming Foliage is currently at or near peak, so that should be a special treat for visiting Office fans. And they'll get to see quite a bit of it if they decide to slip out to Chili's for lunch. (The closest Chili's is just outside of the Wyoming Valley Mall in Wilkes-Barre Township, some 20 miles from downtown Scranton!)

For more details, see the official website. Also see NEPA Blogger John Webster's blog (he's half of the Daniels & Webster morning team from Rock 107, itself a frequent reference on the show), particularly this entry. Longtime NEPA Blog Life In The Office also has an article on the convention. I hope this is a very positive experience for all involved!

Even yet still more NEPA Blogs

I've hunted down a few more NEPA Blogs. But first, here are two more from the author of QAZSE.com:

• twisp.com (actually located at http://twisp.wordpress.com/) is described as "East-West poetry."
• Baldwin Brothers (http://baldwinbrothers.wordpress.com/) is a humor blog - cartoons, jokes, and the like.

In non-QAZSE blogs:

• I'm not quite sure how I found Spartacus the Monkey, but it took me a while to decipher that it is an honest-to-goodness NEPA Blog.
• Frank H. Jump's Fading Ad Blog isn't exclusively - or even predominantly - about Northeastern Pennsylvania, but it does have a NEPA category which includes almost all of the "fading ads" - giant ads that were once painted on the sides of buildings, like the late lamented Mr. Peanut in Wilkes-Barre - that he has photographed in the NEPA area.
• For those mourning the apparent passing of Northeastern Pennsylvania Media News and Gossip forum, I have found a site that appears to serve a similar function, at least as far as radio is concerned: the Radio-Info.com Northeast Pennsylvania discussion boards.

As always, if you know of any other blogs (or have any other blogs) that belong here, please let us know!

Susquehanna from Tunkhannock

I've replaced the photo at the bottom of the page (the largest space available for a photo) with one submitted from QAZSE.com. The description:

This was taken last November looking south from the bridge across the Susquehanna at Tunkhannock. It depicts that time when the leaves have fallen and the river is anticipating winter.

Here is a clickable version of it. I've scaled it down a bit from its original size due to space limitations.

Image Courtesy of QAZSE.com

Wilkes-Barre Can Survive!

Another new local political blog:

http://thoughtfulinwilkesbarre.wordpress.com/

J-Scranton

Via e-mail:

Just thought I'd drop you a heads up about my blog, J-Scranton. It's a blog dedicated to information of use to journalism students at the University of Scranton. You can find it at:

jscranton.wordpress.com

Regards,
Matt Reavy

Matthew M. Reavy, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Communication
University of Scranton, Scranton PA

http://jscranton.wordpress.com/

City of the Dead

I just did something that's long overdue: I stepped through all of the blogs listed on the sidebar and checked them for signs of life. I wasn't aiming to kill any sites that haven't updated in, say, a year or so, but I was looking for ones that gave "404" or "Page not found" errors, or had obviously been taken over by cybersquatters. I've flagged those sites "(dead site?)" or "(cybersquatted)". If any of these sites belong to you, please take a look into what's happened to them!

A few other notables appear to be on hiatus - which, for me, is the same as saying "this person has stopped posting, I sure hope they aren't dead."

Now I need to round up all of the sites that have been submitted or discovered over the last few months and add them to the sidebar.

Call for photos!

Well, it's not Summer anymore, despite the fact that it was ninety degrees in Nanticoke last Monday, so it's time to revise the pictures on the site to reflect Autumn here in NEPA. If anyone has (or feels like taking) any photos that they would like to have represent NEPA on this site, please send them to me at databoy142 (.a.t.) hotmail (.d.o.t.) com. Please include (if available) a location, description, date, and how you would like to be credited!

Life and politics

THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF HEATHCLIFF is a life blog by someone who uses the handle I am the Walrus.

A new political blogger (my specialty) has popped up. Looking at the local scene from a conservative point of view is Right Winger who tells us "The truth about everything. No matter how much it hurts." Ignorance is Bliss is worth a daily visit and an occasional comment.

Mixing life and politics is former WBRE weatherman Vince Sweeney. He's thinking about running for Congress and gives his thoughts about life, the universe, everything.

The Nittany Blog

This arrived via a comment. OK, it was a comment made nearly a month ago, but better late than never!

The Nittany Blog said...

Hey this is Alex from The Nittany Notebook. I've decided to resume writing my old blog as well. Could you guys add the new link as well as keep the one to The Nittany Notebook? Thanks!

The Nittany Blog- http://nittanyblog.blogspot.com/

If you are a blogger who lives in Northeatern Pennsylvania, or used to live in Northeastern Pennsylvania, or who blogs about Northeastern Pennsylvania, please leave a comment and we'll list your blog just as soon as we can!

Wilkes-Barre Scranton Watcher

Another blog that focuses on the local media:
Wilkes-Barre Scranton Watcher
http://wilkes-barrescrantonwatcher.blogspot.com/

"Holding the local media, personalities and institutions here in Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties responsible for their collective pomposity, hypocrisy and foibles is something long overdue. This is our challenge!"

A new blog for an old school

GAR Memorial

It's a MySpace site devoted to all things past and present that have to do with GAR Memorial High School in Wilkes-Barre.


About me:

This is for everyone that attended or graduated from GAR High School. If you know anyone else that went to GAR, pass this site along to them.

Who I'd like to meet:

All students, faculty and administration, past and present. If you are not associated with GAR High School as a student, teacher, administrator, staff member or alumni, please do not make a friend request.
If you have family or friends that attend, graduated from or teach at GAR, please let them know this is here and if they have a myspace page, invite them to join us. You may be able to help a graduating class find a few more alumni for a reunion!

We've gotten several notes saying thanks for helping me reconnect to an old friend. This page was set up to help people reconnect to old friends and teachers and keep people updated on what's going on at GAR. Once school is back in session, sports schedules and activites will be posted, so be sure to keep us updated on what's going on.

A new blog for a new school

From the comments on the previous post:

I am the Dean of the new medical school that will serve all of NEPA. I would invite you to link to my blog and follow our progress as we build this new community based endeavor. We are interested in hearing from the community about their ideas, needs and how we can serve the region.

http://newmedicalschool.blogspot.com/

And from the first post, dated July 2, 2007:

In the coming months I will share with you what it is like to build a new medical school from the ground up in a region that hopes the school will help with economic development, relieve the doctor shortage, help improve quality of care and a host of other goals. The expectations for our little school are enormous. I just started two weeks ago so this is all very new. Today it is all only on paper and everything is possible. Which is a good way of saying every single thing still needs to be done.

Feel free to share your ideas about health care and medical education. We want to create something unique here. While we have to be mainstream enough to achieve accreditation from the multiple bodies that get a vote on our future we also want to create a new national model for the education of physicians. I have never blogged before and am both hesitant and challenged by the medium but I do want to hear what people want from their doctors. I also want to hear from physicians, medical students and residents about what they wished they had known, what schools should teach and how we might improve the educational experience. I know we do a good job with the science education I want to hear what else we should be worrying about. I know I can learn something from our conversation that will make our school better.

More sites about Northeastern Pennsylvania

I decided to hunt for more NEPA Bloggers tonight, but came up empty. But I did manage to find these sites:

Folklore Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania
http://www.folkloresociety.org/
I think I've hung out with these people twice, thanks to a friend who was in the organization. From their website:

Who we are: We are an organization promoting traditional music, dance, and storytelling in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

About the music: Monthly "singing circles" have been on-going since 1982, and often start with a pot-luck dinner. They are informal gatherings, usually held the first Friday of each month at a member's home. We begin with a few sing-alongs, then we take turns around the circle, offering something we have prepared, requesting a song or story, or just come to listen and enjoy homemade entertainment. We use a "democratic" format (taking turns), which encourages people of all levels of accomplishment to participate.

NEPA Defunct Park List
http://www.nepalostparks.com/parks/nepalist.html
Northeastern Pennsylvania was once home to many amusement parks. Check them out!

Northeastern Pennsylvania Photo Collection
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~nepaphotos/
From their website:
This is a collection of photos, many of which have been sent to us by our visitors, of the past of Northeastern Pennsylvania and surrounding areas. Our goal is to make this the largest collection of photos showing life as it was for our ancestors.

Northeastern Pennsylvania
http://members.aol.com/bowermanb/nepa.html
This is a link-rich site created and maintained by a local Geography teacher, Mr. Brad Bowerman. It's just a small part of his much, much larger site called "Geography World." Check it out!

A Blog of Nanticoke

I realize I've been neglecting this site lately, mainly on behalf of my daily posts to my personal blog, Another Monkey. So naturally I'm dealing with this by starting another blog! This one is called A Blog of Nanticoke and it can be found at http://www.nanticokeblog.blogspot.com/ . The goal of this blog is to showcase Nanticoke, its businesses, and its bloggers in the way that this site does for the larger Northeastern Pennsylvania area.

This blog is actually just the first step in a plan I've been working on the last few days to vastly increase my hometown's presence in the blogosphere. Some of the content will duplicate stuff I've written here and on Another Monkey, some of it will be brand new, and some of it...well, we'll see how things work out.

It's just in its initial stages right now, but I'll try to get it in fighting shape within a few days. If you are a Nanticoke blogger, or know of any good Nanticoke websites, please let me know, and I'll be sure to include them on A Blog of Nanticoke!

A few more sites

My apologies to the Card Lady for not linking to her earlier. She was recently in the Southwestern USA and has some great pics.

The NEPA Rainbow Alliance has a blog and a bunch of other sites. What they say is that's it OK to be gay and be proud of it. More power to you folks. I'm so sick of the hate that is directed toward members of my family just because they're "different."

Voice of the People backs Lou Barletta and is holding rallies. Another group that aims to divide us instead of uniting people.


Coal Region Voice down in Sunbury may be technically out of our area but is a good read.

And finally a news/politics site Scranton-at-Large. His mission statement:

Fed up with the managed news that the “mute press” (Scranton’s sole daily paper) has been producing, citizen extraordinaire Joseph Talamini took it upon himself to create a voice for the people: Scranton-at-Large. Founded in October 2006 on a shoestring budget, Scranton-at-Large takes side with the working class, delivering shot after shot across the bow of the area’s “elite,” establishment forces. With its unforgiving editorials, groundbreaking investigative reporting, and free distribution, Scranton-at-Large finally gives this city a viable news alternative.

Another Scranton site is Lackawanna County News that I've been reluctant to list because he is a vicious anti-semite. But the site is out there and deserves a listing just because it's a NEPA blog.

Beale's Bites is Back!

After a three-month hiatus that felt like forever, Beale's Bites is back! Thanks to Howard Beale him(or her-)self for this bit of information!

Scranton ballot, another NEPA Blogger, and some sad news

Shadowspun over at Shadow's Reach has put in a lot of effort getting together a list of all the candidates who will be on the ballot for the Scranton district of Lackawanna County. If you reside in that fair city, go over and have a look!

http://shadowsreach.blogspot.com/2007/05/lackawanna-politics-part-2.html

And don't miss her previous list of links to sites with information that you may find helpful in making an informed choce at the voting booth:

http://shadowsreach.blogspot.com/2007/05/lackawanna-county-voting-part-1.html

Through a long and winding road that goes through a blog in Ann Arbor, Michigan, another NEPA Blogger has found her way to this site! Her blog is Life's A Dance You Learn As You Go, aka http://star8278.blogspot.com . Welcome aboard! I'll add you (and everybody else) to the sidebar as soon as I get to it and/or my computer allows me to!

Meanwhile, this sad news from an anonymous commentor:

Beale's Bites is definitely dead:

http://www.radio-info.com/smf/index.php/topic,69502.0.html

11:19 PM, May 01, 2007