Visit Philadelphia-Restaurant Reviews

This feature will spotlight different Philadelphia Restaurants that I will visit and comment on. I am a picky person when it comes to food and service, so I think I can deliver a critical and unbiased review. I am trying to figure out how to go about this exactly. My wife and I go out often enough and I though the best way to go would be to start with the back of the Philadelphia Magazine. They list a bunch of great restaurants by price and this list would be perfect to work off of, throwing in our own finds along the way. It will be Diners, Drive Ins and Dives, meets Rachael Ray, meets Le Bec Fin, or something like that.

The Good News

In today's world it seems like everywhere you turn we are being pounded by information, news, and commentary. Most of it is negative, gut wrenching, and horrible. How many missiles have North Korea launched, what child has been swept away by a river current, how many perished in the latest earth quake. The simple fact of the matter is, bad news sells. It's no wonder people walk around all day in a fog and have become desensitized to the world around them. To life in general. I think that if you look, you can find the good news in the world, short clips on TV or a new paper article about how a few kids sold lemonade to help a neighbor out. Whatever the case might be.

The goal I have with this feature is going to be to try to find the good news and comment on it. You are what you eat and you feel what you absorb, and if you are absorbing negative things all day you are bound to be, well...bound up.

Artwork By Diane

http://artworksbydiane.blogspot.com

In Diane's post about change, it is easy to see that it's hard to say I can't do that or I'm too old to do that, at least in Diane's case. I'm amazed at the fact that she went back to college at age 48 to get a degree in teaching. Hats off to you for that simple fact alone!!! The courage to take her life into her own hands and change things for the better is inspiring and what a better way to spread the good word than with a blog. With this being a newer blog with a road of adventure ahead of her, I think it is safe to say that you will enjoy this blog that will both entertain and inspire. I give it two thumbs up out of four!

Happy Thanksgiving

Getting ready to cook the bird....watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade...and football....wishing you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving Day!

THE FUN HUSBAND

www.thefunhusband.com

I've noticed a strong trend and this blog brought that trend back to my brain. That trend is that there are very few husband, dad, or male blogs in general out in the blogosphere...at least none that have come across my in-box. There's been a few, and the few that have come across have been very well done and entertaining, both of which you can say for THE FUN HUSBAND. Just the title itself should have housewives clicking through and guys wondering what it's all about. Recently it's been Boobs and Thanksgiving. Layout and content are spot on and it's a blog that I can see revisiting from time to time, which says alot. Hats off to The Fun Husband and may your blog be bouncing for many years to come. Keep up the good work!

A Spoonful of Chocolate Sistah

http://chocolatesistah.blogspot.com/

Waiting in the wings since October has been Nicoyle's blog. It was worth the wait on my end as this blog has all the right bells and whistles I look for in a blog. The layout is fantastic, the content is all there and the opportunity for monetization is taken. Blogs offer a fantastic tool for expression and creative outlet, both of which are clear in Nicoyle's blog. Very nicely done and have a fantastic Thanksgiving! Keep the blog rolling!

Bargain Avenues

http://www.bargainavenues.com/

Karen brings us an interesting blog for all you ebay and flea market addicts out there. The concept of this blog is informational as well as interactive, which I love. If you are located in eastern Connecticut or Rhode Island, Karen encourages you to send her some info on what you are selling online and she'll post a link or story. I guess I have only one criticism, with all this knowledge and information, you yourself must also have ebay and antique selling avenues, and I do not see any links to your own info. I think a blog is a fantastic way to promote other business avenues, as well as a way to inform and express yourself. Other than that I enjoyed the blog and found it very interesting, having been an ebay enthusiast myself for a while. Best of luck and keep up the great work! Happy Thanksgiving.

LL World Tour-Just a Girl In The World

http://www.llworldtour.com/

Every once in a while a blog comes along that makes me feel a little bit envious. This blog comes to us via New Jersey...via New York...via South Carolina...via Chicago...via the World! Not sure if it happened all in that order or not...what I do know is that LL has put together a blog that reads like a travel guide/novel/diary with all the greatness that you would expect in all of the above. Back to my slight envy. Who wouldn't want to quit their 9-5 job and travel the world. That is just exactly what LL has done, documenting every bit of it in this hard to put down novel (if it were a novel) or should I say hard to click out blog. The writing flows, offering an easy read that keeps your interest, which is what a blog is supposed to do. One thing I recommend is actually going back to LL's first post and read forward to get the full flavor of this exciting and interesting blog. As far as any critique of the blog I have to say I fall short other than offering the positive critique you see above. Not much to fix here. Best of luck with your blog, life and travel!!

My Father's Daughter

http://onlymyfathersdaughter.blogspot.com/

Here is a well designed blog about a topic I have visited on more than a few occasions, but could never really wrap my brain around or seem to find the time to do. Genealogy. The blog itself has everything I look for in a blog. Layout, Monetization, and Content, all of which Sunday Girl's blog possesses. Although only a few months old, My Father's Daughter is well on it's way to being what most bloggers look for, one that is read! Nice job and keep the blog rolling!

Bed Bug Resource

www.bedbugresource.blogspot.com

Who wants to read about bedbugs? Surprisingly lots of people do. With the explosion of bed bugs infesting homes, hotels, apartments, and dorms, this problem from the old days are back on the fore front. A great resource to keep abreast on toady's cutting edge technologies and ideas about bedbugs. Plus the blog author like to critique blogs as well. Can you guess who it is?

Tantrumzz of the Rat

http://www.bhagirathy.blogspot.com/

With a blog title like that, I must warn you that I come from a pest control background :)

Enough about that...I have to say that I love the feel of this blog in that is reads like a journal. To be able to blog about your life and times in such a way is compelling and keeps the visitors interest that I think works well. Simple in it's presentation, I see nothing else to add to this blog but more of the same....great content!

Can I really Write?

http://www.kyakahoon.blogspot.com/

New to the blogging scene is our friend Raghav who only just started blogging since June. I will use this opportunity to offer some advice to all bloggers even though I am concentrating on your blog Raghav. First of all, a blog is a vehicle of sorts, a way to express yourself, and most bloggers want to have a following of readers to see hwta they have to say. In order to do this you will want to first add a site meter (www.sitemeter.com) to your blog to track what kind of traffic is coming to your blog. Next you will want to register your blog with google so their robots can pick up your blog and put it in their search engine. I provided the link to add your content HERE. The next thing to do is just what you've been doing, and doing rather well to answer your question, and that is write. One post, and I think you know the one I am referring to, I would try not to replicate as the language was a little rough. Other than that...to start...you have a good thing going. Best of luck and keep the blog rolling.

Hakuna Matata

http://www.hakunamtata.blogspot.com/

It's a worry free...philosophy...hakunamtata! What a fun and witty blog this is with a playful Disney background that would make any blog surfer smile. Writing is free flowing, like conversation, which makes it easy to read and compelling all the same. Would like to see posting more often, but I know more than anyone, life sometimes gets in the way. Fantastic and well done my friend....keep up the good work.

HappilyEver After

http://www.ashleyladd.blogspot.com/

How's that film line go from Wayne's World..."I'm not worthy....I''m not Worthy" . Such is the case with Happily Ever After, where our blogger, or should I say our published author, has sent in a blog for critique today. Instead of a critique today I think I will offer a review of a blog that I think is busy with content and plenty of sidebar action that keeps your attention. Blogs are a great vehicle for creativity and I think for a writer it can keep your game sharp in between projects. Blogs are also a fantastic vehicle for promotion and advertising and getting and keeping your name out there on the Internet, which is the most important thing these days. My hat's off to Ashley and I wish you much continued success in your craft.

NEWLYWEDS!

http://newlyweds.wordpress.com/

Here is a sharp looking blog sent to me by sweet pea (CB Handle) and one of the topic is one that bargain hunters everywhere should love...coupons! Don't get the wrong idea...it's not just about this money saving vehicle or sweet pea's tips on saving...it is about her family and the life and times with her husband and two children. One unusual thing is that the blog started in 2006 of November...then went on hiatus until August of this year, at which point she went gang busters and has been posting regularly since. Truly and interesting blog that mixes well a plethora of posts and topics. I recommend a visit to the newlyweds which I am sure you'll enjoy. Nice job and keep the blog rolling.

Auto Link?

This is a question to see if the link to the left that accepts submissions to critique my blog is working?

Trapped in a Walnut

http://www.quest4thezenith.blogspot.com/

Karthik brings us a blog that that I find to be interesting for a number of reasons, one of them being the fact that his blog is proof that the media of blogging is universal. Again his passion is clearly shown in his writing and his chosen profession and course of study might give cause to why there is such a sporadic spacing in between posts. Some observations that I'd like to make and advice I'd like to offer would be to maybe place a site meter (www.sitemeter.com ) on your blog to see how many fans you have. Also...the changing of font colors can be weary to the eyes. It seems like you have gotten away from this practice in your more current postings, but the earlier ones are rough. One particular post that caught my eye and I very much enjoyed was entitled, what else, BLOGGING , which offers a great insight that I think others would find interesting. Keep the blog rolling and best of luck to you!

Random Thoughts of a Chronic Thinker

http://www.quibbler-reports.blogspot.com/

It is clear to me that Mith is on the road to becoming a legend! I am glad that the first blog I've decided to read on my first day back to the office in t awhile was this one of a Chronic thinker. It proves to me that no matter how many widgets you add to your blog or how fancy your template is, now matter what kind of smoke and mirrors you use to make your blog sparkle, one thing hold true. It has to do with the blogger and his or her passion for blogging. You can't hide enthusiasm or excitement for what you do and this truth is evident is this blog. Mith's personality jumps off the screen at you and being only a few months old is is clear to me that this Mith is destined to become a legend with the following a readership any seasoned blogger would be proud of. Keep up the good work Mith and keep the blog rolling!

Pick myself up...dust off...start all over again?

Who can name the crooner who made that song famous?
Time enough has passed since the blogging bug has come and gone, and as history has shown us, things repeat themselves. they reinvent themselves, and I've decided to renew the passion of blogging that seems to come and go in this crazy community of ours. During my hiatus I've continued to blog at my pest control blogs ( www.pestcontrolinfo.blogspot.com ) , but never was able to keep up with the daily dedication a blog like this encompasses.
Anyway, I'm back in business and ready to start back to doing the think I love best. Reading, promoting, and critiquing the blogs that make this world go round.
I am clearing the que in the submit your blog inbox...so if you recently submitted any blog, kindly resubmit and I will start fresh and new from here.

Crystal Jigsaw

http://www.crystaljigsaw.blogspot.com/

What else can I say but fantastic...fantastic...fantastic! I like this blog for two reasons...one is simply I think that the writing goes right to the heart with a clear feeling for the bloggers world which is an important part of blogging. When you enjoy blogging, it shows. You can feel the bloggers joy and that is so strong with this blog. Second is because of the autistic angle. My wife teaches autistic children and we both have a soft spot in our hearts for people with autism. In fact, this afternoon we spent the day at a baseball game to raise autism awareness.

Great job with the blog and keep up the good work....loved it and will be a regular visitor back myself.

ALL THINGS CHERISHED

http://allthingscherished.blogspot.com/

So I have something I have to admit here. The following is something I used to joke about in a wink wink nudge nudge sort of way when I was critiquing blogs last year. The blogs with the music song that starts automatically when you click on their link. Quite frankly...scares me to death. I listen to music through my computer often and the speakers are up...when I blog I do not listen to music, but my speakers are still up. IN the quiet of the day as I sit and blog away, and as I click on this fantastic blog to review it, I jump off my chair and spill my coffee all over the table as the song unexpectedly blasts my hair back. Yes I know...maybe I should lay off the coffee. Back to the blog.

As I start to read this blog one thing is clear and jumps off of the page at me...the blogger's love of life and her children. This is very refreshing to me to see and read and I think alot of readers will feel the same way as they read the posts of this well written blog. I love the post, Newborn's Conversation With God, a beautiful passage and a good indicator of what this blog is all about. You will get everything from the above link to down home real posts like, Tax Rebates...What You Need To Know. Check it out and enjoy.

A HYPOCHANDRIACS TALE

http://www.mypanicattacks.com/

Was asked recently to critique the above blog via email and as I looked closer I found that the author is a Philly guy who also has a blog worth mentioning called, Philly Killz, where he has commentary about sports, the body counts in Philly and other general interesting stuff. I would say both are worth mentioning as they are both written in a style that flows easily for the reader to enjoy and understand. Both blogs are set up very nicely from a monetization standpoint and the design is sharp and effective. Nice job overall and a special shout out for your Philly connection!

Many Moons Ago...

Many moons ago I was dedicated to a project that I started in August of 2006. It morphed into a blog that reviewed and critiqued over 800 blogs. The first blog I critiqued was a blog entitled,
Haphazard Happenstances, back on August 9th 2006. Before writing this entry I clicked onto her blog and found it to be just as refreshing and inviting as it was back when I first critiqued it, even better in fact.
Over the years I've made alot of acquaintances in the blog world, many of whom I have kept in touch with as I continued to blog (www.pestcontrolinfo.blogspot.com , www.billymacattack.com ), and many whom I have fallen out of contact with. One thing that remains constant is the bloggers undying love for this media outlet. It was this reasoning that I got into blogging to begin with and it was with this reason I began critiquing. Bloggers love what they do, clear and simple. So I decided to click onto my first blog passion and sign on to tap back into my creative side again and start to critique blogs whom ask to be critiqued. The reason I stopped with this project still remains, my work has taken me in a different direction where my time is very limited, so naturally I can not dedicate the time that I used to dedicate to Critique My Blog. I can, however, critique as time allows and get back into the world of discovery that is the blogesphere.

Pastel and Paint

http://leslyfinnsart.blogspot.com/

I've mentioned the fact that my grand uncle Mark Green was an artist up in New York in my blog in the past and it is because of this fact that I have a soft spot in my heart for artists and art bloggers. What a wonderful platform to display your artwork for all the world to see than a blog and that is just what Lesly does with this wonderful blog that is, dare I say, a work of art! Nicely done with a nice variety of topics and a great display of this artist's creations. Keep up the fantastic work!

Sue Doe

http://suedoenim.blogspot.com/

Witty and well written is how I would describe this blog by Suzy Q. The writing keeps your interest and wanting to continue on from post to post which is what bloggers want to happen, I hope. My only word of criticism is that Sue suffers from "label love" and they are positioned at the bottom of her blog which is just wrong. Too many labels make your blog look cluttered and should be narrowed down to three or four labels positioned on the sidebar of your blog. Other than that I think the blog is A-OK. Nice job and keep on blogin!

Some Labor Day Critiques

http://troublewitheverything.blogspot.com/

First off I'd like to wish everyone a happy labor day and a fond farewell to summer. As I drink my morning coffee this Labor Day morning I started to go through my inbox and came across the following blogs. The Trouble With Everything is a blog about alot of things and I've found that it has some troubles itself. First and foremost is the fact that it is not by any means a consistent blog (Not that I can harp on this one too much lately) but I am talking about months at a time with no activity. You should try to keep some consistency while blogging so people will know that at least once a week you will have posted a new thought or story. The next thing I would do would be to add a sitemeter to see how many visitors you have coming into your blog. I would then edit out the Google News and Edit Me links in the link section and put in some other blogs of interest. Other than that the blog itself has some potential and has some interesting stuff.

http://www.bhejaafry.blogspot.com/

Next we have Ashish's blog that is the opposite of our previous blogger. It has not many troubles, in fact, it is set up perfectly with interesting content and from the site counter, a decent following. Ashish has a good eye for the unusual and for interesting things and that is what you'll find in this blog. A definite blog to put into your "visit soon" file.

http://goodtoknowit.blogspot.com/

Last but not least is the blog called Good To Know It. It's well puzzling. Literally. This person is very into puzzles and that is what alot of this blog is about. It's very plain looking and not too many bells and whistles, but it has a dedicated blogger who loves his hobby and presents it well to the world.

PENNY STOCK WATCH-HISC

Homeland Integrated Security Systems

HISC.PK

.0002/per share

www.hissusa.com

• Products include the Cyber Tracker, Cyber Rad, Cyber Shield, and Act Soft Software.
• At the end of this quarter they had 25,000 dollars in cash on hand. You can check out their financial report here.
• HISC has had positive press on various TV stations including HGTV over the years.
• The cyber tracker is on the Nextel system.

HISC is one of those penny stock companies that offer a strong product line with some revenue behind them. At this time they are not setting the world on fire, but the company is in a positive spiral and there is some decent management behind it as well. I would look at the website and do your home work with this one. I can see this company doing a reverse split in the future do to its high volume of shares out there. Hopefully this won't be the case though. Possible share buybacks have been discussed in the past and hopefully this will be the path the management takes.

Duh-mension

http://duh-mension.typepad.com/

Creativity and fantastic presentation is what this blog offers, and there is alot of trendy style that this blog brings to the table. Can you tell I am a fan? As you click on the link and are brought to the landing page you are presented with a cool graphic up that grabs the topic of the title perfectly! The writing is edgy and it keeps your interest and I think that is what makes or breaks a blog. This blog has all the right bells and whistles and it is powered by Typepad, one of my favorite blog platforms! Fantastic job and keep the blog rolling!

Making money with your blog

The quest to make money with your blog is a task that many have tried to tackle. Entire blogs are dedicated to this topic. Blogs like Problogger and John Chow are two good examples of blogs that help bloggers make money with their blogs offering advice and ideas. I tried to do the same with blogs over time. I tried using different methods like pay per post and adsense, but I found that it wasn't what tools you used, but the amount of time you have to dedicate to blogging. It takes alot of time to build a good blog and maintain it. You need to grow a reader base which takes time and you need to keep your content fresh and edgy. The point that I am trying to make is that it is not a get rich quick scheme. Blogging needs dedication, organization, and a certain amount of writing skill and creativity, at least if you want to try to make some income with your blog. There is a handful of bloggers out there who make some decent money with adsense and other forms of monetization. If you are one of them then comment and toot your own horn. How much do you make and what do you use to do it.?

Congrats to Skittle's PLace

I quick Congrats to Barb from Skittle's Place who celebrated her...ready....two thousandth post!!! Yes...I said 2000. Great job and keep up the fantastic work!

Catholic Computes

http://blog.purepistos.net/

I got the urge to browse through some blogs that were submitted via email and found this gem. If you were ever to go back through the vast and cavernous archives of Critique My Blog you would notice that there are tons of blogs with a Christian spin. This one is one of the few Catholic blogs and I am happy to add it to my list. Nicely written and well done with a recent jump over to wordpress.org, I think the blog is a winner! I look forward to watching this blog as it grows into a great thing!

A miner tragedy?

By no means is there anything minor about the poor miners that have been forgotten by the very people who they were making rich in Utah! Officials say that the conditions are just too unstable and dangerous to bore down to find them or recover the bodies. Here's a question...if it is unstable and dangerous now...don't ya think that the same conditions may have applied before these poor folks went mining in this area? These companies need to be made more accountable for the tragedies that result from these horrible accidents. How can you just forget about people who are trapped. What if they all brought a big lunch with them and a few extra bottles of water. What if they had the resources to actually survive? It really bothered me to hear about this, and it makes me wonder how a country who can manufacture a living being in a pitri dish, can't rescue human beings who are trapped.
I eluded to a fact I heard on a TV show last night that in three to ten years, scientists will be able to grow a living, working being in a pitri dish! It is well beyond scary to think that we are that close to this kind of science fiction. When you think of the possibilities with military and just overall workforce development, it blows the mind. So look for the Matrix revisited in the near future.

Fire Fighters

Keeping with the topic of "nice is good" that Barb from Skittle's Place put in my head, I was thinking about my week and some of the "nice" people I've come across. The first thing that came to my mind was how while I was riding from one of my sites to another, I came to red light and there in the street were fire fighters, boots in hand, collecting for Jerry's Kids! The Jerry Lewis Telethon is right around the corner and it warmed my heart to see these men and women who put their lives on the line day in and day out, giving more of themselves by collecting money for a fantastic cause! It's easy to see why little kids always say they want to be fire fighters when they grown up. It has to be because they are so trusted and looked up to. The same day I cam across a little traffic jam, as I passed the reason I saw a mini-van broken down in the left hand lane. In the cross street I saw a fire engine pulled over and off hopped a fireman who ran over and started to help the guy push his van off to the side. How great was that. This morning as I get ready to pour my first cup of coffee I will keep in mind all the nice things that happen in the world. Have a "nice" day!

Thanks for the memories

I want to first off thank Barb from Skittle's Place for offering a heart warming reward for my blog. What a pleasant surprise! Barb has been a positive force in the blogging community for a long time and it's a pleasure to know her and an honor to have been mentioned in her post about nice mattering, because it does.

As for Critique My Blog...over the years I've put alot of time and passion into critiquing blogs, but recently I've been neglecting the critiques, again, and it's mostly due to my new job. I recently started in a position that pulls in in a hundred directions and at night I am with my sons at Karate or Soccer or Basketball or swimming or whatever the case might be. The actual process of critiquing a blog takes alot of time and I put alot of thought into the words I write about he blogs I read. It's a draining process that I love, but can't continue. I am going to keep this blog active, but not in the same capacity as it was in the past. I am going to keep it as a personal blog to write my own thoughts and observations...I will continue to comment on other blogs and keep in touch with the blogging community, but in a new way. I need to be able to write with ease and a personal blog is easy...I can write my thoughts and opinions and activities almost effortlessly. I will also keep my pest control blogs because they also come easy as it is the profession I was in for the past 15 or more years. I know bugs.

I hope people understand this decision and as I said I will still comment and critique from time to time, but not as I used to. I hope to continue to impact the blogging world positively and continue with the relationships I've built in the blogging community. See you all around and keep on blogging!

Scholars & Rogues

http://scholarsandrogues.wordpress.com/

Finally...a thinking man's blog if I ever saw one! There is a vast ocean of journal blogs and topic blogs and blogs of every size...shape...and form, as for S&R...well...it's perspective. Brilliantly written and interesting to it's core, S&R will keep you entertained with analysis of today's news and events with a twist or turn here or there. Very well organized and nicely done, a welcome first read back from my vacation!!! Loved it...you will too.

What's New At Critique My Blog

I will be leaving today for a week vacation and will return on Saturday...When I return I will be revisiting some things I was contemplating for Critique My Blog along with a more regular posting regiment where I will try to post between 3 to 5 reviews a day. I have been neglecting the blog as of late with job requirements and now the starting a new job. I look forward to getting back to the regular posting. As for now...sun tan lotion in hand and a cold drink in other...Vacation here I come!

Families are like fudge

http://audreak.blogspot.com/

Life is like a box of chocolates and according to Audi...Families are like fudge! I just finished reading through this blog that just celebrated it's 2 year anniversary back in June and it is funny to see a blog with some posts under it's belt and how it transformed from the beginning to where it is today. IN the beginning there were posts about working out kinks and trying to fix something in Blogger, and the lists of 100 things about yourself...and a tone of self doubt. Today we see a blog that has survived two years and is moving along nicely with very interesting posts and content that is worthy of it's readers. I love the template you are using as it is easy on the eyes and I love the way you don't use too many things in the sidebar. It keeps the readers focused on you and your blog and that is just what you want. Keep up the good work and keep the blog rolling!

Days like these!

http://calimckoys.blogspot.com/

Tanyetta from sunny California...or...CalEEEfornia, as there good Governor would say...has submitted a blog that was an absolute pleasure to read through. I think family is incredibly important and the sense of family that jumps out of this blog is wonderful. Follow the life and times of this great family by visiting Tanyetta's blog like almost thirty thousand others have already done! Tanyetta is also offering a give-a-way to celebrate her 500th post. Needless to say we have a busy blogger here. Great job overall and keep up the good work. Loved it!

Host208 - Webhosting Services

Whether you have a blog or a website or an information page for your non-profit, one thing is for sure, you need a good web host to succeed! Today there is a place for all webmasters to check out called Host208-Webhosting Services where you can get a business hosting package for as low as $4.50. This is no doubt a good deal and you are able to upgrade to an enterprise package for $12.50 cents with 40000 MB of data storage. If you are looking for a host then I recommend taking a visit.
This post was sponsored by the fine folks at Host208!

Bending Peak

http://www.bendingpeak.blogspot.com/

I had to dust this blogger off as I pulled it from the vast and cavernous inbox having been submitted in April Bending Peak had been way patient! A refreshing blog to say the least, Bending Peak is what I call a "true blog" or a journal blog, a blog that presents a real and true insight into the bloggers world. I love the recent post called How Novel, where she gives her thoughts on blogging and I have to say, "How true"! The love the content as it is compelling and keeps your interest which is what any kind of writing would do, and Bending Peak does this just perfectly. Great job with the blog and keep up the good work!