Know Your Meta Tags!

Day to day, we speak with clients who want to improve their website and want to know why they aren’t achieving favorable search engine placement. One of our first courses of action is to visit their site and see whats currently going on.  All too often we’re shocked at the result; NO meta tags! Meta tags are little bits of code written specifically for search engine spiders which tells the content, title, and descriptions of the page.

Two of the most important meta tags are keyword and description.

Your META keywords are what search engines target when a user searches for your product or services.

Your META description is the text that’s displayed under or along side your link in search engine results.

Well written, accurate and relevant meta tags will bring more targeted traffic to your site.

Plain and simple; if you don’t have anything to look for, people wont be able to find you.

A local wilkes-barre/scranton area business owner called me yesterday for some advice on how to improve his search engine placement and overall web presence. One of my initial questions for him was to ask what keywords he’s targeting in the web sites meta tags. Surprisingly, he had not the slightest clue what I was talking about. While you can argue that meta tags should be incorporated into the site when its being built, its critical the meta tags are there in any stage of your website.

Come on over to theTHINKHouse.com and let us give you a free analysis on your current website and META data structure, we’d love to meet you

This post brought to you by theTHINKHouse.com – Forward Thinking Internet & Affiliate Marketing Solutions.

Still searching for a holiday gift for that last person on your list?  How about 12 chances to win over $14,000 in prizes?

The Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library are sponsoring the 12th annual Leaves of Class raffle, benefiting the Friends of the Library Endowment Fund.  For only $20, you or your favorite gift recipient will have a chance in each one of 12 monthly drawings.

This year’s prizes include gift certificates for Scranton Cultural Center performances, a 5-course chef’s tasting menu for two at AV Restaurant, tickets to the Wildflower Music Festival, a one-year membership to the Aronica Wellness Center, a round of golf at Lakeland Golf Club, a new computer and printer, and a one-year membership to the Library’s own Schemel Forum.

The first drawing isn’t until January 31, so there’s still time.  To buy your chances, just fill out the online request form or call the Library at 570-941-7816.

Photo courtesy of flickr user allerleirau under a Creative Commons license.

Would any of us be able to get away with this:

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) – A northeastern Pennsylvania restaurant co-owned by a state legislator has made just one partial payment in the last three years on a decade-old state loan.

State Rep. Ken Smith is the co-owner of Smith’s Restaurant in Scranton. Records show the business has not a made a full monthly payment on the loan since July 2006. That’s two months after Smith won the Democratic nomination in the 112th District.

Smith says the restaurant is a victim of the economic downturn.

The $125,000 loan at 5 percent interest was made in 1998. The last partial payment was $1,000 last December.

The president of the agency that controls the loan says he wants to collect the balance. Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance President Jeffrey Box says his agency is exploring its legal options.

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091211/NEWS/912119997

The recent Nativity scene debacle at the Luzerne County Courthouse (and ‘the Square,’ the Hoyt Library, etc., but I digress) sparked an interesting Facebook discussion between a good [born-again Christian] friend and I. A lawsuit (although this is, as far as I know, still hypothetical) and potential ACLU involvement had been mentioned. My friend, whom I will refer to as “CH” throughout this post, was understandably a bit taken aback by local secular determination. Is a lawsuit overkill? In my opinion, probably. At the same time, however, should religious decorations be placed on government property? Hell to the no.

CH raised point valid to any person of faith: “I think if people stopped being so offended by religion, they might see all the good messages behind it.” I pointed out we’re more offended by the actions of religious people more than we’re offended by any religion itself. I added that I’ve never seen any good things in religion that weren’t also part of secular morality. Her response is as follows:

I think if a person’s religion leads them to feel a certain way, political or not, who are we to discredit their feelings. Also, if atheists are offended by being told what to believe then imagine how anyone with faith feels being told not to believe it.

What bad things have you seen come out of religion that aren’t also part of secular morality?

…This is where things get too complicated for Facebook.

If faith leads us to a “certain feeling,” is it a bad thing? Whilst I’d argue that there are better ways to give yourself that same feeling, really, no, it’s not a bad thing. The actions that may result from said faith and feeling, however, have the potential to be unspeakably menacing. I’d imagine that people of faith find atheists offensive, but the fact is, they’re the majority. They hold the power in this country. Jesus still prevails over justice. We are the ones who are marginalized. Which brings us to The Formidable List of Bad Things that are All Too Often Found in Faith-Based Morality but Rarely, if Ever, in Secular Morality.

But first, a disclaimer.

No, these problems are NOT exclusively created/perpetuated by people of faith. It should be obvious that there do exist atheists who are problematic in these regards, but the fact remains that they are few and far between. Most atheists are very outspoken against these things. It is exponentially more common that the following atrocities are perpetrated by the faithful.

1. Misogyny as an institution.
2. Terrorism (international).
3. Slavery.
4. Legislation against civil rights (such as gay marriage).
5. Legislation against human rights (such as healthcare).
6. Infiltration of public schools.
7. Abstinence-only education.
8. Exaltation of ignorance/unwillingness to educate.
9. Honor killings.
10. The Crusades.
11. The KKK.
12. Ritual abuse.
13. Protection of pedophile clergy.
14. The pro-forced birth (aka pro-life) movement.
15. This bullshit.
16. Victim-blaming.
17. Terrorism (domestic).
18. Opposition to inquiry.
19. Death penalty (more prevalent in heavily-religious states).
20. Intellectual dishonesty.
21. A religious upbringing is more likely to cause close-minded, conformist children.
22. Darfur.
23. The former Yugoslavia.
24. Modern witch-hunts (What it really is is church-sanctioned child abuse).
25. Heavily-religious political parties less likely to support initiatives that benefit the middle and working classes (healthcare, CHiP, abortion, sex education, etc).
26. Conditional charity.
27. The caste system.
28. Megachurches.
29. Ex-Gay ministries.
30. Arranged/forced marriages.
31. Homophobia as an institution.
32. Natural physiological, emotional, and psychological needs eschewed.
33. Child neglect through prayer.
34. Institutionalized fearmongering.

This list could, indubitably, be expanded, but I think that for now, it’s enough. Further discussion is, as always, invited.

~Hallie

This is the genesis of what will hopefully become a chronicle of the life of secular/non-theist folks in Northeastern Pennsylvania.  Based in the Wyoming Valley, I hope to shed a bit more light on what is an extremely silent minority in this area.  If you live in NEPA and have something you would like shared, let me know!  Shoot me it in an email and I’ll be happy to post it and of course give you some sweet, delicious credit for your hard work, dedication and whatever the hell else you think you should get credit for at the time.  Except for creating the universe, being a conduit to a god, or any other sort of silliness.  Sorry.  That’s just not gonna fly with me.

We are members of The NEPA Freethought Society.  Check it out, join and get your heathen arse to the next meeting!  You know you wanna.  Just give into your carnal desires.  Yeah.

On that note, I’m going to shut up for now.  Spread the word.  It worked for Jesus.

-MF

Looking for great things to do with your little ones for the 2009 Holiday Season? Look no further than KidDilly’s Event Calendar. Here’s a snapshot of this week’s listings. We invite you to visit to plan your weekend, or to upload your business’ or civic organization’s events for free.

Downtown Scranton Holiday Open House

Where Does Food Come From? Timmy’s Town

Marywood University Chorus/Orchestra Christmas Concert

Festival of Trees 2009 Electric City Trolley Museum

Philharmonic Holiday Show

Christmas Story Hour

Home for the Holidays NEPA Phillharmonic’s Annual Holiday Concert

Christmas in Our Hometown, Tunkhannock

Holiday Gift and Decorating Class

The Commonwealth Medical College’s Tobin Hall

If You Give a Pig a Pancake & Other Story Books

Santa Buddies

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By appointment only.

The University of Scranton’s football team may no longer be around (in fact, it’s famous on campus for being “undefeated since 1960″), but at the Weinberg Memorial Library, UofS football is back in a big way.  This week, the Library is proud to announce the University of Scranton Football Collection, a digitized version of our football archives.

The collection includes over a thousand photographs of University of Scranton (and St. Thomas College) football teams, players, coaches, and games – as well as photos of the cheerleaders and marching bands who cheered them on.  The collection also features a set of football game programs.  The programs, produced for each home game, have team rosters, statistics, and game analysis.  Most of the materials come from the years 1900 through 1960, when the varsity football team was disbanded.

This collection isn’t just for UofS football fans, though.  The game programs in particular are a rich resource for researchers interested in the history of Scranton and its surrounding area.  The programs were sponsored by local businesses (like the Hotel Casey), so the booklets serve as miniature “time capsules” showing slices of Scranton life over time.

We invite all students, staff, alumni, and community members to browse and search the collection at www.scranton.edu/library/football.  You may also want to take a look at our brief history of University of Scranton football.

P.S. While we have identified many of the photographs, some are still mysteries.  If you recognize a player, please let us know!  You can contact the Digital Services department at 570-941-7003.

Many thanks to librarian Kay Lopez, library systems specialist Jennifer Maher, and digital services assistant Kevin Pheasey, who all dedicated many hours of hard work to this project.

The craft show this weekend was a complete smash hit, if that saying makes sense contextually. We all did fantastic and were invited to go to the Harrisburg Garden Show in February, which gets around 15k people. There is a lot of work to be done in the next few months. Hopefully I will have my website up and running soon and be almost professional. In addition to the show in February, I will be selling at the KU holiday marketplace and at the Eckhaus gallery in Kutztown during the month of December. There is also a possibility of a First Friday show in Scranton in January along with another show at Eckhaus in spring. I’m sure there will be a few more craft shows and promotions at businesses in the meantime.

With an effortless pregnancy and delivery behind her, KidDilly member Heidi Gowden, MS, OTL-R never imagined that she’d encounter any obstacles when trying to welcome a second child into the world.

After all, she had one beautiful daughter and absolutely no problems whatsoever becoming pregnant.

Eight and a-half weeks into her second pregnancy, however, she miscarried.

Heidi’s OB/GYN, Brian Wilcox, MD, PhD met with her right away.

“Dr. Wilcox is a wonderful physician,” Heidi explained. “It was a very difficult time. He reassured me that I wasn’t alone and that miscarriage is surprisingly more common than I thought.”

Statistics indicate that miscarriage is indeed quite common. Among all women who become pregnant it is estimated that between 15% to 31% of those pregnancies will end in a miscarriage. The cause of miscarriage is often unknown.

Dr. Wilcox recommended that Heidi enroll in the EAGeR Study at The Commonwealth Medical College.

EAGeR stands for the “Effects of Aspirin in Gestation and Reproduction.” Researchers involved in this study are investigating whether low dose aspirin can help increase a woman’s chance at becoming pregnant and maintaining a healthy pregnancy.

Janet Townsend, MD, Principal Investigator, explained, “Joining the EAGeR study allows a woman a chance to help us learn if low-dose aspirin really does help moms to conceive and carry a baby to term while possibly increasing her own chances of having a healthy baby.”

The study hits especially close to home for Dr. Townsend, who herself experienced the heartache of infertility and pregnancy loss. “I wish the EAGeR study had been available to me when I was trying to have kids,” Townsend stated. “I had difficulty conceiving and one miscarriage. I would have jumped at the chance to learn if low-dose aspirin could help women like me. Maybe my son, who is about to turn 21, would have had a brother or sister.”

Heidi took Dr. Wilcox’s advice and enrolled.

She took her study medications and became pregnant for the third time. Although her latest pregnancy miscarried in her second trimester, disqualifying her from the study, she would enroll all over again if she could.

“Everyone there is so nice,” Heidi said. “It’s like having an extended family. They called and checked up on me and cared about my well being and the well being of my unborn child.”

Megan Yetter, BS, Graduate Assistant on the study agrees.“The EAGeR Team at The Commonwealth Medical College is a close knit group. We have a great rapport with our participants. We cry when our participants are upset and we smile when they are excited. We value our participants’ involvement and are confirmed everyday how strong these women are.”

Cathie McGeehan, MSN, RN, EAGeR Study Coordinator, thinks Heidi, and all the women in the EAGeR study among the strongest around. “These women are heroes! Our participants are taking an active role in their own health care. They are personally contributing to research. This is how strides and improvements are made in medicine. I believe by volunteering, they are making a difference for women in the future.”

Heidi is grateful, even amidst her deeply personal and painful losses, to have the opportunity to be involved, first as an active participant in the EAGeR Study, and now, by sharing her story with us.

“If it can help somebody, then it was worth it.”

If you are between the ages of 18 and 40, have had at least one pregnancy loss in the past and are thinking about becoming pregnant again, you may be eligible for the EAGeR Study.

For more information, or to see if you qualify, please call (570) 207-1058, or post questions below for a researcher’s answers

William Bernhardt, “master of the courtroom drama,” came to campus this Saturday to receive the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author award.  Bernhardt gave a reading and several comments on his latest publication, Capitol Offense, and also made time to sign books for attendees.  The event benefitted the Friends of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Memorial Library Endowment Fund, so many thanks to all who participated!

We’ll be adding photos as we get them to our Flickr page.

]]> http://michaelbaumann.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/father-gabriel-tetherow-ultimate-service-provider/ Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:01:25 +0000 Michael http://michaelbaumann.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/father-gabriel-tetherow-ultimate-service-provider/

By Michael Baumann

An astute reader of this blog provided a website that has a photo of Father Tetherow. While Tetherow is prohibited from presenting himself as a Catholic Priest, he is doing just that. He is also listed as an “Ultimate Service Provider Priest” on Dave Romeo’s Ultimate Service Providers Referral List. I did a screen grab of the site to make sure I had it just in case it somehow changed in the next couple of days. You know how frequently web pages are adjusted after all.

Convicted Priest operating in a Latin Rite "Mission" in York, PA

So here he is folks, Father Gabriel, A.K.A Father Virgil Bradley Tetherow, formerly a priest in the Diocese of Scranton.  Father Gabriel pleaded guilty in a case where child pornography was found on church computers at St Ann’s Church in Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania.  As a result of an investigation into the incident, Father Gabriel pleaded out to lesser charges and received two years probation.  His case is allegedly now with the Vatican to determine his status as a Roman Catholic Priest.  Although he has been prohibited from wearing clerical garments and acting as a priest, “Father” Gabriel is now ministering at Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Mission. This Catholic Mission is a schismatic church in York, Pennsylvania operating without the approval of the Diocese of Harrisburg.

To quote the write up for “Father Gabriel” on the Ultimate Service Providers website:

Father Gabriel Tetherow

Priest

Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Mission
129 South Beaver Street
York, PA 17401
Phone: (717) 309-8866
Web: SaintsPeterandPaulRMC@suscom.net
Email: posenti3@yahoo.com

Specialty Providing the Traditional Latin Rite Mass to the Diocese of Harrisburg

Dave’s Comments: I first met Father Tetherow in 2006. He is a warm, compassionate, and approachable priest who immediately connects with people. He is extremely devout and knowledgeable in his faith and he is one of the finest speakers I have ever heard. His sermons are meaningful, inspirational and unforgetable.

I bet Dave would not be so effusive in his praise of this “priest” if he was aware of Father Gabriel’s appreciation for photos of children in various stages of undress and in sexual situations which are most inappropriate for children.

Perhaps we should let Dave Romeo know that many of us are not pleased with a priest who engaged in the types of behaviors let led to his entering a guilty plea in court.  We are also not pleased that this man is conducting himself as a priest in open defiance of an order by the Bishop of Scranton to cease doing so.

Send Dave Romeo an email and let him know what you think about Father Tetherow.

Thanks to NEPA Catholic for the tip on the photo and the web location for  “Ultimate Provider” Tetherow.  Lets keep the spotlight squarely on this threat to children in the York, Pennsylvania area.

More information on Father Tetherow and his troubles at St Ann’s can be found at:

Scranton Times-Tribune article from February 12, 2005
Star-Ledger article from March 18,2005
Scranton Times-Tribune article from March 18, 2005

Hi Xavier,  Thanx for adding the website e-mail address I did not notice it until a driver pointed it out to me.  (cxdcarloscite@yahoo.com)

As you mite have noticed I am on a trip to Scranton, Pa. then onto Syracuse, N.Y. for a multi-day trip. It started out with me and fellow driver, Sergio, getting together at 1: 30 a.m. and driving over to work then onto Copaigue High School to pick-up the marching band for their perfomances in the state champianship contests at a couple of local school in Syracuse and then at the Carrier Dome Facility (home of the Syracuse University Orangemen and greats like Carmelo Anthony) for the final show sunday (as a side note I would like to congratulate the band on there success and achievement this year). The first day was a long one we finished up at 8:30 p.m. in the Comfort hotel. That was a 20 hour day with out any sleep during the day. These are the trips that really take a toll on a driver because the kids do not leave the coaches alone and they are always in and out of the coach.  The next couple of day’s are going to be similar but not as long, I am thankful for that. The good side is I have a couple of great co-workers with me that makes the days go by smoother.