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This is me and fellow business reporter Stephanie Reighart being awesome.

I spent Saturday morning hanging out with my coworkers, the NewsVroom and a man dressed as Santa Claus at the Boy Scout Troop 94 pancake breakfast in the Shiloh Fire Hall.

Trust me, anyone who was anyone and was on social media between 7 a.m. and noon that day knew without a shadow of a doubt that A PANCAKE BREAKFAST WAS GOING ON.

Why? Because we covered the crap out of it using ScribbleLive.

After a quick cat nap, I went back into work for my Saturday rotation.

I covered this anti-violence protest in York city and prayed to the night cops gods for a boring night.

I probably jinxed myself.

About 15 minutes after I returned to the office, night metro editor Kate Harmon informed me that there was a house fire involving exotic birds in Newberry Township.

Um … OK.

So I headed to Newberry Township with photographer Chris Dunn. Click here to check out her blog about the fire.

We trekked through the woods via a dark, gravel lane.

There, firefighters said homeowner Wanda Senft had refused to leave the blaze without her pets — five exotic birds, three geckos, a bearded dragon, two dogs, and several cats, to be exact.

We were there about two hours and even caught up with Senft, who introduced us to one of her parrots — a macaw named Delilah.

“Hey there Delilah. What’s it like in … Newberry Township?”

One of Senft’s dogs — believed to have been killed — emerged from the woods two hours later. It was a pretty awesome moment.

(The dog is a Cockapoo Chihuahua mix. It’s called a Cockapoochi … )

Oh yeah, did I mention I tweeted? A lot.

After I could no longer feel my butt or finger tips, I returned to the office, grabbed some Panera, and sat down to write.

What a wild night.

Take a look

This isn’t the right Apple, but you get the point.

Apple Inc. is a company that has come to be known throughout the world as a trendsetter in technological advances. It is almost impossible to go somewhere in the modern world and not see an Apple device. Businesses and individuals alike have been drawn to the aesthetics and uniqueness of the Apple platform and business model. Apple has become so technologically advanced in their programs and their marketing strategies that they have eclipsed being a simple company; Apple has changed over the years into a social status symbol, a religious replacement, and a new way of living life through electronic devices as communication.

Apple Inc., formerly known as Apple Computer Inc., is centralized in California and is a predominant company in technology all around the world. Apple uses custom programming to design and develop technologies that are aesthetically pleasing as well as easy to use. The programming involved is significantly different than that of Windows, so much so that there have even been TV advertisements made showing the battle between the two, and the loyalty of the users to each platform.

Apple Computer Inc. was officially founded in 1976, and became Apple Inc. in 2007 after significant company success selling products other than computers. In 2012 Apple Inc. was ranked the world’s third largest maker of cellular phones after traditional mobile giants Samsung and Nokia (Goasduff). It is also the world’s most valuable company; on August 20, 2012 stock reached a new high of $664 a share, and a market value of $62 billion (Kim). Apple Inc. is known for iPods, iPads, iPhones, Macs, Macbooks, and operating systems such as OSX, Lion, and Snow Leopard.

iPad, Mac, and iPhone

While Apple has been a huge financial success, it has had issues in other areas, such as being protested by Greenpeace and having issues with labor practices and outsourcing in China. Issues included employees working over sixty hours a week, and only making $100 a month (Evans). In spite of these human interest issues, by September of 2012 Apple has over 70,000 employees and a 2012 worldwide annual revenue of $156 billion, as reported on the company’s 10-K form for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2012. ( Form10-K).

Apple has transcended being just a company and has become more than just a brand to some; it is a social status, religion, a way of life. Much of this Apple has accomplished through successful marketing. In 1997 John Sculley, a top Apple executive told the Guardian newspaper, “People talk about technology, but Apple was a marketing company. It was the marketing company of the decade” (Kahney).

Apple’s first move that forever impacted was the 1984 Super Bowl commercial, which is still used today as an example of meaningful marketing. The commercial shows a group of people who are robot-like, in a George Orwell like existence being ruled by a giant face. A young woman runs through the crowd (the only one in colored clothing), and swings a sledgehammer into the giant face on the screen. The screen explodes in light, and across the screen comes “On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like “1984””. The ad was directed by Ridley Scott, and exploded with popularity. Apple wanted the Macintosh to show personal empowerment and liberation, each user being able to do what they wanted with his or her own computer. By today’s standards what the computer could do was horribly limited, but users were hooked. In a paper written for the Society for the History of Technology Convention by Ted Friedman, an associate professor of communication at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Friedman lays out a great way to understand the commercial:

As political fantasy, “1984″ was inspired dreamwork. Appealing to viewers’ fears and frustrations in the Information Age, it offered a utopian alternative. But as the dream of “1984″ fizzles, it’s time to imagine new, better utopias. Certainly, we can’t expect a global computer corporation to hand them to us. But perhaps, through more modest means, we can begin to construct another dream of what computers can do for us – a more honest fantasy, which might lead to a future that looks even less like 1984. (Friedman)

Since the 1984 commercial Apple advertisements have been inspiring to the public. The “Think Different” campaign that was launched in 1997 showed famous characters with the Apple logo, again applauding individuality (Macleod).

“Think Different” had a celebrity who appealed to everyone.

The 2003 “silhouettes” campaign featured black silhouettes on colored background, with white iPod headphones in dancing to music. The campaign went viral and has since been the source of many Internet memes. Advertisements have also used popular artists and songs such as Feist’s “1234”, and Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida”, which shot both songs to the tops of music charts. Perhaps the funniest of Apple’s commercials, however, are those of the “Get a Mac” campaign, featuring Justin Long as a Mac user and John Hodgman as a PC user. Long was a young, cool and likeable character while Hodgman was the geeky behind the times character in the three-year campaign (Rodriguez).

Apple has used advertisements such as these to reach out to users as a hip, cool company that is individualized and unique. The result is a clique of Apple users who see themselves are more mentally and technologically advanced. In a 2002 Nielsen/NetRatings study, researchers found that Mac users have more Internet functionality and usage history, and are 58% more likely to build their own web pages (Fried). An analyst named TS Kelly at NetRatings also revealed the “greater affluence and education level of those who surf using a Mac is attributable in part to the company’s comparatively pricier machines, as well as to their perception as a status symbol” (Fried). Apple has infiltrated all generations to become a predominant symbol as well as a fashionable commodity. Apple is valued for its easy to use functionality, and it’s simple user interface. Even the design of Apple products is simple; a Mac has a completely silver case with nothing showing except for the glowing white apple. The symbol of the glowing apple on all Apple products is also easily relatable to what users are doing when using that device. Talking to friends, listening to music, web surfing, are all pleasurable things to do and a device with the glowing Apple can help one do that.

The magical glow.

With products that claim to be the lightest and the slimmest, there is also a market for “Apple fashion”, sleeves, covers, for your Macbook, iPad, and iPhone. It sounds silly, but when designers such as Juicy Couture charge $58 for an iPhone cover, it shows a raving industry. Apple products are used in product placement as well, in Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol, Ethan Hunt uses all Apple products for everything from making a simple call to blowing up the Kremlin.

This still raises the question of why Apple is such an important status symbol to followers. The American sociologist Thorstein Veblen wrote a book called The Theory of the Leisure Class, studying conspicuous consumption, which Velben defined as spending money to obtain expensive things to publicly display ones monetary power (Velben). The “leisure class”, are those who want to publicly show what they have earned or worked for that defines them as being upper class. To gain such things is to have honor, and honor is a form of superior social status. Everyone is our society wants to better themselves and move upwards, this is why people go to school, learn, work in jobs to work up through companies, etc. Apple products have always cost more that other companies such as Dell and HP, and to many the idea of the more expensive computer, better user experience, and status symbol have become rolled into one.

Apple’s use of commercials and slogans to connect with audiences and has been able to evolve over time to keep in step with users. The company has also connected with customers on a basic level, Apple appeals to the leisure class by giving them an outlet to funnel the need for showing what they have gained by conspicuous consumption.

Apple has become a religious replacement for many people, relying on the technological giant as a sort of revered deity. Alex Riley, a BBC reporter, compares the opening of an Apple store to a prayer meeting, “the scenes I witnessed at the opening of the new Apple store in London’s Covent Garden were more like an evangelical prayer meeting than a chance to buy a phone or a laptop” (Riley). While many products have a great brand and loyal followers, such as women with Coach purses or men with the Call of Duty games, Apple inspires a true religious devotion.

Sept. 21, 2012: Apple workers gesture with five fingers at customers leaving their store after purchasing iPhone 5 handsets in Covent Garden, London. The smartphone is being launched in the U.S., Britain, Canada, France and Germany. It will go on sale in 22 more countries a week later. (AP OHOTO/MATT DUNHAM)

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) did extensive neurological research on Apple users, and using a MRI test found that pictures of Apple products lit up the same parts of the brain a religious deity does (Millan). The information found in the study is not surprising when Apple at one time the company hired an evangelist named Guy Kawasaki who took to “preaching, pounding on the pavement, getting the job done, taking the battle to the customer (Kawasaki). The idea of “customer evangelism” is not a new concept, and is designed to create customers into “outspoken “evangelists” for your company. This group of satisfied believers can be converted into a potent marketing force to grow your universe of customers.” (Creating Customer Evangelists.) This concept of marketing down through customers come dangerously close to considering one brand or one product to be a religion.

Russell Belk, a consumer behaviorist at the University of Utah, theorizes that whether intentional or not, Apple has become a cult of sorts that almost mirror Christianity. A video monograph called The Cult of Macintosh was made by Belk after interviewing and studying Mac users, and has since been publicized at marketing conferences. Belk’s comparisons between religion and the company are chilling to say the least:

“The Mac and its fans constitute the equivalent of a religion. This religion
is based on an origin myth for Apple Computer, heroic and savior legends surrounding its co-founder and current CEO Steve Jobs, the devout faith of its
follower congregation, their belief in the righteousness of the Macintosh, the existence of one or more Satanic opponents, Mac believers proselytizing and converting nonbelievers, and the hope among cult members that salvation can be achieved by transcending corporate capitalism.” (Kaheny)

Belk argues that Steve Jobs, the main Apple creator, is viewed as a hero, and it is hard to argue. Apple cannot be thought of without Steve Jobs, since the explosion of Apple as a force to be reckoned with, Jobs became an iconic figure, even more so after his death from pancreatic cancer in 2011. In October 2012, a year after the death of Jobs, the new CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, posted on the Apple home page, “No company has ever inspired such creativity or set such high standards for itself. Our values originated from Steve and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple” (Fitzgerald). The reactions from those who worked with Jobs revered him as being a cut above the rest. Software manager Larry Tessler said “Working in the halo, no, giant aura, of Steve was unimaginably motivating. But Steve had a sizable streak of humility. Yes, he was the very definition of charisma”, and Disney CEO Bob Iger noted “his legacy will extend far beyond the products he created or the businesses he built. It will be the millions of people he inspired, the lives he changed and the culture he defined” (Reactions to Steve Jobs Death). Jobs was clearly viewed as a charismatic visionary, a hero-like figure.

Even still today Facebook users post to a page called “Steve Jobs Memorial“ in his honor. One poster on October 6, 2012 commented, “Thank you Steve for changing our lives and make it a better place we love you Steve and we will always remember you.R.I.P.”, and on the late Job’s birthday this year, February 24th, Twitter was alive with the phrase “3 Apples changed the world: Adam and Eve’s forbidden apple, Newton’s apple and finally Steve Jobs’s Apple. Happy Birthday Steve Jobs” (Apple Live Blog).

The tribute that appeared on the Apple homepage the day of Steve Jobs death

Belk is not the only professional who feels that the Apple brand has take on religious feel. Texas A&M University telecommunications and media studies professor Heidi Campbell’s paper “How the iPhone Became Divine”, supports this belief. Campbell has four main points, which illustrate the parallels between Apple and a view of Christianity:

1. A creation myth highlighting the counter-cultural origin and emergence of the Mac as a transformative moment
2. A hero myth presenting the Mac and its founder Steve Jobs as saving users from the corporate domination of the PC world
3. A satanic myth presenting Bill Gates as the enemy of Mac loyalists
4. A resurrection myth of Jobs returning to save the failing company (Moore)

Campbell’s theory fits the company’s model and history extremely well. The 1984 commercial can be seen as the true emergence of the Mac, Steve Jobs as liberating the public and giving them personalization, Microsoft as a corporate entity, and Jobs leaving and returning to Apple in 1997 as a resurrection. Campbell has also said, “Implicit religion can happen when the use of, say, technology becomes a substitute for belief and behaviours once attached to religion and religious practice,….The religious-like behaviour and language surrounding Apple devotion/fandom is an example of ‘implicit religion’” (CAMPBELL).

To put it simply, our Apple products and reliance on what they can do have become a substitute for a religious faith. If one reads the article and they are of a Christian denomination, do they see the similarities between myths and Apple present day? This could be a huge influence of why people get so drawn into the Apple brand. If the story of the company replicates something that is already familiar to them, it will be easier to relate to.

This is relatable to the theory of behaviorism, which was developed by experimentalist John Watson. Watson argued all human action is a conditioned response to external environmental factors (Baran 81). If users are influenced by powerful faith motivators as religion by seeing the benchmarks of that religions history, users are certainly capable of being influenced by Apple mirroring that history while bringing a sense of comfort with their products, just as religion comforts. If humans take comfort in a company they see as all reliable as religion, then the magic bullet theory applies here as well.

The magic bullet theory is the idea that propaganda is powerful enough to penetrate most peoples defenses and condition them in ways that are useful to the propagandist (Baran 82). Religion offers faith and hope, Apple offers a convenient life simplified through technology, relying on both conditions a person over time. People who are religiously devout donate and volunteer, Apple fanatics spend their money on every significant update or new product the company can shell out. Apple’s advertisements are certainly a form of propaganda designed to capture the attention and devotion of users. This has gone so far that the lines have blurred between brand preference and fanaticism; giving Apple a religious following.

Apple products have become a part and a way of everyday life, influencing how consumers live and interact. The iPhone, iPod, and iPad all share amazing capabilities, with limitless activity. Interactive platforms let a user read and use newspapers, magazines, ebooks, textbooks, photos, movies, TV shows videos, music, word processing documents, spreadsheets, video games, and interuse apps on all devices, as well as Mac computers. Web browsing comes on all devices, as well as the App Store, iTunes, camera displays, and digital music players and modifiers. One HR Mac user says “Steve Jobs once described Apple as the intersection between science and aesthetics, and simplicity as the ultimate sophistication. Using that mindset, they have created beautiful, elegant devices that work” (Anita).
Perhaps the biggest success of Apple to date is the iPhone. At the Macworld Conference and Expo in 2007, Steve Jobs announced the iPhone’s release:

“iPhone is a revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone. We are all born with the ultimate pointing device—our fingers—and iPhone uses them to create the most revolutionary user interface since the mouse.”(Apple Reinvents the Phone with iPhone)

In 2011 the iPhone 4 debuted with the voice assistant Siri, making the technology even more personable, and in July 2011 Apple revealed that the App Store had fifteen billion downloads, with 425,000 available apps to download and had sold over two hundred million iOS devices (Apple Issues App Store Stats). Another appeal for Apple technology is the iCloud. iCloud is a stream of information under a users name that is shared between all devices. iPhones, iPods, iPads, and Macs can all share a users iTunes, apps, photos, contacts, even the tabs that the Safari browser has open, the ultimate form on convenience because everything the user needs is shared from one place to multiple places. The issue is whether Apple products are becoming our main form of communication because they are fun, aesthetically pleasing, or because they pull our media together, and how they have changed our society. Traditional media such as newspapers and books have been a victim of functional displacement, their functions replaced by those of a new technology (Baran 49). Books and newspapers have been forced to find new homes in apps on devices such as iPads to stay alive and read.

Apple users are also fiercely protective of their view on technology today. Apple users and Android or Window users share almost a hatred towards each other. These rifts over technological superiority have balkanized those who are media savvy by dividing them into antagonistic subgroups, each with their own strong opinion on why their platform is better (Baran 120). By dividing into subgroups and listening to only one side, these users have selectively exposed themselves to messages consistent with what they already think and believe. Galen Gruman, executive editor for InfoWorld’s feature section, describes the rift accurately:

Here, people are self-organizing into blue (Microsoft), green (Google), and aluminum (Apple), and they’re creating walls around themselves. The Apple Store becomes the equivalent of MSNBC or NPR; the Microsoft Store is Fox News and Bloomberg News. (Gruman)

Which side of the force do you choose?

Through functionally displacing traditional media, balkanizing themselves, and selectively exposing themselves, Apple users have created their own way of life that influences those around them. Communication has forever changed because of how Apple approaches media and how we react to it.

Apple is not just the world’s most valuable company. Its products are a way to show membership to the leisure class and social status, elevating one’s position in society through conspicuous consumption. Apple has also become a religion, with parallels from Christian myths it follows behaviorism and is easy to rely upon just as religion is, and the magic bullet theory shows that Apple propaganda really does pull users in for the good of the propagandist. Technology from Apple has also become a way of life, defining how media reaches us by our personal preferences, changing the face of traditional media, and causing us to form societal subgroups. Apple’s influence over people is truly a strong one, that is impacting as well as meaningful to people’s everyday lives and the face of communication and media today.

SOURCES

Anita. “How Apple Changed My Life.” Visions for HR. N.p., 6 Jan. 2012. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.

Apple Issues App Store Stats: 425,000 Apps, 15B Downloads, $3.6B Revenue | 9to5Mac.” 9to5Mac. N.p., 7 July 2011. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. <http://9to5mac.com/2011/07/07/apple-issues-app-store-stats-15b-downloads-425000-apps-nearly-3-6b-revenue/"Apple Reinvents the Phone with IPhone." Apple – Press Info – Apple Reinvents the Phone with IPhone. Apple, Inc., 9 Jan. 2007. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. .

Baran, Stanley J., and Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, 2012. Print.

Campbell, Heidi. “How the IPhone Became Divine: New Media, Religion and theIntertextual Circulation of Meaning.” How the IPhone Became Divine: New Media, Religion and the Intertextual Circulation of Meaning. N.p., 18 May 2010. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. .

“Creating Customer Evangelists.” : How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. .

Evans, Jonny. “Greenpeace Slams IPhone.” ABC News. ABC News Network, 16 Oct. 2007. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. .

“Fans Commemorate 57th Birthday of Late Apple Co-founder Steve Jobs.” Apple Live Blog. N.p., 26 Feb. 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. .

Fitzgerald, Britney. “Steve Jobs’ Death Remembered By Apple CEO Tim Cook One Year Later:’He Made The World A Better Place’” The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 05 Oct. 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. .

“Form 10-K.” Form 10-K. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. .

Fried, Ian. “Are Mac Users Smarter? – CNET News.” CNET News. CBS Interactive, 9 June 2002. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.

Friedman, Ted. Apple’s 1984: The Introduction of the Macintosh in the Cultural History of Personal Computers. Apple’s 1984. N.p., Oct. 1997. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. .

Goasduff, Laurence. “Gartner Says Worldwide Sales of Mobile Phones Declined 2 Percent in First Quarter of 2012; Previous Year-over-Year Decline Occurred in Second Quarter of 2009.” Gartner Newsroom, 16 May 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. .

Gruman, Galen. “The Ugly Politics of Fanboy Culture.” InfoWorld. International Data Group, 2 Nov. 2012. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. .

“Guy Kawasaki: The Evangelist’s Evangelist.” N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. .

“Judging Apple Sweatshop Charge.” Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 13 June 2006. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.

Kahney, Leander. “Apple: It’s All About the Brand.” Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 4 Dec. 2002. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. .

Kaheny, Leander. “Worshipping at the Altar of Mac.” Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. .

Kim, Susanna. “Apple (AAPL) Becomes History’s Most Valuable Firm on IPhone 5 Rumors.” ABC News. ABC News Network, 20 Aug. 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.

Linzmayer, Owen W. Apple Confidential: The Real Story of Apple Computer, Inc. San Francisco, CA: No Starch, 1999. Print.

Macleod, Duncan. “Apple Think Different Campaign.” The Inspiration Room. N.p., 7 Oct. 2005. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. .

Millan, Mark. “Apple Triggers ‘religious’ Reaction in Fans’ Brains, Report Says.” CNN. N.p., 19 May 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. .

Moore, Charles. “Is Apple a Cult, a Religion or a Brand? â Apple News, Tips and Reviews.” GigaOM. N.p., 2 Aug. 2010. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. .

“Reactions to Steve Jobs Death.” Gizmodo. N.p., 5 Oct. 2011. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. ..

Riley, Alex, and Adam Boome. “Superbrands’ Success Fuelled by Sex, Religion and Gossip.” BBC News. BBC, 16 May 2011. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. .

Rodriguez, Salvador. “The Best Apple Commercials under Steve Jobs.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 05 Oct. 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. .

Veblen, Thorstein. The Theory of the Leisure Class. New York: Dover Publications, 1994. Print.

Future home of Johnson Controls? We’ll just wait and see.

Last week got pretty wild.

For months, we knew a Fortune 500 company was looking to relocate within York County to Hopewell Township using a tax incentive program that needed approval from the school board, township and commissioners.

If they didn’t get what they needed, they’d likely go to Maryland — or so we’re told.

Not knowing who it was frustrated the hell out of me.

I narrowed it down. I knew it couldn’t be Harley, because they just renovated their existing site into a state-of-the-art facility. Why would they move?

This mystery haunted my dreams. (OK, not really.)

South Eastern School Board approved the plan for the aforementioned mystery company the day before Thanksgiving. This meant the company name and plan would be available at the township.

I rolled up to Hopewell Township offices around 8 a.m. that Monday. The offices had been closed for Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday.

It was then, I heard the magic words: Johnson Controls.

I knew it. Here are the stories I’ve done on the company’s potential move so far:

• Day 1: Johnson Controls eyes Hopewell Township for relocation
• Day 2: A report (which is embedded via DocumentCloud the story, by the way) reveals details of the incentive plan
• Day 3: Freaking long Sunday story fleshing out the Johnson Controls move and what it means to all involved

As a bonus, I wrote this blog after talking to a company relocation expert about Johnson Controls and whether other companies will follow suit.

Also, interestingly enough, the New York Times ran this story in their Sunday paper about corporations and tax incentives. It sort of mirrors what’s going on in York County, but on steroids.

Love when that happens.

Check it out!

New York Post

Today, the New York Post published this cover photo of a man who was allegedly pushed onto the New York City subway tracks after getting into an altercation with an unknown man. The man was killed moments after the photo was taken.

But instead of being praised for capturing this shocking moment on film, freelance photographer R. Umar Abbasi is being heavily criticized for taking photos instead of helping the fallen man.

In the New York Post story linked above, the photographer claims he was taking photos to try to alert the subway driver with the flashes from his camera.

“I just started running, running, hoping that the driver could see my flash,” said Abbasi in the article.

But the Post is still facing much criticizing on social media websites. “New York Post” was trending globally on Twitter for hours.

This cover brings up a serious ethics dilemma in the world of reporting: Do you get involved in a crisis and help, or do you document what’s happening as a journalist, to later share the story of what happened?

What do you think? Here’s what some were saying on Twitter:

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This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for Penn State’s win in overtime against Wisconsin … and these awesome seats!

If you’re looking for a warm fuzzy story this Thanksgiving weekend, I have two.

The first belongs to our Thanksgiving package where we highlighted what Yorkers cherish this holiday. (Hint: It’s difficult to fit this theme for the Money & More section.  Most people, I hope, won’t say, “I cherish money.”)

I met Amanda Danuski through through Twitter and wrote this story about her cherishing the ability to start a new job while coping with osteogenesis imperfecta, a brittle bone disease.

Today, a story I wrote about Chandra Illarza appeared on the front of the Sunday News . The York city woman recently quit her job and purchased a house to shelter homeless men.n

On a less journalistic note, I spent Thursday night into Friday with my sister, Casey. She came to York to wreak havoc … and do a little Black Friday shopping.

Casey’s first time being “legal” in York. Here we are at the White Rose smoking bar — one of the only places that was open — Thanksgiving night.

Me with my press pass at the Bill Clinton rally in Syracuse. Photo courtesy of Michelle Briedenbach | The Post-Standard

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. And, like any American, I view Thanksgiving as a day to fill up on delicious, home-cooked food. But more than that, I truly view Thanksgiving as a day to reflect on, and be appreciative of, the many things I have been blessed with.

This year, I am particularly grateful for the opportunities I have had as a reporter. I don’t know what it was about this semester, but it was full of adventures for me as a journalist. So here’s my reporter’s list of what I am thankful for:

1.) Working for Newhouse professor and Knight Chair in Political Reporting Charlotte Grimes. Professor Grimes is a constant reminder to me of what it means to work hard and to love the craft of journalism. She is an inspiration every day. She has helped me with so many problems, professional and personal, and I am so grateful to be able to work for her.

2.) Taking Newhouse’s only political reporting class. This follows my first listed item because Professor Grimes is the professor of this class. She has taught me so much and has really whipped my writing into shape. I have learned so many lessons, and I am grateful for that.

3.) The many events, both on- and off-campus, that I have covered. This semester, I covered a panel featuring the Dalai Lama, a rally with Bill Clinton and Election Night with the local Democratic Party. These opportunities have thrust me into “real-life journalism,” and have allowed me to speak with so many amazing people.

4.) My social media class with Newhouse professor Dr. Ward. Who knew there was so much to Twitter? I certainly didn’t coming into this class, but I definitely do now. I have expanded my social media skills immensely, something that I hope will benefit me come job-hunting time. Plus, I discovered how much I love social media. I have learned how to market myself as a professional, and I have learned how to connect with other professionals in the field of journalism through social media.

5.) All of the people who read my stories, who read my blog posts here and who support me in my endeavors. I write for people. Whether its to entertain them, inspire them or give them a voice, I write for people. And I am grateful for those who take the time to read anything I write.
Of course, I am thankful for many, many more things. But I don’t think I’ve ever felt quite as lucky to be a reporter.

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Another day on the job.

Remember that time I ate pie and made new friends in a rural neighborhood? 

That column finally made it in the paper. I used Dickey’s fruit pie recipe as a breakout.

Hyperlocal fun!

You can check it out here.

In other news, here’s a fairly non-journalistic list of other things I’ve gotten myself into during the past week:

1. I was a mojo during the election, where every problem known to man seemed to pop up. We’re talking machine malfunctions, flier mixups and panicky poll people — the works. Also, my iPhone battery died every five seconds.

On the bright side, here’s a photo of a nice 83-year-old chap I chatted with in Dover Township. He was waiting for his wife to finish voting.

“I was born during Hoover times,” he said.

2. Earlier in the week, the manfriend and I embarked on an impromptu self-guided tour of York dive bars. That’s what journalists do, right?

This yielded a trip to the Tourist Inn where we overheard a man describe how he picked up a roadkill deer on Rt. 30 and took it home to eat. Totally unsanitary.

Friends on the Twitters guided us to Jackie B’s. I’m pretty sure it’s my new “spot.” I don’t know much about this place, other than it’s proof that dollar drinks DO exist after college. Amen.

Inside, I ordered a New York Strip steak and six scallops, which came with fries and cole slaw. It cost $7.95.

I needed a takeout box for probably the first time in my life.

3. I tried out a service at a new church.  Still figuring out whether I’m willing to drive to Harrisburg to attend the church I grew up going to.

4. Saw this movie. It’s awesome.

5. Also, my dear friend Emileigh Clare left the York Daily Record and moved to D.C. I sure will miss her!

Bye byeeeee.

This is how the error looks like. When you run a Report in the SCSM Console an error message is displayed telling you that the Data Source is not valid.

When you connect to the SQL Reporting Server Website you will see that the Report lost the configured data source.

OK, this can be easily fixed by just browsing to the data source that exists on the server and reconnect the data source. But doing this for 30+ Reports is not very handy. Another way to solve this is executing a SQL script that does the work for you. Just run this script against the SQL ReportServer Database for SCSM.

USE [ReportServer]
GO

UPDATE [dbo].[DataSource]
SET [Link] = (SELECT TOP 1 [ItemID] FROM [dbo].[Catalog] where name = [dbo].[DataSource].[Name])
WHERE name is not null and link is null

After the script was successfully executed, the reports are connected again.

Thanks to Raphael Koeppel – a SQL specialist of one of our customers – to share the script!

regards
Marcel

After I performed the list of tasks below, I wrote this blog while consuming a Grey Goose and orange juice. Gotta load up on Vitamin C before the storm, kids!

Hurricane Sandy is on her way. As a resident of Pennsylvania, I’m following along with the traditional inclement weather protocol of panicking while purchasing bread and milk like it’s the end of the world.

As a journalist, this preparation includes a few extra things.

1. First, I fed the Boyermobile. It was hungry.

Here I am at Rutter’s on Pennsylvania Avenue filling my car with gas and wearing my jammies just because Cost: $48. But it’s necessary.  I’ll probably be out-and-about tomorrow, and if there’s no power I can charge my devices in the car.

2. I stocked up on supplies. Need to keep my glucose up.

Pro tip: Runts, Sour Patch Kids and assorted licorice thingies are crucial to the operation.

3. I loaded up my psychedelic orange gym bag with clothes and deodorant in case I’m stranded somewhere awkward tomorrow and can’t catch a boat to Walmart.

There may or may not be toilet paper in this bag. You can never be too careful.

As you can see, I’m all ready for Sandy. I’m also halfway through my vodka and orange.

I’m going to finish that and get to bed.

Signing off, folks.

Image credited to Google

Goblins, Vampires and Witches, oh my!

Decorated faces stared back at Fairfield University students. Some faces had odd shaped eyes and grimacing smiles; others were covered in glitter and even grew hair. Students sat together and continued to perfect their strange, but quirky creations with Halloween spirit.

FUSA Programmers hosted their annual “Pimp your Pumpkin” event Wednesday night in the Barone Campus Center. Over one hundred students “pimped” their pumpkins. Food was served, laughs were shared, and memories were made.

The event gave “students an opportunity to relax and get away from their studies for a few hours and simply have some fun by decorating a pumpkin,” said FUSA Programmer Kristina Graham.

Students stood in the corner of the room trying to pick their ideal pumpkin with regards to shape and size, eagerly awaiting the decorating process. Paint was scattered throughout the room; brushes were passed left and right, and enjoyment spread throughout the building.

The goal for many students last night was to create the best-decorated pumpkin in order to win two tickets to a haunted Halloween park, hosted again by FUSA this coming weekend. The event lasted roughly two hours, with students working until the last minute before pumpkins were judged for the grand prize.

“This is a great tradition on campus and a fun way to unleash your creative side as you decorate a pumpkin and hang out with friends,” said sophomore Carli Markus, who has attended the event for two years. Her reaction mirrored many students’ that night.

Pimp your Pumpkin has been a Halloween tradition at Fairfield for over a decade. It was created many moons ago by the Late Night committee of FUSA. Nicole Rende and Kristina Graham, both sophomores and FUSA programmers, were in charge of coordinating this year’s event.

Sophomore Xhensila Spahui said, “I finally have some kind of scary decoration for my room,” after she decorated a pumpkin that looked identical to a vampire. “This event was well planned and a lot of fun! Everyone should go next year.”

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I had a newsroom buddy today. Meet Haley Staub, 16, of Spring Grove aka @tarhelgrl50 on Twitter.

Well, today was tons of fun. (So was Friday, and the pie party, but I’ll get to that in another post.)

A Spring Grove Area High School junior from our Teen Takeover staff hung out with me all day for part of her graduation project.

She decided to shadow me after attending my #boyer101 session earlier this year. My presentation, apparently, hadn’t scared her off.

Here’s how the day went down:

First, we broke a story about the West Manchester Mall banning unescorted teens. Thankfully, I’m basically an expert on the havoc juveniles can wreak on local retail complexes.

Then, we headed to a local farm for another story I’m working on about alternative animal feeds that can save farmers money as commodity prices rise.

Haley being #digitalfirst on the farm.

She met with our day cops reporter and I taught her about some gadgets and apps I use, like Storify, Photosynth, ScribbleLive, GatheringPoint and the like.

Oh, and we also talked about how awesome Penn State is. And petted cows.

It was a pretty crazy Monday. The mall story was kind of unexpected.

But I hope she had fun, learned something and comes back soon!

President Bill Clinton came to Syracuse on Friday, Oct. 19, to endorse 24th Congressional District challenger Democrat Dan Maffei. I covered the event for The Daily Orange, the independent student newspaper for Syracuse University. Around 800 supporters showed up to see Clinton speak.

Maffei is running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Anne Marie Buerkle, R-Onondaga Hill, in an attempt to regain the seat he lost to her in 2010. Maffei also faces Green Party candidate Ursula Rozum of Syracuse.

The election is Nov. 6.

In 2008, Maffei became the first Democrat to win the then-25th Congressional District seat. But in 2010, he lost it by 648 votes to Buerkle.

The Buerkle-Maffei rematch is one of the closest races in the United States. As of mid-September, Buerkle and Maffei were tied at 43 percent each of voters saying they would cast their ballot for either one, according to a Sept. 13 Siena Research Institute poll . The poll’s margin of error is 3.9 percent.

Check out my coverage of the #ClintonInCuse event here.